{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Title : A Short History of Chinese Philosophy\nAuthor: Yu-lan Fung [Yu-lan Fung],chenjin5.com\nASIN  : a0bbd9f2-6219-4419-91ae-c39c22423e32\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAUTHOR'S PREFACE\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA SHORT history of any subject should not simply be an abridgement of a larger one. It should be a picture complete in itself, rather than a mere inventory of names and \"isms.' To achieve this, the author should, as a Chinese expression says, \"have the whole history in his mind. Only then can he give the reader an adequate and well-rounded account within his chosen limited scope."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Chinese historiography, a good historian must have wide scholarship in order to master all his materials, sound judgment to make proper selection of them, and literary talent in order to tell his story in an interesting way. In writing a short history, intended for a general public, the author certainly has less chance to display his scholarship, but he needs more selective judgment and literary talent than he would for writing a longer and strictly scholarly work.\n\n\nIn preparing this work, I have tried to use my best judgment in selecting what I consider important and relevant from materials which I have mastered. I was very fortunate, however, to have as editor Dr. Derk Bodde, who has used his literary talent to make the style of the book interesting, readable, and comprehensible to the Western reader. He has also made suggestions regarding the selection and arrangement of the material."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Being a short history, this book serves as no more than an introduction to the study of Chinese philosophy. If the reader wishes to know more about the subject, I would refer him to my larger work, A History of Chinese Philosophy.\n The first volume of this has been translated by Dr.\n\n\nBodde, and he is now translating the second one; also to my more recent work, The Spirit of\n Chinese Philosophy,\n translated by Mr. E. R. Hughes of Oxford University. Both works are mentioned in the bibliography compiled by Dr. Bodde at the end of the present book.\n\n\nAcknowledgements are due to both Dr. Bodde and Mr.Hughes, from whose books I have borrowed some translations of the Chinese texts appearing herein."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In publishing this book, I welcome the opportunity of expressing my thanks to the Rockefeller Foundation for the grant which made it possible for me to come from China to the University of Pennsylvania as Visiting Professor during the year 1946-47, and which resulted in the writing of this book. Also, I wish to thank my colleagues and students in the Department of Oriental Studies for their cooperation and encouragement, and especially Dr. Bodde, Associate Professor of Chinese. I am likewise grateful to Dr. A. W. Hummel,Chief of the Asiatic Division, Library of Congress, for his encouragement and help in making arrangements for the publication of the book.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFUNC.YU-LAN\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n June, 1947\n\n\n\n\n University of Pennsylvania\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nO04\n\n\n \n\n \n CHAPTER 1\n \n\n\n\n\n \n PIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1 HE place which philosophy has occupied in Chinese civilization has been comparable to that of religion in other civilizations. In China, philosophy has been every educated person s concern. In the old days, if a man were educated at all, the first education he received was in philosophy. When children went to school, the Four Books,\n which consist of the Confucian Analects,\n the Book of Mencius,\n the Great Learning,\n and the Doctrine of the Mean,\n were the first ones they were taught to read. The Four\n Books\n were the most important texts of Neo -Confucianist philosophy. Sometimes when the children were just begining to learn the characters, they were given a sort of textbook to read. This was known as the Three Characters Classic,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and was so called because each sentence in the book consisted of three characters arranged so that when recited they produced a rhythmic effect, and thus helped the children to memorize them more easily. This book was in reality a primer, and the very first statement in it is that \"the nature of man is originally good.\" This is one of the fundamental ideas of Mencius'"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "philosophy.\n\n\n\n Place of Philosophy in Chinese Civilization\n\n\n\nTo the Westerner, who sees that the life of the Chinese people is permeated with Confucianism, it appears that Confucianism is a religion. As a matter of fact, however, Confucianism is no more a religion than, say, Platonism or Aristotelianism. It is true that the Four Books\n have been the Bible of the Chinese people, but in the Four Books\n there is no story of creation, and no mention of a heaven or hell.\n\n\nOf course, the terms philosophy and religion are both ambiguous, Philosophy and religion may have entirely different meanings for different people. When men talk about philosophy or religion, they may have quite different ideas in their minds concerning them. For my part, what I call philosophy is systematic, reflective thinking on life. Every man, who has not yet died, is in life. But there are not many who think reflectively on life, and still fewer\n\n\nOO2 THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "OO2 THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nwhose reflective thinking is systematic. A philosopher must philosophize; that is to say, he must think reflectively on life, and then express his thoughts systematically.\n\n\nThis kind of thinking is called reflective because it takes life as its object. The theory of life, the theory of the universe, and the theory of knowledge all emerge from this type of thinking. The theory of the universe arises because the universe is the background of life—the stage on which the drama of life takes place. The theory of knowledge emerges because thinking is itself knowledge. According to some philosophers of the West, in order to think, we must first find out what we can think; that is to say, before we start to think about life, we must first think our thinking."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Such theories are all the products of reflective thinking. The very concept of life, the very concept of the universe, and the very concept of knowledge are also the products of reflective thinking. No matter whether we think about life or whether we talk about it, we are all in the midst of it. And no matter whether we think or speak about the universe, we are all a part of it. Now, what the philosophers call the universe is not the same as what the physicists have in mind when they refer to it. What the philosophers call the universe is the totality of all that is.\n It is equivalent to what the ancient Chinese philosopher, Hui Shih, called \"The Great One,\" which is defined as that which has nothing beyond. So everyone and everything must be considered part of the universe. When one thinks about the universe, one is thinking reflectively."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When we think about knowledge or speak about knowledge, this thinking and speaking are themselves knowledge. To use an expression of Aristotle, it is \"thinking on thinking\"; and this is reflective thinking. Here is the vicious circle which those philosophers follow who insist that before we think we must first think about our thinking; just as if we had another faculty with which we could think about thinking! As a matter of fact, the faculty with which we think about thinking is the very same faculty with which we think. If we are skeptical about the capacity of our thinking in regard to life and the universe, we have the same reason to be skeptical about the capacity of our thinking in regard to thinking.\n\n\nReligion also has something to do with life. In the heart of every great religion there is a philosophy.\n\n\nIn fact, every great religion is a philosophy with a certain amount of superstructure, which consists of superstitions, dogmas, rituals, and institutions. This is what 1 call religion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If one understands the term religion in this sense, which does not really differ very much from common usage, one sees that Confucianism cannot be considered a religion. People have been accustomed to say that there were three religions in China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. But Confucianism, as we have seen, is not a religion. As to Taoism, there is a distinction between Taoism as a philosophy, which is called Too chia\n (the Taoist school), and the Taoist religion {Too chiao).\n Their teachings are not only dif—\n\n\nOP4 THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGod is really the universe. Strictly speaking, the love of God in Christianity is not really super-moral."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is because God, in Christianity, is a personality, and consequently the love of God by man is comparable to the love of a father by his son, which is a moral value. Therefore, the love of God in Christianity is open to question as a super-moral value. It is a quasi super-moral value, while the love of God in the philosophy of Spinoza is a real super-moral value.\n\n\nTo answer the above queslions, I would say that the craving for something beyond the present actual world is one of the innate desires of mankind, and the Chinese people are no exception to this rule. They have not had much concern with religion because they have had so much concern with philosophy. They are not religious because they are philosophical. In philosophy they satisfy their craving for what is beyond the present actual world. In philosophy also they have the super-moral values expressed and appreciated, and in living according to philosophy these super-moral values are experienced."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to the tradition of Chinese philosophy, its function is not the increase of positive knowledge (by positive knowledge I mean information regarding matters of fact), but the elevation of the mind—a reaching out for what is beyond the present actual world, and for the values that are higher than the moral ones. It was said by the Lao-tzu:\n To work on learning is to increase day by day; to work on Tao\n (the Way, the Truth) is to decrease day by day.\" (See ch. 48.) I am not concerned with the difference between increasing and decreasing, nor do I quite agree with this saying of Lao-tzu.\n I quote it only to show that in the tradition of Chinese philosophy there is a distinction between working on learning and working on Tao\n (the Way). The purpose of the former is what I call the increase of positive knowledge, that of the latter is the elevation of the mind. Philosophy belongs to the latter category."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The view that the function of philosophy, especially metaphysics, is not the increase of positive knowledge, is expounded by the Viennese school in contemporary Western philosophy, though from a different angle and for a different purpose. I do not agree with this school that the function of philosophy is only the clarification of ideas, and that the nature of metaphysics is only a lyric of concepts.\n\n\nNevertheless, in their arguments one can see quite clearly that philosophy, especially metaphysics, would become nonsense if it did attempt to give information regarding matters of fact."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Religion does give information in regard to matters of fact. But the information given by religion is not in harmony with that given by science. So in the West there has been the conflict between religion and science. Where science advances, religion retreats; and the authority of religion recedes before the advancement of science. The traditionalists regretted this fact and pitied the people who had become irreligious, considering them as having degenerated. They ought indeed to be pitied, if, besides religion, they had no\n\n\nOO8 THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "other access to the higher values. When people get rid of religion and have no substitute, they also lose the higher values. They have to confine themselves to mundane affairs and have nothing to do with the spiritual ones. Fortunately, however, besides religion there is philosophy,which provides man with an access to the higher values—an access which is more direct than that provided by religion, because in philosophy, in order to be acquainted with the higher values, man need not take the roundabout way provided by prayers and rituals. The higher values with which man has become acquainted through philosophy are even purer than those acquired through religion, because they are not mixed with imagination and superstition. In the world of the future, man will have philosophy in the place of religion. This is consistent with Chinese tradition. It is not necessary that man should be religious, but it is necessary that he should be philosophical. When he is philosophical, he has the very best of the blessings"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "he has the very best of the blessings of religion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Problem and Spirit of Chinese Philosophy\n\n\n\nThe above is a general discussion of the nature and function of philosophy. In the following remarks I shall speak more specifically about Chinese philosophy. There is a main current in the history of Chinese philosophy, which may be called the spirit of Chinese philosophy. In order to understand this spirit, we must first make clear the problem that most Chinese philosophers have tried to solve.\n\n\nThere are all kinds and conditions of men. With regard to any one of these kinds, there is the highest form of achievement of which any one kind of man is capable. For instance, there are the men engaged in practical politics. The highest form of achievement in that class of men is that of the great statesman."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So also in the field of art, the highest form of achievement of which artists are capable is that of the great artist. Although there are these different classes of men, yet all of them are men. What is the highest form of achievement of which a man as a man is capable? According to the Chinese philosophers, it is nothing less than being a sage, and the highest achievement of a sage is the identification of the individual with the universe. The problem is, if men want to achieve this identification, do they necessarily have to abandon society or even to negate life?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to some philosophers, this is necessary. The Buddha said that life itself is the root and fountainhead of the misery of life. Likewise, Plato said that the body is the prison of the soul. And some of the Taoists said that life is an excrescence, a tumor, and death is to be taken as the breaking of the tumor. All these ideas represent a view which entails separation from what may be called the entangling net of the matter-corrupted world; and therefore, if the highest achievement of a sage is to be realized, the sage has to abandon society and even life itself. Only thus can the final liberation be attained. This kind of philosophy is what is generally known as \"other-OIO THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nworldly philosophy.'"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "worldly philosophy.'\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThere is another kind of philosophy which emphasizes what is in society, such as human relations and human affairs. This kind of philosophy speaks only about moral values, and is unable to or does not wish to speak of the super-moral ones. This kind of philosophy is generally described as \"this— worldly. From the point of view of a this—worldly philosophy, an other — world philosophy is too idealistic, is of no practical use and is negative. From the point of view of an other-worldly philosophy, a thisworld philosophy is too realistic, too superficial. It may be positive, but it is like the quick walking of a man who has taken the wrong road: the more quickly he walks the further he goes astray."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There are many people who say that Chinese philosophy is a thisworld philosophy. It is difficult to state that these people are entirely right or entirely wrong. Taking a merely superficial view, people who hold this opinion cannot be said to be wrong, because according to their view, Chinese philosophy, regardless of its different schools of thought, is directly or indirectly concerned with government and ethics. On the surface, therefore, it is concerned chiefly with society, and not with the universe; with the daily functions of human relations, not hell and heaven; with man's present life, but not his life in a world to come. When he was once asked by a disciple about the meaning of death, Confucius replied:\"Not yet understanding life, how can you understand death? (Analects,\n XI, II.) And Mencius said: The sage is the acme of human relations\" (Mencius,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "IVa, 2.), which, taken literally, means that the sage is the morally perfect man in society. From a surface point of view, with the ideal man being of this world, it seems that what Chinese philosophy calls a sage is a person of a very different order from the Buddha of Buddhism and the saints of the Christian religion. Superficially, this would seem to be especially true of the Confucian sage. That is why, in ancient times, Confucius and the Confucianists were so greatly ridiculed by the Taoists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This, however, is only a surface view of the matter. Chinese philosophy cannot be understood by oversimplification of this kind. So far as the main tenet of its tradition is concerned, if we understand it aright, it cannot be said to be wholly thisworldly, just as, of course, it cannot be said to be wholly other-worldly. Tt is both of this world and of the other world. Speaking about the Neo-Confucianism of the Sung Dynasty, one philosopher described it this way: It is not divorced from daily ordinary activities, yet it goes straight to what antedated Heaven.\" This is what Chinese philosophy has striven for. Having this kind of spirit, it is at one and the same time both extremely idealistic and extremely realistic, and very practical, though not in a superficial way.\n\n\nThis-worldliness and other-worldliness stand in contrast to each other as do realism and idealism. The task of Chinese philosophy is to accomplish a synthesis out of these antitheses. That does not mean that they are to be\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOil"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Oil\n\n\nTHE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nabolished. They are still there, but they have been made into a synthetic whole. How can this be done?\n\n\nThis is the problem which Chinese philosophy attempts to solve."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Chinese philosophy, the man who accomplishes this synthesis, not only in theory but also in deed, is the sage. He is both thisworldly and other-worldly. The spiritual achievement of the Chinese sage corresponds to the saint s achievement in Buddhism, and in Western religion. But the Chinese sage is not one who does not concern himself with the business of the world. His character is described as one of sageliness within and kingliness without.' That is to say, in his inner sageliness, he accomplishes spiritual cultivation; in his kingliness without, he functions in society. It is not necessary that the sage should be the actual head of the government in his society. From the standpoint of practical politics, for the most part, the sage certainly has no chance of being the head of the state. The saying \"sageliness within and kingliness without\" means only that he who has the noblest spirit should, theoretically, be king. As to whether he actually has or has not the chance of being king, that is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "has or has not the chance of being king, that is immaterial."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since the character of the sage is, according to Chinese tradition, one of sageliness within and kingliness without, the task of philosophy is to enable man to develop this kind of character. Therefore, what philosophy discusses is what the Chinese philosophers describe as the Tao\n (Way, or basic principles) of sageliness within and kingliness without."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This sounds like the Platonic theory of the philosopher-king. According to Plato, in an ideal state, the philosopher should be the king or the king should be a philosopher; and in order to become a philosopher, a man must undergo a long period of philosophical training before his mind can be converted from the world of changing things to the world of eternal ideas. Thus according to Plato, as according to the Chinese philosophers, the task of philosophy is to enable man to have the character of sageliness within and kingliness without. But according to Plato, when a philosopher becomes a king, he does so against his will—in other words, it is something forced on him, and entails a great sacrifice on his part. This is what was also held by the ancient Taoists. There is the story of a sage who, being asked by the people of a certain state to become their king, escaped and hid himself in a mountain cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But the people found the cave, smoked him out and compelled him to assume the difficult task. (Lii shih\n Ch'un-ch'iu,\n I, l.) This is one similarity between Plato and the ancient Taoists, and it also shows the character of other-worldliness in Taoist philosophy. Following the main tradition of Chinese philosophy, the Neo—Taoist, Kuo Hsiang of the third century A.D., revised this point.\n\n\nAccording to Confucianism, the daily task of dealing with social affairs in human relations is not something alien to the sage. Carrying on this task is the very essence of the development of the perfection of his personality. He performs it not only as a citizen of society, but also as a citizen of the uni—\n\n\nO14 THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "O14 THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nverse, t ien min,\n as Mencius called it. He must be conscious of his being a citizen of the universe, otherwise his deeds would not have super—moral value. If he had the chance to become a king he would gladly serve the people, thus performing his duty both as a citizen of society, and as a citizen of the universe.\n\n\nSince what is discussed in philosophy is the Tao\n (Way) of sageliness within and kingliness without, it follows that philosophy must be inseparable from political thought. Regardless of the differences between the schools of Chinese philosophy, the philosophy of every school represents, at the same time, its political thought. This does not mean that in the various schools of philosophy there are no metaphysics, no ethics, no logic. It means only that all these factors are connected with political thought in one way or another, just as Plato s Republic\n represents his whole philosophy and at the same time is his political thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For instance, the School of Names was known to indulge in such arguments as a white horse is nol a horse, which seems to have very little connection with politics. Yet the leader of this school, Kung -sun Lung, wished to extend this kind of argument to rectify the relationship between names and facts in order to transform the world. We have seen in our world today how every statesman says his country wants only peace, but in fact, when he is talking about peace, he is often preparing for war. Here, then, there is a wrong relationship between names and facts. According to Kung-sun Lung, this kind of wrong relationship should be rectified. This is really the first step towards the transformation of the world."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since the subject matter of philosophy is the Tao of sageliness within and kingliness without, the study of philosophy is not simply an attempt to acquire this kind of knowledge, but is also an attempt to develop this kind of character. Philosophy is not simply something to be known,\n but is also something to be experienced."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is not simply a sort of intellectual game, but something far more serious. As my colleague, Professor Y. L. Chin, has pointed out in an unpublished manuscript: \"Chinese philosophers were all of them different grades of Socrates. This was so because ethics, politics, reflective thinking, and knowledge were unified in the philosopher; in him, knowledge and virtue were one and inseparable. His philosophy required that he live it; he was himself its vehicle. To live in accordance with his philosophical convictions was part of his philosophy. It was his business to school himself continually and persistently to that pure experience in which selfishness and egocentricity were transcended, so that he would be one with the universe. Obviously this process of schooling could not be stopped, for stopping it would mean llic emergence of his ego and the loss of his universe. Hence cognitively he was eternally groping, and conatively he was eternally behaving or trying to behave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since these could not be separated, in him there was the synthesis of the philosopher in the original sense of that term. Like Socrates, he did not keep office hours with his philosophy. Neither was he a Ol6 THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\ndusty, musty philosopher, closeted in his study, sitting in a chair on the periphery of life. With him, philosophy was hardly ever merely a pattern of ideas exhibited for human understanding, but was a system of precepts internal to the conduct of the philosopher; and in extreme cases his philosophy might even be said to be his biography.\"\n\n\n\n The Way in which Chinese Philosophers Expressed Themselves\n\n\n\nA Western student beginning the study of Chinese philosophy is instantly confronted with two obstacles. One, of course, is the language barrier; the other is the peculiar way in which the Chinese philosophers have expressed themselves. I will speak about the latter first."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When one begins to read Chinese philosophical works, the first impression one gets is perhaps the briefness and disconnectedness of the sayings and writings of their authors. Open the Confucian\n Analects\n and you will see that each paragraph consists of only a few words, and there is hardly any connection between one paragraph and the next. Open a book containing the philosophy of Lao Tzu, and you will find that the whole book consists of about five thousand words—no longer than a magazine article; yet in it one will find the whole of his philosophy. A student accustomed to elaborate reasoning and detailed argument would be at a loss to understand what these Chinese philosophers were saying.\n\n\nHe would be inclined to think that there was disconnectedness in the thought itself. If this were so, ihere would be no Chinese philosophy. For disconnected thought is hardly worthy of the name of philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It may be said that the apparent disconnectedness of the sayings and writings of the Chinese philosophers is due to the fact that ihese sayings and writings are not formal philosophical works."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Chinese tradition, the study of philosophy is not a profession. Everyone should study philosophy just as in the West every one should go to church. The purpose of the study of philosophy is to enable a man, as a man,\n to be a man, not some particular kind of man. Other studies—not the study of philosophy—enable a man to be some special kind of man. So there were no professional philosophers; and non-professional philosophers did not have to produce formal philosophical writings. In China, there were far more philosophers who produced no formal philosophical writings than those who did. If one wishes to study the philosophy of these men, one has to go to the records of their sayings or the letters they wrote to disciples and friends. These letters did not belong to just one period in the life of the person who wrote them, nor were the records written only by a single person. Disconnectedness or even inconsistency between them is, therefore, to be expected."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The foregoing may explain why the writings and saying of some philosophers are disconnected; but it does not explain why they are brief. In some philosophic writings, such as those of Mencius and Hstin Tzu, one does find\n\n\nOl8 TIIE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nsystematic reasoning and arguments. But in comparison with the philosophic writings of the West, they are still not articulate enough. The fact is that Chinese philosophers were accustomed to express themselves in the form of aphorisms, apothegms, or allusions, and illustrations. The whole book of Lao-tzu\n consists of aphorisms, and most of the chapters of the Chuang-tzu\n are full of allusions and illustrations. This is very obvious. But even in writings such as those of Mencius and Hsiin Tzu, mentioned above, when compared with the philosophical writings of the West, there are still too many aphorisms, allusions, and illustrations. Aphorisms must be very brief; allusions and illustrations must be disconnected."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Aphorisms, allusions, and illustrations are thus not articulate enough. Their insufficiency in articulateness is compensated for, however, by their suggestiveness. Articulateness and suggestiveness are, of course, incompatible. The more an expression is articulate, the less it is suggestive—just as ihe more an expression is prosaic, the less it is poetic. The sayings and writings of the Chinese philosophers are so inarticulate that their suggestiveness is almost boundless."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Suggestiveness, not articulateness, is the ideal of all Chinese art, whether it be poetry, painting, or anything else. In poetry, what the poet intends to communicate is often not what is directly said in the poetry, but what is not said in it. According to Chinese literary tradition, in good poetry the number of words is limited, but the ideas it suggests are limitless. So an intelligent reader of poetry reads what is outside the poem; and a good reader of books reads what is between the lines. Such is the ideal of Chinese art, and this ideal is reflected in the way in which Chinese philosophers have expressed themselves."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ideal of Chinese art is not without its philosophical background. In the twenty-sixth chapter of the Chuang-tzu\n it is said: \"A basket-trap is for catching fish, but when one has got the fish, one need think no more about the basket. A foot—trap is for catching hares; but when one has got the hare, one need think no more about the trap. Words are for holding ideas, but when one has got the idea, one need no longer think about the words. If only I could find someone who had stopped thinking about words and could have him with me to talk to! \" To talk with someone who has stopped thinking about words is not to talk with words. In the Chuang-tzu\n the statement is made that two sages met without speaking a single word, because \"when their eyes met, the Too\n was there. According to Taoism, the Too\n (the Way) cannot be told, but only suggested. So when words are used, it is the sugges— tiveness of the words, and not their fixed denotations or connotations, that reveals the Too."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Words are something that should be forgotten when they have achieved their purpose. Why should we trouble ourselves with them any more than is necessary? This is true of the words and rhymes in poetry, and the lines and colors in painting."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "During the third and fourth centuries A.D., the most influential philosophy 0 2 0 THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "was the Neo —Taoist School, which was known in Chinese history as the hsiian hstteh\n (the dark or mystic learning). At that time there was a book entitled Shih-shuo Hsin-yil,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "which is a record of the clever sayings and romantic activities of the famous men of the age. Most of the sayings are very brief, some consisting of only a few words. It is stated in that book (ch. 4) that a very high official once asked a philosopher (the high official was himself a philosopher), what was the difference and similarity between Lao-Chuang (i.e., Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu) and Confucius. The philosopher answered: \"Are they not the same?\" The high official was very much pleased with this answer, and instantly appointed the philosopher as his secretary. Since the answer consists of only three words in the Chinese language, this philosopher has been known as the three-word secretary. He could not say that Lao-Chuang and Confucius had nothing in common, nor could he say that they had everything in common. So he put his answer in the form of a question, which was really a good answer."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The brief sayings in the Confucian Analects\n and in the philosophy of the Lao-tzu\n are not simply conclusions from certain premises which have been lost. They are aphorisms full of suggestiveness. It is the suggestiveness that is attractive. One may gather together all the ideas one finds in the Lao-tzu\n and write them out in a new book consisting of fifty thousand or even five hundred thousand words. No matter how well this is done, however, it is just a new book. It may be read side by side with the original Lao-tzu,\n and may help people a great deal to understand the original, but it can never be a substitute for the original.\n\n\nKuo Hsiang, to whom I have already referred, was one of the great commentators on Chuang Tzu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His commentary was itself a classic of Taoist literature. He turned the allusions and metaphors of Chuang Tzu into a form of reasoning and argument, and translated his poems into prose of his own. His writing is much more articulate than that of Chuang Tzu. But between the suggestiveness of Chuang Tzu's original and the articulateness of Kuo Hsiang s commentary, people may still ask: Which is better? A monk of the Buddhist Ch an or Zen school of a later period once said: Everyone says that it was Kuo Hsiang who wrote a commentary on Chuang Tzu; I would say it was Chuang Tzu who wrote a commentary on Kuo Hsiang.\n\n\n\n The Language Barrier\n\n\n\nIt is true of all philosophical writings that it is difficult for one to have a complete understanding and full appreciation of them if one cannot read them in the original. This is due to the language barrier."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Because of the suggestive character of Chinese philosophical writings, the language barrier becomes even more formidable. The suggestiveness of the sayings and writings of the Chinese philosophers is something that can hardly be translated. When one reads them in translation, one misses the suggestiveness; and this\n\n\nO22. THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nmeans that one misses a great deal.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA translation, after all, is only an interpretation. When one translates a sentence from, say, the Lao-tzu,\n one gives one's own interpretation of its meaning. But the translation may convey only one idea, while as a matter of fact, the original may contain many other ideas besides the one given by the translator. The original is suggestive, but the translation is not, and cannot be. So it loses much of the richness inherent in the original."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There have been many translations of the Lao -tzu\n and the Confucian Analects.\n Each translator has considered the translations of others unsatisfactory. But no matter how well a translation is done, it is bound to be poorer than the original. It needs a combination of all the translations already-made and many others not yet made, to reveal the richness of the Lao-tzu\n and the Confucian Analects\n in their original form.\n\n\nKumarajiva, of the fifth century A.D., one of the greatest translators of the Buddhist texts into Chinese, said that the work of translation is just like chewing food that is to be fed to others. If one cannot chew the food oneself, one has to be given food that has already been chewed. After such an operation, however, the food is bound to be poorer in taste and flavor than the original.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n02.4\n\n\nTHE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n L\n\n\n\n \n\n \n CHAPTER 2\n \n\n\n\n\n \n KGROUND OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "KGROUND OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY\n \n\n\n\nIN the last chapter I said that philosophy is systematic reflective thinking on life. In thinking, the thinker is usually conditioned by the surroundings in which he lives. Being in certain surroundings, he feels life in a certain way, and there are therefore in his philosophy certain emphases or omissions, which constitute the characteristics of that philosophy.\n\n\nThis is true of an individual, as it is also true of a people. In this chapter I shall try to say something about the geographic and economic background of the Chinese people in order to show how and why Chinese civilization in general, and Chinese philosophy in particular, are what they are.\n\n\n\n Geographic Background of the Chinese People\n\n\n\nIn the Confucian Analects\n Confucius said: The wise man delights in water; the good man delights in mountains. The wise move; the good stay still. The wise are happy; the good endure.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(VI, 2.1.) In reading this saying, I feel there is in it something which suggests a difference between the people of ancient China and those of ancient Greece.\n\n\nChina is a continental country. To the ancient Chinese their land was the world. There are two expressions in the Chinese language which can both he translat ed as the worl d. One is all b eneat h the sk y and the other is all within the four seas. To the people of a ma ritime countiy such a s the Greeks, it would be inconceivable that expressions such as these could be synonymous. Bui that is what happens in the Chinese language, and it is not without reason."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From the time of Confucius until the end of the last century, no Chinese thinkers had the experience of venturing out upon the high seas. Confucius and Mencius lived not far from the sea, if we think in modern terms of distance, yet in the Analects,\n Confucius mentions the sea only once. He is recorded as saying: If my way is not to prevail, 1 shall get upon a raft and 026 THE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nfloat out to the sea. He who will go with me will be [Chung] Yu.\" (V, 6.) Chung Yu was a disciple of Confucius known for his courage and bravery. It is said in the same work that when Chung Yu heard this statement, he was much pleased. Confucius, however, was not so pleased by Chung Yu s overenthusiasm, and remarked: Yu is more brave than myself. I do not know what to do with him.\"\n\n\n\n (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ibid.)\n\n\n\nMencius s reference to the sea is likewise brief. He who has seen the sea,\" he says, \"finds it difficult to think anything about other waters; and he who has wandered to the gate of the sage, finds it difficult to think anything about the words of others. (Vila, 24-) Mencius is no better than Confucius, who thought only of \"floating out to sea. How different were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, who lived in a maritime country and wandered from island to island!\n\n\n\n Economic Background of the Chinese People"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Economic Background of the Chinese People\n\n\n\nThe ancient Chinese and Greek philosophers not only lived under different geographic conditions, but different economic ones as well. Since China is a continental country, the Chinese people have to make their living by agriculture. Even today the portion of the Chinese population engaged in farming is estimated at 75 to 80 percent. Tn an agrarian country, land is the primary basis of wealth. Hence, throughout Chinese history, social and economic thinking and policy have centered around the utilization and distribution of land.\n\n\nAgriculture in such an economy is equally important not only in peacetime but in wartime as well."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "During the period of the Warring States (48O-2.2.O B. C), a period in many ways similar to our own, in which China was divided into many feudal kingdoms, every state devoted its greater attention to what were then called the arts of agriculture and war. Finally the state of Ch in, one of the seven leading states of the time, gained supremacy both in agriculture and war, and as a result succeeded in conquering the other states and thus bringing a unification to China for the first time in her history."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the social and economic thinking of Chinese philosophers, there is a distinction between what they call \"the root and \"the branch. \"The root\" refers to agriculture and the branch to commerce. The reason for this is that agriculture is concerned with production, while commerce is merely concerned with exchange. One must have production before one can have exchange. In an agrarian country, agriculture is the maior form of production, and therefore throughout Chinese history, social and economic theories and policies have all attempted to emphasize the root and slight the branch.\n\n\nThe people who deal with the branch, that is, the merchants, were therefore looked down upon. They were the last and lowest of the four traditional classes of society, the other three being scholars, farmers, and\n\n\n\n\n\n\n018\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "018\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nartisans. The scholars were usually landlords, and the farmers were the peasants who actually cultivated the land. These were the two honorable professions in China. A family having \"a tradition of studying and farming was something of which to be proud.\n\n\nAlthough the scholars did not actually cultivate the land themselves, yet since they were usually landlords, their fortunes were tied up with agriculture. A good or bad harvest meant their good or bad fortune, and therefore their reaction to the universe and their outlook on life were essentially those of the farmer. In addition their education gave them the power to express what an actual farmer felt but was incapable of expressing himself. This expression took the form of Chinese philosophy, literature, and art.\n\n\n\n Value of Agriculture"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Lil -shih Ch\n ' un -ch' iu,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a compendium of various schools of philosophy written in the third century B.C., there is a chapter titled \"The Value of Agriculture.\" Tn this chapter a contrast is made between the mode of life of people who are engaged in the root occupation—the fanners, and that of those who are engaged in the \"branch\" occupation—the merchants. The farmers are primitive and simple and therefore always ready to accepi commands. They are childlike and innocent and therefore unselfish. Their material properties are complex and difficult to move, and therefove they do not abandon their country when it is in danger. Merchants, on the other hand, are corrupt and therefore not obedient. They are treacherous and therefore selfish. They have simple properties which are easy to transport, and therefore they usually abandon their country when it is in danger. Hence this chapter asserts that not only is agriculture economically more important than commerce, but the mode of life of the fanners is also superior to that of the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the fanners is also superior to that of the merchants. Herein lies the value of agriculture. (XXVI, 3-) The author of this chapter found that the mode of life of people is conditioned by their economic background, and his evaluation of agriculture again shows that he was himself conditioned by the economic background of his time."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In this observation of the Lil-shih Ch' un-ch'iu,\n we find the root and source of the two main trends of Chinese thought, Taoism and Confucianism. They are poles apart from one another, yet they are also the two poles of one and the same axis. They both express, in one way or another, the aspirations and inspirations of the farmer.\n\n\n\n Reversal, Is the Movement of Too\n\n\n\nBefore considering the difference between these two schools, let us first take up a theory which both of them maintained. This is that both in the\n\n\n\n\n\n\n030\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nsphere of nature and in that of man, when the development of anything brings it to one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "extreme, a reversal to the other extreme takes place; that is, to borrow an expression from Hegel, everything involves its own negation. This is one of the main theses of Lao Tzu' s philosophy and also that of the Book of Changes\n as interpreted by ihe Confucianists. It was no doubt inspired by the movements of the sun and moon and the succession of the four seasons, to which farmers must pay particular heed in order to carry on their own work. In the Appendices of the Book of Changes,\n it is said: When the cold goes, the warmth comes, and when the warmth comes, the cold goes. (Appendix III.) And again: \"When the sun has reached its meridian, it declines, and when the moon has become full, it wanes.\" (Appendix I.) Such movements are referred to in the Appendices as \"returning. Thus Appendix I says: In returning we see the mind of Heaven and Earth. Similarly in the Lao-tzu\n we find the words: Reversal is the movement of the Too.\"\n (Ch. 40.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This theory has had a great effect upon the Chinese people and has contributed much to their success in overcoming the many difficulties which they have encountered in their long history. Convinced of this theory, they remain cautious even in time of prosperity, and hopeful even in time of extreme danger. In the late war, the concept provided the Chinese people with a sort of psychological weapon, so that even in its darkest period, most people lived on the hope which was expressed in the phrase: \"The dawn will soon come.\" It was this \"will to believe\" that helped the Chinese people to go through the war."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This theory has also provided the principal argument for the doctrine of the golden mean, favored by Confucianist and Taoist alike. \"Never too much has been the maxim of both. For according to it, it is better for one to be wrong by having too little, than to be wrong by having too much, and to be wrong by leaving things undone, than to be wrong by overdoing them. For by having too much and overdoing, one runs the risk of getting the opposite of what one wants.\n\n\n\n Idealization of Nalare"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Idealization of Nalare\n\n\n\nTaoism and Confucianism differ because they are the rationalization or theoretical expression of different aspects of the life of the farmers. The fanners are simple in their living and innocent in their thought. Seeing things from their point of view, the Taoists idealized the simplicity of primitive society and condemned civilization. They also idealized the innocence of children and despised knowledge. In the Lao-tzu\n it is said: Let us have a small country with few inhabitants....Let the people return to the use of knotted cords [for keeping records]. Let them obtain their food sweet, their clothing beautiful, their homes comfortable, their rustic tasks\n\n\n032\n\n\nIHE BACKGROUND OF HtNESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\npleasurable. The neighbouring state might be so near at hand that one could hear the cocks crowing in it and dogs barking. But the people would grow old and die without ever having been there.\" (Ch. 80.) Is this not an idyllic picture of a farmer's country?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The farmers are always in contact with nature, so they admire and love nature. This admiration and love were developed by the Taoists to the fullest extent. They made a sharp distinction between what is of nature and what is of man, the natural and the artificial. According to them, what is of nature is the source of human happiness and what is of man is the root of all human suffering. They were, as the Confucianist Hstin Tzu puts it, \"blinded by nature and had no knowledge of man.\" (Hsiin-tzu,\n ch. 21.) As the final development of this trend of thinking, the Taoists maintained that the highest achievement in the spiritual cultivation of a sage lies in the identification of himself with the whole of nature, i.e., the universe.\n\n\n\n Family System"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Family System\n\n\n\nThe farmers have to live on their land, which is immovable, and the same is true of the scholar landlords. Unless one has special talent, or is especially lucky, one has to live where one s father or grandfather lived, and where one's children will continue to live. That is to say, the family in the wider sense must live together for economic reasons. Thus there developed the Chinese family system, which was no doubt one of the most complex and well—organized in the world. A great deal of Confucianism is the rational justification or theoretical expression of this social system."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The family system was the social system of China. Out of the five traditional social relationships, which are those between sovereign and subject, father and son, elder and younger brother, husband and wife, and friend and friend, three are family relationships. The remaining two, though not family relationships, can be conceived of in terms of the family. Thus the relationship between sovereign and subject can be conceived of in terms of that between father and son, and that between friend and friend in terms of the one between elder and younger brother. So, indeed, was the way in which they were usually conceived. But these are only the major family relationships, and there were many more. In the Erh Ya,\n which is the oldest dictionary of the Chinese language, dating from before the Christian era, there are more than one hundred terms for various family relationships, most of which have no equivalent in the English language."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For the same reason ancestor worship developed. In a family living in a particular place, the ancestor worshiped was usually the first of the family who had established himself and his descendants there on the land. He thus became the symbol of the unity of the family, and such a symbol was indispensable for a large and complex organization.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n034\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "034\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA great part of Confucianism is the rational justification of this social system, or its theoretical expression. Economic conditions prepared its basis, and Confucianism expressed its ethical significance. Since this social system was the outgrowth of certain economic conditions, and these conditions were again the product of their geographical surroundings, to the Chinese people, both the system and its theoretical expression were very natural. Because of this, Confucianism naturally became the orthodox philosophy and remained so until the invasion of industrialization from modern Europe and America changed the economic basis of Chinese life.\n\n\n\n This-worldliness and Other-worldliness\n\n\n\nConfucianism is the philosophy of social organization, and is also the philosophy of daily life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucianism emphasizes the social responsibilities of man, while Taoism emphasizes what is natural and spontaneous in him. In the Chuang-tzu,\n it is said that the Confucianists roam within the bounds of society, while the Taoists roam beyond it. In the third and fourth centuries A.D., when Taoism again became influential, people used to say that Confucius valued ming chiao\n (the teaching of names denoting the social relationships), while Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu valued tzu jan\n (spontaneity or naturalness). These two trends of Chinese philosophy correspond roughly to the traditions of classicism and romanticism in Western thought. Read the poems of Tu Fu and Li Fo, and one sees in them the difference between Confucianism and Taoism. These two great poets lived during the same period (eighth century A.D.), and concurrently expressed in their poems the two main traditions of Chinese thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Because it roams within the bounds of society, Confucianism appears more this—worldly than Taoism, and because it roams beyond the bound of society, Taoism appears more other—worldly than Confucianism. These two trends of thought rivaled each other, but also complemented each other. They exercised a sort of balance of power. This gave the Chinese people a better sense of balance in regard to this-worldlincss and other-worldliness.\n\n\nThere were Taoists in the third and fourth centuries who attempted to make Taoism closer to Confucianism, and there were also Confucianists in the eleventh and twelfth centuries who attempted to make Confucianism closer to Taoism. We call these Taoists the Neo -Taoists and these Confucianists the Neo -Confucianists. It was these movements that made Chinese philosophy both of this world and of the other world, as I pointed out in the last chapter.\n\n\n\n Chinese A rt and Poetry\n\n\n\nThe Confucianists took art as an instrument for moral education/The\n\n\n\n\n\n\n036"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "036\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTaoists had no formal treatises on art, but their admiration of the free movement of the spirit and their idealization of nature gave profound inspiration to the great artists of China. This being the case, it is no wonder that most of the great artists of China took nature as their subject. Most of the masterpieces of Chinese painting are paintings of landscapes, animals and flowers, trees and bamboos. In a landscape painting, at the foot of a mounlain or the bank of a stream, one always finds a man sitting, appreciating the beauty of nature and contemplating the Too\n or Way that transcends both nature and man.\n\n\nLikewise in Chinese poetry we find such poems as that by T'ao Ch ien (A.D. 372.-42-7): I built my hut in a zone of human habitation,\n\n\nYet near me there sounds no noise of horse or coach,\n\n\nWould you know how that is possible?\n\n\nA heart that is distant creates a wilderness round it.\n\n\nI pluck chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I pluck chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge,\n\n\nThen gaze long at the distant summer hills.\n\n\nThe mountain air is fresh at the dusk of day;\n\n\nThe flying birds two by two return.\n\n\nIn these things there lies a deep meaning;\n\n\nYet when we would express it, words suddenly fail us.* Here we have Taoism at its best.\n\n\n\n The Methodology of Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Methodology of Chinese Philosophy\n\n\n\nIn Chinese philosophy, the farmer's outlook not only conditioned its content, such as that reversal is the movement of the Tao, but, what is more important, it also conditioned its methodology. Professor Northrop has said that there are two major types of concepts, that achieved by intuition and that by postulation. \"A concept by intuition,\" he says, \"is one which denotes, and the complete meaning of which is given by, something which is immediately apprehended. 'Blue' in the sense of the sensed color is a concept by intuition....A concept by postulation is one the complete meaning of which is designated by the postulates of the deductive theory in which it occurs.... 'Blue' in ihe sense of the number of a wave-length in electromagnetic theory is a concept by postulation.' **"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Northrop also says lhat there are three possible types of concepts by intuition: \"The concept of the differentiated aesthetic continuum. The concept of the indefinite or undifferentiated aesthetic continuum.\n\n\nThe concept of the differentiation.\" (Ibid.,\n p. 187.) According lo him,\n\n\n\n\n\n\n* Translated by Arthur Waley.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Filmer S. C. Northrop, \"The Complemeiiliiry Emphases of Eastern Intuition Philosophy and Western Scientific Philosophy,\" in Philosophy, East and West,\n C. A. Moore, ed., p. 187, Princeton University Press, 1946.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nO38\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF H1NESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "O38\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF H1NESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\"Confucianism may be defined as the state of mind in which the concept of the indeterminate intuited manifold moves into the background of thought and the concrete differentiations in their relativistic, humanistic, transitory comings and goings form the content of philosophy. (Ibid.,\n p. 2.05.) But in Taoism, it is the concept of the indefinite or undifferenliated aesthetic continuum that forms the content of philosophy. (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I do not quite agree with all Northrop has said in this essay, but I think he has here grasped the fundamental difference betwecen Chinese and Western philosophy. When a student of Chinese philosophy begins to study Western philosophy, he is glad to see that the Greek philosophers also made the distinction between Being and Non—being, the limited and the unlimited. But he feels rather surprised to find that the Greek philosophers held that Non -being and the unlimited are inferior to Being and the limited. In Chinese philosophy the case is just the reverse. The reason for this difference is that Being and the limited are the distinct, while Non-being and the unlimited are the indistinct. Those philosophers who start with concepts by postulation have a liking for the distinct, while those who start with intuition value the indistinct."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If we link what Northrop has pointed out here with what I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, we see that the concept of the differentiated aesthetic continuum, from which come both the concept of the undifferentiated aesthetic continuum and that of differentiation (Ibid.,\n p. 187), is basically the concept of the farmers. What the farmers have to deal with, such as the farm and crops, are all things which they immediately apprehend. And in their primitivity and innocence, they value what they thus immediately appre -hend. It is no wonder then, that their philosophers likewise take the immediate apprehension of things as the starting point of their philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This also explains why epistemology has never developed in Chinese philosophy. Whether the table that I see before me is real or illusory, and whether it is only an idea in my mind or is occupying objective space, was never seriously considered by Chinese philosophers. No such epistemological problems are to be found in Chinese philosophy (save in Buddhism, which came from India), since epistemological problems arise only when u demarcation between the subject and the object is emphasized. And in the aesthetic continuum, there is no such demarcation. In it the knower and the known is one whole.\n\n\nThis also explains why the language used by Chinese philosophy is suggestive but not articulate.\n\n\nIt is not articulate, because it does not represent concepts in any deductive reasoning. The philosopher only tells us what he sees. And because of this, what he tells is rich in content, though terse in words. This is the reason why his words are suggestive rather than precise.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n040"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "040\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Maritime Countries and Continental Countries\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Greeks lived in a maritime country and maintained their prosperity through commerce. They were primarily merchants. And what merchants have to deal with first are the abstract numbers used in their commercial accounts, and only then with concrete things that may be immediately apprehended through these numbers. Such numbers are what Northrop called concepts by postulation. Hence Greek philosophers likewise took the concept by postulation as their starting point. They developed mathematics and mathematical reasoning. That is why they had epistemological problems and why their language was so articulate."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But merchants are also townsmen. Their activities demand thai they live together in towns. Hence they have a form of social organization not based on the common interest of the family so much as on that of the town. This is the reason why the Greeks organized their society around the city\n state, in contrast with the Chinese social system, which may be called that of the family\n state, because under it the state is conceived of in terms of the family. In a city state the social organization is not autocratic, because among the same class of townsmen, there is no moral reason why one should be more important than, or superior to, another. But in a family state the social organization is autocratic and hierarchic, because in a family the authority of the father is naturally superior to that of the son."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fact that the Chinese were farmers also explains why China failed to have an industrial revolution, which is instrumental for the introduction of the modern world. In the Lieh—tzu\n there is a story which says that the Prince of the State of Sung once asked a clever artisan to carve a piece of jade into the leaf of a tree. After three years the artisan completed it, and when the artificial leaf was put upon the tree, it was made so wonderfully that no one could distinguish it from the real leaves."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thereupon the Prince was much pleased. But when Lieh Tzu heard it, he said: \"if nature took three years to produce one leaf, there would be few trees with leaves on them! (Lieh—tzu,\n ch. 8.) This is the view of one who admires the natural and condemns the artificial. The way of life of the farmers is to follow nature. They admire nature and condemn the artificial, and in their primitivity and innocence, they are easily made contcnt.They desire no change, nor can they conceive of any change. In China there have been not a few notable inventions or discoveries, but we often find that these were discouraged rather than encouraged.\n\n\nWith the merchants of a maritime country conditions are otherwise. They have greater opportunity to see different people with different customs and different languages; they are accustomed to change and are not afraid of novelty. Nay, in order to have a good sale for their goods, they have to\n\n\n\n\n\n\n042\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "042\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nencourage novelty in the manufacture of what they are going to sell. It is no accident that in the West, the industrial revolution was first started in England, which is also a maritime country maintaining her prosperity through commerce.\n\n\nWhat was quoted earlier in this chapter from the Lu—shih Ch un—ch iu\n about merchants can also be said of the people of marilime countries, provided that, instead of saying that they are corrupt and treacherous, we say that they are refined and intelligent. We can also paraphrase Confucius by saying that the people of maritime countries are the wise, while those of continental countries are the good.\n\n\nAnd so we repeat what Confucius said: The wise delighl in water; the good delight in mountains. The wise move; the good stay still. The wise are happy; the good endure. \""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is beyond the scope of this chapter to enumerate evidences to prove the relationship between the geographic and economic conditions of Greece and England on the one hand, and the development of Western scientific thought and democratic institutions on the other. But the fact that the geographic and economic conditions of Greece and England are quite different from those of China suffices to constitute a negative proof for my thesis in regard to Chinese history as mentioned in this chapter.\n\n\n\n The Permanent and the Changeable in Chinese Philosophy\n\n\n\nThe advancement of science hus conquered geography, and China is no longer isolated within the four seas. She is having her industrialization too, and though much later than the Western world, it is better late than never. It is not correct to say that the East has been invaded by the West. Rather it is a case in which the medieval has been invaded by the modern. In order to live in a modern world, China has to be modern."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One question remains to be asked: If Chinese philosophy has been so linked with the economic conditions of the Chinese people, does what has been expressed in Chinese philosophy possess validity only for people living under those conditions?\n\n\nThe answer is yes and no. In the philosophy of any people or any time, there is always a part that possesses value only in relation to the economic conditions of that people or of that time, but there is always another part that is more than this. That which is not relative has lasting value. 1 hesitate to say that it is absolute truth, because to determine what is absolute truth is too great a task for any human being, and is reserved for God alone, if there be one."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Let us take an instance in Greek philosophy. The rational justification of the slave system by Aristotle must be considered as a theory that is relative to the economic conditions of Greek life. But to say this is not to say that there is nothing that is not relative in the social philosophy of Aristotle. The O44 THE BACKGROUND OF HINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n\n\nsame holds true for Chinese thought. When China is industrialized, the old family syslem must go, and with it will go its Confucianistic rational justification. But to say this is not to say that there is nothing that is not relative in the social philosophy of Confucianism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The reason for this is that the society of ancient Greece and ancient China, though different, both belong to the general category which we call society. Theories which are the theoretical expression of Greek or Chinese society, are thus also in part expressions of society in general. Though there is in them something that pertains only to Greek or Chinese societies per se,\n there must also be something more universal that pertains to society in general. It is this latter something that is not relative and possesses lasting value.\n\n\nThe same is true of Taoism. The Taoist theory is certainly wrong which says that the Utopia of mankind is the primitivity of a bygone age. With the idea of progress, we moderns think that the ideal state of human existence is something to be created in the future, not something that was lost in the past.\n\n\nBut what some moderns think of as the ideal slate of human existence, such as anarchism, is not wholly dissimilar from that thought of by the Taoists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Philosophy also gives us an ideal of life. A part of that ideal, as given by the philosophy of a certain people or a certain time, must pertain only to the kind of life resulting from the social conditions of that people or that time. But there must also be a part that pertains to life in general, and so is not relative but has lasting value. This seems to be illustrated in the case of the Confucianist theory of an ideal life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to this theory, the ideal life is one which, though having a very high understanding of the universe, yet remains within the bounds of the five basic human relationships. The nature of these human relationships may change according to circumstances. But the ideal itself does not change. One is wrong, then, when one insists that since some of the five human relationships have to go, therefore the Confucianist ideal of life must go as well. And one is also wrong when one insists that since this ideal of life is desirable, therefore all the five human relationships must likewise be retained. One must make a logical analysis in order to distinguish between what is permanent and what is changeable in the history of philosophy. Every philosophy has that which is permanent, and all philosophies have something in common. This is why philosophies, though different, can yet be compared with one another and translated one in terms of the other."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Will the methodology of Chinese philosophy change? That is to say, will the new Chinese philosophy cease to confine itself to concept by intuition? Certainly it will, and there is no reason why it should not. In fact, it is already changing. In regard to this change, I shall have more to say in the last chapter of this book.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n046\n\n\nTHE BACKGROUND OF IIINESE PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n \n\n \n CHAPTER 3\n \n\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIN the last chapter I said that Confucianism and Taoism are the two main streams of Chinese thought.\n\n\nThey became so only after a long evolution, however, and from the fifth through the third centuries B.C.\n\n\nthey were only two among many other rival schools of thought. During that period the number of schools was so great that the Chinese referred to them as the \"hundred schools.\n\n\n\n Ssu-ma T'an and the Six Schools"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ssu-ma T'an and the Six Schools\n\n\n\nLater historians have attempted to make a classification of these\"hundred schools.\" The first to do so was Ssu-ma T'an (died HO B.C.), father of Ssu-ma Ch'ien (I45~ca. 86 B.C.), and the author with him of China's first great dynastic history, the Shih Chi\n or Historical Records.\n In the last chapter of this work Ssu-ma Ch'ien quotes an essay by his father, titled \"On the Essential Ideas of the Six Schools.\" In this essay Ssu-ma T'an classifies the philosophers of the preceding several centuries into six major schools, as follows:\n\n\nThe first is the Yin-Yang chia\n or Yin-Yang\n school, which is one of cos-mologists. It derives its name from the Yin\n and Yang\n principles, which in Chinese thought are regarded as the two major principles of Chinese cosmology, Yin\n being the female principle, and Yang\n the male principle, the combination and interaction of which is believed by the Chinese to result in all universal phenomena."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The second school is the Ju chia\n or School of Literati. This school is known in Western literature as the Confucianist school, but the word ju\n literally means literatus or scholar. Thus the Western title is somewhat misleading, because it misses the implication that the followers of this school were scholars as well as thinkers; they, above all others, were the teachers of\n\n\n\n\n\n\n048\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OK THE SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n\n\nthe ancient classics and thus the inheritors of the ancient cultural legacy. Confucius, to be sure, is the leading figure of this school and may rightly be considered as its founder. Nevertheless the term^u not only denotes Confucian\" or \"Confucianist, but has a wider implication as well."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The third school is that of the Mo chia\n or Mohist school. This school had a close-knit organization and strict discipline under the leadership of Mo Tzu. Its followers actually called themselves the Mohists. Thus the title of this school is not an invention of Ssu-ma T'an, as were some of the other schools.\n\n\nThe fourth school is the Ming chia\n or School of Names. The followers of this school were interested in the distinction between, and relation of, what they called \"names\" and \"actualities.\n\n\nThe fifth school is the Fa chia\n or Legalist school. The Chinese word fa\n means pattern or law. The school derived from a group of statesmen who maintained that good government must be one based on a fixed code of law instead of on the moral institutions which the literati stressed for government."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sixth school is the Tao-Te chia\n or School of the Way and its Power. The followers of this school centered their metaphysics and social philosophy around the concept of Non-being, which is the Too\n or Way, and its concentration in the individual as the natural virtue of man, which is Te,\n translated as \"virtue but better rendered as the \"power\" that inheres in any individual thing. This group, called by Ssu-ma T'an\n the Tao-Te\n school, was later known simply as the Too chia,\n and is referred to in Western literature as the Taoist school.As pointed out in the first chapter, it should be kept carefully distinct from the Taoist religion.\n\n\n\n Liu Hsin and His Theory of the Beginning of the Schools\n\n\n\nThe second historian who attempted to classify the hundred schools was Liu Hsin (ca. 46 B.C.-A.D."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2.3). He was one of the greatest scholars of his day, and, with his father Liu Hsiang, made a collation of the books in the Imperial Library. The resulting descriptive catalogue of the Imperial Library, known as the \"Seven Summaries,\" was taken by Pan Ku (A.D. 32.-92-)\n as the basis for the chapter, Yi Wen Chih\n or Treatise on Literature, contained in his dynastic history, the History of the Former Han Dynasty.\n In this \"Treatise\" we see that Liu Hsin classifies the \"hundred schools into ten main groups. Out of these, six are the same as those listed by Ssu-ma T'an. The other four are the Tsung—Heng chia\n or School of Diplomatists, Tsa chia\n or School of Eclectics, Nung chia\n or School of Agrarians, and Hsiao-shuo chia\n or School of Story Tellers. In conclusion, Liu Hsin writes: \"The various philosophers consist of ten schools, but there are only nine that need be noticed.\" By this statement he means to say that the School of Story Tellers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n050\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n L"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "050\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n L\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nlacks the importance of the other schools.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this classification itself, Liu Hsin did not go very much further than Ssu-ma T'an had done. What was new, however, was his attempt for the first time in Chinese history to trace systematically the historical origins of the different schools."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Liu Hsin's theory has been greatly elaborated by later scholars, especially by Chang Hsileh -ch' eng (1738-1801) and the late Chang Ping -lin. In essence, it maintains that in the early Chou dynasty (llli?-256 B.C.), before the social institutions of that age disintegrated, there was \"no separation between officers and teachers.' In other words the officers of a certain department of the government were at the same time the transmitters of the branch of learning pertaining to that department. These officers, like the feudal lords of the day, held their posts on a hereditary basis. Hence there was then only \"official learning but no private teaching. That is to say, nobody taught any branch of learning as a private individual. Any such teaching was carried on only by officers in their capacity as members of one or another department of the government."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to this theory, however, when the Chou ruling house lost its power during the later centuries of the Chou dynasty, the officers of the governmental departments lost their former positions and scattered throughout the country. They then turned to the teaching of their special branches of knowledge in a private capacity. Thus they were then no longer officers, but only private teachers. And it was out of this separation between teachers and officers that the different schools arose.\n\n\nLiu Hsin's whole analysis reads as follows: 'The members of the Ju\n school had their origin in the Ministry of Education....This school delighted in the study of the Liu Yi\n [the Six Classics or six liberal arts] and paid attention to matters concerning humanheartedness and righteousness. They regarded Yao and Shun [two ancient sage emperors supposed to have lived in the twenty-fourth and twenty-third centuries B.C.] as the ancestors of their school, and King Wen [II2.O?-IIO8? B.C. of the Chou dynasty]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and King Wu [son of King Wen] as brilliant exemplars. To give authority to their teaching, they honored Chung—ni LConfucius] as an exalted teacher. Their teaching is the highest truth. 'That which is admired must be tested. The glory of Yao and Shun, the prosperity of the dynasties of Yin and Chou, and the achievements of Chung-ni are the results discovered by testing their teaching.\n\n\n\"Those of the Taoist school had their origin in the official historians. By studying the historical examples of success and failure, preservation and destruction, and calamity and prosperity, from ancient to recent times, they learned how to hold what is essential and to grasp the fundamental. They guarded themselves with purity and emptiness, and with humbleness and\n\n\n\n\n\n\n052.\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n\n\nmeekness maintained themselves....Herein lies the strong point of this school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Those of the Yin-Yang\n school had their origin in the official astronomers. They respectfully followed luminous heaven, and the successive symbols of the sun and moon, the stars and constellations, and the divisions of times and seasons. Herein lies the strong point of this school.\n\n\n'Those of the Legalist school had their origin in the Ministry of Justice. They emphasized strictness in rewarding and punishing, in order to support a system of correct conduct. Herein lies the strong point of this school.\n\n\n\"Those of the School of Names had their origin in the Ministry of Ceremonies. For the ancients, where titles and positions differed, the ceremonies accorded to them were also different. Confucius has said: ' If names be incorrect, speech will not follow its natural sequence. If speech does not follow its natural sequence, nothing can be established.' Herein lies the strong point of this school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Those of the Mohist school had their origin in the Guardians of the Temple. The temple was built with plain wooden rafters and thatched roofs; hence their teaching emphasized frugality. The temple was the place where the Three Elders and Five Experienced Men were honored; hence their teaching emphasized universal love. The ceremony of selecting civil officials and that of military exercises were also held in the temple; hence their teaching emphasized the preferment of virtue and ability. The temple was the place for sacrifice to ancestors and reverence to fathers; hence their teaching was to honor the spirits. They accepted the traditional teaching of following the four seasons in one s conduct; hence their teaching was against fatalism. They accepted the traditional teaching of exhibiting filial piety throughout the world; hence they taught the doctrine of 'agreeing with the superior.' Herein lies the strong point of this school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Those of the Diplomatist school had their origin in the Ministry of Embassies.... [They taught the art of] following general orders [in diplomacy], instead of following literal instructions. Herein lies the strength of their teaching.\n\n\n\"Those of the Eclectic school had their origin in the Councillors. They drew both from the Confucianists and the Mohists, and harmonized the School of Names and the Legalists. They knew that the nation had need of each of these, and saw that kingly government should not fail to unite all. Herein lies the strong point of this school.\n\n\n\"Those of the Agricultural school had their origin in the Ministry of Soil and Grain. They taught the art of sowing the various kinds of grain and urged people to plow and to cultivate the mulberry so that the clothing and food of the people would be sufficient....Herein lies the strong point of this school.\n\n\n\"Those of the School of Story Tellers had their origin in the Petty Offices.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n054\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "054\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis school was created by those who picked up the talk of streets and alleys and repeated what they heard wherever they went....Even if in their teaching but a single word can be chosen, still there is some contribution.\" (\"Treatise on Literature\" in the History of the Former Han Dynasty.)\n This is what Liu Hsin says about the historical origin of the ten schools. His interpretation of the significance of the schools is inadequate, and his attribution of certain of them to certain Ministries is in some cases arbitrary. For instance, in describing the teaching of the Taoists, he touches only on the ideas of Lao Tzu, and omits those of Chuang Tzu altogether. Moreover, there appears to be no similarity between the teaching of the School of Names and the functions of the Ministry of Ceremonies, save that both emphasized the making of distinctions.\n\n\nA Revision of Liu Hsin's Theory"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A Revision of Liu Hsin's Theory\n\n\n\nYet though the details of Liu Hsins s theory may be wrong, his attempt to trace the origin of the schools to certain political and social circumstances certainly represents a right point of view. I have quoted him at length because his description of the various schools is itself a classic in Chinese historiography.\n\n\nThe study of Chinese history has made great progress in China in recent times, especially during the few years just before the Japanese invasion of 1937. In the light of recent research, therefore, I have formed a theory of my own in regard to the origin of the philosophic schools. In spirit this theory agrees with that of Liu Hsin, but it must be expressed in a different way. This means that things have to be seen from a new angle."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Let us imagine what China looked like politically and socially in, say, the tenth century B.C. At the top of the political and social structure, there was the King of the Chou royal house, who was the \"common lord\" of all the different states. Under him were hundreds of stales, each owned and governed by its Princes. Some of them were established by the founders of the Chou dynasty, who had allotted the newly conquered territory as feudal fiefs to their relatives. Others were ruled by the former rivals of the Chou house, who now, however, acknowledged the King of Chou as their common lord."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Within each slate, under the Prince, the land was again divided into many fiefs, each with its own feudal lord, who were relatives of the Prince. At that time, political power and economic control were one and the same. Those who had the land were the political and economic masters of it, and of the people who lived on it. They were the chiln tzu,\n a term which literally means \"sons of the Princes,\" but which was used as a common designation of the class of the feudal lords.\n\n\nThe other social class was that of the hsiao jen,\n meaning small men, or\n\n\n\n\n\n\nO56 ' THE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n shu min,\n meaning common people or the mass. These were the serfs of the feudal lords,\n\n\nwho cultivated the land for the chtin tzu\n in time of peace, and fought for them in time of war.\n\n\n\n L\n\n\n\nThe aristocrats were not only the political rulers and landlords, but also the only"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "persons who had a chance to receive an education. Thus the houses of the feudal lords were not only centers of political and economic power, but also centers of learning.\n\n\nAttached to them were officers who possessed specialized knowledge along various lines. But the common people, for their part, had no chance to become educated, so that among them there were no men of learning. This is the fact behind Liu Hsin' s theory that in the early Chou dynasty \"there was no separation between officers and teachers.\"\n\n\nThis feudal system was formally abolished by the First Emperor of the Ch' in dynasty in 2.2.1 B.C. But hundreds of years before that, the system had already begun to disintegrate, whereas thousands of years later, economic remnants of feudalism still remained in the form of the power of the landlord class."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Historians of modern time are still not agreed as to what were the causes of the disintegration of the feudal system. Nor is it within the scope of this chapter to discuss these causes. For the present purpose, it is sufficient to say that in Chinese history the period between the seventh and third centuries B.C. was one of great social and political transformation and change.\n\n\nWe are not sure just when the disintegration of the feudal system began. Already as early as the seventh century there were aristocrats who through the wars of the time, or for other reasons, lost their lands and titles, and thus fell to the level of the common people. There were also common people who through skill or favoritism became high officials of the state. This illustrates the real significance of the disintegration of the Chou dynasty. It was not only the disintegration of the political power of a particular royal house, but— and this is more important—of an entire social system."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With this disintegration, the former official representatives of the various branches of learning became scattered among the common people. They had either been actual nobles themselves, or had been specialists holding hereditary offices in the service of the aristocratic ruling families. This is the significance of a quotation made by Liu Hsin from Confucius in the course of the same \"Treatise partially quoted from above: \"When ceremonies become lost [at the court], it is necessary to search for them in the countryside.\"\n\n\nThus when these former nobles or officials scattered throughout the country, they maintained a livelihood by carrying on, in a private capacity, their specialized abilities or skills. Those of them who expressed their ideas to other private individuals became professional teachers, and thus there arose the separation between the teacher and the officer.\n\n\nThe word \"school\" in this chapter is a translation of the Chinese word 058\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "THE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n chia,\n which at the same time is used to denote a family or home. Hence it suggests something personal or private. There could be no chia\n of thought before there were persons who taught their own ideas in a private capacity."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Likewise there were different kinds of chia\n because these teachers were specialists in varying branches of learning and of the arts. Thus there were some who were specialists in the teaching of the classics and the practicing of ceremonies and music. These were known as the ju\n or literati. There were also specialists in the art of war. These were the hsieh\n or knights. There were specialists in the art of speaking, who were known as the pien—chi:\n or debaters. There were specialists in magic, divination, astrology, and numerology, who were known as the fang-shih,\n or practitioners of occult arts. There were also the practical politicians who could act as private advisers to ihe feudal rulers, and who were known as fa-shu chih shih\n or \"men of methods.\" And finally, there were some men who possessed learning and talent, but who were so embittered by the political disorders of their lime that they retired from human .society into the world of nature. These were known as the yin—che\n or hermits or recluses."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to my theory, it is from these six different kinds of people that the six schools of thought as listed by Ssu—ma T an originated. Paraphrasing Liu Hsin, therefore, I would say: Members of the Ju\n school had their origin in the literati.\n\n\nMembers of the Mohist school had their origin in the knights.\n\n\nMembers of the Taoist school had their origin in the hermits.\n\n\nMembers of the School of Names had their origin in the debaters.\n\n\nMembers of the Yin-Yang\n school had their origin in the practitioners of occult arts.\n\n\nMembers of the Legalist school had their origin in the \"men of methods.\"\n\n\nThe explanations of these statements will be found in the chapters that follow.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n060\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n L\n\n\n\n \n\n \n CHAPTER 4\n \n\n\n\nUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "CHAPTER 4\n \n\n\n\nUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCONFUCIUS is the latinized name of the person who has been known in China as K'ung Tzu or Master K'ung.* His family name was K'ung and his personal name Ch'iu. He was born in 551 B.C. in the state of Lu, in the southern part of the present Shantung province in eastern China. His ancestors had been members of the ducal house of the state of Sung, which was descended from the royal house of Shang, the dynasty that had preceded the Chou. Because of political troubles, the family, before the birth of Confucius, had lost its noble position and migrated to Lu.\n\n\nThe most detailed account of Confucius' life is the biography which comprises the forty-seventh chapter of the Shih Chi\n or Historical Records\n (China s first dynastic history, completed ca. 86 B.C.)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From this we learn that Confucius was poor in his youth, but entered the government of Lu and by the time he was fifty had reached high official rank. As a result of political intrigue, however, he was soon forced to resign his post and go into exile. For the next thirteen years he traveled from one state to another, always hoping to find an opportunity to realize his ideal of political and social reform. Nowhere, however, did he succeed, and finally as an old man he returned to Lu, where he died three years later in 479 B.C.\n\n\n\n Confucius and the Six Classics\n\n\n\nIn the last chapter I said that the rise of the philosophic schools began with the practice of private teaching. So far as modern scholarship can determine, Confucius was the first person in Chinese history thus to teach large numbers of students in a private capacity, by whom he was accompanied during his travels in different states. According to tradition, he had several thousand students, of whom several tens became famous thinkers and schol-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "*The word Tzu or \"Master' is a polite suffix added to names of most philosophers of the Chou Dynasty, such as Chuang Tzu, HsUn Tzu, elc, and meaning Master Chuang, Master Hsiin, etc.\n\n\n\nO 6 l CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER\n\n\n\n\n\n\nars. The former number is undoubtedly a gross exaggeration, but there is no question that he was a very influential teacher, and what is more important and unique, China's first private teacher. His ideas are best known through the Lun Yil\n or Confucian Analects,\n a collection of his scattered sayings which was compiled by some of his disciples.\n\n\nConfucius was a ju\n and the founder of the Ju\n school, which has been known in the West as the Confucian school. In the last chapter we saw how Liu Hsin wrote regarding this school that it \"delighted in the study of the Liu Yi\n and emphasized matters concerning humanheartedness and righteousness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The term Liu Yi\n means the \"six arts,\" i.e., the six liberal arts, but it is more commonly translated as the \"Six Classics.\" These are the Yi\n or Book of Changes,\n the Shih\n or Book of Odes\n (or Poetry),\n the Shu\n or Book of History,\n the Li\n or Rituals\n or Rites,\n the Yiieh\n or Music\n (no longer preserved as a separate work), and the Ch un Ch iu\n or Spring and A utumn A n— nals,\n a chronicle history of Confucius state of Lu extending from 72.2. to 479 B.C., the year of Confucius' death. The nature of these classics is clear from their titles, with the exception of the Book of Changes.\n This work was in later times interpreted by the Confucianists as a treatise on metaphysics, but originally it was a book of divination."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Concerning the relation of Confucius with the Six Classics, there are two schools of traditional scholarship. One maintains that Confucius was the author of all these works, while the other maintains that Confucius was the author of the Spring and Autumn Annals,\n the commentator of the Book of\n Changes,\n the reformer of the Rituals\n and Music,\n and the editor of the Book of History\n and Book of Odes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As a matter of fact, however, Confucius was neither the author, commentator, nor even editor of any of the classics. In some respects, to be sure, he was a conservative who upheld tradition. Thus in the rites and music he did try to rectify any deviations from the traditional practices or standards, and instances of so doing are reported in the Lun Yii\n or Analects.\n Judging from what is said of him in the Analects,\n however, Confucius never had any intention of writing anything himself for future generations. The writing of books in a private rather than official capacity was an as yet unheard of practice which developed only after the time of Confucius. He was China's first private teacher, but not its first private writer."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Six Classics had existed before the time of Confucius, and they constituted the cultural legacy of the past. They had been the basis of education for the aristocrats during the early centuries of feudalism of the Chou dynasty. As feudalism began to disintegrate, however, roughly from the seventh century B.C. onward, the tutors of the aristocrats, or even some of the aristocrats themselves—men who had lost their positions and titles but were well versed in the Classics—began to scatter among the people.\n\n\nThey made their living, as we have seen in the last chapter, by teaching the Classics or by acting as skilled \"assistants, well versed in the rituals, on the occasion of\n\n\n\n\n\n\n064\n\n\nCONKUC1US, THE FIRST TEACHER\n\n\n\n\n\n\nfuneral, sacrifice, wedding, and other ceremonies. This class of men was known as the ju\n or literati.\n\n\n\n Confucius as an Educator"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucius, however, was more than aju\n in the common sense of the word. It is true that in the Analects\n we find him, from one point of view, being portrayed merely as an educator. He wanted his disciples to be \"rounded men who would be useful to state and society, and therefore he taught them various branches of knowledge based upon the different classics. His primary function as a teacher, he felt, was to interpret to his disciples the ancient cultural heritage. That is why, in his own words as recorded in the Analects,\n he was \"a transmitter and not an originator.\" (Analects,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "VII, I.) But this is only one aspect of Confucius, and there is another one as well. This is that, while transmitting the traditional institutions and ideas, Confucius gave them interpretations derived from his own moral concepts. This is exemplified in his interpretation of the old custom that on the death of a parent, a son should mourn three years. Confucius commented on this: 'The child cannot leave the arms of its parents until it is three years old. This is why the three years' mourning is universally observed throughout the world.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Analects,\n XVII, 2.1.) In other words, the son was utterly dependent upon his parents for at least the first three years of his life; hence upon their death he should mourn them for an equal length of time in order to express his gratitude. Likewise when teaching the Classics, Confucius gave them new interpretations. Thus in speaking of the Book of Poetry,\n he stressed its moral value by saying: In the Book of Poetry\n there are three hundred poems. But the essence of them can be covered in one sentence: Have no depraved thoughts.' \" (A nalects,\n II, i.) In this way Confucius was more than a mere transmitter, for in transmitting, he originated something new."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This spirit of originating through transmitting was perpetuated by the followers of Confucius, by whom, as the classical texts were handed down from generation to generation, countless commentaries and interpretations were written. A great portion of what in later times came to be known as the Thirteen Classics developed as commentaries in this way on the original texts.\n\n\nThis is what set Confucius apart from the ordinary literati of his time, and made him the founder of a new school. Because the followers of this school were at the same time scholars and specialists on the Six Classics, the school became known as the School of the Literati.\n\n\n\n The Rectification of Names\n\n\n\nBesides the new interpretations which Confucius gave to the classics, he had his own ideas about the individual and society, heaven and man.\n\n\nO<# CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In regard to society, he held that in order to have a well—ordered one, the most important thing is to carry out what he called the rectification of names. That is, things in actual fact should be made to accord with the implication attached to them by names. Once a disciple asked him what he would do first if he were to rule a state, whereupon Confucius replied: \"The one thing needed first is the rectification of names.\" (Analects,\n XIII, 3.) On another occasion one of the dukes of the time asked Confucius the right principle of government, to which he answered: \"Let the ruler be ruler, the minister minister, the father father, and the son son.\" (Analects,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "XII, II.) In other words, every name contains certain implications which constitute the essence of that class of things to which this name applies. Such things, therefore, should a-gree with this ideal essence. The essence of a ruler is what the ruler ideally ought to be, or what, in Chinese, is called the way of the ruler. If a ruler acts according to this way of the ruler, he is then truly a ruler, in fact as well as in name. There is an agreement between name and actuality. But if he does not, he is no ruler, even though he may popularly be regarded as such. Every name in the social relationships implies certain responsibilities and duties.. Ruler, minister, father, and son are all the names of such social relationships, and the individuals bearing these names must fulfill their responsibilities and duties accordingly. Such is the implication of Confucius theory of the rectification of names."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Human—heartedness and Righteousness\n\n\n\nWith regard to the virtues of the individual, Confucius emphasized hu-man-heartedness and righteousness, especially the former. Righteousness (yi)\n means the \"oughtness\" of a situation. It is a categorical imperative. Every one in society has certain things which he ought to do, and which must be done for their own sake, because they are the morally right things to do. If, however, he does them only because of other non-moral considerations, then even though he does what he ought to do, his action is no longer a righteous one. To use a word often disparaged by Confucius and later ^onfucianists, he is then acting for \"profit.\" Yi\n (righteousness) and Zi(profil) are in Confucianism diametrically opposed terms. Confucius himself says: The superior man comprehends yi;\n the small man comprehends li."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Analects,\n IV, 16.) Herein lies what the later Confucianists called the distinction between yi\n and li,\n a distinction which they considered to be of the utmost importance in moral teaching.\n\n\nThe idea of yi\n is rather formal, but that of jen\n (humanheartedness) is much more concrete. The formal essence of the duties of man in sociely is their oughtness, because all these duties are what he ought to do. But the material essence of these duties is \"loving others, i.e., jen\n or humanheart-edness. The father acts according to the way a father should act who loves his son; the son acts according to the way a son should act who loves his fa— 068 CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ther. Confucius says: Human —heartedness consists in loving others. (Analects,\n XII, 2.2..) The man who really loves others is one able to perform his duties in society. Hence in the A nalects\n we see that Confucius sometimes uses the word jen\n not only to denote a special kind of virtue, but also to denote all the virtues combined, so that the term \"man of jen\"\n becomes synonymous with the man of all —round virtue. In such contexts, jen\n can be translated as \"perfect virtue.\"\n\n\n\n Chung and Shu\n\n\n\nIn the Analects\n we find the passage: When Chung Kung asked the meaning of jen,\n the master said: ...."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Do not do to others what you do not wish yourself .... \" (XII, i.) Again, Confucius is reported in the Analects\n as saying: \"The man of jen\n is one who, desiring to sustain himself, sustains others, and desiring to develop himself, develops others. To be able from one's own self to draw a parallel for the treatment of others; that may be called the way to practise jen.\"(\n VI, 2.8.) Thus the practice of jen\n consists in consideration for others. Desiring to sustain oneself, one sustains others; desiring to develop oneself, one develops others.\" In other words: \"Do to others what you wish yourself.\" This is the positive aspect of the practice, which was called by Confucius chung\n or \"conscientiousness to others.\" And the negative aspect, which was called by Confucius shu\n or \"altruism,\"\n\n\nis: \"Do not do to others what you do not wish yourself. The practice as a whole is called the principle of chung\n and shu,\n which is \"the way to practice jen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This principle was known by some of the later Confucianists as the principle of applying a measuring square. That is to say, it is a principle by which one uses oneself as a standard to regulate one's conduct.\n\n\nIn the Ta Hsileh\n or Great Learning,\n which is a chapter of the Li Chi (Book of Rites),\n a collection of treatises written by the Confucianists in the third and second centuries B.C., it is said: \"Do not use what you dislike in your superiors in the employment ol your inferiors. Do not use what you dislike in your inferiors in the service of your superiors. Do not use what you dislike in those who are before, to precede those who are behind. Do not use what you dislike in those who are behind, to follow those who are before. Do not use what you dislike on the right, to display toward the left. Do not use what you dislike on the left, to display toward the right. This is called the principle of applying a measuring square."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Chung Yung\n or Doctrine of the Mean,\n which is another chapter of the Li Chi,\n attributed to Tzu -ssu, the grandson of Confucius, it is said: \"Chung\n and shu\n are not far from the Way. What you do not like done to yourself, do not do to others....Serve your father as you would require your son to serve you....Serve your ruler as you would require your subordinate to serve you....Serve your elder brother as you would require your younger\n\n\nO7O. CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER\n\n\n\n\n\n\nbrother to serve you....Set the example in behaving to your friends as you would\n\n\nrequire\n\n\n\n\n\n\nthem to behave to you...\n\n\n^\n\n\nThe illustration given in the Great Learning\n emphasizes the negative aspect of the principle of chung\n and shu;\n that in the Doctrine of the Mean\n emphasizes its positive aspect. In each case the measuring square for determining conduct is in one' s self and not in other things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The principle of chung\n and shu\n is at the same time the principle of jen,\n so that the practice of chung\n and shu\n means the practice of jen.\n And this practice leads to the carrying out of one s responsibilities and duties in society, in which is comprised the quality of yi\n or righteousness. Hence the principle of chung\n and shu\n becomes the alpha and omega of one s moral life. In the Analects\n we find the passage: The master said: Shen Lthe personal name of Tseng Tzu, one of his disciples J, all my teachings are linked together by one principle. Quite so, replied Tseng Tzu. When the master had left the room, the disciples asked: What did he mean? Tseng Tzu replied: Our master s teaching consists of the principle of chung\n and shu,\n and that is all. '\"(IV, 15.) Everyone has within himself the measuring square for conduct, and can use it at any time. So simple as this is the method of practising jen,\n so that Confucius said: \"is jen\n indeed far off? I crave for jen,\n and lo! jen\n is at hand! \" (Analects,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and lo! jen\n is at hand! \" (Analects,\n VII, 29.) Knowing Ming"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From the idea of righteousness, the Confucianists derived the idea of doing for nothing.\" One does what one ought to do, simply because il is morally right to do it, and not for any consideration external to this moral compulsion. In the Analects,\n we are told that Confucius was ridiculed by a certain recluse as \"one who knows that he cannot succeed, yet keeps on trying to do it. (XIV, 4-I-) We also read that another recluse was told by a disciple of Confucius: The reason why the superior man tries to go into politics, is because he holds this to be right, even though he is well aware that his principle cannot prevail. (XVIII, 7)\n\n\nAs we shall see, the Taoists taught the theory of doing nothing, whereas the Confucianists taught that of \"doing for\n nothing. A man cannot do nothing, according to Confucianism, because for every man there is something which he ought to do."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nevertheless, what he does is lor nothing, because the value of doing what he ought to do lies in the doing itself, and not in the external result.\n\n\nConfucius own life is certainly a good example of this teaching. Living in an age of great social and political disorder, he tried his best to reform the world. He traveled everywhere and, like Socrates, talked to everybody. Although his efforts were in vain, he was never disappointed. lie knew that he could not succeed, but kepi on trying.\n\n\n0 7 2 CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST\n\n\nTEACHER\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout himself Confucius said: \"If my principles are to prevail in the world, it is Ming.\n If they are to fall to the ground, it is also Ming. (Analects,\n XIV, 38.) He tried his best, but the issue he left to Ming."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ming\n is often translated as Fate, Destiny or Decree. To Confucius, it meant the Decree of Heaven or Will of Heaven; in other words, it was conceived of as a purposeful force. In later Confucianism, however, Ming\n simply means the total existent conditions and forces of the whole universe. For the external success of our activity, the cooperation of these conditions is always needed. But this cooperation is wholly beyond our control. Hence the best thing for us to do is simply to try to carry out what we know we ought ID carry out, without caring whether in the process we succeed or fail. To act in this way is to know Ming.\n To know Ming\n is an important requirement for being a superior man in the Confucian sense of the term, so that Confucius said: He who does not know Ming\n cannot be a superior man.\" (Analects,\n XX, 1.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus to know Ming\n means to acknowledge the inevitability of the world as it exists, and so to disregard one' s external success or failure. If we can act in this way, we can, in a sense, never fail. For if we do our duty, that duty through our very act is morally done, regardless of the external success or failure of our action.\n\n\nAs a result, we always shall be free from anxiety as to success or fear as to failure, and so shall be happy. This is why Confucius said: The wise are free from doubts; the virtuous from anxiety; the brave from fear. (Analects,\n IX, 2.8.) Or again: \"The superior man is always happy; the small man sad.\" (VII, 36.)\n\n\n\n Confucius Spiritual Development\n\n\n\nIn the Taoist work, the Chuang—tzu,\n we see that the Taoists often ridiculed Confucius as one who confined himself to the morality of humanheartedness and righteousness, thus being conscious only of moral values, and not super-moral value. Superficially they were right, but actually they were wrong."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus speaking about his own spiritual development, Confucius said: \"At fifteen 1 set my heart on learning. At thirty I could stand. At forty I had no doubts. At fifty I knew the Decree of Heaven. At sixty I was already obedient [to this Decree]. At seventy I could follow the desires of my mind without overstepping the boundaries [of what is right].\" (Analects,\n II, 4) The learning which Confucius here refers to is not what we now would call learning. In the Analects,\n Confucius said: \"Set your heart on the Too.\"\n (VII, 6.) And again: \"To hear the Too\n in the morning and then die at night, that would be all right.\" (IV, 9.) Here Too\n means the Way or Truth. It was this Too\n which Confucius at fifteen set his heart upon learning. What we now call learning means the increase of our knowledge, but the Too\n is that whereby we can elevate our mind.\n\n\nConfucius also said: \"Take your stand in the li\n [rituals, ceremonies, prop-074\n\n\nCONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER\n\n\n\n\n\n\ner conduct].\" (Analects,\n VIII, 8.) Again he said: \"Not to know the li\n is to have no means of standing.\" (XX, 3.) Thus when Confucius says that at thirty he could \"stand, he means that he then understood the li\n and so could practice proper conduct.\n\n\nHis statement that at forty he had no doubts means that he had then become a wise man. For, as quoted before, \"The wise are free from doubts.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Up to this time of his life Confucius was perhaps conscious only of moral values. But at the age of fifty and sixty, he knew the Decree of Heaven and was obedient to it. In other words, he was then also conscious of super -moral values. Confucius in this respect was like Socrates. Socrates thought that he had been appointed by a divine order to awaken the Greeks, and Confucius had a similar consciousness of a divine mission. For example, when he was threatened with physical violence at a place called K'uang, he said: \"If Heaven had wished to let civilization perish, later generations (like myself) would not have been permitted to participate in it. But since Heaven has not wished to let civilization perish, what can the people of K uang do to me?\" (Analects,\n IX, 5.) One of his contemporaries also said: \"The world for long has been without order. But now Heaven is going to use the Master as an arousing tocsin. (Analects,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "III, 2.4O Thus Confucius in doing what he did, was convinced that he was following the Decree of Heaven and was supported by Heaven; he was conscious of values higher than moral ones."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The super—moral value experienced by Confucius, however, was, as we shall see, not quite the same as that experienced by the Taoists. For the latter abandoned entirely the idea of an intelligent and purposeful Heaven, and sought instead for mystical union with an undifferentiated whole. The super-moral value which they knew and experienced, therefore, was freer from the ordinary concepts of the human relationships.\n\n\nAt seventy, as has been told above, Confucius allowed his mind to follow whatever it desired, yet everything he did was naturally right of itself. His actions no longer needed a conscious guide. He was acting without effort. This represents the last stage in the development of the sage.\n\n\n\n Confucius' Position in Chinese History\n\n\n\nConfucius is probably better known in the West than any other single Chinese. Yet in China itself, though always famous, his place in history has changed considerably from one period to another."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Historically speaking he was primarily a teacher, that is, only one teacher among many. But after his death, he gradually came to be considered as the\n teacher, superior to all others. And in the second century B.C. he was elevated to an even higher plane. According to many Confucianists of that time, Confucius had actually been appointed by Heaven to begin a new dynasty that would follow that of Chou. Though in actual fact without a crown or a government, he had ideally speaking beco me a king who ruled the whole e mpire. How this apparent\n\n\nO76 CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "O76 CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER\n\n\n\n\n\n\ncontradiction had happened, these Confucianists said, could be found out by studying the esoteric meaning supposedly contained in the Spring and Autumn Annals.\n This was supposed by them not to be a chronicle of Confucius' native state (as it actually was), but an important political work written by Confucius to express his ethical and political ideas. Then in the first century B.C., Confucius came to be regarded as even more than a king. According to many people of that time, he was a living god among men-a divine being who knew that after his time there woud someday come the Han dynasty (106\n\n\n\nB.C.-A.D. 2.2.O), and who therefore, in the Spring and A utumn Annals,\n set forth a political ideal which would be complete enough for the men of Han to realize. This apotheosis was the climax of Confucius'\n\n\nglory, and in the middle of the Han dynasty Confucianism could properly be called a religion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The time of glorification, however, did not last very long. Already beginning in the first century A.D., Confucianists of a more rationalistic type began to get the upper hand. Hence in later times Confucius was no longer regarded as a divine being, though his position as that of the\n Teacher remained high. At the very end of the nineteenth century, to be sure, there was a brief revival of the theory that Confucius had been divinely appointed to be a king. Soon afterward, however, with the coming of the Chinese Republic, his reputation fell until he came to be regarded as something less than the\n Teacher, and at present most Chinese would say that he was primarily a\n teacher, and certainly a great one, but far from being the only teacher."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucius, however, was already recognized in his own day as a man of very extensive learning. For example, one of his contemporaries said: \"Great indeed is the Master K ung! His learning is so extensive that he cannot be called by a single name.\" (Analects,\n IX, 2..) From the quotations given earlier, we may see that he considered himself the inheritor and perpeluator of ancient civilization, and was considered by some of his contemporaries as such. By his work of originating through transmitting, he caused his school to reinterpret the civilization of the age before him. He upheld what he considered to be best in the old, and created a powerful tradition that was followed until very recent years, when, as in Confucius own time, China again came face to face with tremendous economic and social change. In addition, he was China s first teacher. Hence, though historically speaking he was only a\n teacher, it is perhaps not unreasonable that in later ages he was regarded as the\n teacher.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n078"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "078\n\n\nCONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER\n\n\n \n\n \n CHAPTER 5\n \n\n\n\n, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIHE next major philosopher after Confucius was Mo Tzu. His family name was Mo and his personal name was Ti. As the Shih Chi\n or Historical Records\n does not say where he came from, and in fact tells us almost nothing about his life, there has been a difference of opinion regarding his native state. Some scholars hold that he was a native of Sung (in what is today eastern Honan and western Shantung), and others that he came from Lu, the same state as Confucius. His exact dates are also uncertain, hut probably he lived sometime within the years 479~38l B.C. The main source for the study of his thought is the book bearing his name, the Mo-tzu,\n which contains 53 chapters and is a collection of writings by his followers as well as by himself."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mo Tzu was the founder of a school known after his name as the Mohist school. In ancient times his fame was as great as that of Confucius, and his teaching was no less influential. The contrast between the two men is interesting. Confucius felt a sympathetic understanding for the traditional institutions, rituals, music, and literature of the early Chou dynasty, and tried to rationalize and justify them in ethical terms; Mo Tzu, on the contrary, questioned their validity and usefulness, and tried to replace them with something that was simpler but, in his view, more useful. In short, Confucius was the rationalizer and justifier of the ancient civilization, while Mo Tzu was its critic. Confucius was a refined gentleman, while Mo Tzu was a militant preacher. A major aim of his preaching was to oppose both the traditional institutions and practices, and the theories of Confucius and the Confucian ists.\n\n\n\n Social Background of the Mohist School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Social Background of the Mohist School\n\n\n\nDuring the feudal age of the Chou dynasty, kings, princes, and feudal lords all had their military specialists. These were the hereditary warriors who constituted the backbone of the armies of that time.\n\n\nWith the disintegration of feudalism that took place in the latter part of the Chou dynasty, however, these warrior specialists lost their positions and titles, scattered\n\n\n0 8 0 MO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "throughout the country, and made a living by offering their services to anyone who could afford to employ them. This class of people was known as the hsieh\n or yu hsieh,\n terms which can both be translated as knights—errant. Concerning such knights errant, the Shih Chi\n says: \"Their words were always sincere and trustworthy, and their actions always quick and decisive. They were always true to what they promised, and without regard to their own persons, they would rush into dangers threatening others. (Ch. 12-4) Such was their professional ethics. A large part of Mo Tzu's teaching was an extension of this ethics."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Chinese history both the ju\n or literati and the hsieh\n or knightserrant originated as specialists attached to the houses of the aristocrats, and were themselves members of the upper classes. In later times the ju\n continued to come mainly from the upper or middle classes, but the hsieh,\n on the contrary, more frequently were recruited from the lower classes. In ancient times, such social amenities as rituals and music were all exclusively for the aristocrats; from the point of view of the common man, therefore, they were luxuries that had no practical utility. It was from this point of view that Mu Tzu and the Mohists criticised the traditional institutions and their rationalizers, Confucius and the Confucianists. This criticism, together with the elaboration and rationalization of the professional ethics of their own social class, that of the hsieh,\n constituted the central core of the Mohist philosophy.\n\n\nThere is plenty of evidence for the inference that Mo Tzu and his followers came from the hsieh."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From the Mo-tzu,\n as well as from other contemporary sources, we know that the Mohists constituted a strictly disciplined organization capable of military action. The leader of the Mohisl organization was called the Chil Tzu,\n \"Great Master,\" and had the authority of life or death over the members of the group. We are also told that Mo Tzu was the first \"Great Master\" of his group, and that at least once he actually led his followers to prepare for the military defense of Sung, when that state was threatened with invasion from the neighboring state of Ch u."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story of this episode is interesting. It is said in the Mo-tzu\n that a noted mechanical inventor, Kung-shu Pan, then employed by the state of Ch u, had completed the construction of a new weapon for attacking city walls. Ch'u was preparing to attack Sung with this new weapon. Hearing of this, Mo Tzu went to Ch'u to persuade its king to desist. There he and Kung-shu Pan made a demonstration before the king of their weapons of attack and defense. Mo Tzu first untied his belt and laid out a city with it, using a small stick as a weapon. Kung-shu Pan thereupon set up nine different miniature machines of attack, but Mo Tzu nine times repulsed him. Finally, Kung—shu Pan had used up all his machines of attack, while Mo Tzu was far from being exhausted in the defense. Then Kung-shu Pan said: \"l know how to defeat you, but 1 will not say it.\" To which Mo Tzu replied: \"I know what it is, but I too will not say it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On being asked by the king what was meant, Mo Tzu continued: \"Kung-O 8 l MO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS\n\n\n\n\n\n\nshu Pan is thinking of murdering me. But my disciples Ch'in Ku-li and others, numbering\n\n\nthree hundred men, are already armed with my implements of defense, waiting on the city wall of Sung for the invaders from Ch' u. Though I be murdered, you cannot exterminate them. To which the King exclaimed: \"Very well! Let us not attack Sung.\" (Ch. 50.) If this story is true, it would give a good example for our present world in settling disputes between two countries. A war would not need to be fought in the field. All that would be necessary would be for the scientists and engineers of the two countries to demonstrate their laboratory weapons of attacking and defense, and the war would be decided without fighting!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Regardless of whether the story is true or not, it illustrates the nature of the Mohist organization, which is also confirmed from other sources. Thus in the Huai—nun—tzu,\n a work of the second century B.C., it is stated that the disciples of Mo Tzu were one hundred and eighty in number, all of whom he could order to enter fire or tread on sword blades, and whom even death would not cause to turn on their heels. (Ch. 2.0.) And in the Mo—tzu\n itself, no less than nine chapters deal with the tactics of fighting a defensive war and the techniques of building instruments for defending city walls. All of this shows that the Mohists, as originally constituted, were a group of warriors."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mo Tzu and his followers, however, differed from the ordinary knights—errant in two respects. In the first place, the latter were men ready to engage in any fighting whatever, only provided that they were paid for their efforts or favored by the feudal lords. Mo Tzu and his followers, on the contrary, were strongly opposed to aggressive war; hence they agreed to fight only in wars that were strictly for self-defense. Secondly, the ordinary hsieh\n confined themselves wholly to their code of professional ethics. Mo Tzu, however, elaborated this professional ethics and gave it a rationalistic justification. Thus though Mo Tzu's background was that of a hsieh,\n he at the sametirne became the founder of a new philosophic school.\n\n\n\n Mo Tzu's Criticism of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mo Tzu's Criticism of Confucianism\n\n\n\nAccording to Mo Tzu, \"the principles of the Confucianists ruin the whole world in four ways\": (1) The Confucianists do not believe in the existence of God or of spirits, \"with the result that God and the spirits are displeased.\" (2.) The Confucianists insist on elaborate funerals and the practice of three years of mourning on the death of a parent, so that the wealth and energy of the people are thereby wasted. (3) The Confucianists lay stress on the practice of music, leading to an identical result. (4) The Confucianists believe in a predetermined fate, causing the people to be lazy and to resign themselves to this fate. (The Mo-tzu,\n ch. 4§.) In another chapter entitled \"Anti-Confucianism,\" the Mo-tzu\n also says: \"Even those with long life cannot exhaust the learning required for their [Confucianist]\n\n\nstudies. Even people with the vigor of youth cannot perform all the ceremonial duties. And even those who\n\n\n0 8 4 MO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF\n\n\nCONFUCIUS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "CONFUCIUS\n\n\n\n\n\n\nhave amassed wealth cannot afford music. They [the Confucianists] enhance the beauty of wicked arts and lead their sovereign astray. Their doctrine cannot meet the needs of the age, nor can their learning educate the people.\" (Ch.39.)\n\n\nThese criticisms reveal the differing social backgrounds of the Confucian— ists and Mohists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Already before Confucius, persons who were better educated and more sophisticated had been abandoning the belief in the existence of a personal God and of divine spirits. People of the lower classes, however, had, as always in such matters, lagged behind in this rise of skepticism, and Mo Tzu held the point of view of the lower classes. This is the significance of his first point of criticism against the Confucianists. The second and third points, too, were made from the same basis. The fourth point, however, was really irrelevant, because, though the Confucianists often spoke about Ming\n (Fate, Decree), what they meant by it was not the predetermined fate attacked by Mo Tzu. This has been pointed out in the last chapter, where we have seen that Ming,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "for the Confucianists, signified something that is beyond human control. But there are other things that remain within man's power to control if he will exert himself. Only after man has done everything he can himself, therefore, should he accept with calm and resignation whaL comes thereafter as inevitable. Such is what the Confucianists meant when they spoke of \"knowing Ming.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All—embracing Love\n\n\n\nMo Tzu makes no criticism of the Confucianists' central idea of yen (human— heartedness) and yi\n (righteousness); in the Mo—tzu, indeed, he speaks often of these two qualities and of the man of jen\n and man of yi.\n What he means by these terms, however, differs somewhat from the concept of them held by the Confucianists. For Mo Tzu, jen\n and yi\n signify an all-embracing love, and the man of jen\n and man of yi\n are persons who practice this all-embracing love. This concept is a central one in Mo Tzu's philosophy, and represents a logical extension of the professional ethics of the class of hsieh\n (knightserrant) from which Mo Tzu sprang. This ethics was, namely, that within their group the hsieh\n enjoy equally and suffer equally. (This was a common saying of the hsieh\n of later times.) Taking this group concept as a basis, Mo Tzu tried to broaden it by preaching the doctrine that everyone in the world should love everyone else equally and without discrimination."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Mo-tzu,\n there are three chapters devoted to the subject of all-embracing love. In them, Mo Tzu first makes a distinction between what he calls the principles of \"discrimination' and '\n\n\nall-embracingness.\" The man who holds to the principle of discrimina tion says: It is absurd for me to care for friends as much as I would for myself, and to look after their parents as I would my own. As a result, such a man does not do very much for his friends. But the man who holds to the principle of all —embracingness says,\n\n\n086 MO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS\n\n\n\n\n\n\non the contrary: I must care for my friends as much as I do for myself, and for their parents as I would my own. As a result, he does everything he can for his friends. Having made this distinction, Mo Tzu then asks the question: Which of these two principles is the right one?\n\n\nMo Tzu thereupon uses his \"tests of judgment\" to determine the right and wrong of these principles."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to him, every principle must be examined by three tests, namely: Its basis, its verifiability, and its applicability. A sound and right principle should be based on the Will of Heaven and of the spirits and on the deeds of the ancient sage-kings.\" Then \"it is to be verified by the senses of hearing and sight of the common people.\" And finally, \"it is to be applied by adopting it in government and observing whether it is beneficial to the country and the people.\" (Mo-tzu,\n ch.\n\n\n35.) Of these three tests, the last is the most important. Being beneficial to the country and the people is the standard by which Mo Tzu determines all values."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This same standard is the chief one used by Mo Tzu to prove the desirability of all-embracing love. In the third of three chapters, all of which are titled \"All-embracing Love, he argues: \"The task of the humanhearted man is to procure benefits for the world and to eliminate its calamities. Now among all the current calamities of the world, which are the greatest? I say that attacks on small states by large ones, disturbances of small houses by large ones, oppression of the weak by the strong, misuse of the few by the many, deception of the simple by the cunning, and disdain toward the humble by the honored: these are the misfortunes of the world....When we come to think about the causes of all these calamities, how have they arisen? Have they arisen out of love of others and benefiting others? We must reply that it is not so. Rather we should say that they have arisen out of hate of others and injuring others. If we classify those in the world who hate others and injure others, shall we call them"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "hate others and injure others, shall we call them 'discriminating' or 'all-embracing'? We must say that they are 'discriminating.' So, then, is not mutual discrimination the cause of the major calamities of the world? Therefore the principle of discrimination is wrong."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Whoever criticizes others must have something to substitute for what he criticizes. Therefore I say: Substitute all—embracingness for discrimination. What is the reason why all-embracingness can be substituted for discrimination? The answer is that when everyone regards the states of others as he regards his own, who will attack these other states? Others will be regarded like the self. When everyone regards the cities of others as he regards his own, who will seize these other cities? Others will be regarded like the self. When everyone regards the houses of others as he regards his own, who will disturb these other houses? Others will be regarded like the self.\n\n\n\"Now, when states and cities do not attack and seize one another, and when clans and individuals do not disturb and harm one another, is this a calamity or a benefit to the world? We must say it is a benefit. When we come to consider the origin of the various benefits, how have they arisen?\n\n\nO88 , MO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Have they arisen out of hate of others and injuring others? We must say not so. We should say that they have arisen out of love of others and benefiting others. If we classify those in the world who love others and benefit others, shall we call them 'discriminating or 'all-embracing ? We must say that they are 'all-embracing.' Then is it not the case that 'mutual all-embrae-ingness is the cause of the major benefit of the world? Therefore I say that the principle of all—embracingness is right. (Mo—tzu,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ch. 16.) Thus, using a utilitarianistic argument, Mo Tzu proves the principle of all-embracing love to be absolutely right. The humanhearted man whose task it is to procure benefits for ihe world and eliminate its calamities, must establish all-embracing love as the standard of action both for himself and for all others in the world. When everyone in the world acts according to this standard, then attentive ears and keen eyes will respond to serve one another, limbs will be strengthened to work for one another, and those who know the proper principle will untiringly instruct others. Thus the aged and widowers will have support and nourishment with which to round out their old age, and the young and weak and orphans will have a place of support in which to grow up. When all-embracing love is adopted as the standard, such are the consequent benefits.\" {Ibid.)\n This, then, is Mo Tzu's ideal world, which can be created only through the practice of all-embracing love."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Will of God and Existence of Spirits"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There remains, however, a basic question: How to persuade people thus to love one another? One may tell them, as was said above, that the practice of all—embracing love is the only way to benefit the world and that every humanhearted man is one who practices all-embracing love. Yet people may still ask: Why should I personally act to benefit the world and why should 1 be a human—hearted man? One may then argue further that if the world as a whole is benefited, this means benefit for every individual in the world as well. Or as Mo Tzu says: \"He who loves others, must also be loved by others. He who benefits others, must also be benefited by others. He who hates others, must also be hated by others. He who injures others, must also be injured by others.\" (Mo-tzu,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ch. 17.) Thus, then, the love of others is a sort of personal insurance or investment, which pays, as Americans would say. Most people, however, are too shortsighted to see the value of a long term investment of this sort, and there are a few instances in which such an investment does, indeed, fail to pay."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In order, therefore, to induce people to practice the principle of all-embracing love, Mo Tzu, in addition to the foregoing arguments, introduces a number of religious and political sanctions. Thus in the Mo-tzu\n there are chapters on \"The Will of Heaven,\" and also ones titled Proof of the Existence of Spirits.\" In these we read that Cod exists; that He loves mankind; and that His Will is that all men should love one another. He constantly super\n\n\n090 , MO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS\n\n\n\n\n\n\nvises the activities of men, especially those of the rulers of men. He punishes with calamities persons who disobey His Will, and rewards with good fortune those who obey. Besides God, there are also numerous lesser spirits who likewise reward men who practice all—embracing love, and punish those who practice \"discrimination.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In this connection there is an interesting story about Mo Tzu: When Mo Tzu was once ill, Tieh Pi came to him and inquired: Sir, you hold that the spirits are intelligent and control calamities and blessings. They reward the good and punish the evil. Now you are a sage. How then can you be ill? Is it that your teaching is not entirely correct or that the spirits are after all not intelligent? Mo Tzu replied: Though I am ill, why should the spirits be unintelligent? There are many ways by which a man can contract diseases. Some are contracted from cold or heat, some from fatigue. If there are a hundred doors and only one be closed, will there not be ways by which robbers can enter? \"' (Mo-tzu,\n ch. 48-) In modern logical terminology, Mo Tzu would say that punishment by the spirits is a sufficient cause for the disease of a man, but not its necessary cause.\n\n\n\n A Seeming Inconsistency"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A Seeming Inconsistency\n\n\n\nHere it is timely to point out that both the Mohists and the Comfucianists seem to be inconsistent in their attitude toward the existence of spirits and the performance of rituals connected with the spirits."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Certainly it seems inconsistent for the Mohists to have believed in the existence of the spirits, yet at the same time to have opposed the elaborate rituals that were conducted on the occasion of funerals and of the making of sacrifices to the ancestors. Likewise, it seems inconsistent that the Confucianists stressed those funeral and sacrificial rituals, yet did not believe in the existence of the spirits. The Mohists, for their part, were quite ready to point out this seeming inconsistency as regards the Confucianists. Thus we read in the Mo—tzu:\n Kung — meng Tzu [a Confucianist] said: 'There are no spirits.' Again he said: 'The superior man should learn the rituals of sacrifice. Mo Tzu said: 'To hold that there are no spirits, and yet to learn sacrificial ceremonies, is like learning the ceremonies of hospitality when there are no guests, or throwing fish nets when there are no fish. (Ch. 48.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yet the seeming inconsistencies of the Confucianists and Mohists are both unreal. According to the former, the reason for performing the sacrificial rituals is no longer a belief that the spirits actually exist, though no doubt this was the original reason. Rather, the performance springs from the sentiment of respect toward his departed forebears held by the man who offers the sacrifice. Hence the meaning of the ceremonies is poetic, not religious. This theory was later developed by Hsiln\n Tzu and his school of Confucianism in detail, as we shall see in chapter thirteen of this book. Hence there is no real inconsistency at all.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOOi\n\n\nMO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Likewise there is no aetual inconsistency in the Mohist point of view, for Mo Tzu' s proof of the existence of spirits is done primarily in order that he may introduce a religious sanction for his doctrine of all-embracing love, rather than because of any real interest in supernatural matters. Thus in his chapter on Proof of the Existence of Spirits, he attributes the existing confusion of the world to a doubt (among men) as to the existence of spirits and a failure lo understand that they can reward the good and punish the bad. He then asks: \"If now all the people of the world could be made to believe that the spirits can reward the good and punish the bad, would the world then be in chaos? (Ch. 31.) Thus his doctrine of the Will of God and the existence of spirits is only to induce people to believe that they will be, rewarded if they practice all—embracing love, and punished if they do not. Such a belief among the people was something useful; hence Mo Tzu wanted it. \"Economy of expenditure\" in the funeral"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "it. \"Economy of expenditure\" in the funeral and sacrificial services was also useful; hence Mo Tzu wanted it too. From his ultra—utilitarian point of view, there was no inconsistency in wanting both things, since both were useful."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Origin of the State\n\n\n\nBesides religious sanctions, political ones are also needed if people are to practice all-embracing love.\n\n\nIn the Mo-tzu,\n there are three chapters titled Agreement with the Superior, in which Mo Tzu expounds his theory of the origin of the state. According to this theory, the authority of the ruler of a state comes from two sources: the will of the people and the Will of God. Furthermore, the main task of the ruler is to supervise the activities of the people, rewarding those who practice all -embracing love and punishing those who do not. In order to do this effectively, his authority must be absolute. At this point we may ask: Why should people voluntarily choose to have such an absolute authority over them?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The answer, for Mo Tzu, is that the people accept such an authority, not because they prefer it, but because they have no alternative. According to him, before the creation of an organized state, people lived in what Thomas Hobbes has called \"the state of nature.\" At this early time, \"everyone had his own standard of right and wrong. When there was one man, there was one standard. When there were two men, there were two standards. When there were ten men, there were ten standards. The more people there were, the more were there standards. Every man considered himself as right and others as wrong.\n\n\n\"The world was in great disorder and men were like birds and beasts. They understood that all the disorders of the world were due to the fact that there was no political ruler. Therefore, they selected the most virtuous and most able man of the world, and established him as the Son of Heaven.\" (Mo-tzu,\n ch."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "II.) Thus the ruler of the state was first established by the will of the people, in order to save themselves from anarchy.\n\n\nIn another chapter bearing the same title, Mo Tzu says: Of old when God\n\n\n\n\n\n\n094\n\n\nMO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS\n\n\n\n\n\n\nand the spirits established the state and cities and installed rulers, it was not to make their rank high or their emolument substantial....It was to procure benefits for the people and eliminate their adversities; to enrich the poor and increase the few; and to bring safety out of danger and order out of confusion. (Ch.\n\n\nI2.)According to this statement, therefore, the state and its ruler were established through the Will of God."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "No matter what was the way in which the ruler gained his power, once he was established, he, according to Mo Tzu, issued a mandate to the people of the world, saying: \"Upon hearing good or evil, one shall report it to one's superior. What the superior thinks to be right, all shall think to be right. What the superior thinks to be wrong, all shall think to be wrong.\" (Ch. II.) This leads Mo Tzu to the following dictum: \"Always agree with the superior; never follow the inferior. (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus, Mo Tzu argues, the state must be totalitarian and the authority of its ruler absolute. This is an inevitable conclusion to his theory of the origin of the state. For the state was created precisely in order to end the disorder which had existed owing to the confused standards of right and wrong. The state's primary function, therefore, is, quoting Mo Tzu, \"to unify the standards. Within the state only one standard can exist, and it must be one which is fixed by the state itself. No other standards can be tolerated, because if there were such, people would speedily return to 'the state of nature \" in which there could be nothing but disorder and chaos. In this political theory we may see Mo Tzu's development of the professional ethics of the hswh,\n with its emphasis upon group obedience and discipline. No doubt it also reflects the troubled political conditions of Mo Tzu's day, which caused many people to look with favor on a centralized authority, even if it were to be an autocratic one."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So, then, there can be only one standard of right and wrong. Right, for Mo Tzu, is the practice of mutual all—embracingness, and wrong is the practice of \"mutual discrimination.\" Through appeal to this political sanction, together with his religious one, Mo Tzu hoped to bring all people of the world to practice his principle of all-embracing love.\n\n\nSuch was Mo Tzu's teaching, and it is the unanimous report of all sources of his time that in his own activities he was a true example of it.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS\n\n\n \n\n \n CHAPTER 6\n \n\n\n\nTHE FIRST PHASE OF TAOISM:\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYANG CHU\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIN the Confucian Analects,\n we are told that Confucius, while traveling from state to state,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "met many men whom he called yin che,\n ''those who obscure themselves,\" and described as persons who had \"escaped from the world.\" (XIV, 39-) These recluses ridiculed Confucius for what they regarded as his vain efforts to save the world. By one of them he was described as the one who knows he cannot succeed, yet keeps on trying to do so.\" 1\n\n\n\n(XTV, 41.) To these attacks, Tzu Lu, a disciple of Confucius, once replied: It is unrighteous to refuse: to serve in office. If the regulations between old and young in family life are not to be set aside, how is it then that you set aside the duty that exists between sovereign and subject? In your desire to maintain your personal purity, you subvert the great relationship of society Lthc relationship between sovereign and subject].\" (Ibid.,\n XVI11, 7.)\n\n\n\n The Early Taoists and the Recluses\n\n\n\nThe recluses were thus individualists who \"desired to maintain their personal purity."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They were also, in a sense, defeatists who thought (hat the world was so bad that nothing could be done for it. One of them is reported in ihe Analects\n to have said: \"The world is a swelling torrent, and is there anyone to change it? (XVIII, 6.) It was from men of this sort, most of them living far away from other men in the world of nature, that the Taoists were probably originally drawn.\n\n\nThe Taoists, however, were not ordinary recluses who escaped the world, desiring to \"maintain their personal purity, ' and who, once in retirement, made no attempt ideologically to justify their conduct. On the contrary, they were men who, having gone into seclusion, attempted to work out a system of thought that would give meaning to their action. Among them, Yang Chu seems to have been the earliest prominent exponent.\n\n\nYang Chu s dales are not clear, but he must have lived between the time of Mo Tzu (c.\n\n\n479-c. 381 B.C.) and Mencius (c. 371-c. 189 B.C.). This is in—\n\n\nO98 THE FIRST PHASE OF\n\n\nTAOISM:YANG CHU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "O98 THE FIRST PHASE OF\n\n\nTAOISM:YANG CHU\n\n\n\n\n\n\ndicated by the fact that though unmentioned by Mo Tzu, he, by the time of Mencius, had\n\n\nbecome as influential as were the Mohists. To quote Mencius himself: \"The words of Yang Chu and Mo Ti fill the world.\" (Mencius,\n Illb, 9.) In the Taoist work known as the Lieh-tzu,\n there is one chapter entitled \"Yang Chu,\" which, according to the traditional view, represents Yang Chu's philosophy. But the authenticity of the Lieh-tzu\n has been much questioned by modern scholarship, and the view expressed in most of the \"Yang Chu chapter is not consistent with Yang Chu's ideas as reported in other early reliable sources. Its tenets are those ol extreme hedonism (hence Forke s title, Yang Chu's Garden of Pleasure\"),\n whereas in no other early writings do we find Yang Chu being accused as a hedonist. Yang Chu s actual ideas, unfortunately, are nowhere described very consecutively, but must be deduced from scattered references in a number of works by other writers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yang Chu s Fundamental Ideas\n\n\n\nThe Mencius\n says: \"The principle of Yang Chu is: 'Each one for himself.' Though he might have profited the whole world by plucking out a single hair, he would not have done it.' (Vila, 26.) The Lii -shih Ch un -ch iu\n (third century B.C.) says: \"Yang Sheng valued self.\"\n\n\n(XVII, 7.) The Han-fei-tzu\n (also third century) says: There is a man whose policy it is not to enter a city which is in danger, nor to remain in the army. Even for the great profit of the whole world, he would not exchange one hair of his shank....He is one who despises things and values life.\" (Ch. 50.) And the Huai-nan-tzu\n (second century B.C.) says: Preserving life and maintaining what is genuine in it, not allowing things to entangle one's person: this is what Yang Chu established.\" (Ch. 13.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In fhe above quotations, the Yang Sheng of the Lii—shih Ch un-ch iu\n has been proved by recent scholars to be Yang Chu, while the man who \"for the great profit of the whole world, would not exchange one hair of his shank\" must also be Yang Chu or one of his followers, because no other man of that time is known to have held such a principle. Putting these sources together, we can deduce that Yang Chu's two fundamental ideas were: \"Each one for himself, and the despising of things and valuing of life. Such ideas are precisely the opposite of those of Mo Tzu, who held the principle of an all-embracing love.\n\n\nThe statement of Han Fei Tzu that Yang Chu would not give up a hair from his shank even to gain\n the entire world, differs somewhat from what Mencius says, which is that Yang Chu would not sacrifice a single hair even in order to profit\n the whole world. Both statements, however, are consistent with Yang Chu s fundamental ideas. The latter harmonizes with his doctrine"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "* See Anton Forke, Yang Chit's Garden of Pleasure,\n and James Legge, The Chinese Classics,\n Vol II, Prolegomena,\n pp. 91-9-IOO THE FIRST PHASE OF TAOISM:YANG CHU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n of \"each one for himself ; the former with that of \"despising things and valuing life.\" Both may be said to be but two aspects of a single theory.\n\n\n\n\n Illustrations of Yang Chu s Ideas"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Illustrations of Yang Chu s Ideas\n\n\n\n\n In Taoist literature, illustrations may be found for both the above mentioned aspects of Yang Chu's ideology. In the first chapter of the Chuang-tzu, there is a story about a meeting between the legendary sage—ruler Yao and a hermit named Hsu Yu. Yao was anxious to hand over his rule of the world to Hsu Yu, but the latter rejected it, saying: You govern the world and it is already at peace. Suppose I were to take your place, would I do it for the name? Name is but the shadow of real gain. Would I do it for real gain? The tit, building its nest in the mighty forest, occupies but a single twig. The tapir, slaking its thirst from the river, drinks only enough to fill its belly. You return and be quiet. F have no need of the world.\" Here was a hermit who would not take the world, even were it given to him for nothing.\n\n\n\n\n Certainly, then, he would not exchange it for even a single hair from his shank. This illustrates Han Fei Tzu' s account of Yang Chu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the above mentioned chapter titled \"Yang Chu\" in the Lieh-tzu, there is another story which reads: Ch in Tzu asked Yang Chu: If by plucking out a single hair of your body you could save the whole world, would you do it? Yang Chu answered: The whole world is surely not to be saved by a single hair. Ch in Tzu said: But supposing it possible, would you do it? Yang Chu made no answer. Ch in Tzu then went out and told Meng-sun Yang. The latter replied: ' You do not understand the mind of the Master. I will explain it for you. Supposing by tearing off a piece of your skin, you were to get ten thousand pieces of gold, would you do it?' Ch' in Tzu said: I would. Meng—sun Yang continued: Supposing by cutting off one of your limbs, you were to get a whole kingdom, would you do it? For a while Ch in Tzu was silent. Then Meng-sun Yang said: ' A hair is unimportant compared with the skin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A piece of skin is unimportant compared with a limb. But many hairs put together are as important as a piece of skin. Many pieces of skin put together are as important as a limb. A single hair is one of the ten thousand parts of the body. How can you disregard it?' \" This is an illustration of the other aspect of Yang Chu s theory.\n\n\n\n\n In the same chapter of the Lieh-tzu, Yang Chu is reported to have said: \"The men of antiquity, if by injuring a single hair they could have profited the world, would not have done it. Had the world been offered to them as their exclusive possession, they would not have taken it. If everybody would refuse to pluck out even a single hair, and everybody would refuse to take the world as a gain, then the world would be in perfect order. We cannot be sure that this is really a saying of Yang Chu, but it sums up very well the Iwo aspects of his iheory, and the political philosophy of the early Taoists.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n IO2. ' THE FIRST PHASE OF TAOISM:YANG CHU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yang Chu s Ideas as Expressed in the Lao-tzu and Chuang—tzu\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Reflections of Yang Chu's main ideas can be found in portions of the Lao-tzu and some chapters of the Chuang—lzu and the Lil—shih Ch un—ch i— u. In the latter work there is a chapter titled \"The Importance of Self,\" in which it is said: Our life is our own possession, and its benefit to us is very great. Regarding its dignity, even the honor of being Emperor could not compare with it. Regarding its importance, even the wealth of possessing the world would not be exchanged for it. Regarding its safety, were we to lose it for one morning, we could never again bring it back. These three are points on which those who have understanding are careful.\" (I, 3.) This passage explains why one should despise things and value life. Even an empire, once lost, may some day be regained, but once dead, one can never live again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Lao-tzu contains passages expressing the same idea. For example: He who in his conduct values his body more than he does the world, may be given the world. He who in his conduct loves himself more than he does the world, may be entrusted with the world.\" (Ch. 13.) Or: \"Name or person, which is more dear? Person or fortune, which is more important? (Ch. 44-) Here again appears the idea of despising things and valuing life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the third chapter of the Chuang-tzu, titled \"Fundamentals for the Cultivation of Life, we read: When you do something good, beware of reputation; when you do something evil, beware of punishment. Follow the middle way and take this to be your constant principle. Then you can guard your person, nourish your parents, and complete your natural term of years.\" This again follows Yang Chu s line of thought, and, according to the earlier Taoists, is the best way to preserve one's life against the harms that come from the human world. If a man s conduct is so bad that society punishes him, this is obviously not the way to preserve his life. But if a man is so good in his conduct that he obtains a fine reputation, this too is not the way to preserve his life. Another chapter of the Chuang-tzu tells us: \"Mountain trees are their own enemies, and the leaping fire is the cause of its own quenching."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Cinnamon is edible, therefore the cinnamon tree is cut down. Ch'i oil is useful, therefore the ch'i tree is gashed.\" (Ch. 4.) A man having a reputation of ability and usefulness will suffer a fate just like that of the cinnamon and ch'i Irees.\n\n\n\n\n Thus in the Chuang-tzu we find passages that admire the usefulness of the useless. In the chapter just quoted, there is the description of a sacred oak, which, because its wood was good for nothing, had been spared the ax, and which said to someone in a dream: \"For a long time I have been learning to be useless. There were several occasions on which I was nearly destroyed, but now I have succeeded in being useless, which is of the greatest use to me. If I were useful, could I have become so great? Again it is said that \"the world knows only the usefulness of the useful, but does not know the usefulness of the useless.\" (Ch. 4.) To be useless is the way to preserve one'\n\n\n\n\n IO4 , THE FIRST PHASE OF TAOISM:YANG CHU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "s life. The man who is skillful in preserving life must not do much evil, but neither must he do much good. He must live midway between good and evil. He tries to be useless, which in the end proves of greatest usefulness to him.\n\n\n\n\n Development of Taoism\n\n\n\n\n In this chapter we have been seeing the first phase in the development of early Taoist philosophy.\n\n\n\n\n Altogether there have been three main phases. The ideas attributed to Yang Chu represent the first."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Those expressed in the greater part of the Lao-tzu represent the second. And those expressed in the greater part of the Chuang—lzu represent the third and last phase. I say the greater part of the Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, because in the Lao-tzu there are also to be found ideas representing the first and third phases and in the Chuang-tzu ideas of the first and second phases. These two books, like many others of ancient China, are really collections of Taoist writings and sayings, made by differing persons in different times, rather than the single work of any one person."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The starting point of Taoist philosophy is the preservation of life and avoiding of injury. Yang Chu s method for so doing is to escape. This is the method of the ordinary recluse who flees from society and hides himself in the mountains and forests. By doing this he thinks he can avoid the evils of the human world. Things in the human world, however, are so complicated that no matter how well one hides oneself, there are always evils that cannot be avoided. There are times, therefore, when the method of \"escaping' does not work.\n\n\n\n\n The ideas expressed in the greater part of the Lao-tzu represent an attempt to reveal the laws underlying the changes of things in the universe. Things change, but the laws underlying the changes remain unchanging. Tf one understands these laws and regulates one's actions in conformity with them, one can then turn everything to one s advantage. This is the second phase in the development of Taoism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Even so, however, there is no absolute guarantee. In the changes of things, both in the world of nature and of man, there are always unseen elements. So despite every care, the possibility remains that one will suffer injury. This is why the Lao-tzu says with still deeper insight: \"The reason that I have great disaster is that I have a body. If there were no body, what disaster could there be? \" (Ch. 13.) These words of greater understanding are developed in much of the Chuang-tzu, in which occur the concepts of the equalization of life with death, and the identity of self with others. This means to see life and death, self and others, from a higher point of view. By seeing things from this higher point of view, one can transcend the existing world. This is also a form of escape ; nol one, however, from society to mountains and forests, but rather from this world to another world. Here is the third and last phase of development in the Taoism of ancient times."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "IO6 . THE FIRST PHASE OF TAOISM:YANG CHU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n All these developments are illustrated by a story which we find in the twentieth chapter of the Chuang-tzu, titled \"The Mountain Tree.\" The story runs: \"Chuang Tzu was traveling through the mountains, when he saw a great tree well covered with foliage. A tree—cutter was standing beside it, but he did not out it down. Chuang Tzu asked him the reason and he replied: 'It is of no use.' Chuang Tzu then said: 'By virtue of having no exceptional qualities, this tree succeeds in completing its natural span."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"When the Master (Chuang Tzu) left the mountains, he stopped at the home of a friend. The friend was glad and ordered the servant to kill a goose and cook it. The servant asked: 'One of the geese can cackle. The other cannot. Which shall I kill?' The Master said: 'Kill the one that cannot cackle.' Next day, a disciple asked Chuang Tzu the question: 'Yesterday the tree in the mountains, because it had no exceptional quality, succeeded in completing its natural span. But now the goose of our host, because it had no exceptional quality, had to die. What will be your position?\n\n\n\n\n \"Chuang Tzu laughed and said: My position will lie between having exceptional qualities and not having them. Yet this position only seems to be right, but really is not so. Therefore those who practice this method are not able to be completely free from troubles. If one wanders about with Too and Te (the Way and its spiritual power), it will be otherwise.\"'"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then Chuang Tzu went on to say that he who links himself with Too and Te is with the ancestor of things, using things as things, but not being used by things as things. When that is so, what is there that can trouble him? \""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In this story, the first part illustrates the theory of preserving life as practiced by Yang Chu, while the second part gives that of Chuang Tzu. \"Having exceptional quality' corresponds to the doing of good things, mentioned in the earlier quotation from the third chapter of the Chuang—Iza. \"Having no exceptional quality\" corresponds to the doing of bad things in that same quotation. And a position between these two extremes corresponds to the middle way indicated in that quotation. Yet if a man cannot see things from a higher point of view, none of these methods can absolutely guarantee him from danger and harm. To see things from a higher point of view, however, means to abolish the self. We may say that the early Taoists were selfish. Yet in their later development this selfishness became reversed and destroyed itself.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n IO8 THE FIRST PHASE OF TAOISM:YANG CHU\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 7\n \n \n\n\n\n\n THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ACCORDING to the Historical Records (ch. 74), Mencius (371 ?-l8o ? B.C.) was a native of the state of Tsou, in the present southern part of Shantung province in East China. He was linked with Confucius through his study under a disciple of Tzu-ssu, who in turn was Confucius' grandson. At that time, the Kings of Ch i, a larger state also in present Shantung, were great admirers of learning. Near the west gate of their capital, a gate known as Chi, they had established a center of learning which they called Chi—hsia, that is, below Chi. All the scholars living there were ranked as great officers and were honored and courted by having large houses built for them on the main road. This was to show to all the pensioned guests of the feudal lords that it was the state of Ch i that could attract the most eminent scholars in the world.\" ([bid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mencius for a while was one of these eminent scholars, but he also traveled to other states, vainly trying to get a hearing for his ideas among their rulers. Finally, so the Historical Records tell us, he retired and with his disciples composed the Mencius in seven books. This work records the conversations between Mencius and the feudal lords of his time, and between him and his disciples, and in later times it was honored by being made one of the famous \"Four Books,\" which for the past one thousand years have formed the basis of Confucian education.\n\n\n\n\n Meneius represents the idealistic wing of Confucianism, and the somewhat later Hstin Tzu the realistic wing. The meaning of this will become clear as we go on.\n\n\n\n\n The Goodness of Human Nature"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Goodness of Human Nature\n\n\n\n\n We have seen that Confucius spoke very much about jen (humanheartedness), and made a sharp distinction between yi (righteousness) and li (profit). Every man should, without thought of personal advantage, unconditionally do what he ought to do, and be what he ought to be. In other words, he should\n\n\n\n\n HO. THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n extend himself so as to include others, which, in essence, is the practice of jen. But though Confucius held these doctrines, he failed to explain why it is that a man should act in this way. Mencius, however, attempted to give an answer to this question, and in so doing developed the theory for which he is most famed: that of the original goodness of human nature."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Whether human nature is good or bad-that is, what, precisely, is the nature of human nature—has been one of the most controversial problems in Chinese philosophy. According to Mencius, there were, in his time, three other theories besides his own on this subject. The first was that human nature is neither good nor bad. The second was that human nature can be either good or bad (which seems to mean that in the nature of man there are both good and bad elements), and the third was that the nature of some men is good, and that of others is bad. (Mencius, Via, 3-6.) The first of these theories was held by Kao Tzu, a philosopher who was contemporary with Mencius. We know more about it than the other theories through the long discussions between him and Mencius which are preserved for us in the Men-cms."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Mencius holds that human nature is good, he does not mean that every man is born a Confucius, that is, a sage. His theory has some similarity with one side of the second theory mentioned above, that is, that in the nature of man there are good elements. He admits, to be sure, that there are also other elements, which are neither good nor bad in themselves, but which, if not duly controlled, can lead to evil. According to Meneius, however, these are elements which man shares in common with other living creatures. They represent the animal aspect of man s life, and therefore, strictly speaking, should not be considered as part of the human nature."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To support his theory, Mencius presents numerous arguments, among them the following: \"All men have a mind which cannot bear [to see the suffering of] others .... If now men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress....From this cuse we may perceive that he who lacks the feeling of commiseration is not a man; that he who lacks a feeling of shame and dislike is not a man; that he who lacks a feeling of modesty and yielding is not a man; and that he who lacks a sense of right and wrong is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanheartedness. The feeling of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness. The feeling of modesty and yielding is the beginning of propriety. The sense of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom. Man has these four beginnings, just as he has four limbs....Since all men have these four beginnings in themselves, let them know how to give them full development and completion. The"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to give them full development and completion. The result will be like fire that begins to burn, or a spring which has begun to find vent. Let them have their complete development, and they will suffice to protect all within the four seas. If they are denied that development, they will not suffice even to serve one's parents.\" (Mencius, TIa, 6.) 112 THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "_\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n All men in their original nature possess these \"four beginnings,\" which, if fully developed, become the four constant virtues, so greatly emphasized in Confucianism. These virtues, if not hindered by external conditions, develop naturally from within, just as a tree grows by itself from the seed, or a flower from the bud. This is the basis of Mencius controversy with Kao Tzu, according to whom human nature is in itself neither good nor bad, and for whom morality is therefore something that is artificially added from without."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There remains another question, which is: Why should man allow free development to his \"four beginnings, instead of to what we may call his lower instincts? Mencius answers that it is these four beginnings that differentiate man from the beasts. They should be developed, therefore, because it is only through their development that man is truly a man. Mencius says: That whereby man differs from birds and beasts is but slight. The mass of the people east it away, whereas the superior man preserves it.\" (Mencius, IVb, 19.) Thus he answers a question which had not occurred to Confucius.\n\n\n\n\n Fundamental Difference between Confucianism, and Mohism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here we find the fundamental difference between Confucianism and Mo— hism. One of Mencius self-appointed tasks was to \"oppose Yang Chu and Mo Ti.\" He says: \"Yang's principle of 'each one for himself' amounts to making one s sovereign of no account. Mo s principle of all—embracing love amounts to making one s lather of no account. To have no father and no sovereign is to be like the birds and beasts....These pernicious opinions mislead the people and block the way of humanheartedness and righteousness. (Mencius, Illb, 9») It is very clear that Yang Chu s theory opposes humanheartedness and righteousness, since the essence of these two virtues is to benefit others, while Yang Chu's principle is to benefit oneself. Rut Mo Tzu s principle of all-embracing love also aimed to benefit others, and he was even more outspoken in this respect than the Confucianists. Why, then, does Mencius lump him together with Yang Chu in his criticism?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The traditional answer is that according to Mohist doctrine, love should have in it no gradations of greater or lesser love, whereas according to Confucianism, the reverse is true. In other words, the Mohists emphasized equality in loving others, while the Confucianists emphasized gradation. This difference is brought out in a passage in the Mo—tzu in which a certain Wu—ma Tzu is reported as saying to Mo Tzu: \"[ cannot practice all-embracing love. I love the men of Tsou [a nearby state] better than I love those of Yileh [a distant state]. I love the men of Lu [his own state] better than I love those of Tsou.\n\n\n\n\n I love the men of my own district better than I love those of Lu. I love the members of my own clan better than I love those of my district. 1 love my parents better than 1 love the men of my clan. And I love myself better than 1 love my parents.\" (Mo-tzu, ch. 46-) Wu-ma Tzu was a Confucianist, and the representation of him as saying, 114 THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"I love myself better than I love my parents, comes from a Mohist source and is probably an exaggeration. Certainly it is not consistent with the Confucianist emphasis on filial piety. With this exception, however, Wu -ma Tzu s statement is in general agreement with the Confucianist spirit. For according to the Confucianists, there should be degrees in love.\n\n\n\n\n Speaking about these degrees, Mencius says:' The superior man, in his relation to things, loves them but has no feeling of humanheartedness. In his relation to people, he has humanheartedness, but no deep feeling of family affection. One should have feelings of family affection for the members of one' s family, but human -heartedness for people; human -heartedness for people, but love for things.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Mencius, Vila, 45.) In a discussion with a Mohist by the name of Yi Chih, Mencius asked him whether he really believed that men love their neighbors children in the same way as they love their brothers children; the love for a brother s child is naturally greater. (Mencius, Ilia, 50 This, according to Mencius, is quite proper; what should be done is to extend such love until it includes the more distant members of society. \"Treat the aged in your family as they should be treated, and extend this treatment to the aged of other people's families. Treat the young in your family as they should be treated, and extend this treatment to the young of other people s families. (Mencius, la, 7-) Such is what Mencius calls extending one's scope of activity to include others.\" (Ibid.) It is an extension based on the principle of graded love."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To extend the love for one s family so as to include persons outside it as well, is to practice that \"principle of chung [conscientiousness to others] and shu [altruism]\" advocated by Confucius, which in turn is equivalent to the practice of humanheartedness. There is nothing forced in any of these practices, because the original natures of all men have in them a feeling of commiseration, which makes it impossible for them to bear to see the suffering of others. The development of this \"beginning\" of goodness causes men naturally to love others, but it is equally natural that they should love their parents to a greater degree than they love men in general."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Such is the Confucianist point of view. The Mohists, on the contrary, insist that the love for others should be on a par with the love for parents. Regardless of whether this means that one should love one s parents less, or love others more, the fact remains that the Confucianisl type of graded love should be avoided at all costs. It is with this in mind that Mencius attacks the Mohist principle of all-embracing love as meaning that a man treats his father as of no account.\n\n\n\n\n The above difference between the Confucianist and the Mohist theory of love has been pointed out very clearly by Mencius and by many others after him. Besides this, however, there is another difference of a more fundamental nature. This is, that the Confucianists considered human—heartedness as a quality that develops naturally from within the human nature, whereas the Mohists considered all-embracing love as something artificially added to man Il6 THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS\n\n\n\n\n ^\n\n\n\n\n from without."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "^\n\n\n\n\n from without.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Mo Tzu may also be said to have answered a question that did not occur to Confucius, namely: Why should man practice humanheartedness and righteousness? His answer, however, is based on utilitarianism, and his emphasis on supernatural and political sanctions to compel and induce people to practice all—embracing love is nol consistent with the Confucianist principle that virtue should be done for its own sake. If we compare the Mo—tzu s chapter on \"All-Embracing Love, as quoted above in the fifth chapter, with the quotations here from the Mencius on the four moral beginnings in man's nature, we see very clearly the fundamental difference between the two schools.\n\n\n\n\n Political Philosophy\n\n\n\n\n We have seen earlier that the Mohist theory of the origin of state is likewise a utilitarianistic one."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here again the Confucianist theory differs. Mencius says: If men have satisfied their hunger, have clothes to wear, and live at ease but lack good teaching, they are close to the birds and beasts. The sage [Shun, a legendary sage-ruler J was distressed about this and appointed Hsieh as an official instructor to teach men the basic relationships of life. Father and son should love each other. Ruler and subject should be just to each other. Husband and wife should distinguish their respective spheres. Elder and younger brothers should have a sense of mutual precedence. And between friends there should be good faith. (Mencius, Ilia, 4.) The existence of the human relationships and the moral principles based on them is what differentiates man from birds and beasts. The state and society have their origin in the existence of these human relationships. Therefore, according to the Mohists, the state exists because it is useful. But according to the Confucianists, it exists because it ought to exist."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Men have their full realization and development only in human relationships. Like Aristotle, Mencius maintains that man is a political animal and can fully develop these relationships only within state and society. The state is a moral institution and the head of the state should be a moral leader. Therefore in Confucianist political philosophy only a sage can be a real king. Mencius pictures this ideal as having existed in an idealized past. According to him, there was a time when the sage Yao (supposed to have lived in the twenty-fourth century B.C.) was Emperor. When he was old, he selected a younger sage, Shun, whom he had taught how to be a ruler, so that at Yao s death , Shun became Emp eror. Si mi larl y, wh en Shun was old , h e ag ain selected a younger sage, Yii, to be his successor. Thus the throne was handed from sage to sage, which, according to Mencius, is as it ought to be."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If a ruler lacks the ethical qualities that make a good leader, the people have the moral right of revolution. In that case, even the killing of the ruler is no longer a crime of regicide. This is because, according to Meneius, if a\n\n\n\n\n Il8 THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS j"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "sovereign does not act as he ideally ought to do, he morally ceases to be a sovereign and, following Confucius theory of the rectification of names, is a \"mere fellow,\" as Mencius says. (Mencius, lib, 8.) Mencius also says: \"The people are the most important element L i n a stateJ; the spirits of the land and the grain are secondary; and the sovereign is the least. (Merwius, Vllb, I4-) These ideas of Mencius have exercised a tremendous influence in Chinese history, even as late as the revolution of 1911, which led to the establishment of the Chinese Republic. It is true that modern democratic ideas from the West played their role too in this event, but the ancient native concept of the right of revolution had a greater influence on the mass of the people."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If a sage becomes king, his government is called one of kingly government. According to Mencius and later Confucianists, there are two kinds of government. One is that of the wring or (sage) king; the other is that of the pa or military lord. These are completely different in kind. The government of a sage—king is carried on through moral instruction and education; that of a military lord is conducted through force and compulsion. The power of the wang government is moral, that of the pa government, physical. Mencius says in this connection: \"He who uses force in the place of virtue is a pa. He who is virtuous and practices human—heartedness is a wang. When one subdues men by force, they do not submit to him in their hearts but only outwardly, because they have insufficient strength to resist. But when one gains followers by virtue, they are pleased in their hearts and will submit of themselves as did the seventy disciples to Confucius. (Mencius, Ha, 3.) This distinction between wang and pa has always been"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "distinction between wang and pa has always been maintained by laler Chinese political philosophers. In terms of contemporary politics, we may say that a democratic government is a wang government, because it represents a free association of people, while a Fascist government is that of a pa, because it reigns through terror and physical force."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sage-king in his kingly government does all he can for the welfare and benefit of the people, which means that his state must be built on a sound economic basis. Since China has always been overwhelmingly agrarian, it is natural that, according to Mencius, the most important economic basis of kingly government lies in the equal distribution of land. His ideal land system is what has been known as the \"well-field system. According to this system, each square li (about one third of a mile) of land is to be divided into nine squares, each consisting of one hundred Chinese acres. The central square is known as the \"public field, while the eight surrounding squares are the private land of eight fanners with their families, each family having one square. These farmers cultivate the public field collectively and their own fields individually. The produce of the public field goes to the government, while each family keeps for itself what it raises from its own field. The arrangement of the nine squares"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "own field. The arrangement of the nine squares resembles in form the Chinese character for \"well\" 7T, which is why it is called the \"well—field system. (Mencius Ilia, '■_"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12.0 THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Describing this system further, Meneius states that each family should plant mulberry trees around its five—acre homestead in its own field so that its aged members may be clothed with silk. Each family should also raise fowls and pigs, so that its aged members may be nourished with meal. If ihis is done, everyone under the kingly government can \"nourish the living and bury the dead without the least dissatisfaction, which marks the beginning of ihe kingly way. {Mencius, Ta, 3-) It marks, however, only the beginning, because it is an exclusively economic basis for the higher culture of the people. Only when everyone has received some education and come to an understanding of the human relationships, does the kingly way become complete."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The practice of this kingly way is not something alien to human nature, but is rather the direct outcome of the development by the sage-king of his own feeling of commiseration. As Mencius says: All men have a mind which cannot bear [to see the suffering of] others. The early kings, having this unbearing mind, thereby had likewise an unbearing government.\" (Mencius, I la, 6.) The unbearing mind and feeling of commiseration are one in Mencius thought. As we have seen, the virtue of human—heartedness, according to the Confucianists, is nothing but the development of this feeling of commiseration; this feeling in its turn cannot be developed save through the practice of love; and the practice of love is nothing more than the \"extension of one s scope of activity to include others, which is ihe way of cluing and sliu. The kingly way or kingly government is nothing but the result of the king's practice of love, and his practice of chung and slm."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Mencius, there is nothing esoteric or difficult in the kingly way. The Mencius (1b, 9) records that on one occasion, when an ox was being led to sacrifice, King Hsuan of Ch i saw it and could not endure its frightened appearance, as if it were an innocent person going to the place of death.\n\n\n\n\n He therefore ordered that it be replaced by a sheep. Mencius then told the King that this was an example of his \"unbearing mind,\" and if he could only extend it to include human affairs, he could then govern in the kingly way. The King replied that he could not do this because he had the defect of loving wealth and feminine beauty. Whereupon Mencius told ihe King that these are things loved by all men.\n\n\n\n\n If the King, by understanding his own desires, would also come to understand the desires of all his people, and would take measures whereby the people might satisfy these desires, this would result in the kingly way and nothing else."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What Mencius told King Hsiian is nothing more than the extension of one's own scope of activity to include others, which is precisely the practice of chung and shu. Here we see how Mencius developed the ideas of Confucius. In his exposition of this principle, Confucius had limited himself to its application to the self-cultivation of the individual, while by Mencius its application was extended to government and politics. For Confucius, it was a principle only for sageliness wilhin, but by Mencius il was expand— 122 THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n ed to become also a principle for \"kingliness without."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Even in the former sense of \"sageliness within,\" Mencius expresses his concept of this principle more clearly than did Confucius. He says: He who has completely developed his mind, knows his nature. He who knows his nature, knows Heaven.\" (Mencius, Vila, I.) The mind here referred to is the unbearing mind or the feeling of commiseration. It is the essence of our nature. Hence when we fully develop this mind, we know our nature. And according to Mencius, our nature is 'what Heaven has given to us.' (Mencius, Via, I5-) Therefore, when we know our nature, we also know Heaven.\n\n\n\n\n Mysticism\n\n\n\n\n According to Mencius and his school of Confucianism, the universe is essentially a moral universe."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The moral principles of man are also metaphysical principles of the universe, and the nature of man is an exemplification of these principles. It is this moral universe that Mencius and his school mean when they speak of Heaven, and an understanding of this moral universe is what Mencius calls knowing Heaven. If a man knows Heaven, he is not only a citizen of society, but also a \"citizen of Heaven,\" t hen min, as Mencius says. (Mencius, Vila, 19.) Mencius further makes a distinction between human honors and heavenly honors. He says: There are heavenly honors and human honors. Human -hcartedness, righteousness, loyalty, good faith, and the untiring practice of the good: these are the honors of Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Princes, ministers, and officials: these are the honors of man. (Mencius, VI— a, 16.) In other words, heavenly honors are those to which a man can attain in the world of values, while human honors are purely material concepts in the human world. The citizen of Heaven, just because he is the citizen of Heaven, cares only for the honors of Heaven, but not those of man."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mencius also remarks: \"All things are complete within us. There is no greater delight than to realize this through self-cultivation. And there is no better way to human— heartedness than the practice of the principle of shu. (Mencius, Vila, I.) In other words, through the full development of his nature, a man can not only know Heaven, but can also become one with Heaven. Also when a man fully develops his unbearing mind, he has within him the virtue of humanheartedness, and the best way to humanhearted-ness is the practice of chung and shu. Through this practice, one s egoism and selfishness are gradually reduced. And when they are reduced, one comes to feel that there is no longer a distinction between oneself and others, and so of distinction between the individual and the universe.\n\n\n\n\n That is to say, one becomes identified with the universe as a whole. This leads to a realization that \"all things are complete within us.\" In this phrase we see the mystical element of Mencius philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We will understand this mysticism better, if we turn to Mencius discussion on what he calls the Hao Jan Chih Ch'i, a term which T translate as the\n\n\n\n\n 124-THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Great Morale. In this discussion Meneius describes the development uf his own spiritual cultivation.\n\n\n\n\n The Meneius (Ha, 2.) tells us that a disciple asked Meneius of what he was a specialist. Meneius replied: \"I know the right and wrong in speech, and am proficient in cultivating my Hao Jan Chih Ch'i.\" The questioner then asked what this was, and Meneius replied: It is the Ch i, supremely great, supremely strong. If it be directly cultivated without handicap, then it pervades all between Heaven and Earth. It is the Ch' i which is achieved by the combination of righteousness and Too [the way, the truth], and without these it will be weakened."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hao Jan Chih Ch'i is a special term of Meneius. In later times, under his increasing influence, it came to be used not infrequently, but in ancient times it appears only in this one chapter. As to what it signifies, even Meneius admits that \"it is hard to say.\" (Ibid.) The context of this discussion, however, includes a preliminary discussion about two warriors and their method of cultivating their valor. From this I infer that Meneius Ch i (a word which literally means vapor, gas, spiritual force) is the same ch i as occurs in such terms as yung ch' i (courage, valor) and shih ch i (morale of an army). That is why I translate Hao Jan Chih Ch'i as the \"Great Morale.\" It is of the same nature as the morale of the warriors. The difference between the two, however, is that this Ch' i is further described as hao jan, which means \"great to a supreme degree.\" The morale which warriors cultivate is a matter concerning man and man, and so is a moral value only. Bui ihe Great Morale is a matter concerning man and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ihe Great Morale is a matter concerning man and the universe, and therefore is a super-moral value. It is the morale of the man who identifies himself with the universe, so that Meneius says of it that it pervades all between Heaven and Earth.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The method of cultivating the Great Morale has two aspects. One may be called the \"understanding of Too\"; that is, of the way or principle that leads to the elevation of the mind. The other aspect is what Meneius calls the accumulation of righteousness ; that is, the constant doing of what one ought to do in the universe as a \"citizen of the universe.\" The combination of these two aspects is called by Meneius the combination of righteousness and T(u>.\n\n\n\n\n After one has reached an understanding of Too and the long accumulation of righteousness, the Great Morale will appear naturally of itself. The least bit of forcing will lead to failure. As Meneius says: We should not be like the man of Sung. There was a man of Sung who was grieved that his grain did not grow fast enough. So he pulled it up. Then he returned to his home with great innocence, and said to his people: I am tired today, for I have been helping the grain lo grow. His son ran out to look at it, and found all the grain withered.\" (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When one grows something, one must on the one hand do something for it, but on the other never \"help it to grow. The cultivation of the Great Morale\n\n\n\n\n 12.6. THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n is just like the growing of the grain. One must do something, which is the practice of virtue. Though Mencius here speaks of righteousness rather than humanheartedness, there is no practical difference, since humanhearted -ness is the inner content, of which righteousness is the outer expression. If one constantly practices righteousness, the Great Morale will naturally emerge from the very center of one s being."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although this Hao Jan Chih Chi sounds rather mysterious, it can nevertheless, according to Mencius, be achieved by every man. This is because it is nothing more than the fullest development of the nature of man, and every man has fundamentally the same nature. His nature is the same, just as every man s bodily form is the same. As an example, Mencius remarks that when a shoemaker makes shoes, even though he does not know the exact length of the feet of his customers, he always makes shoes, but not baskets. (Mencius, Via, 7.) This is so because the similarity between the feet of all men is much greater than their difference. And likewise the sage, in his original nature, is similar to everyone else. Hence every man can become a sage, if only he gives full development to his original nature. As Mencius affirms: \"All men can become Yao or Shun [the two legendary sage-rulers previously mentioned].\n\n\n\n\n {Mencius, VIb, 2..) Here is Mencius theory of education, which has been held by all Confucianists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12.8\n\n\n\n\n THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 8\n \n \n\n\n\n\n THE SCHOOL OF NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 1 HE term Ming chia has sometimes been translate d as \"sophists,\" and sometimes as \"logicians\" or \"dialecticians.\" It is true that there is some similarity between the Ming chia and the sophists, logicians, and dialecticians, but it.is also true that they are not quite the same. To avoid confusion, il is better to translate Ming chia literally as the School of Names. This translation also helps to bring to the attention of Westerners one oi the important problems discussed by Chinese philosophy, namely that of the relation between ming (the name) and shih (the actuality).\n\n\n\n\n The School of Names and the Debaters"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The School of Names and the Debaters\n\n\n\n\n logically speaking, the contrast between ming and shih in ancient Chinese philosophy is something like that between subject and predicate in the West. For instance, when we say: \"This is a table, or \"Socrates is a man, ' \"this\" and \"Socrates\" are shih or actualities, while \"table\" and \"man\" are ming or names. This is obvious enough. Let us, however, try to analyze more exactly just what the shih or ming are, and what their relationship is. We are then apt to be led into some rather paradoxical problems, the solution of which brings us to the very heart of philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The members of the School of Names were known in ancient times as pien che (debaters, disputcrs, arguers). In the chapter of the Chuang-tzu titled \"The Autumn Flood,\" Kung-sun Lung, one of the leaders of the School of Names, is represented as saying: 1 have unified similarity and difference, and separated hardness and whiteness. I have proved the impossible as possible and affirmed what others deny. I have controverted the knowledge of all the philosophers, and refuted all the arguments brought agamsl me. (Chuang-tzu, eh. TJ.) These words are really applicable to the School of Names as a whole.\n\n\n\n\n Its members were known as persons who made paradoxical statements, who were ready to dispute with others, and who purposely affirmed what others denied and denied what others affirmed. Ssu-ma Tan\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 130\n\n\n\n\n THE SCHOOL OF NAMES"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "130\n\n\n\n\n THE SCHOOL OF NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n (died 110 B.C.), for example, in his essay, \"On the Essential Ideas of the Six Schools,\" wrote: \"The School of Names conducted minute examinations of trifling points in complicated and elaborate statements, which made it impossible for others to refute their ideas.\" (Historical Records, ch. I2O.) Hsiin Tzu, a Confucianist of the third century B.C., describes Teng Hsi (died 501 B.C.) and Hui Shih as philosophers who \"liked to deal with strange theories and indulge in curious propositions.\"\n\n\n\n\n (Hsiin-tzu, ch. 6.) Likewise, the Lii—shih Ch un—ch IU mentions Teng Hsi and Kung—sun Lung as among those known for their paradoxical arguments. (XVIII, 4 and 5.) And the chapter titled \"The World\" in the Chuang-tzu, after listing the paradoxical arguments famous at that time, mentions the names of Hui Shih, Huan T uan, and Kung—sun Lung. These men, therefore, would seem to have been the most important leaders of this school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "About Huan T'uan we know nothing further, but about Teng Hsi, we know that he was a famous lawyer of his time; his writings, however, no longer are preserved, and the book today bearing the title of Teng—hsi—tzu is not genuine. The Lii-shih Ch'un-ch'iu says that when Tzu-ch'an, a famous statesman, was minister of the state of Cheng, Teng Hsi, who was a native of that state, was his major opponent. He used to help the people in their lawsuits, for which services he would demand a coat as a fee for a major case, and a pair of trousers for a minor one. So skilful was he that he was patronized by numerous people; as their lawyer, he succeeded in changing right into wrong and wrong into right, until no standards of right and wrong remained, so that what was regarded as possible and impossible fluctuated from day to day. (XVIII, 4.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another story in the same work describes how, during a flood of the Wei River, a certain rich man of the state of Cheng was drowned. His body was picked up by a boatman, but when the family of the rich man went to ask for the body, the man who had found it demanded a huge reward. Thereupon the members of the family went to Teng Hsi for advice. He told them: \"Merely wait. There is nobody else besides yourselves who wants the body.\" The family took his advice and waited, until the man who had found the body became much troubled and also went to Teng Hsi. To him Teng Hsi said: \"Merely wait.\n\n\n\n\n There is nobody else but you from whom they can get the body.\" (Ibid.) We are not told what was the final end of this episode!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It would thus seem that Teng Hsi' s trick was to interpret the formal letter of the law in such a way as to give varying interpretations in different cases at will. This was how he was able to \"conduct minute examinations of trifling points in complicated and elaborate statements, which made it impossible for others to refute his ideas.\" He thus devoted himself to interpreting and analyzing the letter of the law, while disregarding its spirit and its connection with actuality. In other words, his attention was directed to names,\" instead of to \"actualities.\" Such was the spirit of the School of Names.\n\n\n\n\n From this we may see that the pien che were originally lawyers, among 132.. THE SCHOOL OK NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n whom Teng Hsi was evidently one of the first. He was, however, only a beginner in the analysis of names, and made no real contribution to philosophy as such. Hence the real founders of the School of Names were the later Hui Shih and Kung—sun Lung."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Concerning these two men the Lu-shih Ch'un-ch iu tells us: \"Hui Tzu [Hui Shih] prepared the law for King Hui of Wei (370-319). When it was completed and was made known to the people, the people considered it to be good. (XVIII, 5-) And again: The states of Chao and Ch in entered into an agreement which said: 'From this time onward, in whatever C h i n desires to do, she is to be assisted by Chao, and in whatever Chao desires to do, she is to be assisted by Ch in. But soon afterward Ch in attacked the state of Wei, and Chao made ready to go to Wei's assistance. The King of Ch in protested to Chao that this was an infringement of the pact, and the King of Chao reported this to the Lord of P ing—yuan, who again told it to Kung—sun Lung. Kung-sun Lung said: 'We too can send an envoy to protest to the King of Ch'in, saying: \"According to the pact, each side guarantees to help the other in whatever either desires to do. Now it is our desire to save Wei, and if you do not help us to do so, we shall charge you with"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "do not help us to do so, we shall charge you with infringement of the pact.\"'\" (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Again we are told in the Han—fei—tzu: When discussions on hardness and whiteness and having no thickness' appear, the governmental laws lose their effect.\" (Ch. 41-) We shall see below that the doctrine of \"hardness and whiteness\" is one of Kung-sun Lung, while that of \"having no thickness\" is one of Hui Shih.\n\n\n\n\n From these stories we may see that Hui Shih and Kung-sun Lung were, to some extent, connected with the legal activities of their time. Indeed, Kung— sun Lung s interpretation of the pact between Chao and Ch in is truly in the spirit of Teng Hsi. Han Fei Tzu considered the effect of the \"speeches\" of these two gentlemen on law to be as bad as that of the practice of Teng Hsi. It may seem strange that Han Fei Tzu, himself a Legalist, should oppose, as destructive to law, the discussions of a school which had originated with lawyers. But, as we shall see in chapter 14, Han Fei Tzu and the other Legalists were really politicians, not jurists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hui Shih and Kung—sun Lung represented two tendencies in the School of Names, the one emphasizing the relativity of actual things, and the other the absoluteness of names. This distinction becomes evident when one comes to analyze names in their relationship to actualities. Let us take the simple statement, \"This is a table.\" Here the word \"this refers to the concrete actuality, which is impermanent and may come and go. The word table, however, refers to an abstract category or name which is unchanging and always remains as it is. The \"name\" is absolute, but the \"actuality ' is relative.\n\n\n\n\n Thus \"beauty\" is the name of what is absolutely beautiful, but \"a beautiful thing\" can only be relatively so. Hui Shih emphasized the fact that actual things are changeable and relative, while Kung-sun Lung emphasized the\n\n\n\n\n 134 THE SCHOOL OF NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n fact that names are permanent and absolute. Hui Shih's Theory of Relativity"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hui Shih (fl. 350-260) was a native of the state of Sung, in the present province of Honan. We know that he once became premier of King Hui of Wei (370-319)? and that he was known for his greal learning.\n\n\n\n\n His writings, unfortunately, are lost, and what we know of his ideas may be deduced only from a series of \"ten points\" preserved in the chapter titled \"The World\" in the Chuang—tzu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The first of these points is: \"The greatest has nothing beyond itself, and is called the Great One. The smallest has nothing within itself, and is called the Small One.\" These two statements constitute what are called analytical propositions. They make no assertions in regard to the actual, for they say nothing about what, in the actual world, is the greatest thing and the smallest thing. They only touch upon the abstract concepts or names: \"greatest\" and smallest. In order to understand these two propositions fully, we should compare them with a story in the chapter titled \"The Autumn Flood in the Chuang-tzu. From this it will become apparent that in one respect Hui Shih and Chuang Tzu had very much in common."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This story describes how in autumn, when the Yellow River was in flood, the Spirit of the River, who was very proud of his greatness, moved down the river to the sea. There he met the Spirit of the Sea, and realized for the first time that his river, great as it was, was small indeed in comparison with the sea. Yet when, full of admiration, he talked with the Spirit of the Sea, the latter replied that he himself, in his relationship to Heaven and Earth, was nothing more than a single grain lying within a great warehouse."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hence he could only be said to be small, but not to be great. At this the River Spirit asked the Sea Spirit: \"Are we right then in saying that Heaven and Earth are supremely great and the tip of a hair is supremely small? The Sea Spirit answered: What men know is less than what they do not know. The time when they are alive is less than the time when they are not alive....How can we know that the tip of a hair is the extreme of smallness, and Heaven and Earth are the extreme of greatness? And he then went on to define the smallest as that which has no form, and the greatest as that which cannot be enclosed (by anything else). This definition of the supremely great and supremely small is similar to that given by Hui Shih. {Chuang-tzu, eh. 17.)\n\n\n\n\n To say that Heaven and Earth are the greatest of things and that the tip of a hair is the smallest is to make assertions about the actual, the shih. It makes no analysis of the names of the actualities, the ming."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These two proposi tions are what are called synthetic propositions and both may be false. They have their basis in experience; therefore their truth is only contingent, but not necessary. In experience, things that are great and things that are small are all relatively so. To quote the Chuang-tzu again: \"If we 136 THE SCHOOL OF NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n call a thing great, because it is greater than something else, then there is nothing in the world that is not great. If we call a thing small because it is smaller than something else, then there is nothing in the world that is not small."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We cannot through actual experience decide what is the greatest and what is the smallest of actual things. But we can say independently of experience that that which has nothing beyond itself is the greatest, and that which has n o t h i n g w i t h i n i t s el f i s t h e s mal l es t . G r e at es t an d \" s m al l es t , d ef i n e d i n this way, ar e absolute and unchanging con cepts. Thus by analyzing th e n a m e s , \" G r e a t O n e \" a n d \" S ma l l O n e , \" H u i S h i h r e a c h e d t h e c o n c e p t o f what is absolute and unchanging. From the point of view of this concept, he realized that the qualities and differences of actual concrete things are all relative and liable to change."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Once we understand this position of Hui Shih, we can see that his series of \"points,\" as reported by the Chuang-tzu, though usually regarded as paradoxes, are really not paradoxical at all. With the exception of the first, they are all illustrations of the relativity of things, and expressions of whal may be called a theory of relativity. Let us study them one by one.\n\n\n\n\n \"That which has no thickness cannot be increased [ i n thickness], yet it is so great that it may cover one thousand miles. This states that the great and the small are so only relatively. It is impossible for that which has no thickness to be thick. In this sense it may be called small. Nevertheless, the ideal plane of geometry, though without thickness, may at the same time be very long and wide. In this sense it may be called great."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"The heavens are as low as the earth; mountains are on the same level as marshes.\" This, too, states that the high and the low are so only relatively. The sun at noon is the sun declining; the creature born is the creature dying. This states that everything in the actual world is changeable and changing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Great similarity differs from little similarity. This is called little-similarity—and—difference. All things are in one way all similar, in another way all different. This is called great-similarity-and-difference.\" When we say that all men are animals, we thereby recognize that all human beings are similar in the fact that they are human beings, and are also similar in the fact that they are animals. Their similarity in being human beings, however, is greater than that in being animals, because being a human being implies being an animal, but being an animal does not necessarily imply being a human being. For there are other kinds of animals as well, which are different from human beings. It is this kind of similarity and difference, therefore, that Hui Shih calls little-similarity-and-difference. However, if we take \"beings'as a universal class, we thereby recognize that all things are similar in the fact that they are beings. But if we take each thing as an individual, we thereby recognize that each"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "as an individual, we thereby recognize that each individual has its own individuality and so is different from other things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This kind of similarity and difference is what Hui Shih\n\n\n\n\n 138 THE SCHOOL OF NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n calls great—similarity—and—difference. Thus since we can say that all things are similar to each other, and yet can also say that all things are different from each other, this shows that their similarity and difference are both relative. This argument of the School of Names was a famous one in ancient China, and was known as the argument for the unity of similarity and difference.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"The South has no limit and yet has a limit. \"The South has no limit' was a common saying of the day. At that time, the South was a little known land very much like the West of America two hundred years ago. For the early Chinese, the South was not limited by sea as was the East, nor by barren desert as were the North and West. Hence it was popularly regarded as having no limit. Hui Shih s statement may thus perhaps be merely an expression of his superior geographical knowledge, that the South is, eventually, also limited by the sea. Most probably, however, it means to say that the limited and the unlimited are both only relatively so.\n\n\n\n\n \"I go to the state of Ytich today and arrived there yesterday. \" This states that \"today\" and \"yesterday\" are relative terms. The yesterday of today was the today of yesterday, and the today of today will be the yesterday of tomorrow. Herein lies the relativity of the present and the past."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Connected rings can be separated.\" Connected rings cannot be separated unless they are destroyed.\n\n\n\n\n But destruction may, from another point of view, be construction. If one makes a wooden table, from the, point of view of the wood, it is destruction, but from the point of view of the table, it is construction. Since destruction and construction are relative, therefore connected rings can be separated '\n\n\n\n\n without destroying them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "without destroying them.\n\n\n\n\n I know the center of the world. It is north of Yen and south of Yiieh. Among the states of the time, Yen was in the extreme north and Yiieh in the extreme south. The Chinese regarded China as being the world. Hence it was a matter of common sense that the center of the world should be south of Yen and north of Yiieh. HuiShih s contrary assertion here is well interpreted by a commentator of the third century A.U., Ssu-ma Piao, who says: \"The world has no limit, and therefore anywhere is the center, just as in drawing a circle, any point on the line can be the starting point."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Love all things equally; Heaven and Earth are one body.\" In the preceding propositions, Hui Shih argues that all things are relative and in a state of flux. There is no absolute difference, or absolute separation among them. Everything is constantly changing into something else. It is a logical conclusion, therefore, that all things are one, and hence that we should love all things equally without discrimination. In the Chuang-tzu it is also said: \"If we see things from the point of view of their difference, even my liver and gall are as far from each other as are the states of Ch' u and Yiieh. If we see things from the point of view of their similarity, all things are one. (Ch. 5.)\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 140 THE SCHOOL OF NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Kung—sun Lung s Theory of Universals"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kung—sun Lung s Theory of Universals\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n The other main leader of the School of Names was Kung-sun Lung (fl. 284-259), who was widely known in his day for his sophistic arguments. It is said that once when he was passing a frontier, the frontier guards said: \"Horses are not allowed to pass.\" Kung-sun Lung replied: \"My horse is white, and a white horse is not a horse.\"And so saying, he passed with his horse.\n\n\n\n\n Instead of emphasizing, as did Hui Shih, that actual things are relative and changeable, Kung-sun Lung emphasized that names are absolute and permanent. In this way he arrived at the same concept of Platonic-ideas or universals that has been so conspicuous in Western philosophy.\n\n\n\n\n In his work titled the Kung—sun Lung—tzu, there is a chapter called Discourse on the White Horse.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Its main proposition is the assertion that \"a white horse is not a horse. This proposition Kung—sun Lung tries to prove through three arguments. The first is: The word horse denotes a shape; the word 'white denotes a color. That which denotes color is not that which denotes shape. Therefore I say that a white horse is not a horse. In terms of Western logic, we may say lhal this argument emphasizes the difference in the intension of the terms \"horse,\" \"white,\" and \"white horse.\" The intension of the lirst term is one kind of animal, that of the second is one kind of color, and that of the third is one kind of animal plus one kind of color. Since the intension of each of the three terms is different, therefore a white horse is not a horse."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The second argument is: \"When a horse is required, a yellow horse or a black one may be brought forward, but when one requires a white horse, a yellow or a black horse cannot be brought forward....Therefore a yellow horse and a black horse are both horses. They can only respond to a call for a horse but cannot respond to a call for a white horse. It is clear that a white horse is not a horse. And again: The term horse neither excludes nor includes any color; therefore yellow and black ones may respond to it. But the term white horse both excludes and includes color. Yellow and black horses are all excluded because of their color. Therefore only a white horse can fit the requirements."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That which is not excluded is not the same as that which is excluded. Therefore I say that a white horse is not a horse.\" In terms of Western logic, we may say that this argument emphasizes the difference in the extension of the terms \"horse\" and \"white horse.\" The extension of the term \"horse\" includes all horses, with no discrimination as to their color. The extension of the term ' white horse, however, includes only white horses, with a corresponding discrimination of color. Since the extension of the term \"horse\" and \"white horse\" is different, therefore a white horse is not a horse.\n\n\n\n\n The third argument is: \"Horses certainly have color. Therefore there are white horses. Suppose there is a horse without color, then there is only the\n\n\n\n\n I4i THE SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n OF NAMES"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I4i THE SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n OF NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n horse as such. But how then, do we get a white horse? Therefore a white horse is not a horse. A white horse is 'horse' together with 'white.' 'Horse with 'white' is not horse. In this argument, Kung-sun Lung seems to emphasize the distinction between the universal, \"horseness,\" and the universal, while—horseness. The universal, horseness, is the essential attribute of all horses. It implies no color and is jusl \"horse as such. Such \"horseness\" is distinct from \"white-horseness. \" That is to say, the horse as such is distinct from the white horse as such. Therefore a white horse is not a horse."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Besides horse as such, there is also white as such, that is, whiteness. In the same chapter it is said: \"White Las suchj does not specify what is white. But 'white horse specifies what is while. Specified white is not white.\" Specified white is the concrete white color which is seen in this or that particular white object. The word here translated as specified is ting, which also has the meaning of \"determined.\" The white color which is seen in this or that white object is determined by this or that object. The universal, whiteness, however, is nol determined by any one particular white object. It is the whiteness unspecified."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Kung-sun Lung-tzu contains another chapter entitled \"Discourse on Hardness and Whiteness. The main proposition in this chapter is that \"hardness and whiteness are separate.\" Kung-sun Lung tries to prove this in two ways. The first is expressed in the following dialogue: \"[Supposing there is a hard and white stone I, is it possible to say hard, white, and stone are three? No. Can they be two? Yes. How? When without hardness one finds what is white, this gives two. When without whiteness one finds what is hard, this gives two. Seeing does not give us what is hard but only what is while, and there is nothing hard in this. Touching does not give us what is white but only what is hard, and there is nothing white in this.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This dialogue uses epistemological proof to show that hardness and whiteness arc separated from each other. Here we have a hard and white stone. If we use our eyes to see it, we only get what is while, i.e., a white stone. But if we use our hands to touch it, we only get what is hard, i.e., a hard stone. While we are sensing that the stone is white, we cannot sense that it is hard, and while we are sensing that it is hard, we cannot sense that it is white. Epistemologically speaking, therefore, there is only a white stone or a hard stone here, but not a hard and white stone. This is the meaning of the saying: \"When without hardness one finds what is white, this gives two. When without whiteness one finds what is hard, this gives two."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kung-sun Limjr s second argument is a metaphysical one. Its general idea is that both hardness and whiteness, as universals, are unspecified in regard to what particular object it is that is hard or that is white. They can be manifested in any or a l l white or hard objects. Indeed, even if in the physical world there were no hard or white objects at all, none the less, the universal, hardness, would ol necessity remain hardness, and the universal, whiteness,\n\n\n\n\n 144 THE SCHOOL OF\n\n\n\n\n NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n would remain whiteness. Such hardness and whiteness are quite independent of the existence of physical stories or other objects that are hard and white. The fact that they are independent universals is shown by the fact that in the physical world there are some objects that are hard but not white, and other objects that are white but not hard. Thus it is evident that hardness and whiteness are separate from each other."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With these epistemological and metaphysical arguments Kung-sun Lung established his proposition that hardness and whiteness are separate. This was a famous proposition in ancient China, and was known as the argument for \"the separateness of hardness and whiteness.\"\n\n\n\n\n In the Kung-sun Lung-tzu there is yet another chapter entitled \"Discourse on Chih and Wu.\" By wu Kung-sun Lung means concrete particular things, while by chih he means abstract universals. The literal meaning of chih is, as a noun, \"finger or \"pointer,\" or, as a verb, \"to indicate.\" Two explanations may be given as to why Kung—sun Lung uses the word chih to denote universals. A common term, that is, a name, to use the terminology of the School of Names, denotes a class of particular things and connotes the common attributes of that class. An abstract term, on the contrary, denotes the attribute or universal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since the Chinese language has no inflection, there is no distinction in form between a common term and an abstract one. Thus, in Chinese, what Westerners would call a common term may also denote a universal. Likewise, the Chinese language has no articles. Hence, in Chinese, such terms as horse, the horse, and a horse are all designated by the one word ma or \"horse.\" It would seem, therefore, that fundamentally the word ma denotes the universal concept, horse, while the other terms, \"a horse,\"\n\n\n\n\n \"the horse, ' etc., are simply particularized applications of this universal concept. From this it may be said that, in the Chinese language, a universal is what a name points out, i.e., denotes. This is why Kung—sun Lung refers to universals as chih or pointers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another explanation of why Kung-sun Lung uses chih to denote the universal, is that chih (finger, pointer, etc.) is a close equivalent of another word, also pronounced chih and written almost the same, which means idea or \"concept.\" According to this explanation, then, when Kung-sun Lung speaks of chih (pointer), he really means by it \"idea\" or \"concept.\" As can be seen from his arguments above, however, this \"idea\" is for him not the subjective idea spoken of in the philosophy of Berkeley and Hume, but rather the objective idea as found in the philosophy of Plato. It is the universal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the final chapter of the Chuang-lzu we find a series of twenty—one arguments attributed without specification to the followers of the School of Names. Among them, however, it is evident that some are based upon the ideas of Hui Shih, and others upon those of Kung-sun Lung, and they can be explained accordingly. They used to be considered as paradoxes, but they cease to be such once we understand the fundamental ideas of their authors.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n I46 THE SCHOOL OF NAMES\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Significance oj the Theories of Hui Shih and Kung—sun Lung"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus by analyzing names, and their relation with, or their distinction from, actualities, the philosophers of the School of Names discovered what in Chinese philosophy is called \"that which lies beyond shapes and features.\" In Chinese philosophy a distinction is made between \"being that lies within shapes and features, and ' being that lies beyond shapes and features.\" \"Being that lies within shapes and features' is the actual, the shih. For instance, the big and the small, the square and the round, the long and the short, the white and the black, are each one class of shapes and features. Anything that is the object or possible object of experience has shape and feature, and lies within the actual world.\n\n\n\n\n Conversely, any object in the actual world that has shape and feature is the object or possible object of experience."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Hui Shih enunciated the first and last of his series of \"points,\" he was talking about what lies beyond shapes and features. The greatest, he said, has nothing beyond itself. This is called the Creat One. This defines in what manner the greatest is as it is. \"Love all things equally; Heaven and Earth are one.\" This defines of what the greatest consists. This last statement conveys the idea that all is one and one is all. Since all is one, there can be nothing beyond the all. The all is itself the greatest one, and since there can be nothing beyond the all, the all cannot be the object of experience. This is because an object of experience always stands in apposition to the one who experiences. Hence if we say thai the all can be an object of experience, we must also say that there is something that stands in apposition to the all and is its experiencer. In other words, we must say that that which has nothing beyond itself at the same time has something beyond itself, which is a manifest contradiction."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "King-sun Lung, too, discovered what lies beyond shapes and features, because the universals he discussed can likewise not be objects of experience. One can see a while something, but one cannot see the universal whiteness as such. All universals that are indicated by names lie in a world beyond shapes and features, though not all universals in that world have names to indicate them. In that world, hardness is hardness and whiteness is whiteness, or as Kung-sun Lung said: \"Each is alone and true.\" (Kung-sun Lung-tzu, ch. 5.)\n\n\n\n\n Hui Shih spoke of \"loving all things equally, ' and Kung-sun Lung also wished to extend his argument in order to correct the relations between names and actualities, so as thus to transform the whole world. (Ibid., ch. 1.) Both men thus apparently considered their philosophy as comprising the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Too of sageliness within and kingliness without. But it was left to the Taoists fully to apply the discovery made by the School of Names of what lies beyond shapes and features. The Taoists were the opponents of this school, but they were also its true inheritors. This is illustrated by the fact that Hui Shih was a great friend ol Chuang Tzu.\n\n\n\n\n 148 THE SCHOOL OF NAMES\n\n\n\n\n \n \n CHAPTER 9\n \n \n\n\n\n\n D PHASE OF TAOISM: LAO TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "D PHASE OF TAOISM: LAO TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n ACCORDING to tradition, Lao Tzu (a name which literally means the \"Old Master\") was a native of the state of Ch'u in the southern part of the present Honan province, and was an older contemporary of Confucius, whom he is reputed to have instructed in ceremonies. The book bearing his name, the Lao-tzu, and in later times also known as the Too Te Clung (Classic of the Way and Power), has therefore been traditionally regarded as the first philosophical work in Chinese history. Modern scholarship, however, has forced us drastically to change this view and to date it to a time considerably after Confucius.\n\n\n\n\n Lao Tzu the Man and Lao-tzu the Book\n\n\n\n\n Two questions arise in this connection. One is about the date of the man, Lao Tzu (whose family name is said to have been Li, and personal name, Tan), and another about the date of the book itself."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There is no necessary connection between the two, for it is quite possible thai there actually lived a man known as Lao Tan who was senior to Confucius, but that the book titled the Lao-tzu is a later production. This is the view I take, and it does not necessarily contradict the traditional accounts of Lao Tzu the man, because in these accounts there is no statement that the man, Lao Tzu, actually wrote the book by that name. Hence I am willing to accept the traditional stories about Lao Tzu the man, while at the same time placing the book, Lao-tzu, in a later period. In fact, I now believe the date of the book to be later than I assumed when I wrote my History of Chinese Philosophy. I now believe it was written or composed after Hui Shih and Kung-sun Lung, and not before, as I there indicated. This is because the Lao-tzu contains considerable discussion about the Nameless, and in order to do this it would seem that men should first have become conscious of the existence of names themselves."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "My position does not require me to insist that there is absolutely no connection between Lao Tzu the man and Lao-tzu the book, for the book may\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 150\n\n\n\n\n THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISM:LAO TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n indeed contain a few sayings of the original Lao Tzu. What I maintain, however, is that the system of thought in ihe book as a whole cannot be the product of a time either before or contemporary with thai of Confucius. In the pages following, however, to avoid pedantry, 1 shall refer to Lao Tzu as having said so and so, instead of stating that the book Lao-tzu says so and so, just as we today still speak of sunrise and sunset, even though we know very well that the sun ilself actually neither rises nor sets.\n\n\n\n\n Tan, the Unnamable"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tan, the Unnamable\n\n\n\n\n In the last chapter, we have seen that the philosophers of the School of Names, through the study of names, succeeded in discovering that which lies beyond shapes and features. Most people, however, think only in terms of what lies williin shapes and features, that is, the actual world. Seeing the actual, they have no diflieulty in expressing it, and though they use names for it, they are not conscious that they are names. So when the philosophers of the School of Names started to think aboul ihe names themselves, this thought represented a great advance. To think about names is to think about thinking. It is thought about thought and therefore is thought on a higher level.\n\n\n\n\n All things that lie within shapes and features have names, or, at least, possess the possibility of having names. They are namable. But in contrast with what is namable, Lao Tzu speaks aboul ihe unnamable."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not everything that lies beyond shapes and leatures is unnamable. Universals, for instance, lie beyond shapes and features, yet they are not unnamable. But on the other hand, what is unnamable most certainly does lie beyond shapes and features. The Tim or Way of the Taoists is a concept of this sort."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the first chapter of the Lao-tzu we find the statement: \"The Too that can be comprised in words is nol the eternal Too; the name that can be named is not the abiding name. The Unnamable is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; the namable is the mother of all things.\" And in chapter thirty-two: The Too is eternal, nameless, the Uncarved Block...Once the block is carved, there are names.\" Or in chapter forty-one: \"The Too, lying hid, is nameless.\" In the Taoist system, there is a distinction between yu (being) and wu (non-being), and between yu—ming (having—name, namable) and wu— ming (having-no-name, unnamable). These two distinctions are in reality only one, for yu and wu are actually simply abbreviated terms for yu—ming and wu—ming. Heaven and Earth and all things are namables."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus Heaven has the name of Heaven, Earth the name Earth, and each kind of thing has the name of that kind. There being Heaven, Earth and all things, it follows that there are the names of Heaven, Earth, and all things. Or as Lao Tzu says: \"Once the Block is carved, there are names.\" The Too, however, is unnamable; at the same time it is thai by which all namables come to be. This is why Lao Tzu says: 'The Unnamable is the beginning of Heaven and\n\n\n\n\n 152 THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISM:LAO TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Earth; the namable is the mother of all things.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since the Tao is unnamable, it therefore cannot be comprised in words. But since we wish to speak about it, we are forced to give it some kind of designation. We therefore call it Tao, which is really not a name at all. That is to say, to call the Tao Tao, is not the same as to call a table table. When we call a table table, we mean that it has some attributes by which it can be named. But when we call the Tao Tao, we do not mean that it has any such namable attributes. It is simply a designation, or to use an expression common in Chinese philosophy, Tao is a name which is not a name. In Chapter twenty-one of the Lao —tzu it is said: From the past to the present, its [Too's] name has not ceased to be, and has seen the beginning [of all things].\" The Tao is that by which anything and everything comes to be. Since there are always things, Tao never ceases to be and the name of Too also never ceases to be. It is the beginning of all beginnings, and therefore it has seen the beginning of all things. A name that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "has seen the beginning of all things. A name that never ceases to be is an abiding name, and such a name is in reality not a name at all. Therefore it is said: \"The name that can be named is not the abiding name.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"The Unnamable is ihe beginning of Heaven and Earth.\" This proposition is only a formal and not a positive one. That is to say, it fails to give any information about matters of fact. The Taoists thought that since there are things, there must be that by which all these things come to be. This \"that\" is designated by them as Tao, which, however, is really not a name. The concept of Tao, too, is a formal and not a positive one. Thai is to say, it does not describe anything about what it is through which all things come to be. All we can say is that Tao, since it is that through which all things come to be, is necessarily not a mere thing among these other things. For if it were such a thing, it could not at the same time be that through which all things whatsoever come to be. Every kind of thing has a name, but Tao is not itself a thing. Therefore it is \"nameless, the Uncarved Block."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Anything that comes to be is a being, and there are many beings. The coming to be of beings implies that first of all there is Being. These words, \"first of all,\" here do not mean first in point of time, but first in a logical sense. For instance, if we say there was first a certain kind of animal, then man, the word first in this case means first in point of time. But if we say that first there must be animals before there are men, the word \"first\" in this case means first in a logical sense. The statement about the origin oi the species\" makes an assertion about matters of fact, and required many years observation and study by Charles Darwin before it could be made. But the second of our sayings makes no assertion about matters of fact. It simply says that the existence of men logically implies the existence of animals. In the same way, the being of all things implies the being of Being. This is the meaning of Lao Tzu's saying: \"All things in the world come into being from Being (Yu); and Being comes into"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "into being from Being (Yu); and Being comes into being from Non-being (Wu). (Ch. 40.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This saying of Lao Tzu does not mean that there was a time when there 154 THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISM:LAO TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n was only Non—being, and that then there came a time when Being came into being from Non-being. It simply means that if we analyze the existence of things, we see there must first be Being before there can be any things. Too is the unnamable, is Non—being, and is that by which all things come to be.\n\n\n\n\n Therefore, before the being of Being, there must be Non-being, from which Being comes into being.\n\n\n\n\n What is here said belongs to ontology, not to cosmology. It has nothing to do with time and actuality.\n\n\n\n\n For in time arid actuality, there is no Being; there are only beings.\n\n\n\n\n There are many beings, but there is only one Being. In the Lao-tzu it is said: From Too there comes one. From one there comes two. From two there comes three. From three there comes all things.\"(Ch."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "42.) The \"one\" here spoken of refers to Being. To say that \"from Too comes one,\" is the same as that from Non-being comes Being. As for two and three, there are many interpretations. But this saying, that \"from one there comes two. From two there comes three. From three there comes all things, may simply be the same as saying that from Being come all things. Being is one, and two and three arc the beginning of the many.\n\n\n\n\n The Invarialile Law of NiUure"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Invarialile Law of NiUure\n\n\n\n\n In the final chapter of the Chuang-tzu, \"The World,\" it is said that ihe leading ideas of Lao Tzu are those of the T m Yi or Super One, and of Being, Non—being, and the invariable. The Super One is the Too. From the Too comes one, and therefore Too itself is the \"Super One.\" The \"invariable is a translation of the Chinese word ch ang, which may also be translated as eternal or abiding. Though things are ever changeable and changing, the laws that govern this change of things are not themselves changeable. Hence in the Lao-tzu the word ch'ang is used to show what is always so, or in other words, what can be considered as a rule. For instance, Lao Tzu tells us: \"The conquest of the world comes invariably from doing nothing.\" (Ch. 48.) Or again: \"The way of Heaven has no favorites, it is invariably on the side of the good man. (Ch. J<).)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Among the laws that govern the changes of things, the most fundamental is that \"when a thing reaches one extreme, it reverts from it.\" These are not the actual words of Lao Tzu, but a common Chinese saying, the idea of which no doubt comes from Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu s actual words are: Reversing is the movement of the Tim\" (Ch. 40), and: \"To go further and further means to revert again.\" (Ch. 15.) The idea is that if anything develops certain extreme qualities, those qualities invariably revert to become their opposites.\n\n\n\n\n This constitutes a law of nature. Therefore: \"It is upon calamity that blessing leans, upon blessing that calamity rests. (Ch. 58.) Those with little will acquire, those with much will be led astray. (Ch. 2.2.) A hurricane never lasts the whole morning, nor a rainstorm the whole day.\" (Ch. 23.) \"The most yielding things in ihe world master the most unyielding.\" (Ch. 43.) 156 . THE SF.COND PHASE OF TAO1SM:LAO TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Diminish a thing and it will increase. Increase a thing and it will diminish.\" (Ch. 42-) All these paradoxical theories are no longer paradoxical, if one understands the fundamental law of nature. But to the ordinary people who have no idea of this law, they seem paradoxical indeed. Therefore Lao Tzu says: \"The gentleman of the low type, on hearing the Truth, laughs loudly at it. If he had not laughed, it would not suffice to be the Truth.\" (Ch: 41)\n\n\n\n\n It may be asked: Granted that a thing, on reaching an extreme, then reverts, what is meant by the word \"extreme '? Is there any absolute limit for the development of anything, going beyond which would mean going to the extreme? In the Lao-tzu no such question is asked and therefore no answer is given."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But if there had been such a question, 1 think Lao Tzu would have answered that no absolute limit can be prescribed for all things under all circumstances. So far as human activities are concerned, the limit for the advancement of a man remains relative to his subjective feelings and objective circumstances."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Isaac Newton, for example, felt that compared with the total universe, his knowledge of it was no more than ihe knowledge of the sea possessed by a boy who is playing al the seashore. With such a feeling as this, Newton, despite his already great achievements in physics, was still far from reaching the limits of advancement in his learning. If, however, a student, having just finished his textbook on physics, thinks that he then knows all there is to know about science, he certainly cannot make further advancement in his learning, and will as certainly revert back. Lao Tzu tells us: If people of wealth and exalted position are arrogant, they abandon themselves to unavoidable ruin.\" (Ch. 9.) Arrogance is the sign that one s advancement has reached its extreme limit. It is the first thing that one should avoid."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The limit of advancement for a given activity is also relative to objective circumstances. When a man eats too much, he suffers. In overeating, what is ordinarily good for the body becomes something harmful. One should eat only the right amount of food. But this right amount depends on one's age, health, and the quality of food one eals.\n\n\n\n\n These are the laws that govern the changes of things. By Lao Tzu they are called the invariables. He says: \"To know the invariables is called enlighlen-ment.\" (Ch. 16.) Again: \"He who knows the invariable is liberal. Being liberal, he is without prejudice. Being without prejudice, he is comprehensive. Being comprehensive, he is vast. Being vast, he is with the Truth. Being with the Truth, he lasts forever and will not fail throughout his lifetime.\" (Ibid.) Human Conduct"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lao Tzu warns us: \"Not to know the invariable and to act blindly is to go to disaster.\" (Ibid.) One should know the laws of nature and conduct one s activities in accordance with them. This, by Lao Tzu, is called \"practicing enlightenment. The general rule for the man practicing enlightenment is that if 158 THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISMrLAO TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n he wants to achieve anything, he starts with its opposite, and if he wants to retain anything, he admits in il something of its opposite. H one wants to be strong, one must start with a feeling that one is weak, and if one wants to preserve capitalism, one must admit in it some elements of socialism.\n\n\n\n\n Therefore Lao Tzu tells us: The sage, putting himself in the background, is always to the fore."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Remaining outside, he is always there. Is it not just because he does not strive for any personal end, that all his personal ends are fulfilled? (Ch. 7.) Again: He does not show himself; therefore he is seen everywhere. He does not define himself; therefore he is distinct. He does not assert himself; therefore he succeeds. He does not boast of his work; therefore he endures. He does not contend, and for that very reason no one in the world can contend with him. (Ch. 2.2.) These sayings illustrate the first point of the general rule.\n\n\n\n\n In the Lao-tzu we also find: What is most perfeel seems to have something missing, yet its use is unimpaired. What is most full seems empty, yet its use is inexhaustible. What is most straight seems like crookedness. The greatest skill seems like clumsiness. The greatest eloquence seems like stuttering.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ch. 45-) Again: Be twisted and one shall be whole. Be crooked and one shall be straight. Be hollow and one shall be filled. Be tattered and one shall be renewed. Have little and one shall obtain. But have much and one shall be perplexed.\" (Ch. 22.) This illustrates the second point of the general rule.\n\n\n\n\n Such is the way in which a prudent man can live safely in the world and achieve his aims. This is Lao Tzu s answer and solution to the original problem of the Taoists, which was, how to preserve life and avoid harm and danger in the human world. (See end of Ch. 6 above.) The man who lives prudently must be meek, humble, and easily content. To be meek is the way to preserve your strength and so be strong. Humility is the direct opposite of arrogance, so that if arrogance is a sign that a man's advancement has reached its extreme limit, humility is a contrary sign that that limit is far from reached."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And to be content safeguards one from going too far, and therefore from reaching the extreme. Lao Tzu says: \"To know how to be content is to avoid humiliation; to know where to stop is to avoid injury. (Ch.\n\n\n\n\n 45-) Again: \"The sage, therefore, discards the excessive, the extravagant, the extreme.\" (Ch. 29.) All these theories are deducible from the general theory that reversing is the movement of the Too.\n\n\n\n\n The well—known Taoist theory of wu—wei is also deducible from this general theory. Wu-wei can be translated literally as \"having-no-activity\" or \"non-action.\" But using this translation, one should remember that the term does not actually mean complete absence of activity, or doing nothing. What it does mean is lesser activity or doing less. It also means acting without artificiality and arbitrariness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Activities are like many other things. If one has too much of them, they become harmful rather than good. Furthermore, the purpose of doing something is to have something done. But if there is overdoing, this results in\n\n\n\n\n l 6 0 THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISM:LAO TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n something being over-done, which may be worse than not having the thing done at all. A well—known Chinese story describes how two men were once competing in drawing a snake; the one who would finish his drawing first would win. One of them, having indeed finished his drawing, saw that the other man was still far behind, so decided to improve it by adding feet to his snake. Thereupon the other man said: \"You have lost the competition, for a snake has no feet.\" This is an illustration of overdoing which defeats its own purpose. In the Lao-tzu we read: \"Conquering the world is invariably due to doing nothing; by doing something one cannot conquer the world. (Ch. 48.) The term \"doing nothing\"\n\n\n\n\n here really means \"not overdoing.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "here really means \"not overdoing.\"\n\n\n\n\n Artificiality and arbitrariness are the opposite of naturalness arid spontaneity. According to Lao Tzu, Tao is that by which all things come to be. In this process of coming to be, each individual thing obtains something from the universal Tao, and this something is called Te. Te is a word that means power or virtue, both in the moral and non-moral sense of the latter term. The Te of a thing is what it naturally is. Lao Tzu says: All things respect Too and value Te.\" (Ch. 51.) This is because Too is that by which they come to be, and Te is that by which they are what they are."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to the theory of \"having-no-activity, a man should restrict his activities to what is necessary and what is natural. \"Necessary means necessary to the achievement of a certain purpose, and never overdoing. \"Natural\" means following one's Te with no arbitrary effort. In doing this one should take simplicity as the guiding principle of life. Simplicity (p ' u) is an important idea of Lao Tzu and the Taoists. Tao is the \"Uncarved Block\" (p u), which is simplicity itself. There is nothing that can be simpler than the unnamable Tao. Te is the next simplest, and the man who follows Te must lead as simple a life as possible."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The life that follows Te lies beyond the distinctions of good and evil. Lao Tzu tells us: If all people of the world know that beauty is beauty, there is ihen already ugliness. If all people of the world know that good is good, there is then already evil.\" (Ch. 2..) Lao Tzu, therefore, despised such Confucian virtues as human—heartedness and righteousness, for according to him these virtues represent a degeneration from Tao and Te. Therefore he says: \"When the Tao is lost, there is the Te. When the Te is lost, there is [the virtue of] humanheartedness. When humanheartedness is lost, there is [the virtue of]\n\n\n\n\n righteousness. When righteousness is lost, there are the ceremonials. Ceremonials are the degeneration of loyalty and good faith, and are the beginning of disorder in the world. (Ch. 3&) Here we find the direct conflict between Taoism and Confucianism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "People have lost their original Te because they have too many desires and too much knowledge. In satisfying their desires, people are seeking for happiness. But when they try to satisfy too many desires, they obtain an opposite result. Lao Tzu says: The five colors blind the eye. The five notes dull the ear.\n\n\n\n\n The five tastes fatigue the mouth. Riding and hunting madden the mind.\n\n\n\n\n 162 THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISM:LAO TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Rare treasures hinder right conduct.\" (Ch. 12.) Therefore, \"there is no disaster greater than not knowing contentment with what one has; no grealer sin than having desire for acquisition.\" (Ch. 46-) This is why Lao Tzu emphasizes that people should have few desires."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Likewise Lao Tzu emphasizes that people should have little knowledge. Knowledge is itself an object of desire. It also enables people to know more about the objects of desire and serves as a means to gain these objects. It is both the master and servant of desire. With increasing knowledge people are no longer in a position to know how to be content and where to sLop. Therefore, it is said in the Lao—Tzu: When knowledge and intelligence appeared, Cross Artifice began. (Ch.l8.) Political Theory"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From these theories Lao Tzu deduces his political theory. The Taoists agree with the Confucianists that the ideal state is one which has a sage as its head. It is only the sage who can and should rule. The difference between the two schools, however, is that according to the Confucianists, when a sage becomes the ruler, he should do many things for the people, whereas according to the Taoists, the duty of the sage ruler is not to do things, but rather to undo or not to do at all. The reason for this, according to Lao Tzu, is that the troubles of the world come, not because there are many things not yet done, but because too many things are done. In the Lao-tzu we read: The more restrictions and prohibitions there are in the world, the poorer the people will be. The more sharp weapons the people have, the more troubled will be the country. The more cunning craftsmen there are, the more pernicious contrivances will appear. The more laws are promulgated, the more thieves and bandits there will be.\" (Ch. 57-)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "thieves and bandits there will be.\" (Ch. 57-) The first act of a sage ruler, then, is to undo all these. Lao Tzu says: Banish wisdom, discard knowledge, and the people will be benefited a hundredfold. Banish human -heartedness, discard righteousness, and the people will be dutiful and compassionate. Banish skill, discard profit, and thieves and robbers will disappear.\" (Ch.19.) Again: \"Do not exalt the worthies, and the people will no longer be contentious. Do not value treasures that are hard to get, and there will be no more ibieves. If the people never see such things as excite desire, their mind will not be confused. Therefore the sage rules the people by emptying their minds, filling their bellies, weakening their wills, and toughening their sinews, ever making the people without knowledge and without desire.\" (Ch. 3.) The sage ruler would undo all the causes of trouble in the world. After that, he would govern with non-action. With non-action, he does nothing, yet everything is accomplished. The"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "does nothing, yet everything is accomplished. The Lao-tzu says: \"I act not and the people of themselves are transformed. I love quiescence and the people of themselves go straight. I concern myself with nothing, and the people of them — 164 THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISMrLAO TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "selves are prosperous. I am without desire, and the people of themselves are simple. (Ch. 57-)\n\n\n\n\n \"Do nothing, and there is nothing that is not done.\" This is another of the seemingly paradoxical ideas of the Taoists. In the Lao-tzu we read: Tao invariably does nothing and yet there is nothing that is not done. (Ch. 37-) Tao is that by which all things come to be. It is not itself a thing and therefore it cannot act as do such things. Yet all things come to be. Thus Tao does nothing, yet there is nothing that is not done. It allows each thing to do what it itself can do. According to the Taoists, the ruler of a state should model himself on Tao. He, too, should do nothing and should let the people do what they can do themselves. Here is another meaning of wu—wei (non-action), which later, with certain modifications, become one of the important theories of the Legalists (Fa chia)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Children have limited knowledge and few desires. They are not far away from the original Te. Their simplicity and innocence are characteristics that every man should if possible retain. Lao Tzu says: Not to part from the invariable Te is to return to the state of infancy.\" (Ch. 18.) Again: \"He who holds the Te in all its solidity may be likened to an infant. (Ch. 55-) Since the life of the child is nearer to the ideal life, the sage ruler would like all of his people to be like small children. Lao Tzu says: \"The sage treats all as children.\" (Ch.49.) He \"does not make them enlightened, but keeps them ignorant.\" (Ch.\n\n\n\n\n 65. )\n\n\n\n\n \"Ignorant here is a translation of the Chinese yu, which means ignorance in the sense of simplicity and innocence. The sage not only wants his people to be yu, but wants himself to be so too. Lao Tzu says: Mine is the mind of the very ignorant.\" (Ch. 20.) In Taoism yu is not a vice, but a great virtue."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But is the yu of the sage really the same as the yu of the child and the common people? Certainly not. The yu of the sage is the result of a conscious process of cultivation. It is something higher than knowledge, something more, not less. There is a common Chinese saying: Great wisdom is like ignorance. The yu of the sage is great wisdom, and not the yu of the child or of ordinary people. The latter kind of yu is a gift of nature, while that of the sage is an achievement of the spirit. There is a great difference between the two. But in many cases the Taoists seemed to have confused them. We shall see this point more clearly when we discuss the philosophy of Chuang Tzu.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 166 THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISMrLAO TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n _\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 10\n \n \n\n\n\n\n RD PHASE OF TAOISM: CHUANG TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "RD PHASE OF TAOISM: CHUANG TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n CHUANG CHOI), better known as Chuang Tzu (c. 369-c. 2-86), is perhaps the greatest of the early Taoists. We know little of his life save that he was a native of the little state of Meng on the border between the present Shantung and Honan provinces, where he lived a hermit's life, but was nevertheless famous for his ideas and writings. It is said that King Wei of Ch'u, having heard his name, once sent messengers with gifts to invite him to his state, promising In make him chief minister. Chuang Tzu, however, merely laughed and said to them: \"...Co away, do not defile me....I prefer the enjoyment of my own free will. (Historical Records, ch. 63-)\n\n\n\n\n Chuang Tzu the Man and Chuang—tzu the Book"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chuang Tzu the Man and Chuang—tzu the Book\n\n\n\n\n Though Chuang Tzu was a contemporary of Mencius and a friend of Hui Shih, the book titled the Chuang-tzu, as we know it today, was probably compiled by Kuo Hsiang, Chuang Tzu s great commentator of the third century A.D. We are thus not sure which of the chapters of Chuang-tzu the book were really written by Chuang Tzu himself. It is, in fact, a collection of various Taoist writings, some of which represent Taoism in its first phase of development, some in its second, and some in its third. It is only those chapters representing the thought of this third climactic phase lhal can properly be called Chuang Tzu's own philosophy, yet even they may not all have been written by Chuang T/11\n\n\n\n\n himself. For though the name of Chuang Tzu can be taken as representative of the last phase of early Taoism, it is probable that his system of thought was brought to full completion only by his followers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Certain chapters of the Chuang-tzu, for example, contain statements about Kung-sun Lung, who certainly lived later than Chuang Tzu.\n\n\n\n\n Way of Achieving Relative Happiness\n\n\n\n\n The first chapter of the Chuang-tzu, titled \"The Happy Excursion, is a 168 THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUAN<; TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n simple text, full of amusing stories. Their underlying idea is that there are varying degrees in the achievement of happiness. A free development of our natures may lead us to a relative kind of happiness; absolute happiness is achieved through higher underslanding of the nature of things.\n\n\n\n\n To carry out the first of these requirements, the free development of our nature, we should have a full and free exercise of our natural ability. That ability is our Te, which comes directly from the Too.\n\n\n\n\n Regarding the Too and Te, Chuang Tzu has the same idea as Lao Tzu. For example, he says: At the great beginning there was Non-being. It had neither being nor name and was that from which came the One."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the One came into existence, there was the One but still no form. When things obtained that by which they came into existence, it was called the Te. (Ch. 12.) Thus our Te is what makes us what we are. We are happy when this Te or natural ability of ours is fully and freely exercised, that is, when our nature is fully and freely developed.\n\n\n\n\n In connection with this idea of free development, Chuang Tzu makes a contrasl between what is of nature and what is of man. \"What is of nature,\" he says, \"is internal. What is of man is external. ...That oxen and horses should have four feet is what is of nature. That a halter should be put on a horse's head, or a string through an ox's nose, is what is of man.\" (Ch. TJ.) Following what is of nature, he maintains, is the source of all happiness and goodness, while following whal is of man is the source of all pain and evil."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Things are different in their nature and their natural ability is also not the same. What they share in common, however, is that they are all equally happy when they have a full and free exercise of their natural ability. In \"The Happy Excursion\" a story is told of a very large and a small bird. The abilities of the two are entirely different. The one can fly thousands of miles, while the other can hardly reach from one tree to the next. Yet they are both happy when they each do whal they are able and like to do. Thus there is no absolute uniformity in the natures of things, nor is there any need for such uniformity.\n\n\n\n\n Another chapter of the Chuang-tzu tells us: The duck s legs are short, but if we try lo lengthen them, the duck will feel pain. The crane's legs are long, but if we try to shorten them, the crane will feel grief.\n\n\n\n\n Therefore we are not to amputate what is by nature long, nor to lengthen what is by nature short. (Ch. 8.) Political and Social Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Such, however, is just what artificiality tries to do. The purpose of all laws, morals, institutions, and governments, is to establish uniformity and suppress difference. The motivation of the people who try to enforce this uniformity may be wholly admirable. When they find something that is good for them, they may be anxious to see that others have it also. This good intention of theirs, however, only makes the situation more tragic. In the\n\n\n\n\n I7O THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CH1IANG TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chuang-tzu there is a story which says: \"Of old, when a seabird alighted outside the capital of Lu, the Marquis went out to receive it, gave it wine in the temple, and had the Chiu-shao music played to amuse it, and a bullock slaughtered to feed it. But the bird was dazed and too timid to eal or drink anything. In three days it was dead. This was treating the bird as one would treat oneself, not the bird as a bird....Water is life to fish but is death to man. Being differently constituted, their likes and dislikes must necessarily differ. Therefore the early sages did not make abilities and occupations uniform.\" (Ch.\n\n\n\n\n 18.) When the Marquis treated the bird in a way which he considered the most honorable, lie certainly had good intentions. Yet the result was just opposite to what he expected. This is whal happens when uniform codes of laws and morals are enforced by government and society upon the individual."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is why Chuang Tzu violently opposes the idea of governing through the formal machinery of government, and maintains instead that the best way of governing is through non—government. He says: I have heard of letting mankind alone, but not of governing mankind. Letting alone springs from the fear that people will pollute their innate nature and set aside their Te. When people do not pollute their innate nature and set aside their Te, then is then! need for the government of mankind? ' (Ch. II.) If one fails to leave people alone, and tries instead to rule them with laws and institutions, the process is like putting a halter around a horse s neck or a string through an ox s nose. It is also like lengthening the legs of the duck or shortening those of the crane. What is natural and spontaneous is changed into something artificial, which is called by Chuang Tzu \"overcoming what is of nature by what is of man.\n\n\n\n\n (Ch. 17.) Its result can only lie misery and unhappiness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu both advocate government through nongovernment, but for somewhat different reasons. Lao Tzu emphasizes his general principle that \"reversing is the movement of the Too.\" The more one governs, he argues, the less one achieves the desired result. And Chuang Tzu emphasizes the distinction between what is of nature and what is of man. The more the former is overcome by the latter, the more there will be misery and unhappiness.\n\n\n\n\n Thus far we have only seen Chuang Tzu's way of achieving relative happiness. Such relative happiness is achieved when one simply follows what is natural in oneself. This every man can do. The political and social philosophy of Chuang Tzu aimes at achieving precisely such relative happiness for every man. This and nothing more is the most that any political and social philosophy can hope to do.\n\n\n\n\n Emotion and Reason\n\n\n\n\n Relative happiness is relative because it has to depend upon something. It 171 THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUANG TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is true that one is happy when one has a full and free exercise of one s natural ability. But there are many ways in which this exercise is obstructed. For instance, there is death which is the end of all human activities. There are diseases which handicap human activities. There is old age which gives man the same trouble. So it is not without reason that the Buddhists consider these as three of the four human miseries, the fourth, according to them, being life itself. Hence, happiness which depends upon the full and free exercise of one's natural ability is a limited and therefore relative happiness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Chuang-tzu there are many discussions about the greatest of all disasters that can befall man, death. Fear of death and anxiety about its coming are among the principal sources of human unhappiness. Such fear and anxiety, however, may be diminished if we have a proper understanding of the nature of things. In the Chuang—tzu there is a story about the death of Lao Tzu. When Lao Tzu died, his friend Chin Shih, who had come after the death, criticized the violent lamentations of the other mourners, saying: \"This is to violate the principle of nature and to increase the emotion of man, forgetting what we have received Lfrom nature J. These were called by the ancients the penalty of violating the principle of nature. When the Master came, it was because he had the occasion to be born."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he went, he simply followed the natural course. Those who are quiet at the proper occasion and follow the natural course, cannot be affected by sorrow or joy. They were considered by the ancients as the men of the gods, who were released from bondage.\" (Ch. 3-)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To the extent that the other mourners felt sorrow, to that extent they suffered. Their suffering was the \"penalty of violating the principle of nature. The mental torture inflicted upon man by his emotions is sometimes just as severe as any physical punishment. But by the use of understanding, man can reduce his emotions. For example, a man of understanding will not be angry when rain prevents him from going out, but a child often will. The reason is that the man possesses greater understanding, with the result that he suffers less disappointment or exasperation than the child who docs get angry. As Spinoza has said: \"In so far as the mind understands all things are necessary, so far has it greater power over the effects, or suffers less from them. (Ethics, Pt. 5, Prop. VI.) Such, in the words of the Taoists, is to disperse emotion with reason.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A story about Chuang Tzu himself well illustrates this point. It is said that when Chuang Tzu's wife died, his friend Hui Shih went to condole. To his amazement he found Chuang Tzu sitting on the ground, singing, and on asking him how he could be so unkind to his wife, was told by Chuang Tzu: \"When she had just died, I could not help being affected. Soon, however, I examined the matter from the very beginning. At the very beginning, she was not living, having no form, nor even substance. But somehow or other there was then her substance, then her form, and then her life. Now by a further change, she has died. The whole process is like the sequence of the four 174 THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUANG TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. While she is thus lying in the great mansion of the universe, for me to go about weeping and wailing would be to proclaim myself ignorant of the natural laws. Therefore I stop.\" (Chuang—tzu, ch. 18.) On this passage the great commentator Kuo Hsiang comments: \"When ignorant, he felt sorry. When he understood, he was no longer affected. This teaches man to disperse emotion with reason.\" Emotion can be counteracted with reason and understanding.\n\n\n\n\n Such was the view of Spinoza and also of the Taoists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Taoists maintained that the sage who has a complete understanding of the nature of things, thereby has no emotions. This, however, does not mean that he lacks sensibility. Rather it means that he is not disturbed by the emotions, and enjoys what may be called \"the peace of the soul.\" As Spinoza says: 'The ignorant man is not only agitated by external causes in many ways, and never enioys true peace in the soul, but lives also ignorant, as it were, both of God and of things, and as soon as he ceases to suffer, ceases also to be. On the other hand, the wise man, in so far as he is considered as such, is scarcely moved in his mind, but, being conscious by a certain eternal necessity of himself, of God, and things, never ceases to be, and always enjoys the peace of the soul. (Ethics, Pt. 5, Prop. XLII.) Thus by his understanding of the nature of things, the sage is no longer affected by the changes of the world. In this way he is not dependent upon external things, and hence his happiness is not limited by"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "things, and hence his happiness is not limited by them. He may be said to have achieved absolute happiness. Such is one line of Taoist thought, in which there is not a little atmosphere of pessimism and resignation. It is a line which emphasizes the inevitability of natural processes and the fatalistic acquiescence in them by man."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Way of Achieving Absolute Happiness\n\n\n\n\n There is another line of Taoist thought, however, which emphasizes the relativity of the nature of things and the identification of man with the universe. To achieve this identification, man needs knowledge and understanding of still a higher level, and the happiness resulting from this identification is really absolute happiness, as expounded in Chuang Tzu s chapter on The Happy Excursion. '"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In this chapter, after describing the happiness of large and small birds, Chuang Tzu adds that among human beings there was a man named Lieh Tzu who could even ride on the wind. Among those who have attained happiness,\" he says, \"such a man is rare. Yet although he was able to dispense with walking, he still had to depend upon something.\" This something was the wind, and since he had to depend upon the wind, his happiness was to that extent relative. Then Chuang Tzu asks: \"But suppose there is one who chariots on the normality of the universe, rides on the transformation of the six elements, and thus makes excursion into the infinite, what has he to de-I76 THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUANC TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n pend upon? Therefore it is said that the perfect man has no self; the spiritual man has no achievement; and the true sage has no name. (Ch. I.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What is here said by Chuang Tzu describes the man who has achieved absolute happiness. He is the perfect man, the spiritual man, and the true sage. He is absolutely happy, because he transcends the ordinary distinctions of things. He also transcends the distinction between the self and the world, the \"me\" and the \"non-me.\" Therefore he has no self. He is one with the Tao. The Too does nothing and yet there is nothing that is not done. The Too does nothing, and therefore has no achievements. The sage is one with the Tao and therefore also has no achievements. He may rule the whole world, but his rule consists of just leaving mankind alone, and letting everyone exercise his own natural ability fully and freely. The Tao is nameless and so the sage who is one wilh the Too is also nameless.\n\n\n\n\n The Finite Point of View"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Finite Point of View\n\n\n\n\n The question that remains is this: How can a person become such a perfect man? To answer it, we must make an analysis of the second chapter of the Chuang-tzu, the Ch i Wu Lun, or \"On the Equality of Things. In the \"Happy Excursion Chuang Tzu discusses two levels of happiness, and in On the E— quality of Things he discusses two levels of knowledge. Let us start our analysis with the first or lower level. In our chapter on the School of Names, we have said that there is some similarity between Hui Shih and Chuang Tzu. Thus in the Ch i Wu Lun, Chuang Tzu discusses knowledge of a lower level which is similar to that found in Hui Shih's ten so-called paradoxes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The chapter Ch'i Wu Lun begins with a description of the wind. When the wind blows, there are different kinds of sound, each with its own peculiarity. These this chapter calls the sounds of earth. But in addition there are other sounds that are known as \"the sounds of man. The sounds of earth and the sounds of man together constitute \"the sounds of Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sounds of man consist of the words (yen) that are spoken in the human world. They differ from such \"sounds of earth\" as those caused by the wind, inasmuch as when words are said, they represent human ideas. They represent affirmations and denials, and the opinions that are made by each individual from his own particular finite point of view. Being thus finite, these opinions are necessarily one—sided. Yet most men, not knowing that their opinions are based on finite points of view, invariably consider their own opinions as righl and those of others as wrong. The resull, as the Ch i Wu Lun says, \"is the affirmations and denials of the Confucianists and Mohists, the one regarding as right what the other regards as wrong, and regarding as wrong what the other regards as right.\n\n\n\n\n When people thus argue each according to his own one—sided view, there is no way either to reach a final conclusion, or to determine which side is really right or really wrong. The Ch i Wu Lun says \"Suppose that you argue"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I78 THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUANG TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n with me. If you beat me, instead of my beating you, are you necessarily right and am I\n\n\n\n\n necessarily wrong? Or, if I beat you, and not you me, am I necessarily right and are you necessarily wrong? Is one of us right and the other wrong? Or are both of us right or both of\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n us wrong? Neither you nor I can know, and others are all the more in the dark. Whom shall we ask to produce the right decision? We may ask someone who agrees with you; but since he agrees with you, how can he make the decision? We may ask someone who agrees with me; but since he agrees with me, how can he make the decision? We may ask someone who agrees with both you and me; but since he agrees with both you and me, how can he make the decision? We may ask some one who differs from both you and me; but since he differs from both you and me, how can he make the decision? '\n\n\n\n\n This passage is reminiscent of the manner of argument followed by the School of Names."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But whereas the members of that school argue thus in order to contradict the common sense of ordinary people, the Ch'i Wu Lun's purpose is to contradict the followers of the School of Names. For this school did actually believe that argument could decide what is really right and really wrong.\n\n\n\n\n Chuang Tzu, on the other hand, maintains that concepts of right and wrong are built up by each man on the basis of his own finite point of view. All these views are relative. As the Ch'i Wu Lun says: \"When there is life, there is death, and when there is death, there is life.\n\n\n\n\n When there is possibility, there is impossibility, and when there is impossibility, there is possibility. Because there is right, there is wrong. Because there is wrong, there is right."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Things are ever subject to change and have many aspects. Therefore many views can be held about one and the same thing. Once we say this, we assume that a higher standpoint exists. If we accept this assumption, there is no need to make a decision ourselves about what is right and what is wrong. The argument explains itself.\n\n\n\n\n The Higher Point of View"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Higher Point of View\n\n\n\n\n To accept this premise is to see things from a higher point of view, or, as the Ch'i Wu Lun calls it, to see things \"in the light of Heaven.\" \"To see things in the light of Heaven\" means to see things from the point of view of that which transcends the finite, which is the Too. It is said in the Ch'i Wu Lun: \"The 'this' is also 'that.' The 'that' is also 'this.' The 'that' has a system of right and wrong. The this also has a system of right and wrong. Is there really a distinction between 'that' and this ? Or is there really no distinction be tween that and this ? That the that and the this cease to be opposites is the very essence of Too. Only the essence, an axis as it were, is the center of the circle responding to the endless changes.\n\n\n\n\n The right is an endless change. The wrong is also an endless change. Therefore it is said that there is nothing better than to use the light. ' In other words, the\n\n\n\n\n l8o. THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUANG TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that and the this, in their mutual opposition of right and wrong, are like an endlessly revolving circle.\n\n\n\n\n But the man who sees things from the point of view of the Tao stands, as it were, at the center of the circle. He understands all that is going on in the movements of the circle, hut does not himself take part in these movements. This is not owing to his inactivity or resignation, but because he has transcended the finite and sees things from a higher point of view. In the Chuang-tzu, the finite point of view is compared with the view of the well—frog. The frog in the well can see only a little sky, and so thinks that the sky is only so big.\n\n\n\n\n From the point of view of the Tao, everything is just what it is. It is said in the Ch i Wu Lun: The possible is possible. The impossible is impossible. The Tao makes things and they are what they are."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What are they? They are what they are. What are they not? They are not what they are not. Everything is something and is good for something. There is nothing which is not something or is not good for something. Thus it is that there are roof-slats and pillars, ugliness and beauty, the peculiar and the extraordinary. All these by means of the Tan are united and become one. ' Although all things difier, they are alike in that they all constitute something and are good for something. They all equally come from the Tao. Therefore from the viewpoint of the Tan, things, though different, yet are united and become one."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Ch i Wu Lun says again: To make a distinction is to make some construction. But construction is the same as destruction. For things us a whole there is neither construction nor destruction, but they turn to unity and become one. For example, when a table is made out of wood, from the viewpoint of that table, this is an act of construction. But from the viewpoint of the wood or the tree, it is one of destruction. Such construction or destruction are so, however, only from a finite point of view. From the viewpoint of the Tan, there is neither construction nor destruction. These distinctions are all relative."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The distinction between the \"me\" and the \"non-me\" is also relative. From the viewpoint of the Tao, the \"me\" and the \"non-me\" are also united and become one. The Ch i Wu Lun says: \"There is nothing larger in the world than the point of a hair, yet Mount T'ai is small. There is nothing older than a dead child, yet Peng Tsu La legendary Chinese Methuselah J had an untimely death. Heaven and Earth and 1\n\n\n\n\n came into existence together, and all things with me are one.\" Here we again have Hui Shih's dictum: \"Love all things equally, Heaven and Earth are one body.\n\n\n\n\n Knowledge of the Higher Level\n\n\n\n\n This passage in the Ch i Wu Lun, however, is immediately followed by another statement: Since all things arc one, what room is there for speech? But since I have already spoken of the one, is this not already speech? One plus speech make two. Two plus one make three. Going on from this, even l 8 l THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUANG TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the most skillful reckoner will not be able to reach the end, and how much less able to do so are ordinary people! If proceeding from nothing to something we can reach three, how much further shall we reach, if we proceed from something to something! Let us not proceed. Let us stop here. It is in this statement that the Ch i Wu Lun goes a step further than Hui Shih, and begins to discuss a higher kind of knowledge. This higher knowledge is 'knowledge which is not knowledge."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What is really one can neither be discussed nor even conceived. For as soon as it is thought of and discussed, it becomes something that exists externally to the person who is doing the thinking and speaking. So since its all-embracing unity is thus lost, it is actually not the real one at all. Hui Shih said: \"The greatest has nothing beyond itself and is called the Great One.\" By these words he described the Great One very well indeed, yet he remained unaware of the fact that since the Great One has nothing beyond itself, it is impossible either to think or speak of it. For anything that can be thought or spoken of has something beyond itself, namely, the thought and the speaking. The Taoists, on the contrary, realized that the \"one\" is unthinkable and inexpressible. Thereby, they had a true understanding of the one and advanced a step further than did the School of Names."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Ch'i Wu Lun it is also said: \"Referring to the right and the wrong, the being so and not being so : if the right is really right, we need not dispute about how it is different from the wrong; if the being so is really being so, we need not dispute about how it is different fro m 'not being so. ...Let us forget life. Let us forget the distinction between right and wrong. Let us take our joy in the realm of the infinite and remain there.' The realm of the infinite is the realm wherein lives the man who has attained to the Tao. Such a man not only has knowledge of the one, but also has actually experienced it. This experience is the experience of living in the realm of the infinite.\n\n\n\n\n He has forgotten all the distinctions of things, even those involved in his own life. In his experience there remains only the undifferentiable one, in the midst of which he lives."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Described in poetical language, such a man is he who chariots on the normality of the universe, rides on the transformations of the six elements, and thus makes excursion into the infinite. He is really the independent man, so his happiness is absolute.\n\n\n\n\n Here we see how Chuang Tzu reached a final resolution of the original problem of the early Taoists. That problem is how to preserve life and avoid harm and danger. But, to the real sage, it ceases to be a problem. As is said in the Chuang—tzu: The universe is the unity of all things. If we attain this unity and identify ourselves with it, then the members of our body are but so much dust and dirt, while life and death, end and beginning, are but as the succession of day and night, which cannot disturb our inner peace. How much less shall we be troubled by worldly gain and loss, good-luck and bad-luck! \" (Ch. 2.O.) Thus Chuang Tzu solved the original problem of the 184 THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUANG TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "early Taoists simply by abolishing it. This is really the philosophical way of solving problems.\n\n\n\n\n Philosophy gives no information about matters of fact, and so cannot solve any problem in a concrete and physical way. It cannot, for example, help man either to gain longevity or defy death, nor can it help him to gain riches and avoid poverty. What it can do, however, is to give man a point of view, from which he can see that life is no more than death and loss is equal to gain. From the \"practical\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "point of view, philosophy is useless, yet it can give us a point of view which is very useful. To use an expression of the Chuang—tzu, this is the usefulness of the useless. (Ch. 4-) Spinoza has said that in a certain sense, the wise man \"never ceases to be. This is also what Chuang Tzu means. The sage or perfect man is one with the Great One, that is, the universe. Since the universe never ceases to be, therefore the sage also never ceases to be. In the sixth chapter of the Chuang—tzu, we read: A boat may be stored in a creek; a net may be stored in a lake; these may be said to be sale enough. l?ul at midnight a strong man may come and carry them away on his back. The ignorant do not see that no matter how well you store things, smaller ones in larger ones, there will always lie a chance for them lo be lost. Bui if you store the universe in the universe, there will be no room left for it to be lost. This is the great truth of things. Therefore the sage makes excursions into that which cannot be lost, and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "excursions into that which cannot be lost, and together with it he remains.' ll is in this sense that the sage never ceases to be."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Methodology of Mysticism\n\n\n\n\n In order to be one with the Great One, the sage has lo transcend and forget the distinctions between things. The way lo do t h i s is lo discard knowledge, and is the method used by the Taoists for achieving sageliness within. The task of knowledge in the ordinary sense is to make distinctions; lo know a thing is to know the difference between it and other things. Therefore lo discard knowledge means to forget these distinctions. Once all distinctions are forgotten, there remains only [he iindifferentiable one, which is the great whole. By achieving this condition, the sage may be said to have knowledge of another and higher level, which is called by the Taoists knowledge which is nut knowledge."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Chuang-tzu there are many passages about ihe method of forgetting distinctions. In the sixth chapter, for example, a report is given of an imaginary conversation between Confucius and his favorite disciple, Yen Hui. The story reads: \"Yen Hui said: 'I have made some progress.' 'What do you mean? asked Confucius. 1 have forgotten human -heartedness and righteousness,' replied Yen Hui. 'Very well, but that is not enough,' said Confucius. Another day Yen Hui again saw Confucius and said: 'I have made so me progress. What do you mean? asked Confucius. I have forgotten rituals and music, replied Yen Hui. Very well, but that is not enough,'\n\n\n\n\n l86 . THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUANC TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n _\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n said Confucius. Another day Yen Hui again saw Confucius and said: 'I have made some progress. What do you mean? asked Confucius. 1 sit in forgetfulness,' replied Yen Hui."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"At this Confucius changed countenance and asked: 'What do you mean b y s i t t i n g i n f o r g et f u ln es s? To wh i ch Yen Hu i r ep l i ed : M y l i mb s ar e nerveless and my intelligence is dimmed. I have abandoned my body and discarded my knowledge. Thus I become one with the Infinite. This is what I mean by sitting in forgetfulness. Then Confucius said: If you have become one with the Infinite, you have no personal likes and dislikes. If you have become one with the Great Evolution [of the universe], you are one who merely follow its changes. If you really have achieved this, I should like to follow your steps."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus Yen Hui achieved \"sageliness within\" by discarding knowledge. The result of discarding knowledge is to have no knowledge. But there is a difference between \"having-no knowledge\" and \"having no-knowledge. The state of \"having-no knowledge\" is one of original ignorance, whereas that of \"having no-kno wl edge\" co mes only aft er one has p ass ed through a prior stage of having knowledge.\n\n\n\n\n The former is a gift of nature, while the latter is an achievement of the spirit.\n\n\n\n\n Some of the Taoists saw this distinction very clearly. It is significant that they used the word forget t o express th e ess enti al idea of t heir method. Sages are not persons who remain in a state of original ignorance. They at one time possessed ordinary knowledge and made the usual distinctions, but they since forgot them. The difference between them and the man of original ignorance is as great as that between the courageous man and the man who does not fear simply because he is insensible to fear."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But there were also Taoists, such as the authors of some chapters of the Chuang-tzu, who failed to see this difference. They admired the primitive s t a t e o f s o c i e t y a n d mi n d , a n d c o mp a r e d s a g e s w i t h c h i l d r e n an d t h e ignorant. Children and the ignorant have no knowledge and do not make distinctions, so that they both seem to belong to the undifferentiable one. Their belonging to it, however, is entirely unconsciousness. They remain in the undifferentiable one, but they are not conscious of the fact. They are ones who h ave-no knowl edge, but not who hav e no-knowl edge. It is th e latter acquired state of no -knowledge that the Taoists call that of the knowledge which is not knowledge.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n l88 THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM:CHUANG TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n CHAFfER 11\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n THE LATER MOHISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "THE LATER MOHISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n J.N the Mo-lzu, there are six chapters (chs. 40-45) which differ in character from the other chapters and possess a special logical interest. Of these, chapters forty to forty-one are titled \"Canons\" and consist of definitions of logical, moral, mathematical, and scientific ideas. Chapters forty -two to forty —three are titled Expositions of the Canons, and consist of explanations of the definitions contained in the preceding two chapters. And chapters forty—four and forty—five are titled Major Illustrations and Minor Illustrations respectively. In them, several topics of logical interest are discussed. The general purpose of all six chapters is to uphold the Mohist point of view and refute, in a logical way, the arguments of the School of Names. The chapters as a whole are usually known as the \"Mohist Canons.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the last chapter we have seen that in the Ch'i Wu Lun, Chuang Tzu discussed two levels of knowledge. On the first level, he proved the relativity of things and reached the same conclusion as that of Hui Shih. But on the second level, he went beyond him. On the first level, he agreed with the School of Names and criticized common sense from a higher point of view. On the second level, however, he in turn criticized the School of Names from a still higher poinl of view. Thus the Taoists refuted the arguments of the School of Names as well, but the arguments they used are, logically speaking, on a higher level than those of the School of Names. Bolh their arguments and those of the School of Names require an effort of reflective thinking to be understood. Both run counter to the ordinary canons of common sense."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Mohists as well as some of the Confucianists, on the other hand, were philosophers of common sense. Though the two groups differed in many ways, they agreed with one another in being practical. In opposition to the arguments of the School of Names, they developed, almost along similar lines of thought, epistemological and logical theories to defend common sense. These theories appear in the Mohist Canons and in the chapter titled On The Rectification of Names\" in the Hsun-lzu, the author of which, as we\n\n\n\n\n 190 THE LATER MOHISTS\n\n\n\n\n ^\n\n\n\n\n shall see in chapter thirteen, was one of the greatest Coniucianists of the early period.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Discussions on Knowledge and Names"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Discussions on Knowledge and Names\n\n\n\n\n The epistemological theory set forth in the Mohist Canons is a kind of naive realism. There is, it maintains, a knowing faculty which \"is that by means of which one knows, but which itself does not necessarily know. (Ch. 42..) The reason for this is that, in order to have knowledge, the knowing faculty must be confronted with an object of knowledge. \"Knowledge is that in which the knowing [faculty]\n\n\n\n\n meets the object and is able to apprehend its form and shape.\" (Ch. 42-) Besides the sensory organs for knowing, such as those of seeing and hearing, there also exists the mind, which is that by means of which one understands the object of knowledge.\" (Ibid.) In other words, the mind interprets the impressions of external objects which are brought to it by the senses."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The \"Mohist Canons\" also provide various logical classifications of knowledge. From the point of view of its source, knowledge is to be classified into three types: that derived through the personal experience of the knower; that transmitted to him by authority (i.e., obtained by him either through hearsay or written records); and knowledge by inference (i.e., obtained through making deductions on the basis of what is known about what is unknown). Also from the point of view of the various objects of knowledge, it is to be classified into four kinds: knowledge of names, that of actualities, that of correspondence, and that of action. (Ch. 4°) it will be remembered that names, actualities, and their relationships to one another, were the particular interest of the School of Names. According to the \"Mohist Canons,\" \"a name is that with which one speaks about a thing,\" while \"an actuality is that about which one speaks.\" (Ch. 42.) When one says: \"This is a table, \"table is a name, and is that with which one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"table is a name, and is that with which one speaks about \"this,\" while \"this\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is the actuality about which one is speaking. Expressed in terms of Western logic, a name is the predicate of a proposition, and an actuality is the subject of it.\n\n\n\n\n In the \"Mohist Canons,\" names are classified into three kinds: general, classifying, and private. Thing is a general name. All actualities must bear this name. 'Horse' is a classifying name. All actualities of that sort must have that name. 'Tsang' [the name of a person] is a private name. This name is restricted to this actuality.' (Ch. 42.)\n\n\n\n\n The knowledge of correspondence is that which knows which name corresponds to which actuality.\n\n\n\n\n Such kind of knowledge is required for the state—\n\n\n\n\n 192 THE LATER MOHISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n ment of such a proposition as: \"This is a table.\" When one has this kind of knowledge, one knows that \"names and actualities pair with each other.\" (Ch. 41.)\n\n\n\n\n The knowledge of action is the knowledge of how to do a certain thing. This is what Americans call \"know-how.\"\n\n\n\n\n Discussions on Dialectic"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Of the chapter titled \"Minor Illustrations,\" a large part is devoted to the discussions of dialectic. This chapter says: \"Dialectic serves to make clear the distinction between right and wrong, to discriminate between order and disorder, to make evident points of similarity and difference, to examine ihe principles of names and actualities, to differentiate what is beneficial and what is harmful, and to remove doubts and uncertainties. It observes the happenings of all things, and investigates the order and relation between the various judgments. It uses names to designate actualities, propositions to express ideas, statements to sel forth causes, and taking and giving according to classes.\"(Ch.45-) The first part of this passage deals with the purpose and function of dialectic; the second part with its methodology. In another part of the same chapter, it is said that there are seven methods of dialectic: A particular judgment indicates what is not all so. A hypothetical judgment indicates what is at"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "so. A hypothetical judgment indicates what is at present not so. Imitation consists in taking a model. What is imitated is what is taken as a model. If the cause is in agreement with the imitation, it is correcl. If it is not in agreement with the imitation, it is not correct."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is the method of imitation. The method of comparison consists in using one thing to explain another.\n\n\n\n\n The method of parallel consists in comparing two series of propositions consistently throughout. The method of analogy says: You are so. Why should I alone not be so? The method of extension consists in attributing the same to what is not known as to what is known. When the other is said to be the same [as thisj, how can I say that it is different?\" (Ch. 45.)\n\n\n\n\n The method of imitation in this passage is the same as that of \"using slale-ments to set forth causes\" of the preceding quotation. And the method of extension is the same as the \"taking and giving according to classes\" of the preceding passage. These are the two most important of the methods, and correspond roughly to the deductive and inductive methods oi Western logic."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before giving further explanation of these two methods, something may be said regarding what in the \"Mohist Canons\" is called a cause. A cause is defined as \"thai with which something becomes,\" and is also classified into\n\n\n\n\n 194 ■ THE LATER MOHISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n two kinds, the major and minor. (Ch. 4°) \"A minor cause is one with which something may not necessarily be so, but without which it will never be so. \"A major cause is one with which something will necessarily be so, and without which it will never be so.\" (Ch. 42..) It is evident that what the \"Mohist Canons\" call a minor cause is what in modern logic would be called a necessary cause, while what the \"Mohist Canons\" call a major cause is what modern logic would describe as a necessary and sufficient cause. In modern logic there is the distinction of yet another kind of cause, the sufficient cause, which is one with which something will necessarily be so, but without which it may or may not be so. This distinction the Mohists failed to make."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In modern logical reasoning, if we want to know whether a general proposition is true or not, we verify it with facts or experiment. If, for example, we want to make sure that certain bacteria are the cause of a certain disease, the way to verify the matter is to take as a formula the general proposition that the bacteria A are the cause of the disease B, and then make an experiment to see whether the supposed cause really produces the expected result or not. If it does, it really is the cause; if not, it is not."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is deductive reasoning and is also what the \"Mohist Canons\" call the method of imitation. For to take a general proposition as a formula is to take it as a model, and to make an experiment with it is to make an imitation of it. That the supposed cause produces the expected result, means that the cause is in agreement with the imitation. And that it does not, means that the cause is not in agreement with the imitation.\" It is in this way that we can distinguish a true from a false cause, and determine whether a cause is a major or minor one."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As regards the other form of reasoning through extension, it may be illustrated through the dictum that all men are mortal. We are able to make this dictum, because we know that all men of the past were mortal, and that men of today and of the future are the same in kind as those of the past. Hence we draw the general conclusion that all men are mortal. In this inductive reasoning, we use \"the method of extension.' That men of the past were mortal is what is known. And that men of today and of the future are and will be mortal is what is not known. To say that all men are mortal, therefore, is ' to attribute the same to what is not known as to what is known. We can do this because \"the other is said to be the same [as this].\"We are \"taking and giving according to class.\n\n\n\n\n Clarification of All-embracing Love\n\n\n\n\n Versed in the method of dialectic, the later Mohists did much in clarifying I96 THE LATER MOHISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n and defending the philosophical position of their school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Following the tradition of Mo Tzu s utilitarianistic philosophy, the later Mohists maintain that all human activities aim at obtaining benefit and avoiding harm. Thus in the Major Illustrations we are told: When one cuts a finger in order to preserve a hand, this is to choose the greater benefit and the lesser harm. To choose the lesser harm is not to choose harm, but to choose benefit....If on meeting a robber one loses a finger so as to save one's life, this is benefit. The meeting with the robber is harm."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Choice of the greater benefit is not a thing done under compulsion. Choice of the lesser harm is a thing done under compulsion. The former means choosing from what has not yet been obtained. The latter means discarding from what one has already been burdened with.\" (Ch. 44-) Thus for all human activities the rule is: \"Of the benefits, choose the greatest; of the harms, choose the slightest.\" (Ibid.) Both Mo Tzu and the later Mohists identified the good with the beneficial. Beneficialness is the essence of the good. But what is the essence of beneficialness? Mo Tzu did not raise this question, but the later Mohists did and gave an answer. In the first 'Canon, it is said: \"The beneficial is that with the obtaining of which one is pleased. The harmful is that with the obtaining of which one is displeased. (Ch.\n\n\n\n\n 40.) Thus the later Mohists provided a hedonistic justification for the ulilitarianistic philosophy of the Mohist school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This position reminds us of the \"principle of utility\" of Jeremy Bentham. In his Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, Bentham says: \"Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do....The principle of utility recognizes this subjection, and assumes it for the foundation of that system, the object of which is to rear the fabric of felicity by the hands of reason and law.\" (P. I.) Thus Bentham reduces good and bad to a question of pleasure and pain. According to him the aim of morality is \"the greatest happiness of the greatest number.\" (Ibid.)\n\n\n\n\n This is also what the later Mohists do. Having defined \"the beneficial,\" they go on to define the virtues in the light of this concept. Thus in the first Canon we find: Righteousness consists in doing the beneficial. Loyalty consists in benefiting one's ruler.\" \"Filial piety consists in benefiting one's parents."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Meritorious accomplishment consists in benefiting the people. (Ch. 4°.) \"Benefiting the people means \"the greatest happiness of the greatest number.\"\n\n\n\n\n Regarding the theory of all—embracing love, the later Mohists maintain that its major attribute is its all-embracing character. In the \"Minor Illustrations we read: In loving men one needs to love all men before one can\n\n\n\n\n 196 THE LATER MOHISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "196 THE LATER MOHISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n regard oneself as loving men. In not loving men one does not need not to love any man [before one can regard oneself as not loving men]. Not to have all-embracing love is not to love men. When riding horses, one need iiol ride all horses in order to regard oneself as riding a horse. For if one rides only a few horses, one is still riding horses. But when not riding horses, one must ride no horse at all in order to regard oneself as not riding horses. This is the difference between all-inclusiveness [in the case of loving men] and the absence of all-inclusiveness [in the case of riding horses]. \"(Ch. 44.) Every man, as a matter of fact, has someone whom he loves. Every man, for example, loves his own children. Hence the mere fact that a man loves someone does not mean that he loves men in general. But on the negative side, the fact that he does wrong to someone, even his own children, does mean that he does not love men. Such is the reasoning of the Mohists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Defense of All-embracing Love\n\n\n\n\n Against this view of the later Mohists, there were at that time two main objections. The first was that the number of men in the world is infinite; how, then, is it possible for one to love them all? This objection was referred to under the title: Infinity is incompatible with all—embracing love. And the second objection was that if failure to love a single man means failure to love men in general, there should then be no such punishment as killing a robber.\" This objection was known under the title: To kill a robber is to kill a man.\" The later Mohists used their dialectic to try to refute these objections."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the second Canon there is the statement: Infinity is not incompatible with all-embracingness. The reason is given under 'full or not.'\" (Ch. 40.) The second Exposition of the Canons develops this statement as follows: \"Infinity: (Objection:) ' I f the South has a limit, it can be included in toto. [Theke was a common belief in ancient China that the South had no limit] If it has no limit, it cannot be included in toto. It is impossible to know whether it has a limit or not and hence it is impossible to know whether it can all be included or not. It is impossible to know whether people fill this [space] or not, and hence it is impossible to know whether they can be included in toto or not. This being so, it is perverse to hold that all people can be included in our love. (Answer:) If people do not fill what is unlimited, then [the number of] people has a limit, and there is no difficulty in including anything that is limited [in number]. But if people do fill what is unlimited, then what is [supposed to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "fill what is unlimited, then what is [supposed to be] unlimited is limited, and then there is no difficulty in including what is limited. \" (Ch. 43-) To kill a robber is to kill a man is the other major objection to the Mo— 2.OO . THE LATER MOHISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "hists, because killing a man is not consistent with loving all men equally and universally. To this\n\n\n\n\n objection the Minor Illustrations answers as follows:\n\n\n\n\n \"A white horse is a horse. To ride a white horse is to ride a horse. A black horse is a horse. To ride a black horse is to ride a horse. Huo [name of a person J is a man. To love Huo is to love a man. Tsang [ name of a person ] is a man. To love Tsang is to love a man. This is to affirm what is right.\n\n\n\n\n \"But Huo's parents are men. Yet when Huo serves his parents, he is not serving men. His younger brother is a handsome man. Yet when he loves his younger brother, he is not loving handsome men. A cart is wood, but to ride a cart is not to ride wood. A boat is wood, but to ride a boat is not to ride wood.\n\n\n\n\n A robber is a man, but that there are many robbers does not mean that there are many men; and that there are no robbers does not mean that there are no men."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"How is this explained? To hate the existence of many robbers is not to hate the existence of many men. To wish that there were no robbers is not to wish that there were no men. The world generally agrees on this. And this being the ease, although a robber—man is a man, yet to love robbers is not to love men, and not to love robbers is not to love men. Likewise to kill a robber-man is not to kill a man.\n\n\n\n\n There is no difficulty in this proposition.\" (Ch. 45-)\n\n\n\n\n With such dialectic as this the later Mohists refuted the objection that the killing of a robber is inconsistent with their principle of all-embracing love.\n\n\n\n\n Criticsm of Other Schools"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Using their dialectic, the later Mohists not only refute the objections of other schools against them, but also make criticisms of their own against these schools. For example, the \"Mohist Canons\" contain a number of objections against the arguments of the School of Names. Hui Shih, it will be remembered, had argued for the \"unity of similarity and difference.\" In his ten paradoxes he passed from the premise that all things are similar lo each other,\" to the conclusion: \"Love all things equally. Heaven and Earth are one body.\" This, for the later Mohists, is a fallacy arising from the ambiguity of the Chinese word t ung. T ung may be variously used to mean identity, \"agreement, or \"similarity. In the first \"Canon there is a statement which reads: \"Tung: There is that of identity, that of part-and-whole relationship, that of co—existence, and that of generic relation. (Ch. 4®-) And the Exposition\" explains further: \"T ung: That there are two names for one actuality is identity. Inclusion in one whole is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "actuality is identity. Inclusion in one whole is part—and—whole relationship. Both being in the same room is co-existence. Having some points of similarity is generic relation. (Ch. 42-)The same Canon and Exposition also have a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2-OX THE LATER\n\n\n\n\n MOHISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n discussion on \"difference,\" which is just the reverse of t'ung.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n The Mohist Canons fail actually to mention Hui Shih by name. As a matter of fact, no name is ever mentioned in these chapters. But from this analysis of the word t' ung, Hui Shih' s fallacy becomes dear.\n\n\n\n\n That all things are similar to each other means that they have generic relationship, that they are of the same class, the class of \"things.\" But that Heaven and Earth are one body means that they have a part—and—whole relationship. The truth of the one proposition as applied to a particular situation cannot be inferred from the truth of the other, even though the same word, t ung, is used in both cases."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As regards Kung-sun Lung s argument for \"the separation of hardness and whiteness, the later Mohists thought only in terms of concrete hard and white stones as they actually exist in the physical universe. Hence they maintained that the qualities of hardness and whiteness both simultaneously inhere in the stone. As a result, they are not mutually exclusive, but \"must pervade each other.\" (Chaps.\n\n\n\n\n 40, 42.)\n\n\n\n\n The later Mohists also criticized the Taoists. In the second Canon we read: \"Learning is useful. The reason is given by those who oppose it.\" (Ch. 41-) The second \"Exposition' comments on this: \"Learning: By maintaining that people do not know that learning is useless, one is thereby informing them of this fact. This informing that learning is useless, is itself a teaching. Thus by holding that learning is useless, one teaches. This is perverse.\" (Ch. 43.)\n\n\n\n\n This is a criticism of a statement in the Lao-tzu: Banish learning and there will be no grieving.\" (Ch."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "10.) According to the later Mohists, learning and teaching are related terms. If learning is to be banished, so is teaching. For once there is teaching, there is also learning, and if teaching is useful, learning cannot be useless. The very teaching that learning is useless proves in itself that it is useful.\n\n\n\n\n In the second \"Canon\" we read: \"To say that in argument there is no winner is necessarily incorrect.\n\n\n\n\n The reason is given under 'argument'.\" The second \"Exposition comments on this: \"In speaking, what people say either agrees or disagrees. There is agreement when one person says something is a puppy, and another says it is a dog. There is disagreement when one says it is an ox, and another says it is a horse. [That is to say, when there is disagreement, there is argumencj When neither of them wins, there is no argument. Argument is that in which one person says the thing is so, and another says it is not so.\n\n\n\n\n The one who is right will win.\" (Ch. 43.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The one who is right will win.\" (Ch. 43.)\n\n\n\n\n In the second Canon we also read: To hold that all speech is perverse is perverse. The reason is given under speech.'\" (Ch. 41.) The second \"Exposition comments on this: [To hold that all speech J is perverse, is not\n\n\n\n\n 2.04 THE LATER MOHISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n permissible. If the speech of this man Lwho holds this doctrine J is permissible, then at least ihis speech is not perverse, and there is some speech that is permissible. If the speech of this man is not permissible, then it is wrong to take it as being correct. (Ch. 43>)\n\n\n\n\n The second \"Canon\" also says: \"That knowing it and not knowing it are the same, is perverse. The reason is given under no means. (Ch. 4L) And the second \"Exposition\" comments: \"When there is knowledge, there is discussion about it. Unless there is knowledge, there is no means [of discussion].\"\n\n\n\n\n (Ch. 43.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yet again the second \"Canon states: \"To condemn criticism is perverse. The reason is given under 'not to condemn.'\" (Ch. 41.) On which the second \"Exposition\" comments: \"To condemn criticism is to condemn one's own condemnation. If one does not condemn it, there is nothing to be condemned. When one cannot condemn it, this means not to condemn criticism. (Ch. 43-) These are all criticisms against Chuang Tzu. Chuang Tzu maintained that nothing can be decided in argument. Even if someone wins, he said, the winner is not necessarily right or the loser necessarily wrong. But according lo the later Mohists, Chuang Tzu, by expressing this very doctrine, showed himself in disagreement with others and was himself arguing. If he won the argument, did not this very fact prove him to be wrong? Chuang Tzu also said: \"Great argument does not require words.\" And again: \"Speech that argues falls short of its aim. (Chuaiig—lzu, oh. 2..) Hence all speech is perverse. Furthermore, he held that everything is right in its own"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "he held that everything is right in its own way and in its own opinion, and one should not criticize the other."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ibid.) But according to the later Mohists, what Chuang Tzu said itself consists of speech and itself constitutes a criticism against others. So if all speech is perverse, is not this saying of Chuang Tzu also perverse? And if all criticism against others is to be condemned, then Chuang Tzu's criticism should be condemned first of all. Chuang Tzu also talked much about the importance of having no knowledge. But such discussion is itself a form of knowledge. When there is no knowledge, there can be no discussion about it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In criticizing the Taoists, the later Mohists pointed out certain logical paradoxes that have also appeared in Western philosophy. Il is only with the development of a new logic in recent times that these paradoxes have been solved. Thus in contemporary logic, the criticisms made by the later Mohists are no longer valid. Yet it is interesting to note that the later Mohists were so logically minded. More than any other school of ancient China, they attempted to create a pure system of epistemology and logic.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 2.06 THE LATER MOHISTS\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 12\n \n \n\n\n\n\n THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n IN the second chapter of this book I said that the Yin-Yang School had its origin in the occultists. These occultists were anciently known as the fang shih, that is, practitioner of occult arts. In the \"Treatise on Literature\" (ch. 30) in the History of the Former Han Dynasty, which is based on the Seven Summaries by Liu Hsin, these occult arts are grouped into six classes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Six Classes of Occult Arts\n\n\n\n\n The first is astrology. \"Astrology, says this chapter in the Han History; \"serves to arrange in order the twenty-eight constellations, and note the progressions of the five planets and of the sun and the moon, so as to record thereby the manifestations of fortune and misfortune.\"\n\n\n\n\n The second deals with almanacs. \"Almanacs,\" says the same treatise, serve to arrange the four seasons in proper order, to adjust the times of the equinoxes and solstices, and to note the concordance of the periods of the sun, moon, and five planets, so as thereby to examine into the actualities of cold and heat, life and death....Through this art, the miseries of calamities and the happiness of prosperity all appear manifest.\"\n\n\n\n\n The third is connected with the five Elements. \"This art,\" says the \"Treatise on Literature,\" \"arises from the revolutions of the Five Powers [Five Elements], and if it is extended to its farthest limits, there is nothing to which it will not reach."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fourth is divination by means of the stalks of the milfoil plant and that done with ihe lortuise shell or shoulder bones of the ox. These were the two main method* of divination in ancient China. In the latter method, the diviner bored a hole in a tortoise shell or a flat piece of bone, and then applied heat to it by a metal rod in such a way as to cause cracks to radiate from the hole. These cracks were interpreted by the diviner according to their configuration as an answer to the question asked. In the former method,\n\n\n\n\n 2O8 THK. YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n the diviner manipulated the stalks of the milfoil in such a way as to produce certain numerical combinations which could be interpreted by means of the Book of Changes. Such interpretation was the primary purpose of the original corpus of this work."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fifth group is that of miscellaneous divinations and the sixth is the system of forms. The latter included physiognomy together with what in later times has been known as feng-shui, literally, \"wind and water.\" Feng-shui is based on the concept that man is the product of the universe. Hence his house or burial place must be so arranged as to be in harmony with the natural forces, i.e., with \"wind and water.\n\n\n\n\n In the days when feudalism was in its prime during the early centuries of the Chou dynasty, every aristocratic house had attached to it hereditary experts in these various occult arts, who had to be consuited when any act of importance was contemplated. But with the gradual disintegration of feudalism, many of these experts lost their hereditary positions and scattered throughout the country, where they continued to practice their arts among the people. They then came to be known as the fang shih or practitioners of occult arts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Occultism or magic is itself, of course, based on superstition, but it has often been the origin of science. The occult arts share with science the desire to interpret nature in a positive manner, and to acquire the services of nature through its conquest by man. Occultism becomes science when it gives up its belief in supernatural forces, and tries to interpret the universe solely in terms of forces that are natural. The concepts of what these natural forces are may in themselves initially look rather simple and crude, yet in them we find the beginnings of science.\n\n\n\n\n Such has been the contribution of the Yin -Yang school to Chinese thought. This school represents a scientific tendency in the sense that it tried to give a positive interpretation to natural events in terms solely of natural forces. By the word positive I mean that which has to do with matters of fact."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In ancient China there were two lines of thought that thus tried to interpret the structure and origin of the universe. One is found in the writings of the Yin-Yang school, while the other is found in some of the \"Appendices\" added by anonymous Confucianists to the original text of the Book of Changes. These two lines of thought seem to have developed independently. In the \"Grand Norm\" and \"Monthly Commands, which we will examine below, there is stress on the Five Elements but no mention of the Yin and Yang; in the Appendices of the Book of Changes, on the contrary, much is said about the Yin and Yang, but nothing about the Five Elements. Later, however, these two lines of thought became intermingled. This was already the case by the time of Ssu—ma T an (died IIO B.C.), so that in the Historical Records he lumps them together as the Yin-Yang school.\n\n\n\n\n 2.IO THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY\n\n\n\n\n .\n\n\n\n\n The Five Elements as Described in the Grand Norm"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The term Wu Hsing is usually translated as the Five Elements. We should not think of them as static, however, but ratjier as five dynamic and interacting forces. The Chinese word hsing means to act or to do, so that the term Wu Hsing, literally translated, would mean the Five Activities, or Five Agents. They are also known as the Wu Te, which means Five Powers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The term Wu Hsing appears in a text traditionally said lo antedate the twentieth century B.C. (See the Book of History; Part 111, Book II, eh. I, 3.) The authenticity of this text cannot be proved, however, and even if it were proved, we cannot be sure whether the term Wu Hsing means the same thing in it as it does in other texts whose date is better fixed. The first really authentic account of the Wu Hsing, therefore, is to be found in another section of the Book of History (Part V, Book 4), known as the Hung Fan or \"Great Plan\" or \"Grand Norm.\" Traditionally, the \"Grand Norm\" is said to be the record of a speech delivered to King Wu of the Chou dynasty by the Viscount of Chi, a prince of the Shang dynasty which King Wu conquered at the end of the twelfth century B.C. In this speech, the Viscount of Chi in turn attributes his ideas to Yli, traditional founder of the Hsia Dynasty who is said to have lived in the twenty-second century B.C. These traditions are mentioned as examples of the way the writer of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mentioned as examples of the way the writer of this treatise tried to give importance to the Wu Hsing theory. As to the actual date of the \"Grand Norm,\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "modern scholarship inclines to place it within the fourth or third centuries B.C.\n\n\n\n\n In the \"Grand INorm\" we are given a list of \"Nine Categories.\" \"First [among the categories],\" we read, \"is that of the Wu Hsing. The first [of these] is named Water; the second, Fire; the third, Wood; the fourth, Metal; the fifth, Soil. LThe nature of] Water is to moisten and descend; of Fire, to flame and ascend; of Wood, to be crooked and straighten; of Metal, to yield and to be modified; of Soil, to provide for sowing and reaping. '\n\n\n\n\n Next comes the category of the Five Functions. \"Second,\" we read, \"is that of the Five Functions. The first !_of these] is personal appearance; the second, speech; the third, vision; the fourth, hearing; the fifth, thought. Personal appearance should be decorous; speech should follow order; vision should be clear; hearing, distinct; thought, profound. Decorum produces solemnity; following order, regularity; clearness, intelligence; distinctness, deliberation; profundity, wisdom."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Skipping now lo the eighth of the Nine Categories, we come to what the \"Grand Norm\" calls the various indications: \"The eighth is that of various indications. These are rain, sunshine, heat, cold, wind, and seasonableness. When these five come fully and in their regular order, I he various plants will be rich and luxuriant. If there is extreme excess in any of them, disaster fol-THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n lows. The following are the favorable indications: the solemnity of the sovereign will be followed by seasonable rain; his regularity, by seasonable sunshine; his intelligence, by seasonable heat; his deliberation, by seasonable cold; his wisdom, by seasonable wind. The following are the unfavorable indications: the madness of the sovereign will be followed by steady rain; his insolence, by steady sunshine; his idleness, by steady heat; his haste, by steady cold; his ignorance, by steady wind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the \"Grand Norm\" we find that the idea of the Wu Using is still crude. In speaking of them, its author is still thinking in terms of the actual substances, water, fire, etc., instead of abstract forces bearing these names, as the Wu Hsing came to be regarded later on. The author also tells us that the human and natural worlds are interlinked; bad conduct on the part of the sovereign results in the appearance of abnormal phenomena in the world of nature. This theory, which was greatly developed by the Yin—Yang school in later times, is known as that of the mutual influence between nature and man.\"\n\n\n\n\n Two theories have been advanced to explain the reasons for this interaction. One is teleological. It maintains that wrong conduct on the part of the sovereign causes Heaven to become angry. That anger results in abnormal natural phenomena, which represent warnings given by Heaven to the sovereign."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other theory is mechanistic. It maintains that the sovereign s bad conduct automatically results in a disturbance of nature and thus mechanically produces abnormal phenomena. The whole universe is a mechanism. When one part of it becomes out of order, the other part must be mechanically affected.\n\n\n\n\n This theory represents the scientific spirit of the Yin-Yang school, while the other reflects its occult origin.\n\n\n\n\n The \"Monthly Commands\n\n\n\n\n The next important document of the Yin-Yang school is the Yiieh Ling or \"Monthly Commands,\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "which is first found in the Lii-xhih Ch'un-ch'in, a work of the late third century B.C., and later was also embodied in the Li Chi {Book of Rites). The Monthly Commands gains ils name from ihe fact that it is a small almanac which tells the ruler and men generally what they should do month by month in order to retain harmony wilh ihe forces of nature. In it, the structure of the universe is described in terms of the Yin-Yang school. This structure is spacio—temporal, that is, il relates both to space and to time. The ancient Chinese, being situated in the northern hemisphere, quite naturally regarded the south as the direction of heat and the north as that of cold. Hence the Yin-Yang school correlated the four seasons with the four compass points. Summer was correlated with the south; winter with the north; spring with the east, because it is the direction of sun-\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 2.14 THE YM-YANC SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "rise; and autumn with the west, because this is the direction of sunset. The school also regarded the changes of day and night as representing, on a minialure scale, ihe changes of the four seasons of the year. Thus morning is a miniature representation of spring; noon, of summer; evening, of autumn; and night, of winter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "South and summer are hot, because south is the direction and summer the time in which the Power or Element of Fire is dominant. North and winter are cold, because north is the direction and winter the time in which the Power of Water is dominant, and water is associated v vi lh ice and snow, which are cold. Likewise, the Power of Wood is dominant in the east and in spring, because spring is the time when plants (symbolized by wood ) begin to grow and the east is correlated with spring. The Power of Metal is dominant in the west and in autumn, because metal was regarded as something hard and harsh, and autumn is the bleak time when growing plants reach their end, while the west is correlated with autumn. Thus four of the five Powers are accounted for, leaving only the Power of Soil without a fixed place and season. According to the \"Monthly Commands,\" however, Soil is the central of the Five Powers, and so occupies a place at the center of the four compass points. Its lime of domination is said to be a brief"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Its lime of domination is said to be a brief interim period coming between summer and autumn."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With such a cosmological theory, the Yin—Yang school tried to explain natural phenomena both in terms of time and space, and furthermore maintained that these phenomena are closely interrelated with human conduct. Hence, as stated above, the \"Monthly Commands\" sets forth regulations as to what the sovereign should do month by month, which is the reason for its name.\n\n\n\n\n Thus we are told: \"In the first month of spring the east wind resolves the cold. Creatures that have been torpid during the winter begin to move....It is in this month that the vapors of heaven descend and those of earth ascend. Heaven and earth are in harmonious cooperation. All plants bud and grow. '\n\n\n\n\n (Bonk of Rites, ch. 4.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Bonk of Rites, ch. 4.)\n\n\n\n\n Because man's conduct should be in harmony with the way of nature, we are told that in this month, \"lie [the sovereign] charges his assistants to disseminate [lessons of] virtue and harmonize governmental orders, so as to give effect to the expressions of his satisfaction and to bestow his favors to the millions of the people....Prohibitions arc issued against cutting down trees. Nests should not be thrown down...In this month no warlike operations should be undertaken; the undertaking of such is sure to be followed by calamities from Heaven. This avoidance of warlike operations means that they are not to be commenced on our side.\n\n\n\n\n If, in each month, the sovereign fails to act in the manner befitting that month, but instead follows the conduct appropriate to another month, abnormal natural phenomena will result. If in the first month of spring, the gov— 2.16 THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ernmental proceedings proper to summer are carried out, rain will fall unseasonably, plants and trees will decay prematurely, and the state will be kept in continual fear. If the proceedings proper to aulumn are carried out, there will be great pestilence among the people, boisterous winds will work their violence, and rain will descend in torrents....If the proceedings proper to winter are carried out, pools of water will produce destructive effects, and snow and frost will prove very injurious....\n\n\n\n\n Tsou Yen\n\n\n\n\n A major figure of the Yin-Yang school in the third century B.C. was Tsou Yen. According to Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Shin Chi oi-Historical Records, Tsou Yen was a native of the State of Ch i in the central part of present Shantung province, and lived shortly after Mencius. He wrote essays totaling more than a hundred thousand words, but all have since been lost. In the Historical Records itself, however, Ssu—ma Ch ien gives a fairly detailed account of Tsou Yen s theories."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to this work (eh. 74), Tsou Yen's method was \"first to examine small objects, and to extend this to large ones until he reached what was without limit.\" His interests seem to have been centered on geography and history."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As regards geography, Ssu-ma Ch'ien writes: \"He began by classifying China s notable mountains, great rivers and connecting valleys; its birds and beasts; the productions of its waters and soils, and its rare products; and from this he extended his survey to what is beyond the seas, and which men are unable to see....He maintained that what scholars call the Middle Kingdom [i.e., China I holds a place in the whole world of but one part in eighty-one. He named China the Spiritual Continent of the Red Region.... Besides China [there are other continents] similar to the Spiritual Continent of the Red Region, making [with China] a total of nine continents....Around each of these is a small encircling sea, so that men and beasts cannot pass from one to another. These [nine continentsJ form one division.\n\n\n\n\n There are nine divisions like this. Around their outer edge is a vast ocean which encompasses them at the point where heaven and earth meet."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As regards Tsou Yen s historical concepts, Ssu—ma Ch ien writes: He first spoke about modern times, and from this went back to the time of Huang Ti [the legendary Yellow Emperor], all of which has been recorded by scholars. Moreover, he followed the great events in the rise and fall of ages, recorded their omens and institutions, and extended his survey backward to the time when heaven and earth had not yet been born, to what was profound and abstruse and not to be examined....Starting from the time of the separation of heaven and earth and coming down, he made citations of the Il8 THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n revolutions and transformations of the Five Powers, anrl the [ different ways of] government and different omens appropriate to eaeh of the Powers.\"\n\n\n\n\n A Philosophy of History"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A Philosophy of History\n\n\n\n\n The last few lines of the quotation show that Tsou Yen developed a new philosophy of history, according to which historical changes are interpreted in accordance with the revolutions and transformations of the Five Powers. The details of this theory are not reported by Ssu —ma Ch inn, but il is treated in one section of the Lit -shift Ch' un -ch' iu, even though in this section Tsou Yen s name is not explicitly mentioned. Thus this work stales (XIII, 2.):\n\n\n\n\n Whenever an Emperor or King is about to arise, Heaven must first manifest some favorable omen to the common people. In the time of the Yellow Emperor, Heaven first made huge earthworms and mole crickets appear. The Yellow Emperor said: The force of Soil is in ascendancy. Therefore he assumed yellow as his color, and took Soil as ihe pattern for his affairs."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"in the time of Yil [founder of the Hsia dynasty] Heaven first made grass and trees appear which did not die in the autumn and winter. Yii said: The force of Wood is in ascendancy.' Therefore he assumed green as his color and took Wood as the pattern for his affairs.\n\n\n\n\n In the time of T ang [ founder ol the Shang dynasty J Heaven made some knife blades appear in the water. T ang said: The force of Metal is in ascendancy. He therefore assumed white as his color and took Metal as the pattern for his affairs.\n\n\n\n\n \"In the time of King Wen [ founder of the Chou dynasty] Heaven made a flame appear, while a red bird, holding a red book in its mouth, alighted on the altar of soil of the House of Chou. King Wen said: 'The force of Fire is in ascendancy. Therefore he assumed red as his color, and took Fire as I he pattern of his affairs.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Water will inevitably be the next force that will succeed Fire. Heaven will first make the ascendancy of Water manifest. The force of Water being in ascendancy, black will be assumed as its color, and Water will be taken as the pattern for affairs....When the cycle is complete, the operation will revert once more to Soil.\n\n\n\n\n The Yin—Yang school maintained that the Five Elements produce one another and also overcome one another in a fixed sequence. It also maintained that the sequence of the four seasons accords with this process of the mutual production of the Elements. Thus Wood, which dominates spring, produces Fire, which dominates summer. Fire in its turn produces Soil, which dominates the \"center ; Soil again produces Metal, which dominates autumn; Metal produces Water, which dominates winter; and Water again produces\n\n\n\n\n 2.2.0 THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Wood, which dominates spring."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wood, which dominates spring.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n According to the above quotation, the succession of dynasties likewise accords with the natural succession of the Elements. Thus Earth, under whose Power the Yellow Emperor ruled, was overcome by the Wood of the Hsia dynasty. The Wood of this dynasty was overcome by the Metal of the Shang dynasty, Metal was overcome by the Fire of the Chou dynasty, and Fire would in its turn be overcome by the Water of whatever dynasty was to follow the Chou. The Water of this dynasty would then again be overcome by the Soil of the dynasty following, thus completing the cycle."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As described in the Lii-shih Ch'un-ch'iu, this is but a theory, but soon afterward it had its effect in practical politics. Thus in the year 221 B.C., the First Emperor of the Ch in dynasty, known as Ch in Shih—Huang—Ti (246— 210 B.C.), conquered all the rival feudal states and thus created a unified Chinese empire under the Ch'in. As the successor to the Chou dynasty, he actually believed that \"the force of Water is in ascendancy,\" and so, according to Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Historical Records, \"assumed black as his color\" and \"took Water as the pattern for affairs.\" \"The name of ihe Yellow River,\" says the Historical Records, \"was changed to that of Power Water, because it was supposed to mark the beginning of the Power of Water. With harshness and violence, and an extreme severity, everything was decided by the law. For by punishing and oppressing, by having neither human— heartedness nor kindness, but only conforming to strict justice, there would come an accord with [the transformations of] the Five Powers.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ch. 6.)\n\n\n\n\n Because of its very harshness, the Ch in dynasty did not last long, and was soon succeeded by that of Han (206 B.C.-A.D. 22O). The Han Emperors also believed that they had become Emperors \"by virtue of' one of the Five Powers, but there was considerable dispute as to which of the Powers it was. This was because some people maintained that the Han was the successor of the Ch in, and therefore ruled through Soil, whereas others maintained that the Ch in had been too harsh and short to be counted as a legitimate dynasty, so that the Han dynasty was actually the successor of the Chou. Support for both sides was found from many omens which were subject to varying interpretations. Finally, in 104 B.C., the Emperor Wu decided ajid formally announced that Soil was the Power for the Han. Even afterward, however, there were still differences of opinion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Following the Han dynasty, people no longer paid very much attention to this question. Yet as late as 1911, when the last dynasty was brought to an end by the Chinese Republic, the official title of the Emperor was still \"Emperor through Lthe Mandate ofj Heaven and in accordance with the Movements [of the Five Powers].\"\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 222 THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n he Yin and Yang Principles As Described in the \"Appendices\" of the Book of Changes\n\n\n\n\n The theory of the Five Elements interpreted the structure of the universe, but did not explain the origin of the world. This was provided by the theory of the Yin and Yang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The word yang originally meant sunshine, or what pertains to sunshine and light; that of yin meant the absence of sunshine, i.e., shadow or darkness. In later development, the Yang and Yin came to be regarded as two cosmic principles or forces, respectively representing masculinity, activity, heat, brightness, dryness, hardness, etc., for the Yang, and femininity, passivity, cold, darkness, wetness, softness, etc., for the Yin. Through the interaction of these two primary principles, all phenomena of the universe are produced. This concept has remained dominant in Chinese cosmological speculation down to recent times. An early reference to it appears already in the Kuo Yu or Discussions of the States (which was itself compiled, however, probably only in the fourth or third century B.C.) This historical work records that when an earthquake occurred in the year 7&O B.C., a savant of the time explained: \"When the Yang is concealed and cannot come forth, and when the Yin is repressed and cannot issue forth,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "when the Yin is repressed and cannot issue forth, then there are earthquakes.\" (Chou YU, I, 10.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Later, the theory of the Yin and Yang came to be connected primarily with the Book of Changes. The original corpus of this book consists of what are known as the eight trigrams, each made up of combinations of three divided or undivided lines, as follows: EE, E£, ZE, EJE, ErE, rE, El, E E. By combining any two of these trigrams with one another into diagrams of six lines each, ^ j l,|j, etc., a total of sixty-four combinations is obtained which are known as the sixty—four hexagrams. The original text of the Book of Changes consists of these hexagrams, and of descriptions of their supposed symbolic meaning."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to tradition, the eight trigrams were invented by Fu Hsi, China s first legendary ruler, antedating even the Yellow Emperor. According to some scholars, Fu Hsi himself combined the eight trigrams so as to obtain the sixty-four hexagrams; according to others, this was done by King Wen of the twelfth century B.C. The textual comments on the hexagrams as a whole and on their hsiao (the individual lines in each hexagram) were, according to some scholars, written by King Wen; according to others, the comments on the hexagrams were written by King Wen, while those on the hsiao were by the Duke of Chou, the illustrious son of King Wen. Whether right or wrong, these attributions attest the importance which the Chinese attached to the eight trigrams and sixty—four hexagrams.\n\n\n\n\n Modern scholarship has advanced the theory that the trigrams and hexa-2.2-4 THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "grams were invented early in the Chou dynasty as imitations of the cracks formed on a piece of tortoise shell or bone through the method of divination that was practiced under the Shang dynasty (1766?-nil'!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "B.C.), the dynasty that preceded the Chou. This method has already been mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. It consisted of applying heat to a shell or bone, and then, according to the cracks that resulted, determining the answer to the subject of divination. Such cracks, however, might assume an indefinite number of varying configurations, and so it was difficult to interpret them according to any fixed formula. Hence during the early part of the Chou dynasty this kind of divination seems to have been supplemented by another method, in which the stalks of a certain plant, known as the milfoil, were shuffled together so as to get varying combinations yielding odd and even numbers. These combinations were limited in number and so could be interpreted according to fixed formulas. It is now believed that the undivided and divided (i.e., odd and even) lines of the trigrams and hexagrams were graphic representations of these combinations. Thus the diviners, by shuffling the stalks of the milfoil, could"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "by shuffling the stalks of the milfoil, could obtain a given line or set of lines, and then, by reading the comments on it contained in the Book of Changes, could give an answer to the question on which divination was made."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This, then, was the probable origin of the Book of Changes, and explains its title, which refers to the changing combinations of lines. Later, however, many supplementary interpretations were added to the Book of Changes, some moral, some metaphysical, and some cosmological. These were not composed until the latter part of the Chou dynasty, or even the earlier portion of the following Han dynasty, and are contained in a series of appendices known as the Ten Wings. In this chapter we shall discuss only the cosmological interpretations, leaving the remainder for chapter fifteen.\n\n\n\n\n Besides the concept of Yin and Yang, another important idea in the \"Appendices\" is that of number.\n\n\n\n\n Since divination was usually regarded by the ancients as a method for revealing the mystery of the universe, and since divination through the use of stalks of the milfoil plant was based on the combination of varying numbers, it is not surprising that the anonymous writers of the \"Appendices\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tended to believe that the mystery of the universe is to be found in numbers. According to them, therefore, the numbers of the Yang are always odd, and those of the Yin are always even. Thus in \"Appendix III\" we read: \"The number for Heaven [i.e., Yang] is one; that for Earth [i.e. Yin] is two; that for Heaven is three; that for Earth is four; that for Heaven is five; that for Earth is six; that for Heaven is seven; that for Earth is eight; that for Heaven is nine; that for Earth is ten. The numbers for Heaven and the numbers for Earth correspond with and complement one another. The numbers of Heaven [put together] are twenty-five; the num-\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * See Cheng Hsiian's (A.D. 127-200} commentary to the \"Monthly Commands\" in the Book of Rites, eh. 4.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Il6 THE Y1N-YANC SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "bers of Earth Lput together] are thirty; the numbers of both Heaven and Earth [put together] are fifty—five. It is by these numbers that the evolutions and mystery of the universe are performed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Later the Yin-Yang school tried to connect the Five Elements with the Yin and Yang by means of numbers. Thus it maintained that one, the number for Heaven, produces Water, and six, the number for Earth, completes it. Two, the number for Earth, produces Fire, and seven, the number for Heaven, completes it. Three, the number fnr Heaven, produces Wood, and eight, the number for Earth, completes it. Four, the number for Earth, produces Metal, and nine, the number for Heaven, completes it. Five, the number for Heaven, produces Soil, and ten, the number for Earth, completes it. Thus one, two, three, four and five are the numbers that produce the Five Elements; six, seven, eight, nine and ten are the numbers that complete them.* This is the theory, therefore, that was used to explain the statement just quoted above: \"The numbers for Heaven and the numbers for Earth correspond with and complement one another.\" It is remarkably similar to the theory of the Pythagoreans in ancient Greece, as reported by Diogenes"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in ancient Greece, as reported by Diogenes Laer-tius, according to which the four elements of Greek philosophy, namely Fire, Water, Earth and Air, are derived, though indirectly, from numbers.*"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This, however, is in China a comparatively late theory, and in Appendices themselves there is no mention of the Five Elements. In these Appendices each of the eight trigrams is regarded as symbolizing certain things in the universe. Thus we read in 'Appendix V : \"(The trigram) Ch' ien EEE\n\n\n\n\n is Heaven, round, and is the father....(The trigram) K un EE is Earth and is the mother. ...(The trigram) Chen zl is thunder....(The trigram) Sun = is wood and wind....(The trigram) K an — is water...and is the moon....(The trigram) Li EZ is fire and the sun... (The trigram) Ken El is mountain....(The trigram) Tui EE: is marsh."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the trigrams, the undivided lines symbolize the Yang principle, and the divided lines the Yin principle. The trigrams Ch ien and K un, being made up entirely of undivided and divided lines respectively, are the symbols par excellence of the Yang and Yin, while the remaining six trigrams are supposedly produced through the intercourse of these primary two. Thus Ch ien and K'un are father and mother, while the other trigrams are usually spoken of in the Appendices as their sons and daughters.\n\n\n\n\n Thus the first line (from the bottom) of Ch ieh — , combined with the second and third lines of K'un EE , results in Chen Ei , which is called the eldest son. The first line of K'un, similarly combined with Ch'ien, resulls in Sun EE: , which is called the eldest daughter. The second line of Ch ich, combined with the first and third lines oi K un, results in K an EE , which is called the second son. The second line of K' un, similarly combined with Ch'"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "* Sec Livrs and Opinions ofEminrta Pliiliaiiphen. Honk VIII, ch. K).\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 22.8 THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n ien, results in Li E-E , which is called the second daughter. The third line of Ch ien, combined with the first and second lines of K un, results in Ken z~z , which is called the youngest son. And the third line of K'un, similarly combined with Ch ien, results in Tui E£ , which is called the youngest daughter.\n\n\n\n\n This process of combination or intercourse between Ch ien and K un, which results in the production of the remaining six trigrams, is a graphic symbolization of the process of intercourse between the Yin and the Yang, whereby all things in the world are produced. That the world of things is produced through such intercourse of the Yin and Yang, is similar to the fact that living beings are produced through the intercourse of the male and female. It will be remembered that the Yang is the male principle, and the Yin, the female principle."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In \"Appendix III\" of the Book of Changes we read: \"There is an intermingling of the genial influences of heaven and earth, and the transformation of all things proceeds abundantly. There is a communication of seed between male and female, and all things are produced.\" Heaven and earth are the physical representations of the Yin and Yang, while Ch ien and K un are their symbolic representations. The Yang is the principle that \"gives beginning to things; the Yin is that which completes them. Thus the process of the production of things by the Yang and Yin is completely analogous to that of the production of living beings by the male and female."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the religion of the primitive Chinese, it was possible to conceive of a father god and mother goddess who actually gave birth to the world of things. In the Yin-Yang philosophy, however, such anthropomorphic concepts were replaced by, or interpreted in terms of, the Yin and Yang principles, which, though analogous to the female and male of living beings, were nevertheless conceived of as completely impersonal natural forces.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 230,\n\n\n\n\n THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOCONY\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 13\n \n \n\n\n\n\n THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n I HE three greatest figures of the School of Literati in the Chou dynasty were Confucius (551-479), Mencius (371?-289? ) and Hsiin Tzu. The latter's dates are not definitely known, but probably lay within the years 2.98 and 238 B.C."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hsiin Tzu's personal name is K'uang, but he was also known under the alternative name of Hsun Ch'ing. He was a native of the state of Chao in the southern part of the present Hopei and Shansi provinces. The Shih Chi or Historical Records says in its biography of him (ch. 74) that when he was fifty he went to the state of Ch i, where he was probably the last great thinker of the academy of Chi-hsia, the great center of learning of that time. The book hearting his name contains thirty—two chapters, many of them detailed and logically developed essays which probably come directly from his pen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Among the literati, Hsun Tzu's thought is the antithesis of that of Mencius. Some people say that Mencius represents the left wing of the school, while Hsiin Tzu represents ils right wing. This saying, while suggestive, is too much of a simplified generalization. Mencius was left in that he emphasized individual freedom, but he was right in that he valued super—moral values and therefore was nearer to religion. Hsiin Tzu was right in that he emphasized social control, but left in thai he expounded naturalism and therefore was in direct opposition to any religious ideas.\n\n\n\n\n Position of Man"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Position of Man\n\n\n\n\n Hsun Tzu is best known because of his theory that human nature is originally evil. This is directly opposed to that of Mencius according to which human nature is originally good. Superficially, il may seem that Hsiin Tzu had a very low opinion of man, yet the truth is quite the contrary. Hsiin Tzu' s philosophy may be called a philosophy of culture. His general thesis is that everything that is good and valuable is the product of human effort. Value comes from culture and culture is the achievement of man. It is in this that man has the same importance in the universe as Heaven and Earth. As Hsiin 232 ■ THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tzu says: Heaven has its seasons, Earth has its resources, man has his culture. This is what is meant [when it is said that man] is able to form a trinity [with Heaven and Earth].\" (Hsiln-tzu, ch. 17.) Mencius said that by developing one s mind to the utmost, one knows one's nature, and by knowing one's nature, one knows Heaven. (Mencius, Vila, I.) Thus, according to Mencius, a sage, in order to become a sage, must \"know Heaven.\" But Hsiin Tzu maintains, on the contrary: \"It is only the sage who does not seek to know Heaven.\" (Hsun-lzu, ch. 17.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Hsiin Tzu, the three powers of the universe, Heaven, Earth and man, each has its own particular vocation: \"The stars make their rounds; the sun and moon alternately shine; the four seasons succeed one another; the Yin and Yang go through their great mutations; wind and rain are widely distributed; all things acquire their harmony and have their lives. (Ibid.) Such is the vocation of Heaven and Earth. But the vocation of man is to utilize what is offered by Heaven and Earth and thus create his own culture. Hsiin Tzu asks: Is it not much better to heap up wealth and use it advantageously than to exalt Heaven and think about it? (Ibid.) And then he continues: If we neglect what man can do and think about Heaven, we fail to understand the nature of things. (Ibid.) For in so doing, according to Hsiin Tzu, man forgets his own vocation; by daring to \"think\" about Heaven, he arrogates the vocation of Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is \"to give up that wherewith man can form a trinity with Heaven and Earth, and yet still desire such a trinity. This is a great illusion. (Ibid.)\n\n\n\n\n Theory of Human Nature\n\n\n\n\n Human nature, too, should be cultured, for, from Hsiin Tzu s view, the very fact that it is uncultured means that it cannot be good. Hsiin Tzu's thesis is that the nature of man is evil; his goodness is acquired training. (Hsiln-tzu, ch. 2.3.) According to him, \"nature is the unwrought material of the original; what are acquired are the accomplishments and refinements brought about by culture. Without nature there would be nothing upon which to add the acquired. Without the acquired, nature could not become beautiful of itself.\" (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although Hsiin Tzu s view of human nature is the exact opposite of that of Mencius, he agrees with him that it is possible for every man to become a sage, if he choose. Mencius had said that any man can become a Yao or Shun (two traditional sages). And Hsiin Tzu says likewise that \"any man in the street can become a Yii [another traditional sage].\" (Ibid.) This agreement has led some people to say that ihere is no real difference between the two Confucianists after all. Yet as a matter of fact, despite this seeming agreement, the difference is very real.\n\n\n\n\n According to Mencus, man is born with the \"four beginnings of the four constant virtues. By fully developing these beginnings, he becomes a sage.\n\n\n\n\n 234 THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But according to Hsiin Tzu, man is not only born without any beginnings of goodness, but, on the contrary, has actual \"beginnings' of evilness. In the chapter titled On the Evilness of Human Nature, Hstin Tzu tries to prove that man is born with inherent desire for profit and sensual pleasure. But, despite these beginnings of evilness, he asserts that man at the same time possesses intelligence, and that this intelligence makes it possible for him to become good. In his own words: \"Every man on the street has the capacity of knowing humanheartedness, righteousness, obedience to law and uprightness, and the means to carry out these principles. Thus it is evident that he can become a Ytt. (Ibid.) Thus whereas Mencius says that any man can become a Yao or Shun, because he is originally good, Hsiin Tzu argues that any man can become a Yii, because he is originally intelligent.\n\n\n\n\n Origin, of Morality"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Origin, of Morality\n\n\n\n\n This leads to the question: How, then, can man become morally good? For if every man is born evil, what is the origin of good? To answer this question, Hsiin Tzu offers two lines of argument.\n\n\n\n\n In the first place, Hsiin Tzu maintains that men cannot live without some kind of a social organization.\n\n\n\n\n The reason for this is that, in order to enjoy better living, men have need of cooperation and mutual support. Hsiin Tzu says: A single individual needs the support of the accomplishments of hundreds of workmen. Yet an able man cannot be skilled in more than one line, and one man can not hold two offices simultaneously. If people all live alone and do not serve one another, there will be poverty. (Ch. 10.) Likewise, men need to be united in order to conquer other creatures: \"Man's strength is not equal to that of the ox; his running is not equal to that of the horse; and yet ox and horse are used by him. How is this?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I say that it is because men are able to form social organizations, whereas the others are unable....When united, men have greater strength; having greater strength, they become powerful; being powerful, they can overcome other creatures. (Ibid.)\n\n\n\n\n For these two reasons, men must have a social organization. And in order to have a social organization, they need rules of conduct. These are the Ii (rites, ceremonies, customary rules of living) which hold an important place in Confucianism generally, and arc especially emphasized by Hsiin Tzu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Speaking about the origin of the li, he says: \"Whence do the li arise? The answer is that man is born with desires. When these desires are not satisfied, he cannot remain without seeking their satisfaction. When this seeking for satisfaction is without measure or limit, there can only be contention. When there is contention, there will be disorder. When there is disorder, everything will be finished. The early kings hated this disorder, and so they established the li [rules of conduct] and yi [righteousness, moralityJ, to set an end to this confusion.' (Ch. 19.)\n\n\n\n\n In another chapter, Hsiin Tzu writes: 'People desire and hale the same 236 THE REALISTIC. WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n things. Their desires are many, but things are few. Since they are few there will inevitably be strife.\" (Ch.\n\n\n\n\n 10.) Hsiin Tzu ,here points to one of the fundamental troubles in human life. If people did not all desire and hate the same"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "things------for instance, if one liked to conquer and the other enjoyed being conquered------there would be no trouble between them and they would live together quite harmoniously. Or, if all the things that everyone desired were very plentiful, like the free air, then too there would be no trouble. Or yet a-gain if people could live quite apart from one another, the problem would be much simpler. But the world is not so ideal. People must live together, and in order to do so without contention, a limit must be imposed on everyone in the satisfaction of his desires.\n\n\n\n\n The function of the li is to set this limit. When there are the li, there is morality. He who acts according to the li acts morally. He who acts against them acts immorally.\n\n\n\n\n This is one line of Hsiin Tzu s argument to explain the origin of moral goodness. It is quite utilitarianistic, and resembles that of Mo Tzu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hsiin Tzu also employs another line of argument. He writes: \"Man is not truly man in the fact that he, uniquely, has two feet and no hair [over his body], but ruther in the fact that he makes social distinctions."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Birds and beasts have fathers and offspring, but not the affection between father and son. They are male and female, but do not have the proper separation between males and females. Hence in the Way of Humanity there must be distinctions. No distinctions are greater than those of society. No social distinctions are greater than the li.\" (Ch. 5.) Here Hsiin Tzu points out the difference between what is of nature and what is of culture, or, as Chuang Tzu puts it, what is of nature and what is of man. The fact that birds and beasts have fathers and offspring and that they are either male or female, is a fact of nature. The social relationships between father and son, husband and wife, on the contrary, are products of culture and civilization. They are not gifts of nature, but achievements of spirit. Man should have social relations and the li, because it is these that distinguish him from birds and beasts. According to this line of argument, man must have morality, not because he cannot help it, but because he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "not because he cannot help it, but because he ought to have it. This line of argument is more akin to that of Mencius."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Confucianism, li is a very comprehensive idea. It can be translated as ceremonies, rituals, or rules of social conduct. It is all these, but in the above arguments, it is taken more or less in the third sense. In this sense, the function of the li is to regulate. The li provide regulation for the satisfaction of man' s desires. But in the sense of ceremonies and rituals, the li have another function, that of refining. In this sense, the li give refinement and purification to man's emotions. In this latter interpretation, Hsiin Tzu also made a great contribution.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Theory of Riles and Music"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Theory of Riles and Music\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n For the Confucianists, the most important of the ceremonies are those of mourning and sacrifice (especially to the ancestors). These ceremonies were universal at that time, and as popularly practiced they contained not a little of superstition and mythology. In justifying them, however, the Confucianists gave them new interpretations and read into them new ideas. These we find in the Hsiin—tzu and the Li Chi or Book of Rites.\n\n\n\n\n Among the Confucian classics, there are two devoted to the rites. One is the Yi Li or Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial, which is a factual record of the procedures of ceremonies as practiced at that time. The other is the Li Chi, which consists of the interpretations on the ceremonies given by the Confucianists. I believe that most of the chapters of the Li Chi were written by the followers of Hsiin Tzu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Our mind has two aspects, the intellectual and the emotional. When our loved ones die, we know, through our intellect, that the dead are dead and that there is no rational ground for believing in the immortality of the soul. If we were to act solely under the direction of our intellect, therefore, we would need no mourning rites. But since our mind also has its emotional aspect, this causes us, when our loved ones die, to hope that the dead may live again and that there may be a soul that will continue existing in the other world. When we thus give way to our fancy, we take superstition as truth, and deny the judgment of our intellect."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus there is a difference between what we know and what we hope. Knowledge is important, but we cannot live with knowledge only. We need emotional satisfaction as well. In determining our attitude towards the dead, we have to take both aspects into consideration. As interpreted by the Confu— cianists, the mourning and sacrificial rites did precisely this. I have said that these rites were originally not without superstition and mythology. But with the interpretations of the Confucianists, these aspects were purged. The religious elements in them were transformed into poetry, so that they were no longer religious, but simply poetic."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Religion and poetry are both expressions of the fancy of man. They both mingle imagination with reality. The difference between them is that religion takes what it itself says as true, while poetry takes what it itself says as false. What poetry presents is not reality, and it knows that it is not. Therefore it deceives itself, yet it is a conscious self—deception. It is very unscientific, yet it does not contradict science. In poetry we obtain emotional satisfaction without obstructing the progress of the intellect.\n\n\n\n\n According to the Confucianist, when we perform the mourning and sacrificial rites, we are deceiving ourselves without being really deceived. In the Li Chi, Confucius is reported to have said: In dealing with the dead, if we treat them as if they were really dead, that would mean a want of affection, 2-4° THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and should not be done. If we treat them as if they were really alive, that would mean a want of wisdom, and should not be done.\" (Ch. 2.) That is to say, we cannot Ireat the dead simply as we know, or hope, them to be. The middle way is to treat them both as we know and as we hope them to be. This way consists in treating the dead as if they were living."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Ins Treatise on Rites, Hsiin Tzu says: The rites are careful about the treatment of man's life and death. Life is the beginning of man, death is his end. If the beginning and end of man are both well treated, the Way of Humanity is complete....If we render adequate service to our parents when they are living hul not when they are dead, that means that we respect our parents when they have knowledge, but neglect them when they do not. One's death means that one is gone forever. That is the last chance for a subject to serve his sovereign, and a son his parents....The mourning rites serve to decorate the dead by the living, to send off the dead as if they were still living, and to render the same service to the dead as that to the living, a service uniform from the beginning to the end....Therefore the function of the mourning riles is to make clear the meaning of life and death, to send off the dead with sorrow and respect, and thus to complete the end of man.\" (Ch. 19.) In the same chapter, Hsiin Tzu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of man.\" (Ch. 19.) In the same chapter, Hsiin Tzu says: The sacrificial rites are the expression of man s affectionate longing. They represent the height of piety and faithfulness, of love and respect. They represent also the completion of propriety and refinement. Their meaning cannot be fully understood except by the sages."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sages understand their meaning. Superior men enjoy their practice. They become the routine of the officer. They become the custom of the people. Superior men consider them to be the activity of man, while ordinary people consider them as something that has to do with spirits and ghosts....They exist to render the same service to the dead as to the living, to render the same service to the lost as to the existing. What they serve has neither shape nor even a shadow, yet they are the completion of culture and refinement. With this interpretation, the meaning of the mourning and sacrificial rites becomes completely poetic, not religious."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There are other kinds of sacrifice besides those offered to ancestors. These Hsiin Tzu interprets from the same point of view. Tn his chapter titled \"Treatise on Nature,\" one passage reads: \"Why is it that it rains after people have offered sacrifice for rain? Hsiin Tzu said:'There is no reason for that. It is the same as if there had been rain without praying for it. When there is an eclipse of the sun and the moon, we make demonstrations to save them. When rain is deficient, we pray for it. And when there are important affairs, we divine before we reach any decision. We do these things not because we can thereby get what we want. They are simply a sort of decorum. The superior man considers them as a sort of decorum, while ordinary people consider them as having supernatural force. One will be happy if one considers them as a sort of decorum; one will not, if one considers them as having su-2.42 THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n pernatural force.\"' (Ch. 17.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "pernatural force.\"' (Ch. 17.)\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n We pray for rain, and divine before we make any important decision, because we want to express our anxiety. That is all. If we were to take prayer as really being able to move the gods, or divination as really being able to make predictions about the future, this would result in superstition with all its consequences."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hsiin Tzu is also the author of a Treatise on Music, in which he writes: Man cannot be without joy, and wheii there is joy, it must have a physical embodiment. When this embodiment does not conform to the right principle, there will be disorder. The early kings hated this disorder, and so they established the music of the Ya and ung Ltwo of the divisions of the Book of Odes ] to guide it. They caused its music to be joyful and not degenerate, and its beauty to be distinct and not limited. They caused it in its indirect and direct appeals, its complexity and simplicity, its frugality and richness, its rests and notes, to stir up the goodness in men s minds and to prevent evil feelings from gaining any foothold. This is the manner in which the early kings established music. \" (Ch. 2.0.) Thus music, for Hsiin Tzu, functions as an instrument for moral education. This has been the prevailing Confucianist view of music.\n\n\n\n\n Logical Theories"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Logical Theories\n\n\n\n\n In the Hsiln-tzu there is a chapter titled \"On the Rectification of Names.\" This subject is an old one in Confucianism. The term itself was originated by Confucius, as we have seen in chapter four. He said: \"Let the ruler be ruler, the subject be subject; let the father be father and the son be son.\"\n\n\n\n\n (Analects, XII, 11.) Likewise Mencius said: \"To be without the relationship of ruler and of father is to be like the beasts. (Mencius, IVb, 90 Because the interests of these two thinkers were purely ethical, their application of the rectification of names was likewise confined primarily to the sphere of ethics.\n\n\n\n\n Hsiin Tzu, however, lived in an age when the School of Names was flourishing. Hence his theory of the rectification of names possesses logical as well as ethical interest."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his chapter, \"On the Rectification of Names,\" Hsiin Tzu first describes his epistemological theory, which is similar to that of the later Mohists. He writes: \"That in man by which he knows is L called the faculty ofj knowing. That in [the faculty of] knowing which corresponds [to external things] is called knowledge.\" (Ch. 2X) The faculty of knowing consists of two parts. One is what he calls the natural senses, such as those of the ears and eyes. The other is the mind itself. The natural senses receive impressions, and the mind interprets and gives meaning to them. Hsiin Tzu writes: \"The mind gives meaning to impressions. It gives meaning to impressions, and only then, by means of the ear, can sound be known; by means of the eye, can forms be known....When the five senses note something but cannot classify it,\n\n\n\n\n 2-44 . THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n and the mind tries to identify it but fails to give it meaning, then one can only say that there is no knowledge.' (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As to the origin and use of names, Hsiln Tzu says: \"Names were made in order to denote actualities, on the one hand so as to make evident the distinctions between superior and inferior [in society], and on the other hand to distinguish similarities and differences. (Ibid.) That is to say, names were originated partly for ethical and partly for logical reasons.\n\n\n\n\n As to the logical use of names, he says: 'Names are given to things. When things are alike, they are named alike; when different, they are named differently....The one who knows that different actualities have different names, and who therefore never refers to different actualities otherwise than by different names, will not experience any confusion. Likewise he who refers to the same actualities should never use any other but the same names. (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Regarding the logical classification of names, he writes further: Although things are innumerable, there are times when we wish to speak of them all in general, so we call them 'things.' 'Things' is the most general term. We press on and generalize; we generalize arid generalize still more, until there is nothing more general. Then only we stop. There are times when we wish lo speak of one aspect, so we say birds and beasts. Birds and beasts is the great classifying term. We press on and classify. We classify and classify still more, until there is no more classification to be made, and then we stop.\" (Ibid.) Thus Hsiin Tzu distinguishes two kinds of names, the general and the classifying. The general name is the product of the synthetic process of our reasoning, while the classifying name is that of its analytic process."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All names are man-made. When they were in the process of invention, there was no reason why an actuality should be designated by one particular name rather than another. The animal that came to be known as ' dog, for example, might equally well have been called \"cat\" instead. Once, however, certain names came through convention to be applied to certain actualities, they could be attached to these and none other. As Hsiin Tzu explains: \"There are no names necessarily appropriate themselves. Names were named by convention. But when the convention having been established, it has become customary, this is called an appropriate name.\" (Ibid)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He also writes: \"Should a true King arise, he must certainly follow the ancient terms and make the new ones. (Ibid) Thus the invention of new names and determination of their meanings is a function of the ruler and his government. Hsiin Tzu says: \"When the kings had regulated names, the names were fixed and actualities distinguished. Their principles were thus able to be carried out, and their will could be known. They thus carefully led the people to unity. Therefore, the making of unauthorized distinctions between words, and the making of new words, so as thus to confuse the correct nomenclature, cause the people to be in doubt, and bring much litigation, was called great wickedness.\n\n\n\n\n It was a crime like that of using false credentials or false measures. (Ibid.) 2-46 THE REALISTIC. WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Fallacies of Other Schools"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fallacies of Other Schools\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Hsiin Tzu considered most of the arguments of the School of Names and the later Mohists to be based upon logical sophistries and so fallacious. He grouped them into three classes of fallacies.\n\n\n\n\n The first is what he calls 'the fallacy of corrupting names with names.\" (Ibid.) In this class, he includes the Mohist argument that \"to kill a robber is not to kill a man. Tins is because, according to Hsiin Tzu, the very fact of being a robber implies being a man, since by extension the category which bears the name \"man includes the category which has the name \"robber.\" When one speaks of a robber, therefore, one means by this a being who is at the same time a man.\n\n\n\n\n The second class Hsiin Tzu calls \"the fallacy of corrupting names with actualities.\" (Ibid.) In this group he includes the argument that \"mountains and abysses are on the same level, which is a rephrasing by Hsiin Tzu of Hui Shih's argument that \"mountains and marshes are on the same level.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Actualities, being concrete, are individual cases, while names, being abstract, represent general categories or rules. When one tries to disprove general rules by individual exceptions, the result is a corruption of the name by the actuality. Thus a particular abyss that happens to be located on a high mountain may indeed be on the same level as a particular mountain that happens to be on low land. But one cannot infer from this exceptional instance that all abysses are on the same level with all mountains."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The third class is what Hsiin Tzu calls \"the fallacy of corrupting actualities with names. (Ibid.) Here he includes the Mohist argument that \"ox-and-horse are not horse, an argument which is the same in kind as Kung—sun Lung's statement that \"a white horse is not a horse.\" If one examines the name of ox-and-horse, one sees that it is indeed not equivalent to that of the name horse. Yet as a matter of fact some of the creatures belonging to the group known as \"ox-and-horse\" are, as actualities, indeed horses.\n\n\n\n\n Hsiin Tzu then concludes that the rise of all these fallacies is due to the fact that no sage-king exists.\n\n\n\n\n Were there to be such a sage-king, he would use his political authority to unify the minds of the people, and lead them to the true way of life in which there is no place or need for disputation and argument."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hsiin Tzu here reflects the spirit of the troubled age of his time. It was an age in which men longed desperately for a political unification which would bring these troubles to an end. Such a unification, though in actual fact one of China only, was regarded, by these people, as equivalent to a unification of the whole world.\n\n\n\n\n Among Hsiin Tzu s disciples, the two most famous were Li Ssu and Han Fei Tzu, both of whom were to have a great influence on Chinese history. Li Ssu later became Prime Minister of the First Emperor of the Ch'in dynasty, the man who finally forcibly unified China in 2.21 B.C. Together with his\n\n\n\n\n 2-48 . THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "master, he labored not only for a political but an ideological unification as well, a movement which culminated in the Burning of the Books in 213 B.C. The other disciple, Han Fei Tzu, became a leading figure in the Legalist school which supplied the theoretical justification for this political and ideological unification. The ideas of this school will be described in the next chapter.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 2.50.\n\n\n\n\n THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 14\n \n \n\n\n\n\n AN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "AN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 1 HE feudalistic society of the early Chou dynasty operated according to two principles: one was that of the li (rituals, ceremonies, rules of conduct, mores); the other was that of the hsing (penalties, punishments). The li formed the unwritten code of honor governing the conduct of the aristocrats, who were known as chiin tzu (a term literally meaning son of a prince, princely man, or gentleman); the hsing, on the contrary, applied only to the people of ordinary birth who were known as shu jen (common men) or hsiao jen (small men). This is the meaning of the saying in the Li Chi (Book of Rites): \"The li do not go down to the common people; the hsing do not go up to the ministers.\" (Ch.\n\n\n\n\n 10.)\n\n\n\n\n Social Background of the Legalists\n\n\n\n\n This was possible because the structure of Chinese feudalistic society was comparatively simple."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kings, princes, and feudal lords were all related to each other either by blood or by marriage. In theory the princes of each state were subordinate to the king, and the feudal lords within these states were in turn subordinate to their prince. But in actual fact, these nobles, having long inherited their rights from their ancestors, came in the course of lime to regard these rights as existing independently of their theoretical allegiance to their superiors. Thus the many states that belonged to the hegemony theoretically controlled by the central Chou King were in actual fact semi-independent, and within each of these states there were likewise many semi-independent \"houses of lesser nobles. Being relatives, these various feudatories maintained social and diplomatic contacts, and transacted business, if any, according to their unwritten code of gentleman s agreements. That is to say, their conduct was governed by li."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The kings and princes at the top had no direct dealings with the common people. They left such matters to the lesser feudal lords, each of whom ruled the common people living within his own fief.\n\n\n\n\n Since such fiefs were usually\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 252.\n\n\n\n\n HAN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n not large, their populations were limited. Hence the nobles were able in considerable measure lo rule the people under them on a personal basis. Punishments were applied to keep their subjects obedient. Thus we find that in early Chinese feudalistic society, relationships, both high and low, were maintained on a basis of personal influence and personal contact."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The distintcgration of this type of society in the later centuries of the Chou dynasty brought with it far-reaching social and political changes. The social distinctions between the class of princely men on the one hand and small men on the other were no longer so absolutely demarcated. Already in the time of Confucius, we sec how aristocrats somelimes lost their land and titles, and how members of the common people, either by talent or good luck, succeeded in becoming socially and politically prominent. The old fixity of social classes was breaking down. Likewise, as time wore on, the territories of the larger states became ever larger through aggression and conquest. In order to carry on warfare or prepare for war, these states needed a strong government, thai is, a government with a high concentration of power. As a consequence, the structure as well as ihe functions of government became ever more complex than formerly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "New situations brought with them new problems. Such were the conditions faced by all the rulers of the feudal states of the time, and it was the common endeavor of all the schools of thought since Confucius to solve these problems. Most of their proposed solutions, however, were not realistic e-nough to be practical. What the rulers needed were not idealistic programs for doing good to their people, but realistic methods for dealing with the new situations faced by their government.\n\n\n\n\n There were certain men who had a keen understanding of real and practical polities. The rulers of the time used to seek the advice of these men, and if their suggestions proved effective, they often became trusted advisers of the rulers, and in some cases became Prime Ministers. Such advisers were known as fang shu chih shih or men of method."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They were so (tailed because they developed methods for governing large areas; methods which left a high concentration of power in the person of the ruler, and which they boasted were foolproof.\n\n\n\n\n According to them, it was quite unnecessary that a ruler be a sage or superman. By faithfully applying their methods, a person of even merely average intelligence could govern, and govern well. There were also some \"men of melhod ' who went further and supplied a rational justification or theoretical expression for their techniques. It was this that constituted the thought of the Legalist school.\n\n\n\n\n Thus it is wrong to associate ihe thought of the Legalist school with jurisprudence. In modem terms, what this school taught was the theory and melhod of organization and leadership. If one wants to organize people and be their leader, one will find that the Legalist theory and practice are still instructive and useful, but only if one is willing to follow totalitarian lines."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "254 , HAN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Han Fei Tzu, the Synthesizer of the Legalist School\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n In this chapter, 1 take Han Fei Tzu as the culminating representative of the Legalist school. He was a descendant of the royal house of the state of Han, in present Western Honan province. The Shih Chi or Historical Records says of him: \"Together with Li Ssu, he studied under Hsiln Tzu. Li Ssu considered himself not equal to Han Fei. (Ch. 63.) He was an able writer and composed a lengthy work bearing his name in fifty—five chapters. Ironically enough, it was in Ch'in, the state which more than any other applied his principles and thus conquered the other states, that he died in prison in 2.33 B.C. The cause was a political intrigue on the part of his former fellow student, Li Ssu, who was an official in Ch in, and who may have been jealous of the growing favor accorded to Han Fei Tzu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before Han Fei Tzu, who was the last and greatest theorizer of the legalist school, there had been three groups, each with its own line of thought. One was headed by Shen Tao, a contemporary of Mencius, who held that shih was the most important factor in politics and government. Another was headed by Shen Pu-hai (died 337 B.C.), who stressed that shu was the most important factor. Still another was headed by Shang Yang, also known as Lord Shang (died 33$ B.C.), who, for his part, emphasized fa. Shih means power or authority; fa means law or regulation; shu means the method or art of conducting affairs and handling men, i.e., \"statecraft."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Han Fei Tzu considered all three alike as indispensable. He said: The intelligent ruler carries out his regulations as would Heaven, and handles men as if he were a divine being. Being like Heaven, he commits no wrong, and being like a divine being, he falls into no difficulties. His shih [power] enforces his strict orders, and nothing that he encounters resists him....Only when this is so can his laws [fa] be carried out in concert.\" (Han-fei-tzu, ch. 48-) The intelligent ruler is like Heaven because he acts in accordance with law fairly and impartially. This is the function of fa. He is like a divine being, because he has the art of handling men, so that men are handled without knowing how they are handled. This is the function of the shu. And he has the authority or power to enforce his orders. This is the function of shih. These three together are \"the implements of emperors and kings\" (ch. 43), no one of which can be neglected.\n\n\n\n\n Legalist Philosophy of HLslory"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Legalist Philosophy of HLslory\n\n\n\n\n Perhaps the Chinese traditional respect for past experience stems from the ways of thought of their overwhelmingly agrarian population. Farmers arc rooted to the soil and travel but rarely. They cultivate their land in accordance with seasonal changes which repeat themselves year after year. Past experience is a sufficient guide for their work, so that whenever they want to try something new, they first look back to past experience for precedent.\n\n\n\n\n 256 HAN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This mentality has influenced Chinese philosophy a great deal, so that since the time of Confucius, most philosophers have appealed to ancient authority as justification for their own teaching. Thus Confucius ancient authorities were King Wen and the Duke of Chou, of the beginning of the Chou dynasty. In order to improve upon Confucius, Mo Tzu appealed to the au-ihority of the legendary Yii, who supposedly lived a thousand years earlier than King Wen and the Duke of Chou. Mencius, to gel the better of the Mohists, went still further back to Yao and Shun, who were supposed to have antedated Yii. And finally the Taoists, in order to gain a hearing for their ideas against those of both the Confucianists and Mohists, appealed to the authority of Fu Hsi and Shcn Nung, who were reputed to have lived several centuries earlier than either Yao or Shun."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By thus looking to the past, these philosophers created a regressive view of history. Although belonging to different schools, they all agreed that the golden age of man lies in the past rather than the future. The movement of history since then has been one of progressive degeneration. Hence man s salvation consists not in the creation of something new, but in a return to what has already existed.\n\n\n\n\n To this view of history the Legalists, the last major school of the Chou period, took sharp exception.\n\n\n\n\n They fully understood the changing needs of the time and viewed them realistically. Although admitting that the people of ancient times were more innocent and in this sense perhaps more virtuous, they maintained that this was due to material circumstances rather than to any inherent superior goodness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus according to Han Fei Tzu, anciently there were few people but plenty of supplies, and therefore the people did not quarrel. But nowadays people do not consider a family of five children as large, and each child having again five children, before the death of the grandfather there may be twenty—five grandchildren. The result is that there are many people but few supplies, and that one has to work hard for a meager return. So the people fall to quarreling.\" (Han-fei-tzu, ch. 49.) Because of these completely new circumstances, according to Han Fei Tzu, new problems can only be solved by new measures. Only a fool can fail to realize this obvious fact. Han Fei Tzu illustrates this kind of folly with a story: \"There was once a man of Sung who tilled his field. In the midst of the field stood a stem of a tree, and one day a hare in full course rushed against that stem, broke its neck, and died. Thereupon the man left his plough and stood waiting at that tree in the hope that he would catch another hare. But"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in the hope that he would catch another hare. But he never caught another hare and was ridiculed by the people of Sung. If, however, you wish to rule the people of today by the methods of government of the early kings, you do exactly the same thing as the man who waited by the tree....Therefore affairs go according to their time, and preparations are made in accordance with affairs. (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before Han Fei Tzu, Lord Shang already said similarly: \"When the guiding principles of the people become unsuited to the circumstances, their\n\n\n\n\n 258-HAN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n standards of value must change. As conditions in the world change, different principles are practised. '\n\n\n\n\n (Book of Lord Shang, II, 7.)\n\n\n\n\n This conception of history as a process of change is a commonplace to our modern mind, but it was revolutionary viewed against the prevailing theories of the other schools of ancient China.\n\n\n\n\n Way of Government"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Way of Government\n\n\n\n\n To meet new political circumstances, the Legalists proposed new ways of government, which, as stated above, they claimed to be infallible. The first necessary step, according to them, was to set up laws. Han Fei Tzu writes: \"A law is that which is recorded on the registers, set up in the government offices, and promulgated among the people. (Han—fei—tzu, eh. 38) Through these laws the people are told what they should and should not do. Once the laws are promulgated, the ruler must keep a sharp watch on the conduct of the people. Because he possesses shih or authority, he can punish those who violate his laws, and reward those who obey them. By so doing he can successfully rule the people, no matter how numerous they may be."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Han Fei Tzu writes on this point: \"in his rule of a state, the sage does not depend upon men doing good themselves, but brings it about that they can do no wrong. Within the frontiers of a state, there are no more than ten people who will do good of themselves; nevertheless, if one brings it about that the people can do no wrong, the entire state can be kept peaceful. He who rules a country makes use of the majority and neglects the few, and so does not concern himself with virtue but with law. (Ch. 50.) Thus with law and authority, the ruler rules his people. He need have no special ability or high virtue, nor need he, as the Confucianists maintained, set a personal example of good conduct, or rule through personal influence.\n\n\n\n\n It may be argued that this procedure is not really foolproof, because the ruler needs ability and knowledge to make laws and keep a watch on the conduct of the people, who may be large in number."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Legalists answer this objection by saying that the ruler need not do all these things himself. If he merely possesses shu, the art of handling men, he can then get the right men to do everything for him.\n\n\n\n\n The concept of shu is of philosophical interest. It is also one aspect of the old doctrine of the rectification of names. The term used by the Legalists for this doctrine is \"holding the actualities responsible for their names.' (Han-fei-tzu, ch. 43.)\n\n\n\n\n By \"actualities,\" the Legalists mean the individuals who hold government office, while by \"names,\"\n\n\n\n\n they mean the titles of the offices thus held. These titles are indicative of what the individuals who hold the office in question should ideally accomplish. Hence \"holding the actualities responsible for their names,\" means holding the individuals who occupy certain offices responsible for carrying out what should be ideally accomplished in these of-\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 260\n\n\n\n\n HAN FEI TZU AND THE LECALIST SCHOOL"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "HAN FEI TZU AND THE LECALIST SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n fices. The ruler's duty is to attach a particular name to a particular individual, that is to say, confer a given office upon a given person. The functions pertaining to this office have already been defined by law and are indicated by the name given to it. Hence the ruler need not, and should not, bother about the methods used to carry out his work, so long as the work itself is done and well done. If it is well done, the ruler rewards him; if not, he punishes him. That is all."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It may yet be asked how the ruler is to know which man is the best for a certain office. The Legalists answer that this too can be known by the same shu or method of statecraft. Han Fei Tzu says: \"When a minister makes claims, the ruler gives him work according to what he has claimed, but holds him wholly responsible for accomplishment corresponding to this work. When the accomplishment corresponds to this work, and the work corresponds to what the man has claimed he could do, he is rewarded. Tf the accomplishment does not correspond to the work, nor the work correspond to what the man has claimed for himself, he is punished. (Ch. 7-) After this procedure has been followed in several instances, if the ruler is strict in his rewards and punishments, incompetent people will no longer dare to take office even if it is offered to them. Thus all incompetents are eliminated, leaving government positions only to those who can successfully fill them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yet the problem still remains: How is the ruler to know whether an \"actuality does in fact correspond to its name ? The Legalist reply is that it is up to the ruler himself, if he is uncertain, to test the result. If he is not sure that his cook is really a good cook, he can settle the matter simply by tasting his cooking.\n\n\n\n\n He need not always judge results for himself, however. He can appoint others to judge for him, and these judges will then, in their turn, be held strictly responsible for their names.\n\n\n\n\n Thus, according to the Legalists, their way of government is really foolproof. The ruler need only retain the authority of rewards and punishments in his own hands. He will then rule by \"doing nothing, yet there is nothing that is not done.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Such rewards and punishments are what Han Fei Tzu calls the two handles of the ruler.\" (Ch. 7) Their effectiveness derives from the fact that il is the nature of man to seek profit and to avoid harm. Han Fei Tzu says: In ruling the world, one must act in accordance with human nature. In human nature there are the feelings of liking and disliking, and hence rewards and punishments are effective. When rewards and punishments are effective, interdicts and commands can be established, and the way of government is complete. \"(Ch. 48.)\n\n\n\n\n Han Fei Tzu, as a student of Hsiin Tzu, was convinced that human nature is evil. But he differed from Hsiin Tzu in that he was not interested in the latter s stress on culture as a means of changing human nature so as to make it something good. According to him and the other Legalists, it is precisely because human nature is what it is, that the Legalist way of govern—\n\n\n\n\n i62. HAN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ment is practical. The Legalists proposed this way of government on the assumption that man is what he is, i.e., naturally evil, and not on the assumption that he is to be converted into what he ought to be.\n\n\n\n\n Legalism and Taoism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Legalism and Taoism\n\n\n\n\n \"Doing nothing, yet there is nothing that is not done.' This is the Taoist idea of wu wei, having-no-activity or non-action, but it is also a Legalist idea. According to Han Fei Tzu and the Legalists, the one great virtue required of a ruler is lhat he follow the course of non—action. He should do nothing himself but should merely let others do everything for him. Han Fei Tzu says: \"just as the sun and moon shine forth, the four seasons progress, the clouds spread, and the wind blows, so does the ruler not encumber his mind with knowledge, or himself with selfishness. He relies for good government or disorder upon laws and methods [shui; leaves right and wrong to be dealt with through rewards and punishments; and refers lightness and heaviness to the balance of the scale. (Ch. 29) In other words, the ruler possesses the implements and mechanism through which government is conducted, and having these, does nothing, yet there is nothing that is not done."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taoism and Legalism represent the two extremes of Chinese thought. The Taoists maintained that man originally is completely innocent; the Legalists, on the other hand, that he is completely evil. The Taoists stood for absolute individual freedom; the Legalists for absolute social control. Yet in the idea of non-action, the two extremes meet. That is to say, they had here some common ground."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Under somewhat different wording, the Legalist way of government was also maintained by the later Taoists. In the Chuang-tzu we find a passage that speaks about the way of employing human society. Tn this passage distinctions are made between having activity and having-no-activity, and between \"being employed by the world\" and \"employing the world.\" Hav-ing-no-activity is the way of employing the world; having-activity is the way of being employed by the world. The ruler s reason for existence is to rule the whole world. Hence his function and duty is not to do things himself, but to tell others to do them for him. In other words, his method of rule is to employ the world by having—no—activity. The duty and function of subordinates, on the other hand, is to take orders and do things accordingly. In other words, the function of the subordinate is to be employed by the world by having activity. The same passage says: \"The superior must have no activity, so as thus to employ the world; but the subordinates"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "as thus to employ the world; but the subordinates must have activity, so as thus to be employed by the world. This is the invariable way.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Chuang-tzu, ch. 13.)\n\n\n\n\n The Chuang-tzu continues: \"Therefore, the rulers of old, although their knowledge spread throughjout the whole universe, did not themselves think. Although their eloquence beautified all things, they did not themselves\n\n\n\n\n 1 6 4 HAN FEI TZU AND THE LECALIST SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n speak. Although their abilities exhausted all things within the four seas, they did not themselves act.\"\n\n\n\n\n (Ibid.) A ruler should be so, because if he once thinks about something, this means that there is something else about which he does not think; yet his whole duty and function is to think about all things under his rule. The solution, therefore, is for him not to try to think, speak, and act himself, but merely to tell others to think, speak, and act in his place. In this way he does nothing, and yet there is nothing that is not done."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As to the detailed procedure by which the ruler is thus to \"employ the world, the same passage says: Those of old who made manifest the great Tan, first made manifest Heaven, and Too and Te came next."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Too and Te being manifested, the virtues of humanheartedness and righteousness came next. These being manifested, the division of offices came next. These being manifested, actualities and names came next. These being manifested, employment without interference came next. This being manifested, examinations and discriminations came next. These being manifested, judgement of right and wrong came next. This being manifested, rewards and punishments came next. With the manifestation of rewards and punishments, the foolish and the wise assumed their proper positions, the noble and the humble occupied their proper places, and the virtuous and the worthless were employed according to their nature. ...This is perfect peace, the acme of good government. (Ibid.) It is clear that the latter part of this program is the same as that of the Legalists. Yet the passage goes on by saying: Those of antiquity who spoke about the great Too, mentioned actualities and names only at the fifth step, and rewards and punishments"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "at the fifth step, and rewards and punishments only at the ninth step. He who speaks immediately about actualities and names, does not know the fundamentals [that underlie them I. He who speaks immediately about rewards and punishments, does not know their beginning....Such a one knows the implements of government, but not its principles. He can be employed by the world, but is not sufficient to employ the world. He is a one-sided man and only knows how to talk.\" (Ibid.) Here we have the criticism of the Taoists against the Legalists. The Legalist way of government requires unselfishness and impartiality on the part of the ruler. He must punish those who ought to be punished, even though they be his friends and relatives, and he must reward those who ought to be rewarded, even though they be his enemies. If he fails only a few times to do this, the whole mechanism breaks down. Such requirements are too much for a man of only average intelligence. He who can really fulfill them is nothing less than a sage."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2.66 HAN FFJ TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Legalism and Confucianism\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n The Confucianists maintained that the people should be governed by li and morality, not by law and punishment. They upheld the traditional way of government, but did not realize that the circumstances that had once rendered this way practical had already changed. In this respect, they were conservative. In another respect, however, they were at the same time revolutionary, and reflected in their ideas the changes of the time. Thus they no longer upheld the traditional class distinctions that were based merely on the accident of birth or fortune. Confucius and Mencius, to be sure, continued to speak about the difference between the princely man and the small man. Yet for them, this distinction depended upon the moral worth of the individual, and was not necessarily based upon inherited class differences."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I pointed ont at the beginning of this chapter that in early Chinese feudalistic society, the nobles were governed according to the li, but the common people only according to the punishments. Hence the Confucian insistence that not only the nobles, but the mass of the people as well, should be governed by li rather than by punishment, was in fact a demand for a higher standard of conduct to be applied to the people. In this sense the Confu — cianists were revolutionary.\n\n\n\n\n In Legalist thought, too, there were no class distinctions. Everyone was e— qual before law and the ruler.\n\n\n\n\n Instead of elevating the common people to a higher standard of conduct, however, the Legalists lowered the nobles to a lower standard by discarding li and putting sole reliance on rewards and punishments for all alike."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Confucianist ideas are idealistic, while those of the Legalists are realistic. That is the reason why, in Chinese history, the Confucianists have always accused the Legalists of being mean and vulgar, while the Legalists have accused the Confucianists of being bookish and impractical.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 2.68\n\n\n\n\n HAN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n CHAFrER 15\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n IN chapter twelve we have seen that the Yi Ching or Book of Changes (also known simply as the Yi) was originally a book of divination. Later the Confucianists gave it cosmological, metaphysical, and ethical interpretations, which constitute the \"Appendices\" now found in the Book of Change,s."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The cosmological theory contained in the \"Appendices\" has already been considered in chapter twelve, and we shall revert to it again in chapter twenty-three. In the present chapter we shall confine ourselves to the metaphysical and ethical theories found in the \"Appendices\" and in the Chung Yung."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Chung Yung or Doctrine of the Mean is one of the chapters in the Li Chi (Book of Rites). According to tradition, it was written by Tzu—ssu, the grandson of Confucius, but in actual fact a large part of it seems to have been written at a somewhat later date. The \"Appendices\" and the Chung Yung represent the last phase in the metaphysical development of ancient Confucianism. So great is their metaphysical interest, indeed, that the NeoTaoists of the third and fourth centuries A.D. considered the Yi as one of the three major classics of speculative philosophy, the others being the Lao-tzu and Chitting—tzu. Similarly, Emperor Wu (501-549) of the Liang dynasty, himself a Buddhist, wrote commentaries on the Chung Yung, and in the tenth and eleventh centuries, monks of the Ch an sect of Buddhism also wrote such commentaries, which marked the beginning of Neo—Confucianism.\n\n\n\n\n The Principles of Things"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Principles of Things\n\n\n\n\n The most important metaphysical idea in the \"Appendices,\" as in Taoism, is that of Too. Yet it is quite different from the concept of Too of the Taoists. For the latter, Too is nameless, unnamable.\n\n\n\n\n But for the authors of the \"Appendices, not only is Too namable, but, strictly speaking, it is Too and Too only that is thus namable.\n\n\n\n\n We may distinguish between the two concepts by referring to the Too of 2.72 CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Taoism as the Too, and to that of the \"Appendices\" as too. The Too of Taoism is the unitary \"that\" from which springs the production and change of all things in the universe. The too of the \"Appendices, on the contrary, are multiple, and are the principles which govern each separate category of things in the universe. As such, they are somewhat analogous to the concept of the \"universal\" in Western philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kung-sun Lung, as we have seen, regarded hardness as a universal of this kind, since it is this hardness that enables concrete objects in our physical universe to be hard. Likewise, in the terminology of the \"Appendices,\" that by which hard things are hard would be called the too of hardness. This too of hardness is separable from the hardness of individual physical objects, and constitutes a namable metaphysical principle.\n\n\n\n\n There are many such too, such as the too of sovereignship and ol minister-ship, or of fatherhood and sonhood. They are what a sovereign, a minister, a father, and a son ought to be. Each of them is represented by a name, and an individual should ideally act according to these various names. Here we find the old theory of the rectification of names of Confucius. In him, however, this was only an ethical theory, whereas in the Appendices it becomes metaphysical as well."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Yi, as we have seen, was originally a book of divination. By the manipulation of the stalks of the milfoil plant, one is led to a certain line of a certain hexagram, the comments on which in the Yi are supposed to provide the information one is seeking. Hence these comments are to be applied to the various specific cases in actual life. This procedure led the authors of the \"Appendices\" to the concept of the formula. Seeing the Yi from this point of view, they considered the comments on the hexagrams and the individual lines of these hexagrams as formulas, each representing one or more tav or universal principles. The comments on the entire sixty-four hexagrams and their 384 individual lines are thus supposed to represent all the too in the universe.\n\n\n\n\n The hexagrams and their individual lines are looked upon as graphic symbols of these universal tan."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Appendix III says: The Yi consists of symbols.\" Such symbols are similar to what in symbolic logic are called variables. A variable functions as a substitute for a class or a number of classes of concrete objects.\n\n\n\n\n An object belonging to a certain class and satisfying certain conditions can fit into a certain formula with a certain variable; that is, it can fit into the comment made on a certain hexagram or a certain line within a hexagram, these hexagrams or lines being taken as symbols. This formula represents the too which the objects of this class ought to obey. From the point of view of divination, if they obey it, they will enjoy good luck, but if not, they will suffer bad fortune. From the point of view of moral teaching, if they obey it, they are right, but if not, they are wrong.\n\n\n\n\n The first of the sixty-four hexagrams, Ch ien, for example, is supposed to 2 7 4 CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "be the symbol of virility, while the second hexagram, K' un, is that of docility. Everything that satisfies the condition of being virile can fit into a formula in which the symbol of Ch'ien occurs, and everything that satisfies the condition of being docile can fit into one in which the symbol of K un occurs. Hence the comments on the hexagram Ch ien and its individual lines are supposed to represent the tao for all things in the universe that are virile; those on the hexagram K un and its individual lines represent the tao for all things that are docile."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus in \"Appendix I,\" the section dealing with the hexagram K'un says: \"If it takes the initiative, it will become confused and lose the way. If it follows, it will docilely gain the regular [way].\" And in \"Appendix IV\": \"Although the Yin has its beauties, it keeps them under restraint in its service of the king, and does not dare to claim success for itself. This is the tao of Earth, of a wife, of a subject. The tao of Earth is, not to claim the merit of achievement, but on another s behalf to bring things to their proper issue.\n\n\n\n\n Quite the opposite is the hexagram of Ch ien, the symbol of Heaven, of a husband, of a sovereign. The judgements made on this hexagram and its individual lines represent the tao of Heaven, of a husband, of a sovereign."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hence if one wants to know how to be a ruler or a husband, one should look up what is said in the Yi under the hexagram Ch'ien, but if one wants to know how to be a subject or a wife, one should look under the hexagram K'un. Thus in \"Appendix III\" it is said: \"With the expansion of the use of the hexagrams, and the application of them to new classes, everything that man can do in the world is there.\n\n\n\n\n Again: What does the Yi accomplish? The Yi opens the door to the myriad things in nature and brings man's task to completion. It embraces all the governing principles of the world. This, and no more or less, is what the Yi accomplishes.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is said that the name of the Yi has three meanings: (i) easiness and simpleness, (2.) transformation and change, and (3) invariability.* Transformation and change refers to the individual things of the universe. Simpleness and invariability refers to their tao or underlying principles. Things ever change, but tao are invariable. Things are complex, but tao are easy and simple.\n\n\n\n\n The Tao of the Production of Things\n\n\n\n\n Besides the tao of every class of things, there is another Tao for all things as a whole. In other words, besides the specific multiple tao, there is a general unitary Tao which governs the production and transformation of all things. \"Appendix III\" says: \"One Yang and one Yin: this is called the Tao. That which ensues from this is goodness, and that which is completed there-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "* See Cheng HsUan (A.D. 12.7-200), Discussion of the Yi, quoted by\n \n K'ung Ying-ta\n \n (574-648),\n \n in the\n \n Preface to his sub-commentary on Wang Pi's (226-49) Commentary on the Yi 2.76 CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n by is the nature [of man and things].\" This is the Too of the production of things, and such production is the major achievement of the universe. In \"Appendix III' it is said: ' The supreme virtue of Heaven is to produce.\n\n\n\n\n When a thing is produced, there must be that which is able to produce it, and there must also be that which constitutes the material from which this production is made. The former is the active element and the latter the passive one. The active element is virile and is the Yang; the passive element is docile and is the Yin. The production of things needs the cooperation of these two elements. Hence the words: \"One Yang and one Yin: this is the Too.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Everything can in one sense be Yang and in another sense Yin, according to its relation with other things. For instance, a man is Yang in relation to his wife, but Yin in relation to his father. The metaphysical Yang which produces all things, however, can only be Yang, and the metaphysical Yin out of which everything is produced can only be Yin. Hence in the metaphysical statement: One Yang and one Yin: this is called the Too, the Yin and Yang thus spoken of are Yin and Yang in the absolute sense."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is to be noticed that two kinds of statement occur in the \"Appendices.\" The first consists of statements about the universe and the concrete things in it; the other consists of statements about the system of abstract symbols of the Yi itself. In \"Appendix III it is said: \"In the Yi there is the Supreme Ultimate which produces the Two Forms. The Two Forms produce the Four Emblems, and these Four Emblems produce the eight trigrams. Although this saying later became the foundation of the metaphysics and cosmology of the Neo-Confucianists, it does not refer to the actual universe, but rather to the system of symbols in the Yi. According to the \"Appendices, \" however, these symbols and formulas have their exact counterparts in the universe itself. Hence the two kinds of statement are really interchangeable. Thus the saying,\"one Yang and one Yin: this is called Too,\" is a statement about the universe. Yet it is interchangeable with the other saying that \"in the Yi there is the Supreme Ultimate which produces"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yi there is the Supreme Ultimate which produces the Two Forms. The Too is equivalent to the Supreme Ultimate, while the Yin and Yang correspond to the Two Forms."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Appendix III\" also states: \"The supreme virtue of Heaven is to produce.\" Again: \"To produce and to reproduce is the function of the Yi.\" Here again are two kinds of statement. The former relates to the universe, and the latter to the Yi. Yet they are at the same time interchangeable.\n\n\n\n\n The Tao of the Transformation of Things\n\n\n\n\n One meaning of the name Yi, as we have seen, is transformation and change. The \"Appendices\"\n\n\n\n\n emphasize that all things in the universe are ever in a process of change. The comment on the third line of the eleventh hexa—\n\n\n\n\n 278 CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n gram states: \"There is no level place without a bank, and no departure without a return.\" This saying is considered by the \"Appendices\" as the formula according to which things undergo change. This is the Too of the transformation of all things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If a thing is to reach its completion and the state of completion is to be maintained, its operation must occur at the right place, in the right way, and at the right time. In the comments of the Yi, this Tightness is usually indicated by the words cheng (correct, proper) and chung (the mean, center, middle). As to cheng Appendix I states: The woman has her correct place within, and the man has his correct place without. The correctness of position of man and woman is the great principle of Heaven and Earth....When the father is father, and the son son; when the elder brother is elder brother, and the younger brother younger brother; when husband is husband, and wife wife: then the way of the family is correct. When it is correct, all under Heaven will be established."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chung means neither too much nor too little. The natural inclination of man is to take too much. Hence both the \"Appendices\" and the Lao-tzu consider excess a great evil. The Lao-tzu speaks about fan (reversal, ch. 40) and fu (returning, ch. 16), and the Appendices also speak about fu. Among the hexagrams, indeed, there is one titled Fu (the 24th hexagram). \"Appendix I\" says about this hexagram: \"In Fu we see the mind of Heaven and Earth.\"\n\n\n\n\n Using this concept of fu, \"Appendix VI\" interprets the order of arrangement of the sixty-four hexagrams.\n\n\n\n\n The Yi was originally divided into two books. This \"Appendix\" considers the first of these as dealing with the world of nature, and the second as dealing with that ot man. Concerning the first book, it says: \"Following the existence of Heaven and Earth, there is the production of all things. The space between Heaven and Earth is full of all these things. Hence [.the hexagram] Ch'ien LHeavenJ and Lthe hexagram]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "K'un [Earth] are followed by the hexagram Tun, which means fullness.\" Then tne \"Appendix\" tries to show how each hexagram is usually followed by another which is opposite in character.\n\n\n\n\n About the second book, this same \"Appendix' says: \"Following the existence of Heaven and Earth, there is the existence of all things. Following the existence of all things, there is the distinction of male and female. Following this distinction, there is the distinction between husband and wife. Following this distinction, there is the distinction between father and son. Following this distinction, there is the distinction between sovereign and subject. Following ihis distinction, there is the distinction between superiority and inferiority. Following this distinction, there are social order and justice. \"Then, as in the case of the first part of the Yi, the \"Appendix\" tries to show how one hexagram is usually followed by another which is opposite in character."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sixty-third hexagram is Chi-chi, which means something accom-28O CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n plished. At this point this \"Appendix says: \"But there can never be an end of things. Hence Chi—chi is followed by Wei—chi I the sixty-fourth hexagram, meaning something not yet accomplishedJ. With this hexagram, [the Yi\\ comes to a close.\n\n\n\n\n According to this interpretation, the arrangement of the hexagrams implies at least three ideas: (I) that all that happens in the universe, natural and human alike, forms a continuous chain of natural sequence; (2.) that in the process of evolution, everything involves its own negation; and (3) that in the process of evolution, \"there can never be an end of things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The \"Appendices' agree with the Lao-tzu that in order to do something with success, one must be careful not to be too successful; and that in order to avoid losing something, one must complement it with something of its opposite. Thus Appendix III says: The man who keeps danger in mind is one who retains his position. The man who keeps ruin in mind is one who survives. The man who has disorder in mind is one who has peace. Therefore, the superior man, when all is peaceful, does not forget danger.\n\n\n\n\n When he is acting, he does not forget about ruin. When he has society under control, he does not forget disorder. Hence it is possible, with his own person secure, for him to protect the state.\"\n\n\n\n\n The \"Appendices also agree with the Lao-tzu that modesty and humbleness are the great virtues."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Appendix I remarks: It is the way of Heaven to diminish the swollen and augment the modest. It is the way of Earth to subvert the swollen and give free course to the modest....It is the way of man to hate the swollen and love the modest. Modesty, in a high position, sheds luster on it; in a low position it cannot be passed by unobserved. This is the final goal of the superior man.\n\n\n\n\n The Mean and Harmony"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Mean and Harmony\n\n\n\n\n The idea of chung is fully developed in the Chung Yung or Doctrine of the Mean. Chung is like the Aristotelian idea of the \"golden mean.\" Some would understand it as simply doing things no more than halfway, but this is quite wrong. The real meaning of chung is neither too much nor too little, that is, just right. Suppose that one is going from Washington lo New York. It will then be just right to stop at New York, but to go right through to Boston, will be to do too much, and to stop at Philadelphia, will be to do too little. In a prose poem by Sung Yii of the third century B.C., he describes a beautiful girl with the words: If she were one inch taller, she would be too tall. If she were one inch shorter, she would be too short. If she used powder, her face would be too white. If she used rouge, her face would be too red.\"\n\n\n\n\n (Wen Hsiian, chiUm I9)The description means that her figure and complexion were just right, \"just right\"\n\n\n\n\n is what the Confucianists call chung."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is what the Confucianists call chung.\n\n\n\n\n Time is an important factor in the idea of being just right. It is just right 282. CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n to wear a fur coat in winter, but it is not just right to wear it in summer. Hence the Confucianists often use the word shih (time or timely) in conjunction with the word chung, as in the term shih chung or timely mean. Men-cms, for example, says of Confucius: When it was proper to go into office, then to go into it; when it was proper to remain out of office, then to remain out of it; when it was proper to continue in it long, then to continue in it long; when it was proper to withdraw from it quickly, then to withdraw from it quickly: such was Confucius.' (Mencius, Ila, 2.2..) Hence \"among the sages, Confucius was the timely one. (Ibid., Vb, I.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Chung Yung says: \"To have no emotions of pleasure or anger, sorrow or joy, welling up: this is to be described as the state of chung. To have these emotions welling up but in due proportion: this is to be described as the state of ho [harmony]. Chung is the chief foundation of the world. Ho is the great highway for the world. Once chung and ho are established, Heaven and Earth maintain their proper position, and all creatures are nourished.\" (Ch. I.) When the emotions do not come forth at all, the mind neither goes too far nor falls short. It is just right. This is an illustration of the state of chung. And when the emotions do come forth, but in due proportion, this is also the state of chung for harmony results from chung, and chung serves to harmonize what might otherwise be discordant."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What is said about the emotions also applies to the desires. In personal conduct as well as in social relations, there are medium points which serve as right limits for the satisfaction of the desires and the expression of the emotions. When all desires and emotions of a person are satisfied and expressed to the right degree, the person achieves a harmony within his person which results in good mental health.\n\n\n\n\n Likewise, when all the desires and feelings of the various types of people who comprise a society are satisfied and expressed to the right degree, the society achieves harmony within itself which results in peace and order."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Harmony is the reconciling of differences into a harmonious unity. The Tso Chuan reports a speech by the statesman Yen Tzu (died 493 B.C.), in which he makes a distinction between harmony and uniformity or identity. Harmony, he says, may be illustrated by cooking. Water, vinegar, pickles, salt, and plums are used to cook fish. From these ingredjents there results a new taste which is neither that of the vinegar nor of the pickles. Uniformity or identity, on the other hand, may be likened to the attempt to flavor water with water, or to confine a piece of music to one note. In both cases there is nothing new.* Herein lies the distinction between the Chinese words t ung and ho. T ung means uniformity or identity, which is incompatible with difference. Ho means harmony, which is not incompatible with difference; on the contrary, it results when differences are brought together to form a unity.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n • See the 7so Chuan, twentieth year of Duke Chao, 522 B.C.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 2.84 CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2.84 CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n But in order to achieve harmony, the differences must each be present in precisely their proper proportion, which is chung. Thus the function of chung is to achieve harmony.\n\n\n\n\n A well-organized society is a harmonious unity in which people of differing talents and professions occupy their proper places, perform their proper functions, and are all equally satisfied and not in conflict with one another. An ideal world is also a harmonious unity. The Chung Yung says: All things are nurtured together without injuring one another. All courses are pursued without collision. This is what makes Heaven and Earth great.\" (Ch. 30.)\n\n\n\n\n Harmony of this sort, which includes not only human society, hut permeates the entire universe, is called the Supreme Harmony, In \"Appendix I\" of the Yi, it is said: \"How vast is the originating power of [the hexagram] Ch' ien.... Unitedly to protect the Supreme Harmony: this is indeed profitable and auspicious.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Common and the Ordinary\n\n\n\n\n The Chung Yung says: \"What Heaven confers is called the nature. The following of this nature is called the Way [ Too ]. The cultivation of this Way is called spiritual culture. The Way is that which no man for a moment can do without. What a man can do without is not the Way. (Ch. I.) Here we touch upon the idea of the importance of the common and the ordinary, which is another important concept in the Chung Yung. This concept is expressed by the word yung, in the title of this work, which means common or ordinary."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Everyone finds it necessary to eat and drink every day. Hence eating and drinking are the common and ordinary activities of mankind. They are common and ordinary just because they are so important that no man can possibly do without them. The same is true of human relations and moral virtues. They appear to some people as so common and ordinary as to be ol little value. Yet they are so simply because they are so important that no man can do without them. To eat and drink, and to maintain human relations and moral virtues, is to follow the nature of man. It is nothing else but the Way or Too. What is called spiritual culture or moral instruction is nothing more than the cultivation of this Way.\n\n\n\n\n Since the Way is that which no man in actual fact can do without, what is the need of spiritual culture?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The answer is that although all men are, to some extent, really following the Way, not all men are sufficiently enlightened to be conscious of this fact. The Chung Yung says: Amongst men there are none who do not eat and drink, but there are few who really appreciate the taste.\" (Ch. 4.) The function of spiritual culture is to give people an understanding that they are all, more or less, actually following the Way, so as to cause them to be conscious of what they are doing.\n\n\n\n\n 286 CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Furthermore, although all men are, as a matter of necessity, compelled to follow the Way to some extent, not all can follow it to perfection. Thus no one can live in a society utterly devoid of human relationships; at the same time there are few who can meet with perfection all the requirements made by these human relationships. The function of spiritual culture is to perfect what man is, as a matter of fact, already doing to a greater or lesser degree."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus the Chung Yung says: The Way of the superior man is obvious and yet obscure. The ordinary man and ordinary woman in all their ignorance can yet have knowledge of it, yet in its perfection even a sage finds in it something which he does not know. The ordinary man and ordinary woman with all their stupidity can yet practice it, yet in its perfection even a sage finds in it something which he cannot practice....Thus the Way of the superior man begins with the relationship between husband and wife, but in its fullest extent reaches to all that is in Heaven and Earth.\" (Ch. 12..) Thus though all men, even in their ignorance and stupidity, are following the Way to some extent, spiritual cultivation is nevertheless required to bring them to enlightenment and perfection.\n\n\n\n\n Enlightenment and Perfection"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Enlightenment and Perfection\n\n\n\n\n In the Chung Yung, this perfection is described as ch eng (sincerity, realness) and goes together with enlightenment. The Chung Yung says: \"Progress from perfection to enlightenment is called the nature.\n\n\n\n\n From enlightenment to perfection it is called spiritual culture. When there is perfection, there is enlightenment. When there is enlightenment, there is perfection.\" (Ch. ii.) That is to say, once one understands all the significance of the ordinary and common acts of daily life, such as eating, drinking, and the human relationships, one is already a sage. The same is true when one practices to perfection what one understands. One cannot fully understand the significance of these things unless one practices them. Nor can one practice them to perfection, unless one fully understands their significance."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Chung Yung says again: \"The quality of ch'eng does not simply consist in perfecting oneself. It is that whereby one perfects all other things. The perfection of the self lies in the quality of yen [ humanheartedness]. The perfection of other things lies in wisdom. In this is the virtue of the nature. It is the way through which comes the union between inner and outer.\" (Ch. 25.) The meaning of this passage seems clear, yet I wonder whether the words, humanheartedness and wisdom, should not be interchanged.\n\n\n\n\n The Chung Yung says also: \"it is only he who has the most ch'eng who can develop his nature to the utmost. Able to do this, he is able to do the same to the nature of other men. Able to do this, he is able to do the same to the nature of things. Able to do this, he can assist the transforming and nourishing operations of Heaven and Earth. Being able to do this, he can\n\n\n\n\n 288 CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n form a trinity with Heaven and Earth. (Ch. 22.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While perfecting oneself, one must also see that others are likewise perfected. One cannot perfect oneself while disregarding the perfection of others. The reason is that one can develop one's nature to the utmost only through the human relationships, that is, within the sphere of society. This goes back to the tradition of Confucius and Mencius, that for self-perfection one must practice chung, shu, and humanheartedness; that is, it consists in helping others. To perfect oneself is to develop to the utmost what one has received from Heaven. And to help others is to assist the transforming and nourishing operations of Heaven and Earth. By fully understanding the significance of these things, one is enabled to form a trinity with Heaven and Earth. Such understanding is what the Chung Yung calls enlightenment, and forming a trinity in this way is what it calls perfection."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Is anything extraordinary needed in order to achieve this trinity? No, nothing more is needed than to do the common and ordinary things and to do them just right, with understanding of their full significance. By so doing, one can gain the union of inner and outer, which is not only a trinity of Heaven, Earth, and man, but means a unity of man with Heaven and Earth. In this way one can achieve other-worldliness, yet at the same time not lose this-worldliness. It is with the development of this idea that the later Neo-Confucianists attacked the other—worldly philosophy of Buddhism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Such is the Confucianist way of elevating ihe mind to a state in which the individual becomes one with the universe. It differs from the Taoist method, which is, through the negation of knowledge, to elevate the mind above the mundane distinctions between the \"this and the \"other.' The Confucianist method, on the other hand, is, through the extension of love, to elevate the mind above the usual distinctions between the self and other things.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 1QO\n\n\n\n\n CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS\n\n\n\n\n \n \n CHAPTER 16\n \n \n\n\n\n\n \n \n WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY\n \n \n\n\n\n\n IT is said that \"history never repeats itself,\" yet also that \"there is nothing new under the sun.' Perhaps the whole truth lies in a combination of these two sayings. From a Chinese point of view, so far as international politics is concerned, the history of our world in the present and immediately preceding centuries looks like a repetition of the Chinese history of the Ch'un Ch'iu and Chan Kuo periods."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Political Conditions Preceding the Unification by Ch' in\n\n\n\n\n The Ch un Ch iu period (722-479 B.C.) is so named because it is the period covered by the Ch'un Ch'iu or Spring and Autumn Annals. And the Chan Kuo period (480-220 B.C.) derives its name, which means Warring States, from the fact that it was a period of intensified warfare between the feudal states.\n\n\n\n\n As we have seen, men's conduct during the feudal age was governed by li (ceremonies, rituals, rules of proper conduct). Not only were there li governing the conduct of the individual, but also those for the state as well. Some of these were to be practiced in time of peace, but others were designed for use in war. These peacetime and wartime li, as observed by one state in its relations to another, were equivalent to what we now would call international law."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We see that in recent times international law has become more and more ineffective. In late years there have been many instances in which one nation has attacked another without first sending an ultimatum and declaring war, or the airplanes of one nation have bombed the hospitals of another, while pretending that they did not see the red cross. And in the periods of Chinese history mentioned above, we see a similar decline in the effectiveness of the li.\n\n\n\n\n In the Ch'un Ch'iu period, there were still people who respected the international li. The Tso Chuan reports a famous battle of Hung that took place in 638 B.C. between the states of Ch'u and Sung. The old-fashioned Duke Hsiang of Sung personally directed the Sung forces. At a certain moment, the 292 WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ch u army was crossing a river to form its lines, whereupon the commander under Duke Hsiang immediately asked for permission to attack the army during its crossing. To this the Duke replied, however, that he would not attack an army before it had formed its lines. The result was a disastrous defeat of the Sung army, in which the Duke himself was wounded. In spite of this, however, he defended his original decision, saying: \"A superior man does not inflict a second wound on one who has already been wounded, nor does he take prisoner any one who has gray hair.\" This infuriated one of his commanders, who told the Duke: If it is good to refrain from inflicting a second wound, why not refrain from inflicting any wound at all? If it is good to refrain from taking prisoner any one who has gray hair, why not surrender to your enemy? (Tso Chuan, twenty—second year of Duke Hsi.) What the Duke said accorded with the traditional li, which represented the chivalrous spirit of the feudal knights. What the commander said"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the feudal knights. What the commander said represented the practice of a changing age."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is interesting though discouraging to note that all the known methods which statesmen of today use in an effort to keep peace among nations are much the same as those which the statesmen of these early periods of Chinese history attempted without success. For example, a conference for the limitation of armaments was held in 551 B.C. (Tso Chuan, twenty-seventh year of Duke Hsiang.) Some time later a proposal was made to divide the \"world\" of that time into two \"spheres of influence\"; one in the east, to be controlled by the King of Ch' i with the title of Eastern Emperor; the other in the west, to be controlled by the King of Ch in with the title of Western Emperor. (Historical Records, ch. 46.) There were also various alliances of states with one another. During the Chan Kuo period these fell into two general patterns: the \"vertical,' which ran from north to south, and the horizontal,\" which ran from west to east."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At that time there were seven major states, of which Ch in was the most aggressive. The vertical type of alliance was one directed against Ch in by the other six states, and was so called because Ch'in lay in the extreme west, while the other six states were scattered to the east of it, ranging from north to south. The horizontal type of alliance, on the other hand, was one in which Ch'in combined with one or more of the other six states in order to attack the remainder, and therefore was extended from the west toward the east."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ch'in's policy was \"to make alliance with distant states, but attack the ones that were near.\" In this way it always eventually succeeded in breaking up the vertical alliances that opposed it. By its superiority in 'agriculture and war\" and extensive use of \"fifth column' techniques among the other states, Ch'in, after a series of bloody campaigns, succeeded in conquering the other six stales one by one, and finally unified the whole of China in 2.2.1 B.C. Thereupon the King of Ch in gave to himself the grandiose title of First Emperor of Ch in (Ch in Shih—huang—ti) by which he is known to history. At the same time he abolished feudalism and thus for the first time in histo—\n\n\n\n\n 2.94 WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n ry created a centralized Chinese empire under the Ch in dynasty. The Unification of China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Though the First Emperor was thus the first to achieve actual unity, the desire for such unity had been cherished by all people for a long time previous. In the Mencius we are told that King Hui of Liang asked: How may the world be at peace? To which Meneius replied: \"When there is unity, there will be peace.\" \"But who can unify the world?\" asked the King. \"He who does not delight in killing men can unify it, answered Mencius. (la, 6.) This statement clearly expresses the aspiration of the time."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The word \"world\" used here is a translation of the Chinese term t'ien-hsia, which literally means \"all beneath the sky.\" Some translators render it as empire, because, so they maintain, what the Chinese in ancient times called the t ien-hsia was confined to the limits of the Chinese feudal states. This is (juite true. But we should not confuse the intension of a term with its extension as it was understood by the people of a particular time. The latter usage is limited by the knowledge of facts possessed by these people, but the former is a matter of definition. For instance, we cannot say that the word jen (persons) should be translated as \"Chinese, simply because in ancient times what the Chinese meant by the word was confined to people of Chinese blood. When the ancient Chinese spoke about yen, what they meant was really human beings, even though at that time their knowledge of human beings was limited to those of China. In the same way, when they spoke about the t ien -hsia, they meant the world, even"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "about the t ien -hsia, they meant the world, even though in early times their knowledge of the world did not extend beyond the Chinese states."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From the age of Confucius onward, the Chinese people in general and their political thinkers in particular began to think about political matters in terms of the world. Hence the unification of China by Ch'in seemed, to the people of that time, very much as the unification of the whole world would seem to us today. Since the unification of 2.2.1 B.C., for more than two thousand years, with the exception of certain periods which the Chinese have considered as abnormal, they have lived under one government in one world. They have thus been accustomed to a centralized organization that would operate for world peace. But in recent times they have been plunged into a world with international political conditions similar to those of the remote periods of the Ch un Ch iu and Chan Kuo. In the process they have been compelled to change their habits of thinking and acting. In this respect, in the eyes of the Chinese, there has been a repetition of history, which has contributed much to their present suffering."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(See note at the end of the chapter.)\n\n\n\n\n The Great Learning\n\n\n\n\n To illustrate the internationalistic character of Chinese philosophy, let us 296 WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n turn now to some of the ideas of the Ta Hsiieh, or Great Learning. The Ta Hsiieh, like the Chung Yung, is a chapter in the Li Chi (Book of Rites), and like the Chung Yung, it was, during the Sung dynasty (960-1279), grouped by the Neo-Confucianists with the Confucian Analects and the Mencius, to form the Four Books which comprised the primary texts for Neo-Confucian philosophy.\n\n\n\n\n The Great Learning was attributed by the Neo-Confucianists, though with no real proof, to Tseng Tzu, one of the chief disciples of Confucius. It was considered by them to be an important manual for the learning of Too. Its opening section reads:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"The teaching of the Great Learning is to manifest one' s illustrious virtue, love the people, and rest in the highest good....The ancients who wished to manifest illustrious virtue throughout the world, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their own states, they first regulated their own families. Wishing to regulate their own families, they first cultivated their own selves. Wishing to cultivate their own selves, they first rectified their own minds. Wishing to rectify their own minds, they first sought for absolute sincerity in their thoughts. Wishing for absolute sincerity in their thoughts, they first extended their knowledge. This extension of knowledge consists in the investigation of things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Things being investigated, only then did their knowledge become extended. Their knowledge being extended, only then did their thought become sincere. Their thought being sincere, only then did their mind become rectified. Their mind being rectified, only then did their selves become cultivated. Their selves being cultivated, only then did their families become regulated. Their families being regulated, only then did their states become rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, only then could the world be at peace.\"\n\n\n\n\n These statements have been known as the three \"main cords\" and eight minor wires of the Ta Hsiieh.\n\n\n\n\n According to later Confuciarnsts, the three eords really comprise only one cord, which is to manifest one s illustrious virtue.\" \"To love the people\" is the way \"to manifest one s illustrious virtue, while to rest in the highest good is to manifest one s illustrious virtue\" in the highest perfection."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The \"eight wires\" are likewise really only one wire, which is the cultivation of one' s own self. In the above quotation, the steps preceding the cultivation of the self, such as the investigation of things, extension of knowledge, etc., are the ways and means for cultivating the self. And the steps following the cultivation of the self, such as the regulation of the family, etc., are the ways and means for cultivating the self to its highest perfection, or as the text says, for \"resting in the highest good.\" Man cannot develop his nature to perfection unless he tries his best to do his duties in society. He cannot perfect himself without at the same time perfecting others.\n\n\n\n\n \"To manifest one's illustrious virtue ' is the same as \"to cultivate one s self. The former is merely the content of the latter. Thus several ideas are\n\n\n\n\n 198 WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n reduced to a single idea, which is central in Confucianism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is unnecessary that one should be head of a state or of some world organization, before one can do something to bring good order to the state and peace to the world. One should merely do one s best to do good for the state as a member of the state, and do good for the world as a member of the world. One is then doing one s full share of bringing good order to the state and peace to the world. By thus sincerely trying to do one's best, one is resting in the highest good.\n\n\n\n\n For the purpose of the present chapter, it is enough to point out that the author of the Ta Hsileh was thinking in terms of world politics and world peace. He was not the first to think in this way, but it is significant that he did it so systematically. For him, the good order of one' s own state is neither the final goal in terms of politics nor in terms of the spiritual cultivation of the self."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here we need not discuss the problem of how the investigation of things can be the ways and means for the spiritual cultivation of the self. This problem will return to us when we take up Neo-Confucianism later.\n\n\n\n\n Eclectic Tendency in the Hstin—tzu\n\n\n\n\n In the world of Chinese philosophy, the latter part of the third century B. C. saw a strong tendency towards syncretism and eclecticism. The major work of the School of Eclectics, the Lu-shih Ch'un-ch'iu, was composed at that time. But, although this work devoted chapters to most of the schools of its time, it failed to give a theoretical justification for the idea of eclecticism as such. Both Confucianist and Taoist writers, however, did present such a theory, which shows how, despite their other differences, they both reflected the eclectic spirit of the time."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These writers agreed that there is a single absolute Truth which they called the Too. Most of the different schools have seen some one particular aspect of the Too, and in this sense have made some contribution to its manifestation. The Confucianist writers, however, maintained that it was Confucius who had seen the whole Truth, and so the other schools were subordinate to the Confucian school, though in a sense complementary to it. The Taoist writers, on the contrary, maintained that it was Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu who had seen the whole Truth, and therefore that Taoism was superior to all other schools."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Hsiin-tzu there is a chapter titled On Freedom from Blindness,' in which we read: In the past, the traveling scholars were blinded, so they had different schools of thought. Mo Tzu was blinded by utility and did not know the value of culture. Sung Tzu [a contemporary of Mencius, who maintained that the desires of men are really very fewj was blinded by desire, but did not know [that men seek for] gain. Shen Tzu [Shen Tao, a member of the Le—\n\n\n\n\n 3OO WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n galist school] was blinded by law but did not know [the value ofj talent. Shen Tzu LShen Puhai, another member of the Leyalist school] was blinded by authority but did not know wisdom. Hui Tzu [Hui Shih of the shool of Names] was blinded by words but did not know facts. Chuang Tzu was blinded by what is of nature but did not know what is of man."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From the point oi view of utility, the Tao is nothing more than seeking for profit. From the point of view of L fewness of] desires, the Tao is nothing more than satisfaction. From the point of view of law, the Too is nothing more than regulations. From the point of view of authority, the Tao is nothing more than caprice. From the point of view of what is of nature, the Tao is nothing more than laissez-faire.\n\n\n\n\n From the point of view of words, the Tao is nothing more than argumentation.\n\n\n\n\n These different views are single aspects of the Tao. The essence of the Too is constant and includes all changes. It cannot be grasped by a single corner. Those with perverted knowledge who see only a single aspect of the Tao will not be able to comprehend its totality....Confucius was human — hearted and wise and was not blinded. Therefore he comprehended the Tao and was sufficient to be ranked with the early rulers.\" (Ch. II.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In another chapter Hsiin Tzu says: Lao Tzu had vision regarding acquiescence, but did not see exertion. Mo Tzu had vision regarding uniformity, but did not see individuality. Sung Tzu had vision regarding [the fact that the desires of some men are] few, but did not see [the fact that those of other men are] many.\" (Ch. 17.) According to Hsiin Tzu, the vision and blindness of a philosopher go together. He has vision, yet usually at the same time is blinded by his vision. Hence the excellence of his philosophy is at the same time its shortcoming.\n\n\n\n\n Eclectic Tendency in the Chuang—tzu\n\n\n\n\n The author of the last chapter of the Chuang-tzu, T ien Hsia or \"The World,\" gives the Taoist view of syncretism. This chapter is really a summarized account of ancient Chinese philosophy. We are not sure who the author was, but he was certainly one of the best historians and critics of early Chinese philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This chapter first makes a distinction between the whole Truth and partial truth. The whole Truth is the Tao of \"sageliness within and kingliness without,\" the study of which is called \"the Tao method.'\n\n\n\n\n Partial truth is a particular aspect of the whole Truth, the study of which is called the art method.\" This chapter says: \"In the world there are many who use the art method. Each one considers his own L\n\n\n\n\n thought J as perfect without need of any addition. Where is there then what the ancients called the Tao method?...There is that by which the sage flourishes; there is that through which the king completes his achievement. Both originate in the One.\"\n\n\n\n\n The One is the \"7< without.? kingliness and within sageliness of> 302. WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "chapter goes on to make a distinction between the fundamental and the branch, the fine and the coarse, in the Tao. It says: How perfect were the men of old....They understood the fundamental principles and connected them with minute regulations reaching to all points of the compass, embracing the great and the small, the fine and the coarse; their influence was everywhere.\n\n\n\n\n \"Some of their teachings which were correctly embodied in measures and institutions are still preserved in ancient laws and the records of historians. Those teachings that were recorded in the books of Poetry; History, Rites, and Music were known to most of the gentlemen and teachers of [the states of]\n\n\n\n\n Tsou and Lu [i.e., the Confucianists]. The Book of Poetry describes aims; the Book of History describes events; the Rites direct conduct; Music secures harmony. The Yi [ Book of Changes J shows the principles of the Yin and Yang. The Ch'un Ch'iu [Spring and Autumn Annals] shows names and duties.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus the T'ien Hsia chapter maintains that the Confucianists had some connection with the Tao. But what they knew is confined to \"measures and institutions. They knew nothing about the underlying principle. That is to say, they knew only the coarser aspects and lesser branches of the Tao, but not what is fine and fundamental in it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The T ien Hsia chapter continues by saying: Now the world is in great disorder. The virtuous and the sage are obscured. Tao and virtue lose their unity and many in the world get hold of some one aspect of the whole to enjoy for themselves. The case is like the senses of hearing, sight, smell, and taste, which have specific functions, but cannot be interchanged. Or like the skill of the various artisans, which are each excellent in its kind and useful in its turn, yet are not comprehensive. Each is a student of some one aspect....Thus the Tan of sageliness within and kingliness without becomes obscured and loses its clearness; it becomes repressed and loses its development."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then the same treatise makes a classification of the different schools, granting to each that it has \"heard\" of some one aspect of the Tao, but at the same time making sharp criticisms of the school s shortcomings. Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu are greatly admired. Yet, remarkably enough, these two leaders of Taoism, like the other schools, are by implication criticized by the remark that they, too, have merely \"heard some one aspect of the Too.\"\n\n\n\n\n It thus seems to be the implication of the T ien Hsia chapter that the Confucianists knew the concrete \"measures and institutions\" but not their underlying principle, whereas the Taoisls knew the principle but not the measures and institutions. In other words, the Confucianists knew the \"branches\" of the Tao, but not its fundamental aspect, while the Taoists knew its fundamental aspect, but not its branches. Only a combination of the two constitutes the whole Truth.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 304 WORLD POLITICS AND WOKLD PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Eclecticism of Ssu—Ma T an and Liu Hsin\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n This eclectic tendency was continued in the Han dynasty. The Huai—nan-tzu or Book of the Prince of Huai—nan is a book of the same nature as the Ltt-shih Ch'un-ch'iu, though with a stronger tendency towards Taoism. In addition to this book, the two historians, Ssu-ma Tan (died IIO B.C.) and Liu Hsin (ca. 46 B.C-A.D. 23), who have been quoted in chapter three, also display eclectic tendencies. Of them, Ssu-ma T a n was a Taoist. In the essay quoted in chapter three,\"On the Essentials of the Six Schools,\"\n\n\n\n\n he says: \"In the Great Appendix [_ 'Appendix III J of the Yi, there is the statement: 'In the world there is one purpose, but there are a hundred ideas about it; there is a single goal, but the paths toward it differ.' This is just the case with the different schools of thought,...all of which seek social order but follow widely different paths in their words of explanation, some of which are clear and others not.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Historical Records, ch. 130.) He then goes on to mention the excellencies and shortcomings of the six philosophic schools, but concludes by considering Taoism as combining all the best points of the other schools, and therefore as being superior to all."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Liu Hsin, on the other hand, was a Confucianist. In his Seven Summaries, as quoted in the chapter on literature contained in the History of the Former Han Dynasty, he lists ten schools of thought, and quotes the same passage from \"Appendix 111\" of the Book of Changes as does Ssu-ma Tan. Then he concludes: Each of the schools developed its strong points; and each developed knowledge and investigation to the utmost in order to sel forth clearly its main purposes. Although they had prejudices and shortcomings, still a summary of their teachings shows that they were branches and descendants of the Liu Yi (Six Classics)....If one were able to cultivate the Liu Yi and observe the sayings of the nine schools [omitting that of the Story Tellers as of no philosophical importance J, discarding their errors and gathering their good points, it would be possible to master the manifold aspects of thought. (History of the Former Han Dynasty, ch. 30.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All these statements reflect the strong desire for unity that existed even in the world of thought. The people of the third century B.C., discouraged by centuries of inter -state warfare, longed for a political unification; their philosophers, consequently, also tried to bring about a unification in thought. Electicism was the first attempt. Eclecticism in itself, however, cannot build a unified system. The eclectics believed in the whole Truth, and hoped by selecting from the various schools their \"strong points,\" tn attain to this Truth or Too. What they called the Too, however, was, it is to be feared, simply a patch-work of many disparate elements, unconnected by any underlying organic principle, and hence unworthy of the high title they attached to it.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 3Ofj WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Note on the Chinese concept of Nationalism(seezp.2.cfj)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dr. Derk Bodde writes: I would question this statement. The Six Dynasties (third through sixth century), Yuan (12.80-1367) and Ch'ing (1644-1911) periods, for example, were in actual fact of so long duration as to accustom the Chinese to the idea of disunity or foreign domination, even though such a situation was in theory regarded as abnormal. Moreover, even in the normal periods of unity, there was often extensive political maneuvering and military action against a succession of outside peoples, such as the Hsiung-nu, as well as against occasional rebels within the empire. 1 would hardly regard the present conditions as presenting an unfamiliar situation to the Chinese, therefore, even though their effects are accentuated by the fact that they operate on a truly worldwide scale."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The historical facts which Dr. Bodde mention are no doubt correct, but what concerns me in this paragraph is not these historical facts themselves, but what the Chinese people up to the end of the last century, or even the beginning of this century, have felt about them. The emphasis upon the foreign domination of the Yuan and Ch ing dynasties is one made from the point of view of modern nationalism.\n\n\n\n\n It is true that from early limes the Chinese have made a sharp distinction between Chung Kuo or hua hsia (Chinese) and yi ti (barbarian), but the emphasis of this distinction is more cultural than racial. The Chinese have traditionally considered that there are three kinds of living beings: Chinese, barbarians, and beasts. Of these, the Chinese are most cultured, the barbarians come next, and the beasts are completely uncultured."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Mongols and Manchus conquered China, they had already to a considerable extent adopted the culture of the Chinese. They dominated the Chinese politically, but the Chinese dominated them culturally. They therefore did not create a marked break or change in the continuity and unity of Chinese culture and civilization, with which the Chinese were most concerned. Hence traditionally the Chinese have considered the Yuan and Ch' ing as simply two of the many dynasties that have followed each other in Chinese history. This can be seen from the official arrangement of the dynastic histories. The Ming dynasty, for instance, in one sense represented a nationalistic revolution against the Yuan; nevertheless, the official History of the Yilan Dynasty, compiled under the Ming, treated the Yuan as the normal successor of the purely Chinese Sung dynasty. Likewise Huang Tsung-hsi ?O8 WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1610-1695), one of the nationalistic scholars who opposed the Manchus, in his Sung Yilan Hsiieh-an or Biographical History of Confucanist Philosophers of the Sung and Yilan Dynasties, found no moral fault in such scholars as HstiHeng (12.09-12.81) and Wu Ch'eng (1249-1333), who though Chinese had served under the Yilan with high official rank."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Chinese Republic has similarly compiled an official History of the Ch ing Dynasty, in which this dynasty is treated as the normal successor of the Ming. This history was later banned by the present government, because the treatment of certain events connected with the revolution of 1911 was regarded as unsatisfactory. Hence it is possible that the new official History of the Ch'ing Dynasty will eventually be written in a quite different way. What I am here concerned with, however, is the traditional view. So far as tradition is concerned, the Yuan and Ch ing were just as \"normal\" as other dynasties. One may say that the Chinese lack nationalism, but that is precisely my point. They lack nationalism because they have been accustomed to think in terms of t ien hsia, the world."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As to the fact that the Chinese have had to fight such non-Chinese groups as the Hsiurig—nu, etc., traditionally what the Chinese have felt is that sometimes it was necessary for them to fight the barbarians, just as sometimes it was necessary to fight the beasts. They did not feel that such people as the Hsiung-nu were in a position to divide the world with China, just as the American people do not feel that the red Indians are in a position to divide America with them.\n\n\n\n\n Because the Chinese did not greatly emphasize racial distinctions, it resulted that during the third and fourth centuries A.D. various non-Chinese peoples were allowed to move freely into China. This movement constituted what is called the \"inner colonization,\" and was a primary cause for the political troubles of the Six Dynasties period. Such inner colonization is precisely what Hitler, in his Mein Kampf criticized from a super-nationalistic point of view."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The introduction of Buddhism seems to have given many Chinese the realization that civilized people other than the Chinese existed, but traditionally there have been two kinds of opinion regarding India.\n\n\n\n\n Those Chinese who opposed Buddhism believed that the Indians were simply another tribe of barbarians. Those who believed in Buddhism, on the other hand, regarded India as the \"pure land of the West.\" Their praise of India was that of a realm transcending this world. Hence even the introduction of Buddhism, de—\n\n\n\n\n 310 WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n spite its enormous effect upon Chinese life, did not change the belief of ihe Chinese that they were the only civilized people in the human world."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As a result of these concepts, when the Chinese first came in contact with Europeans in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, they thought that they were simply barbarians like preceding barbarians, and so they spoke of them as barbarians. As a consequence they did not feel greatly disturbed, even though they suffered many defeats in fighting with them. They began to be disturbed, however, when they found that the Europeans possessed a civilization equal to, though different from, that of the Chinese. What was novel in the situation was not that peoples other than the Chinese existed, but that their civilization was one of equal power and importance. In Chinese history one can find a parallel for such a situation only in the Chun Ch'iu and Chan Kuo periods, when different but equally civilized states existed that fought with one another. That is why the Chinese now feel that there is a repetition in hislory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If one reads the writings of the great statesmen of the last century, such as Tseng Kuo-fan (1811-1872) and Li Hung-chang (1823-1901), there is much evidence that they felt about the impact of the West precisely in this way. This note attempts to describe the reasons for their feeling.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 17\n \n \n\n\n\n\n ZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE: TUNG CHUNG-SHU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n MENCIUS once said that those who do not delight in killing men would unify the world. (Mejicius, la, 6.) It would seem that he was wrong, because, some hundred years later, it was the state of Ch in that unified the whole of China. Ch'in was superior to the other states in the arts of both \"agriculture and war,\" that is, it was superior both economically and militarily. It was known at the time as \"llie state of tigers and wolves. By sheer force of arms, coupled with the ruthless ideology of the Legalists, it succeeded in conquering all its rivals."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Amalgamation of the. Yin-Yang and Confucianist Schools Yet Mencius was not wholly wrong, for the Ch in dynasty, which was established after the unification of 2.21 B.C., lasted only about fifteen years. Soon after the death of the First Emperor his empire disintegrated in a series of rebellions against the harsh Ch in rule, and was succeeded by the Han dynasty (io6 B.C.-A.D. 2.2.0). The Han inherited the concept of political u-nity of the Ch'in, and continued its unfinished work, that is, the building up of a new political and social order."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tung Chung-shu (c. I7°-c. 104 B.C.) was the great theorizcr in such an attempt. A native of the southern part of the present Hopei province, he was largely instrumental in making Confucianism the orthodox belief of the Han dynasty, at the expense of the other schools of thought. He was also prominent in the creation of the institutional basis for this Confucian orthodoxy: the famed Chinese examination system, which began to take form during his time. Under this system, entry into the ranks of the government officials who ruled the country was not dependent upon noble birth or wealth, but rather upon success in a series of periodic examinations which were conducted by the government simultaneously throughout the country, and were open to all members of society with but trifling exceptions. These examinations, to be sure, were still embryonic in the Han dynasty and did not become really\n\n\n\n\n 314 THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE:TUNG CHUNG-SHU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "universal until several centuries later. It is to Tung Chung —shu s credit, however, that he was one of the first to propose them, and it is also significant that in so doing he insisted upon the Confucian classics as the ideological basis for their operation."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is said of Tung Chung-shu that he was so devoted to his literary studies that once for three years he did not even look out into his garden. As a result, he wrote a lengthy work known as the Ch an ch iu Fan—la, or Luxuriant Dew from the Spring and Autumn Annals. It is also said that he used to expound his teachings from behind a curtain, and that these were transmitted by his disciples, one to another, to a remote distance, so that there were some who never had the privilege of seeing his countenance. (See his biography in the History of the Former Han Dynasty, ch. 56.) What Tung Chung—shu tried to do was to give a sort of theoretical justification to the new political and social order of his time. According to him, since man is a part of Heaven, the justification of the behavior of the former must be found in the behavior of the latter. He thought with the Yin—Yang school that a close interconnection exists between Heaven and man. Starting with this premise, he combined a metaphysical justification,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "he combined a metaphysical justification, which derives chiefly from the Yin-Yang school, with a political and social philosophy which is chiefly Confucianist."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The word Heaven is a translation of ihe Chinese word T ien, which is sometimes rendered as Heaven and sometimes as nature. Neither translation is quite adequate, however, especially in Tung Chung-shu s philosophy. My colleague Professor Y. L. Chin has said: \"Perhaps if we mean by T ien both nature and the divinity which presides over nature, with emphasis sometimes on the one and sometimes on the other, we have something approaching the Chinese term.\" (Unpublished manuscript.) This statement is not true in certain cases, for instance, in those of I^o Tzu and Chuang Tzu, but it is certainly so in the case of Tung Chung—shu. In this chapter, when the word Heaven occurs, 1 ask the reader to recall this statement of Professor Chin as the definition of the word T' ien in Tung Chung-shu's philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapter twelve it was pointed out thai lliere were two distinct lines of thought in ancient China, those of the Yin and Yang and of the Five Elements, each of which provided a positive interpretation for the structure and origin of the universe. Later, however, these two lines became amalgamated, and in Tung Chung-shu this amalgamation is particularly conspicuous. Thus in his philosophy we find both the theory of the Yin and Yang and that of the Five Elements.\n\n\n\n\n Cosmological Theory\n\n\n\n\n According to Tung Chung-shu, the universe has ten constituents: Heaven, Earth, the Yin and Yang, the Five Elements of Wood, Fire, Soil, Metal, and Water, and finally man.* His idea of the Yin and Yang is very concrete. He\n\n\n\n\n 3l6 THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE: TUNG CHUNG-SHU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "says: Within the universe there exist the ethers of the Yin and Yang. Men are constantly immersed in them, just as fish are constantly immersed in water. The difference between the Yin and Yang ethers and water is that water is visible, whereas the ethers are invisible. (Ch. 8l.) The order of the Five Elements given by Tung Chung-shu differs from that given by the \"Grand Norm.\" (See ch. 12. of this book.) According to him, the first is Wood, the second, Fire, the third Soil, the fourth Metal, and the fifth Water. These Five Elements \"each in turn produces the next and is overcome by the next but one in turn.\" (Ch. 42-) Thus Wood produces Fire, Fire produces Soil, Soil produces Metal, Metal produces Water, and Water produces Wood. This is the process of their mutual production. But Wood overcomes Soil, Soil overcomes Water, Water overcomes Fire, Fire overcomes Metal, and Metal overcomes Wood. This is the process of their mutual overcoming."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For Tung Chung-shu, as for the Yin-Yang school, Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water each presides over one of the four seasons as well as one of the four directions of the compass. Wood presides over the east and spring, Fire over the south and summer, Metal over the west and autumn, and Water over the north and winter. Soil presides over the center and gives assistance to all the other elements. The alternation of the four seasons is explained by the operations of the Yin and Yang. (Ch. 4^-) The Yin and Yang wax and wane and follow fixed circuits which take them through all the four directions. When the Yang first waxes, it moves to assist Wood in the east, and then there comes spring. As it grows in strength, it moves to the south where it assists Fire, and then there comes summer. But according to the universal law of \"reversal\" as maintained by the Lao-tzu and the Yi \"Appendices,\" growth must be followed by decay. Hence the Yang, having reached its extreme height, begins to wane, while at the same time the Yin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "begins to wane, while at the same time the Yin begins to wax in turn. The Yin, as it does this, moves east to assist Metal,** and then there comes autumn. As it gains more strength, it moves north to assist Water, and then there comes winter. But having there reached its climax, it begins to wane, while at the same time the Yang starts a new cycle of growth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus the changes of the four seasons result from the waxing and waning movements of the Yin and Yang, and their succession is really a succession of the Yin, arid Yang. Tung Chung-shu says: \"The constant principle of the universe is the succession of the Yin and Yang. The Yang is Heaven's beneficent force, while the Yin is its chastising force....In the course of Heaven, there are three seasons L spring, summer, and autumn j of formation\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * See the Ch'nn-fh'iu h'an-la. ch. 81. All quotations in the present chapter, unless otherwise stated, are from this\n\n\n\n\n work.\n\n\n\n\n ** Not west, though west is the direction for autumn. The reason for this is, according to Tung, that \"Heaven has trust in the Yang, hut not in the Yin.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 318\n\n\n\n\n THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE:TUNG CHUNG-SHU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n and growth, and one season [winter] of mourning and death.\" (Ch. 49.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This shows, according to Tung, that \"Heaven has trust in the Yang but not in the Yin; it likes beneficence but not chastisement. (Ch. 47.) It also shows that \"Heaven has its own feelings of joy and anger, and a mind which experiences sadness and pleasure, analogous to those of man. Thus if a grouping is made according to kind, Heaven and man are one.\" (Ch. 49-) Man, therefore, both in his physiological and mental aspects, is a replica or duplicate of Heaven. (Ch.\n\n\n\n\n 41.) As such, he is far superior to all other things of the world. Man, Heaven, and Earth are \"the origins of all things.\" \"Heaven gives them birth, Earth gives them nourishment, and man gives them perfection."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ch. 19.) As to how man accomplishes this perfection, Tung says that it is done through li (ritual) and yitieh (music), that is to say, through civilization and culture. If there were no civilization and culture, the world would be like an unfinished work, and the universe itself would suffer imperfection. Thus of Heaven, Earth, and man, he says: \"These three are related to each other like the hands and feet; united they give the finished physical form, so that no one of them may be dispensed with. (Ch. 19.) Theory of Human Nature"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since Heaven has its Yin and Yang, and man is a replica of Heaven, the human mind consequently also contains two elements: hsing (man s nature) and ch ing (the emotions or feelings). The word hsing is used by Tung Chung-shu sometimes in a broader and sometimes a narrower sense. In the narrow sense, it is something that exists separate from and in opposition to ch ing, whereas in the broader sense it embraces ch ing. In this latter meaning, Tung sometimes refers to hsing as the \"basic stuff. (Ch. 35-) This basic stuff of man, therefore, consists both of hsing (used in the narrow sense) and ch ing. From hsing comes the virtue of human —heartedness, whereas from ch ing comes the vice of covetousness. This hsing, in the narrow sense, is equivalent to Heaven' s Yang, and ch' ing to its Yin. (Ch. 35.) In this connection Tung Chung—shu takes up the old controversy as to whether human nature, that is, the basic stuff of man, is good or bad. He cannot agree with Mcncius that the nature is good, for he says: Goodness"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that the nature is good, for he says: Goodness is like a kernel of grain, and the nature is like the growing plant of the grain. Though the plant produces the kernel, it cannot itself be called a kernel. [Similarly] though the lining [here used in its broader sense, i.e., the basic stuff] produces goodness, it cannot itself be called goodness. The kernel and goodness are both brought to completion through man's continuation of Heaven s work, and are external Lto the latterj. They do not lie within Lthe scope of] what Heaven itself does. What Heaven does extends to a certain point and then stops. What lies within this stopping point pertains to Heaven. What lies outside of it pertains to the chiao Lteaching, culture j of the [sage-] kings. The chiau of the [sage-] kings lies outside the hsing [basic"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "32.0 THEORIZER OF THF, HAN EMPIRE:TUNG CHUNG-SHU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n stuff], yet without it the hsing cannot be fully developed.\" (Ch. 36.)\n\n\n\n\n Thus Tung Chung-shu emphasizes the value of culture, which is indeed that which makes man equal to Heaven and Earth. In this respect he approaches Hsiin Tzu. He differs from him, however, in that he does not consider the basic stuff of man to be actually evil. Goodness is a continuation of nature, not a reversal of it.\n\n\n\n\n Inasmuch as culture, for Tung, is a continuation of nature, he also approaches Mencius. Thus he writes: \"It is said by some that since the nature [of man] contains the beginning of goodness and the mind contains the basic stuff of goodness, how, then, can it be that [the nature itself] is not good? But I reply that this is not so. For the silk cocoon contains silk fibers and yet is not itself silk, and the egg contains the chicken, yet is not itself a chicken. If we follow these analogies, what doubt can there be?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ch. 5-) The question raised here represents the view of Mencius. In answering it, Tung Chung-shu makes clear the difference between Mencius and himself.\n\n\n\n\n But the difference between these two philosophers is really not much more than verbal. Tung Chung-shu himself says: \"Mencius evaluates [the basic stuff of man] in comparison with the doings of the birds and beasts below, and therefore says that human nature is itself already good. I evaluate it in comparison with the sages above, and therefore say that human nature is not yet good. (Ch. 15-) Thus the difference between Mencius and Tung Chung— shu is reduced to that between two phrases: \"already good\" and \"not yet good.\"\n\n\n\n\n Social Ethics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Tung Chung-shu, the theory of the Yin and Yang is also a metaphysical justification of the social order. He writes: In all things there must be correlates. Thus if there is the upper, there must be the lower. If there is the left, there must be the right....If there is cold, there must be heat. If there is day, there must be night. These are all correlates. The Yin is the correlate of the Yang, the wife of the husband, the subject of the sovereign. There is nothing that does not have a correlate, and in each correlation there is the Yin and Yang. Thus the relationships between sovereign and subject, father and son, and husband and wife, are all derived from the principles of the Yin and Yang. The sovereign is Yang, the subject is Yin; the father is Yang, the son is Yin; the husband is Yang, the wife is Yin.... The three cords [kang]a{ the Way of the [true] King may be sought in Heaven.\" (Ch. 53.) According to the Conlucianists before this period, there are in society five major human"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "period, there are in society five major human relationships, namely, those between sovereign and subject, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, and friend and friend. Out of these, Tung selects three and calls them the three kang. The literal meaning of kang is a major cord in a net, to which all the other"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "322.\n\n\n\n\n THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE:TUNG CHUNG-SHU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n strings are attached. Thus the sovereign is the kang of his subjects, that is, he is their master. Likewise the husband is the kang of the wife, and the father is the kang of the son.\n\n\n\n\n Besides the three kang there exist the five ch ang, which were upheld by all Confucianiats. Ch'ang means a norm or constant, and the five ch'ang are the five constant virtues of Confucianism, namely, jen (human—heartedness), yi (righteousness), li (propriety, rituals, rules of proper conduct), chih (wisdom) and hsin (good faith). Although Tung Chung-shu did not especially emphasize this point himself, it was commonly held by all the Han scholars that the five virtues have their correlations in the Five Elements. Thus humanheartedness is correlated with Wood in the east; righteousness with Metal in the west; propriety with Fire in the south; wisdom with Water in the north; and good faith with Soil in the center.*"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The five ch ang are the virtues of an individual, and the three kang are the ethics of society. The compound word kang—ch ang meant, in olden times, morality or moral laws in general. Man must develop his nature in the direction of the moral laws, which are the essentials of cullure and civilization.\n\n\n\n\n Political Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Political Philosophy\n\n\n\n\n Not all men, however, can do this by themselves. Hence it is the funclion of government to help them in their development. Tung Chung—shu writes: \"Heaven has produced men with natures that contain the basic stuff of goodness but are not able to be good in themselves. Therefore Heaven has established for them [the institution of] the king to make them good. This is the purpose of Heaven.\" (Ch. 35-) The king governs with beneficence, rewards, punishments, and executions. These four ways of government are modeled on the four seasons. Tung says: Beneficence, rewards, punishments, and executions, match spring, summer, autumn, and winter respectively, like the fitting together of Lthe two parts ofj a tally. Therefore T say that the king is co-equal with Heaven, meaning that Heaven has four seasons, while the king has four ways of government. Such are what Heaven and man share in common.\" (Ch. 55.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The organization of government is also modeled on the pattern of the four seasons. According to Tung, the fact that government officials are graded into four ranks is modeled on the fact that a year has four seasons. Likewise, the fact that each official in each rank has three assistants under him, is modeled on the fact that each season has three months. The officials are thus graded, because men naturally fall into four grades in regard to their ability and virtue. Hence the government selects all men who deserve to be selected, and employs them according to these natural grades of virtue and ability.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n • See the Pai Hu T'ung Yi or General Principles from the White rhllan 8.\n\n\n\n\n [Litlge], a work compiled in A.D. 79,\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 324\n\n\n\n\n THE0R1ZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE:TUNG CHUNG-SHU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus Heaven selects the four seasons, and hrings them to completion with the twelve [months]; in this way the transformations of Heaven are completely expressed. And it is only the sage who can similarly give complete expression to the changes of man and harmonize them with those of Heaven.\" (Ch. 2.4.) Since the relation between Heaven and man is so close and intimate, hence, Tung maintains, all wrongdoings in human government must result in the manifestation of abnormal phenomena in the world of nature. As had already been done by the Yin — Yang school, he supplies both a teleological and a mechanistic explanation for this theory.\n\n\n\n\n Teleologically speaking, when there is something wrong in human government, this necessarily causes displeasure and anger on the part of Heaven. Such displeasure or anger is expressed through natural visitations or prodigies, such as earthquakes, eclipses of the sun or moon, droughts or floods."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These are Heaven s way of warning the ruler to correct his mistakes.\n\n\n\n\n Mechanistically speaking, however, according to Tung Chung-shu, \"all things avoid that from which they differ and cleave to that to which they are similar, and things definitely call to themselves their own kind. Hence abnormalities on the part of man necessarily call forth abnormalities on the part of nature.\n\n\n\n\n Tung Chung-shu, contradicting his teleological theory expressed elsewhere, maintains that this is the law of nature and that in it there is nothing supernatural. (Ch. 57. ) Philosophy of History"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapter twelve we saw how Tsou Yen maintained the theory that the changes of dynasties in history are influenced by the movements of the Five Powers. A certain dynasty, because it is associated with a certain Power, must conduct its government in a manner appropriate to thai Power. Tung Chung—shu modifies this theory by maintaining that the succession of dynasties does not accord with the movement of the Jive Powers, but with a sequence of what he calls the \"Three Reigns.\" These are the Black, White, and Red Reigns. Each has its own system of government and each dynasty represents one Reign. (Ch. 23.)\n\n\n\n\n In actual history, according to Tung, the Hsia dynasty (traditionally 22.05-1766 B.C.) represented the Black Reign; the Shang dynasty (1766?-1122? B.C.) the White Reign; and the Chou dynasty (1122?\n\n\n\n\n -256 B.C.) the Red Reign. This constituted one cycle in the evolution of history. After the Chou dynasty, the new dynasty would again represent the Black Reign, and the same sequence would recur."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is interesting to note that in modern times, colors have also been used to denote varying systems of social organization, and that they are the same three as those of Tung Chung—shu. Thus, following his theory, we might say that Fascism represents the Black Reign, Capitalism the White Reign, and 326 THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE:TUNG CHUNG-SHU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Communism the Red Reign."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Of course, this is only coincidence. According to Tung Chung-shu, the three Reigns do not differ fundamentally. He maintains that when a new king founds a dynasty, he does so because he has received a special Mandate from Heaven. Hence he must effect certain external changes to make apparent that he has received the new Mandate. These include the shifting of his capital to a new place, assumption of a new title, changing the beginning of the year, and altering the color of clothing worn on official occasions. As to the great bonds of human relationships,\" says Tung, \"and as to morality, government, moral instruction, customs and the meaning of words, these remain wholly as they were before. For why, indeed, should they be changed? Therefore, the king of a new dynasty has the reputation of changing his institutions, but does not as a matter of fact alter the basic principles.\" (Ch. I.) These basic principles are what Tung calls the Too. His biography in the History of the Former Han Dynasty (ch. 56) quotes"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "History of the Former Han Dynasty (ch. 56) quotes him as saying: \"The great source of Tan derives from Heaven; Heaven does not change, nor does the Too."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The theory that the ruler rules through the Mandate of Heaven is not a new one. In the Book of History we find sayings implying this theory, and Mencius made it already sufficiently clear. But Tung Chung-shu made it the more articulate by incorporating it into his whole philosophy of nature and man.\n\n\n\n\n In the feudal age, all rulers inherited their authority from their ancestors. Even the First Emperor of the Ch'in dynasty was no exception. But the founder of the Han dynasty was different. Rising from the common people, he succeeded in becoming Emperor of the (to the Chinese) entire civilized world. This needed some justification, and Tung Chung-shu provided Lhat justification."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His theory that a ruler rules through the Mandate of Heaven justified the exercise of imperial authority and at the same time set certain limits on it. The Emperor had to be watchful for manifestations of Heaven's pleasure or displeasure, and to act accordingly. It was the practice of the Han Emperors, and, to a greater or lesser extent, of the Emperors of later dynasties, to examine themselves and the policies of their government, and to try to reform them when abnormal natural phenomena gave them cause to be uneasy.\n\n\n\n\n Tung's theory of the succession of the Reigns also set a certain limit to the tenure of a given dynasty.\n\n\n\n\n No matter how good an imperial house may be, the length of its rule is limited. When the end comes, it must give way to another dynasty, the founder of which has received a new Mandate. Such are the measures through which the Confucianists tried to lay restraints upon the power of an absolute monarchy.\n\n\n\n\n Interpretation of the Ch un Ch iu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Interpretation of the Ch un Ch iu\n\n\n\n\n According to Tung Chung-shu, neither the Ch'in nor the Han was the direct successor of the Chou dynasty. In actual fact, he asserted, it was Confu—\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 328\n\n\n\n\n THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE:TUNG CHUNG-SHU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n cius who received the Mandate of Heaven to succeed the Chou and to represent the Black Reign. He was not a king de facto, but one de jure."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is a strange theory, but it was actually maintained and believed by Tung Chung-shu and his school. The Ch'un Ch iu, or Spring and Autumn Annals, which was originally a chronicle of Confucius native state of Lu, was supposed by them (incorrectly) to be a very important political work of Confucius in which he exercised his right as the new king. He represented the Black Reign and instituted all the changes that go with this Reign. Tung Chung—shu was famous for his interpretation of the Ch un Ch iu, and could justify all aspects of his philosophy by quotations from it. As a matter of fact, he commonly quoted the Ch un Ch iu as the main source of his authority. That is why his work is titled the Ch un—ch iu Fan—lu or Luxuriant Dew from the Ch un Ch iu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tung divides the centuries covered by the Ch'un Ch iu (72.2.-479 B.C.) into three periods, which he calls the three ages. These are: (1) the age that was personally witnessed by Confucius; (2.) that which he heard of through the oral testimony of elder living contemporaries; (3) that which he heard of through transmitted records. According to Tung Chung—shu, Confucius, when writing the Ch'un Ch'iu, used differing words or phrases to record the events occurring in these three periods. It is by studying the way in which these words or phrases are used that one may discover the esoteric meaning of the Ch'\n\n\n\n\n un Ch iu.\n\n\n\n\n Three Stages of Social Progress"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Three Stages of Social Progress\n\n\n\n\n There have been three important commentaries written on the Ch un Ch' iu, and since the Han dynasty these have become classics themselves. They are the Tso Commentary, known as the Tso Chuan (which probably was originally not written in toto as a commentary on the Ch un Ch iu, but was later attached to that work), and the Kung Yang and Ku Liang Commentaries. All three are supposedly named after the authors who composed them. Among the three, the Kung Yang Commentary, in particular, interprets the Ch un Ch iu in agreement with the theories of Tung Chung-shu. Thus in this Commentary we find the same theory of the three ages. During the latter part of the Han dynasty, Ho Hsiu (12.9-182.) wrote a commentary on the Kung Yang Commentary, in which he still further elaborated this theory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Ho Hsiu, the Ch un Ch iu is a record of the process through which Confucius ideally transformed the age of decay and disorder into that of \"approaching peace,\" and finally into that of \"universal peace.\" He identifies the earliest of the three ages, \"the age of which Confucius heard through transmitted records, as one of decay and disorder. In this period Confucius devoted his whole attention to his own state of Lu, and took Lu as the center of his reforms. The next period, the age of which Confucius heard through oral testimony, is identified by Ho Hsiu as that of \"ap-330\n\n\n\n\n THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE:TUNG CHUNG-SHU"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "preaching peace. It was an age in which Confucius, having given good government to his own state, next brought peace and order to all the other Chinese states lying within the \"Middle Kingdom. Finally, the last of the three periods, \"the age which Confucius personally witnessed, is identified by Ho Hsiu as that of \"universal peace.\" It was an age in which Confucius, having brought all the Chinese states to peace and order, also civilized all the surrounding barbarian tribes. In this period, Ho Hsiu said: The whole world, far and near, great and small, was like one. * Of course Ho Hsiu did not mean that these things were actually accomplished by Confucius. He meant that they were what Confucius would have accomplished if he had actually had the power and authority. Even so, however, the theory remains fantastic, since Confucius himself was alive only during the latter part of the three supposed ages of the Ch un Ch iu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ho Hsiu s account of the way in which Confucius, working out from his own state, ideally brought the entire world to peace and order, is similar to the stages in acquiring world peace that are expounded in the Great Learning. In this respect, therefore, the Ch'un Ch iu becomes an exemplification of the Great Learning.\n\n\n\n\n This theory of the three stages of social progress is also found in the Li Yiin or \"Evolution of Rites,\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "one of the chapters in the Li Chi. According to this treatise, the first stage was a world of disorder, the second was that of small tranquility, and the third that of great unity. The Li Yiln describes this final age as follows: When the great Too was in practice, the world was common to all; men of talents, virtue and ability were selected; sincerity was emphasized and friendship was cultivated. Therefore, men did not love only their own parents, nor did they treat as children only their own sons. A competent provision was secured for the aged till their death, employment was given to the able-bodied, and a means was provided for the upbringing of the young. Kindness and compassion were shown to widows, orphans, childless men, and those who were disabled by disease, so that they all had the wherewithal for support."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Men had their proper work and women had their homes. They hated to see the wealth of natural resources undeveloped, L so they developed it, but this development] was not for their own use. They hated not to exert themselves, [ so they worked, but their work ] was not for their own profit....This was called the great unity. (Li Chi, ch. 7-)\n\n\n\n\n Though the author of the Li Yiin put this great unity into a golden age of the past, it certainly represented a current dream of the Han people, who would surely have liked to see something more than simply the political unity of the empire.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * See Ho Hsiu's Commentary un ikn hung Yang CtmimenUiry to the Ch'un Ch'in. I st year of Duke Yin. 722. B.C.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 332. THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPiKE:TUNG CHUNG-SHU\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 18\n \n \n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL\n\n\n\n\n OF TAOISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 1 HE Han dynasty was not only the chronological successor of the Ch' in, but in many ways was its continnator as well. It stabilized the unification which the Ch'in had first achieved.\n\n\n\n\n The Unification of Thought"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Among the many policies adopted by Ch'in for this purpose, one of the most important had been that for the unification of thought. After it had conquered all the rival states, Li Ssu, its Prime Minister, submitted a memorial to the Ch'in First Emperor (Ch'in Shih-huang-ti) which said: \"Of old, the world was scattered and in confusion....Men valued what they had themselves privately studied, thus casting into disrepute what their superiors had established. At present, Your Majesty has united the world....Yet there are those who with their private teachings mutually abet each other, and discredit the institutions of laws and instructions....If such conditions are not prohibited, the imperial power will decline above and partizanships will form below. {Historical Records, ch. 87.) Then he made a most drastic recommendation: All historical records, save those of Ch' in, all writings of the \"hundred schools \" of thought, and all other literature, save that kept in custody of the official Erudites, and save works"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "custody of the official Erudites, and save works on medicine, pharmacy, divination, agriculture, and arboriculture, should be delivered to the government and burned. As for any individuals who might want to study, they should \"lake the officials as their teachers. (Ibid., ch. 6.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The First Emperor approved this recommendation and ordered it carried out in 213 B.C. Actually, sweeping though it was, it was nothing more than the logical application of an idea that had long existed in Legalist circles. Thus Han Fei Tzu had already said: \"In the state of the intelligent ruler, there is no literature of books and records, but the laws serve as teachings. There are no sayings of the former kings, but the offcials act as teachers. (Han-fei-tzu, ch. 49.)\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 334\n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n I\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n The purpose of Li Ssu s recommendation is apparent. He wanted to be sure that there should be but one world, one government, one history, and one way of thought. Books on medicine and other practical subjects were therefore exempted from the general destruction because, as we should say now, they were technical works and so had nothing to do with \"ideology.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The very violence of the Ch in dynasty, however, led to its speedy downfall, and following the rise of the Han dynasty,^ good deal of the ancient literature and the writings of the \"hundred schools'came to light again. Yet though they disapproved of the extreme measures of their predecessors, the Han rulers came to feel that a second attempt along different lines should be made to unify the thought of the empire, if political unity were to be long maintained. This new attempt was made by Emperor Wu (140-87 B.C.), who in so doing was following a recommendation made by Tung Chung-shu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In a memorial presented to the Emperor around the year 136 B.C., Tung wrote: The principle of Great Unification in the Ch un Ch iu is a permanent warp passing through the universe, and an expression of what is proper extending from the past to the present. But the teachers of today have diverse Ways, men have diverse doctrines, and each of the philosophic schools has its own particular position and differs in the ideas which it teaches. Hence it is that the rulers possess nothing whereby they may effect general unification. And he concluded his memorial by recommending: All not within the field of the Liu Yi [Six Classics] should be cut short and not allowed to progress further.\" (History of the Former Han Dynasty, ch. 56.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Emperor Wu approved this recommendation and formally announced that Confucianism, in which these Six Classics held a dominant place, was to be the official state teaching. A considerable time was needed, to be sure, before the Confucianists consolidated their newly gained position, and in the process they adopted many ideas from the other rival schools, thus making of Confucianism something very different from the early Confucianism of the Chou dynasty. We have seen in the last chapter how this process of eclectic amalgamation operated. Nevertheless, from the time of Emperor Wu onward, the Confucianists were given a belter chance by the government to expound their teachings than were the other schools."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The principle of Great Unification referred to by Tung Chung-shu is also discussed in the Kung Yang Commentary on the Ch'un Ch iu. Thus the opening sentence of the Ch un Ch iu is: \"First year |_of Duke YinJ, spring, the King's first month.' And on this the Commentary remarks: \"Why does [the Ch'un Ch'iu] speak of 'the King's first month'? It has reference to the Great Unification.\" According to Tung Chung-shu and the Kung Yang school, this Great Unification was one of the programs that Confucius set up for his ideally established new dynasty when he wrote the Ch un Ch iu.\n\n\n\n\n The measure carried out by Emperor Wu at Tung Chung-shu s recommendation was more positive and yet more moderate than that suggested by Li Ssu to the First Emperor of Ch in, even though both equally aimed at an\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 336\n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n intellectual unification of the entire empire. Instead of rejecting all schools of philosophy [ffi"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "indiscriminately, as did the Ch in measure, thus leaving a vacuum in the world of thought, the Han measure selected one of them, Confucianism, from among the \"hundred schools,\" and gave it pre-eminence as the state teaching. Another difference is that the Han measure decreed no punishment for the private teaching of the ideas of the other schools. It only provided that persons who wished to be candidates for official positions should study the Six Classics and Confucianism.\n\n\n\n\n By thus making Confucianism the basis of government education, it laid the foundation for China's famed examination system used to recruit government officials. In this way the Han measure was in fact a compromise between the Ch in measure and the previous practice of private teaching, which had become general after the time of Confucius. It is interesting to see that China's first private teacher now became her first state teacher.\n\n\n\n\n The Position of Confucius in Han Thought"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Position of Confucius in Han Thought\n\n\n\n\n As a result, the position of Confucius became very high by the middle of the first century B.C.\n\n\n\n\n Aboul this time, a new type of literature came into existence known as the wei shu or apocrypha. Shu means book or writing, and wei literally means the woof of a fabric, and is used in apposition to ching, a word which is usually translated as classic, but literally means warp. It was believed by many people of the Han period that Confucius, after writing the Six Classics, that is, the six warps of his teaching, had still left something unexpressed. Hence, they thought, he then wrote the six woofs, corresponding to the six warps, by way of supplement. Thus the combination of the six warps and six woofs would constitute the entire teaching of Confucius. Actually, of course, the apocrypha are Han forgeries."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the apocrypha the position of Confucius reached the highest level it has ever had in China. In one of them, for example, the Ch un Ch iu Wei: Han Han Tzu, or Apocryphal Treatise on the Spring and Autumn Annals: Guarded Shoots of the Han Dynasty, it is written: Confucius said: I have examined the historical records, drawn upon ancient charts, and investigated and collected cases of anomalies, so as to institute laws for the emperors of the Han dynasty.'\" And another apocryphal treatise on the Spring and A utumn Annals, known as the Expository Charts on Confucius, states that Confucius was actually the son of a god, the Black Emperor, and recounts many supposed miracles in his life. Thus in these apocrypha we find Confucius being regarded as a super—human being, a god among men who could foretell the future. If these views had prevailed, Confucius would have held in China a position similar to that of Jesus Christ, and Confucianism would have become a religion in the proper sense of the term."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Soon afterwards, however, Confucianists of a more realistic or rationalistic way of thinking protested against these \"extraordinary and strange views\"\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 338\n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n m\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n about Confucius and Confucianism. According to them, Confucius was neither a god nor a king, but simply a sage. He neither foresaw the coming of the Han Dynasty, nor did he institute laws for any dynasty. He simply inherited the cultural legacy of the great tradition of the past, to which he gave a new spirit and transmitted for all ages.\n\n\n\n\n The Controversy of the Old and New Text Schools"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These Confucianists formed a group known as the Old Text school. This school was so called, because it claimed to possess texts of the Classics which went back before the fires of Ch in, that is, the burning of the books of 2.13 B.C., and hence were written in a form of script that had already become archaic by the time of their recovery. In opposition to this group, Tung Chung -shu and others belonged to the New Text school, so called because its versions of the Classics were written in the form of script that was generally current during the Han dynasty."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The controversy between these two schools has been one of the greatest in the history of Chinese scholarship. It is not necessary here to go into its details. All that need be said is that the Old Text school arose as a reaction or revolution against the New Text school. Al the end of the Former Han dynasty, it received backing from Liu Hsin (ca. 46 B.C.-A.D. 2.3), one of the greatest scholars of the time. Indeed, so great was his enthusiasm that at a much later time he was accused, quite falsely, by followers of the New Texl school, of having single-handedly forged all ihe classics written in the old script."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In recent years it has occurred to me that the origin of these two schools may perhaps go back to the two wings of Confucianism that existed before the C h i n dynasty. The New Text school would ihus be a continuation of the idealistic wing in early Confucianism, and the Old Text of the realistic wing. In other words, the one would derive from the group headed by Mcneius and the other from that headed by Hsiin Tzu.\n\n\n\n\n In the Hsun-tzu, there is a chapter titled \"Against the Twelve Philosophers,\" one passage of which says: \"There were some who in a general way followed the former kings but did not know their fundamentals....Basing themselves on ancient traditions, they developed theories which were called those of the Five Elements. Their views were peculiar, contradictory, and without standards; dark and without illustrations; confined and without explanations. Tzu-ssu [grandson of Confucius] began these and Meng K'o [Mencius] followed.\" (Ch. 4.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This passage has long puzzled modern scholars, because both in the Chung Yung, supposedly the work of Tzu-ssu, and in the Mencius, there is no mention of the Five Elements. Nevertheless, we do find in the Chung Yung one passage which reads: \"When a nation is about to flourish, there are sure to be happy omens; when it is about to perish, there are sure to be\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 340\n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OK CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n unlucky omens.\" Likewise the Mencius states at one point: \"In the course of five hundred years, it is inevitable that a LtrueJ king will arise. (Vllb, 13.) These passages would seem to indicate that both Mencius and the author of the Chung Yung (who, if not Tzu—ssu himself, must have been one of his followers) did believe to some extent that an interaction exists between Heaven and man and that history operates in cycles. These doctrines, it will be remembered, were prominent in the Yin—Yang or Five Elements school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If, then, we consider Tung Chung—shu as being in some way connected with Mencius' wing of Confucianism, Hsiin Tzu's accusations against this wing assume added significance. For if Tung Chung-shu s views actually go back in embryonic form to those of the followers of Mencius, then the latter, judging from their later development by Tung Chung-shu, could indeed be characterized as peculiar and dark."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This hypothesis is further strengthened by the fact that Mencius, like Tung Chung—shu, attached particular value to the Ch un Ch IU as the work of Confucius. Thus he said: Confucius was alarmed [by the disorder of the world] and made the Ch'un Ch'iu. The Ch'un Ch'iu should be the work of the Son of Heaven. Therefore Confucius said: 'Those who understand me, will do so because of the Ch un Ch iu, and those who blame me, will do so also because of the Ch'un Ch'iu. \" (Mencius, Illb, 9-) Mencius theory that Confucius, in composing the Ch un Ch iu, was doing work that pertains to the Son of Heaven, could, if further developed, easily lead to Tung Chung— shu's theory that Confucius had actually received a Mandate from Heaven to become the Son of Heaven.\n\n\n\n\n Tung Chung—shu, furthermore, in expounding his theory of human nature, explicitly compared it with that of Mencius. As we have seen in the last chapter, the differences between the two theories are actually only nominal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If we accept the hypothesis that the New Text school is the continuation of the idealistic wing of Confucianism headed by Mencius, it is only reasonable to suppose that the Old Text school likewise stems from the realistic wing of Hsiin Tzu. Thus it is noticeable that the thinkers of the first century A.D., who were followers of the Old Text school, all took a naturalistic view of the universe similar to that of Hsiin Tzu and the Taoists. (Hsiin Tzu himself, as we have seen earlier, was influenced by the Taoists in this respect.)\n\n\n\n\n Yang Hsiung and Wang Ch ung\n\n\n\n\n An example of this point of view is provided by Yang Hsiung (53 B.C-A.D. 18), one of the members of the Old Text school. His T ai Hsiian or Supreme Mystery is to a considerable extent permeated with the concept that \"reversal is the movement of the Too\" —a concept basic both in the Lao-tzu and Book of Changes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He also wrote a treatise known as the Fa Yen or Model Speeches, in which he attacked the Yin-Yang school. In this same work, to be sure, he\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 342\n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n expresses praise for Meneius. This in itself, however, does not invalidate my theory, because even though Meneius may have had some inclination toward the Yin-Yang school, he certainly never reached the extremes that characterized the New Text school in the Han Dynasty."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The greatest thinker of the Old Text school is undoubtedly Wang Ch'ung (A.D. 2.7—ca. 100), an iconoclast with a remarkable spirit of scientific skepticism, whose chief work is the Lun Heng or Critical Essays. Writing of the spirit which characterizes this work, he says: \"Though the Shih [ Rook of Odes] numbered three hundred, one phrase can cover them all, namely, 'With undepraved thoughts' [a saying of Confucius in the Analects]. And though the chapters of my Lun Heng may be numbered in the tens, one phrase covers them all, namely, Hatred of fictions and falsehoods. (Lun Heng, ch. 61.) Again he says: \"in things there is nothing more manifest than having results, and in argument there is nothing more decisive than having evidence. (Ch. 6j.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Using this spirit, he vigorously attacks the theories of the Yin -Yang school, and especially its doctrine that an interaction exists between Heaven and man, either ideologically or mechanistically. As to its teleological aspect, he writes: The Way of Heaven is that of spontaneity, which consists of non -activity. But if Heaven were to reprimand men, that would constitute action and would not be spontaneous. The school of Huang [the legendary Yellow Emperor] and Lao [Lao Tzu], in its discussion on the Way of Heaven, has found the truth.\" (Ch. 41.) As to the mechanistic aspect of the theory, Wang Ch ung says: Man holds a place in the universe like that of a flea or louse under a jacket or robe.... Can the flea or louse, by conducting themselves either properly or improperly, affect the changes or movements in the ether under the jacket?...They are not capable of this, and to suppose that man alone is thus capable is to misconceive of the principle of things and of the ether. (Ch. 43-)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taoism and Buddhism\n\n\n\n\n Thus Wang Ch'ung prepared the way for the revival of Taoism that came one century later. In speaking about Taoism, I must emphasize again the distinction between Too chia and Too chiao, that is, between Taoism as a philosophy and Taoism as a religion. By the revival of Taoism, I here mean that of Taoist philosophy. This revived Taoist philosophy I will call Neo—Taoism.\n\n\n\n\n It is interesting to note that Taoism as a religion also had its beginnings toward the end of the Han dynasty, and there are some who refer to this popular form of Taoism as new Taoism. The Old Text school purged Confucianism of its Yin-Yang elements, and the latter later mingled with Taoism to form a new kind of eclecticism known as the Taoist religion. In this way, while the position of Confucius was being reduced from that of a divinity to one of a teacher, Lao Tzu was becoming the founder of a religion which ulti-\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 344\n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n \n i"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "i\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n mately, in imitation of Buddhism, developed temples, a priesthood, and a liturgy. In this way it became an organized religion almost totally unrecognizable to early Taoist philosophy, which is why it is known as the Taoist religion.\n\n\n\n\n In the first century A.D., already before this was happening, Buddhism was introduced into China from India via Central Asia. In the case of Buddhism as of Taoism, I must emphasize the distinction between Fo chiao and Fo hstteh, that is, between Buddhism as a religion and Buddhism as a philosophy.\n\n\n\n\n As just stated, Buddhism as a religion did much to inspire the institutional organization of religious Taoism. The latter, as an indigenous faith, was greatly stimulated in its development by the nationalistic sentiments of people who watched with resentment the successful invasion of China by the foreign religion of Buddhism. By some, indeed, Buddhism was considered as a religion of the barbarians."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Religious Taoism, to some extent, thus grew as an indigenous substitute for Buddhism, and in the process it borrowed a great deal, including institutions, rituals, and even the form of much of its scriptures, from its foreign rival.\n\n\n\n\n But besides Buddhism as an institutionalized religion, there also existed Buddhism as a philosophy.\n\n\n\n\n And whereas the Taoist religion was almost invariably opposed to the Buddhist religion, Taoist philosophy took Buddhist philosophy as its ally. Taoism, to be sure, is less other-worldly than Buddhism. Nevertheless, some similarity exists between their forms of mysticism. Thus the Too of the Taoists is described as unnamable, and the real such-ness' or ultimate reality of the Buddhists is also described as something that cannot be spoken of. It is neither one, nor is it many; it is neither not-one, nor is it not not-many. Such terminology represents what is called in Chinese \"thinking into the not-not.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the third and fourth centuries A.D., famous scholars, who were usually Taoists, were often intimate friends of famous Buddhist monks. The scholars were usually well-versed in Buddhist sutras, and the monks in Taoist texts, especially the Chuang—tzu. When they met together, they talked in what was known at that time as ch'ing t an, or \"pure conversation.\" When they reached the subject of the not—not, they stopped talking and just silently understood each other with a smile.\n\n\n\n\n In this kind of situation, one finds the spirit of Ch an (commonly known in the West under its Japanese name of Zen). The Ch an school is a brunch of Chinese Buddhism which is really a combination of the most subtle and delicate aspects of both the Buddhist and Taoist philosophies. It exercised a greal influence later on in Chinese philosophy, poetry and painting, as we shall see in chapter twenty-two, where it will be discussed in detail.\n\n\n\n\n Political and Social. Background"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Political and Social. Background\n\n\n\n\n For the moment, let us turn back to the political and social background\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 346.\n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n T\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n that lay behind the ascendancy of Confucianism in the Han dynasty and the subsequent revival of Taoism. The triumph of the former was not due to mere good luck or the fancy of certain people of the time. There were certain circumstances which made it almost inevitable."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Ch in conquered the other states by a spirit of severity and ruthless-ness which was shown both in its domestic control and foreign relations, and was based on the Legalist philosophy. After the fall of Ch'in, therefore, everyone blamed the Legalist school for its harshness and complete disregard of the Confucian virtues of humanheartedness and righteousness. It is significant that Emperor Wu, besides issuing his decree making Confucianism ihe state teaching, also decreed in 141 B.C. that all persons who had become experts in the philosophies of Shen Pu-hai, Shang Yang and Han Fei (leaders of the Legalist school), as well as Su Ch'in and Chang Yi (leaders of the Diplomatist school), should be rejected from government posts.*"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus the Legalist school became the scapegoat for all the blunders of the Ch'in rulers. And among the various schools, those farthest removed from the Legalist were the Confucianist and Taoist. Hence it is natural that there should be a reaction in their favor. During the early part of the Han dynasty, in fact, Taoism, then known as the \"learning of Huang [the Yellow Emperor] and Lao [.Lao TzuJ, \"became quite influential for some time. This can be illustrated by the fact that Emperor Wen (179-157 B.C., grandfather of Emperor Wu) was a great admirer of the \"Huang-Lao school\"; also that, as pointed out in the last chapter, the historian Ssu-ma T'an, in his \"Essay On the Essential Ideas of the Six Schools, gave highest rank to the Taoist school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to the political philosophy of Taoism, a good government is not one that does many things, but on the contrary that does as little as possible. Therefore if a sage-king rules, he should try to undo the bad effects caused by the over—government of his predecessor. This was precisely what the people of the early part of the Han dynasty needed, for one of the troubles with the Ch in had been that it had had too much government. Hence when the founder of the Han dynasty, Emperor Kao—tsu, led his victorious revolutionary army toward Ch ang—an, the Ch in capital in present Shensi province, he announced to the people his \"three-item contract\": Persons committing homicide were, to receive capital punishment; those injuring or stealing were to be punished accordingly; but aside from ihese simple provisions, all other laws and regulations of the Ch'in government were to be abolished. (Historical Records, ch. 8.) In this way the founder of the Han dynasty was practicing the learning of Huang and Lao, even"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "practicing the learning of Huang and Lao, even though, no doubt, he was quite unconscious of the fact."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus the Taoist philosophy accorded well with the needs of the rulers of the earlier part of the Han dynasty, whose policy was to undo what the\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * Ser Ihf, History uj tile Former tiuii Dynmly, ch. 6.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 348 THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Ch'in government had done, and to give the country a chance to recuperate from its long and exhausting wars. When this end had been accomplished, however, the Taoist philosophy became no longer practical, and a more constructive program was called for. This the rulers found in Confucianism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The social and political philosophy of Confucianism is both conservative yet at the same time revolutionary. It is conservative in that it is essentially a philosophy of aristocracy, yet it is revolutionary in that it gave a new interpretation of this aristocracy. It maintained the distinction between superior man and small man, which had been generally accepted in the feudal China of Confucius time. But at the same time it insisted that this distinction should not be based, as originally, upon birth, but rather upon individual talent and virtue. Therefore, it considered it quite right that the virtuous and talented among the people should be the ones to occupy noble and high positions in society."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It has been pointed out in chapter two that Confucianism gave a theoretical justification for the family system which has been the backbone of Chinese society. With the disintegration of the feudal system, the common people gained emancipation from their feudal lords, but the old family system remained. Hence Confucianism likewise remained the underlying philosophy of the existing social system.\n\n\n\n\n The main result of the abolition of the feudal system was the formal separation of political power from economic power. It is true that the new landlords retained great influence, even politically, in their local communities. At least, however, they were no longer the actual political rulers of these communities, even though through their wealth and prestige they could often influence the government-appointed officials. This represented a step forward."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The new aristocrats, such as officials and landlords, though many of them were far from being the virtuous and talented persons demanded by Confucianism, nevertheless all had need for something that Confucianism was particularly qualified to supply. This was a knowledge of the complicated ceremonies and rituals needed to maintain the social distinctions. Thus one of the early acts of the founder of the Han dynasty, having conquered all his rivals, was to order Shu—sun Tung, a Confucianist, together with his followers, to draw up a court ceremonial. After the first audience was held at court with the new ceremonies, the founder of the dynasty exclaimed with satisfaction: Now I realize the nobility of being the Son of Heaven! (Historical Records, ch. 8.) Shu-sun Tung's action was disapproved of by some of his fellow Confucianists, but its success suggests one reason why the new aristocrats liked Confucianism, even though they might be opposed to or be ignorant of its true spirit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Most important of all, however, is the fact pointed out by me in chapter three, that what is known in the West as the Confucianist school is really the School of Literati. The Literati were not only thinkers but also scholars\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 350\n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n versed in the ancient cultural legacy, and this was a combination that the other schools failed to offer.\n\n\n\n\n They taught the literature of the past and carried on the great cultural traditions, giving them the best interpretation they could find. In an agrarian country in which people were unusually respectful of the past, these Literati could not fail to become the most influential group."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As for the Legalist school, though it became the scapegoat for the blunders of the Ch in rulers, it was never wholly discarded. In chapter thirteen, I have pointed out that the Legalists were realistic politicians. They were the ones who could present new methods of government to meet new political conditions. Hence, as the Chinese empire expanded, its rulers could not but rely on the principles and techniques of the Legalists. Consequently, ever since the Han dynasty, orthodox Confucianists have commonly accused the rulers of dynasties of being Confucianists in appearance but Legalists in reality.\"\n\n\n\n\n As a mater of fact, both Confucianism and Legalism have had their proper sphere of application. The proper sphere for Confucianism is that of social organization, spiritual and moral culture, and learned scholarship. And the proper sphere for Legalism is that of the principles and techniques of practical government."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taoism, too, has had its opportunities. In Chinese history there have been many periods of political and social confusion and disorder, when people have had little time or interest for classical scholarship, and have been inclined to criticize the existing political and social system. At such times, therefore, Confucianism has naturally tended to weaken and Taoism to become strong. Taoism has then supplied a sharp criticism against the existing political and social system, as well as an escapist system of thought for avoiding harm and danger. These are exactly what meet the desires of a people living in an age of disorder and confusion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The collapse of the Han dynasty in A.D. T±O was followed by a prolonged period of disunity and confusion which was brought to a close only when the country was finally reunited under the Sui dynasty in A.D. 5^9-These four centuries were marked by frequent warfare and political cleavage between a series of dynasties that ruled in Central and South China, and another series that had control in the North. It was also marked by the rise to prominence of various nomadic non-Chinese groups, some of whom forcibly broke their way through the Great Wall and settled in North China, and others of whom entered through peaceful colonization. A number of the dynasties of the north were ruled by these alien groups, who, however, failed to extend their power as far south as the Yangtze river. Because of these political characteristics, this period of four centuries from the Han to the Sui dynasties is commonly known as that of the Six Dynasties, or again, as that of the Northern and Southern Dynasties."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This, then, was politically and socially a dark age, in which pessimism was rife. In some respects it somewhat resembled the roughly contemporary period of the Middle Ages in Europe, and just as in Europe Christianity was\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n the dominant force, so in China the new religion of Buddhism made great strides. It is quite wrong to say, however, as some people do, that it was an age of inferior culture. On the contrary, if we take the word culture in a narrower sense, we may say that it was an age in which, in several respects, we reach one of the peaks of Chinese culture. Painting, calligraphy, poetry, and philosophy were at this time all at their best.\n\n\n\n\n In the next two chapters I shall present the leading indigenous philosophy of the age, a philosophy which I call NeoTaoism.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n 554\n \n\n\n\n\n THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 19"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "L\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 19\n \n \n\n\n\n\n \n \n NEO-TAOISM: THE RATIONALISTS\n \n \n\n\n\n\n IN EO-TAOISM is a new term for the thought which in the third and fourth centuries A.D. was known as the hsttan hstieh, or literally, \"dark learning.\" The word hsiian, meaning dark, abstruse, or mysterious, occurs in the first chapter of the Lao-tzu, for example, in which the Too is described as \"hsiian of the hsiian, i.e., mystery of mysteries. Hence the term hsiian hsileh indicates that this school is a continuation nf Taoism.\n\n\n\n\n The Revival of Interest in the School of Names"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapters eight, nine, and ten, we have seen how the School of Names contributed to Taoism the idea of \"transcending shapes and features.\" In the third and the fourth centuries, with the Taoist revival, there came a revival of interest in the School of Names. The Neo—Taoists studied Hui Shih and Kung-sun Lung, and linked their hsiian hstieh with what they called ming-li, i.e., the \"distinguishing of terms [ming] and analysis of principles [ l i ] . \" (This phrase is used by Kuo Hsiang in his commentary to the last chapter of the Chuang-tzu). As we have seen in cliapler eight, this is what Kung—sun Lung also did."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Shih-shuo Hsin-yu, a book about which we shall read more in the next chapter, it is said: \"A visitor asked Yiieh Kuang for the meaning of the statement: A chih does not reach. Yileh Kuang made no comment on the statement, but immediately touched the table with the handle of a fly whisk, saying: Does it reach or does it not? The visitor answered: Tt does. Yiieh then lifted the fly whisk and asked: If it reaches, how can it be taken away?' (Ch. 4-) This statement that a chih does not reach is one of the arguments used by the followers of Kung-sun Lung, as reported in the last chapter of the Chuang-tzu. The word chih literally means a finger, but in\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 356\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n chapter eight I translated it as \"universal. \" Here, however, Yiieh Kuang evidently takes it in its literal sense as finger. The fly whisk cannot reach the table, just as the finger cannot reach the table."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To touch a table with a finger or something else is ordinarily considered as reaching the table.\n\n\n\n\n According to Yiieh Kuang, however, if the reaching is really reaching, then it cannot be taken away.\n\n\n\n\n Since the handle of the fly whisk could be taken away, its apparent reaching was not a real reaching.\n\n\n\n\n Thus by examining the term \"reaching,\" Yiieh Kuang analyzed the principle of reaching. This is an illustration of what was known at that time as \"conversation on the ming—li.\n\n\n\n\n A Reinterpreiation of Confucius\n\n\n\n\n It is to be noticed that the NeoTaoists, or at least a large part of them, still considered Confucius to be the greatest sage. This was partly because the place of Confucius as the state teacher was by now firmly established, and partly because some of the important Confucian Classics were accepted by the Neo—Taoists, though in the process they were reinterpreted according to the spirit of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For instance, the A nalects contains a saying of Confucius: Yen Hui was nearly perfect, yet he was often empty. (XI, l8.) By this Confucius probably meant that although Yen Hui, his favorite disciple, was very poor, i.e., \"empty,' that is, devoid of worldly goods, he was nevertheless very happy, which showed that his virtue was nearly perfect. In the Chuang—tzu, however, as we have seen in chapter ten, there is an apocryphal story about Yen Hui s sitting in forgetfulness,\" i.e., engaging in mystic meditation. Hence with this story in mind one commentator on the Analects, T'ai-shih Shu-ming (474-546), said: 'Yen Hui disregarded human -heartedness and righteousness, and forgot ceremonies and music. He gave up his body and discarded his knowledge. He forgot everything and became one with the infinite."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is the principle of forgetting things. When all things were forgotten, he was thus empty. And yet, compared with the sages, he was still not perfect. The sages forget that they forget, whereas even the great worthies cannot forget that they forget. If Yen Hui could not forget that he forgot, it would seem that something still remained in his mind. That is why he is said to have been often empty. *\n\n\n\n\n Another commentator, Ku Huan (died 453), commenting on the same passage, remarks: \"The difference between the sages and the worthies is that\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * Quoled by Huang Kan (488-545). in his Sub-Commentary on ike Analects, chilan 6. ■ ■\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 358 NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n the latter retain a desire to be without desire, while the former do not have that desire for no desire."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Therefore the mind of the sages is perfectly empty, while that of the worthies is only partially so. From the point of view of the world, the worthies lack any desire. But from the point of view of what is not of this world, the worthies do desire to be without desire. The emptiness of Yen Hui s mind was not yet complete. That is why he is said to have been often empty. (Ibul.) The NeoTaoists, despite their Taoism, considered Confucius to be even greater than Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Confucius, they maintained, did not speak about forgetfulness, because he had already forgotten that he had learned to forget. Nor did he speak about absence of desire, because he had already reached the stage of lacking any desire to be without desire. Thus the Shih-shuo Hsin-yil records a \"pure conversation between P'ei Hui and Wang Pi. The latter was one of the great figures of the school of \"dark learning, whose Commentaries on the Lao —tzu and Book of Changes have become classics in themselves. The conversation reads:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Wang Pi [226-249L when young, once went to see P'ei Hui. [ P ' e i J Hui asked him why, since Wu [Non-being] is fundamental for all things, Confucius did not speak about it, whereas Lao Tzu expounded this idea without stopping. To this Wang Pi answered:'The sage LConfucius] identified himself with Wu [Non-being] and realized that it could not be made the subject of instruction, with the result that he felt compelled to deal only with Yu LBeingJ. But Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu had not yet completely left the sphere of Yu [Being], with the result that they constantly spoke of their own deficiencies.'\" (Ch. 4.) This explanation reflects the idea expressed by Lao Tzu that he who knows does not speak; he who speaks docs not know. (Lao-tzu, ch. 56.)\n\n\n\n\n Hsiang Hsiu and Kuo Hsiang"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hsiang Hsiu and Kuo Hsiang\n\n\n\n\n One of the greatest, if not the greatest, philosophical works of this period is the Commentary on the Chuang-tzu by Kuo Hsiang (died ca. 312). There has been a historical problem as to whether this work was really his, for he was accused of being a plagiarist by his contemporaries, who asserted that his Commentary was really the work of another slightly earlier scholar, Hsiang Hsiu (ca. 2.2.1-ea. 300). It would seem that both men wrote Commentaries on the Chuang-tzu, and that their ideas were very much the same, so that in the course of time their Commentaries probably became combined to\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 360.\n\n\n\n\n NE0-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "360.\n\n\n\n\n NE0-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n form a single work. The Shih-shuo Hsin-ytl (ch. 4), for example, speaks of a Hsiang— Kuo interpretation (i.e., an interpretation by Hsiang Hsiu and Kuo Hsiang) made on the Happy Excursion (the first chapter of the Chuang—lzu), as existing in apposition to one by Chih-tun (314-366), a famous Buddhist monk of the time. Hence the present Commentary on the Chuang-tzu, though it bears the name of Kuo Hsiang, seems to represent the joint Hsiang—Kuo interpretation of the Chuang—tzu, and probably was the work of both men. The Chin Shu or History of the Chin Dynasty is probably right, therefore, when in its biography of Hsiang Hsiu it says thai he wrote a Commentary on the Chuang—tzu, and that then Kuo Hsiang extended it. (Ch. 49-)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to this same History of the Chin Dynasty, both Hsiang Hsiu and Kuo Hsiang were natives of the present Honan province, and were great figures in the school of \"dark learning,\" as well as being \"fine or pure conversationalists. In this chapter I shall take these two philosophers as representative of the exponents of the rationalistic group in NeoTaoism, and refer to their Commentary on the Chuang-tzu as the Hsiang-Kuo interpretation, following the usage of the Shih-shuo Hsin-ytl.\n\n\n\n\n The Too is Nothing"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Too is Nothing\n\n\n\n\n The Hsiang-Kuo interpretation made several most important revisions in the original Taoism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. The first is that the Too is really wu, i.e., \"nothing\" or \"nothingness.\" Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu also had maintained that the Too is Wu, but by Wu they meant having no name. That is, according to them, the Tao is not a thing; henee it is unnamable. But according to the Hsiang—Kuo interpretation, the Tao is really literally nothing. The Tao is everywhere, but everywhere it is nothing.\n\n\n\n\n {Commentary on the Chuang-tzu, ch. 6.)\n\n\n\n\n The same text says: \"in existence, what is prior to things? We say that the Yin and Yang are prior to things. But the Yin and Yang are themselves things; what then, is prior to the Yin and Yang? We may say that Tzu Jan [nature or naturalness] is prior to things. But Tzu Jan is simply the naturalness of things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Or we may say that the Tao is prior to things. But the Tao is nothing. Since it is nothing, how can it be prior to things? We do not know what is prior to things, yet things are continuously produced. This shows that things are spontaneously what they are; there is no Creator of things. (Ch. ii.) In another passage, it is also stated: \"Some people say that the penumbra is produced by the shadow, the shadow by the bodily form, and the bodily form by the Creator. I would like to ask whether the Creator is or is not. If He is not, how can He create things? But if He is, He is simply one of these\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 362..\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n things, and how can one thing produce another?...Therefore there is no Creator, and everything produces itself. Everything produces itself and is not produced by others. This is the normal way of the universe.\" (Ch. 1.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu denied the existence of a personal Creator by substituting in His place an impersonal Too, which is that by which all things come to be. Hsiang-Kuo went a step further by insisting that the Too is really nothing. According to them, the statement of the earlier Taoists that all things come into being from the Too simply means that all things come to be by themselves. Hence they write: The Too is capable of nothing. To say that anything is derived from the Too means that it comes of itself. (Ch. 6.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Likewise, the statement of the earlier Taoists that all things come into being from Being, and Being comes into being from Non-being, simply means that Being comes into being by itself. In one passage of the Commentary it is said: \"Not only is it the case that Non-being cannot become Being, but Being also cannot become Non-being. Though Being may change in thousands of ways, it cannot change itself into Non-being. Therefore there is no time when there is no Being. Being eternally exists. (Ch. 2-2..) The \" Self-transformation\" of Things\n\n\n\n\n That everything spontaneously produces itself is what Hsiang—Kuo call the theory of tu hua or self-transformation. According to this theory, things are not created by any Creator, but these things are nevertheless not lacking in relalions, one with another. Relations exist and these relations are necessary."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus the Commentary states: \"When a man is born, insignificant though he be, he has the properties that he necessarily has. However trivial his life may be, he needs the whole universe as a condition for his existence. All things in the universe, all that exist, cannot cease to exist without some effect on him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If one factor is lacking, he might not exist. If one principle is violated, he might not be living. (Ch. 6.) Everything needs every other thing, but everything nevertheless exists for its own sake and not for the sake of any other thing. The Commentary says: \"In the world, everything considers itself as 'this and other things as other.' The 'this' and the 'other' each works for itself. [They seem to be far away from each other like] the mutual opposition of east and west. Yet the 'this' and the 'other' have a relation to each other like that between the lips and the teeth. The lips do not exist for the teeth, but when the lips are lost, the teeth feel cold. Therefore the work of the 'other for itself has contributed a great deal to help the ' th i s. \" (Ch. IJ.) According to Hsiang-Kuo, the interrelationship of things is like that between the armies of two allied\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 364\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "364\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n forces. Each army fights for its own country, but each at the same time helps the other, and the defeat or victory of the one cannot but have an effect on the other.\n\n\n\n\n Everything that exists in the universe needs the universe as a whole as a necessary condition for its existence, yet its existence is not directly produced by any other particular thing. When certain conditions or circumstances are present, certain things are necessarily produced. But this does not mean that they are produced by any single Creator or by any individual. In other words, things are produced by conditions in general, and not by any other specific thing in particular. Socialism, for instance, is a product of certain general economic conditions, and was not manufactured by Marx or En-gels, still less by the former s Communist Manifesto. In this sense, we can say that everything produces itself and is not produced by others."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hence everything cannot but be what it is. The Commentary states: It is not by accident that we have our life. It is not by chance that our life is what it is. The universe is very extended; things are very numerous. Yet, in it and among them, we are just what we are....What we are not, we cannot be. What we are, we cannot but be. What we do not do, we cannot do. What we can do, we cannot but do. Let everything be what it is, then there will be peace.\" (Ch. 5.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is also true of social phenomena. The Commentary says again: There is nothing which is not natural....Peace or disorder, success or failure....are all the product of nature, not of man.\" (Ch. 7.) By \"the product of nature,\" Hsiang—Kuo mean that they are the necessary result of certain conditions or circumstances. In chapter 14 of the Chuang-tzu, the text states that sages disturb the peace of the world; to which the Commentary says: \"The current of history, combined with present circumstances, is responsible for the present crisis. It is not due to any certain individuals. It is due to the world at large.\n\n\n\n\n The activity of the sages does not disturb the world, but the world itself becomes disorderly.\n\n\n\n\n Institutions and Morals"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Institutions and Morals\n\n\n\n\n Hsiang-Kuo consider the universe as being in a continuous state of flux. They write in their Commentary: Change is a force, unobservable yet most strong. It transports heaven and earth toward the new, and carries mountains and hills away from the old. The old does not stop for a moment, but imme-\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 366\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n diately becomes the new. All things ever change....All that we meet secretly passes away. We ourselves in the past are not we ourselves now. We still have to go forward with the present. We cannot keep ourselves still. (Ch. 6.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Society, too, is always in a state of flux. Human needs are constantly changing. Institutions and morals that are good for one time may not be good for another. The CommtmUiry says: The institutions of the former kings served to meet the needs of their own time. But if they continue to exist when time has changed, they become a bogey to the people, and begin to be artificial.\" (Ch. 14.) Again: \"Those who imitate the sages imitate what they have done. But what they have done has already passed away, and therefore it cannot meet the present situation. It is worthless and should not be imitated. The past is dead while the present is living. If one attempts to handle the living with the dead, one will certainly fail.\" (Ch. 9.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Society changes with circumstances. When the circumstances change, institutions and morals should change with them. If they do not, they become artificial and are \"a bogey to the people.\" It is natural that new institutions and new morals should spontaneously produce themselves. The new and the old differ from each other because their times are different. Both of them serve to meet the needs of their time, so neither is superior nor inferior to the other. Hsiang-Kuo do not oppose institutions and morals as such, as did Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. They simply oppose those institutions and morals that are out-of-date and therefore unnatural for the present world.\n\n\n\n\n Yu—wei and Wu—wei"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus Hsiang-Kuo give a new interpretation to the earlier Taoist ideas about the natural and the artificial and about yu—wei or having activity, and wu—wei or having no activity (also Iranslated as non-action). When there is a change of social circumstances, new institutions and morals spontaneously produce themselves. To let them go means to follow the natural and be wu-wei, i.e., without action. To oppose them and to keep the old ones that are already out—of—date is to be artificial and yu—wei, i.e., with action. In one passage of the Commentary it is said: \"When water runs down from a high to a low place, the current is irresistible. When small things group with what is small, and large things with what is large, their tendency cannot be opposed. When a man is empty and without bias, everyone will contribute his wisdom to him. What does he do, who is the leader of men, when facing these currents and tendencies? He simply trusts the wisdom of the time, relies on the necessity of circumstances, and lets the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "on the necessity of circumstances, and lets the world take care of itself. That is all.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n (Ch. 6.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ch. 6.)\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n If an individual, in his activities, allows his natural abilities to exercise themselves fully and freely, he is wu—wei. Otherwise he is yu—wei. In one passage of the Commentary it is said: \"A good driver must let his horse exercise itself to the full of its ability. The way to do so is to give it freedom....If he allows his horses to do what they can do, compelling neither the slow ones to run fast nor the fast ones to walk slowly, though he may travel through the whole world with them, they rather enjoy it. Hearing that horses should be set free, some people think that they should be left wild. Hearing the theory of non-action, some people think that lying down is better than walking. These people are far wrong in understanding the ideas of Chuang Tzu. (Ch. 9-) Despite this criticism, it would seem that in their understanding of Chuang Tzu such people were not far wrong. Yet Hsiang-Kuo, in their own interpretation of him, were certainly highly original."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hsiang-Kuo also give a new interpretation to the ideas of simplicity and primitivity of the earlier Taoists. Tn their Commentary they write: If by primitivity we mean the undistorted, the man whose character is not distorted is the most primitive, though he may be capable of doing many things. If by simplicity we mean the unmixed, the form of the dragon and the features of the phoenix are the most simple, though their beauty is all surpassing. On the other hand, even the skin of a dog or a goat cannot be primitive and simple, if its natural qualities are distorted by, or mixed with, foreign elements.\"\n\n\n\n\n (Ch.I5.)\n\n\n\n\n Knowledge and Imitation"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ch.I5.)\n\n\n\n\n Knowledge and Imitation\n\n\n\n\n Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu both opposed sages of the sort ordinarily regarded as such by the world. In the earlier Taoist literature, the word \"sage\" has two meanings. By it, the Taoists either mean the perfect man (in the Taoist sense) or the man with all sorts of knowledge. Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu attacked knowledge, and hence the sage of the latter kind, the man who has knowledge. But from the preceding pages we can see that Hsiang-Kuo had no objection to some men s being sages. What they did object to is the attempt of some people to imitate the sages. Plato was born u Plato, and Chuang Tzu a Chuang Tzu. Their genius was as natural as the form of a dragon or the features of a phoenix. They were as \"simple\" and \"primitive as anything can be. They were not wrong in writing their Republic and Happy Excursion, for in so doing they were merely following their own natures.\n\n\n\n\n This view is exemplified in the following passage from the Commentary:\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 370"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "370\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \"By knowledge we mean [the activity that attempts] what is beyond [one's natural ability j. That which is within the proper sphere Lof one's natural a— bilityj is not called knowledge. By being within the proper sphere we mean acting according to one's natural ability, attempting nothing that is beyond. If carrying ten thousand ch'un [thirty catties] is in accordance with one's ability, one will nol feel the burden as weighty. If discharging ten thousand functions [is in accordance with one's ability], one will not feel the task as taxing.' (Ch. 3.) Thus if we understand knowledge in this sense, neither Plato nor Chuang Tzu should be considered as having any knowledge."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is only the imitators that have knowledge. Hsiang-Kuo seem to have regarded imitation as wrong for three reasons. First, it is useless. They write in the Commentary: \"Events in ancient times have ceased to exist. Though they may be recorded, it is not possible for them to happen again in the present.\n\n\n\n\n The ancient is not the present, and the present is even now changing. Therefore we should give up imitation, act according to our nature, and change with the times. This is the way to perfection. (Ch.\n\n\n\n\n 13.) Everything is in a flux. Every day we have new problems, new needs, and meet new situations. We should have new methods to deal with these new situations, problems, and needs. Even at a single given moment, the situations, problems, and needs of different individuals differ from one another. So must their methods. What, then, is the use of imitation?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Second, imitation is fruitless. One passage of the Commentary tells us: With conscious effort, some people have tried to be a Li Chu La great artisan] or a Shih K Liang La great musician], but have not succeeded. Yet without knowing how, Li Chu and Shih K'uang were especially talented in their eye and ear. With conscious effort, some people have tried to be sages, but have not succeeded. Yet without knowing how, the sages became sages. Not only is it the sages and Li Chu and Shih K. uang who are difficult to imitate. We cannot even be fools, or dogs, by simply wishing or trying to be so. (Ch. 5.) Everything must be what it is. One thing simply cannot be the other."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Third, imitation is harmful. The Commentary states again: \"There are some people who are not satisfied with their own nature and always attempt what is beyond it. This is to attempt what is impossible, and is like a circle imitating a square, or a fish imitating a bird....They go ever further, the more remote their goal seems to be. The more knowledge ihey gain, the more nature they lose.\" (Ch.\n\n\n\n\n 2..)\n\n\n\n\n Again: \"The nature of everything has its limit. If one is led on by what is beyond it, one s nature will be lost. One should disregard the inducement, and live according to oneself, not according to others. In this way the in-\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 372\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n tegrity of one's nature will be preserved.\" (Ch. lo.) Not only is there no possibility for one to succeed by imitating others, but by that very act, there is a great probability that one will lose one s self. This is the harm of imitation."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus imitation is useless, fruitless, and harmful. The only sensible mode of life is to live according to oneself, which is also to practice the theory of non—action.\n\n\n\n\n The Equality of Things\n\n\n\n\n But if one can really live according to oneself, disregarding the inducements offered by others, that means that one is already able to get rid of what Hsiang-Kuo call the \"trouble of preferring one thing to another. \" (Ch. 1.) In other words, one is already able to understand the principle of the equality of things and to see things from a higher point of view. One is already on the royal road to the state of non-distinction of the undifferentiable whole."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the second chapter of the Chuang—tzu, Chuang Tzu emphasized the theory of non—distinction, especially the non—distinction of right and wrong. In their Commentary, Hsiang-Kuo expound this theory with more eloquence. Thus to the saying of Chuang Tzu that the universe is a finger, all things are a horse,\" the Commentary observes: \"in order to show that there is no distinction between right and wrong, there is nothing better than illustrating one thing with another. In so doing we see that all things agree in that they all consider themselves to be right and others to be wrong. Since they all agree that all others are wrong, hence in the world there can be no right; and since they all agree that they themselves are right, hence in the world there can be no wrong."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "How can it be shown that this is so? If the right is really absolutely righl, in the world there should be none that considers il to be wrong. Tf the wrong is really absolutely wrong, in the world there should be none that considers it to be right. The fact that there are uncertainty between right and wrong, and a confusion in distinctions, shows that the distinctions between right and wrong are due to a partiality of view, and that all things are really in agreement. In our observation, we see this truth everywhere.\n\n\n\n\n Therefore, the perfect man, knowing that the universe is a finger and all things are a horse, thus rests in great peace. All things function according to their nature, and enjoy themselves. [Between them] there is no distinction between right and wrong.\" (Ch. 2.)\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 374\n\n\n\n\n NE0-TA01SM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Absolute Freedom and Absolute Happiness"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If one can transcend the distinctions between things, one can enjoy the absolute freedom and have the absolute happiness that arc described in the first chapter of the Chuang-tzu. In the many stories contained in this chapter, Chuang Tzu mentions the great roc bird, the small bird, the cicada, the small knowledge of the morning mushroom, whose life extends only to the same evening, the great knowledge of the old trees whose experience covers thousands of years, small officers of limited talents, and the philosopher Lieh Tzu who could ride on the wind. Regarding these stories, the Hsiang-Kuo Commentary says: If there is satisfaction for their natures, the roc has nothing to be proud of in comparison with the small bird, and the small bird has no desire for the Celestial Lake [the dwelling place of the roc]. Therefore, though there is a difference between the great and the small, their happiness is the same. (Ch. I.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Their happiness, however, is only relative happiness. If things only enjoy themselves in their finite spheres, their enjoyment must also be finite. Thus in his first chapter, Chuang Tzu concludes his stories with one about the really independent man who transcends the finite and becomes one with the infinite, so that he enjoys infinite and absolute happiness. Because he transcends the finite and identifies himself with the infinite, he has \"no self.\" Because he follows the nature of things and lets everything enjoy itself, he has no achievement. And because he is one with the Too, which is un— namable, he has \"no name.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This idea is developed by the Hsiang-Kuo Commentary with clarity and eloquence: Everything has its proper nature, and that nature has its proper limitation. The differences between things are like those between small and great knowledge, short and long life....All believe in their own sphere and none is intrinsically superior to others.\" After giving different illustrations, Chuang Tzu concludes with the independent man who forgets his own self and its opposite, and who ignores all the differences. ' All things enjoy themselves in their own sphere, but the independent man has neither achievement nor name. Therefore, he who unites the great and the small is one who ignores the distinction between the great and the small. If one insists on the distinctions, the roc, the cicada, the small officer, and Lieh Tzu riding on the wind, are all troublesome things. He who equalizes life and death is one who ignores the distinction of life and death. If one insists on the distinction, the ta ch'un [an old tree] and the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "distinction, the ta ch'un [an old tree] and the chrysalis, P'eng Tsu [a Chinese Methuselah] and the morning mushroom, all suffer early death. Therefore, he who makes excursion iirto the realm of non— distinction between great and small has no limitation. He who ignores the distinction of life and death has no"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "376\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n terminal. But those whose happiness lies within the finite sphere will certainly suffer limitation.\n\n\n\n\n Though they are allowed to make excursions, they are not ahle to he independent. (Ch. I.) In the first chapter, Chuang Tzu describes the independent man as one who chariots on the normality oi the universe, rides upon the transformation of the six elements, and makes excursion into the infinite.\n\n\n\n\n On this the Hsiang-Kuo Commentary remarks: \"The universe is the general name of all things. The universe has all things as its contents, and all things must take Tzu Jan Lthe natural] as their norm."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What is spontaneously so, and not made to be so, is the natural. The roc can fly in high places, the quail in low ones. The ta-ch'un tree can live for a long time, the mushroom for a short one. All these capacities are natural, and are not caused or learned. They are not caused to be so, but are naturally so; that is the reason why they are normal. Therefore to chariot on the normality of the universe is to follow the nature of things. To ride upon the transformation of the six dements is to make excursion along the road of change and evolution. If one proceeds in this way, where can one reach the end? If one chariots on whatever one meets, what will one be required to depend upon? This is the happiness and freedom of the perfect man who unites his own self with its opposite."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If one has to depend upon something, one cannot be happy, unless one gets hold of the thing upon which one depends. Although Lieh Tzu could pursue his way in such a fine manner, he still had to depend upon the wind, and the roc was even more dependent. Only he who makes no distinction between himself and other things and follows the great evolution, can really be independent and always free. He not only sets himself free, but also follows the nature of those who have to depend upon something, allowing them to have that something upon which they depend. When they have that upon which they depend, they all enjoy the Great Freedom. (Ch. I.)\n\n\n\n\n In the Hsiang-Kuo system, the Tao is really nothing. In this system, T ien or T'ien Ti (literally \"Heaven\" or \"Heaven and Earth,\" but here translated as the universe) becomes the most important idea."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "T ien is the general name of things, and is thus the totality of all that is. To see things from the point of view of T ien and to identify oneself with T ien, is to transcend things and their differences, or, as the Neo—Taoists said, to transcend shapes and features.\n\n\n\n\n Thus the Hsiang-Kuo Commentary, besides making important revisions in original Taoism, also expressed more articulately what in the Chuang-tzu is only suggestive. Those, however, who prefer suggestivencss to articulateness, would no doubt agree with a certain Ch an monk who remarked: People say that it was Kuo Hsiang who wrote a commentary on Chuang Tzu. I would say that it was Chuang Tzu who wrote a commentary on Kuo Hsiang. (See chapter one, page 12..)\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 378\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE RATIONALISTS\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 20\n \n \n\n\n\n\n \n \n NEO-TAOISM: THE SENTIMENTALISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "NEO-TAOISM: THE SENTIMENTALISTS\n \n \n\n\n\n\n IN their Commentary to the Chuang—tzu, Hsiang Hsiu and Kuo Hsiang gave a theoretical exposition of the man who has a mind or spirit transcending the distinctions of things and who lives \"according to himself but not according to others. ' This quality of such a man is the essence of what the Chinese caA feng liu.\n\n\n\n\n Feng Liu and the Romantic Spirit"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In order to understand feng liu, we must turn to the Shih-shuo Hsin-yii or Contemporary Records of New Discourses (abbreviated as Shih-shuo), a work by Liu Yi-ch'ing (403-444), supplemented by a commentary by Liu Hsiin (463-511). The NeoTaoists and their Buddhist friends of the Chin dynasty were famous for what was known at the time as ch'ing t an, that is, pure or fine conversation. The art of such conversation consisted in expressing the best thought, which was usually Taoistic, in the best language and tersest phraseology. Because of its rather precious nature, it could be held only between friends of a comparable and rather high intellectual level, and hence it was regarded as one of the most refined of intellectual aclivilies. The Shih— shuo is a record of many such pure conversations and their famous participants. Through them, it gives a vivid picture of those people of the third and fourth centuries who were followers of the feng liu ideas. Ever since its compilation, therefore, it has been a major"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "its compilation, therefore, it has been a major source for studying the feng liu tradition."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What, then, is the meaning of feng liu? It is one of those elusive terms which to the initiated conveys a wealth of ideas, but is most difficult to translate exactly. Literally, the two words that form it mean \"wind and stream,\" which does not seem to help us very much. Nevertheless, they do, perhaps, suggest something of the freedom and ease which are some of the characteristics of the quality of feng liu.\n\n\n\n\n I confess that I have not yet understood the full significance of the words\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 380\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n romanticism or romantic in English, but I suspect that they are a fairly rough equivalent\n\n\n\n\n of feng liu. Feng liu is chiefly connected with Taoism. This is one of the reasons why I have said in chapter two that the Confucianist and Taoist traditions in Chinese history are in some degree equivalent to the classical and romantic traditions in the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Han (206 B.C.-A.D. 22O) and Chin (265-420) are not only the names of two different dynasties in Chinese history, but also, because of their very different social, political, and cultural characteristics, are designations of two different styles of literature and art, and of two different manners of living. The Han style and manner are ones of dignity and grandeur; those of the Chin are ones of elegance and freedom. Elegance is also one of the characteristics oifeng liu.\n\n\n\n\n Yang Chu s Garden of Pleasure\n\n\n\n\n Something must first be said here about the seventh chapter in the Taoist work known as the Lieh—tzu, a chapter titled Yang Chu (translated by Anton Forke as Yang Chu's Garden of Pleasure). As we have already seen in our chapter six, what is said in this \"Yang Chu\" chapter cannot represent the view of the genuine Yang Chu of ancient times."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Lieh—lzu itself, indeed, is now considered by Chinese scholars as a work of the third century A.D. Hence its \"Yang Chu\" chapter must also be a production of this period. It accords well with the general trend of thought of that time, and is in fact an expression of one aspect of feng liu.\n\n\n\n\n In the \"Yang Chu chapter, a distinction is made between the external and the internal.\n\n\n\n\n Thus the spurious \"Yang Chu\" is reported as saying: There are four things which do not allow people to have peace. The first is long life, the second is reputation, the third is rank, and the fourth is riches. Those who have these things fear ghosts, fear men, fear power, and fear punishment. They are called fugitives....Their lives are controlled by externals. But those who follow their destiny do not desire long life. Those who are not fond of honor do not desire reputation. Those who do not want power desire no rank."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And those who are not avaricious have no desire for riches. Of this sort of men it may be said that they live in accordance with their nature. ...They regulate their lives by internal things.\"\n\n\n\n\n In another passage an imaginary conversation is recorded between Tzu-ch an, a famous statesman of the state of Cheng who lived in the sixth century B.C., and his two brothers. Tzu—eh an governed the state for three years and governed well. But his two brothers were out of his control; one of them was fond of feasting and the other of gallantry.\n\n\n\n\n One day, Tzu-ch an spoke to his brothers, saying: \"Those things in which man is superior to beasts and birds are his mental faculties. Through them he gets righteousness and propriety, and so glory and rank fall to his share. You are only moved by what excites your senses, and indulge only in licen-\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 382\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n tious desires, endangering your lives and natures.... '"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the brothers answered: \"if one tries to set external things in order, these external things do not necessarily become well —ordered, and one s person is already given toil and trouble. But if one tries to set the internal in order, the external things do not necessarily fall into disorder, and one's nature becomes free and at ease. Your system of regulating external things will do temporarily and for a single kingdom, but it is not in harmony with the human heart. Our method of regulating what is internal, on the contrary, can be extended to the whole world, and [when it is extended] there is no need for princes and ministers.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What this chapter calls regulating the internal corresponds to what Hsiang-Kuo call living according to oneself; what it calls regulating external things corresponds to what Hsiang-Kuo call living according to others. One should live according to oneself, and not according to others. That is to say, one should live in accord with one's own reason or impulse, and not according to the customs and morals ol the time. To use a common expression of the third and fourth centuries, one should live according to tzu —jan (the spontaneous, the natural), and not according to ming-chiao (institutions and morals). All the NeoTaoists agree on this. But there is still a difference a-mong them between the rationalists and sentimentalists. The former, as represented by Hsiang-Kuo, emphasize living according to reason, while the latter, as represented by the men who will be mentioned below, emphasize living according to impulse."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idea of living according to impulse is expressed in extreme form in the \"Yang Chu\" chapter. In one passage we read that Yen P'ing-chung asked Kuan Yi—wu (both famous statesmen of the state of Ch i in ancient times, though historically they were not contemporaries) about cultivating life. Kuan Yi-wu replied: 'The only way is to give it its free course, neither checking nor obstructing it. Yen P ing—chung asked: And as to details?\n\n\n\n\n \"Kuan Yi-wu replied: 'Allow the ear to hear anything that it likes to hear. Allow the eye to see whatever it likes to see. Allow the nose to smell whatever it likes to smell. Allow the mouth to say whatever it likes to say. Allow the body to enjoy whatever it likes to enjoy. Allow the mind to do whatever it likes to do."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What the ear likes to hear is music, and prohibition of the hearing of music is called obstruction to the ear. What the eye likes to see is beauty, and prohibition of the seeing of beauty is called obstruction to sight. What the nose likes to smell is perfume, and prohibition of the smelling of perfume is called obstruction to smell. Whal the mouth likes to talk about is right and wrong, and prohibition of the talking about right and wrong is called obstruction to understanding. What the body likes to enjoy is rich food and fine clothing, and prohibition of the enjoying of these is called obstruction to the sensations of the body. What the mind likes is to be free, and prohibition of this freedom is called obstruction to the nature.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 384\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TA0ISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "NEO-TA0ISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n All these obstructions are the main causes of the vexations of life. To get rid of these causes and enjoy oneself until death, for a day, a month, a year, or ten years-this is what I call cultivating life. To cling to these causes and be unable to rid oneself of them, so as thus to have a long but sad life, extending a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand years-this is not what I call cultivating life.'\n\n\n\n\n Kuan Yi—wu then went on: Now that I have told you about cultivating life, what about the way of taking care of the dead?' Yen P ing -chung replied: 'Taking care of the dead is a very simple matter....For once I am dead, what does it matter to me? They may burn my body, or cast it into deep water, or inter it, or leave it uninterred, or throw it wrapped up in a mat into some ditch, or cover it with princely apparel and embroidered garments and rest it in a stone sarcophagus. All depends on chance.'"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Turning to Pao-shu Huang-tzu, Kuan Yi-wu then said : 'We two have by this made some progress in the way of life and death.\n\n\n\n\n Living According to Impulse\n\n\n\n\n What the \"Yang Chu\" chapter here describes represents the spirit of the age of Chin, but not the whole or best of that spirit. For in this chapter, us exemplified by the above, what \"Yang Chu\" seems to be interested in is mostly the search for pleasure of a rather coarse sort. To be sure, the pursuit of such pleasure is not, according to NeoTaoism, necessarily to be despised. Nevertheless, if this is made our sole aim, without any understanding of what \"transcends shapes and features,\" to use the NeoTaoist expression, this can hardly be called feng liu in the best sense of the term."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Shih—shuo we have a story about Liu Ling (c. 121— c. yX)), one of the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove (seven famous scholars\" who gathered for frequent convivial conversations in a certain bamboo grove). This story tells us that Liu evoked criticism through his habit of remaining completely naked when in his room. To his critics he rejoined: \"I take the whole universe as my house and my own room as my clothing. Why, then, do you enter here into my trousers? (Ch. 2.3) Thus Liu Ling, though he sought for pleasure, had a feeling of what lies beyond the world, i.e., the universe. This feeling is essential for the quality atfeng liu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Those who have this feeling and who cultivate their mind in Taoism, must have a more subtle sensitivity for pleasure and more refined needs than sheerly sensual ones. The Shih-shuo records many unconventional activities among the \"famous scholars\" of the time. They acted according to pure impulse, but not with any thought of sensuous pleasure. Thus one of the stories in the Shih-shuo says:\"Wang Hui-chih [died c. 388, son of China's greatest ealligrapher, Wang Hsi-chih] was living at Shan-yin [near present Hang-chow], One night he was awakened by a heavy snowfall. Opening the window, he saw a gleaming whiteness all about him....Suddenly he thought of his\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 386\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n friend Tai K'uei. Immediately he took a boat and went to see Tai. It required the whole night for him to reach Tai's house, but when he was just about to knock at the door, he stopped and returned home."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When asked the reason for this act, he replied: I came on the impulse of my pleasure, and now it is ended, so I go back. Why should I see Tai? (Ch. 23.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Shih—shuo records another story which says that Chung Hui (2.25~2.(54, a statesman, general, and writer) regretted that he had not yet enjoyed the opportunity of meeting Chi K'ang (223-262, a philosopher and writer). Therefore he one day went with several other notables to visit him. Chi K ang's hobby was that of forging metal, and when Chung Hui arrived there, he found Chi K ang at his forge under a great tree. Hsiang Hsiu (author of the Commentary on Chuang—tzu described in the last chapter) was assisting Chi K ang to blow the fire with a bellows, and Chi K ang himself continued his hammering just as if no one else were there. For a while the host and guests did not exchange a single word. But when Chung Hui started to go, Chi K ang asked him: What did you hear that caused you to come, and what have you seen that causes you to go?\" To this Chung Hui answered: \"l heard what I heard, so I came, and I have seen what I have seen, so I go. (Ch. 24.) ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The men of the Chin dynasty greatly admired the physical and spiritual beauty of a great personality.\n\n\n\n\n Chi K ang was famous for his personality, which was compared by some people to a jade mountain and by others to a pine tree. (Shih-shiw, ch. 14.) Perhaps it was these things that Chung heard of and saw."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another story in the Shih—shuo tells us: When Wang Hui—chih was traveling by boat, he met Huan Yi traveling by land along the bank. Wang Hui-chih had heard of Huan Yi's fame as a flute player but he was not acquainted with him. When someone told him that the man traveling on the bank was Huan Yi, he sent a messenger to ask him to play the flute. Huan Yi had also heard of the fame of Wang Hui—ehih, so he descended from his chariot, sat on a chair, and played the flute three times. After that, he ascended his chariot and went away. The two men did not exchange even a single word.\" (Ch. 23.) They did not do this because what they wished to enjoy was only the pure beauty of the music. Wang Hui—chih asked Huan Yi to play the flute for him, because he knew he could play it well, and Huan Yi played for him, because he knew Wang could appreciate his playing. When this had been done, what else was there to talk about?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Shih-shuo contains another story which says that Chih-tun (314-366, famous Buddhist monk) was fond of cranes. Once a friend gave him two young ones. When they grew up, Chih—tun was forced to clip their wings so that they would not fly away. When this was done, the cranes looked de-spondent, and Chih-tun too was depressed, and said: \"Since they have wings that can reach the sky, how can they be content to be a pet of man? Hence\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n when their feathers had grown again, he let the cranes fly away. (Ch. 2.)\n\n\n\n\n Another story tells us about Juan Chi (210-2.63, a philosopher and poet), and his nephew Juan Hsien, who were two of the Seveii Worthies of the Bamboo Grove. All members of the Juan family were great drinkers, and when they met, they did not bother to drink out of cups, but simply sat around a large wine jar and drank from that. Sometimes the pigs also came, wanting a drink, and then the Juans drank together with the pigs. (Ch. 23.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sympathy of Chih-tun for the cranes and the indiscriminate generosity of the Juans to the pigs show that they had a feeling of equality and non-difTerentiation between themselves and other things of nature. This feeling is essential in order to have the quality oifeng liu and to be artistic. For a true artist must be able to project his own sentiment to the object he depicts, and then express it through his medium. Chih-tun himself would not have liked to be a pet of man, and he projected this sentiment to the cranes. Though he is not known to have been an artist, he was, in this sense, a very real one.\n\n\n\n\n The Emotional Factor"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As we have seen in chapter ten, the sage, according to Chuang Tzu, has no emotions. He has a high understanding of the nature of things, and so is not affected by their changes and transformations. He disperses emotion with reason. The Shih—shuo records many people who had no emotions. The most famous case is that of Hsieh An (32.O-385). When he was Prime Minister at the Chin court, the northern state of Ch in started a large—scale offensive against Chin. Its army was led by the Ch in Emperor in person, and so great was it that the Emperor boasted that his soldiers, by throwing their whips into the Yangtze River, could block its course. The people of Chin were greatly alarmed, but Hsieh An calmly and quietly appointed one of his nephews, Hsieh Hsiin, to lead an army against the invaders. At a battle famous in history as the Battle of the Fei River, in the year 383, Hsieh Hsiln won a decisive victory and the men of Ch in were driven back. When the news of the final victory reached Hsieh An, he was playing"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "final victory reached Hsieh An, he was playing chess with a friend. He opened the letter, read it, and then put it aside and continued to play as before. When the friend asked what was the news from the front, Hsieh An, as calmly as ever, replied: Our boys have decisively defeated the enemy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ch. 6.)\n\n\n\n\n The San Kuo Chih or History of the Three Kingdoms, however, records a discussion between Ho Yen (died 2.49) and Wang Pi (226-249, greatest commentator on the Lao-tzu) on the subject of the emotions. Ho Yen, following the original theory of Chuang Tzu, maintained that \"the sage has neither pleasure nor anger, sorrow nor gladness. In this he was seconded by Chung Hui (the man who went to visit Chi K'ang in the story given above). Wang Pi, however, held a different opinion.\n\n\n\n\n According to him, \"that in which the sage is superior to ordinary people is the spirit. But what the sage has in\n\n\n\n\n 390 NEO-TAOISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "390 NEO-TAOISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n common with ordinary people are the emotions. The sage has a superior spirit, and therefore is able to be in harmony with the universe and to hold communion with Wu Li.e., the Tool. But the sage has ordinary emotions, and therefore cannol respond to things without joy or sorrow. He responds to things, yet is not ensnared by them. It is wrong to say that because the sage has no ensnarement, he therefore has no emotions. (Ch. 28, Commentary.)\n\n\n\n\n The theory of Wang Pi can be summarized by the statement that the sage \"has emotions but no ensnaremenl.\" What this statement exactly means, Wang Pi does not make clear. Its implications were developed much later by Neo-Confucianism, and we shall have a chance to analyze them in chapter 24.\n\n\n\n\n At present we need merely point out that though many of the Neo -Taoists were very rational, there were also many who were very sentimental."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As stated earlier, the Neo—Taoists stressed subtle sensitivily. Having this sensitivity, coupled with the afore-mentioned theory of sel-fexpression, it is not surprising that many of ihem gave free vent to their emotions anywhere and at any time these emotions arose.\n\n\n\n\n An example is the Shih-shuo's story about Wang Jung (234-305), one of the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove. When Wang lost a child, his friend Shan Chicn went to condole him. Wang could not restrain himself from weeping, whereupon Shan said to him: \"It was only a baby, so why do you behave like this?\" Wang Jung replied: \"The sage forgets emotions, and lowly people [who are insensitiveJ do not reach emotions. It is people like ourselves who have the most emotions. To this Shan Chien agreed and wept also. (Ch. 17.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This saying of Wang Jung explains very well why many of the Neo—Taoists were sentimentalists. In most cases, however, they were sentimental, not about some personal loss or gain, but about some general aspect of life or of the universe. The Shih-shuo says that Wei Chieh (286-312, known as the most beautiful personality of his time), when about to cross the Yangtze River, felt much depressed, and said: When T see this vast L river J, I cannot help but feel that all kinds of sentiments are gathering in my mind. Being not without feeling, how can one endure these emotions? (Ch. 2.) The Shih-shuo says also that every time Huan Yi, the flute player mentioned earlier, heard people singing, he would exclaim: What can I do! Hsieh An heard of this and remarked: Huan Yi can indeed be said to have deep feelings.\" (Ch. 23.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Because of this subtle sensitivity, these men of feng liu spirit were often impressed by things that would not ordinarily impress others. They had sentiments about life and the universe as a whole, and also about their own sensitivity and sentiments. The Shih-shuo tells us that when Wang Ch'in ascended the Mao Mountain (in present Shantung province), he wept and said: \"Wang Po-yu of Lang-ya [i.e., myself] must at last die for his emotions.\" (Ch. 23.)\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 392\n\n\n\n\n NEO-TAOISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n The Factor of Sex"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Factor of Sex\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n In the West, romanticism often has in it an element of sex. The Chinese term feng Iiu also has thai implication, especially in its later usage. The attitude of the Chin Neo—Taoists towards sex, however, seems to be purely aesthetic rather than sensuous. As illustration, the Shih-shuo tells us that the neighbor of Juan Chi had a beautiful wife. The neighbor was a wine merchant, and Juan Chi used to go to his house to drink with the merchant s wife. When Juan became drunk, he would sleep beside her. The husband at first was naturally suspicious, but after paying careful attention, he found that Juan Chi did nothing more than sleep there. (Ch. 23-)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Shih-shuo says again that Shan T'ao (2.05-2.83, statesman and general), Chi K ang, and Juan Chi were great friends. Shan Ta o ' s wife, Han, noticed the close friendship of the three and asked her husband about it. Shan T ao said: At present they are the only men who can be my friends. It was the custom in China then that a lady was not allowed lo be introduced to the friends of her husband. Hence Han told her husband that, when next his two friends came, she would like to have a secret peep at them. So on the next visit, she asked her husband to have them stay overnight. She prepared a feast for them, and, during the night, peeped in at the guests through a hole in the wall. So absorbed was she in looking at them that she stood there the whole night. In the morning the husband came to her room and asked: \"What do you think of them?' She replied: \"In talent you are not equal to them, but with your knowledge, you can make friends with them. To this Shan T"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ao said: \"They, also, consider my knowledge to be superior.\" (Ch. 19.) Thus both Juan Chi and the Lady Han seemed to enjoy the beauty of the opposite sex without any sensuous inclinations. Or, it may be said, they enjoyed the beauty, forgetting the sex element.\n\n\n\n\n Such are the characteristics of the, feng Iiu spirit of the Chin NeoTaoists. According to them, feng Iiu derives from tzu-jan (spontaneity, naturalness), and tzu-jan stands in opposition to ming chiao (morals and institutions), which form the classical tradition of Confucianism. Even in this period, however, when Confucianism was in eclipse, one famous scholar and writer named Yiieh Kuang (died 3°4) said: \"In the ming-chiao, too, there is fundamentally room for happiness. (Shih—shuo, ch. I.) As we shall see in chapter twenty -four, Neo -Confucianism was an attempt to find such happiness in ming-chiao.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 394 NEO-TAOISM:THE SENTIMENTALISTS\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 21\n \n \n\n\n\n\n THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n lHF, introduction of Buddhism into China has been one of the greatest events in Chinese history, and since its coming, it has been a major factor in Chinese civilization, exercising particular influence on religion, philosophy, art, and literature.\n\n\n\n\n Introduction and Development of Buddhism in China\n\n\n\n\n The exact date of the introduction of Buddhism is a disputed problem not yet settled by historians, but it took place probably in the first half of the first cenlury A.D. Traditionally, it is said to have entered during the reign of Emperor Ming (58-75), but there is now evidence that it had already been heard of in China before this time. Its subsequent spread was a long and gradual process. From Chinese literary sources we know that in the first and second centuries A.D., Buddhism was considered as a religion of the occult arts, not greatly differing from the occultism of the Yin— Yang school or of the later Taoist religion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the second century the theory was actually developed in certain circles that Buddha had been nothing more than a disciple of T Shih Chi or Historical Records (ch. 63), where it is said that Lao Tzu, late in life, disappeared and nobody knew where he went. Elaborating this statement, ardent Taoists created the story that when Lao Tzu went to the West, he finally reached India, where he taught the Buddha and other Indians, and had a total of twenty-nine disciples. The implication was that the teaching of the Buddhist Sutras (sacred texts) was simply a foreign variant of thai of the Too Te Ching, that is, of the Lao-tzu.\n\n\n\n\n In the third and fourth centuries an increasing number of Buddhist texts of a more metaphysical nature was translated, so that Buddhism became better understood. At this time Buddhism was regarded as similar to philosophical Taoism, especially the philosophy of Chuang Tzu, rather than to Taoism 396 THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "as a religion. Often the Buddhist writings were interpreted with ideas taken from philosophical Taoism.\n\n\n\n\n This method was called that of ko yi, that is, interpretation by analogy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Such a method naturally led to inaccuracy and distortion. Hence in the fifth century, by which time the flood of translations was rapidly increasing, the use of analogy was definitely abandoned. Yet the fact remains that the great Buddhist writers of the fifth century, even including the Indian teacher, Kumarajiva, continued to use Taoist terminology, such as Yu (Being, existent), Wu (Non—being, non-existent), yu—wei (action) and wu—wei (non—action), to express Buddhist ideas. The difference between this practice and the method of analogy, however, is that in the latter one sees only the superficial similarity of words, while in the former one sees the inner connections of the ideas expressed by them. Hence, judging from the nature of the works of these writers, this practice, as we shall see later, did not indicate any misunderstanding or distortion of Buddhism, but rather a synthesis of Indian Buddhism with Taoism, leading to the foundation of a Chinese form of Buddhism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here it should be pointed out that the terms, Chinese Buddhism and Buddhism in China, are not necessarily synonymous. Thus there were certain schools of Buddhism which confined themselves to the religious and philosophical tradition of India, and made no contact with those of China. An example is the school known by the Chinese as the Hsiang Isung or Wei-shih tsung (School of Subjective Idealism), which was introduced by the famous Chinese pilgrim to India, Hsuan-tsang (596-664).\n\n\n\n\n Schools like this may be called Buddhism in China. Their influence was confined to restricted groups of people and limited periods. They did not and could not reach the thought of every intellectual, and therefore played little or no part in the development of what may be called the Chinese mind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the other hand, Chinese Buddhism is the form of Buddhism that has made contact with Chinese thought and thus has developed in conjunction with Chinese philosophical tradition. In later pages we will see that the Middle Path school of Buddhism bears some similarity to philosophical Taoism. Its interaction with the latter resulted in the Ch an or Zen school, which though Buddhist, is at the same time Chinese. Although a school of Buddhism, its influence on Chinese philosophy, literature, and art has been far reaching.\n\n\n\n\n General Concepts of Buddhism\n\n\n\n\n Following the introduction of Buddhism into China, tremendous efforts were made to translate the Buddhist texts into Chinese. Texts of both the Hi-nayana (Small Vehicle) and Mahayana (Great Vehicle) divisions of Buddhism were translated, but only the latter gained a permanent place in Chinese Buddhism.\n\n\n\n\n 398 . THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the whole, the way in which Mahayana Buddhism most influenced the Chinese has been in its concept of the Universal Mind, and in what may be called its negative method of metaphysics. Before going into a discussion of these, we must first survey some of the general concepts of Buddhism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although there are many schools of Buddhism, each with something different to offer, all generally agree in their belief in the theory of Karma (translated in Chinese as Yeh). Karma or Yeh is usually rendered in English as deed or action, but its actual meaning is much wider than that, for what it covers is not merely confined to overt action, but also includes what an individual sentient being speaks and thinks. According to Buddhism, all the phenomena of the universe, or, to be more exact, of the universe of an individual sentient being, are the manifestations of his mind. Whenever he acts, speaks, or even thinks, his mind is doing something, and that something must produce its results, no matter how far in the future. This result is the retribution of the Karma. The Karma is the cause and its retribution is the effect. The being of an individual is made up of a chain of causes and effects."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The present life of a sentient being is only one aspect in this whole process. Death is not the end of his being, but is only another aspect of the process. What an individual is in this life, comes as a result of what he did in the past, and what he does in the present will determine what he will be in the future.\n\n\n\n\n Hence what he does now will bear its fruits in a future life, and what he will do then will again bear its fruits in yet another future life, and so on ad infinitum. This chain of causation is what is called Samsara, the Wheel of Birth and Death. It is the main source from which come the sufferings of individual sentient beings."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Buddhism, all these sufferings arise from the individual s fundamental Ignorance of the nature of things. All things in the universe are the manifestations of the mind and therefore are illusory and impermanent, yet the individual ignorantly craves for and cleaves to them. This fundamental Ignorance is called Avidya, which in Chinese is translated as Wu-ming, non-enlightenment. From Ignorance come the craving for and cleaving to life, because of which the individual is bound to the elernal Wheel of Birth and Death, from which he can never escape."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The only hope for escape lies in replacing Ignorance with Enlightenment, which in Sanskrit is called Bodhi. All the teachings and practices of the various Buddhist schools are attempts to contribute something to the Bodhi. From them the individual, in the course of many rebirths, may accumulate Karma which does not crave for and cleave to things, but avoids craving and cleaving. The result is an emancipation of the individual possessing this Karma from the Wheel of Birth and Death. And this emancipation is called JVir- vana.\n\n\n\n\n What, exactly, does the state of Nirvana signify? It may be said to be the identification of the individual with the Universal Mind, or with what is\n\n\n\n\n 4OO THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "called the Buddha-nature; or it is the realization or self-consciousness of the individual's original identification with the Universal Mind. He is the Universal Mind, but formerly he did not realize it, or was not self—conscious of it. The school of Mahayana Buddhism known by the Chinese as the Hsing tsung or School of Universal Mind expounded this theory. (For this school, hsing or nature and hsin or mind are the same.) In expounding it, the school introduced the idea of Universal Mind into Chinese thought.\n\n\n\n\n There were other schools of Mahayana Buddhism, however, such as that known by the Chinese as the K ung tsung or School of Emptiness, also known as the School of the Middle Path, which would not describe Nirvana in this way. Their method of approach is what I call the negative method.\n\n\n\n\n The Theory of Double\n\n\n\n\n Truth 1\n\n\n\n\n i\n\n\n\n\n This School of the Middle Path proposed what it called the theory of dou— j ble truth: truth in the common sense and truth in the higher sense. Further— |"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "more, it maintained, not only are there these two kinds of truth, but they < both exist on varying levels. Thus what, on the lower level, is truth in the j higher sense, becomes, on the higher level, merely truth in the common '\n\n\n\n\n sense. One of the great Chinese Masters of this school, Chi-tsang (549-623), j describes this theory as including the three following levels of double truth: !\n\n\n\n\n (1) The common people take all things as really yu (having being, existent) j and know nothing about wu (having no being, non-existent). Therefore the ■ Buddhas have told them that actually all things are wu and empty. On this level, to say that all things are yu is the common sense truth, and to say that • all things are wu\n\n\n\n\n is the higher sense"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "truth. j (2) To say that all things are yu is one-sided, but to say that all things are wu is also one-sided. They are both one-sided, because they give people the wrong impression that wu or non-existence only results from the absence or removal of yu or existence. Yet in actual fact, what is yu is simultaneously what is wu. For instance, the table standing before us need not be destroyed in order to show that it is ceasing to exist. In actual fact it is ceasing to exist all the time. The reason for this is that when one starts to destroy the table, the table which one thus intends to destroy has already ceased to exist. The table of this actual moment is no longer the table of the preceding moment. It only looks like that of the preceding moment. Therefore on the second level of double truth, to say that all things are yu and to say that all things are wu are both equally common sense truth. What one ought to say is that the not—one—sided middle path consists in understanding that things are neither yu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in understanding that things are neither yu nor wu. This is the higher sense truth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(3) But to say that the middle truth consists in what is not one—sided (i.e., what is neither yu nor wu), means to make distinctions. And all distinctions are themselves one-sided. Therefore on the third level, to say that things are neither yu nor wu, and that herein lies the not-one-sided middle path, is 4O2. THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n merely common sense truth. The higher truth consists in saying that things are neither yu nor wu, neither not— yu nor not— wu, and that the middle path is neither one-sided nor not-one-sided. (Erh-ti Chang or Chapter on the Double Truth, sec. I.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In this passage 1 have retained the Chinese words yu and wu, because in their use the Chinese thinkers of the time saw or felt a similarity between the central problem discussed by Buddhism and lhal discussed by Taoism, in which the same words arc prominent. Though deeper analysis shows that the similarity is in some respects superficial, nevertheless, when the Taoists spoke of Wu as transcending shapes and features, and the Buddhists spoke of Wu as \"not-not,\" there is a real similarity."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Still another real similarity between the Buddhists of this particular school and the Taoists is their method of approach and the final results achieved by this metho d. The method is to mak e use of different l ev els of discourse. What is said in one level is to be immediately denied by a saying on a higher level. As we have seen in chapter ten, this is also the method used in the C h i Wu L u n o r \" E q u a l i t y o f T h i n g s i n t h e C h u a n g - t z u , a n d i t i s t h e method that has just been discussed above.\n\n\n\n\n When all is denied, including the denial of the denial of all, one arrives at the same situation as found in the philosophy of Chuang Tzu, in which all is forgotten, including the fact that one has forgotten all.\n\n\n\n\n This state is described by Chuang Tzu as \"sitting in forgetfulness,\" and by the Buddhists as Nirvana."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One cannot ask this school of Buddhism what, exactly, the state of Nirvana is, because, according to it, when one reaches the third level of truth, one cannot affirm anything.\n\n\n\n\n Philosophy of Seng-chao\n\n\n\n\n One of the great teachers of this same school in China in the fifth century was Kumarajiva, who was an Indian but was born in a state in the present Chinese Turkistan. He came to Ch ang —an (the present Sian in Shensi province) in 4OI, and lived there until his death in 4*3-During these thirteen years, he translated many Buddhist texts into Chinese and taught many disciples, among them some who became very famous and influential. In this chapter I shall mention two of them, Seng—chao and Tao—sheng."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seng-chao (384-414) came from the vicinity of the above-mentioned city of Ch'ang-an. He first studied Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, but later became a disciple of Kumarajiva. He wrote several essays which have been collected as the Chao Lun, or Essays of Seng-chao. One of them, titled \"There Is No Real Unreality,\" says: \"All things have that in them which makes them not be yu [having being, existent]\n\n\n\n\n and also have that in them which makes them not be wu [having no being, non-existent]. Because of the former, they are yu and yet not yu. Because of the latter, they are wu and yet not wu....Why is this so?\n\n\n\n\n Suppose the yu is really yu, then it should be yu for all time and\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 404\n\n\n\n\n THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "should not owe its yu to the convergence of causes. [According to Buddhism, the existence of anything is due to the convergence of a number of causes] Suppose the wu is really wu, then it should be wu for all time and should not owe its wu to the dissolution of causes. If the yu owes its yu to causation, then the yu is not really yu....But if all things are wu, then nothing would come about. If something comes about, it cannot be altogether nothing.... If we want to affirm that things are yu, yet there is no real existence of this yu. If we want to affirm that they are wu, yet they have their shapes and features. To have shapes and features is not the same as wu, and to be not really yu is not the same as yu. This being so, the principle of no real unreality' is clear.\" (Chao-Lun, ch. 1.) In another essay, titled \"On the Immutability of Things,\" Seng-chao says: Most men s idea of mutability is that things in the past do not come down to the present. They therefore say that there is mutability and no"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "therefore say that there is mutability and no immutability. My idea of immutability is also that things of the past do not come down to the present. Therefore I on the contrary say that there is immutability and no mutability. That there is mutability and no immutability is because things of the past do not come down to the present. That there is immutability and no mutability is because things of the past do not vanish away with the past [i.e., though they do not exist today, they did exist in the past]...If we search for past things in the past, they were not wu in the past. If we search for these past things in the present, they are not yu in the present....That is to say, past things are in the past, and are not things that have receded from the present."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Likewise present things are in the present, and are not something that have come down from the past....The effect is not the cause, but because of the cause there is the effect. That the effect is not the cause shows that the cause does not come down to the present. And that, there being the cause, there is therefore the effect, shows that causes do not vanish in the past. The cause has neither come down nor has it vanished. Thus the theory of immutability is clear.\" (Chan Lun, ch. I.) The idea here is that things undergo constant change at every moment. Anything existing at any given moment is actually a new thing of that moment and not the same as the thing that has existed in the past."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the same essay Seng-chao says: \"[There was a man by the mane of] Fan-chih who, having become a monk in his early years, returned home when his hair was white. On seeing him the neighbors exclaimed at seeing a man of the past who was still alive. Fan-chih said: 'I look like the man of the past, but I am not he.' \"At every moment there has been a Fan-chih. The Fan-chih of this moment is not a Fan-chih who has come down from the past, and the Fan-chih of the past was not a Fan-chih of the present who receded into the past. Juding from the fact that everything changes at every moment, we say that there is change but no permanence. And judging from the fact that everything at every moment remains with that moment, we say that there is permanence but no change.\n\n\n\n\n 4 0 6 THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is Seng—chao s theory to substantiate the double truth on the second level. On this level, to say that things are yu and permanent, and to say that things are wu and mutable, arc both common sense truth. To say that things are neither yu nor wu, neither permanent nor mutable, is the higher sense truth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seng—chao also gives arguments to substanliate the double truth on the third or highest level. This he does in an essay titled \"On Prqjna [i.e., Wisdom of the Buddha] Not Being Knowledge.\" Prajna is described by Seng-chao as Sage—knowledge, but, he says, this Sage—knowledge is really not knowledge. For knowledge of a thing consists in selecting a quality of that thing and taking that quality as the object of knowledge. But Sage-knowledge consists in knowing about what is called Wu (Non—being), and this Wu transcends shapes and features and has no qualities; hence it can never be the object of knowledge. To have knowledge of Wu is to be one with it. This state of identification with Wu is called Nirvana. Nirvana and Prajna are two aspects of one and the same state of affairs. As Nirvana is not something to be known, so Prajna is knowledge which is not knowledge. (Chat) Lun, ch.\n\n\n\n\n 3.) Hence, on the third level of truth, nothing can be said and one must remain silent.\n\n\n\n\n Philosophy of Tao—sheng"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Philosophy of Tao—sheng\n\n\n\n\n Seng-chao died when only thirty years old, so that his influence was less than it might otherwise have been. Tao—sheng (died 434), who was a fellow student with Seng-chao under Kumarajiva, was born at P'eng-ch'eng in the northern part of the present Kiangsu province. He became a monk of wide learning, great brilliancy, and eloquence, of whom it is said that when he spoke even the stones beside him nodded their heads in assent. In his later years he taught at Lu-shan in the present Kiangsi province, which was the center of Buddhist learning at that time, and the place where such great monks as Tao-an (died 3^5) and Hui-yiian (died 410) had lectured. Tao-sheng advanced many theories so new and revolutionary that once he was publicly banished from Nanking by the conservative monks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Among these is the doctrine that \"a good deed entails no retribution.\" His essay on this subject is now lost. But in the Hung Ming Chi or Collected Essays on Buddhism, a work compiled by Seng-yu (died 518), there is a treatise by Hui-yiian titled \"On the Explanation of Retribution.\" This essay may represent some aspects of Tao—sheng s concept, though we cannot be sure. Its general idea is to apply the Taoist ideas of wu-wei and wu-hsin to metaphysics. As we have seen, wu-wei literally means non-action, but this non-action does not really signify no action; rather it signifies action that takes jilaee, without effort. When one acts spontaneously, without any deliberate discrimination, choice, or effort, one is practicing non-action. Wu-hsin also literally means no mind. When one practices wu —wei in the manner de -\n\n\n\n\n 408 THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "scribed above, one is also practicing wu-hsin. If, argues Hui-yuan, one follows the principles of wu—wei and wu-hsin, one then has no craving for or cleaving to things, even though one may pursue various activities. And since the effect or retribution of one's Karma is due to one s craving and cleaving or attachment, one s Karma under these circumstances will not entail any retribution. (Chiian 5.) This theory of Hui—yiian, regardless of whether it is the same as Tao-sheng's original idea or not, is an interesting extension to Buddhist metaphysics of a Taoist theory which originally possessed purely social and ethical significance. As such, it is certainly an important development in Chinese Buddhism, and one that was to be followed later by the Ch' an school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another theory of Tao-sheng is that Buddhahood is to be achieved by Sudden Enlightenment. His essay on this subject is also lost, but the theory is preserved in Hsieh Ling-vim's (died 433) Pien Tsung Lun or \"Discussion of Essentials. It was developed in opposition to another theory, that of gradual attainment, according to which Buddhahood is to he achieved only through the gradual accumulation of learning and practice. Tao-sheng and Hsieh Ling—yiin did not deny the importance of such learning and practice, but they maintained that its accumulation, no matter how great, is only a sort of preparatory work, which in itself is insufficient for one ever to achieve Buddhahood. Such achievement is an instantaneous act, like the leaping over of a deep chasm. Either one makes the leap successfully, in which case one reaches the other side and thus achieves Buddhahood in its entirety in a flash, or one fails in one s leap, in which case one remains as one was. There are no intermediate steps between."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The reason advanced for this theory is that to achieve Buddhahood means to be one with Wu (Non-being) or, as one might say, with the Universal Mind. The Wu, since it transcends shapes and features, is not a thing in itself, and so is not something that can be divided into parts. Therefore one cannot gain oneness with a part of it today and oneness with another part of it tomorrow. Oneness means oneness with the whole of it. Anything less than this is no longer oneness.\n\n\n\n\n The Pien Tsung Lun records many arguments on this subject between Hsieh Ling—yiln and others."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One monk named Seng—wei argued that if the student is one with Wu, he will no longer speak about it, but if he is to learn about Wu in order to get rid of Yu (Being), this learning represents a process of gradual enlightenment. To this Hsieh Ling—yiin answered that when a student is still in the realm of Yu, whatever he does is learning, but not Enlightenment. Enlightenmen itself is something beyond Yu, though a student must devote himself first to learning, in order to attain Enlightenment.\n\n\n\n\n Seng-wei again asked: If a student devotes himself to learning and hopes thereby for identification with Wu, does he in this way make some advancement? If he does not, why does he pursue learning?\n\n\n\n\n But if he does, is this not gradual enlightenment? To this Hsieh Ling-yiin answered that devolion 410 THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to learning can have the positive achievement of suppressing the impure element of the mind. Though such suppression seems to be its extinction, in actual fact it is still not without impure attachment. It is only with Sudden Enlightenment that all attachments are gone.\n\n\n\n\n Again Seng-wei asked: If a student devote himself to learning and practice, can he achieve a temporary identification with Wu! If he can, this temporary identification is better than no identification at all, and is it not gradual enlightenment? To this Hsieh I.ing-yiin answered that such temporary identification is a false one. A real identification is by its nature everlasting. Though the temporary identification seems to be a real identification, it is so only in the same sense that the suppression of the impure element of the mind seems to be its extinction."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All these arguments are endorsed by Tao—sheng in a letter also included in the Pien Tsung Lun. The latter is now to be found in the Kuang Hung Ming Chi or Further Collections of Essays on Buddhism (chilan 18), a work compiled by Tao-hsiian (596-667)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another of Tao-sheng' s theories is that every sentient being possesses the Buddha—nature or Universal Mind. His essay on this subject is also lost, but its ideas can be gathered from his commentaries on several Buddhist Sutras. According to these, every sentient being has the Buddha-nature; only he does not realize that he has it. This Ignorance (Avidya) is what binds him to the Wheel of Birth and Death. The necessity, therefore, is for him first to realize that he has the Buddha -nature originally within him, and then, by learning and practice, to \"see\" his own Buddha-nature. This \"seeing\" conies as a Sudden Enlightenment, because the Buddha—nature cannot be divided; therefore he either sees it as a whole or does not see it at all. Such \"seeing\" also means to be one with the Buddha-nature, because the Buddha-nature is not something that can be seen Irom outside. This is the meaning of Tao — sheng's statement: \"By gaining freedom from illusion, one returns to the Ultimate, and by returning to the Ultimate,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Ultimate, and by returning to the Ultimate, one attains the Original.\" * The state of attainment of the Original is the state of Nirvana."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But Nirvana is not something external to and altogether different from the Wheel of Birth and Death, nor is the reality of the Buddha-nature external to and altogether different from the phenomenal world.\n\n\n\n\n Once one gains Sudden Enlightenment, the latter is at once the former. Thus Tao—sheng says: The Enlightenment of Mahayana Buddhism is not to be sought outside the Wheel of Birth and Death. Within it one is enlightened by the affairs of birth and death.\" ** The Buddhists use the metaphor of \"reaching the other shore\" to express the idea of achieving Nirvana. Tao-sheng says: As to reaching the other shore, if one reaches it, one is not reaching the other shore. Both not-reaching and not—not—reaching are really reaching. This shore here means\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * QnolpH in the Nifih-pan-ching Ctli-cfiieh or Collected Commentaries to the Parinirvana Sutra, chiton I. ** Quoted in Seng-(!hao's Wei-mou-ching Chit, or Cftmmenlxiry ta the Vimakikirti Sutra, chikvi 7-412 . THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "birth and death; the other shore means Nirvana.\" (Ibid., chtian 9.) Again he says: If one sees Buddha, one is not seeing Buddha. When one sees there is no Buddha, one is really seeing Buddha.\" (Ibid.)\n\n\n\n\n This is perhaps also the meaning of another theory of Tao-sheng, that for Buddha there is no \"Pure Land or other world. The world of Buddha is simply here in this present world.\n\n\n\n\n In an essay titled The Treasure House, which has been traditionally attributed to Seng-chao but seems to be a forgery, it is said: \"Suppose there is a man who, in a treasure house of golden utensils, sees the golden utensils, but pays no attention to their shapes and features. Or, even if he does pay attention to their shapes and features, he still recognizes that they are all gold. He is not confused by their varying appearances, and therefore is able to rid himself of their L superficial J\n\n\n\n\n distinctions. He always sees that their underlying substance is gold, and does not suffer any illusion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is an illustration of what a sage is. (Ch. 3-)\n\n\n\n\n This saying may not come from Seng—chao, but its metaphor has been constantly used by later Buddhists. The reality of the Buddha-nature is itself the phenomenal world, just as the golden utensils are themselves the gold. There is no other reality outside the phenomenal world, just as there is no other gold besides the golden utensils. Some people, in their Ignorance, see only the phenomenal world, but not the reality of the Buddha-nature. Other people, in their Enlightenment, see the Buddha-nature, but this Buddha-nature is still the phenomenal world. What these two kinds of people see is the same, but what one person sees in his Enlightenment has a significance quite different from what the other person sees in his Ignorance. This is the meaning ol a common saying of Chinese Buddhism: When ignorant, one is a common man; when enlightened, one is a sage."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another theory of Tao—sheng is that even the icchantika (i.e., the being who opposes Buddhism) is capable of achieving Buddhahood. This is the logical conclusion of the assertion that every sentient being has the Buddha-nature. But it was in direct contradiction to the Parinirvana Sutra, as known at that time, and consequently Tao-sheng, because he uttered it, was banished for some time irom the capital, Nanking. Many years later, however, when the complete text of the Parinirvana Sutra was translated, Tao-sheng' s theory was found to be confirmed by one of its passages. His biographer, Hui-chiao (died 554), wrote: \"Because his interpretation of the icchantika came to be established by Scriptural evidence, his theories of Sudden Enlightenment and that a good deed entails no retribution, also came to be highly honored by the Buddhists of the time. (Kao—seng Chilan or Biographies of Eminent Buddhist Monks, chiian 7) Hui—chiao also reports another saying of Tao—sheng: The symbol serves to express an idea, and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The symbol serves to express an idea, and is to be discarded once the idea has been undei— stood. Words serve to explain thought, and ought to be silenced once the thoughts have been absorbed....It is only those who can grasp the fish and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "414 THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n discard the fishing net that are qualified to seek the truth.' (Ibid.) This figure of speech refers to a saying in the Chuang-tzu which says: \"The fishing net serves to catch fish. Let us take the fish and forget the net. The snare serves to catch rabbits. Let us take the rabbit and forget the snare.\" (Ch. 2-6.) Chinese philosophical tradition makes use of a term called the \"net of words. According to this tradition, the best statement is one that does not \"fall into the net of words.\"\n\n\n\n\n We have seen that in Chi-tsang's theory of the three levels of double truth, when one reaches the third level one simply has nolhing to say. On that level there is no danger of falling into the net of words."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Tao-sheng speaks of the Buddha-nature, he almost falls into this net, because by speaking of it as the Mind, he gives people the impression that the limitations of definition can be imposed on it. In this respect he is influenced by the Parinirvana Sutra, which emphasizes the Buddha-nature, and so he approaches the Hsing tsung or School of Universal Mind.\n\n\n\n\n Thus, as we shall see in the next chapter, by the lime of Tao—sheng, the theoretical background for Ch anism had been prepared. The Ch'an Masters themselves, however, were needed to put the theories described in the present chapter into high relief."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In what has been told here we can also find the germ of the Neo-Confu-ciamsm of several centuries later. The theory of Tao—sheng that every man can become a Buddha reminds us of the theory of Mencius that every man can become a Yao or Shun (two traditional sage-kings). (Mencius, VIb, 2..) Mencius also stated that by fully developing our mind, we come to know our nature; and by fully developing our nature, we come to know Heaven. (Men— cius, Vila, 1.) But what he called mind and nature are both psychological and not metaphysical. By giving them a metaphysical interpretation along the line suggested by Tao-sheng's theory, one arrives at Neo-Confucianism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idea of the Universal Mind is a contribution of India to Chinese philosophy. Before the introduction of Buddhism, there was in Chinese philosophy only the mind, but not the Mind. The Tao of the Taoists is the mystery of mysteries, as Lao Tzu put it, yet it is not Mind. After the period dealt with in this chapter, there is, in Chinese philosophy, not only mind, but also Mind.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 416\n\n\n\n\n THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 22\n \n \n\n\n\n\n M: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 1 HE Chinese term Ch an (Japanese reading: Zen) or Ch an—ra is a phonetic rendering of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Sanskrit Dhyana, which is usually translated in English as Meditation. The traditional account of the origin of the Ch' an or Zen school is that the Buddha, in addition to his Scriptures, possessed an esoteric teaching that was transmitted independently of written texts. This teaching he transmitted personally to one of his disciples, who in turn transmitted it to his own disciple. In this way, it was handed down until it reached Bodhidharma, who is supposed to have been the twenty—eighth Patriarch in India, and who came to China some time between S±O and 526, where he became the first Tsu (Patriarch, literally, Ancestor) of the Ch'an school in China.\n\n\n\n\n Traditional Account of the Origin of Ch anism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There Bodhidharma transmitted the esoteric teaching to Hui-k' o (486-593), who was China's second Patriarch. The teaching was thus perpetuated until a major split in the school occurred, caused by the two chief disciples of the fifth Patriarch, Hung-jen (605-675). One of them, Shen-hsiu (died 706), became the founder of the Northern school; the other, Hui -neng (638-713), founded the Southern school. The Southern school soon surpassed the Northern one in popularity, so that Hui-neng came to be recognized as the sixth Patriarch, the true successor of Hung—jen. All the later influential groups in Ch'\n\n\n\n\n anism took their rise from the disciples of Hui-neng.*\n\n\n\n\n How far we can depend on the earlier part of this traditional account is much questioned, for it is not supported by any documents dated earlier than the eleventh century. It is not our purpose in this chapter to make a scholarly examination of this problem. Suffice it to say that no scholar today takes"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "* For the traditional account, see Yang Yi (974-102.0), Ch'uan Teng Lu or Record of the Transmission of the Light, ch Han I.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 418 CH'ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n the tradition very seriously. Indeed, as we have already seen in the last chapter, the theoretical background for Ch'anism had already been created in China by such men as Seng—chao and Tao—sheng. Given this background, the rise of Ch anism would seem to have been almost inevitable, without looking to the almost legendary Bodhidharma as its founder.\n\n\n\n\n The split in the Ch an school caused by Shen —hsiu and Hui —neng is, however, a historical fact."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The difference between these founders of the Northern and Southern schools represents the earlier difference between the Hsing tsung (Universal Mind school) and K ' ung tsung (Empty school) that was described in the last chapter. This can be seen in Hui—neng s own autobiography. From this work we learn that Hui -neng was a native of the present Kwangtung province and became a student of Buddhism under Hung—jen. The account continues that one day Hung—jen, realizing that his time was nearly over, summoned his disciples together and told them that a successor must now be appointed; this successor would be the disciple who could write the best poem summarizing the teaching of Ch anism.\n\n\n\n\n Shen—hsiu then wrote a poem which read:\n\n\n\n\n The body is like unto the Bodhi-tree, And the mind to a mirror bright; Carefully we cleanse them hour by hour Lest dust should fall upon them.\n\n\n\n\n To refute this idea, Hui—neng then wrote the following poem:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Originally there was no Bodhi-tree, Nor was there any mirror; Since originally there was nothing, Whereon can the dust fall?\n\n\n\n\n It is said that Hung—jen approved Hui—neng s poem and appointed him as his successor, the sixth Patriarch.*\n\n\n\n\n Shen-hsiu's poem emphasized the Universal Mind or Buddha Nature spoken of by Tao-sheng, while Hui-neng s emphasized the Wu (Non-being) of Seng-chao. There are two phrases that often occur in Ch anism. One is, \"The very mind is Buddha\"; the other, \"not-mind,and not-Buddha. ' Shen-hsiu's poem is the expression of the first phrase, and Hui-neng 's of the second.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * See the Liu-tsu T' anching or Sulra Spoken by the Sixth Patriarch, chtitml.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 4 2 0 CH' ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n The First Principle Is Inexpressible"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In later times the Ch'an school in its major development followed the line set by Hui —neng. In it the combination already begun between the Empty school and Taoism reached its climax. What the Empty school called higher sense truth on the third level, the Ch'anists called the First Principle. As we have seen in the last chapter, on this third level one simply cannot say anything. Hence the First Principle is by its very nature inexpressible. The Ch' an Master Wen-yi (died 958) was once asked: \"What is the First Principle?\" To which he answered: If I were to tell you, it would become the second principle. {Wen-yi Ch'an-shih Yii-lu or Sayings of the Ch an Master Wen-yi. ) It was the principle of the Ch an Masters to teach their disciples only through personal contact. For the benefit of those who did not have opportunity for such contact, however, written records were made of the sayings of the Masters, which were known as yii lu (recorded conversations). This was a practice that was later taken over by the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "was a practice that was later taken over by the Neo -Confucianists. In these records, we often find that when a student ventured to ask some question about the fundamental principles of Buddhism, he would often he given a beating by his Ch'an Master, or some quite irrelevant answer. He might, for example, be told that the price of a certain vegetable was then three cents. These answers seem very paradoxical to those who are not familiar with the purpose of Ch anism. But this purpose is simply to let the student know that what he asks about is not answerable. Once he understands that, he understands a great deal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The First Principle is inexpressible, because what is called the Wu is not something about which anything can be said. By calling it \"Mind ' or any other name, one is at once giving it a definition and thus imposing on it a limitation. As the Ch anists and Taoists both say, one thereby falls into the \"net of words.\" Ma—tsu or the Patriarch Ma (died 7^8), a disciple of ihe disciple of Hui-neng, was once asked: \"Why do you say that the very mind is Buddha?\" Ma-tsu answered: \"I simply want to stop the crying of children.\"\"\n\n\n\n\n Suppose they do stop crying?\" asked the questioner. Then not-mind, not-Buddha,\" was the answer.*"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another student asked Ma-tsu: \"What kind of man is he who is not linked to all things?\" The Master answered: \"Wait until in one gulp you can drink up all the water in the West River, then I willtell you. (Ibid.) Such an acl is obviously impossible and by suggesting it Ma-tsu meant to indicate to the student that he would not answer his question. His question, in fact, was really not answerable,because he who is not linked to all things is one who transcends all things. This being so, how can you ask what kind of man he is?\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Yi-tsang (of the Sung dynasty), Ku-tsuii-hsii Yu-lu or Recorded Sayings of Ancient Worthies, chiion 1.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 4 11 CH'ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF\n\n\n\n\n SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n \n 1"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n \n 1\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n There were Ch'an Masters who used silence to express the idea of Wu or the First Principle. It is said, for example, that when Hui-chung (died 775) was to debate with another monk, he simply mounted his chair and remained silent. The other monk then said: \"Please propose your thesis so I can argue.\n\n\n\n\n Hui—chung replied: I have already proposed my thesis. The monk asked: What is it? Hui—chung said: I know it is beyond your understanding,\" and with this left his chair. (Record of the Transmission of the Light, chiian 5.) The thesis Hui—chung proposed was that of silence. Since the First Principle or Wu is not something about which anything can be said, the best way to expound it is to remain silent.\n\n\n\n\n From this point of view no Scriptures or Sutras have any real connection with the First Principle."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hence the Ch an Master Yi —hstian (died 866), founder of a group in Ch anism known as the Lin—chi school, said: If you want to have the right understanding, you must not be deceived by others. You should kill everything that you meet internally or externally. If you meet Buddha, kill Buddha. If you meet the Patriarchs, kill the Patriarchs.... Then you can gain your emancipation.\" (Recorded Savings of Ancient Worthies, chiian 4-)\n\n\n\n\n Method of Cultivation"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Method of Cultivation\n\n\n\n\n The knowledge of the First Principle is knowledge that is nonknowledge; hence the method of cultivation is also cultivation that is non-cultivation. It is said that Ma-tsu, before he became a disciple of Huai-jang (died 744), lived on the Heng Mountain (in present Hunan province). There he occupied a solitary hut in which,all alone, he practiced meditation. One day Huai-jang began to grind some bricks in front of the hui. When Ma-tsu saw it, he asked Huai-jang what he was doing. He replied that he was planning to make a mirror. Ma-tsu said: \"How can grinding bricks make a mirror? Huai-jang said: If grinding bricks cannot make a mirror, how can meditation make a Buddha?\" By this saying Ma-tsu was enlightened and thereupon became Huai—jang s disciple. (Recorded Sayings of Ancient worthies, chiian 1.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus according to Ch anism, the best method of cultivation for achieving Buddhahood is not to practice any cultivation. To cultivate oneself in this way is to exercise deliberate effort, which is yu—wei (having action). This yu-wei will, to be sure, produce some good effect, but it will not be everlasting. The Ch'an Master Hsi-yiin (died 847), known as the Master of Huang—po, said: Supposing that through innumerable lives a man has practiced the six paramitas [methods of gaining salvation], done good and attained the Buddha Wisdom, this will still not last forever. The reason lies in causation.\n\n\n\n\n When the force of the cause is exhausted, he reverts to ihe impermanent.\" (Recorded Sayings of Ancient Worthies, chiian 3-)\n\n\n\n\n Again he said: \"All deeds are essentially impermanent. All forces have their final day. They are like a dart discharged through the air; when its\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 424\n\n\n\n\n CH'ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SILENCE"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "CH'ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n strength is exhausted, it turns and falls to the ground. They are all connected with the\n\n\n\n\n Wheel of Birth and Death. To practice cultivation through them is to misunderstand the Buddha s idea and waste labor. (Ibid.)\n\n\n\n\n And yet again: \"If you do not understand wu hsin \\_ absence of a purposeful mind], then you are attached to objects, and suffer from obstructions.... Actually there is no such thing\n \n 1\n \n\n\n\n\n as Bodhi [Wisdom]. That the Buddha talked about it was simply as a means to educate"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "men, just as yellow leaves may be taken as gold coins in order to stop the crying of children....The only thing to be done is to rid yourself of your old Karma, as opportunity offers, and not to create new Karma from which will flow new calamities. (Ibid.) Thus the best method of spiritual cultivation is to do one's tasks without deliberate effort or purposeful mind. This is exactly what the Taoists called wu—wei (non—action) and wu-hsin (no—mind). It is what Hui— yuan s theory signifies, as well as, probably, the statement of Tao—sheng that a good deed does not entail retribution.\" This method of cultivation does not aim at doing things in order to obtain resulting good effects, no matter how good these effects may be in themselves. Rather it aims at doing things in such a way as to entail no effects at all. When all one's actions entail no effect, then after the effects of previously accumulated Karma have exhausted themselves, one will gain emancipation from the Wheel of Birth and Death and attain"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "from the Wheel of Birth and Death and attain Nirvana."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To do things without deliberate effort and purposeful mind is to do things naturally and to live naturally. Yi-hsilan said: \"To achieve Buddhahood there is no place for deliberate effort. The only method is to carry on one s ordinary and uneventful tasks: relieve one s bowels, pass water, wear one's clothes, eat one's meals, and when tired, lie down. The simple fellow will laugh at you, but the wise will understand.\" (Recorded Sayings of Ancient Worthies, chiian 4.) The reason why those who try to achieve Buddhahood so often fail to follow this course is because they lack self-confidence. Yi-hsiian said: \"Nowadays people who engage in spiritual cultivation fail to achieve their ends. Their fault is not having faith in themselves....Do you wish to know who are the Patriarchs and Buddha? All of you who are before me are the Patriarchs and Buddha. ' (Ibid.) Thus the way to practice spiritual cultivation is to have adequate confidence in one s self and discard everything else. All one should do is to pursue the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "else. All one should do is to pursue the ordinary tasks of one's everyday life, and nothing more. This is what the Chan Masters call cultivation through non-cultivation."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here a question arises: Granted that this be so, then what is the difference between the man who engages in cultivation of this kind and the man who engages in no cultivation at all? If the latter does precisely what the former does, he too should achieve Nirvana, and so there should come a time when there will be no Wheel of Birth and Death at all.\n\n\n\n\n To this question it may be answered that although to wear clothes and eat meals are in themselves common and simple matters, it is still not easy to do\n\n\n\n\n 42-6 CH' ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF\n\n\n\n\n SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n them with a completely non—purposeful mind and thus without any attachment. A person likes fine clothes, for example, but dislikes bad ones, and he feels pleased when others admire his clothes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These are all the attachments that result from wearing clothes. What the Ch an Masters emphasized is that spiritual cultivation does not require special acts, such as the ceremonies and prayers of institutionalized religion. One should simply try to be without a purposeful mind or any attachments in one s daily life; then cultivation results from the mere carrying on of the common and simple affairs of daily life. In the beginning one will need to exert effort in order to be without effort, and to exercise a purposeful mind in order not to have such a mind, just as, in order to forget, one at first needs to remember that one should forget. Later, however, the time comes when one must discard the effort to be without effort, and the mind that purposefully tries to have no purpose, just as one finally forgets to remember that one has to forget."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus cultivation through non-cultivation is itself a kind of cultivation, just as knowledge that is not knowledge is nevertheless still a form of knowledge. Such knowledge differs from original ignorance, and cultivation through non-cullivation likewise differs from original naturalness. For original ignorance and naturalness are gifts of nature, whereas knowledge that is not knowledge and cultivation through non-cultivation are both products of the spirit.\n\n\n\n\n Sudden Enlightenment\n\n\n\n\n The practice of cultivation, no matter for how long, is in itself only a sort of preparatory work.\n\n\n\n\n For Buddhahood to be achieved, this cultivation must be climaxed by a Sudden Enlightenment, such as was described in the last chapter as comparable to the leaping over of a precipice. Only after this leaping has taken place can Buddhahood be achieved.\n\n\n\n\n Such Enlightenment is often referred to by the Ch'an Masters as the \"vision of the Too. P"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "u-yiian, known as the Master of Nan-ch tian (died 830), told his disciple: \"The Too is not classifiable as either knowledge or nonknowledge. Knowledge is illusory consciousness and non—knowledge is blind unconsciousness. If you really comprehend the indubitable Too, it is like a wide expanse of emptiness, so how can distinctions be forced in it between right and wrong?'\"\n\n\n\n\n (Recorded Sayings of Ancient Worthies, chiian 13.) Comprehension of the Too is the same as being one with it. Its wide expanse of emptiness is not a void; it is simply a state in which all distinctions are gone."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This state is described by the Ch'an Masters as one in which \"knowledge and truth become undifferentiable, objects and spirit form a single unity, and there ceases to be a distinction between the experiencer and the experienced.\" (Ibid., chiian 32..) \"A man who drinks water knows by himself whether it is cold or warm. \" This last expression first appeared in the Sutra Spoken by the Sixth Patriarch (Hui-neng), but it was later widely quoted by\n\n\n\n\n 4-2.8 CH'ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n the other Ch an Masters, meaning that only he who experiences the non-distinction of the\n\n\n\n\n experiencer and the experienced really knows what it is.\n\n\n\n\n In this state the experiencer has discarded knowledge in the ordinary sense, because this\n \n 1\n \n\n\n\n\n kind of knowledge postulates a distinction between the knower and the known."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nevertheless, he is not without knowledge, because his state differs from that of blind unconsciousness, as Nan—ch iian calls it. This is what is called the knowledge that is not knowledge.\n\n\n\n\n When the student has reached the verge of Sudden Enlightenment, that is the time when the Master can help him the most. When one is about to make the leap, a certain assistance, no matter how small, is a great help. The Ch'-an Masters at this stage used to practice what they called the method of stick or yell to help the leap to Enlightenment. Ch an literature reports many incidents in which a Master, having asked his student to consider some problem, suddenly gave him several blows with a stick or yelled at him. If these acts were done at the right moment, the result would be a Sudden Enlightenment for the student. The explanation would seem to be that the physical act, thus performed, shocks the student into that psychological awareness of enlightenment for which he has long been preparing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To describe Sudden Enlightenment, the Ch an Masters use the metaphor of \"the bottom of a tub falling out.\" When this happens, all its contents are suddenly gone. In the same way, when one is suddenly enlightened, he finds all his problems suddenly solved. They are solved not in the sense that he gains some positive solution for them, but in the sense that all the problems have ceased any longer to be problems. That is why the Too is called \"the indubitable Too.\"\n\n\n\n\n The Attainment of Non-attainment\n\n\n\n\n The attainment of Sudden Enlightenment does not entail the attainment of anything further. The Ch an Master Ch'ing-yuan, known as the Master of Shu-chou (died II2.O), said: \"If you now comprehend it, where is that which you did not comprehend before?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What you were deluded about before is what you are now enlightened about, and what you are now enlightened about is what you were deluded about before.\" (Recorded Sayings of Ancient Worthies,chiton 32.) As we have seen in the last chapter, the real is the phenomenal, according to Seng—chao and Tao—sheng. In Ch anism there is the common expression that \"the mountain is the mountain, the river is the river.\" In one's state of delusion, one sees the mountain as the mountain and the river as the river. But after Enlightenment one still sees the mountain as the mountain and the river as the river.\n\n\n\n\n The Ch an Masters also use another common expression: Riding an ass to search for the ass. By this they mean a search for reality outside of the phenomenal, in other words, to search for Nirvana outside of the Wheel of Birth and Death. Shu-chou said: \"There are only two diseases: one is riding\n\n\n\n\n 43O CH' ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY -OF\n\n\n\n\n SILENCE"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n an ass to search for the ass; the other is riding an ass and being unwilling to dismount. You say that riding an ass to search for the ass is silly and that he who does it should be punished. This is a very serious disease. But I tell you, do not search for the ass at all. The intelligent man, understanding my meaning, stops to search for the ass, and thus the deluded state of his mind ceases to exist."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"But if, having found the ass, one is unwilling to dismount, this disease is most difficult to cure. I say to you, do not ride the ass at all.You yourself are the ass. Everything is the ass. Why do you ride on it? If you ride, you cannot cure your disease. But if you do not ride, the universe is as a great expanse open to your view. With these two diseases expelled, nothing remains to affect your mind. This is spiritual cultivation. You need do nothing more. (Ibid.) If one insists that after attaining Enlightenment one will still attain something else, this is to ride an ass and be unwilling to dismount."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Huang—po said: \"L If there be Enlightenment J, speech or silence, activity or inactivity, and every sight and sound, all pertain to Buddha. Where should you go to find the Buddha? Do not place a head on top of a head or a mouth beside a mouth.\" (Recorded Sayings of Ancient Worthies, chtian 3.) If there be Enlightenment, everything pertains to Buddha and everywhere there is Buddha. It is said that one Ch'an monk went into a temple and spat on the statue of the Buddha. When he was criticized, he said: \"Please show me a place where there is no Buddha.\" (Record of the Transmission of the Light, chiian 1J-) Thus the Ch an sage lives just as everyone else lives, and does what everyone else does. In passing from delusion to Enlightenment, he has left his mortal humanity behind and has entered sagehood. But after that he still has to leave sagehood behind and to enter once more into mortal humanity. This is described by the Ch'an Masters as \"rising yet another step over the top of the hundred-foot bamboo.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The top of the bamboo symbolizes the climax of the achievement of Enlightenment. \"Rising yet another step means that after Enlightenment has come, the sage still has other things to do. What he has to do, however, is no more than the ordinary things of daily life. As Nan—ch uan said: After coming to understand the other side, you come back and live on this side.' (Recorded Sayings of Ancient Worthies, chtian 12.)\n\n\n\n\n Although the sage continues living on this side, his understanding of the other side is not in vain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although what he does is just what everyone else does, yet it has a different significance to him. As Hui-hai, known as the Master of Pai-ch'ang (died 814), said: \"That which before Enlightenment is called lustful anger, is after Enlightenment called the Buddha Wisdom. The man is no different from what he was before; it is only that what he does is different.\" (Recorded Sayings of Ancient Worthies, chiian I.) It would seem that there must be some textual error in this last sentence. What Pai-ch'ang apparently intended to say was: \"What the man does is no different from\n\n\n\n\n 432. CH' ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SILENCE\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n what he did before; it is only that the man himself is not the same as he was."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The man is not the same, because although what he does is what everyone else does, he has no attachment to anything. This is the meaning of the common Ch'an saying: \"To eat all day and yet not swallow a single grain; to wear clothes all day and yet not touch a single thread. (Recorded Sayings of Ancient Worthies, chiton 3 and 16.)\n\n\n\n\n There is yet another common saying: \"In carrying water and chopping firewood: therein lies the wonderful Too.\" (Record of the Transmission of the Light, chilan 8.) One may ask: If this is so, does not the wonderful Too also lie in serving one's family and the state? If we were to draw the logical conclusion from the Ch'an doctrines that have been analyzed above, we should be forced to answer yes.\n\n\n\n\n The Ch an Masters themselves, however, did not give this logical answer. It was reserved for the Neo-Confucianists, who are the subject of our next several chapters, to do so.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 434\n\n\n\n\n CH'ANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OK SILENCE\n\n\n\n读累了记得休息一会哦~ \n\n公众号：古德猫宁李"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "读累了记得休息一会哦~ \n\n公众号：古德猫宁李\n\n电子书搜索下载书单分享书友学习交流 \n\n网站：沉金书屋 https://www.chenjin5.com\n\n电子书搜索下载电子书打包资源分享学习资源分享\n \n \n CHAPTER 23\n \n \n\n\n\n\n \n \n NEO-CONFUCIANISM: THE COSMOLOGISTS\n \n \n\n\n\n\n IN 5^9, after centuries of division, China was again unified by the Sui dynasty (589-617). The Sui, however, soon gave way to the powerful and highly centralized dynasty of T'ang (618-906). Both culturally and politically the T' ang was a golden age in China, which equalled and in some ways surpassed that of Han."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The examination system for the selection of officials, in which the Confucian Classics held a pre-eminent position, was reestablished in 61a. In 618 Emperor T'ai-tsung (62.7-649) ordered that a Confucian temple be established in the Imperial University, and in 630 he again ordered scholars to prepare an official edition of the Confucian Classics. As part of this work, standard commentaries on the Classics were selected from among the numerous commentaries that had been written before that time, and official sub-commentaries were written to elucidate these standard commentaries. The resulting Classical texts, with their official commentaries and subcommen-taries, were then commanded by the Emperor to be taught in the Imperial University. In this way Confucianism was reaffirmed as the official teaching of the state."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But Confucianism had by this time already lost the vitality which it had once manifested in the form of such men as Mencius, Hsiin Tzu, and Tung Chung—shu. The original texts were there, and their commentaries and sub-commentaries were even more numerous than before, yet they failed to meet the spiritual interest and needs of the age. After the revival of Taoism and the introduction of Buddhism, people had become more interested in metaphysical problems and in what I call super-moral values, or, as they were then phrased, the problems of the nature and Destiny (of man). As we have seen in chapters four, seven, and fifteen, discussions on such problems are not lacking in such Confucian works as the Confucian Analects, the Men— cius, the Doctrine of the Mean, and especially the Book of Changes. These, however, needed a genuinely new interpretation and elucidation in order to meet the problems of the new age, and this type of interpretation was as yet\n\n\n\n\n 436 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "436 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n lacking despite the efforts of the Emperor s scholars. Han Yil and Li Ao"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was not until the latter part of the T ang dynasty that there arose two men, Han Yii (768-824) and Li Ao (died c. 844), who really tried to reinterpret such works as the Ta Hsiieh or Great Learning and Chung Yung or Doctrine of the Mean, in such a way as would answer the problems of their time. In his essay titled Yiian Too or 'On the Origin and Nature of the Truth,\" Han YU wrote: \"What I call the Too is not what has hitherto been called the Too by the Taoists and the Buddhists. Yao [a traditional sage-king of antiquity J transmitted the Too to Shun [ another traditional sage-king supposed to be the successor of Yao]. Shun transmitted it to Yii [successor of Shun and founder of the Hsia dynasty]. Yti transmitted it to [Kings] Wen and Wu and the Duke of Chou [the three founders of the Chou dynasty]. Wen and Wu and the Duke of Chou transmitted it to Confucius, and Confucius transmitted it to Mencius. After Mencius, it was no longer transmitted. Hsiin [Tzu] and Yang [Hsiung] selected from it, but without"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and Yang [Hsiung] selected from it, but without reaching the essential portion; they discussed it, but without sufficient clarity.\" (Ch'ang-li Hsien—sheng Chi, or Collected Works of Han Yil, chiian II.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And Li Ao, in an essay titled \"On the Restoration of the Nature,\" writes very similarly: \"The ancient Sages transmitted this teaching to Yen Tzu Li.e., Yen Hui, the favored disciple of Confucius]. Tzu-ssu, the grandson of Confucius, received the teaching of his grandfather and composed the Doctrine of the Mean in forty-seven sections which he transmitted to Mencius....Alas, though writings dealing with the nature and Destiny are still preserved, none of the scholars understand them, and therefore they all plunge into Taoism and Buddhism. Ignorant people say that the followers of the Master [i.e., of Confucius] are incapable of investigating the theories on the nature and Destiny, and everybody believes them. When some one asked me about this, I transmitted to him what I knew....My hope is that this long obstructed and abandoned Truth may be transmitted in the world.\" (Li Wen-hung Chi or Collected Works of Li Ao, chiian 1.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The theory of the transmission of the Truth from Yao and Shun downward, though already roughly suggested by Mencius (Mencius Vllb, 38), was evidently reinspired in Han Yii and Li Ao by the Ch an theory that the esoteric teaching of the Buddha had been transmitted through a line of Patriarchs to Hung—jen and Hui— neng. At a later time one of the Ch eng brothers (see chapter 2.4) even stated unequivocally that the Chung Yung or Doctrine of the Mean was the esoteric teaching of Confucius.\n\n\n\n\n (Quoted by Chu Hsi in his introduction to his Commentary on the Chung Yung.) It was widely believed that the transmission of the Truth had become interrupted after Mencius. Li Ao, however, apparently felt that he himself possessed a certain understanding of it, and that through his teaching he could thus act as a continuator of\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 438\n\n\n\n\n NE0-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n ^"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "^\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Mencius. To do this became the ambition of all Neo-Confucianists after Li Ao s time. All of them accepted Han Yii s theory of the orthodox line of transmission of the Tao or Truth, and maintained that they were themselves links in that transmission. Their claim is not without justification, because, as we shall see in this and the following chapters, Neo-Confucianism is indeed the continuation of the idealistic wing of ancient Confucianism, and especially of the mystic: tendency of Mencius. That is the reason why these men have been known as the Tao hsiieh chia and their philosophy as the Tao hsiieh, i.e., the Study of the Tao or Truth. The term Neo-Confucianism is a newly coined western equivalent for Tao hsiieh."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There are three lines of thought that can be traced as the main sources of Neo-Confucianism. The first, of course, is Confucianism itself. The second is Buddhism, together with Taoism via the medium of Ch anism, for of all the schools of Buddhism, Ch anism was the most influential at the time of the formation of Neo-Confucianism. To the Neo-Confucianists, Ch'anism and Buddhism are synonymous terms, and, as stated in the last chapter, in one sense Neo-Confucianism may be said to be the logical development of Ch' anism. Finally, the third is the Taoist religion, of which the cosmological views of the Yin-Yang School formed an important element. The cosmology of the Neo-Confucianists is chiefly connected with this line of thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These three lines of thought were heterogeneous and even in many respects contradictory. Hence it took time for philosophers to make a unity out of them, especially since this unity was not simply an eclecticism, but a genuine system forming a homogeneous whole. Therefore although the beginning of Neo—Confucianism may be traced back to Han Yii and Li Ao, its system of thought did not become clearly formed until the eleventh century. This was the time when the Sung dynasty (960-1279), which reunited China after a period of confusion following the collapse of the T ang, was at the height of its splendor and prosperity. The earliest of the Neo -Confucianists were chiefly interested in cosmology.\n\n\n\n\n Cosmology of Chou Tun-yi"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Cosmology of Chou Tun-yi\n\n\n\n\n The first cosmological philosopher is Chou Tun—yi, better known as the Master of Lien—hsi (1017-73). He was a native of Tao—chou in the present Hunan province, and in his late years lived on the famous mountain, Lu-shan, the same place where Hui-ytian and Tao-sheng had taught Buddhism, as described in chapter twenty—one. Long before his time, some of the religious Taoists had prepared a number of mystic diagrams as graphic portrayals of the esoteric principles by which they believed a properly initiated individual could attain to immortality. Chou Tun-yi is said to have come into possession of one of these diagrams, which he thereupon reinterpreted and modified into a diagram of his own designed to illustrate the process of cosmic evolution. Or rather, he studied and developed the ideas found in certain\n\n\n\n\n 440 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n passages in the 'Appendices' of the Book of Changes, and used the Taoist diagram by way of illustration."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His resulting diagram is called the T'ai-chi T u or Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate, and his interpretation of it is called the T' ai-chi T'u Shuo or Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate. The Shuo or Explanation can be read quite intelligibly without referring to the diagram itself.\n\n\n\n\n The text of the Explanation reads as follows: \"The Ultimateless [Wu Chi]\\ And yet the Supreme Ultimate [T'ai Chi]\\ The Supreme Ultimate through Movement produces the Yang. This Movement, having reached its limit, is followed by Quiescence, and by this Quiescence, it produces the Yin. When Quiescence has reached its limit, there is a return to Movement. Thus Movement and Quiescence, in alternation, become each the source of the other. The distinction between the Yin and Yang is determined and the Two Forms [i.e., the Yin and Yang] stand revealed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By the transformations of the Yang and the union therewith of the Yin, Water, Fire, Wood, Metal and Soil are produced. These Five Ethers [ch'i, i. e., Elements] become diffused in harmonious order, and the four seasons proceed in their course.\n\n\n\n\n \"The Five Elements are the one Yin and Yang; the Yin and Yang are the one Supreme Ultimate; and the Supreme Ultimate is fundamentally the Ultimateless. The Five Elements come into being each having its own particular nature.\n\n\n\n\n \"The true substance of the Ultimateless and the essence of the Two [Forms] and Five [Elements]\n\n\n\n\n unite in mysterious union, so that consolidation ensues. The principle of Chien [the trigram symbolizing the Yang] becomes the male element, and the principle of K'un [the trigram symbolizing the Yin]\n\n\n\n\n becomes the female element. The Two Ethers [the Yin and Yang] by their interaction operate to produce all things, and these in their turn produce and reproduce, so that transformation and change continue without end."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"It is man alone, however, who receives these in their highest excellence and hence is the most intelligent [of all beingsJ. His bodily form thereupon is produced and his spirit develops intelligence and consciousness. The five principles of his nature [ the five constant virtues corresponding to the Five Elements] react [to external phenomena], so that the distinction between good and evil emerges and the myriad phenomena of conduct appear. The sage regulates himself by means of the mean, correctness, humanhearted-ness, and righteousness, and takes Quiescence as the essential. [Chou Tun-yi himself commentes on this: Having no desire, he is therefore in the state of Quiescence' ] Thus he establishes himself as the highest standard for\n\n\n\n\n mankind__ (Chou Lien—hsi Chi or Collected Works of Chou Tun—yi, chiian I. )"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Booh of Changes, \"Appendix III,\" it is said: \"In the Yi there is the Supreme Ultimate, which produces the Two Forms.\" Chou Tun-yi's Explanation is a development of the idea of this passage. Brief though it is, it provides the basic outline for the cosmology of Chu Hsi (113012.00), one of the 442. NEO-CONFUCIANISM:TH£ COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n greatest, if not the greatest, of the Neo-Confucianists, about whom I shall have more to say in chapter twenty-five.\n\n\n\n\n Method of Spiritual Cultivation"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ultimate purpose of Buddhism is to teach men how to achieve Bud— dhahood—a problem that was one of the most vital to the people of that time. Likewise, the ultimate purpose of Neo—Confucianism is to teach men how to achieve Confucian Sagehood. The difference between the Buddha of Buddhism and the Sage of Neo-Confucianism is that while the Buddha must promote his spiritual cultivation outside of society and the human world, the Sage must do so within these human bonds. The most important development in Chinese Buddhism was its attempt to depreciate the other-worldliness of original Buddhism. This attempt came close to success when the Ch' an Masters stated that in carrying water and chopping firewood, therein lies the wonderful Too.\" But, as I said in the last chapter, they did not push this idea to its logical conclusion by saying that in serving one's family and the state therein also lies the wonderful Too. The reason, of course, is that, once they had said this, their teaching would have ceased to be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "said this, their teaching would have ceased to be Buddhism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For the Neo-Confucianists, too, how to achieve Sagehood is one of the main problems, and Chou Tun—yi s answer is that one should be quiescent, which he further defines as a state of wu—yil or having no desires. In his second major treatise, the T'ung Shu or General Principles of the Book of Changes, we find that by wu-yil he means much the same as the wu-wei (having no effort) and wu-hsin (having no mind) of Taoism and Ch' anism. The fact that he uses wu—yil, however, instead of these other two terms, shows how he attempts to move away from the other-worldliness of Buddhism. So far as the terms are concerned, the wu in wu—yil is not so all inclusive as that in wu hsin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the T'ung Shu Chou Tun-yi writes: \"Wu-yil results in vacuity when in quiescence, and straightforwardness when in movement. Vacuity in quiescence leads to enlightenment, and enlightenment leads to comprehension. [Likewise] straightforwardness in movement leads to impartiality, and impartiality leads to universality. One is almost [a sage when one has] such enlightenment, comprehension, impartiality, and universality. (Collected Works, chilan 5.) The word yil used by the Neo—Confucianists always means selfish desire or simply selfishness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sometimes they prefix it by the word ssu (selfish), in order to make their meaning clearer. Chou Tun—yi s idea in this passage may be illustrated by a passage from the Mencius, often quoted by the Neo-Confucianists: \"if today men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress. This will not be as a way whereby to gain the favor of the child's parents, nor whereby they may seek the praise of their neighbors and friends, nor are 444 - , NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THECOSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n they so because they dislike the reputation [of being unvirtuous].\" (Mencius, Ha, 6.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to the Neo-Confucianists, what Mencius here describes is the natural and spontaneous response of any man when placed in such a situation. Man is by nature fundamentally good. Therefore his innate state is one in which he has no selfish desires in his mind, or as Chou expresses it, one of vacuity in quiescence. As applied to conduct, it will lead to an immediate impulse to try to save the child, and this sort of intuitive conduct is what Chou calls \"straightforwardness in movement.\" If, however, the man does not act on his first impulse, but pauses instead to think the matter over, he may then consider that the child in distress is a son of his enemy, and therefore he should not save it, or that it is the son of his friend and therefore he should save it. In either case, he is motivated by secondary selfish thoughts and thereby loses both his original state of vacuity in quiescence and the corollary state of straightforwardness in movement."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the mind lacks all selfish desires it becomes, according to the Neo-Confucianists, like a brilliant mirror, which is always ready to reflect objectively any object that comes before it. The brilliancy of the mirror is compared with the mind s \"enlightenment,\" and its readiness to reflect with the mind's \"comprehension.\" When the mind lacks any selfish desires, its natural response to external stimuli results in actions that are straightforward. Being straightforward, they are impartial, and being impartial, they are carried out without discrimination. Such is their nature of universality.\n\n\n\n\n This is Chou Tun-yi's method of achieving Sagehood, and consists, like that of the Ch an monks, of living naturally and acting naturally.\n\n\n\n\n Cosmology of Shao Yung"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Cosmology of Shao Yung\n\n\n\n\n Another cosmological philosopher to be mentioned in this chapter is Shao Yung, known as the Master of Pai-ch' flan (IOII-77). He was a native of the present Ilonan province. Though in a way somewhat different from that of Chou Tun—yi, he too developed his cosmological theory from the Book of Changes, and, like Chou, made use of diagrams to illustrate his theory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapter eighteen we have seen that the Han dynasty saw the appearance of a number of wei shu or apocrypha, which were supposed to complement the original Six Classics. In the Yi Wei, or Apocryphal Treatise on the Book of Changes, the theory is developed of the influence of each of the sixty-four hexagrams upon a certain period of the year. According to this theory, each of the twelve months is under the jurisdiction of several of the hexagrams, one of which plays a leading role in the affairs of that month and is hence known as its \"sovereign hexagram. These sovereign hexagrams are Fu II , Lin jjj, T'ai M, Ta Chuang M, Chileh H, Ch'ien S,Kou m,Tun S, P\\ K,Kuan H» Po it, and K'un H. The reason for their importance is that they graphically represent the waxing and waning of the Yang and Yin prin-446 ' NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n ciples throughout the year."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ciples throughout the year.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n In these hexagrams, as we have seen in chapter twelve, the unbroken lines represent the Yang, which is associated with heat, while the broken lines represent the Yin, which is associated with cold. The hexagram Fu i|» with five broken lines above and one unbroken line below, is the \"sovereign hexagram\"\n\n\n\n\n of that month in which the Yin (cold) has reached its apogee and the Yang (heat) then begins to reappear."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That is the eleventh month of the traditional Chinese calendar, the month in which the winter solstice occurs. The hexagram Ch'ienW, with its six unbroken lines, is the \"sovereign hexagram\" of the fourth month, in which the Yang is at its apogee. The hexagram Kou H , with five unbroken lines above and one broken line below, is the \"sovereign hexagram\" of the fifth month, in which the summer solstice is followed by the rebirth of the Yin. And the hexagram K'unii, with its six broken lines, is the sovereign hexagram of the tenth month, in which the Yin is at its apogee, just before the rebirth of the Yang which follows the winter solstice. The other hexagrams indicate the intermediate stages in the waxing and waning of the Yin and Yang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The twelve hexagrams in toto constitute a cycle. After the influence of the Yin has reached its apogee, that of the Yang appears at the very bottom of the following hexagram. Rising upward, it becomes steadily greater month by month and hexagram by hexagram, until it reaches its apogee. Then the Yin again appears at the bottom of the following hexagram, and grows in its turn until it too reigns supreme.\n\n\n\n\n It is followed in turn by the reborn Yang, and thus the cycle of the year and of the hexagrams begins again. Such is the inevitable course of nature."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is to be noticed that Shao Yung s theory of the universe gives further illumination to the theory of the twelve sovereign hexagrams. As in the case of Chou Tun-yi, he deduces his system from a statement in \"Appendix III\" of the Book of Changes which reads: \"In the Yi there is the Supreme Ultimate. The Supreme Ultimate produces the Two Forms. The Two Forms produce the Four Emblems, and the Four Emblems produce the eight trigrams.\" To illustrate this process, Shao Yung made a diagram as follows: Greater Greater Lesser Lesser Lesser Lesser Greater Creater, Softness Hardness Softness Hardness Yin Yang Yin Yang\n\n\n\n\n Softness Hardness Yin Yang Quiescence Movement The first or lower tier of this diagram shows the Two Forms, which, in Shao Yung s system, are not the Yin and Yang but Movement and Quiescence. The second tier, looked at in conjunction with the first, shows the Four Emblems. For instance, by combining the unbroken line beneath Yang 4 4 8 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in the middle tier, with the unbroken line beneath Movement below, we obtain two unbroken lines which are the emblem of the Yang. That is to say, the Yang is not, for Shao Yung, represented by a single unbroken line —, but by two unbroken lines =. Likewise, by combining the broken line beneath Yin in the central tier with the unbroken line beneath Movement below, we obtain one broken line above and one unbroken line below, which are the emblem of Yin. That is to say, the emblem of the Yin is not --. but ~."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the same way, the third or highest tier looked at in conjunction with both the central and lower tier, represents the eight trigrams. For instance, by combining the unbroken line beneath Greater Yang above with the unbroken line beneath Yang in the middle and the unbroken line beneath Movement below, we obtain a combination of three unbroken lines, which is the trigram for Ch'ien, E=. Likewise, by combining the broken line beneath Greater Yin above with the unbroken line beneath Yang in the middle and the unbroken line beneath Movement below, we obtain the combination of one broken line above and two unbroken lines below, which is the trigram for Tui, E£. And still again, by combining the unbroken line beneath Lesser Yang above with the broken line beneath Yin in the middle and the unbroken line beneath Movement below, we obtain the trigram for Li, EZ. By following the same process through the other combinations, we obtain the entire eight trigrams in the following sequence: Ch'ieh !=, Tuiz£, /iEr,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the following sequence: Ch'ieh !=, Tuiz£, /iEr, Chenzl, SUTITZ, K'anz-z, Kenzz, and K'unzz. Each of these trigrams represents a certain principle or influence."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The materialization of these principles results in Heaven, Earth, and all things of the universe. As Shao Yung says: \"Heaven is produced from Movement and Earth from Quiescence. The alternating interplay of Movement and Quiescence gives utmost development to the course of Heaven and Earth. At the first appearance of Movement, the Yang is produced, and this Movement having reached its apogee, the Yin is then produced. The alternating interplay of the Yang and Yin gives utmost development to the functioning aspect of Heaven. With the first appearance of Quiescence, Softness is produced, and this Quiescence having reached its apogee, Hardness is then produced. The alternating interplay of Hardness and Softness gives utmost development to the functioning aspect of Earth.\" *The terms Hardness and Softness are, like the others, borrowed by Shao Yung from \"Appendix III\" of the Book of Changes, which says: \"The Way of Heaven is established with the Yin and Yang. The Way of Earth is established with Softness and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Way of Earth is established with Softness and Hardness. The Way of Man is established with humanheartedness and righteousness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shao Yung writes further: \"The Greater Yang constitutes the sun, the Greater Yin the moon, the Lesser Yang the stars, the Lesser Yin the zodiacal spaces. The interplay of the sun, moon, stars, and zodiacal spaces gives ut-\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * Kuuri-wu P ien. or \"Observation of Tilings. Inner Chapter, in the Huang-chi Ching-shih or Cvsinological Chronology, ch. Ha.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 45O NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "45O NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n most development to the substance of Heaven. The Greater Softness constitutes water, the Greater Hardness fire, the Lesser Softness soil, and the Lesser Hardness stone. The interplay of water, fire, soil, and stone gives utmost development to the substance of Earth. (Ibid.) This is Shao Yung s theory of the origin of the universe, deduced strictly from his diagram. In this diagram, the Supreme Ultimate itself is not actually shown, but it is understood as being symbolized by the empty space beneath the first tier of the diagram. Shao Yung writes: \"The Supreme Ultimate is a Unity which does not move. It produces a Duality, and this Duality is spirituality....Spirituality produces numbers, the numbers produce emblems, and the emblems produce implements [i.e., individual things].\"\n\n\n\n\n (Ibid., ch. lib.) These numbers and emblems are illustrated in the diagram.\n\n\n\n\n Law of the Evolution of Things"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Law of the Evolution of Things\n\n\n\n\n By adding a fourth, fifth, and sixth tier to the above diagram, and following the same procedure of combination that was used there, we arrive at a diagram in which all the sixty-four hexagrams (derived from combination of the eight primary trigrams) are shown. If this diagram is then cut into two equal halves, each of which is bent into a half circle, and if the two half circles are then joined together, we have another of Shao' s diagrams, known as \"the circular diagram of the sixty-four hexagrams.\"\n\n\n\n\n Upon examining this diagram (here, for the sake of simplicity, reduced from sixty-four to the twelve \"sovereign hexagrams ), we see that these twelve appear in it in their proper sequence as follows (looking from the center, and progressing clockwise from above):\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 452.\n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n This sequence is automatically arrived at by what is called the method of doubling,\" because, as we have seen, the number of emblems in each tier in the diagram is always double that of the tier immediately below, so that combination of all six tiers results in the sixty—four hexagrams at the top.\n\n\n\n\n This simple progression makes the diagram appear as both something natural and at the same time mysterious. As a result, it was hailed by most of the Neo—Confucianists as one of the greatest discoveries of Shao Yung, in which could be found the universal law governing ihe evolution of all things, and the key to the mystery of the universe."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This law not only applies to the alternation of the seasons throughout the year, but also to the alternation of day and night every twenty—four hours. According to Shao Yung and the other Neo-Confucianists, the Yin can be interpreted as merely the negation of the Yang. Hence, if the Yang is the constructive force of the universe, the Yin is its destructive principle. Interpreting the Yin and Yang in this sense, the law represented by the diagram indicates the way in which all things of the universe go through phases of construction and destruction. Thus, the first or lowest line of the hexagram Fu U"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "shows the beginning of the phase of construction, and in hexagram Ch' ien ii we find the completion of this phase. The first line of the hexagram KouS shows the beginning of the phase of destruction, and in hexagram K' un 11 this phase is completed. In this way the diagram graphically illustrates the universal law that everything involves its own negation, a principle that was stressed both by Lao Tzu and the \"Appendices\" of the Book of Changes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The world as a whole is no exception to this universal law. Thus Shao Yung maintains that with the first line of the hexagram Fu, the world comes into existence. With the hexagram T ai, the individual things that belong to it begin to be produced. Mankind then appears, and with the hexagram Ch' ien the golden age of civilization is reached. There follows a process of continuous decay, until with the hexagram Po all individual things disintegrate, and with the hexagram K un the whole world ceases to be. Thereupon another world begins with the first line of the recurring hexagram Fu, and the whole process is repeated. Each world which is thus created and destroyed has a duration of 12.9,600 years."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shao Yung s major work is the Huang-chi Ching-shih, which is an elaborate chronological diagram of our existing world. According to its chronology, the golden age of our world has already passed away. It was the age of Yao, the traditional philosopher king of China who reputedly ruled in the twenty-fourth century B.C. We today are now in an age corresponding to the hexagram Po, the time of the beginning of decline of all things. As we have seen in chapter fourteen, most Chinese philosophers have considered the process of history to be one of continuous degeneration, in which everything of the present falls short of the ideal past. Shao Yung's theory gives this view a metaphysical justification.\n\n\n\n\n The theory that everything involves its own negation sounds Hegelian. But\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 454\n\n\n\n\n NEO-C0NFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "NEO-C0NFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n according to Hegel, when a thing is negated, a new thing commences on a higher level, whereas according to Lao Tzu and the \"Appendices\" of the Book of Changes, when a thing is negated, the new thing simply repeats the old. This is a philosophy characteristic of an agrarian people, as I pointed out in chapter two.\n\n\n\n\n Cosmology of Chang Tsai"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The third cosmological philosopher to be mentioned in this chapter is Chang Tsai, known as the Master of Heng-ch'u (1020-77). He was a native of the present Shensi province. He too, though from yet another point of view, d evel oped a cos molo gical theor y bas ed on th e \"Appendices of th e Book of Changes. In this he especially emphasized the idea of Ch i, a concept which became more and more important in the cosmological and metaphysical theories of the later Neo -Confucianists. The word ch i literally means gas or ether. In Neo-Confucianism its meaning is sometimes more abstract and sometimes more concrete, according to the different systems of the particular philosophers. When its meaning is more abstract, it approaches the concept of matter, as found in the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, in contrast to the Platonic Idea or the Aristotelian Form. In this sense, it means the primary undifferentiated material out of which all individual things are formed. When, however, its meaning is concrete, it"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When, however, its meaning is concrete, it means the physical matter that makes up all existing individual things. It is in this concrete sense that Chang Tsai speaks of Ch i."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chang Tsai, like his predecessors, bases his cosmological theory on the p as s ag e i n \" Ap p en d i x I I I o f t h e Bo o k o f Ch a n g es t h at s t at e s : \" I n t h e Yi there is the Supreme Ultimate which produces the Two Forms [i.e., the Yin and Yang] .\" For him, however, the Supreme Ultimate is nothing other than the Ch'i.\n\n\n\n\n In his main work, the Cheng Meng or Correct Discipline for Beginners, he writes: \"The Great Htarmony is known as the Too [by which he here means the Supreme Ultimate]. Because in it there are interacting qualities of floating and sinking, rising and falling, movement and quiescence, therefore there appear in it the beginnings of the emanating forces which agitate one another, overcome or are overcome by one another, and contract or expand, one with regard to the other. {Chang—tzu Ch iian—shu or Collected Works of the Master Chang, chilan 1.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Harmony is a name for the Ch i in its entirety, which Chang Tsai also describes as \"wandering air.\" (Ibid.) The qualities of floating, rising, and movement are those of the Yang, while those of sinking, falling, and quiescence are those of the Yin. The Ch'i, when influenced by the Yang qualities, floats and rises, while when influenced by the Yin qualities, it sinks and falls. As a result the Ch i is constantly either condensing or dispersing. Its condensation results in the formation of concrete things; its dispersion results in the dissolution of these same things.\n\n\n\n\n 456 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n In the Cheng Meng, Chang Tsai writes: \"When the Ch'i condenses, its visibility"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "becomes apparent so that there are then the shapes [of individual things]. When it disperses, its visibility is no longer apparent and there are no shapes. At the time of its condensation, can one say otherwise than that this is but temporary? But at the time of its dispersing, can one hastily say that it is then non-existent? (Ibid.) Thus Chang Tsai\n \n 1\n \n\n\n\n\n tries to get away from the Taoist and Buddhist idea of Wu (Non-being). He says: \"If one\n\n\n\n\n knows the Void is the Ch''i, one knows that there is no Wu.\" The Void is not really an absolute vacuum; it is simply the Ch'i in its state of dispersion in which it is no longer visible."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One particularly famous passage of the Cheng Meng has become known as the Hsi Ming or \"Western Inscription,\" because it was separately inscribed on the western wall of Chang Tsai s study. In this passage Chang maintains that since all things in the universe are consliluted of one and the same Ch' i, therefore men and all other things are but part of one great body. We should serve Ch'ien and K'un (by which Chang means Heaven and Earth) as we do our own parents, and regard all men as we do our brothers. We should extend the virtue of filial piety and practice it through service to the universal parents. Yet, no extraordinary acts are needed for this service. Every moral activity, if one can understand it, is an activity that serves the universal parents. If, for instance, one loves other men simply because they are members of the same society as one's own, then one is doing his social duty and is serving society. But if one loves them not merely because they are members of the same society, but also because"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "are members of the same society, but also because they are children of the universal parents, then by loving them one not only serves society, but at the same time serves the parents of the universe as a whole. The passage concludes with the saying: \"In life I follow and serve [the universal parents], and when death comes, I rest.' (Ibid)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This essay has been greatly admired by later Neo-Confucianists, because it clearly distinguished the Confucian attitude towards life from that of Buddhism and of Taoist philosophy and religion. Chang Tsai writes elsewhere: \"The Great Void Li.e., the Great Harmony, the Tool cannot but consist of Ch'i; this Ch'i cannot but condense to form all things; and these things cannot but become dispersed so as to form [once more] the Great Void. The perpetuation of these movements in a cycle is inevitable and thus spontaneous.\" (Ibid, chtian 2..) The sage is one who fully understands this course."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Therefore, he neither tries to be outside it, as do the Buddhists, who seek to break the chain of causation and thus bring life to an end; nor does he try to prolong his life, as do the religious Taoists, who seek to nurture their hody and thus remain as long as possible within the human sphere. The sage, because he understands the nature of the universe, therefore knows that life entails no gain nor death any loss. (Ibid.) Hence he simply tries to live a normal life. In life he does what his duty as a member of society and as a member of the universe requires him to do, and when death comes, he\n\n\n\n\n 458.\n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THECOSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n rests."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "rests.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n He does what every man should do, but because of his understanding, what he does acquires new significance. The Neo-Confucianists developed a point of view from which all the moral activities valued by the Confucianists acquire a further value that is super-moral. They all have in them that quality that the Ch anists called the wonderful Tao. It is in this sense that Neo—Confucianism is actually a further development of Ch anism.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 460\n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE COSMOLOGISTS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n CHAFFER 24\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANISM:\n\n\n\n\n THE BEGINNING OF THE\n\n\n\n\n TWO SCHOOLS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "THE BEGINNING OF THE\n\n\n\n\n TWO SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n JNEO -CONFUCIANISM came to be divided into two main schools, which, by happy coincidence, were initiated by two brothers, known as the two Ch eng Masters. Ch eng Yi (IO33-IIO8), the younger brother, initiated a school which was completed by Chu Hsi (1130-1200) and was known as the Ch'eng-Chu school or Li hsiieh (School of Laws or Principles). Ch'eng Hao (1032.-1085), the elder brother, initiated another school which was continued by Lu Chiu— yiian(H39-n93) and completed by Wang Shou-jen (1472-152.8), and was known as the Lu-Wang school or Hsin hstteh(School of Mind).\n\n\n\n\n The full significance of the difference between the two schools was not recognized at the time of the two Ch eng Masters themselves, but Chu Hsi and Lu Chiu—yuan began a great controversy which has been carried on until the present day."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As we shall see in the following chapters, the main issue between the two groups was really one of fundamental philosophical importance. In terms of Western philosophy, it was one as to whether the laws of nature are or are not legislated by the mind or Mind. That has been the issue between Platonic realism and Kantian idealism,and may be said to be the issue in metaphysics. If it were solved,there would not be much other controversy left. In this chapter I am not going to discuss this issue in detail, but only to suggest its beginnings in the history of Chinese philosophy.\n\n\n\n\n Ch' eng Hao' s Idea of Jen\n\n\n\n\n The Ch' eng brothers were natives of the present Honan province. The elder of them, Ch eng Hao, was known as Master Ming—tao, and the younger, Ch'eng Yi, as the Master of Yi-ch'uan. Their father was a friend of Chou Tun-yi and the cousin of Chang Tsai. Hence in their youth the Ch'eng brothers received some teaching from Chou Tun-yi, and later they constantly held discussions with Chang Tsai."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Furthermore, they lived not far from Shao Yung, with whom they often met. The close contact between these five philosophers was certainly a very happy incident in the history of Chinese 462. NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n philosophy.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Ch eng Hao greatly admired Chang Tsai s Hsi Ming or Western Inscription, \" because its central theme of the oneness of all things is also the main idea in his philosophy. According to him, oneness with all things is the main characteristic of the virtue of jen (humanheartedness). He says: The learner needs first to comprehend yen/The man of jen is undifferentiably one with all things. Righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and good faith, all these are jen. Get to comprehend this truth and cultivate it with sincerity and attentive — ness, that is all that is required.... The Too has nothing that stands in contrast to it; even the word great is inadequate to express it. The function of Heaven and Earth is our function."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mencius said that all things arc complete within us. We must reflect and realize that this is really so."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then it is a source of immense joy. If we reflect and do not realize that it is really so, then there are still two things [the self and not-self] that stand in contrast with each other. Even if we try to unite the self and not—self, we still do not form a unity, and so how can there then be joy? In the Correcting of the Ignorant' [another name for Chang Tsai's Hsi Ming] there is a perfect statement of this unity. If we cultivate ourselves with this idea, there is nothing further required to be done. We must do something, and never stop and never forget, yet never help to grow, doing it without the slightest effort. This is the way of spiritual cultivation. \" (Erh Ch'eng Yi-shu or Literary Remains of the Two Ch engs, chiian 2.4.) In chapter seven I have fully discussed the statement of Mencius referred to by Ch'eng Hao in the above quotation. One must do something, but never help to grow ; this is Mencius method for cultivating the Great Morale, a method which was greatly admired by the INeo-Confucianists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "was greatly admired by the INeo-Confucianists. According to Ch'eng Hao, one must first understand the principle that one is originally one with all things.Then all one needs to do is to keep this in mind and act in accordance with it sincerely and attentively. Through the accumulation of such practices, one will really come to feel that one is one with all things. The statement that one must act in accordance with this principle sincerely and attentively means that there is something one must do. There must, however, be no artificial striving to achieve the unity. In this sense, one must be \"without the slightest effort.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The difference between Ch eng Hao and Mencius is that the former gives to jen a much more metaphysical interpretation than does the latter. \"Appendix III\" of the Book of Changes contains the statement: \"The supreme virtue of Heaven and Earth is sheng.\" The word sheng here may mean simply production or to produce; it may also mean life or to give birth to life. In chapter fifteen I translated sheng as to produce, because that seems to be the meaning that besl harmonizes with the ideas of the Appendices. But according to Ch eng Hao and other Neo —Confucianists, sheng really means life or to give birth to life. According to them there is a tendency toward life in all things, and this tendency constitutes the yen of Heaven\n\n\n\n\n 4 6 4 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE BEGINNINC OF THE TWO SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n .\n\n\n\n\n and Earth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It so happens that the expression \"nol-jen\" is a technical term for paralysis in Chinese medicine. Ch eng Hao says: The doctor describes the paralysis of a man s arms or legs as not—yen; this is a very good description [of the disease]. The man of jen takes Heaven and Earth as being one with himself. To him there is nothing that is not himself. Having recognized them as himself, what cannot he do for them? If there is no such relationship with the self, it follows that there is no connection between the self and others. If the hand or foot are nol-jen, it means that the ch'i [ vital force] is not circulating freely and the parts L of the body J are not connected with each oth— er.\"(Ibid., chilan 2a.) Thus, according to Ch'eng Hao, metaphysically there is an inner connection between all things. What Mencius called the feeling of commiseration or the \"unbearing mind\" is simply an expression nf this connection between ourselves and other things. It often happens, however, that our \"unbearing mind\" is obscured"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "however, that our \"unbearing mind\" is obscured by selfishness, or, to use the Neo-Confucian term, by selfish desires or simply desires. Hence the original unity is lost. What is necessary is simply to remember that originally there is a oneness between oneself and all things, and to act accordingly with sincerity and attentiveness. In this way the original unity will be restored in due course. Such is the general idea of the philosophy of Ch'eng Hao, which Lu Chiu-yiian and Wang Shou-jen later developed in detail."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Origin of the Ch' eng-Chu Idea of Li\n\n\n\n\n In chapter eight we have seen that already in early times Kung—sun Lung made clear the distinction between universals and things. He insisted that whiteness is whiteness even though nothing is in itself white in the world. It would seem that he had some idea of the Platonic distinction of the two worlds, the eternal and the temporal, the intelligible and the visible. This idea was not developed by later philosophers, however, and the philosophy of the School of Names did not become a main current in Chinese thought. On the contrary, this thought moved in another direction, and it took more than one thousand years for Chinese philosophers to turn their attention once more to the problem of eternal ideas.\n\n\n\n\n The two main thinkers to do so are Ch'eng Yi and Chu Hsi.\n\n\n\n\n The philosophy of Ch eng Yi and Chu Hsi, however, is not a continuation of the School of Names."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They paid no attention to Kung-sun Lung or to the ming-li (principles based on the analysis of names) discussed by the NeoTaoists whom we have treated in chapter nineteen. They developed their idea of Li (abstract Principles or Laws) directly from the \"Appendices\" of the Book of Changes. I have pointed out in chapter fifteen that a distinction exists betweenthe Too of Taoism and the too of the Appendices. The Too of Taoism is the unitary first \"that\" from which all things in the universe come 466 NEO~CONFUCIANISM:THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n to be. The too of the \"Appendices,\" on the contrary, are multiple, and are the principles which govern each separate category of things in the universe. It is from this concept that Ch' eng Yi and Chu Hsi derived the idea of Li."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The immediate stimulus for Ch'eng Yi and Chu Hsi, however, seems to be the thought of Chang Tsai and Shao Yung. In the last chapter we have seen that Chang Tsai explained the appearance and disappearance of concrete particulars in terms of the condensation and dispersion of the Ch'i. The condensation of the Ch i results in the formation and appearance of things. But this theory fails to explain the reason for the different categories of things. Granted that a flower and a leaf are both condensations of the Ch' i, we are still at a loss as to why a flower is a flower and a leaf a leaf. It is here that Ch eng Yi s and Chu Hsi s idea of Li comes in. According to them, the universe as we see it is a result not only of the Ch i but also of the Li. Different categories of things exist, because the condensation of the Ch' i takes place in different ways in accordance with different Li. A flower is a flower, because it is the condensation of the Ch' i taking place in accordance with the Li of the flower; and a leaf"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "accordance with the Li of the flower; and a leaf is a leaf, because it is the condensation of the Ch i taking place in accordance with the Li of the leaf."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shao Yung s diagrams also helped to suggest the idea of Li. According to Shao, what the diagrams represent is the law that governs the transfonnations of individual things. This law is antecedent not only to the diagrams, but also to the existence of individual things. Shao maintained that before the tri— grams were first drawn by their discoverer, the Book of Changes already ideally existed. One of the Ch eng Masters says: Lin one of his poemsJ, Yao-fu [i.e., Shao Yung] writes: 'Before the drawing [of the trigrams by Fu Hsi, a traditional sage supposed to have lived in the twenty-ninth century B.C.], there was already the Book of Changes.'.... This idea has never been said before. (Literary Remains of the Two Ch engs, chiian 2.a.)This theory is the same as that of the new realists, who maintain that there is a Mathematics before there is mathematics.\n\n\n\n\n Ch eng Yi s Concept of Li"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ch eng Yi s Concept of Li\n\n\n\n\n The combination of the philosophy of Chang Tsai and Shao Yung suggests the distinction between what the Greek philosophers called the form and the matter of things. This distinction Ch eng Yi and Chu Hsi made very clear. For them, just as for Plato and Aristotle, all things in the world, if they are to exist at all, must be the embodiment of some principle in some material. If a certain thing exists, there must be for it a certain principle. If there be a certain principle, however, there may or may not exist a corresponding thing. The principle is what they call Li, and the material is what they call Ch i. The latter, for Chu Hsi, is much more abstract than is the Ch i in Chang Tsai' s system.\n\n\n\n\n Ch'eng Yi also distinguishes between what is \"within shapes and what is 468 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE BECINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOT.S\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n ' above shapes. The origin of these two terms is traceable to \"Appendix III\" of the Book of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Changes: \"What is above shapes is called the Too; what is within shapes is called the implements.\" In the system of Ch'eng Yi and Chu Hsi, this distinction corresponds to that between the abstract and concrete in Western philosophy. The Li are the Too which is \"above shapes,\" or, as we would say, abstract; while the implements, by which Ch eng Yi and Chu Hsi mean particular things, are within shapes, or, as we would say, concrete.\n\n\n\n\n According to Ch eng Yi, the Li are eternal, and can neither be added to nor reduced. As he says: Existence or non-existence, addition or reduction, cannot be postulated about Li.\n\n\n\n\n All Li are complete in themselves; in them there can never be deficiency. (Literary Remains of the Two Ch engs, chiian 2a.) Again he says: All the Li are pervasively present.\n\n\n\n\n We cannot say that the too of kingship was more when Yao [a traditional sage-king]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "exemplified it as a king, nor can we say that the too of sonship was more when Shun L the successor of Yao, known for his filial piety J exemplified it as a son. These [the Li] remain what they are.\" (Ibid.) Ch'eng Yi also describes the world \"above shapes\" as \"void, with nothing in it, yet filled with all. (Ibid.) It is void because in it there are no concrete things; yet it is filled with all the Li. All the Li are there eternally, no matter whether or not instances of them occur in the actual world, nor docs it matter whether we human beings know of them or not."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ch eng Yi s method of spiritual cultivation is expressed in his famous statement: \"In cultivation one needs attentiveness; in the advancement of learning, one needs the extension of knowledge.\" (Literary Remains of the Two Ch engs, chiian 18.) The word attentiveness is a translation of the Chinese word ching, which may also be translated as seriousness or earnestness. We have seen that Ch'eng Hao also said that the \"learner\" must first understand that all things are originally one, and then cultivate this understanding with sincerity and attentiveness. Attentiveness is the key word used by Neo-Confucianists after this time lo describe iheir method of spiritual cultivation. It replaces the word used by Chou Tun-Yi for this process, which was a different word also pronounced ching but meaning quiescence. The replacement of \"quiescence by \"attentiveness\" in the methodology of spiritual cultivation marks further the departure of Neo—Confucianism from Ch anism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As pointed out in chapter twenty-two, effort is needed for the proc ess of cultivation.\n\n\n\n\n Even if one's ultimate aim is to be effortless, it requires an initial effort to attain the effortless state. This, however,the Ch anists do not state, nor is it expressed by Chou Tun-yi s quies cence. Use of the word attentiveness, however, brings this idea of effort into the foreground.\n\n\n\n\n In cultivation one must be attentive, but attentive to what? This is a controversial question between the two schools of Neo—Confucianism, which I will return to in the next two chapters.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 470\n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Method of Dealing with the Emotions\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n In chapter twenty I said that Wang Pi maintained the theory that the sage has emotions but is without ensnarement. It is also said in the Chuang— tzu: \"The mind of the perfect man is like a mirror. Tt does not move with things, nor does it anticipate them. It responds to things, but does not retain them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Therefore the perfect man is able to deal successfully with things but is not affected by them. (Ch. 7.) Wang Pi s theory of the emotions seems Lo be an extension of this statement of Chuang Tzu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Nco-Confucian method of dealing with the emotions follows the same line as Wang Pi s. Its essential is the disconnecting of the emotions from the self. Cheng Hao says: \"The normality of Heaven and Earth is that their mind is in all things, yet of themselves they have no mind. The normality of the sage is that his emotion follows the nature of things, yet of himself he has no emotion. Therefore, for the superior man nothing is better than being impersonal and impartial, and responding to things spontaneously as they come. The general trouble with man is that he is selfish and rationalistic. Being selfish, he cannot take action as a spontaneous response. Being rationalistic, he cannot take intuition as his natural guide. When the sage is pleased, it is because the thing is there which is rightly the object of pleasure. When the sage is angry, it is because the thing is there which is rightly the object of anger."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Therefore the pleasure and anger of the sage are not connected with his mind, but with things.\"\n\n\n\n\n (Ming-tan Wen-chi or Collected Writings ofCh'eng Hao.chilan 2..) This is a part of Ch'eng Hao s 'Letter on the Calmness of the Nature,\" which was written to Chang Tsai. The impersonalness, impartiality, and action with spontaneity and without self—rationalization, of which Ch eng Hao speaks, arc the same as the vacuity and straightforwardness spoken of by Chou Tun-yi. The same illustration from Mencius that was used in connection with Chou Tun-yi can be applied here."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Ch eng Hao s view, it is natural that even the sage should sometimes experience pleasure or anger. But since his mind has an impersonal, objective, and impartial attitude, when these feelings come, they are simply objective phenomena in the universe, and are not especially connected with his self. When he is pleased or angry, it is simply the external things, deserving of either pleasure or anger, that produce corresponding feelings in his mind. His mind is like a mirror on which anything may be reflected. As a result of this attitude, when the object has gone, the emotion it produced goes with it. In this way the sage, though he has emotions, is without ensnarement. Let us return to the illustration mentioned earlier. Suppose a man sees a child about to fall into a well. If he follows his natural impulse, he will immediately rush forward to save the child. His success will certainly give him pleasure and his failure will equally certainly cause him sorrow."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "472-NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE BECINNINC OF THE TWO SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n But since his action is impersonal and impartial, once the affair is finished, his emotion is also gone. Thus he has emotions, but is without ensnarement."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another illustration commonly used by the Neo -Confucianists is that of Yen Hui, the favorite disciple of Confucius, of whom the latter said: \"Hui did not transfer his anger. (Analects, VI, 2..)When a man is angry, he often abuses other people and destroys things that apparently have nothing to do with his emotion at all. This is called \"transferring anger.\" He transfers his anger from something that is the object of his anger to something that is not. The Neo—Confucianists took this statement of Confucius very seriously, and considered this quality of Yen Hui as the most significant in the great Confucian disciple, whom they considered next to Confucius himself in spiritual perfection. Thus Ch eng Yi comments: We must understand why it is that Yen Hui did not transfer his anger.In a bright mirror, a beautiful object produces a beautiful reflection, while an ugly object produces an ugly one. But the mirror itself has no likes or dislikes. There are some people who, being offended in their home, discharge"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "who, being offended in their home, discharge their anger in the street."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But the anger of the sage operates only in accordance with the nature of things; it is never he himself who possesses the anger. The superior man is the master of things; the small man is their slave. (Literary Remains of the Two Ch engs, chiian 18.)\n\n\n\n\n Thus according to the Neo-Confucianists, the reason why Yen Hui did not transfer his anger is because his emotion was not connected with the self. A thing might act to produce some emotion in his mind, just as an object may appear in a mirror, but his self was not connected with the emotion. Therefore there was nothing to be transferred to other objects. He responded to the thing that produced the emotion in his mind, but he himself was not ensnared by it. He was considered to be a happy man, and for that, was greatly admired by the Neo—Confucianists.\n\n\n\n\n The Search for Happiness"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Search for Happiness\n\n\n\n\n In chapter twenty I have said that Neo-Confucianism attempted to find happiness in ming—chiao (morals, institutions). The search for happiness, indeed, is one of the professed aims of the Neo-Confucianists. Ch eng Hao says, for example: \"When we studied under Chou [Tun-yi], he always asked us to find out wherein lay the happiness of K ung LConfucius] and Yen LHuiJ, and what they found enjoyable.\" (Literary Remains of the Two Ch' engs, chiian 2a.) There are, in fact, many passages in the Analects recording the happiness of Confucius and his disciple. Those commonly quoted by the Neo—Confucianists include the following:\n\n\n\n\n \"Confucius said:' With coarse rice to eat, with only water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow, T\n\n\n\n\n am happy in the midst of these things. Riches and honor acquired by means that 1 know to be wrong are to me as a floating cloud.'\" (Analects, VII, 15.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "About Yen Hui, Confucius said: \"incomparable indeed was Hui. A handful 4 7 4 NEO-CONFUCJANISM:THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n of rice to eat, a gourdful of water to drink, and living in a mean street: these, others would have found unbearably depressing, but for Hui s happiness they made no difference at all. Incomparable indeed was Hui.\" (Ibid., VI, 9-)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another passage says that once when Confucius was sitting with several of his disciples, he asked each of them to express his desires. One replied that he would like to be minister of war in a certain state, another to be minister of finance, and still another to be master of ceremonies. But the fourth, Tseng Tien, paid no attention to what others were saying, but continued to strum his lute. When the others had finished, Confucius asked him to speak. He replied: \"[My desire would be], in the last month of spring, with the dress of the season all complete, along with five or six young men, and six or seven boys, to go to wash in the river Yi, enjoy the breezes among the rain altars, and return home singing.'\n\n\n\n\n Whereupon Confucius said: \"I am with Tien.\" (XI, 2.5.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Commenting on the first two passages, Ch eng Yi says that there is nothing to be enjoyed in eating coarse rice and drinking water per se. What the passages mean is simply that Confucius and Yen Hui remained happy, despite the fact that ihey had only this meager fare. (See Ch eng—shih Ching— shuo or Notes on the Classics by the Ch engs, chtitm 6.) This comment is correct in itself, but the question remains what it was that did constitute their happiness.\n\n\n\n\n A certain man once asked Ch eng Yi: Why is it that the happiness of Yen Hui remained unaffected [by external hardships]? \"Ch'eng Yi answered: \"[Do you know] what it was that Yen Hui enjoyed?\" The man replied: He enjoyed the Too. To which Ch eng Yi said: If Yen Hui enjoyed the Too, he was not Yen Hui.'"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Erh-Ch eng Wai-shu or External Collection of Sayings of the Two Ch'engs, chikm 7.) This statement is very much like that of the Ch'an Masters, which is why Chu Hsi, editor of the Literary Remains of the Two Ch engs, did not include it there but placed it instead into the subsidiary work known as the External Collection.Neverlhe- less, the saying contains some truth. The happiness of the sage is a natural outcome of his state of mind, described by Chou Tun—yi as vacuous in quiescence and straightforward in movement, \"and by Ch'eng Hao as \"impersonal, impartial, and responding to things spontaneously. \"\n\n\n\n\n He does not enjoy the Too; he simply enjoys what he himself is."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This view of the Neo-Confueianists can be seen by their interpretation of the third passage from the Analects quoted above. Chu Hsi s comment on this passage reads: \"The learning of Tseng Tien would seem to have attained to the complete elimination of selfish desires, and to the Heavenly Laws in their pervasiveness, which are Lo be found everywhere without the slightest deficiency. This is why, both in activity and at rest, he was so simple and at ease. Speaking about his intention, he simply based himself on his existing station [in society and the universe] and enjoyed the ordinary state of affairs. He did not have the slightest idea of living according to [the views of] oth—\n\n\n\n\n 476 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOLS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ers, but lived according to himself. His mind was so vast thai it lay in a single stream with Heaven and Earth, in which all things enjoy themselves. This mysterious sense is behind his words and can be dimly seen [by us]. The other three disciples only paid attention to the lesser branches of affairs, so that they could beat no comparison with the mood of Tseng Tien. That is why the Master [ Confucius J\n\n\n\n\n deeply approved of him. (Lun—ytt Chi—chu or Collected Comments on the Analects, chtian 6.) In chapter twenty I have said that the essential quality of feng liu is to have a mind that transcends the distinctions of things and lives in accord with itself, rather than with others. According to Chu Hsi s interpretation, Tseng Tien was precisely a person of this kind. He was happy, because he wan feng liu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In this statement of Chu Hsi we also see the romantic element in Neo—Confucianism.The Neo—Confucianists, as I have said, tried to seek happiness in ming chiao, but at the same time, according to them, ming chiuo is not the opposite of tzu jan (nature, natural), but rather its development. This, the Neo—Confucianists maintained, was the main thesis of Confucius and Mencius.\n\n\n\n\n Did the Neo-Confucianists themselves succeed in carrying out this idea? They did, and their success can be seen in the following translation of two poems, one by Shao Yung and the other by Ch eng Hao.\n\n\n\n\n Shao Yung was a very happy man and was referred to by Ch eng Hao as a feng liu hero. He named his house the An Lo Wo or Happy Nest, and called himself the Master of Happiness. His poem, titled Song on Happiness, reads:\n\n\n\n\n The name of the Master of Happiness is not known. For thirty years he has lived on the bank of the Lo river. His feelings are those of ihe wind and moon; His spirit is on the river and lake."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(To him there is no distinction)\n\n\n\n\n Between low position and high rank,\n\n\n\n\n Between poverty and riches.\n\n\n\n\n He does not move with things nor anticipate them.\n\n\n\n\n He has no restraints and no taboos.\n\n\n\n\n He is poor but has no sorrow,\n\n\n\n\n He drinks, but never to intoxication.\n\n\n\n\n He gathers the springtime of the world into his mind.\n\n\n\n\n He has a small pond on which to read poems,\n\n\n\n\n He has a small window under which to sleep;\n\n\n\n\n He has a small carriage with which to divert his mind,\n\n\n\n\n He has a greal pen with which lo enjoy his will.\n\n\n\n\n He sometimes wears a sun hat;\n\n\n\n\n He sometimes wears a sleeveless shirt;\n\n\n\n\n He sometimes sits in the forests;\n\n\n\n\n 478 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n He sometimes walks on the river bank. He enjoys seeing good men; He enjoys hearing about good conduct; He enjoys speaking good words; He enjoys carrying out a good will."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He does not flatter the Ch' an Masters; He does not praise the man of occult arts. He does not leave his home, Yet he is one with Heaven and Earth. He cannot be conquered by a great army; He cannot be induced by a great salary. Thus he has been a happy man, For sixty-five years.*\n\n\n\n\n Cheng Hao's poem, titled \"Autumn Days,\" reads:\n\n\n\n\n In these late years there is nothing that comes\n\n\n\n\n That is not easy and simple; Each morning through my window shines the sun, As I awake. All creatures run their course in true content,\n\n\n\n\n As I calmly observe. The pleasure of each season through the year,\n\n\n\n\n I enjoy with others. Beyond Heaven and Earth and all that has shape,\n\n\n\n\n The Too is there. The winds and clouds about me shift and change, My thought is there.\n\n\n\n\n By riches and high estate, I am not to be polluted; Neither poverty nor low rank can affect my happiness. A man like this is a hero indeed! **"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Men such as these are heroes in the sense that they cannot be conquered. Yet they are not such in the ordinary sense. They are what is known as the feng liu hero.\n\n\n\n\n Among the Neo-Confucianists there were some who criticized Shao Yung to the effect that he made too much display of his happiness. But no such criticism is ever made about Ch eng Hao.In any case we find here a combination of Chinese romanticism^ng liu) and classicism (ming chiao) at its best.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * Yi-ch'uan Chi-jang Chi, chUtin 14. **Colkcted Writings of Ch'eng Hao, chiian I.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 4 8 0 NEO-CONFUCIAN1SM:THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOLS\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 25\n \n \n\n\n\n\n \n \n NEO-CONFUCIANISM: THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC\n \n \n\n\n\n\n IDEAS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "IDEAS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n ONLY twenty-two years after the death of Ch'eng Yi (1033-1108), Chu Hsi (113O-12OO) was born in the present Fukien province. The political change that took place during these twenty years is tremendous. The Sung dynasty, although culturally outstanding, was militarily never as strong as the Han and T ang dynasties, and was under constant threat from outside tribes in the north and northwest. Its greatest catastrophe came when it lost its capital, the present city of Kaifeng, to the Jurchen, a Tungusic tribe Irom the northeast, and was compelled to reestablish itself south of the Yangtze River in 1117. This event marked the division of the Sung dynasty into two lesser parts: the Northern Sung (960-1127) and the Southern Sung (1127-1279).\n\n\n\n\n Position of Chu Hsi in Chinese History"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Position of Chu Hsi in Chinese History\n\n\n\n\n Chu Hsi, better known simply as Chu Tzu or the Master Chu, was a philosopher of subtle argument, clear thinking, wide knowledge and voluminous literary output. His Recorded Sayings alone amount to 140 chiian or books. With him, the philosophic system of the Ch'eng-Chu school, also known as the Li hsiieh or School of Li, reached its culmination. Though the supremacy of this school was several times to be disputed, notably by the Lu—Wang school and by certain scholars of the Ch ing dynasty, it remained the most influential single system of philosophy until the introduction of Western philosophy in China in recent decades."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapter seventeen I have said that the dynastic governments of China ensured the supremacy of their official ideology through the examination system. Persons who took the state examinations were required to write essays based on the official versions and commentaries of the Confucian Classics. In chapter twenty-three I also said that one of the major acts of Emperor T'ai-tsung of the T'ang dynasty was to determine the official version and \"correct meaning\" of the Classics. During the Sung dynasty, the great statesman and reformer, Wang An-shih (IO2I-IO86), prepared \"new interpre—\n\n\n\n\n 482 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n tations to some of these Classics, and in 1075 Emperor Shen-tsung ordered that Wang s interpretations should be made official. This order, however, was soon cancelled when the political rivals of Wang An—shih gained control of the government."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is to be remembered that the Neo-Confucianists considered the Confucian Analects, the Mencius, the Chung Yung or Doctrine of the Mean, and the Ta Hsiieh or Great Learning, as the most important texts, which they grouped together, giving to them the collective title of the Four Books. For these Chu Hsi wrote a Commentary; which he considered to be the most important of his writings. It is said that even on the day before his death, he was still working on a revision of this Commentary. He also wrote Commentaries on the Book of Changes and the Shih Ching or Book of Odes. In 1313 Emperor Jen -tsung of the Yuan, the Mongol dynasty that succeeded the Sung, ordered that the Four Books should be the main texts used in the state examinations, and that their official interpretation should follow Chu Hsi's commentaries. The same governmental indorsement was given to Chu Hsi s commentaries on the other Classics; persons hoping for success in the examinations had to interpret these works in accordance with Chu s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to interpret these works in accordance with Chu s commentaries. This practice was continued throughout the Ming and Ch ing dynasties, until the abolition of the state examination system in 1905, when the government tried to introduce a modern educational system."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As pointed out in chapter eighteen, one of the main reasons why Confucianism gained supremacy in the Han dynasty was its success in combining speculative thought with scholarship. In Chu Hsi himself these two aspects of Confucianism are outstandingly exemplified. His wide knowledge and learning made him a notable scholar, and his deep insight and clear thinking made him a philosopher of the first rank. It is no accident that he has been the dominant figure in Chinese thought during the last several centuries.\n\n\n\n\n Li or Principle"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Li or Principle\n\n\n\n\n In the last chapter we have examined Ch' eng Yi' s theory of Li, i.e., Principles or Laws. By Chu Hsi this theory was made still clearer. He says: \"What are hsing shang or above shapes, so that they lack shapes or even shadows, are Li. What are hsing lisia or within shapes, so that they have shapes and body, are things.\" ( Chu-tzu Yil-lei or Classified Recorded Sayings of the Master Chu, chilan %.) A thing is a concrete instance of its Li. Unless there be such-and-such a Li, there cannot be such-and-such a thing. Chu Hsi says: When a certain affair is done, that shows there is a certain Li.\"\n\n\n\n\n (Ibid., chilan IOI.)\n\n\n\n\n For everything, whether it be natural or artificial, there is its Li. In the Recorded Sayings, one passage reads: \"(Question: ) 'How can dried and withered things also possess the nature? (Answer:) They all possess Li from the first moment of their existence. Therefore it is said: In the universe 484 , NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "there is not a single thing that is without its nature.' Walking on the steps, the Master [Chu Hsi]\n\n\n\n\n continued:' For the bricks of these steps there is ihe Li of bricks. And sitting down, he said: For the bamboo chair, there is the Li of the bamboo chair. You may say that dried and withered things have no life or vitality, yet among them, too, there are none that do not have Li. ( chtian 4.)\"\n\n\n\n\n Another passage reads: \"(Question:) 'Do things without feeling also possess Li? (Answer:) Most certainly they possess Li. For example, a ship can go only on water, while a cart can go only on land."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Ibid.) And still another passage reads: \"(Question:) 'Is there Li iii dried and withered things? (Answer:) As soon as a thing exists, the Li is inherent in it. Even in the case of a writing brush-though it is not produced by nature but by man, who takes the long and soft hairs of the hare to make it-as soon as that brush exists, Li is inherent in it. (Ibid.) The Li that is inherent in the writing brush is the nature of that brush. The same is true of all other kinds of things in the universe: each kind has its own Li, so that whenever the members of a certain kind of thing exist, the Li of that kind is inherent in them and constitutes their nature. It is this Li that makes them what they are. Thus according to the Ch'eng-Chu school, not all categories of objects possess mind, i.e., are sentient; nevertheless, all of them do possess their own particular nature, i.e., Li."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For this reason, there are the Li for things already before the concrete things themselves exist. In a letter answering Liu Shu-wen, Chu Hsi writes: \"There are Li, even if there are no things. In that case there are only such-and-such Li, but not such-and-such things.\" (Chu Wen-hung Wen-chi or Collected Literary Writings of Chu Hsi, chiian 46.) For instance, even prior to the human invention of ships and carts, the Li of ships and carts are already present. What is called the invention of ships and carts, therefore, is nothing more than the discovery by mankind of the Li of ships and carts, and the construction of these objects accordingly. All Li are present even before the formation of the physical universe. In the Recorded Sayings one passage reads: (Question:) Before heaven and earth had yet come into existence, were all the things of later times already there? (Answer:) ' Only the Li were there.\n\n\n\n\n (Chiian I.) The Li are always there; that is to say, they are eternal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "T'ai Chi or the Supreme Ultimate\n\n\n\n\n For every kind of thing there is the Li, which makes it what it ought to be. The Li is the chi of that thing, i.e., it is its ultimate standard. (The word chi originally was a name for the ridge pole at the peak of the roof of a building. As used in Neo -Confucianism, it means the highest ideal prototype of things.) For the universe as a whole, there must also be an ultimate standard, which is supreme and all embracing. It embraces the multitude of Li for all\n\n\n\n\n 486 NEO-C0NFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "things and is the highest summation of all of them. Therefore it is called the Supreme Ultimate or T ai Chi. As Chu Hsi says: Everything has an ultimate, which is the ultimate Li. That which unites and embraces the Li of heaven, earth, and all things is the Supreme Ultimate.\" (Recorded Sayings, chtian 94.) He also says: \"The Supreme Ultimate is simply what is highest of all, beyond which nothing can be. It is the most high, most mystical, and most abstruse, surpassing everything. Lest anyone should imagine that the Supreme Ultimate has bodily form, Lien-hsi [i.e., Chou Tun-yi] has said of it: 'The Ultimateless, and yet also the Supreme Ultimate. That is, it is in the realm of no things that there is to be found the highest Li.' (Chu-tzu Ch' uan-shu, or Complete Works of the Master Chu, chiian 49-) From these statements we see that the position of the Supreme Ultimate in Chu Hsi s system corresponds to the Idea of the Good or to God in the systems of Plato and Aristotle respectively."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There is one point in Chu Hsi s system, however, that makes his Supreme Ultimate more mystical than Plato's Idea of the Good or Aristotle's God. This is the fact that, according to Chu Hsi, the Supreme Ultimate is not only the summation of the Li of the universe as a whole, but is at the same time immanent in the individual examples of each category of things. Every particular thing has inherent in it the Li of its particular category of things, but at the same time the Supreme Ultimate in its entirety is inherent in it too. Chu Hsi says: \"With regard to heaven and earth in general, the Supreme Ultimate is in heaven and earth. And with regard to the myriad things in particular, the Supreme Ultimate is in every one of them too. (Recorded Sayings, chiian 94.)\n\n\n\n\n But if this is so, does not the Supreme Ultimate lose its unily? Chu Hsi's answer is no. In the Recorded Sayings he says: There is but one Supreme Ultimate, which is received by the individuals of all things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This one Supreme Ultimate is received by each individual in its entirety and undivided. It is like the moon shining in the heavens, ol which, though it is reflected in rivers and lakes and thus is everywhere visible, we would not therefore say that it is divided.\" (Ibid.) We know that in Plato s philosophy there is a difficulty in explaining the relation between the intellectual and sensible worlds, and between the one and the many. Chu Hsi, too, has this difficulty, which he meets with an illustration which is really a metaphor of constant use in Buddhism. The question as to how the Li of a whole class of things is related to the individual things within that class, and as to whether this relationship may also involve a division of the Li, is not raised. If it were, I think Chu Hsi would meet it with the same illustration.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS\n\n\n\n\n .\n\n\n\n\n Ch' i or Matter"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If there were nothing but Li, there could be nothing more than a world that is \"above shapes. Our own concrete physical world, however, is made possible by the presence of Ch i upon which is imposed the pattern of the Li. \"In the universe,\" says Chu Hsi, \"there are Li and Ch'i. The Li is the Too that pertains to what is above shapes, and is the source from which all things are produced. The Ch i is the material Lliterally, instrumentJ that pertains to 'what is within shapes,' and is the means whereby things are produced. Hence men or things, at the moment of their production, must receive this Li in order that they may have a nature of their own. They must receive this Ch'i in order that they may have their bodily form.\" (\"Reply to Huang Tao-fu,\" Collected Literary Writings, chtian 58.) Again he says: It seems to me that the Ch i depends upon the Li for its operation. Thus when there is an agglomeration of Ch'i, the Li is also present within it. It is so, because the Ch'i has the capacity to condense and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "because the Ch'i has the capacity to condense and thus form things; but the Li lacks volition or plan, and has no creative power....The Li constitutes only a pure, empty, and vasl world, without shapes or traces, and so incapable of producing anything. But the Ch' i has the capacity to undergo fermentation and condensation, and thus bring things into existence. And yet, whenever the Ch'i exists, the Li is present within it.\" {Recorded Sayings, chtian 1.) Here we see how Chu Hsi says what Chang Tsai should have said but did not. Any individual thing is a condensation of Ch'i, but it is not only an individual thing; it is at the same time a member of some category of objects. As such, it is not merely a condensation of the Ch i, but is a condensation that takes place in accordance with the Li for that category of objects as a whole. That is why, whenever there is a condensation of the Ch i, Li must always necessarily be present within it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The question as to the relative priority of Li and Ch i is one much discussed by Chu Hsi and his disciples. On one occasion he says: \"Before the instances of it exist, there is the Li. For example, before there exist any sovereign and subject, there is the Li of the relationship between sovereign and subject.\n\n\n\n\n Before there exist any father and son, there is the Li of the relationship between father and son."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Recorded Sayings, chtian 95) That there is a Li prior to the instances of it in our physical universe, is certainly clear from Chu Hsi' s statement. But is Li in general also prior to Ch' i in general? Chu Hsi says: \"Li is never separable from Ch'i. Nevertheless, Li pertains to 'what is above shapes, whereas Ch'i pertains to what is within shapes. Hence if we speak of ' what is above shapes' and ' what is within shapes,' how can there not be priority and posteriority? (Ibid., chiian 1. ) Elsewhere there is a passage: \"(Question:) 'When there is Li, there is then Ch' i. It seems that we cannot say that either one is prior to the other.' (Answer:) In reality, Li is prior. We cannot say, however, that there is Li today and Ch' i tomorrow. Yet there must be a priority of the one to the\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 490\n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "other'. (Complete Works, chiian 49-)From these passages we can see that what Chu Hsi has in mind is that as a matter of fact \"there is no Li without Ch i and no Ch i without Li. (Recorded Sayings, chiian I.) There is no time when there is no Ch i. And since Li is eternal, it is absurd to speak about il as having a beginning. Hence the question as to whether it is Li or Ch i that comes into being first is really nonsensical. Nevertheless, to speak about the beginning of Ch i is only a factual absurdity, while to speak about the beginning of Li is a logical one. In this sense it is not incorrect, as between Li and Ch i, to say that there is priority and posteriority."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another question is this: As between Li and Ch'i, which is it that Plato and Aristotle would have called the First Mover ? Li cannot be so, because it lacks volition or plan, and has no creative power. But though Li itself does not move, yet in the \"pure, empty, and wide world\" of Li there are the Li of movement and the Li of quiescence. The Li of movement does not itself move, nor does the Li of quiescence itself rest, but as soon as the Ch' i \"receives\" them, the latter begins to move or rest. The Ch'i that moves is called the Yang; the Ch i that rests is called the Yin. Thus, according to Chu Hsi, the dualistic elements that are the fundamentals of the universe in Chinese cosmology are produced. He says: \"Whereas the Yang is in movement and the Yin in quiescence, the Supreme Ultimate is neither in movement nor in quiescence. But there are the Li of movement and of quiescence. These Li are invisible, and become manifest to us only when there are the movement of the Yang and the quiescence of the Yin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Li rests upon the Yin and Yang just as a man rides on a horse. (Complete Works, chiian 49.) Thus the Supreme Ultimate, like God in the philosophy of Aristotle, is not moved, yet at the same time is the mover of all.\n\n\n\n\n The interaction of the Yin and Yang results in the production of the Five Elements, and from these the physical universe as we know it is produced. In his cosmological theory, Chu Hsi endorses most of the theories of Chou Tun-yi and Shao Yung.\n\n\n\n\n Nature and Mind"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nature and Mind\n\n\n\n\n From the above we see that, according to Chu Hsi, when an individual thing comes into existence, a certain Li is inherent in it, which makes it what it is and constitutes its nature. And a man, like other things, is a concrete particular produced in the concrete world. Hence what we call human nature is simply the Li of humanity that is inherent in the individual. The saying of Ch eng Yi that the nature is Li is endorsed and commented on by Chu Hsi in many places. The Li here spoken of is not Li in its universal form; it is simply the Li that is inherent in the individual. This explains the rather paradoxical saying of Ch eng Hao: \"When something is said about the nature, it is then already not the nature. \"By this he simply means that it is then the individualized Li, and not Li in its universal form.\n\n\n\n\n 492 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A man, in order to have concrete existence, must be the embodiment of Ch'i. The Li for all men is the same, and it is the Ch'i that makes them different. Chu Hsi says: Whenever there is Li, then there is Ch i.\n\n\n\n\n Whenever there is Ch i there must be Li. Those who receive a Ch i that is clear, are the sages in whom the nature is like a pearl lying in clear cold water. But those who receive a Ch i, that is turbid, are the foolish and degenerate in whom the nature is like a pearl lying in muddy water.\" (Recorded Sayings, chilan 4-) Thus any individual, besides what he receives from Li, also has what he receives from Ch i, and this is what Chu Hsi calls the physical endowment."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Such is Chu Hsi's theory of the origin of evil. As pointed out by Plato long ago, every individual, in order to have concreteness, must be an embodiment of matter, by which, consequently, he is implicated, so that he necessarily falls short of the ideal. A concrete circle, for example, can only be relatively and not absolutely round. That is the irony of the concrete world, in which man is no exception. Chu Hsi says: \"Everything depends on its physical endowment. Li, on the other hand, is nothing but good, for since it is Li, how can it be evil? What is evil lies in the physical endowment. Mencius' doctrine asserts absolutely that the nature is good. In this he apparently takes account only of the nature per se but not of the Ch'i, and thus in this respect his statement is incomplete. The Ch eng school, however, supplements this with the doctrine of the physical nature, and so in it we get a complete and all-round view of the problem.\" (Complete Works, chiian 43.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The term physical nature' here means the nature as it is found actually inherent in the physical endowment of an individual. As thus found, it always strives for the ideal, as Plato would say, but always falls short of it and cannot attain it. Li in its originally universal form, however, Chu Hsi calls the nature of Heaven and Earth,\" by way of distinction. This distinction was already made by Chang Tsai and is followed by Ch eng Yi and Chu Hsi. According to them, the use of this distinction completely solves the old controversy as to whether human nature is good and bad."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Chu Hsi s system, nature is different from mind. In the Recorded Sayings, one passage reads: \"(Question:) Is the mental faculty in man the mind or the nature?' (Answer:) 'The mental faculty is the mind but not the nature. The nature is nothing but Li. (Chiian 5-) Another passage reads: \"(Question:) 'With regard to consciousness: is it the mental faculty of the mind that is thus conscious, or is it the action of the Ch' i?' (Answer:) 'it is not wholly Ch i. There is firsl the Li of consciousness; but by itself it cannot exercise consciousness. There can be consciousness only when the Ch i has agglomerated to form physical shapes, and the Li has united with the Ch i. The case is similar to that of the flame of this candle.\n\n\n\n\n It is because the latter receives this rich fat that we have so much light.\" (Ibid.) Thus the mind, just as all other individual things, is the embodiment of Li with Ch'i. The distinction between mind and nature is that mind is concrete"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4 9 4 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n and nature is abstract. Mind can have activities, such as thinking and feeling, but nature cannot. But whenever such an activity takes place in our mind, we can deduce that there is a corresponding Li in our nature. Chu Hsi says: \"In discussing the nature, it is important first of all to know what kind of entity the nature is. Master Ch eng put it well when he said: ' Nature is Li.' Now if we regard it as Li, then surely it is without shapes and features. It is nothing but principle. In man the principles of human—heartedness, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom belong to the nature. They are principles only. It is because of them that we are capable of having commiseration, that we can be ashamed of wrongdoing, that we can be courteous, and that we can distinguish between what is right and wrong."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Take as an illustration the nature of drugs: some have cooling and some heating properties. But in the drugs themselves you cannot see the shapes of these properties. It is only by the result that follows upon taking the drug that we know what its property is; and this constitutes its nature.\" (Complete Works,chiian 4^-)\n\n\n\n\n In chapter seven we have seen how Mencius maintained that in human nature there are four constant virtues which manifest themselves as the four beginnings.'ln the above quotation Chu Hsi gives a metaphysical justification to this theory of Mencius, which is primarily psychological. According to Chu, the four constant virtues pertain to Li and belong to the nature, while the four beginnings are the operations of the mind. We cannot know the abstract except through the concrete. We cannot know our nature except through our mind. As we shall see in the next chapter, the Lu-Wang school maintained that the mind is the nature. This is one of the main issues between the two schools."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Political Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If every kind of thing in this world has its own Li, then for the state, as an organization having concrete existence, there must also be the Li of statehood or government. If the state is organized and governed in accordance with this Li, it will be stable and prosperous; if not, it will become disorganized and fall into disorder. According to Chu Hsi, this Li is the principle of government as taught and practiced by the former sage-kings. But it is not something subjective. It is eternally there, no matter whether or not it is taught or practiced. Regarding this point, Chu had some warm debates with his friend Ch' en Liang (1143-1194), who held a different point of view. Arguing with him, he wrote: \"During a period of fifteen hundred years, the Too Lthe principle of government], as handed down by Yao and Shun Ltwo traditional sage-kings] . . . and Confucius, has never been put into practice for even a single day in the world. But beyond human intervention, it is eternally there. It is simply what it is,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "it is eternally there. It is simply what it is, and is eternal and immortal. It cannot perish, even though men have done violence to it during the last fifteen hundred years.\" (\"Reply to Ch'en Liang,\" Collected Literary Writings, chttan 36.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "496\n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \"The Too,' he said again, 'does not cease to be. What ceases to be is man's practice of it.\" (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As a matter of fact, not only have the sage—kings governed their states in accordance with the Too, but all persons who have achieved something in politics must, to a certain degree, have followed the same Too, even though sometimes unconsciously or incompletely. Chu Hsi writes: I always think that this Li L principle of government ] is one and the same both in times past and present. Those who follow it, succeed; those who violate it, fail. Not only did the sages of antiquity practice it, but even among the heroes of modern times, none can have any achievement without following this Li.Herein, however, is a difference. The ancient sages, being cultivated in the wisest way in what is fundamental, could hold the golden mean, and therefore what they did was all entirely good from the beginning to the end. The so —called heroes of modern times, however, have never undergone such cultivation, and have only moved in the world of selfish desires. Those of them who were talented have succeeded in coming into a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "who were talented have succeeded in coming into a seeming agreement Lwith the Li], each making accomplishment to the extent that he followed this Li."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There is one aspect in which all the so-called heroes are the same: that is,what they do can never be completely in accordance with ihe Li, and therefore is not perfectly good. (Ibid.) To illustrate Chu Hsi' s theory, let us take as an example the building of a house. A house must be built in accordance with the principles of architecture. These principles eternally remain, even if in the physical world itself no house is actually built. A great architect is a man who fully understands these principles and makes his plans in accordance with them. For example, the house he builds must be strong and durable. Not only great architects, however, but all who want to build a house, must follow the same principles, if their houses are to be built at all. Such non-professional architects, however, may simply follow these principles through intuition or practical experience, without understanding or even knowing about them. As a result, the houses they build cannot completely accord with the principles of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cannot completely accord with the principles of architecture and therefore cannot be of the best. Such is the difference between the government of the sage—kings and that of the lesser so—called heroes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As we have seen in chapter seven, Mencius maintained that there are two kinds of government: that of the wang or king and that of the pa or military lord. Chu Hsi s argument with Ch en Liang is a continuation of the saine controversy. Chu Hsi and other Neo—Confucianists maintain that all governments from the Han and T'ang dynasties downward have been those of pa, because their rulers have all governed in their own interests and not in the interests of the people. Here again, therefore, Chu Hsi follows Mencius, but, as before, gives a metaphysical justification to the latter's theory, which is primarily political.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 498 NEO-C0NFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Method of Spiritual Cultivation\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n The Platonic idea that we cannot have a perfect state until the philosopher becomes king or the king philosopher,' is shared by most Chinese thinkers. In the Republic, Plato dwells at great length upon the education of the philosopher who is to become king. And\n \n I"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chu Hsi too, as we have seen, says that the sage-kings of antiquity were cultivated in the\n\n\n\n\n wisest way in what is fundamental. What is this method of cultivation? Chu Hsi has already told us that in every man, and indeed in everything, there is the Supreme Ultimate in its entirety. Since the Supreme Ultimate is the totality of the Li of all things, hence these Li are all within us, but, because of our physical endowment, they are not properly manifested. The Supreme Ultimate that is within us is like a pearl in turbid water. What we have to do is to make this pearl become visible. The method for so doing is, for Chu Hsi, the same as that taught by Ch eng Yi, which, as we have seen in the last chapter, is twofold: The extension of knowledge through the investigation of things,\" and \"the attentiveness of the mind.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This method has its basis in the Ta Hsiieh or Great Learning, which was considered by the Neo—Confucianists as the beginner s door for entering the life of virtue. As we have seen in chapter sixteen, the method of self-cultivation as taught by the Great Learning begins with the \"extension of knowledge and investigation of things. According to the Ch eng—Chu school, the purpose of the \"investigation of things is to extend our knowledge of the eternal Li.\n\n\n\n\n Why does not this method start with the investigation of Li instead of things? Chu Hsi says: \"The Great Learning speaks of the investigation of things but not of the investigation of Li. The reason is that to investigate Li is like clutching at emptiness in which there is nothing to catch hold. When it simply speaks of 'the investigation of things, it means that we should seek for 'what is above shapes' through 'what is within shapes'.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Complete Works, chiian 46.) In other words, Li are abstract and things are concrete. We investigate the abstract through the concrete. What we as a result come to see lies both within the eternal world and within our own nature. The more we know Li, the more our nature, ordinarily concealed by our physical endowment, becomes visible to us."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As Chu Hsi says: \"There is no human intelligence [utterly] lacking knowledge, and no single thing in the world without Li. But because the investigation of Li is not exhaustive, this knowledge is in some ways not complete. This is why the first instruction of the Great Learning is that the student must, for all the separate things in the world, by means of the Li which he already understands, proceed further to gain exhaustive knowledge of those Lwith which he is not yet familiar], thus striving lo extend Lhis knowledge] to the farthest point. When one has exerted oneself for a long time, finally one morning a complete understanding will open before one. Thereupon\n\n\n\n\n 5OO NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF Pt.ATONIC IDEAS\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n T"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "T\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n there will be a thorough comprehension of all the multitude of things, external or internal, fine or coarse, and every exercise of the mind will be marked by complete enlightenment. (Commentary on the Great Learning, ch. 5-) Here we have again the theory of Sudden Enlightenment.\n\n\n\n\n This seems to be enough in itself, so why should it be supplemented by the attentiveness of the mind?\n\n\n\n\n The answer is that without such attentiveness, the investigation of things is likely to be simply a kind of intellectual exercise and thus will not lead to the desired goal of Sudden Enlightenment. In investigating things we must keep in mind lhal what we are doing is to make visible our nature, to cleanse the pearl so that it can shine forth. In order to be enlightened, we must always think about Enlightenment. This is the function of the attentiveness of mind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chu Hsi s method of spiritual cultivation is very like that of Plato. His theory that in our nature there are the Li of all things, is very like Plato's theory of a previous knowledge. According to Plato, \"We acquire knowledge before birth of all the essences. (Phaedo 75-) Because there is ihis previous knowledge, therefore he who \"has learned to see the beautiful in due course and succession,\" can \"suddenly perceive a nature of wondrous beauty. \" (Symposium 2JI.) This, too,is a form of Sudden Enlightenment.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 502 NEO-CONFUCTANrSM:THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 26\n \n \n\n\n\n\n \n \n NEO-CONFUCIANISM: THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL\n \n \n\n\n\n\n MIND"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "MIND\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n As we have seen in chapter twenty-four, the Lu-Wang school, also known as the Hsin hslieh or Mind school, was initiated by Ch'eng Hao and completed by Lu Chiu-yiian and Wang Shou-jen. Lu Chiu-yuan (II39~TI93), popularly known as the Master of Hsiang-shan, was a native of the present Kiangsi province. He and Chu Hsi were friends, despite their widely divergent philosophic views. Their verbal and written debates on major philosophical problems evoked great interest in their day.\n\n\n\n\n Lu Chiu—yuan s Conception of the Mind"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lu Chiu—yuan s Conception of the Mind\n\n\n\n\n Both Lu Chiu -yuan and Wang Shou-jen are said to have become convinced of the truth of their ideas as a result of experiencing Sudden Enlightenment. One day, it is said, Lu was reading an ancient book in which he came upon the two words ytt and chou. An expositor remarked: \"What comprises the four points of the compass together with what is above and below: this is called yti. What comprises past, present, and future: this is called chou.\" Thereupon Lu Chiu-yiian experienced an instantaneous enlightenment and said: \"All affairs within the universe come within the scope of my duty; the scope of my duty includes all affairs within the universe. (Lu Hsiang-shan Ch'iian-chi or Collected Works of Lu Hsiang-shan,,chiian 33-) And on another occasion he said: The universe is my mind; my mind is the universe. (Ibid., chiian $.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Whereas Chu Hsi endorses Ch eng Yi s saying that the nature is Li, Lu Chiu-yuan replies that \"the mind is Li.\" (Collected Works,chuan 12.) The two sayings differ only by one word, yet in them lies the fundamental division between the two schools. As we have seen in the last chapter, the mind, in Chu Hsi's system, fs conceived of as the concrete embodiment of Li as found in Ch'i; hence it is not the same as the abstract Li itself. Chu Hsi, consequently, can only say that the nature is Li, but not that the mind is Li. But in Lu Chiu-yiian s system, on the contrary, the mind itself is the 5O4 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nature, and he considers the presumed distinction between nature and mind as nothing more than a verbal one. Regarding such verbal distinctions, he says: Scholars of today devote most of their time to the explanation of words. For instance, such words as feeling, nature, mind, and ability all mean one and the same thing. It is only accidental that a single enlity is denoted by different terms.\" (Collected Works, chilan 35.)\n\n\n\n\n Yet as we have seen in the last chapter, Chu Hsi's distinction between nature and mind is certainly far from a verbal one, for from his point of view, there actually exists such a distinction in reality. This reality as seen by him, however, is not the same as that seen by Lu Chiu— yuan. For the former, reality consists of two worlds, the one abstract, the other concrete. For the latter, however, it consists of only one world, which is the mind or Mind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But the sayings of Lu Chiu—yuan give us only a sketchy indication of what the world system of the Mind school is. For a more complete exposition, we must turn to the sayings and writings of Wang Shou-jen.\n\n\n\n\n Wang Shou-Jen s Conception of the Universe"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wang Shou—jen (l$J2.-lz>2.'&) was a native of the present Chekiang province, and is generally known as the Master of Yang— ming. He was not only an outstanding philosopher, but was also notable as a practical statesman of high capacity and moral integrity. In his early years he was an ardent follower of the Ch eng-Chu school; and, determined to carry out Chu Hsi s teaching, once started to investigate the principle or Li of bamboo. He concentrated his mind upon the bamboo day and night for seven consecutive days, yet failed to discover anything. Finally he was forced to give up the attempt in great despair. Afterward, however, while living amid primitive surroundings in the mountains of southwest China, to which he had been temporarily exiled because of political intrigue at court, enlightenment came to him suddenly one night. As a result, he gained a new understanding of the central idea oi the Greiil Learning, and from this viewpoint reinterpreted this work. In this way he completed and systematized the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In this way he completed and systematized the teaching of the Mind school."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Ch uan Hsi Lu or Record of Instructions, which is a selection of Wang Shou-jen s recorded sayings made by one of his disciples, one passage reads: \"While the Master was taking recreation at Nan-chen, one of our friends, pointing at the flowers anil trees on a cliff, said: You say there is nothing under heaven that is external to the mind. What relation, then, do these high mountain flowers and trees, which blossom and drop of themselves, have tomy mind?' The Master replied: 'When you do not see these flowers, they and your mind both become quiescent. When you see them, their color at once becomes clear. From this fact you know that these flowers are not external lo your mind.'\" (Pt. 3.) Another passage reads: 'The Muster asked: According to you, what is the mind of Heaven and Earth?'\n\n\n\n\n The disciple answered: 'I have often heard that\n\n\n\n\n 5O6 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "man is the mind of Heaven and Earth. And what is it in man that is called his mind?' ' It is simply the spirituality or consciousness.' ' From this we know that in Heaven and Earth there is one spirituality or consciousness. But because of his bodily form, man has separated himself from the whole. My spirituality or consciousness is the ruler of Heaven and Earth, spirits and things.... If Heaven,Earth, spirits, and things are separated from my spirituality or consciousness, they cease to be.\n\n\n\n\n And if my spirituality or consciousness is separated from them, it ceases to be also. Thus they are all actually one body, so how can they be separated?'\" (Pt. 3.)\n\n\n\n\n From these sayings we gain an idea of Wang Shou—jen s conception of the universe. In this conception, the universe is a spiritual whole, in which there is only one world, the concrete actual world that we ourselves experience. Thus there is no place for that other world of abstract Li, which Chu Hsi so much emphasized."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wang Shou-jen also maintains that mind is Li: \"Mind is Li. How can there be affairs and Li outside the mind?\" (Record of Instructions, pt . I.) Again:\"The substance of the mind is the nature and the nature is Li. Therefore, since there is the mind of filial love, hence there is the Li of filial piety. If there were no such a mind,there would be no such a Li. And since there is the mind of loyalty to the sovereign, hence there is the Li of loyalty. If there were no such a mind, there would be no such a Li. How can Li be outside our mind?\" (Ibid., pt. 1.) From these sayings we can see still more clearly the difference between Chu Hsi and Wang Shou—jen and between the two schools they represent. According to Chu Hsi's system, we can only say that since there is the Li of filial piety, therefore there is the mind of loving one's parents; and since there is the Li of loyalty, therefore there is the mind of loyalty to one s sovereign. We cannot, however, say the converse. But what Wang Shou-jen said is precisely"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But what Wang Shou-jen said is precisely this converse. According to Chu Hsi's system, all the Li are eternally there, no matter whether there is mind or not. But according to Wang Shou—jen s system, if there is no mind, there will be no Li. Thus the mind is the legislator of the universe and is that by which the Li are legislated."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"The Illustrious Virtue\"\n\n\n\n\n With this conception of the universe, Wang Shou-jen gives a metaphysical justification to the Great Learning. As we have seen in chapter sixteen, this work speaks of what are later called the three major cords and eight minor wires.\" The three ' cords are \"to manifest the illustrious virtue, love people, and rest in the highest good.\" Wang Shou-jen defines great learning as the learning of the great man.\n\n\n\n\n Regarding the 'manifestation of the illustrious virtue, he writes: The great man is an all—pervading unity, which is one with Heaven, Earth, and all things. He considers the world as one family, and the Middle Kingdom as one man. Those who emphasize the distinction of bodily 508 NEO-CONFUCIANrSM:THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "forms and thus make cleavage between the self and others are the small men. The reason that the great man is able to be one with Heaven, Earth, and all things, is not that he is thus for some purpose, but because the humanheart-edness of his mind is naturally so. The mind of the small man is exactly the same, only he himself makes it small. When the small man sees a child about to fall into a well, he will certainly experience a feeling of alarm and distress. This shows that in his love he is one with the child."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And when he hears the pitiful cry or sees the frightened appearance of a bird or beast, he will certainly find it unbearable to witness them. This shows that in his love he is one with birds and beasts.. . . From all this it may be seen that the original unity lies in the small man [as well as the great man]. Even the small man has his heavenly nature, the light of which cannot be obscured. Therefore it is called the illustrious virtue .... Thus when there is no obscuring caused by selfish desires, even the small man has the love for the whole, just as does the great man. But when there is this obscuring, even the mind of the great man is divided and hampered, just as is the small man. The learning of the great man serves simply to clear away the obscuring and thus to manifesi the illustrious virtue, so as thus to restore the original unity ol Heaven, Earth, and all things. It is not possible to add anything to this original state. *"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Regarding the second of the \"three cords\" in the Great Learning, that of \"loving people,\" Wang Shou-jen writes: \"To manifest the illustrious virtue is to establish the nature of the unity of Heaven, Earth, and all things; to love people is to exercise the function of that unity. Therefore the manifestation of the illustrious virtue consists in loving people, and to love people is to manifest the illustrious virtue.\n\n\n\n\n If I love my own father, the fathers of some other men, and the falhers of all men, my love will be truly extended with my love of these fathers.... Beginning with all these human relationships, and reaching to mountains, rivers, spirits and gods, birds and beasts, grasses and trees, all should be loved in order to extend our love. In this way there is nothing that is not manifested in our illustrious virtue; and then we are really one with Heaven, Earth and all things.\" (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Regarding the third \"cord, that of ' resting in the highest good, he writes: \"The highest good is the highest standard for the manifesting of the illustrious virtue and loving people. Our original nature is purely good. What cannot be obscured in it is the manifestation of the highest good and of the nature of the illustrious virtue, and is also what I call intuitive knowledge. When things come to it, right is right, wrong is wrong, important is important, and inferior is inferior. It responds to ihings and changes with circumstances, yet it always attains the natural mean. This is the highest standard for the actions of man and of things, to which nothing can be added, and from which nothing can be reduced. If there is any addition or reduction,\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * Ta llsiieh Wen or Questions on the Greal Leuraing in the Wang Wen-ch eng kung Ch ikin-shu or Complete Works of Wang Shou-jen, ihikm 3.6.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 510 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND\n\n\n\n\n .."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "..\n\n\n\n\n that is selfishness and a petty kind of rationalization, and is not the highest good.\" (Ibid.)\n\n\n\n\n Intuitive Knowledge\n\n\n\n\n Thus the three \"main cords\" are reduced to a single \"cord,\" that of the manifestation of the illustrious virtue, which is simply the original nature of our mind. All of us, whether good or bad, fundamentally have the same mind, which can never be wholly obscured by our selfishness, and always manifests itself in our immediate intuitive reaction to things. A case in point is the feeling of alarm which we all automatically experience upon suddenly seeing a child about to fall into a well. In our first reaction to things, we know naturally and spontaneously that the right is right and the wrong is wrong. This knowing is the manifestation of our original nature, and for it Wang uses the term \"intuitive knowledge\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(literally, \"good knowledge\"). All we need to do is simply to follow the dictates of this knowledge and go unhesitatingly forward. For if we try to find excuses for not immediately following these dictates, we are then adding something to, or reducing something from, the intuitive knowledge, and are thus losing the highest good. The act of looking for excuses is a rationalization which is due to selfishness. As we have seen in chapters twenty-three and twenty-four, Chou Tun-yi and Ch' eng Hao expressed the same theory, but Wang Shou-jen here gives it a more metaphysical basis."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is said that when Yang Chien (died 12.2.6) first met Lu Chiu-yiian, he asked the laater what our original mind is. It may be noted in passing that this term, \"original mind,\" was originally a Ch anist one, but it also came to be used by the Neo-Confucianists of the Lu-Wang school. Answering the question, Lu Chiu-yiian recited the passage in the Mencius about the four beginnings.\" Yang Chien said that he had read this passage since boyhood, but still did not know of what the original mind consists.\n\n\n\n\n He was then an official, and during the conversation was called upon to attend to some official business, in the course of which he had to pass a verdict on a certain lawsuit. When the business was concluded, he turned to Lu Chiu-yiian again with the same question. Lu then said: \"Just now in announcing your verdict, the right you knew to be right, and the wrong you knew to be wrong. That is your original mind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yang said: Is there anything else? To which Lu in a very loud voice answered: \"What else do you want?'\n\n\n\n\n Thereupon Yang was suddenly enlightened and thus became the disciple of Lu. (Tz u-hu Yi-shu or Literary Remains of Yang Chien, chtian 18.)\n\n\n\n\n Another story says that a follower of Wang Shou-jen once caught a thief in his house at night, whereupon he gave him a lecture about intuitive knowledge. The thief laughed and asked: Tell me, please, where is my intuitive knowledge?\" At that time the weather was hot, so the thief's captor invited him first to take off his jacket, then his shirt, and then continued: It 512 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:TIIE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n is still too hot. Why not take off your trousers too? At this the thief hesitated and replied: \"That does not seem to be quite right. Thereupon his captor shouted at him:\"There is your intuitive knowledge!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story does not say whether the thief gained enlightenment as a result of this conversation, but it and the preceding story certainly are typical of the Ch' an technique of initiating a student to Enlightenment. They show that every man possesses that intuitive knowledge which is the manifestation of his original mind, and through which he immediately knows that right is right and wrong is wrong.\n\n\n\n\n Everyone, in his original nature, is a sage. That is why the followers of Wang Shou—jen were in the habit of saying that the streets are full of sages.'"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What they meant by this is thai every man is potentially a sage. He can become an actual sage if he but follow the dictates of his intuitive knowledge and act accordingly. What he needs to do, in other words, is to carry his intuitive knowledge into practice, or, in Wang Shou-jen's terminology, to extend his intuitive knowledge. Thus the \"extension of intuitive knowledge\" became the key term in Wang's philosophy, and in his later years he mentioned only these words.\n\n\n\n\n \"The Rectification of Affairs\"\n\n\n\n\n It will be remembered that the Great Learning also speaks of eight minor wires,\" which are the eight steps to be followed in the spiritual cultivation of the self. The first two of them are the extension of knowledge and investigation of things.\" According to Wang Shou-jen, the extension of knowledge means the extension of the intuitive knowledge. Cultivation of the self is nothing more than the following of one s intuitive knowledge and putting it into practice."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Chinese term for the \"investigation of things\" is ko wu, and it is Ch' eng Yi and Chu Hsi who interpret it as having this meaning. According to Wang Shou—jen, however, ko means to rectify and wu means affairs. Ko wu, therefore, does not mean \"investigation of things, but \"rectification of affairs.\" The intuitive knowledge, he maintains, cannot be extended through the techniques of contemplation and meditation taught by the Buddhists. It must be extended through our daily experience in dealing with ordinary affairs. Thus he says: The activity of the mind is called yi Lwill, thought], and the objects toward which yi is directed are called wu Lthings, affairs]. For instance, when the object of one' s yi is the serving of one' s parents,then this serving of one s parents is the wu. And when the object of one s yi is the serving of the sovereign, then this serving of the sovereign is the wu. {Record of Instructions, pt."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I.) The wu may be right or wrong, but as soon as this can be determined, our intuitive knowledge will immediately know it. When our intuitive knowledge knows a thing to be right, we must sincerely do it, and when our intuitive knowledge knows it to be wrong, we must sin—\n\n\n\n\n 514 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n _\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n cerely stop doing it. In this manner we rectify our affairs and at the same time extend our intuitive knowledge. There is no other means of extending our intuitive knowledge except through the rectification of our affairs. That is why the Great Learning says: \"The extension of knowledge consists in the rectification of affairs.\"\n\n\n\n\n The next two steps of the \"eight wires\" are \"sincerity of thought [yi] and rectification of the mind.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Wang Shou-jen, sincerity of thought is nothing more than the rectification of affairs and the extension of intuitive knowledge, both being carried out with the utmost sincerity. When we try to find excuses for not following the dictates of our intuitive knowledge, we are insincere in thought, and this insincerity is the same as what Ch'eng Hao and Wang Shou-jen call selfishness and rationalization.\n\n\n\n\n When our thought is sincere, our mind is rectified; the rectification of the mind is no other than sincerity in thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next four steps of the \"eight wires\" are the cultivation of the self, regulation of the family, setting in order of the state and bringing of peace to the world. According to Wang Shou-jen, the cultivation of the self is the same as the extension of the intuitive knowledge. For how can we cultivate ourselves without extending our intuitive knowledge? And in cultivating ourselves what should we do besides extending our intuitive knowledge? In extending our intuitive knowledge, we must love people, and in loving people, how can we do otherwise than regulate our family, and contribute our best to creating order in our state, and bringing peace to the world? Thus all the \"eight wires\" may after all be reduced to a single \"wire,\" which is the extension of the intuitive knowledge."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What is the intuitive knowledge? It is simply the inner light of our mind, the original unity of the universe, or, as the Great Learning calls it, the illustrious virtue. Hence the extension of the intuitive knowledge is nothing else than the manifestation of the illustrious virtue. Thus all the ideas of the Great Learning are reduced to the one idea expressed in the key words, the extension of the intuitive knowledge."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To quote Wang Shou—jeii again: The mind of man is Heaven. There is nothing that is not included in the mind of man. All of us are this single Heaven, but because of the obscurings caused by selfishness, the original state of Heaven is not made manifest. Every time we extend our intuitive knowledge, we clear away the obscurings, and when all of them are cleared away, our original nature is restored, and we again become part of this Heaven. The intuitive knowledge of the part is the intuitive knowledge of the whole. The intuitive knowledge of the whole is the intuitive knowledge of the part. Everything is the single whole.\" (Record of Instructions, pi. I.)\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 5l6 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Attentiveness of the Mind"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Attentiveness of the Mind\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Thus Wang Shou-jen's system follows the same lines as those of Chou Tun—yi, Ch eng Hao and Lu Chiu—yiian, but he expresses it in more systematic and precise terms. The fact that the \"cords\" and \"wires\" of the Great Learning fit so well into his system brings both conviction to himself and authority to others."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The system and its method of spiritual cultivation are simple and direct— qualities which themselves give it a powerful appeal. What we need is first of all the understanding that each and every one of us possesses the original mind, which is one with the universe. This understanding is referred to by Lu Chiu-yilan as \"first establishing the most important,\" a phrase he borrows from Mencius. On one occasion he said: Recently there have been people who have criticized me by saying that apart from the single statement in which 1 lay emphasis upon first establishing the most important, I have no other tricks to offer. When I heard this, 1 exclaimed: ' Quite so! '\" ( Collected Works, chiian 34-) In chapter twenty-four it was pointed out that, according to the Neo-Con-fucianists, spiritual cultivation requires that one should be attentive; but attentive to what? According to the Lu—Wang school,one must firsl establish the most important,' and then be attentive to it. And it is the criticism of this school that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "it. And it is the criticism of this school that the Ch'eng-Chu school, without \"first establishing the most important, starts immediately and haphazardly with the task of investigating things. Under these conditions, even attentiveness of mind cannot lead to any results in spiritual cultivation. This procedure is compared by the Lu-Wang school to starting a fire for cooking, without having any rice in the pot."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this, however, the Ch eng-Chu school would reply that unless one begins with the investigation of things, how can anything be definitely established? If one excludes this investigation of things, the only way left of establishing the most important\" is through instantaneous Enlightenment. And this the Ch'eng-Chu school regarded as more Ch'anist than Confucianist."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapter twenty-four, we have seen that Ch'eng Hao also says that the student must first understand jen (human—heartedness), which is the unity of all things, and then cultivate it with sincerity and attentiveness. Nothing else requires to be done. We merely need have confidence in ourselves and go straight forward. Lu Chiu-yiian remarks in similar strain: \"Be courageous, be zealous, break open the net, burn the thorns in your path, and wash away the mire.' (ftifi.)When so doing, even the authority of Confucius need no longer necessarily be respected. As Lu states again: If in learning one gains a comprehension of what is fundamental, then the Six Classics become but one s footnotes. (Ibid.) In this respect we see clearly that the Lu—Wang school is a continuation of Ch'anism.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 5l8 NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Critic is m of Buddhis m"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yet both the Lu-Wang and Ch'eng-Chu schools strongly criticize Buddhism. In this criticism, the difference between the two is again revealed. Thus Chu Hsi says: \"When the Buddhists speak of 'emptiness,' this does not mean that they are [entirely] incorrect. But they must know that in this emptiness there are the Li. For if we are merely to say that we are 'empty,' without understanding that there are still the real Li, what is the use [of such a doctrine J? The case is like that of a pool of clear water, the cold clearness of which extends to the very bottom. When it is first seen, it will appear to have no water in it at all, and a person will then say that this pool is only empty. If this person does not put in his hand to feel whether there is coldness or warmth, he will not know that there is water within.And such, precisely, is the view of the Buddhists. ' (Recorded Sayings, chiian 12.6.) Again he says: The Confucianists consider Li as without birth and indestructible. The Buddhists consider"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "birth and indestructible. The Buddhists consider spirituality and consciousness as without birth and indestructible. ' (Ibid.) According to Chu Hsi, the Buddhists are not without justification in saying that the concrete world is empty, because things in the concrete world do change and are impermanent. But there are also the Li, which are eternal and not subiect to change. In this sense, then, the universe is not empty. The Buddhists do not know that the Li are real, because they are abstract, just as some men do not see the water in the pool, because it is colorless."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wang Shou-jen also criticizes Buddhism, but from quite a different point of view: \"When the Taoists [i.e., the religious Taoistsjspeak of hsli[ vacuity, unrealnessj, can the Confucian sage add to it a hair of shih Lactualness, re— alness]? And when the Buddhists speak of wu Lnon-being, non-existence], can the Confucian sage add to it a hair of yu [being, existence]? But when the Taoists speak of hsii, their motive is to preserve life, whereas when the Buddhists speak of wu, their motive is to escape the suffering of life and death. When they add these ideas to the original nature of the mind, their original meaning of hsii and wu is somewhat lost, and thereby the original nature of the mind is not free from obstruction. The Confucian sage simply restores the original condition of the intuitive knowledge and adds to it no idea whatsoever....Heaven, Earth, and all things all lie within the function and activity of our intuitive knowledge. How, then, can there be anything outside it to hinder or obstruct it?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "be anything outside it to hinder or obstruct it?\" (Record of Instructions, pt. 3)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Again he says: \"The claim of the Buddhists that they have no attachment to phenomena shows that they do have attachment to them. And the fact that we Confucianists do not claim to have no attachment to phenomena, shows that we do not have attachment to them....The Buddhists are afraid of the troubles involved in human relationships, and therefore escape from them. They are forced to escape because they are already attached to them. But we Confucianists are different. There being the relationship between father and\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 520\n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANISM:THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND\n\n\n\n\n ,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": ",\n\n\n\n\n son, we respond to it with love. There being the relationship between sovereign and subject, we respond to it with righteousness. And there being the relationship between husband and wife, we respond to it with mutual respect. We have no attachment to phenomena.\" (Ibid.) If we follow this argument, we can say that the Neo—Confucianists more consistently adhere to the fundamental ideas of Taoism and Buddhism than do the Taoists and Buddhists themselves. They are more Taoistic than the Taoists, and more Buddhistic than the Buddhists.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 522'\n\n\n\n\n NEO-CONFUCIANtSM:THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 27\n \n \n\n\n\n\n \n \n THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "EVERY system of philosophy is likely to be misunderstood and misused, and so it was with the two schools of Neo-Confucianism.According to Chu Hsi, one must in principle start with the investigation of things in order to understand the eternal Li or Laws, but this principle Chu Hsi himself did not strictly cany out. In the record of his sayings, we see that he did make certain observations on natural and social phenomena, but most of his time was devoted to the study of, and comment on, the Classics. He not only believed that there are eternal Li, but also that the utterances of the ancient sages are these eternal Li. So in his system there is an element of authoritarianism and conservatism, which became more and more apparent as the tradition of the Ch eng—Chu school went on. And the fact that this school became the official state teaching did much to increase this tendency.\n\n\n\n\n Reaction Against Neo-Cunfucirmism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Reaction Against Neo-Cunfucirmism\n\n\n\n\n The Lu—Wang school is a revolution against this conservatism, and in the time of Wang Shou-jen, the revolutionary movement was at its highest. In a very simple way, it appealed directly to the intuitive knowledge of every man, which is the inner light of his \"original mind. Though never recognized by the government, as was the Ch'eng-Chu school, the Lu-Wang school became as influential as the former.\n\n\n\n\n But the philosophy of Wang Shou-jen was also misunderstood and misused. According to Wang, what the intuitive knowledge immediately knows is the ethical aspect of our will or thought. It can only tell us what we ought to do, but not how to do it. It lacks what Americans would now call \"know-how. In order to know how to do what we ought to do in certain situations, Wang said that we have to study practical methods of action in relation to the existing state of affairs. Later on, however, his followers seemed to come\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 524"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "524\n\n\n\n\n THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n to the belief that the intuitive knowledge can itself tell us everything, including the know-how.\" This is absurd, and the followers of the Lu-Wang school have certainly suffered the consequences of this absurdity."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the end of the last chapter we have seen that Wang Shou—jen used the Ch an method of argument to criticize Buddhism. This is precisely the sort of argument that is most likely to be misused. A satiric story tells us that when a scholar once paid a visit to a certain Buddhist temple, he was treated with only scant respect by the monk in charge. While he was there, however, the temple was also visited by a prominent official, to whom the monk showed the greatest respect. After the official had gone, the scholar asked the monk the reason for this difference. The monk answered: \"To respect is not to respect, and not to respect is to respect. The scholar immediately gave him a hearty blow on the face. The monk protested angrily: \"Why do you beat me?\" To which the scholar replied: \"To beat is not to beat, and not to beat is to beat. This story became current after the lime of Wang Shou— jen, and no doubt was intended to criticize him and the Ch anists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Ming dynasty (1368-1643), under which Wang Shou-jen lived and had his influence, was a native Chinese dynasty which replaced the Yuan or Mongol dynasty (1280-1368). In due course it in turn was overthrown as a result of internal revolts coupled with invasion from the outside, and was replaced by the Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1911), under which, for the second time in Chinese history, all of China was ruled by an alien group, this time the Manchus. The Manchus, however, were far more sympathetic to Chinese culture than the Mongols had been, and the first two-thirds of their dynasty was, on the whole, a period of internal peace and prosperity for China, during which, in certain respects, Chinese culture made important advances, though in other respects it was a period of growing cultural and social conservatism. Officially, the Ch eng —Chu school was even more firmly entrenched than before."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Unofficially, however, the Ch'ing dynasty witnessed an important reaction against both this school and the Lu-Wang school. The leaders of this reaction accused both schools of having, under the influence of Ch' anism and Taoism, misinterpreted the ideas of Confucius, and of thus having lost the practical aspect of original Confucianism. One of the attackers said: \"Chu Hsi was a Taoist monk, and Lu Chiu-yiian was a Buddhist monk.\" This accusation, in a sense, is not entirely unjustified, as we have seen in the last two chapters.\n\n\n\n\n From the point of view of philosophy, however, it is entirely irrelevant. As was pointed out in chapter twenty—three, Neo—Confucianism is a synthesis of Confucianism, Buddhism, philosophical Taoism (through Ch'anism), and religious Taoism. From the point of view of the history of Chinese philosophy, such a synthesis represents a development, and therefore is a virtue rather than a vice.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 526\n\n\n\n\n THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": ".\n\n\n\n\n In the Ch ing dynasty, however, when the orthodox position of Confucianism was stronger than ever before, to assert that Neo-Confucianism was not the same as pure Confucianism was equal to asserting that Neo—Confucianism was false and wrong. According to its opponents, indeed, the harmful effects of Neo—Confucianism were even greater than those of Buddhism and Taoism, because its seeming agreement with original Confucianism could more easdy deceive people and so lead them astray."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For this reason the scholars of the Ch ing dynasty started a back—to— the-Han ' movement, meaning by this a return to the commentaries that the scholars of the Han dynasty had written on the early Classics. They believed that because these Han scholars lived nearer in time to Confucius and before the introduction of Buddhism into China, their interpretations of the Classics must therefore be purer and closer to the genuine ideas of Confucius. Consequently, they studied numerous writings of the Han scholars which the Neo-Confucianists had discarded, and termed this study the Hah hsileh or learning of the Han dynasty, ft was so called in contrast to that of the Neo—Con— fucianists, which they termed the Sung hsiieh or learning of the Sung dynasty, because the major schools of Neo—Confucianism had flourished in this dynasty. Through the eighteenth century until the beginning of the present century, the controversy between the Ch'ing adherents of the Hah hsileh and Sung hsiieh has been one of the greatest in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and Sung hsiieh has been one of the greatest in the history of Chinese thought. From our present point of view, it was really one as between the philosophical and scholarly interpretation of the ancient texts. The scholarly interpretation emphasized what it believed was their actual meaning; the philosophical interpretation emphasized what it believed they ought to have meant."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Because of the emphasis of the Han hsiieh scholars on the scholarly interpretation of ancient texts, they made marked developments in such fields as textual criticism, higher criticism, and philology.\n\n\n\n\n Indeed, their historical, philological, and other studies became the greatest single cultural achievement of the Ch' ing dynasty."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Philosophically, the contribution of the Han hsileh scholars was less important, but culturally, they did much to open the minds of their time to the wider reaches of Chinese literary achievement. During the Ming dynasty, most educated people, under the influence of Neo—Confucianism, a knowledge of which was required for success in the state examinations, devoted their whole attention to the \"Four Books ' (the Confucian A nalects, Mencius, Great Learning, and Doctrine of the Mean). As a result, they knew but little about other literature. Once the Ch'ing scholars became interested in 'the scholarly reevaluation of the ancient texts, however, they could not confine themselves simply to the Confucian Classics. These, to be sure, engaged their first attention, but when the work in this field had been done, they began to study all the other ancient texts of the schools other than orthodox 528 THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucianism, including such writings as the Mo-tzu, Hsiin-tzu and Han-fei-tzu, which had\n\n\n\n\n long been neglected. They worked to correct the many corruptions that had crept into the texts, and to explain the ancient usage of words and phrases. It is owing to their labors that\n \n L\n \n\n\n\n\n these texts are today so much more readable than they were, for example, in the Ming dynasty. Their work did much to help the revival of interest in the philosophical study of these philosophers that has taken place in recent decades under the stimulus of the introduction of Western philosophy. This is a topic to which we shall now turn.\n\n\n\n\n Movement for a Confucian Religion"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Movement for a Confucian Religion\n\n\n\n\n It is not necessary to examine here precisely the manner in which the Chinese first came in contact with Western culture. Suffice it to say that already toward the end of the Ming dynasty, i.e., in the latter part of the sixteenth century and early part of the seventeenth, many Chinese scholars became impressed by the mathematics and astronomy that were introduced to China at that time by Jesuit missionary scholars. If Europeans call China and surrounding areas the Far East, the Chinese in the period of early Sino—European contacts referred to Europe as the Far West or T cd Hsi. In earlier centuries they had spoken of India as \"the West\"; hence they could only refer to countries to the west of India as the Far West.\n\n\n\n\n This term has now been discarded, but it was in common usage as late as the end of the last century."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapter sixteen I said that the distinction which the Chinese have traditionally made between themselves and foreigners or barbarians has been more cultural than racial. Their sense of nationalism has been more developed in regard to culture than to politics. Being the inheritors of an ancient civilization, and one geographically far removed from any other of comparable importance, it has been difficult for them to conceive how any other people could be cultured and yet live in a manner different from themselves. Hence whenever they have come into contact with an alien culture, they have been inclined to despise and resist it—not so much as something alien, but simply because they have thought it to be inferior or wrong. As we have seen in chapter eighteen, the introduction of Buddhism stimulated the foundation of religious Taoism, which came as a sort of nationalistic reaction to the alien faith. In the same way, the introduction of Western culture, in which Christian missionaries played a leading part,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Christian missionaries played a leading part, created a very similar reaction."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as just noted, the missionary scholars impressed the Chinese not so much by their religion as by their attainments in mathematics and astronomy. But later, especially during the nineteenth century, with the growing military,industrial, and commercial\n\n\n\n\n pre-530 THE INTRODUCTION OF\n\n\n\n\n WESTERN PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n dominance of Europe, and the coincident decline of China s political strength under the Manchus, the impetus of Christianity became increasingly felt by the Chinese.After several major controversies had broken out in the nineteenth century between missionaries and Chinese, a movement for a native Confucian religion to counteract the growing impact of the West started at the very end of that century by the famous statesman and reformer, K'ang Yu-wei (1858-192.7). This event was no mere accident—even from the point of view of the inner development of Chinese thought—because the scholars of the Hah hsileh had already paved the way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapters seventeen and eighteen, we saw that the Han dynasty was dominated by two schools of Confucianism: one the Old Text and the other the New Text school. With the revival during the Ch'ing dynasty of the study of the works of the Han scholars, the old controversy between these two schools was also revived. We have also seen that the New Text school, headed by Tung Chung—shu, believed Confucius to have been the founder of an ideal new dynasty, and later even went so lar as to consider him as a supernatural being having a mission to perform on this earth, a veritable god among men. K'\n\n\n\n\n ang Yu-wei was a leader of the Ch' ing adherents of the New Text school in the Hah hsileh, and found in this school plenty of material for establishing Confucianism as an organized religion in the proper sense of the word."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In studying Tung Chung—shu, we have already read Tung s fantastic theory about Confucius. The theory of K'ang Yu-wei is even more so. As we have seen, in the Ch'un Ch'iu or Spring and Autumn Annals, or rather in the theory of its Han commentators, as well as in the Li Chi or Book of Rites, there is the concept that the world passes through three ages or stages of progress. K ang Yu— wei now revived this theory, interpreting it to mean that the age of Confucius had been the first age of decay and disorder. In our own times, he maintained, the growing communications between East and West, and the political and social reforms in Europe and America, show that men are progressing from the stage of disorder to the second higher stage, that of approaching peace. And this in turn will be followed by the unity of the whole world, which will be the realization of the last stage of human progress, that of great peace. Writing in 1902, he said: \"Confucius knew all these things beforehand.\" (Lun -yu Chu or Commentary to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "things beforehand.\" (Lun -yu Chu or Commentary to the Analects, chiian 1.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "K'ang Yu-wei was the leader of the notable political reforms of 1898, which, however, lasted only a few months, and were followed by his own flight abroad, the execution of several of his followers, and renewed political reaction on the part of the Manchu government. In his opinion, what he was advocating was not the adoption of the new civilization of the West, but rather the realization of the ancient and genuine teachings of Confucius. He\n\n\n\n\n 532 THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "wrote many commentaries on the Confucian Classics and read his new ideas into them. Besides these, he also in 1884 wrote a book titled the Ta T'ung Shu or Booh of the Great Unity, in which he gave a concrete picture of the Utopia that will be realized in the third stage of human progress, according to the Confucian scheme. Although this book is so bold and revolutionary that it will startle even most Utopian writers, K'ang Yu-wei himself was far from being a Utopian. He insisted that his program could not be put into practice except in the highest and last stage of human civilization. For his immediate practical political program he insisted on merely instituting a constitutional monarchy. Thus throughout his life he was hated first by the conservatives because he was too radical, and later by the radicals because he was too conservative."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But the twentieth century is not one of religion, and together with, or in addition to, the introduction of Christianity into China, there also came modern science, which is the opposite of religion. Thus the influence of Christianity per se has been limited in China, and the movement for a Confucian religion suffered an early death. Nevertheless, with the overthrow of the Ch'ing dynasty and its replacement by the Republic in ICff^i there was a demand by K'ang Yu-wei s followers, when the first Constitution of the Republic was drafted in 1915, that it state that the Republic adopt Confucianism as the state religion. A vigorous controversy developed over this point, until a compromise was reached, the Constitution asserting that the Chinese Republic would adopt Confucianism, not as a state religion, but as the fundamental principle for ethical discipline. This Constitution was never put into practice, and no more has since been heard about Confucianism as a religion in the sense intended by K ang Yu-wei."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is to be noted that up to 1898, K'ang Yu-wei and his comrades knew very little, if anything, about Western philosophy. His friend T'an Ssu-t'ung (1865-1898), who died a martyr s death when the political reform movement failed, was a much more subtle thinker than K'ang himself. He wrote a book titled Jen Hsiieh or Science of Jen (humanheartedness), which introduces into Neo -Confucianism some ideas taken from modern chemistry and physics. In the beginning of his work, he lists certain books to be read before one studies his Science of Jen. In that list, among books on Western thought, he mentions only the New Testament and some treatises on mathematics, physics, chemistry, and sociology.\n\n\n\n\n It is plain that men of his time knew very little about Western philosophy, and that their knowledge of Western culture, in addition to machines and warships, was confined primarily to science and Christianity.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 534 THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Introduction of Western Thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Introduction of Western Thought.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n The greatest authority on Western thought at the beginning of the present century was Yen Fu (1853-1920). In his early years he was sent to England by the government to study\n \n 1\n \n\n\n\n\n naval science, and while there read some of the works on the humanities current ul the time. After returning to China, he translated into Chinese the following works: Thomas Huxley, Evolution and Ethics; Adam Smith, An Enquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations; Herbert Spencer, The Study of Sociology; John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, and half of his A System of Logic; E.Jenks, A History of Politics; Montesquieu, Esprit des Lois; and an adapted translation of Jevons, Lessons in Logic:. Yen Fu began to translate these works after the first Sino-Japanese war of l894~95-After that he became very famous and his translations were widely road."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There are three reasons to account for this popularity. The first is thai China s defeat in the Sino—Japanese war, following a series of earlier humiliations at the hands of the West, shook the confidence of the Chinese people in the superiority of their own ancient civilization, and therefore gave them a desire to know something about Western thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before that time they fancied that Westerners were only superior in science, machines, guns, and warships, but had nothing spiritual to offer. The second reason is that Yen Fu wrote comments on many passages of his translations, in which he compared certain ideas of his author with ideas in Chinese philosophy, in order to give a better understanding to his readers. This practice is something like the ko yi or interpretation by analogy, which was mentioned in chapter twenty in connection with the translation of Buddhist texts. And the third reason is that in Yen Fu's translations, the modern English of Spencer, Mill, and others was converted into Chinese of the most classical style. In reading these authors in his translation, one has the same impression as that of reading such ancient Chinese works as the Mo-tzu or Hsun-tzu. Because of their traditional respect for literary accomplishment, the Chinese of Yen Fu s time still had the superstition that any thought that can be expressed in the classical style"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that can be expressed in the classical style is ipso facto as valuable as are the Chinese classical works themselves."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But the list of his translations shows that Yen Fu introduced very little Western philosophy. Among them, the ones really concerned with the subject are Jevons' Lessons in Logic and Mill s System of Logic, of which the former was an abridged summary, and the latter was lefl unfinished. Yen Fu recommended Spencer as the greatest Western philosopher of all time, ihus showing that his knowledge of Western philosophy was rather limited.\n\n\n\n\n There was another scholar of Yen Fu s time who in this respect had a\n\n\n\n\n 536 THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN\n\n\n\n\n PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "better understanding and deeper insight, but who did not become known to the public until after he gave up the study of philosophy. He was Wang Kuo— wei (i%JJ-\\()Tj), a scholar renowned as one of the greatest historians, archaeologists, and literary writers of recent times. Before he was thirty, he had already studied Schopenhauer and Kant, in this respect differing from Yen Fu, who studied almost none but English thinkers. But after he became thirty, Wang Kuo-wei gave up the study of philosophy, for a reason mentioned in one of his writings titled \"A Self-Account at the Age of Thirty.\" In this he says: \"I have been tired of philosophy for a considerable time. Among philosophical theories, it is a general rule that those that can be loved cannot be believed, and those that can be believed cannot be loved. I know truth, and yet I love absurd yet great metaphysics, sublime ethics, and pure aesthetics. These are what I love most. Yet in searching for what is believable, I am inclined to believe in the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is believable, I am inclined to believe in the positivistic theory of truth, the hedonistic theory of ethics, and ihe empiricist theory of aesthetics. I know these are believable, but I cannot love them, and I feel the other theories are lovable, but 1 cannot believe in them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is the great vexation that I have experienced during the past two or three years. Recently my interest has gradually transferred itself from philosophy to literature, because I wish to find in the latter direct consolation.\" *\n\n\n\n\n He says again that such men as Spencer in England and Wundt in Germany arc but second-rate philosophers, their philosophies being but a syncretism of science or of earlier systems. Other philosophers known to him at that time were only historians of philosophy. He said that he himself could become a competent historian of philosophy, if he continued to study it. But, said he, I cannot be a pure philosopher, and yet I do not like to be an historian of philosophy. This is another reason why I am tired of philosophy.\" (Ibid.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I have quoted Wang Kuo-wei at length, because judging from these quotations, I think he had some insight into Western philosophy. He knew, as a Chinese expression says, what is sweet and what is bitter in it. Bui on the whole, ut the beginning of this century, there were very few Chinese who knew anything about Western philosophy. When I myself was an undergraduate student in Shanghai, we had a course on elementary logic, but there was no one in Shanghai at the time capable of teaching such a course. At last a teacher was found who asked us to buy a copy of Jevons Lessons in Logic and to use it as a textbook. He asked us to read it in the way a teacher of English expects his pupils to go through an English reader.\n\n\n\n\n When we came to the lesson on judgment, he called on me to spell the word judgment, in or—\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n * Ching-on. Wen-chi or Collected Literary Writings of Wang Kuo-wei, Second Collection.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 538 THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "der to make sure that I would not insert an e between the g and m !\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n Before long We were at the mercy of another teacher who conscientiously tried to make the course a real one on logic. There are many exercises at the end of Jevons book which this teacher did not ask us to do, but I nonetheless prepared them on my own account. It so happened that there was one exercise that was beyond my understanding, which I requested the teacher to expound after class.After discussing it wilh me for half an hour without being able to solve il, he finally said: Let me think it over and I shall do it for you the next time I come. He never came again, and for this I felt rather sorry, for I had no desire to embarrass him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The University of Peking was then the only national university in China which was supposed to have lliree departments of philosophy: Chinese, Western, and Indian. But as the University was then constituted, there was only the one department of Chinese philosophy. In 1915 it was stated that a department of Weslern philosophy would be established, since a professor had been engaged who had studied philosophy in Germany and presumably could teach courses in that subject. I accordingly went to Peking in that year and was admitted as an undergraduate, but to my disappointment the professor who was to have taught us had just died, and I had therefore to study in the department of Chinese philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In this department we had professors who were scholars representing the Old Text, New Text, Ch eng—Chu, and Lu—Wang schools. One of them, a follower of the Lu—Wang school, taught us a course on the history of Chinese philosophy, a two—year course meeting four hours a week. He began with the traditional sage-kings, Yao and Shun, and by the end of the first semester had gone only as far as the Duke of Chou—that is to say, about five centuries before Confucius.We asked him how long, if he continued at this rate, it would take to finish the course. Well, he replied, in the study of philosophy there is no such thing as finishing or not finishing. If you want this course to be finished, I can finish it in one word; if you do not want it to be finished, it can never be finished.\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Introduction of Western Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Introduction of Western Philosophy\n \n \n\n\n\n\n John Dewey and Bertrand Russell were invited in 1919-2.O to lecture at the University of Peking and other places. They were the first Western philosophers to come to China, and from them the Chinese for the first time received an authentic account of Western philosophy. But whal they lectured about was mostly their own philosophy. This gave their hearers the impression that the traditional philosophical systems had all been superseded and discarded. With but little knowledge of the history of Western philosophy, the great majority of the audience failed to see the significance of their theories.\n\n\n\n\n 540 THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One cannot understand a philosophy unless one at the same time understands the earlier traditions which it either approves or refutes. So these two philosophers, though well received by many, were understood by few. Their visit to China, nevertheless, opened new intellectual horizons for most of the students at that time. In this respect, their stay had great cultural and educational value."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapter twenty-one I have said that there is a distinction between Chinese Buddhism and Buddhism in China, and that the contribution of Buddhism to Chinese philosophy is the idea of Universal Mind. In the introduction of Western philosophy there have been similar cases. Following the visit of Dewey and Russell, for example, there have been many other philosophical systems that, at one time or another, have become popular in China. So far, however, almost all of them have simply represented Western philosophy in China. None has yet become an integral part of the development of the Chinese mind, as did Ch'an Buddhism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So far as I can see, the permanent contribution of Western philosophy to Chinese philosophy is the method of logical analysis. In chapter twenty-one 1 have said that Buddhism and Taoism both use the negative method. The analytic method is just the opposite of this, and hence may be called the positive method. The negative method attempts to eliminate distinctions and to tell what its object is not, whereas the positive method attempts to make distinctions and tell what its object is. It is not very important for the Chinese that the negative method of Buddhism was introduced, because they had it already in Taoism, though Buddhism did serve to reinforce it. The introduction of the positive method, however, is really a matter of the greatest importance. It gives the Chinese a new way of thinking, and a change in their whole mentality. But as we shall see in the next chapter, it will not replace the other method; it will merely supplement it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is the method, not the ready—made conclusions of Western philosophy, that is important. A Chinese story relates that once a man met an immortal who asked him what he wanted. The man said that he wanted gold. The immortal touched several pieces of stone with his finger and they immediately turned to gold. The immortal asked the man to take them but he refused. What else do you want? the immortal asked. I want your finger, the man replied. The analytic method is the finger of the Western philosophers, and the Chinese want the finger.\n\n\n\n\n That is the reason why among the different branches of philosophical study in the West, the first to attract the attention of the Chinese was logic. Even before Yen Fu's translation of J. S. Mill's System of Logic, Li Chih-tsao (died 1630) had already translated with the Jesuit Fathers a mediaeval textbook on Aristotelean logic. His translation was titled Ming-li T'an or An Investigation of Ming —li.We have seen in chapter nineteen that ming—li"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "542 . THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n means the analysis of principles through the analysis of names. Yen Fu translated logic as ming hsiieh or the Science of Names. As we have seen in chapter eight, the essence of the philosophy of the School of Names as represented by Kung-sun Lung is precisely the analysis of principles through the analysis of names. But in that chapter I also pointed out that this philosophy is not exactly the same as logic. There is a similarity, however, and when the Chinese first heard something about Western logic, they immediately noticed the similarity, and so connected it with their own School of Names."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Up to recent times the most fruitful result of the introduction of Western philosophy has been the revival of the study of Chinese philosophy, including Buddhism. There is nothing paradoxical in this statement. When one encounters new ideas that are unfamiliar, it is only natural that one should turn to familiar ones for illustration, comparison, and mutual confirmation. And when one turns to these ideas, armed with the analytic method, it is only natural that one should make an analysis of them. We have already seen at the beginning of this chapter that for the study of the ancient schools of thought other than Confucianist, the scholars of the Han hsiieh paved the way. Their interpretation of the ancient texts was primarily textual and philological, rather than philosophical. But that is exactly what is needed before one applies the analytic method to analyze the philosophical ideas of the various ancient Chinese schools of thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Because logic was the first aspect of Western philosophy that attracted the attention of the Chinese, it is natural that among the ancient Chinese schools, the School of Names was also the first to receive detailed study in recent years. Dr. Hu Shih s book, The Development of the Logical Method in Ancient China, since its first publication in K)2.2 has been one of the important contributions to this study.\n\n\n\n\n Scholars like Liang Ch i-chao (1873-1930) have also contributed much to the study of the School of Names and of the other schools."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The interpretation and analysis of the old ideas through use of the analytic method characterized the spirit of the age up to the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war in 1937. Even Christian missionaries could not escape from the influence of this spirit. This may be why many missionaries in China have translated Chinese philosophical works and written books on Chinese philosophy in Western languages, whereas few have translated Western philosophical works and written books on Western philosophy in Chinese.\n\n\n\n\n Thus in the philosophical field they seem to have conducted what might be called a reverse form of missionary work. It is possible to have reverse missionary work, just as it is possible to have reverse lend—lease.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 544 THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n CHAPTER 28\n \n \n\n\n\n\n SE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "SE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n AFTER all that has been said about the evolution and development of Chinese philosophy, readers may be inclined to ask such questions as: What is contemporary Chinese philosophy like, especially that of the war period? What will Chinese philosophy contribute to the future philosophy of the world? As a matter of fact, I have often been asked these questions, and have been somewhat embarrassed by them, because it is difficult to explain what a certain philosophy is to someone who is unfamiliar with the traditions that it either represents or opposes. However, now that the reader has gained some acquaintance with the traditions of Chinese philosophy, I am going to try to answer these questions by continuing the story of the last chapter.\n\n\n\n\n The Philosopher and the Historian, of Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In so doing, I propose to confine myself to my own story, not at all because I think this is the only story worth telling, but because it is the story I know best and it can, perhaps, serve as a sort of illustration. This, I think, is better than merely giving a list of names and \"isms,\" without any fuller exposition of any of them, a procedure which results in no kind of picture at all. By simply saying that a philosopher is a certain \"ist,\" and nothing more, one usually creates misunderstanding instead of understanding.\n\n\n\n\n My own larger History of Chinese Philosophy, the second and last volume of which was published in 1934, three years before the outbreak of the Sino— Japanese war, and the first volume of which was translated into English by Dr. Bodde and published in Peiping in 1937, three months after the war began, is an expression of that spirit of the age mentioned by me at the end of the last chapter. In that work I utilized the results of the studies of the Han\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 546"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "546\n\n\n\n\n CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n lisiheh scholars on the texts of the ancient philosophers, and at the same time applied the analytic method to clarify the ideas of these philosophers. From the point of view of the historian, the use of this method has its limits, because the ideas of the ancient philosophers, in their original form, may not be as clear as in the presentation of their modern expositor. The function of a history of philosophy is to tell us what the words of the philosophers of the past actually meant to these men themselves, and not what we think they ought to mean. In my History I have tried my best to keep my use of the analytic method within its proper limits."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From the point of view of the pure philosopher, however, to clarify the ideas of the philosophers of the past, and push their theories to their logical conclusions in order to show their validity or absurdity, is certainly more interesting and important than merely to find out what they themselves thought about these ideas and theories. In so doing there is a process of development from the old to the new, and this development is another phase of the spirit of the age mentioned above. Such a work, however, is no longer the scholarly one of an historian, but the creative one of a philosopher. I share the feeling of Wang Kuo—wei, that is to say, I do not like to be simply an historian of philosophy.\n\n\n\n\n Therefore after I had finished the writing of my History, I immediately prepared for new work. But at this juncture the war broke out in the summer of 1937-\n\n\n\n\n Philosophical Production in Wartime"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Philosophical Production in Wartime\n\n\n\n\n Before the war, the philosophy departments of the University of Peking, from which I graduated, and of Tsing Hua University, where I am now teaching, were considered to be the strongest in China. Each of them has had its own tradition and emphasis. Those of the University of Peking have been toward historical studies and scholarship, with an idealistic philosophical trend, which, in terms of Western philosophy, is Kantian and Hegelian, and, in terms of Chinese philosophy, is Lu Wang. The tradition and emphasis of Tsing Hua, on the contrary, have been toward the use of logical analysis for the study of philosophical problems, with a realistic philosophical trend, which, in terms oi Western philosophy, is Platonic in the sense that the philosophy of neo -realism is Platonic, and in terms of Chinese philosophy, is Ch eng—Chu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These two universities are both situated in Peiping (formerly known as Peking), and on the outbreak of the war they both moved to the southwest, where they combined with a third, the Nankai University of Tientsin, to form\n\n\n\n\n 548 CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n ^\n \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n the Southwest Associated University throughout the entire war period. Together, their two Philosophy Departments formed a rare and wonderful combination, comprising nine professors representing all the important schools both of Chinese and Western philosophy. At first, the Associated University as a whole was situated in Changsha in Hunan province, but our Philosophy Department, together with the other Departments of the humanities, was separately located in Hengshan, known as the South Holy Mountain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We stayed there only about four months before moving again to Kunming, farther southwest, in the spring of 1938. These few months, however, were spiritually very stimulating. We were then in a national crisis which was the greatest in our history, and we were in the same place where Huai-jang had tried to grind a brick into a mirror, as mentioned in chapter twenty-two, and where Chu Hsi had also once lived. We were sufferers of the same fate met by the Southern Sung dynasty, that of being driven southward by a foreign army.Yet we lived in a wonderful society of philosophers, writers, and scholars, all in one building. It was this combination of the historical moment, the geographical location, and the human gathering, that made the occasion so exceptionally stimulating and inspiring."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "During these few months, myself and my colleagues, Professors T ang Yung-t ung and Y. L. Chin, finished books on which we had been working. T ang s book is the first part of his History of Chinese Buddhism. Chin s book is titled On the Too, and mine the Hsin Li-hsUeh or New Li—hsileh. Chin and myself have many ideas in common, but my work is a development of the Ch eng—Chu school, as the title indicates, while his is the result of an independent study of metaphysical problems. Later in Kunming I wrote a series of other books: the Hsin Shih-lun, also titled China's Road to Freedom; the Hsin Yuan-jen or New Treatise on the Nature of Man; the Hsin Yilan-tao, also titled The Spirit of Chinese Philosophy, which has been translated from the manuscript by Mr. E. R. Hughes of Oxford University and is published in London; and the Hsin Chih-yen or New Treatise on the Methodology of Metaphysics. (All these, in their original Chinese editions, have been published by the Commercial Press, Shanghai.) In the following, I"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Commercial Press, Shanghai.) In the following, I shall try to summarize some of their results, as an illustration of one trend in contemporary Chinese philosophy, and in so doing we may perhaps get a partial glimpse of what Chinese philosophy can contribute to future philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Philosophical, or rather metaphysical, reasoning starts with the experience that something exists. This something may be a sensation, an emotion, or anything else. From the statement: \"Something exists,\" I have in my Hsin Li-hsUeh deduced all the metaphysical ideas or concepts not only of the Ch'\n\n\n\n\n 55O CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "eng-Chu school but also of the Taoists. They are all considered in such a way that they are simply the logical implications of the statement that something exists. It is not difficult to see how the ideas of Li and Ch'i arc deducible from this statement, and olher ideas are also treated in the same way. For instance, the idea of Movement is treated by me not as a cosmological idea for some actual initial movement of the world, but as a metaphysical idea implied in the idea of existence itself. To exist is an activity, a movement. If we think about the world in its static aspect, we will say with the Taoists that before anything comes into being there must first be the being of Being. And if we think about the world in its dynamic aspect, we will say with the Confucianists that before anything comes to exist, there must first be Movement, which is simply another way of speaking of the activity of existing.Tn what I call men' s pictorial form of thinking, which is really imagination, men imagine Being or"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "which is really imagination, men imagine Being or Movement as God, the Father of all things. In imaginative thought of this kind, one has religion or cosmology, but not philosophy or metaphysics."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Following the same line of argument, I have been able in my Hsin Li-hsiieh to deduce all the metaphysical ideas of Chinese philosophy and to integrate them into a clear and systematic whole. The book was favorably received because in it critics seemed to feel that the structure of Chinese philosophy was more clearly stated than hitherto. It was considered as representing a revival of Chinese philosophy, which was taken as the symbol of a revival of the Chinese nation.\n\n\n\n\n In the Ch'eng-Chu school, as we have seen in the last chapter, there is a certain element of authoritarianism and conservatism, but this is avoided in my Hsin Li-hsueh. In my opinion, metaphysics can know only that there are the Li, but not the content of each Li. It is the business of science to find out the content of the individual Li, using the scientific and pragmatic method. The Li in themselves are absolute and eternal, but as they are known to us, that is, in the laws and theories of science, they are relative and changeable."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The realization of the Li requires a material basis. The various types of society are ihe realization of the various Li of social structure, and the material basis each Li requires for its realization is the economic foundation of a given type of society. In the sphere of history, therefore, I believe in an economic interpretation, and in my book, China's Road to Freedom, I apply this interpretation to Chinese civilization and history, as I also have in chapter two of the present book.\n\n\n\n\n I think Wang Kuo-wei s trouble in philosophy has been due to his failure 552 CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to realize that each branch of knowledge has its own sphere of application. One does not need to believe in any theory of metaphysics, if that theory does not make much assertion about matters of fact. If it does make such assertions, however, it is bad metaphysics, which is the same as bad science. This does not mean that a good metaphysical theory is unbelievable, but only that it is so evident that one does not need to say that he believes in it, just as one need not say that one believes in mathematics. The difference between metaphysics and mathematics and logic is that in the latter two one does not need to start with the statement that something exists, which is an assertion about matters of fact, and is the only one that metaphysics need make.\n\n\n\n\n The Nature of Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Nature of Philosophy\n\n\n\n\n The method I use in the Hsin Li-hsileh is wholly analytic. After writing that book, however, I began to realize the importance of the negative method which has been mentioned in chapter twenty —one. At present, if someone were to ask me for a definition of philosophy, I would reply paradoxically that philosophy, especially metaphysics, is that branch of knowledge which, in its development, will ultimately become \"the knowledge that is not knowledge.\" If this be so, then the negative method needs to be used. Philosophy, especially metaphysics, is useless for the increase of our knowledge regarding matters of fact, but is indispensable for the elevation of our mind. These few points are not merely my own opinion, but, as we have previously seen, represent certain aspects of the Chinese philosophical tradition. It is these aspects that I think can contribute something to future world philosophy. In the following I shall try to develop them a little further."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Philosophy, as well as other branches of knowledge, must start with experience. But philosophy, especially metaphysics, differs from these other branches in that its development will lead it ultimately to that \"something\" which transcends experience. In this something there is that which cannot logically be sensed, but can only be thought. For instance, one can sense a square table, but cannot sense squareness.\n\n\n\n\n This is not because one s sense organ is insufficiently developed, but because squareness is a Li, which logically can only be thought but not sensed.\n\n\n\n\n In the something there is also that which not only cannot be sensed, but strictly speaking, cannot even be thought. In chapter one I said that philosophy is systematic reflective thinking on life. Because of its reflective nature, it ultimately has to think on \"something that logically cannot be the object 554 CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of thought. For instance, the universe, because it is the totality of all that is, cannot logically be the object of thought. As we have seen in chapter nineteen, the Chinese word T'ien or Heaven is sometimes used in ihis sense of totality, as when Kuo Hsiang says: \"Heaven is the name of all things.\" Since the universe is the totality of all that is, therefore when one thinks about it, one is thinking reflectively, because the thinking and the thinker must also be included in the totality. But when one thinks about that totality, the totality that lies in one's thought does not include the thought itself. For it is the object of the thought and so stands in contrast to it. Hence the totality that one is thinking about is not actually the totality of all that is. Yet one must first think about totality in order to realize that it is unthinkable. One needs thought in order to be conscious of the unthinkable, just as sometimes one needs a sound in order to be conscious of silence. One must think about the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "be conscious of silence. One must think about the unthinkable, yet as soon as one tries to do so, it immediately slips away. This is the most fascinating and also most troublesome aspect of philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What logically cannot be sensed transcends experience; what can neither be sensed nor thought of transcends intellect. Concerning what transcends experience and intellect, one cannot say very much.\n\n\n\n\n Hence philosophy, or at least metaphysics, must be simple in its nature. Otherwise it again becomes simply bad science. And with its simple ideas, it suffices for its function.\n\n\n\n\n The Spheres of Living\n\n\n\n\n What is the function of philosophy? In chapter one I suggested that, according to Chinese philosophical tradition, its function is not the increase of positive knowledge of matters of fact, but the elevation of the mind. Here it would seem well to explain more clearly what I mean by this statement."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In my book, The New Treatise on the Nature of Man, I have observed that man differs from other animals in that when he docs something, he understands what he is doing, and is conscious that he is doing it. It is this understanding and self—consciousness that give significance for him to what he is doing. The various significances that thus attach to his various acts, in their totality, constitute what I call his sphere of living. Different men may do the same things, but according to their different degrees of understanding and self—consciousness, these things may have varying significance to them. Every individual has his own sphere of living, which is not quite the same as that of any other individual. Yet in spite of these individual differences, we can classify the various spheres of living into four general grades. Beginning with the lowest, they are: the innocent sphere, the utilitarian sphere, the 556 CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n moral sphere, and the transcendent sphere."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "moral sphere, and the transcendent sphere.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n A man may simply do what his instinct or the custom of his society leads him to do. Like children and primitive people, he does what he does without being self-conscious or greatly understanding what he is doing. Thus what he does has little significance, if any, for him. His sphere of living is what I call the innocent sphere.\n\n\n\n\n Or man may be aware of himself, and be doing everything for himself. That does not mean that he is necessarily an immoral man. He may do something, the consequences of which are beneficial to others, but his motivation for so doing is self—benefit. Thus everything he does has the significance of utility for himself. His sphere of living is what I call the utilitarian sphere."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yet again a man may come to understand that a society exists, of which he is a member. This society constitutes a whole and he, is a part of that whole. Having this understanding, he does everything for the benefit of the society, or as the Confucianists say, he does everything for the sake of righteousness, and not for the sake of personal profit.\" He is the truly moral man and what he does is moral action in the strict sense of the word. Everything he does has a moral significance. Hence his sphere of living is what I call the moral sphere."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And finally, a man may come to understand that over and above society as a whole, there is the great whole which is the universe. He is not only a member of society, but at the same time a member of the universe. He is a citizen of the social organization, but at the same time a citizen of Heaven, as Mencius says. Having this understanding, he does everything for the benefit of the universe. He understands the significance of what he does and is self—conscious of the fact that he is doing what he does. This understanding and self-consciousness constitute for him a higher sphere of living which I call the transcendent sphere."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Of the four spheres of living, the innocent and the utilitarian are the products of man as he is, while the moral and the transcendent are those of man as he ought to be. The former two are the gifts of nature, while the latter two are the creations of the spirit. The innocent sphere is the lowest, the utilitarian comes next, then the moral, and finally the transcendent. They are so because the innocent sphere requires almost no understanding and self-consciousness, whereas the utilitarian and the moral require more, and the transcendent requires most. The moral sphere is that of moral values, and the transcendent is that of super—moral values.\n\n\n\n\n According to the tradition of Chinese philosophy, the function of philosophy is to help man to achieve the two higher spheres of living, and especial— 558 CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ly the highest. The transcendent sphere may also be called the sphere of philosophy, because it cannot be achieved unless through philosophy one gains some understanding of the universe. But the moral sphere, too, is a product of philosophy. Moral actions are not simply actions that accord with the moral rule, nor is moral man one who simply cultivates certain moral habits. He must act and live with an understanding of the moral principles involved, and it is the business of philosophy to give him this understanding.\n\n\n\n\n To live in the moral sphere of living is to be a hsien or morally perfect man, and to live in the transcendent sphere is to be a sheng or sage. Philosophy teaches the way of how to be a sage. As I pointed out in chapter one, to be a sage is to reach the highest perfection of man as man. This is the noble function of philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Republic, Plato said that the philosopher must be elevated from the \"cave of the sensory world to the world of intellect. If the philosopher is in the world of intellect, he is also in the transcendent sphere of living. Yet the highest achievement of the man living in this sphere is the identification of himself with the universe, and in this identification, he also transcends the intellect."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Previous chapters have already shown us that Chinese philosophy has always tended to stress that the sage need do nothing extraordinary in order to be a sage. He cannot perform miracles, nor need he try to do so. He does nothing more than most people do, but, having high understanding, what he does has a different significance to him. In other words, he does what he does in a state of enlightenment, while other people do what they do in a state of ignorance. As the Ch an monks say: Understanding—this one word is the source of all mysteries. It is the significance which results from this understanding that constitutes his highest sphere of living."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus the Chinese sage is both of this world and the other world, and Chinese philosophy is both thisworldly and other-worldly. With the scientific advancement of the future, I believe that religion with its dogmas and superstitions will give way to science; man s craving for the world beyond, however, will be met by the philosophy of the future—a philosophy which is therefore likely to be both thisworldly and other-worldly. In this respect Chinese philosophy may have something to contribute.\n\n\n\n\n The Methodology of Metaphysics\n\n\n\n\n In my work, A New Treatise on the Methodology of Metaphysics, 1 main-56O CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tain that there are two methods, the positive and the negative. The essence of the positive method is to talk about the object of metaphysics which is the subject of its inquiry; the essence of the negative method is not to talk about it. By so doing, the negative method reveals certain aspects of the nature of that something, namely those aspects that are not susceptible to positive description and analysis."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapter two I have indicated my agreement with Professor Northrop that philosophy in the West started with what he calls the concept by postulation, whereas Chinese philosophy started with what he calls concept by intuition. As a result, Western philosophy has naturally been dominated by the positive method, and Chinese philosophy by the negative one. This is especially true of Taoism, which started and ended with the undifferentiable whole. In the Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, one does not learn what the Too actually is, but only what it is not. But if one knows what it is not, one does get some idea of what it is.\n\n\n\n\n This negative method of Taoism was reinforced by Buddhism, as we have seen. The combination of Taoism and Buddhism resulted in Ch' anism, which I should like to call a philosophy of silence. If one understands and realizes the meaning and significance of silence, one gains something of the object of metaphysics."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the West, Kant may be said to have used the negative method of metaphysics. In his Critique of Pure Reason, he found the unknowable, the noumenon. To Kant and other Western philosophers, because the unknowable is unknowable, one can therefore say nothing about it, and so it is better to abandon metaphysics entirely and stop at epistemology. But to those who are accustomed to the negative method, it is taken for granted that, since the unknowable is unknowable, we should say nothing about it. The business of metaphysics is not to say something about the unknowable, but only to say something about the fact that the unknowable is unknowable. When one knows that the unknowable is unknowable, one does know, after all, something about it. On this point, Kant did a great deal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The great metaphysical systems of all philosophy, whether negative or positive in their methodology, have crowned themselves with mysticism. The negative method is essentially that of mysticism. But even in the cases of Plato, Aristotle, and Spinoza, who used the positive method at its best, the climaxes of their systems are all of a mystical nature. When the philosopher in the Republic beholds and identifies himself with the Idea of the Good, or the philosopher in the Metaphysics with God thinking on thinking, or the philosopher in the Ethics finds himself \"seeing things from the point of view\n\n\n\n\n 562. CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n of eternity\" and enjoying the \"intellectual love of God, what can they do but be silent? Is their state not better described by such phrases as \"not one, \"not many, \"not not-one, not not-many ?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus the two methods do not contradict but rather complement each other. A perfect metaphysical system should start with the positive method and end with the negative one. If it does not end with the negative method, it fails to reach the final climax of philosophy. But if it does not start with the positive method, it lacks the clear thinking that is essential for philosophy. Mysticism is not the opposite of clear thinking, nor is it below it. Rather, it is beyond it. It is not anti-rational; it is super-rational."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the history of Chinese philosophy, the positive method was never fully developed; in fact, it was much neglected. Therefore, Chinese philosophy has lacked clear thinking, which is one of the reasons why it is marked by simplicity. Lacking clear thinking, its simplicity has been quite naive. Its simplicity as such is commendable, but its naivete must be removed through the exercise of clear thinking. Clear thinking is not the end of philosophy, but it is the indispensable discipline that every philosopher needs.\n\n\n\n\n Certainly it is what Chinese philosophers need. On the other hand, the history of Western philosophy has not seen a full development of the negative method. It is the combination of the two that will produce the philosophy of the future."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A Ch an story describes how a certain teacher used to stick out his thumb when he was asked to explain the Buddhist Too. On such occasions, he would simply remain silent, but would display his thumb. Noticing this, his boy attendant began to imitate him. One day the teacher saw him in this act, and quick as lightning chopped off the boy s thumb. The boy ran away crying. The teacher called him to come back, and just as the boy turned his head, the teacher again stuck out his own thumb. Thereupon the boy received Sudden Enlightenment.\n\n\n\n\n Whether this story is true or not, it suggests the truth that before the negative method is used, the philosopher or student of philosophy must pass through the positive method, and before the simplicity of philosophy is reached, he must pass through its complexity.\n\n\n\n\n One must speak very much before one keeps silent.\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n 564 CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n \n Table of Contents\n \n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 1\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 2\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 3\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 4"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "CHAPTER 2\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 3\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 4\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 5\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 6\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 7\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 8\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 9\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 10\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 12\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 13\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 14\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 16\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 17\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 18\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 19\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 20\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 21\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 22\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 23\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 25\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 26\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 27\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER 28"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "China Academic Library\n\n\n\n\nYu-hsiu Ku\n\nHistory of Zen\n\fChina Academic Library\n\n\nAcademic Advisory Board\nResearcher Geng, Yunzhi, Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy\nof Social Sciences, China\nProfessor Han, Zhen, Beijing Foreign Studies University, China\nResearcher Hao, Shiyuan, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology,\nChinese Academy of Social Sciences, China\nProfessor Li, Xueqin, Department of History, Tsinghua University, China\nProfessor Li, Yining, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, China\nResearcher Lu, Xueyi, Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social\nSciences, China\nProfessor Wong, Young-tsu, Department of History, Virginia Polytechnic Institute\nand State University, USA\nProfessor Yu, Keping, Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, China\nProfessor Yue, Daiyun, Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking\nUniversity, China\nZhu, Yinghuang, China Daily Press, China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Series Coordinators\nZitong Wu, Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, China\nYan Li, Springer\n\fMore information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11562\n\fYu-hsiu Ku\n\n\n\n\nHistory of Zen\n\n\n\n\n                 123\n\fYu-hsiu Ku\nBeijing\nChina\n\n\n\n\nYu-hsiu Ku (1902–2002) is deceased.\n\nISSN 2195-1853                            ISSN 2195-1861         (electronic)\nChina Academic Library\nISBN 978-981-10-1129-0                    ISBN 978-981-10-1130-6           (eBook)\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6\n\nJointly published with Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd\nLibrary of Congress Control Number: 2016942514"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nThis work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part\nof the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,\nrecitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission\nor information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar\nmethodology now known or hereafter developed.\nThe use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this\npublication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from\nthe relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.\nThe publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the\nauthors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or\nfor any errors or omissions that may have been made."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Printed on acid-free paper\n\nThis Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature\nThe registered company is Springer Science+Business Media Singapore Pte Ltd.\n\fRespectedly dedicated to:\nWuchi Tashih Shihtou Hsichien\n(Musai Sekitō Zenji, 700–790)\nAnd\nAbbot Hsu Yun\n(Kiun, 1840–1959)\n谨献给\n无际大师石头希迁\n佛慈弘法大师虚云\n\fAcknowledgments"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The author is grateful to Pantheon Books, 201 East 50th Street, New York, N.Y.,\n10022, for kind permission to use excerpts from A History of Zen Buddhism, by\nHeinrich Dumoulin, S. J., translated by Paul Peachey, and Original Teachings of\nCh’an Buddhism: Selected from the Transmission of the Lamp, translated by Chang\nChung-yuan, and The Way of Zen, by Alan W. Watts.\n   The First Zen Institute of America, Inc., 113 East 30th Street, New York, N.Y.,\n10016, has been generous in granting permission to quote passages from The\nDevelopment of Chinese Zen, by Heinrich Dumoulin, S. J., translated with addi-\ntional notes and appendices by Ruth Fuller Sasaki. The Princeton University Press\nhas kindly given permission to reprint certain passages from Zen and Japanese\nCulture by Daisetz T. Suzuki. The author wishes to express his indebtedness and\ngratitude.\n   Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 757 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y., 10017,\nhas kindly written to the author. They foresee no difficulty with the author’s request"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to reprint certain excerpts from Zen Dust by Isshu Miura and Ruth Fuller Sasaki.\nThe author is grateful for such permission.\n   The author is also grateful to Grove Press, Inc., 196 W. Houston St., New York,\nN.Y., 10014, for permission to quote from Essays in Zen Buddhism, by\nD. T. Suzuki; to Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1123 Spruce Street, Boulder,\nColorado 80302, for permission to quote the fourteenth case from The Blue Cliff\nRecord, translated by Thomas and J. C. Cleary; and to Samuel Weiser, Inc., 625\nBroadway, New York, N.Y. 10012, for permission to quote Mr. Christmas\nHumphreys’ Foreword to Living by Zen by D. T. Suzuki.\n   As Zen and Zen Classics by R. H. Blyth has been most helpful to the author,\nbesides the works of Dumoulin, Suzuki, and Ruth Fuller Sasaki, the author has\nrequested permission from The Hokuseido Press, No.12, 3-chome, Nishikicho,\nKanda, Chiyodaku, Tokyo, for quotations from Volumes 2 and 3. The author was\ninformed by The Hokuseido Press that Dr. Frederick Franck had made selections"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "from Blyth’s five volumes and these selections are published as a Vintage Book."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "vii\n\fviii                                                                Acknowledgments"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The author wishes to thank the Random House for permission to use excerpts\nfrom the Selections edited by Frederick Franck and also to thank the Perennial\nLibrary for permission to quote from The Practice of Zen, by Garma C. C. Chang.\n   The author must also acknowledge his indebtedness to:\n   Outlines of Mahayana Buddhism, by D. T. Suzuki, Schocken Books Inc., 1963\n   The Practice of Zen, by Garma C. C. Chang, Perennial Library, 1970\n   The World of Zen, by Nancy Wilson Ross, Vintage Book, 1960\n   The Platform Scripture, translated by Wing-tsit Chan, St. John’s University\nPress, Jamaica, N.Y., 1963\n   The Golden Age of Zen, by John C. H. Wu, Hwa Kang Bookstore, Taipei, 1975\n   Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching, translated by John C. H. Wu, St. John’s University\nPress, Jamaica, N.Y., 1961\n   The Three Pillars of Zen, by Philip Kapleau, Beacon Press, 1967\n   Zen Is Eternal Life, by Jiyu Kennett, Dharma Publishing, Emeryville, California,\n1976\n   Zen-shū Shi, by Reverend Keidō Chisan, Tokyo, 2nd edition, 1974"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sōtō-shū Zensho, published by Sōtō-shū Office, Tokyo, 1976\n   Shen-hui Ho-shan I-chi, compiled and edited by Hu Shih, “Academia Sinica”,\nTaipei, 1970\n   Chung-kuo Ch’an-tsung Shih, by Reverend Yin Shun, Taipei, 1975\n   Meibatsu Chūkoku Bukkyō Kenkyū, by Reverend Sheng Yen, Tokyo, 1975\n   Daishō Shinshū Daizōkyō, published 1924–1934\n   Kinse Zenrin Sōhō Den, Vol. I, by Reverend Doku’en Jōju, 1890, 1973; Vols. II\nand III, by Shōhata Buntei, 1938, 1973.\n   The author is most grateful to Sötō-shū Daihonzan Sōji-ji for supplying the color\nphoto of Musai Sekitō Zenji and to Gold Mountain Temple, San Francisco, for\nsupplying the photo of Abbot Hsu Yun.\n   The author is glad to add the following acknowledgments:\n   (1) In a letter dated September 18, 1978, Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 10 East\n53rd St., New York, gave permission to quote from pages 75–76 in the Practice of\nZen by Garma C. C. Chang (Perennial Library Edition).\n   (2) In a letter dated December 19, 1978, Random House, Inc., Permissions"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Editor Nina Garfinkel gave the author the following answer: “Since you have let us\nknow that you have already obtained permission from the Hokuseido Press in\nTokyo for use of selections from R. H. Blyth’s works, and since they actually\ncontrol publication rights in his texts, we can assure that we have no objection to\nyour including excerpts from our book, in your forthcoming volume.” (Random\nHouse, Inc., is the Publisher of Selections from R. H. Blyth, edited by Frederick\nFranck.)\n\fContents"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1     From Daruma to Gunin . . . . . . . . . . . .             .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .    1\n      Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .    9\n        Buddhas and Patriarchs 七佛天竺祖师 .                        .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .    9\n        Shakyamuni Butsu 释迦摩尼佛. . . . . .                      .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .    9\n      References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   10\n2     The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                         11\n      References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                           22"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3     The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                               23\n      References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                           33\n4     The Rinzai School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                35\n      Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                          44\n5     The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                    45\n6     The Seigen Branch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                 55\n      Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                          64"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "7     The Sōtō School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                               65\n      References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                           77\n8     The Ummon School and The Hōgen School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                                 79\n      Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                          89\n9     The Rinzai School in Japan—Eisai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                         91\n10 The Era of Five Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                         97\n11 The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12 Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117\n   References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131\n13 The Ōbaku School in Japan—Ingen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133\n   Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ix\n\fx                                                                                                                  Contents"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "14 The Sōtō School in Japan—Dōgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141\n15 Keizan and His Disciples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .            .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   149\n   Appendix I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   163\n     Chief Abbots (Kanshu) of Eihei-Ji 永平寺贯首 . . . .                           .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   163\n   Appendix II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   165\n     Chief Abbots (Dokūju) of Sōji-Ji 总持寺独住. . . . .                           .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   165\n   Appendix III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   166\n     Abbots of Kasui-sai (Sōtō School) 可睡斋历代住持                                 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   166"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16 Shinetsu Kōchū and Forty-Six Sects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169\nBibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175\nList of Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179\nIndex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199\n\fIntroduction"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 1976, the author published (in Chinese) History of Chinese Zen Masters 禅宗师\n承记 with eight charts on the dharma lineages. In 1977, the author published\n(in Chinese) History of Japanese Zen Masters 日本禅僧师承记 with twenty-eight\nlineage charts. In the present volume, most of the basic materials are taken from the\ntwo previous volumes. However, in rendering certain passages from Chinese into\nEnglish, it is deemed desirable to utilize many excellent translations that are already\navailable to the English-reading public. Although it is possible to give all personal\nnames in English either according to the Chinese pronunciation or to the Japanese\npronunciation, in the main text, the Japanese pronunciation is preferred for the\nreason that many English-reading readers are already familiar with the Japanese\npronunciation from recent books on Zen.\n   This volume is divided into two parts: each part has eight chapters. Part I is\nconcerned with “History of Zen in China.” Chapter 1 tells the brief story from"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Daruma the First Patriarch to Gunin the Fifth Patriarch. Chapter 2 is concerned with\nEnō the Sixth Patriarch and his disciples. From the First Patriarch to the Sixth\nPatriarch, Zen School had a single line of transmission. After Enō, it must be\npointed out that Zen lineage did not limit itself to a single line of transmission. As\nwas well known, Enō had at least five prominent dharma-heirs, which included\nShen-hui (Jinne), with an Imperial-designated title of the Seventh Patriarch.\n   The two famous branches—Nangaku branch and Seigen branch—are the\nheadings of Chaps. 3 and 6, respectively. Both branches flourished from their\nsecond-generation masters to the present day. Nangaku’s dharma-heir was Baso\n(Matsu), and Seigen’s dharma-heir was Sekitō (Shih-tou), whose body was recently\nenshrined at Sōji-ji, Tsurumi, near Yokohama, Japan.\n   In Chap. 3, the Igyō School, founded by Isan and Kyōzan, was included. Chapter\n4 is concerned with the Rinzai School (in China). Both the Igyō School and the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rinzai School belonged to the “Five Houses,” but only the Rinzai School and the\nSōtō School have flourished both in China and in Japan until the present day. As the\nRinzai School was divided into the Ōryū and Yōgi Sects, Chap. 5 is concerned with\nboth Sects. It can be pointed out that although the Ōryū Sect Masters succeeded in\nthe transmission of the lamp to Eisai, founder of the Rinzai School in Japan, the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "xi\n\fxii                                                                       Introduction"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dharma descendants of the Yōgi Sect were responsible for carrying the torches\nfurther on. Note that Master Kidō, the teacher of Nampo Jōmyō, belonged to the\nYōgi Sect. Ingen Ryūki, who went to Japan in 1654, and became the founder of the\nŌbaku School, also belonged to the Yōgi lineage. There were four famous Chinese\npainters who were monks by the end of the Ming Dynasty. Pa-Ta 朱耷 and Shih-tao\n石涛 (1641–1708) were Zen monks, and Shih-tao’s dharma teacher was Lü-an\nPen-yueh 旅庵本月 (Ryo’an Hongetsu, d. 1676). Ryo’an Hongetsu was a con-\ntemporary of Ingen; both Ryo’an and Ingen were second-generation dharma-heirs\nof Mitsu’un Engo 密云圆悟 (1566–1642).\n    As mentioned before, Chap. 6 is concerned with the Seigen branch, and Seigen’s\ndharma-heir was Sekitō (700–790). Just as Baso’s line led to Rinzai, Sekitō’s line\nled to Tōzan and Sōzan, founders of the Sōtō School. Chapter 7 is concerned with\nthe Sōtō School (in China). Master Nyojō of Tendō became the dharma teacher of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dōgen, who was the founder of the Sōtō School in Japan. Since Dōgen studied\nunder Eisai’s disciple, Myōzen, Dōgen could also be considered as belonging to the\nRinzai School in Japan.\n    The Ummon School and the Hōgen School were included in Chap. 8, the last\nchapter in Part I.\n    Part II is concerned with “History of Zen in Japan.” Chapter 9 starts with Eisai,\nthe founder of the Rinzai School in Japan, after his return from his second trip to\nChina. Chapter 10 is concerned with the Era of the Five Mountains. As the Kenchō-\nji was founded by the Chinese monk Rankei Dōryū and the Engaku-ji was founded\nby the Chinese monk Mugaku Sogen, the close relationship between the Chinese\nZen School and the Japanese temples was evident. Enji Ben’en, Shōichi Kokushi,\nfounder of the Tōfuku-ji, and Mukan Fumon, founder of the Nanzen-ji, were\n“return monks” from China. There were so many Japanese monks who went to seek\nand learn Zen in China that the Chinese influence kept on from Sung to Yuan times."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Of the founders of the forty-six sects in Japanese Zen, sixteen were Chinese\nMasters; fifteen were Japanese Masters who visited Sung-China, and fifteen were\nJapanese Masters who visited Yuan-China.\n    Chapter 11 is concerned with the Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan. Nampo Jōmyō\n(1235–1308), Daiō Kokushi, went to China in 1259 and became the most important\ndisciple of Kidō Chigu (1185–1269). His disciple Shūhō Myōchō (1282–1336),\nDaitō Kokushi, was the founder of Daitoku-ji. Shūhō’s disciple Kanzan Egen\n(1277–1360) was the founder of Myōshin-ji. Both the Daitoku-ji and the\nMyōshin-ji have flourished until the present day. The author accompanied by his\nwife Wei Zing made a special trip to Kyoto in July 1978 to visit the Myōshin-ji.\n    Chapter 12 starts with Hakuin (1685–1768) and traces the Inzan (1751–1814)\nand Takujū (1760–1833) lines to the present day. The Institute for Zen Studies at\nHanazone University, Kyoto, has kindly supplied the author with a big chart tracing"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the lineages from Shōgen Sūgaku 松源崇岳 (1132–1202), Kidō’s dharma grand-\nfather, to the present. So it is gratifying for the author to report the lineages of\nReverend Kajiura Itsugai 梶浦逸外 (1896–1981), the recently retired Chief Abbot,\nand Reverend Yamada Mumon 山田無文 (1900–1988), the present chief Abbot of\n\fIntroduction                                                                    xiii"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Myōshin-ji. (In Chart 14, History of Japanese Zen Masters by the author these two\nlineages can be easily completed.)\n    Chapter 13 is concerned with the Ōbaku School in Japan founded by Ingen\nRyūki.\n    Chapter 14 is concerned with the Sōtō School in Japan. Dōgen Kigen (1200–\n1253), founder of the Sōtō School, may well be “the strongest and most original\nthinker that Japan has so far produced,” according to Father Dumoulin, author of\nA History of Zen Buddhism (English translation by Paul Peachey, Pantheon Books,\n1963).\n    Chapter 15 starts with Keizan Shōkin (1268–1325), the Fourth Patriarch of the\nJapanese Sōtō School, and traces the Gasan Shōseki (1274–1365) and the Myōhō\nSotetsu (1277–1350) lines to the present day. The author and his wife made a\nspecial trip in July 1978 to the Sōtō School’s Daihonzan Sōji-ji at Tsurumi to pay\nhomage at the shrine of Musai Sekito Zenji 无际石头大师 (700–790). The author\nwas fortunate to receive the help of Sōtō-shū Main Office in Tokyo, to obtain"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "important lineages from the newly published Sōtō-shū Zenshō. The author was\nfurther gratified to receive official documents from Sōji-ji concerning the lineages\nof Reverend Iwamoto Shōshun 岩本胜俊, the recently retired Chief Abbot, and\nReverend Ichikawa Kin’ei 乙川瑾映, the present Chief Abbot of Sōji-ji. Mention\nmust be made of the monumental work of Reverend Keidō Chisan 莹堂智灿\n(1879–1967) entitled History of Zen School 禅宗史 in Japanese, first published in\n1919, and its second edition recently published in 1974. This History includes both\nthe History of Zen in China and the History of Zen in Japan.\n    As a child, the author visited the Tien-nin Temple 天宁寺 (Tennei-ji) at\nChangchow (near Wusih) in the company of his grandmother. During the\nSino-Japanese War (1937–1945), the author had the opportunity of meeting with\nAbbot Tai Hsu 太虚 (Taiki) at Tsin-yun Shan 缙云山 (Shin’un Zan). Then, in June\n1941, the author visited the Nan-hua Temple 南华寺 (Nanka-ji) at Shao-kuan, paid"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "homage at the shrine of the Sixth Patriarch, and met with Abbot Hsu Yun 虚云\n(Kiun, 1840–1959), the foremost Zen Master in China. On January 7, 1943, the\nauthor had the good fortune of meeting with Abbot Hsu Yun again at Tzu-yun\nTemple 慈云寺 (Jiun-ji) near Chungking. In the autumn of 1975, the author wrote a\nlong poem commemorating Musai Sekitō Zenji, as his body was enshrined at Sōji-ji\nat Tsurumi, near Yokohama, Japan. In July 1978, the author, accompanied by his\nwife, visited the shrine of Master Shih-tou Hsi-chien (Sekitō) in Japan. So this\nhumble volume is respectfully dedicated to Master Shih-tou (700–790) and Abbot\nHsu Yun (1840–1959), on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the year of the\nhorse (1978), the ninety-fifth birthday of the author’s beloved mother. (A sad note\nmust be added to record the passing of the author’s older brother, Dr. Yo-chi Ku,\nM.D., on August 5, 1978, corresponding to the second day of the seventh month,\nat the age of seventy-eight.)\n\fChapter 1\nFrom Daruma to Gunin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bodhidharma or Daruma was the First Patriarch of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, developed\nin China some 1500 years ago. According to historian Tao-hsuan (Dōsen, 596–667)\nin his Further Biographies of Eminent Monks (645 A.D.), Daruma reached the\nsouthern coast of China from India in 470 A.D., that was, near the end of the Sung\n(Sō) Dynasty (420–479). This Sung Dynasty succeeded the Eastern Tsin (Tō Shin)\nDynasty, which ended in 420, the sixteenth year of the Yi-Hsi (Giki) era. A historical\naccount can also be found in Tao-yuan’s (Dōgen’s) Ching-te Chuan-teng lu (Keitoku\nDentō Roku), compiled in 1004 A.D. We shall refer to this reference as simply the\nLamp Records from now on. Another reference is Lieh-dai Fa-paoChi (Rekidai\nHōbō Ki), which will be referred to as simply the Dharma Records. Both the Lamp\nRecords and the Dharma Records were reproduced in Vol. 51 of the Buddhist\nEncyclopedia (Daishō Daizōkyō). For example, Daruma’s record as given in the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dharma Records appears on pp. 180–181 in Vol. 51, while Daruma’s record as given\nin the Lamp Records appears on pp. 217–220 in Vol. 51 of Daishō Daizōkyō.\n    In 520 A.D., the first year of the Pu-Tung (Futsu) era, Daruma arrived at\nChingling (present Nanking). The ruling King, Wu-ti (r. 502–550), of the Kingdom\nof Liang (or Liang Dynasty) asked Daruma what he had brought from India. Daruma\nanswered: “Not a word.” Liang Wu-ti asked: “I have built many temples, copied\nnumerous Buddhist sutras, and put up many Buddhist images, for the salvation of\nmy people, do I have achieved any merit or virtue?” Daruma answered straight-\nforwardly: “No merit or virtue at all!” The King could not understand and was\napparently offended. So Daruma left the Kingdom of Liang and travelled north to\nenter the Kingdom of Wei.\n    Wei Wen-ti, the King of later Wei, ascended the throne in 471 A.D. and moved\nhis Capital to Lo-yang (Honan Province) in 494 A.D. He built the Shao-lin Temple"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Shōrin-ji) at Sung Shan (Mount Sū) in 496 A.D. and died 3 years after. Wei Wu-ti\nsucceeded to the throne and died in 515 A.D. Wei Ming-ti succeeded to the throne\nin 517 A.D. and built the Yung-ning Temple (Einei-ji), which was destroyed by fire\nin 534 A.D. Daruma did visit the Yung-ning Temple before its destruction. In the\nLo-yang chieh-lan Chi (Rakuyō Garanki), authored by Yang Hsuan-chih"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                        1\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_1\n\f2                                                                       1 From Daruma to Gunin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Yō Genshi) in 547, it was mentioned that when Yang was visiting the Yung-ning\nTemple, he came upon Bodhidharma (Daruma), the monk from the western land\n(India), sitting in quiet admiration before the beauty of the shrines and the pagodas.\nThe old monk (Daruma) said that he was 150 years old and had come from far\naway, traveling over many lands. This account authenticated the appearance of\nDaruma at the temple between 517 and 534.\n   There were three possible dates concerning Daruma’s passing: (1) 528 A.D.,\n(2) 532 A.D., and (3) 536 A.D. It is more probable that Daruma passed away in 532\nA.D., as his disciple and dharma-heir Hui-ke (Eka, 487–593) moved around for\nsome years after the Master’s passing by the Yellow River, before he went to\nNieh-tu, the Capital of the eastern half of the Wei Kingdom (534–537). Dumoulin\nin his A History of Zen Buddhism mentioned that Daruma “died (before 534 A.D.)\nat a ripe age.” (See English translation by Paul Peachey, Pantheon Books, 1963.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Tao-hsuan’s biography of Daruma, and also in the text of Two Entrances and\nFour Acts with a Preface by Tan-lin (Donrin), Daruma mentioned the Two\nEntrances as: (1) the Entrance by Reason (li) and (2) the Entrance by Conduct\n(hsing). According to Tan-lin’s Preface:\n    In the Entrance by Reason, the unity of all living beings in the one true nature is grasped, a\n    nature which cannot fully disclose itself because it is hidden by the dust of external things\n    and by confusing ideas. When one, abandoning the false and embracing the true, in sim-\n    plicity of thought abides in pi-kuan, one finds that there is neither selfhood nor otherness,\n    that the masses and the worthies are of one essence."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tan-lin was one of Daruma’s students, although he was not considered as a Zen\nmaster. The term, pi-kuan, literally “wall-gazing,” was praised by Tao-hsuan as\nDaruma’s greatest achievement in his teaching of Mahayana Buddhism.\nA companion term, chueh-kuan (Kakukan), meaning “vision of enlightenment,” is\nalso to be found in Zen literature. To quote Dumoulin-Peachey in A History of Zen\nBuddhism, p. 71:\n    The calming of the spirit through sudden enlightenment and the understanding of the true\n    Buddha nature is designated in the text (of Two Entrances and Four Acts)as the ‘Entrance\n    by Reason’, while the goal which is attained is called tao.\n\nNote that the Entrance by Conduct consists of the Four Acts. To quote again:\n    In the Entrance by the Four Acts, the general Mahayanist attitudes, based on various\n    passages in the Vimalakirti and the Nirvana Sutras and issuing from the doctrines of the\n    Perfect Virtues (paramita), karma, and the emptiness of all things, are set forth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Chinese text can be found in Abbot Yin-shun’s History of Zen School in China\n(in Chinese), 1971, 1975, pp. 8–13.\n    Hui-ke (Eka) was born in 487 A.D., the eleventh year of the Tai-Ho era under\nthe reign of Wei Wen-ti, and passed away in 593 A.D., the thirteenth year of the\nKai-Huang era under the reign of Sui Wen-ti (first Emperor of Sui Dynasty). Eka\nwas a native of Wu-lao (Burō) in present Honan Province. His father was waiting\nanxiously for a child. One night he became aware that the bedroom was filled with a\nstrange light, and his wife conceived a child. So the new born child was named\n\f1 From Daruma to Gunin                                                                               3"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kuang (Kō), meaning “light.” Later when he was 40 years old, Eka dreamed of a\ndivine giant advising him to go south and then changed his name to Shen-Kuang\n(Jinkō), meaning “divine light.”\n   According to the Dharma Records,” Hui-ke visited Daruma at the age of forty.\nHe stood before the Master while the heavy snow reached his waist. He cut off one\narm in order to show his devotion to seek the Dharma. The Master was impressed\nand accepted him as one of his disciples. After 6 years, he received the sacred\ntransmission as Daruma’s dharma-heir. As the story was told, Hui-ke received his\nMaster’s marrow: Tao-fu (Dōfuku) received his skin, Taoyu (Dōikū) received his\nbones, and Nun Tsung-chih (Ni Sōji) received his flesh. So Hui-ke became the\nSecond Patriarch in the Zen School. Daruma gave Eka the Lankavatara Sutra in 4\nchuan, according to Dōsen’s Further Biographies of Eminent Monks, with the\nwords: “I have observed that in this land of China there is only this sutra. If you"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "depend upon this sutra, you will be able to save the world.” Eka was advised by\nDaruma to be a hermit; accordingly he spent about 40 years in Nee-Shan (Gei-san).\nAfter he found his dharma-heir Seng-tsan (Sōsan), he entered Shi-kung Shan\n(Shikū-san) and pretended to be a lunatic. It was a dangerous undertaking to spread\nthe Dharma of Chan (Zen), and Eka was executed. However, Emperor Wen-ti of\nSui (Zui) Dynasty regretted that an old monk of 107 years of age was thus brutally\ntreated. So Eka was revered as a Bodhisattva, and Buddhism was revived.\n   Eka’s doctrine can be given as follows. (See D.T. Suzuki: Essays in Zen\nBuddhism, First Series, pp. 194–195).\n   The deepest truth lies in the principle of identity. It is due to one’s ignorance that the\n   mani-jewel is taken for a piece of brick, but lo! when one is suddenly awakened to\n   self-enlightenment it is realized that one is in possession of the real jewel. The ignorant and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the enlightened are of one essence, they are not really to be separated. We should know that\n   all things are such as they are. … When we know that between this body and the Buddha\n   there is nothing to separate one from the other, what is the use of seeking after Nirvana (as\n   something external to ourselves)?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 535 A.D., when Seng-tsan (Sōsan) was over 40 years old, he paid his respects\nto Hui-ke and said: “I am diseased; I beg you to cleanse me of my sin.” Hui-ke said:\n“Bring me your sin and I will cleanse you of it.” Seng-tsan thought for a long while,\nbut could not find the sin. Hui-ke then said: “I have cleansed you of your sin. From\nnow on, obey Buddha, Dharma, and Sengha.” Seng-tsan said: “Since I met you,\nI know Sengha, but what are Buddha and Dharma?” Hui-ke said: “Mind is the\nBuddha; Mind is the Dharma; Dharma and Buddha are one, and so is Sengha.”\nSeng-tsan said: “Now I realize that the nature of SIN is neither inside, nor outside,\nnor in between. Just as the Mind, Buddha and Dharma are one.” Hui-ke then\nordained him and gave him the name “SENG-TSAN,” meaning Monk the Brilliant.\nHui-ke warned him that there would be great disaster later. Seng-tsan became a\nhermit at Nee-Kung Shan (Geikū-san) for more than 10 years. He passed away in\n606 A.D., while standing, holding a tree branch in his hand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 592 A.D., the twelfth year of the Kai-Huang era under the reign of Sui Wen-ti,\na young monk of 14 years of age by the name Tao-hsin (Dōshin, 580–651) came to\n\f4                                                                1 From Daruma to Gunin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "salute Seng-tsan, the Third Patriarch, and served under him for 9 years before he\nreceived the ordainment and the transmission.\n   Seng-tsan left an important document to posterity, known as Hsin-hsin-ming\n(Inscribed on the Believing Mind). Dr. D. T. Suzuki made an English translation,\nwhich appeared in his Essays in Zen Buddhism, Series I, pp. 196–201. R. H. Blyth\nin his Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 1 (The Hokuseido Press, 1960, 1974, Tokyo) also\ngave an English translation. We shall compare the two versions as follows:\n    (Suzuki) The Perfect Way knows no difficulties\n             Except that it refuses to make preference:\n             Only when freed from hate and love,\n             It reveals itself fully and without disguise.\n              A tenth of an inch’s difference,\n              And heaven and earth are set apart:\n              If you want to see it manifest,\n              Take no thought for or against it.\n    (Blyth) There is nothing difficult about the Great Way,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But, avoid choosing!\n             Only when you neither love nor hate,\n            Does it appear in all clarity.\n            A hair’s breadth of deviation from it,\n            And a deep gulf is set between heaven and earth.\n            If you want to get hold of what it looks like,\n            Do not be anti-or pro-anything."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There are altogether 146 lines. Let us just compare the last twelve lines:\n    (Suzuki) What is the same with what is not,\n             What is not is the same with what is:\n             Where this state of things fails to obtain,\n             Be sure not to tarry.\n             One in all,\n             All in one—\n             If only this is realized,\n             No more worry about your not being perfect!\n             The believing mind is not divided,\n             And undivided is the believing mind—\n             This is where words fail,\n             For it is not of the past, future, or present.\n    (Blyth) What is, is not;\n            What is not, is.\n            Until you have grasped this fact,\n            Your position is simply untenable.\n            One thing is all things;\n            All things are one thing.\n            If this is so for you,\n            There is no need to worry about perfect knowledge.\n\f1 From Daruma to Gunin                                                                5"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The believing mind is not dual;\n          What is dual is not the believing mind.\n          Beyond all language,\n          For it, there is no past, no present, no future."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These 146 lines were the sources of many dialogues in the future generations.\n    Tao-hsin (Dōshin, 580–651) became the Fourth Patriarch. Contemporary with\nDōshin was the Japanese monk Dōshō (Tao-chao), who was a disciple of Hui-man\n(Eman), Seng-tsan’s dharma brother. In 617 A.D., Tao-hsin (Dōshin) arrived at\nChi-chou (present Kiangsi Province) with his disciples, while the city was under\nsiege by the bandits. A miracle happened such that the bandits retreated at the sight\nof Dōshin’s group, and the city was saved from destruction. In 624 A.D., Dōshin\nmoved to Pu-tou Shan (literally, “Broken-Head Mountain”). The mountain was\nlater known as Shuang-feng Shan (“Double-Peak Mountain”).\n    While visiting Huang-mei (Ōbai) in the present Hupeh Province, Dōshin met a\nchild of extraordinary features. He asked the child’s parents to let the child be a\nmonk under his care. This child was later known as Hung-jen (Gunin). In 643 A.D.,\nEmperor Tai-tsung of the Tang Dynasty wished to summon Master Dōshin to visit"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Capital. For three times, the Master refused the invitation. In the fourth time, the\nEmperor sent word that if the Master could not come, the emissary should bring his\nhead instead. The Master was extremely calm and ready to give up his head. The\nEmperor did order the emissary not to harm the Master and revered him even more\nafter this incident. Dōshin lived to 72 years old. Besides Hung-jen (Gunin), the\nFifth Patriarch, Dōshin had another disciple, Fa-yung (Hōyū, 594–657), founder of\nthe Niu-tou Shan (Gozu-san) School.\n    According to the Lamp Records (see Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 226–228;\nEnglish translation in Professor Chang Chung-yuan’s Original Teachings of Chan\nBuddhism, pp. 17–26), Niu-tou Fa-yung was a native of Yenling in Jun-chou (now\nChinkiang, Kiangsu Province). When he was 19 years old, he was thoroughly\nacquainted with all the Chinese classics. Subsequently, he read the Mahaprajna-\nparamita Sutra and gained a deep understanding of the real void. One day, he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "realized that the prajna doctrine of Buddhism was the ferryboat that takes one to the\nother shore. He shaved his head and went into Mount Mao. Later, he stayed in a\nrock cave in a cliff north of the Yu-hsi Monastery in the Niu-tou Mountain. As the\nlegends went, a hundred birds brought flower offerings to Fa-yung.\n    In the middle of the Chen-Kuan era (627–649) of the Tang Dynasty, the Fourth\nPatriarch, Tao-hsin, observed the Niu-tou Mountain from a distance and conjec-\ntured that some outstanding Buddhist must be living there. Therefore, Tao-hsin\nwent to the mountain and searched for him. On his arrival he saw Fa-yung sitting,\nquiet and self-possessed, paying no attention to his visitor.\n   The Patriarch asked him: “What are you doing here?”\n   “I am contemplating Mind.”\n   “Who is he that contemplates and what is the Mind that is contemplated?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fa-yung did not answer, but immediately stood up and made a deep bow. …\n\f6                                                                       1 From Daruma to Gunin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Fourth Patriarch expounded thus:\n    All systems of Buddhist teaching center in Mind, where immeasurable treasures originate.\n    All its supernatural faculties and their transformations revealed in discipline, meditation,\n    and wisdom are sufficiently contained in one’s mind and they never depart therefrom. All\n    the hindrances to the attainment of bodhi which arise from passions that generate karma are\n    originally non-existent. Every cause and effect is but a dream. There is no Triple World\n    which one leaves, and no bodhi to search for. The inner reality and outer appearance of man\n    and a thousand things are identical. The Great Tao is formless and boundless. It is free from\n    thought and anxiety. You have now understood this Buddhist teaching. There is nothing\n    lacking in you, and you yourself are no different from Buddha. There is no way of\n    achieving Buddhahood other than letting your mind be free to be itself. You should not"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "contemplate nor should you purify your mind. Let there be no craving and hatred, and have\n    no anxiety or fear. Be boundless and absolutely free from all conditions. Be free to go in\n    any direction you like. Do not act to do good, nor to pursue evil. Whether you walk or stay,\n    sit or lie down, and whatever you see happen to you, all are the wonderful activity of the\n    Great Enlightened One. It is all joy, free from anxiety—it is called Buddha.\n   Hung-jen (Gunin, 602–675) was only 7 years old, when Dōshin adopted him as\nhis protege. For 30 years, he never left the Fourth Patriarch. He was eight feet\n(Chinese measure) tall and had extraordinary features. He was the founder of\nTung-Chan Temple (Tōzen-ji) at Huang-mei, Hupeh Province. The time had finally\ncome for a full proclamation of Chan (Zen). So the Fifth Patriarch was the first to\npreach openly and give lessons to his five hundred pupils.\n   Hung-jen (Gunin) had many promising disciples, among them were Shen-hsiu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Jinshū, d. 706), Hui-neng (Enō, 638–713), and Chih-sien (Chisen, 609–702).\nShen-hsiu (Jinshū) was very brilliant, and he was Chief Priest at the Tung-Chan\nTemple. Later he became the founder of the Northern School. Hui-neng (Enō) was a\nkitchen aide and came from the Canton region. A well-known anecdote told the\nunusual story that both Shen-hsiu and Hui-neng submitted gāthās to the Fifth\nPatriarch, who would decide the dharma-heir based upon the understanding of basic\nideas revealed in these gāthās. Shen-hsiu’s gāthā was written on the wall of the\nMeditation Hall. The English translations are as follows:\n     (Suzuki) This body is the Bodhi-tree,\n              The soul is like a mirror bright;\n              Take heed to keep it always clean,\n              And let not dust collect on it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(A.W. Watts) The body is the Bodhi Tree;\n             The mind like a bright mirror standing.\n             Take care to wipe it all the time,\n             And allow no dust to cling.\n\nHui-neng submitted his gāthā and asked somebody who could write to write it on\nthe wall. The English translations follow:\n     (Suzuki) The Bodhi is not like the tree,\n              The mirror bright is nowhere shining;\n              As there is nothing from the first,\n              Where can the dust itself collect?\n\f1 From Daruma to Gunin                                                            7\n\n(A.W. Watts) There never was a Bodhi Tree,\n             Nor bright mirror standing.\n             Fundamentally, not one thing exits,\n             So where is the dust to cling?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thereby the Fifth Patriarch secretly chose Hui-neng (Enō) to be the Sixth Patriarch.\nHui-neng was advised by Hung-jen to leave Huang-mei, and go south. The story\nwill be told in Chap. 2. Hui-neng (Enō) was noted for his Platform Scriptures, an\nEnglish translation was recently made by Professor Wing-tsit Chan and published\nby St. John’s University, Jamaica, N.Y. Professor Chan’s translations of the two\ngāthās will be given in Chap. 2.\n   Shen-hsiu (Jinshū) had two able disciples: Pu-chi (Fujaku, 651–739) and Yi-fu\n(Gifuku, 658–736). Pu-chi’s disciple, Tao-hsuan (Dōsen, 702–760), went to Japan.\nDōsen’s disciple, Hsing-piao (Gyōhyō, 722–797), was the teacher of Saichō (767–\n822), who visited China and went back to Japan to become the founder of the\nTendai School in Japan. While in China, Saichō studied under Yu-lao Hsiao-jan\n(Gyokurō Kyūnen), who was Ma-tsu Tao-i’s (Baso Dōitsu’s) disciple. While\nTao-hsuan (Dōsen) brought to Japan the Zen teachings of the Northern School,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Saichō was able to bring back the Zen teachings of the Sixth Patriarch. Saichō also\nvisited many masters of the Tien-tai (Tendai) School in China. The Tien-tai School\n(in China) considered Nagarjuna as its First Patriarch. The Ninth Patriarch was\nChing-chi Chan-jan (Keikei Tannen, 711–782). Keikei’s disciple was Tao-sui\n(Dōsui), and Saichō became Dōsui’s disciple. After Saichō went back to Japan, he\nbecame the founder of the Tendai School in Japan. However, out of respect for his\nChinese teacher, the official honorary founder of the Japanese Tendai School was\nDōsui.\n   Going back to the Niu-tou Shan School, the lineage was given below:\n(1)   Fa-yung (Hōyū, 594–657);\n(2)   Chih-yen (Chigen, 600–677);\n(3)   Hui-fang (E’hō, 629–695);\n(4)   Fa-chih (Hōji, 635–702);\n(5)   Chih-wei (Chii, 646–722);\n(6)   Hui-chung (Echū, 683–769).\n   Hui-chung’s dharma brother was Hsuan-su (Genso), whose disciple was\nChing-shan Tao-chin (Keizan Dōkin, 714–792)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ching-shan Tao-chin (Keizan Dōkin, 714–792).\n   Besides Shen-hsiu and Hui-neng, the Fifth Patriarch (Gunin) had another dis-\nciple: Chih-sien (Chisen, 609–702), whose dharma-heirs were successively:\n(1) Chu-chi (Shojaku, 665–732)\n(2) Wu-hsiang (Musō, 684–762)\n(3) Wu-ji (Muju, 714–774)\n   The Sixth Patriarch and his disciples will be the subject of Chap. 2.\n\f8                                                           1 From Daruma to Gunin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To conclude this chapter, the posthumously bestowed honorary titles of the first\nSix Patriarchs in the Chinese Zen School will be given:\nBodhidarma (Daruma) - Yuan-Chueh Ta-Shih\n(Engaku Daishi) bestowed by Dai Tsung (r. 763–779) of Tang Dynasty\nHui-Ke (Eka, 487–593) - Ta-Tsu Ta-Shih (Daiso Daishi) bestowed by Te Tsung\n(r. 780–804) of Tang Dynasty\nSeng-Tsan (Sōsan, d. 606) - Chien-Chih Ta-Shih (Kanchi Daishi)\nbestowed by Hsuan Tsung (r. 713–755) of Tang Dynasty\nTao-Hsin (Dōshin, 580–651) - Ta-I Chan-Shih (Dai-i Zenshi)\nbestowed by Dai Tsung (r. 763–779) of Tang Dynasty\nHung-Jen (Gunin, 602–675) - Ta-Man Chan-Shih (Daiman Zenshi)\nbestowed by Dai Tsung (r. 763–779) of Tang Dynasty\nHui-Neng (Enō, 638–713) - Ta-Chien Chan-Shih (Daikan Zenshi)\nbestowed by Hsien Tsung (r. 806–820) of Tang Dynasty\n    Note that Emperor Hsuan-tsung (Gensō), who reigned 713–755, was the first\nTang Emperor who bestowed a posthumous honorary title to a Zen Patriarch, who"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "was the Third Patriarch Seng-tsan. Emperor Dai-tsung (Daisō), who reigned 763–\n779, bestowed posthumous honorary titles on Bodhidharma (Daruma), the First\nPatriarch, Tao-hsin (Dōshin), the Fourth Patriarch, and Hung-jen, (Gunin), the Fifth\nPatriarch. According to Dr. Hu Shih, in his Biography of Shen-hui, p. 72, it was in\nthe first year of the Chien-yuan (Kengen) era, i.e., 758 A.D., under the reign of\nShu-tsung (Shukusō, r. 756–762) that General Kuo Tzu-i recommended to the\nEmperor Shu-tsung to bestow an honorary title to the First Patriarch, probably at the\nrequest of Shen-hui, the able disciple of Enō, the Sixth Patriarch. However, it was\nnot until the reign of Dai-tsung (Daisō, r. 763–779) that Bodhidharma received the\ntitle of Yuan-chueh (Engaku) Ta-shih, meaning “Perfect Enlightenment.” The\nSecond Patriarch, Hui-ke (Eka, 487–593), received the posthumous honorary title,\nTa-tsu (Daiso) Ta-shih, meaning “Great Founder.” The Third Patriarch’s posthu-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mous honorary title, Chien-chih (Kanchi) Ta-shih, bestowed by Hsuan-tsung,\nmeant “Mirror Wisdom.” From Tao-hsin (Dōshin) to Hui-neng (Enō), the honorary\ntitles were designated Chan-shih (Zenshi) instead of Ta-shih (Daishi). The Fourth\nPatriarch’s title Ta-i Chan-shih (Daii Zenshi) meant “Great Healing,” while the\nFifth Patriarch’s title Ta-man Chan-shih (Daiman Zenshi) meant “Great\nFulfillment.” The Sixth Patriarch posthumous honorary title, bestowed by Emperor\nHsien-tsung (Kensō, r. 806–820), Ta-chien (Daikan) Chan-shih, meant “Great\nMirror.”\n    According to the Biography of Shen-hui by Kuei-feng Tsung-mi (Keihō\nShūmitsu, 780–841), Shen-hui (Jinne, 670–762) received the posthumous honorary\ntitle of Cheng-tsung Ta-shih (Shinsō Daishi) in 770 A.D., the fifth year of the\nTa-lieh (Daireki) era under the reign of Dai-tsung (Daisō, r. 763–779). Then in 796\nA.D., the twelfth year of the Chen-yuan (Teigen) era, under the reign of Te-tsung"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Tokusō), Shen-hui was bestowed the title of the Seventh Patriarch by the Emperor.\nNote that by declaring Shen-hui (Jinne) as the Seventh Patriarch, the Sixth Patriarch\n\f1 From Daruma to Gunin                                                         9"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in the Chinese Zen School was definitely his dharma-teacher, Hui-neng (Enō). As it\nwas mentioned before, Hui-neng (Enō) did not get his posthumous honorary title\nuntil Emperor Hsien-tsung (Kensō, r. 806–820) came to the throne.\n    The list of Buddhas and Patriarchs in India was taken from the Lamp Records\n(Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 202–220. See Appendix). The Japanese pronun-\nciations were based on Rōshi Jiyu Kennett’s Zen is Eternal Life, p. 284, and also\nsupplied by Reverend John Daishin Buksbazen, Vice President for Education, Zen\nCenter of Los Angeles.\n\n\n\nAppendix\n\nBuddhas and Patriarchs 七佛天竺祖师\n\n(1)    Bibashi Butsu 毗婆尸佛\n(2)    Shiki Butsu 试诘佛 (尸弃佛)\n(3)    Bishafu Butsu 毗舍浮佛\n(4)    Kuruson Butsu 拘留孙佛\n(5)    Kunagonmuni Butsu 拘那含牟尼佛\n(6)    Kashō Butsu 迦叶佛\n\n\n\nShakyamuni Butsu 释迦摩尼佛"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shakyamuni Butsu 释迦摩尼佛\n\n (1)   Makakashō 摩诃迦叶\n (2)   Ananda 阿难陀\n (3)   Shōnawashu 商那和修\n (4)   Ubakikuta 优婆毱多\n (5)   Daitaka 提多迦\n (6)   Mishaka 弥遮迦\n (7)   Bashumitsu 婆须蜜\n (8)   Butsudanandai 佛陀难提\n (9)   Fudamitta 伏驮蜜多\n(10)   Barishiba 婆栗湿缚 (胁尊者)\n(11)   Funayasha 富那夜奢\n(12)   Anabotei 阿难菩底 (马鸣大士)\n(13)   Kabimora 迦毗摩罗\n(14)   Nagyaharajuna 那迦阏刺树那 (龙树大士)\n(15)   Kanadaiba 迦那提婆\n(16)   Ragorata 罗侯罗多\n(17)   Sōgyanandai 僧迦难提\n(18)   Kayashata 伽耶舍多\n\f10                                                                1 From Daruma to Gunin\n\n(19)   Kumorata 鸠摩罗多\n(20)   Shayata 阇夜多\n(21)   Bashubanzu 婆修盘头\n(22)   Man’ura 摩拏罗\n(23)   Kakurokuna 鹤勒那\n(24)   Shishibodai 师子菩提 (师子尊者)\n(25)   Bashashita 婆舍斯多\n(26)   Funyomitta 不如蜜多\n(27)   Hannyatara 般若多罗\n(28)   Bodaidaruma 菩提达摩\n\n\n\nReferences\n\nBlyth, R. H. (1960–1974) Zen and Zen classics (Vols. I–V). Tokyo: The Hokuseido Press.\nPeachey, P. (1963). A History of Zen Buddhism (Heinrich, D. S. J. Trans.). New York: Pantheon\n   Books.\n\fChapter 2\nThe Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hui-neng (Enō, 638–713) was the Sixth Patriarch of the Zen School. His family\nname was Lu. His ancestors resided in Fan-yang, southwest of present Peking. In\nthe middle of Wu-te era (618–626), his father was demoted from office and ban-\nished to Hsin-chou, the present Hsin-hsing District in southwestern Kwangtung\nProvince. He lost his father when Hui-neng was 3 years old. The family was poor,\nand he peddled firewood in the city. One day when he was 20 years old, he heard a\ntraveler who recited the Diamond Sutra. He was told that the Fifth Patriarch Master\nHung-jen (Gunin) of Huang-mei (Hupeh Province) was expounding the Diamond\nSutra. Hui-neng was greatly impressed and asked his mother’s permission to seek\nthe dharma (law) some five hundred miles to the north. Arriving at Shao-chou on\nhis northward trip, he met Liu Chih-lioh, whose aunt was a nun, by the name\nWu-chin-tsang (Mujinzō). The nun read Nirvana Sutra to Hui-neng and explained"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "its meaning. Hui-neng did not know the words, but was interested in the meaning.\nThe nun said: “You do not recognize the words, how can you understand the\nmeaning?” Hui-neng said: “The essence of Buddhism does not depend on words.”\nThe nun was surprised, but she spread the word that Hui-neng is a man of Tao and\nhe should be treated with respect. The country people repaired the old Paolin\n(Hōrin) Temple and requested Hui-neng to reside there. One day Hui-neng realized\nthat he should not stop in midway and started his journey north again the next day.\nAt Lo-Chang he met Chih-yuan (Chi’on), a Ch’an (Zen) Master. Master Chih-yuan\ntold him that Bodhidharma of India transmitted his mind-seal to Huang-mei\n(meaning Hung-jen) and he should go to Master Hung-jen at Tung-ch’an Temple\n(Tōzen-ji). Hui-neng arrived at Huang-mei around 660 A.D. and left Huang-mei in\n661 A.D.\n    According to Lieh-dai Fa-Pao Chi (Rekidai Hōbō Ki, reprinted in Daishō"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 182), Hui-neng arrived at Huang-mei (Ōbai) when he was\ntwenty-two years old. When he first paid his respects to Master Hung-jen (Gunin),\nHung-jen asked him: “Where do you come from?” Hui-neng answered: “I came\nfrom Hsin-chou, and I wish to be Buddha.” Hung-jen said: “Hsin-chou is a place for"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                    11\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_2\n\f12                                                         2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "barbarians.” Hui-neng said: “Although I am a barbarian, but can my Buddha-nature\nbe different from the Master’s?” Hung-jen was greatly impressed, but assigned\nHui-neng to work in the mill for the next 8 months.\n   Then, we come to the account of Hung-jen’s transmission of the Lamp as given\nin Hui-neng’s Platform Sutra (See Professor Wing-tsit Chan’s translation, “The\nPlatform Scripture”, St. John’s University Press, Jamaica, N.Y., 1963, pp. 31–43).\n     One day the Fifth Patriarch suddenly called his disciples to come to him. When the\n     disciples had already assembled, the Fifth Patriarch said: “Let me say this to you: life and\n     death are serious matters. You disciples are engaged all day in making offerings, going after\n     fields of blessings only, and you make no effort to achieve freedom from the bitter sea of\n     life and death. If you are deluded in your own nature, how can blessings save you? Go to\n     your rooms, all of you, and think for yourselves. Those who possess wisdom use the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "wisdom (prajna) inherent in their nature. Each of you must write a verse and present it to\n     me. After I see the verses, I will give the robe and the Law (Dharma) to the one who\n     understands the basic idea and will appoint him to be the Sixth Patriarch. Hurry, hurry!”\n     Head Monk Shen-hsiu (Jinshū, d. 706) thought, “These people would not present verses to\n     show their minds because I am an instructor. If I do not present a verse to show my mind,\n     how can the Fifth Patriarch see whether my understanding is shallow or deep? I shall\n     present the verse of my heart (mind) to the Fifth Patriarch to show him my ideas. … If I do\n     not present a verse to manifest my mind, I shall never acquire the Law.” He thought for a\n     long time but found it an extremely difficult matter. He then waited until midnight, and\n     without allowing anyone to see him, went to the wall of the southern corridor and wrote a\n     verse to manifest what was in his mind, thus wishing to seek the Law. …"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At midnight, Head Monk Shen-hsiu, holding a candle, wrote a verse on the wall of the\n     south corridor, without anyone knowing about it, which said:\n        The body is the tree of perfect wisdom (bodhi).\n        The mind is the stand of a bright mirror.\n        At all times diligently wipe it.\n        Do not allow it to become dusty.\n     … Suddenly the Fifth Patriarch saw the verse. After reading it, he said to the court artist, “I\n     will give you thirty thousand cash and will be much obliged to you for your coming from\n     afar. But we will not paint the transfigurations. The Diamond Scripture says, ‘All characters\n     are unreal and imaginary.’ It is better to keep this verse and let deluded people read it. If\n     people practice according to it, they will not fall into the Three Evil Stages. People who\n     practice according to the Law will enjoy great benefits.”\n     Thereupon the Fifth Patriarch called Head Monk Shen-hsiu into the hall and asked, “Was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "this verse written by you? If you wrote it, you should receive the Law.”\n     Head Monk Shen-hsiu said, “Please pardon me. In fact, I did write it. Yes I dare not seek\n     the position of the patriarch. I hope your Holiness will be compassionate and see if your\n     disciple possess a small amount of wisdom and understand the basic idea.”\n     The Fifth Patriarch said, “The verse you wrote shows some but not complete understanding.\n     You have arrived at the front door but you have not yet entered it. Ordinary people, by\n     practicing in accordance with your verse, will not fail. But it is futile to seek the supreme\n     perfect wisdom while holding to such a view. One must enter the door and see his own\n     nature. Go away and come back after thinking a day or two. Write another verse and\n     present it to me. If then you have entered the door and have seen your own nature, I will\n     give you the robe and the Law.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "give you the robe and the Law.”\n\f2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples                                                          13"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the boy led me (Hui-neng) to the south corridor, I immediately paid reverence to the\n   verse. As I did not know how to read, I asked someone to read it to me. After I heard it, I\n   immediately understood the basic idea. I also composed a verse and asked a person who\n   could read to write it on the wall of the western corridor to manifest what was in my own\n   mind. It is useless to study the Law if one does not understand his own mind. Once a person\n   understands his own mind and sees his own nature, he will immediately understand the\n   basic idea. My verse says:\n      Fundamentally perfect wisdom has no tree.\n      Nor has the bright mirror any stand.\n      Buddha-nature is forever clear and pure.\n      Where is there any dust?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Another verse was recorded in the Platform Scriptures, but it is not important.)\n   The Fifth Patriarch suddenly realized that I (Hui-neng) alone had the good knowledge and\n   understanding of the basic idea but he was afraid lest the rest learn it. He therefore told\n   them, “He does not understand perfectly after all.”\n   The Fifth Patriarch waited till midnight, called me (Hui-neng) to come to the hall, and\n   expounded the Diamond Scripture. As soon as I heard this, I understood. That night the\n   Law (Dharma) was imparted to me without anyone knowing it, and thus the method of\n   sudden enlightenment and the robe were transmitted to me.\n   The Fifth Patriarch said to Hui-neng: “You are now the Sixth Patriarch. This robe is the\n   testimony of transmission from generation to generation. As to the Law (Dharma), it is to\n   be transmitted from mind to mind. Let people achieve enlightenment through their own\n   effort.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Lieh-dai Fa-pao Chi (Rekidai Hōbō Ki), it took three days and\nthree nights for the secret transmission of the Law. The Master advised Hui-neng to\nleave Huang-mei, cross the Yangtze River, and go south. After 3 days, the Fifth\nPatriarch told the disciples that the Buddha-Law had gone to Ling-nan. When the\ndisciples asked who is at Ling-nan, Fa-ju (Hōnyo) replied: “It is Hui-neng.” As the\nstory was told, one military officer, by the name of Hui-ming, on hearing this,\nchased Hui-neng to Ta-yu-ling. Hui-neng was scared and was ready to give up the\nrobe. Hui-ming said: “I do not come for the robe. Please tell me what has the Fifth\nPatriarch instructed you upon your departure.” Hui-neng then gave Hui-ming some\ninstructions concerning the Law of the mind and the direct seeking into one’s\nnature.\n    Returning to the Lamp Records, the Fifth Patriarch ordered Hui-neng to be a\nhermit in the Ssu-hui and Huai-chi Districts in south China. So Hui-neng moved"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "about quietly and preached in these districts for the next sixteen years. (Hui-neng\nleft Huang-mei in 661 A.D. and reached Canton in 676 A.D.)\n    In the first year of the Yi-feng era (676), Hui-neng met Yin-tsung (Inshū), an\nexpert on the Nirvana Scripture, in the Fa-hsing Temple (Hōsei-ji) at Canton. One\nday when Yin-tsung was lecturing, a banner was streaming in the wind. A dispute\narose between two monks, one insisting that the wind was moving and the other,\n\f14                                                     2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the banner was moving. Hui-neng said to them: “Neither the wind nor the banner\nmoves; what moves is your mind.” Yin-tsung, overwhelmed by Hui-neng’s pro-\nfound insight, wanted to become his disciple. On the fifteenth day of the first month\n(677 A.D.), Yin-tsung shaved Hui-neng’s head, and on the eighth day of the second\nmonth Law Master Chih-kuang (Chikō) ordained Hui-neng.\n    Exactly 1 year later, he was invited to go back to the Pao-lin Temple. The\nprefect of Shao-chou, Wei Chu, invited him to preach in the Ta-fan Temple\n(Daibon-ji). In this lecture, he emphatically declared that all people possess the\nBuddha-nature and that one’s nature is originally pure. If one puts his self-nature\ninto practice, he will be equal to Buddha. Instead of taking refuge in the Buddha\noutside, one should take refuge in the nature within him, for all Buddhas, all\nDharmas, and all scriptures are immanent in it.\n    The Sixth Patriarch resided at Shao-chou for 40 years. He entered nirvana in 713"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "at the age of seventy-six. Posthumously he was honored by the title Ta-chien\nChan-shih (Daikan Zenji), the Zen Master of “Great Mirror.”\n    Father Heinrich Dumoulin, S. J., studied the famous kōan collection Mumonkan,\nwhich reflected the history of Zen Buddhism in China during a span of nearly five\ncenturies. He then wrote a summary of the history of Chinese Zen Buddhism in\nGerman and published it in Monumenta Series (Vol. VI, 1941, pp. 40–72). Later\nMrs. Ruth Fuller Sasaki translated it into English and published it with her anno-\ntations and indices as The Development of Chinese Zen after the Sixth Patriarch in\nthe Light of Mumonkan, New York, 1953. On Mrs. Ruth Fuller Sasaki’s suggestion,\nDumoulin wrote A History of Zen Buddhism in German in 1959. This was trans-\nlated into English by Paul Peachey and published in New York by Pantheon Books\nin 1963. The first four chapters dealt with: (1) The Mystical Element in Early\nBuddhism and Hinayana; (2) Mysticism Within Mahayana; (3) The Mahayana"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sutras and Zen; and (4) The Anticipation of Zen in Chinese Buddhism. It is highly\nrecommended that the reader read Dumoulin-Peachey’s A History of Zen Buddhism,\nespecially the first four chapters, before he goes into the present book.\n    Dumoulin-Peachey’s Chap. 5 is entitled: Zen Patriarchs of the Early Period. The\nmaterial covered is comparable to Chap. 1 of this book. Their Chap. 6 is entitled:\nThe High Period of Chinese Zen. The material covered is comparable to this\nchapter, starting from the Sixth Patriarch. To quote from Dumoulin-Peachey:\nA History of Zen Buddhism, p. 94:\n     The philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism must be regarded as the first source of the\n     metaphysical conception of Hui-neng. One can detect in the expression and development of\n     his thought much of the legacy of China. When, for example, Hui-neng employs the\n     conceptual scheme of substance and function in order to elucidate the relationship of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "contemplation (samadhi) and wisdom (prajna), he actually pours Buddhist content into\n     Chinese molds. Likewise, he speaks of the Dharma-world in much the same way that the\n     Taosits speak of the universe. Nonetheless his cosmology stays within the Buddhist\n     framework. The combination of the concepts of self-nature (svabhava), Buddha-nature,\n\f2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples                                                           15"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and Buddha-knowledge is anticipated in the great Mahayana sutras. Therefore it is difficult\n   to point to anything completely new in Hui-neng’s teaching. And yet, even though the\n   various elements of his proclamation existed beforehand, we can recognize his originality,\n   the originality not of a thinker but of a mystic. Just as Meister Eckhart drew his teachings\n   from scholastic philosophy, the Fathers of the Church, and Neo-Platonism, and formulated\n   them anew in his mysticism, so Hui-neng assimilated in his personal experience the\n   Mahayanist metaphysics, enriched by Taoist influence, and proclaimed this message with\n   the fervor of an evangelist.\n   Hui-neng and his sect have not the remotest interest in a philosophical elaboration of the\n   contents of enlightenment. For them, everything depends on the liberating experience. The\n   realization of enlightenment brings final liberation. This liberation is experienced imme-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "diately, as “a person feels both warm and cold when he drinks water.” Words are of no\n   avail."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From Alan W. Watts: The Way of Zen, page 88, we can summarize the essence of\nCh’an or Zen School of Buddhism by the following criteria: (1) Outside teachings,\napart from tradition; (2) Not founded on words and letters; (3) Pointing directly to\nthe human mind; (4) Seeing into one’s nature and attaining Buddhahood.\n   Among Hui-neng’s dharma-heirs, at least FIVE were prominent: (1) Ho-tse\nShen-hui (Kataku Jinne, 670–762); (2) Nan-yang Hui-chung (Nan’yō Echū, d.\n775); (3) Yung-chia Hsuan-chueh (Yōka Genkaku, 665–713); (4) Nan-yueh\nHuai-jang (Nangaku Ejō, 677–744); and (5) Ching-yuan Hsing-ssu (Seigen Gyōshi,\nd. 740).\n   Shen-hui (Jinne) was born in 670 A.D. According to Dr. Hu Shih, author of\nBiography of Shen-hui, Shen-hui passed away in 762 A.D. at the age of ninety-two.\nShen-hui fought the critical battle between the so-called Northern and Southern\nSchools and won, and thus established Hui-neng (Enō) as the Sixth Patriarch\n(Rokuso)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Rokuso).\n   There was one reference that the Emperor Te-tsung (Tokusō) in the twelfth year\nof the Chen-yuan (Teigen) era betsowed upon Shen-hui the title of the Seventh\nPatriarch. This corresponded to 796 A.D. See Hu Shih: Biography of Shen-hui,\npp. 70–71. However, this honor was not so important in Zen Buddhist history. The\nHo-tse (Kataku) branch had a fourth-generation dharma heir, Kuei-feng Tsung-mi\n(Keihō Shūmitsu, 780–841), who was revered as the Fifth Patriarch of the Hua-yen\n(Kegon) School in China. The lineage can be given below:\n(1) Ho-tse Shen-hui (670–762) 荷泽神会\n    (Kataku Jinne)\n(2) Tzu-chou Chih-ju (749–834) 磁州智如\n    (Jishū Chijo)\n(3) I-chou Nan-yin 益州南印\n    (Ekishū Nan’in)\n(4) Sui-chou Tao-yuan 遂州道圆\n    (Suishū Dōen)\n(5) Kuei-feng Tsung-mi 圭峰宗密\n    (Keihō Shūmitsu)\n\f16                                                      2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The lineage of Hua-yen School can be given as follows:\n(1) Fa-shun (557–640) 法顺\n    (Hōjun)\n(2) Yun-hua Chih-yen (602–668) 云华智俨\n    (Unka Chigen)\n(3) Hsien-shou Fa-tsang (643–712) 贤首法藏\n    (Kenshu Hōzō)\n(4) Ching-liang Cheng-kuan (738–839) 清凉澄观\n    (Seiryō Chōkan)\n(5) Kuei-feng Tsung-mi (780–841) 圭峰宗密\n    (Keihō Shūmitsu)\n(6) Chang-shui Tzu-hsuan (965–1038) 长水子璇\n    (Chōsui Shisen)\nThere was another connection between Shen-hui and Ching-liang Cheng-kuan.\nShen-hui had another disciple Wu-tai Wu-min 五台无名 (Godai Mumyō, 722–\n793), who was also Cheng-kuan’s teacher. Note that I-chou Nan-yin had another\ndisciple Tung-king Shen-chao (Tōkyō Jinshō, 776–838).\n    A recent Chinese Zen master, Hsu Yun 虚云 (Kiun, 1840–1959), gave a sermon\nat the Jade Buddha Monastery (Gyoku-Butsu-ji) in Shanghai:\n     Once the Seventh Patriarch, Shen-hui, asked the Sixth Patriarch, Hui-neng (Enō), ‘Through\n     what practice should one work that one may not fall into a category?’ The Sixth Patriarch"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "replied, “What have you been doing?” Shenhui (Jinne) answered, “I do not even practice\n     the Holy Truth!” “In that case, to what category do you belong?”, said the Master.\n     Shen-hui: ‘Even the Holy Truth does not exist, so how can there be any category?’ Hearing\n     this answer, the Sixth Patriarch was impressed by Shen-hui’s understanding. (See The\n     Practice of Zen, by Garma C. C. Chang, pp. 75–76)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From the above passage, we learned that Abbot Hsu Yun (Kiun, 1840–1959), who\nlived to 120 years, not only recognized Shen-hui (Jinne) as the Seventh Patriarch,\nbut also quoted the conversation between Hui-neng and Shen-hui as a good lesson\nfor the students of Zen.\n    Nan-yang Hui-chung (Nan’yō Echū, d. 775) 南阳慧忠 lived very long and was\nrevered by many masters. He was National Teacher (Kokushi), because both\nEmperors Shu-tsung (r. 756–762) and Dai-tsung (r. 763–779) were his disciples. He\npassed away in the tenth year of the Ta-lieh (Daireki) era under the reign of\nEmperor Dai-tsung.\n    Yung-chia Hsuan-chueh (Yōka Genkaku, 665-713) 永嘉玄觉 studied in the\nTien-tai School under its Seventh Patriarch Tien-kung Hui-wei (Tenkū E’i) with\nTsu-chi Hsuan-lang (Sakei Genrō, 673–754), who later became the Eighth Patriarch\nin the Tien-tai (Tendai) School. Tsu-chi (Sakei) encouraged Yung-chia (Yōka) to\npay homage to Hui-neng of Tsao-hsi (Sōkei) at Shao-chou (now Kwangtung"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Province). He was known as Chen-chueh Ta-shih (Shinkaku Daishi). He left pos-\nterity with his “Cheng-tao-ke” (“Shōdōka”). The following lines were taken from\nR. H. Blyth: Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 1, page 107:\n\f2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples                                                                17"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The really wise man, always at ease, unmoved.\n      He does not get rid of illusion, nor does he seek for the truth.\n      Ignorance is intrinsically the Buddha nature.\n      Our illusory unreal body is the cosmic body.\n      …\n      From the time I recognized the road to TsaoChi,\n      I realized I had nothing to do with birth and death.\n      Walking is Zen, Sitting is Zen;\n      Talking or silent, moving, unmoving,\n      The essence is at ease.\n      …\n      All principles are no principles;\n      They have no relation to spiritual perception.\n      …\n      It never leaves this place, and is always perfect.\n      When you look for it, you find you can’t see it.\n      You can’t get at it, you can’t be rid of it.\n      When you do neither, there it is!\n      When you are silent, it speaks; when you speak, it is silent."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This “It” must be referred to the Tao, or the Way.\n   The account of the meeting of Yung-chia with Hui-neng was given in the\nPlatform Scriptures. (See also R. H. Blyth: Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 1, p. 105).\nWhile Hui-neng became enlightened on reading the Diamond Sutra and Yung-chia\nbecame enlightened on reading the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, both insisted that\ntheir realization came from within, not from the sutras.\n   R. H. Blyth gave the following translation:\n   Yung-chia walked round the Sixth Patriarch three times (without bowing) and merely\n   shook his Buddhist staff with iron rings. The (Sixth) Patriarch said, “A Sramana embodies\n   the 3,000 rules of deportment and the 80,000 minute moral rules. From whence does your\n   honour come, may I ask, with your overweening self-assurance?” Yung-chia replied,\n   “Birth-and-death is a problem of great moment; all changes ceaselessly.” Hui-neng asked,\n   “Why not embody the unborn and grasp the timeless?” Yung-chia replied, “To be unborn"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and deathless is to embody it; to be timeless is to grasp it.” “That is so. That is so”, assented\n   the Patriarch. At this, Yung-chia acted according to the prescribed ceremonial, and pros-\n   trated himself, then soon after bade farewell to the Patriarch."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nan-yueh Huai-jang (Nangaku Ejō, 677–744) 南岳怀让 was the founder of the\nNangaku Branch. According to the Lamp Records (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51,\npp. 240–241), the following conversation took place between Enō and Nangaku Ejō:\n      Enō asked: “Where do you come from?”\n      Ejō replied: “I come from Sung Shan (Mount Sū).”\n      Enō said: “What sort of thing comes from there this way?”\n      Ejō said: “If a person says I am a thing, he is not right.”\n\nThe above English translation appeared in The Development of Chinese Zen by\nHeinrich Dumoulin, S. J., English translation by Ruth Fuller Sasaki, The First Zen\nInstitute of America, Inc., New York, 1953.\n\f18                                              2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 713 A.D., the second year of the Sien-tien (Senten) era under the reign of\nEmperor Sui-tsung (Eisō), Huai-jang (Ejō) moved to Heng Shan (Nangaku) and\nresided at Po-jo Temple(Hanjaku-ji). Note that 713 was the year Enō (Rokuso)\nentered nirvana. It was recorded that Ejō served under Master Enō for 15 years.\nEjō’s dharma-heir was Ma-tsu Tao-i (Baso Dōitsu, 709–788) 马祖道一. Baso was\nsitting in meditation at Chuan-fa Yuan (Denhō-in) all day long. Master Ejō\napproached him and asked: “What is your aim for zazen (sitting in meditation)?”\nBaso said: “I want to be a Buddha.” Ejō took a tile and tried to polish it. Baso\nasked: “Master, what is this for?” Ejō said: “I want to make it a mirror.” Baso said:\n“How can you make a mirror by polishing a tile?” Ejō then said: “One cannot get a\nmirror by polishing a tile. How can one become a Buddha by zazen?” Ma-tsu\n(Baso) had many disciples, among them:\n      Po-chang Huai-hai (Hyakujō Ekai, 720–814) 百丈怀海\n      Ta-chu Hui-hai (Daishu Ekai) 大珠慧海"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ta-chu Hui-hai (Daishu Ekai) 大珠慧海\n      Yu-lao Hsiao-jan (Gyokurō Kyūnen) 玉姥翛然\n      Yen-kuan Chi-an (Enkan Saian, 750?–842) 盐官齐安\n      Kuei-tsung Chih-chang (Kisū Chijō) 归宗智常\n      Wu-hsieh Ling-mo (Gosetsu Reimoku, 747–818) 五泄灵默\n      Nan-chuan Pu-yuan (Nansen Fugan, 748–834) 南泉普愿\n      Hsi-tang Chih-tsang (Saidō Chizō, 735–814) 西堂智藏\n      Ta-mei Fa-chang (Daibai Hōjō, 752–839) 大梅法常\n      Chang-ching Huai-hui (Shōkei Eki, 756–815) 章敬怀晖\n      Go-hu Ta-yi (Gako Daigi, 746–818) 鹅湖大义\n      Hsing-shan Wei-kuan (Kōzen Ikan, 755–817) 兴善惟宽\n      Fen-chou Wu-nieh (Bunsō Mugyō, 760–821) 汾州无业\n      Pang Yun (Hō Kōji, d. 811) 庞蕴\n      Teng Yin-feng (Tō Impō) 邓隐峰\nPo-chang Huai-hai (Hyakujō Ekai, 720–814) had several disciples: (1) Kuei-shan\nLing-yu (Isan Reiyū, 771–853); (2) Huang-po Hsi-yun (Ōbaku Kiun, d. 850);\n(3) Chang-ching Ta-an (Chōkei Daian, 793–883); and (4) Ta-tzu Huan-chung (Daiji\nKanchū, 780–862). Kuei-shan and his disciple Yang-shan Hui-chi (Kyōzan Ejaku,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "807–883) were the founders of the Igyō School. Huang-po Hsi-yun (Ōbaku Kiun)\nwas the teacher of Lin-chi I-hsuan (Rinzai Gigen, d. 866), who was the founder of\nthe Rinzai School.\n   Yu-lao Hsiao-jan (Gyokurō Kyūnen) was the teacher of the Japanese monk\nSaichō (767–822), who went back to Japan to be the founder of the Tendai School\nin Japan. Yen-kuan Chi-an (Enkan Saian, 750?–842) was the teacher of I-kung\n(Gikū) and Tao-chu (Dōjo), both of whom were invited to go to Japan.\n   Kuei-tsung Chih-chang (Kisū-Chijō) had one disciple Kao-an Ta-yu (Kōan\nDaigu). Nan-chuan Pu-yuan (Nansen Fugan, 748–834) had several dharma heirs:\nChao-chou Tsung-shen (Jōshū Jūshin, 778–897), Chang-sha Ching-tsen (Chōsha\nKeijin, 788–868), and Lu Keng (Riku Kō, 764–834). Ta-mei Fa-chang (Daibai\nHōjō, 752–839) had a disciple Hang-chou Tien-lung (Kōshū Tenryū) , whose\ndisciple was Chu-chi (Gutei).\n\f2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples                                                           19"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Besides Lin-chi I-hsuan (Rinzai Gigen), Ōbaku had other disciples: Mu-chou\nTao-tsung (Bokujū Dōshō, 780?–877?), PeiHsiu, the Prime Minister (Haikyū Shō-\nkoku), O-shih Ling-kuan (Useki Reikan), and Chien-ching Tsu-nan (Senkei Sonan).\nBesides Yang-shan Hui-chi (Kyōzan Ejaku), Isan had other disciples: Hsiang-yen\nChih-hsien (Kyōgen Chikan) and Ling-yun Chih-chin (Reiun Shigon).\nChang-ching Ta-an (Chōkei Daian) had two disciples: Ling-shu Ju-min (Reiju\nNyobin, d. 918) and Ta-sui Fa-chen (Daizui Hōshin).\n   The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School are presented in Chap. 3. The Lin-chi\nor Rinzai School is presented in Chap. 4.\n   While the Nangaku Branch was the subject of R. H. Blyth’s Zen and Zen\nClassics, Volume 3, the Seigen Branch was the subject of Volume 2. In his Preface\nto Volume 2, R. H. Blyth wrote:\n   This volume purports to be the History of Zen from Enō to Ummon, that is, of the Seigen\n   Branch of the double-forked tree of Zen, but what the reader actually gets is something"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "better, a selection of the anecdotes concerning the line of patriarchs. It was from such\n   stories that the Hekigan-roku, Mumonkan, and Shōyōroku were composed. These three\n   works, as in the case of a selection of the best poems of the best poets, give us a somewhat\n   partial and excessively lofty view of Chinese Zen geniuses."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ching-yuan Hsing-ssu (Seigen Gyōshi, d. 740) 青原行思 was the founder of the\nSeigen Branch. Seigen occupied perhaps the first place among the disciples of the\nSixth Patriarch (Rokuso). To him Enō entrusted the Buddha-robe and bowl, without\nappointing him his successor. Nor was Seigen permitted to hand down the precious\nsymbols of the dharma tradition. The robe and the bowl were to be placed in the\nMonastery at Tsao-hsi (Sōkei).\n    Seigen’s dharma-heir was Shih-tou Hsi-chien (Sekitō Kisen, 700–790) 石头希迁.\nSekitō was the author of Tsan-tung-chi (Sandōkai) and Tsao-an Ke (Sōanka). In\nSandōkai, Sekitō spoke of Buddha as the “Great Hermit”; the meaning and foun-\ndation of all things he called the “spiritual source” (reigen). The dialectical resolution\nof the dualistic pairs of opposites ji (things) and ri (reason), and myō (light) and an\n(darkness) into a higher unity, developed by Sekitō in the Sandōkai, can be regarded\nas the foundation of, or first step toward, the later doctrine of the “Five Ranks”(go’i)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in the Sōtō School.\n    Sekitō’s disciples were:\n   Yueh-shan Wei-yen (Yakusan Igen, 751–834) 药山惟俨\n   Tien-huang Tao-wu (Tennō Dōgo, 748–807) 天皇道悟\n   Tan-hsia Tien-jan (Tanka Tennen, 739–824) 丹霞天然\nYakusan’s disciples were (1) Yun-yen Tan-sheng (Ungan Donjō, 782–841);\n(2) Tao-wu Yuan-chih (Dōgo Enchi, 769–835); and (3) Chuan-tzu Te-cheng (Sensu\nTokusei). Ungan was the teacher of Tung-shan Liang-chieh (Tōzan Ryōkai, 807–\n869), founder of the Tsao-tung (Sōtō) School. Dōgo Enchi’s disciple was\nShih-shuang Ching-chu (Sekisō Keisho, 807–888). Sensu Tokusei’s disciple was\nChia-shan Shan-hui (Kassan Zenne, 805–881).\n\f20                                           2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tanka Tennen’s disciple was Tsui-wei Wu-hsueh (Suiba Mugaku), whose dis-\nciple was Tou-tzu Ta-tung (Tōsu Daidō, 819–914).\n   Tennō Dōgo was the teacher of Lung-tan Chung-hsin (Ryūtan Sūshin), whose\ndisciple was Te-shan Hsuan-chien (Tokusan Senkan, 782–865). Tokusan’s disci-\nples were (1) Hsueh-feng I-tsun (Seppō Gison, 822–908), (2) Yen-tou Chuan-huo\n(Gantō Zenkatsu, 828–887), and (3) Kan-tan Tzu-kuo (Kantan Shikoku). Seppō’s\ndisciples were: (a) Hsuan-sha Shih-pei (Gensha Shibi, 835–908); (b) Yun-men\nWen-yen (Ummon Bun’en, 864–949), founder of the Ummon School; (c) Pao-fu\nTsung-chan (Hofuku Jūten, d. 928); (d) Chang-ching Hui-leng (Chōkei Eryō, 854–\n932); (e) Tsui-yen Ling-tsan (Suigan Reisan); and (f) Ku-shan Shen-yen (Kozan\nJin’an, 863–939).\n   Gensha Shibi was the teacher of Lo-han Kuei-chen (Rakan Keijin, 867–928),\nwhose disciple was Fa-yen Wen-i (Hōgen Bun’eki, 885–958), founder of the\nFa-yen or Hōgen School. Fa-yen (Hōgen) had a disciple Tien-tai Te-shao (Tendai"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tokushō, 891–972), whose disciple was Yung-ming Yen-shou (Yōmyō Enju, 904–\n975).\n   Ummon’s disciples were: Hsiang-lin Cheng-yuan (Kyōrin Chōon, d. 987),\nTung-shan Shou-chu (Tōzan Shusho, 910–990), Pa-ling Hao-chien (Haryō Kōkan) ,\nand Te-shan Yuan-mi (Tokusan Emmitsu). Kyōrin was the teacher of Chih-men\nKuang-tsu (Chimon Kōso, d. 1031), whose disciple was Hsueh-tou Chung-hsien\n(Setchō Jūken, 980–1052). Setchō Jūken was the author of one hundred verses upon\nwhich the Blue Cliff Records (Pi-yen-lu or Hekigan-roku) were based. Setchō’s\ndharma-heir, Tien-i I-huai (Tenne Gikai, 993–1064), had two disciples: Hui-lin\nTsung-pen (Erin Sōhon, 1020–1099) and Yuan-tung Fa-hsiu (Enzū Hōshū, 1027–\n1090).\n   Tōzan Ryōkai’s disciples were: (1) Tsao-shan Pen-chi (Sōzan Honjaku, 840–\n901), (2) Yun-chu Tao-ying (Ungo Dōyō, d. 902), (3) Chiu-feng Pu-man (Kyūhō\nFuman), (4) Lung-ya Chu-tun (Ryūga Koton, 835–923), (5) Su-shan Kuang-jen\n(Sozan Kōnin, 837–909), and others."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Sozan Kōnin, 837–909), and others.\n   Tōzan and Sōzan were the founders of the Sōtō School. Sōzan’s disciple was\nTsao-shan Hui-hsia (Sōzan Eka), whose disciple was Hua-yen Cheng-hui (Kegon\nShō’e). Ungo Dōyō’s disciples were: Tung-an Tao-pei (Dōan Dōhai, 889–955), and\nYun-chu Huai-yueh (Ungo Egaku). Kyūhō Fuman’s disciple was Tung-an Wei\n(Dōan I), whose disciples were: Tung-an Kuan-chih (Dōan Kanshi) and Chen-chou\nShih-ching (Chinshū Sekkyō). Dōan Kanshi’s disciples were: Liang-shan\nYuan-kuan (Ryōsan Enkan) and Chen-chou Ling-tung (Chinshū Reitsū). Ryōsan’s\ndisciple was Ta-yang Ching-yuan (Daiyō Keigen, 943–1027). Daiyō was not able to\nfind a dharma-heir when he was very old. He entrusted Fu-shan Fa-yuan (Fusan\nHō’en, 991–1067) to find a worthy heir. Thus, Tou-tzu I-ching (Tōsu Gisei,\n1032-1083) became the dharma-heir of Daiyō Keigen and continued on the line.\nTōzu was known as Miao-shu Ta-shih (Myōzoku Daishi), meaning Master of\n“Miraculous Continuity.” Tōzu’s disciple was Fu-yung Tao-kai (Fuyō Dōkai, 1043–"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1118). Fuyō’s dharma heirs were Tan-hsia Tzu-chun (Tanka Shijun, 1064–1119),\n\f2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples                                                          21"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lo-men Tzu-chueh (Rokumon Jikaku, d. 1117), and Ku-mu Fa-cheng (Komoku\nHōjō). Tanka’s heirs flourished in the south. His fourth-generation disciple was\nTien-tung Ju-ching (Tendō Nyojō, 1162–1228), whose disciple Dōgen Kigen\nbecame the founder of the Sōtō School in Japan. Rokumon’s heirs flourished in the\nnorth, and his line was continued to Hsin-yueh Hsing-shu (Shinetsu Kōchū, 1642–\n1696), who went to Japan.\n   The above lineage of the Sōtō School in China was based on Ching-te\nChuan-teng Lu (Keitoku Dentō Roku). See Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen\nMasters.\n   Liu Ke (Ryūka), a layman, who was a great admirer of Sekitō, said:\n   Westward from the river (Kiangsi), Daijaku (i.e., Baso Doitsu) is the Master; southward\n   from the lake (Hunan), Sekito is the Master. People flock thither in crowds. He who has not\n   seen both these great masters consider himself an ignoramus."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This quotation in English translation was taken from The Development of Chinese\nZen, by Heinrich Dumoulin, S. J., English translation by Ruth Fuller Sasaki,\npublished by The First Zen Institute of America, Inc., New York, 1953, p. 6. The\nChinese text appeared on p. 46.\n   The Nangaku and Seigen Branches were to flourish side by side. Although there\nwere developed FIVE Schools later on, the Rinzai and the Sōtō Schools would\ncontinue not only in China, but also in Japan.\n   In the Sōtō School in China, Rokumon’s heirs led to the Chiao-shan (Shōzan)\nline 焦山系 which has flourished to the present day. (See Charts X and X A.)\n   In a parallel way, the Rinzai School in China could be traced from Engo\nKokugon (1063–1135) to Mujun Shihan (1178–1249) and then branched out into\ntwo long lines (See Chart VI). The first line started from Seggan Sokin (1216–1287)\nand continued for fifteen generations to Ingen Ryūki (1592–1673) who went to\nJapan to be the founder of the Ōbaku School. The second line started from Jōji"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Myōrin (1201–1261) and continued for fourteen generations to Kōan Ensei, who\nstarted the Ku-shan (Kozan) line 鼓山系. The Kozan line (See Chart VI A) has\nflourished to the present day. According to Star-Lamp Records 星灯集 edited by\nAbbot Hsu Yun (Kiun, 1840–1959) 虚云, the Kozan line continued to Abbot Hsu\nYun, and his dharma-grandson, Abbot Ling-yuan (Reigen, 1902-) 灵源, who was\nthe founder of Daikaku-ji at Keelung, Taiwan.\n   In this book, one photograph was taken when the present author visited\nReverend Ling-yuan with Reverend Sheng-yen (Shōgen, 1930-) 圣严.\n   From Chart VI, Genyū Shōden (1549–1614) had another disciple, Ten’in Enshū\n(1575-1635), whose disciple was Gyokurin Tsūshū 玉琳通琇 (1614–1675).\nGyokurin Tsūshū was recognized prominent as the founder of Kao-min Temple\n(Kōmin-ji) 高旻寺, Yangchow, Kiangsu. The Kao-min (Kōmin) line 高旻系 leads\nto Abbot Lai-Ko (Raika, 1881–1953) 来果, another prominent Zen Master of the\nRinzai School in China. (See Chart VI B.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rinzai School in China. (See Chart VI B.)\n\f22                                                    2 The Sixth Patriarch and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "References\n\nWing-tsit 陈荣捷, C. (1963). Platform Scriptures 六祖坛经 (Trans.). Jamaica, N.Y.: St. John’s\n   University Press.\nDumoulin, H. S. J. (1953). The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch in the Light\n   of Mumonkan (R. F. Sasaki, Trans.). New York: The First Zen Institute of America.\nSasaki, R. F. (1953). The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch in the Light of\n   Mumonkan (Trans.). New York: The First Zen Institute of America.\nHeinrich Dumoulin, S. J. (1963). A History of Zen Buddhism (P. Peachey, Trans.). New York:\n   Pantheon Books.\n\fChapter 3\nThe Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nan-yueh Huai-jang (Nangaku Ejō, 677–744) started the Nangaku Branch of Zen\nafter Hui-neng (Enō), the Sixth Patriarch. R. H. Blyth’s Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 3,\nis devoted to this branch of Zen history, except for the first chapter, which deals with\n“The Disciples of Tōzan” of the Seigen Branch.\n    In Chap. 2 above, mention was made about how Ejō instructed Baso concerning\nzazen by comparing sitting in meditation to polishing a tile for a mirror. On another\noccasion, Ejō said to Baso:\n   To train yourself in sitting meditation (zazen) is to train yourself to be a sitting Buddha. If\n   you train yourself in zazen, (you should know that) Zen is neither sitting nor lying. If you\n   train yourself to be a sitting Buddha, (you should know that) the Buddha is not a fixed form.\n   Since the Dharma has no (fixed) abode, it is not a matter of making choices. If you (make\n   yourself) a sitting Buddha this is precisely killing the Buddha. If you adhere to the sitting"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "position, you will not attain the principle (of Zen)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The English translation was taken from The Way of Zen by Alan W. Watts,\np. 110. The Chinese version was quoted in “History of Chinese Zen Masters” by Y.\nH. Ku, p. 58.\n   Ma-tsu Tao-i (Baso Dōitsu, 709–788) was a native of Shih-fang in the district of\nHan-chou (now northwest of Cheng-tu, in Szechwan Province). He became a monk\nwhen he was 12 years old. Then, he traveled to Nan-yueh, in Hunan Province, and\nstudied under Master Huai-jang (Ejō), who had then nine disciples. Of these, only\nBaso received the sacred mind-seal (as heir). According to the Lamp Records, six\ndisciples received the Inka. Remember the story about Daruma (See Daishō\nDaizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 151):\n   Daruma said: “In Tang-China, there were three persons who received my Dharma: one\n   received my marrow, one received my bones, and one received my flesh. Hui-ke (Eka)\n   received my marrow, Taoyu received my bones, and Nun Tsung-chih received my flesh.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So in Ejō’s case, he remarked:\n   You six persons all testify to my body, but each takes a road. One person (Chang Hao) 常\n   浩 receives my eyebrows, dignified in appearance. One person (Chih Ta) 智达 receives my\n   eyes, swift in looking around. One person (Tan Jan) 坦然 receives my ears, deft in hearing\n\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                         23\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_3\n\f24                                                 3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School\n\n     reason. One person (Shen Chao) 神照 receives my nose, well versed in sensing odor (chi).\n     One person (Yen Tsin) 严峻 receives my tongue, able in making speeches. One person\n     (Tao-i) 道一 receives my mind or heart, understanding the ancient and the present."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One may note that just as Hui-ke (Eka) became the Second Patriarch, because he\nreceived the marrow of Daruma, Baso became the dharma-heir of Ejō, because he\nreceived the mind (or heart) of the Master. However, the other five persons did also\nreceive the Inka, and thus became disciples. (See the Lamp Records, in Daishō\nDaizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 240–241). Ejō entered nirvana in 744 A.D., the third year of\nthe Tien-Pao era under the reign of Hsuan-tsung.\n   From the Lamp Records, Professor Chang Chung-yuan had translated the fol-\nlowing biographical notes concerning Baso Dōitsu. (See Chang: Original\nTeachings of Ch’an Buddhism, Pantheon Books, 1969, pp. 148–152).\n     One day the Master spoke to his assembly as follows: “All of you should realize that your\n     own mind is Buddha, that is, this mind is Buddha’s Mind. The great Master Bodhidharma\n     came from India to China to transmit the Mahayana Buddhist doctrine of the One Mind in\n     order to enlighten us all.”\n     …"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "order to enlighten us all.”\n     …\n     Those who seek for the Truth should realize that there is nothing to seek. There is no\n     Buddha but Mind; there is no Mind but Buddha. Do not choose what is good, nor reject\n     what is evil, but rather be free from purity and defilement. Then you will realize the\n     emptiness of sin.\n     …\n     Whenever you speak about Mind, you must realize that appearance and reality are perfectly\n     interfused without impediment. This is what the achievement of bodhi is."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then, the assembly was asked to hear Master Baso’s gāthā:\n        Anytime you wish to speak about Mind, speak!\n        In this way, bodhi is tranquil.\n        When appearance and reality are perfectly interfused without impediment,\n        Birth is simultaneously no-birth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Baso was remarkable in appearance. He strode like an ox and looked around like\na tiger. His tongue could be stretched to reach over his nose; two circular marks\nwere imprinted on the soles of his feet.\n     Baso had many disciples, among them were:\n     Po-chang Huai-hai (Hyakujō Ekai, 720–814) 百丈怀海\n     Ta-chu Hui-hai (Daishu Ekai) 大珠慧海\n     Yu-lao Hsiao-jan (Gyokurō Kyūnen) 玉姥翛然\n     Yen-kuan Chi-an (Enkan Saian, 750?–842) 盐官齐安\n     Kuei-tsung Chih-chang (Kisū Chijō) 归宗智常\n     Wu-hsieh Ling-mo (Gosetsu Reimoku, 747–818) 五泄灵默\n     Nan-chuan Pu-yuan (Nansen Fugan, 748–834) 南泉普愿\n     Hsi-tang Chih-tsang (Saidō Chizō, 735-814) 西堂智藏\n     Ta-mei Fa-chang (Daibai Hōjō, 752–839) 大梅法常\n     Po-chang Wei-cheng (Hyakujō Isei) 百丈惟政\n\f3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School                                        25"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pan-shan Pao-tsi (Banzan Hōseki) 盘山宝积\n  Ma-ku Pao-che (Mayoku Hōtetsu) 麻谷宝彻\n  Lu-tsu Pao-yun (Roso Hōun) 鲁祖宝云\n  Chang-ching Huai-hui (Shōkei Eki, 756–815) 章敬怀晖\n  Go-hu Ta-yi (Gako Daigi, 746-818) 鹅湖大义\n  Fu-yung Ta-yu (Fuyō Daiyu) 芙蓉大毓\n  Hsing-shan Wei-kuan (Kōzen Ikan, 755–817) 兴善惟宽\n  Fen-chou Wu-nieh (Bunsō Mugyō, 760–821) 汾州无业\n  Pang Yun (Hō Kōji, d. 811) 庞蕴\n  Teng Yin-feng (Tō Impō) 邓隐峰\n  Fu-kuang Ju-man (Bukkō Nyoman) 佛光如满\n    Po-chang Huai-hai (Hyakujō Ekai, 720–814) became a monk when he was\n20 years old. When studying under Baso, Hyakujō came up to the Master for a\nsecond time. Baso first used “Kwatz!” (this was later used by Rinzai); he uttered it\nso loudly that it deafened Hyakujō’s ear for 3 days. At a later date, Hyakujō went\nout attending Baso. A flock of wild geese was flying by. Baso asked: “What are\nthey?” Hyakujō Ekai answered: “They are wild geese.” Baso: “Whither are they\nflying?” Ekai: “They have flown away.” Baso suddenly took hold of Ekai’s nose"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and gave it a twist. Hyakujō felt so painful that he cried aloud: “Oh! Oh!” Baso\nsaid: “You say that they have flown away. But they have been here from the very\nbeginning.” This enlightened Hyakujō suddenly; his back wet with perspiration.\nThis was an example of satori, as recorded. (For the English version, see\nD. T. Suzuki: Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series, 1949/1961, p. 240).\n    On the day following Hyakujō’s satori, Baso appeared in the preaching hall\n(zendō) and was about to speak before the assembly. Hyakujō came forward and\nrolled up the matting. Baso came down from his seat quietly and returned to his\nroom. Baso called Hyakujō to his room and asked him about his behavior. Hyakujō\nreplied: “You twisted my nose yesterday. It was quite painful.” Baso said: “Where\nwas your thought wandering then?” Hyakujō said: “It is not painful any more\ntoday.” Hyakujō, having been enlightened, felt like a “golden-haired lion.”\n    Hyakujō Ekai drew up his set of regulations known as “Regulations in the Zen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monastery” (Hyakujō shingi) in about the middle of the Tang Dynasty. These\nregulations were preserved today in a compilation by imperial order in the Yuan\nDynasty. (See Daishō Daizōkyō, No. 2025).\n    Chang-ching Ta-an (Chōkei Daian, 793–883) asked Hyakujō: “I wish to know\nabout Buddha; what is he?” Hyakujō answered: “It is like seeking for an ox while\nyou are riding on it.” Daian: “What shall I do after I know?” Hyakujō: “It is like\ngoing home riding on it.” Daian: “How can I behave in accordance with the\nDharma?” Hyakujō then told him: “You should behave like a cow-herd, who carries\na staff and sees to it that his cattle would not wander away into somebody else’s\nrice-fields.” This story was referred to frequently in Zen literature, and The Ten\nCow-herding Pictures showed the upward steps of spiritual training in a systematic\nway. These steps are as follows: (1) Looking for the Cow; (2) Seeing the Traces of\nthe Cow; (3) Seeing the Cow; (4) Catching the Cow; (5) Herding the Cow;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "26                                             3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(6) Coming Home on the Cow’s Back; (7) The Cow Forgotten, Leaving the Man\nAlone; (8) The Cow and the Man Both Gone Out of Sight; (9) Returning to the\nOrigin, Back to the Source; and (10) Entering the City with Bliss-bestowing Hands.\n   The following anecdote was described by R. H. Blyth in his Zen and Zen\nClassics, Vol. 3, Chap. 4:\n      A monk asked Hyakujō, “What is the Buddha?”\n      Hyakujō asked the monk, “Who are you?”\n      The monk said: “I am I.”\n      Hyakujō said: “Do you know this ‘I’ or not?”\n      The monk replied: “Clearly.”\n      Hyakujō held up the mosquito flapper and said: “Do you see this?”\n      “I do”, said the monk.\n      Hyakujō said: “I have no word.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He was a great teacher, as well as a great organizer, emphasizing discipline in a Zen\ntemple. Hyakujō had many excellent disciples, among them:\n      Kuei-shan Ling-yu 沩山灵祐 (Isan Reiyū, 771–853)\n      Huang-po Hsi-yun 黄檗希运 (Ōbaku Kiun, d. 850)\n      Chang-ching Ta-an 长庆大安 (Chōkei Daian, 793–883)\n      Ta-tzu Huan-chung 大慈寰中 (Daiji Kanchū, 780–862)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kuei-shan Ling-yu (Isan Reiyū) and his disciple, Yang-shan Hui-chi (Kyōzan\nEjaku, 807–883), were the founders of the Kuei-yang (Ikyō or Igyō) School.\nHuang-po Hsi-yun (Ōbaku Kiun) was the teacher of Lin-chi I-hsuan (Rinzai Gigen,\nd. 866), who founded the Lin-chi (Rinzai) School. Kuei-shan (Isan) had other\ndisciples: Hsiang-yen Chih-hsien (Kyōgetn Chikan) 香严智闲, Ling-yun Chih-chin\n(Reiun Shigon) 灵云志勤, and Ching-shan Hung-yin (Keizan Kōin) 径山洪湮.\nŌbaku’s other disciples were Mu-chou Tao-tsung (Bokujū Dōshō) 睦州道踪, Pei\nHsiu, the Prime Minister (Haikyū Shōkoku) 相国裴休, O-shih Ling-kuan (Useki\nReikan) 乌石灵观, and Chien-ching Tsu-nan (Senkei Sonan) 千顷楚南. Mu-chou\nwas also known as Chen Tsun-su (Chin Sonshuku, 780?-877?) (陈尊宿). Chōkei’s\ndisciples were as follows: Ling-shu Ju-min (Reiju Nyobin, d. 918) 灵树如敏, and\nTa-sui Fa-chen (Daizui Hōshin) 大隋法真.\n   Ta-chu Hui-hai (Daishu Ekai) was the author of Tun-wu Ju-tao Yao-men Lun\n(Tongo Nyūdō Yōmon Ron)–On the Essentials for Entering Tao through Sudden"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Awakening, edited by Miaō-hsieh (Myōkyō) 妙叶, first published in 1374. Yu-lao\nHsiao-jan (Gyokurō Kyūnen) was the Zen teacher of the Japanese monk Saichō\n(767–822), founder of the Tendai School in Japan. Yen-kuan Chi-an (Enkan Saian,\n750?–842) was the teacher of I-kung (Gikū) 义空 and Tao-chu (Dōjo) 道助, both of\nwhom went to Japan. Kuei-tsung Chih-chang (Kisū Chijō) had a disciple, Kao-an\nTa-yu (Kōan Daigu) 高安大愚. Nan-chuan Pu-yuan (Nansen Fugan, 748–834) had\nmany disciples, among them: Chao-chou Tsung-shen (Jōshū Jūshin, 778–897) 赵州\n从谂, Chang-sha Ching-tsen (Chōsha Keijin, 788–868) 长沙景岑, and Lu Keng\n(Riku Kō 764–834) 陆亘. Ta-mei Fa-chang (Daibai Hōjō, 752–839) was the\ndharma teacher of Hang-chou Tien-lung (Kōshū Tenryū) 杭州天龙, whose\n\f3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School                                                           27"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "disciple was Chu-chi (Gutei) 俱胝. Fu-kuang Ju-man (Bukkō Nyoman) had a\nfamous disciple—Po Chü-i (Haku Kyoeki) 白居易, a well-known poet.\n   Master Kuei-shan (Isan) was a native of Chang-chi in Fuchow (now Fukien\nProvince). In the Chien-shan Monastery (Kenzen-ji) in his native city, he studied\nunder the Vianya master Fa-chang (Hōchō) 法常. Later, he was ordained at the\nLung-hsing Monastery (Ryūkō-ji) in Hangchow. At the age of twenty-three, he went\nto Kiangsi and visited Master Po-chang (Hyakujō). One day, Isan was attending\nHyakujō who asked him: “Who are you?” “I am Kuei-shan (Isan),” replied Isan.\nHyakujō said: “Will you poke the fire pot and find our whether there is some burning\ncharcoal in it?” Isan did so, and then said: “There is no burning charcoal.” Master\nHyakujō rose from his seat. Poking deep into the fire pot, he extracted a small glowing\npiece of charcoal which he showed to Isan, saying: “Is this not a burning piece?” At\nthis, Isan was awakened, and made a profound bow. Hyakujō then quoted the sutra:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To behold the Buddha-nature one must wait for the right moment and the right conditions.\n   When the time comes, one is awakened as from a dream. It is as if one’s memory recalls\n   something long forgotten. One realizes that what is obtained is one’s own and not from\n   outside one’s self."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The following anecdotes were taken from Professor Chang Chung-yuan’s\ntranslations (See Original Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, pp. 200–208):\n   One day Master Kuei-shan Ling-yu (Isan Reiyū) came into the assembly and said:\n   “The mind of one who understands Ch’an (Zen) is plain and straightforward without\n   pretense. It has neither front nor back and is without deceit or delusion. Every hour of the\n   day, what one hears and sees are ordinary things and ordinary actions. Nothing is distorted.\n   One does not need to shut one’s eyes and ears to be non-attached to things. In the early days\n   many sages stressed the follies and dangers of impurity. When delusion, perverted views,\n   and bad thinking habits are eliminated, the mind is as clear and tranquil as the autumn\n   stream. It is pure and quiescent, placid and free from attachment. Therefore he who is like\n   this is called a Ch’annist (Zennist), a man of non-attachment to things.”\n   …\n   During an assembly period, the Master (Isan) said:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When the approach to enlightenment is like the swift thrust of a sword to the center of\n   things, then both worldliness and holiness are completely eliminated and Absolute Reality\n   is revealed. Thus the One and the Many are identified. This is the Suchness of Buddha.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Isan’s disciple, Yang-shan Hui-chi (Kyōzan Ejaku, 807–883), was a native of\nHuai-hua in Shao-chou (now Chu-chiang in Northern Kwangtung Province). When\nhe was seventeen, he cut off two fingers and then obtained his parents’ permission\nto leave home and become a monk. He went to Nan-hua Monastery (Nanka-ji),\nwhere the Sixth Patriarch was enshrined, to have his head shaved. Later, he went to\nvisit Master Isan. Isan asked him: “Are you your own master or not?” Kyōzan\nanswered: “I am.” Isan asked: “Where is your own master?” Kyōzan walked away\nfrom the west of the hall to the east and stood there. Isan recognized immediately\nthat he was an unusual man (that is, a dharma vessel) and decided to teach him. One\nday, Kyōzan asked the Master: Where is the abiding place of the real Buddha? Isan\nanswered:\n\f28                                                    3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Imagine the wonder of no-thought and trace it back to the infinity of the light of the spirit.\n     While thoughts are exhausted and returned to their source, nature and appearance are ever\n     abiding. Reality and events are no longer differentiated. Therein is the real Buddha of\n     Suchness.”\n\n   Hearing this, Kyōzan was suddenly enlightened. Kyōzan lived to 77 years of\nage. He left the following gāthā:\n        My age, a full seventy-seven.\n        Even now I am fading away.\n        Rising and falling, let nature take its course.\n        In my two arms I hold my bended knee."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Isan had another disciple Hsiang-yen Chih-hsien (Kyōgen Chikan), who was\ndisappointed in the beginning and left. When he arrived at the tomb of National\nTeacher Nan-yang Hui-chung (Nan’yō Echū Kokushi), he built a hut nearby and\nstayed there. One day while he was weeding, a piece of rock which he had dis-\nlodged struck a bamboo tree. The sound it produced awakened him to laughter and\nsudden enlightenment. Then, a gāthā he made testified to his gratitude to Master\nIsan.\n        With one stroke, all previous knowledge is forgotten.\n        No cultivation is needed for this.\n        This occurrence reveals the ancient way\n        And is free from the track of quiescence.\n        No trace is left anywhere.\n        Whatever I hear and see does not conform to rules.\n        All those who are enlightened\n        Proclaim this to be the greatest action."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kyōgen then came to the assembly and said:\n     The Tao is attained by one’s inner awakening; it does not depend upon words. Look at the\n     invisible and boundless. Where can you find any intermittances? How can you reach it by\n     the labor of the intellect? It is simply the reflection of illumination, and that is your whole\n     daily task. Only those who are ignorant will go in the opposite direction."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Answering a monk’s question “What is Tao?” Kyōgen remarked: “A dragon is\nsinging in the decaying woods.” The monk did not understand. So Kyōgen added:\n“The eyes in the skull.”\n   The above English translations were taken from Professor Chang Chung-yuan’s\nOriginal Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, pp. 219–228.\n   The Igyō School did not flourish after four or five generations. Kyōzan’s dis-\nciples were as follows:\n        Hsi-ta Kuang-mo (Saitō Kōboku) 西塔光穆\n        Nan-ta Kuang-yung (Nantō Kōyō) 南塔光涌\n        Lung-chuan Wen-hsi (Ryūsen Bunki, 820–899) 龙泉文喜\n        Huo-shan Ching-tung (Kakusan Keitsu) 霍山景通\n        Shun-chih (Junshi of Korea) 新罗顺支\n\f3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School                                                      29"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Saitō had one disciple: Tzu-fu Ju-pao (Shifuku Nyohō) 资福如宝, whose dis-\nciples were Tzu-fu Chen-sui (Shifuku Teisui) 资福贞邃 and Pao-tzu Te-shao (Hōji\nTokusho) 报慈德韶. Pao-tzu had two disciples: San-chueh Chih-chien (Sankaku\nShiken) 三角志谦 and Hsing-yang Tzu-to (Kōyō Jitō) 兴阳词铎. Nantō had three\ndisciples: Pa-chiao Hui-ching (Bashō Esei) 芭蕉慧清, Huang-lien I-chu (Ōren\nGisho) 黄连义初 and Ching-hua Chuan-fu (Seike Zenfu) 清化全怤. Bashō Esei\nhad six disciples: Hsing-yang Ching-jang (Kōyō Seijō) 兴阳清让, Yu-ku Fa-man\n(Yukoku Hōman) 幽谷法满, Pa-chiao Ju-yu (Bashō Jigu) 芭蕉住遇, Pa-chiao\nChi-che (Bashō Keitetsu) 芭蕉继彻, Shu-ning Shan-yi (Junei Zengi) 寿宁善义,\nand Chen-tien Tzu-huo (Shōten Jikaku) 承天辞礭. Shōten’s disciple was Lo-han\nChi-tsung (Rakan Keishū) 罗汉继宗.\n   Besides Hyakujō, Baso had an outstanding disciple, Nan-chuan Pu-yuan\n(Nansen Fugan, 748–834) 南泉普愿. Nansen was a native of Hsin-cheng in\nChengchow (present Honan Province). In 757 A.D., when he was 10 years old, he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "studied under Nangaku Ejō. After he acquired a thorough knowledge of Buddhist\nphilosophy, he became a disciple of Baso, and achieved sudden enlightenment. The\nfollowing anecdotes were recorded in the Lamp Records, Vol. 8, reprinted in\nDaishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 257–259.\n   One day while Nan-chuan (Nansen) was serving rice gruel to his fellow monks, his Master,\n   Ma-tsu (Baso), asked him: “What is in the wooden bucket?” Nan-chuan replied: “This old\n   fellow should keep his mouth shut and not say such words.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 795 A.D., when he was 48 years old, Nansen moved to Chih-yang and built a\nsmall temple on the top of Mount Nan-chuan (Nansenzan). He remained there for\n30 years, never once coming down. Before the Master passed away, the head monk\nasked him: “Where are you going after you passed away?” The master answered: “I\nam going down the hill to be a water buffalo.” The monk continued: “Would it be\npossible to follow you there?” The master answered: “If you want to follow me, you\nmust come with a piece of straw in your mouth.”\n    Nansen’s famous disciple, Chao-chou Tsung-shen (Jōshū Jūshin, 778–897), was\na native of Ho-hsiang in Tsao-chou (present Shantung Province). Before he was\nordained, he visited Nansen. He arrived while Nansen was lying down resting.\nNansen asked Jōshū: “Where have you just come from?” Jōshū replied: “I have just\nleft the Shui-hsiang Monastery (Zuizō-ji).” Note that “Shui-hsiang” means “aus-\npicious image” and that the Monastery had an image of Buddha. The master asked:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Have you seen the standing image of Buddha?” Jōshū answered: “What I see is not\na standing image of Buddha, but a supine Enlightened One!” The Master asked:\n“Are you your own master?” Jōshū answered: “Yes, I am.” “Where is this master of\nyours?” asked the Master. Jōshū said: “In the middle of the winter the weather\nbecomes bitterly cold. I wish all blessings on you, Master!” At this, Nansen per-\nmitted him to become his disciple. The following anecdotes were taken from\nProfessor Chang Chung-yuan’s translation in Original Teachings of Ch’an\nBuddhism, pp. 153–163:\n\f30                                                   3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Once Master Nan-chuan (Nansen) remarked: “In the middle of last night I gave Monju\n     (Manjusri) and Fu-gen (Samantabhadra) each twenty blows and chased them out of my\n     temple.”\n        Chao-chou (Jōshū) challenged him:\n        “To whom have you given your blows?”\n        The Master answered:\n        “Could you tell me where Teacher Wang’s mistake was?”\n        (Nan-chuan’s family name was WANG.)\n        Chao-chou bowed and departed.\n        …\n        On one occasion the Master (Nansen) stated:\n        “Ma-tsu (Baso) of Kiangsi maintained that the Mind is the Buddha. However, Teacher\n        Wang (meaning Nan-chuan himself) would not say it this way. He would advocate ‘Not\n        Mind, not Buddha, not things.’ Is there any mistake when I say this way?”\n        After listening to this, Chao-chou (Jōshū) made a bow and went away. Thereupon a\n        monk followed him (Jōshū), saying, “What did you mean just now, when you bowed"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and left the Master?” Chao-chou replied: “You will have to ask the Master.” The monk\n        went to the Master (Nansen) and said, “Why did Jūshin (Jōshū) behave that way a\n        moment ago?” Nan-chuan exclaimed, “He understood my meaning!”\n        …\n        Chao-chou asked:\n        “Tao is not external to things: the externality of things is not Tao. Then what is the Tao\n        that is beyond things?” Master Nan-chuan struck him. Thereupon Chao-chou took hold\n        of the stick and said, “From now on, do not strike a man by mistake!” The Master said,\n        “We can easily differentiate between a dragon and a snake, but nobody can fool a Ch’an\n        (Zen) monk”.\n        …\n        One day an elder monk asked Master Nan-chuan (Nansen), “When we say, ‘The Mind\n        is the Buddha,’ we are wrong. But when we say, ‘Not Mind, not Buddha,’ we are not\n        correct, either. What is your idea about this?” Master Nan-chuan answered: “You"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "should believe ‘The Mind is the Buddha’ and let it go at that. Why should you talk\n        about right or wrong? It is just the same as when you come to eat your meal. Do you\n        choose to come to it through the west corridor, or by another way? You cannot ask\n        others which is wrong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We may remark that Jōshū would not ask such a question as the elder monk did.\nThe most significant conversation (mondō) between Nansen and Jōshū went as\nfollows:\n        Jōshū: “What is Tao?”\n        Nansen: “Everyday-mindedness is Tao.”\n        Jōshū: “Is it possible to approach it?”\n        Nansen: “If you intentionally approach it, you will miss it.”\n        Jōshū: “If you do not approach it intentionally, how can you know it?”\n        Master Nansen then explained to Jōshū: “Tao is not a matter either of knowing or of\n        not-knowing. Knowing is a delusion; not-knowing is indifference. When one has really\n        attained Tao with non-intention, one is as if in the great VOID, free from obstruction\n        and limitation. How can any assertion or negation be made?”\n\f3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School                                                              31"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing this, Jōshū was awakened. After his ordainment, one day Jōshū returned\nto Nansen and asked, “Where should one rest after having attained Tao?” The\nmaster replied, “One should become a buffalo down the hill.” Then, Jōshū thanked\nthe Master for this instruction. Nansen further remarked: “In the middle of last\nnight, the moonlight shone on the window.” So Nansen and Jōshū were an ideal\npair—Master and disciple.\n   Jōshū lived to the venerable age of 100 and 20 years. The recent Chinese Zen\nPriest Hsu Yun (Kiun, 1840–1959), whom the author had the privilege of meeting\nat Tsao-chi (Sōkei) and Chungking, lived to 100 and 20 years.\n   Chao-chou Tsung-shen (Jōshū Jūshin, 778–897) of the Kuan-yin Monastery in\nChao-chou (near present Shih-chia-chuang, Hopei Province) was a native of\nHo-hsiang in Tsao-chou (Shantung Province). He became a monk when a child.\nLater, he met Nansen, Ōbaku, Hōju, Enkan, and Kassan, but received the confir-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mation from Nansen. From the Lamp Records, Vol. 10 (See Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol.\n51, pp. 276–278), there were many anecdotes. Professor Chang Chung-yuan’s\ntranslation gave the following:\n   Jōshū visited Ōbaku, who closed the door of his chamber when Ōbaku saw Jōshū coming.\n   Whereupon Chao-chou (Jōshū) lit a torch in the Dharma Hall and cried out for help. Ōbaku\n   immediately opened the door and grabbed him, demanding, “Speak! Speak!” Chao-chou\n   answered: “After the thief is gone, you draw your bow!”\n   …\n   Jōshū visited Hōju (Pao-shou, a disciple of Rinzai) at his monastery. When Pao-shou\n   (Hōju) saw him coming, he turned around in his seat. Chao-chou unfolded his sitting cloth\n   and bowed. Pao-shou came down from his seat, and Chao-chou immediately left him.\n   …\n   Jōshū visited Enkan and said to him, “Watch the arrow!”\n   Enkan (Yan-kuan) answered, “It is gone!”\n   Chao-chou said: “It hit the target.”\n   …\n   Jōshū arrived at Kassan’s monastery and went to the Dharma Hall with a staff in his hand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chia-shan (Kassan) asked him, “What is the staff for?” “To test the depth of the water” was\n   the answer. Chia-shan said, “There is not a drop here. What can you test?” Jōshū leaned on\n   his staff and went away.\n   …\n   Jōshū was invited to stay in the Kuan-yin (Kannon) Monastery in his native town of\n   Chao-chou. He came to the assembly and said:\n   It is as if a transparent crystal were held in one’s hand. When a foreigner approaches it, it\n   mirrors him as such. I take a stalk of grass and let it act as a golden-bodied one, sixteen feet\n   high, and I take a golden-bodied one, sixteen feet high and let it act as a stalk of grass.\n   Buddhahood is passion (klesa), and passion is Buddhahood.\n   During this sermon a monk asked him: “In whom does Buddha cause passion?” Jōshū:\n   “Buddha causes passion in all of us.” Monk: “How do we get rid of it?” Jōshū: “Why\n   should we get rid of it?”\n\f32                                                     3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The following is a famous anecdote:\n     A monk asked, “Since all things return to One, where does this One return to?” Jōshū\n     replied: “When I was in Tsing-chou, I had a robe made which weighed seven chin.”\n\nAnother incident is also given in Professor Chang’s translation:\n     Someone was walking in the garden with the Master (Chao-chou) and saw a rabbit running\n     away in fright. He asked, “How could the rabbit be frightened and run away from you,\n     since you are a great Buddhist?” To this the Master replied, “It is because I like to kill.”\n\n   “To kill” might be a figurative speech. When the Master failed to rise from his\nseat to greet the Prince-General of Chen-ting, the Master explained:\n        Ever since my younger days\n        I have abstained from meat.\n        Now my body is getting old.\n        Whenever I see my visitors\n        I have no strength left for coming down from the Buddha-seat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As vegetarians, all Buddhists in China refrained from any killing of living\nthings. However, the story of the killing of a cat, in which both Nan-chuan and\nChao-chou were involved, is almost unbelievable. According to Wu-men-kuan\n(Mumon-kan), the episode was related as follows:\n     Once in the monastery of Master Nan-chuan, the disciples of the East Hall and of the West\n     Hall had an argument about a cat. Nan-chuan grabbed the cat and, holding it a loft, said: “If\n     any one of you assembled here can say the right thing, the cat will be saved; if not, it will be\n     killed.” No one was able to answer. Thereupon Nan-chuan killed the cat. In the evening\n     Chao-chou, who had been away for the day, returned. Nan-chuan turned to him and asked,\n     “What would you have said had you been here?” Chao-chou took off his straw sandals, put\n     them on his head, and walked out. “If you had been here,” commented Nan-chuan, “the cat\n     would have been saved.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is case No. 14, and the English translation is taken from\nDumoulin-Peachey, A History of Zen Buddhism, p. 99. Dumoulin commented:\n     The saving word lay in the seemingly senseless action, which transcended all affirmation\n     and negation.\n     There is no logical solution to the “paradoxical words and strange actions” which were\n     introduced into Southern Chinese Zen, especially through Ma-tsu. The paradox discloses\n     itself in the pregnant meaning of meaninglessness, to be found in the concrete situation of\n     enlightenment. Probably the Zen master with the richest record of paradoxical sayings and\n     remarkable actions is Chao-chou. Some of his sayings lend themselves to interpretation, as\n     when he answers a request for instruction about enlightenment by simply saying, “Go wash\n     your bowl.” Enlightenment can be found in everyday life…."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the history of Chinese Ch’an (Zen), there were a number of lay disciples who\nattained great fame, among them were Wang Wei (699–759), the famous\npoet-painter, and Pang Yun (d. 811), the disciple of Baso.\n    Wang Wei was a contemporary of Nan-yang Hui-chung (Nan’yō Echū),\nShih-tou Hsi-chien (Sekitō Kisen), and Ma-tsu Tao-i (Baso Dōitsu). He took the\ncourtesy name Mu-chi (after Vimalakirti). His inscription for the Sixth Patriarch’s\n\f3 The Nangaku Branch and the Igyō School                                                       33\n\nbiographical account indicated the depth of his understanding of Hui-neng’s Ch’an\nteaching:\n      When there is nothing to give up\n      One has indeed reached the Source.\n      When there is no void to abide in\n      One is indeed experiencing the Void.\n      Transcending quiescence is no-action.\n      Rather it is Creation, which constantly acts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This translation appeared on p. 144 of Chang’s Original Teachings of Ch’an\nBuddhism.\n   Pang Yun (Hō Kōji), his wife, and his daughter, Ling-chao (Reishō), were all\ndevoted to Ch’an (Zen). Pang Yun once remarked:\n      How difficult it is!\n      How difficult it is!\n      My studies are like dying the fibers of a thousand pounds of flax in the sun by hanging\n      them on the trees!\n\nHis wife responded:\n      My way is easy indeed!\n      I found the teachings of the Patriarchs right on the tops of the flowering plants!\n\nTheir daughter, Ling-chao (Reishō), said:\n      My study is neither difficult nor easy.\n      When I am hungry I eat.\n      When I am tired I rest."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The daughter got ahead of her father, while Pang Yun was ready to pass away.\nSee Chang’s Original Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, p. 145 and pp. 174–177.\n   According to Dharma Records of Abbot Hsu Yun 虚云和尚法汇 Vol. 8,\npp. 262–265, he was revered as the Eighth Patriarch of the Igyō School. His\ndisciple, Reverend Hsuan-hua (Senka) 宣化, then becomes the Ninth Patriarch in\nthe Igyō line. Reverend Hsuan-hua is the Chief Abbot of the Gold Mountain\nTemple, San Francisco, and the founder of Dharma Realm University, Talmage,\nCalifornia, USA.\n\n\n\nReferences\n\nChung-yuan 张钟元, C. (1969). Original Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism: Selected from the\n   Transmission of the Lamp (Trans.). New York: Pantheon Books.\nDaisets Teitarō 铃木大拙贞太郎, S. (1949/1961). Essays in Zen Buddhism. New York: Grove\n   Press (First series, 1949, 1961).\n\fChapter 4\nThe Rinzai School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Huang-po Hsi-yun (Ōbaku Kiun, d. 850 A.D.) was a dharma-heir of Po-chang\nHuai-hai (Hyakujō Ekai, 720–814), and hence a dharma brother of Kuei-shan\nLing-yu (Isan Reiyū, 771–853), Chang-ching Ta-an (Chōkei Daian, 793–883), and\nTa-tzu Huan-chung (Daiji Kanchū, 780–862). Huang-po (Ōbaku) became a monk\nwhen he was a child. He was confirmed or ordained by Po-chang (Hyakujō). He was\nthen invited to preside over a big temple newly built and named after Huang-po Shan\n(Mount Ōbaku). His fame was far and wide, and more than one thousand faithful\nfollowers gathered around him. He left posterity with his The Essence of Mind,\nrecorded and collected by Pei Hsiu the Prime Minister (Haikyū Shōkoku), a great\nadmirer of Ōbaku and also a good friend of Kuei-feng Tsung-mi (Keihō Shūmitsu,\n780–841). In Pei hsiu’s Preface, 858 A.D., he recorded how in 843 and in 849 he\nquestioned Master Ōbaku and put down the answers in writing. Some abstracts were\ntaken from R. H. Blyth’s Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 3, Chap. 5 as follows:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The material things before you—that is it. But when the (rational) mind moves, we deny it,\n   we refuse it.\n   Pei Hsiu (Haikyū) said, “Illusion obstructs the Mind; how can illusion be got rid of?”\n   Huang-po (Ōbaku) said, “Creating illusion, getting rid of illusion,—both these are Illusion,\n   for illusion has no root; it appears by reason of discrimination. If you do not think of\n   contraries such as ordinary and superior, illusion ceases of itself, and how can you get rid of\n   it? When there is not a hair’s breadth of something to rely on, this is called, ‘Giving away\n   with both hands, and thus receiving Buddhahood.’” Pei Hsiu (Haikyū) said, “There being\n   nothing to rely on, how can anything be transmitted?” Huang-po (Ōbacku) said, “Mind is\n   transmitted by Mind.” Pei Hsiu (Haikyū) said, “If the Mind is transmitted, why do you say\n   there is no such thing as Mind?” Huang-po (Ōbaku) said, “Not receiving the Law (Dharma)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is called ‘transmission of Mind’. If you understand what this Mind is, this is the No-Mind,\n   the No-Law.” Pei Hsiu (Haikyū) said, “If there’s no Mind, and no Law, how can you talk\n   about ‘transmitting’ something?” Huang-po (Ōbaku) said, “When you hear me say ‘trans-\n   mission of Mind’, you think of there being a ‘something’ to transmit, so a Patriarch declared:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When you realize the nature of Mind,\n      You speak of it as a wonderful mystery;\n      Enlightenment is unattainable;\n      When attained, you do not describe it as something known.\n      If I get you to understand this, do you think you could?\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                         35\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_4\n\f36                                                                           4 The Rinzai School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to the “Lamp Records”, Vol. 12, Ōbaku had thirteen disciples, among\nthem:\n(1)    Lin-chi I-hsuan (Rinzai Gigen, d. 866) 临济义玄\n(2)    Mu-chou Tao-tsung (Bokujū Dōshō) 睦州道踪 (陈尊宿)\n(3)    Wei-fu Ta-chuen (Ifu Daikaku) 魏府大觉\n(4)    Chien-ching Tsu-nan (Senkei Sonan) 千顷楚南\n(5)    O-shih Ling-kuan (Useki Reikan) 乌石灵观\n(6)    Lo-han Tsung-che (Rakan Sōsetsu) 罗汉宗彻\n(7)    Pei Hsiu the Prime Minister (Haikyū Shōkoku) 裴休相国\n    Mu-chou Tao-tsung was also known as Chen the Elder (Chin Sonshuku), whose\ndisciple was Chen Tsao (Chinsō), prefect of Mu-chou. Mu-chou Tao-tsung (Bokujū\nDōshō) used to make straw sandals and secretly put them by the road. He was thus\nknown as “Sandal Chen.” Those Ch'an (Zen) learners who were highly endowed with\ntalents greatly respected him. For anecdotes of him, the reader is referred to Professor\nChang Chung-yuan’s Original Teachings of Ch'an Buddhism, pp. 107–115, and to\nR. H. Blyth’s Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 3, pp. 138–144."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lin-chi I-hsuan (Rinzai Gigen, d. 866) was the founder of the Lin-chi or Rinzai\nSchool. Rinzai was a native of Nanhua in Tsao-chou (Sōshū), now Tsao-Hsien,\nsouthwest of Tsining, in Shantung Province. He studied under Ōbaku. One day, the\nhead monk Chen the Elder (Chin Sonshuku) suggested that he should go to see\nMaster Ōbaku alone. So Rinzai went to Ōbaku’s room and asked him: “What is the\nreal meaning of Bodhidharma (Daruma) coming from the West?” The Master struck\nhim at once. Rinzai visited the Master three times, and each time he received blows.\nRinzai was ready to leave, and Master Ōbaku advised him to visit Master Kao-an\nTa-yu (Kōan Daigu), disciple of Kuei-tsung Chih-chang (Kisū Chijō). Kōan Daigu\nsaid something which enlightened Rinzai and sent him back to Ōbaku. Rinzai,\nthough he realized Ōbaku’s “motherly kindness”, was ready to slap Master Ōbaku,\nwho cried out: “What a crazy fellow! He is coming to pluck the tiger’s beard!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rinzai immediately cried out: “Kwatz!” As Rinzai attained satori, or enlightenment,\nhe was quite a different person. He exclaimed: “There is not much after all in the\nBuddhism of Ōbaku.” (See Suzuki: Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series, p. 247.)\n    Rinzai-roku was a collection of dialogues by Master Rinzai, which revealed his\nteachings. As translated by Alan W. Watts in The Way of Zen, the following\npassages are illuminating (see pp. 101–102):\n     Why do I talk here? Only because you followers of the Tao go galloping around in search\n     of the Mind, and are unable to stop it. On the other hand, the ancients acted in a leisurely\n     way, appropriate to circumstances (as they arose).\n     O you followers of the Tao—when you get my point of view you will sit in judgment on\n     top of the … Buddhas’ heads. Those who have completed the ten stages will seem like\n     underlings, and those who have arrived at Supreme Awakening will seem as if they had"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cangues around their necks. The Arhans and Pratyeka-buddhas are like a dirty privy. Bodhi\n     and nirvana are like hitch-posts for a donkey.\n     There is no place in Buddhism for using effort. Just be ordinary and nothing special.\n     Relieve your bowels, pass water, put on your clothes, and eat your food. When you’re tired,\n\f4 The Rinzai School                                                                                 37"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "go and lie down. Ignorant people may laugh at me, but the wise will understand … As you\n  go from place to place, if you regard each one as your own home, they will all be genuine,\n  for when circumstances come, you must not try to change them. Thus your usual habits of\n  feeling, which make karma for the Five Hells, will of themselves become the Great Ocean\n  of Liberation.\n  Outside the Mind there is no Dharma, and inside also there is nothing to be grasped. What\n  is it that you seek? You say on all sides that the Tao is to be practiced and put to the proof.\n  Don’t be mistaken! If there is anyone who can practice it, this is entirely karma making for\n  birth-and-death. You talk about being perfectly disciplined in your six senses and in the ten\n  thousand ways of conduct, but as I see it all this is creating karma. To seek the Buddha and\n  to seek the Dharma is precisely making karma for the hells."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Ma-tsu (Baso), Nan-chuan (Nansen), Chao-chou (Jōshū), Huang-po (Ōbaku),\nand Lin-chi (Rinzai), we can see the “flavor” of Zen at its best. Mr. Watts spoke\nabout the difficulty of translating the records of these masters from colloquial\nChinese speech of Tang Dynasty into modern English. So there seems no need of\nre-translating them, although the original Chinese versions are available.\n   Rinzai’s “Four Kinds of Attitudes” (Shiryōken) 四料简 can be stated as follows.\n(See The Development of Chinese Zen, by Heinrich Dumoulin, S. J., originally in\nGerman; English translation by Ruth Fuller Sasaki, published by the First Zen\nInstitute of America, Inc., New York, 1953, pp. 72 and 22–24.)\n  In some instances I abstract man from the environment; in some instances I abstract the\n  environment from man; in some instances I abstract both man and environment; and in\n  some instances I abstract neither man nor environment."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The translation was made by Sokei-an. On p. 22, Ruth Fuller Sasaki’s translation\nreads as follows:\n  As to formula, the text depends upon the well-known “four propositions” of Indian\n  Buddhist logic; as to meaning, it corresponds to the four aspects of Reality (Dharmadhatu\n  or hōkkai in Japanese) of the Kegon teaching…\n  Analogous formulas are the “Fourfold Relations of Guest and Host” (Shihinju) 四宾主and\n  the “Fourfold Precedence and Subsequence of Light and Activity” (Shishōyū) 四照用.\n  With all such formulas the technical terms must be understood as symbols. We are con-\n  cerned with a logical or metaphysical dialectic regarding the relationship of subject and\n  object, relative and Absolute, appearance and Reality, which later will be dealt with\n  somewhat in detail in the example of the “Fire Ranks” (goi) 五位 of the Sōtō School.\n  Another of Rinzai’s expressions, that regarding the “Three Mysteries and the Three\n  Essentials” (sangen sanyo) 三玄三要, is likewise to be found in Rinzai-roku. The basic"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "passage states: “Each statement must necessarily comprise the three mysteries; each\n  mystery must necessarily comprise the three essentials.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to one such explanation (from commentaries) the three mysteries are:\n  Taichūgen 体中玄, that is, “what the Buddhas of the three periods and the patriarchs of the\n  体中玄 historical eras attained in enlightenment”—thus, the content of enlightenment—\n  corresponds to substance (tai 体).\n  Kuchūgen 句中玄, that is, “what the patriarchs in the historical eras manifest as enlight-\n  enment”—the distinctive features of enlightenment—corresponds to characteristics (sō 相).\n\f38                                                                              4 The Rinzai School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Genchūgen 玄中玄, that is “how the Buddhas of the three periods and the patriarchs of the\n     historical eras transmit (enlightenment)”—thus, the operation of enlightenment—corre-\n     sponds to activity (yū 用).\n     Substance, characteristics, and activity are inseparably interfused and one. Each of the three\n     mysteries comprises the three essentials, which are not different from one mystery, in the\n     meaning of the doctrine of the Avatamsaka-sutra (Kegon kyō)《华严经》regarding unity\n     in differentiation."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In R. H. Blyth’s Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 3, pp. 152–153, “man” was replaced\nby “person,” and “environment” was replaced by “thing.” The following passages\nwere taken from Blyth’s:\n           Kokufu came forward and asked,\n           “What is this taking away the person, not the thing?”\n           Rinzai answered:\n           “When the sun shines, the earth is covered with brocade;\n           The baby’s hair hangs down, white as silk.”\n           Kokufu asked:\n           “How about taking away the thing, not the person?”\n           Rinzai answered:\n           “The Emperor’s command is performed throughout the country;\n           And the old rustics sing.”\n           The smoke and dust of war at an end, the general leaves the fortress.”\n           Kokufu asked, “How about when both person and thing are taken away?”\n           Rinzai answered:\n           “When all relations are broken, we are really alone.”\n           Asked Kokufu, “And when neither person nor thing is taken away?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rinzai answered:\n           “The Emperor ascends the jewelled throne,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Kegon School, there are Four Aspects of Reality:\n     (1)   Illusion departs from the subject;\n     (2)   Illusion departs from the object;\n     (3)   Both subject and object are denied, but their differentiation continues to exist;\n     (4)   When the transcending of the opposition of subject and object has been confirmed, the\n           confrontation of subject and object ceases completely."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rinzai’s way of expressing himself against falsehood can be best exemplified\nby the following passages (see Suzuki: Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series,\npp. 347–348):\n     O you, followers of Truth, if you wish to obtain an orthodox understanding (of Zen), do not\n     be deceived by others. Inwardly or outwardly, if you encounter any obstacles, lay them low\n     right away. If you encounter the Buddha, slay him; if you encounter the Patriarch, slay him;\n     if you encounter the Arhat or the parent or the relative, slay them all without hesitation: for\n     this is the only way to deliverance. Do not get yourselves entangled with any object, but\n     stand above, pass on, and be free. As I see those so-called followers of Truth all over the\n     country, there are none who come to me free and independent of objects. In dealing with\n     them, I strike them down any way they come. If they rely on the strength of their arms, I cut"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "them right off; if they rely on their eloquence, I make them shut themselves up; if they rely\n     on the sharpness of their eyes, I will hit them blind. There are indeed so far none who have\n     presented themselves before me all alone, all free, all unique. They are invariably found\n\f4 The Rinzai School                                                                                  39"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "caught by the idle tricks of the old masters. I have really nothing to give you; all that I can\n   do is to cure you of the diseases and deliver you from bondage.\n   O you, followers of Truth, show yourselves here independent of all objects, I want to weigh\n   the matter with you. For the last five or ten years I have waited in vain for such, and there\n   are no such yet. They are all ghostly existences, ignominious gnomes haunting the woods\n   or bamboo-groves; they are selfish spirits of the wilderness. They are madly biting into all\n   heaps of filth. O you, mole-eyed, why are you wasting all the pious donations of the devout!\n   Do you think you deserve the name of a monk, when you are still entertaining such a\n   mistaken idea (of Zen)? I tell you, no Buddhas, no holy teachings, no discipling, no\n   testifying! What do you seek is a neighbor’s house? O you, mole-eyed! You are putting\n   another head over your own! What do you lack in yourselves? O you, followers of Truth,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "what you are making use of at this very moment is none other than what makes a Patriarch\n   or a Buddha. But you do not believe me, and seek it outwardly. Do not commit yourself to\n   an error. There are no realities outside, nor is there anything inside you may lay your hands\n   on. You stick to the literal meaning of what I speak to you, but how far better it is to have\n   all your hankerings stopped, and be doing nothing whatever."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rinzai said to the monks, “Sometimes ‘Kwatz!’ is like the treasured sword of the\nVajra King; sometimes like a golden-haired lion crouching on the ground; some-\ntimes the shadow of a sounding-stick on the grass; and sometimes not a shout at all.\nHow do you understand this?” The monks hesitated. Rinzai shouted “Kwatz!”\n   The Rinzai School was transmitted in the following manner:\n(1)     Lin-chi I-hsuan (Rinzai Gigen, d. 866) 临济义玄\n(2)     Hsing-hua Tsun-chiang (Kōke Zonshō, 830-888) 兴化存奖\n(3)     Nan-yuan Hui-yu (Nan’in Egyō, d. 952) 南院慧颙\n(4)     Feng-hsueh Yen-chao (Fuketsu Enshō, 896-973) 风穴延沼\n(5)     Shou-shan Sheng-nien (Shuzan Shōnen, 926–993) 首山省念\n   The sixth generation had several disciples, among them:\n(6a)     Fen-yang Shan-chao (Fun’yō Zenshō, 947–1024) 汾阳善昭\n(6b)     Ku-yin Yun-tsung (Koku’in Unsō, 965–1032) 谷隐蕴聪\n(6c)     Yeh-hsien Kuei-sin (Yōken Kisei) 叶县归省\n(6d)     Shen-ting Hung-yin (Jintei Kō’in) 神鼎洪諲\n(6e)     Chen-tien Chih-sung (Chōten Chisū) 承天智嵩"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(6e)     Chen-tien Chih-sung (Chōten Chisū) 承天智嵩\n (6f)    Kuang-hui Yuan-lien (Kō’e Genren, 951–1036) 广慧元琏\n   Fen-yang’s dharma-heirs were:\n(7a)     Shih-shuang Tsu-yuan (Sekisō Soen, 986–1039) 石霜楚圆\n(7b)     Lang-ya Hui-chueh (Rōga Ekaku) 琅琊慧觉\n(7c)     Fa-hua Chuan-chu (Hōka Zenkyo) 法华全举\n(7d)     Ta-yu Shou-chi (Daigu Shushi, d. 1057) 大愚守芝\n   Ku-yin’s dharma-heirs were:\n(7e) Chin-shan Tan-ying (Kinzn Don’ei, 989–1060) 金山昙颖\n(7f) Li Tsun-hsu (Ri Junkyoku, d. 1038) 李遵勖\n\f40                                                                          4 The Rinzai School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chin-shan had a disciple Hsi-yu Kung-chen (Seiyo Kōshin) 西余拱辰. Li\nTsun-hsu was the author of Tien-sheng Kuang-teng lu. (Tenshō Kōtōroku) 天圣广\n灯录, dated 1036.\n     Yeh-hsien’s dharma heir was:\n(7g) Fu-shan Fa-yuan (Fuzan Hōen, 991–1067) 浮山法远\n   Fu-shan was also known as Yuan-chien Ta-shih (Enkan Daishi) 圆鉴大师, who\nwas responsible for picking Tou-tzu I-ching (Tōsu Gisei, 1032–1083) 投子义青 as\nthe dharma heir of Ta-yang Ching-yuan (Daiyō Keigen, 943–1027) 大阳警玄 in\nthe Tsao-tung (Sōtō) School.\n   For the eighth generation, Shih-shuang Tsu-yuan (Sekisō Soen), better known as\nTzu-ming Ta-shih (Jimyō Daishi) 慈明大师 had the following dharma-heirs:\n(8a)     Huang-lung Hui-nan (Ōryū Enan, 1002–1069) 黄龙慧南\n(8b)     Yang-chi Fang-hui (Yōgi Hō’e, 992–1049) 杨岐方会\n(8c)     Ta-nin Tao-kuan (Dainei Dōkan) 大宁道宽\n(8d)     Ching-su (Shōso-Jisha) 清素 (侍者)\n     Ta-yu Shou-chi (Daigu Shushi) had one dharma-heir:\n(8e) Yun-feng Wen-yueh (Umpō Monyetsu, 997–1062) 云峰文悦\n     Jimyō Daishi had two other disciples:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Jimyō Daishi had two other disciples:\n (8f) Tsui-yen Ko-chen (Suigan Keshin, d. 1064) 翠岩可真\n(8g) Tao-wu Wu-chen (Dōgo Goshin) 道吾悟真\n   Ōryū Enan was the founder of the Ōryū Sect, and Yōgi Hō’e was the founder of\nthe Yōgi Sect. These sects are presented in Chap. 5.\n   From Lin-chi I-hsuan (Rinzai Gigen, d. 866) to Shih-shuang Tsu-yuan (Sekisō\nSoen, 986–1039), we have seven generations in the Lin-chi (Rinzai) School.\nIn R.H. Blyth’s Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 3, pp. 165–167, some anecdotes were\nrecorded concerning Hsing-hua Tsun-chiang (Kōke Zonshō, 830–888) and his\ndharma brother San-sheng Hui-jan (Sanshō Enen) 三圣慧然.\n     A monk asked Sanshō, “What is the meaning of Daruma coming from the West?” Sanshō\n     answered, “Stinking meat attracts flies.” The monk brought this up to Kōke, who said,\n     “I wouldn’t have said that.” The monk asked, “What is the meaning of Daruma coming\n     from the West?” Kōke answered, “There are enough blue-bottles on a broken-down\n     donkey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "donkey.”\n     Sanshō said, “If someone comes, I go out to meet him, but not for his sake.” Kōke said, “If\n     someone comes, I don’t go out. If I do go out, I go out for his sake.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kōke was head monk at various temples. He visited Yun-chu Tao-ying (Ungo\nDōyō) of the Sōtō School. But he became Lin-chi’s (Rinzai’s) attendant and\ndharma-heir. One day Emperor Chuang-Tsung of Late Tang 后唐庄宗 told Master\nKōke that he got a priceless pearl and nobody has given an estimate of its value.\nMaster Kōke asked to see the pearl. The Emperor showed him the pearl. Then, the\nMaster said: “Who dares to bid a price on the Emperor’s treasure?” Kōke received a\n\f4 The Rinzai School                                                                            41"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "horse from the Emperor Chuang-Tsung as a reward for his teaching. He rode away\non it, fell off, and broke his leg. Returning to his temple, he got the head monk to\nmake some crutches and went along the corridor. He asked a monk, “Do you know\nme?” The monk replied, “Why shouldn’t I know you?” Kōke said, “Here’s\nsomebody who explained the Dharma, and can’t walk as a result of it.” These\nanecdotes testified that Kōke was a national teacher (Kokushi). Emperor\nChuang-Tsung reigned 923–925, and Kōke entered nirvana in 925. Chuang-Tsung\nwas succeeded by Ming-Tsung 明宗 in 926, the year Shou-shan Sheng-nien\n(Shuzan Shōnen) was born.\n   Kōke’s famous disciple was Nan-yuan Hui-yu (Nan’in Egyō, d. 952), who was\nalso known as Pao-yin Ho-shan (Hō’ō oshō) 宝应和尚. He passed away in the\nsecond year of the Kuang-shen (Kōjun) 广顺二年 era under the reign of Chou\nTai-tsu 周太祖. Some anecdotes were given by R. H. Blyth in his Zen and Zen\nClassics, Vol. 3, pp. 167–169."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Classics, Vol. 3, pp. 167–169.\n   Nan’in asked the monk in charge, “What sutra is your Reverence lecturing on?” He replied,\n   “The Yuima Sutra.” Nan’in pointed to the Zen seat and said, “You understand?” “I don’t,”\n   replied the monk. Nan’in said to the attendant, “Bring in some tea.”\n   A monk said to Nan’in, “What is the Great Meaning of Buddhism?” Nan’in said, “The\n   origin of a myriad diseases.” The monk said, “Please cure me!” Nan’in said, “The World\n   Doctor folds his hands.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Blyth commented: “This is unusually poetical, and of a melancholy grandeur. It\nalso happens to be true. Buddhism is both the cause and effect of an unsound mind\nin an unsound body. Note that greediness, stupidity, maliciousness, and so on are\nnot illnesses, for animals have them. Illness means thinking you are ill. And who\ncan cure the illness which Doctor Buddha and Doctor Christ have caused?”\n   A monk asked Nak’in, “What is your special teaching?” Nan’in said, “In autumn we reap;\n   and in winter we store.”\n   A monk asked Nan’in, “What is the Way (Tao)?” Nan’in answered, “A kite flies across the\n   great sky; nothing remains there.”\n   A monk asked Nan’in, “What about a seamless stupa?” Nan’in said, “Seven flowers, eight\n   tearings.” “How about the man in the tower?” “He doesn’t comb his hair or wash his face.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nan-yuan (Nak’in) had two well-known disciples: Ying-chiao An (Eikyo-an) 颍\n桥安 and Feng-hsueh Yen-chao (Fuketsu Enshō, 896–973) 风穴延沼. Ying-chiao\nAn was sitting by the fire when an official asked him, “How can one get out of the\nburning in the Three Worlds?” Ying-chiao An picked up the incense-tongs and\nshowed him some embers, saying, “Officer! Officer!” The Official was enlightened.\nFeng-hsueh (Fuketsu) lived to 78 years old and passed away in the sixth year of the\nKai-Pao (Kaihō) 开宝六年 era under the reign of Tai-tsu (Taiso), the first Emperor\nof Sung Dynasty. Blyth gave the dates as 896–973, based on Ku-tsun-su Yulu\n(Kosonshuku goroku) 古尊宿语录, which are different from what was given in the\nLamp Records, Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 302–303.\n\f42                                                                          4 The Rinzai School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Many anecdotes were given in Y.H. Ku’s History of Chinese Zen Masters.\npp. 158–164, based upon the Lamp Records.\n     Feng-hsueh (Fuketsu) was asked by a monk, “When speech and silence are both inad-\n     missible, how can one pass without error?” Feng-hsueh replied:\n     “I always remember Kiang-nan in the third moon—The cry of the partridge, the fragrance\n     of the wild flowers.” 长忆江南三月里, 鹧鸪啼处野花香."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was cited in Alan W. Watts’ The Way of Zen, pp. 182–183. There were\nsome interesting questions and answers in the Lamp Records:\n        Question: “How is the host in the guest?”\n        Fuketsu answered, “A blind man enters the city.”\n        Question: “How is the guest in the host?”\n        Fuketsu answered, “The Emperor returns with sun and moon shining anew.”\n        Question: “How is the guest in the guest?”\n        Answered Fuketsu, “From the eyebrows arise the white clouds.”\n        Question: “How is the host in the host?”\n        Fuketsu answered: “Grind the three-feet knife. Ready to kill the ‘unfair’ fellow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Feng-hsuh (Fuketsu) had three famous disciples, of whom Shou-shan\nSheng-nien (Shuzan Shōnen, 926–993) was the greatest.\n  A monk asked Shou-shan (Shuzan): “What is the special teaching of your family?”\n        Shuzan said:\n        “One sentence cuts across the mouth of a thousand rivers; 一言截破千江水. Before a\n        cliff of ten thousand yards, one finds the mystery.” 万仞峰前始得玄\n        The monk asked: “How is Shuzan’s Kyō (outlook and in look)?” 首山境\n        Shuzan said: “Let all the people see.”\n        The monk saked: “How is the person in the Kyō (outlook)?” 境中人\n        Shuzan said: “Have you received the blows?”\n        The monk saluted the Master."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These anecdotes were recorded in the Lamp Records, Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51,\npp. 304–305. (See also Y.H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 165–168.)\nFuketsu was the first generation Abbot at Shuzanji. He was also the third generation\nAbbot of Nan-yuan of Pao-yin Yuan (Hō’ō-yin). He lived to sixty-eight years old.\n   Fen-yang Shan-chao (Fun’yō Zenshō, 947–1024) was Shuzan’s dharma-heir.\nSome questions and answers (mondō) were given below:\n        A monk asked: “What is the source of the Great Tao (Dō)?”\n        Fun’yō answered: “Dig the earth and find the heaven.”\n        Question: “How is the guest in the guest?”\n        Fun’yō answered: “Fold your hands before the temple and ask Buddha.”\n        Question: “How is the host in the guest?”\n        Fun’yō answered: “Facing you on the opposite side, there were no comrades.”\n        Question: “How is the guest in the host?”\n        Master said: “Clouds and clouds across the sea; Draw your sword and disturb the\n        Dragon-gate!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dragon-gate!”\n        Question: “How is the host in the host?”\n        Master said: “Three heads and six arms hold up heaven and earth 三头六臂擎天地;\n        Angry No-Cha (a legendary figure) attacks the Imperial Court-bell 忿怒那吒扑帝钟.”\n\f4 The Rinzai School                                                                    43"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fen-yang (Fun’yō) had four famous disciples, mentioned above, among them\nTzu-ming Tsu-yuan (Jimyō Soen, 986–1039) was the greatest. Shih-shuang\nTsu-yuan (Sekisō Soen) became a monk when he was 22 years old. His mother\nencouraged him to travel and seek learned masters. He served under Fen-yang\nShan-chao (Fun’yō Zenshō) for 2 years, but he was not allowed to enter the\nMaster’s room. Sekisō was so disappointed that he planned to leave. One evening\nhe grumbled about not receiving the Master’s instructions. The Master held up his\nstick in anger, and the disciple (Sekisō) tried to defend himself. Suddenly the\nMaster used his hands to “blind-fold” Sekisō’s eyes. Sekisō was greatly enlightened\nand understood that Rinzai’s teachings are “common sense.” He attended to\nFen-yang (Fun’yō) for seven more years and then left.\n    There were many anecdotes which appeared in the Lamp Records (see Daishō\nDaizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 482–484; and also Y.H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen\nMasters, pp. 175–185)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Masters, pp. 175–185).\n  When a monk asked him, “What is the meaning of Daruma (the First Patriarch) coming\n  from the west?” Sekisō answered:\n     “Three days of wind and five days of rain.” 三日风,五日雨."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Master Tzu-ming (Jimyō Daishi) was a good friend of two high officials: Yang\nTa-nien (Yō Dainen) 杨大年and Li Tsun-hsu (Ri Junkyoku, d. 1038) 李遵勖. In\n1038 A.D., Li sent an invitation to Master Tzu-ming, saying that Yang already\npassed away, and he wished to meet with the Master before his own death. The\nMaster took a boat and went to the Capital. Master Tzu-ming wrote the following\ngāthā:\n     The Yangtze River is endless. 长江行不尽\n     When can I reach the Capital? 帝里到何时\n     The boat is receiving cool wind as a help. 既得凉风便\n     There is no need of using the oars. 休将栌棹施"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After meeting with the Master, Li Tsun-hsu passed away a little over a month later.\nMaster Tzu-ming (Jimyō Daishi) left posterity with his dharma-heirs, most notably\nHuang-lung Hui-nan (Ōryū Enan, 1002–1069), founder of the Oryū Sect, and\nYang-chi Fang-hui (Yōgi Hō’e, 992–1049), founder of the Yōgi Sect. From Ōryū,\nthe lineage leads to Myōan Eisai 明庵荣西, founder of the Rinzai School in Japan.\nOn the other hand, the Yōgi Sect produced many masters that would influence the\ndevelopment of Zen in Japan. Enji Ben’en 圆尔辨圆, founder of Tōfuku-ji, was\nMujun Shihan’s disciple, and so was Mugaku Sogen 无学祖元, founder of\nEngaku-ji. Rankei Dōryū 兰溪道隆, founder of Kenchō-ji, was Mumyō Esei’s\ndisciple. Mukan Fumon 无关普门, founder of Nanzen-ji, was the disciple of Jōji\nMyōrin (Mujun’s disciple), as well as the dharma-heir of Enji Ben’en. Daikyū\nShōnen 大休正念, founder of Jōchi-ji, was Sekikei Shingetsu’s dharma-heir.\nNampo Jōmyō 南浦绍明 was Kidō Chigu’s dharma-heir. Nampo’s disciple Shūhō"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Myōchō 宗峰妙超 became the founder of Daitoku-ji. Note that Rankei, Kidō, and\nSekikei were dharma cousins, as they were Shōgen Sūgaku’s dharma grandsons.\nSo many Zen Masters in Japan, whether they came to China from Japan, or they\n\f44                                                                       4 The Rinzai School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "went to Japan from China, were from the Yōgi Sect. Even Shinchi Kakushin 心地\n觉心, the dharma grandfather of Bassui Tokushō 拔队得胜 and Jiun Myō’i 慈云妙\n意, founders of Kōgaku-ji and Kokutai-ji respectively, was the dharma-heir of\nMumon Ekai. Ha’an Sosen 破庵祖先 (Mujun Shihan’s dharma teacher), Shōgen\nSūgaku 松源崇岳, and Mumon Ekai 无门慧开 were all the fifth-generation dharma\ndescendants of Goso Hō’en 五祖法演, who was the dharma grandson of Yōgi. So\nfar as the Rinzai School was concerned, the Yōgi Sect flourished both in China and\nin Japan.\n   The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects are presented in Chap. 5.\n\n\n\nReference\n\nDumoulin, H. S. J. (1953). The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch in the Light\n  of Mumonkan (R. F. Sasaki, Trans.). New York: The First Zen Institute of America.\n\fChapter 5\nThe Ōryū and Yōgi Sects"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Huang-lung Hui-nan (Ōryū Enan, 1002–1069) was the founder of the Ōryū Sect in\nthe Rinzai School in China. The lineage from Ōryū to Myōan Eisai, founder of the\nRinzai School in Japan, is given below:\n (1)    Huang-lung Hui-nan 黄龙慧南 (Ōryū Enan, 1002–1069)\n (2)    Hui-tang Tsu-hsin 晦堂祖心 (Kaidō Sōshin, 1025–1100)\n (3)    Ling-yuan Wei-ching 灵源惟清 (Reigen Isei, d. 1117)\n (4)    Chang-ling Shou-cho 长灵守卓 (Chōrei Shutaku, 1065–1123)\n (5)    Wu-shi Kai-shen 无示介谌 (Muji Kaijin, 1080–1148)\n (6)    Hsin-wen Tan-fen 心闻昙贲 (Shinbun Donfun)\n (7)    Hsueh-an Chun-chin 雪庵从瑾 (Setsu’an Jūkin, 1117–1200)\n (8)    Hsu-an Huai-chang 虚庵怀敞 (Ki’an Eshō)\n (9)    Ming-an Yung-si 明庵荣西 (Myōan Eisai, 1141–1215)\nEisai was the eighth-generation dharma descendant of Ōryū Enan.\nŌryū’s other disciples were as follows:\n(2a)    Yun-an Ko-wen 云庵克文 (Un’an Kokumon, 1025–1102)\n(2b)    Yun-kai Shou-chih 云盖守智 (Ungai Shuchi, 1025–1115)\n(2c)    Lau-tan Hung-yin 泐潭洪英 (Rokutan Kō’in, 1012–1070)\n(2d)    Yang-shan Hsing-wei 仰山行伟 (Kyōzan Kō’i, 1018–1080)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(2e)    Tung-lin Chang-chung 东林常总 (Tōrin Chōsō, 1025–1091)\n (2f)   Shang-lan Shun 上蓝顺 (Jōran Jun)\nYun-an Ko-wen or Pao-feng Ko-wen 宝峰克文 (Hōbō Kokumon) had three\ndisciples:\n(3a) Tou-shuai Tsung-yueh 兜率从悦 (Tosotsu Jūetsu, 1044–1091)\n(3b) Chan-tang Wen-chun 湛堂文准 (Tandō Bunjun, 1061–1115)\n(3c) Chueh-fan Hui-hung 觉范慧洪 (Kakuhan Ekō, 1071–1128)\nTung-lin (Tōrin) had a famous disciple, Su Tung-po (Sotōba, 1036–1101), a literary\ngenius. Shang-lan (Jōran) was probably older than Tōrin; but he was a friend of Su\nTung-po’s father, and became the dharma teacher of Su Che (So Tetsu), Su\nTung-po’s younger brother."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                   45\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_5\n\f46                                                                 5 The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects\n\n     In becoming the disciple of Tōrin, Su Tung-po composed the following gāthā (poem):\n\n     The sound of the brook is the wide and long tongue. Is the view of the mountain not the\n     body of purity? In the night I can have eighty-four thousand gāthās. In the days to come\n     how can I tell the others?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This poem was quoted by Dōgen Kigen, founder of the Sōtō School in Japan, in his\ntreatise: Shōbōgenzō. Su Che was a good friend of Yun-an Ko-wen, and he wrote a\nPreface for the Dialogues of Yun-an Ko-wen.\n   Hui-tang (Kaidō) had other disciples besides Reigen. They were:\n(3d) Tsao-tang Shan-ching 草堂善清 (Sōdō Zensei, 1037–1142)\n(3e) Ssu-hsin Wu-sin 死心悟新 (Shishin Goshin, 1043–1114)\nTsao-tang (Sōdō) had a disciple Hsueh-feng Hui-kung 雪峰慧空 (Seppō Ekū,\n1096–1158). Ssu-hsin (Shishin) had a disciple Chao-tsung Hui-fang 超宗慧方\n(Chōsō Ehō).\n  Reigen had another disciple:\n(4a) Fu-hsin Pen-tsai 佛心本才 (Butsushin Honsai), whose disciples were:\n     Shan-tang Tsu-shun 山堂僧洵 (Sandō Sojun) and Pien-feng Tsu-chin 别峰\n     祖珍 (Betsuhō Sochin).\n     Muji Kaijin had other disciples:\n(6a) Tzu-han Liao-po 慈航了朴 (Jikō Ryōboku)\n(6b) Tai-an Sien 退庵先 (Tai’an Sen)\nJikō’s disciple was Hsueh-feng Seng-yen 雪峰僧彦 (Seppō Sō’en).\n   From Ōryū to Myōan Eisai, we had altogether nine generations. Many masters"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and lay disciples were produced. However, it remains for the Yōgi Sect to flourish\neven more after the nine generations.\n   The lineage from Yōgi to Mujun Shihan (1178–1249) is given below:\n (1)     Yang-chi Fang-hui 杨岐方会 (Yōgi Hō’e, 992–1049)\n (2)     Pai-yun Shou-tuan 白云守端 (Haku’un Shutan, 1025–1072)\n (3)     Wu-tsu Fa-yen 五祖法演 (Goso Hō’en, 1024–1104)\n (4)     Yuan-wu Ko-chin 圆悟克勤 (Engo Kokugon, 1063–1135)\n (5)     Hu-chiu Shao-lung 虎丘绍隆 (Kokyū Shōryū, 1077–1136)\n (6)     Yin-an Tan-hua 应庵昙华 (Ō-an Donka, 1103–1163)\n (7)     Mi-an Hsien-chieh 密庵咸杰 (Mittan Enketsu, 1118–1186)\n (8)     Pu-an Tsu-sien 破庵祖先 (Ha’an Sosen, 1136–1211)\n (9)     Wu-chun Shih-fan 无准师范 (Mujun Shihan, 1178–1249)\nNote that Enji Ben’en 圆尔辨圆 (1202–1280) was Mujun’s disciple, and hence, he\nwas the ninth-generation dharma descendant of Yōgi. (In Japan, Enji Ben’en was\nMyōan Eisai’s dharma grandson.)\n  Starting from Goso Hō’en, another lineage can be established:\n (3) Wu-tsu Fa-yen 五祖法演 (Goso Hō’en, 1024–1104)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(3) Wu-tsu Fa-yen 五祖法演 (Goso Hō’en, 1024–1104)\n\f5 The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects                                               47"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(4a)    Kai-fu Tao-ning 开福道宁 (Kaifuku Dōnei, 1053–1113)\n(5a)    Yueh-an Shan-ko 月庵善果 (Gettan Zenka, 1079–1152)\n(6a)    Ta-hung Tsu-chen 大洪祖证 (Daikō Soshō)\n(7a)    Yueh-lin Shih-kuan 月林师观 (Getsurin Shikan, 1143–1217)\n(8a)    Wu-men Hui-kai 无门慧开 (Mumon Ekai, 1183–1260)\n(9a)    Hsin-ti Chueh-hsin 心地觉心 (Shinchi Kakushin, 1207–1298)\nNote that Kohō Kakumyō 孤峰觉明 (1271–1361) was Shinchi Kakushin’s disci-\nple. Kohō’s two disciples, Bassui Tokushō 拔队得胜 (1327–1387) and Jiun Myō’i\n慈云妙意 (1273–1345), were the founders of Kōgaku-ji 向岳寺 and Kokutai-ji 国\n泰寺 in Japan respectively. Bassui had a disciple: Shun’ō Reizan 峻翁令山 (1344–\n1408).\n   Besides Yuan-wu Ko-chin (Engo Kokugon) and Kai-fu Tao-ning (Kaifuku\nDōnei), Wu-tsu Fa-yen (Goso Hō’en) had other famous disciples:\n(4b) Lung-men Ching-yuan 龙门清远 (Ryūmon Sei’on, 1067–1120)\n(4c) Tai-ping Hui-chin 太平慧勤 (Taihei Ekin, 1059–1117)\n(4d) Ta-sui Yuan-ching 大隋元静 (Daizui Genjō, 1065–1135) or Nan-tang\n     Tao-hsin 南堂道兴 (Nandō Dōkō, 1065–1135)\n(4e) Hung-fu Tzu-wen 洪福子文 (Kōfuku Shimon)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(4e) Hung-fu Tzu-wen 洪福子文 (Kōfuku Shimon)\nLung-men Ryūmon had three disciples:\n(5b) Mo-an Fa-chung 牧庵法忠 (Boku’an Hōchū, 1084–1149)\n(5c) Hsueh-tang Tao-hsing 雪堂道行 (Setsudō Dōkō, 1089–1151)\n(5d) Cho-an Shi-kuei 竹庵士珪 (Chikuan Shiki, 1083–1146)\nBoku’an’s disciple was: Pu-an Yin-shu 普庵印肃 (Fu’an Inshuku, 1115–1169).\nSetsudō’s disciples were: Hui-an Hui-kuang 晦庵惠光 (Kai’an Ekō) and Cho-an\nShu-jen 且庵守仁 (Katsuan Shujin). Kai’an’s disciples were: Hsueh-feng\nYuan-shao 雪峰元肇 (Seppō Genshō), Ching-shan Yuan-chun 径山元聪 (Keisan\nGensō), and Pao-en Chih-in 报恩智因 (Hō’on Chi’in).\n   Yuan-wu Ko-chin (Engo Kokugon) had other disciples:\n(5e)    Ta-hui Tsung-kao 大慧宗杲 (Daie Sōkō, 1089–1163)\n (5f)   Fu-hai Hui-yuan 佛海慧远 (Bukkai E’on, 1103–1176)\n(5g)    Fu-hsin Fa-tai 佛性法泰 (Bussei Hōtai)\n(5h)    Hu-kuo Ching-yuan 护国景元 (Gokoku Keigen, 1094–1146)\nTa-hui’s disciples were as follows:\n(6b) Fu-chao Te-kuang 拙庵德光 (佛照) (Busshō Tokkō, 1121–1203)\n(6c) Lan-an Ting-hsi 懒庵鼎需 (Raian Teiju, 1092–1153)\nFu-chao’s disciples were as follows:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fu-chao’s disciples were as follows:\n(7b) Kung-shu Tsung-in 空叟宗印 (Kūshū Sō’in, 1148–1211)\n(7c) Po-chien Chu-chien 北涧居简 (Hokkan Koken, 1164–1246)\n\f48                                                         5 The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lan-an’s disciples were as follows:\n(7d) Mo-an An-yun 木庵安永 (Boku’ān An’ei)\n(7e) Po-tang Nan-ya 柏堂南雅 (Hakudō Nanka)\nFu-hai Hui-yuan (Bukkai E’on) had two disciples:\n(6d) Tsi-tien Tao-tsi 济颠道济 (Saiten Dōsai, 1148–1207)\n(6e) Chueh-er 觉阿 (Kaku’ō)\nKaku’ō came from Mount Hiei, Japan, and became enlightened on hearing the\nsound of drums by the Yangtze River. He went up Mount Hiei after his return to\nJapan and never came down. So it was Myōan Eisai (1141–1215), the dharma\ndescendant of the Ōryū Sect, who founded the Rinzai School in Japan. However,\nmany masters in the Japanese Rinzai School came from the Yōgi Sect.\n   In the rest of this chapter, we continue on with the Yōgi Sect. Starting from\n(4) Yuan-wu Ko-chin, (5) Hu-chiu Shao-lung, (6) Yin-an Tan-hua, and (7) Mi-an\nHsien-chieh, we have parallel transmission as follows:\n  (8)    Pu-an Tsu-sien 破庵祖先 (Ha’an Sosen, 1136–1211)\n (8b)    Sung-yuan Chung-yueh 松源崇岳 (Shōgen Sūgaku, 1132–1202)\n (8c)    Tsien-fu Tao-sen 荐福道生 (Senfuku Dōsei)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(8c)    Tsien-fu Tao-sen 荐福道生 (Senfuku Dōsei)\n  (9)    Wu-chun Shih-fan 无准师范 (Mujun Shihan, 1178–1249)\n (9b)    Yun-an Pu-yen 运庵普岩 (Un’an Fugan, 1156–1226)\n (9c)    Chi-zei Tao-chung 痴绝道冲 (Chizetsu Dōchū, 1169–1250)\n (10)    Wu-hsueh Tsu-yuan 无学祖元 (Mugaku Sogen, 1226–1286)\n(10b)    Hsu-tang Chih-yu 虚堂智愚 (Kidō Chigu, 1185–1269)\n(10c)    Wan-chi Hsing-mi 顽极行弥 (Gankyoku Kōmi)\nNote that after (7) Mi-an Hsien-chieh (Mittan Enketsu), we have three parallel lines:\nthe first line goes through Pu-an Tsu-sien (Ha’an Sosen), Wu-chun Shih-fan (Mujun\nShihan), to Wu-hsueh Tsu-yuan (Mugaku Sogen), who went to Japan and became\nthe founder of Engaku-ji. Mujun Shihan’s other disciples were as follows:\n(10d)    Hsueh-yen Tsu-ching 雪岩祖钦 (Seggan Sokin, 1216–1287)\n(10e)    Ge-an Pu-ning 兀庵普宁 (Gottan Funnei, 1197–1276)\n (10f)   Miao-chien Tao-yu 妙见道祐 (Myōken Dōyū, 1201–1256)\n(10g)    Zing-tzu Miao-lun 净慈妙伦 (Jōji Myōrin, 1201–1261)\n(10h)    Huan-chi Wei-i 环溪惟一 (Kankei I’itsu, 1202–1281)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note that Gottan Funnei and Huan-chi’s disciple, Ching-tang Chueh-yuan 镜堂觉\n圆 (Kyōdō Kaku’en, 1244–1306), went to Japan. Zing-tzu Miao-lun’s disciple\nMukan Fumon 无关普门 (1212–1291) went back to Japan and became the founder\nof Nanzen-ji. Myōken Dōyū also came to Sung-China from Japan. His disciple,\nWu-kung Ching-nien 悟空敬念 (Gokū Keinen, 1217–1272), also studied in China.\n   Pu-an Tsu-sien (Ha’an Sosen) had another disciple, Shih-tien Fa-hsun 石田法薰\n(Sekida Hōkun, 1171–1245), whose disciple was Yu-chi Chih-hui 愚极智慧\n\f5 The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects                                                       49"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Gukyoku Chi’e). Gukyoku’s disciple, Ching-cho Cheng-cheng 清拙正澄\n(Seisetsu Shōchō, 1274–1339), went to Japan.\n    After (7) Mi-an Hsien-chieh, the (b) line started from Sung-yuan (Shōgen), went\nthrough Yun-an Pu-yen to (10b) Hsu-tang Chih-yu (Kidō Chigu, 1185–1269).\nKidō’s disciple, Nampo Jōmyō 南浦绍明 (1235–1308), was a great Rinzai Master\nwell-known by his honored title, Daiō Kokushi (National Teacher). Nampo’s dis-\nciple was Shūhō Myōchō 宗峰妙超 (1281–1336), well-known by his honored title,\nDaitō Kokushi. Shūhō’s disciple was Kanzan Egen 关山慧玄 (1277–1360). So\nKidō was the spiritual leader of both the Daitoku-ji and Myōshin-ji in Japan. Kidō\nhad another disciple, Chu-shan Chih-yuan 巨山志源 (Kyōsan Shigen), who came\nfrom Japan. Kidō’s dharma brother, Shih-fan Wei-yen 石帆惟衍 (Sekihan I’en),\nhad a disciple, Shi-chien Tzu-tan 西涧子昙 (Saikan Sudon, 1249–1306), who went\nto Japan and became the dharma teacher of Sung-shan Chu-chung 嵩山居中 (Sūsan\nKyochū, 1278–1346)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kyochū, 1278–1346).\n    After (7) Mi-an Hsien-chieh, the (c) line started from Tsien-fu (Senfuku), went\nthrough Chi-zei Tao-chung to (10c) Wan-chi Hsing-mi (Gankyoku Kōmi). Wan-chi’s\ndisciple, I-shan I-ning 一山一宁 (Issan Innei, 1247–1317), went to Japan and became\nthe dharma teacher of Hsueh-tsen Yu-mei 雪村友梅 (Sesson Yūbai, 1290–1346).\n    Mi-an’s disciple (8b) Sung-yuan Chung-yueh (Shōgen Sūgaku) had great influ-\nence in the Rinzai School in Japan, not only because Kidō was Shōgen’s dharma\ngrandson, but also because another dharma grandson, Lan-chi Tao-lung 兰溪道隆\n(Rankei Dōryū, 1213–1278), was the founder of Kenchō-ji. Besides Yun-an Pu-yen\n(Un’an Fugan), Sung-yuan had the following disciples and descendants:\n  (9d)    Wu-ming Hui-shin 无明慧性 (Mumyō Esei, 1162–1237)\n  (9e)    Yen-an Shan-kai 掩庵善开 (金山) (En’an Zenkai)\n   (9f)   Wu-ai Chueh-tung 无碍觉通 (华藏) (Mugai Kakutsu)\n  (9g)    Mi-on Wen-li 灭翁文礼 (天目) (Metsu’ō Bunri, 1167–1250)\n(10d)     Lan-chi Tao-lung 兰溪道隆 (Rankei Dōryū, 1213–1278)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(10e)     Shih-chi Hsin-yueh 石溪心月 (Sekikei Shingetsu, d. 1282)\n (10f)    Hsu-chou Pu-tu 虚舟普度 (Kishū Fudo, 1199–1280)\n(10g)     Huen-chuan Ju-kung 横川如珙 (Ō-kawa Nyokyō, 1221–1289)\nLah-chi Tao-lung (Rankei Dōryū) had many dharma heirs: among them were\nNampo Jōmyō and Yaku’ō Tokuken 约翁德俭 (1245–1320), both of whom went\nto Sung-China. Yaku’ō’s disciple, Jakushitsu Genkō 寂室元光 (1290–1367), also\nwent to China and became later the founder of Eigen-ji.\n   Shih-chi 石溪心月 (Sekikei) had two important disciples: one was Mushō Jōshō\n无象静照 (1234–1306), who came to Sung-China; and the other was Ta-hsiu\nCheng-nien 大休正念 (Daikyū Shōnen, 1215–1289), who went to Japan and\nbecame the founder of Jōchi-ji.\n   Hsu-chou Pu-tu 虚舟普度 (Kishū Fudo) had two important disciples: Hu-yen\nZing-fu 虎岩净伏 (Kogan Jōfuku) and Shōrin Kyūrin 胜林琼林, who came from\nJapan. Hu-yen (Kogan) had several disciples: Ming-chi Tsu-tsun 明极楚俊\n(Myōkyoku Soshun, 1262–1336), who went to Japan; Chi-hsiu Chih-liao 即休契了"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "50                                                       5 The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Sokukyū Keiryō, d. 1350), whose disciple Guchū Shūkyū 愚中周及 (1323–1409)\ncame to China and later became the founder of Fotsu-ji.\n   Huen-chuan Ju-kung (Ō-kawa Nyokyō) had a disciple: Ku-lin Ching-mu 古林清\n茂 (Korin Seimo), who had three famous disciples: Cho-sien Fan-sien 竺仙梵仙\n(Jikusen Bonsen), who went to Japan; Yueh-lin Tao-chao 月林道皎 (Getsurin\nDōkyō, 1293–1351); and Shih-shih Shan-chiu 石室善玖 (Sekishitsu Zenkyū, 1294–\n1389). Both Getsurin and Sekishitsu went to Yuan-China and then returned to Japan.\n   Wu-chun Shih-fan 无准师范 (Mujun Shihan) had many disciples, among them\nwere Enji Ben’en, who came from Japan, and later became the founder of\nTōfuku-ji, and Wu-hsueh Tsu-yuan 无学祖元 (Mugaku Sogen), who was invited to\nJapan to be the founder of Engaku-ji. Mugaku’s disciples were as follows:\n     Kōhō Kennichi 高峰显日 (1241–1316)\n     Ki’an So’en 规庵祖圆 (1261–1313)\nKennichi’s disciple Musō Soseki 梦窗疏石 (1275–1351) was most influential in\nJapan and became the founder of Tenryū-ji and Shōkoku-ji. Musō Kokushi"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(National Teacher) had many disciples: (1) Shun’oku Myōha 春屋妙葩 (1311–\n1388); (2) Mukyoku Shigen 无极志玄 (1282–1359); (3) Zekkai Chūshin 绝海中津\n(1336–1405), who went to Ming-China; (4) Gidō Shūshin 义堂周信 (1325–1388);\nand (5) Seisan Ji’ei 青山慈永 (1302–1369).\n   Hsueh-yen Tsu-chin 雪岩祖钦 (Seggan Sokin, 1216–1287) had many disciples,\namong them were as follows: (1) Kao-feng Yuan-miao 高峰原妙 (Kōhō Gemmyō,\n1238–1295); (2) Hsuko Hsi-lin 虚谷希陵 (Kikoku Keryō, 1247–1322); (3) Ti-niu\nJu-ting 铁牛持定 (Tetsugo Jitei, 1240–1303); (4) Ling-shan Tao-yin 灵山道隐\n(Reisan Dō’in, 1255–1325), who went to Japan; and (5) Tao-chang An-shin 道场庵\n信 (Dōjō Anshin).\n   Kao-feng Yuan-miao’s lineage went down to Yin-yuan Lung-chi 隐元隆琦\n(Ingen Ryūki, 1592–1673) as follows:\n (1)   Kōhō Genmyō (1238–1295) 高峰原妙\n (2)   Chūhō Myōhon (1263–1323) 中峰明本\n (3)   Sengan Genchō (1284–1357) 千岩元长\n (4)   Mahō Jijō (1303–1381) 万峰时蔚\n (5)   Hōzō Fuji 宝藏普持\n (6)   Kihaku Egaku (1372–1441) 虚白慧岳\n (7)   Kaishū Eiji (1393–1461) 海舟永慈\n (8)   Hōhō Myōken (d. 1472) 宝峰明瑄"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(8)   Hōhō Myōken (d. 1472) 宝峰明瑄\n (9)   Tenki Honzui 天奇本瑞\n(10)   Mubun Shōsō (1450–1512) 无闻正聪\n(11)   Getsushin Tokuhō (1512–1581) 月心德宝\n(12)   Genyū Shōden (1549–1614) 幻有正传\n(13)   Mitsu’un Engo (1566–1642) 密云圆悟\n(14)   Hi-in Tsuyō (1593–1661) 费隐通容\n(15)   Ingen Ryūki (1592–1673) 隐元隆琦 (See Chart VI.)\n\f5 The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects                                                    51"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note that Yin-yuan Lung-chi (Ingen Ryūki) was the fifteenth generation dharma\ndescendant of Hsueh-yen Tsu-chin (Seggan Sokin) and became the founder of\nŌbaku School in Japan.\n   Hsu-ko Hsi-lin (Kikoku Keryō) had a disciple Pien-chuan Miao-yin 别传妙胤\n(Betsuden Myō’in), whose disciple was Yu-kang Tsang-chin 玉冈藏珍\n(Gyoku’oka Zōchin, 1315–1395). Ti-niu Ju-ting (Tetsugo Jitei) had a disciple\nZei-hsueh Shih-chen 绝学世诚 (Zetsugaku Sesei, 1260–1332), whose disciple was\nKu-mei Cheng-yu 古梅正友 (Kobai Shōyū, 1285–1352). Ku-mei’s disciple was\nWu-wen Yuan-hsuan 无文元选 (Mumon Gensen, 1323–1390), who was the\nfounder of Hōkō-ji in Japan. Tao-chang An-shin (Dōjō Anshin) had a disciple\nShih-ou Ching-kung 石屋清珙 (Seki’oku Seikyō, 1272–1352).\n   Kao-feng Yuan-miao (Kōhō Gemmyō) had other disciples: Dangai Ryōgi 断崖了\n义 (1263–1334); Haku’un I’ka 白云以假 (d. 1336); and Daikaku Soyō 大觉祖雍.\n   Chung-feng Ming-pen (Chūhō Myōhon) had other disciples: Muin Genkai 无隐\n元晦 (d. 1358), Kosen Ingen 古先印元 (1295–1374), Myōshū Seitetsu 明叟齐哲"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(d. 1347), Fuku’an Sōki 复庵宗已 (1280–1358), Onkei Soyū 远溪祖雄 (1286–\n1344), Gyōkai Honjō 业海本净 (d. 1352), and Kansai Ginan 关西义南. All these\nseven priests came from Japan and went back to spread the teachings of Chūhō\nMyōhon.\n   Sengan Genchō’s 千岩元长 other disciples were as follows: Daisetsu Sonō 大拙\n祖能 (1313–1377), who came from Japan; Hō’on Baikei 报恩梅溪, whose disciple\nShōsō Nichigan 正宗日颜 came from Japan; and Muyō Shuki 无用守贵 (1286–\n1361).\n (4) Manhō Jijō 万峰时蔚 had another disciple Kaishū Fuji 海舟普慈 (1355–\n     1450).\n (9) Tenki Honzui 天奇本瑞 had two other disciples: Musō Jō 无相成 and\n     Daisen Kō 大川洪.\n(12) Genyū Shōden 幻有正传 (1549–1614) was also known as Ryūchi 龙池\n     (Dragon Pond). He had two important disciples: Mitsu’un (Tendō) Engo 密\n     云圆悟 (1566–1642) and Ten’in Enshū 天隐圆修 (1575–1635). Mitsu’un\n     had the following disciples: Hi-in Tsuyō 费隐通容 (1593–1661), Gohō\n     Nyogaku 五峰如学 (1585–1633), Hōka Tsunin 宝华通忍 (1604–1648),\n     Ryūchi Tsubi 龙池通微 (1594–1657), Tendō Dōbun 天童道忞 (1596–"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1674), Konan Tsumon 古南道门 (1599–1671), Tsugen Tsuki 通玄通奇\n     (1595–1652), Hasan Kaimyō 破山海明 (1597–1666), Kinzoku Tsujō 金粟\n     通乘 (1593–1638), Setchō Tsu’un 雪窦通云 (1594–1663), Hō’on Tsuken\n     宝恩通贤 (1593–1667), and Tōjō Hōzō 邓尉法藏. Ten’in Enshū’s disciples\n     were as follows: Kassan Honyo (d. 1646) 夹山本豫, Hō’on Tsushū 报恩通\n     琇 (1614–1675), Ri’an Tsumon 理安通问 (1604–1655), Shōsai Tsuju 松际\n     通授 (1593–1642), and Sanshi Tsusai 山茨通际 (1608–1645).\n At the end of this chapter, we shall trace the lineage from Zing-tzu Miao-lun 净\n慈妙伦 (Jōji Myōrin, 1201–1261) to Han-shan Te-ching 憨山德清 (Kansan\n\f52                                                     5 The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tokusei, 1546–1623). Note that Jōji Myōrin was a dharma brother of Mugaku\nSogen and Seggan Sokin.\n(1)   Jōji Myōrin (1201–1261),\n(2)   Zuigan Bunhō 瑞言文宝 (d. 1335),\n(3)   Kachō Sento 华顶先睹 (1265–1334),\n(4)   Fukurin Chito 福林智度 (1304–1370),\n(5)   Kosetsu Shōshun 古拙昌俊,\n(6)   Musai Myōgo 无际明悟.\nFrom Musai Myōgo on, we have three parallel branches: (a), (b), and (c).\n (7a)   Hōgetsu Tan 宝月潭\n (8a)   Tennei Sen 天宁宣\n (9a)   Kichi’an So 吉庵祚\n(10a)   Hōshū Dōsai (1487–1560) 法舟道济\n(11a)   Unkoku Hō’e (1500–1579) 云谷法会\n(12a)   Kansan Tokusei (1546–1623) 憨山德清\n(13a)   Cū’eki Chikyoku (1599–1655) 藕益智旭\n   Han-shan Te-ching (Kansan Tokusei, 1546–1623) was a great friend of Tzu-po\nCheng-ko 紫柏真可 (Shihaku Shinka, 1543–1603) and Lien-chi Chih-hung 莲池\n祩宏 (Renchi Shukō, 1535–1615). By the end of Ming Dynasty, these three priests\nand Ngo-i Chih-hsueh 藕益智旭 (Gū’eki Chikyoku, 1599–1655) were the four\ngreat masters. We have designated Gū’eki as the dharma-heir of Kansan. (See Rev."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chang Shen-yen, Litt.D., Chinese Buddhism near the end of Ming Dynasty, p. 99.)\n   The (b) branch is given below:\n (7b)   Tai’oka Chō 太冈澄\n (8b)   Gihō Nei (d. 1491) 夷峰宁\n (9b)   Temmoku (Hōhō) Shin 天目进 (宝芳)\n(10b)   Ya’ō Egyō 野翁慧晓\n(11b)   Mushu Nyokū (1491–1580) 无趣如空\n(12b)   Mugen Shōchū (1540–1611) 无幻性冲\n(13b)   Kōzen Ekō (1576–1620) 兴善慧广\n(14b)   Fumyō Myōyō (1587–1642) 普明妙用\n(15b)   Kōan Ensei 高庵圆清 (Kozan line 鼓山系)\nNote that Kōan Ensei was an Abbot at Kozan-ji, Foochow. The Kōan line or the\nKozan line went down to Abbot Hsu Yun (Kiun, 1840–1959) 虚云and beyond.\n(See Chart VI A.) The author is indebted to Reverend Ling-yuan 灵源 (Reigen,\n1902–) of Daikaku-ji, Keelung, Taiwan, for obtaining the Star-Lamp Records 星灯\n集, edited by Abbot Hsu Yun, whom the author had the privilege to know in person\nin 1941–1942. (See Chart VI A.)\n   The (c) branch started from Sosan Shōki and then was further divided.\n (7c) Sosan Shōki (1404–1473) 楚山绍琦\n (8c) Katsudō Soyū 豁堂祖裕"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(8c) Katsudō Soyū 豁堂祖裕\n\f5 The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects                                                 53"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(9c) Tentsu Ken 天通显\n(10c) Getsusen Hōshu (1492–1563) 月泉法聚\nDesignating the sub-branch of (c) as (d), there are:\n(8d) Kokei Kakuchō 古溪觉澄 (d. 1473)\n(9d) Dokuhō Kizen 毒峰季善 (1443–1523)\nNote that (10a) Hōshū Dōsai (1487–1560), (11b) Mushu Nyokū (1491–1580), and\n(10c) Getsusen Hōshu (1492–1563) were contemporaries. Also note that Ingen\nRyūki (1592–1673) and (13a) Gū’eki Chikyoku (1599–1635) were contemporaries.\n   The Kōan 高庵 or Kozan 鼓山 line can be given below:\n  (1)   Kōan Ensei 高庵圆清\n  (2)   Honchi Myōkaku 本智明觉\n  (3)   Shikaku Shinke 紫柏真可 (1543–1603)\n  (4)   Tankyoku Nyokō 端旭如弘\n  (5)   Junketsu Shōki 纯洁性奎\n  (6)   Jiun Kaishun 慈云海俊\n  (7)   Tetsushin Jakubun 质生寂文\n  (8)   Tan’en Shōka 端员照华\n  (9)   Chigan Fumyō 其岸普明\n (10)   Taikyō Tsūshō ∙弢巧通圣\n (11)   Goshū Shinkū 悟修心空\n (12)   Kōka Gengo 宏化源悟\n (13)   Shōsei Kōshō 祥青广松\n (14)   Shudō Zokusen 守道续先\n (15)   Shōgaku Honchō 正岳本超\n (16)   Eishō Kakujō 永畅觉乘\n (17)   Hōrai Shō’on 方来昌远\n (18)   Katsugo Ryūsen 豁悟隆参\n (19)   Ichō Nōsan 维超能灿\n (20)   Kiryō Jinhan 奇量仁繁"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(19)   Ichō Nōsan 维超能灿\n (20)   Kiryō Jinhan 奇量仁繁\n (21)   Myōren Shōka 妙莲圣华\n (22)   Teihō Kajō 鼎峰果成\n (23)   Zenji Shōkai 善慈常开\n (24)   Entetsu Tokusei 演彻德清 (Kiun 虚云 1840–1959)\n (25)   Kan’in Butsu’e 宽印佛慧\n (26)   Kōmyō Reigen 宏妙灵源 (1902–)\n (27)   Itei Chishin 惟定知生\n(27a)   Ijū Chigō 惟柔知刚\nReverend Reigen was Founder and Abbot of Daikaku-ji, Keelung, 基隆十方大觉\n寺 Taiwan. Among his many disciples are as follows: Itei Chishin 惟定知生,\npresent Abbot of Daikaku-ji, Keelung; and Ekū Shōgen 慧空圣严 (1930–), Litt.D.,\nformer Abbot of Daikaku-ji, New York City, NY, USA, who was given the name\nIjū Chigō 惟柔知刚.\n\f54                                                    5 The Ōryū and Yōgi Sects"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The author wishes to acknowledge his deep indebtedness to Reverend Ling-yuan\n(Reigen) for supplying the above lineage from Star-Lamp Records 星灯集. Note\nthat Star-Lamp Records was reprinted in Dharma Records of Abbot Hsu Yun 虚云\n和尚法汇 Vol. 8, pp. 246–262.\n   Now we shall trace the lineage of the Kao-min Temple (Kōmin-ji) line 高旻系\nfrom Hō’on (Gyokurin) Tsūshū 报恩 玉琳通琇 to Abbot Lai-Ko (Raika, 1881–\n1953). (See Chart VI B.)\n  (1)   Gyokurin Tsūshū (1614–1675) 玉琳通琇,\n  (2)   Sei’un Kōgaku (1614–1666) 栖云行岳,\n  (3)   Nankoku Chō’ei 南谷超颍,\n  (4)   Reiju Meisei (1657–1722) 灵鹫明诚,\n  (5)   Ten’e Jitsutetsu 天慧实彻,\n  (6)   Ryōhan Saishō (1700–1756) 了凡际圣,\n  (7)   Shōgetsu Ryōtei (1729–1785) 昭月了贞,\n  (8)   Hōrin Tatsuchin 宝林达珍,\n (8a)   Nyokan Tatsuchō 如鉴达澄,\n  (9)   Hōshu Gosei 方聚悟成,\n (10)   Dōgen Shinjin 道源真仁,\n (11)   Tokuji Kū’en 德慈空演,\n (12)   Ōgen Ri 应元理,\n (13)   Rōki Riji 朗辉事融,\n (14)   Getsurō Zentei 月朗全定,\n(14a)   Sozen Zenshin 楚禅全振,\n (15)   Meiken Saizui 明轩西瑞,\n (16)   Myōju Raika (1881–1953) 妙树来果,\n (17)   Myōge 妙解."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(17)   Myōge 妙解.\nThe lineage from Gyokurin to Sozen Zenshin was taken from Mōgetsu Shinkyō’s\nBukkyō Dainen Hyō 望月信亨: 佛教大年表 4th edition, p. 52. The author wishes\nto thank Reverend Lun-tsan 伦参法师 of Hong Kong and Reverend Yen-chih 严持\n法师 of Hua-lien Buddhist Lotus Institute, Taiwan, for supplying information\nconcerning the lineage of Reverend Lai-Ko (Raika).\n\fChapter 6\nThe Seigen Branch"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ching-yuan Hsing-ssu (Seigen Gyōshi, d. 740) started the Seigen Branch of Zen\nafter Hui-neng (Enō), the Sixth Patriarch. R. H. Blyth’s Zen and Zen Classics,\nVolume 2 and the first chapter of Volume 3, depicted this branch of Zen history.\nThe Seigen Branch produced the Tsao-tung (Sōtō) School, the Yun-men (Ummon)\nSchool, and the Fa-yen (Hōgen) School.\n    Although Ho-tse Shen-hui (Kataku Jinne, 670–762) made tremendous effort to\nestablish Hui-neng (Enō) as the Sixth Patriarch and to make Tsao-hsi (Sōkei) the\nprincipal seat of Zen Monastery, Ching-yuan (Seigen) carried on the dharma lin-\neage parallel to Nan-yueh Huai-jang (Nangaku Ejō, 677–744), who was the founder\nof the Nangaku Branch.\n    In Chap. 2, mention was made of Hui-neng’s FIVE important disciples:\n(1) Ho-tse Shen-hui (Kataku Jinne, 670–762); (2) Nan-yang Hui-chung (Nan’yō\nEchū, d. 775); (3) Yung-chia Hsuan-chueh (Yōka Genkaku, 665–713);\n(4) Nan-yueh Huai-jang (Nangaku Ejō, 677–744); and (5) Ching-yuan Hsing-ssu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Seigen Gyōshi, d. 740). Shen-hui’s line went as far as Kuei-feng Tsung-mi (Keihō\nShūmitsu, 780–841), who became the Fifth Patriarch of the Hua-yen (Kegon)\nSchool. Yung-chia (Yōka) left posterity with his “Cheng-tao-ke” (“Shōdka”) and\nother writings. Hui-chung (Echū), the National Teacher (Kokushi), lived long, and\nbecame an old dharma uncle to the younger masters of the different schools.\n    The transmission of the “Lamp” was carried on in two parallel branches: the\nSeigen Branch and the Nangaku Branch. In Chap. 3, the Nangaku Branch was\npresented, together with a brief review of the Igyō School founded by Kuei-shan\n(Isan) and his disciple Yang-shan (Kyōzan). In Chap. 4, the Lin-chi (Rinzai)\nSchool, founded by Lin-chi I-hsuan (Rinzai Gigen, d. 866), was presented. The\nRinzai School, after six generations, branched out into the Huang-lung (Ōryū) Sect\nand the Yang-chi (Yōgi) Sect. These two Sects were presented in Chap. 5.\n    The Seigen Branch was as promising as the Nangaku Branch in the transmission"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the “Lamp.” Ching-yuan (Seigen) himself was a devoted disciple of Enō, and he\nleft Tsao-hsi (Sōkei) to reside at Zing-chu Temple, Ching-yuan Mountain (Mt.\nSeigen), in Chi-chou (Kichishū). When the Sixth Patriarch was about to enter\nnirvana, Shih-tou Hsi-chien (Sekitō Kisen, 700–790) asked Master Enō whom"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                   55\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_6\n\f56                                                                            6 The Seigen Branch"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "should he seek as his teacher. The Sixth Patriarch instructed him to seek “ssu” (in\nChinese, it means “thinking”). So Sekitō later sat quietly and kept on “thinking.”\nThen, a monk reminded Sekitō that “Hsing-ssu,” his dharma older brother, had the\nname “ssu” and suggested that Shih-tou (Sekitō) should visit Seigen according to\nthe Six Patriarch’s wishes. So the Sixth Patriarch must have thought highly of\nSeigen, and Seigen might have received the Sixth Patriarch’s special teachings.\n   Shih-tou (Sekitō) became the dharma-heir of Seigen. The Nangaku Branch had\nthe second-generation heir Ma-tsu Tao-i (Baso Dōitsu, 709–788), who was a\npowerful teacher, revered by his followers as Master Ma. Sekitō left Seigen\nMountain for Heng-shan (Hunan) and built a small hermitage on a stone terrace.\nHence, he got the name, Shih-tou (Sekitō), meaning “stone.” It was said at that\ntime, “West of the Great River (Kiangsi), Ta-chi (Daijaku) is the Master; south of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Lake (Hunan), Shih-tou (Sekitō) is the Master.” According to the Lamp\nRecords, Vol. 14, Sekitō had twenty-one dharma-heirs, among them were:\n(1)    Tien-huang Tao-wu 天皇道悟 (Tennō Dōgo, 748–807)\n(2)    Tan-hsia Tien-jan 丹霞天然 (Tanka Tennen, 739–824)\n(3)    Yueh-shan Wei-yen 药山惟俨 (Yakusan Igen, 751–834)\n(4)    Tan-chou Chang-tze Kuang 潭州长髭旷 (Tanshū Chōshi Kō)\n(5)    Chao-chou Ta-tien Pao-tung 潮州大颠宝通 (Chōshū Daiten Hōtsu, 732–824)\n(6)    Tan-chou Ta-chuan 潭州大川 (Tanshū Daisen)\nThe first four had the title Zen-shi (Zenji), while the other two had the title Ho-shan\n(oshō), meaning Chief Priest.\n   Sekitō was the author of Tsan-tung-chi (Sandōkai), which was handed down to\nthe followers of the Seigen Branch, and later to the Sōtō School, the Ummon\nSchool, and the Hōgen School. In the Sōtō School, Tung-shan Liang-chieh (Tōzan\nRyōkai, 807–869) constructed the doctrine of the Five Ranks upon the foundation\nof the dialectic of Sekitō Kisen and other earlier Zen Masters. (See The"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Development of Chinese Zen, by Heinrich Dumoulin, S. J., English translation by\nRuth Fuller Sasaki. The First Zen Institute of America Inc., 1953, p. 25.)\n   Sekitō first served under Enō, the Sixth Patriarch, when he was very young.\nAfter Enō’s passing, he became the dharma-heir of Seigen. The following anec-\ndotes were taken from the English translations by R. H. Blyth in his Zen and Zen\nClassics, Vol. 2, pp. 20–21:\n     A monk asked Sekitō, “What is the inner significance of Daruma’s coming to (from) the\n     West?” Sekitō said, “Go and ask the outside post of the Hall!” The monk said, “I don’t\n     know what you mean.” “Nor do I”, said Sekitō.\n     When Hōun (Pang Yun 庞蕴) met Sekitō for the first time, he asked “Who is he who does\n     not accompany all things?” Sekitō put his hand over Hōun’s mouth. Hōun came to a\n     realization.\n     One day Sekitō was walking in the hills with his disciple Sekishitsu 石室善道 (Shihshih"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "meaning “stone house”), and, seeing more branches obstructing the path, asked him to cut\n     them away. “I didn’t bring a knife”, said Sekishitsu. Sekitō took out his own and held it out,\n     blade-end first, to Sekishitsu, who said, “Please give me the other end.” “What would you\n     do with it?” asked Sekitō, and Sekishitsu came to a realization.\n\f6 The Seigen Branch                                                                         57"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note that Sekishitsu was later a disciple of Chōshi Kō of Tanshū. Other anecdotes\nwere given in the Lamp Records, Vol. 14 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 309). See\nalso Y.H. Ku’s History of Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 74–76. The following trans-\nlation illustrates the conversation between Sekitō and Tennō Dōgo.\n   Tennō Dōgo asked Sekitō: “Who received the teachings of Tsao-hsi (Sōkei)?” Sekitō\n   answered: “One who understands the dharma of Buddha received it.” Dōgo asked: “Did\n   Master receive it?” The Master answered: “I do not understand the dharma of Buddha.” A\n   monk asked: “How to be liberated?” Sekitō answered: “Who binds you?” A monk asked:\n   “What is the Pure Land?” Sekitō said: “Who makes you dirty?” A monk asked: “What is\n   nirvana?” Sekitō said: “Who gives you life and death?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sekitō, in his teachings, emphasized “The Buddha is the Mind; the Mind is the\nBuddha.”\n    The Sixth Patriarch entered nirvana in 713 A.D. and left his “body” to posterity.\nThe “body” was enshrined at Nan-hua (Nanka) Temple 南华寺 at Shao-kuan. [The\npresent writer did visit the Nan-hua Temple, while Abbot Hsu Yun (Kiun, 1840–\n1959) was in charge of the temple.] Similarly, Sekitō’s “body” was well preserved\nfrom 790 A.D. to the present. About 60 years ago, Sekitō’s “body” was secretly\ntransported to Japan. When the Sōtō School in Japan was celebrating the Six\nHundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of Keizan Shōkin’s passing, this “body” of\nSekitō was recognized by some Chinese Buddhists at the Zen Exhibition. So in\n1975 (650 years after Keizan’s passing), Sekitō’s “Body” was enshrined at Sōji-ji\nnear Yokohama. Some faithful followers revered Sekitō as the Eighth Patriarch of\nthe Sōtō School. Whether Shen-hui (Jinne) was accepted as the Seventh Patriarch of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zen was an open question, although Abbot Hsu Yun respected Shen-hui with this\ntitle bestowed on him by the Emperor Te-tsung in 796 A.D.\n    We have mentioned six prominent disciples of Sekitō before. The first line leads\nfrom Tien-huang Tao-wu (Tennō Dōgo, 748–807) to Hsueh-feng I-tsun (Seppō\nGizon, 822–908).\n(1)   Tien-huang Tao-wu 天皇道悟 (Tennō Dōgo, 748–807)\n(2)   Lung-tan Chung-hsin 龙潭崇信 (Ryūtan Sūshin)\n(3)   Te-shan Hsuan-chien 德山宣鉴 (Tokusan Senkan, 782–865)\n(4)   Hsueh-feng I-tsun 雪峰义存 (Seppō Gizon, 822–908)\nHsueh-feng’s two famous disciples were: (5a) Yun-men Wen-yen 云门文偃\n(Ummon Bun’en, 864–949), founder of the Ummon School, and (5b) Yuan-sha\nShih-pei 玄沙师备 (Gensha Shibi, 835–908), founder of the Gensha School.\nHowever, Gensha was over-shadowed by his dharma grandson, Fa-yen Wen-i 法眼\n文益 (Hōgen Bun’eki, 885–958), so that the Gensha School was replaced by the\nHōgen School. Note that Hōgen Bun’eki was the disciple of Lo-han Kuei-chen 罗\n汉桂琛 (Rakan Keijin, 867–928)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "汉桂琛 (Rakan Keijin, 867–928).\n   Sekitō line two begins with Tan-hsia Tien-jan (Tanka Tennen, 739–824) to\nTou-tze Kan-wen (Tōsu Kan’on).\n\f58                                                           6 The Seigen Branch"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1)    Tan-hsia Tien-jan 丹霞天然 (Tanka Tennen, 739–824)\n(2)    Tsui-wei Wu-hsueh 翠微无学 (Suiba Mugaku)\n(3)    Tou-tze Ta-tung 投子大同 (Tōsu Daidō, 819–914)\n(4)    Tou-tze Kan-wen 投子感温 (Tōsu Kan’on)\nTou-tze Ta-tung’s other disciples were: Niu-tou Wei 牛头微 (Gyūtō Bi), Tien-fu 天\n福 (Tenfuku), Chao-fu 招福 (Shōfuku), and Hsiang-shan Cheng-chao Ta-shih 香山\n澄照大师 (Kōsan Chōshō Daishi). More names appeared in the Lamp Records,\nVolume 15.\n  Sekitō line 3 starts from Yueh-shan Wei-yen (Yakusan Igen, 751–834) to\nTsao-shan Pen-chi (Sōzan Honjaku, 840–901) and his dharma brothers.\n (1)    Yueh-shan Wei-yen 药山惟俨 (Yakusan Igen, 751–834)\n (2)    Yun-yen Tan-sheng 云岩昙晟 (Ungan Donjō, 782–841)\n (3)    Tung-shan Liang-chieh 洞山良价 (Tōzan Ryōkai, 807–869)\n (4)    Tsao-shan Pen-chi 曹山本寂 (Sōzan Honjaku, 840–901)\n(4a)    Chiu-feng Pu-man 九峰普满大师 (Kyūhō Fuman Daishi)\n(4b)    Yun-chu Tao-ying 云居道膺 (Ungo Dōyō, d. 902)\n(4c)    Lung-ya Chu-tun 龙牙居遁 (Ryūga Koton, 835–923)\n(4d)    Su-shan Kuang-jen 疏山光仁 (Sozan Kōnin, 837–909)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note that Tōzan Ryōkai and Sōzan Honjaku were the cofounders of the Tsao-tung\n(Sōtō) School. Sōzan’s disciple was Tsao-shan Hui-hsia 曹山慧霞 (Sōzan Eka),\nwhose disciple was Hua-yen Cheng-hui 华严正慧 (Kegon Shō’e). Ungo Dōyō had\ntwo important disciples: Tung-an Tao-pei 同安道丕 (Dōan Dōhai, 889–955) and\nYun-chu Huai-yueh 云居怀岳 (Ungo Egaku). However, according to the Lamp\nRecords, Vol. 23 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 388), Yun-chu Huai-yueh had five\ndisciples: Yuen-shan Chung-yen 药山忠彦 (Yakusan Chūgen), Feng-hua\nLing-chung 风化令崇 (Fuka Ryōsū), Tze-chou Lung-chuan 梓州龙泉 (Shishū\nRyūsen), Yun-chu Ji-yuan 云居住缘 (Ungo Jūen), and Yun-chu Ji-man 云居住满\n(Ungo Jūman); but Tung-an Tao-pei had none. Kyūhō Fuman’s disciple was\nTung-an Wei 同安威 (Dōan I) of Hung-chou (Kōshū), according to the Lamp\nRecords, Vol. 20 (See Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 365). Then, in the Lamp\nRecords, Vol. 23, Tung-an Wei (Dōan I) had two disciples: Chung Tung-an\nKuan-chih 中同安观志 (Chū Dōan Kanshi) and Chen-chou Shih-ching 陈州石镜"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Chinshū Sekikyō). According to the Lamp Records, Volume 24 (See Daishō\nDaizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 398), Tung-an Kuan-chih (Dōan Kanshi) had two disciples:\nLiang-shan Yuan-kuan 梁山缘观 (Ryōsan Enkan) and Chen-chou Ling-tung 陈州\n灵通 (Chinshū Reitsū). Now, Liang-shan Yuan-kuan (Ryōsan Enkan) was the\ndharma teacher of Ta-yang Ching-yuan 大阳警玄 (Daiyō Keigen, 943–1027); thus,\nthe lineage of the Chinese Sōtō School was firmly established. (Note that Tung-an\nChih was the same as Tung-an Kuan-chih, the dharma heir of Tung-an Wei, but not\nthe dharma heir of Tung-an Tao-pei.)\n   According to Chuan-fa Cheng-tsung Chi 传法正宗记 (Denhō Shōsō Ki) by\nChi-sung 契嵩 (Kaisū, 1007–1072), Vol. 7, Daikan (Enō) had seventh-generation\ndharma heirs: Ungo Dōyō, Sōzan Honjaku, Kyūhō Fuman, etc. Ungo Dōyō had 28\n\f6 The Seigen Branch                                                            59"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dharma heirs; Sōzan Honjaku had 14 dharma heirs; and Kyūhō Fuman had one\ndisciple: Dōan I of Kōshū. In Vol. 8, Ungo Egaku (Ungo Dōyō’s dharma heir) had\nfive dharma heirs; Sōzan Eka (Sōzan Honjaku’s dharma heir) had three dharma\nheirs; and Dōan I (Kyūhō Fuman’s dharma heir) had two dharma heirs: Chung\nTung-an Chih (Chū Dōan Shi) and Chen-chou Shih-ching (Chinshū Sekikyō). For\nDaikan’s (Enō’s) ninth-generation dharma heirs, Dōan Shi had two dharma heirs:\nLiang-shan Yuan-kuan (Ryōsan Enkan) and Chen-chou Ling-tung (Chinshū\nReitsū). These records could be easily found in Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 755–\n756; 759–761.\n   Sekitō line four starts with Tan-chou Chang-tze Kuang (Tanshū Chōshi Kō).\nTanshū Chōshi had one disciple: Shihshih Shan-tao 石室善道 (Sekishitsu Zendō).\nThe line five Chao-chou Ta-tien (Chōshū Daiten, 732–824) had one disciple:\nSan-ping I-chung 三平义忠 (Sanhei Gichū). Daiten oshō met the Confucian scholar\nHan Yu on his exile, and Daiten was able to convince, if not to convert, Han Yu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that there were similar approaches to human nature, if not human virtue, in\nBuddhism and Confucianism.\n   Sekitō line six starts with Tan-chou Ta-chuan (Tanshū Daisen). Daisen had two\ndisciples: Sien-tien 仙天 (Senten) and Pu-kuang 普光 (Fukō) of Foochow.\n   In line two, Suiba had other disciples: Ching-ping Ling-tsen 清平令遵 (Seihei\nReijun), Tao-chang Ju-nei 道场如讷 (Dōjō Nyototsu), and Pai-yun Yo 白云约\n(Haku’un Yaku).\n   In line three, Yakusan had two other disciples: Tao-wu Yuan-chih 道吾圆智\n(Dōgo Enchi, 769–835) and Chuan-tze Te-cheng 船子德诚 (Sensu Tokusei). Dōgo\nEnchi’s disciple was Shih-shuang Ching-chu 石霜庆诸 (Sekisō Keisho, 807–888).\nSensu Tokusei’s disciple was Chia-shan Shan-hui 夹山善会 (Kassan Zenne, 805–\n881).\n (1)   Yueh-shan Wei-yen (Yakusan Igen, 751–834)\n(2a)   Tao-wu Yuan-chih 道吾圆智 (Dōgo Enchi, 769–835)\n(3a)   Shih-shuang Ching-chu 石霜庆诸 (Sekisō Keisho, 807–888)\n(4a)   Chiu-feng Tao-chien 九峰道虔 (Kyūhō Dōken)\n (1)   Yueh-shan Wei-yen (Yakusan Igen, 751–834)\n(2b)   Chuan-tze Te-cheng 船子德诚 (Sensu Tokusei)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(2b)   Chuan-tze Te-cheng 船子德诚 (Sensu Tokusei)\n(3b)   Chia-shan Shan-hui 夹山善会 (Kassan Zenne, 805–881)\n(4b)   Shao-shan Huan-pu 韶山寰普 (Shōzan Kanfu)\n   Dōgo Enchi had another disciple, Chien-yuan Chun-hsin 渐源仲兴 (Zengen\nChūkō). Sekisō Keisho had other disciples: Nan-tsi Seng-i 南际僧一 (Nansai\nSō’itsu), Ta-kuang Chu-hui 大光居诲 (Daikō Gokai), and Chih-hsien Huai-yu 栖\n贤怀佑 (Saiken Eyū). Kassan had many disciples, among them: Lo-pu Yuan-an 乐\n普元安 (Rakufu Gen’an), Shan-lan Ling-chao 上蓝令超 (Jōran Ryōchō),\nHuang-shan Yueh-lun 黄山月轮 (Ō’san Getsurin), Siao-yao Huai-chung 道遥怀忠\n(Shōyō Echū), and Pan-lung Ko-wen 盘龙可文 (Benryū Ke’bun).\n\f60                                                                         6 The Seigen Branch"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Returning to line one, Tennō Dōgo’s dharma grandson was Tokusan Senkan.\nTokusan had other disciples besides Seppō Gizon (822–908). These were Yen-tou\nChuan-huo 岩头全豁 (Gantō Zenkatsu, 828–887), Jui-lung Hui-kung 瑞龙慧恭\n(Zuiryū Ekū), Kao-ting Chien 高亭简 (Kōtei Ken), and Kan-tan Tsu-kuo 感潭资国\n(Kantan Shikoku). Gantō’s disciples were: Lo-shan Tao-hsien 罗山道闲 (Rasan\nDōkan), Ling-yen Hui-chung 灵岩慧宗 (Reigan Eshū), Hsuan-chuan Yen 玄泉彦\n(Gensen Gen), and Jui-yen Shin-yen 瑞岩师彦 (Zuigan Shigen). Rasan had several\ndisciples, among them: Ming-chao Te-chien 明招德谦 (Meishō Tokuken) and\nChing-ping Wei-kuang 清平惟旷 (Seihei I’kō). Kantan had one disciple: Po-chao\nChih-yuan 白兆志圆 (Hakuchō Shien), whose disciple was Ta-lung Chih-hung 大\n龙智洪 (Dairyū Chikō).\n   The Tsao-tung (Sōtō) School will be presented in Chap. 7. The Yun-men\n(Ummon) School and the Fa-yen (Hōgen) School will be presented in Chap. 8.\n   In the rest of the chapter, we shall follow the three lines represented by Tennō\nDōgo, Tanka Tennen, and Yakusan Igen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dōgo, Tanka Tennen, and Yakusan Igen.\n   Tennō Dōgo wanted to be a monk when he was 14 years of age. He stopped\neating three meals a day in order to convince his parents about his wishes. When he\nwas 25 years of age, he was ordained at the Cho-lin Temple 竹林寺 (Chikurin-ji),\nHangchow. Then, he went to Yu-hang 余杭 and paid his respects to Master Kuo-i\n国—禅师 (Koku-itsu Zenji) at Ching-shan 径山 and remained there for 5 years.\nLater, he visited Nanking (then called Chungling 钟陵) and spent 2 years under\nMa-tsu (Baso). Then, he became a disciple of Shih-tou (Sekitō). So Tennō got the\nbenefit of dharma teachings from both the Nangaku Branch and the Seigen Branch.\n(Even today, dharma descendants of Tennō Dōgo claimed that they are the dharma\ndescendants of both Baso and Sekitō.) However, Tennō’s sudden enlightenment\ncame under Sekitō’s probing.\n     Sekitō said to Tennō Dōgo: “I know where you came from.” Dōgo said: “How can you say"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that?” Sekitō said: “You know yourself.” Dōgo: “Let it be. But how to tell the posterity?”\n     Sekitō: “You tell me who are the posterity!” Then Tennō Dōgo became suddenly\n     enlightened. He understood now how the two great Masters (Baso and Sekitō) enlighten his\n     mind and start him on the right tracks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "See the Lamp Records, Volume 14 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 309–310; Y.H.\nKu: History of Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 77–78).\n   Tennō’s dharma heir was Lung-tan Chung-hsin (Ryūtan Sūshin). Ryūtan had\nbeen with the Master for 3 years. He grumbled about the Master’s not teaching him\nanything. Tennō said: “Ever since you came here, when have I not taught you?”\nRyūtan said: “What have you taught me?” Then, Tennō explained: “When you\nbrought me tea, I received it. When you brought me my meal, I received that from\nyou too. When you bowed to me, I nodded to you. When did I not teach you?”\nRyūtan was then enlightened.\n   Te-shan Hsuan-chien (Tokusan Senkan, 782–865) visited Ryūtan and asked the\nMaster: “Where is the dragon? Where is the pool?” (Ryūtan means “Dragon pool”\n\f6 The Seigen Branch                                                               61"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "or “Dragon abyss”.) Ryūtan said: “You have seen the ‘dragon-pool’ right now.”\nTokusan bowed and left. Ryūtan persuaded Tokusan to stay. One evening, Tokusan\nwas sitting in meditation outside the room. Ryūtan asked: “Why don’t you come\nin?” Tokusan replied: “It’s dark in the room.” Ryūtan lighted a candle and gave it to\nTokusan. As Tokusan was about to hold the candle, the Master blew it off. Tokusan\nsaluted the Master. Ryūtan asked him: “What have you seen?” Tokusan replied:\n“From now on, nobody can doubt the tongue of an old Ho-shan (oshō) in the\nuniverse.” So this is the story how darkness can enlighten a disciple. Tokusan was\nborn in 782 A.D. and entered nirvana in 865 A.D. at the age of eighty-four. He\nendured great difficulties when Wu-tsung of Tang Dynasty attempted to suppress all\nBuddhists. He had many disciples, among them were Hsueh-feng I-tsun (Seppō\nGizon, 822–908), Yen-tou Chuan-huo (Gantō Zenkatsu, 828–887), and Kan-tan\nTsu-kuo (Kantan Shikoku). (See Y.H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "pp. 275–278).\n    Seppō Gizon (822–908) was a native of Nan-an 南安in Chuan-chou (Fukien\nProvince). He accompanied his father to visit the Yu-chien Temple 玉涧寺\n(Gyokukan-ji) at Pu-tien, when he was 12 years of age, and saluted the Vinaya\nMaster Ching-hsuan 庆玄律师 (Keigen Rissui) as his teacher. He had his head\nshaved at the age of seventeen, after serving under Ching-hsuan (Keigen) for 5\nyears. Then, he went to visit Master Chang-chao 常照 (Jōshō) at Fu-yung (Fuyō)\nMountain 芙蓉山. Later, he visited the Pao-sh’a Monastery 宝刹寺 (Hōsechi-ji) at\nYu-chou 幽州 (southwest of Peking, in present Hopei Province). He was later\nordained by Tokusan and found spiritual affinity with Tokusan. Seppō resided in\nFukien or more than 40 years, and his followers numbered more than fifteen\nhundred. Emperor I-Tsung 懿宗 (r. 860–873) bestowed upon him the purple robe\nand the honored title of Chen-chueh Ta-shih 真觉大师 (Shinkaku Daishi). He lived\nto 87 years of age. He has many disciples, among them: Ummon Bun’en (864–"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "949), Gensha Shibi (835–908), Kyōsei Juntoku Daishi 镜清顺德 (Ryūsaku Dōfu\n龙册道怤), Chōkei Eryō 长庆慧棱 (854–932), Ankoku Kōtō 安国弘瑫, Hofuku\nJūten 保福从展 (d. 928), Taigen Fu 太原孚, Kozan Jin’an 鼓山神晏 (Kokushi\n863–939), and Suigan Reisan 翠岩令参.\n    Ummon was the founder of the Ummon School. Gensha’s disciple was Rakan\nKeijin (867–928). Rakan’s disciple was Hōgen Bun’eki (885–958), founder of the\nHōgen School.\n    Tanka Tennen (739–824) learned Zen first from Baso and then went to Sekitō.\nAccording to the Lamp Records (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 310–311;\nY.H. Ku, History of the Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 84–87), Tanka started as a\nConfucian scholar, went to Chang-an (now Sian, Shensi Province), and waited to\ntake the examination in a small hotel. He dreamed of “white light” filling his room.\nA Zen guest asked him: “Where are you going?” Tanka replied: “I want to take the\ncivil service examination in order to be an official.” The Zen guest said: “You\nchoose to be an official! Why not choose to be a Buddha?” Tanka asked: “Where"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "should I go if I choose to be a Buddha?” The Zen guest said: “Master Ma in Kiangsi\nis the right place to go.” So Tanka went to Baso’s temple. But Baso told him that\nSekitō of Nangaku (Heng-shan) would be his teacher. (In Zen history, there were\n\f62                                                                           6 The Seigen Branch"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "many instances that if there was a lack of spiritual affinity, the young monk should\nbe sent to some other Master’s place.)\n     Tanka served under Sekitō for 3 years. One day Sekitō told the assembly that the next day\n     everybody should do weeding of the grass in front of the Temple Hall. When the time\n     came, everybody brought shovels for weeding, but Tanka was washing his head in a water\n     pan and knelt before the Master. Sekitō smiled and shaved Tanka’s head and told him the\n     admonitions. Tanka closed his ears and left for Kiangsi. He did not salute Baso and went to\n     the zendo… Baso entered the Hall and said: “Naturally you!” Tanka saluted Baso and\n     thanked the Master for giving him the name Tennen (meaning “natural”) Baso asked:\n     “Where did you come from?” Tanka said: “From Sekitō.” Baso said: “The stone road is\n     slippery. Did you fall?” Tanka said: “If I fell, I will not come here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tanka went to the Tendai Mountain and stayed for 3 years at Hua-ting Feng (Kachō\nPeak). Then, he visited Kuo-i Zen Master 国一禅师 at Ching-shan 径山, Yu-hang.\nLater, he went to Lo-yang and resided at Hsiang-shan, Lung-men (Kōzan,\nRyūmon), with his close friend Fu-niu Ho-shan (Fukugyū oshō). When he was at\nthe Hui-lin Temple (Erin-ji) in severe winter, he burned the wooden image of\nBuddha. People ridiculed him. Tanka said: “I want to get ‘shari’ (bones of\nBuddha).” People said: “How can you get ‘shari’ from wood?” Tanka said: “Then\nyou shouldn’t blame me.”\n     Tanka went to call on Nan’yō Echū Kokushi, and asked his attendant if Kokushi was in.\n     The attendant said: “Even he is in, he will not receive any guest.” Tanka said: “This is too\n     deep for me.” The attendant said: “Even the Buddha’s eye cannot see.” Tanka said:\n     “Dragon gives birth to dragon-son; phoenix gives birth to phoenix child.” When Kokushi\n     woke up, the attendant told him the story. Kokushi gave the attendant thirty blows. Tanka"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "heard about this and said: “He deserves to be the National Teacher.” Tanka saluted Kokushi\n     the next day…"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tanka lived to 86 years of age. At nirvana, he wore a “kasa” (bamboo hat), held a\nstick, and had his shoes put on. He passed away with one foot lifted off the ground.\nHis disciple was Suiba Mugaku, and Suiba’s disciples were Tōsu Daidō and Seihei\nReijun.\n    Yakusan Igen (751–834), the dharma grandfather of Tōzan Ryōkai, became a\nmonk at the age of seventeen. He was enlightened under Sekitō. The following\nanecdotes were taken from R. H. Blyth’s Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 2, pp. 79–80.\n     Yakusan asked a monk, “Where have you come from?” The monk replied, “From the\n     Southern Lake.” Yakusan asked: “Has the lake overflowed the banks?” “Not yet”, answered\n     the monk. Then Yakusan said: “So much rain, and the lake not yet full?” The monk was\n     silent.\n     …\n     A monk asked Yakusan, “Did the essence of Buddhism exist before Daruma came?” “It\n     did”, said Yakusan. “Then why did he come, if it already existed?” “He came”, said\n     Yakusan, “just because it was here already.”\n     …"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "…\n     Yakusan had not ascended the rostrum for quite a long time, and one day the superior (head\n     monk) came and said, “The congregation of monks are thinking about your preaching a\n     sermon.” Yakusan said, “Ring the bell!” The superior banged away at the bell, and the\n     monks all gathered. But Yakusan went back to his own room. The superior followed him,\n\f6 The Seigen Branch                                                                             63"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and said, “The Master was going to give a talk, and the monks are ready; why didn’t you\n  say anything to them?” Yakusan said, “There are sutra priests for the sutras, and sastra\n  priests for the sastras; why do you question my goings-on?”\n\n  Blyth commented by telling the story between Sekitō and Yakusan:\n  One day, Yakusan was doing zazen. Sekitō asked him, “What are you doing?” “Not a\n  thing”, replied Yakusan. “Aren’t you sitting blankly?” said Sekitō. “If I were sitting\n  blankly, I would be doing something”, retorted Yakusan. Sekitō said, “Tell me what is that\n  you are not doing?” Yakusan replied, “A thousand sages could not answer that question.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yakusan passed away in 834 A.D., at the age of eighty-four. His disciple, Ungan\nDonjō 云岩昙晟 (782–841), was the disciple of Hyakujō for 20 years, but got\nenlightened under Yakusan. Ungan’s disciple was Tōzan Ryōkai, who, with Sōzan\nHonjaku, founded the Sōtō School of Zen. Yakusan’s other disciples were Dōgo\nEnchi 道吾圆智 (769–835) and Sensu Tokusei 船子德诚.\n   Anecdotes concerning Ungan Donjō appeared in the Lamp Records, Vol. 14.\n(Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 314–315; Y.H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen\nMasters, pp. 90–92). Blyth in his Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. 2, p. 81, gave the\nfollowing:\n  One day Ungan was ill and Dōgo Enchi asked him a question: “When you are separated\n  from your bag-o’-bones, where can I meet you again?” Ungan replied, “Where there is no\n  birth, no dying.” Dōgo said, “Don’t say that! Say, where there is not any no birth and no\n  dying, and we don’t desire to meet each other again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ungan met with Isan, and there were conversations between them recorded in the\nLamp Records. The following was translated from the Lamp Records, Vol. 14:\n  Master Ungan was making shoes. Tōzan Ryōkai asked the Master for “eyeballs”. Master:\n  “Whom did you give your eyeballs?” Tōzan: “I did not.” Master: “You did. Where can you\n  find them?” Tōzan kept silent. Ungan: “Were the eyes asking for the eyeballs?” Tozan:\n  “Not the eyes.” The Master scolded him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tōzan was a great Zen Master. We shall return to Tōzan in Chap. 7.\n   Dōgo Enchi (769–835) was Ungan’s dharma brother. Dōgo was asked by a\nmonk, “What is the deepest?” Dōgo came down from his seat, made obeisance in\nthe manner of women and said, “You have come from far, and I have no answer for\nyou.” Sekisō Keisho 石霜庆诸 (807–888) was Dōgo’s disciple. The following\nstory was taken from Blyth’s translation:\n  Sekisō Keisho asked Dōgo Enchi, “After a 100 years, if someone asks about the absolute\n  meaning of the universe, what shall I say to him?” Dōgo called boy-attendant, who came,\n  and told him to fill up the water-bottle. Dōgo waited a while, and then to Sekisō, “What was\n  it you asked just now?” Sekisō repeated the question. Dōgo thereupon went back to his\n  room. At this, Sekisō became enlightened."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Blyth commented: “This kind of thing shows a genius above even that of Plato or\nMichelangelo, or Bach himself.”\n   Sensu Tokusei was also a disciple of Yakusan. After he left the Master, he used\nto ferry a small boat across the river—from this his name “Boatman.” He tried to\n\f64                                                                           6 The Seigen Branch"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "teach Zen to those boarding the ferryboat. He often lifted his oar and said, “Do you\nunderstand?” He passed on the dharma line to Kassan. Kassan Zenne (805–881)\nbecame a monk when young and was enlightened under Sensu. The following\nanecdotes were taken from the English translation of R. H. Blyth in his Zen and Zen\nClassics, Vol. 2, Chap. 12.\n     A monk asked Kassan, “How about when we clear away the dust, and see the Buddha?”\n     Kassan said, “You must wield a sword! If you don’t, it’s a fisherman living in a nest!” The\n     monk brought the matter to Sekisō (Kassan’s dharma cousin), and asked, “How about when\n     we clear away the dust and see the Buddha?” Sekisō answered, “He is not in the country,\n     how can you meet him?” (He must have meant that Buddha was in India.) The monk went\n     back and told Kassan what Sekisō said. Kassan ascended the rostrum and announced, “As\n     for measures for those not yet enlightened, there is no one like me, but as for deep speaking"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the absolute, Sekisō is a hundred paces beyond me.”\n     …\n     Kassan was doing zazen when Tōzan came and asked him. “How about it?” Kassan\n     answered, “Just like this.”\n     …\n     A monk came back and interviewed Kassan, and said, “You have an especial understanding\n     of Zen. How is it you didn’t reveal this to me?” Kassan said, “When you boiled rice, didn’t\n     I light the fire? When you passed round the food, didn’t I offer my bowl to you? When did I\n     betray your expectations?” The monk was enlightened.\n     …\n     A monk asked Kassan, “What is Tao (the Way)?” Kassan answered, “The sun overflows\n     our eyes; for ten thousand leagues (li’s) not a cloud hangs in the sky.” “What is the Real\n     Form of the Universe?” asked the monk. Kassan replied, “(Even) the fishes at play in the\n     clear-flowing water make their mistakes.”\n     …\n     Kassan said to the monks, “Find me in the tips of a hundred grasses; recognize the Prince in\n     a noisy market!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a noisy market!”\n     Kassan’s disciple Shōzan Kanfu 韶山寰普 left the following anecdotes:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A monk said to Shōzan, “What is the sphere of Shōzan’s mind?” Shōzan said, “From olden\n     times up to now, monkeys and birds lifted up their voices; thin blue mist covered all\n     things.”\n\n     …\n     A monk asked, “What is Shōzan’s special Zen (‘family wind’)?” Shōzan replied, “On the\n     top of a mountain, rootless grass; the leaves moving, though there is no wind.”\n\n\n\n\nReference\n\nChuan-fa Cheng-tsung Chi 传法正宗记 (Denhō Shōsō ki), compiled by Chi-sung 契嵩 (Kaisū,\n  1007–1072).\n\fChapter 7\nThe Sōtō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tung-shan Liang-chieh (Tōzan Ryōkai, 807–869) was a native of Kuai-chi in\npresent Chekiang Province. He was advised to go to Mount Wu-hsieh 五泄山\n(Gosetsu San) to study under Zen Master Ling-mo 灵默禅师 (Reimoku Zenji). He\nwent there and had his head shaved. At the age of twenty-three, he was ordained at\nMount Sung (Sū San), after which he traveled by foot all over the country. He first\nvisited Nan-chuan 南泉 (Nansen), when Nansen was conducting the annual\nmemorial service for Ma-tsu (Baso). Nansen said: “When we serve food for Master\nBaso tomorrow, I wonder whether he will come or not.” Tōzan came forth from the\ncrowd and said, “As soon as he has company he will come.” Next he went to visit\nMaster Kuei-shan 沩山 (Isan) and said to him: “I have heard that Dharma may also\nbe taught by non-sentient things and that this is practiced by the National Teacher\nNan-yang Hui-chung (Nan’yō Echū Kokushi). I have not yet understood its real\nmeaning.” Isan replied: “I teach it here too. But I have not found the proper person.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tōzan urged Isan to tell him about it. Isan said: “I inherited my mouth from my\nparents, but I never dare to say a word.” Isan suggested that Tōzan should visit\nYun-yen 云岩 Tan-sheng (Ungan Donjō, 782–841).\n   When Tōzan arrived at Yun-yen (Ungan, meaning “Cloud Cliff”), he asked\nMaster Ungan, “What kind of man is able to hear the teaching of Dharma through\nnon-sentient things?” Master replied, “The Dharma taught by non-sentient things\ncan be heard by non-sentient things.” Tōzan asked, “Can you hear it?” Ungan said,\n“If I can hear it, you will not hear my teaching the Dharma.” Tōzan said, “If this is\nso, it means that I do not hear you teaching the Dharma.” Ungan then said, “When I\ntaught the Dharma, even you did not hear it. How can you expect to be taught by\nnon-sentient things?” Tōzan composed a gāthā and presented it to Master Ungan:\n      It is strange indeed!\n      It is strange indeed.\n      Dharma taught by non-sentient things is unthinkable."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Listening through your ears you cannot hear the sound;\n      But you will understand if you listen by your eyes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                       65\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_7\n\f66                                                                7 The Sōtō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tōzan left the Master. Ungan asked, “Where are you going?” Tōzan said, “Though\nI am leaving you, I have not known where to go.” Ungan: “Are you going to Hunan?”\nTōzan: “No!” Ungan: “Are you going home?” Tōzan: “No!” Ungan: “You will come\nback sooner or later.” Tōzan: “If the Master has an abiding place, I will come.”\nUngan: “It would be difficult to meet after your departure.” Tōzan: “It would be\ndifficult not to meet again.” Tōzan said further: “After one hundred years (meaning\nafter the Master’s passing), people ask me how my Master looks, I don’t know how to\nanswer.” Ungan: “Just tell them what it is like.” Tōzan hesitated a long while. Ungan\nsaid: “You have to be careful about such things.” Tōzan kept his doubts. Later when\nhe was crossing the water and saw his image reflected, he suddenly understood the\nteaching of Ungan. Then, he composed the following gāthā:\n       You should not search through others,\n       Lest the Truth recede farther from you.\n       When alone I proceed through myself,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When alone I proceed through myself,\n       I meet him wherever I go.\n       He is the same as me,\n       Yet I am not he!\n       Only if you understand this\n       Will you identify with Tathata."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The English translation of the above gāthā was taken from Professor Chang\nChung-yuan’s Original Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, 1969. The Chinese version\nappeared in the Lamp Records, Vol. 15. pp. 321–323; Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese\nZen Masters, pp. 222–230.\n   Tōzan passed away at the age of sixty-three. He had many disciples, among them\nare as follows:\n     Tsao-shan Pen-chi 曹山本寂 (Sōzan Honjaku, 840–901)\n     Yun-chu Tao-ying 云居道膺 (Ungo Dōyō, d. 902)\n     Chiu-feng Pu-man 九峰普满 (Kyūhō Fuman)\n     Lung-ya Chu-tun 龙牙居遁 (Ryūga Koton, 835–923)\n     Wa-ou Neng-kuang 瓦屋能光 (Ga’oku Nōkō, d. 933), from Japan\n     Tung-shan Tao-chuan 洞山道全 (Tōzan Dōzen, d. 894)\n     Ching-lin Shih-chien 青林师虔 (Seirin Shikan, d. 904)\n     Hua-yen Shu-zing 华严休静 (Kegon Kyujō) Yu-hsi Tao-yu 幽栖道幽 (Yūsai Dōyū)\n     Pai-ma Tun-ju 白马遁儒 (Hakuba Tonju)\n     Tien-tung Hsien-chi 天童咸启 (Tendō Kankei)\n     Pai-sui Pen-jen 白水本仁 (Hakusui Honjin)\n     Su-shan Kuang-jen 疏山匡仁 (Sosan Kōnin)\n     Chin-shan Wen-sui 钦山文邃 (Kinsan Bunsui)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chin-shan Wen-sui 钦山文邃 (Kinsan Bunsui)\n     King-chao Hsien-tze 京兆蚬子 (Keichō Kenshi)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tsao-shan Pen-chi (Sōzan Honjaku, 840–901) was a native of Pu-tien of\nChuan-chou (present Fukien Province). At the age of nineteen, he left home to\nbecome a monk at Mount Ling-shih 灵石山 (Reiseki San) in Foochow. At the age\nof twenty-three, he was ordained. He was among the famous disciples of Tōzan. In\nfact, Tōzan and Sōzan were the co-founders of the Tsao-tung (Sōtō) School.\n\f7 The Sōtō School                                                                             67"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Sōzan arrived at Tōzan’s monastery, the Master (Tōzan) asked: “What is\nyour name?” He replied, “My name is Pen-chi (Honjaku).” The name means\n“originally silent.” Tōzan said: “Say something toward the Ultimate Reality.” Sōzan\nreplied: “I will not say anything.” Tōzan further asked: “Why don’t you speak?”\nSōzan replied: “If I say more, my name is not called Pen-chi.” Hence, Tōzan\nregarded him highly as a priest with great capacity for Zen Buddhism.\n   The following conversation was taken from Professor Chang Chung-yuan’s\nOriginal Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, pp. 72–73. (The Chinese original version\nappeared in the Lamp Records, Vol. 17, Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 336–337;\nY. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 231–236).\n     A monk asked Master Sōzan, “Who is he that is not accompanied by ten thousand things?”\n     The Master replied, “There are many people in the city of Hung-chou. Can you tell me\n     where they disappear?”\n     Monk: “Do eyes and eyebrows know each other?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Master: “They do not know each other.”\n     Monk: “Why do they not know each other?”\n     Master: “Because they are located in the same place.”\n     Monk: “In such a way, then, there is no differentiation between eyes and eyebrows?”\n     Master: “Not so. Eyebrows certainly cannot be eyes.”\n     Monk: “What is an eye?”\n     Master: “Straight ahead.”\n     Monk: “What is an eyebrow?”\n     Master: “Sōzan is still in doubt about it.”\n     Monk: “Why should you, Master, be in doubt?”\n     Master: “If I were not in doubt, it would be straight ahead.”\n     Monk: “Where is the reality in appearance?”\n     Master: “Wherever there is appearance, there is reality.”\n     Monk: “How does it manifest itself?”\n     The Master lifted the top of his tea-cup set.\n     Monk: “Where is the reality in illusion?”\n     Master: “Illusion was originally real.”\n     Monk: “How can reality manifest itself in illusion?”\n     Master: “Wherever there is illusion there is the manifestation of reality.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monk: “In such a way, then, reality can never be separated from illusion.”\n     Master: “Where can you possibly find the appearance of illusion?”\n     Monk: “Who is he who is always present?”\n     Master: “It is the time when Sōzan happens to be out.”\n     Monk: “Who is he who is never present?”\n     Master: “Impossible to achieve.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the story went, someone asked Hsiang-yen Chih-hsien (Kyōgen Chikan):\n“What is Tao?” Kyōgen answered: “In the dry woods a dragon is singing.” The\nquestioner did not understand. So Kyōgen added: “The eye is in the skull.” The\nsame question was put to Master Shih-shuang Ching-chu 石霜庆诸 (Sekisō\nKeisho, 807–888). Sekisō answered: “There is still joy there,” referring to the\nsinging of the dragon. Then, what is the meaning of “The eye is in the skull”?\nSekisō said: “There is consciousness there.” Master Sōzan, hearing of this, com-\nposed the following gāthā:\n\f68                                                                             7 The Sōtō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He who says that the dragon is singing in the dry woods\n        Is he who truly sees Tao?\n        The skull has no consciousness,\n        But wisdom’s eye begins to shine in it.\n        If joy and consciousness should be eliminated,\n        Then fluctuation and communication would cease.\n        Those who deny this do not understand\n        That purity is in the impure.\n\n     Sōzan entered nirvana at the age of sixty-two. Among his disciples, there were:\n     Tsao-shan Hui-hsia 曹山慧霞 (Sōzan Eka)\n     Tung-shan Tao-yen 洞山道延 (Tōzan Dō’en)\n     King-feng Chun-chih 金峰从志 (Kinhō Jushi)\n     Lo-men Chi-chen 鹿门处真 (Rokumon Shoshin)\n     Tsao-an Fa-yee 草庵法义 (Sōan Hōgi)\n     Ho-yu Kuang-hui 荷玉光慧 (Kagyoku Kō’e)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What important contributions did Tōzan and Sōzan make to Zen Buddhism and\nZen philosophy? This question can be best answered by quoting Alan W. Watts in\nThe Way of Zen, pp. 102–103:\n     Thus it should be obvious that the naturalness of these Tang masters is not to be taken just\n     literally, as if Zen were merely to glory in being a completely ordinary, vulgar fellow who\n     scatters ideals to the wind and behaves as he pleases—for this would in itself be an\n     affectation. The naturalness of Zen flourishes only when one has lost affectedness and\n     self-consciousness of every description. But a spirit of this kind comes and goes like the\n     wind, and is the most impossible thing to institutionalize and preserve.\n     Yet in the Tang dynasty the genius and vitality of Zen was such that it was coming to be the\n     dominant form of Buddhism in China, though its relation to other schools was often very\n     close. Kuei-feng Tsungmi (Keihō Shūmitsu, 780–841) was simultaneously a Zen master"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and the Fifth Patriarch of the Hua-yen (Kegon) School, representing the philosophy of\n     Avatamsaka Sutra. This extremely subtle and mature form of Mahayana philosophy was\n     employed by Tung-shan (Tōzan, 807–869) in developing the doctrine of the Five Ranks\n     (wu-wei or go’i), concerning the five-fold relationship of the absolute (cheng 正 or shō) and\n     the relative (p’ien 偏 or hen), and was related to the philosophy of the I Ching (Book of\n     Changes, or Ekikyō) by his student (disciple) Tsao-shan (Sōzan, 840–901). Fa-yen Wen-i\n     (Hōgen Buneki, 885–958) and Fen-yang Shan-chao (Funnyō Zenshō, 947–1024) were also\n     influential masters who made a deep study of the Hua-yen (Kegon), and to this day it\n     constitutes as it were the intellectual aspect of Zen. On the other hand, such masters as\n     Tien-tai Te-shao (Tendai Tokushō, 891–972) and Yung-ming Yen-shou (Yōmei Enju, 904–\n     975), maintained close relations with the Tientai (Tendai) and Pure Land (Jōdō) Schools."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Five Ranks 五位 were originated by Tōzan Ryōkai, who constructed this\ndoctrine upon the foundation of the Dialectic of Sekitō Kisen and other earlier Zen\nmasters. However, it was Sōzan Honjaku who first, in the spirit of, and in accor-\ndance with the Master’s (Tōzan’s) teachings, arranged the Five Ranks in their\ntransmitted form and explained them in many ways. The reader could refer to\nTōzan’s “Pao-ching-san-mei-ko” 宝镜三昧歌 (Hōkyōzammai ka) and to Sōzan’s\ncommentary. In a treatise The Development of Chinese Zen, originally written in\nGerman by Heinrich Dumoulin, S. J., translated into English by Ruth Fuller Sasaki,\nand published by the First Zen Institute of America, Inc., New York, in 1953, we\n\f7 The Sōtō School                                                                                  69"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "find the excellent explanation of the doctrine of the Five Ranks. As this reference is\nnot easily available, we quote as follows:\n     The two principal term of the Five Ranks are shō 正 (upright) and hen 偏 (slant or bent).\n     For the meaning of shō, Tōzan Ryōkai explained: “There is one thing: Heaven is suspended\n     from it and Earth rests upon it. It is black like lacquer, perpetually in movement and\n     activity.” Shō is also the One, the Absolute, the foundation of Heaven and Earth and all\n     being. This Absolute corresponds to ri 理 (reason) or an 暗 (darkness) in the speculation of\n     Sekitō Kisen. In Buddhist terminology it is True Emptiness. (shinkū 真空). In hen (p’ien)\n     the Absolute enters into appearances. It completely penetrates the phenomenal world,\n     becomes the All and all things. With Sekitō Kisen this is ji 事 (things) or myō 明\n     (brightness). The two, Absolute and relative-phenomenal, are not separate, are not two, but"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "one. The Absolute is the Absolute with regard to the relative. The relative, however, is\n     relative with reference to the Absolute. The relative-phenomenal in Buddhist terminology is\n     “marvelous existence” (myōu 妙有), which is inseparable from the True Emptiness. The\n     expression is “shinkū myōu 真空妙有”."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Five Ranks:\n1. Shōchūhen (Cheng chung p’ien 正中偏): The Absolute within the relative. The\n   movement is from the Absolute to the relative.\n2. Henchūshō (P’ien chung cheng 偏中正): The relative within the Absolute. The\n   Second Rank is “to abandon phenomena and enter the Principle.”\n3. Shōchūrai (Cheng chung lai 正中来): The Third Rank shows the Absolute\n   before any unfoldment or externalization, but pregnant with all possibilities for\n   development.\n4. Henchūshi (P’ien chung chih 偏中至): The Fourth Rank signifies the\n   relative-phenomenal alone is stark relatively. Phenomena are viewed in their\n   respective individual forms. Thus, the Absoluteness of the relative as such\n   becomes evident.\n5. Kenchūtō (Chien chung tao 兼中到): The Fifth Rank signifies the highest rank,\n   undifferentiated oneness.\nWith regard to the Fourth Rank, Ruth Fuller Sasaki had a footnote on p. 28: “In the\nRinzai School this fourth rank is termed Kenchūshi (Chien chung chih 兼中至); the\nmeaning is the same, however.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "meaning is the same, however.”\n   Sōzan Honjaku used the famous “Lord and Vassal” as parallel:\n1.   The lord sees the vassal 主中宾.\n2.   The vassal turns toward the lord 宾中主.\n3.   The lord (alone) 主中来.\n4.   The vassal (alone) 宾中至.\n5.   Lord and vassal in union 兼中到.\n   In the Rinzai School in Japan, Dōkyō Etan 道镜慧端 (1641–1721), better\nknown as Shōju Rōjin 正受老人, gave secret transmission to Hakuin Ekaku 白隐\n(1685–1768) concerning the “Five Ranks.” Forty years later Hakuin confided to his\nfollowers that “it was only after he (Shōju Rōjin) had completed his investigation of\nTōzan’s Verses that Shōju gave his acknowledgment to the Five Ranks.”\n\f70                                                                               7 The Sōtō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We shall quote from Ruth Fuller Sasaki’s translation in Zen Dust, pp. 66–72.\n     Shōju Rōjin has said: “In order to provide a means whereby students might directly\n     experience the Four Wisdoms, the patriarchs, in their compassion and with their skill in\n     devising expedients, first instituted the Five Ranks.” What are the so-called Four Wisdoms?\n     They are the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, the Universal Nature Wisdom, the Marvelous\n     Observing Wisdom, and the Perfecting-of-Action Wisdom.\n        …\n     …But, strange to say, the light of the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom is black like lacquer.\n     This is what is called the rank of “The Apparent within the Real” (Shōchūhen).\n         Having attained the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, you now enter the rank of “The Real\n     within the Apparent” (Henchūshō). When you have accomplished your long practice of the\n     Jeweled-mirror Samadhi, you directly realize the Universal Nature Wisdom and for the first"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "time enter the state of the unobstructed interpenetration of Noumenon and phenomena (riji\n     muge hōkkai) 理事无碍法界.\n         But the disciple must not be satisfied here. He himself must enter into intimate\n     acquaintance with the rank of “The Coming from within the Real” (Shōchūrai). After that,\n     by depending upon the rank of “The Arrival at Mutual Integration” (Kenchūshi), he will\n     completely prove the Marvelous Observing Wisdom and the Perfecting-of-Action Wisdom.\n     At last he reaches the rank of “Unity Attained” (Kenchūtō), and, “after all, comes back to sit\n     among the coals and ashes.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tōzan Ryōkai’s verses on the Five Ranks:\n(1) The Apparent within the Real:\n    In the third watch of the night\n    Before the moon appears,\n    No wonder when we meet\n    There is no recognition!\n    Still cherished in my heart\n    Is the beauty of earlier days.\n(2) The Real within the Apparent:\n    A sleepy-eyed grandma\n    Encounters herself in an old mirror.\n    Clearly she sees a face,\n    But it doesn’t resemble hers at all.\n    Too bad, with a muddled head,\n    She tries to recognize her reflection.\n(3) The Coming from within the Real:\n    Within nothingness there is a path\n    Leading away from the dusts of the world.\n    Even if you observe the taboo\n    On the present emperor’s name,\n    You will surpass that eloquent one of yore\n    Who silenced every tongue.\n(4) The Arrival at Mutual Integration:\n    When two blades cross points,\n    There’s no need to withdraw.\n    The master swordsman\n\f7 The Sōtō School                                                             71"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Is like the lotus blooming in the fire.\n    Such a man has in and of himself\n    A heaven-soaring spirit.\n(5) Unity Attained:\n    Who dares to equal him\n    Who falls into neither being nor non-being!\n    All men want to leave\n    The current of ordinary life,\n    But he, after all, comes back\n    To sit among the coals and ashes.\n  Hakuin Ekaku quoted a poem by Setchō Jūken 雪窦重显 (980–1052) as a\ncomment on Tōzan’s verses:\n     How many times has Tokuun, the idle old gimlet,\n     Not come down from the Marvelous Peak!\n     He hires foolish wise men to bring snow,\n     And he and they together fill up the well."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note: Zen Dust was based on The Zen Koan by Isshu Miura and Ruth Fuller Sasaki\nwith detailed notes and other important material added, including genealogical\ncharts and maps.\n   Before we trace the lineage from Tung-shan (Tōzan) to Fu-yung Tao-kai (Fuyō\nDōkai, 1043–1118), Tōzan’s important disciples need to be briefly presented.\nYun-chu Tao-ying (Ungo Dōyō, d. 902) was a native of Yu-tien 玉田 (Gyokuda),\nYu-chou 幽州 (Yūshu), in Northern China. At the age of twenty-five, he became a\nmonk at the Yen-shu Temple 延寿寺 (Enju-ji), Fanyang 范阳. He was not satisfied\nwith learning the Vinaya (Rissui) rules and ceremonies. So he went up Mount\nTsui-wei 翠微山 (Suiba San) to seek Tao and spent 3 years there. A monk who\ncame from Kiangsi told Ungo that Tōzan was a great Zen Master. So he went to\nvisit Tōzan. Tōzan asked him: “What is your name?” Ungo replied: “My name is\nTao-ying 道膺 (Dōyō).” Tōzan said: “Say something toward the Ultimate Reality.”\nDōyō replied: “If I say more, my name is not called Tao-ying (Dōyō).” Tozan said:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your reply is just like what I replied to Yun-yen (Ungan), when Ungan asked me\nthe same question.” Dōyō said: “It is my fault.” Note that Tōzan asked Sōzan the\nsame question, and Sōzan gave exactly the same answer. For other anecdotes, see\nthe Lamp Records, Vol. 17. (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 334–336; Y. H. Ku,\nHistory of Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 237–242.)\n   Ungo passed away in 902 A.D. His dharma-heirs were as follows: Tung-an\nTao-pei (Dōan Dōhai, 889–955), Yun-chu Huai-yueh (Ungo Egaku), Kuei-tsung\nHuai-hui (Kisū Eki), Kuei-tsung Tan-chuan (Kisū Tangon), and Yun-chu Tao-chien\n(Ungo Dōken).\n   Master Chiu-feng Pu-man 九峰普满 (Kyūhō Fuman Daishi) was recorded in the\nLamp Records, Vol. 17 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 338; Y. H. Ku, History of\nChinese Zen Masters, p. 243.) with the following:\n\f72                                                                            7 The Sōtō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Master Fuman asked a monk: “Where did you come from?” The monk answered: “From\n     Fukien.” Master said: “You have traveled far. The journey was not easy.” The monk said:\n     “The journey was not difficult. Once you moved your feet, you can arrive here.” Master:\n     “Was there a journey that you need not move your feet?” The monk did not answer."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to the Lamp Records, Vol. 20 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 361;\nY. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters, p. 243), Kyūho Fuman’s dharma-heir\nwas Tung-an Wei 同安威 (Dōan I) of Hung-chou 洪州 (now Kiangsi), whose\ndisciples were Shih-ching Ho-shan 石镜和尚 (Sekikyō oshō) of Chen-chou, and\nChung Tung-an Kuan-chih (Chū Dōan Kanshi) 中同安观志.\n   According to the Lamp Records, Vol. 20 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 365;\nY. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters, p. 244), Dōan I left the following\nanecdote:\n     A monk asked Dōan I: “Before Niu-tou Fa-yung (Gyūtō Hōyū) met the Fourth Patriarch,\n     how is it?” Dōan I said: “By the roadside there was a small shrine; those who saw it raised\n     their fists.” The monk asked: “How is it after Fa-yung (Hōyū) met with the Fourth\n     Patriarch?” The Master said: “There was no deceased person’s bed in the room, hence there\n     was no need to wear mourning clothing.” The monk asked: “What is the meaning of the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Patriach’s teaching?” The Master replied: “The jade rabbit (moon) did not understand the\n     meaning of early morning; The golden crow (sun) did not wish to shine bright in the night.”\n     The monk asked: “What is the music of Tungan (Dōan)?” The Master answered: “The holy\n     guitar does not play the worldly music; Only the expert in music trespasses Pai-Ya’s door.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The lineage from Dōan I to Tung-an Kuan-chih (Dōan Kanshi) and Shih-ching\nHo-shan (Sekikyō oshō) was recorded in the Lamp Records, Vol. 23 (Daishō\nDaizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 388; Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters p. 244).\n   The dharma heirs of Dōan Kanshi were Liang-shan Yuan-kuan 梁山缘观\n(Ryōsan Enkan) and Ling-tung Ho-shan 灵通和尚 (Reisū oshō) of Chen-chou 陈\n州, as recorded in the Lamp Records, Vol. 24 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 398;\nY. H. Ku, ``History of Chinese Zen Masters,'' p. 244). For a long time, the dharma\nteacher of Tung-an Kuan-chih (Dōan Kanshi) was attributed to Tung-an Tao-pei\n(Dōan Dōhai, 889–955), who was a disciple of Yun-chu Tao-ying (Ungo Dōyō).\nFrom the “Lamp Records,” the present author established the lineage of the\nTsao-tung School (Sōtō shū) from Tōzan to Ta-yang Ching-yuan 大阳警玄 (Daiyō\nKeigen, 943–1027) as folslows:\n(1)    Tōzan Ryōkai (807–869)\n(2)    Kyūhō Fuman (Daishi)\n(3)    Dōan I\n(4)    Dōan Kanshi\n(5)    Ryōsan Enkan\n(6)    Daiyō Keigen (943–1027)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(6)    Daiyō Keigen (943–1027)\n   Liang-shan Yuan-kuan (Ryōsan Enkan) was recorded in the Lamp Records, Vol.\n24 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 406; Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters,\np. 245). Ta-yang Ching-yuan (Daiyō Keigen) was recorded in the Lamp Reocrds,\n\f7 The Sōtō School                                                             73"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Vol. 26 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 421; Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen\nMasters, p. 246). Daiyō could not find a dharma heir during his lifetime. So he\nentrusted the task of finding a dharma heir for him to Master Fu-shan Fa-yuan 浮山\n法远 (Fusan Hō’en, 991–1067) of the Lin-chi School. Fu-shan had the honorary\ntitle of Yuan-chien 圆鉴 Zen Master (Enkan Zenji) and was the dharma heir of\nYeh-hsien Kuei-sheng 叶县归省 (Yōken Kisei). According to the Lamp Records,\n2nd Series (Zoku DentōRoku 续传灯录), Vol. 6 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51,\npp. 499–500; Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 247–249), Enkan was\nresiding at Hui-shen-yen 会圣岩 (Ishōgan), and one night he dreamed of a blue\neagle. Tou-tzu I-ching 投子义青 (Tōsu Gisei, 1032–1083) came to visit Master\nEnkan the next morning. The Master invited him to stay on, as ‘Gisei’ implied the\ncolor blue or green. After 3 years, Enkan asked him something. Gisei was about to\nanswer. But Master Enkan used his hand to close Gisei’s mouth. Another 3 years"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "had passed. Enkan examined him about his understanding of Tōzan’s teachings.\nAfter Tōsu Gisei showed perfect understanding, Enkan bestowed upon him Daiyō’s\nrobe, shoes, etc., such that he was to be Daiyō’s dharma heir. This was a unique\ninstance. So Tōsu Gisei was later honored by the title. Master “Miao-shu” 妙续大\n师 (Myō-zoku Daishi), meaning “marvelous continuation.” After telling this story\n(history), the lineage of the Sōtō School continues as follows:\n(6) Daiyō Keigen (943–1027),\n(7) Tōsu Gisei (1032–1083),\n(8) Fuyō Dōkai (1043–1118).\nFu-yung Tao-kai 芙蓉道楷 (Fuyō Dōkai, 1043–1118) was recorded in the Lamp\nRecords, 2nd Series (Zoku DentōRoku), Vol. 10 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51,\npp. 523–524; Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 250–253).\n   After Fuyō Dōkai, there were two branches:\n (9a)   Tan-hsia Tzu-zing 丹霞子淳 (Tanka Shijun, 1064–1119)\n(10a)   Chen-hsieh Ching-liao 真歇清了 (Shinketsu Seiryō, 1090–1151)\n(11a)   Tien-tung Tsung-chueh 天童宗珏 (Tendō Sōkaku, 1091–1162)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(12a)   Cho-an Chih-chien 足庵智鉴 (Soku’an Chikan, 1105–1192)\n(13a)   Tien-tung Ju-zing 天童如净 (Tendō Nyojō, 1162–1228)\n(14a)   Tao-yuan Hsi-hsuan 道元希玄 (Dōgen Kigen 1200–1253)\nNote that Dōgen Kigen was the founder of the Sōtō School in Japan.\n   Now Tanka Shijun had another disciple: Hung-chih Cheng-chueh (Wanshi\nShōkaku 1091–1157), whose dharma descendants started two sects in Japan. We\nstarted to designate Wanshi Shōkaku as (10b).\n(10b)   Hung-chih Cheng-chueh 宏智正觉 (Wanshi Shōkaku 1091–1157).\n(11b)   Zing-tzu Hui-hui 净慈慧晖 (Jōji Eki, 1097–1183).\n(12b)   Ming-chi Hui-tsu 明极慧祚 (Myōkyoku Eso).\n(13b)   Tung-ko Miao-kuang 东谷妙光 (Tōkoku Myōkō, d. 1251).\n(14b)   Chih-won Te-chu 直翁德举 (Jiki’ō Tokukyo).\n\f74                                                             7 The Sōtō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(15b) Tung-ming Hui-ji 东明慧日 (Tōmyō Enichi, 1272–1340).\nTōmyō Enichi went to Japan and became the founder of the Tōmyō Sect.\n   Jiki’ō had another disciple Yun-wai Yun-hsu 云外云岫 (Ungai Unshū), whose\ndharma heir Tung-ling Yun-yu 东陵永屿 (Tōryō Eisho, d. 1365) went to Japan and\nbecame the founder of the Tōryō Sect. Wanshi Shōkaku was the author of\nChun-yung-lu 从容录 (Shōyō-roku).\n   Now we designate the second branch of Fuyō Dōkai’s dharma-heirs as the\n(c) line, starting with Lo-men Tzu-chueh (Rokumon Jikaku, d. 1117).\n (9c)   Lo-men Tzu-chueh 鹿门自觉 (Rokumon Jikaku, d. 1117).\n(10c)   Pu-chao Hsi-p’ien 普照希辩 (Fushō Kiben, 1081–1149).\n(11c)   Ling-yen Seng-pao 灵岩僧宝 (Reigan Sōhō, 1114–1173).\n(12c)   Wang-shan Ssu-ti 王山师体 (Ōsan Shitei).\n(13c)   Hsueh-yen Hui-man 雪岩慧满 (Seggan Eman, d. 1206).\nRokumon had another disciple: Chen-yi Hui-lan 真懿慧兰 (Jin’itsu Eran). Now we\ncontinue on the (c) line:\n(14c)   Wan-sung Hsing-hsiu 万松行秀 (Manshō Kōshū, 1166–1246).\n(15c)   Shao-shih Fu-yu 少室福裕 (Shōshitsu Fukuyū, 1203–1275)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(16c)   Shao-shih Wen-tai 少室文泰 (Shōshitsu Buntai, d.1289).\n(17c)   Pao-yin Fu-yu 宝应福遇 (Hō’ō Fukugū 1245–1313).\n(18c)   Shao-shih Wen-tsai 少室文才 (Shōshitsu Bunsai, 1273–1352).\n(19c)   Wan-an Tzu-yen 万安子严 (Man’an Shigen).\n(20c)   Nin-jan Liao-kai 凝然了改 (Gyōnen Ryōkai, 1335–1421).\n(21c)   Chu-kung Chi-ping 俱空契斌 (Gukū Keihyō, 1383–1452).\n(22c)   Wu-fang Ke-chun 无方可从 (Muhō Kasho, 1420–1483).\n(23c)   Yueh-chou Wen-tsai 月舟文载 (Gesshū Bunsai, 1452–1524).\n(24c)   Tsung-chin Tsung-shu 宗镜宗书 (Sōkyō Sōsho, 1500–1567).\n(25c)   Yun-kung Chang-chung 蕴空常忠 (Unkū Shōchū, 1514–1588).\n(26c)   Wu-ming Hui-chin 无明慧经 (Mumyō Ekei, 1548–1618).\n(27c)   Tung-yuan Yuan-chin 东苑元镜 (Tō’en Genkyō, 1577–1630).\n(28c)   Chueh-lang Tao-sheng 觉浪道盛 (Kakurō Dōshō, 1592–1659).\n(29c)   Kuan-tang Ta-wen 阔堂大文 (Katsudō Daibun).\n(30c)   Hsin-yueh Hsing-chiu 心越兴俦 (Shinetsu Kōchū, 1642–1696).\nNote that Hsin-yueh Hsing-chiu was invited to Japan and he was the founder of the\nShinetsu Sect 心越派.\n   Tung-yuan Yuan-chin (Tō’en Genkyō) had three dharma brothers:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(27e) Po-shan Yuan-lai 博山元来 (无异) (Bakusan Genrai, 1575–1630).\n (27f) Shou-chang Yuan-nin 寿昌元谧 (Jushō Gennei, 1579–1649).\n(27g) Ku-shan Yuan-hsien 鼓山元贤 (Kozan Genken, 1578–1657).\nKu-shan (Kozan) had several disciples, among them Wei-ling Tao-pai 为霖道霈\nwas prominent.\n\f7 The Sōtō School                                                          75"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(28g) Wei-ling Tao-pai (I-rin Dōhai, 1615–1688).\n   Yun-kung (Unkū) had a dharma brother:\n(25d) Shao-shih Chang-ren 少室常润 (Shōshitsu Shōjun, d. 1585).\n  Shao-shih Chang-ren had the following dharma descendants:\n(26d) Ta-chueh Fang-nien 大觉方念 (Daikaku Hōnen, d. 1594).\n(27d) Yun-men Yuan-cheng 云门圆澄 (Ummon Enchō, 1561–1626).\n  Yun-men had many disciples, among them was the following lines:\n(28d) Shui-po Ming-hsueh 瑞白明雪 (Zuihaku Myōsetsu, 1584–1641).\n(29d) Po-an Zing-teng 破闇净灯 (Ha’an Jōtō, 1603–1659).\n(30d) Ku-chiao Chih-sien 古樵智先 (Koshō Chisen).\n   The author is indebted to Reverend Sheng-yen, Litt.D., 圣严 (Ekū Shōgen,\n1930–) for supplying the information concerning the Koshō or Shōzan line 焦山系\nas follows. (See Chart X A.)\n (1)   Koshō Chisen 古樵智先,\n (2)   Kandō Tokukyō 鉴堂德镜,\n (3)   Seki’an Gyōsai 硕庵行载,\n (4)   Minshū Fukuki 敏修福毅 (d. 1790),\n (5)   Hekigan Shōketsu 碧岩祥洁 (1703–1765),\n (6)   Saishū Chōtō 济舟澄洮 (d. 1737),\n (7)   Tan’un Seikyō 澹宁清镜,\n (8)   Kyo’etsu Seikō 巨超清恒,\n (9)   Shūhei Seikō 秋屏觉灯,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(9)   Shūhei Seikō 秋屏觉灯,\n(10)   Shōgen Kakusen 性源觉诠,\n(11)   Mukkei Kai’in 墨溪海荫,\n(12)   Getsuki Ryōzen 月辉了禅,\n(13)   Ryūchō Goshun 流长悟春,\n(14)   Kaikō Daishu 芥航大须,\n(15)   Unhan Shōdō 云帆昌道,\n(16)\n(17)   Tokushun 德俊,\n(18)   Kitsudō 吉堂,\n(19)   Chikō Mishō 智光弥性 (1888–1963),\n(20)   Tōsho Tōrō 东初镫朗 (1908–1977),\n(21)   EKū Shōgen 慧空圣严 (1930–[2009]).\nChikō Mishō had a dharma brother, Jōgen 静严.\nChikō had another disciple, Setsuhan 雪烦, who was older than Tōsho.\nTōsho had another disciple, Shōkai 圣开 (1918–[1996]).\n   Tōsho was Founder of Chinese Buddhist Cultural Institute 中华佛教文化馆,\nPei-tou, Taiwan. Shōgen was installed as the Second Abbot of Chinese Buddhist\nCultural Institute, Pei-tou, on March 24, 1978. Shōgen was formerly Abbot of\nDaikaku-ji, New York, N. Y., U.S.A. The author is deeply indebted to Reverend\n\f76                                                             7 The Sōtō School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sheng-yen, Litt. D. for supplying the lineage of the Shōzan line (焦山系) from\nKu-chiao Chi-sien 古樵智先 to Tung-chu Ten-lang 东初镫朗.\n   In this book, one photograph was taken when Abbot Tung-chu (Tōsho, 1908–\n1977) 东初 of the Shōzan line visited the United States with Reverend Sheng-yen\n(Shōgen) 圣严 at the invitation of Dr. C. T. Shen 沈家桢居士.\n   According to Dharma Records of Abbot Hsu Yun 虚云和尚法汇 Vol. 9,\npp. 266–297, a list of the Abbots 鼓山列祖联芳集 of Yung-chuan Temple\n(Yōsen-ji) 涌泉寺 at Ku-shan (Kozan), Foochow, was given. The Founder was\nReverend Ling-chiao (Reikyō) 灵峤, a disciple of Ma-tsu (Baso). The First Abbot\nwas Ku-shan Shen-yen 鼓山神宴 (Kozan Jin’an, Kokushi, 863–939), a disciple of\nSeppō Gizon (822–908) 雪峰义存. The 24th Abbot was Chikuan Shiki (1083–\n1146) 竹庵士珪, a dharma heir of Ryūmon Sei’on. The 26th abbot was Butsushin\nHonsai 佛心本才, a dharma heir of Reigen Isei (d. 1117) 灵源惟清. These Abbots\nbelonged to the Rinzai School. The 31st Abbot was Boku’an An’ei 木庵安永, a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dharma grandson of Daie Sōkō. The 41st Abbot was Kozen Jikyō 枯禅自镜, a\ndisciple of Mittan. After more than forty successions, the 86th Abbot was Kōan\nEnsei 高庵圆清, who was to lead the Kōan line or the Kozan line 高庵系或鼓山系\nto Abbot Hsu Yun (Kiun, 1840–1959) 虚云 as shown in Chart VI A.\n   However, the 92nd Abbot was Bokusan Genrai (1575–1630) 博山元来, a\ndharma heir of Mumyō Ekei (1548–1618) 无明慧经, who belonged to the Sōtō\nSchool. The 93rd Abbot was Sekkan Dōgin (1585–1637) 雪关道訚, Bokusan’s\ndisciple. The 94th Abbot was Eikaku Genken (1758–1657) 永觉元贤, another\ndharma heir of Mumyō Ekei. The 95th Abbot was Kakurō Dōshō (1592–1659) 觉\n浪道盛, a dharma grandson of Mumyō. The 96th Abbot was Irin Dōhai (1615–\n1702) 为霖道霈, a dharma heir of Eikaku Genken. Irin Dōhai was to lead the Irin\nline to Abbot Jikō Kokai (1895–1954) 慈航古开. (See Chart X B.) The author and\nhis wife paid homage to Reverend Jikō’s “real body” (Shinshin 真身) enshrined at\nSekishi 汐止, Taipei, in the company of his brother Joseph and sister-in-law Leola."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Irin line: 为霖系\n (1)   Irin Dōhai (1615–1702) 为霖道霈,\n (2)   Kōtō Daishin 恒涛大心,\n (3)   Henshō Kōryū 遍照兴隆,\n (4)   Seijun Hōkō 清淳法厚,\n (5)   Tōyō Kaisho 东阳界初,\n (6)   Dōgen Ichishin 道源一信,\n (7)   Kei’un Teizen 继云鼎善,\n (8)   Zōki Shinshaku 增辉新灼,\n (9)   Enchi Tsūkan 圆智通完,\n(10)   Nōji Tenshō 能持天性,\n(11)   Untei Kenji 云程兼慈,\n(12)   JōKū Tetsuchi 净空彻地,\n(13)   Gogen Chihon 悟源地本,\n(14)   En’ei Yōshō 圆瑛耀性,\n\f7 The Sōtō School                                                                               77"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(15) Jikō Kokai 慈航古开,\n(16) Genji Fukukai 严持复戒.\n   Reverend Yuang-ying (En’ei) was Abbot of Tendō-ji, Ningpo 天童寺. Reverend\nTzu-hang (Jikō) was the Founder of Taiwan Buddhist College 台湾佛学院. The\nauthor is indebted to Reverend Yen-chih (Genji) for the above lineage. Reverend\nYen-chih is at present Abbot of Hua-lien Buddhist Lotus Institute, Taiwan 花莲佛\n教莲社.\n   It may be noted that Abbot Hsu Yun considered himself the 47th generation\ndharma descendant of Tōzan in the Sōtō School of China. At Kozan, from the 92nd\nAbbot to the 130th Abbot, all belonged to the Sōtō School. At the same time, he\nwas the 43rd generation dharma descendant in the Rinzai School.\n\n\n\nReferences"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "References\n\nChung-Yuan, C. 张钟元 (1969). Original teachings of Ch’an Buddhism: Selected from the\n   transmission of the Lamp (Trans). New York: Pantheon Books.\nDumoulin, H. S. J. (1953). The development of Chinese Zen after the sixth patriarch in the light of\n   mumonkan (R. F. Sasaki, Trans.). New York: The First Zen Institute of America.\nKigen, D. (1200–1253). Cheng-Fa-Yen-Tsang (Shōbōgenzō), Recorded by Koun Ejō.\n“Shōyō Roku” 从容录, compiled by Manshō Kōshū 万松行秀 (1166–1246), based on Juko hyaku\n   soku 颂古百则 by Wanshi Shōkaku 宏智正觉 (1091–1157).\n\fChapter 8\nThe Ummon School and The Hōgen School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yun-men Wen-yen (Ummon Bun’en, 864–929) was a native of Chia-hsin (Kiangsu\nProvince, now Chekiang Province—editor’s note). He first studied under Mu-chou\nTao-chung (Bokujū Dōshō). Later, he became a disciple of Hsueh-feng I-tsun\n(Seppō Gizon, 822–908). If one judges the worth of a Zen Master by the number of\nanecdotes told of him, Ummon was at the top of the list. R. H. Blyth in his Zen and\nZen Classics, Vol. 2, devoted Chaps. XV, XVI, and XVII to Ummon. Ummon was\nclever from a child. After he realized the significance of Huang-po (Ōbaku) as a\ngreat Zen master, Ummon went to visit Ōbaku’s disciple, Bokujū Dōshō, who was\nalso known as Chen the Elder (Chin-son-shuku). Ummon knocked at his gate.\nBokujū asked: “Who is it?” Ummon answered: “Bun’en.” “What is it you want?”\nasked Bokujū. Ummon said: “I want to understand myself. Please teach me!”\nBokujū opened the gate, looked at him, and shut the gate. This went on for three\ndays. On the third day, when the door opened, Bun’en pushed his way in. Bokujū"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "seized him and said: “Say something!” Ummon did not know what to say, and\nBokujū pushed him out. As the Master shut the gate in a hurry, Ummon’s leg was\ncaught in it and broken. With the intense pain, Ummon came to a realization\nsuddenly. Many anecdotes concerning Ummon appeared in the Lamp Records, Vol.\n19 (Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 356–359; Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen\nMasters, pp. 285–295).\n   Master Ju-min (Nyomyō) presided in the Ling-shu Monastery (Reiju-ji), at\nShao-chou (Shōshū); Ummon was taking the first seat. When Ju-min was about to\npass away, he recommended Bun’en to succeed him. Ummon did not forget his old\nteacher, Seppō Gizon, and esteemed Seppō as his master. Ummon addressed the\nassembly:\n   Please do not think that I am trying to deceive you with words today. I can hardly help\n   talking, that is, making a mess of it. If a clear-sighted man saw me doing this, I would be an\n   object of ridicule. How can I avoid this ridicule now? Let me ask you all: what do you lack at"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the very beginning? Even though I tell you that there is nothing lacking within you, this too is\n   deceit. Unless your understanding has reached this stage, you are not yet on the right path. Do\n   not ask questions carelessly and hurriedly when your mind is completely dark. Tomorrow\n   and the days thereafter, you will have the most important work to do in order to achieve"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                          79\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_8\n\f80                                                   8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "enlightenment. Those whose grasp is poor and fumbling should go to the well-established\n     schools of the great ancients and search on every side for Truth. Should you gain some inner\n     awareness, all this is due to what is within yourself. When you are drifting in the endless\n     kalpa, your mind is full of illusion. The moment you hear others talk about Tao (the Way),\n     you will immediately want to know about it and start asking what the Buddha and the\n     Patriarchs are. Thus you will seek high and low for understanding, but in doing so you will\n     get even further away from Ch’an (Zen), because the searching mind is a deviation and\n     talking about it is even worse. Is it not then true that not searching for it is the correct way?\n     Well, what other alternatives are there, besides these two? Take good care of your own lives!\n     The teachings of the Three Vehicles, and of the Twelve Divisions of the Canon, expounded"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Buddhism in this way and that. The old masters of the present-day world give talks on\n     Ch’an (Zen) everywhere. Compared with my approach, which concentrates on the needle\n     point, their methods are like the medicine given by clumsy doctors, who often kill the\n     animals. However, there are a few who can attain to Ch’an (Zen) by such methods. How\n     can you expect there to be roaring thunder in speech and the sharpness of swords in words?\n     In the twinkling of an eye a thousand changes can take place. When the wind ceases, the\n     waves become calm. I beg you to accept my offer! Be Careful!\n     …To grasp Ch’an (Zen), you must experience it. If you have not experienced it, do not\n     pretend to know. You should withdraw inwardly and search for the ground upon which you\n     stand; thereby you will find out what Truth is. Outwardly not even the slightest explanation\n     can be used to reveal your inner awareness. Every one of you should devote himself to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "task of self-realization. When the Great Function (Tay-yung or Daiyō) takes place, no effort\n     will be required of you. You will immediately be no different from the Patriarch and the\n     Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The above English translations were taken from Professor Chang Chung-yuan’s\nOriginal Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, pp. 283–286. Another quotation follows:\n     You must be cautious! Do not waste your time wandering thousands of li (Chinese measure\n     of distance, about 1/3 of a mile), through this town and that, with your staff on your\n     shoulder, wintering in one place and spending the summer in another. Do not seek out\n     beautiful mountains and rivers to contemplate, nor spend your time calculating, when\n     sacrifice might be better. What a pity when one craves for trifles and loses the important\n     things! Such a search for Ch’an (Zen) is useless! … Do not be idle and waste your time. Do\n     not miss what this life has to offer, for you will never have another chance… Even a\n     worldly man (Ummon meant Confucius) said, “To learn Tao in the morning and die a night\n     —therein is my satisfaction.” What efforts we Buddhists must put into this! We must work\n     hard. Be careful!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "hard. Be careful!\n     Master Yun-men (Ummon) entered the assembly hall, held up the staff, pointed ahead, and\n     said: “All Buddhas in the world, as numberless as grains of sand, are here on the point of\n     my staff. They are disputing the teachings of Buddhism, and each of them tries to win the\n     argument. Is there anyone who is going to testify? If no one is going to testify, I will give\n     testimony myself.” At that moment a monk came out of the group and said, “Please do so\n     immediately.” The Master remarked, “You fox!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Other anecdotes are:\n        There was a question put to Ummon: “What is the fundamental idea of Buddhism?”\n        Ummon answered: “When spring comes, the grass turns green of itself.”\n        Monk: “What was Niu-tou Fa-yung before he saw the Fourth Patriarch?”\n\f8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School                                                       81"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ummon: “The Goddess of Mercy (Kuan-yin or Kannon) is worshiped in every family.”\n       Monk: “What was Niu-tou Fa-yung after he saw the Fourth Patriarch?”\n       Ummon: “The moth in the flame swallows the tiger.”\n       Monk: “What is the song of Ummon?”\n       Ummon: “The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month.”\n       Monk: “What is the roar of the earthen ox on top of the snow ridge?”\n       Ummon: “Heaven and earth darkened black.” (“red” in Chang’s version)\n       Monk: “What is the neighing of the wooden horse of Ummon?”\n       Ummon: “Mountains and rivers are running.”\n       Monk: “Please give me a basic principle for our pursuit of the ultimate.”\n       Ummon: “Look to the southeast in the morning and to the northwest in the evening.”\n       Monk: “What would it be like if one reached an understanding in accordance with your\n       remarks?”\n       Ummon: “Light the lamp in the eastern house and sit in the darkness of the western\n       house.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ummon lived to 86 years old. Once he made the following gāthā:\n       How steep is Yun-men’s Mountain!\n       How low the white clouds hang!\n       The mountain stream rushes so swiftly\n       That fish cannot venture to stay.\n       One’s coming is well understood,\n       From the moment one steps in the door.\n       Why should I speak of the mud (“dust” in Chang’s version)\n       On the track that is worn by the wheel?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ummon had a number of disciples, among them:\n(1) Tung-shan Shou-chu 洞山守初 (Tōzan Shusho, 910–990)\n(2) Hsiang-lin Cheng-yuan 香林澄远 (Kyōrin Chō’on, d. 987)\n(3) Shuang-feng Hui-chen 双峰慧真 (大师) (Sōhō Eshin Daishi)\nTōzan Shusho had a disciple Fu-yen Liang-ya (Fukugen Ryōga). Kōrin Chō’on had\na large number of dharma descendants. The lineage is given as follows:\n (1)   Yun-men Wen-yen (Ummon Bun’en, 864–949)\n (2)   Hsiang-lin Cheng-yuan (Kyōrin Chō’on, d. 987)\n (3)   Chih-men Kuang-tsu 智门光祚 (Chimon Kōso)\n (4)   Hsueh-tou Chung-hsien 雪窦重显 (Setchō Jūken, 980–1052)\n (5)   Tien-i I-huai 天衣义怀 (Tenne Gikai, 993–1064)\n (6)   Yuan-chao Tsung-pen 圆照宗本 (Enshō Sōhon, 1020–1099)\n (7)   Fa-yun Shan-pen 法云善本 (Hōun Zenhon)\n (8)   Hsueh-feng Ssu-hui 雪峰思慧 (Seppō Shi’e)\n (9)   Zing-tzu Tao-chang 净慈道昌 (Jōji Doshō)\n(10)   Lei-an Cheng-shou 雷庵正受 (Raian Shōju, 1146–1208)\n\f82                                             8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note that Raian Shōju (1146–1208) was the author of Pu-teng-lu 普灯录\n(Fu-to-roku), dated 1204.\n   Yuan-chao Tsung-pen was also known as Hui-lin Tsung-pen 慧林宗本 (Erin\nSōhon). Erin had several dharma brothers, among them:\n(6a) Yuan-tung Fa-hsiu 圆通法秀 (Enzū Hōshū, 1027–1090)\n(6b) Kuang-chao Yin-fu 广照应夫 (Kōshō Ōfu)\nKōshō’s disciple Hung-tsi Tsung-tsi 洪济宗賾 (Kōsai Sōseki, 1009–1092) was\nsimultaneously the Eighth Patriarch of the Pure Land School. Enzū Hōshū had sixty\ndisciples, among them:\n(7a) Fu-kuo Wei-po 佛国惟白 (Bukkoku Ibyaku)\n(7b) Kai-sien Chih-shun 开先智珣 (Kaisen Chijun)\n(7c) Pao-ning In 保宁英 (Honin Ei)\nFu-kuo Wei-po was the author (compiler) of the Second Series of the Lamp Records\n(Zoku-tō roku 续灯录), dated 1101. Fu-kuo Wei-po had a disciple: (8a) Hui-lin\nHui-hai 慧林慧海 (Erin Ekai), whose disciples were (9a) Wan-san Shu-chien 万杉\n寿坚 [Mansan (sugi) Juken] and (9b) Wan-san Shu-lung 万杉寿隆 (Mansan\nJuryū).\n   Enshō (Erin) Sōhon had some two hundred disciples. Among them were Fa-yun"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shan-pen (Hōun Zenhon), Tou-tze Hsiu-yu 投子修颙 (Tōsu Shugu), and Chang-lu\nHsin (Chōro Shin) 长芦信. Hōun Zenhon’s disciple was Hsueh-feng Ssu-hui\n(Seppō Shi’e), whose disciple was Zing-tzu Tao-chang (Jōji Tōshō). Jōji’s disciple\nwas Lei-an Cheng-shou (Raian Shōju, 1146–1208).\n   Note that Setchō Jūken (980–1052) wrote the verses for the Blue Cliff Record\n(Pi-yen-lu) or Hekigan-roku. Setchō collected one hundred kung an (kōan)\n—“public cases” of ancient events, and pointed out the import of each story with\nverses and additional remarks. About 60 years after Setchō’s passing, Yuan-wu\nKe-chin (Engo Kokugon, 1063–1135) of the Rinzai School added introductions,\nremarks, and commentaries all together to form the Blue Cliff Record, named after\nthe abode on Mt. Chia in Hunan where Engo delivered his talks. It was Dōgen\nKigen (1200–1253) who brought the Blue Cliff Record to Japan. (An English\ntranslation by Thomas and J. C. Cleary is now available in three volumes, published"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "by Shambhala Publications Inc., Boulder, Colorado, in 1977.)\n   Take the fourteenth case of the Blue Cliff Record, as chosen by Setchō Jūken and\ninterpreted by Engo Kokugon. We are indebted to Thomas & J. C. Cleary for their\nexcellent English translation given below:\n     Ummon’s Appropriate Statement:\n     Case:\n     A monk asked Ummon: “What are the teachings of a Buddha in a whole lifetime?”\n     Ummon answered: “An appropriate statement.”\n     Commentary:\n     Members of the Ch’an (Zen) family, if you want to know the meaning of Buddha-nature,\n     you must observe times and seasons, causes and conditions. This is called the special\n\f8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School                                                               83"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "transmission outside the (written) teachings, the sole transmission of the mind seal, directly\n  pointing to the human mind for the perception of nature and realization of Buddhahood.\n  For 49 years old Shakyamuni stayed in the world: at three hundred and sixty assemblies he\n  expounded the sudden and the gradual, the temporary and the true. These are what are\n  called the teachings of a whole lifetime. The monk (in this case) picked this out to ask,\n  “What are the teachings of a whole lifetime?” Why didn’t Ummon explain for him in full\n  detail, but instead said to him, “An appropriate statement?” As usual, within one sentence\n  of Ummon three sentences are bound to be present. There are called the sentence that\n  encloses heaven and earth, the sentence that follows the waves, and the sentence that cuts\n  off the myriad streams. He lets go and gathers up; he’s naturally extraordinary, like cutting\n  nails or shearing through iron. He makes people unable to comprehend him or figure him"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "out. The whole great treasure-house of the teachings just comes down to three words “An\n  appropriate statement”; there is no facet or aspect in which you can rationalize this.\n  People often misunderstand and say, “Buddha’s preaching was appropriate to the condi-\n  tions of one time.” Or they say, “The multitude of appearances and myriad forms are all the\n  impressions of a single truth,” and call this “an appropriate statement”. Then there are those\n  who say, “It’s just talking about that one truth.” What connection is there? Not only do they\n  not understand, they also enter hell as fast as an arrow flies. They are far from knowing that\n  the meaning of that man of old is not like this.\n  Therefore it is said, “Shattering one’s bones and crushing one’s body is still not sufficient\n  recompense; when a single phrase is understood, you transcend ten billion.” Undeniably\n  extraordinary: “What are the teachings of a whole lifetime?” Just boil down to his saying,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“An appropriate statement.” If you can grasp this immediately, then you can return home\n  and sit in peace. If you can’t get it, then listen humbly to the verdict."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Verse (by Setchō Jūken)\n     An appropriate statement;\n     How utterly unique!\n     He wedges a stake into the iron hammerhead with no hole.\n     Under the Jambu Tree I’m laughing: ha, ha!\n     Last night the black dragon had his horn wrenched off:\n     Exceptional, exceptional—\n     The old man of Shao Yang got one horn."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Commentary\n  An appropriate statement; how utterly unique!” Setchō cannot praise him enough. These\n  words of Ummon are independent and free, unique and lofty, prior to light and after\n  annihilation. They are like an overhanging cliff ten thousand fathoms high. Then, too, they\n  are like a million-man battleline; there is no place for you to get in. It’s just that it’s too\n  solitary and perilous.\n  An ancient said, “if you want to attain intimacy, don’t use a question to ask a question; the\n  question is in the answer and the answer is in the point of the question.” Of course it’s\n  solitary and steep, but tell me, where is it that it’s solitary and steep? No one on earth can do\n  anything about it.\n  The monk (in the case) was also an adept, and that is why he could question like this. And\n  Ummon too answered this way, much like “wedging a stake into the iron hammerhead with\n  no hole.” Setchō employs literary language so artfully! “Under the Jambu Tree I’m"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "laughing: ha, ha!” In the Scripture on the Creation of the World it says, “On the southside\n  of Sumeru (Mt. Himalaya) a crystal tree shines over the continent of Jambu, making all in\n\f84                                                 8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "between a clear blue color. The continent takes its name from the great tree; hence it is\n     called Jambudvipa. This tree is seven thousand leagues high; beneath it are the golden\n     mounds of the Jambu altar, which is twenty leagues high. Since gold is produced from\n     beneath the tree, it is called the Jambu Tree.”\n     Thus Hsueh-tou (Setchō) says of himself that it is under the Jambu Tree laughing out loud.\n     But tell me, what is he laughing at? He’s laughing at the black dragon who last night got\n     this horn wrenched off. He’s just looking up respectfully; he can only praise Ummon. When\n     Ummon says, “An appropriate statement”, what’s it like? It’s like breaking off one of the\n     black dragon’s horns. At this point, if there were no such thing, how could he have spoken\n     as he did?\n     Setchō has finished his verse all at once, but he still has something to say at the very end:\n     “Exceptional, exceptional—The old man of Shao Yang got one horn.” Why doesn’t Setchō"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "say he got them both? How is it that he just got one horn? Tell me, where is the other horn?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tung-shan Shou-chu (Tōzan Shusho, 910–990) was a disciple of Ummon. (See\nthe Lamp Records, Vol. 23; Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 389; Y. H. Ku, History of\nChinese Zen Masters, pp. 299–301.) He visited Ummon, who asked him: “Where\nhave you come from recently?” Tōzan answered: “From Ch’a-tu.” “Where were\nyou during the summer?” asked Ummon. Tōzan answered: “I was at the Pao-tzu\nMonastery in Hunan.” “When did you leave there?” asked Ummon. Tōzan said: “In\nthe eighth month of last year.” The Master said: “I absolve you from thirty blows!”\nThe next day, Tōzan went to ask the Master: “Yesterday you were pleased to\nrelease me from thirty blows, but I do not know what my fault was.” The Master\nsaid: “Oh, you rice-bag! This is the way you wander from the west of the River to\nthe south of the Lake!” At hearing this, Tōzan Shusho was suddenly enlightened.\nOther anecdotes appeared in Professor Chang Chung-yuan’s Original Teachings of\nCh’an Buddhism, pp. 296–299."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ch’an Buddhism, pp. 296–299.\n    Hsiang-lin Cheng-yuan (Kyōrin Chō’on, d. 987) was also Ummon’s disciple.\nHe was the dharma grandfather of Setchō Jūken. (See the Lamp Records, Vol. 22,\nDaishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, p. 387; Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters,\npp. 301–302.) A monk asked: “How is it, when both mind and condition (kyō) 境\nare lost?” Kōrin answered: “Open your eyes, sit and sleep.” A monk asked: “What\nis the meaning of hiding your body in the Big Dipper?” Kōrin answered: “The\ncrescent moon is like a bending bow, little rain and much wind.” Note that when a\nmonk asked Ummon: “What word penetrates the essence of being?” Ummon\nanswered: “Hide your body in the Big Dipper.” Compare this with: When a monk\nasked Tōzan Shusho: “What is the duty required of a Ch’an (Zen) monk?” Tōzan\nanswered: “When the clouds envelop the top of Mount Ch’u, there will be plenty of\nwind and rain.” When a monk asked Master Kōrin, “Whatever words and sentences"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "are ‘guest’, how is the host?” Kōrin answered: “Inside the City of Chang-an.”\nA monk asked: “How to comprehend this?” Kōrin said: “There are a thousand\nfamilies and ten thousand houses.”\n    Hsuan-sha Shih-pei (Gensha Shibi, 835–908) was Seppō Gizon’s disciple. (See\nthe Lamp Records, Vol. 18; Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51. pp. 343–347; Y. H. Ku,\nHistory of Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 296–298.) He became a monk at the age of\nthirty. He was ordained by Vinaya teacher Tao-hsuan 道玄律师 (Dōgen Rissui) at\n\f8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School                                                            85"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Kai-Yuan Temple (Kaigen-ji), Kiangsi. He was a dharma brother of Seppō\nGizon, but he considered Seppō as his teacher. (Note that Gensha was 13 years\nyounger than Seppō, but 29 years older than Ummon.) R. H. Blyth in his Zen and\nZen Classics, Vol. 2, Chap. 7, recorded the following story.\n  When Gensha was young, his father was a fisherman, and being already an old man, one\n  night fell from the boat into the water. Gensha tried to save him with an oar, and at this\n  moment saw the moon reflected in the water. He exclaimed, “I remember how the sages of\n  old said that all things are like the moon in the water. If my father had lived, he would have\n  only increased the pains of the Hell he would be reborn in. Instead, I will cut off my human\n  relations and become a priest and thus fulfil my filial duties.” Gensha found a teacher and\n  took the vows, and the next night his father came to him gratefully in a dream, and said, “My"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "son has become a priest, had I have been born in the Heavens, so I have come to thank him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Gensha succeeded Seppō and then preached and taught Zen for 30 years. He had\nabout eight hundred disciples, among them thirteen attained enlightenment.\n   Gensha’s dharma heir was Lo-han Kuei-shen (Rakan Keijin, 867–928). Rakan’s\ndisciple was Fa-yen Wen-i (Hōgen Buneki, 885–958), founder of the Hōgen\nSchool. (See the Lamp Records, Vol. 24, Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 398–400;\nY. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen Masters, pp. 303–310.) The following is taken\nfrom Professor Chang Chung-yuan’s Original Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism,\npp. 238–249.\n  Ch’an Master Wen-i (Buneki) of the Ch’ing-liang Monastery in Sheng-chou (now Nanking)\n  was a native of Yu-hang (Chekiang Province). His original surname was Lu. When he was 7\n  years old, he shaved his head and became the disciple of Ch’an Master Ch’uan-wei (Zen’i)\n  of the Chih-tung Temple in Hsin-ting. At the age of twenty he was ordained in the Kai-Yuan\n  Monastery in Yueh-chou (now Shao-hsing in northern Chekiang). During that time the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Vinaya Master Hsi-chio (Kikaku) was expounding Buddhism in the Yu-Wang Monastery in\n  Mei-shan of Ming-chou (Ningpo). Wen-i went there to listen to his lectures and to seek the\n  deep and abstruse meaning of Buddhism. At the same time, he also studied the confucian\n  classics and made friends with scholars and literary men. Master Hsi-chio thought as highly\n  of Wen-i as Confucius had of Tzu-yu and Tsu-hsia.\n  However, when he suddenly had the urge to seek the truth of Ch’an (Zen), Wen-i imme-\n  diately gave up all other pursuits, and taking up his staff, went traveling to the south. When\n  he reached Fu-chou (Foochow, Fukien Province), he joined the Chang-ching Hui-leng\n  (Chōkei Eryō, 854–932) congregation. Although his mind was not yet free from seeking,\n  many people esteemed him highly.\n  Not long afterward Wen-i set out again with his friends across the Lake (Lake Pan-yang).\n  Hardly had they started on their journey when a rainstorm began. The streams overflowed"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and flooded the land. Thereupon Wen-i and his companions took lodging temporarily at the\n  Ti-tsang Monastery (Chizō-in) in the western part of the city of Fu-chou. While he was\n  there, Wen-i took the opportunity to visit Lo-han Kuei-shen (RakanKeijin, 867–928), who\n  asked him: “Where are you going?” Wen-i replied: “I shall continue my foot travels along\n  the road.” Lo-han asked: “What is that which is called foot travel?” “I do not know,” was\n  Wen-i’s reply. Lo-han said: “Not-knowing most closely approaches the Truth.” Wen-i was\n  suddenly enlightened.\n  …\n  A monk asked, “As for the finger, I will not ask you about it. But what is the moon?”\n  Master Wen-i said: “Where is the finger you do not ask about?”\n\f86                                                  8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monk: “As for the moon, I will not ask about it. But what is the finger?”\n     Master: “The moon.”\n     Monk: “I asked about the finger; why should you answer me, ‘the moon’?”\n     Master: “Because you asked about the finger.”\n     …"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Prince of Nan-tang esteemed the Master’s teaching and invited him to stay\nin the Ch’an (Zen) Monastery of Pao-en (Hō’on-ji), and bestowed upon him the title\nof Ch’an Master Ching-hui (Jō’e Zenji).\nThe Master later stayed in the Ching-liang Monastery (Seiryō-ji). He came before\nthe assembly and said:\n     “We Buddhists should be free to respond to whatever comes to us according to the moment\n     and the cause. When it is cold, we respond to nothing else but cold; when it is hot, we\n     respond to nothing else but heat. If we want to know the meaning of the Buddha-nature, we\n     must watch the absolute moment and cause. In the past as well as at present there have been\n     many means to enlightenment. Have you not read that when Shih-tou (Sekitō) understood\n     what was in the Treatise of Seng-shao: ‘To unify ten thousand things into one’s self is to be\n     a sage indeed,’ he immediately said that a sage has no self, yet nothing is not himself. In his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "work Contemplation on Identification and Unification (Tsan Tung Chi or Sandōkai), he\n     first pointed out that the mind of the Buddha in India cannot go beyond this. In this treatise\n     he further expounds this idea. You, monks, need to be aware that all things are identified\n     with yourself. Why? Because in this world not one isolated thing can be seen!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was mentioned before that Tōzan Ryōkai took Sekitō’s ideas and developed them\ninto a doctrine that Sōzen later enunciated as the Five Ranks.\n   The lineage from Gensha to Hōgen and beyond is given below:\n(1)    Hsuan-sha Shih-pei (Gensha Shibi, 835–908) 玄沙师备\n(2)    Lo-han Kuei-shen (Rakan Keijin, 867–928) 罗汉桂琛\n(3)    Fa-yen Wen-i (Hōgen Buneki, 885–958) 法眼文益\n(4)    Tien-tai Te-shao (Tendai Tokushō, 891–972) 天台德韶\n(5)    Yung-ming Yen-shou (Yōmei Enju, 904–975) 永明延寿\n   Tendai Tokushō was a National Teacher (Kokushi). He was ordained at the age\nof eighteen at the Kai-yuan Temple (Kaigen-ji). He visited Tōsu Daidō 投子大同\n(819–914) and Ryūga Koton 龙牙居遁 (835–923). He also held conversations with\nSosan Kōnin, a dharma brother of Ryūga. He had contacted fifty-four masters, but\nhe could not find any spiritual affinity with any one of them. Finally, he went to\nLing-chuan 临川 (Rinsen) and paid his respects to Master Ching-hui (Jō’e).\nA monk asked Master Ching-hui: “What is a drop of water at Tsao-yuan (source of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tsao-hsi or Sōkei)?” The Master answered: “It is a drop of water at Tsao-yuan.”\nThe monk was puzzled and retreated. However, Tendai Tokushō was suddenly\nenlightened. When Tokushō reported what he understood to the Master, Ching-hui\n\f8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School                                           87"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "said: “You will later be the teachers of a King and spread widely the teachings of\nthe Patriarchs. I cannot be compared to you.”\n    Tokushō visited the Tendai Mountains and traced Chigi’s footsteps. Tokushō\ncame from the Chen family. People thought that Tokushō was the incarnation of the\nTendai Master Chigi (531–597). The King of Wu-yueh asked Tao (the Way) from\nTokushō at Tai-chou, when he was a prince. Now, as King of Wu-yueh, he made\nTokushō the National Teacher. With the King’s approval, emissaries were sent to\nSila (now a part of Korea) to find the historical documents concerning Chigi. Thus,\nthe Tendai School was revived.\n    Tendai Tokushō’s disciple was Yomei Enju (904–975). (See the Lamp Records,\nVol. 26, Daishō Daizōkyō, Vol. 51, pp. 421–422; Y. H. Ku, History of Chinese Zen\nMasters, pp. 311–312). The following is taken from Professor Chang Chung-yuan’s\nOriginal Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism, pp. 250–253.\n    Ch’an (Zen) Master Chih-chio 智觉 of the Yung-ming Monastery (Yōmei-ji) on"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Hui-jih Mountain 慧日山 in Hangchow was a native of Yu-hang (Chekiang\nProvince). His name was Yen-shou (Enju) and his original surname was Wang.\nFrom early childhood on, he believed in the teachings of Buddhism. When he\nreached the age of twenty, he began to abstain from meat and only took one meal a\nday. He read the Lotus Sutra at exceedingly great speed, as if he were glancing at\nseven columns at a time, and in about sixty days, he could recite the entire text. It\nwas said that a number of sheep were inspired by his reading and knelt down to\nlisten to him. When he was twenty-eight, he served as a military officer under the\ngeneral who guarded Hua-ting. Later, Master Tsui-yen (Suigan) came to stay at the\nLung-tse Monastery 龙册寺 (Ryūsaku-ji) and spread the teachings of Ch’an\n(Zen) far and wide. (Suigan Reisan 翠岩令参 was Seppō’s disciple.) King Wen-mo\nof Wu-yueh realized Yōmei’s devotion to Ch’an (Zen) and sympathized with the\nstrong faith he had in Buddhism. Therefore, the King released him from govern-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ment service and let him become a Buddhist monk. Yōmei went to Suigan and\nbecame his disciple. In the temple, he worked as a laborer and did all kinds of\nservice for the other monks, entirely forgetting himself. He never wore silken\nfabrics, and when he ate, he never took two dishes. He consumed only vegetables as\nhis daily diet and covered himself with a coarse cotton robe as his regular dress.\nThus, he passed his days and nights.\n    Later, he went to the Tendai Mountains and meditated under the Tien-chu Peak\n天柱峰 (meaning “column of Heaven”) for ninety days. Little birds made their\nnests in the pleats of his robe. Later on, he went to visit the National Teacher\nTe-shao (Tokushō), who esteemed him highly and personally transmitted the\nessence of Ch’an (Zen) to him. The National Teacher told him that because he had a\nspiritual affinity with the King, he could make the works of Buddhism flourish. It\nwas secretly foretold that Yōmei would achieve Buddhahood in the future."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Master Yōmei first stayed at Mount Hsueh-tou in Mingchou (Ning-po). Many\ndisciples came to listen to him. One day, the Master said to the assembly:\n      “Here in Hsueh-tou Mountain\n      A rapid waterfall dashes down thousands of feet.\n\f88                                               8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here nothing stays,\n        Not even the tiniest grain (“chestnut” in Chang’s version)\n        An awesome cliff rises up thousands of feet\n        With no space for you to stand.\n        My disciples, may I ask:\n        ‘Where do you proceed?’”\n       A monk asked: “A path lies in the Hsueh-tou Mountain. How do you tread it?” The\n     Master replied:\n        “Step by step the wintry blossom is born:\n        Each word is crystal clear as ice.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 900 A.D., King Chung-i 忠懿王 invited him to be the first Abbot of the new\nmonastery in the Ling-yin Mountain, and in the next year promoted him to be\nAbbot of the famous Yung-ming Monastery (Yōmei-ji), as the successor of the first\nAbbot Tsui-yen (Suigan). His followers numbered more than two thousand.\n        A monk asked: “What is the profound essence of the teaching in the Yung-ming\n        Monastery (Yōmei-ji)?\n        The Master answered: “Put more incense in the burner.”\n        The questioner said: “Thank you for revealing it to me.”\n        The Master said: “Fortunately, I have nothing to do with the matter.”\n        The Master made the following gāthā:\n        “To know the essence of the teaching in the Monastery of Yung-ming,\n        Imagine that a lake lies in front of the door.\n        When the sun shines upon it, a bright light is reflected.\n        When the wind blows, the ripples rise.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Master lived to 72 years old. His writings comprised several hundred vol-\numes, among them one hundred volumes of Tsung-ching-lu宗镜录 (Sōkyō-roku)\nwere famous.\n     His disciples were many, among them:\n     Fu-yang Tze-meng 富阳子蒙 (Fuyō Shimo)\n     Chao-ming Yuan-tsin 朝明院津 (Chōmyō Inshin)\n   Yōmei Enju was concurrently the Sixth Patriarch of the Pure Land School. The\nPatriarchs of the Pure Land School are listed below.\n (1)    Tung-lin Hui-yuan 东林慧远 (Tōrin E’on, 334–416);\n (2)    Kuang-ming Shan-tao 光明善导 (Kōmei Zendō, 613–681);\n (3)    Mi-tu Cheng-yuan 弥陀承远 (Mita Jōén, 712–802);\n (4)    Cho-lin Wu-hui 竹林五会 (Chikurin Go’e Kokushi);\n (5)    O-lung Tai-yen 乌龙台岩 (Oryū Daigan, d. 805);\n (6)    Hui-ji Yung-ming Yen-shou 永明延寿 (Yōmei Enju, 904–975);\n (7)    Yuan-zing Sheng-chang 圆净省常 (Enjō Shinchō, 959–1020);\n (8)    Chang-lu Hung-tsi Tsung-chi 洪济宗賾 (Kōsai Sōseki, 1009–1092);\n (9)    Lien-chi Chih-hung 莲池袾宏 (Renchi Chikō, 1535–1615);\n(10)    Ngo-i Chih-hsueh 蕅益智旭 (Gūéki Chikyoku, 1599–1655)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "8 The Ummon School and The Hōgen School                                               89"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Dharma Records of Abbot Hsu Yun 虚云和尚法汇, Vol. 8,\npp. 262–265, since the Ummon School in China had its eleventh-generation dharma\nheir Kuang-shiao Chi-an (Kōkō Kian) 光孝己庵, Reverend Hsu Yun was urged to\ncontinue the Ummon line as its twelfth-generation dharma heir.\n   According to the same reference, since the Hōgen School in China had its\nseventh-generation dharma heir Hsiang-fu Liang-ching (Jōfu Ryōkyō) 祥符良庆,\nReverend Hsu Yun was urged to continue the Hōgen line as its eighth-generation\ndharma heir.\n   As mentioned in the end of Chap. 3, since the Igyō School in China had its\nseventh-generation dharma heir, Reverend Hsu Yun was urged to be its\neighth-generation dharma heir.\n\n\n\nReference\n\nCleary, T., & Cleary, J. C. (1977). “Pi-yen-lu” 碧岩录 (Hekigan-roku, The Blue Cliff Record)\n   (Trans.). Boulder, Colorado: Shambhala Publications.\n\fChapter 9\nThe Rinzai School in Japan—Eisai"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Prior to the founding of the Rinzai School of Zen in Japan by Myōan Eisai 明庵荣\n西, there were some contacts that were worth recording. The Japanese priest, Dōshō\n道昭 (598–670), went to Tang-China in 653 A.D. He met with the Chinese Master,\nGenjō Sanzō 玄奘 (602–664). Genjō advised Dōshō to study Zen. Dōshō did study\nZen under Eman 慧满, a dharma disciple of the Second Patriarch, Hui-Ke 慧可\n(Eka, 487–593). Eman was a contemporary of the Third Patriarch Sōsan (d. 606).\nDōshō was a contemporary of the Fourth Patriarch Dōshin (580–651). Historically,\nDōshō was the first Japanese monk who brought Zen teachings from China to\nJapan. However, Dōshō was concurrently the founder of the Hōssō School 法相宗\nin Japan.\n   The first Chinese priest who brought Zen teachings to Japan was Dōsen Risshi\n道璇律师 (702–760), who was a direct disciple of Sūzan Fujaku 嵩山普寂\n(651–739), and hence the dharma grandson of Jinshū 神秀 (606?–706). lt was\ngiven in Part I, Chap. 1, that Jinshū was one of the disciples of the Fifth Patriarch,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Gunin (602–675). Dōsen in Japan had a disciple, Gyōhyō 行表 (722–797), whose\ndisciple, Saichō 最澄 (767–822), went to Tang-China. Saichō was a disciple of\nGyokurō Kyūnen 玉姥翛然, who was Baso Dōitsu’s dharma-heir. Gyokurō was a\ndharma brother of Hyakujō Ekai (720–814), and hence, Saichō and Ōbaku Kiun\n(d. 850) were dharma cousins. Saichō went to China when he was thirty-seven\nyears of age. He visited the Tendai masters in China, and he was considered the\nfounder of the Tendai School 天台宗 in Japan.\n   The Chinese Tendai School considered Nagarjuna 龙树 as its founder. The\nSecond Patriarch was Emon 慧文, and the Third Patriarch was Nangaku Esei 慧思\n(514–577). Chigi 智 (531–597) of Tendai was the Fourth Patriarch, succeeded by\nShō’an Kanchō 灌顶 (561–632). Hōka Chi’i 智威 and Tenkū E’i 慧威 were the\nSixth and Seventh patriarchs, respectively. The Eighth Patriarch was Sakei Genrō\n左溪玄朗 (673–754), and the Ninth Patriarch was Keikei Tannen 荆溪湛然\n(711–782). Dōsui 道邃 of Tendai was Keikei’s disciple. Saichō of Japan was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dōsui’s disciple and hence became the dharma grandson of Keikei Tannen. Saichō"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                       91\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_9\n\f92                                                9 The Rinzai School in Japan-Eisai"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "went back to Japan in 805, and the Tendai School in Japan considered Dōsui as its\nfounder.\n    The Japanese Emperor Saga Tennō 嵯峨 reigned from 809 to 824. His Empress\nKachi-ko 嘉智子 sent a Japanese priest Egaku 慧萼, to China. After arriving at\nHangchow, Egaku requested Enkan Saian 盐官齐安 (750–842) who was Baso’s\ndharma-heir, to send his chief priest at Kaichō-in 海昌院 to Japan. So Gikū 义空\nwas invited to go to Japan in the year 834 A.D., accompanied by Dōjo 道助. Gikū\nbecame the founder of Danrin-ji 檀林寺 at Yamashiro (in present Kyoto Fu). While\nDōsen brought to Japan the Zen teachings of Jinshū (sometimes called the Northern\nSchool), Gikū brought to Japan the Zen teachings of Enō, the Sixth Patriarch. Gikū\nlater went back to China. Egaku made another trip to China in 854. He was to ask\nAbbot Keigen 契元 of Kaigen-ji 开元寺 at Soochow to write an essay on “The\nFirst Transmission of ZEN to Japan,” which was inscribed on a stone tablet erected\nat Kyoto. Since Enkan Saian and Hyakujō Ekai were both dharma-heirs of Baso"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dōitsu, Gikū and Ōbaku Kiun were dharma cousins. However, Gikū was not able to\nstart a Zen School in Japan, while Ōbaku’s disciple, Rinzai Gigen, became the\nfounder of the Rinzai School in China.\n    From Part I, Chap. 4, the Rinzai School in China had the lineage as below:\n (1)   Rinzai Gigen (d. 866) 临济义玄\n (2)   Kōke Zonshō (830–888) 兴化存奖\n (3)   Nan’in Egyō (d. 952) 南院慧颙\n (4)   Fūketsu Enshō (896–973) 风穴延沼\n (5)   Shuzan Shōnen (926–993) 首山省念\n (6)   Funyō Zenshō (947–1024) 汾阳善昭\n (7)   Sekisō Soen (986–1039) 石霜楚圆\n(8a)   Ōryū Enan (1002–1069) 黄龙慧南\n(8b)   Yōgi Hō’e (992–1049) 杨岐方会\nAfter seven generations, the Rinzai School was divided into two sects: (8a) Ōryū\nEnan and (8b) Yōgi Hō’e. The dharma lineage from Ōryū Enan to Myōan Eisai is\ngiven as follows:\n(8a) Ōryū Enan (1002–1069) 黄龙慧南\n(9a) Kaidō Soshin (1025–1100) 晦堂祖心\n(10a) Reigen Isei (d. 1117) 灵源惟清\n(11a) Chōrei Shutaku (1065–1123) 长灵守卓\n(12a) Muji Kaijin (1080–1148) 无示介谌\n(13a) Shinbun Donfun 心闻昙贲\n(14a) Setsu’an Jūkin (1117–1200) 雪庵从瑾\n(15a) Ki’an Eshō 虚庵怀敞"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(15a) Ki’an Eshō 虚庵怀敞\n(16a) Myōan Eisai (1141–1215) 明庵荣西\n    Myōan Eisai (Zenkō Kokiushi, 1141–1215) was a native of Bitchu, Okayama.\nHe learned Buddhism from his father when he was very young. He became a monk\nat the age of fourteen. At Mount Hiei 比睿山, he studied the essential teachings of\n\f9 The Rinzai School in Japan-Eisai                                               93"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Tendai School and the Esoteric School. Buddhism is divided into two general\nclasses: (1) esoteric school and (2) exoteric school. The exoteric school (or open\nschool) comprises all the Buddhist schools except the esoteric school. In Japan, the\nesoteric school (Shingon or “True Word” School 真言宗) was especially prevalent.\nThe Shingon School in Japan was founded by Kūkai 空海 (Kōbō Daishi 弘法大师,\n774–835). Before the introduction of the ZEN School to Japan, there were already\nthe Hōssō School, founded by Dōshō (598–670); the Tendai School, founded\nby Saichō (Dengyō Daishi 传教大师, 767–822); and the Kegon School 华严宗.\nHōnen 法然 (1133–1212) and Shinran 亲鸾 (1173–1262) were to be the founders\nof the Japanese Amida School 念佛宗 (Nembutsu shū). Nichiren 日莲\n(1222–1282), a prophet both in wrath and in consolation, awakened the national\nhope of the down-cast people and was to be the founder of the Hōkke School 法华\n宗 or the Nichiren School. So time was ripe for Eisai to be the founder of the Rinzai\nSchool 临济宗 in Japan."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "School 临济宗 in Japan.\n   In 1168, when Eisai was twenty-eight years of age, he went to China and visited\nthe Tendai 天台山 and Iku’ō (Yu-wang 育王山) mountains. He brought back to\nJapan many Tendai scriptures and sutras. In 1187, when he was forty-seven years\nof age, he visited Sung-China for the second time. He studied under Ki’an Eshō\n虚庵怀敞, who was the seventh-generation dharma descendant of Ōryū Enan\n(1002–1069). Note that in Part I, Chaps. 4 and 5, it is stated that Ōryū Enan and\nYōgi Hō’e were the seventh-generation descendants (in the transmission of law) of\nRinzai Gigen (d. 866), who was the founder of the Rinzai School in China. When\nEisai received the Inka (mind-seal 心印) from Ki’an, he became the fifteenth-\ngeneration dharma-heir of Master Rinzai Gigen.\n   Eisai returned to Japan in 1191, when he was fifty-one years of age. He became\nthe founder of the Rinzai School in Japan. During the Kamakura 镰仓 period\n(1185–1333), Minamoto no Yoritomo 源赖朝 (1148–99) was the head of the most"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "powerful family. His wife Taira no Masako 平政子 (1157–1225) and his son,\nMinamoto no Sanetomo 源宗朝 (1192–1219), were faithful followers of Eisai. In\n1191, Eisai built the first temple of the Rinzai School in Japan, Shōfuku-ji 圣福寺,\nat Hakata, a town on the southern island of Kyūshū 九州. In 1200, Eisai came to\nvisit Kamakura and founded the temple Jufuku-ji 寿福寺, with the financial help\nand encouragement of Sanetomo. In 1202, the second year of the Kennin era during\nthe reign of Tsuchimikado Tennō 土御门天皇 (r. 1198–1210), Eisai founded the\nKennin Temple 建仁寺 in Kyoto, with the financial help and protection of the\nShogun Minamoto no Yoriie 源赖家, Sanetomo’s older brother. At Kennin-ji, Eisai\npromoted the teachings of Zen, as well as the teachings of Tendai and Shingon\nschools. Gradually, Eisai-Zen tended to include the essentials of the Tendai School\nand the esoteric school. In fact, Eisai would like to develop Zen such that it\nembodies the whole of Buddhism. On the other hand, he devoted himself to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "writing of a treatise on The Spread of Zen for the Protection of the Country. 兴禅护\n国论 The Emperor Gotoba Tennō 后鸟羽天皇 (r. 1183–98) gave Eisai a special\naudience and asked him to explain Zen dharma. Eisai looked to Zen for salvation in\nthe last day of the “final dharma” and strove for the recognition of Zen as an\n\f94                                                 9 The Rinzai School in Japan-Eisai"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "independent school. He presented to the emperor, besides his treatise, three\nembroideries of Buddhist images.\n    Eisai entered nirvana in 1215, at the age of seventy-five. He was revered not\nonly as a Zen master, but also as a founder of tea culture. His dharma-heirs were\nTaikō Gyōyū 退耕行勇 (1162–1241), Shakuen Eichō 释圆荣朝 (d. 1247), Dōju\nMyōzen 道树明全 (1187–1225), Ten’an Genyū 天庵源祐, and others. Taikō was a\nnative of kamakura and originally belonged to the Shingon School. He became\nEisai’s disciple. Taikō was in charge of Eifuku-ji 永福寺 and Daiji-ji 大慈寺.\nLater, he stayed at Jufuku-ji and became the dharma teacher of Minamoto no\nSanetomo. After Eisai’s passing, Taikō Gyōyū became the second abbot of\nJufuku-ji and continued to preach Zen and esoteric teachings. Taikō Gyōyū was the\nfounder of Jōmyō-ji 净妙寺 and also succeeded Eisai as the second abbot of\nKennin-ji. Shakuen Eichō founded Chōraku-ji 长乐寺. Eichō’s disciple Zōshū\nRōyo 藏叟朗誉 (1194–1277) was the second abbot of Chōraku-ji, as well as the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "third abbot of Jufuku-ji. Eichō’s other disciple Enji Ben’en 圆尔弁圆 (1202–1280)\nwas the founder of Tōfuku-ji 东福寺 in Kyoto and was honored as Shōichi Kokushi\n圣一圆师.\n    Zōshū Rōyo was succeeded by Jaku’an Jōshō 寂庵上昭 (1229–1316), and\nJaku’an was succeeded by Ryūsan Tokuken 龙山德见 (1284–1358). Ryūsan’s\ndisciples were Tenjō Ichirin 天祥一麟 (1329–1407), Mutō Ichirin 无等以伦, Kōsai\nRyūha 江西龙派, and Kusadō Hōrin 草堂芳林.\n    A contemporary of Eisai who also went to China may be mentioned here.\nKaku’ō 觉阿 of Mount Hiei was born in 1143 and hence was only two years\nyounger than Eisai. He became a monk at the age of fourteen. In 1171, when he was\ntwenty-nine years of age, he sailed for China with his dharma brother Konkyō 金\n庆. He paid respects to Bukkai E’on 佛海慧远 (1103–1176) at the Ling-yin Temple\n灵隐寺 at Hangchow. At that time, Bukkai was already sixty-nine years of age.\nBukkai was the fourth-generation dharma descendant of Yōgi Hō’e (992–1049) and\ndirect disciple of Engo Kokugon 圜悟克勤 (1063–1135), who was also the teacher"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of Daie Sōkō 大慧宗杲 (1089–1163) and Kokyū Shōryū 虎丘绍隆 (1077–1136).\nAs Kaku’ō could not speak Chinese too fluently, he carried on a conversation\n(mondō) with Master Bukkai by writing (in Chinese). After more than a year’s stay\nat Hang-chow, he visited Nanking. At the Yangtze River, he heard the sound of\nbeating drums and became suddenly enlightened. He went back to Hangchow and\nreceived the Inka from Master Bukkai. Then, Kaku’ō returned to Japan in 1175. He\nwent up Mount Hiei and kept on zazen and meditation for the rest of his life. Bukkai\nhad a younger disciple, by the name of Saiten Dōsai 济颠道济 (1148–1207), a\nlegendary recluse with many anecdotes, reminding people of Kanzan 寒山 and\nJittoku 拾得 in the Tendai Mountains.\n    From Part I, Chaps. 4 and 5, one can trace the lineage from Yōgi Hō’e down in\nthe following manner:\n(8b) Yōgi Hō’e (992–1049) 杨岐方会\n(9b) Haku’un Shutan (1025–1072) 白云守端\n(10b) Goso Hō’en (d. 1104) 五祖法演\n\f9 The Rinzai School in Japan-Eisai                                          95"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(11b) Engo Kokugon (1063–1135) 圆悟克勤\n(12b) Kokyū Shōryū (1077–1136) 虎丘绍隆\n(13b) Ō-an Donka (1103–1163) 应庵昙华\n(14b) Mittan Enketsu (1118–1186) 密庵咸杰\n(15b) Ha’an Sosen 破庵祖先 (1136–1211)\n(16b) Mujun Shihan 无准师范 (1178–1249)\n(17b) Enji Ben’en 圆尔弁圆 (1202–1280)\nFrom Engo Kokugon, we have three other lines: c, d, and e.\n(12c) Daie Sōkō (1089–1163) 大慧宗杲\n(13c) Busshō Tokkō 佛照德光 (掘庵) (1121–1203)\n(14c) Hokkan Koken 北礀居简 (1164–1246)\n(12d) Bukkai E’on (1103–1176) 佛海慧远\n(13d) Kaku’ō 觉阿 (1143–?)\n(13d’) Saiten Dōsai 济颠道济 (1148–1207)\n(12e) Gokoku Keigen 护国景元 (1094–1146)\n(13e) Wakuan Shitai 或庵师体 (1108–1179)\n(14e) Tendō Chi’ei 天童智颖\n(15e) Keizan Nyokaku 径山如珏\n(16e) Shōzen Muden 圣禅无传\nNote that we have listed Engo Kokugon’s disciples as (12b) Kokyū Shōryū; (12c)\nDaie Sōkō; (12d) Bukkai E’on; and (12e) Gokoku Keigen. Goso 五祖法演 had\nother disciples that should be added (See Chap. 5):\nLung-men Ching-yuan (Ryūmon Sei’on, 1067–1120) 龙门清远\nTai-ping Hui-chin (Taihei Ekin, 1059–1117) 太平慧懃\nTa-sui Yuan-ching (Daizui Cenjō, 1065–1135) 大隋元静"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ta-sui Yuan-ching (Daizui Cenjō, 1065–1135) 大隋元静\nHung-fu Tzu-wen (Kōfuku Shimon) 洪福子文\nKai-fu Tao-ning (Kaifuku Dōnei, 1053–1113) 开服道宁\nLung-men Ching-yuan was also known as Fo-yen 佛眼 Ching-yuan (Butsugen\nSei’on). Tai-ping Hui-chin was also known as Fo-chien 佛鉴 Hui-chin (Butsukan\nEgon). Engo Kokugon was also known as Butsuka 佛果 Kokugon.\n   While Kaku’ō was Engo Kokugon’s dharma grandson, Enji Ben’en (Shōichi\nKokushi) was Kokyū Shōryū’s fifth-generation dharma descendant.\n   In Chap. 5, we have traced the lineage from Kaifuku Dōnei to Mumon Ekai\n(1183–1260). Mumon’s disciple was Shinchi Kakushin 心地觉心 (1207–1298).\nKakushin had two disciples: Kohō Kakumyō 孤峰觉明 (Sankō Kokushi 三光国师,\n1271–1361) and Kochiku 虚竹 (d. 1298). Kohō Kakumyō had two important\ndharma-heirs: Bassui Tokushō 拔队得胜 (1327–1387) and Jiun Myō’i 慈云妙意\n(1273—1345). Bassui was the founder of Kōgaku-ji 向岳寺, and Jiun was the\nfounder of Kokutai-ji 国泰寺.\n   Kakushin (Hottō Emmyō Kokushi) was ordained at Tōdai-ji 东大寺 in Nara,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "learned the esoteric doctrines in the Shingon temples on Mount Kōya, and finally\nwas introduced to Zen. He went to China and became the disciple of the most\neminent Zen master of the time, Mumon Ekai, author of Mumonkan. On his return\n\f96                                              9 The Rinzai School in Japan-Eisai"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to Japan in 1254, Kakushin brought with him the Mumonkan, which his master had\nedited and written commentaries upon. Under Muman, Kakushin became\nacquainted with the branch of Zen known as the Pu-Hua School 普化宗 (Fuke\nShū), whose origin went back to Baso’s disciple, Fuke. So Kakushin introduced\nFuke Shū to Japan.\n\fChapter 10\nThe Era of Five Mountains"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There were five leading Zen monasteries in Kamakura and five leading Zen\nmonasteries in Kyoto. In Japanese, “Five Mountains” were pronounced GOZAN.\nThe “Five Mountains” in Kamakura were as follows:\n(1)   Kenchō-ji, founded in 1253 by Rankei Dōryū (1213–1278);\n(2)   Engaku-ji, founded in 1282 by Mugaku Sogen (1226–1286);\n(3)   Jufuku-ji, founded in 1200 by Myōan Eisai (1141–1215);\n(4)   Jōchi-ji, founded in 1283 by Daikyū Shōnen (1215–1289);\n(5)   Jōmyō-ji, founded in 1212 by Taikō Gyōyū (1162–1241).\nThe “Five Mountains” in Kyoto were as follows:\n(1)   Kennin-ji, founded in 1202 by Myōan Eisai (1141–1215);\n(2)   Tōfuku-ji, founded in 1255 by Shōichi Enji (1202–1280);\n(3)   Manju-ji, founded in 1258 by Tōsan Tanshō (1231–1291);\n(4)   Tenryū-ji, founded in 1345 by Musō Soseki (1275–1351);\n(5)   Shōkoku-ji, founded in 1384 by Shun’oku Myōha (1311–1388).\nBesides these ten monasteries, there was established in 1290 another Zen mon-\nastery, by the name:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "astery, by the name:\n   Nanzen-ji was founded in 1290 by Mukan Fumon (1212–1291). Later in 1324,\nthe first year of Shōchū era during the reign of Godaigo Tennō, it was decided the\n“Five Mountains” for the entire Japan should be listed in the following order:\n(1)   Nanzen-ji,\n(2)   Kennin-ji,\n(3)   Tōfuku-ji,\n(4)   Kenchō-ji,\n(5)   Engaku-ji.\nThere were seven other monasteries worth mentioning here:\n(1) Daitoku-ji, founded in 1326 by Shūhō Myōchō (1282–1336);\n(2) Kokutai-ji, founded in 1327 by Jiun Myō-i (1273–1345);\n(3) Myōshin-ji, founded in 1337 by Kanzan Egen (1277–1360);"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                  97\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_10\n\f98                                                     10   The Era of Five Mountains"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(4)   Eigen-ji, founded in 1361 by Jakushitsu Genkō (1290–1367);\n(5)   Kōgaku-ji, founded in 1379 by Bassui Tokushō (1327–1387);\n(6)   Hōkō-ji, founded in 1383 by Mumon Gensen (1323–1390);\n(7)   Fotsū-ji, founded in 1397 by Guchū Shūkyū (1323–1409).\n   Chronologically, Jufuku-ji at Kamakura was first established by Myōan Eisai in\n1200, the second year of Shōji era during the reign of Tsuchimikado Tennō, when\nhe was 60 years of age. Then, Eisai founded Kennin-ji at Kyoto in 1202, the second\nyear of Kennin era under the reign of Tsuchimikado Tennō.\n   Eisai’s dharma descendants were as follows: Shaku’en Eichō (d. 1247), Taikō\nGyōyū (1162–1241), Dōju Myōzen (1187–1229), Genyū, and others. Taikō was the\nsecond abbot of Jufuku-ji and became the founder of Jōmyō-ji in 1212, the second\nyear of Kenryaku era under the reign of Juntoku Tennō. Shaku’en Eichō’s disciples\nwere Zōshū Rōyo (1194–1277) and Enji Ben’en (1202–1280). Zōshū was the third\nabbot of Jufuku-ji. Enji was the founder of Tōfuku-ji in 1255."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rankei Dōryū (1213–1278) was a native of Szechuan, in west China. He became\na monk at the age of thirteen and was later a disciple of Mujun Shihan (1178–1249).\nAccording to History of Chinese Buddhism, by Chiang Wei-chao, Rankei Dōryū\nwas the dharma descendant of Mumyō Esei (1162–1237). Mumyō Esei was the\nsecond-generation dharma descendant of Mittan Enketsu (1118–1186), and the\ndirect dharma descendant of Shōgen Sūgaku (1132–1202). Rankei went to Japan in\n1246, when he was 34 years of age, with his disciples Gi-ō Shōjin (d. 1281),\nRyūkō, etc. He first stayed at Fuku-kō. Then, he was welcomed to Kamakura and\nbecame the founder of Kenchō-ji. The Kenchō era under the reign of Gofukakusa\nTennō started in 1249 A.D. In the fifth year of Kenchō era (1253), Kenchō-ji had its\nofficial opening.\n   Master Rankei announced the following decrees at Kenchō-ji:\n(1) The followers of Shōgen Sūgaku observed Zazen in the Zendō. This practice\n    cannot be abolished even in a thousand years. Otherwise, there would be no"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ZEN temple.\n(2) All temples at Fuku-san should treat the disciples of Rinzai and Sōtō schools\n    without discrimination. All disciples should cooperate and help each other,\n    with respect to Buddhist patriarchs.\n(3) Monks should obey commandments. There should be no presence of wine or\n    meat in front of the temple door. More strict observance should be made in the\n    mountains.\n(4) To understand ZEN and learn TAO, one should not indulge in literary work.\n    Understand the lively patriarch’s ideas, and avoid the dead language.\n(5) Do not transmit the great Dharma to a non-person, who could not bring glory\n    to the Zen school.\nFrom the above, one notices that the Shōgen Sūgaku teachings were directly\nemphasized in these decrees. Rankei thus set a good example to others in other\ntemples. Rankei received the honorary title of Daikaku Zenshi. He entered nirvana\nin 1278, at the age of sixty-six.\n\f10   The Era of Five Mountains                                                           99"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 1255, the seventh year of Kenchō era, Enji Ben’en founded the Tōfuku\nTemple at Kyoto. Enji became a monk in 1219, when he was 18 years of age. He\nstudied under Shaku’en Eichō and Taikō Gyōyū. In 1235, when he was 34 years of\nage, he went to Sung-China. He arrived at Mingchow (Ningpo) and paid homage to\nMujun Shihan (1178–1249). He received Inka from Mujun Shihan and returned to\nJapan in 1241, when he was 40 years of age. He would be the most important\nperson in the Rinzai School after Eisai. He was honored by the title Shōichi\nKokushi. His disciple Mukan Fumon would be the founder of Nanzen-ji.\n   In 1258, the second year of Shōka era under the reign of Gofukakusa Tennō,\nManju-ji was founded by Enji’s disciple, Tōsan Tanshō (1231–1291). Enji’s other\ndisciples were as follows:\nJinshi Eison (1193–1272); Zōsan Junkū (1233–1308);\nChoku’ō Chikan (1245–1322); Hakuun Egyō (1223–1297);\nSanshū E’un (1227–1301); Gessen Shinkai (1231–1308);\nTenchu Sōkō (d. 1332); Muju Ichien (1226–1312);"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tenchu Sōkō (d. 1332); Muju Ichien (1226–1312);\nChigot Daie (1229–1312); Nansan Shiun (1254–1335);\nSōhō Sōgen (1263–1335); Senkei Shoken (d. 1330);\nMui Shōgen (d. 1311); Mugai Jinen.\n   Jinshi, Zōsan, Choku’ō, Haku’un, Sanshū, and Mukan Fumon all were\nencouraged by Enji to visit China and study under Chinese Zen Masters. Tōsan’s\ndisciple was Kokan Shiren (1278–1346). Nansan’s disciple was Kenhō Shidon\n(1285–1361). Mugai’s disciple was Ichihō Myō-i (d. 1350). Mui’s disciples were\nDaiyō Gichū (1282–1352) and Mugai Zenkai (d. 1352).\n   Mugaku Sogen (1226–1286) was a native of Chekiang, China. In 1237, when he\nwas 12 years of age, he followed his father to visit a mountain temple and heard a\nmonk reciting the poetic couplet:\n      The shadow of bamboo wipes the terrace steps without disturbing the dust;\n      The moon penetrates the bottom of a pond without leaving any trace in the water."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He was somewhat awakened. The next year his father passed away. Then, his uncle\ntook him to Ching-sze (Jōji) Monastery in Hangchow to serve as a monk under\nPei-chien Chu-chien (Hokkan Kokan). Hokkan (1164–1246) was the third-\ngeneration dharma descendant of Engo Kokugon (1063–1135), and the direct\ndharma descendant of Setsu-an Tokkō (1121–1203). Note that the Japanese Zen\nPriest Dainichi Nōnin of Osaka sent two of his disciples to China in 1189 to study\ndharma under Setsu-an (Busshō) Tokkō.\n   Mugaku Sogen became a dharma descendant of Mujun Shihan. He went to\nTaichow and stayed at Cheng-ju Temple. In 1275, he was transferred to Nenjen\n(Nōjin) Temple at Wenchow. In 1280, the seventeenth year of era Chi-yūan\n(Chigen) under the reign of Yuan Emperor Shih-tsu (Kublai Khan), Mugaku was\ninvited to go to Japan, when he was 55 years of age. He first stayed at Kenchō-ji\n(founded by Rankei Dōryū). Then, he founded Engaku-ji at Kamakura in 1282, the\nfifth year of Kōan era under the reign of Go-uda Tennō."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "100                                                    10   The Era of Five Mountains"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note that since Rankei Dōryū died in 1278, Mugaku Sogen did not meet Rankei\nin Kenchō-ji. At Kenchō-ji, Gottan Funnei (1197–1276), who came to Japan in\n1260 and was another disciple of Mujun Shihan, became the second abbot, suc-\nceeding Rankei. Gottan was followed by Daikyū Shōnen (1215–1289), and Daikyū\nwas followed by Gi-ō Shōjin, who died in 1281. Daikyū went to Japan from China\nin 1268, while Gi-ō accompanied Rankei to Japan in 1246. At the death of Gi-ō,\nMugaku became the fifth abbot of Kenchō-ji.\n   Mugaku became the founder of Engaku-ji Kamakura in 1282, two years after his\narrival in Japan. Engaku-ji was officially ranked second among the “Five\nMountains” at Kamakura, while Kencho-ji ranked the first. Jufuku-ji, although\nestablished as early as 1200 by Eisai, was ranked the third. The fourth temple was\nJōchi-ji, founded in 1283, the sixth year of Kōan era under the reign of Go-uda\nTennō, by Daikyū Shōnen. Mugaku was honored by the title Bukkō Kokushi."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Daikyū Shōnen (1215–1289) was a native of Wenchow, Chekiang. He was the\nthird-generation dharma descendant of Shōgen Sūgaku (1132–1202). The lineage\ncould be given as follows:\n(1)   Shōgen Sūgaku,\n(2)   En-an Zenkai,\n(3)   Sekikei Shingetsu\n(4)   Daikyū Shōnen\nAs Mumyō Esei and En-an Zenkai were dharma brothers, Rankei and Sekikei were\ndharma cousins, Daikyū could be considered as Rankei’s dharma nephew. Rankei\nDōryū had introduced rules and regulations at the Kenchō-ji following the tradition\nof Shōgen Sūgaku. So one could conjecture that Daikyū Shōnen would introduce\nsimilar rules and regulations at the Jōchi-ji.\n   Daikyū Shōnen went to Japan when he was 54 years of age; that is, in 1268. He\ndied at the age of seventy-five, leaving the following poem:\n      Pick up the hammer of Mount Sumeru,\n      Crush to pieces the drum of VOID.\n      To hide your body leaving no trace of shadow,\n      The Sun-wheel is shining bright at noon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It may be mentioned that Daikyū first went to Ling-yin Monastery to pay respects to\nTōkoku Myōkō (d. 1252). Tokoku was a native of Wusih (Chang-chow), Kiangsu.\nBefore entering nirvana, he left the poem:\n      At the eastern valley, a piece of cloud folds,\n      The full moon shines at an ancient ferry.\n      White bird is frightened by cold and flies,\n      At night one dwells at the shadowless tree.\n\nSekikei (d. 1282) was a native of Szechuan, near Mount O-mei. He wrote the\nfollowing poem on meeting another monk:\n\f10    The Era of Five Mountains                                                101\n\n       Without reaching Shuang-lin I saw an old acquaintance.\n       The new moon crosses my eyebrow, Autumn crosses my eyes.\n       Greetings are not yet made; however, one should ask:\n       ‘Why the bridge flows, while the water does not flow.’"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Besides Daikyū Shōnen, Sekikei Shingetsu had another famous disciple from\nJapan—Mushō Jōshō (1234–1306). Mushō was formerly a disciple of Shōichi Enji.\nHe went to China when he was 19 years of age, that is, in 1252. Mushō stayed in\nChina for 14 years. He received the Inka from Sekikei and made acquaintances with\nDaikyū and Mugaku. He also studied under Kidō Chigu (1185–1269). However,\nKidō Chigu’s most important disciple would be Nampo Jōmyō (1235–1308), Daiō\nKokushi. For comparison, the lineage of Nampo Jōmyō could be given as follows:\n(1)   Shōgen Sūgaku,\n(2)   Un-an Fugan,\n(3)   Kidō Chigu,\n(4)   Nampo Jomyō.\nNote that Kidō Chigu was the dharma grandson of Shōgen Sugaku, just as Rankei\nDōryū and Sekikei Shingetsu were Shōgen Sūgaku’s dharma grandsons. Note also\nthat Mujun Shihan was a dharma nephew of Shōgen Sūgaku. Hence, Mujun’s direct\ndisciples Enji Ben’en (1202–1280) and Mugaku Sogen (1226–1286) were Shōgen\nSūgaku’s dharma grand nephews."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sūgaku’s dharma grand nephews.\n   In 1290, the third year of Shōō era under the reign of Fushimi Tennō, Nanzen-ji\nwas founded by Enji’s disciple, Mukan Fumon (1212–1291). Mukan Fumon, after\n5 years’ study under Shōichi Enji, went to China. He received Inka from Jōji\nMyōrin (1201–1261), who was a disciple of Mujun Shihan. Jōji Myōrin was also\nknown as Dankyō Myōrin, as the Jōji Temple in Hangchow was located near the\n“Broken Bridge” (Dankyō). Myōrin became a monk when he was 18 years of age.\nA native of Taichow, Chekiang, he became enlightened under Mujun Shihan. So\nMukan Fumon was a dharma grandson of Mujun Shihan. After 12 years in\nSung-China, he went back to Japan and served as Enji’s disciple. Mukan Fumon\nsucceeded Tōsan Tanshō as the third abbot of Tōfuku-ji.\n   Kameyama Tennō, who reigned from 1259 to 1274, became a disciple of\nShōichi Enji. After the passing of Enji in 1280, Kameyama donated a palace at\nTōsan (Eastern Mountain) as Zendō of Zenrin-ji and requested Shinchi Kakushin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1207–1298) to be its founder. Kakushin was also known as Hō-tei (Dharma\nLamp). Kakushin went to Sung-China and became a dharma disciple of Mumon\nEkai (1183–1260), the famous author of Mumonkan. Mumon Ekai was the\nfourth-generation dharma descendant of Kaifuku Dōnei (1053–1113), a dharma\nbrother of Engo Kokugon. Since Kakushin politely declined the offer, Mukan\nFumon was asked to be the founder of Zenrin-ji, later expanded to be Nanzen-ji, the\nfirst monastery of the “Five Mountains.” It should be mentioned that only in 1324,\nthe order of Zen temples was officially given as below:\n(1) Nanzen-ji,\n(2) Kennin-ji,\n\f102                                                     10   The Era of Five Mountains"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(3) Tōfuku-ji,\n(4) Kenchō-ji,\n(5) Engaku-ji.\n   Succeeding Mukan Fumon as abbot of Nanzen-ji was Ki’an So’en (1261–1313),\nwho presided over this important temple for 24 years. Ki’an So’en was a disciple of\nBukkō Kokushi (Mugaku Sogen) and attended Kenchō-ji and Engaku-ji. He also\nstudied under Hōtei Kakushin and Kōhō Kennichi (1241–1316). The third abbot\nwas Issan Innei (1247–1317), who came from China in 1299. The fourth abbot was\nZetsugai Sōtaku (d. 1334), who was the dharma grandson of Rankei, and the direct\ndisciple of Nampo Jōmyō. The fifth abbot was Yaku’ō Tokken (1245–1320), who\nwas a direct dharma descendant of Rankei and went to Sung-China for 8 years.\n   In 1345, the sixth year of Kōkoku era under the reign of Gomurakami Tennō,\nTenryū-ji was founded by Musō Soseki (1275–1351) and Mukyoku Shigen (1282–\n1359). Musō was the dharma descendant of Kōhō Kennichi (1241–1316), who was\nthe disciple of Mugaku Sogen, founder of Engaku-ji. Kōhō Kennichi was a prince,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the son of Gosaga Tennō. When he was 16 years of age, that is, in 1256, he became a\nmonk under Enji. In 1260, he was dispatched by Enji to study under Gottan Funnei\n(1197–1276), who came to Japan from China that year. Twenty years later, Kōhō\nmet Mugaku Sogen. Mugaku gave him a dharma robe of Mujun and designated him\nas his dharma descendant. Kōhō entered nirvana in 1316, at the age of seventy-six. In\n1303, while Kōhō stayed at Manfuku-ji, Musō Soseki and Shūhō Myōchō came to\npay their respects. Thereafter, Musō received the Inka from Kōhō and became his\nmost important dharma descendant. Musō Soseki’s dharma descendants were\nMukyoku Shigen (1282–1359) and Shun’oku Myōha (1311–1388).\n   Mukyoku Shigen was the second abbot of Tenryū-ji, who was succeeded by\nTōryō Eisho (d. 1365), who was the third-generation dharma descendant of Tōkoku\nMyōkō (d. 1252) and came to Japan in 1351. (Tōmyō E-nichi came to Japan in\n1308 and was the second-generation dharma descendant of Tōkoku Myōkō. Both"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tōmyō and Tōryō belonged to the Sōtō School in China, but were recognized by\nthe Rinzai School in Japan.)\n   In 1384, the second year of Genchū era under the reign of Gokame-yama Tennō,\nShōkoku-ji was established by Shun’oku Myōha. But the founder of Shōkoku-ji\nwas to be designated as Mūso Soseki.\n   Mūso’s other distinguished disciples were Seisan Jiei (1302–1369), Ryūshū\nShūtaku (1308–1388), Gidō Shūshin (1325–1388), and Zekkai Chūshin (1336–\n1405). Zekkai Chūshin went to China in 1368 and was received by Emperor\nTai-Tsu of Ming Dynasty.\n   The second abbot of Shōkoku-ji was Kūkoku Myō-ō (1328–1407), a disciple of\nMukyoku Shigen. Zekkai Chūshin was the fifth abbot, probably after his visit to\nMing-China.\n   Both Tenryū-ji and Shōkoku-ji were branched out from the earlier Engaku-ji,\nfounded by Mugaku Sogen. Similarly, Daitoku-ji and Myōshin-ji were branched\nout from the earlier Kenchō-ji, founded by Rankei Dōryū. The two important\ntemples—Daitoku-ji and Myōshin-ji—would be discussed in the next chapter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "10    The Era of Five Mountains                                                  103"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mention would be made about five other temples:\n(1) Kokutai-ji was founded in 1327, the second year of Karyaku era under the\n    reign of Godaigo Tennō, by Jiun Myō-i (1273–1345). Jiun Myō-i was the\n    dharma grandson of Shinchi Kakushin (1207–1298), and the direct dharma\n    descendant of Kohō Kakumyō (1271–1361).\n(2) Kōgaku-ji was founded in 1379, the last year of Eiwa era or the first year of\n    Kōryaku era under the reign of Goen-yū (Nothern Dynasty), by Bassui\n    Tokushō (1327–1387). Bassui was the dharma descendant of Kohō Kakumyō\n    and hence was a dharma brother of Jiun Myō-i.\n(3) Eigen-ji was founded in 1361, the first year of Kōan era under the reign of\n    Gokōgon (Northern Dynasty), by Jakushitsu Genkō (1290–1367). Jakushitsu\n    was the dharma grandson of Rankei Dōryū, and the direct dharma descendant\n    of Yaku’ō Tokken (1245–1320). While Yaku’ō visited Sung-China,\n    Jakushitsu visited Yuan-China, when he was 30 years of age. He paid his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "respects to Chūhō Myōhon (1263–1323) at Tien-mu (Tenmoku) Mountain and\n    other Chinese Masters. He returned to Japan 6 years later.\n(4) Hōkō-ji was founded in 1383, the first year of Genchū era under the reign of\n    Gokameyama Tennō, by Mumon Gensen (1323–1390). Mumon Gensen was a\n    prince and became a monk at the age of eighteen. He served under Ka’ō Sōnen\n    (d. 1345) and Sesson Yubai (1290–1346) at Kennin-ji. He went to China and\n    received the Inka from Kobai Shōyū (1285–1352).\n(5) Fotsū-ji was founded in 1397, the fourth year of Ōei era under the reign of\n    Gokomatsu Tennō, by Guchū Shūkyū (1323–1409). Guchū Shūkyū served\n    under Musō when he was 13 years of age. He stayed at Kennin-ji, when he\n    was eighteen. He went to China and landed at Mingchow (Ningpo). He\n    returned to Japan when he was 29 years of age. He was the dharma grandson\n    of Kogan Jōfuku, and the disciple of Sokukyū Keiryō (d. 1350). He lived to\n    the age of eighty-seven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the age of eighty-seven.\n    In this chapter, we have noted that Tenryū-ji and Shōkoku-ji were started by\nMusō Soseki and his dharma-heirs. Musō Soseki was the disciple of Kōhō\nKennichi, who was the dharma-heir of Mugaku Sogen, founder of Engaku-ji. On\nthe other hand, Daitoku-ji and Myōshin-ji were started by Shūhō Myōchō and\nKanzan Egen. Shūhō Myocho (Daitō Kokushi) was the disciple of Nampo Jōmyō\n(Daiō Kokushi), who was a dharma-heir of Rankei Dōryū, founder of Kenchō-ji.\n    In the next chapter, we put the emphasis on the line of Daiō Kokushi, Daitō\nKokushi, and Kanzan, known as “O-TO-KAN” line. However, we must not forget\nthat other lines which followed the tradition of Engaku-ji, as represented by Tenryū-\nji and Shōkoku-ji, have also flourished to the present day.\n    Since Nampo Jōmyō went to China, he became the dharma-heir of Kidō Chigu.\nNote that Kido Chigu and Rankei Doryu were dharma cousins. Both were the\ndharma grandsons of Shōgen Sūgaku, who was the dharma-heir of Mittan Enketsu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter 11\nThe Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Gozan, era was represented by the Zen temples and masters mentioned in\nChap. 10. There was great influence to Japanese culture, known as Gozan culture\n(Bunka). Dr. Daisetz T. Suzuki, in his book Zen and Japanese Culture, said:\n   Zen came to Japan after Shingon and Tendai and was at once embraced by the military\n   classes. It was more or less by a historical accident that Zen was set against the aristocratic\n   priesthood. The nobility, too, in the beginning felt a certain dislike for it and made use of\n   their political advantage to stir up opposition to Zen. In the beginning of the Japanese\n   history of Zen, therefore, Zen avoided Kyoto and established itself under the patronage of\n   the Hōjō family in Kamakura. This place, as the seat of the feudal government in those\n   days, became the headquarters of Zen discipline. Many Zen monks from China settled in\n   Kamakura and found strong support in the Hōjō family—Tokiyori, Tokimune, and their\n   successors and retainers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "successors and retainers.\n   The Chinese masters brought many artists and objects of art along with them, and the\n   Japanese who came back from China were also bearers of art and literature. Pictures of\n   Kakei (Hsia Kuei, fl. 1190–1220), Mokkei (Mu-ch’i, fl. c. 1240), Ryokai (Liang K’ai, fl. c.\n   1210), Bayen (Ma Yuan, fl. 1175–1225), and others thus found their way to Japan.\n   Manuscripts of the noted Zen masters of China were also given shelter in the monasteries\n   here. Calligraphy in the Far East is an art just as much as sumiye painting, and it was\n   cultivated almost universally among the intellectual classes in olden times. The spirit\n   prevailing Zen pictures and calligraphy made a strong impression on them, and Zen was\n   readily taken up and followed. In it there is something virile and unbending. A mild, gentle,\n   and graceful air—almost feminine, one might call it—which prevailed in the periods\n   preceding the Kamakura, is now superseded by an air of masculinity, expressing itself"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mostly in the sculpture and calligraphy of the period. The rugged virility of the warriors of\n   the Kwanto districts is proverbial, in contrast to the grace and refinement of the courtiers in\n   Kyoto. The soldierly quality, with its mysticism and aloofness from worldly affairs, appeals\n   to the willpower. Zen in this respect walks hand in hand with the spirit of Bushido.\n   (pp. 29–30)\n   \u0001\u0001\u0001\n   The fundamental intuition the Zen masters gain through their discipline seems to stir up\n   their artistic instincts if they are at all susceptible to art. The intuition that impels the\n   masters to create beautiful things, that is, to express the sense of perfection through things"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                     105\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_11\n\f106                                                    11   The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ugly and imperfect, is apparently closely related to the feeling for art. The Zen masters may\n  not make good philosophers, but they are very frequently fine artists. Even their technique\n  is often of the first order, and besides they know how to tell us something unique and\n  original. One such is Muso the National Teacher (1275–1351). He was a fine calligrapher\n  and a great landscape gardener; wherever he resided, at quite a number of places in Japan,\n  he designed splendid gardens, some of which are still in existence and well preserved after\n  so many years of changing times. Among the noted painters of Zen in the fourteenth and\n  fifteenth centuries we may mention Cho Densu (d. 1431), Kei Shoki (fl. 1490), Josetsu (fl.\n  1375–1420), Shubun (fl. 1420–50), Sesshu Toyo (1420–1506), and others. (pp. 30–31)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the Gozan temples had fixed rules and set patterns, the new monks would\nprefer more freedom and initiative. Nampo Jōmyō (1235–1308), the Daiō Kokushi,\nwould be recognized as the leader of the new movement in the Rinzai School.\nNampo Jōmyō went to Sung-China in 1259, when he was 25 years old. He became\nthe most important disciple of Kidō Chigu (1185–1269). As mentioned previously,\nKidō Chigu was the dharma grandson of Shōgen Sūgaku, and the direct dharma\ndescendant of Un-an Fugan. Since Rankei Dōryū was also the dharma grandson of\nShōgen Sūgaku, Kidō and Rankei were dharma cousins. So it was natural as well as\nfortunate that Nampo as a disciple of Rankei in Japan should go to China and study\nunder Kidō. Nampo was enlightened under Kidō. In 1267, when Nampo was 33\nyears old, Nampo took leave to return to Japan. Kidō gave him the following poem:\n      Knocking at the temple gate, think with care.\n      Travel again on the open road.\n      Tell old man Kidō in clear manner:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tell old man Kidō in clear manner:\n      There will be plenty of descendants by the Eastern Sea."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kidō would be recognized as the spiritual fountain of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan, and\nall their later followers. Nampo Jōmyō’s most important disciple was Shūhō\nMyōchō (1282–1336), the Daitō Kokushi. Shūhō started to learn Tendai at the age\nof fourteen. He visited Kōhō Kennichi with Musō Soseki in 1303. While Musō\nbecame the disciple of Kōhō, Shūhō became the dharma-heir of Nampo.\n   In 1326, the first year of the Karyaku era under the reign of Godaigo Tennō,\nDaitoku-ji was founded by Shūhō Myōchō. Shūhō Myōchō had two principal\ndisciples: Tetsu’ō (Tettō), Gikō (1295–1369) and Kanzan Egen (Musō Daishi,\n1277–1360). Tettō Gikō was the first Abbot of Daitoku-ji. Tettō’s dharma\ndescendants can be given according to the following lineage:\n(1)   Tettō Gikō 彻翁义亨 (1295–1369)\n(2)   Gongai Sōchū 言外宗忠 (1315–1390)\n(3)   Kashū Sōdon 华叟宗昙 (1352–1428)\n(4)   Yōshū Sō’otogai 养叟宗颐 (1375–1458)\n(5)   Shunpo Sōki 春浦宗熙 (1408–1495)\n(6)   Jitsuden Sōshin 实传宗真\n(7)   Kogaku Sōkan 古岳宗亘 (1465–1548)\n(8)   Dairin Sōtō 大林宗套 (1479–1568)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(8)   Dairin Sōtō 大林宗套 (1479–1568)\n(9)   Shōrei Sōkin 笑岭宗欣 (1490–1568)\n\f11   The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan                                       107"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From Shōrin Sōkin on, there were three branches: The (a) branch gives the\nfollowing:\n(10a)   Ittō Jōteki 一冻绍滴 (1539–1612)\n(11a)   Taku’an Sōhō 泽庵宗彭 (1572–1645)\n(12a)   Itsushi Bunshu 一丝文守 (1607–1646)\n(13a)   Nyosetsu Bungan 如雪文岩 (1609–1671)\nThe (b) branch gives the following:\n(10b) Shun’oku Sōen 春屋宗园 (1529–1611)\n(11b) Kōgetsu Sōgan 江月宗玩 (1573–1643)\n(12b) Suigan Sōmin 翠岩宗珉 (1610–1664)\nThe (c) branch gives the following:\n(10c) Kokei Sōchin 古溪宗陈 (1530–1596)\n(11c) Gyokufu Shōsō 玉甫绍琮 (1546–1613)\nTettō had another disciple, Takunen Sōri 卓然宗立 (d. 1385). Gongai Sōchū\nhad another disciple, Daimo Sōhan 大模宗范. Kashū had another disciple, Ikkyū\nSōjin一休宗纯 (1394–1481), who was famous for his extraordinary behavior. He\nwas honored by two emperors, but he never wore the purple robe bestowed on him.\nJitsuden had another disciple, Tōkei Sōboku 东溪宗牧, who led five generations of\ndharma descendants. Dairin, founder of Nansō-ji at Osaka, had another disciple,\nIsei Sōsen 惟清宗泉. Kōgetsu Sōgan was considered as the master who was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "responsible for the revival of Daitoku-ji. Taku’an, Gyokufu, and Gyokushitsu\n(Kōgetsu’s dharma brother) also contributed to the revival of Zen. Gesshū Sōko 月\n舟宗胡 (1618–1696) was responsible for the revival of the Sōtō School in the era of\nEdo.\n    According to the official record, Daitoku-ji was presided over by the following\nAbbots:\n (1)    Tettō Gikō 彻翁义亨 (1295–1369)\n (2)    Haku’ō Sōun 白翁宗云 (disciple of Shūhō Myōchō)\n (3)    Gu’ō Sōseki 愚翁宗硕\n (4)    Kokei Dōnin 虎溪道壬 (disciple of Shūhō Myōchō)\n (5)    Byōsen Dōkin 平泉道均\n (6)    Jōsan Jintei 祥山仁祯 (Tettō’s disciple)\n (7)    Gongai Sōchū 言外宗忠 (1315–1390) (Tettō’s disciple)\n (8)    Takunen Sōri 卓然宗立 (d. 1380) (Tettō’s disciple)\n (9)    Hōun Sōdō 法云操堂\n(10)    Minshū 明叟\n(11)    Toku’ō Sōseki 德翁宗硕 (Tettō’s disciple)\n(12)    Tōrin Sōtō 邓林宗栋 (Tokuhō’s disciple)\n(13)    Daishō Sōka 大象宗嘉 (Tettō’s disciple)\n(14)    Daiki 大器\n(15)    Nanshū 南周\n\f108                                            11   The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(16)   Jiku’ō 竺翁\n(17)   Daimo Sōhan 大模宗范 (Gongai’s disciple)\n(18)   Tōgen 东源\n(19)   Kenyō Sōbon 乾用宗梵\n(20)   Kigaku Myōshū 歧岳妙周 (Daishō’s disciple)\n(21)   Hōrin Sōken 香林宗 (Hō’ō Soichi’s dharma great grandson) (峰翁祖一\n       下第三世)\n(22)   Kashū Sōdon 华叟宗昙 (1352–1428) (Gongai’s disciple)\n(23)   Kyogaku 巨岳\n(24)   Shungan Sōju 椿岩宗寿\n(25)   Ryo’an 樗庵\n(26)   Yōshū Sō’otogai 养叟宗颐 (1375–1458) (Kashū’s disciple)\n(27)   Min’on Sōchi 明远宗智\n(28)   Mugon 无言\n(29)   Renkō 琏江\n(30)   Nichishō Sōkō 日照宗光\nDuring Daitō Kokushi’s illness, Hanazono Tennō asked Shūhō Myōchō to rec-\nommend a master to be his dharma teacher, and Shūhō Myōchō recommended\nKanzan Egen. So Hanazono Tennō donated a palace to be converted into a Zen\ntemple. In 1337, the second year of Engen era under the reign of Godaigo Tennō,\nMyōshin-ji was founded by Kanzan Egen. While Daitoku-ji emphasized tradition of\nthe Rinzai School, Myōshin-ji encouraged renovation and creativity. It was noted"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "before that both Daitoku-ji and Myōshin-ji stood for freedom and new develop-\nment, while the “Five Mountains” tradition was too conservative in comparison.\nHowever, history of Japanese Zen showed that the Daitoku-ji would represent the\nmoderate approach, while the Myōshin-ji would represent the creative approach. It\nwas the leadership of Kanzan Egen that was responsible for such a development.\nHowever, Daitō Kokushi, as the teacher of both Tettō Gikō (1295–1369) and\nKanzan Egen (1277–1360), was aware of the talents of both persons and made the\nconfidential recommendation to Hanazono Tennō, so that a new Zen temple was\nestablished under Kanzan’s leadership. It may be pointed out that Daitoku-ji and\nMyōshin-ji were really “sister” institutions, and many Zen leaders served at either\none or the other, or both.\n   Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan formed a chain known as simply Ō-Tō-Kan, with the\nspiritual fountain Kidō. In a recent publication Art Treasures of Myōshin-ji,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "published March 15, the fifty-second year of Shōwa era, that is, 1977, there were\nmany precious items: (1) portrait of Hanazono Tennō; (2) portrait of Kidō Chigu\n(1181–1265); (3) portrait of Daiō Kokushi Nampo jōmyō (1235–1308); (4) portrait\nof Daitō Kokushi Shūhō Myōchō (1282–1336); (5) portrait of Musō Daishi Kanzan\nEgen (1277–1360); (6) portrait of Mimyō Daishi Juō Sōhitsu (1296–1380);\n(7) portrait of Muin Sōin Zenji (1326–1410); (8) portrait of Nippō Sōshun Zenji\n(1368–1448); (9) portrait of Sekkō Sōshin Zenji (1408–86); (10) portrait of Gokei\nSōton Zenji (1416–500); (11) portrait of Keisen Sōryū Zenji (1425–1500);\n(12) portrait of Tokuhō Zenketsu Zenji (1419–1506); (13) portrait of Tōyō Eichō\n\f11   The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan                                        109"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zenji (1428–1504); and (14) portrait of Nun Ritei (1455–1536). The lineage from\nKanzan to Sekkō Sōshin could be given as follows:\n  (1) Kanzan Egen 关山慧玄 (2) Juō Sōhitsu 授翁宗弼\n       (1277–1360)                (1296–1380)\n  (3) Muin Sōin 无因宗因 (4) Nippō Sōshun 日峰宗舜\n       (1326–1410)                (1368–1448)\n  (5) Giten Genshō 义天玄诏 (6) Sekkō Sōshin 雪江宗深\n                                   (1408–1486)\n  (7a) Gokei Sōton 悟溪宗顿 (7b) Keisen Sōryū 景川宗隆\n         (1416–1500)               (1425–1500)\n  (7c) Tokuhō Zenketsu 特芳禅杰\n         (1419–1506)\n  (7d) Tōyō Eichō 东阳英朝\n         (1428–1504)\nSekkō had four disciples: (7a) Gokei Sōton; (7b) Keisen Sōryū; (7c) Tokuhō\nZenketsu; and (7d) Tōyō Eichō.\n  Kanzan entered nirvana in 1360, when he was 84 years old. He left the following\npoem:\n      The road was blocked and could not be penetrated.\n      The green mountain top was always covered by cold clouds.\n      Shao-yang (Shōyō) with one-word hid the dagger’s point (kihō)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Looking with a straight eye, ten-thousand miles are far apart."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Juō Sōhitsu was a native of Kyoto. He first studied under Daitō Kokushi. When\nKanzan founded Myōshin-ji, Juō followed him and received his Inka. Juō became\nthe second Abbot of Myōshin-ji and lived to 85 years old. Muin Sōin served under\nKa’ō Sōnen 可翁宗然 (d. 1345) at Kennin-ji, when he was 9 years old. Then he\nbecame a disciple of Juō at Myōshin-ji. After succeeding Juō as the third Abbot of\nMyōshin-ji, he retired at Kaisei-ji 海清寺and entered nirvana at the age of\neighty-five.\n   Nippō Sōshin, also from Kyoto, became a monk when he was 15 years old.\nLater, he revealed what he experienced to Mumon Gensen 无文元选 (1323–1390),\nwho retired to the mountain retreat in 1384. Then Nippō went to Myōshin-ji and\nserved under Muin for 5 years. He dreamed about a golden dragon playing with a\nprecious pearl, which was taken away by Nippō. Thereafter, he received the Inka\nfrom Muin and became the seventh Abbot of Myōshin-ji.\n   Sekkō Sōshin was the dharma descendant of Giten Genshō, the eighth Abbot of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Myōshin-ji. Sekkō served under Nippō Sōshin at Zuisen-ji. He also resided at\nDaitoku-ji. He became the ninth Abbot of Myōshin-ji, and he had four outstanding\ndharma descendants mentioned above. So, Sekkō was revered as the Patriarch for\nthe revival of Myōshin-ji.\n   Gokei Sōten (1416–1500) was the founder of Zuiryū-ji. He also resided at\nDaitoku-ji. He lived to 85 years old. His disciple, nun Ritei (1455–1536), helped a\ngreat deal in building up Myōshin-ji.\n\f110                                               11   The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Keisen Sōryū (1425–1500) served under Tōin Gensaku 桃隐玄朔, a dharma\ndescendant of Nippō. Tōin asked him: “What is the use of traveling back and forth\n(between Kyoto and Sanju)?” Keisen replied: “Following the fragrant grass one has\ngone away; chasing the falling flowers one comes back.” After Tōin passed away, he\nbecame Sekkō’s disciple and received the Inka from him. He lived to 76 years old.\n   Tokuhō Zenketsu (1419–1506) was younger than Gokei, but older than Keisen\nand Tōyō. He lived to 88 years. Among the four dharma brothers, it was said: “Zen\nin Keisen; Virtue (Toku) in Gokei; Long-life (Ju) in Tokuhō; Talent (Sai) in Tōyō.”\nIt was also said: “Keisen was sharp as dagger’s point (kihō); Gokei was gentle as\nSpring wind; Tokuhō was free between hardness and softness; Tōyō was out-\npouring in talent and vitality.”\n   Tōyō Eishō (1428–1504), the youngest of the four, lived to 77 years old. He was\na Zen scholar, leaving many books and writings. His school was to be the most"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "abundant and most influential among the four groups. In 1504, the first year of\nEishō era under Gokashiwabara Tennō, he left his last poem as follows:\n      Let not the little child of nature disturb people.\n      Let not a particle of dust on the holy pedestal be moved.\n      How to thank the monks who took pains to serve me?\n      Chrysanthemums by the hedge half blossom and the new maple leaves."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A contemporary of Tōyō Eisnō was Ryōan Keigo 了庵桂悟 (1428–1514), Abbot\nof Tōfuku-ji. He was sent by the Japanese emperor to be an “Ambassador” to\nMing-China, at the age of 83. He was given an audience by emperor Cheng-Teh\n(1506–1521). The Chinese philosopher, Wang Yang-ming, wrote an essay on his\ndeparture. He rebuilt Nanzen-ji and lived to 87 years old.\n   At this juncture, it might be worthwhile to check the order of the Abbots who\npresided over Myōshin-ji. According to official record, the following list was taken:\n(1) Kanzan Egen (2) Juō Sōhitsu\n(3) Muin Sōin (4) Unsan Sōga\n(5) Myōkō Shōgo (6) Setsudō Sōboku\n(7) Nippō Sōshin (8) Giten Genshō\n(9) Sekkō Sōshin (10) Keisen Sōryū\n(11) Gokei Sōton (12) Tokuhō Zenketsu\n(13) Tōyō Eichō (14) Etsudō Sōtaku\n(15) Shōgaku Sōzen (16) Saisen Sōjun\n(17) Tōrin Sōtō (18) Ten’in Sōju\n(19) Hakutei Sōshō (20) Daishū Genkō\n(21) Gyokuho Sōmin (22) Kōsō Sōshō\n(23) Keihō Genshō (24) Bunshuku Sō’iku\n(25) Daikyū Sōkyū (26) Shōgan Sōshu\n27) Jinshū Sōju 28) Shūrin Genshun"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "27) Jinshū Sōju 28) Shūrin Genshun\n(29) Keidō Gentotsu (30) Kōnan Shu’ei\n   (4) Unsan, (5) Myōkō, and (6) Setsudō could be the disciples of Juō or Muin.\n(14) Etsudō and (15) Shōgaku could be Sekkō’s other disciples. (16) Saisen was\n\f11   The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan                                        111"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Gokei’s disciple, and so were (21) Gyokuho and (22) Kōsō Sōshō. (17) Tōrin and\n(25) Daikyū were Tokuhō’s disciples. (18) Ten’in was Tōyō’s disciple.\n(19) Hakutei and (29) Keidō were Keisen’s disciples. (20) Daishū, (23) Keihō,\n(24) Bunshuku, (27) Jinshū, and (30) Kōnan were Gokei’s dharma grandsons.\n(26) Shōgan was Keihō’s disciple. (28) Shūrin was fourth-generation descendant of\nKeisen Sōryū.\n   From Tōyō Eishō, the following dharma descendants for the next five genera-\ntions could be given:\n(1) Tōyō Eichō (2) Daika Senkyō (3) Kōfu Genkun\n    东阳英朝          大雅耑匡                功甫玄勋\n(4) Senshō Zuisho (5) I’an Chitai (6) Tōzen Sōshin\n    先照瑞初               以安智泰            东渐宗震\n   After Tōzen, there were two branches as follows:\n(6) Tōzen Sōshin (7a) Yōsan Keiyō\n    东渐宗震                庸山景庸\n(8a) Gudō Tōjitsu 愚堂东寔 (9a) Shidō Munan 至道无难\n     (1576–1661)                  (1603–1676)\n(10a) Dōkyō Etan 道镜慧端\n      (1642–1721)\n(11a) Hakuin Ekaku 白隐慧鹤\n      (1685–1768)\n(6) Tōzen Sōshin (7b) Nankei Sōgaku"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(6) Tōzen Sōshin (7b) Nankei Sōgaku\n    东渐宗震               南景宗岳\n(8b) Unfu Zenjō (9b) Boku’ō Sogo 牧翁祖牛\n      云甫全祥            (d. 1694)\n(10b) Bankei Eitaku 盘圭永琢 ! (six disciples)\n       (1622–1693)\n    Gudō Tōjitsu (1576–1661) left home when he was 8 years old. Starting to travel\nat nineteen, he was enlightened under Zui-un 瑞云. When Yōsan Keiyō was\nlooking for a successor at Myōshin-ji, he heard about the dharma accomplishment\nof Gudō Tōjitsu and invited Gudōto to be the chief monk at Myōshin-ji. He became\nthe Abbot of Myōshin-ji when he was 52 years old. When he was eighty-three, that\nis, in 1658, the three hundredth (tricentennial) anniversary of Myōshin-ji was cel-\nebrated. Gudō wrote the following poem:\n      There were twenty-four sects of Japanese Zen.\n      Alas! More than half of these sects lost its transmission.\n      Fortunately, Kanzan had many children and grand-children.\n      For 300 years, fire kept on burning and fragrance spread all around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note that Kanzan entered nirvana in 1360, while Myōshin-ji was founded in 1337.\nSo, it was the three hundredth anniversary of Kanzan’s passing that was celebrated\nbeginning in 1658 and lasting until 1660.\n   While Shōju Rōjin emphasized zazen (sitting and meditation), Bankei Eitaku\npreached to the public and dealt with problems in a most direct and stimulating\n\f112                                                    11   The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "way. The following stories appeared in Nancy Wilson Ross’ The World of Zen.\nTheir origin might be found in Shasekishū (Collection of Sand and Stone), authored\nby Mujū Ichien 无住一圆 (1226–1312).\n    Master Bankei’s lectures were attended not only by Zen students but also by\npersons of all ranks and sects. He never quoted sutras nor indulged in scholarly\ndiscussions. His words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his\nlisteners. A self-centered Nichiren priest came to the temple, determined to debate\nwith Bankei. He challenged Bankei: “Can you make me obey you?” Bankei said,\n“Come up beside me and I will show you.” The priest pushed his way through the\ncrowd. Bankei smiled: “Come over to my left side.” The priest did. Then Bankei\nsaid: “Perhaps we can talk better if you come to the right side.” The priest stepped\nover to the right. Bankei observed: “You are obeying me and I think you are a very\ngentle person. Now sit down and listen.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "gentle person. Now sit down and listen.”\n    Another story was even better for illustrating Bankei’s way of teaching. During\nBankei’s seclusion weeks of meditation, a pupil was caught stealing. He did not\nexpel the pupil, as others requested. Later, the pupil was again caught of stealing.\nThe other pupils’ petition was ignored, and they threatened to leave in a body.\nBankei said to them: “You are wise brothers. You know what is right and wrong.\nYou may go elsewhere to study and make progress. But who will teach this brother\nwho does not know right from wrong if I do not?” Tears came to the poor brother,\nand all desire to steal had vanished from there on.\n    A Zen student complained to Bankei: “How can I cure my ungovernable tem-\nper?” Bankei said: “Let me see what you have.” The student could not show it.\nBankei then said: “Your temper must not be your own true nature. If it were, you\ncould show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it, and your"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "parents did not give it to you. Think it over.”\n    Japanese Zen was declining from the Muromachi (Ashikawa) period (1337–\n1573), through the “Warring” period (1482–1558) to the beginning of Tokugawa\n(Edo) period (1603–1868). However, Rinzai Zen had its revival in the Tokugawa\nperiod, and this revival had its impetus from such great masters as Tōjitsu, Dōkyō\nEtan and Bankei Eitaku.\n    Dōkyō Etan (1642–1721) was the disciple of Shidō Munan, who was Gudō\nTōjitsu’s dharma descendant. Shidō received the Inka from Gudō upon his\nenlightenment. On that occasion, Gudō wrote the two following poems:\n      Patriarch Sōsan composed the ‘Hsinhsinming’\n      (Shinshinmei),\n      Literary flowers and verbal leaves were abundant in the forest.\n      What is the use of playing with literature and penmanship?\n      In silent solitude time has passed from the ancient to the present.\n      The Third Patriarch (Sōsan) made ‘Ming’ named ‘Hsinhsin’,\n      Detesting the selection of the ancient and the present."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What you and I acted might be different from Sōsan.\n      Mountains are by themselves (naturally) high and seas are deep.\n\f11    The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan                                         113"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Etan was the dharma teacher of Hakuin Ekaku. He was also known as Shōju\nRōjin (old man at Shōju-an), since he retired to Shōju-an. At the advanced age of\neighty-one, he wrote a poem to pay his high respect to Daruma, the first Patriarch:\n       His image would last for a thousand centuries.\n       The Patriarch had dignity and majesty to be revered.\n       Who said that the Patriarch went west with a single sandal?\n       The frost dyed the maple trees to make the countenance new."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "However, he did not leave any poem before entering nirvana the next day. This was\na typical example of “teaching by not saying.”\n    When Bankei was preaching at Ryūmon-ji, a Shinshū priest came to challenge\nhim about miracles through the repetition of Amida Buddha. Bankei replied gently:\n“Perhaps your fox can perform the miracle, but that is not the manner of Zen. My\nmiracle is that when I feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink.”\n    While the orthodox Rinzai Zen was known as Kanna Zen, emphasizing Kōan\n(“Official Case-study”) and Mondō (question and answer), the Sōtō Zen was known\nas Mokushō Zen, emphasizing silent meditation. Both Kanna Zen and Mōkusho\nZen represented Sung-Zen. During the Yuan and Ming periods, Nembutsu Zen\n(reciting the name of Amida Buddha) was prevalent. Bankei started something new\n—his Zen was known as Fushō Zen 不生禅, meaning “unborn.” When Bankei was\n26 years old, he was aware that all things are complete in “unborn.” For the next 40"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "years, Bankei preached: “The Buddha nature (mind or heart) is ‘unborn,’ holiness is\nBuddha nature’s testimony.”\n    Bankei was a religious person, but not a philosopher. He was not intellectual, he\nhad intuition, and he was compassionate. He had six eminent dharma descendants,\nall bestowed with Zenji titles. They are as follows:\n(1)   Sengaku Soryū 潜岳祖龙 (1631–1686)\n(2)   Dairyō Sokyō 大梁祖教 (1638–1688)\n(3)   Setsugai Sotei 节外祖贞 (1641–1725)\n(4)   Sekimon Somin 石门祖珉 (1642–1696)\n(5)   Keidō Soshin 圭堂祖心 (1649–1703)\n(6)   Daizui Soheki 大隋祖璧 (1651–1729)\nThese Zenji were older than Hakuin Ekaku (1686–1769). Hakuin was the dharma\ndescendant of Dōkyō Etan. Hakuin was going to extend Kanna Zen and bring new\nvitality to Rinzai Zen. This new development is given in Chap. 12.\n   From Tokuhō Zenketsu, the dharma descendants for the next three generations\ncould be given as follows:\n(1)   Tokuhō Zenketsu 特芳禅杰\n(2)   Daikyū Sōkyū 大休宗休 (1468–1549)\n(3)   Taigen Sūfu 太原崇孚 (1495–1555)\n(4)   Tōkoku Sōkō 东谷宗杲"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(4)   Tōkoku Sōkō 东谷宗杲\n\f114                                           11   The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Starting from the fifth generation, there were two branches: one leading to Hakuin\nand the other leading to Gessen Zen’e (1702–1781). The (a) branch gives the\nfollowing:\n (5a)    Daiki Jōsen 大辉祥暹\n (6a)    Zeishin Sōgi 说心宗宜\n (7a)    Ryūtan Genjo 龙潭元恕\n (8a)    Daitan Sōiku 大端宗育\n (9a)    Shitsujun Sōjun 失顺宗顺\n(10a)    Tanrei Soden 单岭祖传\n(11a)    Torin Sushō 透鳞素承\n(12a)    Hakuin Ekaku\nThe (b) branch gives the following:\n (5b)    Tetsusan Sōdon 铁山宗钝\n (6b)    Daishitsu Sokyū 大室祖丘\n (7b)    Shingan Genshō 心岩玄精\n (8b)    Gōhō Dōtetsu 鳌峰道哲\n (9b)    Setsugan Dō’en 节岩道圆 (1607–1675)\n(10b)    Kengan Zen’etsu 贤岩禅悦 (1618–1696)\n(11b)    Kogetsu Zenzai 古月禅材 (1667–1751)\n(12b)    Gessen Zen’e 月船禅慧 (1702–1781)\nDaikyū Sōkyū had another disciple, Tō’an Sōton. Designating Tō’an as (3c), we get\nthe following lineage:\n(3c)    Tō’an Sōton 东庵宗暾\n(4c)    Setsushū Shōgen 雪叟绍玄\n(5c)    Taigaku Genkan 泰岳玄韩\n(6c)    Rinshuku Gen’e 林叔玄慧\n(7c)    Sensan Genshō 千山玄松\n(8c)    Jiku’in Somon 竺印祖门\n(9c)    Mujaku Dōchū 无着道忠 (1653–1745)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(9c)    Mujaku Dōchū 无着道忠 (1653–1745)\nFor the lineages leading from Gokei Sōton and Keisen Sōryū, the reader could refer\nto the charts given in Y.H. Ku: History of Japanese Zen Masters, 1977.\n   Note that Hakuin could be considered as the dharma descendant of both Tōyō\nEichō and Tokuhō Zenketsu. The disciples of Hakuin are given in Chap. 12. The\nline from Kogetsu Zenzai and Gessen Zen’e can be extended further as follows:\n(1)    Gogetsu Zenzai 古月禅材\n(2)    Gessen Zen’e 月船禅慧\n(3)    Seisetsu Shūryo (Kokushi) 诚拙周樗 (1744–1820)\n(4)    Sei’in Injiku 清荫音竺\n(5)    Tankai Shōkei 淡海昌敬\n\f11   The Era of Daiō, Daitō, and Kanzan                                 115"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(6) Kaigan Dōkaku 晦岩道廓 (1797–1872)\n(7) Tōkoku Dō’ei 韬谷道莹 (1812–1886)\n(8) Kōsetsu Dōka 香雪道华\nNote that Sengai Gibon 仙崖义梵 (1750–1837), the famous painter, was a disciple\nof Gessen Zen’e.\n\fChapter 12\nHakuin Ekaku and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1768), also known as Kokurin, was a native of Shizuoka 静冈.\nHis mother belonged to the Nichiren School. His father was of noble birth. He was\nthe youngest in the family of five children. He was highly gifted and extremely\nsensitive to environment. Clouds rapidly changing over the sea made him sorrowful.\nHe received his strongest religious feelings from his devout mother. She took him to\na temple where a priest explained the writings of Nichiren. The priest’s sermon on\nthe Eight Hot Hells shook the child with fear. Hakuin devoted himself to Buddhism\nand was especially impressed by the Lotus Sutra. He became a monk when he\nwas 15 years of age. At seventeen, his teacher Tanrei Soden 单岭祖传 passed\naway. Traveling and visiting, he became the disciple of Shōju Rōjin, Dōkyō Etan\n道镜慧端 (1642–1721), when he was 24 years of age. At the age of thirty-four, he\nbecame the chief monk at Myōshin-ji. Hakuin was also dharma disciple of Tōrin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sushō 透鳞素承, who succeeded Tanrei as abbot of Shōin-ji. In Chap. 11, it was\nmentioned that as a dharma-heir of Tanrei Soden and Tōrin Sushō, Hakuin became a\ndharma descendant in the line of Tokuhō Zenketsu. Also, as a disciple of Shōju\nRōjin (Dōkyō Etan), he was a direct descendant in the line of Tōyō Eichō. Hakuin\nthus belonged to two of the four lines which branched out from Myōshin-ji.\n   Heinrich Dumoulin, S.J., in his A History of Zen Buddhism (English translation\nby Paul Peachey 1959, 1963), devoted a whole chapter to “The Zen Mysticism of\nHakuin” and declared in the beginning of the chapter:\n   Next to Dōgen, Hakuin (1685–1768) was the greatest of the Japanese Zen masters. His\n   efforts toward renewal in the Rinzai sect laid the foundation for the modern development of\n   Japanese Zen. In his personality certain traits of Zen came to the surface for the first time.\n   He was a dynamic character, prone to ecstatic states. By means of daring exercises he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "attained extraordinary mystical experiences which he describes in his writings. His accounts\n   give evidence of a sharp mind, penetrating introspection, and great literary gifts…"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hakuin, in his “Orategama,” described his mystical experiences as follows (see\nDumoulin-Peachey, p. 249).\n   During the spring of my twenty-fourth year I was staying at the Eiganji temple in the\n   province of Echigo where I practiced assiduously. I slept neither by day nor by night, and\n   forgot both to rest and to eat. Suddenly I was overcome by the Great Doubt. I felt as though\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                   117\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_12\n\f118                                                          12 Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "freezing in an ice field extending thousands of miles. My bosom was filled with an\n  extraordinary purity. I could neither advance nor retire. It was as if I were out of my mind\n  and only the word “nothing” (“Mu”) remained. During the lecture I heard, indeed, the\n  explanations of the master, but it was as if I heard a discourse from afar in a distant Zen\n  hall. Sometimes I felt as if I were floating through the air. This state continued for a number\n  of days until the night while hearing the striking of the temple bell I experienced the\n  transformation.\n  It was like the smashing of a layer of ice, or the pulling down of a crystal tower. As I suddenly\n  awakened and came to my senses, I felt myself to be like Master Yen-tou (Gantō), who all\n  through the three times (past, present, and future) encountered no suffering. All former doubts\n  were fully dissolved like ice which melted away. With a loud voice I called out, ‘How"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "glorious, how glorious!’ We need no escape from the cycle of life and death, nor need we\n  strive after enlightenment. The seventeen hundred kōan exercises are not worthy of being\n  posed. My pride rose up like a mountain and my exaltation welled up like a flood. To myself\n  I thought that for 200 or 300 years there had been no sudden breakthrough like mine, with\n  such great ecstasy. With this vision I immediately set out on the road to Shinano."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note that Dōkyō Etan, the aged hermit, was at Shōjū-an 正受庵, in the district of\nShinano. The master was not satisfied. So Hakuin had to struggle further.\n  One evening the master (Dōkyō Etan) sat cooling himself on the veranda. Once more\n  I brought him my verses on enlightenment. The master said, ‘Confusion and nonsense!’\n  I likewise called out, ‘Confusion and nonsense!’ The master grabbed me and struck me\n  twenty or thirty times with his fist and finally threw me off the veranda. It was on the\n  evening of the 4th of May, after the rainy season. I fell into the mud, almost unconscious,\n  with all my thoughts fleeing away. Nor was I able to move. But the master only stood on\n  the veranda and laughed aloud. After a while I regained my senses, and rose up and bowed\n  to the master. My whole body was bathed in perspiration. The master called with a loud\n  voice, ‘This poor child of the devil in a dark dungeon!’ Thereupon I intensified my study of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the kōan of the death of Nan-chuan (Nansen) and gave up sleeping and eating."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dumoulin narrated the story thus:\n  Hakuin now entered the final phase of painful and penetrating practice. He had gained some\n  enlightenment, but the results did not yet satisfy Master Etan. Repeatedly he had to hear the\n  invective of the devil’s child in a dark dungeon which hints vaguely at the cause of the\n  imperfection of his enlightenment. Like the devil in the dark dungeon, so his mind without\n  his knowing was still imprisoned in his own ego. He trained in deadly despair. When his\n  efforts remained fruitless he secretly thought of leaving the hermitage to try his luck else-\n  where. But while he was begging alms in a neighboring village the change suddenly came. In\n  his autobiography, Itsu-made-gusa, Hakuin gives a detailed description of the event.\n  “The next morning I took up the alms bowl with exceeding anxiety and arrived in a village\n  in the district of Iiyama where I began to beg. Without relaxing, however, I was constantly"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "engaged with the kōan. Immersed in concentration I stood at the corner of a house.\n  Someone called from within, ‘Go away, go away!’ But I did not hear it. Thereupon the\n  angry householder seizes a broom, turned it around, hit me on the head, and then started\n  beating me. My monk’s hat was torn and I fell to the ground. Without consciousness, I was\n  as one dead and could not move. The neighbors now came in alarm from all directions.\n  ‘This is only the usual nuisance,’ said the householder, closing the door and showing no\n  further interest in the matter.\n  “Three or four of the passers-by wondered at what went on and asked what had happened.\n  I returned to consciousness and opened my eyes. While I pursued the difficult kōan to its\n  roots and penetrated to its bottom, a kōan which, up to then, I could neither understand nor\n\f12    Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples                                                         119"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "grasp, the enlightenment flashed upon my mind. Jubilantly I clapped my hands and laughed\n     aloud. The onlookers spoke in alarm. ‘A mad bonze! A mad bonze!’ All hastened away\n     without looking at me further. I stood up, cleaned my clothes, and put on my torn hat.\n     …\n     “I arrived at the gate of the hermitage laughing and full of joy. The master stood on the\n     veranda, cast a glance at me, and said, ‘Speak! What is the good news?’ I approached him\n     and related my experiences in full. The master now stroke my back with his fan…”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Henceforth, the master did not call him the “poor child of the devil in a dark\ndungeon!” Hakuin had now attained full enlightenment. He had strong will and\nsharp insight. Because he was a severe master, more and more followers were\nattracted to him. From the age of fifty to eighty, he spread the Zen dharma in the\nKantō and the Chūba areas. At eighty, he entrusted Shōin-ji to his disciple Sui’ō\nGenro (1716–1789). At eighty-two, he traveled from Hakone to Edo. On the New\nYear’s Day at the age of eighty-four, he wrote the following gāthā:\n        At the mountain top of Ryūtaku (Dragon-Valley),\n        To-day I displayed my old face unashamed.\n        An old monk of eighty welcomes the New Year,\n        And detests the missing sound of the one hand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kokurin entered nirvana on the eleventh day of November. Nearly all the con-\ntemporary Zen masters were his students at one time or the other. His important\ndharma-heirs were given below:\n        Daikyū Ehō 大休慧昉 (Genshu 玄殊) (1716–1776)\n        Sui’ō Genro 遂翁元卢 (Eboku 慧牧) (1716–1789)\n        Tōrei Enji 东岭圆慈 (1721–1792)\n        Shikei Eryō 斯经慧梁 (1721–1787)\n        Gasan Jitō 峨山慈棹 (1726–1797)\n        Dairin Shōkan 大灵绍鉴 (1724–1807)\n        Teishū Zenjo 提州禅恕; Sōkai Giun 沧海宜运\n        Daidō Don’e 大同昙慧"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The above nine were honored by the title Zenji with particular designations.\n   Daikyū was formerly a disciple of Kogetsu Zenzai 古月禅材. He came to\nShōin-ji with Kaigan Chitetsu 快岩智彻. Both of them became enlightened and\nreceived the Inka from Kokurin.\n   Sui’ō Genro, also known by the name Eboku 慧牧, came to serve under Hakuin\nwhen he was 30 years of age and continued for 20 years. When Hakuin was 80\nyears of age, Sui’ō was put in charge of Shōin-ji. Later, he was succeeded by Tōei\nEnji. Sui’ō preached at Daitsū-ji, also located at Shizuoka, and the attendance\nreached seven hundred. He was in charge of Blue Cliff Assembly at Seiken-ji, and\nmore than four hundred people attended. He entered nirvana in 1789 at the age of\nseventy-three.\n   Tōrei Enji was 5 years younger than Sui’ō. However, he served under Hakuin\nsince he was 9 years of age. He advised Sui’ō to come to Shōin-ji and study under\nHakuin. Sui’ō, on his retirement, asked Tōrei to take charge of Shōin-ji. In 1774, a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dharma assembly was convened to commemorate Hakuin. Tōrei, Daikyū, and\n\f120                                                 12 Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Reigen Etō 灵源慧桃 participated, with Sui’ō as the preacher. In 1784, another\nassembly was convened, with Sui’ō as the preacher, and Tōrei, Kaigan, and Gasan\nparticipating, and eight hundred people attended.\n    Shikei Eryō became a monk when he was 12 years of age. He first studied under\nHangan. After Hangan passed away, he came to Shōin-ji and became Hakuin’s\ndisciple. In 1757, when he was 36 years of age, he was at Kaifukuin. Later, he\nstayed at Enfuku-ji. After he obtained an old statue of Daruma, he built a hall in\nDaruma’s memory and meditated at a small house nearby. More than ten monks\nfollowed his example. He built a number of such meditation halls and devoted\nhimself to the reconciliation of rivalry between Daitoku-ji and Myōshin-ji. He lived\nto 66 years of age.\n    Gasan Jitō became Hakuin’s disciple when Hakuin was already very old. Gasan\nfirst studied under Gessen Zen’e (1702–1781). At the age of sixteen, he began to\ntravel and visit many masters. When he came back, Gessen was ready to give him"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Inka and advised him to stay with the master at Tōki-an, Eiden. After 1 year,\nGasan heard that Hakuin was preaching Hekigan-roku (“Blue Cliff Records”) at\nEdo and went there against the advice of Gessen. As he approached Hakuin and\nexplained things, Hakuin chased him out for three times. Finally, Gasan was\nhumble and repentant and asked Hakuin for his forgiveness. Hakuin said: “You\nyoung man, you are full of Zen in your stomach that can last a whole life. Although\nyou can talk and talk readily, it does not have any strength at the river bank of life\nand death. If you want to endure the whole life expeditiously, you must hear the\nsound of my single hand.” Gasan saluted and left. He was over 30 years of age and\nthen served under Hakuin for 4 years. Hakuin was over 80 years of age. Gasan\nfrequently asked the help of Tōrei and was greatly benefited. One evening, while\nsitting in meditation at Shōin-ji, Gasan felt enlightened and danced with the incense"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "burner. After the passing of Hakuin, Gasan was staying at Tōki-an, Eiden, and was\ndisturbed by typhoon. He ran out of the small temple and sweated all over. Thus, he\nrealized deeply Kanzan’s mind and heart. Thereafter, he sojourned at Tentaku for\n10 years. He was always grateful to Hakuin and Sui’ō Genro (1716–1789). Gasan’s\ndharma-heirs Inzan Ien (1751–1814) and Takujū Kosen (1760–1833) would be the\nfounders of two most important lines which have flourished until the present day.\n    Gasan Jitō had three principal disciples:\nInzan Ien 隐山惟琰 (1751–1814)—Shōtō Enshō Zenji\nTakujū Kosen 卓州胡仙 (1760–1833)—Daidō Enkan Zenji\nGyō’ō Gensetsu 行应玄节 (1756–1831)—Shinkan Jishō Zenji\nInzan had four dharma descendants:\n(1) Taigen Shigen 太元孜元—Myōkaku Kaman Zenji\n    (1768–1837)\n(2) Sekkan Shōju 雪关绍珠—Tengan Kōtsu Zenji\n    (1766–1835)\n(3) Tōrin Sōju 棠林宗寿—Daitetsu Shōgen Zenji\n    (d. 1837)\n\f12   Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples                                    121"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(4) Kokan Kohan 顾鉴古范—Reigan Kōmyō Zenji\n    (1776–1843)\nTakujū had seven dharma descendants:\n(1) Kaisan Sōkaku 海山宗恪—Bukoku Myōgen Zenji\n    (1768–1846)\n(2) Myōki Sōseki 妙喜宗绩—Fu’ō Myōkaku Zenji\n    (1774–1848)\n(3) Getsusan Kokyō 月珊古镜—Daiki Myōkan Zenji\n    (1789–1855)\n(4) Seki’ō Sōmin 石应宗珉—Daitetsu Hōgan Zenji\n    (1794–1857)\n(5) Sosan Genkyō 苏山玄乔—Jinki Myōyō Zenji\n    (1798–1868)\n(6) Hōshū Zemmyō 蓬洲禅苗—Dai’en Shōkaku Zenji\n    (1802–1872)\n(7) Shun’ō Zenetsu 春应禅悦—Reiki Jin’ō Zenji\n    (?)\nGyō’ō had four dharma descendants:\n(1) Zōhō Bunga 象匏文雅—Jinkan Dokushō Zenji\n    (1774–1825)\n(2) Kankai Sōju 环海宗寿—Hōgn Reikan Zenji\n    (1779–1860)\n(3) Mannin Gen’I 万宁玄汇—Jinki Myōkan Zenji\n    (1789–1860)\n(4) Kendō Tō’e 宪道等慧—Mujin Shōtō Zenji\n    (d. 1820)\nAll fifteen priests were given the honorary title of Zenji, with particular\ndesignations.\n   Typical lineages of selected persons would be given as follows:\nThe Inzan line:\n(1) Inzan Ien (2) Taigen Shigen 太元孜元 (1768–1837)\n                 (3a)   Gisan Zenrai 仪山善来 (1802–1878)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(4a)   Kōsen Sō’on 洪川宗温 (1816–1892)\n                 (5a)   Kōgaku Sō’en 洪岳宗演 (1859–1919)\n                 (6a)   Tetsu’ō Sōkatsu 辍翁宗活 (1870–1954)\n                 (7a)   Shigetsu Sōshin 指月宗岑(1882–1945)\n\f122                                                       12 Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1) Inzan Ien (2) Taigen Shigen\n                 (3b)   Daisetsu Jō’en 大拙承演 (1797–1855)\n                 (4b)   Doku’en Jōju 独园承珠 (1818–1895)\n                 (5b)   Kan’ō Sōkai 函应宗海 (1856–1923)\n                 (6b)   Zeggaku Bunki 绝学文毅 (1872–1932)\nNote that Gisan Zenrai had another disciple, Etsukei Shuken 越溪守谦 (1810–1884),\nwhose disciple was Kokan Sōho 虎关宗补 (1839–1903), and Kokan’s disciple was\nSōsan Echō 湘山惠澄 (1851–1928). Kōgaku Sōen, also known as Shaku Sōyen,\nwho visited the USA, had other disciples: Hōgaku Jikō 宝岳慈兴 or Seigo Hōgaku\n栖梧宝岳; Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki 铃木大拙 (1869–1966); and Senzaki Nyogen\n千崎如幻 (1876–1958). D.T. Suzuki was well known throughout the world.\nHowever, the following quotation from the editor (Christmas Humphreys) in his\nForeword to Living by Zen (US edition 1972) may be helpful:\n  Born in 1869 of a line of doctors, he was educated in Tokyo University, but soon gave all\n  the time to the study of Zen Buddhism at Engakuji in Kamakura. Under the famous Soyen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shaku Roshi he attained his enlightenment in 1896, just before leaving to work for a period\n  of years with Dr. Paul Carus in Chicago…"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So we are justified to consider Suzuki as one of the Sōyen Shaku’s dharma-heirs.\nTetsuō Sōkatsu’s 辍翁宗活 other disciple, was Zuigan Sōseki 瑞岩宗硕 or Gotō\nZuigan 后藤瑞岩 (1879–1965). Shigetsu Sōshin 指月宗岑 was also known as\nSasaki Shigetsu 佐佐木指月 (1882–1945). In the official record, Sasaki was listed as\nSōshin Taikō 宗岑大纲. He was the founder of the First Zen Institute of America.\nRuth Fuller Sasaki was abbess of the Zen temple of Ryōsen-an, Daitoku-ji, Kyoto,\nand director of the Kyoto branch of the First Institute of America.\nThe Takujū line:\n (1)   Takujū Kosen\n (2)   Sosan Genkyō 苏山玄乔 (1798–1868)\n(3a)   Rasan Gemma 罗山元磨 (1815–1867)\n(3b)   Gōten Dōkei 鳌颠道契 (1814–1891)\n(4a)   Mugaku Bun’eki 无学文奕 (1818–1887)\n(4b)   Jitsusō Teijin 实丛定真 (1851–1909)\n (1)   Takujū Kosen\n (2)   Sosan Genkyō (1798–1868)\n(3c)   Kasan Zenryō 伽山全楞 (1824–1893)\n(4c)   Sōhan Genhō 宗般玄芳 (1848–1922)\n(5c)   Gempō Giyū 玄峰宜雄 (1865–1961)\n(6c)   Nakagawa Sō’en 中川宋渊 (1907-)\n(7c)   Shimano Eidō 岛野荣道 (1932–)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(7c)   Shimano Eidō 岛野荣道 (1932–)\nGempō Giyū was also known as Yamamoto Gempō 山本玄峰. Sōhan Genhō had\nanother disciple, Tetsusō Chisei 彻宗智性 (1879–1937). Before we leave the\nTakujū-Sosan line, we must add: Rasan had two other disciples: Nan’in Zengu\n南隐全愚 (1834–1904) and Tōshū Zenchū 邓州全忠 (1839–1925). Tōshū’s\n\f12    Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples                                           123"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "disciple was Kō’in Jiteki 高隐慈的 (1866–1909). Mugaku’s disciple was Daikō\nSōjun 大航宗润 (1841–1911); Jitsusō’s disciple was Rosan Ekō 庐山惠行.\n(1) Takujū Kosen\n(2) Myōki Sōseki 妙喜宗绩 (1774–1848)\n(3) Karyō Zuika 迦陵瑞迦 (1790–1859)\n(4) Tankai Genshō 潭海玄昌 (1811–1898)\n(5) Dokutan Sōsan 毒湛匝三 (1840–1917)\n(6) Mukai Koryō 雾海古亮 or Kōno Mukai 河野雾海 (1864–1935) or\n    Nanshinken 南针轩\n(7) Nakamura Taiyū 中村泰祐 (1886–1954)\n(8) Miura Isshū 三浦一舟 (1903-)\nNote: Isshū Miura and Ruth Fuller Sasaki were the coauthors of Zen Dust (1966)\nand its earlier edition The Zen Koan (1965).\n (1)    Takujū Kosen\n (2)    Kaisan Sōkaku 海山宗恪 (1768–1846)\n (3)    Kyōdō Etan 匡道慧潭 (1808–1895)\n(4a)    Kyūhō Ichisei 九峰一精 (1833–1916)\n(4b)    Daishu Sōju 大株宗树 (1817–1889)\n(5a)    Ten’ō Erin 天应惠伦 (1859–1907)\n(5b)    Kōdō Genchū 弘道玄忠 (1830–1890)\nNote that Kaisan Sōkaku had another disciple, Yōsan Soshiki 阳山楚轼\n(1778–1859).\nThe Gyō’ō line.\n(1) Gyō’ō Gensetsu\n(2) Zōhō Bunga 象匏文雅 (1774–1825)\n(3) Hō’un Genshi 法云元施 (d. 1875)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(3) Hō’un Genshi 法云元施 (d. 1875)\nWe have already mentioned Gyō’ō’s four disciples: Zōhō Bunga, Kankai Sōju\n(1779–1860), Mannin Gen’i (1789–1860), and Kendō Tō’e (d. 1820). To this list\nwe may add Hosan Gemmon 包山玄蒙 (1784–1838) and Etsukei Shisei 越溪至诚\n(1770–1838).\n    Inzan Ien (1751–1814) first studied under Gessen Zen’e (1702–1781). Some Zen\npriest told him that Gasan Jitō had absorbed the dharma teachings of both Hakuin\nand Gessen. So Inzan went to Rinjō-in at Edo to serve under Gasan. When Inzan\nwas suddenly enlightened, Gasan said smilingly: “Buddha dharma is like the sea.\nThe more you get in, the deeper is the sea. Do not take Buddha dharma as easy.”\nWhen Gasan gave him the Inka, Gasan felt that Inzan, through much meditation and\nreflection, was well versed in the great thing (Dai-ji) which Hakuin discovered. In\nfact, Gasan used the sentence: “The big waves in the sea of learning became dried\nup in one night” in the Inka.\n    When Taigen Shigen (1768–1837) was 34 years of age, he was in charge of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sōgen-ji at Okayama. Inzan preached at Dairin, and Taigen came to assist him.\nLater, when Inzan visited Sōgen-ji, he gave Taigen the Inka with a very encour-\naging gāthā.\n\f124                                                   12 Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the latter part of the Edo period, there were many “dragons and elephants” in the\nZen schools. In the Rinzai School, Inzan Zen was sharp and severe, but allowed more\nfreedom and innovation, so that the whole world was aware of its force and vitality.\nTakujū Zen, on the other hand, was dignified and strict, with care for details in all\nactivities, so that the whole world paid much respect to its high standard of performance.\n    Taigen’s disciple, Gisan Zenrai (1802–1878), studied under Taigen at Okayama\nwhen he was 22 years of age. After more than 10 years, he received the Inka from\nTaigen. In 1868, the first year of the Meiji era, he was invited to reside at\nDaitoku-ji. After a period at Nanshū-ji (Osaka), he was transferred to Myōshin-ji.\nHe was a very learned priest. He regularly preached on Rinza-roku, Kidō-roku, and\nHekigan-roku, with a normal attendance of five hundred people. He entered nirvana\nat the age of seventy-seven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "at the age of seventy-seven.\n    Gisan Zenrai’s dharma-heirs were Kōsen Sō’on (1816–1892), Etsukei Shuken\n(1810–1884), Bokusō Sōju (1820–1891), Tekisui Giboku (1821–1899), Kodō\nGiseki (1839–1888), and Kōshū Sōtaku (1840–1907). Etsukei’s disciple was Kokan\nSōho (1839–1903). Kōsen Sō’on’s disciple was Kōgaku Sō’en (Sōyen Shaku,\n1859–1919). Kōsen Sō’on was a native of Osaka. When he was 20 years of age, he\nstudied under Daisetsu Jō’en (1797–1855), also a disciple of Taigen. After Kōsen\nreceived the Inka from Gisan, he stayed at Eiko-ji. He was appointed superintendent\npriest (Kanchō) of the Engaku-ji Group and lived to 77 years of age. Kōgaku Sō’en\nfirst studied under Etsukei Shuken, a disciple of Gisan, at Myōshin-ji. He traveled\nand paid respects to Gisan, Tekisui, and Doku’en Jōju (1818–1895), who was a\ndisciple of Daisetsu Jō’en. When he was 21 years of age, he went to Kantō to study\nunder Kōsen, with Kan’ō Sōkai accompanying him. He received the Inka from"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kōsen. Because Kōgaku Sō’en first studied under Etsukei, Kōsen asked Etsukei’s\npermission to let Kōgaku be Kōsen’s dharma-heir. When Sō’en (Sōyen) was 32\nyears of age, he was asked by Kōsen to take charge of Hōrin-ji, succeeding Jinjō\nSōzen (1842–1914). After Kōsen entered nirvana, Sōyen succeeded Kōsen as\nKanchō (superintendent priest) of the Engaku-ji Group. When he was 46 years of\nage, he was concurrently Kanchō of the Kenchō-ji Group.\n    In the twenty-sixth year of the Meiji era (1893), when Sōyen was 36 years of\nage, there was convened at Chicago, in the USA, an International Parliament of\nReligions. Sōyen attended the Congress as a delegate from Japan. The other del-\negates were Togi, Hachi’en, and Roshin. Sōyen arranged to board a steamship and\nvisited Europe and the Indian Ocean. When he was 48 years of age, he resigned\nfrom Kanchō of the Engaku-ji and Kencho-ji groups and retired to Tōkei-ji. Mr. and\nMrs. Alexander Russell of San Francisco visited Sōyen in Japan and wished to be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "his students. Early in the summer of 1905, Sōyen Shaku went to the USA and\nstayed with friends on the Pacific coast until March 1906. Lectures on Buddhism\nwere frequently delivered at the request of his hostess, Mrs. Alexander Russell, for\nthe benefit of her friends. He lectured on the Sutra of Forty-two Chapters and\nnaturally chose the texts for his sermons from this most popular among the\ncanonical books. As Shaku Sōyen did not speak English, the burden of interpreting\nhis speeches fell upon the shoulders of Dr. Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1869–1966),\nwho was then 35 years of age. (Suzuki was educated in Tokyo University, but soon\n\f12   Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples                                                125"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "gave all his time to the study of Zen Buddhism at Engaku-ji in Kamakura. Under\nthe famous Sōyen Shaku Rōshi, he attained his enlightenment in 1896, just before\nleaving to work for a period of years with Dr. Paul Carus in Chicago. See editor’s\nForeword to Living by Zen, by Christmas Humphreys, US edition 1972.)\n    Sōyen Shaku visited Chicago, New York, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia\nand gave lectures on Zen Buddhism. He was received by the president of the USA\nat the White House. Zen for Americans including The Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters\nas translated by D.T. Suzuki was first published by Open Court Publishing Co. in\n1906. (A 1913 clothbound edition had the title: Sermons of a Buddhist Abbot. The\n1974 Open Court paperback edition is an unabridged reproduction of the 1913\nedition.)\n    Sōyen visited London and toured France, Germany, Austria, and Italy. He\ntraveled to India to pay respects at the sacred places of Buddhism. He returned to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Japan when he was 49 years of age. He preached on Hekigan-roku (“Blue Cliff\nRecords”) at Tokyo. In 1918, when he was 60 years of age, he was again appointed\nas Kanchō (Lord Abbot, according to Suzuki’s translation) of the Engaku-ji\nGroup. He entered nirvana in 1919, at the age of sixty-one. Kan’ō Sōkai, a disciple\nof Doku’en, was 3 years older than Sōyen. At Sōyen’s funeral, Sōkai recited the\nspecially written poem which is here translated.\n      The Zen platform of Kantō was usually elevated above the rest.\n      For many years you contributed highly at the Patriarch’s feast.\n      Now your demise (as a dignitary) kept you away from us.\n      The sound of traveling geese can be heard out of the clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After a long pause, Kan’ō continued:\n      The autumn trees north of the River Wei;\n      The evening clouds east of the Yangtze River."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The last two lines were from a Tang poem. Note that Kan’ō Sōkai succeeded Sōyen\nas lord abbot (Kanchō) of the Engaku-ji Group, when he was 50 years of age. Sōkai\nentered nirvana at the age of sixty-eight (1923).\n   Taigen had three outstanding dharma-heirs: Gisan Zenrai, Daisetsu Jō’en, and\nDaishin Etan (1792–1870). Daisetsu had two prominent disciples: Gidō Shōseki\n(1814–1865) and Doku’en Jōju (1818–1895). Shōseki was of great stature, about\nsix feet tall, and of heroic nature, with high principles. He lived to only 51 years of\nage. Doku’en became abbot of Shōkoku-ji. He was appointed the president of\nGreater Teachers’ College (Dai-kyō-in, the Buddhist University) and devoted much\nof his energy and effort to the education of Buddhist (Zen) priests.\n   In 1868, the first year of the Meiji era, the Japanese government decreed to\nseparate Shinto-ism from Buddhism, and hence, Shinto shrines and Buddhist\ntemples were separated. The Buddhist temples and Buddhists were used to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "patronage and protection of Bakufu (warriors and officials). Now, they were under\nduress and felt oppressed. In the second year of the Meiji era, Shinto officials were\ninstalled, and they were harsh toward the Buddhists. Doku’en and other Buddhist\nleaders worked very hard and offered all their effort to the preservation of\n\f126                                                    12 Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Buddhism. In 1872, the fifth year of the Meiji era, the Japanese government\nreorganized the Shin-shi Ministry to the Education Ministry (Kyō-bu), so that both\nthe Shinto priests and the Buddhists could educate the people in religion. The\nBuddhists petitioned the government to establish a Buddhist University by the\nname of Dai-kyō-in. Both the Shinto officials and the Buddhist priests should obey\nthe three canons: (1) be reverent to the deity (Shin) and patriotic to the country;\n(2) understand clearly the Ri (truth, justice, or reason) of heaven and the Dō (way,\npath, or moral doctrine) of humanity; and (3) obey the emperor and his instructions.\nDoku’en was summoned to the capital, appointed as “assistant professor” (Shō-kyō-\nshō), and then promoted to “full professor” (Dai-kyō-shō). In 1873, he was\nappointed president of the Buddhist University (Dai-kyō-in-chō). He was concur-\nrently General Kanchō of the Rinzai, Sōtō, and Ōbaku schools."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "However, according to the three canons, the Buddhist priests were not free to\npreach on the essential principles of Buddhism. Doku’en and Ekidō Sengai of the\nSōtō School petitioned to the Kyō-bu (Education Ministry) in person. Minister\nDaiho was greatly impressed by the character and enthusiasm of the two old monks\nand allowed the Buddhist priests to preach Buddhism everywhere except in Kyoto,\nthe capital. Doku’en persisted in his effort to propagate Buddhism, and finally, the\nBuddhists were allowed to preach Buddhism in Kyoto. Doku’en lived at Shinka-in\nand presided over Shōkoku-ji. He set aside the subsidiary Gyoku-ryū-an (Jade\nDragon Hermitage) as the residence of laymen (Koji-rin). He recovered through\npetition the lost land which belonged to Shōkoku-ji. In 1890, the twenty-third year\nof the Meiji era, the Imperial Household Department (Kuaisho) ordered Shōkoku-ji\nto present thirty famous paintings to the palace authorities and in return to receive"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ten-thousand Japanese Yen, in order to meet the expenses of the temple. Doku’en\nofficiated a special memorial assembly in honor of the artists who donated their\npaintings to Shōkoku-ji. Burning the incense, Doku’en recited his poem:\n      For 13 years the spiritual effort was exhausted.\n      Each or the other bird was complete with life.\n      These birds do not really belong to the hills and trees.\n      They fly through the clouds and smoke to the Ninth Heaven.\n      They are not really high up in the Ninth Heaven.\n      They fly behind, but suddenly they fly in the forward."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the third day of the seventh moon in the year 1895, Doku’en presided over a\nmemorial service assembly convened by the seven groups of the Rinzai School.\nAfter the assembly, he retreated to Hōkō-ji (Temple of Abundant Light). He entered\nnirvana on the tenth day of the eighth moon at the age of seventy-seven. Doku’en\nleft his book: Kinse Zenrin Sōhō Den (History of Modern Zen Priests), which was\npublished in the twenty-third year of the Meiji era (1890) and re-issued in the\nforty-eighth year of the Shōwa era (1973). This original treatise was labeled as\nVolume I. Zoku Zenrin Sōhō Den books I and II, compiled by Shohata Buntei, were\nconsidered as volumes II and III, published in 1938, and re-issued in 1973. (The\nauthor must gratefully acknowledge his indebtedness to these valuable books on the\nhistory of recent Zen masters.)\n\f12   Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples                                               127"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We have already mentioned Takujū’s seven prominent disciples: Kaisan Sōkaku,\nMyōki Sōseki, Getsusan Kokyō, Seki’ō Sōmin, Sosan Genkyō, Hōshū Zemmyō,\nand Shun’ō Zenetsu. We have traced some lineages from Sosan Genkyō, Myōki\nSōseki, and Kaisan Shōkaku.\n    Consider the lineage from Sosan Genkyō. Sosan had four important disciples:\nRasan Gemma (1815–1867), Gōten Dōkei (1814–1891), Kasan Zenryō (1824–1893),\nand Hōgaku Sōju (1825–1901). Rasan Gemma was a native of Shizuoka. He became a\nmonk at Kōgen-ji, when he was very young. He studied under Taigen, Gisan, and\nSosan. He stayed at Bairin-ji (Fukuoka). Later, he was chief priest at Myōshin-ji. In\n1866, the second year of the Keiō era, he resigned as abbot of Bairin-ji, and Mugaku\nBun’eki (1818–1887) succeeded him. Rasan’s other disciples were Nan’in Zengu\n(1834–1904) and Tōshū Zenchū (1839–1925). Nan’in came from a rich family. His\nmother was well versed in classics and history. When he was about 20 years of age, he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "went to Kyoto to study under Satō and tried to understand the Chinese classics Book of\nChanges (Ekikyō). One day, he visited Hongan-ji (Higashi-Hongan-ji in the east or\nNishi-Hongan-ji in the west of Kyoto) and felt offended by the vast buildings. Another\nday, he followed Satō to visit a Zen temple in the Eastern Mountain (Tōsan). Satō\nasked the priest: “What is Zen?” The priest replied: “Zen is nothing else. You breathe\nthrough your nostrils. The Zen people breathe from under the feet. That is the only\ndifference.” Nan’in was surprised. When he got sick, he visited Mount Hiei. He prayed\nbefore Kannon (goddess of mercy). In his dream, Kannon gave him the prescription.\nHe found the herb and was cured. Thereafter, he became a monk at Tentaku-in. When\nhe was 27 years of age, he visited Gisan at Sōgen-ji, Okayama, and Rasan at Bairin-ji.\nAfter 8 years of hard work, he received the Inka from Rasan. When he was 38 years of\nage, he stayed at Genyō-in, Shikoku. Later, he was transferred to Kannon-dō at Gifu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 1866, when he was 52 years of age, he went to Tokyo with Mugaku Bun’eki and met\nwith Yamaoka Tetsushū (1836–1888). In 1892, Nan’in moved to Ryū-un-in, repaired\nthe old temple, and founded Hakusan Dōjō. He lived to 71 years of age.\n    Mugaku Bun’eki succeeded Rasan as abbot of Bairin-ji. He was Kanchō of\nMyōshin-ji for several times. He succeeded Toku’en as General Kanchō of nine\ngroups of Zen temples. He cooperated with Kankei Mitsu’un of the Sōtō School to\npreserve the dharma and extend Buddhist influence. He was a good friend of\nYamaoka Tetsushū, Roku’oku Sōkō, and Nakashima Shinkō. Mugaku’s disciple\nwas Daikō Sōjun (1841–1911).\n    Tōshū Zenchū (1839–1925), also known as Nantenbō (“stick in southern hea-\nven”), was a native of Saga. He became a monk at the age of eleven. At eighteen, he\nbegan to travel. He studied under Seki’ō Sōmin (1794–1857), a disciple of Takujū.\nAfter Seki’ō’s passing, he studied under Sosan and later under Rasan. In 1867, he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "became chief priest at Myōshin-ji. When Mugaku went to Myōshin-ji, Tōshū acted\nas abbot at Bairin-ji and preached on Mumonkan. When he was 47 years of age, he\nfounded Sōkei-ji and later was transferred to Dōrin-ji. At fifty-three, he went to\nZuigan-ji, Matsushima. At sixty-eight, he was at Kaisei-ji. At seventy, he was\nKanchō of Myōshin-ji. At eighty, he preached on Hekigan-roku. He entered nirvana\nat the age of eighty-seven.\n\f128                                                  12 Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Gōten Dōkei (1814–1891) was succeeded by his dharma-heir, Jitsusō Teijin\n(1851–1909). Gōten was a native of Fukuoka. When he was 12 years of age, he\nfollowed his father to visit Nichirin-ji (Sun-wheel Temple). He heard a monk reciting:\n      The shadow of bamboo wipes the terrace steps\n      without disturbing the dust;\n      The moon penetrates the bottom of a pond\n      without leaving any trace in the water."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Note: Mugaku Sogen heard the same poem.)\n   Jitsusō became a monk under Kyūhō Ichisei (1833–1916), a disciple of Kyōdō\nEtan (1808–1895). At seventeen, he was at Tokugen-ji. He then became the\ndharma-heir of Gōten Dōkei. He continued to study and mediatate for 20 years. He\nwas later Kanchō of Myōshin-ji. His disciple was Rosan Ekō.\n   Kasan Zenryō (1824–1893) had other disciples besides Sōhan Genhō. The\nprominent ones were (1) Hōrin Ginan (1847–1898), (2) Ryō’in Tōji (1827–1888),\n(3) Chōshū Genkai (1830–1903), (4) Tankai Genju (1832–1903), and (5) Gisen\nMonetsu (1845–1915). Hōrin Ginan’s disciple was Tsu’ō Sōtetsu (1868–1933).\n   We have traced Sōhan Genhō’s lineage to Yamamoto Gempō, Nakagawa Sō’en,\nand Shimano Eidō, who has been in recent years the abbot of Kongo-ji, Beecher\nLake, Livingston Manor, New York, USA. The author was obliged to Eidō Roshi\nfor the information concerning dharma transmission from Kasan Zenryō to Eidō\nRōshi himself."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rōshi himself.\n   Kaisan Sōkaku (1768–1846) was the oldest of the seven disciples of Takujū\nmentioned previously. He had two prominent disciples: Kyōdō Etan and Yōsan\nSoshiki. Kyōdō Etan (1808–1895) was a native of Osaka. He became a monk at the\nage of thirteen. At eighteen, he began to travel and studied under Gyō’ō Gensetsu\nand Dōrin Sōju (d. 1837), Inzan’s disciple. When he was 38 years of age, he was in\ncharge of Jōfuku-ji. Later, he stayed at Myōshin-ji. In 1877, he was at Tōfuku-ji. In\n1889, he was appointed Kanchō of the Myōshin-ji Group. He lived to the advanced\nage of eighty-eight.\n   Kyōdō Etan had two prominent disciples: Kyūhō Ichisei and Daishu Sōju.\nKyūhō’s dharma-heir was Ten’ō Erin. Daishu’s dharma-heir was Kōdō Genchū.\n   Gyō’ō Gensetsu (1756–1831) was the third principal disciple of Gasan Jitō,\nbesides Inzan Ien and Takujū Kosen. Inzan lived to 64 years of age, and Takujū lived\nto 74 years of age. Gyō’ō was 6 years younger than Inzan and 4 years older than"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Takujū. Gyō’ō lived to 76 years of age. We have noted Gyō’ō’s disciples previously.\n   Inzan’s other disciples were:\n   Sekkan Shōju (1766–1835) was a native of Gifu. He stayed at Tentaku-an,\nSeitai-ji, and Renkō-ji. At Bairyū-ji, he preached on Hekigan-roku. He lived to the\nage of seventy.\n   Tōrin Sōju (d. 1837) served under Inzan for 3 years and received the Inka from\nhim. He continued to serve Inzan until 1810, the seventh year of the Bunka era\nunder the reign of Kōkaku Tennō, when he moved to Ji’on-ji. After a stay of 14\nyears, he was transferred to Ryūfuku-ji and later to Zuiryū-ji. Tōrin was considered\nas an equal to Taigen, and both formed a pair of “kanromon” (“sweet-dew-gate”).\n\f12   Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples                                            129"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 1832, he was ordered to Myōshin-ji and received the purple robe. In 1837, the\neighth year of the Tempō era under the reign of Minkō Tennō, he preached on\nHekigan-roku. He entered nirvana on the tenth day of the eleventh moon in the\nsame year. His disciple was Settan Shōboku (1801-1873). Settan’s disciple, Keichū\nBundō (1824–1905), was Kanchō of Tōfuku-ji for 20 years. When Myōshin-ji\ncalled for Kanzan’s 500 years’ memorial assembly, Keichū went with Settan\nShōboku. It was noted that “Settan from the east and Sosan from the west” were the\noutstanding priests. Note that Sosan was Takujū’s dharma-heir, while Settan was\nInzan’s dharma grandson. In 1881, Tōfuku-ji had a great fire. It was Keichū who\nprompted all the followers to repair the damages. In 1905, he bid farewell to his\ndisciples and retreated to Kaizen-ji. He lived to the age of eighty-two.\n   Kokan Kohan (1776–1843) was a native of Gifu. When he was young, he\nbecame a monk under Tōrei Enji (1721–1792). He became enlightened under"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Gasan, but he also served under Inzan as his disciple. At thirty-four, he stayed at\nTōki-an. After fifty-one, he began preaching at Myōkō-ji. His last gāthā testified\nthat he lived to the age of seventy-four. His disciple was Tsu’ō Sotetsu\n(1801–1854). Tsu’ō was succeeded by Seitei Genshi (1815–1881). Seitei’s disci-\nples were Yōrei Itei (1815–1901) and Yamaoka Tetsushū (1836–1888).\n   Now, we return to Hakuin’s other disciples:\n   Sui’ō Genro (1716–1789) and Daikyū Ehō (1716–1776) were the oldest among\nHakuin’s direct disciples. Sui’ō’s disciples were Shunsō Shōju (1750–1835) and\nYōhō Shōnen (1747–1814). Shunsō Shōju’s disciples were Yōkan Tō’ei\n(1174–1857) and Kō’in Shikin (d. 1850). Daikyū’s disciples were Daiun Rinzei\n(d. 1795), Tengan Shiben (1737–1805), and Issan Shinkō (1740–1815).\n   Tōrei Enji (1721–1792) had several disciples, among them Daikan Bunju\n(1765–1842) and Tenshin Shūyō (1738–1811). Teishū Zenjo had one disciple: Kaimon"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zenkaku (1743–1813). Daidō Don’e had one disciple: Tō’un Zengi (d. 1782). Reigen\nEtō’s disciple was Sanshū Shōken (d. 1829). Sōkai Giun’s disciples were Kōgan Gengi\n(1748–1821) and Unsan Dōzui (1770–1843). Kyūhō Chisetsu (1731–1797) had one\ndisciple: Takudō Genki (1768–1837). Dairin Shōkan (1724–1807) had two disciples:\nGetsuan Shōyū and Bunrei Shōgai. Tengei Eken had one disciple: Seidō Ekō\n(1741–1819), whose disciples were Myōhō Genjitsu (1765–1830), Teishū Shishin\n(1774–1849), and Kōhō Tōshun (1714–1779). Ryōsai Gemmyō had two disciples:\nMushū Sozen (1749–1768) and Shinshū Shūtei (1742–1801).\n   In the end of Chap. 11, we have shown that Kogetsu Zenzai (1667–1751) and his\ndisciple, Gessen Zen’e (1702–1781) were contemporaries of Hakuin. As a matter of\nhistoric interest, the lineage could be traced from Tokuhō Zenketsu to Kogetsu and\nfurther on.\n   Consider Setsugan Dōen 节岩道圆 as belonging to the ninth generation, his\ndisciples Tai’eki Dōsen 太易道先 (1618–1683) and Daimu Sōnin belong to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tenth generation. Then, we can extend the lineage as follows:\n(10) Daimu Sōnin 大梦宗忍\n(11) Zetsudō Funi 绝同不二 (1640–1712)\n(12) Zōkai Etan 象海慧湛 (1682–1733)\n\f130                                                12 Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Setsugan’s disciple, Kengan Zen’etsu 贤岩禅悦 (1618–1696), had other disciples:\nDaidō Bunka 大道文可 (1680–1752) and Daiki Sozen 大机组全 (1647–1699).\nDaiki’s disciple was Gumon Soshin (1663–1710), whose disciples were Gyokushū\nSo’oku 玉州祖亿 (1688–1769) and Daijin Zengei 大岑禅猊 (1672–1717).\nKogetsu Zeizai had another important disciple, Ransan Shōryū 兰山正隆\n(1712–1792), whose disciples were Taishitsu Gensho 太室玄昭 (1726–1796),\nJitsumon Soshin 实门祖真 (1758–1849), and Daidō E’un 大道慧云 (d. 1823).\n    Note that Kogetsu Zenzai and Daiki Sozen were dharma brothers. The Daiki line\ncan be further extended as follows:\n(1)   Daiki Sozen (1647–1699)\n(2)   Gumon Soshin (1663–1710)\n(3)   Daijin Zengei 大岑禅猊 (1672–1717)\n(4)   Kaimon Gentō 海门元东 (d. 1754)\n(5)   Tsugen Gensō 通玄元聪 (d. 1781)\n(6)   Tandō Gemmon 湛堂元文 (1740–1806)\n(7)   Jinjō Genbyō 真净元苗 (1772–1841)\n(8)   Setsudō Genkichi 拙堂元劼 (1793–1852)\nNote that Jinjō Genbyō should not be confused with Jinjō Sōzen 真净宗诠\n(1842–1914), who was a disciple of Etsukei Shuken in the Inzan line."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In July 1978, the author made a special trip to Kyoto to visit Myōshin-ji. He was\ngrateful to the helpful guidance of Professor Eshin Nishimura 西村惠信教授 of\nHanazono University 花园大学. At the Institute for Zen studies, the author was\nindebted to Professor Sōjō Hirano 平野宗净教授 and Professor Eshin Nishimura\nfor obtaining the following lineages of Reverend Kajiura Itsugai 梶浦逸外, the\nretired chief abbot of Myōshin-ji, and Reverend Yamada Mumon 山田无文, the\npresent chief abbot of Myōshin-ji.\n    The Lineage of Kajiura Itsugai: (see Chart V A.)\n(1)   Inzan Ien (1751–1814)\n(2)   Tōrin Sōju 棠林宗寿 (d. 1837)\n(3)   Settan Shōboku 雪潭绍璞 (1801–1873)\n(4)   Tairyū Bun’i 泰龙文汇 (1826–1880)\n(5)   Daigi Sogon 大义祖勤 (1841–1874)\n(6)   Shō’in I’sō 昭隐会聪 (1865–1924)\n(7)   Muin Isei 无隐惟精\n(8)   Kaji’ura Itsugai 梶浦逸外 (1896-)\n   The Lineage of Yamada Mumon: (see Chart V A.)\n(1)   Inzan Ien (1751–1814)\n(2)   Taigen Shigen 太元孜元 (1768–1837)\n(3)   Gisan Zenrai 仪山善来 (1802–1878)\n(4)   Tekisui Gibōkū 滴水宜牧 (1821–1899)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(4)   Tekisui Gibōkū 滴水宜牧 (1821–1899)\n\f12   Hakuin Ekaku and His Disciples                                                       131"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(5) Ryū’en Genseki 龙渊元硕 (1842–1918)\n(6) Seisetsu Genjō 精拙元净\n(7) Yamada Mumon 山田无文(1900-)\n  The author wishes to take this opportunity to thank Professor Yoshio Hattori of\nKyoto University and Professor Kunizo Iwamoto of Doshisha University for\nmaking his recent trip to Kyoto successful.\n\n\n\nReferences\n\nDumoulin, H. S. J. (1963). A history of Zen Buddhism (P. Peachey (Trans.)). New York: Pantheon\n   Books.\nMiura, I., & Sasaki, R. F. (1966). Zen Dust. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, In.\n\fChapter 13\nThe Ōbaku School in Japan—Ingen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ingen Ryūki (1592–1673) was invited to Japan in 1654, the third year of the Jōō era\nunder the reign of Gokōmyō Tennō. He became the founder of the Ōbaku School in\nJapan.\n   The lineage of Ingen can be traced as follows:\n (1)   Mujun Shihan 无准师范 (1174–1249)\n (2)   Seggan Sokin 雪岩祖钦 (1216–1287)\n (3)   Kōhō Gemmyō 高峰原妙 (1238–1295)\n (4)   Chūhō Myōhon 中峰明本 (1263–1323)\n (5)   Sengan Genchō 千岩元长 (1284–1357)\n (6)   Manhō Jijō 万峰时蔚 (1303–1381)\n (7)   Hōzō Fuji 宝藏普持\n (8)   Kihaku Egaku 虚白慧岳 (1372–1441)\n (9)   Kaishū Eiji 海舟永慈 (1393–1461)\n(10)   Hōbō Myōken 宝峰明暄 (d. 1472)\n(11)   Tenki Honzui 天奇本瑞\n(12)   Mubun Shōsō 无闻正聪 (1450–1512)\n(13)   Getsushin Tokuhō 月心德宝 (1512–1581)\n(14)   Genyū Shōden 幻有正传 (1549–1614)\n(15)   Mitsu’un Engo 密云圆悟 (1566–1642)\n(16)   Hi’in Tsūyō 费隐通容 (1593—1661)\n(17)   Ingen Ryūki 隐云隆琦 (1592—1673)\n   Seggan Sokin (1216–1287) was Mujun Shihan’s dharma-heir and hence was\nthe dharma brother of the following Masters: Mugaku Sogen, Jōji Myōrin,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Gottan Funnei, and Shōichi Enji. His dharma-heir, Kōhō Gemmyō (1238–1295),\nand Mugaku’s disciple, Kōhō Kennichi (1241–1316) were dharma cousins,\nalthough they were far apart in geographical locations. Further on, Chūhō Myōhon\n(1263–1323) and Musō Soseki (1275–1351) were dharma second-cousins."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                   133\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_13\n\f134                                                 13 The Ōbaku School in Japan—Ingen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From Rankei Dōryū’s line, Nampo Jōmyō (1235–1308) was his dharma-heir, and\nShūhō Myōchō (1282–1336) was his dharma grandson. Chūhō Myōhon and Shūhō\nMyōchō were indeed contemporaries and both occupied the most significant\npositions along their respective lines.\n   Chūhō Myōhon’s disciples were many. Besides Sengan Genchō (1284–1357)\nand Tennyo Isoku 天如惟则, who remained in China, seven other disciples, who\ncame from Japan, received the Inkas from Master Chūhō Myōhon and went back to\nJapan. These seven learned priests were as follows: (1) Kosen Ingen 古先印元\n(1295–1374), (2) Fuku’an Sōki 复庵宗已 (1280–1358), (3) Myōshū Seitetsu 明叟\n齐哲 (d. 1347), (4) Onkei Soyū 远溪祖雄 (1286–1344), (5) Muin Genkai 无隐元\n晦 (d. 1358), (6) Gyōkai Honjō 业海本净 (d. 1352), and (7) Kansai Ginan 关西义\n南. There were many priests from Japan who made pilgrimages to Temmoku\nShan 天目山 in Chekiang, China, to pay their respects to Master Chūhō.\nSūsan Kyochū 嵩山居中 (1278–1346), a disciple of Saikan Sudon 西涧子昙"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1249–1306), who went to Japan after receiving the Inka from Sekihan I’en 石帆惟\n衍, was a typical example. Sūsan visited China in 1309, when he was 32 years old\nand went up the Tendō mountains. In 1319, he made a second trip to China for the\nspecial purpose of visiting Master Chūhō in the Temmoku mountains. Jakushitsu\nGenkō 寂室元光 (1290–1367), a dharma grandson of Rankei Dōryū, went to visit\nYuan-China with Ka’ō Sōnen 可翁宗然 (d. 1345), a disciple of Nampo Jōmyō, and\nothers, for the special purpose of paying homage to Master Chūhō in the Temmoku\nmountains.\n   Kōhō Kennichi (Bukkoku 佛国 Zenji, 1241–1316) had three outstanding dis-\nciples: Musō Soseki (Dai’en Zenji, 1275–1351), Tengan Ekō 天岸慧广 (Buggen\n佛源 Zenji, 1273–1335), and Taihei Myōjun 太平妙准 (Butsu’ō 佛应 Zenji). Since\nKōhō Kennichi was the dharma-heir of Mugaku Sogen (Bukkō 佛光 Kokushi),\nMusō, Tengan, and Taihei were Mugaku’s dharma grandsons. Tengan Ekō, who\nwas deeply moved on hearing Chūhō Myōhon’s high learning and profound insight"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in Dharma, gathered a group of more than ten monks and started to visit\nYuan-China. Along the sea voyage, a bit sad news came on the demise of Master\nChūhō. So Tengan Ekō wrote the following gāthā:\n      What can a strong ship with enormous capacity carry?\n      All in all—a huge bundle of Great Doubt!\n      Last night the Central Peak (Chūhō) fell down.\n      The huge bundle of Great Doubt was shattered."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tengan and more than ten other travelers went up the Temmoku mountains, paid\ntheir homage, and presented this poem. Thereafter, Tengan visited Korin Seimo 古\n林清茂 and Seisetsu Shōchō 清拙正澄.\n   Sengan Genchō had two other disciples: Daisetsu Sonō 大拙祖能 (1313–1377),\nwho came from Japan, and Hō’on Baikei 报恩梅溪, whose Japanese disciple was\nShōso Nichigan 正宗日颜. As given above, Sengan Genchō’s dharma-heir was\nManhō Jijō, who had two disciples: Hōzō Fuji 宝藏普持 and Kaishū Fuji 海舟普\n慈 (1355–1450). Historically, Kaishū Fuji was sometimes confused with Kaishū Eiji\n\f13   The Ōbaku School in Japan—Ingen                                               135"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "海舟永慈 (1393–1461), Hōzō Fuji’s dharma grandson, and Kikaku Egaku’s 虚白\n慧岳 dharma-heir. (See both entries in Chen Yuan 陈垣: “Shih-shih I-nien lu” 释氏\n疑年录, Fu-Jen University, Peiping, 1939; or in Japanese, Chin En: “Shaku-shi\nGi-nen roku,” Vol. 10, pp. 13 and 16.) While Kaishū Fuji was designated as\n“Kōshū Tōmyō,” Kaishū Eiji was designated as “Chinryō Tōsan”; so Fuji was\nlocated at Hangchow, and Eiji was located at Nanking. Note that Kihaku Egaku\n(1372–1441), the dharma-heir of Hōzō Fuji, was born 17 years later than Kaishū\nFuji. So it is logical to place Kaishū Fuji as Hōzō’s dharma brother, instead of as his\ndharma grandson. (This correction was made in Y.H. Ku: “History of Japanese Zen\nMasters,” Chart 7.)\n   Mitsu’un Engo (1566–1642), also known as Tendō Engo, was a native of\nKiangsu, and a disciple of Genyū Shōden (1549–1614). At the age of twenty-six, he\nstudied the Six Patriarch’s Platform Scriptures and had some understanding of Zen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At twenty-nine, he became a monk under Genyū Shōden. The next year, he fol-\nlowed Genyū to Ryūchi (Dragon Pond), in Anhui Province. At the age of\nthirty-eight, he felt enlightened. At forty, he served under Genyū at Fushō-ji for 2\nyears. At forty-six, Genyū Shōden presented him with the robe and futsu. In 1614,\nGenyū entered nirvana. 3 years later, Mitsu’un Engo officially became Abbot of\nRyūchi-ji. In 1627, he was transfered to Kō’e-ji (Kuang-hui Temple) in Chekiang.\n6 years later, he was transferred to Mampuku-ji at Ōbaku (Fukien Province). Later,\nhe stayed at Hōri-ji at Mingchow (Ningpo) and was later transferred to Keitoku-ji at\nTendō, where there were three thousand followers. At seventy-six (1641), he was\nordered to preside at Hō’on-ji, at Nanking. The next year, he visited the Tendai\nmountains. On the seventh day of the seventh moon, he entered nirvana in a sitting\nposition.\n    Hi’in Tsūyō (1593–1661) was a native of Foochow (Fukien Province)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He became a monk when he was 14 years old. He first studied under Jushō Ekei\n(1548–1618) of the Sōtō School, who was Abbot of Hōbō-ji since 1598 and was\ntransferred to Jushō-ji in 1607, when he was 60 years old. At the age of thirty-three,\nHi’in Tsūyō paid a visit to Mitsu’un Engo. Engo kept on striking him with blows,\nwhile Tsūyō kept on saying “Katsu!” At the seventh blow, there came to a point\nwhere the misunderstanding melt away like ice. Engo asked: “When the warm wind\ncomes from the south, there arises a little coolness in the halls and towers (Kaku).\nWhat do you understand?” Tsūyō answered: “Water flowing beside the stone gives\nout coolness; wind blowing from the flower brings fragrance.” Engo: “What is it\nafter you leave this?” Tsūyō: “Give the Chief Priest thirty blows.” Engo: “What do\nyou do besides giving blows?” Tsūyō: “Katsu!” Engo: “You should be ashamed of\nsaying “Katsu!” Tsūyō: “One should recite the gāthā.” At the age of forty-four,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tsūyō lived at the Ōbaku Mountain for 3 years. Afterward, he spent 2 years at\nRenhō-in 莲峰院 (Lotus Peak Temple). At fifty-six, he was at Tendō. At sixty-one,\nhe stayed at Fukugon-ji 福严寺 (Fu Yen Temple) and was later transferred to\nManju-ji 万寿寺 at Hangchow. He entered nirvana at the age of sixty-nine. Hi’in\nTsūyō was the author of “Gyoshō Shū” 渔樵集 (“Fisherman and Woodcutter’s\nCollection”). Tsūyō and Hyakuchi 百痴 jointly compiled “Gotō Gontō” 五灯严统\n(“Strict Lineage of Five Lamps”).\n\f136                                                   13 The Ōbaku School in Japan—Ingen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mitsu’un Engo had two dharma brothers: Gofū Enshin 语风圆信, who compiled\n“Goka Goroku”五家语录 (“Dialogues of the Five Houses”) in 1632, and Ten’in\nEnshū 天隐圆修 (1575–1635). Enshū was at Bansan 磐山, Neehsin 宜兴 (Kiangsu\nProvince), when Gyokurin Tsūshū 玉琳通琇 (1614–1675) came to serve under\nhim. Enshū discussed the story that Hō Koji (d. 811), Baso’s disciple, did not wish\nto be a companion of ten-thousand dharma’s. Gyokurin said:\n      For whom one did not accompany ten-thousand dharma’s?\n      One who did not stand with others became intimate with you.\n      One who intentionally seeks is instantly separated.\n      One who recognizes without preconception is not refuted.\n\n   Enshū then said:\n   Don’t ask yourself not to accompany ten-thousand dharma’s. You must be able to inhale all\n   the water of the West River in one breath."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tsūshū became enlightened on hearing this. In 1660, when Tsūshū was 47 years\nold, the first Emperor Junchi 顺治 (Shun Chih) of the Ch’ing Dynasty summoned\nhim to the Imperial Court. After intensive questions and answers, the Emperor was\nso glad that the honorary title of Daikaku Zenji 大觉禅师 was bestowed upon\nTsūshū. Note that in 1654, the eleventh year of the Junchi era under the reign of the\nCh’ing (Manchu) Dynasty’s first Emperor, Ingen Ryūki went to Japan. As Ingen\nRyūki was Hi’in Tsūyō’s dharma-heir, and Tsūyō and Tsūshū were dharma cou-\nsins, Tsūshū was a distant uncle to Ingen. However, Ingen and Tsūshū were\nactually contemporaries (Tsūshū was 22 years younger than Ingen). In 1661,\nTsūshū was again summoned to Peking by the first Emperor, and he lived to 63\nyears of age. In the seventh moon of 1661, Emperor Junchi felt enlightened, and\nTsūshū was summoned to receive his testimony. The Emperor died in the first\nmonth of 1662.\n   With the above background and some contemporary happenings that were"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "favorable to the development of Zen in China, Ingen Ryūki was to go to Japan and\nto found his own school, later known as the Ōbaku School in Japan.\n   Ingen Ryūki (1592–1673) was a native of Foochow. He was eager to learn since\nhe was 9 years old. He and some schoolmates watched the stars and the moon in the\nnight and became inclined to learn about Buddhism. As his father had left his home\nfor some time, he started at age twenty to look for his father. He traveled to Ningpo\nand Chousan and met a cousin of Lin family. 3 years later, he visited the Pu-Tu\nMountain (Fudasan), saluted the Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), and felt inspired. All\nworldly feelings melted like ice, and he applied to be a helping hand (“tea atten-\ndant”) at Chao-Yin Cave (Cave of Tide-sound).\n   At thirty-six of age, Ingen entered the Ōbaku Mountain (Fukien Province) and\nsaluted Chien Yuan (Kangen) to become a monk. He studied under Mitsu’un Engo\nand then under Hi’in Tsūyō. At the age of forty-seven, he received the Inka from"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tsūyō, making him a dharma-heir in the Rinzai School. At fifty, he resided at the\nŌbaku Mountain (Foochow). At the age of sixty-three, he was invited to go to\n\f13    The Ōbaku School in Japan—Ingen                                                         137"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Japan. Let us refer to Dumoulin’s “A History of Zen Buddhism” (English trans-\nlation by Paul Peachey, 1959, 1963). On pp. 228–231, we quote:\n     The introduction of the Ōbaku sect from China brought a fresh impulse into the stagnant\n     life of Japanese Zen. Actually the exchanges with the Chinese Buddhist temples had never\n     been entirely broken off. With the merchant ships there had continued to come also\n     Buddhist monks with new writings and teachings. Numerous Chinese Zen monks were to\n     be found in the three “temples of bliss” (fukuji) at Nagasaki—Kōfuku-ji, Fukusai-ji, and\n     Sōfuku-ji—and at the Shōfuku-ji temple as well. All these temples were incorporated into\n     the Ōbaku sect during the stay of the Chinese Zen Master Yin-yuan (Japanese: Ingen,\n     d. 1673).\n     Though more than 60 years old, Yin-yuan (Ingen) finally responded to repeated invitations\n     to cross the water to Japan. His disciple Yeh-lan had suffered shipwreck in his passage a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "short while before and died at sea. After his arrival in Japan in 1654, Yin-yuan (Ingen)\n     stayed first in Nagasaki at the Kōfuku-ji temple, but the following year moved on to Kyoto.\n     There he undertook the establishment of a chief temple for his sect on Japanese soil. The\n     foundation was easily achieved and even the government of the shogunate, which as a rule\n     showed little sympathy for Buddhism, took a favorable attitude. The new temple, near Uji\n     in the southeastern part of Kyoto, was named Ōbakusan Mampukuji (Temple of\n     Ten-thousand fold Bliss on Mount Huang-po), following the Chinese pattern.\n     Despite the stringent regulations of the Tokugawa regime, the new sect spread rapidly.\n     Yin-yuan (Ingen) had brought with him about twenty disciples, half of whom, however,\n     returned to China. But the remaining monks were soon reinforced by new arrivals, among\n     them Mu-an (Mokuan, d. 1684), who received from Yin-yuan (Ingen) both the seal of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "enlightenment and the rule of the order. At the outset the majority of the monks were\n     Chinese, but the religious fervor engendered by the new movement soon attracted a rising\n     generation of Japanese followers.\n     One of the outstanding Japanese monks was Tetsugen (1630–1682), a native of Kyushu,\n     who on hearing the fame of Yin-yuan (Ingen) hurried to his temple and eventually attained\n     enlightenment under the guidance of Mu-an. Tetsugen dedicated himself with great energy\n     to the propagation of the Ōbaku sect. He initiated an edition of the sutras which embraced\n     the sacred writings of all the Buddhist sects and comprised 6956 volumes of Chinese\n     woodcut prints. No trace of contempt for the sutras can be found in this master, who\n     considered the propagation of the Buddhist Canon as his main task in life.\n     …\n     The Ōbaku sect has preserved the Chinese spirit in teachings, religious ceremonies, and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "way of life down to the present. The sutras are recited in Chinese intonation of the Ming\n     period, to the accompaniment of Chinese musical instruments. …\n     The introduction of the Ōbaku sect was a mere episode, and the Mampukuji temple and\n     those dependent upon it remained a Chinese island in the Japanese empire."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ingen arrived at Nagasaki in the seventh month of 1654. He resided at Kōfuku-ji\nand then at Sōfuku-ji. The next year he arrived at Edo and stayed at Rinjō-in. He\nmet with the Shōgun and moved to Fumon. Suitable grounds in Kyoto were\nselected to build Mampuku-ji, and the mountain site was named Ōbaku Mountain.\nHe had a large number of dharma disciples and faithful lay followers and lived to\nthe old age of eighty-two. His last gāthā can be translated as follows:\n\f138                                                   13 The Ōbaku School in Japan—Ingen\n\n       The willow-millet (Ryū-zoku) from the west raises a majestic wind.\n       The Ōbaku Mountain stood out of magic through ceaseless effort.\n       To-day my body and my heart both could be put to rest.\n       Suddenly the dharma world was superceded, leaving a great VOID."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sometime before 1654, the Abbot of Kōfuku-ji, Itsunen, went to China to see\nIngen at Ōbaku Mountain (Foochow), asking Ingen to go to Japan. After Ingen’s\narrival at Nagasaki, Tetsushin of the Japanese Sōtō School came to pay his respects.\nIngen was preaching at Fumyō-ji 普明寺 (Settsu). He just picked the word FU and\nelaborated a beautiful Essay, using this word in every sentence. One thousand\npeople listened attentively, and every one was greatly impressed. Ingen was well\nversed in poetry and essays. He wrote one hundred poems after the Tang recluse\nmonk Hanshan. (“Cold Mountain” has been well known in the USA, and his poems\nwere translated into English). His collection of poems and essays were titled\n“Un-Tō Shū” “云涛集” (Collection of Clouds and Waves).\n    Japanese monks Ryūkei Seisen 龙溪性潜, Dokushō Sei’en 独照性圆\n(1628–1694), and Dokuhon Seigen 独本性源 (1616–1687), originally from\nMyōshin-ji, became Ingen’s early disciples. About twenty Chinese monks came to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Japan with the Master. These were as follows: Kōsen Seigeki 高泉性激, Mokuan\n(Bokuan) Seitō 木庵性瑫 (1611–1684), Sokuhi Jo’itsu 即非如一(1616–1671),\nErin Seiki 慧林性机 (1609–1681), Dokutan Seikei 独湛性莹 (1628–1706),\nDokukō Seishi 独吼性狮, Nangen Seiha 南源性派, and Daimi Seizen 大眉性善\n(1616–1673).\n    Mokuan Seitō (1611–1684) was from Chuanchow (Senshū), Fukien Province.\nMokuan and Sokuhi Jo’itsu (1616–1671) were the two most important disciples for\nthe spread of Ingen’s teachings. People said of the trio: “Ingen was the virtue (toku),\nMokuan was the way (Dō), and Sokuhi was ZEN.” At the request of Tetsugo Dōki\n铁牛道机, Mokuan opened the ordination platform (Kaidan), and five thousand\nfaithful followers came to be ordained. Mokuan was founder of Zuishō-ji 瑞圣寺\n(Edo). He lived to 74 years old. Sokuhi Jo’itsu was Ingen’s disciple in Foochow. He\ncame to Japan in 1657 with Donzui 昙瑞. He lived to 1671, the age of fifty-six. His\ndisciples were Senbai Seian 千呆性按 (who came from China) and Hō’un Myōtō\n法云明洞."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "法云明洞.\n    Mokuan had many disciples. Except for the Chinese monks Etsusan Dōsō 悦山\n道宗 and Jigaku Dōshin 慈岳道琛, his Japanese disciples were as follows:\n (1)   Tetsugo Dōki 铁牛道机 (1629–1700)\n (2)   Tetsugan Dōkō 铁眼道光 (1630–1682)\n (3)   Tetsushin Dōban 铁心道胖 (1631–1713)\n (4)   Ekyoku Dōmyō 慧极道明\n (5)   Chō’on Dōkai 潮音道海 (1629–1695)\n (6)   Tetsubun Dōchi 铁文道智\n (7)   Etsuden Dōfu 越传道付\n (8)   Ryōjaku Dōmyō 良寂道明\n (9)   Hōshū Dōchō 宝州道听\n(10)   Ungan Dōgi 云岩道巍\n\f13   The Ōbaku School in Japan—Ingen                                          139"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One can trace from Kōsen Seigeki down to the twelfth generation. Except for\nKōsen, all the descendants along the line were Japanese monks.\n (1)   Kōsen Seigeki 高泉性激\n (2)   E’gyoku Dō’on 怀玉道温\n (3)   Ryō’ō Dōgaku 了翁道觉 (1629–1707)\n (4)   Ninhō Genzen 仁峰元善\n (5)   Katsumin Jōyō 葛民净养\n (6)   Chihon Emmyō 知本衍妙\n (7)   O’seki Nyoken 乌石如显\n (8)   Kokujō Shinkyo 克让真恭\n (9)   Sekika Tsuhō 石华通芳\n(10)   Rensei Kōken 炼成弘坚\n(11)   Shōtō Ninsui 松洞仁翠\n(12)   Kinshi Kō’I 金狮广威\nSimilarly, one can trace from Sokuhi Jo’itsu to the tenth generation.\n (1)   Sekuhi Jo’itsu 即非如一(1616–1671)\n (2)   Hō’un Myōtō 法云明洞\n (3)   Guzen Jitsuchi 愚禅实智\n (4)   Keisan Saisō 桂山际宗\n (5)   Shingan Gentō 心岩玄投\n (6)   Kenju Nyosō 见寿如相\n (7)   Gida Shinryō 义田真了\n (8)   Jakuben Tsūsai 若辨通才\n (9)   Raihō Kōgo 来凤弘梧\n(10)   Shiseki Renju 紫石联珠\nMokuan Seitō (1611–1684) had many lines, among them:\n (1)   Mokuan Seitō 木庵性瑫\n(2a)   Etsuden Dōfu 越传道付\n(3a)   Mukan Genkō 无关元晃\n(4a)   Gyokuhō Jō’in 玉凤净英\n(5a)   Ensei Entsū 圆成衍通\n(6a)   Kakudō Myosō 格堂如宗\n(7a)   Jitsumon Shinchō 实闻真听"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(7a)   Jitsumon Shinchō 实闻真听\n(8a)   Dō’ei Tsūshō 道永通昌\nThe (b) line was exceptional in that all the succeeding five generations were monks\nfrom China.\n (1) Mokuan Seitō\n(2b) Jigaku Dōshin 慈岳道琛\n(3b) Tōran Gentaku 东澜元泽\n\f140                                                       13 The Ōbaku School in Japan—Ingen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(4b) Dokumon Jōhei 独文净炳\n(5b) Zengan Enshō 全岩衍昌\n(6b) Daihō Nyokon 大鹏如鲲\n   In general, Ingen had a large number of Japanese dharma sons and grandsons\nsuch that the Ōbaku School in Japan was firmly established. However, the Rinzai\nSchool and the Sōtō School were well established and fully developed as Japanese\nZen Schools, and these Schools were proud to claim that they represented\nSung-Zen, while the Ōbaku School in Japan represented Ming-Zen.\n   It was instructive at this juncture to read again the quotation from Dumoulin-\nPeachey’s “A History of Zen Buddhism,” p. 228:\n   The introduction of the Ōbaku sect from China brought a fresh impulse into the stagnant\n   life of Japanese Zen…"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On page 231, with the heading “Renewal of Zen,” we quote briefly:\n   A distinct characteristic of the intellectual life of the Tokugawa era was the movement of\n   renewal which sought new life in the heritage of the past. The study of ancient Confucian\n   literature in the Kogaku movement and the Kokugaku sect of Shinto arose from the desire\n   for rebirth by living contact with the sources. Though the capacity for a truly new creativity,\n   in the sense of the European Renaissance, was lacking, the efforts were genuine enough. In\n   Buddhism the striving toward regeneration is mainly discernible in Zen, which at the time\n   occupied a leading role among the Buddhist schools. After the middle of the seventeenth\n   century, notable Zen masters came to the force as reformers and as heralds of new religious\n   life. The healthy piety of the people, never quite extinguished, reponded to a genuine call\n   even in the shallow and hardened society of Tokugawa times. Only a few names from this"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "period can be mentioned here, and all of these are overshadowed by the fame of Hakuin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In concluding this chapter, we note that Ingen Ryūki, a contemporary of Gudō\nTōjitsu (1576–1661) and Shidō Mu’nan (Bu’nan, 1603–1676), brought “a fresh\nimpulse” to Japanese Zen and thus contributed to the renewal of Zen under the\nleadership of Hakuin (1686–1769).\n\n\n\nReference\n\nDumoulin, H. S. J. (1963). A History of Zen Buddhism (P. Peachey Trans.). New York: Pantheon\n  Books.\n\fChapter 14\nThe Sōtō School in Japan—Dōgen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dōgen Kigen (1200–1253) was the founder of the Sōtō School in Japan. The\nlineage from Tōzan Ryōkai (807–869) and Sōzan Honjaku (840–901) to Tendō\nNyojō (1162–1228) was given in Part I, Chap. 7. Starting from Tōzan Ryōkai, we\ncan start with three branches:\n (1)   Tōzan Ryōkai (807–869)\n(2a)   Sōzan Honjaku (840–901)\n(2b)   Ungo Dōyō (d. 902)\n(2c)   Kyūhō Fuman Daishi\n(3a)   Sōzan Eka\n(3b)   Dō’an Dōhai (889–953)\n(3c)   Dō’an I\nNote that according to Keitoku-dentō-roku, Vols. 20–23, Dō’an Dōhai had no\ndharma-heirs. However, Kyūhō Fuman Daishi had a dharma-heir Dō’an I. (Vol. 20).\nDō’an I’s dharma-heir was Dō’an Kanshi (Vol. 23). Then, Dō’an Kanshi had a\ndharma-heir Ryōsan Enkan (Vol. 24). Other books (which were later than\nKeitoku-dentō-roku) gave Dō’an Kanshi as Do’an Dohai’s dharma-heir, which was\ncontrary to the records in Keitoku-dentō-roku.\n   It was well established that although the Sōtō School in China was named after\nMaster Tōzan and Master Sōzan, who was Tōzan’s disciple, Sōzan Honjaku’s direct"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "lineage did not go very far in the history of Zen. Similarly, although Ungo Dōyō\nand his disciple and dharma-heir Dō’an Dōhai were eminent Zen masters, it was\nunnecessary that Dō’an Kanshi should be put under their direct line. After the above\ndiscussion, the lineage from Tōzan on is given as follows:\n   (1) Tōzan Ryōkai (2) Kyūhō Fuman\n       (807–869)\n   (3) Dō’an I      (4) Dō’an Kanshi\n   (5) Ryōsan Enkan (6) Daiyō Keigen\n                        (943–1027)\n   (7) Tōsu Gisei   (8) Fuyō Dōkai\n       (1032–1083)      (1043–1118)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                    141\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_14\n\f142                                               14   The Sōtō School in Japan—Dōgen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(9) Tanka Shijun        (10) Chōro Seiryō\n        (1064–1119)              (1090–1151)\n   (11) Tendō Sōkaku        (12) Soku’an Chikan\n        (1091–1162)              (1105–1192)\n   (13) Tendō Nyojō         (14) Dōgen Kigen\n        (1162–1228)              (1200–1253)\nIt may be mentioned that Daiyō Keigen met Fusan Hō’on (Enkan Daishi, 991–\n1067) and wished that Fusan could be his dharma-heir, but Fusan declined, because\nhe had already promised his teacher: Yōken Kisei, to continue his dharma-line.\nThen, Daiyō entrusted Fusan to find a dharma-heir on his behalf. So Daiyō passed\naway in 1027 without a dharma-heir. Tōsu Gisei was born in 1032. As he grew\nolder, he went into Fusan’s mountain retreat to salute him. Fusan dreamed about a\nblue bird. So as soon as Gisei (meaning “righteous blue”) arrived, he was happy to\nreceive the young visitor. Fusan accepted Gisei as his student. After several years,\nFusan found out that Gisei was worthy to be Daiyō’s dharma-heir. Then, Fusan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "gave Tōsu Gisei Daiyō’s robe, etc., and made him Daiyō’s dharma-heir. The story\nwas well known, and Tōsu Gisei was honored with the title “Myōzoku Daishi”\n(meaning “Master of Miraculous Continuity”).\n   Fuyō Dōkai had two important disciples: Tanka Shijun (1064–1119), whose\nfollowers remained in the southeastern part of China, and Rokumon Jikaku (d.\n1117), whose followers flourished in northern China. From Rokumon Jikaku, a\ndirect lineage of some twenty generations would lead to Shinetsu Kōchū (1642–\n1696), who went to Japan in 1677, some 560 years later.\n   Tanka Shijun’s disciples could form two branches: (a) Chōro (Shinketsu) Seiryō\nand his descendants leading to Dōgen Kigen; (b) Wanshi Shōkaku and his\ndescendants. The (b) line continues as follows:\n   (10b) Wanshi Shōkaku         (11b) Jōji Eki\n         (1091–1157)                  (1097–1183)\n   (12b) Myōkyoku Eso           (13b) Tōkoku Myōkō\n                                      (d.1251)\n   (14b) Jiki’ō Tokukyo         (15b) Tōmyō E’nichi"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1272–1340)\nTōmyō E’nichi went to Japan in 1308 and became the Founder of the Tōmyō Sect.\nJiki’ō Tokukyo had another disciple, Ungai Unshū, whose disciple was Tōryō\nEisho (d. 1365), who went to Japan in 1351 and became the Founder of the Tōryō\nSect.\n   Dōgen Kigen (1200–1253) was a native of Kyoto. His father, Kuga Michichika,\nheld high government office; his mother came from the distinguished Fujuwara\nfamily. Unfortunately, his father passed away in 1202, when Dōgen was 2 years of\nage. His mother saw it fit to give her son early literary training. At the age of four,\nhe read his first Chinese poems. He lost his mother when he was only seven. On her\ndeathbed, the mother urged him to take up the monastic life, to follow the Dharma,\nand to labor for the salvation of all sentient beings.\n\f14   The Sōtō School in Japan—Dōgen                                               143"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After his mother’s death, he was adopted by an older brother of his mother, who\nwanted him to become his heir and successor. When he was 12 years of age, Dōgen\nfled from his uncle’s house to Mount Hiei, where a younger uncle lived as a hermit\nand engaged in Buddhist studies and esoteric practices. In 1213, he was ordained a\nBuddhist monk by Kōen, the Chief Abbot of the Tendai School.\n   On Mount Hiei, he devoted himself to the religious life and to the study of the\nsacred writings. He began to question the relationship between the Buddha-nature\nand enlightenment or between innate and acquired enlightenment. He took his\nproblem to the famous monk Kōin (1145–1216) of the Tendai temple Miidera on\nLake Biwa. Kōin was then at an advanced age, and directed him to Eisai, who was\nthe founder of the Rinzai School in Japan.\n   When he was fifteen, he met with Myōan Eisai, the Abbot of Kennin-ji, who was\nthen 74 years of age. Eisai was impressed by the earnest youth and gave him some"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "personal instructions. Eisai, who was honored by the title Zenkō Zenji 千光禅师,\nentered nirvana the next year (1215) on the fifth day of the seventh month at\nJufuku-ji. Eisai’s dharma-heir, Dōju Myōzen, succeeded Eisai as the Abbot of\nKennin-ji. Myōzen knew intimately the Tendai and Kegon teachings and gave\nDōgen proper guidance and instructions. Officially, it was on the twenty-fifth day of\nthe eighth month in 1217 that Dōgen became Myōzen’s dharma student. On the\ntwelfth day of the ninth month in 1221, Myōzen accepted Dōgen as his dharma\ndisciple. In 1223, on the twenty-second day of the second month, Myōzen left\nKyoto with Dōgen to start their journey to visit Sung-China. As the records showed,\nMyōzen and Dōgen left Hakuta after the twenty-first day of the third month and\narrived at Mingchow (Ningpo), China, before the tenth day of the fourth month.\n(The journey across the sea took about twenty days.)\n   Dōgen remained temporarily on board ship. He met a Chinese monk who came"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to the city to buy provisions. Dōgen invited him to visit the ship, but the monk\ndeclined the invitation as he must hurry back to the Monastery to do his kitchen\nwork. Dōgen was greatly impressed.\n   Sometime in the seventh month (1223), Myōzen and Dōgen went up the Tendō\nMountain and were put up at the Keitoku-ji (Ching-Te Temple) under Abbot Musai\nRyōha 无际了派, who was a dharma-heir of Busshō Tokkō 佛照德光 (1121–\n1203). Later, they visited the Kōri-ji (Kwang-li Temple) at Mount Yu-Wang\n(Iku’ō). In the winter of 1224, Dōgen began to travel alone to different places and\nvisited the Chinese masters in the temples. He was particularly interested in the\nlineage of different masters and the stories concerning the granting of the Inkas. (An\nInka was a certificate with a seal and signature of the Master who accepted the\ndisciple as satisfactory in the transmission of Dharma.)\n   When Dōgen was ready to go back to Japan, he went to Tendō to meet Myōzen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the way, he heard that Master Nyojō had succeeded Master Musai Ryōha as\nAbbot at Keitoku-ji. So he decided to serve under Nyojō and receive his dharma\ninstructions. In 1225, on the first day of the fifth month, Dōgen met with Abbot\nNyojō. He was to serve under Nyojō for the next 3 years. Unfortunately, on the\n\f144                                                     14   The Sōtō School in Japan—Dōgen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "twenty-seventh day of the seventh month in 1225, Myōzen passed away at Tendō.\nOn the eighteenth day of the ninth month, Dōgen was ordained by Master Nyojō.\n   In Dumoulin-Peachey’s A History of Zen Buddhism, a whole chapter was\ndevoted to “The Zen Master Dōgen” (pp. 151–174). To quote the beginning:\n  More than any other religious figure in Japanese history, the Zen Master Dōgen (1200–\n  1253) has evoked attention and admiration in modern times. Not only the faithful of the\n  Sōtō sect but Buddhists of all schools venerate him as a Bodhisattva and hold him up as an\n  example. Philosophers derive inspiration from the ‘incomparable depth of his thinking’\n  which ‘points the way to contemporary philosophy.’ Many are proud of this ‘unique\n  religious personality, arisen from the very heart of Japanese culture,’ as the embodiment of\n  the best elements in the Japanese genius. Indeed, it may well be that Dōgen is the strongest\n  and most original thinker that Japan has so far produced…"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nyojō must be an extraordinary teacher to such a disciple. Herewith, we quote\nDōgen’s testimony (pp. 155–6)\n  My deceased Master, Ju-ching of Tien-tung-szu, as Abbot of the temple, censured those\n  who had fallen asleep during the meditation exercise in the Zen Hall. He kicked them with\n  his shoe and scold them with insulting words. And yet all the monks lauded him for having\n  struck them. Once he spoke to them in the hall as follows: ‘I am now growing old and\n  should retire from the community into a hermitage to nurse my old bones. But since I know\n  the community, I remain in office in order to help each one to break through his passions.\n  For this reason, I chastise with insulting words or strike with the bamboo rod. This saddens\n  me. But it is to carry out discipline in the place of the Buddha. Brothers, forgive me!’\n  Thereupon all the monks wept."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The important story followed:\n  Once more the monks were seated in nightime meditation. One of them had gone to\n  sleep. Ju-ching noticed him and remarked, “In Zen, body and mind are cast off. Why do\n  you sleep?” On hearing this, enlightenment suddenly broke upon Dōgen. He rushed to the\n  Dharma Hall, kindled some incense, and gave thanks to the Buddha. Convinced of the\n  genuineness of Dōgen’s enlightenment, Ju-ching rejoiced. Dōgen, liberated from all illu-\n  sion, passion, and ego-clinging, exulted in the freedom of an enlightened one."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was in 1227, Master Nyojō gave him the Inka (mind-seal), certifying Dōgen as\nhis dharma-heir. The Master also gave him a robe (kesa) of Master Fuyō Dōkai,\nwho was Nyojō’s fifth-generation dharma ancestor. Dōgen was again free to travel\nto other temples in China. In the eighth month of 1227, Dōgen wrote the first draft\nof Fukan Zazen Gi 普劝坐禅仪 (Admonition to all on the Ceremony of\nSitting-Meditation). However, as Master Nyojō became weak and sick due to\nadvanced age, Dōgen returned soon to take care of the old dharma teacher.\n    The year 1228 corresponded to the first year of the Shaoting era under Emperor\nLi-Tsung (Sung Dynasty) and to the second year of the Antei era under the\nJapanese Emperor Gohorikawa Tennō. On the seventh day of the seventh month,\nTendō Nyojō entered nirvana at the age of sixty-six. Dōgen and his dharma\nbrothers, Zuigan Gi’on and others, attended the funeral ceremonies. In the same\nyear, Dōgen went back to Japan, bringing Myōzen’s remains with him. He stayed at"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "14    The Sōtō School in Japan—Dōgen                                                             145"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kennin-ji for a while, but he found that the temple was not quite enough for his\nmeditation and writings. So in 1230, when he was 31 years of age, he moved to\nAnyō-in, near Fukakusa. In 1231, he wrote Ben-do-wa (Conversation on Tao). To\nquote from Bendowa 辨道话 (See Dumoulin-Peachey: A History of Zen Buddhism,\np. 166):\n     In Buddhism, practice and enlightenment are one and the same. Since practice has its basis\n     in enlightenment, the practice even of the beginner contains the whole of original\n     enlightenment. Thus while giving directions as to the exercise, (the Zen master) warns him\n     not to await enlightenment apart from the exercise, because this (the exercise) points\n     directly to the original enlightenment. Since enlightenment is already contained in the\n     exercise, there is no end to enlightenment, and since it is the exercise of enlightenment, it\n     has no beginning."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This exercise was meant to be “zazen” in Dōgen’s sense. Dōgen thus answered his\nown question about the relationship between “innate and acquired enlightenment.”\nNote that Bendowa was the first chapter of his great life work Shōbōgenzō\n(Treasure of Knowledge Regarding the True Dharma). Soon after, he moved to a\nlarger building called the Kannondori-in on the site of the adjacent decrepit\nGokuraki-ji (1233). There his most faithful disciple, Ko’un Ejō (1198–1280), came\nto follow him. As the records showed, Dōgen founded Kōshō-ji at Uji in 1233 and\nmade a clear copy (final and revised version) of Fukan-zazengi. In 1234, he finished\nwriting Gakudō Yōshin Shū (On Learning the Tao and Using the Mind). On the\nfifteenth day of the eighth month, Dōgen ordained Ejō. In 1235, Dōgen wrote Sōdō\nKanshin So (Comments on Advising to Enter the Buddha-Hall). In 1236, the\nKōshō-ji had its official opening, and Ko’un Ejō was elevated to be the Chief Priest\n(Shuza) on New Year’s Eve. Ejō helped the Master to record his writings on"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shōbōgenzō, a life-work of seventy-five volumes which Dōgen finished in 1253.\nEjō also recorded his own evening conversations with the Master in his Shōbōgenzō\nZuimonki (see English translation by Reiho Masunage in A Primer of Sōtō Zen, The\nUniversity Press of Hawai’i, 1971, 1975).\n   In 1242, Nyojō’s dharma-heirs in China, headed by Zuigan Gi’on, compiled\nNyojō’s Dialogues and asked Dōgen to write a postscript. Dōgen recorded some\nimportant questions and answers (Mondō) between Nyojō and Dōgen, which were\nof historical significance.\n   In 1243, he was invited by Hatano Yoshishige to move to Fukui. In 1244,\nEihei-ji, the principal temple of the Japanese Sōtō School, had its official opening\non the eighteenth day of the seventh month. The temple was originally called\nDaibutsu-ji, but the name was officially changed to Eihei-ji on the fifteenth day of\nthe sixth month in 1246.\n   Dōgen finished writing sixteen volumes of Shōbōgenzō in 1243 and twenty-four"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "volumes in 1244. Just like his teacher, Master Nyojō of Tendō, Dōgen was not\ninterested in personal fame or honor. The Shōgun Hōjō Tokiyuri (1227–1263)\nin 1247 sent a special emissary to invite Dōgen to visit Kamakura. Although\nTokiyuri promised to build a big temple for Dōgen, Dōgen went back to Fukui after\na stay of seven months.\n\f146                                                        14   The Sōtō School in Japan—Dōgen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 1250, the second year of the Kenchō era under the reign of Gifukakusa Tennō,\nthe retired Emperor Gosaga Tennō, presented the “purple robe” to Master Dōgen,\nthe highest honor to a Zen Priest from the Imperial throne. In 1253, on the four-\nteenth day of the seventh month, Dōgen let Ko’un Ejō be his successor as Abbot of\nEihei-ji and gave him a ceremonial robe (kesa) stitched by himself. (One recalls that\nDōgen got Fuyō Dōkai’s Kesa from Master Tendō Nyojō.) On the fifth day of the\neighth month (1253), Dōgen moved to Saido-in at the urging of Hatano Yoshishige.\nTwenty-three days later, Dōgen entered nirvana. Emperor Meiji bestowed the title\nof Shōyō Daishi 承阳大师 on him posthumously.\n   In the biographical records of Dōgen, we have followed the lunar calendar. The\nday of his passing would correspond to August 28, 1253, in the solar calendar.\nDōgen left posterity with two last poems (see Dumoulin-Peachey: A History of\nZen Buddhism, p. 159). The English translation is given below:\n      On leaf and grass"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On leaf and grass\n      Awaiting the morning sun\n      the dew melts quickly away.\n      Haste thee not, O autumn wind\n      who dost now stir in the fields.\n      To what indeed shall I liken\n      The world and the life of man?\n      Ah, the shadow of the moon,\n      When it touches in the drop of dew\n      The beak of the waterfowl."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dōgen as an original religious thinker must be given great emphasis, as\nexpressed ably by Dumoulin. The following quotations are taken from Peachey’s\nEnglish translation (pp. 168–171):\n   The unity of practice and enlightenment is rooted in the one Buddha-nature. Just as the\n   Neo-Platonists boasted of their monistic metaphysical system as the crowning achievement\n   of all Greek wisdom, so Dōgen and his disciples saw in the monistic doctrine of zazen,\n   which embraced both metaphysics and ordinary phenomena, the essence of all Buddhism.\n   Since the Buddha Law and zazen are not two but one, it is enough to say zazen or, as Dōgen\n   says with subtle nuance, “to know zazen as zazen.” “Even though one should know zazen\n   as the Buddha Law, yet if he does not comprehend zazen as zazen, how then can he know\n   the Buddha Law as Buddha Law?” Everything is comprehended in zazen.\n   The enlightened one experiences himself further in his unity with nature and mankind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dōgen’s love for nature was nourished by his enlightened vision. In the kōan exercise,\n   which Dōgen does not reject but merely relegates to secondary importance, he wishes the\n   student not to strive desperately to penetrate the paradox. Rather, the student is asked to\n   grasp in the concrete problem of the kōan, the great problem of the universe. As he sits\n   undisturbed in the solitude of nature, he experiences the unity of all things which is the\n   solution of all kōan problems.\n   The experience of unity extends itself into life. All things are transparent to the enlightened\n   one who sees the One in all things. For him, there is no longer a distinction between the\n   “wonderful” and the “ordinary.” The wonderful world of which all the sutras speak is this\n   ordinary world which spreads before our eyes, a world of trees, grass, and flowers, of\n   mountains, streams, and oceans…\n\f14    The Sōtō School in Japan—Dōgen                                                            147"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "…\n     …Dōgen explains: “All being is the Buddha-nature. A part of all being we call ‘sentient\n     beings’. Within and without these sentient beings there is the sole being of the\n     Buddha-nature.” From this view Dōgen derives the equation of being and time. All being is\n     fused with time. Apart from time there is no being. To exist is to become. “When we say\n     being and time, time is already being. All being is time.” (See Shōbōgenzō, Section “Uji.”)\n     Time is the motion of absolute being. The juxtaposition of objects in the universe corre-\n     sponds to the juxtaposition of points in time. Dōgen sketches this relationship concretely:\n     “Colors are not limited to flowers, for all times likewise have their colors, such as blue,\n     yellow, white, etc. Spring draws the flowers after it, while the flowers also draw the\n     springtime.” (See Shōbōgenzō, Section “Kuge.”)\n     In this connection, time is accorded neither substance nor continuity. Like objects, moments"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of time stand side by side in the universe. Every moment is self-contained. In every\n     moment, only the present exists without relationship to past or future. For this reason,\n     Dōgen admonishes, “You must fix your heart on the exercise only today in this moment,\n     without losing the light of time.” (Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki, Vol. II, No. 14.) The now is\n     absolute. Just as Buddha is contained in the tiniest particle, and the whole is present in\n     every grain of rice or drop of water, so the whole of enlightenment is contained in every\n     moment. Therefore, every moment of exercise is of infinite worth. To the enlightened one,\n     the whole life is but a single unadulterated exercise. To the one who practices, the Buddha\n     innate in original enlightenment comes into being at every moment of time. To experience\n     one’s fleeting life without illusion and in accordance with the truth of the Buddha is to\n     actualize the present in the present. This and nothing else is Zen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In concluding a special chapter on Dōgen, Dumoulin said:\n     The Zen Master Dōgen is a towering figure in Japanese Buddhism and a sympathetic and\n     attractive personality to boot. Of incorruptible integrity, he combined a sharp and pene-\n     trating mind with sincere devoutness. His noble qualities won him many friends and\n     disciples even after his death. He belongs among the great creative figures of mankind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Paul Peachey’s English translation, p. 174.)\n   Dōgen’s dharma-heirs were as follows: Ko’un Ejō 孤云怀奘 (1198–1280), Ekan\n怀鉴, Sōkai 僧海, Zen’e 诠慧, and Ryōnen Hōmyō 了然法明 (d. 1251). Ko’un Ejō\nwas the great grandson of a prominent official (Fujiwara family). He became the\nsecond-generation Abbot of Eihei-ji and lived to 83 years of age. Ejō’s disciples\nwere as follows: (1) Tettsū Gikai 彻通义介 (1219–1309), (2) Hōkyō Jaku’en 宝庆\n寂圆 (1207–1299), (3) Gi’en 义演 (d. 1314), (4) Gi’un 义云, (5) Bussō 佛僧, and\n(6) Dōson 道存 (d. 1289). Tettsū became a monk at Mount Hiei when he was 13\nyears of age. He visited Dōgen at Kōshō-ji in 1241. Later, he moved with Dōgen to\nEihei-ji. In 1259, he went to China and stayed there for 4 years. In 1267, he became\nthe third-generation Abbot of Eihei-ji. He was honorary founder of Daiji-ji at\nKumamoto and lived to 91 years of age.\n   Note that in 1241, Ekan, Tettsū Gikai, Kangan Gi’in 寒岩义尹, and Gi’en left\nKakuan of Tamu-hō to become disciples of Dōgen at Kōshō-ji. (Kakuan was a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "disciple of Dainichi Nōnin.) Gikai and Gi’en became Ejō’s disciples. Kangan Gi’in\n(1217–1300) became Tettsū’s disciple.\n   Tettsū Gikai (1219–1309) had two principal dharma-heirs: (1) Keizan Shōkin\n莹山绍瑾 (1268–1325) and (2) Kangan Gi’in. Kangan Gi’in was a prince, the son\n\f148                                                       14    The Sōtō School in Japan—Dōgen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of Gotoba Tennō (r. 1183–98). He learned the Tendai teachings at Mount Hiei, and\nwas ordained at the age of sixteen. When Dōgen came back to Japan from China,\nKangan visited him at Kōshō-ji. Kangan served under Dōgen for 20 years and\nfollowed Dōgen to Eihei-ji. In 1252, when Kangan was 36 years of age, he went to\nSung-China. The next year, Dōgen passed away, and Kangan came back to Japan to\npay his last respects to Master Dōgen. He became a disciple of Ko’un Ejō for ten\nyears. In 1262, he made his second trip to China, studying under Mugai (Zuigan)\nGi’on 无外义远, Dōgen’s dharma brother, Taikō Tokunei 退耕德宁, and Kidō\nChigu (1185–1269). Kangan Gi’in brought Dialogues of Dōgen to China and asked\nMugai Gi’on to write a preface and asked Taikō and Kidō to write postscripts.\nTaikō Tokunei wrote as follows:\n   When wind arises from the great sea, there are thousand waves and ten-thousand billows,\n   with infinite changes and modes. From the writings of Dōgen Zenji in Japan, the same\n   situation has been realized."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kidō Chigu, the famous teacher of Nampo Jōmyō, wrote as follows:\n   When Reverend Gi’in brought Dōgen Oshō’s Eiheishū from Japan, one sees the con-\n   structive ideas in depth and distance, and yet they do not fall into the pitfalls of language…"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kangan went back to Japan in 1226 and sailed on the same ship which Nampo\nJōmyō took on his return journey. Since Kangan Gi’in also visited Kidō, Kangan\nand Nampo must have met in China. After his return, Kangan resided at Shōfuku-ji\n圣福寺 (Bakuta) for 3 years. In 1269, Gi’in founded Daiji-ji at Kumamoto and\nmade his teacher, Tettsū Gikai, its honorary founder. Kangan resided at Daiji-ji for\n15 years. He lived to 84 years of age.\n   Hōkyō Jaku’en (1207–1299) was a disciple of Nyojō and came to Japan with\nDōgen. After Dōgen’s passing, he became a disciple of Ko’un Ejo. In 1261, when\nhe was 55 years of age, he retreated from Eihei-ji to Jinwan Hō (Silver Bowl Peak),\nFukui, and meditated for 18 years. His dharma-heir was Gi’un (1253–1333), who\nsucceeded Jaku’en as Abbot of Hōkyō-ji. Later Gi’un became the fifth Abbot of\nEihei-ji, succeeding Gi’en, who was a disciple of Ko’un Ejo. Gi’un remained at\nEihei-ji for more than 10 years, and lived to 81 years of age."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At Eihei-ji, the second-generation Abbot was Ko’un Ejō. The third-generation\nAbbot was Tettsū Gikai, Ko’un’s disciple, and dharma-heir. Tettsū left Eihei-ji and\nresided at Daijō-ji. Then, Tettsū Gikai’s dharma brother Gi’en became the Fourth\nAbbot of Eihei-ji. Later, Gi’en was succeeded by Gi’un as the Fifth Abbot of\nEihei-ji. Since Gikai, Gi’en, and Jaku’en were dharma brothers, Gi’un was a\ndharma nephew of Gikai and Gi’en.\n   In the history of Sōtō Zen, Ko’un was considered as the Second Patriarch and\nTettsū Gikai was considered as the Third Patriach. Then, Keizan Shōkin (Jōkin),\nTettsū Gikai’s able dharma-heir, was definitely recognized as the Fourth Patriarch.\nKeizan Shōkin brought Sōtō Zen to a new height, as well as to a much broader base\nfor attracting followers. Keizan and his disciples are the subject of the next chapter\n(Chap. 15).\n\fChapter 15\nKeizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Keizan Shōkin (1268–1325) was considered as Taiso of the Sōtō School in Japan,\nwhile Dōgen Kigen was considered as Kōso of the Sōtō School. “Tai” means\n“great” and “Kō” means “high.” Keizan was a native of Fukui. He served under\nKoun Ejō (1198–1280) since he was 8 years old. He received Buddhist confir-\nmation (jukai) at the age of thirteen. He started to travel at eighteen. He visited\nHōkyō Jaku’en 宝庆寂圆 (1207–1299), who came to Japan from China with\nDōgen. He learned the Tendai teachings at Mount Hiei and was enlightened by\nShinchi Kakushin 心地觉心 (1207–1298), who was a disciple of the Chinese\nMaster, Mumon Ekai (author of “Mumonkan,” 1183–1260). In 1294, when he was\n29 years old, he became the dharma-heir of Tettsū Gikai 彻通义介 (1219–1309),\nwho visited Sung-China. The monks at Eihei-ji were troubled by the difference of\nopinion between Gikai and his dharma brother Gi’en 义圆 (d. 1314). Gikai left\nEihei-ji, and Gi’en became the fourth Abbot of Eihei-ji. According to official"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "records, Dōgen was the founder of Eihei-ji, Koun Ejō was the second Abbot, and\nTettsū Gikai was the third Abbot. Gi’en was succeeded by Gi’un 义云 (1253–\n1333), the disciple of Koun’s dharma brother, Hōkyō Jakuen (1207–1299). Since\nGikai and Gi’en were both dharma grandsons of Dōgen, Tettsū Gikai was con-\nsidered as the Third Patriach, succeeding the Second Patriarch Koun Ejō. Then\nKeizan Shōkin (Jōkin) became the Fourth Patriarch of the Sōtō School. (See for\ninstance, “Zen Dust” by Isshū Miura and Ruth Fuller Sasaki, p. 19.)\n   Gikai resided at Daijō-ji 大乘寺 (The “Great Vehicle” Temple). It was Gikai’s\ndisciple, Keizan Shōkin, who expanded the Eihei-ji Group into the Sōtō-shū Group\nand developed the Sōtō School to great influence and high prestige. To quote from\n“Zen Dust,” p. 19:\n   Under Keizan Jōkin (1268–1325), fourth patriarch of the sect, the kōan was completely\n   discarded, in theory at least, and zealous efforts were made to give Japanese Sōtō Zen a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "widespread and popular appeal. Nevertheless, the study of kōans and of the kōan collec-\n   tions of the Sōtō masters of Sung has continued to play an important part in Sōtō training,\n   though undoubtedly the masters of the sect have handled this teaching device in a some-\n   what different manner than have the masters of Japanese Rinzai Zen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From “Zen Dust,” p. 354:\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                149\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_15\n\f150                                                                15   Keizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Denkō Roku”—The Record of the Transmission of the Light, by Keizan Jōkin (1268–\n   1325), fourth patriarch of the Japanese Sōtō sect. Edited by one of his disciples: in 2 kan,\n   first published in 1857.\n   This is a Japanese Sōtō Sect biographical compilation patterned after the Keitoku dentō\n   roku. The work, written in Japanese with inserted passages of kambun (Chinese), opens\n   with a life of Shakyamuni and continues through the line of Indian and Chinese patriarchs\n   accepted by the Japanese Sōtō School up to and including the 50th patriarch, the Chinese\n   master Tien-tung Ju-ching (Tendō Nyojō, 1163–1228). It concludes with biographies of\n   Dōgen Kigen (1200–1253), founder of Japanese Sōtō, and his heir Koun Ejō (1198–1280),\n   the 51st and 52nd patriarchs respectively. The preface, written for the edition published in\n   1857, includes a short biography of Keizan Jōkin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now we return to the story about the Fourth Patriach, Keizan. Under the instruction\nof Tettsū Gikai, Keizan studied under Tōsan Tanshō 东山湛照 (1231–1291) and\nHaku’un Egyō 白云慧晓 (1223–1297), both disciples of Shōichi Enji. Keizan\nresided at Daishō-ji 大圣寺, and later at Daiji-ji 大慈寺, founded by Keizan’s\ndharma brother, Kangan Gi-in (1217–1300). He edited the “Denkō-roku,” patterned\nafter the “Keitoku dentō roku.” After 10 years, Keizan let his disciple, Myōhō\nSotetsu 明峰素哲 (1277–1350), preside over Daijō-ji 大乘寺. (Note that the\nfounder of Daijō-ji could be Tettsū Gikai. The founder of Daiji-ji, Kangan Gi-in,\nwas a prince, became a disciple of Tettsū Gikai, and visited Sung-China. His\nlineage will be reported later.)\n   During his retreat at Jōjū-ji 净住寺, he started to build Sōji-ji 总持寺 at\nSekigawa. After a stay of 4 years at Sōji-ji, Keizan was succeeded by another\ndisciple, Gasan Shōseki 峨山绍硕 (1274–1365). Keizan moved to Eikō-ji 永光寺,\nbuilt by his lady disciple, nun Sonin 祖忍尼, and her husband, Shinjiki 信直, and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "stayed there for another 4 years. Then Myōhō Sotetsu became the Abbot of Eikō-ji.\nIn 1325, at the age of fifty-eight, Keizan entered nirvana at Eikō-ji. On the fifteenth\nday of the eighth month, he left the following gāthā:\n      I plowed and I planted the leisure ground.\n      For several times I sold and I bought anew.\n      Seedlings and saplings flourished without limit.\n      Seen on the dharma platform was a man with a plough."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dōgen left posterity with ninety-five volumes of Shōbōgenzō, and emphasized that\nthe temples should be the zendō (Zen Halls) for zazen (sitting in meditation). At that\ntime, many Rinzai masters were well versed not only in Zen teachings but also in\nMikkyō 密教 (Shingon shū 真言宗 belonged to Mikkyō). Keizan, through his\ncontacts with the Rinzai masters Tōsan Tanshō and Haku’un Egyō, adopted some\nof the “flavor” of Mikkyō into Sōtō Zen. He held prayer meetings for the faithful\nfollowers and gave Japanese Sōtō Zen “a widespread and popular appeal.” The\nkōan was discarded in theory, but the masters of Sōtō “handled this teaching device\nin a somewhat different manner.”\n   Keizan’s two principal dharma-heirs were: Myōhō (Meihō) Sotetsu and Gasan\nShōseki. Myōhō was the founder of Kōzen-ji 光禅寺, visited Yuan-China for 11\nyears and lived to the age of seventy-four. He had more than twenty disciples, and\nthey were known as the Myōhō-ha 明峰派 (Group or line). Gasan Shōseki was in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "15    Keizan and His Disciples                                                                     151"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "charge of Sōji-ji for 40 years. He had twenty-five notable disciples, and they were\nknown as Gasan-ha 峨山派 (Group or line). We must not forget to remind our-\nselves that while the Gasan line considered Sōji-ji as their base, the Myōhō line\nconsidered Eikō-ji as their base. Although both Eihei-ji and Sōji-ji were considered\nas Dai Hon San of the Sōtō School, Sōji-ji became more important than Eihei-ji.\nSōji-ji was recently moved to Tsurumi 鹤见, near Yokohama 横浜.\n   Keizan had another disciple, Gida Daichi 只陀大智 (1290–1366), who served\nunder Kangan Gi’in 寒岩义尹. Daichi studied under Nampo Jōmyō and then under\nKeizan. He went to Yuan-China in 1314, when he was 25 years old, and returned in\n1325. He accompanied Myōhō Sotetsu in this long journey and became Myōhō’s\ndharma-heir. He resided at Shōgo-ji 圣护寺 and lived to the age of seventy-seven.\nHe was a great poet and left many poems.\n   In Apirl 1974, Sōji-ji was celebrating the six hundred and fiftieth anniversary in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "memory of Keizan Shōkin. There were the representatives of fifteenth thousand\ntemples and eight million faithful followers who came from all places to pay their\nrespects to Keizan. During the assembly, a miracle happened. It was discovered that\nthe “real body” (“shinshin”) of Master Sekitō Kisen (700–790) was among the\nexhibitions. So in June 1975, Sekitō was enshrined in a place of honor at Sōji-ji, at\nTsurumi, near Yokohama.\n   Dōgen was aware of the existence of the Five Schools of Zen, but he stuck to\nSōtō-Zen—or Mokushō Zen. Keizan recognized all the Five Schools of Zen, and\npraised the special features of different schools. In this spirit, he used the method of\nKanna Zen in a modified way. He edited one hundred examples of “kōan” with his\nown commentaries. However, he paid high respect to the “Five Ranks,” developed\noriginally by Tōzan and Sōzan.\n   Gasan Shōseki (1274–1365) was the Abbot of Daijō-ji at the age of twenty-nine"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1302). He emphasized the cultivation of Dō (the Way) and revitalized the thinking\n(philosophy) of the “Five Ranks.” From now on, the central doctrine of Gasan Zen\nwas not Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō, but Tōzan’s “Five Ranks.”\n   To quote from Alan W. Watts in his The Way of Zen, p. 103:\n     Yet in the late Tang Dynasty the genius and vitality of Zen was such that it was coming to\n     be the dominant form of Buddhism in China, though its relation to other schools was often\n     very close… This extremely subtle and mature form of Mahayana philosophy (from\n     Avatamsaka Sutra) was employed by Tung-shan (Tōzan, 807–869) in developing the\n     doctrine of the Five Ranks (wu-wei or in Japanese, go-i), concerning the fivefold rela-\n     tionship of the absolute (cheng or shō) and the relative (p’ien or hen), and was related by his\n     student Tsao-shan (Sōzan, 840–901) to the philosophy of the I Ching, the Book of Changes.\n     …"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Further on, pp. 160–1, and 167–8:\n     The kōan system as it exists to-day is largely the work of Hakuin (1685–1768), a for-\n     midable and immensely versatile master, who gave it a systematic organization so that the\n     complete course of Zen study in the Rinzai School is divided into six stages. There are, first,\n     five groups of kōan: 1. Hōsshin, or Dharmakaya kōan. … 2. Kikan, or “cunning barrier”\n     kōan. … 3. Gonsen, or “investigation of words” kōan. … 4. Nanto, or “hard to penetrate”\n     kōan. 5. Goi, or “Five Ranks” kōan. …\n\f152                                                                    15   Keizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The final group of kōan are concerned with the “Five Ranks” (goi)—a schematic view of\n     the relations between relative knowledge and absolute knowledge, thing-events (shih 事)\n     and underlying principle (li 理). The originator of the scheme was Tung-shan (807–869),\n     but it arises from the contacts of Zen with the Hua-yen (Kegon) School, and the doctrine of\n     the Five Ranks is closely related to that of the fourfold Dhamadhatu. The Ranks are often\n     represented in terms of the relative positions of lord and servant or host and guest, standing\n     respectively for the underlying principle and the thing-events. Thus, we have:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1.    The   lord looks down at the servant.\n2.    The   servant looks up at the lord.\n3.    The   lord (alone).\n4.    The   servant (alone).\n5.    The   lord and the servant converse together.\n     Suffice it to say that the first four correspond to the four Dharmadhatu of the Hua-yen\n     School, though the relationship is somewhat complex, and the fifth to “naturalness”. In\n     other words, one may regard the universe, the Dharmadhatu, from a number of equally\n     valid points of view—as many, as one, as both one and many, and as neither one nor many.\n     But the final position of Zen is that it does not take any special viewpoint, and yet is free to\n     take every viewpoint according to the circumstances."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Chap. 7 on the Sōtō School in China, mention was made concerning how Shōju\nRōjin gave secret transmission to Hakuin Ekaku concerning the “Five Ranks.”\nQuoting again Ruth Fuller Sasaki’s translation in “Zen Dust,” p. 66:\n     Shōji Rōjin has said: “In order to provide a means whereby students might directly\n     experience the Four Wisdoms, the patriarchs, in their compassion and with their skill in\n     devising expedients, first instituted the Five Ranks.” What are the so-called Four Wisdoms?\n     They are the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, the Universal Nature Wisdom, the Marvelous\n     Observing Wisdom, and the Perfecting-of-Action Wisdom…"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Gasan Shōseki (1274–1365) as a contemporary of Shūhō Myōchō (1282–1336) and\nMusō Soseki (1275–1351) must be given credit for his insight into the importance\nof the “Five Ranks.” While Gasan might have adopted some practices from the\nRinzai School, Hakuin would include the Five Ranks in his fifth group of kōans 400\nyears later.\n   Gasan had the following dharma-heirs: Taigen Sōshin 太原宗真 (d. 1370),\nDaitetsu Sōrei 大彻宗令 (1333–1408), Tsūgen Jakurei 通幻寂灵 (1323–1391),\nand Mugai Enshō 无外圆照 (1311–1381). Taigen Sōshin had two disciples: Baisan\nBunhon 梅山闻本 (d. 1370) and Ryōdō Shinkaku 了堂真觉 (1330–1399). We\nshall trace one lineage from Taigen Sōshin to the present.\n (1)     Taigen Sōshin 太源宗真 (d. 1370)\n (2)     Baisan Bunhon 梅山闻本 (d. 1417)\n (3)     Nyochū Tengin 如仲天訚 (1363–1437)\n (4)     Kisan Shōsan 喜山性赞 (1377–1442)\n (5)     Morin Shihan 茂林芝繁 (1393–1487)\n (6)     Sūshi Shōtai 崇芝性岱\n (7)     Kenchū Hantetsu 贤仲繁喆 (1438–1512)\n (8)     Daiju Sōkō 大树宗光"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(8)     Daiju Sōkō 大树宗光\n\f15    Keizan and His Disciples                                                               153"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(9)     Kimpō Jusen 琴峰寿泉\n(10)     Tetsusō Seidon 铁叟栖钝\n(11)     Shūkoku Chōshun 舟谷长春\n(12)     Ketsuzan Tetsuei 杰山铁英\n(13)     Hōshi Sōon 报资宗恩\n(14)     Gohō Kai’on 五峰海音\n(15)     Tenkei Denson 天桂传尊 (1648–1735)\n(16)     Zōzan Monkō 像山问厚\n(17)     Niken Sekiryō 二见石了\n(18)     Reitan Roryū 灵淡鲁龙\n(19)     Kakujō Tōsai 觉城东际\n(20)     Kakuan Ryōgu 觉庵了愚\n(21)     Ryōka Daibai 了杲大梅\n(22)     Ungan Guhaku 雪岩愚白\n(23)     Baian Hakujun 梅庵白纯\n(24)     Taizan Maezumi 太山前际\nThe author could check this lineage from Taigen Sōshin to Tenkei Denson from the\nmaterial available in Y.H. Ku: “History of Japanese Zen Masters,” 1977. From\nZōzan Monkō Daioshō to Taizan Maezumi Rōshi, the author was indebted to the\nkindness of Reverend John Daishin Buksbazen, Vice President for Education, Zen\nCenter of Los Angeles Inc., 927 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, CA. (See\nChart VII A.)\n   From Heinrich Dumoulin’s A History of Zen Buddhism, English translation by\nPaul Peachey, Pantheon Books, 1963, we like to quote the following passage,\npp. 231–2:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "pp. 231–2:\n     Manzan Dōhaku 卍山道白 (1636–1714), a member of the Sōtō sect, vigorously intervened\n     against the abuses in the transmission of offices which, since the end of the Middle Ages,\n     had crept in and become rampart owing to the greed of many bonzes. He wrested from the\n     shogunate new directives regulating the succession in the temples. His influence extended\n     widely and achieved notable improvements. A generation later another Sōtō monk, named\n     Tenkei (1648–1735), labored successfully for a religious renaissance. The attraction and\n     comprehensibility of his preaching won him a large audience.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tenkei Denson 天桂传尊 (1648–1735) was Gasan Shōseki’s fifteenth-generation\ndharma-heir, as traced above. Tenkei’s ninth-generation dharma-heir, Maezumi\nRōshi, came to the USA to spread the teachings of Zen.\n   Next we shall trace a lineage from Myōhō Sotetsu to Manzan Dōhaku and\nfurther on to the present day.\n (1)     Myōhō Sotetsu 明峰素哲 (1277–1350)\n (2)     Shugan Dōchin 珠岩道珍 (d. 1387)\n (3)     Tetsuzan Shikaku 彻山旨廓\n (4)     Keigan Eishō 桂岩英昌\n (5)     Chuzan Ryōun 筹山了运 (1350–1432)\n (6)     Gisan Tōnin 义山等仁 (1386–1462)\n\f154                                                      15   Keizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(7)   Shōgaku Kenryū 绍岳坚隆 (d. 1485)\n (8)   Kinen Hōryū 几年丰隆 (d. 1506)\n (9)   Teishitsu Chisen 提室智阐 (1461–1536)\n(10)   Kokei Shōjun 虎溪正淳 (d. 1555)\n(11)   Sessō Yūho 雪窗祐甫 (d. 1576)\n(12)   Kaiten Genju 海天玄聚\n(13)   Shūzan Shunshō 州山春昌\n(14)   Chōzan Senetsu 超山阐越 (1581–1672)\n(15)   Fukushū Kōchi 福州光智\n(16)   Meidō Yūton 明堂雄暾\n(17)   Hakuhō Genteki 白峰玄滴 (1594–1670)\n(18)   Gesshū Sōkō 月舟宗胡 (1618–1696)\n(19)   Manzan Dōhaku 卍山道白 (1635–1714)\n(20)   Gekkan Gikō 月涧义光 (1653–1702)\n(21)   Daiyū Esshō 大用慧照\n(22)   Kegon Sōkai 华严曹海\n(23)   Shōun Taizui 祥云太瑞\n(24)   Nichirin Tōgō 日轮当午\n(25)   Sonnō Kyōdō 尊应教堂\n(26)   Sogaku Reidō 祖岳灵道\n(27)   Daishun Bengyū 大俊鞭牛\n(28)   Kohō Hakugan 孤峰白岩\n(29)   Keidō Chisan 莹堂智璨 (1879–1967)\n(30)   Hōun Jiyu 法云慈友\nReverend Keidō Chisan was Chief Abbot of Sōji-ji. The author could trace the\nabove lineage from Myōhō Sotetsu to Manzan Dōhaku and Gekkan Gikō from the\nmaterial available in Y.H. Ku: History of Japanese Zen Masters, 1977, Chart 26,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "with available dates. Note that Manzan Dōhaku was the nineteenth-generation\ndharma-heir of Keizan through the Myōhō line, while Tenkei was the\nsixteenth-generation dharma-heir of Keizan through the Gasan line. The author was\nfortunate to extend the Gasan line from the Manzan line to the present date, through\nthe courtesy of Reverend P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett 法云慈友, Abbess of Shasta\nAbbey, Summit Drive, Mt. Shasta, CA. Reverend Jiyu-Kennett was a dharma-heir\nof Keidō Chisan Rōshi (Kōhō Zenji, 1879–1967), who was received by President\nDwight D. Eisenhower at the White House during his visit to the USA. We note that\nthe Very Reverend Keidō Chisan Zenji was the tenth-generation dharma-heir of\nManzan Daioshō. (See Chart VII.)\n   Reverend Keidō Chisan was the author of History of Zen School 禅宗史\n(in Japanese), first published in the eighth year of the Taishō era (1919), and the\nsecond edition published in the 49th year of the Shōwa era (1974). This History"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "included the Zen history both in China and in Japan. Reverend Keidō Chisan was\nthe 12th Chief Abbot (Dokujū 独住) of Saijō-ji 最乘寺 and the 18th Chief Abbot\n(Dokujū 独住) of Sōji-ji. In a postscript to the History of Zen School, Reverend\n\f15   Keizan and His Disciples                                               155"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Iwamoto Shōshun, the 19th Chief Abbot of Daihonzan Sōji-ji praised Reverend\nKeidō Chisan very highly.\n   During the author’s recent trip to Japan (July 1978), he was eager to find the\ndharma lineage of Reverend Iwamoto Shōshun, who has retired recently, and also\nthe lineage of the present Chief Abbot, Reverend Ichikawa Kin’ei. The author,\naccompanied by Mrs. Ku, visited Sōji-ji at Tsurumi, near Yokohama, on July 8th.\nBesides paying homage to Musai Sekitō Daishi (Zenji) 无际石头大师, the author\nrequested Reverend Yōsi Takuji (International Section, Sōji-ji) to send him the\nlineages of Reverends Iwamoto Shōshun and Ichikawa Kin’ei. On July 7th, the\nauthor visited Kamazawa University, 1-23-1 Komazawa, Setagayaku, Tokyo.\nProfessor Ryosho Tanaka, through a telephone conversation, introduced the author\nto the University Librarian, so that he can look at the new edition of Sōtō-\nshu-Zensho (Complete Books of Sōtō Sect). One volume in the Complete Books"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "gives the Keifu (lineage lists) and the Index volume is also helpful. The author\nvisited the main office of Sōtō-Shū (2-5-2 Shiba, Minatoku, Tokyo) on July 11, in\norder to have more time to check the lineages of not only Iwamoto Shōshun and\nIchikawa Kin’ei, but also Reverend Chin Egyoku, the present Abbot of Eihei-ji.\nThe author is grateful to Reverend Kichijō Gemmyō 吉成元明 of the Sōtō-Shū\nOffice for much kind assistance. The author must also acknowledge gratefully the\nreceipt of official lineage documents of Iwamoto Shōshun and Ichikawa Kei’in\nfrom Reverend Yūshi Takagi 高木祐之 Secretary of International Section of\nSoji-ji, headed by Reverend Dōshō Saikawa 采川道昭.\n   We will start with the lineage of Iwamoto Shōshun 岩本胜俊, the 19th Chief\nAbbot of Sōji-ji: (See Chart IX.)\n (1)   Gasan Shōseki (1274–1365)\n (2)   Tsūgen Jakurei (1323–1391)\n (3)   Ryōan Emyō 了庵慧明 (1337–1411)\n (4)   Mukyoku Etetsu 无极慧彻 (1350–1430)\n (5)   Gekkō Shōbun 月江正文 (d. 1463)\n (6)   Ichishū Shō’i 一州正伊 (1416–1487)\n (7)   Kenshitsu Jichō 贤室自超"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(7)   Kenshitsu Jichō 贤室自超\n (8)   Sōnyo Zenhō 嗽恕全芳\n (9)   Seigan Shūyō 青岩周阳 (d. 1542)\n(10)   Daishū Anchū 大州安充\n(11)   Kōzan Keiryū 兴山圭隆\n(12)   Kan’ei Hin’etsu 看荣禀阅\n(13)   Yōzan Genshō 用山元照\n(14)   Jinzan Reinvo 仁山岭恕\n(15)   Setsutei Tonkō 雪庭顿好\n(16)   Daisen Hekiden 大宣碧传\n(17)   Taidō Shūkoku 泰道秀国\n(18)   Rinhō Ryōkyoku 临峰良极\n(19)   Nichishin Gijū 日信义重\n(20)   Daian Ryōgi 大安良义\n\f156                                              15   Keizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(21)   Onzan Ryōkyō 温山良恭\n(22)   Kanzan Gihō 寰山义邦\n(23)   Tōgai Senshū 洞外仙州\n(24)   Daichō Inshū 大超寅州\n(25)   Daigu Mansetsu 大愚万拙\n(26)   Kai’un Shinryū 海云真龙\n(27)   Bukkai Sōkoku 佛海宗国\n(28)   Zekkai Shōshun绝海胜俊(岩本)\nReverend Iwamoto Shōshun was honored by the Emperor with the title Shō’ō\nTenshin Zenji 正应天真禅师.\n  The lineage of Ichikawa Kin’ei 乙川瑾映 is given below:\n (1)   Myōhō Sosetsu (1277–1350)\n (2)   Shugan Dōchin (d. 1387)\n (3)   Tetsuzan Shikaku 彻山旨廓\n (4)   Keigan Eishō 桂岩英昌\n (5)   Chuzan Ryōun 筹山了运 (1350–1432)\n (6)   Gisan Tōnin 义山等仁 (1386–1462)\n (7)   Shōgaku Kenryū 绍岳坚隆 (d. 1485)\n (8)   Kinen Hōryū 几年丰隆 (d. 1506)\n (9)   Teishitsu Chisen 提室智阐 (1461–1536)\n(10)   Hokei Shōjun 虎溪正淳 (d. 1555)\n(11)   Sessō Yūho 雪窗祐甫 (d. 1576)\n(12)   Kaiten Genshu 海天玄聚\n(13)   Shūzan Shunshō 州山春昌\n(14)   Chōzan Sen’etsu 超山阐越 (1581–1672)\n(15)   Fukushū Kōchi 福州光智\n(16)   Meidō Yūton 明堂雄暾\n(17)   Hakuhō Genteki 白峰玄滴 (1594–1670)\n(18)   Gesshū Sōko 月舟宗胡 (1618–1696)\n(19)   Manzan Dōhaku 卍山道白 (1635–1714)\n(20)   Meishū Shushin 明洲珠心"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(20)   Meishū Shushin 明洲珠心\n(21)   Mitsuzan Dōken 密山道显\n(22)   Tatsugan Jakugen 达岩寂玄\n(23)   Hokushū Ryōtan 北宗良潭\n(24)   Ichihō Kakusen 一峰觉专\n(25)   Daizan Senjō 台山千丈\n(26)   Tsuzan Tetsushun 通山哲俊\n(27)   Zōzan Raidō 象山来道\n(28)   Daitetsu Shunjō 大哲俊乘\n(29)   Ei’un Bunyū 英蕴文雄\n(30)   Zenkai Bunzan 禅海文山\n(31)   Yakuran Bunshi 药栏文狮\n(32)   Gyōzan (Keizan) Kin’ei 形山瑾映 (See Chart VII.)\n\f15   Keizan and His Disciples                                               157"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Reverend Ichikawa Kin’ei is the present (20th) Chief Abbot of Sōji-ji. The Chief\nAbbot is known as Kanshu 贯首. Reverend Ichikawa Kin’ei was honored by the\nEmperor with the title: Bukkai Shinkō Zenji 佛海真光禅师.\n   Now we follow the lineage of Reverend Chin Egyoku 秦慧玉, the present Abbot\nof Eihei-ji, Daihonzan of the Sōtō School in Japan. (See Chart VII.)\n (1)   Myōhō Sosetsu (1277–1350)\n (2)   Shugan Dōchin (d. 1387)\n (3)   Tetsuzan Shikaku 彻山旨廓\n (4)   Kei’oku Teishō 庆屋定绍 (1339–1407)\n (5)   Hakugan Jutei 柏岩树庭\n (6)   Genshitsu Chigen 玄室智玄\n (7)   Tōrin Ton 东林暾\n (8)   Morin Zen’ei 茂林善荣\n (9)   Chikudō Egen 竹堂慧岩\n(10)   Gakukai Shōbun 学海性文\n(11)   Ten’i Do’etsu 天怡道悦\n(12)   Gisan Mon’etsu 怡山文悦\n(13)   Iku’ō Dōyō 育翁道养\n(14)   Tsūzan Ekei 通山慧馨\n(15)   Gaiju San’etsu 快寿山悦\n(16)   Chōzan Eiton 朝山永暾\n(17)   Kengan Jaku’ei 谦岩寂英\n(18)   Gyokugan Raigyū 玉岩懒牛\n(19)   Chō’un Katsusō 朝云喝宗\n(20)   Raishū Daishin 雷洲大震\n(21)   Tanzan Ryōden 单山良传\n(22)   Kigai Mokuzen 机外默禅\n(23)   Mokuen E’an 默渊慧安\n(24)   Taibai Ehō 太梅慧芳\n(25)   Mokudō Esshō 默道慧昭"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(24)   Taibai Ehō 太梅慧芳\n(25)   Mokudō Esshō 默道慧昭\n(26)   Myōhō Egyoku 明峰慧玉 (秦)\nThe author is much indebted to Reverend Suigan Yogo 翠岩余语 of Saijō-ji 最乘寺,\nDaiyūzan 大雄山, Minamo Ashigawa shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, for\nsupplying the following lineage: (See Chart IX A.)\n (1)   Gasan Shōseki (1274–1365)\n (2)   Tsūgen Jakurei (1323–1391)\n (3)   Fusai Zenkyū 普济善救 (1347–1405)\n (4)   Gyokusō Ryōchin 玉窗良珍 (d. 1498)\n (5)   Shōkai Jikō 性海慈孝\n (6)   Myōshitsu Etō 明室慧灯\n (7)   Kokugan Shūhō 国岩周邦\n (8)   Suian Shōsen 水庵圣泉\n (9)   Jōan Shōtō 静安性腾\n\f158                                                   15   Keizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(10)   San’ō Juin 三应寿寅\n(11)   Chūmyō Zenteki 中明全的\n(12)   Daisen Junchi 大仙淳智\n(13)   Fui Eiryū 不异永龙\n(14)   Muin Eiyū 无隐永有\n(15)   Ippō Sōjun 一峰宗润\n(16)   Kōan Sōshuku 纲庵宗祝\n(17)   Kōsetsu Junsa 功雪润作\n(18)   Shinan Gentatsu 真庵元达\n(19)   Gekkai Sōju 月海宗珠\n(20)   Nanryū Sonshun 南龙存舜\n(21)   Takujū Uton 晫州有暾\n(22)   Gokei Yōton 悟溪羪顿\n(23)   Kyohō Yōshū 巨峰羪秀\n(24)   Tengan Shunsa 天岩舜佐\n(25)   Ōzan Yōsa 王山羪佐\n(26)   Hakudō Jurin 白堂树林\n(27)   Getsudō Kai’in 月堂海印\n(28)   Gekkō Ryōmon 月江良纹\n(29)   Kōdō Soun 耕堂祖耘\n(30)   Kōhan Tesan 孝槃铁山\n(31)   Sōkai Tetsuryū 沧海铁龙\n(32)   Umon Katsuryū 禹门活龙\n(33)   Shudō Tekkan 守道铁关\n(34)   Iseki Tetsugan 维石铁岩\n(35)   Tainō Tetshi 确能铁觜\n(36)   Zengetsu Suigan 禅月翠岩\nThe author wishes also to thank Reverend Zendō Matsunaga 松永善道, Abbot of\nZenshū-ji, Sōtō Mission, 123 South Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA. 90012, for\nhelpful suggestions.\n   We shall trace one lineage from Keizan’s dharma brother Kangan Gi’in down to\nhis eighteenth-generation dharma-heir.\n (1)   Kangan Gi’in 寒岩义尹 (1217–1300)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1)   Kangan Gi’in 寒岩义尹 (1217–1300)\n (2)   Jinsō Jōki 仁叟净熙 (d. 1364)\n (3)   Nō’ō Gen’e 能翁玄慧\n (4)   Tai’an Ryōun 泰庵了运\n (5)   Kosen Rimō 古泉利蒙\n (6)   Jikuhō Sōsen 竺方崇仙\n (7)   En’ō Shō’ei 圆应正莹\n (8)   Shingan Gentō 心岩元统\n (9)   Seihō Kyōbon 清峰庆梵\n(10)   Tekirin Genchi 定林玄智\n(11)   Myōzan Shunsatsu 明山春察\n(12)   Daiun Genkō 大云玄广\n\f15    Keizan and His Disciples                                                                159"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(13)     Ryūhaku Kōzui 龙伯广瑞\n(14)     Dai’en Kōchin 大焉广椿\n(15)     Man’an Eichū 万安英种 (1591–1654)\n(16)     Raizen Shunyū 懒禅舜融 (1613–1672)\n(17)     Ryūban Shō’un 龙蟠松云\n(18)     Baihō Jikushin 梅峰竺信 (1633–1707)\n(19)     Kō’un Soryō 高云祖棱 (1636–1696) (See Chart VIII.)\nNote that Man’an Eichū (1591–1654) was the fourteenth-generation dharma-heir of\nKangan Gi’in, who was a disciple of Tettsū Gikai, visited Sung-China twice, and\nfounded Daiji-ji. Kangan was a prince, the son of Gotoba Tennō 后鸟羽天皇\n(r. 1183–98), and served under Dōgen for 20 years. In 1252, at the age of thirty-six,\nKangan visited China; but his stay came to an abrupt end when he learned about the\ndemise of Master Dōgen. Kangan then served under Koun Ejō for 10 years. In 1262,\nat the age of forty-six, he went to Sung-China for the second time, and visited Mugai\nGi’on 无外义远, Taikō Tokunei 退耕德宁, and Kidō Chigu 虚堂智愚. He brought\nDōgen’s goroku to these masters and asked them to write a Preface and two post-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "scripts. Kangan sailed back to Japan in 1266, with Nampo Jōmyō on the same ship.\n    Ryūban Shō’un 龙蟠松云 was Man’an Eichū’s 万安英种 dharma grandson.\nTenkei Denson first studied under Ryūban. Ryūban had another disciple, Baihō\nJikushin 梅峰竺信 (1633–1707). Baihō retired at Rin’an-ji 临安寺. Hyōgo, while\nManzan Dōhaku (1636–1714) resided at his retreat Genkō-an 源光庵 at Yōhō 鹰峰\n(Hawk’s Peak), outside of Kyoto. These two old masters (Baihō and Manzan) of the\nSōtō School combined their efforts to protect the dharma and rectify the lineage\nprocedures. Baihō’s final residence was at Kōzen-ji 兴禅寺, where he lived to the\nage of seventy-five. His last gāthā reads:\n     An old man approaching eighty, feels great to-day. An old ferry-boat has no passenger, but\n     ten-thousand miles of white clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tenkei Denson (1648–1735) and Doku’an Genkō 独庵玄光 (1630–1698), a\ndirect disciple of Gesshū Sōrin 月舟宗林 (d. 1687) and a remote dharma-heir along\nthe Mugai Enshō 无外圆照 line, represented one group in the Sōtō School, which\nemphasized the “contents” of dharma, while Gesshū Sōkō 月舟宗胡 (1618–1696),\na direct disciple of Hakuhō Genteki 白峰玄滴 (1594–1670) and a remote\ndharma-heir along the Myōhō line, and Manzan Dōhaku 卍山道白 (1636–1714)\nrepresented another group in the Sōtō School which emphasized the “formalism”\nrather than the “contents.” Gesshū Sōkō, a seventeenth-generation dharma-heir of\nMyōhō (Meihō) Sotetsu, was generally considered one of the most important\nMasters who were responsible for the revival of the Sōtō School in the Edo era.\n   We have quoted Dumoulin-Peachey’s A History of Zen Buddhism, pp. 231–2, to\nshow the importance of Manzan Dōhaku (1636–1714) and Tenkei Denson (1648–\n1735). Man’an Eichū 万安英种 (1591–1654), who was 27 years older than Gesshū"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sōkō, should also be considered as one of the masters who were responsible for the\nrevival of Sōtō Zen. We might mention that Tenkei Denson, who was 36 years\n\f160                                                   15   Keizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "older than Hakuin, was considered as a Great Master in the Sōtō School, just as\nHakuin was undoubtedly the Great Master in the Rinzai School.\n   Now let us trace the Gasan line from Mugai Enshō to Gesshū Sōrin. (See\nChart VIII.)\n (1) Mugai Enshō 无外圆照 (1311–1381)\n (2) Muchaku Myōyū 无着妙融 (1332–1393)\n (3) Nanyō Yūkun 南阳融薰\n (4) Tekirin Yūchū 的林融中\n (5) Getsusan Yūshō 月山融照\n (6) Daihō Yūshin 大芳融真\n (7) Gyokushitsu Yūchin 玉室融椿\n (8) Baikei Yūkun 梅溪融薰\n (9) Getsushun Yūkan 月春融鉴\n(10) Koshin Yūkyō 古心融镜\n(11) Yōshitsu Yūkyō 阳室融庆\n(12) Chōan Yūetsu 畅庵融悦\n(13) Yōjaku Yūkyō 养寂融供\n(14) Ankō Yūsatsu 安考融察\n(15) Kyūgaku Yūtei 久学融贞\n(16) Tōfu Yūkiku 东甫融菊\n(17) Ichitei Yūton 一庭融顿 (1580–1653)\n(18) Sessan Kakudon 雪山鹤昙 (d. 1649)\n(19) Gesshū Sōrin 月舟宗林 (d. 1687)\n(20) Dokuan Genkō 独庵玄光 (1630–1698)\nWe have already mentioned before that Dokuan worked closely with Tenkei\nDenson. Gesshū Sōrin of the Gasan line and Gesshū Sōkō of the Myōhō line were\ncontemporaries.\n   The following lineage also started from Taigen Sōshin and Baisan Bunhon:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1)   Taigen Soshin 太源宗真 (d. 1370)\n (2)   Baisan Bunhon 梅山闻本 (d. 1417)\n (3)   Nyochū Tengin 如仲天訚 (1363–1437)\n (4)   Shingan Dōkū 真岩道空 (1374–1449)\n (5)   Sensō Esai 川僧慧济 (d. 1475)\n (6)   Dainen Jōchin 大年祥椿 (1434–1513)\n (7)   Dairo Ichijun 大路一遵 (1399–1518)\n (8)   Rin’ei Sōfu 林英宗甫 (d. 1531)\n (9)   Daiyō Ichirei 大阳一鸰 (d. 1569)\n(10)   Tenyō Ichichō 天阳一朝 (d. 1549)\n(11)   Senryū Etan 潜龙慧湛 (d. 1566)\n(12)   Tensō Zenchō 天叟善长 (d. 1572)\n(13)   Hōzan Tōzen 凤山等膳 (d. 1590)\n(14)   Ichichū Zeneki 一柱禅易 (d. 1598)\n(15)   Shihō Sōzan 士峰宗山 (1542–1635) (See Chart VII A.)\n\f15   Keizan and His Disciples                                                  161"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Note that Dairo Ichijun (1399–1518), who lived to almost 100 and 20 years of age,\nwas the first Abbot of Kasui-sai 可睡斋, a Sōtō Zen temple at Shizuoka. Rin’ei\nSōfu was the second-generation Abbot; Daiyō, the third-generation; Tenyō, the\nfourth-generation; Senryū, the fifth-generation; Tensō, the sixth-generation; Hōzan,\nthe seventh-generation; Ichichū, the eighth-generation; and Shihō, the ninth-\ngeneration Abbot, respectively.\n   Recently, Saiyu Bokuzan 西有穆山 (1821–1910), Ishitsu Musen 维室默仙\n(1847–1920), and Shūno Kōdō 秋野孝道 followed as Abbots of Kasui-sai 可睡斋.\n(See Appendix III.)\n   The Gasan line had more dharma descendants than the Myōhō line. Among\nGasan’s dharma-heirs, Tsūgen Jakurei (1323–1391) had many descendants. Among\nTsūgen’s dharma-heirs were Ryōan Emyō 了庵慧明 (1337–1441), Sekioku\nShinryō 石屋真梁 (1345–1423), Tenyō Soyū 天鹰祖祐 (1336–1413), Tenshin\nJishō 天真自性 (d.1413), and Fusai Zenkyū 普济善救 (1347–1405). Three lines\nwill be given below. The Tsūgen-Ryōan line: (See Chart IX.)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1)   Tsūgen Jakurei 通幻寂灵 (1323–1391)\n (2)   Ryōan Emyō 了庵慧明 (1337–1411)\n (3)   Mukyoku Etetsu 无极慧彻 (1350–1430)\n (4)   Gekkō Shōbun 月江正文 (d. 1463)\n (5)   Taisō Myōkō 泰叟妙康 (1406–1485)\n (6)   Ten’an Genhō 天庵玄彭 (d. 1500)\n (7)   Unkō Shuntoku 雪冈舜德 (1438–1516)\n (8)   Kishū Genkin 喜州玄欣 (d. 1536)\n (9)   Setsu’an Ryōshin 节庵良筠 (1458–1541)\n(10)   Tai’ō Tokuyō 泰翁德阳 (1481–1555)\n(11)   Zeiten Sōhō 在天宗凤 (1490–1572)\n(12)   Kyūshitsu Genchō 久室玄长 (d. 1585)\n(13)   Zui’ō Shunzoku 瑞翁俊鷟 (d. 1596)\n(14)   Tōshitsu Iten 头室伊天 (1523–1600)\n(15)   Ichihō Rinsō 一峰麟曹 (1567–1623)\n(16)   Shinrei Chūdō 心灵中道 (d. 1655)\n(17)   Jūshū Hodō 十洲补道 (d. 1646)\n(18)   Kōgan Kundō 高岩薰道 (d. 1656)\n(19)   Fuchū Shūteki 不中秀的 (1621–1677)\n(20)   Shigan Baifu 狮岩梅腑 (1636–1680)\n(21)   Nyojitsu Shūhon 如实秀本\n(22)   Reinan Shūjo 岭南秀恕 (1675–1752)\nThe Tsūgen-Sekioku line: (See Chart X A.)\n (1)   Tsūgen Jakurei 通幻寂灵 (1323–1391)\n (2)   Sekioku Shinryō 石屋真梁 (1345–1423)\n (3)   Chikukyo Shōyu 竹居正猷 (1380–1461)\n (4)   Chishi Ihan 器之为璠 (1404–1468)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(4)   Chishi Ihan 器之为璠 (1404–1468)\n (5)   Dai’an Su’eki 大庵须益 (1406–1473)\n\f162                                       15   Keizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(6)   Zengan Tōjun 全岩东纯 (d. 1495)\n (7)   Soku’ō Eiman 足翁永满 (1435–1505)\n (8)   Tenfu Zonsa 天甫存佐\n (9)   Kihaku Zuibō 奇伯瑞庞 (1463–1547)\n(10)   Jo’ō Eifu 助翁永扶 (d. 1548)\n(11)   Kiyō Sōkan 龟洋宗鉴 (1487–1563)\n(12)   Isetsu Kyōju 异雪庆珠 (1502–1564)\n(13)   Hankō Zon’ei 繁兴存荣 (1514–1571)\n(14)   Etsu’ō Jumon 阅翁珠门 (1521–1603)\n(15)   Ansō Juyō 安叟珠养 (d. 1604)\n(16)   Kiun Rei’in 贵云岭胤 (d. 1619)\n(17)   Tetsuson Genju 铁村玄鹫 (1567–1638)\n(18)   Reishitsu Zenju 岭室禅鹫 (1579–1636)\n(19)   Kokugi Sōchin 国嵬宗珍\nThe Tsūgen-Tenyō Line:\n (1)   Tsūgen Jakurei (1323–1391)\n (2)   Tenyō Soyū 天鹰祖祐 (1336–1413)\n (3)   Tensen Somyō 天先祖命 (1367–1458)\n (4)   Jiki’ō Sōren 直翁宗廉 (d. 1446)\n (5)   Kaisō Eibai 魁叟永梅\n (6)   Kyū’ō Eichō 久翁英长\n (7)   Ki’ei Kyōgaku 辉英庆萼\n (8)   Sensō Donshū 宣叟昙周\n (9)   Chōgaku Soshū 超鹗祖宗\n(10)   Sanju Shūtai 山就周泰\n(11)   Kyūzan Ken’etsu 久山贤悦\n(12)   Meisō Shūken 明叟周见\n(13)   Tentaku Gi’on 天泽义恩\n(14)   Tai’oku Monshun 确屋文春\n(15)   Nichizan Jurin 日山树林\n(16)   Tenzan Shū’eki 天山周益\n(17)   Ka’un Onryō 佳云恩陵\n(18)   Nan’yō Donju 南阳嫩寿"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(17)   Ka’un Onryō 佳云恩陵\n(18)   Nan’yō Donju 南阳嫩寿\n(19)   Tenhō Donhaku 天宝嫩白\n(20)   Tenkō Donryō 天江嫩良\n(21)   Roshū Eiteki 芦洲英荻\n(22)   Ichisen Shūson 乙先秀存\n(23)   Kyūgan Denshō 久岩传昌\n(24)   Shūgan Zentei 周岩全鼎\n(25)   Itsuzan Bakushū 逸山博秀\n(26)   Hokusen Sokan 北州祖关\n(27)   Monkei Muin 闻桂无隐\n(28)   Ichimyō Shōrin 一明祥麟\n\f15   Keizan and His Disciples                                            163"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(29)   Getsukō Kanda 月耕灌田\n(30)   Yōzan Sozui 要山祖髓\n(31)   Bokuan Sandō 牧庵山童\n(32)   Setsudō Gyōrin 雪堂晓林\n(33)   Sengai Ekidō 旃崖奕堂 (1805–1879)\nSengai Ekidō was Abbot of Sōji-ji and concurrently Kanchō 贯长 of the Sōtō-shū\nGroup. (See Appendix II.)\n\n\n\nAppendix I\n\nChief Abbots (Kanshu) of Eihei-Ji 永平寺贯首"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chief Abbots (Kanshu) of Eihei-Ji 永平寺贯首\n\n (1)   Dōgen 道元 (1200–1253)\n (2)   Koun Ejō 孤云怀奘 (1198–1280)\n (3)   Tettsū Gikai 彻通养介 (1219–1309)\n (4)   Gi’en义演 (d. 1314)\n (5)   Gi’un义云 (1253–1333)\n (6)   Donki 昙希\n (7)   Iichi 以一\n (8)   Kishun 喜纯\n (9)   Sōgo 宋吾\n(10)   Eichi 永智\n(11)   Soki 祖机\n(12)   Ryōkan 了鉴\n(13)   Kenkō 建纲\n(14)   Kenzei 建撕\n(15)   Kōshū 光周\n(16)   Sōen 宗缘\n(17)   Ikan 以贯\n(18)   Sotō 祚栋\n(19)   Sokyū 祚久 (d. 1610)\n(20)   Daien Monkaku 大圆门鹤 (d. 1615)\n(21)   Kaigen Sōeki 海岩宗奕 (d. 1621)\n(22)   Jōchi Soten 常智祚天 (d. 1631)\n(23)   Butsuzan Shūsatsu 佛山秀察 (d. 1641)\n(24)   Kohō Ryūsatsu 孤峰龙札 (d. 1646)\n(25)   Hokugan Ryōton 北岸良顿 (d. 1648)\n(26)   Tenkai Ryōgi 天海良义 (d. 1650)\n(27)   Ryōgan Eishun 岭岩英俊 (d. 1674)\n(28)   Hokushū Monsho 北洲门渚 (d. 1660)\n(29)   Tesshin Gyoshū 铁心御州 (d. 1664)\n\f164                                       15   Keizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(30)   Kōshō Chidō 光绍智堂 (d. 1670)\n(31)   Gesshū Sonkai 月洲尊海 (d. 1682)\n(32)   Dairyō Gumon 大了愚门 (d. 1687)\n(33)   San’in Tetsuō 山阴彻翁 (d. 1700)\n(34)   Fukushū Kōiku 馥州高郁 (d. 1688)\n(35)   Handō Kōzen 版桡晃全 (d. 1693)\n(36)   Yūhō Honshuku 融蜂本祝 (d. 1700)\n(37)   Sekigyū Tenryō 石牛天梁 (d. 1714)\n(38)   Ryokugan Gonryū 绿岩岩柳 (d. 1716)\n(39)   Shōten Sokuchi 承天则地 (d. 1684)\n(40)   Daiko Katsugen 大虚喝玄 (d. 1736)\n(41)   Gikō Yūzen 义晃雄禅 (d. 1740)\n(42)   Kōjaku Engetsu 江寂圆月 (d. 1750)\n(43)   Ougen Mitsugan 央元密岩 (d. 1761)\n(44)   Daikō Etsushū 大晃越宗 (d. 1758)\n(45)   Hōzan Tankai 宝山湛海 (d. 1771)\n(46)   Misan Ryōjun 弥山良顺 (d. 1771)\n(47)   Tenkai Tōgen 天海董元 (d. 1786)\n(48)   Seizan Taimyō 成山台明 (d. 1793)\n(49)   Daikō Kokugen 大耕国元 (d. 1794)\n(50)   Gento Sokuchū 玄透即中 (d. 1807)\n(51)   Reigaku Egen 灵岳惠源 (d. 1806)\n(52)   Dokuyū Senpō 独雄宣峰 (d. 1835)\n(53)   Busshin Ikai 佛星为戒 (d. 1818)\n(54)   Bakuyō Mankai 博容卍海 (d. 1821)\n(55)   Ensan Dai’in 缘山大因 (d. 1826)\n(56)   Mu’an Ungo 无庵云居 (d. 1827)\n(57)   Saian Urin 载庵禹隣 (d. 1845)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(57)   Saian Urin 载庵禹隣 (d. 1845)\n(58)   Dōkai Daishin 道海大信 (d. 1844)\n(59)   Kanzen Chōsō 观禅眺宗 (d. 1848)\n(60)   Ga’un Dōryū 卧云童龙 (d. 1870)\n(61)   Kankei Mitsuun 环溪密云 (d. 1884)\n(62)   Tekkan Setsukō 铁肝雪鸿 (d. 1885)\n(63)   Rosan Takusō 鲁山琢宗 (1836–1897)\n(64)   Daikyū Goyu 大休悟由 (1833–1915)\n(65)   Fukusan Mokudō 福山默童 (d. 1916)\n(66)   Ishitsu Mokusen 维室默仙 (1846–1920)\n(67)   Hokuno Genhō 北野元峰 (d. 1933)\n(68)   Mokudō Esshō 默道慧昭 (d. 1944)\n(69)   Hakuryū Tenzan* 白龙天山 (d. 1941)\n(70)   Katsuryu Zenkai* 活龙禅戒 (d. 1947)\n(71)   Gyokudō Ryūsen* 玉堂珑仙 (1876–1968)\n(72)   Kunzan Gen’i* 训山玄彝 (d. 1944)\n\fAppendix I                                                            165"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(73)   Sogaku Taizen* 祖学泰禅 (d. 1968)\n(74)   Baku’ei Taishun 博裔泰舜 (d. 1975)\n(75)   Shūhō Reirin 鹫峰灵林 (山田)\n(76)   Meihō Egyoku 明峰慧玉 (秦)\n                                     *Also Chief Abbot (Dokujū) of Sōji-ji\n\n\n\nAppendix II\n\nChief Abbots (Dokūju) of Sōji-Ji 总持寺独住"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chief Abbots (Dokūju) of Sōji-Ji 总持寺独住\n\n (1)   Sengai Ekidō 旃崖奕堂 (1805–1879)\n (2)   Daioka Bais’en 大冈楳仙 (1825–1901)\n (3)   Bokuzan Kinei 穆山瑾英 (1821–1910)\n (4)   Bokugyū Sodō 牧牛素童 (d. 1920)\n (5)   Bokuei Sekizen 穆英石禅 (d. 1927)\n (6)   Genkō Dōzan 玄光道山 (d. 1929)\n (7)   Shuno Kōdō 秋野孝道 (1858–1934)\n (8)   Raiju Taion 雷澍泰音 (d. 1934)\n (9)   Tenyū Dōkai 天祐道海 (d. 1940)\n(10)   Hakuryū Tenzan* 白龙天山 (d. 1941)\n(11)   Katsuryū Zenkai* 活龙禅戒 (d. 1947)\n(12)   Gyokudō Ryūsen* 玉堂珑仙 (1876–1968)\n(13)   Hōun Kaiju 宝云界珠 (d. 1943)\n(14)   Jissan Tokuryū 实山笃立 (d. 1943)\n(15)   Kunzan Gen’i* 训山玄彝 (d. 1944)\n(16)   Sogaku Taizen* 祖学泰禅 (d. 1968)\n(17)   Hongyō Genshū 本行玄宗 (d. 1963)\n(18)   Keidō Chisan 莹堂智灿 (1879–1967)\n(19)   Zekkai Shōshun 绝海胜俊 (Iwamoto 岩本)\n(20)   Gyōzan Kinei 形山瑾英 (Ichikawa 乙川)\n                                   * Also Chief Abbot (Kanshu) of Eihei-ji\n\f166                                                   15   Keizan and His Disciples"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "NOTE: The author wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to Reverend Nobuko\nYokoyama of Sōji-ji for supplying the information for Appendices I and II at the\nend of this chapter.\n\n\n\nAppendix III\n\nAbbots of Kasui-sai (Sōtō School) 可睡斋历代住持"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1)   Nyochū Tengin 如仲天訚 (1363–1437)\n (2)   Shingan Dōkū 真岩道空 (1374–1449)\n (3)   Sensō Esai 川僧慧济 (d. 1475)\n (4)   Dainen Jōchin 大年祥椿 (1434–1513)\n (5)   Dairo Ichijun 大路一遵 (1399–1518)\n (6)   Rin’ei Sōfu 林英宗甫 (d. 1531)\n (7)   Daiyō Ichirei 大阳一鸰 (d. 1569)\n (8)   Tenyō Ichicho 天阳一朝 (d. 1549)\n (9)   Senryū Etan 潜龙慧湛 (d. 1566)\n(10)   Tensō Zenchō 天叟善长 (d. 1572)\n(11)   Hōzan Tōzan 凤山等膳 (d. 1590)\n(12)   Ichichū Zeneki 一柱禅易 (d. 1598)\n(13)   Shihō Sōzan 士峰宋山 (1542–1635)\n(14)   Ichiki Esaku 一机慧策 (d. 1626)\n(15)   Dōchū Untatsu 道中云达 (d. 1633)\n(16)   Taiden Sonkō 泰传存康 (d. 1633)\n(17)   Ichitō Shūten 一东秀天 (d. 1642)\n(18)   Katei Tonshū 华亭豚秀 (d. 1654)\n(19)   Fugai Tōden 不外东传 (d. 1658)\n(20)   Meizan Daiyo 名山大誉 (d. 1658)\n(21)   Kigai Rei’iku 贵外岭育 (d. 1666)\n(22)   Tanzan Reikō 丹山岭香 (d. 1672)\n(23)   Ichisō Tsūten 一松通天 (d. 1679)\n(24)   Keigan Jusen 桂岩寿仙 (d. 1680)\n(25)   Tairei Insaku 太岭寅朔 (d. 1696)\n(26)   Mokugai Monshitsu 默外门室 (d. 1701)\n(27)   Kyōjaku Geikun 教寂艺训 (d. 1700)\n(28)   Tōshū Shinkai 东洲真海 (d. 1718)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(28)   Tōshū Shinkai 东洲真海 (d. 1718)\n(29)   Daitsū Kandō 大通贯道 (1658–1736)\n(30)   Getsukan Tanryō 月关湛亮 (d. 1722)\n(31)   Daishō Kōkoku 大昶光国 (d. 1753)\n(32)   Dairyō Zentō 大梁禅栋 (d. 1752)\n(33)   Dōzan Shuken 道山守贤 (d. 1776)\n(34)   Tenrin Kō’in 天伦光音 (d. 1784)\n(35)   Kankoku Kōsui 观国光锥 (d. 1796)\n\fAppendix III                                                            167"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(36)   Jōgen Dai’in盛元大胤 (d. 1794)\n(37)   Rodō Tankyū 鲁道担休 (1738–1802)\n(38)   Inkō Kyūkaku 因孝休觉 (d. 1836)\n(39)   Kankai Kyūhō 宽海休丰 (d. 1836)\n(40)   Daikō Jitsu’ei 大光实英 (d. 1843)\n(41)   Dōkai Kyōzen 道快亨全 (d. 1848)\n(42)   Tenrei Gendō 天岭玄童 (d. 1856)\n(43)   Jōgan Ryōzen 静岩亮禅 (d. 1868)\n(44)   Suigan Kōshū 碓山兴宗 (d. 1868)\n(45)   Rinhō Yozen 林峰要禅 (d. 1870)\n(46)   Kyogaku Genrei 巨岳玄龄 (d. 1872)\n(47)   Bokuzan Kin’ei 穆山瑾英 (1821–1910)\n(48)   Ishitsu Mokusen 维室默仙 (1846–1920)\n(49)   Dainin Kōdō 大忍孝道 (1858–1934)\n(50)   Kandō Butsusen 乾堂物先 (1867–1930)\n(51)   Gyokudō Ryūsen 玉堂珑仙 (1876–1968)\n(52)   Dainin Kin’ei 大忍金荣 (1895–1971)\n# 33–# 39, # 43 and # 44 belonged to the Jaku’en line 寂圆派\n# 40–# 42 belonged to the Shingan line 真岩派\n# 45–# 47 belonged to the Myōhō line 明峰派\nNOTE: The author is indebted to Reverend K. Itabashi 板桥兴宗 of Soji-ji Soin 总\n持寺祖院 at Monzencho, Fugeshigun, Ishikawa Prefecture, 927-21, Japan, for\nsupplying the above list of Abbots of Kasui-sai 可睡斋.\n\fChapter 16\nShinetsu Kōchū and Forty-Six Sects"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shinetsu Kōchū (1642–1696) was the founder of Shinetsu Sect (Ryū) in Japan.\nThere were altogether forty-six Sects (or Ryū’s) in Japanese Zen. Each Sect or Ryū\nhad a founder. These founders were either Zen Masters who came to Japan from\nChina or Japanese Zen Masters who visited China in the Sung Dynasty or Yuan\nDynasty. In time sequence, Ingen Ryūki was the founder of the forty-fifth Sect or\nRyū, and Shinetsu Kōchū was the founder of the forty-sixth Sect or Ryū. Ingen’s\nSect was also known as the Ōbaku School in Japan.\n   In Chap. 14, the lineage of Dōgen Kigen (1200–1253) was traced from Tōzan\nRyōkai (807–869) to Fuyō Dōkai (1043–1118) and then through Fuyō Dōkai’s\ndisciple Tanka Shijun (1064–1119) to Tendō Nyojō (1162–1268), the teacher of\nDōgen. It was stated that Fuyō Dōkai had two principal disciples: Tanka Shijun\n(1064–1119), whose disciples flourished in the southeastern part of China, and\nRokumon Jikaku (d. 1117), whose dharma descendants flourished in northern"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "China. In fact, the Tanka Shijun line led to Dōgen Kigen, who was the founder of\nthe Sōtō School in Japan. The Rokumon line led to Shinetsu Kōchū, the founder of\nthe forty-sixth Sect in Japan. The lineage from Rokumon to Shinetsu is given\nbelow. (See Chart X.)\n (1)   Rokumon Jikaku (d. 1117) 鹿门自觉\n (2)   Fushō Kiben (1081–1149) 普照希辩\n (3)   Reigan Sōhō (1114–1173) 灵岩僧宝\n (4)   Ōsan Shitei 王山师体\n (5)   Seggan Eman (d. 1206) 雪岩慧满\n (6)   Manshō Kōshū (1166–1246) 万松行秀\n (7)   Shōshitsu Fukuyu (1203–1275) 少室福裕\n (8)   Shōshitsu Buntai (d. 1289) 少室文泰\n (9)   Hō’ō Fukugū (1245–1313) 宝应福遇\n(10)   Shōshitsu Bunsai (1273–1352) 少室文才\n(11)   Man’an Shigen 万安子严\n(12)   Gyōnen Ryōkai (1335–1421) 凝然了改\n(13)   Gukū Keihyō (1383–1452) 俱空契斌\n(14)   Muhō Kashō (1420–1483) 无方可从"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                  169\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6_16\n\f170                                                   16   Shinetsu Kōchū and Forty-Six Sects"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(15)   Gesshū Bunsai (1452–1524) 月舟文载\n(16)   Sōkyō Sōsho (1500–1567) 宗镜宗书\n(17)   Unkū Shōchū (1514–1588) 蕴空常忠\n(18)   Mumyō Ekei (1548–1618) 无明慧经\n(19)   Tō’en Genkyō (1577–1630) 东苑元镜\n(20)   Kakurō Dōshō (1592–1659) 觉浪道盛\n(21)   Katsudō Daibun 阔堂大文\n(22)   Shinetsu Kōchū (1642–1696) 心越兴俦\nSince Fuyō Dōkai was the eighth-generation dharma-heir of Tōzan Ryōkai, and\nShinetsu was the twenty-first-generation dharma-heir of Fuyō Dōkai, Shinetsu\nbecame the twenty-ninth-generation dharma descendant of Tōzan Ryōkai, the\nfounder of the Sōtō School in China.\n   Shinetsu was a native of Hangchow (Chekiang Province). He was born in 1642,\nthe fifteenth year of the Chung-chen (Sūtei) era under the reign of the last Emperor\nof the Ming Dynasty. He became a monk at Pao-En Temple (Hōen-ji). At the age of\nthirty (1671), he was a disciple of Katsudō Daibun, who was Mumyō Ekei’s\nthird-generation dharma descendant. Katsudō was Tō’en Genkyō’s dharma\ngrandson and a direct disciple of Kakurō Dōshō (1592–1659). Note that Kakurō"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "was born in the same year 1592 as Ingen Ryūki (1592–1673), who went to Japan in\n1654. The first Emperor Shun-Chih (Junji) of the Ch’ing Dynasty reigned from\n1644 to 1661. When Shinetsu was 33 years old, in 1674, the thirteenth year in the\nera of Emperor Kang-Shi (Kōki), he was enlightened and received the Inka from\nKatsudō. Shinetsu resided at Yun-Fu Temple (Eifuku-ji) at the West Lake\n(Hangchow) and led a quiet religious life. Abbot Chen I (Chōitsu), who went to\nJapan earlier and resided at Kōfuku-ji at Nagasaki, secretly sent a message to\nShinetsu inviting him to go to Japan. So in 1677, the sixteenth year of the Kang-Shi\nera, Shinetsu sailed to Nagasaki, Japan. Since Shinetsu was a direct dharma\ndescendant of the Chinese Sōtō School, many members of the Japanese Sōtō\nSchool came to pay high respect to him. A number of courtesy poems were\nexchanged between the new master and the Japanese admirers.\n   Mokushitsu 默室 and Ryūtai Gosan 龙泰鳌山 were with Shinetsu since his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "arrival at Nagasaki. Ryūtai Gosan presented the Master with the following welcome\npoem:\n   For thirty years we have been searching for knowledge.\n   Ordinarily we wish to talk about the source of Sōtōshū.\n   On our first meeting, suddenly we could not find words.\n   It is like the children meeting their unfamiliar mother."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shinetsu replied:\n   From the South I have tried to find out the real meaning.\n   The lock of VOID breaks and the true source is revealed.\n   One realizes the unique transmission coming from the West.\n   The non-duality dharma-gate opens widely in all ten directions.\n\f16   Shinetsu Kōchū and Forty-Six Sects                                                       171\n\nOn the New Year’s Day of 1694, Shinetsu addressed the assembly of faithful\nfollowers:\n      All wind and light fill my eyes and present a new vista.\n      It is propitious to meet on the New Year Day of three beginnings. (First year, first month\n      and first day)\n      The festival suitable for the occasion is celebrated everywhere.\n      The Imperial designs should be fulfilled in the coming months and years."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is the New Year Day. It is the fresh Spring.\n      Both the season and the day have functions true to nature.\n      The plum blossoms at the corner of the wall look at Spring.\n      We are glad that the plum blossoms have possessed the Spring.\n\n      We humbly wish that we begin the New Year by worshipping Buddha.\n      The days of Emperor SHUN (Legendary) will always be bright.\n      All crops will have good harvest, and things are abundant.\n      The Imperial wind will spread like the warm wind from the South.\n\n      All peace and tranquility are maintained throughout the Four Seas.\n      The Emperor of Peace pays homage to Heaven on the New Year Day.\n      All is quiet and clear in eight directions.\n      Envoys from ten-thousand countries will come to pay homage to the Imperial Throne.\n      AH!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On his first arrival, Shinetsu was courteously welcomed by General (Shogun)\nOmmon. At Tentoku-ji 天德寺, seventeen thousand faithful followers assembled to\nreceive his blessings. In 1694, when Shinetsu was 53 years old, Tentoku-ji was\nrenamed Gien-ji 只园寺. His dharma disciples included Mokushitsu (Chief Priest),\nRyūtai Gosan, Goun Hōdon, Tenshū Hōrei, Sōyō Tanshin 总 丹心, Daichū\nKensan 大中建山, Seishō Nyojitsu 青松如实, and Keisan Dokuan 经山独庵.\nShinetsu was well versed in poetry, painting, and music. He played the seven-string\n“chin” and left sixteen music compositions. His two music disciples were as fol-\nlows: Jinken Chikudō 人见竹洞 and Sanho Kinsen 杉浦琴川. He lived to the age\nof fifty-seven.\n   Goun Hōdon 吴云法昙 had the following dharma-heirs: (1) Rasan Kaiten 兰山\n界天, (2) Tenshin Kaikō 天真界高, (3) Daijaku Kaisen 大寂界仙, and (4) Zensan\nKai’en 禅山界圆.\n   Tenshū Hōrei 天湫法礼 had the following dharma-heirs: (1) Daishi Kai’en 大志\n界圆, (2) Daichū Kaimō 大虫界猛, (3) Taisan Kaitsū 泰山界通, (4) Misan Kaiga"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "眉山界峨, (5) Tairei Kai’un 泰岭界云, (6) Dai’en Kaitan 大渊界湛, (7) Daitetsu\nKaigo 大彻界悟, (8) Daikō Kaisō 大纲界宗, (9) Hyakusen Kaigō 百川界合,\n(10) Mitsugan Kai’un 密岩界云, and (11) Genkai Kaishin 玄海界心.\n   Rasan had five disciples whose names were known. Similarly, Daijaku had six\ndisciples, and Zensan had five disciples.\n   As Shinetsu was the forty-sixth and the last Zen Sect’s founder, and Ingen Ryūki\nwas the founder of the forty-fifth Zen Sect, both represented the last two Masters who\nwere invited to Japan from China. The Zen Schools in China—from the end of Ming\nDynasty to the beginning of the Chinese Republic (1912)—belonged to the Rinzai\n\f172                                             16   Shinetsu Kōchū and Forty-Six Sects"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and Sōtō schools. However, in Japan, Ingen Ryūki founded a third school—the\nŌbaku School. Now, Gien-ji, the home base of Shinetsu, was considered in Japan as\nbelonging to the Ōbaku School. Note that Ingen was from the Chinese Rinzai School,\nwhile Shinetsu was from the Chinese Sōtō School. However, both represented Zen\npriests of late Ming period. In the era of Edo, there were many Chinese merchants\nfrom Nanking, Foochow, and Changchow (Fukien Province), who wished to\nestablish their own Buddhist temples and invite Zen Masters from China to preside\nover them. Thus, Kōfuku-ji 兴福寺, Fukusai-ji 福济寺, and Sūfuku-ji 崇福寺 were\nestablished. As the word “fuku” means blessing, these temples were known as the\ntemples of three bliss (or three “temples of bliss”). There were numerous Chinese Zen\nmonks in these three temples, as well as at the Shōfuku-ji 圣福寺. All these temples\nwere incorporated into the Ōbaku Sect. As a late comer, and as a master without"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "bringing some twenty disciples of his own from China, Shinetsu faced some diffi-\nculties in developing his own Sect into a big school of his own.\n   The forty-six Sects (Ryū’s) of Zen in Japan were listed below. (The Masters who\ncame from China would be designated by an asterisk*).\n (1)   Myōan Eisai (1141–1215) 明庵荣西\n (2)   Dōgen Kigen (1200–1253) 道元希玄\n (3)   Tenyū Shijun 天佑思顺\n (4)   Enji Ben’en (1202–1280) 圆尔辩圆\n (5)   Seisai Hōshin (1150–1250) 性才法心\n (6)   Myōken Dōyū (1201–1256) 妙见道祐\n (7)   Gottan Funnei* (1197–1276) 兀庵普宁\n (8)   Ryōnen Hōmyō (d. 1251) 了然法明\n (9)   Mugaku Sogen* (1226–1286) 无学祖元\n(10)   Shinchi Kakushin (1207–1298) 心地觉心\n(11)   Rankei Dōryū* (1213–1278) 兰溪道隆\n(12)   Shōzen Muden 圣禅无传\n(13)   Tōden Shōso 东传正祖\n(14)   Daikyū Shōnen* (1215–1289) 大休正念\n(15)   Mushō Jōshō (1234–1306) 无象静照\n(16)   Shōkoku Keisen 樵谷桂仙\n(17)   Kyōdō Kakuen* (1244–1306) 镜堂觉圆\n(18)   Nampo Jōmyō (1235–1308) 南浦绍明\n(19)   Kyōsan Shigen 巨山志源\n(20)   Shōrin Kyūrin 盛林琼林\n(21)   Saikan Sudon* (1249–1306) 西涧子昙"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(21)   Saikan Sudon* (1249–1306) 西涧子昙\n(22)   Issan Innei* (1247–1317) 一山一宁\n(23)   Tōri Kō’i* (d. 1318) 东里弘会\n(24)   Tōmyō Enichi* (1272–1340) 东明惠日\n(25)   Tōryō Eisho* (d. 1365) 东陵永屿\n(26)   Reisan Dō’in* (1255–1325) 灵山道隐\n(27)   Seitetsu Shōchō* (1274–1339) 清拙正澄\n(28)   Myōkyoku Soshun* (1262–1336) 明极楚俊\n\f16   Shinetsu Kōchū and Forty-Six Sects                                   173"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(29)   Jikusen Bonsen* (1242–1348) 竺仙梵仙\n(30)   Getsurin Dōkyō (1293–1351) 月林道皎\n(31)   Sekishitsu Zenkyū (1294–1389) 石室善玖\n(32)   Betsuden Myō’in 别传妙胤\n(33)   Onkei Soyū (1286–1344) 远溪祖雄\n(34)   Muin Genkai (d. 1358) 无隐元晦\n(35)   Myōshū Seitetsu (d. 1347) 明叟齐哲\n(36)   Gyōkai Honjō (d. 1352) 业海本净\n(37)   Kosen Ingen (1295–1374) 古先印元\n(38)   Fuku’an Sōki (1280–1358) 复庵宗己\n(39)   Kansai Ginan 关西义南\n(40)   Chūgan Engetsu (1300–1375) 中岩圆月\n(41)   Mumon Gensen (1323–1390) 无文元选\n(42)   Ikō Ken 以亨兼\n(43)   Daisetsu Sonō (1313–1377) 大拙祖能\n(44)   Guchū Shūkyū (1323–1409) 愚中周及\n(45)   Ingen Ryūki* (1592–1673) 隐元隆琦\n(46)   Shinetsu Kōchū* (1642–1696) 心越兴俦\nThere were 16 Masters who came from China, 15 Masters who visited Sung-China,\nand 15 Masters who visited Yuan-China.\n\fBibliography"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A History of Zen Buddhism, by Heinrich Dumoulin, S. J., English translation by Paul Peachey,\n   Pantheon Books, New York, 1963.\nBodhidharma’s Lüeh-pien Ta-cheng Ju-tao Ssu-hsing 菩提达摩略辨大乘入道四行 (Bodaidaruma\n   Ryakuben Daijō Nyudō Shigyō), by Tan-lin 昙琳.\nBukkyō Dainen Hyō 佛教大年表, by Mōgetsu Shinkyō 望月信亨, 1st ed. 1909; 2nd ed. 1930;\n   3rd ed. 1937; 4th ed. 1955.\nCh’an-chi Kai-shih Lu of Abbot Lai Ko 来果禅师禅七开示录 “(Zenshichi Kaiji Roku of Raika\n   Zenji)”, recorded by Tao-chen 道真 (Dōshin), 1954.\nCh’an-tsung Chi-cheng 禅宗集成 (Zenshū Shūsei), Selections from Manji Zoku Zōkyō 卍续藏经.\nCh’an-tsung Shih-chen Chi 禅宗师承记 (Zenshū Shijō Ki), by Y. H. Ku, Chen Shan Mei\n   Publishing Co., Taipei, 1976.\nCheng-fa-yen-tsang (Shōbōgenzō), by Dōgen Kigen (1200–1253), recorded by Koun Ejō 孤云怀奘.\nCheng-fa-yen-tsang 正法眼藏 (Shōbōgenzō), by Ta-hui Tsung-kao (Daie Sōkō, 1089–1163).\nCheng-yuan Liao-chi 正源略集 (Shōgen Ryakushū), compiled by Pao-lun Tsi-yuan 宝轮际源\n   (Hōrin Saigen) and Chao-yueh Liao-chen 昭月了贞 (Shōgetsu Ryōtei, 1729–1785), supple-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ment by Pao-lin Ta-chen 宝林达珍 (Hōrin Tatsuchin).\nChia-tai Pu-teng Lu 嘉泰普灯录 (Katai Futō Roku), compiled by Lei-an Cheng-shou 雷庵正受\n   (Raian Shōju, 1146–1208).\nChien-chung Ching-kuo Hsü-teng Lu 建中靖国续灯录 (Kenchū Seikoku Zokutō Roku), also\n   known as Hsü Teng Lu (Zokutō Roku), compiled by Fu-kuo Wei-po 佛国惟白 (Bukkoku\n   Ibyaku).\nChing-te Chuan-teng Lu 景德传灯录 (Keitoku Dentō Roku), compiled in 1004 A.D. by Taoyuan\n   道原 (Dōgen).\nChuan-fa Cheng-tsung Chi 传法正宗记 (Denhō Shōsō Ki), compiled by Chi-sung 契嵩 (Kaisū,\n   1007–1072).\nChung-ko Ku-tsun-su Yu-lu 重刻古尊宿语录 (Jukoku Kosonshuku Goroku), compiled in1267 by\n   Chueh-hsin (Kakushin) 觉心.\nChung-kuo Ch’an-tsung Shih 中国禅宗史 (Chūkoku Zenshū Shi), by Reverend Yin-shun 印顺,\n   Taipei, 1975.\nChung-kuo Fo-chiao Shih 中国佛教史 (Chūkoku Bukkyō Shi), by Chiang Wei-chiao 蒋维乔,\n   Shanghai, 1928.\nDenkō Roku 传光录 (Transmission of the Light), by Keizan Shōkin 莹山绍瑾 (1268–1325).\nDharma Records of Abbot Hsu Yun 虚云和尚法汇, edited by Tsen Hsueh-lu 岑学吕, HongKong,\n   1953."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1953.\nEssays in Zen Buddhism, by Daisets Teitarō Suzuki 铃木大拙贞太郎, Grove Press, New York\n   (First Series, 1949, 1961).\nHistory of Chinese Zen Buddhism 中国禅宗史 (in Chinese), by Reverend Yin-shun 印顺, Taipei,\n   1975."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                            175\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6\n\f176                                                                                Bibliography"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hsü Chuan-teng-lu 续传灯录 (Zoku Dentō Roku), compiled by Yuan-chi Chu-ting 圆极居顶\n    (Enki Kochō, d. 1404).\nHsü Tsang Ching 续藏经 (Zoku Zōkyō) (in Chinese), Hong Kong.\nHsū-kai Ku-tsun-su Yü-yao 续开古尊宿语要 (Zokukai Kosonshuku Goyō), compiled by Huishih\n    Shih-ming 晦室师明 (Kaishitsu Shimei).\nJih-pen Ch’an-seng Nieh-pan Chi 日本禅僧涅槃记 (in Chinese), by Tseng Pu-hsin 曾普信.\nJih-pen Ch’an-seng Shih-chen Chi 日本禅僧师承记 (in Chinese), by Y. H. Ku, Chen Shan Mei\n    Publishing Co., Taipei, 1977.\nKao Seng Chuan (Kōsō Den), Vol. I, compiled by Hui-chiao 慧皎 (Ekyō).\nKao Seng Chuan (Kōsō Den), Vol. II, or Hsü Kao Seng Chuan 续高僧传 (Zoku Kōsō Den),\n    compiled by Tao-hsuan 道宣 (Dōsen, 596–667).\nKao Seng Chuan (Kōsō Den), Vol. III, compiled by Tsan-ning 赞宁 (Sannei).\nKinse Zenrin Sōhō Den 近世禅林僧宝传 (in Chinese), Vol. I, by Doku’en Jōju 独园承珠,1890,\n    1973; Vols. II and III by Shōhata Buntei 小畠文鼎, 1938, 1973.\nKu-tsun-su Yü-yao 古尊宿语要 (Kosonshuku Goyō), compiled by Seng-ting Shou-tse 僧挺守赜\n    (Sōtei Shusaku) and published in 1144."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Sōtei Shusaku) and published in 1144.\nLao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching 老子道德经 (translation), translated by John C. H. Wu 吴经熊,\n    St.John’s University Press, Jamaica, N.Y., 1961.\nLieh-dai Fa-pao Chi 列代法宝记 (Rekidai Hōbō Ki), reprinted in Daishō Shinshū Daizōkyō,\n    Vol. 51.\nLin-chi Ch’an-shih Yü-lu 临济禅师语录 (Rinzai Zenji Goroku), compiled by San-sheng\n    Huijan 三圣慧然 (Sanshō Enen).\nLiving by Zen, by D. T. Suzuki 铃木大拙, with Foreword by Christmas Humphreys, published by\n    Samuel Weiser, Inc., New York, 2008.\nMeibatsu Chūkoku Bukkyō Kenkyū 明末中国佛教研究 (in Japanese), by Chang Sheng-yen\n    张圣严, Tokyo, 1975.\nNippon Bukke Jinmyō Jisho 日本佛家人名辞书 (in Japanese), compiled by Jubi Jun 鹫尾顺,\n    Tokyo Fine Arts Edition.\nOriginal Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism: Selected from the Transmission of the Lamp, English\n    translation by Chang Chung-yuan 张钟元, Pantheon Books, New York, 1969.\nOutlines of Mahayana Buddhism, by D. T. Suzuki, Schoken Books Inc., 1963.\nPao-ching San-mei 宝镜三昧 (Hōkyō Zammai, The Jeweled Mirror Samadhi), by Tung-shan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Liang-chieh 洞山良价 (Tōzan Ryōkai, 807–869).\nPi-yen-lu 碧岩录 (Hekigan-roku, The Blue Cliff Record), English translation by Thomas and\n    J. C. Cleary, Sambhala Publications, Inc., Boulder, Colorado, 1977.\nPlatform Scriptures 六祖坛经, English translation by Wing-tsit Chan 陈荣捷, St. John’s\n    University Press, Jamaica, N.Y., 1963.\nRekidai Hōbō Ki 列代法宝记 (in Chinese), reprinted in Daishō Shinshū Daizōkyō, Vol. 51.\nShen-hui Ho-shan I-chi 神会和尚遗集, compiled by Hu Shih 胡适, Academia Sinica, Tai pei,\n    1970.\nShih-shih I-nien Lu 释氏疑年录 (Shaku-shi Ginen Roku), by Chen Yuan 陈垣, Fu-jen University,\n    Peking.\nShōbōgenzō 正法眼藏 (True Dharma Eye), by Dōgen Kigen 道元希玄, 1231–1253.\nShōyō Roku 从容录, compiled by Manshō Kōshū 万松行秀 (1166–1246), based on Juko Hyaku\n    Soku 颂古百则 by Wanshi Shōkaku 宏智正觉 (1091–1157).\nSōtō-shū Zenshō 曹洞宗全书, published by Sōtō-shū Office, Tokyo, new edition 1976.\nStar-Lamp Records 星灯集, by Hsu Yun 虚云, reprinted in Dharma Records of Abbot Hsu Yun,\n    Hong Kong, 1953."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hong Kong, 1953.\nTa-cheng Hsin-hsiu Ta-tsang Ching 大正新修大藏经 (Daishō Shinshū Daizōkyō), 1924–1934.\nThe Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch in the Light of Mumonkan, English\n    translation by Ruth Fuller Sasaki, The First Zen Institute of America, Inc., New York, 1953.\nThe Golden Age of Zen, by John C. H. Wu, Hwa Kang Bookstore, Taipei, 1975.\n\fBibliography                                                                              177"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Practice of Zen, by Garma C. C. Chang 张澄基, Perennial Library, Harper & Row Publishers,\n   New York, 1970.\nThe Sound of the One Hand (translation with a Commentary), by Yoel Hoffman, Basic Books Inc.,\n   New York, 1975.\nThe Three Pillars of Zen, by Philip Kapleau, Beacon Press, 1967.\nThe Way of Zen, by Alan W. Watts, Pantheon Books, 1957.\nThe World of Zen, by Nancy Wilson Ross, Vintage Book, 1960.\nTien-sheng Kuang-teng Lu 天圣广灯录 (Tenshō Kōtō Roku), compiled by Li Tsun-hsu 李遵勖\n   (Ri Junkyoku, d. 1038).\nTsan-tung-chi 参同契 (Sandōkai), by Shih-tou Hsi-chien (Sekitō Kisen 石头希迁, 700–790).\nTun-wu Ju-tao Yao-men Lun 顿悟入道要门论 (Tongo Nyūdō Yōmon Ron), by Ta-chu Hui-hai\n   大珠慧海 (Daishu Ekai), edited by Miao-hsieh 妙叶 (Myōkyō) and first published in 1374.\nWu-chia Yü-lu 五家语录 (Goke Goroku), also known as Wu-tsung Lu 五宗录 (Goshū Roku),\n   compiled by Yü-feng Yuan-hsin 语风圆信 (Gofū Enshin) and Kuo Ning-chih 郭凝之(Kaku\n   Gyōshi).\nWu-teng Yen-tung 五灯严统 (Gotō Gontō), compiled by Fei-yin Tung-yung 费隐通容 (Hi’in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tsūyō, 1593-1661) and Po-chih Yuan-kung 百痴愿公 (Hyakuchi Gankō).\nZen and Japanese Culture, by D. T. Suzuki, Princeton University Press.\nZen and Zen Classics, Selections from R. H. Blyth, compiled and with drawings by Frederick\n   Franck, Vintage Books, 1978.\nZen and Zen Classics, Vols. I to V, by R. H. Blyth, The Hokuseido Press, Tokyo, 1960–1974.\nZen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis, by Erich Fromm, D. T. Suzuki, and Richard De Martino,\n   Harper Colophon Books, Harper & Row Publishers, New York, 1960.\nZen Buddhism, Selected Writings of D. T. Suzuki, edited by William Barrett, Doubleday Anchor\n   Books, 1956.\nZen Culture, by Thomas Hoover, Vintage Books, 1977.\nZen Dust 禅尘, by Isshu Miura 三浦一舟and Ruth Fuller Sasaki, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.,\n   New York, 1966.\nZen Flesh, Zen Bones, compiled by Paul Reps, Doubleday Anchor Book, 1960.\nZen is Eternal Life, by Jiyu Kennett, Dharma Publishing, Emeryville, California, 1976."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zen Keys, by Thich Nhat Hanh, with an Introduction by Philip Kapleau, translated from the\n   French into English by Albert and Jean Low, Doubleday Anchor Book, Garden City, N.Y.,\n   1974.\nZen-shū Shi 禅宗史 (in Japanese), by Reverend Keidō (Kōhō) Chisan 孤峰智灿, 2nd ed. 1974.\nZen: Poems, Prayers, Sermons, Anecdotes, Interviews, edited and translated by Lucien Stryk and\n   Takashi Ikemoto, Doubleday Anchor Book, Garden City, N.Y., 1965.\nZoku Tō Sonkō 续灯存稿, compiled by Shi Hai 施沛, reprinted in Zoku Zōkyō 续藏经, Vol. 145."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Additional References\n\nA Dictionary of Buddhism, by T. O. Ling, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1972.\nA Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, compiled by William Edward Soothill and Lewis\n   Hodous. Published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Truber & Co., Ltd., London, 1937.\nA History of the Interflow of China-Japan Buddhist Culture 中日佛教交通史, by Ven. Tungtsu,\n   Taipei, 1970.\nA History of the Interflow of Sino-India Buddhist Culture 中印佛教交通史, by Ven. Tungtsu\n   释东初, Taipei, 1968, 1972.\nA Man of Zen: The Recorded Sayings of Layman P’ang, English translation by Ruth Fuller Sasaki,\n   Yoshitaka Iriya, and Dana R. Fraser. Published by John Weatherhill, Inc., New York, 1971.\nA Modern History of Buddhism in China (2 Vols.) 中国佛教近代史 (上下二册), by Ven.\n   Tungtsu, Taipei, 1974.\n\f178                                                                   Additional References"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A Primer of Sōtō Zen, a translation of Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki by Reihō Masunaga.\n   University of Hawaii Press, 1975.\nManual of Zen Buddhism, by D. T. Suzuki, Grove Press, New York, 1960.\nOn Zen Practice, I and II, edited by Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi and Bernard Tetsugen Glassman.\n   Published by Zen Center of Los Angeles, 1976, 1977.\nPure Land & Ch’an Dharma Talks, by Reverend Hsuan Hua 宣化, Sino-American Buddhist\n   Association, Inc., San Francisco, California, 1974.\nPublished by the Sino-American Buddhist Association, Inc., San Francisco, California, 1974.\nSixth Patriarch’s Sutra, with Commentary of Reverend Hsuan-hua. Published by the\n   Sino-American Buddhist Association, Inc., San Francisco, California, 1977.\nSōyen Shaku 释宗演, Zen for Americans including The Sutra of Forty Two Chapters, English\n   translation by D. T. Suzuki, Open Court Publishing Co., La Salle, Illinois, 1906, 1974.\nZen for Americans, including the Sutra of Forty-two Chapters, by Sōyen Shaku 释宗演, English"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "translation by D. T. Suzuki, Open Court Publishing Co., La Salle, Illinois, 1906, 1974.\n\fList of Charts"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chart I     From Daruma to Enō 从达摩到慧能\nChart II    From Enō to Eisai and Dōgen 从慧能到荣西与道元\nChart III   From Engo Kokugon to Hakuin 从圆悟到白隐\nChart IV    From Kanzan Egen to Hakuin 从关山到白隐\nChart V     From Hakuin to Takujū Line 从白隐到卓洲系\nChart V A   From Hakuin to Inzan Line 从白隐到隐山系\nChart VI    From Engo Kokugon to Kozan, Kōmin, and Ingen Lines 从圆悟到鼓\n            山、高旻与隐元系\nChart VI A The Kozan Line 鼓山系\nChart VI B The Kōmin and Zengen Lines 高旻及禅源系\nChart VI C The Kōten and Tennei Lines 江天及天宁系\nChart VII The Myōhō Sosetsu Line 明峰素哲系\nChart VII A The Gasan Shōseki Line 峨山绍硕系\nChart VIII The Keizan and Kangan Lines 莹山与寒岩系\nChart IX    From Tsūgen to Ryōan Line 从通幻到了庵系\nChart IX A From Tsūgen to Fusai and Sekioku Lines 从通幻到普济与石梁系\nChart X     From Rokumon to Shōzan, Shinetsu, and Irin Lines 从鹿门到焦山、\n            为霖与心越系\nChart X A The Shōzan Line 焦山 (古樵) 系\nChart X B The Irin Line 为霖系"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd     179\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6\n\f180                                                                  List of Charts\n\nChart I From Daruma to Enō 从达摩到慧能\n\n                          Daruma (d. 532)\n\n                          Eka (487-593)\n\n                          S san (d. 606)     Eman\n\n                          D          -651)   D           (598-670)\n\n                          Gunin (602-675)\n\n      Chisen (609-702)     En (638-713)          Jinsh (d. 706)\n                           (See Chart II)\n      Shojaku (665-732)                          Fujaku (651-739)\n\n      Mus (684-762                               D sen (702-760)\n\n      Muju (714-774)                             Gy hy (722-797"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Saich (767-822)\n\fList of Charts                                                                                            181\n\nChart II From Enō to Eisai and Dōgen 从慧能到荣西与道元\n\n                                           En (638-713)\n\n\n        Seigen Gy        (d. 740)                   Nangaku Ej (677-744)\n\n        Sekit Ki en (700-790)                       Ba o D it u (709-788)\n\n        Yaku an Igen (751-834)                      Hyakuj Ekai (720-814)\n\n        Ungan Donj (782-841)                         baku Kiun (d. 850)\n\n        T zan Ry kai (807-869)                      Rinzai Gigen (d. 866)\n\n        Ky       Fuman              S zan Honjaku   K ke Zon     (830-888)\n                                    (840-901)\n        D an I                                      Nan’in Egy (d. 952)\n\n        D an Kan i                                  Fuket u En    (896-973)\n\n        Ry an Enkan                                 S uzan S nen (926-993)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Daiy Keigen (943-1027)                      Fun’y Zen      (947-1024)\n\n        To u Gi ei (1032-1083)                      Seki   Soen (986-1039)\n\n        Fuy D kai (1043-1118)                        ry Enan (1002-1069)         Y gi H e (992-1049)\n\n        Tanka S ijun (1064-1119)    Rokumon Jikaku Kaid S in (1025-1100)\n                                    (See C art X)                                Haku’un S utan (1025-1072)\n        S inket u Seiry (1090-1151)                Reigen I ei (d. 1117)\n\n        Tend S kaku (1091-1162)                     C rei S utaku (1065-1123)\n                                                                                 Go o H en (1024?-1104)\n        Soku’an C ikan (1105-1192)                  Muji Kaijin (1080-1148)\n\n                                                    S inbun Donfun               Engo Kokugon (1063-1135)\n        Tend Nyoj (1162-1228\n\n        D gen Kigen (1200-1253)                     Set u’an J kin (1117-1200)   (See C art III)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Koun Ej (1198-1280)                         Ki’an E\n\n        Tett   Gikai (1219-1309)                    My an Ei ai (1141-1215)\n\n        Keizan S kin (1268-1325)\n               (See C art VIII)\n\f182                                                                                                List of Charts\n\nChart III From Engo Kokugon to Hakuin 从圆悟到白隐\n\n                                                           Engo Kokugon (1063-1135)\n\n\n                                   Koky Sh                                             Daie S\n\n                                                                                       Bussh\n\n                                   Mittan Enketsu (1118-1186)                          Hokkan Koken (1164-1246)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Busso Daikan\n      Ha’an Sosen (1136-1211)                 Sh gen S gaku (1132-1202)\n                                                                                       Kaiki Genki (1238-1319)\n      Mujun Shihan (1178-1249)                Unan Fugan (1156-1226)\n                                                                                       Sh\n      Mugaku Sogen (1226-1286)                Kid Chigu (1185-1269)\n                                                                                       Tenkai S\n      K h Kennichi (1241-1316)                Nampo J my (1235-1308)\n\n      Mus Soseki (1275-1351)                  Sh\n\n      Mukyoku Shigen (1282-1359)              Kanzan Egen (1277-1360)\n\n      Kukoku My     (1328-1407)               Ju\n\n      Donch D h (1367-1409)                   Muin S\n\n                                              Nipp\n\n                                              Giten Gensh"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sekk\n\n\n                                              Tokuh                                      T\n                                           (9 generations)                            (8 generations)\n\n                                              Torin Sush                                 D\n\n                                              Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768)                   Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768)\n                                               (See Chart V)\n\fList of Charts                                                                                         183\n\nChart IV From Kanzan Egen to Hakuin 从关山到白隐\n\n                                          Kanzan Egen (1277-1360)\n\n                                          Ju S\n\n                                          Muin S\n\n                                          Nipp S\n\n                                          Giten Gensh\n\n                                          Sekk"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sekk\n\n\n                              T ku\n                              To k h                                         T\n\n                              Daiky\n                                 k S\n                                 ky                                          Daika Senky\n                                                                                      k o\n                                                                                      ky\n\n                              T igen S\n                              Ta                                             Kofu\n                                                                               f Genku\n                                                                               fu   k n\n                                                                                    ku\n\n                              T                                              Sensh"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I’an Chitai\n            T tsusan S\n            Te                                     Daiki J sen\n                                                                             T\n            Daishitsu Soky\n                        k\n                        ky                         Zeishin S\n                                                                             Y\n            Shingan Gensh                          R tan Genj\n                                                   Ry      no\n                                                           nj\n\n            G h                                    Daitan S                  Gud\n\n            Setsugan D                             Shitsuj\n                                                        u un S jun\n                                                        uj                   Shid"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kengan Zen’etsu (1618-1696)            T nrei Soden\n                                                   Ta                        D\n\n            Kogetsu Zenzai (1667-1751)             T rin Sush\n                                                   To                        Haku\n                                                                               k in Ekaku\n                                                                               ku      k (1685-1768)\n                                                                                       ku\n                                                                              (See Chart V)\n            Gesen Zen’e (1702-1781)                Haku\n                                                     k in Ekaku\n                                                     ku      k (1685-1768)\n                                                             ku\n\f184                                                        List of Charts"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chart V From Hakuin to Takujū Line 从白隐到卓洲系\n\n                        Haku\n                          k in Ekaku\n                          ku      k (1685-1768)\n                                  ku\n\n                        Gasan Jit (1726-1797)\n\n                        Takuj Kosen (1760-1833)\n\n\n        My ki S seki                       Sozan Genky\n                                                    k\n                                                    ky\n        (1774-1848)                        (1798-1866)\n\n        Kary\n           r Zuika\n           ry                              Kazan Zenry\n                                                    r\n                                                    ry\n        (1790-1859)                        (1824-1893)\n\n        T nkai Gensh\n        Ta                                 S han Genh\n        (1811-1898)                        (1848-1922)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Doku\n           k tan S\n           ku                              Gemp Giy\n        (1840-1917)                        (1865-1961)\n\n        Mukai Kory\n                 r\n                 ry                        Nakagawa S en\n        (1864-1935)                        (1907-   )\n\n        Nakamura Ta\n                 T iy                      Shimano Eid\n        (1886-1954)                        (1932-    )\n\n        Miura Issh\n        (1903-     )\n\fList of Charts                                                                                      185\n\nChart V A From Hakuin to Inzan Line 从白隐到隐山系\n\n                                                      Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768)\n\n                                                      Gasan Jit (1726-1797)\n\n                                                      Inzan Ien (1751-1814)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taigen Shigen                                   T     S\n                                 (1768-1837)                                     (d. 1832)\n\n                                 Gisan Zenrai                                    Settan Shoboku\n                                 (1802-1878)                                     (1801-1873)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tairy Bun’i\n                                                                                 (1826-1880)\n                 K sen S n                       Tekisui Giboku\n                 (1816-1892)                     (1821-1899)\n                                                                                 Daigi Sogon\n                                                                                 (1841-1874)\n                 K gaku S en                     Ryu’en Genseki\n                 (1859-1919)                     (1842-1918)\n                                                                                 Sho’in I’so\n                                                                                 (1865-1924)\n                 Tetsu S                         Seisetsu Genj\n                 (1870-1954)\n                                                                                 Muin Isei"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yamada Mumon\n                 Zuigan S seki                  (1900-   )\n                                                                                 Kaji’ura Itsugai\n                 (1879-1965)\n                                                                                 (1896-      )"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Present Abbot of My shin-ji\n                                                Recently retired Abbot of My\n\f186                                                                                           List of Charts\n\nChart VI From Engo Kokugon to Kozan, Kōmin, and Ingen Lines 从圆悟到鼓\n山、高旻与隐元系\n\n                                                 Engo Kokugon (1063-1135)\n\n                                                 Koky J         (1077-1136)\n\n                                                               (1103-1163)\n\n                                                 Mittan Enketsu (1118-1186)\n\n                                                 Ha’an Sosen (1136-1211)\n\n                                                 Mujun Shihan (1178-1249)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seggan Sokin                                           J ji My\n                          (1216-1287)                                            (1201-1261)\n                          K h                                                    Zuigan Bunho\n                          (1238-1295)                                            (d. 1335)\n                          Ch                                                     Kach\n                          (1263-1323)                                            (1265-1334)\n                          Sengan Gench                                           Fukurin Chito\n                          (1284-1357)                                            (1304-1370)\n                          Manh                                                   Kosetsu Sh\n                          (1303-1381)\n                                                                                 Musai My\n                          H"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "H\n                                                                             Taioka Ch\n                          Kihaku Egaku\n                          (1372-1441)                                        Gih Nei\n                                                                               (d. 1491)\n                          Kaish Eiji\n                          (1393-1461)                                        H\n                          H                                                      Ya\n                          (d. 1472)\n                                                                                 Mushu Nyok\n                          Tenki Honzui                                           (1491-1580)\n                          Mubun Sh                                               Mugen Seich\n                          (1450-1512)                                            (1540-1611)\n                          Getsushin Tokuh                                        K"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(1512-1581)                                            (1576-1620)\n                          Geny Sh                                                Fumy Tokuyo\n                          (1549-1614)                                            (1587-1642)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "K\n          Mitsuun Engo                      Ten’in Ensh                          (Kozan Line)\n          (1566-1642)                       (1575-1635)                          (See Chart VI A)\n\n          Hi’in Ts                          Gyokurin Ts\n          (1593-1661)                       (1614-1675)\n\n          Ingen Ry ki                       (See Chart VI B)\n          (1592-1673)\n          (           )\n\fList of Charts                                                                                187\n\nChart VI A The Kozan Line 鼓山系\n\n                 K              (?-1522)\n\n                 Honchi My\n\n                 Shikaku\n                      k Shinke (1543-1603)\n\n                 T nky\n                 Ta k oku\n                       k Nyok\n\n                 Junketsu Sh"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Jiun Kaishun\n                                                      NOTE: Reverend My ren Sh ka,\n                 T tsushin Jaku\n                 Te          kubun                    also known as My ren Chika\n                                                             belonged to both the Rinzai\n                 T n’en Sh\n                 Ta\n                                                      School and the S t School. (See\n                 Chigan Fumy                          Dharma Records of Abbot Hsu\n                                                      Yun, Vol. 8, page 265.) His dharma-\n                 T iky\n                 Ta k\n                                                      teacher Kiry Jinhan, also known\n                 Gosh Shinkk                          as K i r y Te t s u h a n\n                                                      belonged to both the Rinzai and\n                 K ka Gengo"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "K ka Gengo\n                                                      S t Schools. According to Ku-shan\n                 Sh                                   Lieh-tsu Lien-fang Chi\n                                                          Kiry , the 123rd Abbot, belonged\n                 Shud Zoku\n                        k sen\n                                                      to the 44th generation in the S t\n                 Sh gaku\n                      k Honch                         School, and My ren, the 126th\n                                                      Abbot at Ku-shan, belonged to the\n                 Eish Kaku\n                        kuj\n                                                      45th generation. Tracing backward,\n                 H rai Sh on                          J k Ken’in (d. 1875)\n                                                      the 118th Abbot, belonged to the\n                 Katsugo Ry\n                         R san"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "R san\n                                                      43rd generation, and N ji Tensh (d.\n                 Ich N san                            1848)             , the 116th Abbot,\n                                                      belonged to the 42nd generation.\n                 Kiry\n                   r Jinhan\n                                                      (See also Chart X B). Now Abbot\n                 My ren Sh ka                         Hsu Yun, the 130th at Ku-shan,\n                                                      considered himself belonging to the\n                 T ih Kaj\n                 Te    a\n                                                      47th generation in the S t School.\n                 Zenj\n                   n i Sh kai                         His dharma name was Kogan\n                                                              “Ko” was common to Enrō\n                 Entetsu To\n                         T ku"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "T ku\n                           k sei (Kiun, 1840-1959)\n                                                      Kogetsu              the 127th Abbot,\n                 Kan’in Butsu’e                       who succeeded My ren in 1902 and\n                                                      passed away in 1919, and Shink\n                 K my Reigen (1902-           )\n                                                      Koki (d. 1924)              the 128th\n                 Itei Chishin              I u Chig\n                                           Ij         Abbot.\n\f188                                                                                   List of Charts"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chart VI B The Kōmin and Zengen Lines 高旻及禅源系\n\n                                  Gyokurin Ts sh (1614-1675)\n\n\n          The K min Line                                The Zengen Line\n\n         Sei’un K gaku (1614-1666)                        Bihotsu K\n\n         Nankoku Ch ei                                  Kaiseki Ki\n\n         Reiju Meisei (1657-1722)                       Tannyo Ei (d. 1780)\n\n         Ten’e Jitsutetsu                               Gyokuki Shin\n\n         Ry                                             Tei’e Chi\n\n         Sh                                             K fuku Sei\n\n         H rin Tatsuchin                                N chi Ka\n                               (dharma\n         Nyokan Tatsuch        brothers)                Chich Un\n\n         H shu Gosei                                    Kenk En\n\n         D gen Shinjin                                  Raigo Mei\n\n         Tok ji K en                                    Rei’e Toku"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "NOTE: Gyok rin Ts sh was considered the\n         R ki Riji\n                                            Honorary Founder of Kao-min (K min) Temple\n         Getsur Zentei                                 Yangchow. The lineages (keifu)\n                            (dharma         of the Kao-min (K min) line and the Ch’an-\n         Sozen Zenshin      brothers)       yuan (Zengen) line were taken from M getsu\n                                            Shinky ’s Bukkyo Dainen Hy\n         Meiken Saizui\n                                                          , 4th edition, page 52. The author is\n         My ju Raika (1881-1953)            indebted to Reverend Lun-tsan                   of\n                                            Hong Kong and Reverend Yen-chih\n         My ge                              of Hua-Lien Buddhist Lotus Institute, Taiwan,\n                                            for the information from Gyok rin to Raika."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Reverend Po-Yun (Haku’un)                   kindly\n                                            supplied the name of Yin-yuan Li (Ōgen Ri)\n                                               between Tok ji K ’en and R ki Riji. Note that\n                                            Sh getsu Ry tei               and H rin Saigen\n                                                     were the compilers of Shōgen Ryakush\n                                                       and H rin Tatsuchin             was the\n                                            compiler of its Supplement.\n\fList of Charts                                                                                               189"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chart VI C The Kōten and Tennei Lines 江天及天宁系\n\n                                         Jaku’an T mon (1604-1655)\n                                        (Founder of K ten Temple, Kinzan)\n                                         Tet u          (1609-1683)\n                                         H\n                                         Ry\n                                         Get utan Meitat u (1665-1729)      (d arma brot er )\n\n                                         Daigy\n\n\n             T e K ten Line        (continued)         T e Tennei Line\n             T\n             Tent Sai’un (d. 1766)                               Na en Saikai\n\n             Riku’eki Ry                                         J toku Ry get u\n\n             S                                                   K\n\n             Buk Go’en                                           Seggan Goket u\n\n             S ic i Gomei                                        Fun S in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "S igaku Got        (d arma brot er )                Teinen S inzen      (d arma brot er )\n\n             K ji S in ai                                        Seik Sei\n\n             D ka Seito                                          Yakai Seiy\n                                                                                     (d arma brot er )\n             Rakutei Seiy       (d arma brot er )                Zenj Seinyo\n\n             Get ukei Kentei                                     Takunyo Ken en\n\n             Kan in Ken’e                                        Meiky Kenkan\n                                                                                     (d arma brot er )\n             I    Kennen        (d arma brot er )                Ikan Kentet u"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kony Kenky                                           S ren Mit ugen\n                                                                 (1893–1967)\n             Daitei Mit u’en\n                                                                 Erin Mit u en       (d arma brot er )\n             S\n                                                                 Eibai Mit uka\n             Seiren Mit u       (d arma brot er )\n                                                                 Binc i\n             Inju Mit uz\n\n             Ji on Inkan                                             [Reverend Ming-c i (Binc i)\n                                                                     i t e d arma- eir of Reverend\n             Seigon Inkai                                            C eng-lien (S ren)]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bai on In          (d arma brot er )\n                                                            N O T E : J a k u ’ a n ( R i a n ) Ts m o n ,\n             Y                                              dharma-heir of Ten’in E\n                                                                   (1575-1635) and co-complier\n              S ugy Inry (1865-1921)                        of Zokut Sonk                        was the\n             (Founder of Seika-ji)                          Honorary Founder of Kiang-tien (Kōten)\n                                                            Temple                , Chinshan (Kinzan)\n                . Five generations later, Nansen Saikai became the Founder of Tien-ning (Tennei)\n          Temple          , Changchow (Kiangsu). The lineage from Tetsush K kai to Inju Mitsuz\n          and the lineage from Nansen Saikai to Yakai Seiy were taken from M getsu Shinky ’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bukky Dainen Hy                                  4th edition, page 52. The author wishes to\n          thank Reverend Yen-chih                  of Hua-lien Buddhist Lotus Institute for supplying\n          additional names. (In the K ten line, Daigy Jitsutetsu            had other disciples: Tokuk\n          Sai’en            , S k Saich               , Fuk Saimei                 and Saikaku       . In\n          the Tennei line, J toku Ry getsu                had other disciples: Teisei Tatsuden\n                , Sekisen Tatsutei            , Ekyo Tatsurin            , K san Tatsumei\n          R sh Tatsu’iku              and Ry t Tatsu’u              .)\n\f190                                                                                              List of Charts"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chart VII The Myōhō Sosetsu Line 明峰素哲系\n\n                                                My\n                                               (1277-1350)\n                                                Shugan D\n                                               (d. 1387)\n                                                T tsuzan Shikaku\n                                                Te            kku"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Keigan Eish                                          Kei’oku\n                                                                               kku Te\n                                                                                   T ish\n                                                                         (1339-1407)\n                     Chuzan Ry\n                            R un (1350-1432)\n                                                                          Haku\n                                                                            ku\n                                                                            k gan Jutei\n                     Gisan To\n                           T nin (1386-1462)\n                                                                          Genshitsu Chigen\n                     Sh gaku\n                          kku Kenry\n                                 ry (d. 1485)\n                                                                        T rin To"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "T n\n                     Kinen H\n                                                                          Morin Zen’ei\n                     T ishitsu Chisen (1461-1536)\n                     Te\n                                                                          Chiku\n                                                                             ku\n                                                                             k d Egen\n                     Kokei Sh jun (d. 1555)\n                                                                          Gaku\n                                                                            ku\n                                                                            k kai Sh bun\n                     Sess\n                                                                          Tn\n                                                                          Te\n                     Kaiten Genshu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kaiten Genshu\n                                                                          I’san Mon’etsu\n                     Sh\n                                                                          IKu\n                                                                           K\n                                                                           Ku\n                     Ch zan Gin’etsu (1581-1672)\n                                                                          Tsuzan Ekei\n                     Fuku\n                       kkush\n                                                                          Gaij\n                                                                            ij\n                                                                            i u San’etsu\n                     Meid\n                                                                          Ch zan Eiton\n                     Haku\n                       ku"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ku\n                       k h Genteki (1594-1670)\n                                                                                   k ’ei\n                                                                          Kengan Jaku\n                                                                                   ku\n                     Gessh S ko (1618-1696)\n                                                                          Gyoku\n                                                                             kkugan Raigy\n                     Manzan Dohaku\n                                ku\n                                k (1635-1714)\n                                                                          Ch\n                                                                          Raish Daishin\n            Gekkan Gik                Meish Shushin\n            (1653-1702)                                                   T nzan Ry"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ta     R den\n                                      Mitsuzan D ken\n            Daiy Essh                                                     Kigai Moku\n                                                                                  ku\n                                                                                  k zen\n                                      T tsugan Jaku\n                                      Ta         ku\n                                                 k gen\n            Kegon S kai                                                   Moku\n                                                                            ku\n                                                                            k en E’an\n                                      Hoku\n                                        ku\n                                        k sh\n            Sh un T"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sh un T\n                  Taizui                                                  T ibai Eh\n                                                                          Ta\n                                      Ichih Kaku\n                                              kkusen\n            Nichirin T g                                                  M ku\n                                                                            k d\n                                      Daizan Senj\n                                               nj\n                                               n\n            Sonn Ky\n                 Kyod                                                     My h             ***\n                                      Tsuzan Te\n                                             T tsushun\n            Sogaku\n                ku\n                k Reid\n                                      Z zan Raid\n            Daishun Bengy\n                                      Daitetsu Shunj"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nj\n                                                  n\n            Koh Haku\n                  ku\n                  k gan\n                                      Ei’un Buny\n            Keid Chisan *\n                                      Zenkai Bunzan\n           (1879-1967)                                              *    Former Abbot of S ji-j\n                                                                                             --ji\n                                      Y ku\n                                      Ya k ran Bunshi\n                                      Gy zan (Keizan) Kin’ei **     ** Present\n                                                                            nt\n                                                                            n Ab\n                                                                               A bot of S ji-j\n                                                                                            --ji"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "*** Present Abbot of Eihei-ji\n\fList of Charts                                                                              191\n\nChart VII A The Gasan Shōseki Line 峨山绍硕\n\n                                             Gasan Sh seki\n                                            (1274-1365)\n                                             Taigen Soshin\n                                            (d. 1370)\n                                             Baisan Bunhon\n                                            (d. 1417)\n                                             Nyoch Tengin\n                                            (1363-1442)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kisan Sh san                                 Shingan D\n                         (1377-1442)                                  (1374-1449)\n                          Morin Shihan                                 Sens Esai\n                         (1393-1487)                                  (d. 1475)\n                         S shi Sh tai                                  Dainen J chin\n                                                                      (1434-1513)\n                          Kenchu Hantetsu\n                         (1438-1512)                                   Dairo Ichijun\n                                                                      (1399-1518)\n                         Daiju S k\n                                                                       Rin’ei Sof\n                         Kimp Jusen\n                                                                      (d. 1531)\n                         Tetsus Seidon"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tetsus Seidon\n                                                                       Daiy Ichirei\n                         Sh koku Ch shun                              (d. 1569)\n                         Ketsuzan Tetsuei                              Teny Ichich\n                         H shi S on                                   (d. 1549)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Goh                                           Senry Etan\n                                                                      (d. 1566)\n                          Tenkei Denson\n                         (1648-1735)                                   Tens Zench\n                                                                      (d. 1572)\n                         Z zan Monk\n                                                                       H zan T zen\n                         Niken Sekiry                                 (d. 1590)\n                                                                       Ichich Zeneki\n           Genr          Reitan Rory                                  (d. 1598)\n          (1720-1813)\n                         Kakuj                                         Shiho S zan\n           Fugai Honk                                                 (1542-1635)\n                         Kakuan Ry gu\n          (1779-1847)\n                         Ry ka Daibai"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ry ka Daibai\n           Sengai Ekid\n          (1805-1879)    Ungan Guhaku\n           Daiky Goy     Baian Hakujun                NOTE: The lineage from Taigen S shin\n          (1833-1915)    Taizan Maizumi\n                                                      to Sengai Ekid was based on M getsu\n                                                      Shinky ’s Bukky Dainen Hy , 4th\n                                                      edition, page 58. Sengai Ekid was\n                                                      Chief Abbot (Dokuju        ) of S ji-ji\n                                                      and concurrently Kanch          of the\n                                                      S t sh Group. He was succeeded by\n                                                      Daioka Baisen (1825-1910)\n                                                          and Mokusan Kin’ei (1821-1910)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": ". Daiky Goy was Chief\n                                                      Abbot (Kanshu          ) of Eihei-ji,\n                                                      succeeding Rosan Takush (1836-\n                                                      1897)\n\f192                                                List of Charts"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chart VIII The Keizan and Kangan Lines 莹山与寒岩系\n\n         Kangan Gi’in          Keizan Sh kin\n        (1217-1300)           (1268-1325)\n\n         Jins J ki             Gasan Sh seki\n        (d. 1364)             (1274-1365)\n\n        N                      Mugai Ensh\n                              (1311-1381)\n        Tai\n                               Muchaku Myoy\n        Kosen Rim             (1332-1393)\n        Jikuh S sen           Nany Y kun\n        En                    Tekirin Y\n        Shingan Gent          Getsusan Y\n        Seih Ky bon           Daih Y shin\n        Tekirin Genchi        Gyokushitsu Y chin\n        My zan Shunsatsu      Baikei Y kun\n        Daiun Genk            Getsushun Y kan\n        Ry haku K zui         Koshin Y\n        Dai                   Y\n         Man                  Ch an Y etsu\n        (1591-1654)\n                              Y\n         Raizen Shuny\n        (1613-1672)\n\n        Ry ban Sh"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ry ban Sh\n\n         Baih Jikushin        T fu Y kiku\n        (1633-1707)\n                               Ichitei Y ton\n         K un Sory            (1580-1653)\n        (1636-1696)\n                               Sessan Kakudon\n                              (d. 1649)\n\n                               Gessh\n                              (d. 1687)\n\n\n                              (1630-1689)\n\fList of Charts                                                                          193\n\nChart IX From Tsūgen to Ryōan Line 从通幻到了庵系\n\n                                    Gasan Sh seki\n                                    (1274-1365)\n                                    Ts gen Jakurei\n                                    (1323-1391)\n                                    Ry an Emy\n                                    (1337-1411)\n                                    Mukyoku Etetsu\n                                    (1350-1430)\n\n                                    Getsuk Sh bun\n                                    (d. 1463)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tais My k                                  Ichishu Sho’itsu\n                 (1406-1485)                                (1416-1487)\n\n                  Ten’an Genho                              Kenshitsu Jich\n                 (d. 1500)                                  Sonyo Zenh\n                  Unk Shuntoku                               Seigan Sh\n                 (1438-1516)                                (d. 1542)\n                  Kish                                      Daish Anch\n                 (d. 1536)\n                                                            K zan Kiryu\n                  Setsuan Ry shin\n                 (1458-1541)                                Kan’ei Hei’etsu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tai Tokuy                                 Y san Gensh\n                 (1481-1555)                                Jinsan Reinyo\n                  Zeiten S                                  Setsutei Tonko\n                 (1490-1572)\n                                                            Daisen Hegiden\n                  Ky shitsu Gench\n                 (d. 1585)                                  Taid Sh koku\n\n                  Zui Shunzoku                              Rinho Ry kyoku\n                 (d. 1596)                                  Nichishin Gizon\n                  T shitsu Iten                             Dai\n                 (1523-1600)\n                                                            Onzan Ry k\n                  Ichih Rins\n                 (1567-1623)                                Kansan Gih"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shinrei Ch                                T gai Sensh\n                 (d. 1655)                                  Daich Insh\n                  J shu Hod                                 Daigu Mantetsu\n                 (d. 1646)\n                                                            Kai\n                  K gan Kund                                Bukkai S\n                 (d. 1656)\n                                                             Zekkai Sh\n                  Fuch Sh teki                              (Iwamoto         )\n                 (1621-1677)\n                                                  * Recently retired Abbot of S ji-ji\n                  Shigan Baifu\n                 (1636-1680)\n\n                 Nyojitsu Shuhon\n\n                  Reinan Sh jo\n                 (1675-1752)\n\f194                                                                                       List of Charts\n\nChart IX A From Tsūgen to Fusai and Sekioku Lines 从通幻到普济与石梁系"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Keizan S   kin (1268-1325)\n                                     Ga an S o eki (1274-1365)\n                                     T gen Jakurei (1323-1391)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fu ai Zengu (1347-1405)                         Sekioku S inry (1345-1423)\n            Gyoku      Ry c in (d. 1498)                    C ikukyo S yu (1380-1461)\n            S kai Jik                                       C i i I an (1404-1468)\n            My       it u Et                                Dai’an Su’eki (1406-1473)\n            Kokugan S                                       Zengan T jun (d. 1495)\n            Suian S      en                                 Soku              (1435-1505)\n            Joan S                                          Tenfu Zon a\n            San   Juin                                      Ki aku Zuib (1463-1547)\n            C my Zenteki                                    Jo           (d. 1548)\n            Dai en Junc i                                   Kiy            (1487-1563)\n            Fui Eiry                                        I et u Ky       (1502-1564)\n            Muin Eiy                                        Hanko Zon’ei (1514-1571)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ipp S jun                                       E tu             (1521-1603)\n            K an S       uku                                An\n            K et u Jun a                                    Kiun Rei’in (d. 1619)\n            S inan Gentat u                                 Tet u on Genju (1567-1638)\n            Gekkai S ju                                     Rei it u Zenju (1579-1636)\n            Nanry Son un                                    Kokugi S c in\n            Takuj Uton\n            Gokei Y ton\n            Go o Y       u\n            Tengan S un a\n             zan Y a\n            Hakud Jurin\n            Get ud Kai’in\n            Gekk Ry mon\n            K\n            K an Te an\n            S kai Tet ury\n            Umon Kat ury\n            S ud Tekkan\n            I eki Tet ugan\n            Tain Tet i                     * Pre ent Abbot of Saij -ji\n            Zenget u Suigan *\n\fList of Charts                                                                       195"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chart X From Rokumon to Shōzan, Shinetsu, and Irin Lines 从鹿门到焦山、为霖\n与心越系\n\n                                    Rokumon Jikaku (d. 1117)\n                                    Fu    Kiben (1081-1149)\n                                    Reigan S      (1114-1173)\n                                    O an S itei\n                                    Seggan Eman (d. 1206)\n                                    Man\n                                    S     it u Fukuy (1203-1275)\n                                    S     it u Buntai (d. 1289)\n                                    H\n                                    S     it u Bun ai (1273-1352)\n                                    Man’an S igen\n                                    Gyonen Ry kai (1335-1421)\n                                    Guk\n                                    Mu    Ka      (1420-1483)\n                                    Ge     Bun ai (1452-1524)\n                                    S"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "S                         Unk\n                  (d. 1585)                (1514-1588)\n\n                  Daikaku H nen             Mumy\n                 (d. 1594)                 (1548-1618)\n\n                  Ummon Enc                 To’en Genky              Eikaku Genken\n                 (1561-1626)               (1577-1630)              (1578-1657)\n                  Zui aku My et u           Kakur                    Irin D ai\n                 (1584-1641)               (1592-1659)              (1615-1702)\n                  Ha’an J                  Kat ud Daibun            (Irin Line)\n                 (1603-1659)\n                                            S inet u K\n                  Ko                       (1642-1696)\n                                                   (      )\n\f196                                    List of Charts\n\nChart X A The Shōzan Line 焦山系\n\n        Kosh Chisen\n\n        Kand\n\n        Seki\n\n        Minsh Fukuki (d. 1790)\n\n        Hekigan Sh ketsu (1703-1765)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hekigan Sh ketsu (1703-1765)\n\n        Saish\n\n        Tan’un Seiky\n\n        Kyo’etsu Seik\n\n        Sh hei Seik\n\n        Sh gen Kakusen\n\n        Mukkei Kai’in\n\n        Getsuki Ry zen\n\n        Ry ch Goshun\n\n        Kaik Daishu\n\n        Unhan Sh d\n\n        Tokushun\n\n        Kitsud\n\n        Chik Mish (1888-1963)\n\n        T\n\n        Ek Sh\n\fList of Charts                                                                                                  197\n\nChart X B The Irin Line 为霖系\n\n                                     Irin D hai (1615-1702)\n\n                                     K              (d. 1728)\n\n                                     Hensh K ry (d. 1775)\n\n                                     Seijun H\n\n                                     T\n\n                                     D gen Ichishin\n\n                                     Kei’un Teizen\n\n                                     Z ki Shinshaku\n\n                                     Enchi Ts kan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "N             (d. 1848)\n\n                                     Untei Kenji\n\n                                     J\n\n                                     Gogen Chihon\n\n                                     En’ei Y\n\n                                     Jik Kokai (1895-1954)\n\n                                     Genji Fukukai (1929-       )"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "NOTE: According to M getsu Shinky ’s Bukky Dainen Hy                                    , 4th edition,\n       page 48, the Ku-shan (Kozan) line              started from Ku-shan Yuan-hsien [Kozan Genken\n            (1578-1657)], followed by Irin D hai (1615-1702). The next was Ijo D an                  . Then\n       K to Daishin (d. 1728), who was D hai’s dharma-heir, followed. Then the list gave: Engyoku\n       K                 , Z sen H in              , Tannen H bun          , J min H jun              before\n       Henshō Kōryū (d. 1775), who was Kōtō’s dharma-heir. So Mōgetsu’s lineage was the “garan” line\n                 , but not the“ dharma” line. This“ garan” line checked with the list of Abbots given in Ku-\n       shan Lieh-tsu Lien-fang Chi                      , reprinted in Dharma Records of Abbot Hsu Yun\n                     , Vol. 9, pages 266–297.\n            Note that Irin Dohai was the 96th Abbot at Ku-shan, Kōtō was the 98th Abbot, Henshō was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the 103rd Abbot, Seijun was the 104th Abbot, T           was the 105th Abbot, D     en was the 106th\n       Abbot, and Kei’un was the 107th Abbot. Now Enchi was the 111th Abbot, while his dharma-\n       teacher        was the 113th Abbot. Enchi’s dharma-heir Nōji was the 116th Abbot, and Nōji’s heir\n       Untei was the 117th Abbot.\n            The author wishes to thank Reverend Yen-chih (Genji)                   for supplying the above\n       lineage.\n\fIndex"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A                                                Chen-hsieh Ching-liao (Shinketsu Seiryō), 73\nAmida (Nembutsu) school, 93                      Chen Tsun-su (Chin Sonshuku), 26\n                                                 Chen-yi Hui-lan (Jin’itsu Eran), 74\nB                                                Chia-shan Shan-hui (Kassan Zenne), 19, 59\nBaisan Bunhon, 152, 160                          Chien-ching Tsu-nan (Senkei Sonan), 19, 26,\nBakusan Genrai, 74                                  36\nBankei Eitaku, 111, 112                          Chigen, 7, 99\nBaso Dōitsu, 7, 18, 23, 24, 32, 56, 91, 92       Chigi, 87, 91\nBassui Tokushō, 44, 47, 95, 98, 103              Chih-men Kuang-tsu (Chimon Kōso), 20, 81\nBetsuden Myō’in, 51                              Chih-sien (Chisen), 6, 7\nBlue Cliff Record (Hekigan-roku), 20, 82, 120,   Chi-hsiu Chih-liao (Sokuyū Keiryō), 49\n   125                                           Chih-wei (Chi’i), 7"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bodhidharma (Daruma), 1, 2, 8, 11                Chih-won Te-chu (Jiki’ō Tokukyo), 73\nBokuan (Mokuan) Seitō, 47, 138                   Chih-yen (Chigen), 7\nBokujū Dōshō, 19, 26, 36, 79                     Chi’i, 7\nBukkai E’on, 47, 94, 95                          Chimon Kōso, 20, 81\nBukkoku Ibyaku, 82                               Ching-chi Chan-jan (Keikei Tannen), 7\nBukkō Nyoman, 25, 27                             Ching-cho Cheng-cheng (Seisetsu Shōchō), 49\nBunsō Mugyō, 18, 25                              Ching-liang Cheng-kuan (Seiryō Chōkan), 16\nBussei Hōtai, 47                                 Ching-lin Shih-chien (Seirin Shikan), 66\nBusshō Tokkō, 47, 95, 143                        Ching-shan Hung-yin (Keizan Kōin), 26\n                                                 Ching-shan Tao-chin (Keizan Dōkin), 7\nC                                                Ching-tang Chueh-yuan (Kyōdō Kaku’en), 48\nChang-ching Huai-hui (Shōkei Eki), 18, 25        Ching-te Chuan-teng Lu (Keitokudentō Roku),"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chang-ching Hui-leng (Chōkei Eryō), 20, 85          21\nChang-ching Ta-an (Chōkei Daian), 18, 19, 25,    Ching-yuan Hsing-ssu (Seigen Gyōshi), 15, 19,\n  26, 35                                            55\nChang-ling Shou-cho (Chōrei Shutaku), 45         Chin-shan Wen-sui (Kinsan Bunsui), 66\nChang-lu Ching-liao (Chōro Seiryō), 142          Chinshū Reitsū, 20, 58, 59\nChang-sha Ching-tsen (Chōsha Keijin), 18, 26     Chinshū Sekikyō, 20, 58, 59\nChang-shui Tzu-hsuan (Chōsui Shisen), 16         Chin Sonshuku, 26, 36\nChao-chou Ta-tien Pao-tung (Chōshū Daiten        Chisen, 6, 7\n  Hotsū), 56                                     Chi-sung (Kaisū), 58\nChao-chou Tsung-shen (Jōshū Jūshin), 18, 26,     Chiu-feng Pu-man (Kyūhō Funman), 20, 58,\n  29, 31                                            66, 71\nChen-chou Ling-tung (Chinshū Reitsū), 20, 58     Chiu-feng Tao-chien (Kyūhō Dōken), 59\nChen-chou Shih-ching (Chinshū Sekikyō), 20,      Chi-zei Tao-chung (Chizetsu Dōchū), 48, 49"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "58                                             Cho-an Chih-chien (Soku’an Chikan), 73\nCheng-tao-ke (Shōdōka), 16, 55                   Chōkei Daian, 18, 19, 25, 26, 35"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                              199\nand Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016\nY.H. Ku, History of Zen, China Academic Library,\nDOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1130-6\n\f200                                                                                       Index"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chōkei Eryō, 20, 61, 85                           Dōgen Kigen, 21, 46, 73, 82, 141, 142, 149,\nChō’on Dōkai, 138                                    150, 169, 172\nChōrei Shutaku, 45, 92                            Dōgo Enchi, 19, 59, 63\nChōro Seiryō, 142                                 Dōjo, 18, 26, 92\nChōsha Keijin, 18, 26                             Dōjō Anshin, 50, 51\nChōshū Daiten Hōtsu, 56, 59                       Dōju Myōzen, 94, 98, 143\nCho-sien Fan-sien (Jikusen Bonsen), 50            Doku’an Genkō, 159\nChōsui Shisen, 16                                 Doku’en Jōju, 122, 124, 125\nChu-chi (Shojaku), 7, 18                          Dokuhon Seigen, 138\nChu-chih (Gutei), 27                              Dokushō Seien, 138\nChūgan Engetsu, 173                               Dokutan Sōsan, 123\nChūhō Myōhon, 50, 51, 103, 133, 134               Dōkyō Etan (Shōju Rōjin), 69, 111, 112, 117,\nChu-kung Chi-ping (Gukū Keihyō), 74                  118"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chuan-fa Cheng-tsung Chi (Denhō Shōsō ki),        Dōsen, 1, 3, 7, 91, 92, 129\n  58                                              Dōsen Risshi, 91\nChuan-tzu Te-cheng (Sensu Tokusei), 19            Dōshin, 3, 5, 6, 8\nChueh-er (Kaku’o), 48                             Dōshō, 5, 91, 93\nChueh-lang Tao-sheng (Kakurō Dōshō), 74           Dōsui, 7, 91\nChung-feng Ming-pen (Chūhō Myōhon), 51\nChun-yung-lu (Shōyō-roku), 74                     E\n                                                  Echū, 7, 55\nD                                                 Echū, Nan’yō, 15, 16, 32, 55\nDaibai Hōjō, 18, 24, 26                           Egaku, 92\nDaie Sōkō, 47, 76, 94, 95                         E’hō, 7\nDaigi Sogon, 130                                  Eigen-ji, 49, 98, 103\nDaiji Kanchū, 18, 26, 35                          Eihei-ji, 145, 147–149, 151, 155, 157\nDaiki Sozen, 130                                  Eikō-ji, 150, 151\nDaikō Soshō, 47                                   Einei-ji, 1"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Daikyū Ehō, 119, 129                              Eka, 2, 3, 8, 23, 91\nDaikyū Shōnen, 43, 49, 97, 100, 101, 172          Ekidō Sengai, 126\nDainichi Nōnin, 99, 147                           Ekū Shōgen, 53, 75\nDaiō Kokushi, 49, 101, 103, 106, 108              Ekyoku Dōmyō, 138\nDairin Sōtō, 106                                  Eman, 5, 91\nDaisetsu Jō’en, 122, 124, 125                     En’an Zenkai, 49\nDaisetsu Sonō, 51, 134, 173                       Engaku-ji, 43, 50, 97, 99, 102, 103, 124, 125\nDaisetz Teitaro Suzuki, 122, 124                  Engo Kokugon, 21, 46, 47, 82, 94, 95, 99, 101\nDaishō Daizōkyō, 1, 5, 9, 11, 17, 23–25, 29,      Enji Ben’en (Shōichi Kokushi), 43, 46, 50, 94,\n   31, 41, 42, 57–61, 63, 71–73, 84, 85, 87          95, 98, 99, 101, 172\nDaishu Sōju, 123, 128                             Enkan Saian, 18, 24, 26, 92\nDaitō Kokushi, 49, 103, 106, 108, 109             Enō (Sixth Patriarch), 6–8, 11, 15–18, 23, 55,\nDaitoku-ji, 43, 49, 97, 102, 103, 106–109, 120,      56, 58, 92"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "122, 124                                       Enshō Sōhon, 81\nDaiyō Keigen, 20, 40, 58, 72, 73, 142             Enzū Hōshū, 20, 82\nDaizui Genjō, 47                                  Erin Ekai, 82\nDaizui Hōshin, 19, 26                             Erin Sōhon, 20, 82\nDanrin-ji, 92                                     Etsukei Shuken, 122, 124, 130\nDaruma, 1–3, 8, 23, 24, 36, 40, 43, 62, 120\nDenhō Shōsō Ki, 58                                F\nDiamond Sutra, 11, 17                             Fa-chih (Hoji), 7\nDōan Dōhai, 20, 58, 71, 72                        Fa-shun (Hōyū), 16\nDōan I, 20, 58, 59, 72                            Fa-yen Wen-i (Hōgen Bun’eki), 20, 57, 68, 85,\nDōan Kanshi, 20, 58, 72                              86\nDōfuku, 3                                         Fa-yen (Hōgen) School, 20, 55, 60\n\fIndex                                                                                     201"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fa-yun Shan-pen (Hōun Zenhon), 81, 82             Gida Daichi, 151\nFa-yung (Hōyū), 5, 7, 72                          Gidō Shūshin, 50, 102\nFen-chou Wu-nieh (Bunsō Mugyō), 18, 25            Gi’en, 147–149\nFen-yang Shan-chao (Fun’yō Zenshō), 39, 42,       Gien-ji, 171\n   68                                             Gifuku, 7\nFeng-hsueh Yen-chao (Fūketsu Enshō), 39, 41       Gikū, 18, 26, 92\nFive Mountains (Gozan), 97, 100, 101, 108         Gisan Zenrai, 121, 124, 125, 130\nFive Ranks (goi), 19, 56, 68–70, 86, 151, 152     Giten Genshō, 109, 110\nFotsū-ji, 98, 103                                 Gi’un, 147–149\nFu-chao Te-kuang (Busshō Tokkō), 47               Godai Mumyō, 16\nFu-hai Hui-yuan (Bukkai E’on), 47                 Go-hu Ta-yi (Gako Daigi), 18, 25\nFu-hsin Fa-tai (Bussei Hōtai), 47                 Gofū Enshin, 136\nFu-kuang Ju-man (Bukkō Nyoman), 25, 27            Gōhō Dōtetsu, 114\nFu-kuo Wei-po (Bukkoku Ibyaku), 82                Goi, 19, 37, 151"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fu-shan Fa-yuan (Fusan Hō’en), 20, 40, 73         Gokei Sōton, 109, 110, 114\nFu-yung Tao-kai (Fuyō Dōkai), 20, 71, 73          Gokoku Keigen, 47, 95\nFujaku, 7                                         Gongai Sōchū, 106, 107\nFuke, 96                                          Gosetsu Reimoku, 18, 24\nFuke School, 96                                   Goso Hō’en, 44, 46, 47, 94\nFūketsu Enshō, 39, 41                             Gōten Dōkei, 122, 127, 128\nFuku’an Sōki, 51, 134, 173                        Gottan Funnei, 48, 100, 102, 133, 172\nFukurin Chito, 52                                 Goun Hōdon, 171\nFumyō Myōyō, 52                                   Gozan, 97, 105, 106\nFun’yō Zenshō, 39, 42, 68                         Gozan culture, 105\nFusai Zenkyū, 161                                 Guchū Shūkyū, 50, 98, 103, 173\nFusan Hō’en, 20, 39, 73                           Gudō Tōjitsu, 111, 112, 140\nFushō Kiben, 74, 169                              Gu’eki Chikyoku, 52, 53, 88"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fushō Zen, 113                                    Gukū Keihyō, 74, 169\nFuyō Dōkai, 20, 71, 73, 74, 141, 142, 144, 146,   Gukyoku Chi’e, 49\n   169, 170                                       Gunin, 5–8, 11, 91\n                                                  Gutei, 18, 27\nG                                                 Gyōhyō, 7, 91\nGako Daigi, 18, 25                                Gyōkai Honjō, 51, 134, 173\nGankyoku Kōmi, 48, 49                             Gyokufu Shōsō, 107\nGantō Zenkatsu, 20, 60, 61                        Gyoku’oka Zōchin, 51\nGa’oku Nōkō, 66                                   Gyokurō Kyūnen, 7, 18, 26, 91\nGasan Jitō, 119, 120, 123, 128                    Gyōnen Ryōkai, 74, 169\nGasan Shōseki, 150–153                            Gyō’ō Gensetsu, 123, 128\nGasan-ha, 151                                     Gyōzan Kin’ei (Ichikawa Kin’ei), 165\nGe-an Pu-ning (Gottan Funnei), 48\nGekkan Gikō, 154                                  H\nGekkō Shōbun, 161                                 Ha’an Jōtō, 75"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Gempō Giyū (Yamamoto Gempō), 122                  Ha’an Sosen, 44, 46, 48, 95\nGenjō Sanzō, 91                                   Haikyū Shōkoku, 26, 35, 36\nGensha Shibi, 20, 57, 61, 84, 86                  Hakuba Tonju, 66\nGenyū Shōden, 21, 50, 51, 133, 135                Hakuchō Shien, 60\nGessen Zen’e, 114, 120, 129                       Hakuin Ekaku (Kokurin), 69, 71, 111, 113,\nGesshū Bunsai, 74, 170                               117, 152\nGesshū Sōkō, 159, 160                             Hakusui Honjin, 66\nGesshū Sōrin, 159, 160                            Haku’un Egyō, 150\nGetsurin Dōkyō, 50, 173                           Haku’un Shutan, 46, 94\nGetsurin Shikan, 47                               Han-shan (Kansan), 52\nGetsushin Tokuhō, 50, 133                         Han-shan Te-ching (Kansan Tokusei), 51\nGettan Zenka, 47                                  Han Yu, 59\n\f202                                                                                         Index"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hanazono University, 130                          Hsueh-tou Chung-hsien (Setchō Jūken), 20, 81\nHang-chou Tien-lung (Kōshū Tenryō), 18, 26        Hsueh-yen Hui-man (Seggan Eman), 74\nHaryō Kōkan, 20                                   Hsueh-yen Tsu-ching (Seggan Sokin), 48, 50,\nHi-in Tsuyō, 50, 51                                  51\nHō Kōji, 18, 25, 33                               Hu-chiu Shao-lung (Kokyō Shōryū), 46, 48\nHo-tse Shen-hui (Kataku Jinne), 15, 55            Hu-kuo Ching-yuan (Gokoku Keigen), 47\nHo-yu Kuang-hui (Kagyoku Kō’e), 68                Hu Shih, 8, 15\nHōbō (Hōhō) Myōken, 133                           Hu-yen Zing-fu (Kogan Jōfuku), 49\nHofuku Jūten, 20, 61                              Hua-yen Cheng-hui (Kegon Shō’e), 20, 58\nHōgaku Jikō (Seigo Hōgaku), 122                   Hua-yen (Kegon) School, 15, 16, 55, 68, 152\nHōgen Buneki, 57, 61, 85, 86                      Hua-yen Shu-zing (Kegon Kyūjō), 66\nHōgen School, 20, 56, 57, 61, 85, 89              Huan-chi Wei-i (Kankei Litsu), 48"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hōji, 7, 29                                       Huang-lung Hui-nan (Ōryū Enan), 40, 43, 45\nHōjun, 16                                         Huang-mei (Ōbai), 5–7, 11, 13\nHokkan Kokan, 99                                  Huang-po Hsi-yun (Ōbaku Kiun), 18, 26, 35\nHōkke School, 93                                  Huang-po (Ōbaku) School in Japan, 21, 51,\nHōkō-ji, 51, 98, 103, 126                            126, 133, 136, 140, 169, 171\nHōkyō Jaku’en, 147–149                            Huen-chuan Ju-kung (Ōkawa Nyokyō), 49\nHō’ō Fukugū, 74, 169                              Hui-chung (Echū), 7, 55\nHō’ō oshō, 41                                     Hui-chung, Nan-yang (Nan’yō Echū), 15, 16,\nHō’on Baikei, 51, 134                                28, 55, 65\nHo’on (Gyokurin) Tsūshū, 21, 54, 136              Hui-fang (E’hō), 7\nHōssō School, 91, 93                              Hui-ke (Eka), 2, 3, 8, 23, 24, 91\nHō’un Genshi, 123                                 Hui-kung Sheng-yen (Ekū Shōgen), 53, 75"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hōun Zenhon, 81, 82                               Hui-lin Hui-hai (Erin Ekai), 82\nHōyū, 5, 7, 72                                    Hui-lin Tsung-pen (Erin Sōhon), 20, 82\nHōzō Fuji, 50, 133, 134                           Hui-man (Eman), 5\nHsi-ta Kuang-mo (Saitō Kōboku), 28                Hui-neng (Enō Sixth Patriarch), 6, 7, 11, 15,\nHsi-tang Chih-tsang (Saidō Chizō), 18, 24            16, 23, 55\nHsiang-lin Cheng-yuan (Kyōrin Chōon), 20,         Hui-tang Tsu-hsin (Kaidō Soshin), 45\n   81, 84                                         Hung-chih Cheng-chueh (Wanshi Shōkaku),\nHsiang-shan Cheng-chao (Kōsan Chōshō), 58            73\nHsiang-yen Chih-hsien (Kyōgen Chikan), 19,        Hung-fu Tzu-wen (Kōfuku Shimon), 47, 95\n   26, 28, 67                                     Hung-jen (Gunin), 5, 6, 8, 11\nHsien-shou Fa-tsang (Kenshu Hōzō), 16             Hung-tsi Tsung-tsi (Kōsai Sōseki), 82\nHsin-hsin-ming (Inscribed in the Believing        Huo-shan Ching-tung (Kakusan Keitsu), 28"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mind), 4                                       Hyakujō Ekai, 18, 24, 25, 35, 91, 92\nHsin-wen Dan-fen (Shinbun Donfun), 45             Hyakujō shingi, 25\nHsin-yueh Hsing-shu (Shinetsu Kōchū), 21\nHsing-hua Tsun-chiang (Kōke Zonshō), 39, 40       I\nHsing-shan Wei-kuan (Kōzen Ikan), 18, 25          I-chou Nan-yin (Ekishū Nan’in), 15\nHsu-an Huai-chang (Ki’an Eshō), 45                I-kung (Gikū), 18, 26\nHsu-chou Pu-tu (Kishū Fudo), 49                   I-shan I-ning (Issan Innei), 49\nHsu-ko Hsi-lin (Kikoku Keryō), 51                 Ichikawa Kin’ei, 155–157\nHsu-tang Chih-yu (Kidō Chigu), 49                 Ifu Daikaku, 36\nHsu Yun (Kiun), 16, 21, 31, 33, 52, 54, 57, 76,   Igyō School, 18, 23, 28, 33, 55, 89\n   77, 89                                         Ikkyū Sōjin, 107\nHsuan-sha Shih-pei (Gensha Shibi), 20, 84, 86     Ikō Ken, 173\nHsuan-su (Genso), 7                               Ingen Ryūki, 21, 50, 53, 133, 136, 140,\nHsuan Tsang (Genjō Sanzō), 91                         169–171, 173"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hsueh-an Chun-chin (Setsu’an Jūkin), 45           Inshū, 13\nHsueh-feng I-tsun (Seppō Gison), 20, 57, 61,      Inzan Ien, 120, 121, 123, 128, 130\n   79                                             Irin Dōhai, 76\nHsueh-feng Ssu-hui (Seppō Shi’e), 81              Isan Reiyū, 26, 27, 35\n\fIndex                                                                             203"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Issan Innei, 49, 102, 172                  Ka’ō Sōnen, 103, 109, 134\nIwamoto Shōshun, 155, 156                  Kao-an Ta-yu (Kōan Daigu), 18, 26, 36\n                                           Kao-feng Yuan-miao (Kōhō Gemmyō), 50, 51\nJ                                          Karyō Zuika, 123\nJaku’an Jōshō, 94                          Kasan Zenryō, 122, 127, 128\nJakushitsu Genkō, 98, 103, 134             Kashū Sōdon, 106, 108\nJiki’ō Tokukyo, 73, 142                    Kassan Zenne, 19, 59, 64\nJikusen Bonsen, 50, 172                    Kataku Jinne, 15, 55\nJinken Chikudō, 171                        Katsudō Daibun, 74, 170\nJinne, 8, 15, 16, 57                       Kegon Kyujō, 66\nJinshū, 6, 7, 12, 91, 92                   Kegon School, 15, 38, 55, 68, 93, 152\nJishū Chijo, 15                            Kegon Shō’e, 20, 58\nJitsuden Sōshin, 106                       Keichō Kenshi, 66\nJiun-ji, xiii                              Keichū Bundō, 129\nJiun Myō’i, 44, 47, 95                     Keidō Chisan, 154, 155"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Jiyu Kennett, 9                            Keigan Eishō, 153, 156\nJōchi-ji, 43, 49, 97, 100                  Keihō Shūmitsu, 8, 15, 16, 35, 55, 68\nJōdō School, 68                            Keikei Tannen, 7, 91\nJōji Eki, 73, 142                          Keisen Sōryū, 108, 110, 111, 114\nJōji Myōrin, 43, 48, 51, 101, 133          Keitoku dentō roku, 1, 21, 150\nJōmyō-ji, 94, 97, 98                       Keitoku-ji, 135, 143\nJōran Jun, 45                              Keizan Dōkin, 7\nJōshū Jūshin, 18, 26, 29, 31               Keizan Kōin, 26\nJufuku-ji, 93, 94, 97, 98, 100, 143        Keizan Nyokaku, 95\nJunshi of Korea, 28                        Keizan Shōkin (Jōkin), 148, 149\nJuō Sōhitsu, 108–110                       Kenchō-ji, 43, 49, 97–100, 102, 103, 124\nJushō Gennei, 74                           Kengan Zen’etsu, 114, 130\n                                           Kennin-ji, 93, 97, 101, 103, 109, 143, 145\nK                                          Kenshu Hōzō, 16"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kachi-ko, 92                               Ki’an Eshō, 45, 92, 93\nKachō Sento, 52                            Ki’an So’en, 50, 102\nKagyoku Kō’e, 68                           Kidō Chigu, 43, 48, 49, 101, 103, 106, 108,\nKai-fu Tao-ning (Kaifuku Dōnei), 47, 95       148\nKaidō Soshin, 45, 92                       Kihaku Egaku, 50, 133, 135\nKaifuku Dōnei, 47, 95, 101                 Kikoku Keryō, 50, 51\nKaisan Sōkaku, 121, 123, 127, 128          Kimpō Jusen, 153\nKaishū Eiji, 50, 133, 135                  King-chao Hsien-tze (Keichō Kenshi), 66\nKaishū Fuji, 51, 134                       King-feng Chun-chih (Kinhō Jushi), 68\nKaisū, 58                                  Kinhō Jushi, 68\nKajiura Itsugai, 130                       Kinsan Bunsui, 66\nKaku’ō, 48, 94, 95                         Kinse Zenrin Sōhō Den, 126\nKakurō Dōshō, 74, 76, 170                  Kishū Fudo, 49\nKakusan Keitsu, 28                         Kisū Chijō, 18, 24, 26, 36\nKan-tan Tzu-kuo (Kantan Sikoku), 20        Kisū Tangon, 71"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kangan Gi’in, 147, 148, 151, 158           Kiun, 16, 21, 31, 52, 53, 57, 76\nKankai Sōju, 121, 123                      Kōan, 14, 53, 82, 100, 151\nKankei I’itsu, 48                          Kōan Daigu, 18, 26, 36\nKanna Zen, 113, 151                        Kōan Ensei, 21, 52, 53, 76\nKan’ō Sōkai, 122, 124, 125                 Kobai Shōyū, 51, 103\nKansai Ginan, 51, 134, 173                 Kōfuku Shimon, 47, 95\nKansan Tokusei, 52                         Kōgaku-ji, 44, 47, 95, 98, 103\nKantan Shikoku, 20, 60, 61                 Kōgaku Sō’en (Shaku Sōyen), 121, 124\nKanzan, 94, 105, 106, 108, 109, 111, 129   Kogaku Sōkan, 106\nKanzan Egen, 49, 97, 103, 106, 108, 110    Kogan Jōfuku, 49, 103\n\f204                                                                                        Index"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kōgetsu Sōgan, 107                               Kyōrin Chōon, 20, 81, 84\nKogetsu Zenzai, 114, 119, 129                    Kyōsan Shigen, 49\nKōhō Gemmyō, 50, 51, 133                         Kyōzan Ejaku, 18, 19, 26, 27\nKohō Kakumyō, 47, 95, 103                        Kyūhō Dōken, 59\nKōhō Kennichi, 50, 102, 103, 106, 133, 134       Kyūhō Fuman (Daishi), 20, 58, 66, 71, 72, 141\nKokan Kohan, 121, 129                            Kyūhō Ichisei, 123, 128\nKokan Shiren, 99\nKokan Sōho, 122, 124                             L\nKōke Zonshō, 39, 40                              Lai-ko (Raika), 21, 54\nKokurin, 117, 119                                Lan-an Ting-hsi (Raian Teiju), 47\nKokutai-ji, 44, 47, 95, 97, 103                  Lan-chi Tao-lung (Rankei Dōryū), 49\nKokyū Shōryū, 46, 94, 95                         Lei-an Cheng-shou (Raian Shōju), 81\nKomoku Hōjō, 21                                  Liang-shan Yuan-kuan (Ryōsan Enkan), 20,\nKōmyō Reigen, 53                                    58, 72"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Korin Seimo, 50, 134                             Liang Wu-ti, 1\nKōsai Sōseki, 82, 88                             Lieh-dai Fa-pao Chi (Rekidai Hōbō Ki), 11, 13\nKōsan Chōshō, 58                                 Lin-chi I-hsuan (Rinzai Gigen), 18, 26, 36, 39,\nKosen Ingen, 51, 134, 173                           40, 55\nKōsen Seigeki, 138, 139                          Lin-chi (Rinzai) School, 18, 19, 26, 36, 37, 40,\nKōsen Sō’on, 121, 124                               55, 73\nKoshō Chisen, 75                                 Ling-shan Tao-yin (Reisan Dō’in), 50\nKoshō (Shōzan) line, 75                          Ling-shu Ju-min (Reiju Nyobin), 19, 26\nKōshō Ōfu, 82                                    Ling-yen Seng-pao (Reigan Sōhō), 74\nKōshū Tenryū, 18, 26                             Ling-yuan Hung-miao (Kōmyō Reigen), 53\nKo’un Ejō, 145–148                               Ling-yuan Wei-ching (Reigen Isei), 45\nKozan Genken, 74                                 Ling-yun Chih-chin (Reiun Shigon), 19, 26"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kozan Jin’an, 20, 61, 76                         Lo-han Kuei-chen (Rakan Keijin), 20, 57\nKozan line, 21, 52, 76                           Lo-han Tsung-che (Rakan Sōsetsu), 36\nKōzen Ekō, 52                                    Lo-men Chi-chen (Rokumon Shoshin), 68\nKōzen Ikan, 18, 25                               Lo-men Tzu-chueh (Rokumon Jikaku), 21, 74\nKu-chiao Chih-sien (Koshō Chisen), 75            Lo-shan Tao-hsien (Rasan Dōkan), 60\nKu-lin Ching-mu (Korin Seimo), 50                Lu Keng (Riku Kō), 18, 26\nKu-mei Cheng-yu (Kobai Shōyū), 51                Lung-chuan Wen-hsi (Ryūsen Bunki), 29\nKu-mu Fa-cheng (Komoku Hōjō), 21                 Lung-men Ching-yuan (Ryūmon Sei’on), 47,\nKu-shan (Kozan) line, 21                            95\nKu-shan Shen-yen (Kozan Jin’an), 20, 76          Lung-tan Chung-hsin (Ryūtan Sūshin), 20, 57,\nKu-shan Yuan-hsien (Kosan Genken), 74               60\nKuan-tang Ta-wen (Katsudō Daibun), 74            Lung-ya Chu-tun (Ryūga Koton), 20, 58, 66\nKuang-chao Yin-fu (Kōshō Ōfu), 82"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kuang-chao Yin-fu (Kōshō Ōfu), 82\nKuei-feng Tsung-mi (Keihō Shūmitsu), 8, 15,      M\n  16, 35, 55                                     Ma-tsu Tao-i (Baso Dōitsu), 7, 18, 23, 32, 56\nKuei-shan Ling-yu (Isan Reiyū), 18, 26, 27, 35   Man’an Shigen, 74, 169\nKuei-tsung Chih-chang (Kisū Chijō), 18, 24,      Manhō Jijō, 51, 133, 134\n  26, 36                                         Manju-ji, 97, 99, 135\nKuei-tsung Huai-hui (Kisū Eki), 71               Manshō Kōshū, 74, 169\nKuei-tsung Tan-chuan (Kisū Tangan), 71           Manzan Dōhaku, 153, 154, 159\nKuei-yang (Igyō) School, 26                      Mi-an Hsien-chieh (Mittan Enketsu), 46, 48, 49\nKūkai, 93                                        Mi-on Wen-li (Metsu’ō Bunri), 49\nKūkoku Myō-ō, 102                                Mi-yun Yuan-wu (Mitsu’un Engo), 133, 135,\nKung-shu Tsung-yin (Kūshū Sō’in), 47                136\nKūshū Sō’in, 47                                  Miao-chien Tao-yu (Myōken Dōyū), 48\nKyōdō Etan, 123, 128                             Mikkyō, 150"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kyōdō Kaku’en, 48                                Ming-chi Hui-tsu (Myōkyoku Eso), 73\nKyōgen Chikan, 19, 26, 28, 67                    Ming-chi Tsu-tsun (Myōkyoku Soshun), 49\n\fIndex                                                                                     205"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mitsu’un Engo, 50, 133, 135, 136                 Myōshin-ji, 49, 97, 102, 103, 108–110, 117,\nMittan Enketsu, 46, 48, 95, 98, 103                120, 124, 127–130, 138\nMiura Isshū, 123                                 Myōshū Seitetsu, 51, 134, 173\nMokuan (Bokuan) Seitō, 137–139\nMokushitsu, 170, 171                             N\nMokushō Zen, 113, 151                            Nagarjuna, 7, 91\nMount Hiei, 48, 92, 94, 127, 143, 147, 149       Nan-hua Temple (Nanka-ji), 27\nMount Sū, 1, 17                                  Nakagawa Sō’en, 122, 128\nMu-chou Tao-tsung (Bokujū Dōshō), 19, 26,        Nakamura Taiyū, 123\n   36                                            Nampo Jōmyō (Daiō Kokushi), 43, 49, 101,\nMubun Shōsō, 50, 133                                103, 134\nMugai Enshō, 152, 159                            Nan-chuan Pu-yuan (Nansen Fugan), 18, 24,\nMugai Gi’on, 148, 159                               26, 29\nMugai Kakutsu, 49                                Nangaku Branch, 17, 19, 55, 60"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mugaku Bun’eki, 122, 127                         Nangaku Ejō, 17, 29\nMugaku Sogen, 43, 48, 50, 52, 97, 99–103,        Nan’in Egyō, 41\n   128, 133, 134                                 Nan’in Zengu, 122, 127\nMugen Shōchū, 52                                 Nanka-ji, 27\nMuhō Kashō, 169                                  Nansen Fugan, 29\nMuin Genkai, 51, 134, 173                        Nanshinken, 123\nMuin Isei, 130                                   Nan-ta Kuang-yung (Nantō Kōyō), 28\nMuin Sōin, 109, 110                              Nan-tang Tao-hsin (Nandō Dōkō), 47\nMuji Kaijin, 45, 46, 92                          Nantō Kōyō, 28\nMuju, 7                                          Nan-yang Hui-chung (Nan’yō Echū), 15, 32\nMuju Ichien, 99                                  Nan’yō Echū Kokushi, 28, 62, 65\nMujun Shihan, 21, 43, 46, 48, 95, 98, 99, 101,   Nan-yuan Hui-yu (Nan’in Egyō), 39, 41\n   133                                           Nan-yueh Huai-jang (Nangaku Ejō), 15, 17, 55"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mukai Koryō (Kōno Mukai)(Nanshinken), 123        Nanzen-ji, 43, 48, 97, 99, 101, 102, 110\nMukan Fumon, 43, 48, 97, 99, 101, 102            Ngo-i Chih-hsueh (Gu’eki Chikyoku), 52, 88\nMukyoku Etetsu, 161                              Nichiren, 93, 112, 117\nMukyoku Shigen, 50, 102                          Nichiren School, 93, 117\nMumon Ekai, 44, 47, 95, 101, 149                 Nin-jan Liao-kai (Gyōnen Ryōkai), 74\nMumon Gensen, 51, 98, 103, 109, 173              Nippō Sōshun, 108\nMumonkan, 14, 19, 95, 101, 127, 149              Nirvana Scripture, 13\nMumyō Ekei, 74, 76, 170                          Niu-tou Shan (Gozusan), 5, 7\nMumyō Esei, 43, 49, 98, 100                      Niu-tou School, 5, 7\nMusai Daishi, 19, 55, 56, 68, 151                Nun Tsung-chih (Ni Sōji), 3, 23\nMusai Myōgo, 52                                  Nun Wu-chin-tsang (Ni Mujinzō), 11\nMusai Ryōha, 143\nMushō Jōshō, 49, 101, 172                        O\nMushu Nyokū, 52, 53                              Ōan Donka, 95"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Musō, 7                                          Ōbai, 5, 11\nMusō Soseki, 50, 97, 102, 103, 106, 133, 134,    Ōbaku Kiun, 18, 26, 91, 92\n   152                                           Ōbaku School in Japan, 140\nMuyō Shuki, 51                                   Ōkawa Nyokyō, 49\nMyōan Eisai, 43, 45, 46, 48, 91, 92, 97, 98,     Ōryū Enan, 40, 43, 92, 93\n   143, 172                                      Ōryū Sect, 40, 45, 48\nMyōhō Egyoku (Chin Egyoku), 157                  Ōsan Shitei, 74, 169\nMyōhō (Meihō) Sotetsu, 150, 159                  Onkei Soyū, 51, 134, 173\nMyōhō-ha, 150                                    O-shih Ling-kuan (Useki Reikan), 19, 26, 36\nMyōken Dōyū, 48, 172\nMyōki Sōseki, 121, 123, 127                      P\nMyōkyoku Eso, 73, 142                            Pai-ma Tun-ju (Hakuba Tonju), 66\nMyōkyoku Soshun, 49, 172                         Pai-sui Pen-jen (Hakusui Honjin), 66\n\f206                                                                                         Index"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pai-yun Shou-tuan (Haku’un Shutan), 46             Ryū’en Genseki, 131\nPa-ling Hao-chien (Haryō Kōkan), 20                Ryūban Shō’un, 159\nPao-ching-san-mei ko (Hōkyōzammai ka), 68          Ryūga Koton, 20, 66\nPao-fu Tsung-chan (Hofuku Jūten), 20               Ryūkei Seisen, 138\nPao-yin Fu-yu (Hō’ō Fukugū), 74                    Ryūmon Sei’on, 47, 76\nPao-yin Ho-shan (Hō’ō oshō), 41                    Ryūsan Tokuken, 94\nPang Yun (Hō Kōji), 18, 25, 33                     Ryūsen Bunki, 29\nPa-Ta, xii                                         Ryūshū Shūtaku, 102\nPeihsiu (Haikyū Shokoku), 19, 35                   Ryūtai Gosan, 170, 171\nPien-chuan Miao-yin (Betsuden Myō’in), 51          Ryūtan Sūshin, 60\nPi-yen-lu (Hekigan-roku), 20, 82\nPlatform Scriptures, 7, 12, 13, 17, 135            S\nPo-an Zing-teng (Ha’an Jōtō), 75                   Saichō, 7, 18, 93\nPo-chang Huai-hai (Hyakujō Ekai), 18, 25, 35       Saidō Chizō, 18\nPo-chao Chih-yuan (Hakuchō Shien), 60              Saijō-ji, 154, 157"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Po-chien Chu-chien (Hokkan Kokan), 47              Saikan Sudon, 49, 134, 172\nPo Chü-i (Haku Kyoeki), 27                         Saiten Dōsai, 48, 95\nPo-shan Yuan-lai (Bakusan Genrai), 74              Sakei Genrō, 16, 91\nPu-an Tsu-sien (Ha’an Sosen), 46, 48               Sandōkai, 19, 56, 86\nPu-chao Hsi-p’ien (Fushō Kiben), 74                Sanho Kinsen, 171\nPu-chi (Fujaku), 7                                 San-sheng Hui-jan (Sanshō Enen), 40\nPure Land (Jōdo) School, 68, 88                    Seggan Eman, 74, 169\nPu-teng-lu (Futō-roku), 82                         Seggan Sokin, 21, 48, 51, 52, 133\nPu-tou Shan (Broken-head Mountain), 5              Sōhō Eshin, 81\n                                                   Sōhan Genhō, 122, 128\nR                                                  Sōji-ji (at Sekigawa), 57, 150, 151, 154, 155,\nRaian Teiju, 47                                       163\nRakan Keijin, 20, 57, 61, 85, 86                   Sōji-ji (at Tsurumi,Yokohama), 151, 155"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rakan Sōsetsu, 36                                  Sōkyō Sōsho, 170\nRankei Dōryū, 43, 49, 97, 100, 102, 103, 134       Seigen Branch, 19, 23, 55, 56, 60\nRansan Shōryū, 130                                 Seigen Gyōshi, 15, 19, 55\nRasan Dōkan, 60                                    Seigo Hōgaku, 122\nRasan Gemma, 122, 127                              Seirin Shikan, 66\nReigen Isei, 76, 92                                Seiryō Chōkan, 16\nReigen,Kōmyō, 19                                   Seisai Hōshin, 172\nReiju Nyobin, 19                                   Seisan Jiei, 102\nReisan Dō’in, 50, 172                              Seisetsu Genjō, 131\nReiun Shigon, 19                                   Seisetsu Shōchō, 49, 134\nRekidai Hōbō ki, 1, 13                             Seisetsu Shūryo, 114\nRiku Kō, 18                                        Sekida Hōkun, 48\nRinzai Gigen, 18, 19, 36, 55, 92, 93               Sekihan I’en, 49, 134\nRinzai-roku, 36                                    Sekikei Shingetsu, 43, 49, 100, 101"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rinzai School, 19, 21, 26, 36, 44, 55, 108, 136,   Seki’oku Seikyō, 51\n   160, 172                                        Sekioku Shinryō, 161\nRinzai School in Japan, 43, 45, 48, 49, 69, 93,    Sekishitsu Zendō, 59\n   102, 143                                        Sekishitsu Zenkyū, 50, 173\nRokumon Jikaku, 74, 142, 169                       Sekisō Keisho, 19, 59, 63, 67\nRokumon Shoshin, 68                                Sekisō Soen (Jimyō Daishi), 39, 40, 42, 92\nRyōan Emyō, 161                                    Sekitō Kisen (Musai Daishi), 19, 55, 56, 68,\nRyo’an Hongetsu, xii                                  151\nRyōan Keigo, 110                                   Sekkan Shōju, 120, 128\nRyōdō Shinkaku, 152                                Sekkō Sōshin, 108–110\nRyōnen Hōmyō, 147, 172                             Senfuku Dōsei, 48\nRyōsan Enkan, 20, 58, 72, 141                      Sengai Gibon, 115\n\fIndex                                                                                     207"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sengan Genchō, 50, 133, 134                     Shōhō Eshin\nSeng-tsan (Sōsan), 3–5                          Shōhō Myōchō (Daitō Kokushi), 43, 49, 97,\nSenkei Sonan, 19, 36                               102, 103, 106, 108, 134\nSensu Tokusei, 19, 59, 63                       Shōichi Kokushi, 94, 95, 99\nSenzaki Nyogen, 122                             Shō’in-ji, 117, 119, 120\nSeppō Gison, 20                                 Shōju Rōjin, 69, 111, 113, 117, 152\nSeppō Shi’e, 82                                 Shōkei Eki, 25\nSesson Yūbai, 49                                Shōkoku-ji, 102, 103, 126\nSetchō Jūken, 20, 71, 81, 82, 84                Shōkoku Keisen, 172\nSetsu’an Jūkin, 45, 92                          Shōrei Sōkin, 106\nSetsugan Dō’en, 114                             Shōrin-ji, 1\nSettan Shōboku, 129, 130                        Shōrin Kyūrin, 49, 172\nShaku Sōyen, 122, 124                           Shōsō Nichigan, 51\nShaku’en Eichō, 98, 99                          Shōshitsu Bunsai, 169"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shang-lan Shun (Jōran Jun), 45                  Shōshitsu Buntai, 74, 169\nShao-lin Temple (Shōrin-ji), 1                  Shōshitsu Fukuyū, 74\nShao-shan Huan-pu (Shōzan Kanfu), 59            Shōshitsu Shōjun, 75\nShao-shih Chang-ren (Shōshitsu Shōjun), 75      Shōyō-roku, 74\nShao-shih Fu-yu (Shōshitsu Fukuyū), 74          Shōzan (Koshō) line, 75\nShao-shih Wen-tai (Shōshitsu Buntai), 74        Shōzan Kanfu, 59, 64\nShao-shih Wen-tsai (Shōshitsu Bunsai), 74       Shōzen Muden, 95, 172\nSheng-yen, Hui-kung (Ekū Shōgen), 21            Shojaku, 8\nShen-hsiu (Jinshū), 6, 8, 12                    Shou-chang Yuan-nin (Jushō Gennei), 74\nShen-hui (Jinne), 9, 16, 57                     Shou-shan Sheng-nien (Shuzan Shōnen), 39,\nShen-Kuang (Jinkō), 3                              41, 42\nShi-chien Tzu-tan (Saikan Sudon), 49            Shuang-feng Hui-chen (Soho Eshin), 81\nShidō Munan (Bunan), 112                        Shuang-feng Shan (Double-peak Mountain), 5"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shigetsu Sōshin (Sasaki Shigetsu)(Sōshin        Shugan Dōchin, 153, 156, 157\n   Taikō), 121, 122                             Shui-po Ming-hsueh (Zuihaku Myōsetsu), 75\nShihaku Shinka, 52                              Shun’oku Myōha, 50, 97, 102\nShih-chi Hsin-yueh (Sekikei Shingetsu), 101     Shun-chih (Junshi of Korea), 28, 170\nShih-fan Wei-yen (Sekihan I’en), 49             Shunpo Sōki, 106\nShih-ou Ching-kung (Seki’oku Seikyō), 51        Shuzan Shōnen, 39, 41, 92\nShih-shuang Ching-chu (Sekisō Keisho), 19,      Sixth Patriarch (Enō), 7, 8, 19, 55, 56\n   59, 67                                       Sōhan Genhō, 122, 128\nShih-shuang Tsu-yuan (Sekisō Soen), 39, 40,     Soku’an Chikan, 73, 142\n   42                                           Sokuhi Jo’itsu, 138, 139\nShih-te (Jittoku), 94                           Sokukyū Keiryō, 50, 103\nShih-tao, xii                                   Sōkyō Sōsho, 170\nShih-tien Fa-hsun (Sekida Hōkun), 48            Sosan Genkyō, 122, 127"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shih-tou Hsi-chien (Sekitō Kisen), 19, 32, 55   Sōsan, 3, 91\nShikei Eryō, 119, 120                           Sōtō School, 20, 21, 46, 57, 63, 76, 102, 135,\nShimano Eidō, 122, 128                             149, 159, 170, 171\nShinbun Donfun, 45, 92                          Sōtō School in Japan, 73, 141, 149, 157, 169\nShinchi Kakushin, 43, 47, 95, 103, 149          Sōtō-Shū Zensho, xiii\nShinetsu Kōchū, 74, 142, 169, 173               Sōzan Eka, 20, 58, 68\nShinetsu Sect, 74, 169                          Sōzan Honjaku, 20, 58, 68, 141\nShingon School, 93, 94                          Sozan Kōnin, 58\nShinketsu Seiryō, 73                            Su Che (So Tetsu), 45\nShō’in I’sō, 130                                Su Tung-po (Sotoba), 45\nShōbōgenzō, 46, 145, 147, 150                   Sui’ō Genro, 119, 129\nShōdōka, 16                                     Sui (Zui) Wen-ti, 2, 3\nShōgen Sūgaku, 43, 48, 49, 98, 100, 101, 106    Suiba Mugaku, 20, 58, 62"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shōhata Buntei, 126                             Sui-chou Tao-yuan (Suishū Dōen), 15\n\f208                                                                                   Index"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Suigan Reisan, 20, 61, 87                      Tao-hsuan (Dōsen Risshi), 91\nSuigan Zengetsu, 158                           Tao-hsuan (Dōsen), 1, 2, 7, 84\nSung Shan (Mount Sū), 1, 17                    Tao-sui (Dōsui), 7\nSung-yuan Chung-yueh (Shōgen Sūgaku), 48,      Tao-wu Yuan-chih (Dōgo Enchi), 19, 59\n   49                                          Tao-yu (Dōiku), 23, 48\nSūsan Kyochū, 134                              Tao-yuen (Dōgen), 1\nSu-shan Kuang-jen (Sozan Kōnin), 20, 58, 66    Tekisui Giboku, 124\nSūzan Fujaku, 91                               Temmoku Shin, 52\n                                               Ten’in Enshū, 21, 51, 136\nT                                              Tendai School, 7, 18, 26, 87, 91, 93, 143\nTa-chu Hui-hai (Daishu Ekai), 18, 24, 26       Tendai Tokushō, 20, 68, 86, 87\nTa-hsiu Cheng-nien (Daikyū Shōnen), 49         Tendō Chi’ei, 95\nTa-hui Tsung-kao (Daie Sōkō), 47               Tendō Kankei, 66"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ta-hung Tsu-chen (Daikō Soshō), 47             Tendō Nyojō, 21, 73, 141, 142, 144, 146, 150,\nTa-mei Fa-chang (Daibai Hōjō), 18, 24, 26         169\nTa-sui Fa-chen (Daizui Hōshin), 19, 26         Tendō Sōkaku, 73, 142\nTa-sui Yuan-ching (Daizui Genjō), 47, 95       Teng Yin-feng (Tō Impō), 18, 25\nTa-tzu Huan-chung (Daiji Kanchū), 18, 26, 35   Tengan Ekō, 134\nTa-yang Ching-yuan (Daiyō Keigen), 20, 58,     Tenkei Denson, 153, 159, 160\n   72                                          Tenki Honzui, 50, 51, 133\nTai’oka Chō, 52                                Tenkū E’i, 16, 91\nTaigen Sōshin, 152, 153, 160                   Tenne Gikai, 81\nTaihei Ekin, 47, 95                            Tennō Dōgo, 19, 20, 56, 57, 60\nTaiki, xiii                                    Tennyo Isoku, 134\nTaikō Gyōyū, 94, 97–99                         Tenryū-ji, 50, 97, 102, 103\nTaikō Tokunei, 148, 159                        Tenshū Hōrei, 171\nTai-ping Hui-chin (Taihei Ekin), 47, 95        Tenyū Shijun, 172"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tairyū Bun’i, 130                              Te-shan Hsuan-chien (Tokusan Senkan), 20,\nTaizan Maezumi, 153                               57, 60\nTaku’an Sōhō, 107                              Te-shan Yuan-mi (Tokusan Emmit-su), 20\nTakujū Kosen, 120, 122, 123, 128               Tetsu’ō Sōkatsu, 121\nTakujū line, 122                               Tetsugan Dōkō, 138\nTan-chou Chang-tze Kuang (Tanshū Chōshi        Tetsugo Dōki, 138\n   Kō), 56, 59                                 Tetsugo Jitei, 51\nTan-chou Ta-chuan (Tanshū Daisen), 56, 59      Tetsushin Dōban, 138\nTang Dai Tsung (Daisō), 8                      Tetsuzan Shikaku, 153, 156, 157\nTang Hsien Tsung (Kensō), 8                    Tettō Gikō, 106–108\nTang Hsuan Tsung (Gensō), 8                    Tettsū Gikai, 147–150, 159\nTang Shu Tsung (Shukusō), 8                    Tien-huang Tao-wu (Tennō Dōgo), 19, 56, 57\nTang Te Tsung (Tokusō), 8                      Tien-i I-huai (Tenne Gikai), 20, 81"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tan-hsia Tien-jan (Tanka Tennen), 19, 56, 57   Tien-kung Hui-wei (Tenkū E’i), 16\nTan-hsia Tzu-chun (Tanka Shijun), 20           Tien-ning Temple (Tennei-ji), xiii\nTankai Genshō, 123                             Tien-tai (Tendai) School, 7, 16, 20, 68, 86\nTanka Shijun, 20, 73, 142, 169                 Tien-tai Te-shao (Tendai Tokushō), 20, 68, 86\nTanka Tennen, 19, 56, 57, 60, 61               Tien-tung Hsien-chi (Tendō Kankei), 66\nTan-lin (Donrin), 2                            Tien-tung Ju-zing (Tendō Nyojō), 73\nTanrei Soden, 114, 117                         Tien-tung Tsung-chueh (Tendō Sōkaku), 73\nTanshū Chōshi Kō, 56, 59                       Ti-niu Ju-ting (Tetsugo Jitei), 51\nTanshū Daisen, 56, 59                          Tō’en Genkyō, 74, 170\nTao-chang An-shin (Dōjō Anshin), 50, 51        Tōden Shōso, 172\nTao-chu (Dōjo), 18, 26                         Tōfuku-ji, 43, 50, 94, 97, 98, 101, 110, 128,\nTao-fu (Dōfuku), 3                                129"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tao-hsin (Dōshin), 3, 5, 8                     Tō Impō, 18, 25\n\fIndex                                                                                       209"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tōkoku Myōkō, 73, 100, 102, 142                    Tung-lin Chang-chung (Tōrin Chōsō), 45\nTokuhō Zenketsu, 108, 110, 113, 114, 117, 129      Tung-ling Yun-yu (Tōryō Eisho), 74\nTokusan Emmitsu, 20                                Tung-ming Hui-ji (Tōmyō Enichi), 74\nTokusan Senkan, 20, 57, 60                         Tung-shan Liang-chieh (Tōzan Ryōkai), 19,\nTōkyō Jinshō, 16                                      56, 58, 65\nTōmyō Enichi, 74, 172                              Tung-shan Shou-chu (Tōzan Shusho), 20, 81,\nTōmyō Sect, 74, 142                                   84\nTōrei Enji, 119, 129                               Tung-shan Tao-chuan (Tōzan Dōzen), 20, 81,\nTōri Kō’i, 172                                        84\nTōrin Chōsō, 45                                    Tung-shan Tao-yen (Tōzan Dō’en), 68\nTōrin Sōju, 128, 130                               Tung-yuan Yuan-chin (Tō’en Genkyō), 74\nTorin Sushō, 114                                   Tzu-chou Chih-ju (Jishū Chijo), 15"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tōryō Eisho, 74, 102, 142, 172                     Tzu-ming Tsu-yuan (Jimyō Soen), 43\nTōryō Sect, 74, 142                                Tzu-po Cheng-ko (Shihaku Shinka), 52\nTōsan Tanshō, 97, 99, 101, 150                     Tzu-yun Temple (Jiun-ji), xiii\nTōsho Tōrō, 75\nTōshū Zenchū (Nantenbō), 122, 127                  U\nTōsu Daidō, 20, 58, 62, 86                         Ummon Bun’en, 20, 57, 61, 79, 81\nTōsu Gisei, 20, 40, 73, 141, 142                   Ummon Enchō, 75\nTōsu Kan’on, 57, 58                                Ummon School, 20, 56, 57, 61, 79, 89\nTou-tzu I-ching (Tōsu Gisei), 20, 40               Un’an Fugan, 48, 49\nTou-tze Kan-wen (Tōsu Kan’on), 57, 58              Ungai Unshū, 74, 142\nTou-tzu Ta-tung (Tōsu Daidō), 20, 58               Ungan Donjō, 19, 58, 63\nTōyō Eichō, 108–110, 114, 117                      Ungo Dōyō, 20, 40, 58, 66, 71, 72, 141\nTōzan Dō’en, 68                                    Ungo Egaku, 20, 58, 59, 71\nTōzan Dōzen, 66                                    Unkū Shōchū, 74, 170"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tōzan Ryōkai, 19, 20, 56, 58, 62, 63, 65,          Useki Reikan, 19, 26, 36\n   68–70, 72, 86, 141, 169, 170\nTōzan Shusho, 20, 81, 84                           W\nTsan-tung-chi (Sandōkai), 19, 56                   Wa-ou Neng-kuang (Ga’oku Nōkō), 66\nTsao-an Fa-yee (Sō’an Hōgi), 68                    Wakuan Shitai, 95\nTsao-an Ke (Sōanka), 19                            Wan-an Tzu-yen (Man’an Shigen), 74\nTsao-shan Hui-hsia (Sōzan Eka), 20, 58, 68         Wan-feng Shih-wei (Manhō Jijō), 51, 133, 134\nTsao-shan Pen-chi (Sōzan Honjaku), 20, 58, 66      Wan-sung Hsing-hsiu (Manshō Kōshū), 74\nTsao-tung (Sōtō) School, 19, 40, 55, 58, 60, 66,   Wang-shan Ssu-ti (Ōsan Shitei), 74\n   72                                              Wang Wei, 32\nTsien-fu Tao-sen (Senfuku Dōsei), 48               Wanshi Shōkaku, 73, 142\nTsi-tien Tao-tsi (Saiten Dōsai), 48                Wei-fu Ta-chuen (Ifu Daikaku), 36\nTsin-yun Shan (Shin’un Zan), 153, 156, 157         Wei-ling Tao-pai (Irin Dōhai), 74"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tsu’ō Sotetsu, 129                                 Wei Wen-ti, 1, 2\nTsu-chi Hsuan-lang (Sakei Genro), 16               Wu-ai Chueh-tung (Mugai Kakutsu), 49\nTsugen Jakurei, 152, 155, 157, 161, 162            Wu-chun Shih-fan (Mujun Shihan), 46, 48, 50\nTsui-wei Wu-hsueh (Suiba Mugaku), 20, 58           Wu-fang Ke-chun (Muhō Kashō), 74, 169\nTsui-yen Ling-tsan (Suigan Reisan), 20             Wu-hsiang (Musō), 7\nTsung-an Kuan-chih (Dōan Kanshi), 20, 58, 72       Wu-hsieh Ling-mo (Gosetsu Reimoku), 18, 24\nTsung-ching-lu (Sōkyō-roku), 88                    Wu-hsueh Tsu-yuan (Mugaku Sogen), 48, 50\nTsung-chin Tsung-shu (Sōkyō Sōsho), 74, 170        Wu-ji (Muju), 7\nTung-an Tao-pei (Dōan Dōhai), 20, 58, 71, 72       Wu-men Hui-kai (Mumon Ekai), 47\nTung-an Wei (Dōan I), 20, 58, 72                   Wu-men-kuan (Mumon-kan), 32\nTung-Chan Temple (Tōzen-ji), 6                     Wu-ming Hui-chin (Mumyō Ekei), 74\nTung-chu Ten-lang (Tōsho Tōrō), 76                 Wu-shi Kai-shen (Muji Keijin), 45"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tung-king Shen-chao (Tōkyō Jinshō), 16             Wu-tai Wu-min (Godai Mumyō), 16\nTung-ko Miao-kuang (Tōkoku Myōkō), 73              Wu-tsu Fa-yen (Goso Hō’en), 46, 47\n\f210                                                                                    Index"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wu-win Ching-Thing (Mubun Shōsō), 50, 133       Yueh-chou Wen-tsai (Gesshū Bunsai), 74\nWu-wen Yuan-hsuan (Mumon Gensen), 51,           Yueh-lin Shih-kuan (Getsurin Shikan), 47\n  98, 103, 109, 173                             Yueh-lin Tao-chao (Getsurin Dōkyō), 50\n                                                Yueh-shan Wei-yen (Yakusan Igen), 19, 56,\nY                                                 58, 59\nYaku’ō Tokken, 102, 103                         Yun-an Pu-yen (Un’an Fugan), 48, 49\nYakusan Igen, 19, 56, 58–60, 62                 Yun-chu Huai-yueh (Ungo Egaku), 20, 58\nYamada Mumon, 130, 131                          Yun-chu Tao-chien (Ungo Dōken), 71\nYamamoto Gempō, 122, 128                        Yun-chu Tao-ying (Ungo Dōyō), 20, 66, 71, 72\nYamaoka Tetsushū, 127, 129                      Yun-hua Chih-yen (Unka Chigen), 16\nYang-chi Fang-hui (Yōgi Hō’e), 40, 43, 46       Yun-kung Chang-chung (Unkū Shōchū), 74\nYang-shan Hui-chi (Kyōzan Ejaku), 18, 19, 26,   Yun-men (Ummon) School, 55, 60"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "27                                           Yun-men Wen-yen (Ummon Bun’en), 20, 57,\nYa’ō Egyō, 52                                     79, 81\nYeh-hsien Kuei-sheng (Yōken Kisei), 73          Yun-men Yuan-cheng (Ummon Enchō), 75\nYen-an Shan-kai (En’an Zenkai), 49              Yun-wai Yun-hsu (Ungai Unshū), 74\nYen-kuan Chi-an (Enkan Saian), 18, 24, 26       Yun-yen Tan-sheng (Ungan Donjō), 19, 58\nYen-tou Chuan-huo (Gantō Zenkatsu), 20, 61      Yung-chia Hsuan-chueh (Yōka Genkaku), 15,\nYi-fu (Gifuku), 7                                 16, 55\nYin-an Tan-hua (Ō-an Donka), 46, 48             Yung-ming Temple (Yōmei-ji), 87, 88\nYin-tsung (Inshū), 13                           Yung-ming Yen-shou (Yōmei Enju), 20, 68,\nYin-yuan Lung-chi (Ingen Ryūki), 50               86, 88\nYōgi Hō’e, 40, 43, 46, 92–94                    Yung-ning Temple (Einei-ji), 1\nYōgi Sect, 40, 43, 44, 45, 48\nYōka Genkaku, 15, 16, 55                        Z\nYōken Kisei, 39, 73, 142                        Zeggaku Bunki, 122"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yōmei-ji, 87, 88                                Zei-hsueh Shih-chen (Zetsugaku Sesei), 51\nYōmyō (Yōmei) Enju, 20                          Zekkai Chūshin, 50\nYōsan Keiyō, 111                                Zekkai Shōshun, 156\nYōshū Sō’otogai, 106, 108                       Zengetsu Suigan, 158\nYu-chi Chin-hui (Gukyoku Chi’e), 48             Zetsugai Sōtaku, 102\nYu-kang Tsang-chin (Gyoku’oka Zōchin), 51       Zetsugaku Sesei, 51\nYu-lao Hsiao-jan (Gyokurō Kyūnen), 7, 18, 24,   Zing-tzu Hui-hui (Jōji Eki), 73\n   26                                           Zing-tzu Miao-lun (Jōji Myōrin), 48, 51\nYu-wang Shan (Mt. Iku’ō), 93, 143               Zōhō Bunga, 121, 123\nYuan-chao Tsung-pen (Enshō Sōhon), 81, 82       Zōshū Rōyo, 94, 98\nYuan-tung Fa-hsiu (Enzū Hōshū), 20, 82          Zuigan (Mugai) Gi’on, 144, 145, 148\nYuan-wu Ko-chin (Engo Kokugon), 46–48           Zuigan Sōseki (Goto Zuigan), 122\nYueh-an Shan-ko (Gettan Zenka), 47              Zuihaku Myōsetsu, 75"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "China Academic Library\n\n\n\n\nYijie Tang\n\nConfucianism,\nBuddhism, Daoism,\nChristianity and\nChinese Culture\n\fChina Academic Library\n\fAcademic Advisory Board:\n\nResearcher Geng, Yunzhi, Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social\nSciences, China\nProfessor Han, Zhen, Beijing Foreign Studies University, China\nResearcher Hao, Shiyuan, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology,\nChinese Academy of Social Sciences, China\nProfessor Li, Xueqin, Department of History, Tsinghua University, China\nProfessor Li, Yining, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, China\nResearcher Lu, Xueyi, Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,\nChina\nProfessor Wong, Young-tsu, Department of History, Virginia Polytechnic Institute\nand State University, USA\nProfessor Yu, Keping, Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, China\nProfessor Yue, Daiyun, Department of Chinese Language and Literature,\nPeking University, China\nZhu, Yinghuang, China Daily Press, China\n\n\nSeries Coordinators:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Series Coordinators:\n\nZitong Wu, Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, China\nYan Li, Springer\n\n\nMore information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11562\n\fYijie Tang\n\n\n\nConfucianism, Buddhism,\nDaoism, Christianity\nand Chinese Culture\n\fYijie Tang (1927–2014)\nDepartment of Philosophy\nPeking University\nBeijing, China\n\n\n\n\nISSN 2195-1853                ISSN 2195-1861 (electronic)\nChina Academic Library\nISBN 978-3-662-45532-6        ISBN 978-3-662-45533-3 (eBook)\nDOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3\n\nLibrary of Congress Control Number: 2015931092"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Springer Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg\n2015\nThis work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publishers, whether the whole or part\nof the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,\nrecitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or\ninformation storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar\nmethodology now known or hereafter developed.\nThe use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this\npublication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt\nfrom the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.\nThe publishers, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publishers nor the authors or the\neditors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors\nor omissions that may have been made."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Printed on acid-free paper\n\nSpringer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)\n\fContents"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1   Confucianism and Constructive Postmodernism . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                            .   1\n    1.1  What Kind of Age Are We in Now? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                         .   1\n    1.2  The Rise of Two Trends of Thought in China in the 1990s . . .                                 .   3\n    1.3  In the New Historical Period of Chinese Revival and in the\n         Context of Globalization, Traditional Chinese Culture May\n         Well Make an Epochal Contribution to Human Society . . . . . .                                .    5\n         1.3.1   “Man and Nature as a Closely Related Living\n                 Community” and “Unity of Man and Heaven” . . . . . .                                  .    5\n         1.3.2   Constructive Postmodernism, a Second Enlightenment\n                 and Confucian Renxue (Learning of Goodness) . . . . .                                 .    7\n         1.3.3   Defining “Human” and Examining “Human Rights”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "from the Standpoint of Li: A Traditional Chinese\n                 Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .           .    8\n2   The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism . . . . . . . . . . . . .                            .   11\n    2.1   Why Addressing the Topic “The Contemporary\n          Significance of Confucianism”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                 .   11\n    2.2   Various Points of View About the “Learning of the\n          Chinese Classics,” Especially Confucianism, in Academic\n          and Cultural Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .           .   12\n    2.3   What are the Main Issues in Contemporary Human Society? . .                                  .   16\n    2.4   The Relationship Between Man and Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                          .   17\n    2.5   The Relationship Between Man and Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                         .   23"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2.6   The Relationship Between Body and Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                         .   28\n    References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   .   31\n3   Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                    33\n    3.1  Is there a Subject Called “Hermeneutics” in Ancient China? . . .                                  33\n    3.2  Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of Interpretation\n         in the Study of Chinese Classics? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                   37"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "v\n\fvi                                                                                                    Contents"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3.2.1       Zuo Chuan’s Interpretation of Chun Qiu . . . . . . . . . .                         .    39\n           3.2.2       Ji Ci’s Interpretation of I Ching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                  .    41\n           3.2.3       Han Fei Tzu’s Interpretation of Lao Tzu . . . . . . . . . .                        .    46\n     Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   .    52\n     References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     .    53\n4    Emotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory:\n     An Explanation of “Dao Begins in Qing” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                         .    55\n     4.1  On “Dao Begins in Qing” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                   .    55\n     4.2  The Basis for the Pre-Qin Ruist Emphasis on Qing . . . . . . . . .                              .    57"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4.3  On “Qing Arises from Xing” 情生于性 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                               .    59\n     4.4  Distinguishing Qing and Desire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                    .    61\n5    Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland\n     Culture of the 1990s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .              67\n6    The Problem of Harmonious Communities in Ancient China . . . . .                                          79\n7    An Inquiry into the Possibility of a Third-Phase Development of\n     Confucianism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .            83\n8    Immanence and Transcendence in Chinese Chan Buddhism . . . .                                         .    87\n     8.1 Chinese Chan Buddhism Neither Valued Scriptures\n         nor Established in Words, but Claimed Everything"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Should Listen to the Essential Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                      .    88\n     8.2 Chinese Chan Buddhism Broke Outmoded Conventions\n         and Abolished Sitting in Meditation, but Only Valued Seeing\n         the Nature and Accomplishing the Buddhahood . . . . . . . . . . .                                .    90\n     8.3 Chinese Chan Buddhism Did Not Worship Images, Rather\n         Abused the Buddhas and Berated the Masters, but Claimed\n         “One Who Is Enlightened in One Thought Is a Buddha” . . . . .                                    .    93\n9    The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective\n     on the Meaning of Studies in Comparative Philosophy\n     and Comparative Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .               . 101\n     9.1   The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the\n           Popularization of the School of Prajna Teachings [bo-re xue]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in the Wei and Jin Periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .               .   101\n           9.1.1   The Beginnings of Buddhism in China . . . . . . . . . . .                              .   101\n           9.1.2   The An Shigao of Hinayana School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                           .   105\n           9.1.3   The Zhi-lou-jia-qian of Mahayana School . . . . . . . . .                              .   107\n     9.2   The Interaction Between the Imported Ideological\n           Culture—Buddhism—And the Previously Existing\n           Ideological Culture of China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                 .   122\n           9.2.1   Adaptation to Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                    .   123\n           9.2.2   The Enrichment and Intensification of Tradition . . . .                                .   128"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.2.3   Relative Excellence and Real Contribution . . . . . . . .                              .   130\n\fContents                                                                                                     vii"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.3      The Comparative Study of Philosophies and Regions . . . . . . .                           . 133\n              9.3.1   The Search for Common Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                      . 134\n              9.3.2   Attention to the Specific Characteristics\n                      of a Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .        . 136\n     9.4      The Isolation of Old Topics and New Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                    . 141\n10   Relationships Between Traditional and Imported Thought\n     and Culture in China: The Importation of Buddhism . . . . . . . . . . . 145\n     Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151\n11   On the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153\n12   The Origin and Characteristics of Daoism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                       .   159"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12.1 General Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .              .   160\n     12.2 The Development of Daoism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                   .   164\n     12.3 Characteristics of Daoism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .               .   167\n     Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   .   170\n13   The Daoist Religion of China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173\n14   The Attempt of Matteo Ricci to Link Chinese\n     and Western Cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .           .   179\n     14.1 Modes of Relating Oriental and Occidental Cultures . . . . . . . .                            .   181\n          14.1.1 Linking Catholicism with Confucianism (Heru) . . . . .                                 .   181"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "14.1.2 Complementing Confucianism (Buru) . . . . . . . . . . . .                              .   182\n          14.1.3 Transcending Confucianism (Chaoru) . . . . . . . . . . . .                             .   184\n          14.1.4 Concordance with Confucianism (Furu) . . . . . . . . . .                               .   185\n     14.2 “Body and Use” and the Correlation of Chinese\n          and Western Harmony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .               . 187\n15   The Possible Orientations of Chinese Culture\n     in the Context of Globalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191\n16   Prospects for the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy\n     and the Issue of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful in China’s\n     Traditional Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .           .   197\n     16.1 Chinese Philosophy as a Threefold Integration . . . . . . . . . . . .                         .   198"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16.1.1 Integration of Heaven with Man: The True . . . . . . . .                              .   198\n           16.1.2 Integration of Knowledge with Practice: The Good . .                                  .   200\n           16.1.3 Integration of Feeling with Scenery: The Beautiful . .                                .   203\n     16.2 The Study of Chinese Philosophy and the Reason for Being\n           Human . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . 205\n17   Questions Concerning the Categorical System\n     of Traditional Chinese Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                  . 209\n     17.1 The Significance of Studying the Categorical System\n           of Traditional Chinese Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                  . 209\n     17.2 How to Study the Concepts and Categories\n           of Traditional Chinese Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                  . 212"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17.2.1 Analysis of the Meaning of Concepts\n                    and Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .            . 213\n\fviii                                                                                                 Contents"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17.2.2   Analysis of the Development of the Meanings\n                         of Concepts and Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .              . 214\n                17.2.3 Analysis of the Systems of Concepts and Categories\n                         of Philosophers (or Philosophical Schools) . . . . . . . .                      . 216\n                17.2.4 Analysis of the Similarities and Differences\n                         Between the Concepts and Categories of Chinese\n                         and Foreign Philosophies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .              . 219\n       17.3     A Tentative Theory of the Categorical System\n                of Traditional Chinese Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .              . 220\n       17.4     Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . 226\n18     New Progress in the Study of the History"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "18     New Progress in the Study of the History\n       of Chinese Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .         . 229\n       18.1 The History of Chinese Philosophy as the\n             History of Knowledge of the Chinese Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . .                        . 229\n       18.2 The Concept and Category of Traditional\n             Chinese Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .          . 231\n       18.3 The Comparison and Analysis of Traditional Chinese\n             and Foreign Philosophies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .            . 233\n       18.4 The Method Employed by Traditional Chinese\n             Philosophy in Establishing a System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                   . 235\n19     A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good,\n       and the Beautiful” in Traditional Chinese Philosophy . . . . . . . . .                            .   239"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "19.1 Confucius’ Demands of the Realm of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                        .   240\n       19.2 Laozi’s Quest in the Realm of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                   .   245\n       19.3 Zhuangzi’s Quest in the Realm of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                    .   250\n       19.4 Brief Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .         .   255\n       Chinese Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     .   257\n20     Chinese Traditional Cultures and Corporate Management . . . . . . . 261\n21     A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development . . . . . . . 265\n22     The Enlightenment and Its Difficult Journey in China . . . . . . . . . .                              279\n       22.1 The Eighteenth-Century European “Enlightenment Movement”\n            and China’s Sixteenth-Century Late Ming “Enlightenment"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Trend of Thought” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .              279\n       22.2 The Mid-Nineteenth-Century Chinese Society Amid the\n            “Enlightenment” of the West and Its Struggle to Advance\n            Through Manifold Obstacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                   280\n       22.3 China’s Own Enlightenment and Its Slogan of “Science\n            and Democracy”: Have They Come to Fruition? . . . . . . . . . . . .                              281\n       22.4 Whither Enlightenment in Chinese Society? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                          282\n\fContents                                                                                                 ix"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "23   The Coexistence of Cultural Diversity: Sources\n     of the Value of Harmony in Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .               .   285\n     23.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    .   285\n     23.2 Harmony in Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .          .   286\n     23.3 Commonalities Across Cultural Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                    .   288\n     23.4 Regional Diversity and the Bidirectional\n            Nature of Cultural Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .          . 288\n     23.5 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . 290\n24   On the Clash and Coexistence of Human Civilizations . . . . . . . . .                          . 291\n     24.1 “The Clash of Civilizations” and the “New Empire” Theory . .                              . 291"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "24.2 “Coexistence of Civilizations” and New Axial Age . . . . . . . . .                        . 294\n     24.3 Can Chinese Culture Make Contributions to the Coexistence\n           of Civilizations? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . 298\n           24.3.1 The Confucian Doctrine of Ren (仁, Benevolence,\n                    Virtue) Is a Resource of Thinking with a Positive\n                    Meaning for the “Coexistence of Civilizations” . . . . .                        . 299\n           24.3.2 The Taoist Doctrine of the Way (tao) Can Provide\n                    Significant Resources of Thinking to Prevent\n                    “The Clash of Civilizations” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .              . 304\n25   Constructing “Chinese Philosophy” in Sino-European\n     Cultural Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . 309\n     25.1 Western Philosophy and Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "as an Independent Discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .           . 311\n     25.2 Paradigms and Frameworks of Western Philosophy\n           and Potential Problems in Chinese Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . .                     . 313\n     25.3 Future Developments in Chinese Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . .                       . 315\n     Chinese Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . 316\n\fChapter 1\nConfucianism and Constructive\nPostmodernism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1.1    What Kind of Age Are We in Now?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From a world perspective, our current age can possibly be seen as the transition\nfrom modern capitalist society beginning with the first, eighteenth-century,\nEnlightenment toward a postmodern society of a “second enlightenment.” From a\nChina perspective, our age will be seen as a crucial moment for realizing great\nnational revival in the context of globalization. All in all, for human society, this\nage represents a precious opportunity to enter a totally new era.\n    Since the eighteenth-century Age of Enlightenment, Western capitalism has a\nhistory of almost 300 years, during which period the Western world achieved\ndazzling “modernization.” But now, “modernized society” is suffering from more\nand more intractable problems. Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) proposed that reason\nshould be the watchword of the Enlightenment, but these days “reason” faces its own\nproblems. Originally, “reason” contained two related aspects: “instrumental reason”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and “value reason,” both aspects with an extremely important role in advancing human\nprogress, but the present-day reality is that “scientifically omnipotent” “instrumental\nreason” outshines humanistic “value reason,” and the latter has become marginalized.\nAs a result, everything becomes an “instrument”: people become instruments for others\nand the natural world has become an instrument to be used by human beings as they see\nfit. The normal and harmonious relation between man and nature has been severely\nharmed by man’s unrestrained exploitation, destruction, and waste of natural resources.\nIn turn, man’s own survival is threatened by deteriorating natural conditions such as\ndepletion of the ozone layer, poisoned oceans, polluted environment, and unbalanced\neco- environment. Although the Kyoto Protocol for limiting air pollution was signed\nin Kyoto, Japan, as early as in December 1997, certain developed countries in the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "December 23, 2011\nTranslated by Yuan Ailing\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                         1\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_1\n\f2                                             1 Confucianism and Constructive Postmodernism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "capitalist world set various obstacles on its path. One example is Canada’s recent\nannouncement of its intention to withdraw from the Protocol. This illustrates that the\n“reason” advocated by the Enlightenment is being changed by some Western leaders\ninto a “nonrational” and utilitarian “tool.”\n    With the growth of industrialization, “free market economy” has promoted\nthe huge increase of human wealth, and people have won great material benefit\nfrom it. But there is no denying that it has also caused serious polarization\nbetween rich and poor (including country to country, ethnic group to ethnic\ngroup, class to class within a country). If “free market economy” continues to\ngrow like a rapacious monster, without effective supervision, control, or\nrestraint, sooner or later it will cause economic crisis and social disturbance.\nThe global financial crisis that first appeared in the United States in 2008 was\nstill ongoing when the debt crisis began to sweep Europe in 2011. According to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Professor Paul Kennedy of Yale University, liberalism freed people from the\nshackles of the pre-market-economy age, but it has also put people in danger of\nfinancial crisis and social disasters.1\n    Another Enlightenment watchword, “liberation of the individual,” originally\ntargeted religious superstition and vulgar ignorance, encouraging people to be\nfully aware of their own strength so as to fully deploy their “free” creativity.\nToday, however, this notion has become an instrument for the domination of others,\na tool that imperialist countries in particular use to support their own hegemony and\nimpose their own value systems on other countries and people, pushing a univer-\nsalist doctrine.2 The distorted development of today’s capitalist society has resulted\nin people no longer in pursuit of “reason,” but indulging themselves in the lust for\npower and worship of money. Consequently, all groups of people live in pain and\nmental conflict: Ordinary people struggle to survive harsh conditions; intellectuals"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "experience constant guilt because of their inability to settle social chaos; unable to\nwin people’s trust, politicians exist in a state of self-deception; entrepreneurs\nwrestle to figure their way around mutually contradictory rules and systems.\nRegardless of rank or identity, it seems the happy life to which all aspire is out of\nreach and happiness eludes all. But this is not a problem caused by any individual:\nrather, it is an unavoidable pain for a society in the throes of a major transitional\nperiod. Therefore, it is incumbent on each and every one of us to work hard for the\ncoming of a new age."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1\n  Paul Kennedy, “The Form of Capitalism Will Change to Some Extent,” Cankaoxiaoxi, March 16,\n2009.\n2\n  Universalism: Some Western scholars and politicians believe that only the values preached by\nWestern empires have “universal value” and that the ideas and cultures of all other nations have no\n“universal value” to present-day human society except as museum exhibits. Therefore, we must\ndistinguish the issue of “universalism” from that of “universal value.” On this, please refer to the\n“General Preface” written by Tang Yijie for Zhongguo Ruxue Shi, Peking University Press,\nOctober 2011.\n\f1.2 The Rise of Two Trends of Thought in China in the 1990s                                         3\n\n\n1.2     The Rise of Two Trends of Thought\n        in China in the 1990s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the 1990s, there emerged in China’s ideological and cultural circles two ideolog-\nical trends opposing the concept of “monism.” One trend is “postmodernism,” an idea\noriginating in the West and aiming to deconstruct “modernity.” In the early 1980s,\n“postmodernism” had already come to China, but it made little impact at the time: by\nthe 1990s however, Chinese scholars were suddenly showing it great interest.\nAnother trend is the “Guoxue tide”—the ardent pursuit of revitalizing traditional\nChinese culture. In truth, in the 1980s, China’s thinkers had advocated greater\nemphasis on traditional Chinese culture, but it did not coalesce into a surge tide\nuntil in the 1990s when Guoxue rose quietly in Peking University. What does the rise\nof these two trends mean for us?\n   In the 1960s, to save human society and cancel out modernity’s concomitant\nnegative impact, the trend of “postmodernism” first emerged in the West. In its early\nperiod, postmodernism was “deconstructive postmodernism,” posited as a way of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dealing with problems produced in the course modern society’s development. The\naim was to deconstruct modernity, to oppose monism and advocate pluralism, to\nshatter all authority, and to cast the “authoritativeness” and “dominant nature” of\nmodernity into the shade. But postmodernism of the deconstructive kind produced\nneither positive standpoints nor any designs for a new age.\n   At the turn of the twenty-first century, “constructive postmodernism,” a concept\nbased on process philosophy, proposed integrating the positive elements of the first\nEnlightenment with postmodernism and thus called for a “second enlightenment.”\n   For instance, according to Whitehead’s process philosophy, “man” should not be\ntaken as the center of everything. Rather, “Man and nature should be regarded as a\nclosely related living community.”3 According to John B. Cobber, a major founder\nof process philosophy, “Constructive postmodernism takes a critical attitude"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "towards deconstructive postmodernism. . .we have introduced ecologicalism into\npostmodernism. In a postmodern age, man and man will co-exist harmoniously, as\nwill man and nature. It is an age which will retain something positive of modernity\nwhile transcending dualism, anthropocentrism and male chauvinism, an age that\naims to build a postmodern society for the common good.” According to process\nphilosophy, if the rallying cry of the first Enlightenment was “to free the self,” then\nthe second enlightenment’s watchword should be “to care about others” and “to\nrespect differences” (in a postmodern society). In their opinion, when people use\ntheir personal “freedom” in ways that diminish the community, they are bound to\nweaken their own “freedom.” Therefore, it is necessary to reject an abstract concept"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3\n  According to the paper “Whitehead’s Process Philosophy,” “Process philosophy takes environment,\nresources and human beings as a closely related living community.” Social Sciences Weekly,\nShanghai, August 15, 2002. Even the Stoics of Ancient Greece believed “man is part of nature”\n(Translator’s back translation due to lack of the original English version of the relevant quotation).\n\f4                                          1 Confucianism and Constructive Postmodernism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of freedom in favor of a profound and responsible freedom by bringing in the\nnotions of responsibility and duty and by revealing the inner relation between\nfreedom and duty. In the West, constructive postmodernism is a tiny branch stream\nwith very little influence, but in China, it has attracted the attention of a group of\nscholars who are passionate for national revival.\n   Karl Theodor Jaspers wrote in The Origin and Goal of History, “Until today\nmankind has lived by what happened during the Axial Period, by what was thought\nand created during that period. In each new upward flight it returns in recollection to\nthis period and is fired anew by it. Ever since then it has been the case that recollections\nand re-awakenings of the potentialities of the Axial Period—renaissances—afford\na spiritual impetus. Return to this beginning is the ever-recurrent event in China,\nIndia and the West.”4 This is exemplified in the “Guoxue tide” in the late 1990s,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "when China was experiencing a process of national rejuvenation, and for this, the\nsupport of a revitalized national culture was essential.\n   In my opinion, it is precisely because traditional Chinese culture (Guoxue) has\nhad over a century of impact from Western culture that Chinese scholars have had\nthe chance for reflecting on our own traditional culture. We have gradually come to\nrealize what of our culture should be promoted, what abandoned, and what\nabsorbed. For over 100 years, Chinese scholars have been trying to absorb and\ndigest “Western learning,” and this most certainly laid the foundation for the\ntransformation of Guoxue in the traditional sense to its modern counterpart. The\nnew or modern Guoxue must be a spiritually significant power for China’s revival\nas well as for the “peace and development” of human society. It will help China to\nrealize “modernization” in an all-round way and also to avoid the predicament that\nWestern society currently experiences."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Western society currently experiences.\n   In other words, the new Guoxue should stick to the principle of Fanben Kaixin.\nOnly through Fanben (return to the source) are we able to Kaixin (open up new\nterritory). Fanben requires of us a deep understanding of Guoxue’s essence and\ninsists on the mainstay nature of our own culture, whereas Kaixin requires of us a\nsystematic understanding of the new problems facing China and human society,\nproblems in need of urgent resolution. The two aspects are inseparable: Only by\ndigging deeper into the true essence of Guoxue can we open up new territory at the\nappropriate time. Only by squarely addressing the problems of human society can\nwe better promote and update the essence of Guoxue, so that in the twenty-first\ncentury, the flame of Guoxue will once more be ignited by the Fanben Kaixin\nprinciple and contribute to human society.\n   What are the prospects of these two trends of thought in China? Will they exert a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "positive impact on Chinese society and on human society as a whole? To answer\nthese questions, we must fully investigate the possibility of integrating the two."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4\n Karl Theodor Jaspers, The Origin and Goal of History, trans. by Wei Chuxiong, et al., Huaxia\nPublishing House, June 1999, p. 14.\n\f1.3 In the New Historical Period of Chinese Revival. . .                                    5\n\n\n1.3     In the New Historical Period of Chinese Revival\n        and in the Context of Globalization, Traditional\n        Chinese Culture May Well Make an Epochal\n        Contribution to Human Society"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "China is in the process of national revival, and this must have the support of\nrevitalized national culture. However, in this globalized age, the revitalization of\nour traditional culture requires us not only to address our own social problems but\nworld problems also. It follows that while developing our traditional culture, we\nmust keep in mind that it belongs to both China and the world at large. It requires us\nnot only to pay close attention to the actual development of our own culture but also\nto incipient tendencies in Western culture. Here, the author would like to offer a\npossible trend for discussion, namely: Could a combination of Guoxue and con-\nstructive postmodernism—the former traditional Chinese learning and the latter of\nWestern origin and still in the bud—have something to offer to the healthy and\nrational development of China and the rest of the world?\n\n\n\n1.3.1     “Man and Nature as a Closely Related Living\n          Community” and “Unity of Man and Heaven”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to John B. Cobber, “Today we recognize that man is a part of nature and\nthat we live an ecological community.” This idea, although coming directly from\nWhitehead, is very similar to a traditional Chinese notion—the unity of Man and\nHeaven, Heaven implying the laws of nature. As a core traditional Chinese value, it\nis a mode of thinking that differs from the “man-nature dichotomy” idea that long\nprevailed in the West.\n    In 1992, 1,575 famous scientists from around the world signed and published a\ndocument named “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity.” Its first line read:\n“Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course.” Why has nature\nbeen so devastated? There is no getting away from the fact that the long prevalence\nof the “man-nature dichotomy” mindset made nature a victim.5 Fortunately, the\n“unity of Man and Heaven” way of thinking offers us a feasible way toward\ntackling the destruction of the natural world."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tackling the destruction of the natural world.\n    As early as 2,500 years ago, Confucius was exhorting people to both “know\nHeaven” and “fear Heaven.” The first admonition requires us to learn more"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "5\n Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy, trans. by Ma Yuande, The Commercial Press,\nAugust 1988. On page 91 of the final volume of this translation, it is written, “Descartes’\nphilosophy completed or nearly completed the dualism of spirit and material that began from\nPlato and was developed by Christian philosophy for religion related reason. . . According to\nDescartes’ system, the spiritual world and the material world are two parallel and independent\nworlds and the study of one may not involve the other.”\n\f6                                        1 Confucianism and Constructive Postmodernism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "about nature and thus consciously use it to improve the welfare of human beings.\nThe second requires us to hold nature in awe and fulfill our duty of protecting it.\nAccording to Zhu Xi, another great thinker of ancient China, “Heaven is inseparable\nfrom man and man from Heaven.” What he is telling us is that, after Heaven gives\nbirth to man, man and Heaven have formed an inseparable relation, one that requires\nman to embody the laws of Heaven and to be responsible for it.\n    As we have seen, in dealing with the relation between man and nature, traditional\nChinese philosophy takes a road similar to that of constructive postmodernism.\nAs Léon Vandermeersch put it, “Western humanism that brought the world such a\nperfect thought as the concept of human rights now faces many challenges from\nmodern society that as yet it has been unable to answer. Why, then, not give some\nconsideration as to whether Confucian thinking might indicate a way forward for the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "world, for example: respect for nature as proposed in the ‘unity of man and Heaven’\nconcept; and the philanthropic spirit that ‘all men are brothers’? We can and should\nbring to bear the essence of Confucian teaching on current world problems, to\nexamine them afresh from a new perspective.”6\n    Why does Vandermeersch put Western thought on human rights together with\nthe three concepts from Chinese thinking as mentioned above? As we know, human\nrights are very important to us, because man should not be deprived of the right of\nfreedom, and social progress can only be realized with “freedom of thought,”\n“freedom of speech,” “freedom of belief,” “freedom of movement,” etc. However,\nthe question of how to protect human rights is often subject to interference by external\nforces, to removal even. This has been the case in China and overseas. Some Western\nthinkers and politicians widen the concept of human rights to the extent that there are"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "no limits and that man can destroy nature at will. Hence, Vandermeersch asserted\nthat there should be some constraints on man’s rights over nature, and to do that, we\nshould use the significant philosophical asset of the concept of their unity.\n    According to Christian belief, God created the world in its complete form and\nman can do nothing further to it. However, in Vandermeersch’s opinion, once God\ncreated a complete world, the rest was man’s problem and for man to address. Just\nas André Gide, the French writer, said, “God proposes and man disposes.” The\nConfucian view that “all men are brothers” is linked to another traditional Chinese\nidea, namely, “world outlook.” This considers that man’s loftiest ideal is “the world\nbeing One” (or the world is in Great Harmony). As written in The Great Learning, it\nis important to cultivate one’s moral character, to take good care of one’s family, to\nrun the State well, and thence to make the whole world peaceful and harmonious."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For any country or nation, it is important to consider not just its own interests but\n“peace in the world” (i.e., common interests of mankind), which, in my opinion,\nshould be an intrinsic meaning of “human rights.” In other words Western thinking\non human rights would do well to look into the traditional thought and culture"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "6\n  Léon Vandermeersch, “The Significance of Ruzang (Confucian Collection) in the World,”\nGuangming Daily, August 31, 2009.\n\f1.3 In the New Historical Period of Chinese Revival. . .                                     7\n\n\nof other nations (such as China) for valuable elements that could supplement and\nenrich its own approach and thereby set human society on a more reasonable path.\n\n\n\n1.3.2     Constructive Postmodernism, a Second Enlightenment\n          and Confucian Renxue (Learning of Goodness)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to constructive postmodernism, if the watchword of the first\nEnlightenment was “liberty of the individual,” then those of the second should be\n“care about others” and “respect for differences.”7 The former can be described as\nren (goodness), a core value of the Confucian school. The starting point and basis of\nren is “love of family,” but according to Confucius, we should not only extend ren\nto family members but beyond the family too. Similarly, as taught by Mencius, an\nimportant successor of Confucius, “Apart from taking good care of the elderly and\nchildren of one’s own kin, one should extend concern for the elderly and children of\nother families.” He also asserted that love for family was a prerequisite for loving\nothers, and loving others a prerequisite for loving all creatures.\n    Mencius’ thought is also in line with the “care about others” line proposed by\nconstructive postmodernism. According to constructive postmodernism scholars,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "their philosophy is to try to “construct a postmodern world where all living commu-\nnities get due attention and concern” on the basis of “retaining some positive factors\nof modernity” (mainly valuable concepts such as “freedom,” “democracy,” “human\nrights,” etc., as proposed by Western thinkers on the basis of reason).8 This can be\nregarded as a more comprehensive description of “care about others.” In the develop-\nment of human society, culture always undergoes a process of accumulation,\ninheritance, and creation. A postmodern society must retain the positive factors of\nmodernity such as “freedom,” “democracy,” “human rights,” etc., before the signifi-\ncance of “constructing a postmodern world in which all living communities get due\nattention and concern” can be fully displayed. “Respect for differences” can be taken\nas a different way of expressing the Confucian proposition “the Ways move in\nparallel and do not interfere with each other.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "parallel and do not interfere with each other.”\n    Different ideological and cultural traditions often have different features.\nFortunately, such differences can be meaningful to human society to an extent\nand are by no means necessarily at odds.9 For example, to allow the concept of\n“democracy” proposed by the West as having positive meaning in specific social"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "7\n  Wang Zhihe, “Postmodernism Calls for a Second Enlightenment,” World Culture Forum,\nFebruary 2007.\n8\n  “For the Common Welfare: an Interview with John B. Cobber” (interviewed by Wang Xiaohua),\nSocial Sciences Weekly, Shanghai, June 13, 2002.\n9\n  According to the section “Supreme Harmony” of Correcting Ignorance by Zhang Zai, “Every-\nthing has its opposite and the opposite must move against the thing. When the opposite moves\nagainst the thing, there must be fight between them. As long as there is fight, the end must be\nharmony.”\n\f8                                        1 Confucianism and Constructive Postmodernism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "conditions is not to deny traditional Chinese thinking such as Minben (people as the\nroot) as also having positive meaning in specific social conditions too; nor do we\ndeny the “universal value” of our traditional thoughts such as “Do not do to others\nwhat you do not want done to yourself.” Only by acknowledging that every\nideological and cultural tradition has its positive effect on human society can\ndifferent countries and nations coexist and co-prosper. Absorbing and digesting\nthe strong points of different cultural systems as a means to achieving real com-\nprehension of them is an essential path for the development of culture. Just as Russell\nsaid, “Many times in the past has it been proved that exchanges between different\ncivilizations made milestones in the development of human civilizations.”10 We\nshould remember that as human beings, we face common problems. We may adopt\ndifferent ways to tackle those problems, but we often come to the same end via"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "different routes. Therefore, “respect others” and “the Ways move in parallel and do\nnot interfere with each other” have equivalent value to us."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1.3.3    Defining “Human” and Examining “Human Rights”\n         from the Standpoint of Li: A Traditional Chinese\n         Concept"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The human rights concept is a very important one for modern society. But each\nideological and cultural tradition should discuss deeply how to have the concept\nplay a positive role in building a healthy and rational society. As written in Thinking\nThrough Confucius, coauthored by Hall and Ames, two well-known American\nphilosophers, “What we need to do is not only study Chinese traditions but also\nto use them as a cultural resource to enrich and restructure our own. The Confucian\nschool defined ‘man’ from a societal perspective. Can we use it to modify and\nstrengthen the Western mode of liberalism? Can we find some useful resource from\na society built on li (rites, courtesy, ceremony, etc.) to help us better understand our\ninsufficiently rooted but indeed valuable outlook on human rights?”11\n    This paragraph discusses three issues: one, that the West should not stop at\nstudying China’s thinking and culture but go on to apply those things so as to “enrich"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and restructure” its own; two, the necessity of understanding the significance of\n“man” as defined from a societal perspective in traditional Chinese culture; and,\nthree, that China’s li contains elements that could well be valuable if brought into the\nWestern concept of human rights.\n    In my opinion, the three issues raised by Hall and Ames are for treating the\ncondition of some of Western philosophical concepts being “insufficiently rooted.”\nIt is precisely because of the great importance attached to man’s right of liberty in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "10\n   “Comparison between Chinese and Western Cultures,” in Russell’s A Free Man’s Worship,\nTime Literature and Art Press, April 1988. The Chinese translation is slightly changed.\n11\n   Thinking Through Confucius, Peking University Press, August 2005.\n\f1.3 In the New Historical Period of Chinese Revival. . .                              9"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "modern society (since the first Enlightenment) that human society has developed by\nleaps and bounds. The right of liberty is a great creative force. That said, the misuse\nof right of liberty by an individual, a country, or a nation can, in certain circum-\nstances, constitute a threat to suppression or violation of the rights of other\nindividuals, countries, or nations. To define “human” from a societal perspective\nas traditional Chinese culture does means “not defining it from the isolated angle of\n‘the individual’” because “humans” have to live and grow up in various relations\nsince the moment of birth. It is much like what Karl Marx said in Theses on\nFeuerbach, “the essence of man is no abstraction inherent in each single individual.\nIn reality, it is the ensemble of social relations.”12\n    How then are we to handle the complex “social relations of man?” In ancient\nChina, great emphasis was placed on li in dealing with these relations. Although li"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "was a conceptual thing, it did have a restricting power on man’s behavior. As\nwritten in The Analects of Confucius: “In practicing the rules of li, harmony is to be\nprized.” The most important role of li is to promote social harmony as a normalizing\npower over society. As written in the Book of Rites, “. . .rulers use li to protect\nmorality and laws to prevent people from committing crimes.” Rulers created li for\npreventing moral norms being ruined and made laws for keeping social order. As\nwritten in “Explaining Government” by Jia Yi of the Former Han Dynasty, “Li is\nput into practice before people do something wrong whereas law is executed after\npeople do bad things. The role of law is visible whereas the role of li is invisible and\nhard to perceive.” Another reason that li is greatly valued in our tradition is, as\nadvocated by the Confucian school, the importance of reciprocal relationships\namong people. As written in the Books of Rites, “What is human righteousness?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It involves ten (or five pairs of) person-to-person relations: A father is kind to\nchildren and children show filial obedience to parents; brothers are kind to each\nother; a husband is responsible to wife and wife obedient to husband; the older\nchildren are kind to younger siblings and the younger respect the older; a ruler is\nbenevolent and his subjects are loyal.” That is to say, according to the Confucian\nschool, the moral relation between people should be a relation of rights and\ncorresponding obligations rather than one-sided enjoyment of rights without\nfulfilling obligations. China’s li was created precisely in order to balance the rights\nand obligations of those social relations. Therefore, in my opinion, is it possible to\ncall premodern China a society under “rule of li and law?” This, of course, is an\nideal of the Confucian school.\n    From this, one could envisage in establishing a “convention on human rights”\nalso establishing a “convention on obligations” at the same time, so as to keep a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "balance between rights and obligations. This would accord with what Hall and\nAmes believed a possible role for li—“enriching and restructuring” the Western\nconcept of human rights. One might envisage a “convention of obligations” to\nprotect and strengthen a “convention on human rights.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12\n     Complete Works of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Vol. 3, p. 5.\n\f10                                         1 Confucianism and Constructive Postmodernism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to John B. Cobber, “Traditional Chinese ideology is very attractive to\nconstructive postmodernism, but we should not just return to it. Instead, our\npostmodernism should renew itself by serious scientific means and by adjusting\nitself to the changing society. The pre-modern tradition should absorb the positive\nfactors of the Enlightenment such as concern for and respect of individual rights\nbefore it can contribute something to the postmodern society.”13 This paragraph has\ngreat significance for study of our ideology and culture. Traditional or premodern\nChinese culture needed to absorb rather than exclude all valuable fruits achieved by\nmodern society since the Enlightenment, such as freedom, democracy, human\nrights, etc., concepts that embody “concern and respect for individual rights.” In\naddition, we must work hard to put into practice those positive concepts before we\ncan successfully align traditional or premodern Chinese culture with postmodern-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ism and promote the transformation from modern to postmodern society.\n    It is good to note that some Chinese scholars have had extensive contact and\nsatisfactory cooperation with Western scholars of constructive postmodernism. The\nrepresentative figures of constructive postmodernism have also realized the value of\ntraditional Chinese culture to their research and are absorbing nutrition from it.\nSimilarly, some Chinese scholars have noticed the practical significance of con-\nstructive postmodernism in helping human society out of predicament and are\npaying close attention to the development of this thought. If an organic synthesis\nbetween the widely influential “Guoxue tide” and constructive postmodernism can\nbe achieved, then pioneered deeply in Chinese society, and developed further,\nChina could perhaps proceed smoothly to completing the mission of its own “first\nenlightenment,” realize modernization, and then rather rapidly enter a postmodern"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "society marked by a “second enlightenment.” If this does come to pass, the fruits\nachieved in China’s current cultural revival will be of great significance to human\nhistory.\n    In this paper, the author explores the possibility of communication and integra-\ntion of Western and Chinese cultures. Whether this possibility can become reality\nhinges mainly on how China’s Guoxue can adapt to healthy social development and\nwhether constructive postmodernism, currently a minor branch of thinking in the\nWest, can become more mainstream and win widespread acceptance. The author\nstresses that this paper is simply a theoretical foray—a tryout—and would welcome\nany comments."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "13\n   “For the Common Welfare: an Interview with John B. Cobber” (interviewed by Wang Xiaohua),\nSocial Sciences Weekly, Shanghai, June 13, 2002.\n\fChapter 2\nThe Contemporary Significance\nof Confucianism\n\n\n\n\n2.1    Why Addressing the Topic “The Contemporary\n       Significance of Confucianism”?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I have delivered speeches on the topic “The Contemporary Significance of\nConfucianism” several times, including in the 1980s and 1990s of the last century.\nNow, I will continue to address it in the twenty-first century. In addition to me, more\nand more scholars have started to address this topic. Why? I think there are two\nimportant reasons: One is that we are on the eve of the great revival of the Chinese\nnation. So now, we must review our historical and cultural tradition. Karl Jaspers\npresented the notion of “the Axial Age.” He thought that great thinkers emerged in\nancient Greece, Israel, India, China, and other countries almost simultaneously\naround 500 B.C., and they all presented unique ideas on problems which concern all\nhuman beings. Aristotle and Plato in ancient Greece, Prophets of Judaism in Israel,\nShakyamuni in India, and Laozi and Confucius in China independently initiated and\nformed distinctive cultural traditions. Through 2,000 years of development, these"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cultural traditions have become central to human intellectual wealth, but these\ndifferent cultures in different regions developed independently at the beginning\nand did not originally influence each other. He says, until today mankind has lived\nall by what was thought and created during the Axial Age. In each new upward leap,\nit returns in recollection to this period and is fired anew by it. Even since then, it has\nbeen the case that recollections and reawakening of the potentialities of the Axial\nPeriod—renaissances—always afford a spiritual impetus. The return to the root is\nthe continuous thing in China, India, and West (see Jaspers 1989, p. 14). For\ninstance, the Europeans in the renaissance looked back at the origin of their culture,\nancient Greece, which revived European civilization and left its mark on global"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Frontiers of Philosophy in China, 2008, 3(4): 477–501\nTranslated by Yan Xin from Jianghan Luntan 江汉论坛 (Jianghan Tribune), 2007, (1): 5–14\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                           11\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_2\n\f12                                              2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "culture. Similarly, Song and Ming Neo-Confucianism in China was stimulated by\nIndian Buddhism; the Confucian thinkers, by “recalling” Confucius and Mencius in\nthe pre-Qin period, had promoted the ingenious Chinese philosophy to a new\nheight. When we enter into the new millennium, the world’s intellectual circle\nhas started to appeal for the arrival of “a New Axial Age.” Thus, it has become\nimportant to review and research ancient thoughts and wisdom and recall the origin\nof our own culture in order to respond to the new, diverse world culture. Secondly,\nin the new century, our country has brought forward a great project to build a\n“harmonious society.” Fei Xiaotong has raised the issue of “cultural self-\nconsciousness.” In order to build a “harmonious society,” we have to know our own\n“culture.” What is “cultural self-consciousness”? Fei Xiaotong in Reconsideration\non Humanistic Value said:\n     Cultural self-consciousness denotes that people who live in a context of some culture have"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“self-knowledge” of their own culture, and can explain its origin, development, character-\n     istics, and its trend. It does not mean that people “return to the original culture,” and “return\n     to the ancients,” and it does not mean “complete westernization” or “complete tahua 他化\n     (otherization)” at the same time. The request for self-knowledge intends to strengthen the\n     ability of self-determination in the process of cultural transformation, and grasp the\n     initiative status of cultural choice in the process of adaptation to new conditions and new\n     era. (Fei Xiaotong 2005, p. 248)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It means that we have to have “self-knowledge” of our culture, establish our\nplace in our culture, and have an “independent ability” in the state of globalization\nand cultural diversity in the great historical era that we are building our “harmoni-\nous society.” Our place in our culture does not mean “completely returning to the\nancients” and “complete westernization”; instead, it means assuring that our own\nculture can take deep root in society, like leaves which flourish if the roots are deep.\nSo we have to persist in our cultural understanding in order to be able to absorb and\ndigest the outstanding cultures of other nations to nourish our own culture.\n   In this situation, when we study our history and the prospect of our national\nculture, we have to adapt to the new trend of the contemporary development of world\nculture, that is, the “New Axial Age.” We have to have cultural self-consciousness in\norder to meet the goal of building a “harmonious society.” In the new historical era,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "what problems face the world and our society? Which issues should we address in\norder to realize “the New Axial Age” and our “harmonious society”?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2.2      Various Points of View About the “Learning of the\n         Chinese Classics,” Especially Confucianism, in\n         Academic and Cultural Circles\n\nEntering into the twenty-first century, the learning of the Chinese classics becomes\npopular. There are various opinions and explanations on this phenomenon. The\nso-called learning of the Chinese Classics can be found in Zhouli·Chunguan·\nYueshi 周礼·春官·乐师 (Zhouli 1980), which is the earliest record: “The duty of\nthe official in charge of music is to administer the affairs of nation-owned school,\nand to teach the offspring of high-ranking officials music and dance.” But, now, the\n\f2.2 Various Points of View About the “Learning of the Chinese Classics,”          13"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“learning of the Chinese classics” seems to be the opposite of “Western learning.”\nThe reason is that as we face the influence of “Western learning,” we encounter the\nproblem of how to protect and develop our own traditional culture. The develop-\nment of Chinese culture faces a dual task. One is that we must protect our culture\nand maintain our cultural foundation. And the other is how we deal with Western\nculture. This has been the basis of the cultural dispute of “China and the West, the\nAncient and the Modern” for the past hundred years. But today, in the time of\nglobalization, we must go out of the dispute, synchronize the teachings of “China\nand the West, and the Ancient and the Modern,” and realize the ability of different\ncultures to coexist and prosper.\n   Today, there are various points of view about the “learning of the Chinese\nclassics,” especially Confucianism, in academic and cultural circles. I will give a\nbrief introduction in the following passages:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "brief introduction in the following passages:\n1. Some scholars propose the outline as “the reconstruction of Chinese Confucian-\n   ism.” They think that we “must revive Confucianism omni-directionally in order\n   to fight against the omni-directional challenge of Western civilization” and “the\n   revival of Confucianism is an urgent affair to revive Chinese culture and\n   reconstruct Chinese civilization.” Therefore, they advocate establishing Confu-\n   cianism as the national religion and realizing the so-called “combination of\n   politics and religion” of China’s ancient times (Jiang Qing 2005, pp. 3–7).\n2. There are two critiques of this point of view: One is from “the school of\n   liberalism.” The critics believe that “the theory that Confucianism can save the\n   nation” counteracts contemporary democratic politics and is harmful to the idea\n   of “equality.” The critics assume that their purpose is to establish “Confucian-\n   ism” as “the national religion,” and they “attempt to ideologize Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and make use of Confucianism as the instrument of dictatorship” (Chen 2006, p.\n   6). Another critique is from Marxist scholars. They think that “the essence of\n   salvation in Confucianism is an exaggeration of moral function” and “to apply\n   the ontological Dao of Heaven and ontological nature and destiny to pursue the\n   kingliness Dao of politics, but this only leads to the trap of feudal dictatorship\n   again.” “The real savior can only be Marxism” (Ibid.).\n3. Some scholars fully affirm “Confucianism” in order to maintain and develop\n   Confucian thoughts. For instance, modern Neo-Confucians think that “the Dao\n   of kingliness without,” which can adapt to modern democratic politics, can be\n   developed from the learning of the sageliness within. They also think that the\n   system of epistemology can develop from the Confucian “learning of mind and\n   nature.” Others think that “san gang wu chang 三纲五常 (the Three Bonds and\n   the Five Moral Rules) in human relationships” still have value. In the 1994"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "conference, Tu Weiming gave up his former belief that the three bonds still had\n   value for the belief that “the Five Moral Rules in human relationships still had\n   value.” His opinion on “cultural China” is important for making Chinese culture\n   known to the world. But he divided “cultural China” into several circles, with the\n   core circle including Chinese mainland, Taiwan, etc. The second circle includes\n   the overseas Chinese. And the third circle includes those countries which have\n   been influenced by Chinese culture. The fourth circle covers foreigners who\n\f14                                     2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "study and enjoy Chinese culture. But one of his beliefs is debatable. He said:\n   “The category of cultural China is very broad. Some persons who have no\n   consanguineous relationship with China, but have a great impact on China are\n   also a part of cultural China” (Tu Weiming 2002, p. 430). This is questionable.\n   From this logic, we can infer the categories of “cultural Europe” and “cultural\n   America” and that Chinese thinkers like Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, and\n   Zhuangzi had an impact on them, so they are also a part of “cultural Europe”\n   and “cultural America,” too.\n4. Of course, some scholars think that the May Fourth Movement refuted Confu-\n   cianism, and to once again raise Confucianism to a high status is a historical\n   regression.\n      How should we look at Confucian thoughts? There are various answers.\n   Today, the many perspectives to this issue indicate that our society is\n   progressing, because academic and cultural questions can only be raised in an"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "environment of free discussion and improved by rational dialogue.\n    Of course, I myself have my own opinion on “Confucianism,” and debates will\ndetermine whether my opinion is right or not. It is just one voice. I have several\nopinions on academics and culture. First, there is no absolutely right way of\nthinking and culture in history, because each of them contains internal contradic-\ntions, including Confucianism. So, some aspects of Confucianism inevitably have\nhistorical limitations and cannot adapt to the needs of modern society. The univer-\nsal significance of Confucianism also needs to be interpreted in a modern way.\nSecond, although thinking and culture are moving forward, the issues raised by\nancient philosophers and their thoughts are the same as today because some\nphilosophical issues last forever. For instance, the problem of “the relationship\nbetween human and nature” is still discussed in contemporary Chinese philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Third, Bertrand Russell said: “Contacts between different civilizations have often\nin the past proved to be landmarks in human progress” (Russell 1922, p. 195). Any\nculture that wants to have continuous historical development must absorb and\ndigest other nations’ cultures, and a culture can only keep up with other cultures\nthrough mutual exchanges, especially in the era of globalization. Looking at\nChinese history, the entry of Indian Buddhism has proven this. Chinese culture\nhas benefited from Indian Buddhism; Indian Buddhism was further developed and\npromoted in China. It was absorbed by Chinese culture and had a profound impact\non Neo-Confucianism in the time of the Song and Ming dynasties. Today, we must\nabsorb and digest Western culture and other nations’ cultures fully and systemat-\nically in the time of globalization. Only in this way can Chinese academics and\nculture adapt to the demands of contemporary human society and our own nation’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "development. Therefore, our culture must be national and international. Fourth,\ncultural subjectivity should be established. Any national culture must take root in its\nown soil because it is necessary to understand, comprehend, protect, and develop a\nnative culture fully in order to rationally and healthily develop as well as have the\ncapacity to absorb other nations’ cultures in depth. A culture that is unable to\n\f2.2 Various Points of View About the “Learning of the Chinese Classics,”             15"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "maintain its autonomy and is unable to absorb other nations’ cultures to enrich and\ndevelop its own culture will be wiped out or completely assimilated.\n   Based on the above discussions, we may analyze “Confucianism” from three\ndifferent perspectives: political Confucianism, orthodox Confucianism, and\nacademic Confucianism.\n   Confucianism has been intertwined with politics in past dynasties; undoubtedly,\nit played an important role in feudal dictatorship. Confucianism pays special\nattention to its function in moral cultivation, which has a positive side, but the\nnegative side leads to absolute rule, making China a society of “the rule of man”\nand making it difficult for China to achieve the “rule of law.” Confucians often\nmoralized politics and glorified political rule; and they also politicized morality,\nmaking it an instrument of politics. Of course, some of the political philosophy in\nConfucianism limited dictatorship, for instance, “to resist high-ranking official with"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "virtue,” “people are the most valuable,” and “to kill a dictator” (King Xuan of Qi\nasked: “Is it tolerable if a government official kills his king?” Mencius said: “He\nwho destroys benevolence and righteousness is called a dictator. I just heard about\nKing Wu of Zhou, the first king of Zhou Dynasty, who killed the dictator Zhou 纣,\nthe last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, and I have never heard that he killed his king as\nan official”) (Mencius 1980, Liang Huiwang xia). It was also typical of Confucians\nto apply “tian天 (Heaven)” in restricting the emperor’s power. Confucians\nproposed that humans should revere “Heaven” and fate. In some circumstances,\n“the interaction between Heaven and man” can also restrict the “emperor’s power.”\nFor instance, when natural disasters or strange phenomena happened, officials\nwould write to the emperor to warn him. Then, the emperor would have to publish\nan imperial self-criticism. But speaking as a whole, the negative function of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "political Confucianism is more obvious because it was used by politics. In any\ncase, the thoughts of “stupid loyalty” and “my majesty is holy and wise, and your\nsubject commits intolerable crime and should be put to death” are not advisable. So,\nwhen Confucianism is manipulated by politicians, many problems arise.\n   Orthodox Confucianism: the development and influence of schools with system-\natic traits and a successive heritage must have their own tradition whether it is in the\nWest or in China. In China, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism all have their\nown traditions. Because schools with traditions continuously develop, among them,\nConfucianism is especially conscious of inheriting its tradition, and Confucians\nregard the inheritance of the cultural traditions of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou\ndynasties as their responsibility. “Confucius inherits the Dao of Yao and Shun\nand imitates King Wen and King Wu of Zhou” (Zisi 1980, Chapter 30). Therefore,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "today, we should consciously inherit our own cultural tradition. But if Confucian-\nism overemphasizes its “orthodox tradition,” it might exclude other schools and\nsuppress heterodoxy. Heterodoxy is to oppose and overthrow mainstream thought\nand blaze a new path for new ways of thinking. Confucianism as a whole is\nrelatively inclusive. For instance, Confucians hold that “The myriad things grow\nequally without harming each other and the circulation of the four seasons, the\ntravel of the sun and the moon go smoothly without interference” (Ibid.).\nBut sometimes there is also a strong sense of exclusiveness in Confucianism.\n\f16                                    2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For instance, Mencius rejected Yang Zhu and Mozi, and he criticized Yang Zhu’s\nlack of filial piety to his father because he advocated universal and equal benevo-\nlence and Mozi’s lack of loyalty to the emperor because he insisted that individuals\ncame first. Here, Mencius goes too far. Another example is Han Yu’s exclusion of\nBuddhism. At that time, Buddhism had caused some problems, including a tremen-\ndous waste of national wealth. But Han Yu suggested “The government should\nsecularize Buddhism monks and nuns, burn off sutra, and transform Buddhism\ntemples to civilian houses” (Han 1991, p. 174). His words go too far. It is not good\nif factionalism is too strong.\n    “The academic tradition of Confucianism” is about the history of Confucian\nlearning and its academic ideals. In this aspect, the positive value of Confucianism\ncan be seen, and Confucianism can offer significant resources for human society.\nNow and in the future, Confucianism should not be ideologized. Learning is learning,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and it should not depend on politics. No school of learning should be viewed as the\nruling one, and the “contention of a hundred schools of thought” should be put into\npractice. Of course, we must analyze the thoughts offered by sages and outstanding\nmen in history and interpret them according to contemporary circumstances in order\nto uncover resources which can assist in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation\nand be universally significant for the rational and all-around development of human\nsociety. In order to achieve this goal, Confucianism should be renewed in order to\nmake it a source of real spiritual wealth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2.3   What are the Main Issues in Contemporary Human\n      Society?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We may judge the value of learning from many perspectives, such as politics,\neconomics, science, and technology. Perhaps, it is most important to make a\nphilosophical judgment on the value of a school. Therefore, we must learn about\nthe main problems faced by our society, nation, and mankind. These issues should\nbe the starting point for considering philosophical questions.\n   What are the main issues in contemporary human society? In my opinion, there\nare three: one is the relationship between man and nature, a conflict which is quite\nserious. The second is the relationship between man and man, including relation-\nships between man and self (man and society), nation and nation, and people and\npeople. The third problem is the relationship between body and mind. The biggest\nproblem facing mankind is the conflict between man and nature, man and man (man\nand society), and the conflict within oneself. These issues are related to building a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“harmonious society” and human society’s “peaceful coexistence.” In my opinion,\nthe three philosophical propositions, “the unity of nature and man,” “the unity of\nself and others,” and “the unity of body and mind,” can provide some valuable\napproaches and important philosophical resources to resolving the three conflicts.\nOf course, I do not mean that these problems can only be solved by Confucianism.\n   As we enter the twenty-first century, we will see that the past century was a\ncentury of rapid development, a progressive century, but it was also a tragic century\n\f2.4 The Relationship Between Man and Nature                                        17"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "full of conflict and fighting. In 100 years, there were two world wars, and more than\na hundred million people died unnaturally due to war. Many cultural artifacts made\nby mankind several centuries ago were destroyed. China has experienced much\nsuffering, but has also made great progress in the past 100 years. In this process, we\nnearly completely negated our cultural tradition, and we refused to absorb some\nprogressive Western cultures for a long time, too. It led to social problems, such as\n“a crisis of belief,” “moral vacuum,” “environmental pollution,” and “money\nworship.” How should we tackle these problems? I, and not only me, but other\nscholars, too, think that we can find philosophical resources from the past 5,000\nyears to deal with these problems. Many scholars have looked for answers to these\nproblems. Of course, we should not think that thoughts and culture can solve all\nproblems. If we think that thoughts and culture can tackle all problems, it will lead"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to “cultural determinism.” Then, it will be like the belief that science and technol-\nogy can tackle human and social problems, leading to the trap of “the omnipotence\nof science,” of “scientism.” Therefore, when we discuss “the significance of\nConfucianism,” we simply want to find resources and approaches which can be\napplied to contemporary human and social problems and a way to deal with these\nproblems."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2.4   The Relationship Between Man and Nature"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the problem of “conflict between man and nature,” in 1992, 1575 scientists,\nincluding half the Nobel laureates, signed the “World Scientists’ Warning to\nHumanity,” which stated that human beings and the natural world are on a collision\ncourse. In my opinion, the warning signaled that human kind will encounter a\nserious crisis if the world continues as it is now. Advanced science and technology\ncan benefit people, but as a part of nature, people not only control a lot of\ninstruments to destroy nature but also control weapons which can be used to destroy\nhuman beings in the process of conquering nature. The never-ending exploitation\nand destruction of nature results in consequences such as the waste of natural\nresources, the depletion of the ozone layer, the evaporation of the ocean, environ-\nmental pollution, the sudden and sharp growth in the human population, and\necological imbalance. The result is the destruction of “a harmonious nature” and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“the harmonious relationship between man and nature,” threatening conditions for\nhuman existence. These situations have a relationship with the subject-object\ndichotomy in Western philosophy. For instance, in A History of Western Philoso-\nphy, Russell said: “the philosophy of Descartes. . .it brought to completion, or very\nnearly to completion, the dualism of mind and matter which began with Plato and\nwas developed, largely for religious reasons, by Christian philosophy. . .the Carte-\nsian system presents two parallel but independent worlds, that of mind and that of\nmatter, each of which can be studied without reference to the other” (Russell 1972,\np. 567). It means that for a long time, spirit and matter have been regarded as\nindependent and isolated in Western philosophy. Therefore, this kind of philosophy\n\f18                                           2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is established on an “external relationship” (“man” and “nature” are two unrelated\nfactors.), or it can be said that they regard “mind” and “matter” as two independent\ndual factors, and when Western philosophers study one, they do not involve the\nother (but Western philosophy has changed, for instance, Whitehead criticizes the\ndualism in the traditional way of thinking in his Process Philosophy). It means that\nWestern thought involves the dualism of “subject-object” (“mind” and “matter,” or\n“nature” and “man”) from Plato in the Axial Age. But Chinese philosophy is\ndifferent because it is based on “the unity of Heaven and man” (subject and object\nare connected and cannot be divided).\n    One of the origins of Chinese philosophy is Zhou Yi 周易 (The Book of\nChanges). There is an important passage on the Chu Bamboo Slips unearthed in\nJing Men, Hubei province, in 1993. It states (Jingmen 1998, Yucong yi 语丛一):\n     The Rituals describes the manners of intercourse.\n     The Music is used to enjoy or educate."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Music is used to enjoy or educate.\n     The Book of History is □□□□ [sic].\n     The Book of Odes is a collection of poems of the past and the present.\n     The Book of Changes is to communicate the Dao of nature and the Dao of man.\n     The Spring and Autumn Annals is a collection of affairs of the past and the present."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These bamboo slips were written around 300 B.C. They say that “Change\ncommunicates with the Dao of nature and the Dao of man.” It means that the\nBook of Changes studies the Dao of Heaven (law of Heaven or nature) and the Dao\nof man (order in society) and why they are connected through a comprehensive\nstudy of the subjects. That is, people in ancient times had already realized that they\nhad to include “man” when studying “nature,” and when studying “man,” they had\nto involve “Heaven,” too. This is “the unity of nature and man.” In fact, this had\nalready been revealed in Confucius’ Analects. Zi Gong said: “I cannot hear Master\nConfucius’ saying about nature and the Dao of nature” (Confucius 1980, Gongye\nchang). Although Zi Gong had never heard Confucius speak about “nature and the\nDao of nature,” he brought forward this issue, which indicates that there was great\ninterest in the relationship between “human nature” (man) and “the Dao of Heaven"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(nature).” When looking at the development of human society, people originally\ncame across the relationship between “man” and “nature (Heaven)” because\nhumans cannot live without “nature.” Therefore, the ancient Chinese always paid\nattention to “the relationship between man and nature.”\n   Of course, there are various attitudes and methods to deal with “the relationship of\nman and nature.” Some scholars held that man should comply with nature; some\nscholars thought that man should make use of “nature” to serve man, “know and\napply nature to serve people”; and some scholars held that “both man and nature have\ntheir own laws and advantages.” But the mainstream Confucian thinkers believed in\n“the unity of man and nature.” The so-called unity of man and nature means that\n“nature” is inseparable from “man” and “man” is inseparable from “nature,” too.\n   Why is there such a belief? Well, it has a long history. We know that the Book of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Changes was originally a fortune-telling book used to predict good or bad luck and\nmisfortune or good fortune. Who was asked to answer people’s fortunes? Tian 天\n(Heaven). “Man” asks tian about good or bad luck and misfortune or good fortune.\n\f2.4 The Relationship Between Man and Nature                                       19"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Book of Changes recorded these answers, and so it became a book on the\nrelationship between “Heaven” (tian) and “man.” Subsequently, various interpre-\ntations of this book formed a new one, that is, Yizhuan 易传 (The Appendices to the\nBook of Changes). Among them, The Appended Remarks in particular can be\nregarded as a philosophical interpretation of the Book of Changes. The Book of\nChanges solves the problem of the relationship between “Heaven” and “man”; then\nwhat is the relationship between “Heaven” and “man”? The Appended Remarks\nanswers this. It argues that the Book of Changes includes everything, and the book\nnot only includes “the Dao of Heaven,” “the Dao of earth,” but also includes “the\nDao of man.” Although “the Dao of Heaven” is manifested by yin and yang, “the\nDao of earth” is presented as “hardness” and “softness,” and “the Dao of man” is\nmanifested as “benevolence” and “righteousness.” The principle of the three is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "united, and the three are the manifestation of qian 干 and kun 坤. The Confucian\nZhang Zai in the Song Dynasty said: “Heaven, earth, and man all have the Dao of\nqian and kun. The Change penetrates in Heaven, earth, and man, and yin and yang\nare its substance (qi), hardness and softness is its form, and benevolence and\nrighteousness are its nature” (Zhang Zai 1978, p. 235). From the example in the\nBook of Changes that unites Heaven (earth) and man, we can see that Heaven and\nman are a connected entity. The reason that qian and kun are used to describe the\nunity of “Heaven,” “earth,” and “man” is that qian denotes vigorous movement and\nkun denotes generosity and virtue in the Appendices to the Book of Changes.\nTherefore, “man” has a special responsibility for “Heaven and Earth” (Heaven).\n“Man” should know what is demanded by Heaven and Earth in the spirit of\n“constantly striving for self-improvement” and “with profound generosity to con-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tain things or complete things.” Zhang Zai said, “the Dao of Heaven” and “the Dao\nof man” are similar in the sense of “reason or truth.” If we want to know the\nprinciple of being a man, we have to know the Dao of “Heaven and Earth,” and if\nwe know the truth of “Heaven and Earth,” we can know the principle or law of\n“man” (society).\n    Confucians in the Song Dynasty developed “the unity of nature and man.” For\ninstance, Cheng Yi said:“Is it allowable to know the Dao of man but do not know the\nDao of nature? The Dao is one. Is it right if the Dao of man is one, and the Dao of\nnature is another one?” (Cheng and Cheng Yi 2004, Er Cheng yishu, Vol. 18).\nAccording to the Confucian thinking, “nature” and “man” cannot be divided, and\nthey cannot be regarded as an external and opposite relationship, and we cannot\nstudy only one of the two. Zhu Xi expressed this idea much clearer. He said: “Nature\nis man, and man is nature. At the beginning of human birth, they are produced from"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nature; and after the birth, nature is human too” (Zhu Xi 1990, Vol. 17). Zhu Xi held\nthat “nature” cannot be independent of “man,” and “man” cannot be independent of\n“nature.” At the time of birth, humans come from nature, but when there is a human\nbeing, the Dao of “nature” (Heaven) is embodied by “man.” In other words,\n“humans” are responsible for “nature.” If there were no “humans,” how would the\nlively atmosphere of “nature” be embodied, how would “the constantly striving to\nbecome stronger” of “nature” be embodied, and how would “containing things\nor completing things with profound generosity” of the “earth” be embodied?\n\f20                                    2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So man should know that “the work to establish mind or heart for Heaven and Earth”\nand “the work to establish life for people” are the same and cannot be separated.\nTherefore, the Yucong yi of Guodian Zhujian 郭店竹简·语丛一(Collection One\nof the Guo Dian Bamboo Slips for Writing) said: “The Dao can be mastered after\nknowing what Heaven (nature) does and what man does. If we know the Dao, then\nwe know what fate is” (Jingmen 1998). If we know “the Dao of nature (Heaven)”\n(the law of nature) and the Dao of man (the law of human society and life), then we\ncan know the unified principle or reason for “nature or Heaven” and “man” and the\ndevelopment of “nature or Heaven” (the Dao of nature or Heaven) and “man” (“the\nDao of man,” society). Confucius said: “It is necessary to know destiny or fate\nmandated by Heaven” (Confucius 1980, Weizheng). He means that “man” should\nknow about “nature or Heaven.” Confucius also said: “man should have reverence"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "for fate or destiny as mandated by Heaven or nature (Ibid., Jishi) and cannot\nrandomly destroy the law of development of “nature or Heaven.” A Chinese\nphilosopher never regards “nature or Heaven” as a dead thing. Instead, it is organic,\nconstantly developing, growing, and united with man as an entity. It is common\nsense that the existence of “man” cannot be separated from “nature or Heaven,” but\nwhy does “man” regard “nature or Heaven” as an opposing object and recklessly\ndestroy and conquer “nature”? It is because he regards the relationship between\n“nature” and “man” as external and does not know that the relationship between\n“nature” and “man” is close and internal. “The internal relationship” is different\nfrom “the external relationship” because “the external relationship” denotes that\n“nature” and “man” are independent and unrelated. But “the internal relationship”\ndenotes that “nature” and “man” have a close relationship. Therefore, “the unity of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nature and man” is an ancient philosophical proposition in Chinese philosophy, and\nit is the cornerstone of Chinese Confucian thought as well as a proposition which\nneeds to be continuously reinterpreted by human society. When we consider the\nproblems of human beings and our relationship with nature, we should bear in mind\nthe idea of “the unity of nature and man,” and we must deepen our discussion of the\nclose relationship between “nature” and “man.” Human society has neglected\nthe close relationship between “nature” and “man” for a long time, and so are we\nnow being punished by nature? Why have we chosen a confrontational relationship\nwith nature?\n    The idea of “the unity of nature and man” (the thought, “yi 易 (change) is to\ncommunicate the Dao of nature with the Dao of man”), which originated from\nYijing, supplies a way of thinking that resolves the current conflict between nature\nand man. It can inspire us in the following three aspects."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Firstly, “The unity of nature and man” as a way of thinking says that people\nought not regard “man” as the opposite of “nature” because “man” is a part of\n“nature” and “the birth of man is from nature.” Acts to destroy “nature” are the\nsame as destroying “man,” and “man” will be punished by “nature.” Therefore,\n“man” should “know nature” (knowing nature in order to reasonably make use of\nnature) and should “revere nature.” (Man should revere nature and regard work to\nprotect nature as a holy obligation.) Now, we emphasize only “knowing nature”\nand blindly use “knowledge” to exploit and conquer “nature” and even destroy\n\f2.4 The Relationship Between Man and Nature                                       21"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“nature.” But man does not know that we should revere “nature.” It is definitely an\nextreme manifestation of “scientism” (the omnipotence of science and technology).\n“Scientism” denies the holiness of “nature or Heaven” and consequently denies the\ntranscendence of “nature or Heaven.” Thus, humanist spirit loses its foundation.\nThe Chinese thought of “the unity of nature and man” holds that “knowing nature”\nis the same as “revering nature.” If we “know nature” but do not “revere nature,” we\nwill regard “nature” as a dead thing, not knowing that it is organic, alive, and\nvigorous. “Revering nature” but not “knowing nature” leads man to regard “nature\nor Heaven” as a mystical power outside of “man” and does not help man gain the\nreal favor of nature. “Knowing nature” is united with “revering nature,” and it is an\nimportant manifestation of “the unity of nature and man,” reflecting the inner\nobligation of “man” to “nature.” The philosophical proposition, “the unity of nature"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and man,” symbolizes the complicated relationship between “nature” and “man,”\nwhich not only includes how “man” should understand “nature” but also that “man”\nshould revere “nature” because of its holiness. This is the reason why Chinese\nConfucianism has not become a universal religion (like Buddhism and Christian-\nity), but Confucianism possesses a certain “religiosity.” Confucian thought has a\nreligious function in China, that is, Confucians think that the “inner” morality of\n“man,” which is mandated by “nature,” needs moral cultivation to realize its\n“transcendence” as “transcendence from an ordinary person to the level of a\nsage.” Therefore, “the unity of nature and man” is not only a recognition of “nature”\nbut also a realm of life that “man” should pursue. The reason is that tian (nature,\nHeaven) does not just mean nature; it also means “Heaven” in the sense of holiness.\n“Human nature” should be asked to reach a transcendent sphere which is equal to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tian (Heaven, nature). In this sense, “man” and “nature” are not in opposition.\nInstead, “man” is united with “Heaven and Earth.” For instance, Mencius said, “The\npeople of the place where the superior man has visited will be influenced and\neducated; the impact at the place where the superior man has stayed is miraculous,\nand the sage acts along with Heaven and Earth” (Mencius 1980, Jinxin shang). In\nthis way, the superior man realizes personal transcendence. This way of thinking\nnot only helps us get rid of the problem of “the division between Heaven and man”\n(the antagonism of Heaven and man) but also opens a way for human beings to\nattain the ideal human realm.\n    Secondly, we cannot regard the relationship between “Heaven (nature)” and\n“man” as a kind of external relationship, because “Heaven is man, and man is\nHeaven,” and so “Heaven” and “man” are inherently connected. “Man” cannot be\nseparated from “Heaven,” and “man” cannot survive without “Heaven”; “Heaven”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cannot be separated from “man”; without “man,” the reason of “Heaven” cannot be\nembodied, and so who can realize “the Dao of Heaven”? Understanding the\nrelationship between “Heaven” and “man” is a characteristic of Chinese philoso-\nphy. On this point, Wang Fuzhi made an important observation. He reviewed\nancient scholars’ theories and concluded that they had merely grasped the outer\nphenomena of the pre-Qin Confucianism and thought that the Book of Changes was\nonly about “the Dao of Heaven,” but did not know that the Book of Changes had\nbeen the root or foundation of “the Dao of man” since the Han Dynasty (Wang\n\f22                                     2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fuzhi 1975, Vol. 9, Qiancheng shang). Zhou Dunyi’s doctrine of “taiji picture” is\nabout the root (origin) of “the unity of Heaven and man,” which explains that the\nbirth of man is the result of a change in “the Dao of Heaven.” While changing into\n“the Dao of Heaven,” Heaven gives its essential part to “man” and makes “man”\npossess “human nature,” which is different from other things. Then, man can\ndiscover that all the principles of moral human relations of “the Dao of man” (the\nrules of human society) are in the order of the yin-yang movement of “the Dao of\nHeaven” (the law of the universe). “The Dao of man” and “the Dao of Heaven”\nshould be united. “The Dao of man” is based on “the Dao of Heaven” because\n“man” is a part of Heaven (nature), so a discussion of “the Dao of man” cannot be\nseparated from “the Dao of Heaven,” and discussion of “the Dao of Heaven” must\nalso take “the Dao of man” into consideration because “the principle of daily life"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and things” of “the Dao of man” is in the order of the yin-yang movement of “the\nDao of Heaven.” Zhang Zai said that Yijing “contains the principle of Heaven, and\nalso includes the Dao of man” (Zhang Zai 1978, p. 65).\n   Thirdly, why does Confucian philosophy hold that there is an “internal relation-\nship” between “Heaven and man”? From the Western Zhou Dynasty, there is an\nintellectual tradition described as “the ear of Heaven is the ear of my people, and the\neye of Heaven is the eye of my people” (Mencius 1980, Wanzhang shang). The\ntradition can be traced from Confucius and Mencius to Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Zhu\nXi, Lu Jiuyuan, and Wang Yangming. On this point, Zhu Xi’s saying reflects\nConfucius’ consistency on “the learning of benevolence.” He said: “the man of\nbenevolence” “should have the heart to produce abundantly in the sense of nature,\nin sensing the heart of tender affection for man and beneficence for things, the\nbenevolent man’s heart includes four morals (benevolence, righteousness, rituals,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and wisdom) and penetration into the four beginnings of the four morals” (Zhu Xi\n1936, Vol. 13). “The Dao of Heaven” continuously produces and regards benevo-\nlence as the heart. “Heaven” (nature) can make myriad things grow well, so “man”\nshould follow the example of “Heaven” (nature) and show kindness to man and\nbenefit myriad things. The reason is that “Heaven and man is united as a whole” and\n“man” obtains the essence of “Heaven” to become a “man,” so man should realize\nthe function of “nature” (Heaven) and “the tender affection for other man, and bring\nbenefits to things.” “The heart of Heaven” and “the heart of man” have actually the\nsame heart. “Man” must realize “the Dao of Heaven” and sense “the Dao of\nHeaven.” The value of life is to realize “the destiny (fate) of Heaven,” so the\nrelationship between “Heaven” and “man” is actually internal.\n   We discuss the proposition of “the unity of Heaven and man” and understand it"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "philosophically on the above points to see its real spirit and value. It is a kind of\nworld view, a way of thinking that is applied to an interpretation of “the unity of\nHeaven and man.” Its significance is that it endows “man” with an inescapable\nresponsibility. “Man” can realize its own transcendence and achieve the ideal\n“unity of Heaven and man” only in the process of “imitating Heaven (nature)”\n(enhancing to the sphere of “Heaven”).\n   Of course, the Confucian idea of “unity of Heaven and man” probably cannot\ndirectly solve specific problems in human society’s “conflicts between man and\n\f2.5 The Relationship Between Man and Man                                             23"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nature.” However, as a philosophical proposition, the thought of “the unity of\nHeaven and man” holds that “Heaven” and “man” cannot be separated into two\nparts; instead, “Heaven” and “man” should be regarded as an inherent union. There\nis an internal communication between “Heaven” and “man,” which undoubtedly\nprovides a positive way of thinking for philosophically resolving the relationship\nbetween “Heaven” and “man.”\n\n\n\n2.5    The Relationship Between Man and Man"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The conflict between man and man” that exists in contemporary society is more\ncomplicated than “the conflict between man and nature.” Interpersonal conflict is\nnot only related to the various conflicts between “self and others,” “man and\ncommunity,” “nation and nation,” “people and people,” and “region and region.”\nFor instance, the pursuit of material needs and power, the struggle for natural\nresources, and the expansion of possession and ambition cause conflict and war\nbetween nations, peoples, and regions and leads to “imperial hegemony” and\n“terrorism.” Excessive preoccupation with the pursuit of money and the enjoyment\nof material goods, especially the ruling class’ corruption and their oppression of\nordinary people, cause tensions in the relationships between people, a negative\nsocial atmosphere, numerous factions, and factionalism. In society, children, youth,\nand the aged all have their own problems. Misunderstandings and hostility in daily"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "life, the isolation of souls, then lead to the dissolution of social harmony. This trend\nwill result in the collapse of human society. Does Confucianism provide a helpful\nintellectual resource for contemporary society’s faults? In my opinion, the Confu-\ncian “learning of benevolence” may have much significance for the formation of\nharmony “between man and man,” between, nations, peoples, and regions, or\n“harmonious society.”\n    The volume of “xing zi ming chu 性自命出 (nature coming out of fate)” in the\nGuodian Chumu Zhujian says that “Dao originates from affection (feeling, emo-\ntion), and affection comes from nature. The beginning is close to affection, and the\nend is close to righteousness.” It means that interpersonal relationships are initially\nfounded on affection (feeling), and affection comes from human nature. Therefore,\nat the start of interpersonal relationships, affection is more important (such as the\naffection between a mother and child), and later on, morality and justice (Dao, or"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the way, and justice or righteousness) become more important than affection. Here,\n“the Dao” denotes “the Dao of man,” which means the law of interpersonal\nrelationships or principles of social relations. It is connected with “the Dao of\nHeaven,” but different from “the Dao of Heaven,” which means the law of nature\n(or the external world beyond “man”). “Dao originates from affection,” meaning\nthat interpersonal relationships are initially founded on affection. It is the starting\npoint of Confucius’ “learning of benevolence.” Confucius’ disciple Fan Chi asked\nhim what “benevolence” was, and Confucius answered, “to love people.” Where\ndoes the moral command “to love people” come from? Zhongyong quotes\n\f24                                     2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucius: “Benevolence is the character of man, and it is foremost to love family.\nThe moral character of benevolence is inborn, and it is essential to love one’s own\nfamily” (Zisi 1980, Chapter 20). But Confucians think that the spirit of benevolence\ncannot just rest on the love of one’s own family. The Guodian Chujian says, “It is\naffection to love family sincerely, but benevolence is understood as a broad\naffection for ordinary people, not only affection for one’s father” (Jingmen 1998).\nIt is natural to have much love for one’s own family; love (affection) that is\nextended to other people can be regarded as “benevolence.” There is also the\nsaying, “filial piety should be extended to affection for ordinary people under the\nsky” (Ibid., Tang yu zhi dao). However, affection for one’s family is the foundation\nof affection for others. It means that the Confucian “learning of benevolence”\nrequires an extension of the affection for one’s family to the affection of ordinary"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "people. The principle, “put oneself in the place of another,” and the practice, “treat\nthe aged with respect in my family, and extend that respect to the aged outside of\nmy family. Treat the young in my family with tenderness and then extend that\ntenderness to other young outside of my family” (Mencius 1980, Liang Huiwang\nshang), reflecting benevolence. It is not easy to abide by the principle “put oneself\nin the place of another”; one must take “the Dao of zhong 忠 (the full development\nof one’s original good mind) and shu 恕 (the extension of that mind to others),”\ndescribed as “you do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you”\n(Confucius 1980, Yanyuan), “if you wish to establish your own character, also\nestablish the character of others, and if you wish to be prominent, also help others to\nbe prominent” (Ibid., Yongye), to be the principle for carrying out “benevolence.”\n(Zhu Xi’s Sishu jizhu explains “To realize one’s good to the best is zhong, and the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "extension of one’s good is shu.”) If “benevolence” is extended to society (all human\nsociety), it is like Confucius’ saying, “To master oneself and return to ritual is\nbenevolence. If a man (the ruler) can for one day master himself and return to the\nrites (ceremony), all under Heaven will return to benevolence. To practice benev-\nolence depends on oneself. Does it depend on others?” (Ibid., Yanyuan) In the past,\n“overcome selfish desire” and “revive the ritual” had always been explained as two\nparallel acts, but such an understanding is not correct in my opinion. Overcoming\nselfish desire and reviving the ritual is benevolence means that it is “benevolence” if\n“reviving the ritual” is based on “overcoming selfish desire.” Fei Xiaotong explains\nthis well. He said: “Only overcoming selfish desire, the ritual can be revived. To\nrevive the ritual is a necessary condition for entry into society and becoming a\nsocial person. To limit one’s selfish desire or to raise one’s selfish desire may be the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "key difference between western and eastern cultures” (Fei Xiaotong 2002, p. 4).\nThis is a reasonable explanation. If one enters society, he must require something of\nhimself. For instance, he should ask himself to abide by the principle, “you do not\ndo to others what you do not want them to do to you”; then he can follow social\ncriterion (the ritual) and become a social person. A nation is the same; it must abide\nby the requirements of the world “pact” and the general rules. Then, the world pact\nand general rules can be preserved. Fei Xiaotong thought that “the restriction of\nselfish desire” in Chinese culture was good for interpersonal relationships, while\n“the encouragement of selfish desire” in Western culture, which placed the self\n\f2.5 The Relationship Between Man and Man                                              25"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "above other persons or other nations, surely and easily led to conflict and war.\nAccording to Zhu Xi, the saying can be understood as “conquering selfish desire\nand returning to the rituals, which represents the principle of Heaven” (Zhu Xi\n1983). He means that we should restrict our own selfish desire in order to conform\nto rituals and criterion in our behaviors and actions. “Benevolence” is man’s innate\ncharacteristic (“affection is originated from nature”); in the sense of social life, “the\nritual (ceremony)” is the external system which regulates people’s behavior, and its\nfunction is to regulate interpersonal relationships in order to ensure harmony. It\nsymbolizes that “the importance of the use of rites (ceremony) is harmony.”\nDemanding that people obey the ritual (ceremony) must be based on their internal\nheart (mind) of “the affection for others,” which conforms to “benevolence.”\nConfucius says: “To practice benevolence depends on oneself. Does it depend on"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "others?” (Confucius 1980, Yanyuan). On the relationship between “benevolence”\nand “rites (ceremony),” Confucius clearly said: “If a man is not benevolent, what\nhas he to do with rites (ceremonies, etc.)? If he is not benevolent, what has he to do\nwith music?” (Ibid., Bayi) Without the heart (mind) of benevolence, the system of\nrites (ceremony) and music is deceptive and is for cheating. Therefore, Confucius\nheld that society can be harmonious and peaceful if people consciously pursue\n“benevolence,” base “the heart (mind) of benevolence” on certain criterion, and put\nit into practice in daily society. This is the meaning of the saying “if a man (the\nruler) can for one day control himself and return to the rites (ceremony), all under\nHeaven will return to benevolence” (Ibid., Yanyuan). The action of pursuing\nbenevolence in daily practice is similar to “seeking to reach the greatest height\nand brilliancy and follow the Dao of the Mean” in Zhongyong. “Seeking to reach"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the greatest height and brilliancy” (Zisi 1980, Chapter 27) means that people should\npursue the highest principle, the ideal of benevolence, in life; “To follow the Dao of\nthe Mean” asks people to realize the spirit of “benevolence” in daily life “the\ndoctrine of the mean, denotes the use of the mean.” “Seeking to reach the greatest\nheight and brilliancy” and “following the Dao of the Mean” cannot be separated\ninto two parts, and “the Dao of sageliness within and kingliness without” is the\nhighest Confucian ideal. Today, we are trying to build a harmonious society, so\nConfucius’ sayings are very important. There are many explanations of “benevo-\nlence” in the Confucius Analects, but there are no words for “benevolent gover-\nnance.” However, “to lead the people with virtue and regulate them by the rules of\nceremonies (rites, property),” “to love people widely,” “to elect the virtuous and\nable talents,” “to extensively bring benefit to the people and bring salvation to all,”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "etc. are all about “benevolent governance.” There are many discussions of “benev-\nolent governance” in Mencius, and the meaning of “benevolent governance” is\nbroad. Some of the explanations are not compatible with the needs of contemporary\nhuman society, but two of them are important in helping us to build a harmonious\nsociety and achieving world peace. One is “the practice of benevolent government”\nshould ensure people have fixed property. Mencius said: “The people follow the\nright Dao, because they have fixed property and stable hearts, and without fixed\nproperty, there cannot be stable hearts” (Mencius 1980, Teng Wengong shang). He\nmeans that ordinary people should have some fixed property in order to ensure that\n\f26                                           2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "they have certain moral and behavioral principles. Without fixed property, a person\nwill not have moral ideas and behavioral guidelines. Mencius said: “Benevolent\ngovernance should start with the private ownership of land” (Ibid.). He means that a\nbenevolent government should ensure that ordinary people have their own land\nfirst. I believe that we must ensure that ordinary people have some fixed property if\nwe truly want to build a harmonious society. At the international level, every nation\nand people should possess the wealth that they deserve; powerful nations should not\nexploit other nations’ wealth and resources or pursue power politics. The second\npoint of Mencius’ “benevolent governance” opposes unjust war. He said, “those\nwho carry out the kind and right Dao will gain more support, otherwise, others will\nfind scant support who lose the kind and right Dao.” Here, “the Dao” means\n“morality and justice.” In Gongsun Chou, there is a passage that says that favorable"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "weather is less important than advantageous terrain and advantageous terrain is less\nimportant than the support of the people. It reads:\n     It is not needed to confine civilians by a national boundary, not necessarily to protect a\n     nation with a dangerous mountain, and to threaten the world by the weapons of destruction.\n     Those who carry out the kind and right Dao will gain more support. Others who give up the\n     kind and right Dao will find scant support. He who has the least support, his family and\n     relatives will all oppose him, and all the people under the sky will come and pledge\n     allegiance to he who has the most support. The just superior man will win if he launches\n     a war against those who are opposed by all supporting forces, even by his family and\n     relatives, or he need not launch the war. (Mencius 1980, Gongsun Chou xia)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The passage tells us that it is not necessary to have national boundaries to restrict\ncivilians, to depend on advantageous terrain to protect a nation, and to rely on\nweapons of mass destruction to threaten the world. Confucians usually divide war\ninto two kinds: “the just war” and “the unjust war.” Mencius says, “there is no just\nwar in the Spring and Autumn Period” (Ibid., Jinxin xia), and “those who lose\npublic support will lose the regime” (Ibid., Lilou shang). This idea also applies to\nthe ruler of a nation. In the early Han Dynasty, Jia Yi wrote an article, Guo Qin lun\n过秦论 (An analysis of the fall of the Qin Dynasty). In his article, he concluded that\nthe Qin Dynasty fell because “the Qin government did not carry out the policy of\nbenevolence and righteousness after it had established a united nation, so it lost\nsovereignty even though it had taken over national power and had many advan-\ntages” (Jia Yi 1989, Vol. 1). He quoted the proverb, “the past events are today’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "lesson.” Is that the wisdom we should absorb today? Such Confucian thoughts\nshould have some meaning to the rulers of a nation and for the ruling group of the\nworld’s developed nations. “Manage state affairs and pacify the world” for “benev-\nolent governance” and “the Dao of kingliness,” instead of “arbitrariness” and\noppression.\n    Since Samuel P. Huntington presented his thesis on the conflict of civilizations\nin 1993, it has been hotly debated by scholars from all countries. In human history,\nit is not uncommon to find conflicts and war caused by cultural differences (for\ninstance, differences in philosophy, religion, values). Having entered the twenty-\nfirst century, there is no world war, but regional wars frequently break out between\nnations, peoples, and regions, with political and economical problems being\n\f2.5 The Relationship Between Man and Man                                            27"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "important reasons, but culture is also an important reason. To resolve conflicts and\neven wars due to cultural differences, perhaps Confucius’s notion of “harmony\nwithout sameness” might be a very important principle. In Chinese history, there\nare two concepts, “he 和 (harmony)” and “tong 同 (sameness),” which are regarded\nas different, so there is the so-called discrimination of harmony and sameness.\nAccording to the records on Zhaogong ershi nian of Zuozhuan 左传·昭公二十年\n(the 20th year of the Duke Zhao, Zuozhuan), “Duke Zhao asked, ‘Is only Liang\nQiuju harmonious with me?’ Yanzi (Yan Ying) answered, ‘Ju is the same as you. Is\nit harmonious with you?’ The Duke said, ‘Is harmony different from sameness?’\nYan answered, ‘It is different. It is like cooking a thick soup, which needs water,\nfire, vinegar, catsup, salt, and plum to cook fish or meat, firewood to burn, and then\nseasoned to assure a fine taste. If the taste is too mild, the cook will add seasoning,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and if the taste is too thick, he will add water to dilute the taste. When the superior\nman has the soup, he will find it delicious. The relationship between the emperor\nand his officials is alike. . .Now Ju is different, because he always agrees with you\nno matter what decisions you make. It is like adding water to improve the flavor of\nwater. Who would want this? If musical instruments always play the same tone,\nwho could listen to it? This is why sameness should not be advocated’” (Zuo\nQiuming 1980, Zhaogong ershi nian). In Zhengyu of Guoyu 国语·郑语, “The\nharmonious relationship between things is helpful to produce new things, while\nsameness cannot. To add one with another is called harmony, so it can create\nsomething new; while if the same thing is put together, all will lose their vital\nforce. So the past kings used earth, metal, wood, water, and fire to produce the\nmyriad things” (Zuo Qiuming 1997, Vol. 16). Therefore, “harmony” and “same-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ness” are not the same. If different and related things can harmoniously grow, then\nthings will develop. If same things are put together, the result is the suppression of\nvital force. The highest ideal in traditional Chinese culture is “ten thousand things\ngrow together without harming each other; their Dao move in parallel without\nmutual interference” (Zisi 1980, Chapter 30). (“The ten thousand things growing\ntogether” with “their Dao moving in parallel” expresses a “lack of sameness”; “they\ndo not damage” or “interfere with each other”—this is “harmony.”) This can be a\nrich source of ideas for the coexistence of many cultures.\n    Different nations and countries should have cultural exchanges and dialogue in\norder to achieve a common understanding, that is, a process of mutual recognition\nfrom difference to a sense of commonality. This kind of mutual recognition does\nnot mean that one side exterminates the other or that one side is completely"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "assimilated by another. It means the search for junctures where different cultures\ncan come together and develop. This is harmony. Therefore, we must diligently\nstrive for harmonious coexistence among different cultures through dialogue. Now,\nmany scholars in China and the West have recognized the importance of pursuing\nmutual understanding among different cultures through dialogue. For instance,\nHabermas puts forward the notions of “justice” and “solidarity” (Habermas\n1996). I think these should be used as principles in the relationship between\ndifferent nations and cultures. Habermas’ principle of justice can be understood\nas that every national culture should be independent and self-determining; the\n\f28                                     2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“principle of solidarity” can be understood as that one nation should regard other\nnational cultures with a sympathetic attitude and respect other cultures. Only\nthrough continuous dialogue and communication and other means can good com-\nmunication between different national cultures be established. The German philos-\nopher Gadamer pointed out that “understanding” should be extended to a “broad\ndialogue” (Pan Derong 2002, pp. 65–68). It is to increase “understanding” to the\nlevel of “broad dialogue” that the subject and object become equal. In other words,\ndialogue can only be truly carried out under the condition of mutual equality. It can\nbe said that Gadamer’s consciousness of subject-object equality and his theory on\ncultural dialogue are important and necessary ideas for our age. The idea is in\ninspiration for us to correctly understand Sino-foreign cultural relationships and\nnational relationships. Habermas’ principles of justice and solidarity and Gadamer’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "theory of broad dialogue both recognize, as their premise, the need for harmony\nwithout sameness. It is only if we recognize that nations and states with different\ncultural traditions can achieve harmonious coexistence will it be possible for them\nto have equal rights and duties; it is only under such conditions that “broad\ndialogue” can truly and smoothly accomplish its ends. Thus, Confucius’ principle\nof “harmony without sameness,” based on the notion that harmony is valuable,\nshould become a basic principle for handling relations between different cultures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2.6   The Relationship Between Body and Mind"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If we use the Confucian notion of “the unity of Heaven and man” as a philosophical\nresource to resolve “the contradictions between man and nature” and “the unity of\nself and others” to resolve “the contradictions among men,” we may then use the\n“integration of the inner and the outer” to moderate the contradictions within\nourselves. There are pressures in modern society. In particular, the unlimited\npursuit of sensual pleasure results in psychological imbalance and a split in the\nhuman personality. Psychological imbalance induces spiritual disturbances, alco-\nholism, murder, suicide, etc. This distortion of the human body and mind has\nbecome a social disease that seriously affects social peace. The reason for this is\nthe withering of morality; people no longer have a sense of harmony between body\nand mind. Many perceptive scholars have proposed theories and policies about how\nto cure the disease. In traditional Chinese culture, much attention has been given to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "this in the Confucian practice of cultivating the person and nurturing the mind.\n   Xing zi ming chu in Guodian Chumu zhujian says: “if you intend to know the\nDao, you should return to the innate goodness within yourself, it is called moral\ncultivation” (Jingmen 1998). Daxue 大学 (The Great Learning) stresses that peo-\nple’s moral practice is important to building a harmonious society. In the first\nchapter of the book, it says: “The Dao of learning to be great consists in manifesting\nthe clear character, renovating the people, and abiding (staying, resting) in the\nhighest good” (Zeng Can 1980, Chapter 1). Zhu Xi commented, “the word, reno-\nvate, means remove from old. And if I am clear about myself and clean, I should\n\f2.6 The Relationship Between Body and Mind                                            29"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "help others to abolish the former pollution in the similar way as mine. . .To manifest\nthe clear character and renovate, people should stay at the highest good and not\nchange” (Zhu Xi 1983, Daxue). The purpose of showing a clear character and\nshaping the people is to reach the highest good and achieve man’s highest realm.\nTherefore, The Great Learning holds that “From the Son of Heaven to common\ncivilians, all must regard moral cultivation as the root or foundation. There has\nnever been a case when the root is in disorder and the branches are all in order”\n(Zeng Can 1980, Chapter 1). It means that according to Confucianism, if everyone\n(from the son of Heaven to common people) cultivated their morality well, “family”\ncould be regulated, “state” will be in order, and there will be peace throughout the\n“world.” Or if moral cultivation, the root or foundation, is disordered, it is definitely\nimpossible to manage “family,” “state,” and the “world” well. In the Doctrine of the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mean, “Social governance depends on man, the choice should be made according to\ntheir moral cultivation, the standard of moral cultivation is the Dao (the top Dao,\nharmony), and the heart (mind) of benevolence and love is necessary for realizing a\nharmonious society” (Zisi 1980, Chapter 20). Here, the connection of an individ-\nual’s moral cultivation to “benevolence” proves the consistency of Confucian\nthought. Confucianism’s attention to “moral cultivation” is not aimless; instead, it\nis to regulate family, govern the nation, and unite the world, that is, to build a\n“harmonious society.” The ideal of the commonwealth of great unity in the Records\nof Rites is aimed at building a harmonious society politically, economically, and\nculturally. Confucianism’s ideal of a harmonious society is based on personal moral\ncultivation, so Confucians lay particular emphasis on personal cultivation of the\nbody and mind. Confucians think that life and death, riches, and honor should not"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "be the final life goal, and people should pursue moral perfection and knowledge.\nConfucius said: “I am uneasy that people do not cultivate their moral character, do\nnot learn and teach knowledge, do not behave according to righteousness, and do\nnot correct their mistakes although they know they are wrong” (Confucius 1980,\nShuer). This tells us the reason for being a man. It is not easy to cultivate our moral\ncharacter because we have great dreams and the willingness to improve the welfare\nof humankind. It is also not easy to study knowledge because we not only need to\nimprove our own wisdom but also need to show culture and education to society.\nPeople always make mistakes, but we should have the courage to correct our\nmistakes, benefiting social harmony. “Be apt to goodness” means that we should\nstrive in the direction of goodness everyday and improve ourselves day to day, and\nthen we can reach the state of being in the highest good. All of the above are reasons"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to be an upright person, as advocated by Confucianism, and they are necessary for\nmaintaining harmony between the body and the mind, the inner and the outer.\nMencius said: “To preserve one’s mind and to nourish one’s nature is the way to\nserve Heaven. Not to allow any double-mindedness regardless of longevity or\nbrevity of life, but to cultivate one’s person and wait for [ming 命 (destiny, fate,\nHeaven’s decree or mandate) to take its own course] is the way to fulfill one’s\ndestiny” (Mencius 1980, Jinxin shang). If one can preserve his compassionate heart\nand cultivate his moral character to realize the Dao of Heaven, then the length of\none’s life does not matter. But he must be sure of being conform to the Dao of\n\f30                                      2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Heaven through individual moral cultivation. It is one’s peace and calmness and the\nestablishment of destiny.\n    Confucian self-cultivation has a goal. Yijing says, “Make use of personal moral\ncultivation in order to honor virtue” (Zhouyi, Xici xia). People’s actions should\nbenefit society, and this should be their main pursuit. An individual undergoes self-\ncultivation in order to elevate his spirit and “set his mind on Heaven and Earth,\nestablish his life’s destiny, and continue to study to achieve sage, so that all things\nin the world are at peace” (Zhang Zai 1978, p. 320). This is to “establish the great\nroot or foundation and so carry out the Dao.” What the Confucians in the Song\nDynasty pursued is that, as far as an individual is concerned, he will be at peace with\nhimself both in his inner thoughts and emotions and in his external relations. In A\nLetter to Zhang Jingfu, when Zhu Xi discussed “the meaning of the mean and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "harmony” with Jingfu, he said: “From now on, I know I have a safe place, that is,\nthe place for the peace and calmness of a person, the establishment of destiny, and\nfor the domination of consciousness in the vast transformation of the universe. So\nthe key for us to establish our big root (foundation) and carry out the great Dao is\ndescribed as that substance and function have one source and there is no gap\nbetween the apparent and the hidden” (Zhu Xi 1936, Vol. 10). Confucians hold\nthat it is very important for a person to find peace and calmness and to establish his\ndestiny for the harmony of body and mind, inner thoughts and emotion, and\nexternal factors. Therefore, Zhu Xi said: “If a person can be harmoniously centered\nwithin himself, even though the world at large is in chaos, the inner world, its\nHeaven and Earth and the myriad things, remains peaceful and unharmed. If\nsomeone is unable to attain this, even though there is order in the world at large,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "within oneself one will be perturbed, even if no harm comes to him from without.\nIt’s the same for a country or a family” (Ibid.). If our internal and external beings are\nharmonious, the chaos of a disordered world cannot disturb our inner peace. If we\nare not centered and harmonious in our internal and external being, even if there is a\nvery well-ordered world outside, we will still be troubled, worried, or perturbed.\nWe must work hard at cultivating our own virtue whether the world at large is in\nchaos or is in order. In this way, we can fulfill our life’s duty, and when it is time to\nleave the world, we can go with a sense of peace and fulfillment. Thus, the last two\nsentences in Zhang Zai’s Ximing 西铭 (Western Inscription) says: “In life I fulfill\nmy duty as a member of society and as a member of the universe, and when death\ncomes, I rest” (Zhang Zai 1978, p. 63).\n    Confucians consistently give much attention to an individual’s peace and calm-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ness and the establishment of destiny. This comes from self-cultivation. In this way,\nwe can bring harmony to our own hearts and minds and to our internal world and its\nexternal manifestations. Our words and actions conform to the “principle of being\nhuman.” And in this way, our persons will be at peace and our destiny established.\nWe should remove all obstacles in the way of our personal harmony. Zeng Zi says:\n“Everyday I examine myself on three points: whether in counseling others I have\nnot been loyal; whether in intercourse with my friends I have not been faithful; and\nwhether I have not repeated again and again and practiced the instructions of my\nteacher” (Confucius 1980, Xue Er). As a man of honor, everyday one should be\n\fReferences                                                                                  31"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "aware of himself and examine whether his behavior and actions are moral and just.\nIf there is something immoral and unjust, he should sacrifice his life to realize\nhumanity and defend justice. Confucius said, “A resolute scholar and a man of\nhumanity will never seek to live at the expense of injuring humanity. He would\nrather sacrifice his life in order to realize humanity” (Confucius 1980, Wei ling\nGong). Mencius said: “If I do not act according to humanity and justice, I choose\nself-abandonment” (Mencius 1980, Lilou shang). It is not easy to carry out the\nConfucians’ “principle of being human,” but this is something people should\nardently strive for. And the purpose of achieving this personal peace is to bring\nabout social harmony.\n   Sima Qian says: “For one to make a record of the Dao of the ancients today is to\nmake a mirror for ourselves; it is not that the two ages are necessarily identical in all\nthings” (Sima Qian 1997, Vol. 18). We have been reviewing the thoughts of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucius and his school in order to search for resources that human society\ntoday can use. This is undoubtedly important. But the thoughts and ideas of the\nsages and worthies of ancient times are not fully able to solve all the problems of the\npresent time; nor do they all accord with the demands of contemporary society.\nThey can only show us a path for thinking, hints on how to make use of these\nresources, giving us a new foundation for addressing the concerns of the present\ntime. It is in this way that they contribute to building a harmonious human society.\n“Though Zhou is an ancient state, its Mandate is ever-new” (Shijing 1980, Daya).\nOur Chinese nation is an ancient nation with 5,000 years of history and culture. Our\nmission is to assure that our society constantly revitalizes itself and makes contri-\nbutions to all mankind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "References"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chen Zhanbiao. (2006, February 23). Ruxue “disici langchao”: Jibian Rujiao (“The fourth wave”\n    of Confucianism: Sharp debate on Confucianism). Shanghai: Shehui Kexue Bao.\nCheng Hao, Cheng Yi. (2004). Er Cheng ji (The collected works of Brothers Cheng). Beijing:\n    Zhonghua Shuju.\nConfucius. (1980). Lunyu (Analects). In Ruan Yuan (Ed.), Shisan jing zhushu (Comments to the\n    Thirteen Classics). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nFei Xiaotong. (2002, June 6). Zhongguo wenhua de qiantu (The prospect of Chinese culture).\n    Shanghai: Shehui Kexue Bao.\nFei Xiaotong. (2005). Fei Xiaotong lun wenhua yu wenhua zijue (Fei Xiaotong’s theory on culture\n    and cultural self-consciousness). Beijing: Qunyan Chubanshe.\nHabermas, J. (1996). Between facts and norms: Contributions to a discourse theory of law and\n    democracy. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.\nHan Yu. (1991). Han Changli quanji (The complete works of Han Changli). The contemporary\n    significance of Confucianism 501. Beijing: Zhongguo Shudian."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Jaspers, K. (1989). The origin and goal of history. New Haven: Yale University Press.\nJia Yi. (1989). Xinshu (New book). Shanghai: Shanghai Guji Chubanshe.\nJiang Qing. (2005). Lun Zhongguo Rujiao de chongjian (On the reconstruction of Chinese\n    Confucianism). Zhongguo Rujiao Yanjiu (Chinese Confucianism Research Journal), (Vol. 1).\n\f32                                          2 The Contemporary Significance of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Jingmen Museum. (1998). Guodian Chumu zhujian (Chu Bamboo Slips in Jingmen, Hubei\n   Province). Beijing: Wenwu Chubanshe.\nMencius. (1980). Mengzi (Mencius). In Ruan Yuan (Ed.), Shisan jing zhushu (Comments to the\n   Thirteen Classics). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nPan Derong. (2002, April). Gadamer de zhexue yichan (Gadamer’s philosophical heritage). Hong\n   Kong: Ershiyi Shiji.\nRussell, B. (1922). The problem of China. New York: The Century Co.\nRussell, B. (1972). A history of Western philosophy. New York: Simon & Schuster.\nShijing. (1980). Shijing (Book of songs). In Ruan Yuan (Ed.), Shisan jing zhushu (Comments to the\n   Thirteen Classics). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nSima Qian. (1997). Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian of China). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nTu Weiming. (2002). Tu Weiming wenji (The collected works of Tu Weiming) (Vol. 5). Wuhan:\n   Wuhan Chubanshe.\nWang Fuzhi. (1975). Zhangzi Zhengmeng zhu (Annotations on the Zhengmeng of Master Zhang).\n   Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nZeng Can. (1980). Daxue (Great learning). In Ruan Yuan (Ed.), Shisan jing zhushu (Comments to\n   the Thirteen Classics). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nZhang Zai. (1978). Zhang Zai ji (The collected works of Zhang Zai). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nZhouli. (1980). Zhouli (Book of rites). In Ruan Yuan (Ed.), Shisan jing zhushu (Comments to the\n   Thirteen Classics). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nZhu Xi. (1936). Zhuzi wenji (Collected works of Zhu Xi). Shanghai: Shangwu Yinshuguan.\nZhu Xi. (1983). Sishu zhangju jizhu (Variorum of the Four Books). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nZhu Xi. (1990). Zhuzi yulei (Topically arranged conversations of Master Zhu). Beijing: Zhonghua\n   Shuju.\nZisi. (1980). Zhongyong (The doctrine of the mean). In Ruan Yuan (Ed.), Shisan jing Zhushu\n   (Comments to the Thirteen Classics). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nZuo Qiuming. (1980). Zuo zhuan (Zuo Qiuming edition of the spring and autumn annals). In Ruan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yuan (Ed.), Shisan jing zhushu (Comments to the Thirteen Classics). Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.\nZuo Qiuming. (1997). Guoyu (National words). Shenyang: Liaoning Jiaoyu Chubanshe.\n\fChapter 3\nToward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since Western hermeneutics was introduced into Chinese academia a little more than\n10 years ago, Chinese scholars have been using its methods and theories in the area of\nsocial sciences and the humanities. The study of interpretation in the West can be traced\nback to ancient Greece, but it flourished with Biblical scholarship. After many centuries\nof gestation, especially after the publication of the works of Friedrich Schleimacher\n(1768–1834) and Wilhelm Dilthey (1833–1911), it has turned out to be an influential\nand well-developed subject with systematic theories. This thesis will discuss two\nquestions: first, is there a subject called “hermeneutics” in ancient China? Second, is\nit possible to find out general patterns of interpretation in the study of Chinese classics?\n\n\n3.1    Is There a Subject Called “Hermeneutics” in Ancient\n       China?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Surely there has been a long history of classics interpretation in China. However,\ncan we say there is a systematic theory of interpretation different from that in the\nWest? I do not think so. We can only say that we are trying to establish our own\nhermeneutics with Chinese characteristics and that we have made much significant\nprogress along the way to this goal.\n   In my opinion, in order to establish a subject of study or a branch of learning, one\nshould first be conscious of its own theoretical and methodological assumptions.\nThere has been a tradition of interpretation in the West. However, it was only in the\nnineteenth century that Schleimacher and Dilthey began to study “the question of\ninterpretation” as a subject. More than one century elapsed before “the question of\ninterpretation” became a subject in the West. Of course, before a subject comes into\n\n\nTranslated by Cui Yujun, Li Chenyang\nChinese Academy of Social Sciences Journal of Humanities, 2008 (1): 43–69"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                             33\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_3\n\f34                                                      3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "being, it usually has a period of “question accumulation” or “material-\naccumulation.” This period could be considered as the prehistory of the subject.\nFor example, it is commonly agreed that comparative literature is a subject\nestablished in the nineteenth century, though, as we know, there was such a study\nas comparative literature both in the West and China in earlier times. In China, for\nexample, there is a comparative study of poetic styles in different times in the\nchapter of “Ming Shi Pian” (“Understanding Poetry”) in Wen Xin Diao Long (hh文\n心雕龙ii) by Liu Xie (刘勰, ?465–?532). It says that “at the very beginning of the\nSung Dynasty (420–479),1 poetic styles witnessed continuity and evolution: while\nthe thoughts of Lao Tzu (老子, ?570 B.C.–?470 B.C.) and Chuang Tzu (庄子, 369\nB.C.–286 B.C.) were dormant, poetry that described natural landscape became\ndeveloped.” This is a comparison of style changes that took place in the Wei-Jin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "period (220–420) and the South-North dynasties (420–589). In the Wei-Jin period,\npoetry was usually “extremely mysterious and abstruse,” but then it changed to\n“landscape poetry” in the early South-North dynasties. As a result, poetry looked\nmore “natural” (Tang Yi Jie 1999: 186–187). In his book, A Study of Comparative\nLiterature: A New Direction, Li Da San wrote, “As a subject, in France, it was not\nuntil 1830s and 1840s when ‘comparative literature’ became mature. Therefore,\nAmber (1800–1864) and Abel-Francois Villemain (1790–1867) may be considered\nas scholars who truly intended to establish integrated ‘comparative literature’” (Li Da\nSan 1978: 107). In China comparative literature was studied as a subject late in the\n1920s. We cannot take it for granted that comparative literature, as a subject, has been\nin China since ancient times. Similarly, there were many archeological studies (of\nusually illegally unearthed items) or antique appraisals long ago, both in China and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "abroad, yet according to the volume of Archeology in Encyclopedia Sinica, Western\narcheology started from about 1760 to 1840, while Chinese archeology was set up by\nPei Wen Zhong (1904–1982) and Li Ji (1896–1979) as late as the 1920s.\n    I even have a strange and perhaps controversial idea. I don’t think it is right for\nHegel to declare that there was no philosophy in China, as there are abundant\n“philosophical thoughts” in Chinese traditional culture. But it is perhaps right to say\nthat, before Western philosophy was accepted in China as an independent subject\nseparate from “Jing Xue” (经学, the study of classics), “Zi Xue” (子学, the study of\nancient philosopher), historiography and literature, “philosophy” was indeed non-\nexistent in China. I wonder whether we could conclude that there are a lot of\n“philosophical thoughts” or “philosophical questions” in Chinese traditional cul-\nture, which were embodied in “Jing Xue” and “Zi Xue.” During the evolution of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese intellectual life, no serious effort was made to distinguish philosophy from\nliterature and history. This is also the case in the West in ancient times. Even now in\nChinese academia, there is little difference between “Chinese philosophy” and\n“Chinese intellectual background.” Actually it is much easier to write an intellectual\nhistory of China than a history of Chinese philosophy. In my opinion, “philosophy”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1\n  Founded by Liu Yu (363–422), different from the Song Dynasty (960–1279) by Zhao Kuang Yin\n(927–976).\n\f3.1 Is There a Subject Called “Hermeneutics” in Ancient China?                                 35"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "should start from thinking about one or more “philosophical questions,” from a set of\norganized concepts and elementary propositions based on the relationship of these\nconcepts. It employs in a self-conscious manner critical methods developed from\ntheoretic analysis and synthesis. This question might arise: “If you are right, wouldn’t\nit mean that many Chinese subjects must follow the models set by the West?” My\nanswer is that in many areas we do need first of all to learn from the West before we\ncan establish our “Chinese” subjects (like “Chinese comparative literature” and\n“Chinese archeology”), and then we can leave behind the West, our “teacher.”\n   We can understand this from the transformation of Indian Buddhism in China.\nDuring the South-North dynasties, when Indian Buddhism came into China, the\nChinese first tried to understand and learn its texts, principles, and theories. It was\nnot until the Sui and Tang dynasties (581–907) that China had developed its own"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Buddhist schools and sects. Integrated with indigenous Chinese cultures, Chinese\nBuddhism significantly enriched Indian Buddhism. Here I would like to cite\nBertrand Russell:\n   Contacts between different civilizations have often in the past proved to be landmarks in\n   human progress. Greece learnt from Egypt, Rome from Greece, the Arab from the\n   Roman Empire, medieval Europe from the Arabs, and Renaissance Europe from the\n   Byzantines. In many of these cases, the pupils proved better than their masters. In the\n   case of China, if we regard the Chinese as pupils, this may be the case again. (Egner and\n   Ednonn 1992: 547)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although we in China started “comparative literature” and “interpretation of\nclassics” as subjects of study much later than the West, we may well leave the West\nbehind. Of course this is no more than a possibility. There is another possibility, which\nI will discuss in the following pages. Meanwhile, it cannot be said that there is little in\nChinese culture that the West can learn from. For instance, Confucianism had greatly\ninfluenced the French philosophers, especially Voltaire (Meng Hua 1993: 14, 149 and\n151). I also believe that, as an independent subject, “traditional Chinese medicine” has\ncontributed and will continue to contribute to world medicine. There are many\nscholars writing on the history of Chinese philosophy, but none of them is interested\nin the history of “Jing Xue.” We should not turn a blind eye to the fact that “Jing Xue”\nhas had a history of more than 2,000 years. It has been an independent subject and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "influenced almost all aspects of Chinese society. I believe that the study of “Jing Xue”\nwill eventually have an influence on the development of other cultures.\n    Let’s go back to the question of the possibility of a Chinese hermeneutics again.\nMy proposal is based on the fact that there has been a long and rich tradition of\nclassical interpretation in China. According to Lun Yu Nian Pu (Chronological\nTable of the Analects) by the Japanese scholar Taisuke Hayashi (1854–1922), there\nwere more than 3,000 books Analects. In the preliminary remarks of his book Tao\nTe Ching Yuan Zhi (the Original Meaning of Tao Te Ching), Du Dao Jian (1237–\n1318), a Taoist in the Yuan Dynasty (1206–1368), pointed out that “there were\nmore than 3,000 scholars who had commented on the Tao Te Ching.” There should\nhave been the same number of books that were commentaries on other classics,\nmany of which are not extant now. We should make best use of the books that are\navailable and try to define a Chinese version of hermeneutics."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "36                                                       3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "However, here it must be stressed that a Chinese hermeneutics is possible only\nwhen it is in contact with Western hermeneutics. In my article “Towards a Chinese\nHermeneutics: A Second Study,” I analyzed the types of classical interpretation in\nthe pre-Qin period to show that there has been a long tradition of interpretation in\nChina. It also discussed issues involved in classical interpretation after the Qin and\nHan dynasties (206 B.C.–220 A.D.). By describing the development of the inter-\npretation of classics in China, I hope to find out whether there are general principles\nand patterns similar to or different from Western interpretative practices.\n    To the question of whether a Chinese hermeneutics is different from that\ninterpretative tradition, we can enrich Western hermeneutics by introducing into\nit interpretative theories and methods peculiar to the Chinese tradition. If we want\nto establish a Chinese version of hermeneutics, I think the following studies are\nprobably needed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "probably needed:\n    First, we should work hard to study the history of interpretation (particularly\nBiblical interpretations) in the West and the hermeneutic theories advanced by\nFriedrich Schleimacher and Wilhelm Dilthey as well as their current developments\nin the West. During the past century, almost all the philosophical schools (e.g.,\nphenomenology, structuralism, deconstruction, and postmodernism) in the West are\nto some extent related to hermeneutics. Many debates arose because of people’s\ndifferent views on how to “interpret.” So a solid knowledge of German hermeneutic\ntheories is essential for the development of a Chinese hermeneutics.\n    Second, there is a long interpretative history in China. We will have to work hard\nto perform two tasks. One is that we should first tidy up the history of Chinese\nclassics interpretation. Why were there different kinds of classics interpretation\nbefore the Qin Dynasty? Why was “Zhang Ju Zhi Xue” (annotative study of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "chapters and sentences in ancient works) the most important method applied during\nthe Han Dynasty not only to Confucian classics but also to the Tao Te Jing?2 We\nneed also to explain why in the Wei-Jin dynasties scholars held in high regard ideas\nlike “De Yi Wang Yan” (得意忘言, forgetting the word after getting its ideas) and\n“Bian Ming Xi Li” (辨名析理, distinguishing the names and analyzing the princi-\nples) in their interpretative activities. Many new interpretation problems arose\nwhen Indian Buddhism came into China, for instance, Ge Yi (格义, interpreting\nBuddhism classics with existent concepts of Chinese thought) and Lian Lei (连类,\nputting similar things together to draw analogies) in the Jin Dynasty (265–420).\nScholars were arguing over the issue whether translators should not use different\nChinese expressions for the same Buddhist term. The translation of the sutras even\ncaused disagreements about the exact meaning of words taken from classical texts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All these issues need further study. Of course, we will also have to ask why there\nhave been so many changes in classical interpretations and which change is the\nresult of the change in Chinese intellectual climate. Because there are many\nmethods in Chinese classical interpretation (such as commentary, record,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2\n  For example, Lao Tzu Dao Te Jing Zhang Ju (an annotative study of Dao Te Jing) by He Shang\nGong of early Western (Former) Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–8 A.D.).\n\f3.2 Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of Interpretation in the Study. . .   37"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "explanation, annotation, comment, note, and so on), how can we clearly and\nexplicitly explain the contexts of these methods? Besides, because many areas of\nknowledge, such as that of “Xun Gu Xue” (explaining archaic words in the current\nlanguage, or semantic study), philology, archeology, phonology, and “Ban Ben\nXue” (study of historical editions) are employed in interpretation, how to consider\ntheir functions is a question that we should not neglect.\n    Third, many Chinese subjects, such as “comparative literature,” archeology,\nsociology, history, and philosophy, have recently employed theories and methods\nof Western hermeneutics and have made much progress. It can be said that, like that\nin the West, there is also a “trend-thought of interpretation” in China. Many\nChinese philosophers in the twentieth century have more or less used these theories\nand methods in studying Chinese philosophy. In my view, without the impact of\nWestern philosophy, modern Chinese philosophy would not have come into being."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It could enter from “the past” into “modern times” only when it gets itself rebuilt (or\nget a new interpretation of itself) with the help of Western philosophy. Only in this\nway can “Chinese philosophy” be relevant and useful to modem China, a China that\nis becoming more and more part of the world. This is what I mean when I say we\nprobably must first study Chinese cultural tradition in the light of Western herme-\nneutical theories before we discuss the possibility of establishing a Chinese herme-\nneutics. As far as I know, many scholars, such as Qian Zhong Shu (1910–1998), the\nauthor of Guan Zhui Pian (a detailed comparative study of Chinese and Western\nclassics and literary theories), Prof. Cheng Chungying (1935–) in the United States,\nthe author of Ontology and Hermeneutics, and Prof. Rudolf Wagner in Germany\nwho produced an impressive interpretation of the Lau Tzu, all have made great\nachievements by combining classical Chinese interpretative methods with Western\nhermeneutical theories."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "hermeneutical theories.\n    Therefore, for the establishment of a Chinese interpretation theory, we should\nfirst of all develop a comparative point of view. Only in this way can we establish\nour own hermeneutics with Chinese characteristics—a theory that is different from\nthat of the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3.2     Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of\n        Interpretation in the Study of Chinese Classics?\n\nThere is a brief entry of “hermeneutic” in the volume of philosophy in Encyclo-\npedia Sinica. According to the entry, the study of interpretation can be traced back\nto ancient Greece. Augustine (354–430) gradually systematized fragmentary Bib-\nlical scholarship before him. Chinese interpretation may have had a longer history\nthan that in the West. Here in this paper, I will demonstrate some characteristics of\nclassical interpretation in ancient China (mainly pre-Chin period). We will be able\nto discuss the possibility of establishing a Chinese hermeneutics when we have\ncomprehensive knowledge of how classical interpretation was developed in China.\n\f38                                                            3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "China is a country that pays much attention to history and tradition, so there is\nthe saying “Six Classics are all history.”3 According to the Analects, Confucius\ntaught his students such classics as Shi Jing, Shu Jing, Li Ji, and Yue Jing, and he\ncalled himself a man of “transmitter rather than a maker, believing in and loving the\nancients.” (Analects, 7:1) That is to say, Confucius did not elucidate his own\nthoughts without the base of the classics; instead, he interpreted the classics as\nwhat they were. He believed in and was fond of ancient classics. Mencius (孟子,\n?372 B.C.–?289 B.C.) seemed to start the Confucian teachings of the “Dao Tong”\n(way of transmission), and he took as his ideal “transmitting the ancient traditions\nof Yao and Shun,” “modeling after and making brilliant the systems of King Wen\nand King Wu,” and “expatiating on Confucius’ thought.” According to Xun Tzu, the\nmission for “the man of humanity” is “first to follow systems made by Yao, Shun,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and Yu4 and then to follow the teachings of Confucius and Zi Gong” (Xun Tzu,-\nChapter 6).5 Even philosophically independent and creative Taoists (before the Qin\nDynasty) would rate the classics very highly. Lao Tzu was a custodian of imperial\narchives of the Zhou royalty and often cited ancient sages’ words in his book.\nChuang Tzu would also appeal to the authority of the ancients to attack the mistakes\nof his contemporaries. Mo Tzu (墨子, ?476 B.C.–?390 B.C.), founder of Maoism,\nadvocated the thought of Yu and said: “Those that are not thoughts of Yu are not\nthoughts of Mo Tzu”(Sun Yi Rang 1986). The school of Legalism, however,\ninsisted on “neither observing the teachings of the ancient sages nor rigidly\nobserving the set rules” (Han Fei Tzu,Chapter 49). It also criticized Confucianism\nand Maoism for their blind worship of the ancients. This doesn’t mean that the\nLegalist school denied cultural heritage wholesale. Its representative Han Fei Tzu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(韩非子, 280 B.C.–233 B.C.) much valued the legalistic thinkers before him. He\nsaid: “The ancient sages cherished it (the tradition) and transmitted it.” It should be\nnoted that there are such articles as “Jie Lao” (Explaining Lao Tzu) and “Yu Lao”\n(Understanding Lao Tzu) in the book of Han Fei Tzu. With this Han Fei Tzu\nestablished an interpretation pattern different from that of Zuo Chuan and Ji Ci.\nHow the thinkers in ancient China thought of history and tradition is not what this\npaper will explore. My main point is that there is a close relation between Chinese\nemphasis upon history and tradition and Chinese classical interpretation.\n    Before the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.–206 B.C.), there had been several interpre-\ntative books about classics. Here I select three kinds (two books and two articles)\nthat are typical samples of three interpretation patterns. The first kind of interpre-\ntation, as exemplified by Zuo Chuan’s interpretation of Chun Qiu, is called the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "interpretation of historical events. Gong Yang Zhuan (Gong Yang Gao’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3\n  In China, “Six Classics” refers to the six books, namely, Shi Jing (Book of Odes, or Book of\nSongs), Shu Jing (Book of History), Li Ji (Book of Rites), Yue Jing (Book of Music), I Jing (Book of\nChanges), and Chun Qiu (Spring and Autumn Annals). Yue Jing is now lost.\n4\n  Yao, Shun, and Yu were the three legendary rulers of the third millennium B.C. Yao was\nsucceeded by Shun and Yu. Yu was the founder of the Xia Dynasty (?2183 B.C.–?1752 B.C.).\n5\n  Zi Gong was one of Confucius’s pupils.\n\f3.2 Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of Interpretation in the Study. . .                      39"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Commentaries on Chun Qiu) and Gu Liang Zhuan (Gu Liang Chi’s Commentaries\non Chun Qiu) are also interpretations of Chun Qiu, and they are quite different from\nZuo Chuan. The two books will not be discussed here. The second, as shown in Ji\nCi’s interpretation of I Ching (Zhou Yi, or Book of Changes), is called general\nphilosophical interpretation. The third, represented by “Jie Lao” and “Yu Lao,” two\narticles in the book of Han Fei Tzu, is called practical interpretation, that is to say,\nsocial and political interpretation. Surely, the three interpretations are not water-\ntight compartments, but we should keep in mind that these interpretations, in any\ncase, all have remarkable features.\n\n\n\n3.2.1      Zuo Chuan’s Interpretation of Chun Qiu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zuo Chuan or Zuo’s Commentaries, written by Zuo Qiu Ming according to legends,\nincludes commentaries on Spring and Autumn Annals. However, Yang Bo Jun did\nnot agree with this. Yang said that the author of Zuo Chuan is perhaps not Zuo Qiu\nMing and that as a Confucian he might belong to another school of Confucianism.\nYang also argued that the Zuo Chuan came into being somewhere in between 403\nB.C. and 386 B.C. (Yang Bojun 1981). Here we will discuss Zuo Chuan’s inter-\npretation of Chun Qiu on the base of Yang’s conclusions. According to Yang’s\ndating of Zuo Chuan, we can say that Zuo Chuan is one of the earliest interpretation\nbooks ever known or one of the earliest interpretation books that is extant in the\nworld. This means that the Chinese interpretation of classics boasts a history of over\n2,300 years. It is said in Chun Qiu that in the first year of Duke Yin’s reign (722\nB.C.–712 B.C.), “in May, earl Zheng overcame Duan in Yan.” There is a long\nparagraph interpreting this short sentence6:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "paragraph interpreting this short sentence6:\n    Duke Wu of Zheng had married a daughter of the House of Shin, called Wu Jiang, who bore\n    Duke Zhuang and his brother Duan. Duke Zhuang was born as she was waking from sleep\n    [the meaning of the text here is uncertain], which frightened the lady so that she named him\n    Wu-sheng (born in waking) and hated him, while she loved Duan and wished him to be\n    declared his father’s heir. Often did she ask this of Duke Wu, but he refused it. When Duke\n    Zhuang came to the earldom, she begged him to confer on Duan the city of Zhi. “It is too\n    dangerous a place,” he replied. “The Younger of Guo died there; but in regard to any other\n    place, you may command me.” She then requested Jing; and there Duan took up his\n    residence, and came to be styled Da Shu (the Great Younger) of Jing City. Ji Zhong said\n    to the Duke, “Any metropolitan city, whose wall is more than 3,000 cubits round, is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dangerous to the State. According to the regulations of the former kings, such a city of\n    the 1st order can have its wall only a third as long as that of the capital; one of the 2nd order,\n    only a fifth as long; and one of the least order, only a ninth. Now Jing is not in accordance\n    with these measures and regulations. As ruler, you will not be able to endure Duan in such a\n    place.” The Duke replied: “It was our mother’s wish;—how could I avoid the danger?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "6\n The following translation is taken from Legge’s The Chinese Classic, Vol. V, The Chun Tsew\n(Chun Qiu), with the Tso Chuen (Zuo Chuan) with slight modifications. Here names of place and\nperson are sometimes converted to the Pin Yin system.\n\f40                                                             3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics\n\n     “The Lady Jiang,” replied the officer, “is not to be satisfied. You had better take the\n     necessary precautions, and not allow the danger to grow so great that it is difficult to deal\n     with it. Even when grass has grown and spread all about, it cannot be removed;—how much\n     less the brother of yourself, and the favorite brother as well!” The Duke said, “By his many\n     deeds of unrighteousness he will bring destruction on himself. Do you only wait a while?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After this, Da Shu ordered the places on the western and northern borders of the\nstate to render to himself the same allegiance as they did to the earl. Then childe Lü´\nsaid to the Duke, “A state cannot sustain the burden of two services—What will you\ndo now? If you wish to give Jing to Da Shu, allow me to serve him as a subject. If\nyou do not mean to give it to him, allow me to put him out of the way, so that the\nminds of the people will not be perplexed.” “There is no need for such a step,” the\nDuke replied. “His calamity will come of itself.”\n    Da Shu went on to take as his own the places from which he had required their\ndivided contributions, as far as Lin-yan. Zi Feng [the designation of childe Lü´\nmentioned above] said, “Now is the time. With these enlarged resources, he will\ndraw all the people to himself.” The Duke replied, “They will not cleave to him, so\nunrighteous as he is. Through his prosperity he will fall the more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Da Shu wrought at his defenses, gathered the people around him, put in order\nbuff coats and weapons, prepared footmen, and chariots, intending to surprise\nZheng, while his mother was to open to him from within. The Duke learned the\ntime agreed on between them and said, “Now we can act.” So he ordered Zi Feng,\nwith 200 chariots, to attack Jing. Jing revolted from Da Shu, who then entered Yan,\nwhich the Duke himself proceeded to attack; and in the 5th month, on the day Xin\nChou, Da Shu fled from it to Gong.\n    In the words of the text—“The earl of Zheng overcame Duan in Yan,” Duan is\nnot called the earl’s younger brother, because he did not show himself to be such.\nThey were as two hostile princes, and therefore we have the word “overcame.” The\nDuke is styled the earl of Zheng simply, to condemn him for his failure to instruct\nhis brother properly. Duan’s flight is not mentioned in the text, because it was\ndifficult to do so, having in mind Zheng’s wish that Duan might be killed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is, though long enough, an interpretation of only six Chinese characters.\nAs we see, it is an interpretation recount of a historical event, which includes its\norigin, its zigzag process, and its ending. There are a variety of discussions and\nremarks, resulting in it an integrated narrative story. For this very long paragraph,\neven if it is not considered as a direct interpretation of the text in Zuo Chuan, it itself\ncan be thought of as a statement of a whole historical event. The fact is that this\nparagraph surely is an interpretation of the text. If “earl Zheng overcame Duan in\nYan” is a historical event, the passage cited above is an interpretative record of a\nhistorical event. The interpreter/narrator will no doubt take account of and be\ninfluenced by his own historical background, his moral values, and other contin-\ngencies. This means that a narrative story is sure to embody the author’s “historical\nstandpoint” toward particular historical events. In the passage cited above, the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "expression “by his many deeds of unrighteousness he will bring destruction on\n\f3.2 Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of Interpretation in the Study. . .            41"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "himself” and the last words are highlights that show the author’s “historical\nstandpoint.” This kind of interpretation greatly influenced the following historical\nbooks. As we know, in the 24 Histories, there are many commentaries like this. For\nexample, San Guo Zhi (Records of Three States) had commentaries by Pei Song\nZhi. Had it not been Pei Song Zhi’s commentaries, San Guo Zhi would have been\nless popular. In his interpretation, Pei Song Zhi did not spend much time in tracing\narchaism but in explaining and supplementing background facts. Let’s take a look\nat what he did with Zhang La Zhuan (Biography of Zhang Lu) in San Guo Zhi. In his\ncommentaries, Pei Song Zhi noted, “During the period of Xi Ping (172–178),\ndisorders took place all around the country. A man named Luo Yao rebelled. During\nthe period of Guang He (178–184), Zhang Jiao and Zhang Xiu rebelled respectively\nin East and Central China. Luo Yao taught his people how to hide them. Zhang Jiao"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "founded Taiping Dao. Zhang Xiu founded Wu Dou Mi Dao.” Pei Song Zhi’s citation\nfurnishes us with what happened to Taoist schools of that time. Though Pei Song\nZhi’s commentaries on San Guo Zhi are a little different from that of Zuo Chuan on\nChun Qiu, they belong to the same interpretation pattern. Both are narrative inter-\npretations of historical events recorded in the classics."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3.2.2     Ji Ci’s Interpretation of I Ching"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I Ching (Book of Change) was originally a classic for divination in ancient China.\nThere is profound wisdom in its divinatory names and diagrams together with its\nGua Ci (explanation of the text of the whole hexagram) and Yao Ci (explanation of\nthe component line). Ji Ci (appended remarks) in I Zhuan (Commentaries on I\nChing) has a comprehensive and philosophically mature interpretation of I Ching7\nJi Ci interpreted I Ching as an integrated system. This kind of integrated inter-\npretation of ancient classics has greatly influenced later scholars in China. For\ninstance, Lao Zi Zhi Lue (a brief introduction to Lao Tzu) and Zhou Yi Lue Li\n(a simple exemplifications of the principle of I Ching), all written by Wang Bi\n(226–249), were systemic and integrated interpretations of Lao Tzu and I Ching\nrespectively. Dao De Lun (on Lao Tzu) and the Wu Ming Lun (on namelessness)\nwritten by He Yan (?–249) were also integrated interpretations of Lao Tzu. There"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "were many works like them in Chinese history.8 Ji Ci’s interpretations are enligh-\ntening in many aspects. Here we will focus on ontological and cosmological\ninterpretations, which in practice are different and yet interconnected.\n   The 64 hexagrams in I Ching form an integrated yet open system, with a\nstructural mode indicative of the way of the universe. This mode is an organic"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "7\n  Besides Ji Ci, many passages in I Zhuan can be studied and discussed in this context. Because of\nlimited space, only Ji Ci’s interpretation of I Ching will be discussed in this article.\n8\n  Most of the translations in this paper are cited from works by Wing-tsit Chan or Richard\nWilhelm.\n\f42                                                             3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and dynamic mode. This is why we say “production and reproduction means I\n(Change)” (Ji Ci, Chapter 5).9 Everything in the world can find its corresponding\nposition, so Ji Ci said, I Ching (maybe we should call it “the principle of I”) “molds\nand encompasses all transformations of Heaven and Earth without mistake, and it\nstoops to bring things into completion without missing any” (Ji Ci, Chapter 4).\nHeaven, Earth, and all things in the world, their creations and changes, are all\nconnaturally incarnated in the structural mode set up in I Ching. So it says: “In the\nheavens, forms (heavenly bodies) appear and on earth shapes (creatures) occur. In\nthem changes and transformations can be seen” (Ji Ci, Chapter 1). The reasons and\nprinciples of why Heaven, Earth, and all things exist in the world can all be found in\nthis mode. The foundation for their corresponding position in the structure can also\nbe found here: “by means of the easy and the simple we grasp the laws of the whole"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "world. When the laws of the whole world are grasped, therein lies perfection.” The\nuniverse modes embodied in I Ching, which not only contains the principles for\nHeaven, Earth, and all things that have already existed but principles for whatever\npotential beings, may become the corresponding guidelines for all things existing in\nthe world. I Ching said, “the spirit has no spatial restriction and Change has no\nphysical form” (Ji Ci, Chapter 4), the changes of “I” (易) have no orientation and\nplace and are not confined to practical beings. That is to say, according to the author\nof Ji Ci, the foundations for the existence and changes of Heaven, Earth, and all\nthings in the world can all be found in the “I” system. “I” is a universe mode that\ncontains everything. It is also a “Dao” (道, way) of metaphysical sense, anything,\nbeing or coming into being, can all in this system find their principles why they are;\nthis is the reason why in Ji Ci it said “what exists before physical form [and is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "therefore without it] is called the “Dao” (way). What exists after physical form [and is\ntherefore with it] is called “Qi” (器, a concrete thing).” In Chinese philosophy,\njudging from the existent literature, Ji Ci should be considered the first to advance\nthe two terms “Xing Shang” (before the physical form) and “Xing Xia” (after the\nphysical form). Borrowing Professor Feng Youlan’s words, it may be said that the\n“Xing Shang” is “Zhen Ji” (真际, ultimate reason), while the “Xing Xia” is “Shi Ji”\n(实际, particular entity). Shi Ji refers to concrete things, and Zhen Ji refers to the\nreason (or principle) why concrete things exist.10 That means that Ji Ci has observed\nthe inflexible difference between Xing Shang and Xing Xia and established a\nmetaphysical system on the base of I (change) that has no physical forms."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9\n The term Zhen Ji had been very popular in Buddhism. For example, in Ren Wang Jing, it said,\n“Buddha nature is Zhen Ji, which has no past and no future, and has no life and death. Zhen Ji is the\nBuddha nature.” In Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, it said, “Zhen Ji is Buddha nature, it has neither\nbeing nor non-being.” In Grand Dictionary of Buddhism by Ding Fu Bao, it said Zhen Ji refers to\nultimate principle. Though it is not an extent concrete being, Tao is not nonexistence but\n“nonexistence but being.” For further discussion, see Feng Youlan (1999). What Lu Ji (261–\n303) said “to ask non-being for being and to ask quietness for sound” is the best statement of “non-\nexistence but being.”\n10\n   “Tao originated from Vacuity,” in Huai Nan Tzu, 3:1. Vacuity (Xu Kuo) refers to the condition\nbefore time and space are separated. See Chan (1963: 307).\n\f3.2 Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of Interpretation in the Study. . .   43"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This interpretation pattern has greatly influenced the development of Chinese\nphilosophy. We can see this influence in Wang Bi’s interpretation of “the number of\nthe Great Expansion (multiplied together) make 50, of which (only) 49 are used (in\ndivination)” (Ji Ci, Chapter 9) and his interpretation of Lao Tzu in his Lao Tzu Zhi\nLue. Han Kang Bo (332–380) quoted Wang Bi in his book Zhou Yi Ji Ci Zhu\n(commentaries to Ji Ci of I Ching): “To deduce the principles in the world, 50\nnumbers are needed, of which 49 are used, while the remaining one will not be used.\nThe reason for us to keep it without using it is that it can make the divination\nunderstood. This is where the greatness of I lies. The existence of nonbeing must\ncome from being, so we can understand that nonbeing comes from the ultimacy of\nbeing.” “Ultimacy” here refers to substance. Here Wang Bi’s explanation of the\nrelation between substance and function sheds light on the relation between Xing\nShang and Xing Xia."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shang and Xing Xia.\n   There is a very important interpretation in Ji Ci. It says: “In the system of the I\nmodes there is the Tai Ji (Grand Terminus or Great Ultimate). Tai Ji generates the\nmodes (yin and yang), and the two modes generate the four forms (major and\nminor, yin and yang). The four forms generate the eight trigrams. . ..” This\nindicates in the I there is a creative system, which shows the universe’s constant\nchanges and progressive development. The universe developed from original\nchaotic states (taiji), followed by two forces, yin and yang, and their interaction\nin turn gives rise to four forms (major and minor yin and yang); again, after their\ninteractions, there appear eight trigrams (Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen,\nand Dui). These trigrams represent respectively different attributes. According to\nShou Gua (Discussion of the Trigrams), “The creative [Qian] is strong. The\nreceptive [Kun] is yielding. The arousing [Zhen] means movement. The gentle"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[Xun] is penetrating. The abysmal [Kan] is dangerous. The clinging [Li] means\ndependence. Keeping still [Gen] means standstill. The joyous [Dui] means plea-\nsure.” These attributes can also be demonstrated in that of Heaven, earth, thunder,\nwind, water, fire, mountain, and marsh (collection of water). Each trigram is\ncombined with another, one upon the other, thus making 64 hexagrams. However,\nthe universe’s changes will not stop; it changes forever. The last two hexagrams\nare Ji Ji (after completion) and Wei Ji (before completion). That indicates that\nanything (not a particular thing, yet it refers to any kind of thing) will inevitably\ncome to an end, but this end is, at the same time, another new start. Therefore, it is\nsaid in Shuo Gua that “The succession of events cannot come to an end, and\ntherefore Ji Ji is succeeded by Wei Ji.” All things in the world grow and change\nlike this way.\n   The “I” is an open system, demonstrating the developments and changes in the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "universe. In Ji Ci it is said that “Heaven and earth come together, and all things take\nshape and find form. Male and female mix their seeds, and all creatures take shape\nand are born.” And in Xu Gua (sequence of the hexagrams), it is said that “Heaven\nand earth existing, all (material) things then got their existence. All (material)\nthings have existence, afterwards there came male and female. From the existence\nof male and female there came afterwards husband and wife. From husband and\nwife there came father and son. From father and son there came ruler and minister.\nFrom ruler and minister there came high and low. When (the distinction of) high\n\f44                                                        3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and low had existence, afterwards came the arrangements of propriety and righ-\nteousness.” This interpretation includes a cosmic evolution theory. We can say that\nJi Ci’s interpretation of I Ching is one of cosmism. Here there is a question that\nneeds to be discussed. In my opinion, “Tai Ji engenders two forms. . .” is nothing\nmore than a symbolic system, while the statements “Heaven and earth come\ntogether, and all things take shape and find form. . .” and “Heaven and earth\nexisting, all (material) things then got their existence. . .” are not symbols but the\nactual processes or courses; they are used as examples to demonstrate how the\nuniverse forms and develops. Consequently we may conclude that what is set up in\nJi Ci is a symbolic system for developments and changes in the universe.\n   We can bring forward another new issue in the study of Chinese philosophy,\nnamely, that of the symbolic system for developments and changes in the universe."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We can also find this issue in Xian Tian Tu (congenital diagram) by Shao Yong\n(1011–1077) and in taiji tu (diagram of the Great Ultimate) by Zhou Dun Yi (1017–\n1073). It is said that taiji tu came from another book, Wu Ji Tu (Diagram of\nNonbeing of Ultimate) by a Taoist named Chen Tuan (906–989). This is, however,\na questionable conclusion. It needs further discussion. I think it is very important to\ndistinguish between symbolic systems of cosmic evolutions, on the one hand, and\ndescriptions of an actual cosmic evolution process, on the other. The latter is\nusually based on experiential observations and is concerned with the evolution\nprocess of concrete things with concrete forms, such as Heaven, earth, male, and\nfemale. The former, as symbolic systems, can be based on experiential observa-\ntions, but the evolution process that it refers to involves symbols rather than\nconcrete things. These symbols may have names, but they are more than signs for"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "concrete things and their natures. Consequently, symbolic systems of cosmic\nevolutions, like algebra, can include any concrete thing and its nature. For example,\nthe two forms may represent either Heaven and earth or male and female, both\nvigorousness and submissiveness. Thus, I think it is inappropriate to consider Ji\nCi’s interpretation of I Ching only as a description of the actual evolution of the\nuniverse. Instead, it should be understood as a mode of how the universe developed\nand evolved, a mode that is something like a cosmic algebra. For the system in Ji\nCi’s interpretation of I Ching, I call it “theory of cosmic evolution.”\n   Ji Ci is not the only one that indicates a cosmic evolution theory in terms of\nsymbols. Many other works are like Ji Ci, for instance, Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu says:\n“Dao produced the one; the one produced the two, the two produced the three. And\nthe three produced the ten thousand things. The ten thousand things carry the Yin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and embrace the Yang, and through the blending of the Qi (material force) they\nachieve harmony” (Chan 1963:160). This is also a symbol system of cosmic\nevolution and a cosmic algebra as well, in which the numbers can be replaced by\nany concrete things. “Yuan Qi” (元气, vitality) or “Xu Kuo” (虚廓, vacuity)11 can"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "11\n   “Vacuity produced the universe,” in Huai Nan Tzu, 3:1; time and space come to be separated\nfrom the condition “vacuity.”\n\f3.2 Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of Interpretation in the Study. . .               45"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "replace the one, and Yin Yang and the universe12 can replace the two. The three\ndoes not necessarily refer to Heaven, earth, and human being; instead, it may be the\nthird thing coming out of two things that have opposite natures. Each concrete thing\ncomes out of the interactions of two things that have opposite natures.13 However,\nthe Han ontology, most of which were descriptions of the actual evolution processes\nof the universe, is different from that established in Ji Ci. This is another question; I\nwill discuss it in another essay.14\n    So there are two systems in Ji Ci’s interpretation of I Ching, namely, a system\nof substance and a system of cosmic evolution. Does it indicate that there is a\nconflict in the interpretation? I do not think so. On the contrary, these two\nsystems are just mutually complementary, forming respectively two different\nsystems in Chinese philosophy. For the universe itself, we may look at it as an\nopen planar system, which is limitless; as Guo Xiang (252–312) noted in his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chuang Tzu Zhu (Commentary on Chuang Tzu), “Yu (宇, limitless space) refers\nto four quarters of the world, ups and downs, which has no limits.” While at the\nsame time, we can look at the universe as a vertically extending system. The\nuniverse, in terms of length, has no terminal, as Guo Xiang noted in the same\nbook, “Zhou (宙, infinite time) covered all time past and future, yet it has no\nlimits.” Since the universe can be looked at from two angles, the “sage” can"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12\n   Professor Pang Pu advances “one divides into two” to differentiate it from “one divides into\nthree.” This is an interesting question. From the sense of ontology, “one divides into three” may\nexplain that the “three” (which is above or inside the “two”) may be the “substance.” For example,\ntaiji plus two modes is “three”: taiji is substance, and Two Modes are functions of the substance. In\none of my essays (see Tang Yi Jie 1986), I said that there are some differences Confucianism and\nTaoism in their research approaches: Confucianism usually explored the mean (middle, center)\nfrom two extremities, e.g., “to go too far is as bad as not to go far enough” (Analects, 11:16), “to\nthrash the matter out, with all its pros and cons, to the very end” (Analects, 9:8), and “Faithfully\ngrasp it by the center” (Analects, 20:1); on the contrary, Taoism sought one extremity from its\ncorresponding extremity. For example, “All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is” (Lao Tzu, Chapter 2). For the mean in\nConfucianism, it is not coordinate to the two extremities but is superior to them. In the light of\nontology, the “mean” is Tai Ji. So “one divides into three” and “one divides into two” are of the\nsame importance in philosophical study, and the former is actually the basis of the latter.\n13\n   For example, in Huai Nan Tzu, 3:1, it said, “Before heaven and earth took shape, there was only\nundifferentiated formlessness. Therefore it was called the great beginning. Tao originated from\nvacuity and vacuity produced the universe (of space and time). The universe produced the material\nforce. The material force was extremely secure. That which was clear and light drifted up to\nbecome heaven, and that which was heavy and turbid solidified to form earth.” Also in Xiao Jing\nWei (augury book of Book of Filial Piety) it said, “universe (heaven and earth) witnessed five"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "phases before it was born, that is, Tai Yi, Tai Chu, Tai Shi, Tai Su and Tai Ji. It was called Tai Yi\nbefore the universe got its shape; it is called Tai Chu when the material force started to germinate;\nit is called Tai Shi when material force and form began to develop; it is called Tai Su when the\nuniverse developed substantially; it is called taiji when the universe get its form and essence.”\nThese messages show that Han ontology was basically based on material force.\n14\n   For the three Chinese characters, see Feng Youlan (1952).\n\f46                                                   3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "establish his philosophical systems of interpretation of the universe from two\ndirections; so it said in Ji Ci: “The Book of Changes (I ) contains the measure of\nheaven and earth.” (Wilhelm 1979: 293)\n    The I Tao (Way of I) is an open, integrated cosmic structure mode; so it is an\nindiscernible “great wholeness,” in which things that had existed, exist, and may\nexist in the future can all find their corresponding basis. The I Tao is not stagnant\nbut a constantly reproducing system. Therefore, it must express itself in two\ninteracting symbols rather than in other quiescent things. The two symbols, yin\nand yang, as it is said in I Ching, “Yin and Yang get transformation because of\ntheir blending” and “that which is unfathomable in the operation of Yin and Yang\nis called spirit” (Chan 1963: 266), represent two forces with different natures. The\nI Tao, which includes these two symbols, is the root of changes for the yin and\nyang. Therefore, “the successive movement of Yin and Yang constitutes the Way"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Tao)” (Chan 1963: 266). Yang Shi Xun, in his book Chun Qiu Gu Liang Zhuan\nShu (commentary to Gu LiangZhuan), cited Wang Bi’s (226–249) interpretation\nof this sentence. Yang said that “Ji Ci says that the successive movement of Yin\nand Yang constitutes the Way. Wang Bi said, ‘for Yin and Yang, some time it is\ncalled Yin and some time it is called Yang: there are no definite names for them. If\nit is Yin, it cannot be Yang; if it is yielding, it will not be firm. Only when it is\nneither Yin nor Yang (and both Yin and Yang at the same time) can it be the Great\nMaster of Yin and Yang; only when it is neither yielding nor firm (and both gentle\nand yielding at the same time) can it be the Great Master of the firm and the\nyielding. Accordingly, only when it has no spatial restrictions and physical form,\nneither Yin nor Yang can be thought to understand the Tao, and can it be thought to\nunderstand the spirit.’” Yin and Yang represent respectively two different natures;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yin cannot replace Yang, and vice versa. Only the Tao can represent both, for it is\nneither Yin nor Yang, yet it is the substance of both. So it is said in I Ching that\n“spirit has no spatial restriction and I has no physical form.” Seen from this point\nof view, it is without doubt of great philosophical wisdom that Ji Ci’s interpre-\ntation of I Ching indicates an open planar system as well as a vertically extending\nsystem. Let me confirm it once more that Ji Ci’s integrated philosophical inter-\npretation of I Ching is a very different pattern from Zuo Chuan’s interpretation of\nChun Qiu."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3.2.3    Han Fei Tzu’s Interpretation of Lao Tzu\n\nIf Zuo Chuan’s interpretation of Chun Qiu is a description of historical events, and\nJi Ci’s interpretation of I Ching is an integrated philosophical interpretation, then\nHan Fei Tzu’s interpretation of Lao Tzu is mainly in the light of social and political\noperation. In the two articles “Jie Lao” and “Yu Lao” in Han Fei Tzu, we may find\nthat their primary purposes are by and large to elucidate Han’s legalist thoughts\n\f3.2 Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of Interpretation in the Study. . .             47"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "characterized by Fa (law), Shu (statecraft), or Shi (power or authority).15 Wei Yuan\n(1794–1857) in his book Lao Tzu Ben Yi (original meaning of Lao Tzu) said: Among\nthose who studied Lao Tzu, there were Han Fei Tzu who wrote “Jie Lao” and “Yu\nLao,” which understood Tao in the light of legalist thought; there were scholars\nsuch as Wang Fang (1044–1076) and Lü´ Hui Qing (1032–1111) who understood\nLao Tzu with Chuang Tzu, and there were scholars such as Su Zi You (1039–1112),\nJiao Hong (1540–1620), and Li Zhi (1527–1602) who would understand Lao Tzu\nfrom a Buddhist perspective. None of them understood the essential spirit of Lao\nTzu. Here we will not discuss all of them but Wei Yuan. It is questionable to say that\nWei’s interpretation had got “the essential spirit of Lao Tzu,” which is but one of the\nmany interpretations of Lao Tzu. But it is reasonable to say that Han Fei Tzu\nexplained Lao Tzu with legalist thoughts. Therefore, we think “Jie Lao” and “Yu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lao” established another interpretation pattern when he understood the classic in\nthe light of social and political operation. Some later works, such as Dao De Jing\nLun Bing Yao Yi (the essential meaning of war art in Dao De Jing) by Wang Zhen of\nthe Tang Dynasty, should be categorized in this pattern.\n   Most of the interpretations in “Jie Lao” were made through a social and political\napproach. Han made a little philosophical explanation of the text; from a philo-\nsophical point of view, little philosophical importance can be attached to it. For\nexample, Han’s interpretation of the sentence “this is called shape without shape,\nform (Xiang) without object” (Lao Tzu, Chapter 14) was no more than experiential\ninterpretation based on common sense. Han explained, “Men seldom see a living\nelephant. They obtain the skeleton of a dead elephant and imagine a living one\naccording to its features. Whatever people use in imagining the real is called form."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although the Tao cannot be heard or seen, the sage decides and sees its features on\nthe basis of its effects. Therefore, it is called (in Lao Tzu) ‘shape without shape and\nform without objects’” (Chan 1963: 161). In his interpretation of another sentence\n“the Tao (Way) that can be told of is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be\nnamed is not the eternal name,” Han said, “Now, a thing which first exists and then\nbecomes extinct, now lives and then dies, or flourishes at first and declines after-\nwards cannot be called eternal. Only that which exists from the very beginning of\nthe universe and neither dies nor declines until heaven and earth disintegrate can be\ncalled eternal” (Chan 1963: 261). Here the interpretations of “change” and\n“invariableness” are of great philosophical significance. As this understanding\ncan be obtained from general knowledge, there is some distance from here to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "15\n  There were some bamboo books that were unearthed in 1993 in Guo Dian of Hu Bei Province, of\nwhich one, named Wu Xing ( five agents), is very different from the one, a silk book, with the same\nname that was unearthed in 1973 in Chang Sha, Hu Nan Province. There are Jing (Ching, classic)\nand Shuo (treatise or interpretation of the classic) in the silk Wu Xing, while the bamboo Wu Xing\nhas Jing but not Shuo. That is to say, somebody else put the Shuo into silk Wu Xing afterwards.\nTherefore, we cannot confirm both Jing Shuo and Mo Jing were written by the same person.\nCertainly we still cannot deny that (1) both of the two books were written by one person and (2) Mo\nJing was finished before Jing Shuo, which was written for more comprehensive understanding of\nMo Jing.\n\f48                                                       3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "metaphysical thoughts. The Tao is “a great wholeness,” which is the same in “the\nTao (Way) that can be told of is not the eternal Tao” as in “what is above form is\ncalled Tao” (Ta Chuan in I Ching, Chapter XII; Wilhelm 1979: 323). As for other\nparts of these two articles, Han often explained them with the thought of Fa, Shu,\nand Shi. For example, Han explained the sentence “he who possesses the Mother\n(Tao) of the state will last long” (Lao Tzu,Chapter 59) as “mother is Tao.” Tao was\nborn in the country where tactics are fully used. This kind of country, called\n“country of mother (Tao),” indicates rightly Han’s legalist thought. In explaining\n“when his capacity is beyond anyone’s knowledge, he is fit to rule a state” (Lao Tzu,\nChapter 59), Han Fei Tzu said, “These who rule a state and save himself from\ndanger are surely these who understand Tao. He will become wiser if he under-\nstands the Tao; He will get profound knowledge if he becomes wiser, then others"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "are unable to know what he knows and what he doesn’t know. Only in this way can\nhe not only keep himself free from damage but also rule his state.” That is to say, he\nwho understands profoundly the essences of Tao can both save himself from danger\nand rule the state. This is actually explaining the Tao in terms of law. In explaining\nLao Tzu’s sentence “who knows when the limit will be reached” (Lao Tzu, Chapter\n58), Han said, “Anyone will succeed if he follows the principle. As for success, the\ngreatest will be King, while the less great will be ministers or generals.” That is to\nsay, if one operates following the Tao’s nature, he will get the exalted position of\nking, while the minister or general will get reward and salary they deserve. Here\nHan combined the Tao with power. In explaining “ruling a big country is like\ncooking a little fish,” Han said, “in ruling a big country if the ruler constantly\nchanges the laws, the people will suffer greatly. Therefore the sensible ruler values"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tranquility (no-action) instead of changing laws.” That is to say, that the laws\nshould be carried out in a long term so that the people can observe them. Such\ninterpretations in Han Fei Tzu can be found everywhere, while little can be found\nfrom these interpretations that have philosophical significance in this article.\nConsequently, Han was ready to elucidate his legalist thoughts of Fa, Shu, and\nShi when he interpreted Lao Tzu.\n    In “Yu Lao,” more clearly, Han interpreted Lao Tzu in the light of social and\npolitical operation, most of the materials he employed were historical stories, in order\nto show how a ruler succeeded or failed and how a state rose and declined. For\ninstance, he took the story of Duke Jian of Qi (484 B.C.–481 B.C.) and his minister\nTian Cheng to illuminate that “fish cannot divorce itself from water” (Lao Tzu,\nChapter 36), for “major powers are a ruler’s base (like the fish to the water), his\npower should be above his ministers, which he cannot get back once it was rendered"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to the ministers.” Again he used the story of Duke Xian of Jin (676 B.C.–651 B.C.)\nwho presented nice horses and pieces of jade to Yu State (to lower its guard before he\nplanned to attack it) to explain “in order to grasp (it), it is necessary first to give it.”\nThe reason why Han Fei interpreted Lao Tzu in this way is because many thoughts in\nLao Tzu are about how to govern and administer a state. It is reasonable that he was\nput together with Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, and Shen Dao (395–C.315 B.C.) by Si Ma\nQian (C.145 B.C.–?) in his book Shi Ji (historical records). On the other hand, Han\nis much different from the scholars (Neo-Taoist) of the Wei-Jin period, for he\n\f3.2 Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of Interpretation in the Study. . .    49"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "made little interpretations in Lao Tzu on the texts that have philosophical significance.\nIn one word, Han’s interpretation can be considered as another kind of interpretation\npattern in the history of Chinese learning.\n    There are many other interpretation patterns in pre-Qin classics, but I think the\nthree interpretation patterns we have discussed above may be of greatest influence\nupon later Chinese scholarship. Here I would like to mention the relation between\nMo Tzu, Mo Cking (classic of Moism), and Ching Shuo (treatise on Mo Ching). As\nfor the date of these two articles, I do not agree that Ching Shuo appeared after Mo\nChing had been finished. I think Mo Ching might appear as much as the same time\nas Ching Shuo, or the two articles were not written by different persons.16 Both of\nthem are mainly explanations of concepts; still there are some differences between\nthem. Mo Ching is by and large definitions of concepts, while Ching Shuo focuses"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "on the embodiments or complementary accounts of the concepts. For instance, in\nMo Ching it is said, “Jiu (long time) refers to different times.” This definition does\nnot refer to a particular period of time but all the time; it is an abstract and extensive\nexplanation, so came Ching Shuo that gives a more explicit definition: “Jiu refers to\nancient and modem time, day and night,” indicating Jiu covers all the time from\nancient to modern and from dawn to sunset. Again in Mo Ching, it is said that, “Yu\n(limitless space) refers to different spaces.” Yu refers to spaces, not some specific\nplace; so “different space” is just a definition to Yu. In Ching Shuo, it is said, “Yu\nrefers to Dong (east), Xi (west), Jia (home), Nan (south) and Bei (north). There are\nmany understandings of the word Jia (家).” For example, Prof. Gao Heng (1900–\n1986) thought that it is Zhong (中, center), but I would rather think it is Jia (加,\nplus). Yu is the extension of east and west plus south and north, which is surely an"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "account of Yu in Mo Ching. This kind of interpretation of a specific word or\nexpression is much similar to a present-day dictionary and has great influence,\nespecially on the compilation of dictionaries and Buddhism classics translation.\n    Since Han Confucianists valued Confucian classics very much, and these clas-\nsics were approved to be the basic resources for civil service examinations, there\nrose a movement of studying these classics by syntactic and semantic analysis;\ngradually such knowledge as explaining and scrutinizing the origins, developments\nof ancient characters had become indispensable skills for scholars in their interpre-\ntation of these classics, and as a result of it, some of which, like Xun Gu, phonology,\nphilology, Kao Ju (textual research), become special and technical subjects. Han’s\nstudy and interpretation of these classics were loaded with trivial details, as it is said\nin Han Shu (History of the Han Dynasty) that “usually a treatise on a classic would"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "employ over a million characters.” A Confucian named Qin Yan Jun explained two\ncharacters in the Yao Dian with more than a hundred thousand characters and used\n30,000 characters to explain four words. In the chapter of “Lun Shuo” (discussion\non treatise) of Wen Xin Diao Long, it is said, “because persons like Qin Yan Jun\nwho commented Yao Dian with over hundred thousand characters whereas Zhu\nShan Zhi who explained Shang Shu (Book of History) with 300 characters, many"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16\n     One of the articles in Shang Shu (Book of History).\n\f50                                                           3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "scholars were so sick of it that they would not like to study syntactic and semantic\nanalysis.” Scholars in Han Dynasty explained classics not only with unduly trivi-\nality but also became ridiculous. However, this style changed greatly in the Wei-Jin\nperiod. Scholars of that time tended to interpret the classics concisely and compre-\nhensively. Most of the works during that time, including commentaries on I Ching\nand Lao Tzu (by Wang Bi) and commentaries on Chuang Tzu (by Guo Xiang), were\nboth compendious and philosophical (Tang Yi Jie 1998a).17 I would like to use one\nexample to show the different styles between the Han Dynasty and the Wei-Jin\nperiod. The “Xiao Yao You” (A Happy Excursion) of Chuang Tzu says that “In the\nnorthern ocean there is a fish, called the Kun, I do not know how many thousand\nmiles in size. This Kun changes into a bird, called the Peng. Its back is I do not\nknow how many thousand miles in breadth. When it is moved, it flies, its wings"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "obscuring the sky like clouds.” In his commentary, Guo Xiang just said, “For the\ntruth about Kun and Peng, I am not sure of it.” He continued to criticize the trivial\nstyles in the Han Dynasty as “stiff explanations” and said, “a comprehensive-\nminded scholar should, in his study, catch its essence rather than those extraneous\ndetails, and should not pain stakingly explain stiffly all the time. These details can\nbe abandoned as long as they affect the main ideas.” So we can conclude that the\nway the Han Confucianist interpreted classics was that of “I was commenting on\nclassics,” while that of the Wei-Jin scholars was that of “classics commenting on\nme.” In Chapter 22 of Da Hui Pu Jue Chan Shi Yu Lu (the analects of Pu Jue, the\nGreat Zen Master), it is said, “Guo Xiang was seen writing his interpretation of\nChuang Tzu. People who knew it said, ‘in fact it is Chuang Tzu who commented on\nGuo Xiang’.” Also in his foreword to the Nan Hua Zhen Jing Ping Zhu (Annotation"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of Chuang Tzu) by Gui You Guang (1507–1571), Feng Meng Zhen (1546–1605) of\nthe Ming Dynasty said, “it is not Guo Xiang’s commentary of Chuang Tzu, but\nChuang Tzu’s commentary of Guo Xiang.”\n    Since Indian Buddhism came to China at the end of the Western Han (206\nB.C.–25 A.D.), people became more and more concerned with interpretations. At\nfirst when An Shi Gao (belonged to Hinayana) of the Eastern Han began to\ntranslate Buddhism classics into China, he matched Buddhist theories with the\ndominant thoughts of that time, such as Caturmahabhuta (earth, fire, water, and\nwind) for five agents (water, fire, wood, metal, and earth), Pancasila (no killing\nliving creature, no stealing, no bawdy, no telling lie, and no potation) for five\nvirtues (benevolence, righteousness, ritual, wisdom, and sincerity), etc. In Yin Chi\nRen Jing Zhu (Commentary of Yin Chi Ren Classic), it is said, “Pancaskandha\nrefers to body. . . just like man’s original vigor. When the vigor is mixed, it takes"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "turns to rise, drop, thrive and decline in turn around the Trilokya without end, so it\nis called seed.” To explain Pancaskandha in terms of vigor was surely far away\nfrom the real Buddhism principle, but it coincided with the dominant thoughts of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17\n  In the end of this essay, I advanced the question of establishing Chinese hermeneutics theory and\nmethod and made some analyses on two methods employed by Guo Xiang when interpreting\nChuang Tzu. Also see another essay of mine, Tang Yi Jie (1998b).\n\f3.2 Is it Possible to Find Out General Patterns of Interpretation in the Study. . .   51"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that time. Later, when Mahayana was introduced into China, it was usually\nunderstood as the thought of Neo-Taoism. Therefore, there appeared new inter-\npretation methods, e.g., Ge Yi and Lian Lei (Tang Yong Tong 1991). It is said in\nGao Seng Zhuan (Biography of Great Dignitary) that, when Hui Yuan (334–416)\n“was 24 years old, he began giving lectures. Once one person in the audience felt\nit difficult to understand him. Though Hui Yuan tried hard, he still failed to make\nhimself understood. At last Hui Yuan cited thoughts in Chuang Tzu, and the\nperson got it.” From this case, we can say that Ge Yi is nothing more than Lian\nLei, namely, interpreting Buddhist classics with Chinese ideas. In fact, scholars\nhad already observed that using Ge Yi to explain classics was prone to\nmisinterpreting their original thought. For example, it occurred to Dao An\n(314–385) that “Ge Yi had misunderstood most of the classics before.” Seng\nRui, one of Kumarajiva’s most distinguished disciples, said, “to propagate and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "teach (Buddhism principles) with Ge Yi is both pedantry and a deviation of the\nreal Buddhist spirit” (Taisho shinshu daizokyo, 55:59). After that Ge Yi was\ngradually given up. But it is inevitable that transliteration was employed in\ntranslating Buddhist classics, for there are many terms in Buddhism, e.g., Prajna\nand Nirvana, which cannot find their corresponding substitutions in Chinese. In\nZheng Wu Lun (on Correcting Mistakes), it is said, “Ni Huan is a Sanskrit word,\nwhich in the Jin dynasty refers to non-action” (Bong Mng M, Chapter I). Ni Huan\nis the transliteration of Nirvana; there was no corresponding word for it in\nChinese; it was transliterated and interpreted as “nonaction.” Another example\ncan be found in Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra. In the first volume of this book, there\nare the following words, “Seng Zhao (384–414) said, Bi Qiu (Bhiksu) in Later Qin\nDynasty (936–947) sometimes refers to beggar, sometimes refers to the wiping"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "off of annoyance, sometimes to observing commandment, sometimes to fright-\nening devils. One Indian word can generalize all of the four meanings; however,\nbecause there was no corresponding word for it, it can only be transliterated.” This\nexplained the reason why there are some transliterations in Buddhist classics\ntranslation. But this may raise a new question, that is, because of the different\nunderstandings of the Buddhism ideas, there may be different interpretations for\nthe same concept. In order to have a general and common understanding of the\nterms in Buddhist classics, there appeared some specific books to set up criteria\nfor the terms. These kind of books included Yi Qie Jing Yin Yi (Transliteration\nGuide for All Classics) and Fan Yi Ming Yi Ji (A Recorder for Transliteration).\nMoreover, from the South-North dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties\n(581–907), some Buddhists advanced certain principles for classics translation,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "such as Qi Da Liang who set up “five principles not to translate,” which were later\nmade more sophisticated by Xuan Zang (602–662) (Tang Yong Tong 1982).\nIt may be of great importance for us, for the development of a Chinese interpre-\ntation theory, to systemically straighten out these methods and principles in\nBuddhist translation. Of course since Western learning entered China, new ques-\ntions about translation and interpretation have emerged. This gives rise to many\nissues that are beyond my competence. I hope other scholars would do some\nresearch on this field.\n\f52                                   3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Glossary"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ban Ben Xue                    版本学\nBi Qiu                         比丘\nCaturmahabhuta                 四大\nChen Tuan                      陈抟\nChing Shuo                     经说\nChun Qiu                       春秋\nDa Hui Pu Jue Chan Shi Yu Lu   大慧普觉禅师语录\nDao De Lun                     道德论\nDao Tong                       道统\nDu Dao Jian                    杜道坚\nFan Yi Ming Yi Ji              翻译名义记\nFeng Meng Zhen                 冯梦祯\nGao Heng                       高亨\nGong Yang Gao                  公羊高\nGong Yang Zhuan                公羊传\nGu Liang Chi                   谷梁赤\nGu Liang Zhuan                 谷梁传\nGua Ci                         卦辞\nGuan Zhui Bian                 管锥编\nGui You Guang                  归有光\nHan Kang Bo                    韩康伯\nHe Yan                         何晏\nHong Ming Ji                   弘明集\nI Zhuan                        易传\nJi Ci                          系辞\nJi Ji                          既济\nJiao Hong                      焦纮\nJie Lao                        解老\nJin Dynasty                    晋朝"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Jin Dynasty                    晋朝\nJing Xue                       经学\nLao Zi Zhi Lue                 老子指略\nLi Zhi                         李贽\nLian Lei                       连类\nLiu Xie                        刘勰\nLü Hui Qing                   吕惠卿\nLun Shuo                       论说\nLun Yu Nian Pu                 hh论语ii年谱\nMo Ching                       墨经\nNan Hua Zhen Jing Ping Zhu     南华真经评注\nPancasila                      五戒\nPei Song Zhi                   裴松之\nPei Wen Zhong                  裴文中\n\fReferences                                                                                    53"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Qian Zhong Shu                          钱钟书\nQin Yan Jun                             秦延君\nSan Guo Zhi                             三国志\nSeng Zhao                               僧肇\nShao Rong                               邵雍\nShen Dao                                慎到\nShi Ji                                  史记\nShuo Gua                                说卦\nSima Qian                               司马迁\nSu Zi You                               苏子由\nTai Ji                                  太极\nTaisuke Hayashi                         林泰辅\nTao Te Ching Yuan Zhi                   道德经原旨\nWang Bi                                 王弼\nWang Pang                               王雱\nXiao Jing Wei                           孝经纬\nWei Ji                                  未济\nWei Si                                  魏斯\nWei Yuan                                魏源\nWu Ming Lun                             无名论\nXu Gua                                  序卦\nXun Gu Xue                              训诂学\nYang Shi Xun                            杨士勋"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Yang Shi Xun                            杨士勋\nYi Qie Jing Yin Yi                      一切经音义\nYin Chi Ren Jing Zhu                    阴持人经注\nZhang Ju Zhi Xue                        章句之学\nZheng Wu Lun                            正诬论\nZhou Dun Yi                             周敦颐\nZhou Yi Luo Li                          周易略例\nZuo Qiu Ming                            左丘明"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "References\n\nChan,Wing-tsit. (1963). A source book in Chinese philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University\n   Press.\nEgner, R. E., & Ednonn, L. E. (Eds.). (1992). The basic writings of Bertrand Russell (p. 547).\n   London: Routledge.\nFeng Youlan. (1952). A history of Chinese philosophy (Derk Bodde, Trans.). Princeton: Princeton\n   University Press. Chapter XIII.\nFeng Youlan. (1999). A history of modern Chinese philosophy (p. 217). Guangzhou: Guang Dong\n   People’s Press.\nLi Da San. (1978). The study of comparative literature: A new direction (p. 107). Taipei: Linking\n   Publishing House.\n\f54                                                          3 Toward a Chinese Hermeneutics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Meng Hua. (1993). Arouet de Voltaire and Confucius (p. 14, p. l49 and p. l51). Beijing: New China\n   Press.\nSun Yi Rang. (1986). Mo Tzu jian Gu. Beijing: Zhong Hua Publishing House.\nTang Yi Jie. (1986). On the method used by Dao Te Jing to establish its philosophical system.\n   Philosophical Study (1), Beijing.\nTang Yi Jie. (1998a). Differentiating names and analyzing reason: Guo Xiang’s new method of\n   commenting on Chuang Tzu. Chinese Social Science (l), Shanghai.\nTang Yi Jie. (1998b). On Guo Xiang’s method of commenting Chuang Tzu. Study of Chinese\n   Culture (l), Beijing.\nTang Yi Jie. (1999). On literary theories in Wei-Chin and South-North dynasties. In Tang Yi Jie\n   (Ed.), Fei Shi Fei Xu Ji (pp. 186–187). Beijing: Huawen Press.\nTang Yong Tong. (1982). A history of Buddhism of Sui and Tang dynasties(Chapter II, pp. 76–77).\n   Beijing: Zhong Hua Publishing House.\nTang Yong Tong. (1991). Ge Yi: The earliest method of syncretizing Indian Buddhism and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese thought. In Tang Yong Tong (Ed.), Confucianism, Buddhism and Xuan Xue (pp.\n   282–294). Beijing: Beijing University Press.\nWilhelm, Richard, rendered into English by Cary F. Baynes. (1979). The I Ching or book of\n   changes. Princeton: Princeton University Press.\nYang Bojun. (1981). Chun Qiu Zuo Chuan Zhu (Commentary of Zuo Chuan). Beijing: Zhong Hua\n   Publishing House.\n\fChapter 4\nEmotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory:\nAn Explanation of “Dao Begins in Qing”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There is a view that holds that Ruists never put much emphasis on qing (情)1 and\nthat they even regarded it in a negative light. This is perhaps a misunderstanding,\nespecially in regard to pre-Qin Ruism. In the Guodian Xing zi ming chu (性自命\n出), the passage “dao begins in qing” (dao shi yu qing, 道始于情) plays an\nimportant role in our understanding of the pre-Qin notion of qing. This article\nwill concentrate on discussing the “theory of qing” in pre-Qin Ruism, and also in\nDaoism. In addition, it will attempt a philosophical interpretation of “dao begins in\nqing,” and in the process offer philosophical interpretations of a number of\nimportant notions.\n\n\n4.1     On “Dao Begins in Qing”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4.1     On “Dao Begins in Qing”\n\nThe Guodian Xing zi ming chu is a Ruist text of the middle Warring States period\n(prior to 300 B.C.), and it contains the following key lines:\n   Dao shi yu qing, qing sheng yu xing. 道始于情, 情生于性.\n   Dao begins in qing, and qing arises from xing.\n   Xing zi ming chu. 性自命出.\n   Xing issues from ming.\n   Ming zi tian jiang. 命自天降.\n   Ming descends from tian.\n\n\n\nTranslated by Brian Bruya and Hai-ming Wen\nDepartment of Philosophy, University of Hawai’i\nPhilosophy East and West, 2003, 3(2): 271–281\n1\n  Translators’ note: the terms qing and xing will remain untranslated throughout this article, since\nto translate them would run counter to the project of exploring the interpretations of the terms.\nSimilarly, we also leave key technical terms of Chinese moral philosophy untranslated, as these\nterms have no close equivalents in Western philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                     55\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_4\n\f56        4 Emotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory: An Explanation of “Dao Begins in Qing”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Discovering the correlations among these passages is crucial to understanding\nthe pre-Qin notions of xing and qing. To begin with, we can explain them as\nfollows: the human dao (the norms of personal and social conduct) exists from\nthe start on account of shared emotions (qinggan 情感) among people. The qing of\nemotions (xi, nu, ai, le 喜怒哀乐) emerges out of human xing, and human xing is\nconferred by tian (human xing are obtained from ming, which tian confers). Tian\nming is the inevitability and the teleology made manifest by tian. We can see from\nthese sentences that “dao begins in qing” was an extremely important topic for\npre-Qin Ruists. It makes sense to say “dao begins in qing” rather than “dao arises\nfrom qing” because dao exists from the start on account of human qing rather than\nemerging out of qing.2 This is why the Xing zi ming chu says: “Someone who\nunderstands qing is able to convey (chu 出) it, while someone who understands yi"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "义 is able to internalize (ru 入) it.” Someone who completely comprehends human\nqing is able fully to elaborate human emotion, and someone who has a firm grasp\nof ritual propriety (li 礼) and yi is able to modulate human emotion. Thus, ritual\npropriety and yi are intimately related to qing and are inseparable from the\nexpression of human emotion.\n   There are many issues that can be touched on here, and we will focus on the\nfollowing three:\n1. The dao of “dao begins in qing” refers to human dao rather than a conflated tian\n   and human dao. Moreover, it is not the “constant dao” that Laozi speaks of\n   because the Xing zi ming chu states, “Only the human dao can be articulated\n   [dao].” The dao that “can be articulated” is not the “constant dao,” nor is it the\n   “dao that cannot be articulated.” So this dao is not the dao that Laozi says\n   “precedes the generation of tian and earth.” The Xing zi ming chu also says:\n   “Ritual propriety starts from qing” (li zuo yu qing 礼作于情).3 Ritual propriety"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "belongs within the scope of “human dao.” Therefore, “dao begins in qing” is not\n   a Daoist notion but a Ruist one. This kind of ritual propriety so tied to qing is\n   exactly the basis for maintaining decorum among people in society. However,\n   this dao that begins in qing is not confined to ritual propriety, for ren (仁), yi,\n   ritual propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness, etc., all belong to it. For instance:\n     In the beginning, it is near to qing and at the end to yi (Xing zi ming chu).\n     Ren arises in people, and yi arises in dao (Yu cong no. 1). (This dao is, naturally,\n        also human dao.)\n     However, from the Ruist perspective, the human dao originates in the dao of\n        tian, and that is why we find such a notion as “the unity of tian and people.”\n2. “Qing” typically refers to the “seven qing” (delight, anger, grief, fear, love,\n   dislike, desire [xi, nu, ai, ju, ai, wu, yu 喜怒哀惧爱恶欲]), the “six qing”\n   (delight, anger, grief, enjoyment [le 乐], fondness [hao 好], dislike), or the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2\n This is not to say that it cannot emerge at all, for it can also emerge out of rationality or study.\n3\n The Guodian Yu cong no. 1 语丛一 has “Ritual propriety is created as a response to human qing.”\nYu cong no. 2 says: “Qing arises from xing; ritual propriety arises from qing.”\n\f4.2 The Basis for the Pre-Qin Ruist Emphasis on Qing                                                57"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“five qing” (delight, anger, grief, enjoyment, resentment [yuan 怨]), but the Xing\n      zi ming chu says: “the qi 气 of delight, anger, grief, and sadness is due to xing,”\n      and “fondness and dislike are a matter of xing.” Here we touch on the problem of\n      the relationship between xing and qing.\n   In the “Tian lun” chapter of the Xunzi, we find the following passage, “Fond-\nness, dislike, delight, anger, grief, and enjoyment are stored within (zang 臧4), and\nthis is called the natural qing.” “Fondness, dislike, delight, anger, grief, and\nenjoyment” refer to the emotions (qinggan) that naturally issue from within the\nperson. Based on natural human xing, qing is human emotion (ganqing) that “is\naroused into action by contact with things” and expressed externally. (This issue\nwill be taken up in more detail below.)\n3. What does the Ruist “tian” mean? It has many connotations, and for each of the\n   great Ruists (such as Mengzi and Xunzi), it meant something slightly different."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nonetheless, it is my opinion that it would be reasonable to interpret tian in early\n   China (especially for the Ruists) as a governing power and principle that is\n   transcendent with regard to nature and the myriad things (including, of course,\n   people). Thus, tian holds connotations of sacredness, supreme power, and\n   morality. That would make tian ming the necessity and teleology behind this\n   power governing the myriad things. But this is not a topic to be discussed here,\n   so we will put it off for another time."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4.2       The Basis for the Pre-Qin Ruist Emphasis on Qing\n\nSociety in ancient China was patriarchal and centered on the family, and familial\nqing (qin qing 亲情) was the foundation for preserving ties within the family. By\nextension, it was also the foundation for preserving ties within the entire society.\nBecause this qing-oriented social background is what pre-Qin Ruism developed out\nof, “dao begins in qing” can be seen as a foundational issue for pre-Qin Ruist\nthought, especially for the core issues of moral thought.\n   There is no record in the Analects of Confucius having ever directly discussed\nthe topic of qing, but from his behavior, one can see that he attached a significant\namount of importance to qing. For instance:\n      Yan Yuan died, and Confucius grieved with abandon (11:10).\n         When Confucius was in Qi, he heard the Shao music, and for three months, he didn’t\n      notice the taste of meat. He said, “I never expected that music could be like this” (7:14)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Despite his never having discussed qing directly, the basis for the pre-Qin emphasis\non qing is built on the thought of Confucius. For example: “Fan Chi inquired about\nren. Confucius said, ‘Love (ai 爱) others’”5 (12: 22). Why does Confucius take love\nto be the basic connotation of ren?\n\n\n4\n    “Zang” 臧 is “cang” 藏.\n5\n    Guodian Yu cong no. 3 has “Love is ren.”\n\f58        4 Emotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory: An Explanation of “Dao Begins in Qing”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Zhongyong quotes Confucius as saying “Ren has to do with others, and felt\nintimacy with one’s family (qin qin 亲亲) is paramount.”6 It is not for nothing that\nren is taken to be fundamental, for it begins with loving one’s family and is\nextended outward from there.7 This is to say that felt intimacy with one’s family\nis the most basic emotion, and only after having the emotions for loving one’s\nfamily will one “extend them to others” or be able to “honor one’s elders as befits\nelders and extend this honor to all elders, . . . honor one’s own children as befits\nchildren and extend this honor to all children.” To be able to “extend from oneself\nto others” is not easy and requires that one take the path of conscientiousness and\ncompassion as the standard such that one does “not inflict on others what one does\nnot desire for oneself” and that one “establishes others when wishing to establish\noneself, and helps others achieve the goal that one wishes to achieve for oneself.”8"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ideal for Confucius was to take the spirit of love and care based on familial qing\nand spread it throughout society, causing all of society to turn toward ren: “To\ncontrol oneself and restore ritual propriety is ren. If you can do it for one day, the\nwhole land will turn toward the ren in you. Ren comes from oneself; how could it\ncome from others?”\n    “To control oneself and restore ritual propriety” is always interpreted as if “to\ncontrol oneself” and “restore ritual propriety” were two corresponding notions\ntaken in parallel. I do not think that this is the best interpretation. It should be\ntaken to mean that only the “restoring of ritual propriety” that is based on “con-\ntrolling oneself” can be called ren. Ren arises out of one’s inner character, while\nritual propriety is the external system of etiquette for regulating human behavior—\nits purpose being to modulate relations among people and to make them more\nharmonious: “Achieving harmony is the most valuable function of observing ritual"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "propriety.” For people to observe a system of etiquette, it must come from their own\nsensibility. Only this tallies with ren. This is why Confucius said “ren comes from\noneself, how could it come from others?” Confucius was unequivocal in character-\nizing the relation between ren and ritual propriety: “What has a person who is not\nren have to do with observing ritual propriety? What has a person who is not ren\nhave to do with the playing of music?” (3:3). This theory of ren based on love"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "6\n  Mencius says: “Felt intimacy with one’s family (qin qin) is ren” (“Gaozi xia”). Guoyu, “Jinyu,”\nsays: “To love one’s family is to put ren into practice.”\n7\n  Han Fei zi, “Wu du”: “In regard to human xing and qing, the parents come first. But while parents\nmay both show love for the children, they may not govern the children well.” Note that this\npassage demonstrates that Han Feizi believed that the emotion of love for one’s parents is not\nnecessarily conducive to the well ordering of the state but also that human emotion is first\nexpressed as love for one’s parents. We can see here that the legalists also believed that emotion\ntoward one’s parents is the foundation of all emotions.\n8\n  Analects 4:5 says: “Confucius said, ‘Zeng, my path has one continuous thread.’ Zengzi said,\n‘Indeed.’ Confucius left. The other disciples asked what Confucius had meant. Zengzi said, ‘The\nmaster’s path is nothing more than conscientiousness and compassion.’” Zhu Xi comments: “To do"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "one’s best is called conscientiousness, to extend oneself is called compassion.” Here we see that\nConfucius took the “dao of conscientiousness and compassion,” the foundation of which he found\nto be familial qing, as his one thread for human conduct.\n\f4.3 On “Qing Arises from Xing” 情生于性                                                              59"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "would inevitably influence Mencius, who said, “ren is felt intimacy with one’s\nfamily” (6B:3, 7A:15).\n    In Mencius, we cannot find a passage that directly discusses qing. However,\nMencius, “four sprouts,” especially the “heart (mind) of commiseration” (ceyin zhi\nxin 恻隐之心), although only the sprouting of human xing, certainly possesses the\ncontent of human qing. Addressing the question of why people have a heart (mind)\nof commiseration, Mencius says: “Anyone seeing a child about to fall into a well\nwould be alarmed, possessing a heart (mind) of commiseration. This is not because\nthey wish to ingratiate themselves with the child’s parents or because they wish for\na good reputation among friends and villagers or because they dislike the sound of\nthe child’s voice” (2A:6). On seeing a child about to fall into a well, one would\nspontaneously reach out to help. This is due to the heart (mind) of commiseration,\nwhich is an inner feeling free of selfish motives."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We can also see this vein of Confucius’ thinking developed in the Guodian\nmaterials. Yu cong no. 3, for instance (as mentioned above), has “Love is ren” and\n“Love arises from xing,” and the Tang Yu zhi dao says: “The expression of filial\npiety consists of loving the people of the world.” Amplifying the love of one’s\nparents is the basis for loving all the people of the world. The Wu xing says:\n“Profound felt intimacy is love. To extend the love for one’s father to others in a\nprudent way is ren.” Love is expressing familial qing; loving one’s parents and then\nextending it to others is called complete ren.\n    But why would people have the emotion of love? Simply because “qing arises\nfrom xing.” As mentioned above, Yu cong no. 2 says: “Qing arises from xing; ritual\npropriety arises from qing,” and Yu cong no. 1 says: “Ritual propriety is created as a\nresponse to human qing.” Human emotion arises from one’s inner xing.\nMaintaining the ties that bind people together through ritual propriety and yi is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "predicated upon everyone’s having the emotion of love for others. Ritual propriety\nis one meaning of “human dao.” According to what is mentioned above, we can say\nthat moral theory in pre-Qin Ruism was built on the foundation of Confucius’\nnotion of ren, which was an extension of familial qing. “Dao begins in qing” should\nthen be an extremely significant part of Confucius’ theory of ren and important to\nthe interpretation of Confucius’ notion of love."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4.3     On “Qing Arises from Xing” 情生于性\n\nThere are many passages in the pre-Qin classics that discuss the relationship\nbetween xing and qing. For instance, the Xunzi, “Zheng ming,” says: “The emotions\n(hao, wu, xi, nu, ai, le) of xing are called qing.” But the connotations of xing and\nqing in the pre-Qin classics remain to be dearly distinguished. The Xing zi ming chu\nmakes two attempts: (1) “emotional (wu, nu, ai, bei) qi is due to xing”9 and\n\n\n9\n  “Qi” here may refer to blood and qi, as in Yu cong no. 1: “Anything that has blood and qi has also\ndelight and anger, caution and courage.”\n\f60         4 Emotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory: An Explanation of “Dao Begins in Qing”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(2) “fondness and dislike are due to xing.” The bamboo text Yu cong no. 2 very\nnearly takes all human emotions and desires to “arise from xing”—for instance,\n“desire arises from xing,” “dislike arises from xing,” “delight arises from xing,” etc.\nThese passages all explain that human xing can express all manner of emotions and\nthat qing is inseparable from xing—there is no such thing as being without qing.\n   A similar situation can be found in the Xunzi, in a passage, for instance, that\nspeaks both of xing and of fondness and dislike: “Nowadays when people’s xing\ncomes into play, the profit motive comes, too.” I believe that this may have\nsomething to do with the use of “qing xing,” or “xing qing,” in the pre-Qin\nclassics. We find, for instance, the following:\n     The early kings, based on qing xing, . . . (Li ji, “Yue ji”)\n        As for the eyes pursuing colors, the ears sounds, the mouth flavors, the mind personal"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "benefit, and the body comfort and ease, these are born out of human qing xing. (Xunzi,\n     “Xing e”)\n        To indulge xing qing prevents one from studying. (Xunzi, “Ru xiao”)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The qing xing, or xing qing, mentioned here appears to refer either to xing itself\nor to the functioning of xing, but we can also say that Xunzi already understood that\nthere was a distinction between qing and xing. For instance, in the “Tian lun”\nchapter, we find the passage, “That emotions (hao, wu, xi, nu, ai, le) are stored\n[in the body] is called the natural qing.” The “natural qing” here actually refers to\nemotions (qinggan 情感) within the natural xing (i.e., the qing of xing’s emotions\n[hao, wu, xi, nu, ai, le]). The various emotions are stored within human xing, which\nis the same line of thinking as in the Li ji (“Yue ji”), which says: “The quiescence of\nhuman life is due to natural xing; activity upon response to things is due to desires of\nxing.” “Desires” in “desires of xing” refers to none other than qing.10\n    It is apparent from this that “Xing is quiescent, qing is active” was a slogan that\nmay have been common among pre-Qin Ruists (or we must at least say that it was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "an important view among pre-Qin Ruists). For instance, the Xing zi ming chu says:\n“Emotional (xi, yue, nu, ai, bei) qi is due to xing. When it manifests externally, it is\ndue to sensual contact with things (wu qu zhi 物 取 之)”; and again, “What sets the\nxing to activity are things (wu). It is the outward expression of human xing excited\ninternally by external things that manifests as the various emotions (and desires)” it\nis another way of saying, “That people are born quiescent is due to the natural xing;\nactivity upon response to things is due to desires of the xing” (Li ji, “Yue ji”).\nPerhaps the most vivid way to put it is the quote from He Ti11 in Li ji zheng yi:\n“Xing is to qing as a wave is to water. When it’s calm, it’s water, and when it’s\nactive, it’s waves. Likewise, when it’s calm, it’s xing, and when it’s active, it’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "10\n   In a response to Emperor Wu, Dong Zhongshu says: “Qing is human desire” (see Han shu,\n“Dong Zhongshu zhuan”). Also, Chen Li, in Bai Hu Tong shu zheng, mentions that “Desires of the\nxing are qing” (see his note to the line “liu qing ye he wei yen” 六情也何谓也 (what to call the six\nqing) in “Xing qing”).\n11\n   For his biography, see Liang shu, chap. 48, “He Ti zhuan.”\n\f4.4 Distinguishing Qing and Desire                                                                  61"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "qing.” This is to say that human xing is our inner quality, and qing is the revealing of\nxin’s emotions on becoming active in response to things. Thus, the Zhongyong says:\n     The state of pre-activated12 (wei fa 未发) emotions (xi, nu, ai, le) is called moderation, and\n     when they are modulated upon activation (yi fa 巳发), it is called harmony. Moderation is\n     the great foundation of the world, and harmony is the communicating path of the world.\n     Achieving moderation and harmony is where heaven and earth rest and where the myriad\n     things flourish. (chap. 1)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When human xing perceives (gan 感)things, the emotions (qinggan) that are thus\naroused should tally with the cosmic patterning (daoli 道理); tallying with the\ncosmic patterning will be of benefit to the growth of the myriad things. Or, as it says\nin a commentary to the Zhongyong in the Li ji zheng yi: “with growth and the\nacquisition of patterning (li 理), the myriad things are all nurtured.” The same\ncommentary also says: “The phrase, ‘Harmony is the communicating path of the\nworld,’ means that although qing and desire activate, if one can achieve harmony,\nthe cosmic patterning will flow and communicate everywhere.” In short, the arousal\nand expression of qing should always conform to patterning.13 We can take the\nnotion of xing as belonging to preactivation and qing as belonging to activation and\ngeneralize this into the theory of “xing is quiescent, qing is active.” This theory of\n“preactivation” and “activation” became an important issue discussed by the Song"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and Ming Ruists, but because it is beyond the scope of this essay, it will be put off\nfor another time."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4.4      Distinguishing Qing and Desire\n\nSince ancient times, people have spoken of the “seven qing and six desires.” The\n“Li yun” chapter of the Li ji says: “What is human qing? Delight, anger, grief, fear,\nlove, dislike, desire. These seven are innate abilities.” “Desire” here may be the\n“desire” of the subsequent passage: “Drink, food, men, and women are the great\nhuman desires,” which is to say that “drink, food, men, and women” are natural\ndemands of the human xing. That’s why Gaozi said, “Food and sex are due to xing.”\n   Actually, pre-Qin Ruist theories of qing and xing fall into several schools of\nthought. Wang Chong mentions in the “Ben xing” chapter of the Lun heng that\nthere were five such schools of thought and all were expounding on Confucius’\nquote, “xing are mutually close” (xing xiang jin 性相近) (17:2). The different\npositions held were (1) xing is neither not good (shan 善) nor not not good,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12\n   Translators’ note: the term 发 fa is often translated in terms of “issuing forth” or “arousal.” The\nchoice is often made depending on whether the usage in a particular passage appears to be active,\npassive, transitive, or intransitive. We choose the word “activate” since in its intransitive (admit-\ntedly rare in English) use, it means “to become active” and because it can always cover the other\nthree forms as well.\n13\n   This issue will be discussed further in the fourth section, “Distinguishing Qing and Desire.”\n\f62         4 Emotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory: An Explanation of “Dao Begins in Qing”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(2) xing is good, (3) xing is bad (e 恶), (4) good and bad are mixed (hun 混), and\n(5) good or bad depend on whether a person is of higher, middling, or lower quality.\nIn the “Ben xing” chapter, Wang Chong spoke about the “six qing” as follows: “Of\nqing, there are fondness, dislike, delight, anger, grief, and enjoyment,” not listing\ndesire as one of the qing.\n   Mentions of the six qing occurred as early as the pre-Qin era, for instance:\n     The people have fondness and dislike, delight and anger, and grief and enjoyment, which\n     are expressed in the six qi.14 (Zuozhuan, Duke Shao year 25)\n         Dislike, desire, delight, anger, grief, and enjoyment—these six are obstructions of de\n     (德).15 (Zhuangzi, “Gengsangchu”)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xunzi mentions the six qing several times (see quotations above).16\n   As for discussion of the six desires, the earliest may be the passage in the “Gui\nsheng” chapter of the Lushi chunqiu that says: “What is called a complete life is that\nin which the six desires are all appropriately met,” and to this, Gao You of the Han\nDynasty notes: “The six desires pertain to life, death, the ears, eyes, mouth, and\nnose.” The six desires mentioned here all refer to the desires of the senses and are\nprobably approved of when appropriately met.\n   However, the “qing and desire” chapter of the lushi chunqiu says: “The five\nsounds that the ear desires, the five colors that the eye desires, and the five tastes that\nthe mouth desires are of qing.” This may tell us that in the pre-Qin classics, either\nqing and desire have not been distinguished yet or that desire is seen as one way of\nexpressing qing. This would explain why we often see the use of “qing desires”\n(qing yu 情欲), as in:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(qing yu 情欲), as in:\n     Before qing desires activate—that is the root origin of human xing. (Shi sari jing zhu shu,\n     Li ji, “Zhongyong,” note on “‘Zhong’ is the great root of the world”)17 . . .such are the qing\n     desires that humans have. (Xunzi, “Zheng lun”)18 [They] took the reduction of qing desires\n     as internal. (Zhuangzi, “Tianxia”)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "However, these three uses of “qing desires” differ significantly. In the note to the\nZhongyong quoted above, “qing desires” refers to qing and whether qing can\nbe brought into harmony depending on whether they are viewed as good or bad.\nThe Xunzi advocates the position that xing is bad and therefore takes “qing desires”\nto be bad, as in the “Zheng ming” chapter, which says: “Although he be a nobleman\nor sovereign, if he nurtures his desires and gives free reign to his qing, he is no"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "14\n   An annotation to the line “How sages govern the seven qing” of the “Li yun” chapter of the Li ji\nquotes Zuozhuan, “Duke Shao year 25,” to say: “Nature has the six qi, which in people become the\nsix qing and are called delight and anger, grief and enjoyment, and fondness and dislike.”\n15\n   “Desire” appears among these six but should be taken as “fondness.”\n16\n   The “Xing qing” chapter of the Han Dynasty Bai Hu Tong yi also mentions the “six qing.”\n17\n   Also, in Guangya, “Shi gu,” “qing” is glossed as “quiescence.”\n18\n   Because Xunzi’s “xing is bad” is based on the notion that humans possess desires (e.g., “Now in\nregard to human xing, . . . as soon as people are born, they have sensual desires and seek out their\nfulfillment. Licentiousness results, and then ritual propriety, yi, culture, and patterning are lost”\n[“Xing e”]), one could also say that under this theory, qing is also bad.\n\f4.4 Distinguishing Qing and Desire                                                                   63"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "different from a bandit.” Zhuangzi disapproved of desire while approving of\nfollowing spontaneous qing, as in “the world is sufficient without desire,” and yet\nhe believed that the extraordinary person (shen ren 神人) “lives one’s destiny to the\nfullest while giving priority to qing.”19 And so, “following” (shuai 率) in the\nstatement “for qing, nothing is better than following” refers to following what is\ngenuine. For this reason, xing qing occurs frequently in the Zhuangzi (e.g., “if xing\nand qing are not separated, how is one to employ ritual propriety and music?” [“Ma\nti”]). Sometimes, the meaning of xing (or “genuine xing”) in the Zhuangzi can even\ninclude qing (or genuine qing). For instance, the “Ma ti” chapter also says: “the feet\nof a horse can cross frost and snow; the fur protects against winter damp. It chews\ngrass and drinks water, raises its hooves and rears back. This is the genuine xing of\nthe horse.” The “genuine xing of the horse” is the genuine qing of the horse."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In addition to “qing” and “yu” being used in concatenation to mean “qing,” and\nto qing desires being taken to be bad, ever since the Qin and Han dynasties there has\nbeen the saying, “xing is good, qing is bad.” For instance, Dong Zhongshu of the\nHan Dynasty discusses good and bad from the perspective of yin and yang in his\nChunqiu fanlu, “Yang zun yin bei”: “The bad belongs only to yin, and the good only\nto yang.” Thus, he believed that xing possesses both good and bad and that it is\nassociated with ren,20 while the bad side of xing is qing, and qing is greedy. There\nare also the following:\n   Nature has the processes of both yin and yang, and the person has a xing of avarice and\n   ren. . .. How can one not but eliminate desire and suppress qing in response to nature?\n   (Xunzi, “Shen cha ming hao”)\n       Xing is the yang qi (阳气) of people, and it is good. Qing is the yin qi (阴气) of people,\n   and it possesses desires. (Shuowen, “Xin bu” 心部)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Qing is the category of the emotions (xi, nu, ai, wu); qing as such is human desire. (Da\n   dai li, “Zizhang wen ru guan,” note on “达诸民之情” [understand the qing of the people])\n       Xing is ren, yi, ritual propriety, wisdom, et cetera; xing as such is the material of life,\n   (ibid., note on “bu ke bu zhi min zhi xing” 不可本知民之性 [one must understand human\n   xing])\n       Qing arises from yin and in accord with momentary desires; xing arises from yang in\n   accord with the patternings (li 理). Yang qi is ren, and yin qi is avarice, which is why qing is\n   marked by base profit and desire, while xing is marked by ren. (Bai Hu Tong yi, “Xing\n   qing,” citing Gou Ming Jue)\n       Xing arises from yang; qing arises from yin. (Lun heng, “Bing chu”)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This “xing is good, qing is bad” line of thinking was very popular during the Han\nDynasty but differed considerably from the “xing is quiescent, qing is active” theory of\nthe pre-Qin Ruists. “Qing is active” ascribes no valuation to either qing or its activity.\nIt can be good or not, depending on whether it accords with patterning (or ritual\npropriety). Therefore, it does no harm to the view that a sage has qing—Confucius was\n\n\n19\n   Cheng Xuanying noted: “Living one’s xing and destiny to the fullest while giving priority to the\ntransformations of qing amounts to an unprecedented freedom and happiness through giving\noneself over to nature.”\n20\n   Dong Zhongshu also had a theory called the “Three Grades of Xing,” which differed from this.\nSee the chapters “Shen cha ming hao” and “Shi xing” of the Chunqiu fanlu.\n\f64         4 Emotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory: An Explanation of “Dao Begins in Qing”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a sage, and he had qing. However, into the Wei-Jin Period, a debate arose about\nwhether or not a sage had qing.21 In the Wang Bi zhuan, He Shao says:\n     He Yan believed that sages do not have emotions (xi, nu, ai, le), and he discussed it with\n     great precision. His view was followed by Zhong Hui and others. Wang Bi disagreed with\n     them, believing that sages who surpassed others had extraordinary acuity (shen ming 神明),\n     and sages who were on the same level as others had the five qing. Those of surpassingly\n     extraordinary acuity could merge with harmony in penetrating nothingness; those on the\n     level of the five qing couldn’t help but respond to things with emotions (ai, le). This being\n     the case, the qing of the sage responds to things but does not get caught up in them. Those\n     who now take not getting caught up in things and call it not responding to things are very\n     wide of the mark. (San Guo zhi, “wei zhi,” juan 28; cited in an annotation to the Zhong hui\n     zhuan)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He Yan believed that sages were purely in accord with the natural order (tian dao)\nand did not have qing. For him, normal people had qing, and in their emotions (xi,\nnu, ai, le), they might disobey the patternings in giving free rein to them. Wang Bi,\nhowever, believed that sages were the same as others in having the “five qing.” The\nsage differs from others not in whether he has emotions (qinggan) but in the fact\nthat sages “are in full possession of their wits” and are “naturally self-sufficient”\n(this is the surpassingly extraordinary acuity). Thus:\n     Confucius always understood Yan Hui’s difficult situation, but on meeting him, he couldn’t\n     help but be happy; and when Yan Hui died, Confucius couldn’t help but grieve. There are\n     often narrow people [i.e., Xun Rong] who think that in this way Confucius could not keep\n     his qing in step with the patterning, but now we understand that nature cannot be rebelled\n     against. (Wang Bi zhuan)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "None of the natural emotions (ganqing) can be eliminated. This is to say that sages\nhave qing but also that they can “keep their qing in step with the patterning.” It is\napparent that He Yan was influenced by the Han Dynasty view of “xing is good,\nqing is bad,” in addition to inheriting the Lao-Zhuang position of no desires (but\ndiffering from Zhuangzi in not separating qing from desires). Wang Bi, on the other\nhand, assimilated the “xing is quiescent, qing is active” position of the pre-Qin\nRuist Zhongyong and other texts. As stated above, Zhuangzi did not favor emo-\ntionlessness, but rather desirelessness, and therefore he could not help but distin-\nguish qing from desire.\n   I think that qing and desire must differ in some way. According to the view of the\npre-Qin Ruists, although qing and desire are both generated from activity resulting\nfrom the xing’s perception (gan) of things, and then the emotions (xi, nu, ai, le) are\nmanifested externally, “qing” does not include any sense of possession, while"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“desire” does have a sense of possession, or acquisition.22 Therefore, we can say"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "21\n   It may be that the theory of sages being free of qing had its origins in Laozi’s passage, “The dao\nof tian has no favorites (wu qin 无亲)” (79).\n22\n   “Now the people are disheartened, yet the sovereign indulges his desires” (Zuozhuan, “Duke\nHeng year 6”). “Desires” in this passages is none other than qingyu and has the sense of possession\nor acquisition. Zhu Xi says: “Sensual contact is called qing, . . . [W]hat is pursued is called desire”\n(Zhuzi yulei, juan 5).\n\f4.4 Distinguishing Qing and Desire                                                  65"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that emotion (qinggan) and desire (qingyu) are different. Emotions are naturally\nmanifested demands of xing, while desire always arises out of what “selfish motives”\n(si xin 私心) pursue, with the object of acquiring it. Although emotion and desire are\ndifferent, this does not mean that desire should be dispensed with. In the pre-Qin\nclassics, there is no clear distinction made between qing (emotion [qinggan]) and\ndesire. But whether qing or desire could itself be said to be good or bad depends on\nwhether or not they are in accord with the patterning (or ritual propriety). The Han\nRuist position of “xing is good, qing is bad” had a tremendous influence on Ruists of\nall later periods, such as Li Ao of the Tang, whose Fu Xing shu reads: “That one\nbecomes a sage is due to xing; that one throws one’s xing into confusion is due to\nqing.” In the Song Dynasty, “differentiating pattering from desire” and “preserving\nnatural patterning while destroying human desire” were promulgated. But this"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“human desire” referred to selfish desire and differed from human qing (emotion\n[qinggan]).\n    Qing is something that flows forth from xing. It is not the case that qing is\ninnately not good, so how is it that it ends up as not good? It has to do with things\n(wu 物). Due to the influence of things, the qing that flows forth from human xing\nturns “not good” if it does not pursue or possess patterning (or propriety). This kind\nof pursuit or possession that does not conform to patterning (or propriety) becomes\nselfish desire, which then has a damaging effect on society. Zhu Xi says: “Just as\nxing stands like the quiescence of water and qing proceeds like the movement of\nwater, so desire is like the flowing of water that turns into a flood.”23 Thus, it is\napparent that Zhu Xi still continues the “xing is quiescent, qing is active” theory but\nclarifies the distinctions between qing and desire, thereby returning to the “activa-\ntion” and “preactivation” locution of the Zhongyong. If we take as our basis the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xing zi ming chu’s “dao begins in qing, and qing arises from xing” and “xing issues\nfrom ming, and ming descends from tian,” we see that the pre-Qin Ruist position of\n“xing is quiescent, qing is active” is without a doubt of more profound theoretical\nvalue than “xing is good, qing is bad.” And we can say that “dao begins in qing”\nbrings to light the basis for the rise of pre-Qin Ruist moral theory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "23\n     Ibid.\n\fChapter 5\nSome Reflections on New Confucianism\nin Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "My comments on New Confucianism in this essay will be focused on two broad\nissues: the rise of New Confucianism in Chinese mainland during the 1990s and the\nquestions that New Confucianism addresses in this context.1 The rise of New\nConfucianism in contemporary Chinese mainland has attracted much attention\ninternationally, in particular among scholars in the Chinese-speaking world. It is\ntherefore important to give shape to this development by defining its salient\nfeatures. To my mind, the founding of the International Confucianism Association\n(Ruxue Lian-hehui, ICA) in October 1994 in Beijing is a very significant moment in\nthe rise of New Confucianism. To date, the ICA has had little influence on its\nimmediate social environment, but the very fact of its existence, considered in the\ncontext of the issues I will be discussing below, would tend to suggest that\nConfucianism might one day play an important ideological role in several Asian"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "countries. But why should Confucianism assume such importance in these coun-\ntries? It is worthwhile to note the following points. First, the inaugural conference\nto mark the founding of this Confucian federation in Beijing was attended by\nrepresentatives from practically every country in the East and Southeast Asian\nregion. Previously, this kind of conference on Confucianism would attract repre-\nsentatives from mainly China, Japan, and South Korea. When I say China, I include\nTaiwan and Hong Kong because they are important parts of the Chinese-speaking\nworld. But at this 1994 conference, in addition to participants from these countries,\nthere were also academics from Vietnam, Singapore, and even the Philippines."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Translated by Gloria Davies\nVoicing Concerns: Contemporary Chinese Critical Inquiry, 2001: 123–134\n1\n  [Translator’s note] Xin ruxue has been translated as “New Confucianism,” not as\n“Neo-Confucianism,” in order to mark the term as referring specifically to modern twentieth-century\ninterpretations of Confucianism and to avoid confusion with the various historical forms of\nNeo-Confucianism dating from the Song Dynasty. For this reason, all references to twentieth-\ncentury xin ruxue in this book have been translated as “New Confucianism.”\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                    67\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_5\n\f68       5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Participation from across the Asian region greatly broadened the cultural scope of\nthis conference and clearly exceeded the scope of the previous ones. Second,\nscholars such as Zhang Dainian who took part in this conference and those who\nparticipate in the activities of the ICA are among the foremost scholars of Confu-\ncianism in the world today.2 There were also several young scholars in attendance.\nThe conference was graced by the presence of distinguished scholars such as Kenji\nShimada from Japan and a notable number of prominent scholars based in the\nUnited States such as Theodore de Bary, Tu Weiming, and Cheng Zhongying.\nThere were also several Taiwanese and Russian scholars there. By contrast, there\nwere very few scholars from the European countries.\n    The obvious disparity at this conference between a minority of European\nscholars and the majority of predominantly Asian scholars from various countries\nis noteworthy and constitutes a salient feature of contemporary New Confucianism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another feature is the importance attached to this conference by the Chinese\ngovernment. This is crucial for understanding the rise of New Confucianism in\nChinese mainland. At the conference, both Deputy Premier Li Lanqing and the\nchairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Li Ruihuan,\ndelivered speeches. When the proceedings were over, President Jiang Zemin met\nwith a number of prominent scholars who were participants at the conference. From\nthese facts, it is evident that the Chinese government set considerable store by the\nconference. The topics discussed there were also diverse, including, among other\nthings, the history of Confucianism, the renaissance of Confucian studies, the\ninfluence of Confucianism on global culture, and the relation between Confucian-\nism and modern industry.3 At one point during the conference, I said to my friend\nSun Changjiang, “At present, Confucianism in Chinese mainland is like speculating\nin shares. The slightest move will send its stock soaring.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The major week-long Commemoration Conference for the 2,550th birthday of\nConfucius, which began in Beijing and ended in Qufu on 12 October 1999, provides\nmore recent evidence of the growing importance of Confucianism in the public\nculture of Chinese mainland as well as the East Asian region. Jointly sponsored by\nthe ICA, China’s Confucius Foundation, and UNESCO, the conference drew\ntogether academics and business and political figures. According to Kim Yersu,\nwho represented UNESCO at the conference, “Today the whole world is taking a\nsecond look at Confucianism as the source of inspiration for the ideas and values\nneeded to deal with the problems facing humanity as it looks forward to the new\nmillennium.”4"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2\n  [Translator’s note] Zhang Dainian, a professor of philosophy at Peking University, is an inter-\nnational authority on Chinese cultural and philosophical issues. Tang and Zhang were both\nfounders of the Academy of Chinese Culture, a leading minjian (nonofficial) enterprise in the\nCulture Fever of the 1980s. See Chen Fong-ching’s chapter in this book.\n3\n  [Translator’s note] The conference proceedings were edited by a committee of the International\nConfucianism Association and published by Beijing renmin chubanshe in 1995 under the title\nInternational Studies of Confucianism (Guoji ruxue yanjiu).\n4\n  [Translator’s note] See the report of the conference in China Daily, 20 October 1999.\n\f5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s              69"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The rise of New Confucianism in contemporary Chinese mainland is also the\noutcome of critical reflection on the “Culture Fever” of the 1980s. In the more sober\nclimate of the 1990s, several Chinese mainland scholars came to regard the Culture\nFever as “radical, overly hasty, irresponsible, Westernized,” and so forth. The\nlegacy of the May Fourth Movement, often invoked during the 1980s, was also\nplaced under critical scrutiny. Some scholars have now come to regard the Culture\nFever of the 1980s as having inherited the so-called radical tradition of the May\nFourth Movement. They adopt a negative attitude toward the kind of knowledge\nassociated with the May Fourth Movement, thus challenging the once unquestioned\nauthority of the May Fourth Movement as the inaugural moment of modern Chinese\nthought.\n    It is important to remember that although cultural conservatism has flourished in\nChinese mainland since the 1990s, scholarly inquiry into the viability of cultural"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "conservatism had already begun during the 1980s. In order to explore what is at\nissue in cultural conservatism, one needs to distinguish between those who adopt a\nculturally conservative stance and those who study traditional Chinese culture but\nare not culturally conservative in their views. This is an extremely complex task.\nSome eminent scholars such as Luo Yijun and Chen Lai openly acknowledge that\nthey are culturally conservative.5 However, to claim a position of cultural conser-\nvatism does not mean that one is automatically aligned to neoconservatism in\ncontemporary Chinese politics. There is a distinct difference between cultural and\npolitical conservatism. Naturally, there are also those who see a direct relation\nbetween their own cultural conservatism and political neoconservatism. It should\nalso be noted in this context that scholars like Jiang Qing who seem to be radically\nconservative in their cultural attitude are not likely to see too much of a connection"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "between their own stance and political neoconservatism in the People’s Republic of\nthe 1990s. Then there are those who are engaged in research on cultural conserva-\ntism but do not themselves adopt a conservative approach to the subject of their\nresearch.\n    One may ask why there is now a demand for research into issues of cultural\nconservatism. To my mind, the main reason is the emergence of critical attitudes\ntoward the new “traditional” concepts that have emerged over the last few decades\nin Chinese mainland.6 Because these new “traditional” concepts have led to the\nview that radicalism is the only effective approach to cultural development, con-\ntemporary research on cultural conservatism represents a critical response toward\nthis view. To my mind, this response is not at all surprising at this present stage, nor\nis it surprising that some have taken to calling themselves cultural conservatives."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "5\n  [Translator’s note] See also Liu Qingfeng’s description of Luo Yijun as someone who “obviously\nworshiped Mou Zongsan” and who “became very angry whenever anything was said that did not\naccord with Mou Zongsan’s view” in her chapter in this book.\n6\n  [Translator’s note] This is referring to the “tradition” of Mao Zedong Thought and party\northodoxy since the 1940s.\n\f70       5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Let us take Chen Lai, for instance.7 He has reflected at length on formulations of the\npast such as “Chinese (ethical) knowledge as the foundation, Western knowledge\n(and technology) for practical application” (Zhong xue wei ti Xi xue wei yong); its\nreverse, “Western knowledge (and technology) as the foundation, Chinese (ethical)\nknowledge for practical application” (Xi xue wei ti Zhong xue wei yong); or yet\nanother alternative, “Chinese and Western knowledges both as foundation and for\npractical application” (Zhong Xi hu wei ti yong). Chen observes that notions such as\n“foundation” and “practical application” are inappropriate when applied to Eastern\nand Western cultures. He proposes instead a different formulation: “Humanity as the\nfoundation and synthesis (of Chinese ethical knowledge and Western knowledge and\ntechnology) for practical application” (Renyi wei ti, zonghe wei yong). Chen argues\nthat what our age requires is the spirit of synthetic culture (zonghe wenhua de"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "jingshen). In this formulation, the cultural conservatism of his intellectual orientation\nis evident.\n    The call for “academic standardization” constitutes yet another aspect of cultural\nconservatism in contemporary Chinese mainland, and it has come from two differ-\nent sources. The first is the journal Xueren (Scholars—now defunct), which came\ninto existence in 1992. In the “Commentary” section of its first issue, the question of\nacademic standardization was explicitly raised but along quite traditional lines.\nZhongguo shehui kexuejikan (The Journal of Social Sciences), edited by Deng\nZhenglai, also raised the question of academic standards. Broadly speaking, this\njournal advocates the adoption of Western sociological standards in Chinese\nacademic work. The journal later took up the issue of standardization versus\nindigenization. To my mind, raising the question of standardization has had a\npositive effect on the progress of scholarship in China. At the same time, we"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "must not forget that there is clearly room for discussing what standardization really\nmeans. Given that those who have raised this question of academic standardization\nare implicitly criticizing what they view as the rashness and superficiality of the\nCulture Fever of the 1980s, standardization, if simply accepted in these terms,\nbrings with it certain problems. Such a view of standardization would tend to be\ndefined predominantly in terms of negating the Culture Fever of the 1980s. It has\nbeen said that the Culture Fever of the 1980s produced ideas but lacked scholarship,\nwhile the craze for national studies in the 1990s has produced scholarship but is\nlacking in ideas. Evidently, comments of this kind are groundless, but nonetheless\nthey give us some idea of what people are thinking.\n    One other outcome of the critical reevaluation of the Culture Fever of the 1980s\nis the emergence or resurgence of a keen interest in historical studies of the late"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Qing period among contemporary Chinese mainland scholars. This new trend is\nbound up with ideas of reformism (as opposed to revolution) and positive\nreevaluations of the Self-Strengthening Movement of the nineteenth century."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "7\n [Translator’s note] Professor Chen Lai teaches Chinese philosophy at Peking University and is a\nspecialist in the Neo-Confucianism of Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming. He has also published on the\npopular reception of Confucianism and on Confucian ethics in relation to Chinese modernization.\n\f5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s              71"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus, two different editions of the Collected Works of Zeng Guofan have been\npublished in Chinese mainland, together with a collection of his personal corre-\nspondence and several biographies about him. We have also seen the publication of\nbiographies of Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang and other such case studies of\ninfluential individuals and events of the late Qing. This surge of interest in studies\nof the late Qing is part of a growing intellectual trend that views revolution as being\ninferior to reform. It is based on the belief that China would have been better off had\nit continued along the path of reform (gailiangzhuyi) and Western-style “self-\nstrengthening” (Yangwu yundong).\n    Naturally, essays like the ones that appear in Li Zehou and Liu Zaifu’s contro-\nversial book Farewell to the Revolution (Gaobie geming) have elicited two kinds of\nresponses in Chinese mainland, of which the views of Sun Changjiang and Fang\nKeli can be taken as representative. Sun Changjiang is strongly opposed to the kind"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of view put forward by Li Zehou in Farewell to the Revolution and accuses Li of\nlacking any sense of social responsibility and historical mission by regressing to\nsuch a standpoint. Fang Keli, on the other hand, has analyzed Li Zhou’s essays as\nbeing a case of not merely “bidding farewell to the revolution” but opposing\nrevolution altogether. Thus, when Sun Changjiang told me that he wanted to\npublish his criticism of Li Zehou, I told him that Fang Keli had already criticized\nhim in print and that he should wait for a while or Li Zehou would be under siege\nfrom all sides. For this reason, he delayed publishing his criticism of Li Zehou.8\n    One important cultural and ideological context for the rise of New Confucianism\nis the deepening challenge posed to Marxism in Chinese mainland. For instance, a\ncertain member of the Chinese leadership raised the issue of “national studies”\n(guoxue) at a speech given at a university in Beijing. When members of the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "audience then asked him whether explicit reference to national studies might not\nbe seen to constitute a blatant promotion of Confucianism and traditional Chinese\nculture, they were implicitly asking this leader to clarify whether it was necessary to\ndress national studies in Marxist garb. This leader made it quite clear that national\nstudies could be advocated without resort to such political packaging. On another\noccasion, when this member of the Chinese leadership was conversing with a\nforeign political scientist, the foreign political scientist asked him whether China\nwould invade other countries once it had become strong. The Chinese leader replied\nthat China would not “because we have Confucianism.” At the inaugural meeting of\nthe ICA, another political leader, Li Ruihuan, quoted from Mencius in at least five\nor six places in his speech and was roundly applauded by the audience each time.\n    The work of compiling and editing textbook materials for ethical and moral"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "education proceeded apace in the 1990s, and it is not surprising that most of these\nmaterials are based on Confucianism. What needs to be noted is that this kind of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "8\n  [Translator’s note] Sun Changjiang eventually published the review in 1996 under the name\nChang Jiang, “Zhehui zhuanxing qi de yizhong wenhua xianxiang: Ping Gao bie geming” (“A\nCurious Cultural Phenomenon during Social Transition: A Critique of Farewell to the Revolution,”\nErshiyi shiji (Twenty-first Century), no. 33 (February 1996): 68–71.\n\f72       5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "work has the full support of the government. Since the appearance of the highly\nsignificant full-page article “The Quiet Rise of National Studies at Old Peking\nUniversity” (“Guoxue zai yanyuan qiaoran xingqi”) in the 16 August 1993 issue of\nRenmin rihao (The People’s Daily), Confucianism has gained ever increasing\nofficial support. In 1993, The People’s Daily was commended for publishing this\narticle, which was said to have been circulated to all members of the party\nleadership. In 1999, particularly at the time of the Commemoration Conference\nfor the 2,550th birthday of Confucius, party leaders publicly emphasized the\nimportance of turning to Confucianism for solutions to contemporary social\nproblems.9\n    The journal Zhexue yanjiu (Philosophical Studies) published several articles in\nits June 1994 issue that criticized the rise of national studies and expressed alarm at\nthe deviation it represented from the new socialist culture of post-Mao China. Hu"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sheng, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), published an\narticle in Liaowang (Outlook), a journal widely read in official circles, in the same\nyear endorsing these published critiques of national studies. The appearance of this\nconcerted attack on national studies led the journal Kong xue yanjiu (Confucian\nStudies) to hold a conference in early 1995 that, in turn, criticized Philosophical\nStudies and Hu Sheng, singling out the detractors of national studies by name. This\nwas something quite unprecedented, for Hu Sheng was someone whom most would\nnot have dared to openly criticize. The organizers of the conference took the further\nstep of publishing a summary of the conference in the first issue of Confucian\nStudies for 1995. The third issue of this journal in the same year carried an article by\nLiu Hongzhang entitled “Some Thoughts on the Relation between Marxism and\nConfucianists” (“Guanyu Makesizhuyi yu rujia guanxi de sikao”) that further"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "affirmed these criticisms of the president of the CASS. In these various examples,\nit is evident that the ideological authority of Marxism was being actively challenged\nin society and, in particular, within the precincts of the university.\n    Another important context for the rise of New Confucianism is the support that\nConfucian studies have received from the commercial sphere in contemporary\nChinese mainland. In the 1990s, a considerable number of conferences and publi-\ncations and even some scholarships and grants for research on traditional Chinese\nculture received financial support from business enterprises. For instance, I\nattended a symposium in 1995 on Confucianism and modern business jointly\norganized by the Shenzhen-based Chao Shun Group and the Oriental Cultures\nResearch Association (Dongfang wenhua yanjiu hui). In October of the same\nyear, another symposium called “China’s Buddhist Culture and Modern Society”\nreceived funding from the entrepreneur Mei Zi.10 Several conferences on Chinese"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "or Confucian studies sponsored by business enterprises have been held in different"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9\n [Translator’s note] See also the short critical review by Willy Wo-Lap Lam, “Hi-tech Confucian\nFuture,”FreeRepublic.com, www.freerepublic.com/forum/a38058d9d3d3c.htm, 14 October 1999.\n10\n   Mei Zi is a female entrepreneur based in Beijing who owns real estate in the Beijing suburb of\nNorth Putuo used mainly for film and television production.\n\f5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s             73"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cities across China. The journal Zhongguo wenhua (Chinese Culture), edited by Liu\nMengxi, receives an annual donation of some 200,000 yuan from another entrepre-\nneur, Xie Yongjian. Similarly, Yuan dao (Original Path), edited by some of the\nyounger scholars at Peking University, receives funding from a business enterprise\nin Hainan. The chief executive officer of the Chao Shun Group, Wu Xiegang, has\nalso provided scholarship funds for the establishment of the Society for Moral\nCultivation (Xiusheng xuehui) at Peking University. There are many such examples\ndemonstrating that research on Confucianism and traditional Chinese culture has\nreceived substantial financial support from the Chinese business sector. Besides\nthese more conspicuous examples, large numbers of business people show an avid\ninterest in Confucian studies, and some, such as the aforementioned Chao Shun\nGroup, even invoke Confucian values by stating that the company’s philosophy is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Harmony as the supreme value” (he wei gui). To gain perspective on the trend for\nnational studies and the emergence of what has been called cultural conservatism in\nChinese mainland of the 1990s, one needs to reflect on the important role played by\nthe commercial sector in fueling this trend.\n    My own view on the trend toward national studies is that it is likely to have at\nleast three important and culturally complex outcomes. It may serve the interests of\nthe government and become the basis for opposing Westernization. It may be\nhailed, in the name of patriotism, as the return to nationalism through the celebra-\ntion of Chinese cultural quintessence. This is not only a likely scenario but also an\nunfortunate reality to some extent, for several instances of such sentiment have\nbeen publicly and even violently expressed over the last few years. Most people\nknow that the emphasis on patriotism and national pride in contemporary Chinese"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mainland is closely linked to, and a development out of, the “opposition to\nbourgeois liberalization” within the national ideology. As early as 1993, I expressed\nmy concern over the likely negative social effects of national studies deployed for\nideological and political purposes. Today, such effects are evident in Chinese\nmainland society. In this regard, the undermining of Marxism as the ideological\nfoundation of the People’s Republic of China, to which I refer earlier, requires\ncareful analysis. More positively, the turn toward cultural conservatism is likely to\nproduce substantial research in traditional Chinese studies. For some decades, in the\nperiods before and during the Cultural Revolution, a negative attitude to traditional\nChinese culture prevailed. In statistics produced at a 1984 symposium in Shanghai\norganized by the Shanghai People’s Press, it became clear that there was a notable\ndiscrepancy in the numbers of publications on Chinese culture between two thirty-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "year periods, 1919–1949 and 1949–1979.11 Between 1919 and 1949, there were\nmore than 200 types of publications dealing specifically with Chinese culture. In the\nperiod from 1949 to 1979, there was only one kind of publication dealing specif-\nically with Chinese culture, not including philosophy textbooks. At this sympo-\nsium, it was decided that the gap should be addressed by the publication of a series"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "11\n   This was a symposium dealing with issues emerging from the editing of the History of Chinese\nCulture Series.\n\f74       5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "on the history of Chinese culture that would comprise 100 books. The relatively\nlong period of stagnation that research on traditional Chinese culture underwent\nfrom 1949 to 1979, and perhaps even some years beyond that, has clearly affected\nits development.\n    Thus, the question is whether the contemporary trend toward national studies\ncan produce substantial research on traditional Chinese culture and exercise a\ndecisive influence, irrespective of whether one regards this influence as positive\nor negative. For instance, a number of scholars have begun to conduct meticulous\nresearch on specific aspects of traditional Chinese culture. Everyone is aware of the\ntremendous interest that The Book of Changes (Yi Jing) has attracted in Chinese\nmainland in recent years. There are, however, few people who actually know a great\ndeal about The Book of Changes. The Book of Changes developed out of the\npractice of divination by tortoiseshell and straws (bu shi). The practice of divination"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "led to the study of diagrams and the positions of strokes within diagrams (xiang\nshu), which later became constitutive of the principles of The Book of Changes.\nNowadays, most people who make use of, write about, or read The Book of Changes\nare familiar only with the principles of this classic. They are ignorant of the ancient\npractice of divination and the study of diagrams and stroke positions that preceded\nthese principles. Thus, they are unable to produce any rigorous interpretation of The\nBook of Changes. In order to engage with this text in a significant way, one would\nneed to examine the specific contexts of its emergence and dissemination. A\nsomewhat different example would be the Mawangdui silk scrolls that have now\nbeen almost entirely reproduced in print. In the past, studies of the Mawangdui silk\nscrolls were based mainly on existing commentaries. Now that the original\nMawangdui texts have been published and made widely available, Mawangdui"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "research based on secondary sources alone is no longer regarded as valid. This is\none instance in which a decisive shift toward substantial research on traditional\nChinese culture has taken place.\n    In referring to substantial research on traditional Chinese culture, I mean both\nthe study of specific aspects of Chinese culture and the study of traditional Chinese\nculture as a whole, as several scholars have already posed the question of how\ntraditional Chinese culture should be approached as a totality. Among these\nscholars is the late Professor Feng Qi, who is the author of The Quest for Wisdom\n(Zhihui de tansuo) and Three Essays on Wisdom (Zhihui san lun).12 Professor Feng\nwas a Marxist who happened to have studied under two eminent modern philoso-\nphers, Jin Yuelin and Feng Youlan, in his youth at the West China Union University\n(Xinan lianda) during the War of Resistance against Japan. Thus, he had consider-\nable expertise in logical analysis. In the last years of his life, he set himself the task"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of applying the Western method of logical analysis to traditional Chinese culture in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12\n   [Translator’s note] Feng Qi (1915–1995) became the foundational professor of philosophy when\nthe Department of Philosophy was established at East China Normal University, Shanghai, in\n1986. The ten-volume Collected Works of Feng Qi (Feng Qi wenji) was published by Huadong\nshifandaxue chubanshe in 1996.\n\f5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s           75"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "order to produce a new understanding of Chinese culture. Unfortunately, this highly\nsignificant project could not be completed because Feng passed away in 1995.\nWhen he turned eighty in 1994, I wrote to him, mentioning that I had read the\ndoctoral dissertation he wrote on “wisdom” when he was at the West China Union\nUniversity. I asked him whether he had considered resuming and further developing\nthe path he had mapped in his doctoral dissertation, one that his former teacher Jin\nYuelin had laid down. At that time, I had not had the chance to read his then\nforthcoming publication Three Essays on Wisdom. After reading it, I discovered\nthat he had done precisely that. The point of this anecdote is to illustrate the\nimportance of the approach that one adopts in relation to studies of Chinese\nculture. In order to produce meaningful substantial studies of traditional Chinese\nculture, one needs to be mindful of the global context in which we now conduct"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "our research. In other words, we must locate our research on traditional Chinese\nculture within the general trend toward the development of global culture in\nour time. If we were to depart from this trend, the consequences could be\nextremely dangerous, for national studies might easily be manipulated to serve\nthe interests of cultural chauvinism and nationalism, resulting in the\npoliticization of academic research.\n    We need to also consider the nature of the relationship between the old Chinese\ntradition of several thousand years and the “new tradition” of the last few decades.\nEvidently, the nature of this relationship is highly complex. One can see this in the\nwork of Jin Guantao. In this regard, the extreme leftism of Marxist dogmatism that\nprevailed in China for several decades in this century needs to be considered as\nwell. Is there a significant difference between the principles informing this form of\ndogmatism and Confucianism? To my mind, there is a significant difference"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "between the two. This difference can be explored through a number of central\nissues. The first is that of struggle (douzheng) versus harmony (hexie). One of the\nfirst attempts to address this issue was undertaken by scholars like Chen Fong-\nching and Liu Shu-hsien at a symposium in Hong Kong in 1985, which I attended.\nAt that time, the problem was defined in terms of the difference between Confu-\ncianism and the kind of Marxism that was based on class struggle as its guiding\nprinciple. Thus, there was no question that the difference between the two was\nimmense. Feng Youlan had also discussed this issue in his seven-volume A New\nHistory of Chinese Philosophy (Zhongguo zexue shi xin hian). The seventh\nvolume of this collection deals with this issue and for this reason could not be\npublished in Chinese mainland. It was eventually published in Taiwan.13 Feng\naddresses the gulf between Confucianism and Marxism in the form of Mao\nZedong Thought, arguing that the latter was a philosophy of struggle based on"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the idea that “enmity must remain enmity to the end” (chou bi chou daodi). This"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "13\n  [Translator’s note] See Feng Youlan, Zhongguo zhexue shi xin bian, 7 vols. (Taipei, Taiwan:\nLan Deng wenhua shiye gufen gongsi, 1991). Editions of the same work published in Chinese\nmainland contain only six volumes.\n\f76      5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "means that the struggle must continue until one’s enemy is vanquished. Confu-\ncianism, however, is entirely different from this, for it proposes that “enmity must\nbe harmonized and thereby dispelled” (chou bi he er jie). Although “through\nopposing positions, enmity arises” (you dui si you chou), at the end of struggle, the\nneed for conciliation will also certainly emerge. This notion first appeared in the\nCorrect Discipline for Beginners (Zheng Meng) by Zhang Zai (1020–1077) and\nwas later elaborated by Wang Fuzhi (1619–1693) in his Commentary on the\nCorrect Discipline for Beginners (Zheng Meng zhu).\n    Another significant difference between Marxism and Confucianism is that\nMarxism is primarily a form of scientism. It is a mode of thinking grounded in\nthe principles of science, whereas Confucianism is a humanistic mode of thinking.\nConfucianism does not proceed along the path of science nor does it subscribe to\nprinciples of science. As a mode of thinking, Confucianism is not based on"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "demonstrable proof or evidence (lunzheng). Rather, it relies on intuition (zhijue).\nA third difference between Confucianism and Marxism can be defined in terms of\nthe debate between Liang Shuming and Mao Zedong. Liang Shuming was opposed\nto the Marxist concepts of class struggle and the class nature of social existence. He\nsubscribed instead to the idea of universal humanity. This was what Liang Shuming\ntold me in 1938 or 1939. When he read Mao Zedong’s The Protracted War (Lun\nchijiu zhan), he was most impressed and felt that what Mao had written of the\n“protracted war” was very convincing. Thus, Liang went to Yan’an to meet with\nMao. On the first day that he met with Mao, things went very well because the\ndiscussion was confined primarily to Mao’s book on protracted war. By the second\nday, however, when the discussion shifted to class struggle, the two men quarreled\nright through the night. The debate turned on questions about whether there was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "such a thing as universal humanity and what was meant precisely by “class\nstruggle.” That the difference between Confucianism and Marxism is significant\ncan be gleaned from the incommensurability of these two questions.\n    Thus, while the new tradition of the last few decades and the old tradition of\nseveral thousand years are complexly related to one another, one should note that\nthe new “tradition” that we have been advocating for the last few decades differs\nsignificantly in content from the old tradition. From this an important question\narises: Can Confucianism be steered toward radicalism, to the extent that it\nbecomes a form of leftist extremism? This is a question worthy of further reflection,\nfor if it can be demonstrated that Confucianism can become extreme and usher in an\nideological trend of leftist extremism or radicalism, then the argument I have put\nforward in the preceding becomes problematic. In this context, I think it is neces-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "sary to distinguish between different tendencies within Confucianism itself. One\nshould distinguish between those aspects of Confucianism that are compatible with\nthe new “tradition” of the last few decades and those that are not.\n    Two individuals can be named to illustrate this distinction. The first is Tu\nWeiming, especially in relation to his more recent ideas. At a conference that we\nboth attended in Hangzhou in November 1994, Tu Weiming was, to my surprise,\ncritical of certain fundamental features of traditional Chinese culture such as the\ncomplementary relation between “the three bonds” (san gang) and “the five\n\f5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s                   77"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "constant virtues” (wu chang).14 He observed that “the three bonds” were no longer\nacceptable, called for their repudiation, and proposed that “the three bonds” be\nregarded separately from “the five constant virtues.” This came as a total surprise to\nme because he would not have made this sort of distinction in the past. When he\nraised this issue, another scholar at the same conference, Wang Yuanhua, immedi-\nately responded by saying, “How do you propose to distinguish between them? It is\nimpossible to separate the two as they are bound together in their historical\ndevelopment.” Naturally, Tu Weiming then proceeded to defend his argument,\nbut, as his explanation is not relevant to the point I am making here, I shall not\nelaborate on it.\n    What this exchange between Tu and Wang makes clear is that there is a crucial\ndifference in their views on Confucianism. It is also clear that Tu Weiming has\nshifted from his previous position on Confucianism. When I later reflected on what"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "this crucial difference might be, it occurred to me that Tu Weiming has had to adapt\nNew Confucianism to the demands of contemporary global cultural discourse,\nespecially within the modern Western cultural context where “the three bonds”\nmight not be readily acceptable.15 If he did not do this, then his advocacy of New\nConfucianism might meet with a good deal of resistance. Thus, I am of the opinion\nthat the separation Tu Weiming has sought to effect between “the three bonds” and\n“the five constant virtues” is largely the practical outcome of advocating New\nConfucianism from a particular vantage point—and not the result of attempting\nto resolve a philosophical conundrum. Wang Yuanhua, on the other hand, bases his\nargument on historical fact. As the “three bonds” and “the five constant virtues”\nhave developed together in history, one cannot easily distinguish between them or\ntreat them separately without distorting their conceptual and historical significance."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But what is interesting to note is that Wang Yuanhua has also changed his view\nquite considerably. Most people are aware that before June Fourth, Wang was an\nadvocate of “the New Enlightenment” (Xin Qimeng). What is more, in the years\nbefore the Cultural Revolution, he was recognized as someone who firmly upheld\nthe value of the May Fourth Movement. But in the 1990s, he has turned his research\ninterests to Du Yaquan and has moreover written about Du in highly positive terms."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "14\n   [Translator’s note] The three bonds refer to the three axiomatic human relationships named by\nConfucius: between ruler and subject, father and son, and husband and wife. In general, the three\nbonds are regarded as the basis for defining different modes of proper or ethical conduct in social\nlife, depending on the social position one occupies. The five constant virtues are regarded as innate\nproperties of the cosmic order that manifest in human form as love (ren), righteousness (yi),\npropriety (li), wisdom (zhi), and good faith (xin). The common phrase san gang wu chang indicates\nhow well entrenched the idea of mutual interdependence between these concepts is in the Chinese\nlanguage.\n15\n   [Translator’s note] This is referring to the emphasis Tu Weiming places on the relevance of\nConfucianism for contemporary Western (or even more specifically North American) cultural\nenrichment in the context of Tu’s institutional prominence as director of the Harvard-Yenching\nInstitute."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Institute.\n\f78        5 Some Reflections on New Confucianism in Chinese Mainland Culture of the 1990s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 1993, there was even a conference on Du Yaquan held in Zhejiang.16 The\nchanges in Tu Weiming’s and Wang Yuanhua’s views allow us to consider a new\nquestion and that is whether antitraditionalist and traditionalist positions of a former\nera might not converge or become collaborative rather than opposed to one another\nin the present-day context. This question will in turn require us to reconsider the\nneeds of contemporary Chinese scholarship in new ways.\n   What we must also remember is that the government is interested in advocating\ntraditional Confucianism as the ethical and cultural core of Chinese society. It is\nnot interested in scholarly or critical inquiries of the kind that are currently being\npursued in the name of modern New Confucianism. As I noted earlier, one of the\nmain reasons for this new turn to Confucianism has to do with the decline of\nMarxism as state ideology. Indeed, one could say that, since the end of the Cultural"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Revolution, most Chinese mainland have lost their faith in Marxism. Yet the\ngovernment needs a strong and dynamic ideology to serve as its raison d’eˆ tre in\n                                                                                  ˙\norder to achieve its contemporary goal of a united China that includes not only\nHong Kong and Macau but Taiwan as well. In this regard, traditional Confucianism\nprovides the Chinese mainland government with a wholly valid historical basis for\nclaiming cultural unity between Chinese mainland and Taiwan. For this reason, we\nwill need to pay attention to popular response to this ideological shift in Chinese\nmainland. In this context, the claim that Confucianism provides the basis for “the\nAsian mode” of economic success commonly heard within the Chinese mainland\nbusiness sector, not to mention similar claims by governments and business sectors\nin other Asian countries, must be treated with great caution."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16\n   [Translator’s note] Du Yaquan (1873–1933), a self-taught writer of popular science and\ntranslator, was an important intellectual figure during the May Fourth era. He founded and edited\nthe original Dongfang zazhi (The Orient Magazine) and compiled several of China’s first modern\ndictionaries of science. According to Xu Jilin, Wang Yuanhua’s interest in Du Yaquan began when\nXu invited Wang to write the foreword for an anthology of Du Yaquan’s selected essays that was\nabout to be published. Wang found Du Yaquan’s ideas extremely engaging and ended up writing a\nforeword of more than ten thousand characters for the anthology. Xu Jilin describes Du Yaquan as\n“a cultural conservative and a Confucian liberal at that” and suggests that this was the reason for\nhis relative anonymity in studies of modern Chinese intellectual history in Chinese mainland until\nquite recently. See Xu Jilin’s interesting anecdotal and critical account, “Du Yaquan yu duoyuan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "de Wu Si qimeng,” in Xin yusi dianzi wenku. www.xys.org/xys/ebooks/literature/essays/\nDuyaquan.txt, 5 January 2000.\n\fChapter 6\nThe Problem of Harmonious Communities\nin Ancient China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In my essay “On the Problem of Truth, Goodness and Beauty in Chinese\nPhilosophy,” I suggested that the conceptions of truth, goodness, and beauty rest\non three propositions: the unity of Heaven and man, the unity of knowledge and\naction, and the unity of sentiment and scenery. Among these, the unity of Heaven\nand man is the most fundamental, and it is from this that the other two unities\nare derived. The unity of knowledge and action requires that people realize both the\n“heavenly way” and the “human way” and practice them in daily life, while the\nunity of sentiment and scenery requires that people express Heaven’s work in their\nthoughts and feelings.\n    Why did the ancient Chinese philosophers pursue these three unities? In my\nopinion, Chinese philosophy does not engage in investigating the external world,\nbut is concerned rather with pursuing internal human values. In other words,\ntraditional Chinese philosophy teaches people how to be human by making"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "demands upon themselves, i.e., to cherish an ideal form of human life. Sagehood\nis defined by the attainment of the three unities. Beginning with Confucius, Chinese\nphilosophers have always aspired to the creation of harmonious societies and have\nattempted to bring them into being. Even when unsure of the outcome of their\nefforts, they still consider the endeavor to be obligatory. Thus, it was said of\nConfucius that he “knew the impossibility [of the task] and yet con-tinued to do\nit.” The ideal societies they sought are characterized by harmony, for example, the\nConfucian description of a society of “Great Harmony” in the Li Yun chapter of the\nBook of Rites, and the “small country with a small population” in Chapter 80 of the\nDaoist classic Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching). Such communities exhibit a concor-\ndance between man and Heaven, a unity of knowledge and action, and an\nintermingling of sentiment and scenery."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Translated by Yuk Wong\nConfucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture, 1991: 55–57\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                     79\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_6\n\f80                          6 The Problem of Harmonious Communities in Ancient China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But these ideals may not be realized in the actual world. Whether we should\npursue the ideal of harmony is a matter of attitude. Ancient Chinese philosophers\nbelieved that some of their ideals might only be realized in their minds. Why was\nZhang Zai’s “West inscriptions” so highly esteemed by later thinkers? I think it is\nbecause the essay reveals the spirit of an ideal harmonious society. The essay begins\n“People are my compatriots; things, my fellow-beings” and ends “Living is fol-\nlowing my nature; death, my tranquility.” When alive, one must fulfill the respon-\nsibility of realizing the ideal of “Great Harmony.” Thus, one can enjoy serenity\nwithout feeling shame to the end of one’s life.\n   This search for an ideal harmonious society differs from Western humanism,\nthough it can be looked at as humanism of a Chinese type. According to the ancient\nChinese thinkers, only human beings are the most important link between Heaven\nand Earth. Sages are capable of “establishing the mind of Heaven and Earth,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "determining the destiny of human lives, restoring discontinued traditions of learning\nfrom the past, and commencing a period of supreme peace for one’s descendants.”\nHence the Confucian notion that men can expand the Way, rather than the other way\naround. Although the Way of Heaven is an objective Being, it needs human embodi-\nment. According to ancient Chinese thought, a man can embody the Way when he\nunderstands the unity of Heaven and man, practices the unity of knowledge and\naction, and creatively reveals the unity of sentiment and scenery. Conceiving of the\nloftiest possible realm of humanity, one may concentrate on the above-described\nideal in one’s mind in order to actualize it. Such a realm harmonizes individual words\nand deeds with all human societies and even extends this harmony to the whole\nuniverse. In traditional Chinese philosophy, the major role of human beings is to “be\nhuman” in pursuing the ideal of a harmonious society. As the central element in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nature and the community, man assumes a great responsibility.\n   Chinese philosophy profoundly influenced the Chinese national mentality. I\nbelieve that this mentality reveals both the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese\nthought culture.\n   In brief, the Chinese mentality may be characterized by the pursuit of harmony\nand unity. Most distinguished Chinese philosophers viewed reality positively and\nendeavored to transform the conflict-ridden societies in which they lived into\nharmonious communities. Although their ideals and doctrines did not bring about\nactual political changes, Chinese rulers used philosophical ideas as window dress-\ning. For instance, the ideals of Great Harmony and supreme peace degenerated into\nemperors’ reign titles, and rulers called themselves the emperor or empress of\nsupreme peace. Peasant revolts throughout history used “supreme peace” as a\ncatchword for their righteous cause. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "220), the Yellow Turban Rebellion used the slogan “The Way of Supreme Peace” to\norganize farmers; Song Dynasty (960–1279) peasant revolts were aimed at\n“destroying all inequality in order to achieve supreme peace”; in modern times,\nthe peasant rebellion led by Hong Xiuquan (Hung Hsiu-ch’uan) was known as the\n“Supreme Peace Army” (Taiping Jun) belonging to the “Heavenly Kingdom of\nSupreme Peace” (Taiping Tianguo).\n   Despite its preeminence in the Chinese mind, the ideal of attaining supreme\npeace has never been actualized. At most, the illusion of “supreme peace and a\n\f6 The Problem of Harmonious Communities in Ancient China                             81"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "prosperous world” was realized during short periods of history. Chinese traditional\nidealism is basically fantasy. Past sages might have promulgated the ideal of\n“governing the country and bringing peace to the world” with true sincerity, but\nsince its actualization is impossible, their intentions have to be looked at as little\nmore than idealized feudalism.\n    We can observe that Chinese thought has always been characterized by a search\nfor unity. From its earliest beginnings, Chinese philosophy stressed the unity of two\nconcepts or the mutual relationship between several concepts. In the Book of\nChanges, Qian and Kun (later yin and yang) represent concepts of duality in\nunity, the “Great Principle” chapter in the Book of Rites was based on the system\nof “five elements” related through dualistic unities. Once Heaven and man were\nlooked upon as dualistic philosophical concepts, Chinese philosophy began to place\nmore emphasis on the unity of Heaven and man. This way of thinking is rational in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "its stress on harmony and unity and in its objection to excess and insufficiency.\n    Under certain conditions, this ideal is beneficial to social stability and social\ndevelopment, as well as to the investigation of the actual relationships between\nobjects. Social development requires a period of relative stability, while thought\ncultures benefit significantly by mutual assimilation and confluence. History has\nalternating periods of maintaining the status quo and reformation. Since the Qin\nand Han dynasties (221 B.C.–A.D. 220), China has been in a state of great unity.\nSituations of fragmentation or division were always temporary. The Han people and\nthe minority nationalities formed a unified country while at the same time assimilat-\ning foreign cultures. Based also on the concept of unity, Chinese medicine stresses an\norganic connection between man and his environment, between the human body and\nhuman spirit, between the organs of the body, as well as between various remedies."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Qi (vitality) was used to explain the unity of things and the reason behind their mutual\ninfluence. There is a similarity here to the findings of modern physics.\n    Despite the contributions of Chinese philosophy, we cannot overlook the short-\ncomings in this national way of thinking. An overemphasis upon harmony and unity\nresulted in the prolonged stagnation of feudal society, the slow growth of capital-\nism, exaggerated national pride, and a lack of progressive thinking. Chinese\ntraditional philosophy lacks a systematic epistemology and a tradition of logic.\nTheoretical thinking in Chinese philosophy has not undergone analysis and is rich\nin terms of the cognition of essences, similar to some of the conclusions of modern\nscience. But without the necessary analysis and argument, it cannot develop into\nmodern science. Because of the excessive attention paid to mutual relationships and\nunity and the total disregard of advanced anatomy, the traditional Chinese failed to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mature along the path taken by modern science in the West. We must reform our\ntraditional ways of thinking, applying logical discourse and scientific epistemology\nto the concepts of relationship, unity, and cosmic harmony. We should stress\nspecific analysis, avoid the long-recognized shortcomings in our philosophy, and\nmake good use of the tenets of Western philosophy, in order to establish a school of\nscientific philosophy with Chinese traits.\n\fChapter 7\nAn Inquiry into the Possibility\nof a Third-Phase Development\nof Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Is there the possibility for Confucianism to have a third-phase development? In\nsaying this, we mean to regard the school of thought advocated by Confucius,\nMencius, and Xunzi during the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States\nas the first-phase development of Confucianism. After the Han Dynasty, Buddhism\nspread to China. Under the impact of Buddhist ideas, a Confucian school of idealist\nphilosophy emerged during the Song and Ming dynasties. It greatly pushed forward\nthe Confucian doctrines and constituted the second-phase development of Confu-\ncianism. Over the last century, Western civilization has found its way into China.\nEspecially around the time of the “May Fourth” [1919] Movement, Marxism was\nalso disseminated into our country. That gave an even bigger and more serious\nimpact on China’s traditional thought and culture. Under such circumstances, is it\npossible for Confucianism to have a third-phase development? Can it be brought"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "back to life? Can it still have a role to play in China and the world? In my opinion, it\nis perhaps too early to conduct an all- round discussion of this issue. However, to\nraise questions and opinions from certain angles in an attempt to push the inquiry\nforward may prove helpful.\n   In discussing whether it is possible for Confucianism to have a third-phase\ndevelopment, we must, first of all, acquire a clear understanding about the basic\nspirit of Confucianism. Regarding this basic spirit, there have been in the past, and\nmay be in the future, a variety of different views. The existence of different views is\nnot necessarily a bad thing; it may help deepen the study of this issue. In clarifying\nthe basic spirit, I think attention should be paid to two parts: the part of thoughts that\nhave been constantly effective in the entire course of development of Confucianism\nand the part of thoughts that still have vitality today. To combine the two for"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tang Yijie, “Guanyu rujia sixiang disanqi fazhan kenengxin de tantao.” Beijing University\nConfucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture, 1991: 51–54\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                83\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_7\n\f84          7 An Inquiry into the Possibility of a Third-Phase Development of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "consideration, we may perhaps find out whether a third-phase development of\nConfucianism is possible from a certain aspect.\n    Running through the entire course of development of Confucianism, I believe\nthere are two basic elements that still bear a major significance to us today: one is\nidealism and the other humanism; and the two are connected.\n    Confucianism is a kind of idealism. Starting from Confucius, this school of\nthought has cherished the ideal of having a society in which “right principles\nprevail” and has made every effort to materialize the ideal in the real world. Despite\nits acknowledgment of the unattainability of such a goal, it still insists that one\nshould foster the ideal and dedicate oneself to realize it in the spirit of “doing the\nimpossible.” Therefore, when Zigong asked Confucius: “What if one can gener-\nously give to the people and provide relief to them? Can that be called benevo-\nlence?” Confucius answered: “One who behaves with benevolence must be a saint!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Even Yao and Shun fell short of that.” Evidently, Confucius did not regard the\nsociety of Yao and Shun’s time as a society of man’s highest ideal. Thus, it involves\nthe problem of what we should see as an ideal society. According to the Confucians,\nan ideal society is an ideal, which has the possibility, and not the necessity, of being\nrealized. Despite the fact that an ideal society has never been realized before, it is a\nmatter of fundamental importance, a problem of one’s attitude toward life, whether\nor not one should seek to realize it. It is the Confucians’ belief that one should\nceaselessly seek after it. This is why, as I see it, people at that time criticized\nConfucians as “being ignorant of world affairs.” Though it is not necessary that an\nideal society be realized in the real world, it can be, as far as the Confucian\nphilosophers are concerned, realized in their minds. Why is it that West Inscription\nby Zhang Zai was so highly respected by later Confucians? It was that, as I see it,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "West Inscription embodied the Confucian spirit of seeking to realize an ideal\nsociety, plus that Zhang Zai had already built in his mind the ideal society. True,\nwhether the ideal society in which “the people are my brothers and I share my\nthings with them,” as Zhang Zai conceived, could be realized in the real world was\nimportant to him, but more important was whether one could have a world outlook\nof pursuing an ideal society. Therefore, the last sentence of West Inscription says: “I\ncarry on my pursuit when alive, and rest at ease when I die.” While one lives, one\nhas a duty to fulfill. The duty is to exert oneself for the realization of the ideal\n“world of commonweal.” It can be said that this is an attitude of “concerning\noneself only about the cultivation instead of the gains.” Whoever holds such an\nattitude toward life has a clear conscience. Don’t we today need to have an attitude\nlike this more than ever?\n    Confucianism is a kind of idealism that has humanism as its prerequisite. Why is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "it that man must have an ideal and seek to build an ideal society? According to the\nConfucians, man is the most important factor in the world, because he can “formu-\nlate ethics for the universe, provide sustenance for the people, carry forward\nconsummate learnings into posterity, and win peace for thousands of generations\nto come.” Confucius said: “Man can enhance the Way and not the reverse.” The\n“Way” or the “Way of Nature” is an objective existence. But it needs to be\nenhanced and carried forward by man; it has to be effected by man through practice.\n\f7 An Inquiry into the Possibility of a Third-Phase Development of Confucianism                        85"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "How can man embody the “Way of Nature”? If, as the Confucians envisaged, man\ncan understand how “Heaven is integrated with man,” “knowledge is integrated\nwith practice,” and “feeling is integrated with scenery,” man can then attain the\nloftiest realm of being a man. In other words, man can congeal in his heart the ideal\nof the true, the good, and the beautiful.\n    The integration of Heaven with man, knowledge with practice, and feeling with\nscenery are the three basic propositions the Chinese traditional philosophy made\nabout the true, the good, and the beautiful; they are the ideal realms the Confucian\nschool has been trying to attain. Why is it that Confucianism is in pursuit of the\nthree integrations? In my opinion, Confucianism is nothing more than a teaching\nthat teaches one how to behave oneself, namely, one should set a demand on oneself\nand hold oneself responsible to the world and the nation. This is a very common\nquestion, but involves a task extremely difficult to fulfill. Whoever has attained"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "such an ideal realm of the true, the good, and the beautiful is a saint.\n    Although the proposition of integrating Heaven with man is designed to\nillustrate the relations between man and the entire universe, it begins with man as\nthe center of the universe. Zhongyong [The Golden Mean] stated: “Being honest is\nthe Way of Heaven. Striving to be honest is the Way of man. An honest man hits the\nright Way without difficulty and understands it without deliberation. One who\nconforms oneself to the Way of Heaven without qualm is a saint.” Therefore, a\nsaint not only behaves himself in conformity with the requirements of the Way of\nHeaven but also assumes as his responsibility the fulfillment of such requirements.\nIn living a life in this world, one should not behave oneself with a passive attitude;\nrather, one should “make unremitting efforts to improve oneself” in order to embody\nthe ceaseless flow and evolution of nature. In this way, man will set a demand on"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "himself; he will find a reason for his existence and foster a lofty ideal. Since one has\nset a demand on oneself and found a reason for one’s existence, the most important\nthing is for one to “integrate one’s understanding with one’s behavior” so that one\ncan have a unified viewpoint on understanding and behavior in terms of morality and\nself-cultivation. The three programs and eight articles outlined in Daxue [The Great\nLearning] tell us exactly what this is about. It is said in Daxue:\n   The Way of the great learning lies in shedding light on the bright principles, being close to\n   the people, and stopping at nothing but the utmost good. Those in ancient times who wanted\n   to shed light on the bright principles for the world had to first bring order to their own\n   kingdoms. To bring order to their kingdoms they had to first bring their own houses to\n   order. To bring their houses to order they had to first cultivate their own moral character. To"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cultivate their own moral character they had to first set their minds straight. To set their\n   minds straight they had to first foster a sincere desire. To foster a sincere desire they had to\n   first carry knowledge to the utmost degree. To carry knowledge to the utmost degree they\n   had to first inquire into the properties of things. Having inquired into the properties of\n   things, they were able to carry knowledge to the utmost degree. Having carried knowledge\n   to the utmost degree, they were able to foster a sincere desire. Having fostered a sincere\n   desire, they were able to set their minds straight. Having set their minds straight, they were\n   able to cultivate their own moral character. Having cultivated their own moral character,\n   they were able to bring their houses to order. Having brought their houses to order, they\n   were able to bring order to their kingdoms. Having brought order to their kingdoms, the\n   whole world would be at peace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "whole world would be at peace.\n\f86          7 An Inquiry into the Possibility of a Third-Phase Development of Confucianism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is a process of cognizance, still more a process of moral practice. Man must\nhave an ideal, and the highest ideal is to “achieve peace” so that human society can\nattain a realm of “Great Harmony.” And the world of “Great Harmony” requires\nthat everyone should set for himself a demand for being a man, a reason for being a\nman, and “not do to others what one does not wish done to oneself.” Noted\nConfucius: “To implement my principle is nothing more than being honest and\njust.” Whether the ideal society of “Great Harmony” can be attained or not remains\na question, of course. But a Confucian must have such a goal and find pleasure in\npursuing it. To lead an existence in the world and be a man, one must find pleasure\nin doing it and appreciate the creation of the universe. And to have a true appreci-\nation of Nature, one must be able to display creativity and man’s spiritual realm in\nreproducing the “creation of the universe.” One must be able to show why man"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "should be a man and to create poetry and prose “masterpieces,” paintings of “superb\nwork,” and music like “sounds of nature.” This is why art requires that “feeling be\nintegrated with scenery.” Wang Fuzhi observed: “In name feeling and scenery are\ntwo things but in reality they are inseparable. Those gifted in writing poetry are\ncapable of unlimited wit. A witty line naturally has feeling in the midst of scenery\nand scenery in the midst of feeling.” “Once feeling is integrated with scenery, a\nwitty remark is ready at hand.” When one enters the realm of creation, it will be a\nrealm in which the true, the good, and the beautiful are integrated with one another.\nThis is precisely where the meaning of life and the highest ideal of mankind lie.\nConfucius described himself as “doing things at will without violating rules at the\nage of seventy.” Probably, it was the ideal realm as mentioned above. Indeed, it\nmust be the realm of a saint when whatever one says and does is in harmony with"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the entire universe, society, and one’s own frame of mind.\n   That Confucianism still has a value for its continued existence is perhaps due to\nthe sole fact that it provides us a reason for being a man. It is most difficult for one\nto be a man and still more to maintain a harmony between oneself and nature,\nsociety and others, or between one’s inside and outside in body and soul. Is such a\nrequirement unnecessary in today’s world? As Confucianism only tells us the\nreason for being a man, we should not set demands on it in other aspects. And it\nshould come as no surprise that it suffers from some inadequacies.\n\fChapter 8\nImmanence and Transcendence in Chinese\nChan Buddhism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Buddhism transmitted into China, it had developed into several schools until\nSui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) dynasties: Tiantai, consciousness-only, Vinaya,\nPure Land, Huayan, Chan, etc. Since Tang Dynasty, Chan Buddhism has become\nincreasingly influential and even has been particularly thriving to surpass all the other\nschools that were declined early or late. No doubt that there are many reasons for its\nthriving, perhaps one of the reasons is that Chan Buddhism can particularly reflect the\ncharacteristic of Chinese philosophy—“immanent transcendence,” to which scholars\nprobably should pay more attention.\n   As a religion, Buddhism has its doctrinal scriptures, its regular rituals, its\nprecepts, its worshiped objects, and so on, but Chan Buddhism after Huineng\n(638–713) renounced all things above. So in Chan Buddhism, there is no need to\nchant scriptures, observe precepts, follow any rituals, and worship any images, and\neven leaving home and becoming a monk or nun becomes dispensable; hence, to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "become a Buddha and attain the state of Nirvana can only rely on the awareness of\nthe own mind. It is said: “one who can be aware within one thought is a Buddha, but\nconfused within one thought a sentient being.” That is to say, to become a Buddha\nand attain the transcendental state completely depends on the role of the immanent\nessential mind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[Chan is more famous for its Japanese name—Zen, and itself derived from the Sanskrit dhyana.\nIn English, Chan is usually rendered as “meditation”—editor.]\nJournal of Sino-Western Communications, 2010, 2(2): 51–68\nTranslated by Yang Hao from hh佛教与中国文化ii, 宗教文化出版社 1999 年版, “论禅宗思想中\n的内在性与超越性”。引文有所修订。\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                             87\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_8\n\f88                                 8 Immanence and Transcendence in Chinese Chan Buddhism\n\n\n8.1      Chinese Chan Buddhism Neither Valued Scriptures\n         nor Established in Words, but Claimed Everything\n         Should Listen to the Essential Mind"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There is a Chan story called “Buddha twirls a flower and Maha-Kashapa smiles,”\nwhich is recorded in Zhi-yue-lu [Record of Fingers Pointing to the Moon]:\n     When Buddha was in Grdhrakuta mountain he turned a flower in his fingers and held in\n     before his listeners. Every one was silent. Only Maha-Kashapa smiled at this revelation,\n     although he tried to control the lines of his face. Buddha said: “I have the eye of the true\n     teaching, the heart of Nirvana, the true aspect of non-form, and the ineffable stride of\n     Dharma. It is not expressed by words, but especially transmitted beyond teaching. This\n     teaching I have given to Maha-Kashapa.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chan Buddhism considered itself as “transmitted beyond teaching” and\nproclaimed itself as distinguished from the other schools by telling this story. At\nthe beginning of Buddhism in India, it was quite simple and originally a philosophy\nof life, in which Shakyamuni Buddha avoided discussing those theories unrelated\nwith real life, say, concerned little about the following problems—“whether the\nuniverse is permanent or impermanent,” “whether the universe is limited or unlim-\nited,” “whether life exists or not after death,” “whether life and body are one or\nnot,” etc.—which were often heatedly discussed at his time in India. Later Indian\nBuddhism became more and more complicated during its developing, further and\nfurther away from real life, and its system became larger and larger, its worshiped\nimages more and more, and its technical terms innumerable, which were\ncompletely incompatible with Chinese traditional thoughts. After Sui and Tang"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dynasties, many Chinese Buddhist schools were trying every possible way to get\nover this complication of Indian Buddhism, such as “one billion worlds entered into\none thought” in Tiantai school and “principle and matter integrated into one real\nmind” in Huayan school both emphasized the role of the essential mind. This\ntendency was further intensified in Chan Buddhism after Huineng, hence its\ninsistence on establishment in no words and renunciation of all scriptures.\n    Huineng himself did not renounce the scriptures and advocate establishment in\nno words yet. It is recorded in Platform Sutra that Huineng taught his disciples\nabout Diamond Sutra and Lotus Sutra, but he maintained that “all scriptures and\nbooks exist and tell something in accordance with people” (Platform Sutra) and are\nonly the tools to conduct people; hence, one should not cling to the scriptures\nbecause one cannot become a Buddha by chanting the scriptures, and one can be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "liberated only by relying on one’s essential mind. The reasons are, on the one hand,\nthe principles and methods of becoming a Buddha originally exist in one’s own\nessential mind, so “the twelve-part canons of the Buddhas of past, present, and\nfuture are originally inherent in one’s nature” (Platform Sutra). Thus, there is no\nneed seeking outside, no need to search the Buddha out of mind, because to be a\nBuddha and become enlightened totally depends upon oneself, and the extrinsic\nwords just have nothing to do with it. On the other hand, words are outside things.\nIf one attaches to these outside things, one “attaches to the forms,” and “one’s own\n\f8.1 Chinese Chan Buddhism Neither Valued Scriptures nor Established in Words. . .                89"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "essential nature inherently has the insight of prajna [wisdom], if one is continually\nobservant, using one’s own insight; therefore, one does not depend on words”\n(Platform Sutra). In order to break the bondage of the scriptures, Chan masters\nafter Huineng were simply against chanting the scriptures and even against all kinds\nof words. It is recorded in Wu-deng-hui-yuan [The Five Lamps Meet at the Origin]:\nWei-shan (771–853) asked Yang-shan (814–890), “Nirvana Sutra has forty\nvolumes. How many are said by Buddha? How many by mara [devil]?” (Vol. 9)\nYang-shan answered: “all are said by mara [devil].” If one attaches the sutras as\nDharma itself, one has already been bewitched and hoodwinked by devils. Gu-zun-\nsu-yu-lu [Recorded Sayings of the Ancient Worthies] records: “as to those things\nwhich are considered as Buddhas, interpreted as Buddhas, if one sees something,\nfinds something and attaches something, all of these are called dung of intellectual"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "play, coarse words and dead language” (Vol. 2). Jing-de-chuan-deng-lu [Record of\nthe Transmission of the Lamp] records: Lin-ji (787?–867) “went to Huang-bo\nmountain (where his master lived) in a mid-summer, and saw his master Huang-\nbo (?–850) reading a sutra. He said: ‘I thought there is a man but actually an old\nmonk who puts black soy beans into his mouth’” (Vol. 12). All scriptures are\nnonsense. By attaching to these nonsense, how can one be liberated and become a\nBuddha? Since Buddhist scriptures are “dead language” and “said by mara [devil],”\nnot the tools to awaken, naturally they are not to be fallen back on to attain the goal\nof becoming a Buddha. Gu-zun-su-yu-lu records Nan-quan (748–834)’s saying:\n“the Way does not belong to the category of knowing or not knowing, because\nknowing is false awareness and not knowing is no memory. If one really attains the\nWay of no-doubt which is like great emptiness, wide, vast and open, how can one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tell right or wrong? (Vol. 13).” The way does not belong to the category of\nknowledge which have the difference between subject and object, that is, concep-\ntual thoughts, but the enlightenment to the way relies on the self-awareness of the\nmind. If so, the self can’t be not self-aware; if the self isn’t self-aware, it is “avidya\n[ignorance],” therefore “not knowing is no memory.”\n    Chan masters thought that the words were unnecessary and the language cannot\nbe beneficial to the enlightenment and becoming a Buddha. Only through language\none cannot comprehend the Buddhist Dharma. Someone asked Wen-yi (885–958):\n“what is the first meaning (of Buddhist Dharma)?” Wen-yi replied: “If I tell you, it\nis already the second meaning” (Wen-yi-chan-shi-yu-lu [Recorded Sayings of Chan\nMaster Wen-yi]). The Dharma is ineffable, and what has been said is already not the\nDharma itself. Therefore, is there any method that may lead people to the enlight-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "enment? As far as Chan Buddhism sees, hardly is there a method for becoming\nenlightened but through one’s own awareness. However, Chan Buddhism also used\nvery special methods, such as “stick and shout” to instruct disciples. It is recorded in\nWu-deng-hui-yuan:\n   A monk asked: “what is bodhi [awakening]?” Master (De-shan, 782–865) struck him and\n   said: “Get out! Don’t shit here!” One asked: “what is Buddha?” Master said: “Buddha is an\n   old bhiksu [monk] in India.” Xue-feng (822–908) asked: “by inheriting from patriarchs\n   before, do you still have discriminations?” Master struck him with a stick and asked: “What\n   does this mean?” Xue-feng answered: “I can’t understand.” On the next day, Xue-feng\n   asked for more teaching, Master said: “there are neither languages nor sentences taught in\n   our school, and I have no Dharma to give.” Hence Xue-feng became aware. (Vol. 7)\n\f90                                 8 Immanence and Transcendence in Chinese Chan Buddhism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is also recorded in Gu-zun-su-yu-lu:\n     (Lin-ji came to) see Jing-shan. When Jing-shan just raised his head to see who was coming,\n     Master (Lin-ji) shouted. When he just intended to open his mouth to say, Master leaved\n     with a flick of his sleeve. (Vol. 5)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is so-called De-shan’s stick and Lin-ji’s shout. These special methods\nintended to break down the attachment and listen to the essential mind. As far as\nChan Buddhism sees, one loses one’s essential nature because one always attaches\nto something; therefore, a sudden shout and an unexpected strike on the head would\nmake one suddenly become enlightened and attain the Buddhahood by oneself. As\nYuanwu (1063–1135) said in Yuan-wu-fo-guo-chan-shi-yu-lu [Recorded Sayings of\nChan Master Yuan-Wu Fo-guo]: “De-shan’s stick and Lin-ji’s shout are both\nthorough and complete, and directly cut off the root of the old attachment. They\nare great knacks and uses, reaching the same end by innumerable means, and could\nremove bondages from the disciples” (Vol. 14). Lin-ji’s master—Huang-bo—said\nin his Chuan-xin-fa-yao [Essential Teachings on the Transmission of Mind]:\n     This spiritually enlightening nature. . .cannot be looked for or sought, comprehended by"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "wisdom or knowledge, explained in words, contacted materially or reached by meritorious\n     achievement. All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, together with all wriggling things\n     possessed of life, share in this great Nirvanic nature. This nature is Mind; Mind is the\n     Buddha, and the Buddha is the Dharma."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since this spiritually enlightening nature everyone has cannot be revealed by\nknowledge and language, the only way is to use stick and shout to break down the\nattachment (of course not necessarily to use stick and shout, any other method could\nmake it if only they could break down the attachment); hence, the mind has nothing\nto observe, and one attains the transcendental state denying object and mind.\n\n\n\n8.2      Chinese Chan Buddhism Broke Outmoded\n         Conventions and Abolished Sitting in Meditation,1\n         but Only Valued Seeing the Nature and Accomplishing\n         the Buddhahood"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sitting in meditation is a practicing method used in every Buddhist schools.\nShakyamuni Buddha became enlightened under the bodhi [awakening] tree by\nsitting in meditation for 49 days; Bodhidharma came to China and faced the wall\nby sitting in meditation for 3 years. After Huineng, there has been a great change in\nChinese Chan Buddhism. In Platform Sutra, Huineng said: “it is only a matter of\nseeing the nature, not a matter of meditation or liberation.” It is clear that Huineng\n\n\n\n1\n  Sitting in meditation [zuo-chan] literally means sitting Chan and is more famous for its Japanese\nname Zazen—editor.\n\f8.2 Chinese Chan Buddhism Broke Outmoded Conventions and Abolished. . .                            91"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "insisted on “seeing the nature and accomplishing the Buddhahood” and believed\nonly through meditation one cannot be liberated; hence, he said:\n   Deluded people stick to the appearances of things: they cling to the idea of absorption in\n   one practice as only meaning constantly sitting unmoving, not letting the mind be aroused\n   at random. They identify this with absorption in one practice, but those who make this\n   interpretation are equivalent to inanimate objects. This is a condition that obstructs the\n   Way. The Way should be fluid, free-flowing. Why then do you stagnate? When the mind\n   does not dwell on things, then the Way is fluid. If the mind dwells on things, that is called\n   self-binding. If you say constant sitting is right, that is contradicted by the fact that\n   Shariputra was scolded by Vimalakirti for sitting quietly in the forest. (Platform Sutra)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Those who attach to sitting in meditation and believe deluded thought cannot\narise through their sitting actually regard a human being as a dead thing and know\nnothing about “the Way should be fluid.” The mind should move and not dwell on\nthings; otherwise the mind is bound, and then how could one be liberated? Gu-zun-\nsu-yu-lu records: Ma-zu (709–788) “lived in Nan-yue-chuan-fa Monastery (where\nhis master Huai-rang (677–744) presided) and stayed in a hut alone by practicing\nsitting in meditation without paying attention to the visitors (even to his master\nHuai-rang). . .. One day, (in order to instruct Ma-zu) Huai-rang put a tile in front of\nthe hut and began to grind it. Ma-zu didn’t pay attention to it at the beginning, but\nafter a long time, Ma-zu got very curious and then asked: ‘for what by grinding?’\nHuai-rang said: ‘grinding into a mirror.’ Ma-zu laughed: ‘how can a tile become a\nmirror by grinding?’ Huai-rang retorted: ‘if a tile cannot become a mirror by"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "grinding, how could one become a Buddha by sitting in meditation?’” (Vol. 1)\nMa-zu sat in meditation and was bound by it; hence, Huai-rang used “grinding a tile\ninto a mirror,” a metaphoric method, to inspire him to be enlightened. This is an\nexample freeing from one’s bondage by relying on others. Another example is Hui-\nleng (854–932) who had worn seven cattail hassocks by sitting in meditation for\nmore than 20 years but still did not see the nature. Until one day when rolling up a\ncurtain by a chance, he suddenly got enlightened and composed a verse: “it was\nreally a mistake, really a mistake, until I see the world when rolling up a curtain. If\none asks me what kind of teaching I know, I shall pick up a whiskbroom and strike\nright toward his mouth” (Wu-deng-hui-yuan, Vol. 7). Hui-leng rolled up a curtain\naccidentally and saw that one billion worlds are just as they are and then “witnessed\nthe mind and saw the nature.” He released the bondage of sitting in meditation,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "suddenly saw the whole thing in a clear light, and became enlightened. It is said in\nPlatform Sutra: “they cannot realize it themselves because of the wandering of\nthe conditioned mind; that is why they need a good knowing advisor to point it out\nand guide them to perception of essential nature.” Ma-zu was inspired by\nHuai-rang, but Hui-leng became enlightened by himself; either Ma-zu or\nHui-leng has to “realize the good knowing advisor within the essential mind.”\nThat is to say, one has to rely on one’s immanent essential mind to attain the\ntranscendental state. The saying “until I see the world when rolling up a curtain” in\nHui-leng’s verse is the crux of his enlightenment, because as far as Chan Buddhism\nsees, there is no need to deliberately make a certain thing to be enlightened and\nbecome a Buddha, and one should naturally see the Way in ordinary daily life, just\n\f92                                8 Immanence and Transcendence in Chinese Chan Buddhism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "like “clouds floating in the blue sky and water filling in the bottle,” and everything\ngoes naturally and ordinarily. There is a verse in Wu-men-guan [Gateless Gate]\nwritten by Wu-men (1183–1260):\n     In spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon;\n     In summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter, snow will accompany you.\n     If useless things do not hang in your mind,\n     Any season is a good season for you."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This spiritual state of Chan Buddhism is a state letting go with the nature: one\nviews the blooming of hundreds of flowers in spring, enjoys serenity under a harvest\nmoon in autumn, feels the sudden coming of a refreshing breeze in summer, and\nwatches thickly falling snowflakes swirling in winter. Let everything go by itself at\nease and without any obstruction, then “every daytime is a good day,” and “every\nnighttime is an enjoyable night.” If one attaches to sitting in meditation, one is\nbound by the method itself and cannot be liberated. Lin-ji said: “There is no place in\nBuddhism for using effort. Just be ordinary and nothing special. Relieve your\nbowels, pass water, put on your clothes, and eat your food. When you are tired,\ngo and lie down. Ignorant people may laugh at me, but the wise will understand”\n(Gu-zun-su-yu-lu, Vol. 11). If one wants to become a Buddha and attain the state of\nNirvana, one should not rely on the extrinsic practice, but be enlightened suddenly"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "as Hui-leng experienced. A monk asked Ma-zu: “How to cultivate the Way?”\nMa-zu said: “the Way cannot be cultivated. If one says it can be cultivated, even\nif it has been cultivated, it will disappear eventually” (Gu-zun-su-yu-lu, Vol. 1).\nHow can the Way be cultivated? By relying on so-called cultivation, one has to\nmanage it with a contrived effort; certainly “it will disappear eventually.” There-\nfore, cultivating the Way cannot be searched deliberately out of ordinary life. A\nVinaya Master You-Yuan asked Hui-Hai, “Do you make efforts in your practice of\nthe Way?” Hui-Hai answered: “Yes, I do.” The Vinaya Master asked: “How?” Hui-\nHai answered: “When hungry, I eat; when tired, I sleep.” The Vinaya Master asked:\n“And does everybody make the same efforts as you do, master?” Hui-Hai answered:\n“Not in the same way.” The Vinaya Master asked: “Why not?” Hui-Hai answered:\n“When they are eating, they think of a hundred kinds of necessities, and when they"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "are going to sleep they ponder over affairs of a thousand different kinds. That is how\nthey differ from me.” An ordinary person eats with preference of the fat or the lean\nin the food, sleeps with going off into wild flights of fancy, and has different\npreferences and attachments, and there is no chance for liberation. Those who\ntruly know Chan should “sleep if need to sleep and sit if need to sit,” “enjoy the\ncool if hot and warm at a fire if cold.” A monk told Zhao-zhou (778–897): “I have\njust entered the monastery. Please teach me.” Zhao-zhou asked: “Have you eaten\nyour rice porridge?” The monk replied: “I have.” Zhao-zhou said: “Then you had\nbetter wash your bowl.” At that moment the monk was enlightened (Zhi-yue-lu,\nVol. 11). After eating, naturally it is time to wash the bowl. This is so ordinary. Only\nthrough this can one meditate when sitting, meditate when sleeping, meditate when\nresting, and meditate when moving; therefore, eating and shitting are both fine"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ways. If meditation is not necessary, there is no necessity to keep all kinds of\n\f8.3 Chinese Chan Buddhism Did Not Worship Images, Rather Abused. . .                 93"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "precepts. Lu-xi-sheng asked Yang-shan: “do you still observe precepts, master?”\nYang-shan said: “I don’t” (Wu-deng-hui-yuan, Vol. 9). Li-ao (772–841) asked\nYao-shan (751–834): “what are sila [precepts], dhyana [meditation] and prajna\n[wisdom]?” Yao-shan said: “we don’t have these idle fitments here!” (Jing-de-\nchuan-deng-lu, Vol. 14). Sila [precepts], dhyana [meditation], and prajna [wisdom]\nare the “three practices” of Buddhism, an indispensable gateway for Buddhists, but\nChan masters see them as something useless. It seems that this negation means that\nevery practicing method is unnecessary; hence, Chan Buddhism negates anything\nextrinsic and formal. The reason why Chan Buddhism sees like this is based on “the\nmind of everyday life is the mind of the Way.” There is no “mind of the Way” apart\nfrom the mind of everyday life, and also no need to live any special life apart from\neveryday life. With this realization, the immanent mind of everyday life can be the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "transcendental mind of the Way. It is just as Yin-shun (1906–2005) put in his The\nHistory of Chinese Chan Buddhism: “The nature is both transcendental (away from\nall forms and its body pure and clear) and immanent (all Dharma cannot be different\nfrom the nature). Only when one can enlighten into the transcendental from\neverything here and now, at the same time being not different from everything,\nand completely enlighten everything is just no other than the magical application of\nthe nature, can one go into the world or renounce the world at one’s will, get the\nsubstance and its application, integrate the matter with its principles, and have one’s\nfeet firmly planted on the ground.”2"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "8.3    Chinese Chan Buddhism Did Not Worship Images,\n       Rather Abused the Buddhas and Berated the Masters,\n       but Claimed “One Who Is Enlightened in One Thought\n       Is a Buddha”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Indian Buddhism cannot keep from the influence of Indian culture which strongly\nmarked the character of mysticism, especially after Shakyamuni Buddha. For\nexample, there are so-called twenty-eight heavens and eighteen hells, attached to\nwhich are adjacent heavens or hells, and there are also innumerous Buddhas and\nBodhisattvas who have supernatural powers. Certainly all these are influenced by\nIndian traditional culture. Even the much simpler Indian Chan which is considered\nas “transmitted beyond teaching” is still of mystical character. It is said that all 28\nmasters of Indian Chan have so-called six supernatural powers: (1) the power of\ndivine audition, (2) the power of divine vision, (3) the power of awareness of the\nminds of others, (4) the power of the knowledge of previous lifetimes, (5)\nunimpeded bodily action, and (6) the power of the extinction of contamination.\nEven four meditative states—“The Four Meditation Heavens”—Indian Chan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2\n  Yin-shun: The History of Chinese Chan Buddhism (in Chinese), Taipei, Taiwan: Zheng-wen\nPress, 1987, p. 375.\n\f94                                8 Immanence and Transcendence in Chinese Chan Buddhism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "practiced are also very mystical. Chinese Chan Buddhism after Huineng is very\ndifferent. Huineng said: “my mind inherently has a Buddha in it; and the inner\nBuddha is the real Buddha” (Platform Sutra). Based on this, Chan Buddhism was\nagainst supernatural powers and worshiping images. Wu-deng-hui-yuan records:\nDao-ying (?–902) “built a house nearby a place called San-feng, and did not go to\nhall for a couple of weeks. Dong-shan (807–869) asked him: ‘why didn’t you go to\nhave meals recently?’ Dao-ying said: ‘a heavenly god served the food everyday.’\nDong-shan told him: ‘I thought you are a man, but still have this kind of idea. Come\nto my place at night.’ Dao-ying came to Dong-shan’s place at night. Dong-shan\ncalled his name: ‘Dao-ying!’ Dao-ying replied. Dong-shan said: ‘if you neither\nthink of good nor think of bad, then what leaves?’ Dao-ying came back and sat\nsilently. Since then Dao-ying couldn’t find the heavenly god any more. After"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3 days, there was completely no such thing in Dao-ying’s idea” (Vol. 13). The\npoint Dong-shan criticized Dao-ying lies in how could a man like Dao-ying believe\nthese mystical supernatural powers. What is the meaning of “neither think of good\nnor think of bad”? This is the teaching from Huineng that one should never attach to\nthose things created by one’s imagination. It is recorded in Chan-zong-zhuan\n[A Biography of Chan Buddhism]: “Hui-ming asked the Dharma from Huineng.\nHuineng said: ‘You should shut out all desires and not conceive a single thought of\ngood or bad.’ Hui-ming did what Huineng told him to do. Huineng told him: ‘When\nyou neither think of good nor think of bad, what is your original face?’ At these\nwords, Hui-ming was greatly enlightened and said to Huineng with his deep\ngratitude: ‘I am like a man who takes a drink of water and knows for himself\nwhether it is cold or warm.’” The so-called a heavenly god served the food was just"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "an illusion of Dao-ying; once he became aware, the illusion disappeared and the\nheavenly god couldn’t be found any longer. A man is essentially a man and has his\noriginal appearance; therefore, everything has to count on the man himself and does\nnot need any help from the extrinsic transcendental powers at all. In Platform Sutra\n(Qi-song Edition), there is a verse called Wu-xiang-song [Verse on Freedom from\nForms]:\n     When the mind is even, why bother to keep precepts?\n     When action is straightforward, what’s the need to practice meditation?\n     If you are grateful, you take care of your parents respectfully;\n     If you are dutiful, above and below are mentally sympathetic.\n     If you are deferential, high and low harmonize amicably;\n     If you are tolerant, myriad evils cause no disturbance.\n     If you can drill wood and produce fire,\n     You will produce red lotuses from the mud.\n     Harsh words are clearly good medicine;\n     If it offends the ear, it’s surely faithful speech."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Reform your errors, and you will develop wisdom;\n     Defend your faults, and you betray an unsound mind.\n     Always practicing altruism in your daily life;\n     Attaining the Way does not come from donating money.\n     Enlightenment is only to be sought in the mind;\n     Why bother seeking mysteries outside?\n     Hearing my explanation, practice on this basis,\n     And the Heaven is right before your eyes.\n\f8.3 Chinese Chan Buddhism Did Not Worship Images, Rather Abused. . .               95"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This verse not only denies the existence of the extrinsic mystical powers but also\ndenies the existence of so-called Heaven and Hell, believing one should live in the\nreal life ordinarily and responsibly, and by means of one’s own Buddha nature\n(immanent essential nature) in the life here and now can one become a Buddha. It is\njust as Da-hui (1089–1163) said: “Dharma of secular world is Buddha Dharma and\nvice versa” (Da-hui-pu-jue-chan-shi-yu-lu, Vol. 27).\n    It is recorded in Wu-deng-hui-yuan: Tian-ran (739–824) “met a bitter cold\nweather when visiting Hui-lin Temple, so he burned a wood Buddha statue for\nwarmth. The head of the temple bawled him out: ‘Why did you burn my wood\nBuddha?’ Tian-ran prodded the ashes with his staff and said humorously: ‘I am\nlooking for sharira [relics] by burning it.’ The head retorted: ‘how can a wood\nBuddha statue have sharira [relics]?’ Tian-ran laughed: ‘Now that it doesn’t have\nsharira [relics], take two more statues and burn them’” (Vol. 5). A wood Buddha"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "statue is an image; how could it have Buddha sharira [relics]? Burning a wood\nBuddha is only burning a wood-made statue. The denial of the image in his mind is\nthe realization that “my mind inherently has a Buddha in it; and the inner Buddha is\nthe real Buddha.” Lin-ji climbed up into the loft of Xiong-er Tower, and the guard\nof the tower asked him: “do you prostrate yourself first before the Buddhas or first\nbefore masters?” Lin-ji said: “neither of them” (Jing-de-chuan-deng-lu, Vol. 12).\nChan masters paid no respect to the Buddhas and masters at all and even abused the\nBuddhas and berated the masters. De-shan said: “there are neither Buddhas nor\nmasters down here. Bodhidharma is an old foul foreigner, Shakyamuni Buddha is a\npile of dried dung, and Bodhisattva Manjusri and Samantabhadra are men who\ncarry the dung” (Wu-deng-hui-yuan, Vol. 7). As Chan Buddhism sees, everyone is\noriginally a Buddha himself, and elsewhere can a Buddha be found? What are"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "abused and berated are nothing but the images in one’s mind, the worship of which\nwould certainly obstruct the development of one’s essential nature. It is recorded in\nJing-de-chuan-deng-lu: “someone asked Huai-hai (720–814): ‘What is Buddha?’\nHuai-hai retorted: ‘Who are you?’” (Vol. 6). In the same book, it is also recorded:\n“Ling-xun just came to study with Gui-zong, and asked Gui-zong: ‘What is\nBuddha?’. . .Gui-zong said: ‘Just you are’” (Vol. 10). Everyone by himself is a\nBuddha. How can one ask “what is Buddha?” By asking “what is Buddha,” one is\nsearching Buddha outside of one’s mind. Nevertheless, one should not attach to this\nidea of becoming a Buddha. Huang-bo said: “if you will conceive of a Buddha, you\nwill be obstructed by that Buddha!” (Wan-ling-lu [Recorded Sayings in Wan-Lin]).\nIf one bears the idea of becoming a Buddha in one’s mind constantly, one cannot\nlive naturally and obstructs himself from becoming a Buddha by this searching."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A monk asked Dong-shan when he was weighing some flax: “What is Buddha?”\nDong-shan said: “This flax weighs three pounds” (Wu-deng-hui-yuan, Vol. 15).\nA monk asked Ma-zu: “What is the intention of Bodhidharma to come to China?”\nMa-zu struck him and said: “If I don’t strike you, those who know would laugh at\nme” (Jing-de-Chuan-deng-lu, Vol. 6). Dong-shan gave a reply far from the mark in\norder to break down the attachment of becoming a Buddha, and Ma-zu even tried to\nprevent the searching of extrinsic Buddhist Dharma, because as Ma-zu saw, “you\nall should believe that your essential mind is the Buddha, and right this mind is the\n\f96                            8 Immanence and Transcendence in Chinese Chan Buddhism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mind of Buddha” (ibid.). This is the essential spirit of Chan Buddhism, as it is said\nin Platform Sutra: “Buddhahood is actualized within your own nature; do not seek\nit outside the body. If your own nature is confused, a Buddha is an ordinary person;\nif your own nature is awakened, every ordinary person is a Buddha.”\n    As we have discussed above, we can see that the central thoughts or fundamental\nsubject of Chinese Chan Buddhism is “witnessing the mind and seeing the nature”\nand “seeing the nature and becoming a Buddha.” The fundamental concepts used in\nPlatform Sutra are “mind” and “nature.” “Mind” is also called “one’s own mind”\n(zi-xin), “the essential mind” (ben-xin), “one’s own essential mind” (zi-ben-xin),\netc. “Nature” is also called “own nature” (zi-xing), “the essential nature” (ben-\nxing), “Dharma nature” ( fa-xing), “one’s own Dharma nature” (zi-fa-xing), etc.\n“Mind” and “nature” have quite similar meaning and both refer to the subjective in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "everyone’s immanent life. They are originally pure and empty, but transcend the\nphenomenal world; at the same time, their activities can appear as all kinds of\ndifferent things. As Platform Sutra says: “The extent of mind is vast as space. . .the\nemptiness of physical space contains the colors and forms of myriad things, the sun,\nthe moon, and stars, the mountains, oceans, rivers, and lands, the springs and valley\nstreams, the grasses, trees, and forests, bad people and good people, bad things and\ngood things, heaven and hell—all are within space. The emptiness of the essential\nnature of people in the world is also like this.” It also says: “The essential nature of\nhuman beings is originally pure. All things come from the essential nature; when\nyou think about all evil things, it produces bad behaviors; when you think about all\ngood things, it produces good behaviors. Thus all things are in your own nature, and\nyour own nature is always clear.” Good and bad, Heaven and hell, the mountains,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "rivers, and lands, the grasses, trees, insects and fishes, and so on—all are realized\nfrom your own nature by means of “thinking” (si-liang) function of “the mind.” The\nappearance of everything cannot deviate from “the own nature,” just as everything\nis within space. If one’s “mind” is confused, one cannot see “one’s own nature”,\nhence only an ordinary person; if one’s mind is always clear, one “sees the nature”\nand becomes Buddha or Bodhisattva. It is said in Platform Sutra: “My mind\ninherently has a Buddha in it; and the inner Buddha is the real Buddha. If there\nwere no Buddha-mind, where would we look for the real Buddha?”\n    As Chan Buddhism sees, one’s own nature (or one’s own mind) is originally a\nvast space without anything, and it is not a deathly stillness, but rather it can “think”\nand everything comes from this “thinking.” If this activity of “thinking” goes\nwithout any trace, it lays no influence on one’s “own nature,” and one’s own nature"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "can always stay in the clear state. “One’s own nature always clear” is just like the\nsun and the moon always shining, only that sometimes they are covered by clouds,\nand appear dim when seen from the ground so that one cannot see the original face\nof the sun and the moon. If a sudden wind of wisdom (suggests the instruction\nand inspiration of a good knowing adviser) blows off the clouds or mists, the always\nshining sun and moon would appear naturally. It is said in Platform Sutra:\n“The nature of worldly people is always drifting, like the clouds in the sky. Wisdom\nis like the sun, insight is like the moon: knowledge and insight are always light,\nbut when you fixate on objects outside, you get your own essential nature covered\n\f8.3 Chinese Chan Buddhism Did Not Worship Images, Rather Abused. . .                              97"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "by the drifting clouds of errant thoughts, so you cannot have light and clarity. If you\nmeet a spiritual benefactor and hear truly authentic teaching, you get rid of\nconfusion so that inside and outside are thoroughly clear, and myriad things appear\nwithin your own essential nature.” A good knowing adviser can only inspire\nsomeone, but whether one can be enlightened or not counts on oneself. “What is\nmeant by liberating yourself through your own essential nature? That means the\nbeings in false views, afflictions and ignorance are liberated by accurate insight.\nOnce you have accurate insight, you get the prajna [wisdom] to break through the\nbeings in folly and delusion, so each one is self-liberated” (Platform Sutra).\n   The phrase “Buddha nature” appeared only a few times in Dung-huang edition\nof Platform Sutra, but many times in its Zong-bao edition. “Buddha nature”\nmentioned in two places of Platform Sutra is quite important: one is the verse"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Huineng composed when he studied with his master: “Buddha nature is always\nclear,” another is when Huineng answered the question of Governor Wei, he said\n“building temples, charity, sustaining, etc.. . .haven’t any virtue actually,” and\n“virtue lies in dharmakaya [truth body], not in field of merit; one’s own Dharma\nnature is the inside virtue and honesty is the outside virtue. While one sees the\nBuddha nature inside, one will naturally hold in reverence outside.” The first place\nshows that the essence of “Buddha nature” that has the same quality as “own\nnature” is “always clear”; hence, so-called Buddha nature is “one’s own nature,”\nwhich is the essential nature of human being and the subjective in everyone’s\nimmanent life. The second place shows that “Buddha nature” is “one’s own Dharma\nnature” which is also the immanent essence in everyone. Based on the ideas above,\nChan Buddhism established its theory of “witnessing the mind and seeing the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nature” and “seeing the nature and becoming a Buddha.” “Witnessing the mind\nand seeing the nature” tells that if one can realize one’s own essential mind, one can\nrealize that “one’s own nature is always clear”; attaining “one’s own nature always\nclear” means the revelation of the immanent essential nature as the transcendental\nBuddha nature. Hence, it is true that “witnessing the mind and seeing the nature,\nattaining the Way of Buddhahood by oneself” lie in “the wisdom is accomplished\nwhen enlightening.”\n   In that case how can one “witness the mind and see the nature”? Chan Buddhism\npointed out a direct and simple practicing method that they established, that is,\n“freedom from thought as the source, freedom from form as the substance, and\nfreedom from fixation.” It is said in Platform Sutra:\n   Since time immemorial this school of ours has first established freedom from thought as the\n   source, freedom from form as the substance, and freedom from fixation as the basis."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Freedom from form means detachment from forms in the midst of forms. Freedom from\n   thought means having no thought in the midst of thoughts. As for freedom from fixation,\n   while the basic nature of humanity is in the midst of the world, with good and bad, beauty\n   and ugliness, enmity and familiarity, words and speech, offense and attack, deception and\n   contention, one considers it all empty and does not think of retaliation, not thinking about\n   the objects in the surroundings. If thought after thought, previous, present, and subsequent\n   thoughts, go on uninterrupted, this is called bondage. When thought after thought does not\n   dwell on things, then there is no bondage. Thus freedom from fixation is basic.\n\f98                            8 Immanence and Transcendence in Chinese Chan Buddhism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Freedom from form” means no attachment to any phenomenon (detachment\nfrom form), because ordinary people always attach the phenomena as the substance.\nFor example, one may think that by sitting in meditation, one can become a Buddha,\nwhich is certainly attached to sitting in meditation; one may think that by worship-\ning Buddhas, one can become a Buddha which is certainly attached to the worship-\ning Buddhas; all these are “taking form and attaching to it.” “Taking form and\nattaching to it” can obstruct the own nature just as the clouds and mists can cover\nthe bright empty sky. When one “detaches from appearances while in the midst of\nappearances,” one can suddenly see the original clearness of the body of nature, just\nas the clouds and mists are blew off and the bright clean empty space is revealed.\nTherefore, freedom from form not only means no attachment to any phenomenon\nbut also means detachment to appearances and revelation of “one’s own nature"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "always clear.” It is said in Platform Sutra: “If you can be detached from forms and\nappearances, then the substance of nature is pure. Thus freedom from form is the\nsubstance.” “Freedom from fixation” means one’s own nature originally has no\nfixation thought by thought, that is, the previous, present, and subsequent thoughts\nare consecutive, and if once dwelling on one object, it is not going on uninterrupted\nbut fixing on every thought; hence, “the mind” is “bound.” “When the mind does\nnot dwell on things, the mind is fluid. If the mind dwells on things, the mind is\nbound” (Platform Sutra). If the mind is not dwelling on everything, once a thing has\ngone, it has gone and left no trace; it is like a wild goose flying across the vast sky\nthat leaves no trace at all and also like a white screen on which a movie is projected\nfor viewing; once the movie ends, nothing is left in the screen; only by this can one\nnot be bound by anything. Hence, one should regard “freedom from fixation as the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "basis.” “Freedom from thought” does not mean “not thinking of anything at all, and\nget rid of all thoughts entirely” (ibid.), but when getting in touch with objects, the\nmind is not affected by the external objects, that is, “the mind does not arouse over\nobjects” (ibid.). “Thought” is the function of the mind, and what the mind faces is\nthe external objects. Ordinary people’s thoughts arouse over the external objects; if\nthe objects are nice, thoughts arouse over them and cling to them; on the contrary,\nthoughts again arouse and get angry. Therefore, the “thoughts” of ordinary people\njust arouse along with the objects and move in accordance with the objects, and the\n“thoughts” of this kind are “erroneous thoughts,” always drove by the objects\nwithout freedom. “When the mind is not influenced by objects” (ibid.), one could\nnot be disturbed by the external world, and although one lives in the secular world,\none is still not defiled and contaminated but comes and goes at ease, always"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "has one’s own clear nature, and attains the Buddhahood by oneself. “Freedom\nfrom form,” “freedom from fixation,” and “freedom from thought” discussed\nabove are the function of the only mind, and the difference between the ignorant\nand the awakened just lies in one thought; hence, attaining the Buddhahood should\nrely on the sudden enlightenment.\n   According to the discussion above, we may conclude as follows:\n   First, the reason why Chinese Chan Buddhism belongs to Chinese traditional\nthoughts, distinguishable from Indian Buddhism lies in its “immanent\ntranscendence” which is also the characteristic of Chinese Confucian and Taoist\n\f8.3 Chinese Chan Buddhism Did Not Worship Images, Rather Abused. . .               99"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "philosophy. The reason why it could deeply influence Neo-Confucianism of Song\n(960–1279) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties (especially Universal Mind School of\nLu-Wang) also lies in the “immanent transcendence” of its thought. It is said that\nthe quest of Confucian thought with the characteristic of “immanent transcendence”\nis morally ideal personality which transcends “the self” and becomes “a saint,” the\nquest of Taoist philosophy with the characteristic of “immanent transcendence” is\nthe spiritually absolute freedom which transcends “the self” and becomes “an\nimmortal,” and then the quest of Chinese Chan Buddhism being characteristic of\n“immanent transcendence” is a mystical state in momentary eternity which tran-\nscends “the self” and becomes “a Buddha.” On this point, Chan Buddhism still has\nsome smack of religion.\n   Second, although Chan Buddhism still has some smack of religion, by virtue of\nreleasing all extrinsic bondage such as chanting scriptures, sitting in meditation,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "worshiping Buddha, etc., it is bound to contain the implication of denying itself as a\nreligion. That is to say, the secularization of Chan Buddhism makes itself an\nunreligious religion influencing China, and it leads people to realize the purpose\nof transcending the reality in the real life by denying the supernatural concepts\nof Heaven and hell, suggesting the secular spirit of “Dharma of secular world is\nBuddha Dharma and vice versa.”\n   Third, as a religion, Chan Buddhism not only breaks all rules of traditional\nBuddhism, but also believes that it relies not on extrinsic power but rather on the\nimmanent self-awareness of Chan masters themselves to attain the Buddhahood.\nTherefore, it transforms a religion with the characteristic of “extrinsic transcen-\ndence” into an unreligious religion with the characteristic of “immanent transcen-\ndence,” turns the direction from renouncing the world to going into the world, and\nhence avoids the inclination of duality. Whether or not this transformation means"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chan Buddhism has some inclination to get out of traditional religious mode. If this\ncan be deduced, certainly it would have important implication to study the history\nof Chan Buddhism for investigating the religions in real social life.\n   Fourth, it is said there was a tradition strongly imprisoning the mind of people in\nChina, and then can we say that there were still some resources to be appealed to for\nbreaking everything imprisoning the mind of people? If there were such resources,\nChan Buddhism must be an important one of them. Chan Buddhism denies all\nextrinsic bondage, breaks all attachments, removes the traditional and realistic\nauthority, and lets everything listen to the essential mind; it is in this sense that\none can be the master of oneself. This open-mindedness is very valuable in feudal\ndespotic society in China and deserves our attention. Of course, Chan Buddhism\nthereby built the authority centered by the immanent subjective of the “self” and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "made up the infinite transcendental power of the “self,” and in turn one could again\nbe bound by the immanent subjective of the “self,” and this probably is an\ninextricable contradiction to Chan Buddhism.\n   Fifth, the ideological system of Chan Buddhism with the characteristic of\n“immanent transcendence” is of obvious subjectivism, and inevitably leads to the\n\f100                           8 Immanence and Transcendence in Chinese Chan Buddhism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "denial of any objective criterion and validity, which is a disadvantage to the\ninvestigation of the extrinsic world and establishment of objective valid social\nsystem and legal order, and has defects in the investigation of ultimate care of the\nuniverse and human life. Therefore, we may suggest an issue: is it possible to build\na better philosophical system which contains the thought with the characteristic of\n“immanent transcendence” and the thought with the characteristic of “extrinsic\ntranscendence?” I think this issue deserves attentions in the development of\nChinese philosophy.\n    Sixth, if it is possible to build a Chinese philosophical system which contains the\nthoughts of both “immanent transcendence” and “extrinsic transcendence,” then\nis it possible to find the resources of “extrinsic transcendence” within Chinese\ntraditional philosophy itself? I think Chinese traditional philosophy has this kind of\nresources. There are two aspects in the thought of Confucius: on the one hand, he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "advocated the idea “human-heartedness is something that must have its source in\noneself” (Analects, 12.1) and “it is man that can make the Way great, and not the\nWay that can make man great” (Analects, 15.29) which can be considered as the\naspect of “immanent transcendence”; on the other hand, he insisted that one should\n“fear the will of heaven, fear great men, and fear the word of the divine sages”\n(Analects, 16.8), which can be considered as the aspect of “extrinsic transcendence”\nor at least a suggestion of it. Later Confucianism has developed the former aspect\nwhile leaving the later one undeveloped at all. Is it possible to build a Chinese\nphilosophical system which contains the thoughts being both “immanent tran\nscendence” and “extrinsic transcendence” from the direction of Confucius by\ndeveloping and combining both aspects of Confucius’ thoughts? In my opinion, it\nis an issue that deserves our study. There was another philosopher—Mo-zi, born"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "shortly later than Confucius—whose philosophy features “extrinsic transcen-\ndence.” Mo-zi’s philosophy includes two interrelated parts: “all-embracing love”\nbeing human spirit and “the will of Heaven” being religious. It seems that there is a\nlittle bit of contradiction between the two parts, but actually “all-embracing love” is\nthe fundamental principle of “the will of Heaven”; therefore, “the will of Heaven”\nis the kernel of Mo-zi’s thoughts. Mo-zi’s “the will of Heaven” means “Heaven” has\nwills which are the supreme and ultimate standard to judge everything, can reward\nthe good and punish the bad, and are the transcendental power outside of human or,\nwe may say, are of obvious “extrinsic transcendence.” Therefore, the later Mohist\nSchool suggested a scientific view and had the thought of logic and epistemology,\nbut it is a pity that these thoughts were left undeveloped after the Warring States\n(403–221 B.C.) in China. Is it possible to use Mohist thought as resources to build a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese philosophical system which contains the thoughts of both “immanent\ntranscendence” and “extrinsic transcendence”? I think it is also an issue we can\nstudy.\n\fChapter 9\nThe Introduction of Indian Buddhism\ninto China: A Perspective on the Meaning\nof Studies in Comparative Philosophy\nand Comparative Religion"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here I do not intend to analyze or study the entire history of the introduction of\nIndian Buddhism into China; rather, I wish simply to investigate the relationships\nwhich existed between Buddhism, after it was introduced into China in the period of\nthe Wei, and Jin, and the North and South dynasties, and the previously existing\nideologies and cultures in China at the time, and to illustrate thereby the meaning of\nstudying comparative philosophy and comparative religions.\n\n\n9.1     The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China\n        and the Popularization of the School of Prajna\n        Teachings [bo-re xue] in the Wei and Jin Periods\n\n9.1.1    The Beginnings of Buddhism in China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.1.1    The Beginnings of Buddhism in China\n\nThere are diverse theories regarding the timing of the introduction of Buddhism\nfrom India to China. There is, however, a general consensus that the introduction\nof Buddhism commenced with the dispatching of an envoy to the lands of the\nWest by Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty during his reign of Yongping\n(58–75 A.D.) to seek the Buddhist teachings. According to even earlier legends, the\nemissary Zhang Xian, who had been sent to the Western lands, heard of the\n\n\n\n\nTang Yijie, “On the Significance to Study Comparative Philosophy and Comparative Religion\nthrough the Study on the Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China.” Zhexue Luncong\n[Collection of Philosophical Discourses], no. 8, August, 1983, pp. 272–301.\nConfucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture, 1991: 89–137"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                         101\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_9\n\f102                       9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "teachings of foutu (Buddha) and had been commissioned by the monarch of\nDarouzhi to preserve and transmit the teachings of the futu jing (Buddha’s classic\nor sutra). Even disregarding this, I am convinced that the introduction of Buddhism\ninto China predated the dispatch of the imperial envoy during the Yongping reign to\nseek out Buddhist teachings. In the eighth year of the reign of Yongping, Emperor\nMingdi decreed that those criminals who had incurred the death penalty might\natone for their crimes by offering jian cloth to the state and thus escape the\nexecution of their sentences. Prince Ying, a brother to Mingdi, sent in 30 bales of\njian, whereupon the emperor issued the following explanatory edict:\n   Prince Ying of Chu has been reciting the refined teachings of Huang and Lao [Huangdi, or\n   the Yellow Emperor, and Laozi (Lao Tzu) are together revered as the founders of the Daoist\n   school of philosophy, and particularly of its so-called Esoteric or Immortal school—Tr.]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and has worshiped at the benevolent shrine of Buddha. He has undertaken to cleanse\n   himself and has fasted for three months, observing his vows to the gods. [In the Chinese\n   Buddhist contexts, fasting does not necessarily mean abstinence from food altogether but\n   usually refers to the assumption of an exacting vegetarian diet avoiding the taking of life,\n   which is known as zaijie—Tr.] He has repented and should be considered to have expiated\n   any crime he may have perpetrated or any suspicions he may have provoked. He is now, by\n   way of atonement, submitting his property to add to the grand fete of the Upasaka\n   [Buddhist disciples] and to the glory of the temples of Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fact that Prince Ying worshiped Huangdi, Laozi (Lao Tzu), and Buddha at\nthe same time and in the same fashion tells us that Buddhism certainly already had\nbeen introduced into China for quite some time prior to the eighth year of the\nYongping reign. Therefore, it would be quite late to take the sending of the imperial\nenvoy to seek out Buddhist teachings during the reign of Yongping to be the point\nof beginning of the introduction of Buddhism into China. Still, although Buddhism\nwas not introduced into China after that event, it would perhaps be generally correct\nto say that it was only during, or even after, the reign of Yongping that Buddhism\nbecame a religion of some influence in China. After its introduction into China,\nBuddhism did not attain the height of its influence until the Eastern Jin Dynasty,\nmeanwhile undergoing several significant stages of propagation and evolution.\n    During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism was propagated in China as one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of several Daoist practices [daoshu] popular at the time. Daoist teachings and\npractices had gained great currency since the beginning of the Western Han\nDynasty and remained in vogue throughout the two Han dynasties. At that time,\nall Daoist practices, whether the [philosophical] teachings of Huangdi and Laozi\n(Lao Tzu) or the sorcerous practices of the magicians, were indifferently known as\ndaoshu [Daoist practices or techniques]. The techniques practiced and taught by the\nmagicians covered a very wide area: worshiping at shrines and temples, ancestral\nworship, ways to immortality and longevity, and such methods as jiushi [long\nvision]. According to the Fangshu zhuan [Biographies of the Magi] in Hou Han\nshu [History of the Later Han Dynasty], at that time, many people studied diverse\nthings and the teachings of many schools such as “Numbers of Steps according to\nthe Yin and Yang,” “The Writings of He and Luo” [Huang He, or Yellow River,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and the Luo River], “The Tortoise and Dragon Graphs,” “The Methods of Ji Zi,”\n“The Book of Wei [Latitudes] and Hou [Seasons],” “The Talismanic Graphs of the\nDecision of the Bells,” and “The Book of Shi Kuang,” as well as such techniques as\n\f9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .                  103"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wind Horn,” “Transmutation and Transportation,” “The Seven Ways,” “Cardinal\nand Primal Breathing,” “The Seven Divisions of the Six Days,” “Divination\nfor Chance Encounters,” “Omen of the Day,” “Firmness and Singularity,”\n“Instantaneity,” “Solitude and Emptiness,” and so on. The following passage explains\nthe reason for this proliferation of these Daoist practices and methods at that time:\n   In the Han dynasty, since Emperor Wudi turned his favor toward the methods and crafts of\n   the Daoists, scholars throughout the land who possessed the least learning on those subjects\n   could not afford to miss taking advantage of the situation; they converged upon the royal\n   court, each with his books and with his hands clasped together [in the sign of salutation].\n   Thereafter, Wang Mang [The ‘usurper’ who dethroned the Han emperor and founded the\n   short-lived Xin dynasty from 8 to 23 A.D.—Tr.] usurped the throne by falsely assuming the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mandate under the guise of receiving talismans for that effect secretly. Later on, Emperor\n   Guangwudi [25–57 A.D.] was found to be fond of portents and oracles and believed in them.\n   Thus the scholars who had learned to be attentive to the fashions and ways of the times strove\n   to compete with one another on the field of these techniques and practices and ideas.\n   Whenever they could, they would bring their crafts to the attention of His Majesty and\n   would debate about the validity and relative virtues of these things whenever they could."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to the records of the day, “Huang-Lao” and Buddha were equally\nregarded as Daoist techniques. In the ninth year of the reign of Yanxi of Emperor\nHuandi (166), Xiang Kai memorialized the emperor, saying:\n   We hear that shrines for Huang-Lao and for Buddha have been erected in the palace. These\n   teachings exhort people to purity of mind and tranquillity of the soul; they place inaction\n   and quietude at the top of their list of values; they emphasize the value of life and abhor\n   killing; they exhort people to restrain their desires and purge themselves of extravagant\n   ways. But Your Majesty is shorn neither of desire nor extravagance, and your habits of\n   killing and punishing people have extended beyond the bounds of reason. Since you\n   violated their way, how can you expect to receive their mandate?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Even the disciples of Buddhism referred to their own teachings as the craft of the\ndao (tao) [Way]. In Li Huo Lun [Discourse on the Disposition of Error], Mouzi\nwrote, “There are ninety-six types of people adhering to the teaching of Dao; of\nthese, none is as great as or is more exalted than the teachings of Buddha.” The\nSishi’er Zhang Jing [Sutra of Forty-two Chapters] [a sutra often attributed to\nKasyapa Matanga and Gobharana, the first Indian monks to “officially” arrive in\nChina as envoys from a Buddhist state—Tr.] also referred to its own teachings as\nfodao [or, Way of Buddha]. Furthermore, the Buddhist teachings at that time\ncontained elements which coincided with, or bore resemblances to, the Chinese\nDaoist teachings—for example, when it taught:\n   Arhan [worthy men, or saints] are beings which can fly and are capable of transformation;\n   their longevity is the kalpa [age] that is past, and they live and move throughout the heaven\n   and the earth (Chapter 1 of the Sishi’er Zhang Jing) and:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "those who have learned the Way should purge their minds of impurities and they shall\n   instantly become pure and clean. (Chapter 35)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At such times, the Buddhist sutra came very close to the “immortality teachings” of\nthe Huang-Lao school of Daoism (Taoism).\n   At that time, the principle contents of Buddhist teachings were such things as\n“the imperishability of the spirit, or soul,” yin-guo [causes and effects as the basic\nmethod of understanding the development of things] and baoying [retribution].\n\f104                       9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For example, in the book Hou Han Ji [The Chronicles of the Later Han Dynasty],\nYuan Hong wrote:\n   [Buddhism] also posits that when the person dies the spirit does not perish but would\n   subsequently take on new form. For all one’s deeds in life, whether good or evil, there will\n   be retribution. For that reason one must value the performance of good actions and the\n   cultivation of the dao, so as to persist, and continue to persist, in the tempering of the\n   soulspirh, until it arrives at the realm of wuwei [inaction or quietude], and at that point\n   one would become Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was an idea that existed previously in China. In the Chinese form, the idea\nof the imperishability of the soul was expressed in the long held you guei lun\n[theory of the existence of ghosts]. The poem Wen Wang [King Wen] in the Da ya\nsection of Shi Jing [Classic of Odes] described the “presence of the three hou\n[secondary, or humane sovereign spirit] in Heaven” and the ascension to that realm\nof the refined spirits and ghosts [jing ling] [of mortals]. In the chapter Yang sheng\nzhu [Lord Nurturer of Life] in the book Zhuangzi, there was a parable which spoke\nof the “continuation of the flame even though the tinder has expired,” and in the\nchapter Jing shen xun [Exhortation on the Spirit] in Huai Nan Zi, the idea was\nposited that “the form indeed has its limitations, but the spirit does not dissolve.\nTherefore, [the relationship between spirit and form is one in which] something that\nis incapable of dissolving is adapted to something that does dissolve; the result is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that there can be myriad such adaptations; one cannot in any way see these ways of\nchanging and permutation as finite.” It was precisely because of the prevalence of\nthis thought, and in response to it, that opponents such as Huan Tan argued for the\ntheory of “the simultaneous destruction of the form and the spirit,” and Wang\nChong suggested that “when a man dies he is not transformed into a ghost.” These\nlatter were all critiques of the idea of the “imperishability of the soul.” The idea that\nthe imperishability of the spirit or soul itself depended on the exercises of tempering\nand cultivation [in mystical or metaphysical ways] was a concept which also\nalready existed in the tradition of China. As for the ideas of causes and effects\nand retribution, although these theories of Buddhism in general were not entirely\nsimilar to previously existing Chinese theories, the popular forms that they assumed\nduring the Han Dynasty corresponded to certain ideas which the Chinese already"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "held at the time, such as the idea in the Kun Gua [Changes through the Feminine\nSymbol] section of Yi Jing (I Ching) [Book of Changes] which held that “good\nfortune would come to those who performed good deeds, and ill fortune to those\nwho are evil” or that “the family which accumulates good actions will be rewarded\nwith exceedingly great causes for celebration, whereas households which pile up\nevil deeds will have much cause for suffering.”\n    By the time of the transition between the Han and the Wei dynasties, owing to\nthe gradual expansion of Buddhism, more and more Buddhist sutras were translated\ninto Chinese. Translations at the time included both Hinayana [Theravedic, known\nin Chinese as xiao cheng] and Mahayana [da cheng] sutras. Consequently, the\nprocesses by which Buddhism was popularized in China fell into two main\nchannels: the history of the An Shigao school, which belonged to the Hinayana\ncategory, and that of the Zhi-lou-jiacan school, which belonged to the Mahayana"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and emphasized the teaching of prajna [wisdom].\n\f9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .                     105"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.1.2     The An Shigao of Hinayana School"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This emphasized the teachings of dhyana [meditation exercises, in Chinese,\nchan]. In the first year of the reign of Jianhe of Emperor Huandi of the Han Dynasty\n[147 A.D.], An Shigao arrived at Luoyang and began a prolific career in translating\nsutras. [An Shigao was the Chinese name of the Buddhist pandit who went to China\nfrom Parthia or Persia. The name An translates as tranquillity and may have derived\nfrom the monk’s Persian identity, since Parthia was, at the time, and for much of\nChinese history, known to the Chinese as Anshiguo, or land of tranquillity. We have\nno knowledge of the monk’s Persian name—Tr.]\n   The most influential of his translations were the An Ban Shou Yi Jing [Sutra on\nthe Maintenance of Thought by the Practice of Anapana] and the Yin Chi Ru Jing\n[Sutra on Entrance to Truth by Covert Maintenance]. The first described a method\nfor practicing chan, or meditation exercises; it was a book on breathing methods\ndesigned to “keep one’s thoughts in place,” which methods were in some ways"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "similar to the breathing and respiration exercises and techniques espoused by the\nDaoists, and particularly by the School of Immortals. The latter sutra was an\nexposition of the esoteric significance of names and numbers in the Buddhist\ncanons and bore some resemblance to the line-by-line and phrase-by-phrase\nexposition of the classics, a method of scholarship known as zhangju xue. This\nwas practiced in general by many Han Confucianist scholars in their various\nannotations and exegeses of the Confucianist classics, often attempting to find\n“true” meanings that were camouflaged by the words of the scriptures.\n   This methodology in the studying of the Hinayana scriptures continued in the\nAn Shigao school until at least the third generation of his disciples, chief among\nwhom was Kang Hui the Monk [Kang Zeng Hui], who lived during the time of the\nKingdom of Wu [222–280]. This school’s theory of life was fundamentally based\non the concept of yuanqi [original breath]. It maintained that “original breath” was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the same as what the Chinese have called the wu xing [five elements or five agents]\nor the wu yin [Five Negatives of Five Feminine Qualities] [later this was translated\ninto Buddhist terminology as the wu yin, or Five Inward Contents, similar in\nmeaning and identity to the Sanskrit term skandhas, of which there were also\nfive—Tr.]. The Sutra on Entrance to Truth by Covert Maintenance explained the\nwu yin zhong [five yin species] thus:\n   The five yin species make up the body. . .this is similar to the original breath [yuanqi]. . .\n   the original breath contains the escalation and demotion of all things, as well as their\n   establishment and ruin. When it reaches its end it will begin again and will continue to go\n   on through the triloka [Three Realms]; it does not end, but is infinite; that is why it is called\n   the zhong [species, or seed]."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This brand of Buddhism believed that in the beginning, the human being was\nmade up of the accumulation and aggregation of the five yin [elements]; thus the\nSutra on Entrance to Truth by Covert Maintenance translated by An Shigao posited\nthat “yin was the accumulation of all appearances.” The theory of yuanqi [original\n\f106                        9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "breath] had been popular in China since pre-Qin times, and it flourished in the two\nHan dynasties. Moreover, there was an intimate connection between the idea of\noriginal breath and the issue of the form-spirit relationship for it was maintained\nthat whereas form was made up of the chuqi [crude breath], the spirit was the jingqi\n[refined breath]. Such a theory had a great deal of connection with the teachings of\nyangsheng [the cultivation and nourishment of life essence] as espoused by the\nSchool of Immortality.\n    In the book L€ u Shi Chunqiu [Spring and Autumn Classic by Master Lu], the\npoint was made that in order to become immortal and to achieve jiu shi [long vision]\nthe qi, or breath, must circulate without impediment of any kind in the body; only\nthen will the “refined breath [spirit] be rejuvenated everyday and the evil breath\nbe daily abated,” so that “the spirit shall reside at peace within the form and one’s\ndays and years shall be stretched to everlasting.” At that time, the adherents of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the An Shigao school of Buddhism also learned to bring together the ideas of\nthe five yin and yuanqi and claimed that, if one were able to coordinate one’s\noriginal breath well, one’s mind would be tranquil, at ease, and the body would be\nalso free of sicknesses; whereas if the original breath were not well coordinated and\nif the yin and the yang in a person, and the five elements [wuxing], were not\nproperly blended, the body would succumb to illness. The Fo Yi Jing [Buddha’s\nMedical Sutra], translated in the time of the kingdom of Wu by Zhu Luyan and\nZhi Yue, said:\n   In the human body there are four illnesses: one is related to Earth, another to Water, a third\n   to Fire, and a fourth to Wind. As the Wind increases, the qi [breath] arises; as the Fire\n   increases, the heat arises; as the Water increases, the cold would rise; as the Earth increases,\n   the strength [of the person] would wax. It is from these four [basic] illnesses that the four"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "hundred and four illnesses have arisen. Earth belongs to the body, Water to the mouth,\n   Fire to the eyes, and Wind to the ear."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Such sayings bore much resemblance to the medical theories popular during the\nHan Dynasty, in which emphasis was given to the methods of creating a balance or\ncoordination system within the body for the yuanqi. This was seen in terms of the\nneed to orientate the development of the yuanqi in a good or correct direction and\naway from the evil or wrong direction. It was felt that, if the mind and the spirit\nwere tranquil, the person would be able not to generate or create any desires or\nworries and that it was only because the mind and spirit moved or acted, thereby\ngenerating thoughts, that all sorts of worries and troubles were created.\n   As to how all these various worries may be eliminated, the Hinayana school of\nchan or meditation believed that one simply had to nourish the mind and cultivate\nthe spirit, in which the main thing was to “keep thoughts [yi] in their proper place”\n[namely, in the state of nonbeing or the state prior to when thoughts were created]."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The meditation exercises were therefore intended to prevent the generation of\nthoughts or ideas by means of concentrating. The An Ban Shou Yi Jing said,\n“One must maintain one’s mind and keep it in place—i.e., before any thoughts\nhave been generated. Once thoughts are generated the maintenance will have been\n\f9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .                  107"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "broken.” The Chu Jing [Sutra on Abiding in That Which Is Fixed] translated by An\nShigao told the following story:\n   Buddha said to the gathered bhiksu [mendicant disciples]: You must learn to understand all\n   things by sitting in meditation, but you must also learn to be able to speak the words of the\n   Law. Those who cannot do so must block out their vision and screen sounds and learn to\n   keep their minds in place and be good at listening only within themselves. In this way they\n   may find their way [to Enlightenment or Buddhahood]. When the congregated bhiksu heard\n   Buddha make this proclamation, their hearts were glad and understood Buddha’s words,\n   and immediately they found the way to becoming Arhat [saints]."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The method of keeping one’s mind in place was known as an ban [anapana], in\nwhich ana referred to inhalation and pana referred to exhalation. This was similar to\nthe tu na breathing exercises espoused by both the Huang-Lao school and the\nImmortality school of Daoism (Taoism), both of which were popular in the Han\nDynasty. Thus, the An Ban Zhu Xu [Preface to the Annotations on Anapana] written\nby [the monk] Dao An explained: “By anapana we mean exhalation [externalization]\nand inhalation [internalization]” and “One can entrust one’s breath to anapana and\nmaintain, or preserve, simply that which is achieved already.” If one could keep one’s\nmind in place, so the argument went, one’s mind and spirit would become clear and\nserene, and if one’s mind and spirit were clear and tranquil, one would become\nBuddha. Thus, also Kang Hui the Monk said in the An Ban Xu [Preface to Anapana]:\n   He who cultivates anapana has a totally clear mind; if he should raise his eyes, there is no"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "darkness or gloom within the scope of his vision which he may not pierce. . .there is nothing\n   so far away in the distance that he cannot see, no sound so obscure that he cannot hear. His\n   understanding shall encompass the uncertain, the ambiguous appearances, and the false\n   impressions and resemblances; he shall be completely free in his existence; he shall be big\n   enough to contain within himself all that is within the bounds of the Eight Extremes and\n   yet also small enough to penetrate the stem of a hair or a quill. He shall control the heavens\n   and the earth, and stay the progress of time and longevity. His godly characteristics and\n   powers shall be so fierce as to destroy Heaven’s own arms, and he shall have the power to\n   remove the trisahasra [the Three Thousand Things, or All Things] and all the temples on\n   earth. The Eight Unthinking [Non-Thoughts] are unfathomable by even the Brahman, and\n   the Virtuous Character of the God knows no limitations. This is the origin of the six"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "paramitas [methods]."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From the above, it is clear that the Hinayana chan [dhyana, or meditative]\ntechniques espoused by the An Shigao school were certain ideas which had already\ngained popularity in China before that time through the espousal of the Huang-Lao\nschool and the Immortality school in Daoism (Taoism) and that what we have seen\nwas an obvious attempt to use prevalent Daoist techniques [daoshu] to explain and\npopularize Buddhism.\n\n\n9.1.3     The Zhi-lou-jia-qian of Mahayana School\n\nThis system of thought was quite different as its Mahayana teachings emphasized\nprajna [wisdom]. Zhi-lou-jia-qian had a disciple called Zhi Liang and a\nthird-generation disciple called Zhi Qian; together they were known as the\n\f108                       9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Three Zhi’s.” Zhi-lou-jia-qian arrived in Luoyang in the last year of the reign of\nEmperor Huandi [167] and, in 169, translated the Daoxing bo-re boluomi jing\n[Prajnaparamita Sutra on the Cultivation of the Truth]. Later, Zhi Qian retranslated\nthis sutra as the Daming Du Wuji Jing [Sutra on the Transition by Way of the Great\nEnlightenment to Infinite Endlessness]. This system of thought, espoused originally\nby Zhi Qian, emphasized that the fundamental principle of life was to make the\nspirit revert to its original, virginal truth or reality and that life would then conform\nto the dao [or the Way of Natural Things]. With this postulate, the ideas of Laozi\n(Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi exerted a profound influence over this particular school of\nBuddhism.\n   It becomes even more obvious that Zhi Qian’s purpose was to make Buddhism\nconform to the school of Chinese metaphysics which at the time had as its core the\nideas of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi when in the title of his new translation of the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Prajnaparamita sutra he substituted “The Great Enlightenment” or “The Great\nLight” for “prajna.” [Technically, the Sanskrit for the Chinese term ming, meaning\nbrightness or enlightenment, is vidya, and not prajna—Tr.] This reflects the idea\ncontained in the saying in Laozi (Lao Tzu) [or Dao De jing]: “Zhi chang yue ming”\n[To know the constant is Enlightenment]. Also, the translation of “paramita” as du\nwu ji [ferrying across to infinite endlessness] appears to refer to the arrival at the\nrealm of oneness or unity with the dao. [Actually, the term du, meaning to make a\ncrossing or transition, is contained in the Sanskrit term paramita itself, which\nmeans ferrying across and hence saving—Tr.] Therefore, in the annotations\nwhich Zhi Qian made for the first pin [folio] of the Sutra on the Transition by\nWay of Great Enlightenment to Infinite Endlessness, we find the following passage:\n   The teacher [Zhi Qian’s mentor Zhi Liang] said: The Bodhisattva’s mind treads on the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Great Way in order to be able to understand and empathize with the Way. The mind became\n   one with the dao [Way]. This takes no form; that is why it is simply described as the Void."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here, the idea of mind “being one with the Way” seemed to be the same notion as\nthat expressed in Daoism (Taoism) as “[having the spirit] revert no more to the yin\ncorpus [i.e., the dead body], but join the dao (tao) in oneness.” This was described in\nfuller detail later on in the Fo shuo si wen qing jing [sic?]. [There seems to be a\ntypographical error in the Chinese text at this point. We have not been able to\nidentify this particular sutra as it is here presented or even a term in Buddhism\ncorresponding to the phrase si wen qing. Perhaps, the term zi was mistaken for the\ncharacter qing here. In Buddhism, the term si zi qing refers to the so-called four\nself-injuries, i.e., four ways in which people bring damage to their own bodies\nand minds. It is possible that there may have been a sutra on the subject—\nTr. J translated by Fa Hu [Zhu Fahu].] This idea also bore resemblance to the\nnotion of “simultaneously accomplishing the Deed of the Way” [yu dao ju cheng],"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "which was described and proposed by Ruan Ji in his Da Ren Xiansheng Zhuan\n[Biographies of Great Men and Forebears]. The sentence “There is no form;\ntherefore it is described as the Void” is very similar to Laozi’s (Lao Tzu) dictum,\n“The Constant Way has no form.” Therefore, it was understood that the mind and\nthe spirit also have no traceable form.\n\f9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .   109"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to people such as Zhi Qian, the human mind-spirit originated from\nthe Way, and only various post-natural influences [such as temptations of desires\nand appetites] made it impossible for the mind-spirit to return to the state of being\none with the Way. In order to be free of these limitations and trammels, therefore,\nthe mind-spirit must empathize with the Way and must understand it. If the mind-\nspirit was capable of understanding its own original source, it would be able to once\nagain become one with the Way and thus become Buddha. In fact, this uses the\nideas of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi to explain the tenets of Buddhism.\n    During the time of the Wei and Jin dynasties, the metaphysical ontology of the\nxuanxue [Daoist metaphysics] school, which accepted Laozi (Lao Tzu)’s and\nZhuangzi’s ideas as its framework, was very popular. Its main focus was the\nquestions of ben-mo [the relationship between the fundamental and the incidental]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and you-wu [existence and nonexistence]. The ideas of prajna in Buddhist thought\ncame very close to this sort of metaphysical thought. Therefore, at the time, it was\nconvenient and expedient for Buddhist monks to use this sort of Chinese [Daoist]\nmetaphysics to explain Buddhism. The methodology and approach that they\nadopted was a metaphysical method of the xuanxue school which moved gradually\nfrom the principle of geyi [study of meanings] to the principle of de yi wang yan\n[discarding the word when the meaning has been attained] or ji yaii chu yi\n[extrapolating the meaning which originates from, and transcends, the word\nwhich was its temporary abode].\n    One very notable phenomenon of the period was that there were many similar-\nities between the ways in which the great monks of Buddhism perceived things and\nthe way in which the great scholars [of the Daoist metaphysical school] looked at\nthe things of the universe. Moreover, they seemed to take pride equally in being free"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of worldly matters, unconventional, unconfined by normal ethical constraints,\nand “above it all.” While the famous scholars employed the so-called san xuan\n[Three Metaphysical Observations] to develop and promote their xuanxue [Daoist\nmetaphysics], the great monks of the period similarly used the doctrine of san xuan\nto explain the principles of Buddhism. In the Western Jin Dynasty, a renowned\nmonk, Zhi Xiaolong, befriended such great scholars of the day as Ruan Zan and Yi\nKai and became known to the people of the time as Ba da [He Who Reached Far in\nAll Eight Directions]. In the Eastern Jin, Sun Zuo wrote the book Dao xian luti\n[On the Good People in the Dao] in which he compared seven famous monks to the\nlegendary “Seven Scholars of the Bamboo Grove.”\n    At the time, many Buddhist monks became extremely well versed in the\nteachings of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi. It was said in the historical record\nthat the Monk Fahu (Zhu Fahu) “was well-read in all the Six Classics, and has been"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "widely exposed to the teachings of all the Hundred Schools [of the pre-Qin\nperiod].” Furthermore, the Monk Zhi Dun praised the Monk Yu Falan for “having\na comprehensive understanding of the meanings of the xuanxue.” Zhi Xiaolong\nclaimed that he himself “became a free spirit capable of roaming without restriction\n[xiaoyou] when he achieved the goal of paoyi [the Daoist principle of maintaining\nsingularity, or becoming one with and undifferentiated from the Dao] and arrived at\nmie [Nirvana, or extinction] by way of the cultivation of tranquillity.” The Monk\n\f110                       9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dao Qian [Zhu Daoqian] “roamed freely for 30-some years teaching and preaching;\nin some cases he transmitted the teachings of the Vaipulya sutras; in others he\nexplained the doctrines of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi.” The Monk Zhi Dun was\n“fond of the teachings of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi” and annotated the chapter\n“Xiao yao you” [The Roaming of a Free Spirit] in the book Zhuangzi. The Monk\nDao An made a comparison between the [Daoist] doctrines of ke dao [the Way of\nPossibilities] and chang dao [the Constant Way] and the Buddhist doctrine of the\ntwo salya [er li]. [The two satya or two forms of noble statements of the truth sees\ndogma as existing in two forms—or the universal truth as able to be expressed in\ntwo dichotomized ways—one, the samvriiisatya or vulgar and common statement\nin which truths are expressed as if phenomena are real and, two, the paramartha-\nsatya or true statement by the enlightened who has already understood the true"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "unreality and nonexistence of phenomena (Tr.)] When the Monk Hui Guan anno-\ntated the Fa hua jing [Saddharmap-undarika sutra, or Sutra of the Lotus of the\nWonderful Law], he studied the teachings of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi.\nThe Monk Hui Yuan was known also for having “broadly studied the Six Classics,\nand [he] was particularly adept at interpreting the teaching of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and\nZhuangzi.”\n   At the time, the majority of the famous monks preached the doctrine of\nprajna, and, as we have seen already, they were also prone to discuss, if not\nadvocate, the teachings of Lao and Zhuang. Indeed, objectively for the most part,\nthe Buddhist teachings introduced into China from India and other “Western\ncountries” at the time belonged to the prajna school, but there were other factors\nwhich rendered the popularity of the prajna school in China at that time far from\naccidental.\n   In the article Bei nai ye xu [Preface to the Vinaya, or Discipline, Pitaka], the\nMonk Dao An wrote:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monk Dao An wrote:\n   Of the twelve volumes herein collected, the most voluminous is the collection of Vaipulya\n   sutras. This occurs because in this country the teachings of Lao and Zhuang have already\n   gained much headway among the people. [These teachings] are quite similar to the\n   teachings of the fangdeng [vaipulya] sutras; there is much that they share in common.\n   That is why the people have already adapted their behavior and ways of life to the teachings\n   [of our sutras]."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The “vaipulya” teachings belonged to the category of the fangdeng\n[or fangguang, both being the general categorical title given to the Mahayana\nsutras]. The prajna [wisdom] teachings also belonged to the category of fangdeng.\nFrom Dao An’s explanation, we can see that the popularity of the prajna teachings\nin China during the Western and Eastern Jin dynasties had a great deal to do with\nthe influence of Daoist metaphysics or xuanxue. However, even so, the major pin\n[segments] among the prajna sutras, namely, the Fangguang bo-re boluomi jing\n[The Prajna-paramita Sutra Emitting Light] and the Guangzan bo-re boluomi jing\n[The Prajnaparamita Sutra Praising Light], did not become truly popular until the\n\f9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .                    111"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "early years of the Eastern Jin. That is why the Jian bei jing xu [The Account of\nthe Gradual Fulfillment of the Sutras] said:\n   Although the great pin has appeared for some decades, at the time of its appearance the\n   learned people for the most part did not study it or practice it. One wonders why the various\n   masters should have done so?. . .However, this situation has gradually changed, and since\n   [through translation] the major pin has arrived in toto [in China], there is not a single pandit\n   today, of either East or West, who does not make it his career and goal to teach it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Guangzan bo-re boluomi jing was produced in translation by Zhu Fahu in the\nseventh year of the Taikang reign [286], and the Fangguang bo-re boluomi jing was\ntranslated by Zhu Falan in the third year of the reign of Yuankang [291]. Both became\npopular only in the early years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty [i.e., circa 320]. This\npopularity was intimately related to the sociohistorical conditions of the period.\nSince the Wei Dynasty and the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, there had been a\ncontinuous enlargement of the power and influence of the ruling cliques made up of\nthe men fa shizu [grand noble families and gentry clans]. One can say that this\ninfluence reached its peak in the reign of Yuankang [291–299 A.D.] The subsequent\n“rebellion of the Eight Princes,” the invasion of the northwestern minority national-\nities and their domination of the Central Chinese Plains, and the southward move of\nthe royal house and central government of the Jin Dynasty of the Sima family"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "accelerated the degeneration of the ruling cliques. By this time, this ruling power\nstructure had become extremely helpless and pessimistic about its own fate and the\ndestiny of society. It was natural, therefore, that they then turned their attention to the\nproblems of life, death, and liberation of the individual. This was also one of the\nreasons for the increasing popularity of the two religions—Buddhism and Daoism\n(Taoism)—toward the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.\n    A society wherein people are seeking a world which transcends the mundane and\nreal provides a very important context and purpose for the emergence of religions. For\nreligions, they are able to propose to people that solutions can be found in their own\nparticular worlds of fantasy for the many sufferings which exist in such common\nmeasure in the real society where they cannot be resolved, including such problems as\nliving and dying. Buddhism is no exception to this generalization. After the introduc-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tion of prajna Buddhist teachings into China, it remained in a stage of translation until\nthe Eastern Jin Dynasty. That is, the Chinese Buddhist monks had not yet formed their\nown understanding or interpretation of the prajna teachings. In the Eastern Jin,\nhowever, sects and subgroups which represented different understandings of the\nteachings of prajna Buddhism began to emerge. Later, it was as discussions and\nresponses to the schools of prajna teachings which has emerged since the Eastern Jin\nDynasty. The Monk Zhao [Seng Zhao] wrote the Bu zhen kong lun [Treatise on the\nFallacy of the Doctrine of True Nothingness or Nonexistence] to criticize the refute of\nthe three schools, namely, the ben wu [Original Nonexistence or Nothingness] school,\nthe zhi se [identity of appearances] school, and the xiti wu [Nonexistence of the Mind]\nschool; during the Song Dynasty, Tan Ji wrote the treatise Liu jia qi zong lun [On the\nSix Schools and Seven Sects]; and the Monk Jing [Zeng Jing] wrote Shi Xiang Liu Jia"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lun [The Six Schools of the Sect of the Reality of Appearances].\n\f112                         9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We do not propose to spend much time in this essay in discussing in any\ndetail the various prajna teachings popular at that time, but two notable issues\nwere the very questions which had occupied the center of attention in the Daoist\nmetaphysical teachings [xuanxue] of the Wei and Jin periods, namely, the questions\nof ben-mo [relationship between the fundamental and the incidental] and you-wu\n[substance and unreality, or existence and nonexistence]. These were the very same\nquestions posed by the various schools of prajna Buddhism popular at the time.\nIn the following paragraphs, I shall attempt to illustrate this problem by taking, in\nturn, the three schools contradicted and criticized by the Monk Shao in Bu zhen\nkong lun.\n   The meaning of the doctrine of the nonexistence of the mind [xin wu yi].\nIn Bu Zen Kong Lun, the Master Monk Shao wrote:\n   By saying that the mind does not really exist they [the adherent of this doctrine] are actually"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "saying that the mind does not have existence in any thing, but they do not actually say that\n   all things do not really have existence. This doctrine is good in that it leads people toward\n   tranquillity of the spirit, but it is faulty in that it is really things, rather than the mind,\n   that are empty and non-existent."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "According to Ji Kang (Chi Kang), in the Er ti yi [The Meaning of the Two\nStatements]:\n   Those who espouse the dogma of the non-existence of the Mind have for too long taken the\n   truth of this doctrine for granted. Even before the time of the Great Pandita Kumarajiva, and\n   going as far back as to the time of the Masters Dao An and Zhu Fahu, this dogma has\n   existed. Those who speak of the non-existence of the mind cite the sutras, saying: “Those\n   who say that the nature of appearance is empty and non-existent are in fact clear that\n   appearances cannot by themselves be empty and nonexistent but are empty or non-existent\n   in the mind. It is because one can achieve this emptiness of vision [of the mind] that one can\n   say that appearances are non-existent. In the final analysis, however, the appearance\n   cannot be non-existent.” Master Shao dispelled this dogma; he understood its goodness\n   to lay in its exhortation to the tranquillity of the spirit, but he also faulted it for its ignorance"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the fact that it is matter, or things, which are non-existent. To achieve tranquillity of the\n   spirit one must indeed understand the emptiness, or non-existence, of the mind; in this\n   respect the word of that dogma is good, but, in claiming that appearances may not\n   themselves be non-existent, this dogma has exposed its own weakness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idea here is to claim that “the significance of the dogma of the nonexistence\nof the mind” is that “the mind, not the appearances [of matter], is empty and\nnon-existent.” To say that it is not the appearances which are nonexistent is to\nsay that “all things are not [necessarily] non-existent.” In the Tang Dynasty, in his\nannotations to Shao Lun So [Commentary on the Arguments of the Grand Monk\nShao], Yuan Kang wrote, “It [the dogma of the non-existence of the mind] affirms\nthat matter has substance and is not non-existent” and “it did not understand that the\nnature of matter is non-existence; [the Monk Shao] called this its fallacy.” To “not\nunderstand that the nature of matter is non-existence” is to understand the nature of\nmatter as substance or existence—this is an idea that bears much resemblance to the\nthought of Guo Xiang.\n   Although a Daoist metaphysician, Guo Xiang opposed the notion of “taking wu\n[non-existence, or nonbeing] as the point of origin.” He believed that wan you"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .    113"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[all that is or all existence] does not originate from wu [nonexistence] or have\nwu for its original ontological reality. To Guo Xing, you [existence] is the only real\nbeing, and it exists on the basis of the fact that each matter has its own zi xiang\n[particularity of nature of self-nature]. Therefore, he said, “Each matter, or thing,\nhas its nature.” To speak of the nonexistence of the mind would therefore be to\nproject the emptiness, or nonexistence, of the mind into all things. Yuan Kang\nannotated this notion, saying, “[To say that the mind is non-existent] is to say that\none must also not generate a definite, appropriating mind on the basis of matter,\nthis is what is meant by emptiness or non-existence.” This, too, was rather similar to\nthe ideas espoused by Guo Xiang.\n   In annotating and commenting on the seven “inner” chapters of the book\nZhuangzi, Guo Xiang wrote a set of essays which explained, from his viewpoint,\nthe meaning of the title of each of those chapters. In three of these essays, Guo"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "espoused the idea of “the non-existence of the mind [wu xin].” The essay on the\nchapter Ren jian shi [The Interhuman World], for example, said, “Only those who\nhave no existence of the mind and are not self-serving can go wherever the changes\nEead and yet not feel the burdens [of change].” The essay on Da zong shi [The\nGreat Ancestor and Teacher] said, “Out of the great expanse of the universe and the\nrichness of all things, there is only one thing which is worth learning from, and of\nwhich it is worth one’s while to become master, and that is the emptiness, or\nnon-existence, of the mind.” In the essay on the chapter Ying di wang [Response\nof Emperors and Princes], Guo said, “Those who have no existence of the mind and\nhave learned to allow changes and transformation to come whither they will and\nlead whither they will are worthy of becoming emperors and princes of men.”\nAccording to these sayings, it is evident that Guo Xiang believed that the sage has"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "no existence of the mind and simply follows the [natural] course of matter and is\ntherefore capable of “going wherever changes may lead, and feels no burden.”\n   Nonetheless, although we may say that the [Buddhist] doctrine on the nonexis-\ntence of the mind resembles Guo Xiang’s thinking on the subject in many ways, we\nhave no evidence that the doctrine was directly derived from Guo Xiang’s system of\nthought. We can say only that at that time, under the prevailing influence of\nxuanxue [Daoist metaphysics], Buddhism often focused on the same problems on\nwhich this school of xuanxue concentrated.\n   The meaning of the doctrine of the identity of appearances [ji se yi]. It was Zhi\nDun [Zhi Daolin] who advocated the doctrine of the identity of appearances. It was\nsaid that he wrote about twenty essays [on the subject], including the Shi zhi se ben\nwu yi [The Buddha’s Notion of the Identity of Appearances Originating in Noth-\ning], the Ji se you xuan lun [Treatise on the Free Roaming in the Realm of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Metaphysics of the Doctrine of the Identity of Appearances], the Miao guan\nzhang [The Chapter on the Wondrous Vision or Meditation], and the Xiao yao\nlun [Treatise on Free Roaming]. Most of these have been lost and only fragments\nremain. In the segment Wenxue [Literature] in the book Shi shuo xin yu [New\nSpecimens of the Talk of the Times], Zhi Dun’s essay Miao guan zhang [Chapter on\nthe Wondrous Vision or Meditation] was cited in one of the notes, and in this\n\f114                       9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "citation [the article to which it was attached was itself lost], a certain fragmentary\npassage read as follows:\n   The nature of appearances is that appearances do not exist naturally or in and of themselves.\n   Since appearances do not exist naturally or in and of themselves, there are appearances that\n   are kong [empty, or insubstantial]. That is why we say: Appearance [se] is empty, and yet\n   appearance is also separate, or different, from emptiness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Furthermore, in the Shao Lun Shu [Commentary on the arguments of the Grand\nMonk Shao], the Monk Hui Da was quoted as saying:\n   The Master of the Laws [fashi] Zhi Daolin said, in the Ji se lun [Treatise on the Identity of\n   Appearances]: I believe that the saying: “The identity of appearances is emptiness, not that\n   the appearances perish, but that they are empty, or nonexistent” is a most correct statement.\n   (This saying is derived from the text of the Wei mo jing [Vimalakirti nirdesa Sutra].) Why?\n   Because the nature of appearances lies in that appearances are not by themselves naturally\n   appearances. Although they are appearances, they are empty."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The saying that “appearances are not by themselves appearances” meant\nthat physical phenomena do not have their own nature or character [zi xing, or\nself-nature]. The saying, “appearances do not exist by themselves or naturally”\nmeant that there are no supporting materials or substances behind things in the\nnatural state. By “self-nature” [zi xing], we are actually referring to “substance in\nitself” [zi ti] or ontological substance [ben ti]. If things did not have their own\nsubstances, although there are myriad separate and diverse phenomena, they are all\nnot real. This is the reasoning behind stating that “although they are appearances,\nthey are empty”; i.e., although there are myriad diverse phenomena, there is in\nreality not a single true substance. In the time of the Wei and Jin dynasties, the term\nkong [emptiness] was often conceived to be interchangeable with the term wu\n[nonexistence, nonbeing], and xuanxue scholars [metaphysicians] [or adherents of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Buddhist religion who were influenced by the ideas of xuanxue] of the day\noften also argued that kong [emptiness or insubstantiality or unreality] or inter-\nchangeably wu [nonexistence] was the ontological substance of all things. (This,\nfor instance, was the contention of the ben wu yi [Doctrine of the Nonexistence\nof Origin], with which we shall be soon dealing.) Therefore, on the point that it\nmade regarding the absence of ontological substance behind matter, or things, Zhi\nDun’s idea also came very close to the ideas of Guo Xiang.\n    The notion of “the non-existence of substance” [wu-ti] proposed that behind se\n[phenomena or appearances], there is no ontological substance in the kong or wu\n[i.e., the kong (emptiness) or wu (nonexistence) is not actually ontological substance\nfor the se (appearances)]. Although there is phenomenon, there is no ontological\nsubstance, and thus “Appearances are also separate from emptiness.” Since there is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "no ontological substance to appearances, one cannot say that it is only when appear-\nances have perished that they become “empty” [or, revert to emptiness]—hence the\nsaying: “Not that appearances perish, but that they are empty.” From this angle, Zhi\nDun’s Ji se lun [Treatise on the Identity of Appearances] could have been more\nappropriately called the Je se ben wu yi [Doctrine of the Identity of Appearances\nOriginating in Nothing]. From one angle, Zhi Dun’s idea appeared to be quite similar\n\f9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .                     115"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to Guo Xiang’s thought, as when they seemed to hold in common a belief that there\nis no ontological substance behind things. From another facet, however, their ideas\nwere different. Zhi Dun’s belief, as we have seen, was that if things did not have\nontological substance behind them, it meant that things were “empty” to begin with.\n   From the angle of their separate interpretations of the essay, Xiao yao you\n[Free Roaming] in the book Zhuangzi, it becomes even more obvious that there\nwere differences between Zhi Dun’s ideas and Guo Xiang’s thought. According to\nthe “Zhi Dun zhuan” [The Biography of Zhi Dun] in Gao Seng Zhuan [The\nBiographies of the Great Monks]:\n   Liu Xizhi et al., when discussing the chapter Xiao yao bian of the book Zhuangzi, said:\n   “Each must accommodate its own nature and only then can it roam totally freely.” Dun\n   [Zhi Dun] disagreed, saying: “That is wrong. Jie [a tyrant, and last ruler of the Xia Dynasty]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and Qi [a notorious bandit and rebel of the late Spring and Autumn period] are by nature\n   cruel and ruinous. If it were indeed all right, and necessary, for each to accommodate its\n   own nature, would not Jie and Qi also be free roaming now?” On that [Zhi Dun] retired to\n   write his own annotation of the Xiao yao bian."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idea of “each accommodating its own nature and thereby becoming a free\nroaming spirit” was, of course, precisely the dominant thought in Guo Xiang’s own\nannotation and interpretation of the Xiao yao bian. In the prefatorial note of his\ncommentary to this chapter of Zhuangzi in which he laid down his arguments by\nway of explaining the chapter’s title, he said:\n   Although things may differ in size, if they were each placed in its own appropriate place,\n   where it fits the circumstances, each matter would be able to let loose its own nature and\n   each thing will be suited to its ability; each will be in its proper portion, and all things will\n   be equally free to roam. How then can differences be driven between things?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Moreover, the first annotation in Guo Xiang’s annotative commentary on Xiao\nyao you read, in part,\n   Zhuangzi’s general idea was that one must be essentially free to roam and travel totally free\n   of confinements. One must therefore obtain oneself—be independent—by putting oneself\n   in non-action. Therefore the smallest is also the greatest. One must hence understand the\n   principle of fitting one’s nature to one’s portion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From the above, we can see that it was precisely to this idea of Guo Xiang’s that\nZhi Dun objected. What then were Zhi Dun’s own views on “the freely roaming\nspirit”? The full text of his commentary on the Xiao yao bian is no longer extant.\nHowever, a fragment of it was cited by an annotation in the Wenxue [Literature]\nportion of Shi shuo xin yu:\n   Xiaoyao [free roaming] means the fulfillment of the enlightenment of the mind of the\n   Ultimate Man. The Young Master Zhuang established through the Word the Great Way, by\n   putting his ideas into the words of the roc [peng] and the wren [yan]. The roc’s pathway of\n   life is a broad one; to accommodate it he has to lose himself outside of his own body; the\n   wren, on the other hand, is but close to the ground, yet it jeered at that which was far away\n   and high up in the heavens. He had a sense of arrogance and conflict in his own mind.\n   The Ultimate Man rides on the wings of the Propriety of Heaven and is glad; he roams in the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "realm of Infinity and is entirely footloose. To objectify objects and not be objectified by\n   objects is to roam freely and not return to one’s condition; to contain a sense of xuan\n   [the metaphysical principle] and not to engage in action, to move swiftly and yet without\n\f116                        9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "any haste, is to roam freely and be able to go wherever one wishes. That is what is meant by\n   xiaoyao. If one had a desire in one’s mind which has to be met, and if one is content with\n   meeting the desires whose fulfillment meant contentment, then, though one’s happiness\n   may appear similar to natural naivete, it would, in fact, be nothing but like the desire of the\n   thirsty for the contentment of a single drink. How can one lose the sense of luxurious food\n   simply because one has been filled up by one good dinner? Or can we put an end to the\n   reality of the grandeur of the ceremonial wine after we have imbibed some rich quaff? The\n   Ultimate Man does not speak of xiaoyao [free roaming] until he is truly satisfied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was Guo Xiang’s belief that although things differed in magnitude, they were\nequal in terms of the ability to “roam freely” under the principle of “each according\nto its own nature.” From this opinion, Zhi Dun differed. In his point of view,\nwhether or not one was capable of roaming freely depended on one’s perspective.\nIf one could “objectify all objects and not be objectified by objects” [i.e., be in\ncontrol of all things and not be oneself trammeled by things] and “contain a sense of\nxuan [the metaphysical principle] and not engage in action, be swift without being\nin any haste” [i.e., respond objectively to all things and yet not ask, or need,\nanything of things; respond to change but not change oneself], then one would be\ncapable of “free roaming” that is indeed worthy of that description.\n    On the other hand, Zhi Dun believed that if one were to “roam” only to satisfy\nthe requirements of one’s own nature and portion, then it would be nothing more"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "than a hungry man seeking a meal or a thirsty man asking for the gratification of a\ndrink. To him, such low levels of demand and satisfaction cannot be considered\n“free roaming.” Therefore, only that which satisfies the ultimate can be called\n“roaming freely.” Zhi Dun thought of “satisfying the Ultimate” as “riding the\nwings of the Propriety of Heaven” (according to Zhuang zi’s text, the proper\ncitation should have been “the Propriety of Heaven and Earth”) and “being glad,\ntraveling in the realm of Infinity and being completely unconfined.” This meant\nliving in the universe and yet not being limited by the limited world and absolutely\ntranscending of the world of matter and being unconfined, unfettered in thought.\nThat is what he meant when he said, “To roam freely is to attain the full enlight-\nenment of the mind of the Ultimate Man.” In Zhi Dun’s view, “roaming freely”\ndepended solely on the ability of the mind of the Ultimate Man to transcend the\nlimitations of time and space."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "limitations of time and space.\n    Another essay that Zhi Dun wrote, known by the title Ji se you xuan lun [Treatise\non Free Roaming in the Realm of the Metaphysical by the Doctrine of the Identity\nof Appearances], is also no longer extant. It is possible to deduce, however, that it\ncontained a theory which was derived from a combination of his “doctrine of the\nidentity of appearances” [ji se yi] and his doctrine of “free roaming” [xiao yao yi].\nIf the Ultimate Man was able to realize the principle that “appearances are not by\nthemselves appearances” [se bu zi se], then he would be able to “objectify all things\nand not be objectified by them” and to “contain a sense of the principle of the\nmetaphysical and not engage in action, to be swift and yet not in haste”; such a\nperson would “roam freely everywhere and be able to go wherever he wishes.”\nIn other words, such a person’s mind would be fully capable of transcending all\nthe limitations of time and space. Therefore, in Zhi Dun’s view, to become"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .                 117"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Buddha meant, in fact, to roam freely and to become completely unconfined\nby convention—this was precisely the same goals which the xuanxue [Daoist\nmetaphysics] scholars strove to achieve. From this viewpoint, there is, between\nhis “doctrine on free roaming in the realm of the metaphysical by the principle of\nthe identity of appearances” [ji se you xuan lun] and his “doctrine of the identity\nof appearances originating in nothingness” [ji se ben wu lun], no inconsistency of\ntheoretical contradiction.\n    From the above analysis, we can see that the questions discussed in Zhi Dun’s\ndoctrine of the identity of appearances were the same as those which were raised in\nthe circle of xuanxue. Furthermore, from his own views on the question of xiao yao\n[free roaming], we can see that he was himself a xuanxue scholar [Daoist\nmetaphysician]. Although his views differed from those of Guo Xiang, they were\nin fact quite close to the original ideas of Zhuang Zhou [Zhuangzi]."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Meaning of the Doctrine of Original Nothingness [ben wu yi]. From the\nLiu jia qi zong lun [Treatise of the Six Schools and Seven Sects] written by the\nMonk Tan Ji and the Zhong Lun Shu [Commentary on the Prannyaya mula sastrtika\nor Treatise of the Meditation of the Mean] written by the Monk Ji Kang (Chi Kang),\nthe ben wu yi [doctrine of Original Nothingness] bifurcated into two major chan-\nnels. One was the ben wu zong [School of Original Nothingness] and the other was\nknown as the ben wu yi zong [the Variant Sect of Original Nothingness]. The former\nschool espoused the form of the doctrine as championed by the Monk Dao An; the\nlatter was espoused by the Pandita Shen [or Fa Shen, a.k.a. Zhu Daoqian]. In reality,\nthey resembled each other in major ways and differed only in minor areas.\nHere, therefore, we shall not dwell on the differences but analyze only Dao An’s\n“doctrine or original nothingness” [ben wu] in order to illustrate the relationship of\nthis doctrine to the teachings of xuanxue."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "this doctrine to the teachings of xuanxue.\n    In the Zhong lun suo, Ji Kang (Chi Kang) wrote:\n   Before the arrival of Kumarajiva the Pandita, there were three schools of Buddhist\n   teachings in Changan [the Tang Dynasty capital of China]. One was the school of the\n   Monk [Shi] Dao An, which was represented by his teachings on Original Nothingness, in\n   which he argued that wu [nothingness, or nonbeing] existed prior to all creation and that\n   kong [emptiness or non-existence] was the beginning of all forms. He also argued that what\n   was holding people back [from their enlightenment] was the sense of you [existence, or\n   being] when you is in fact a product rather than a point of origin. If people could only rest\n   their minds in contentment with Original Nothingness, they would be able to quell all\n   devious thought.. . . To understand this significance is to maintain tranquillity in the\n   universal enlightenment of Original Nothingness. All the myriad dharma [fa, or things]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "have, as their original nature, emptiness and extinction; that is what we mean when we say\n   Original Nothingness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This quotation suggests that Dao An first of all posited that the prior existence of\nall dharma, together with all their forms and phenomena, was wu [nothingness, or\nnonbeing] and kong [emptiness or nonexistence]. However, kong wu [nonexistence\nand emptiness, or nonbeing] was not the same as xu kong [void]. Dao An, therefore,\nsaid “Wu [non-existence] existed before the original transformation [or creation];\nkong [emptiness] was the beginning of all forms [formed substance]; that is what we\nmean when we speak of original nothingness. This does not mean that it was from a\n\f118                       9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[specific] void that all things were given birth.” (See the citation of Tan Ji’s Liu jia\nqi zong lun in the Ming Zeng Zhuan chao [Handcopy of the Biographies of the\nRenowned Monks].) Therefore, when Dao An argued that “the wan you [all things]\nwere generated from kong wu” [emptiness and non-existence], the term kong wu\ndid not mean xu kong [void]; the meaning, rather, was that kong [emptiness] or wu\n[nonexistence] was the original ontological substance of wan you [all things].\nOnly in this way could it exist “prior to all existences” [wan you].\n    It should be noted that Dao An’s understanding of the Kong zong [Emptiness\nSect, or Sect of Nonbeing] in Buddhist prajna teaching was not quite in conformity\nto that sect’s understanding of its own teachings, in which “Original Nothingness”\nseemed to have been taken to mean that “all dharma did not originally have a nature\nunto themselves [zi xing]” or, in other words, nothing has a real ontological"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "substance in itself. (We shall have more to say on this issue later.) Instead, Dao\nAn’s doctrine of Original Nothingness can be said to have borne certain resem-\nblances to Wang Bi’s idea of “accepting wu [nonexistence] as the origin” [yi wu wei\nben]. In fact, it may be closer even to the ideas of Zhang Zhan. Like Wang Bi,\nZhang Zhan posited “non-existence as the origin” [yi wu wei ben], but when he\nspoke of wu [nonexistence], he seemed to have been referring to something outside\nof [and over and above] you [existence]. For example, he said: “Because there is\nsuch a thing as Ultimate Non-existence [zhi wu], it can therefore be the origination\nand source of all changes and transformations [from which came creation].” He also\nsaid: “That which is not born can therefore be the origin of all that is born.” In these\nillustrations, Zhang Zhan affirmed in his mind that there was, above and beyond\nwan you [all existence], a transcendental absolute which served as the origin from"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "which and by which all existence is born.\n    This viewpoint differed substantially from that of Wang Bi. Wang believed that\nalthough “nonexistence” [wu] was the ontological substance of “existence,” it did\nnot exist outside of you. He said: “Non-existence cannot be without name; it must\nhave cause in existence.” Also, Wang believed that substance [ti] cannot be\ndivorced from usage. He said: “We shall take non-existence for usage; we cannot\nabandon non-existence as substance alone.” On the other hand, Dao An, when he\ntalked of Original Nothingness, saw wu [nonexistence] as existing prior to wan you\n[all existences, or all being]. He was, therefore, closer to Zhang Zhan’s ideas.\nFurthermore, Dao An, in a way similar to Zhang Zhan, even used the “theory of\nthe Original Breath, or Spirit” [yuan qi lun] to explain the construction of the\nUniverse and the formation of all things. It was thus recorded in Tan Ji’s Liu jia qi\nzong lun:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "zong lun:\n   In the first place, thus spoke the Founder of the Sect of Original Nothingness: Ru lai\n   [He That Was as He Came, i.e., Buddha] came to prosper the world. He taught the doctrine\n   of Original Nothingness to extend his teachings. That is why the profound vaipulya sutras\n   all contain enlightenment on the doctrine of the original nothingness of the wu yin [the five\n   negative elements, or agencies]. For the longest time, the doctrine of original nothingness\n   has been accepted and broadened. . .. How so? Prior to primal and Covert Creation, there\n   was nothing but the frame. It was when the Original Spirit or Breath began to mold and\n   transform that the myriad phenomena began to be endowed with forms. . .. This is not to say\n   that it is out of Emptiness that the many things were born. What holds people back is that\n\f9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .                    119"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "they remain stagnated [in their understanding] in the realm of the you [being] which is\n   merely the product, or result [and not the origin]. If a person is capable of investing his mind\n   in the Original Nothingness, he would be able to shed this very burden. This is what we\n   mean when we say that, if only one would pursue and exalt the origin, the inconsequential\n   ends would be put to rest."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By wu [nonexistence], Dao An meant the original spirit or breath [yuan qi]\nwhich he conceived to be a frame without form or phenomenon. This viewpoint was\nconsistent with the interpretation which the Buddhist monks, from the Han-Wei\nperiod up to this time, held with regard to the notion of the formation of the universe\nand followed from those interpretations. The Monk Kang Hui, when he translated\nthe Liu Du Ji Jing [Collected Sutra of the Six Paramitas], wrote, in its volume 8,\nunder the Cha Wei Wang Jing [Sutra of the Observations of the Covert Meanings\nof the Words of the King]:\n   What we have observed has rendered us profoundly aware that, when Man was in a\n   primitive original state, he was born of the Original Nothingness. Then the Original Breath\n   became differentiated: that part which was solid and strong became earth, that which was\n   soft became water, that which was warm became fire, and that which was mobile became"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "wind. . .. These four things met in harmony and the Knowing Spirit was born. Arising, it\n   became enlightened as to its capacities and senses, and it ceased to desire, becoming thus\n   empty of mind, and the spirit was reverted to Original Nothingness. This Breath, or Spirit,\n   of the Knowing and the Origin was delicate, subtle, and imperceptible."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Again, in the Yin Chi Ru Jing Zhu [Annotations to the Sutra of the Entrance to\nTruth by Way of Covert Maintenance], the wu yin zhong [Five Negative Elements\nspecies] were described as being “akin to the yuan qi [original breath or spirit].”\nTherefore, the idea was not that “all existences” were born of “emptiness,” but that\n“all existences” came about as the result of the transformation of the original breath\nor spirit which had neither form nor phenomenon. All things were born of this\nformless, phenomenon-less original breath or spirit, and man was no exception.\n    The argument continues that man was confused because he was holding on to the\nvarious forms and appearances which had temporary existence, but if he was able to\ncomprehend that wu [nonexistence] existed before the myriad transformations and\nthat kong [emptiness] was the origin of the many forms, he would be able to revert\nto his own source, transcend life and death, become delivered, and merge as one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "with the universe and all things, that is, attain the dao (tao) [way] and revert to the\nyuan qi [original spirit]. Therefore, in Dao An’s doctrine of Original Nothingness,\nthe key to deliverance was to eliminate the incorrect understanding of things.\nIn nonaction and absence of desire and purity of the mind, one would be able to\nachieve that state of being “commensurate with the Ultimate Emptiness and roam\nwith the Creator Force in tranquil and serene happiness.” (See Ren Ben Yu Sheng\nJing Zhu [Annotations on the Sutra on the Origin of the Life of Man in Desires].)\n    The way to deliverance described by Dao An was almost identical to that\nproposed by Zhang Zhan. Zhang believed that if man were able to relinquish all\ntenets and understand the origins and the ultimate destinations of life and death—\ni.e., that man came from the Ultimate Emptiness and shall return unto that Ultimate\nEmptiness, man would be able to attain deliverance and become the Ultimate"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "120                       9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Being, which has attained the dao (tao) [way]. Furthermore, the Ultimate Being is\none “whose mind has been re-joined, re-connected with the Original Spirit or\nBreath, and whose body, covertly, was in harmony with the Yin and Yang.”\n(See the book Lie Zi Zhu [Annotations on Lie Zi].)\n   In the Bu zhen kong lun [Treatise on the Fallacy of the Doctrine of True\nNonexistence], the Monk Shao criticized the doctrine of Original Nothingness,\nsaying:\n   The advocates of Original Nothingness align their sentiments on the side of wu\n   [nothingness] and then write their words of teaching to support that argument. They refute,\n   to begin with, the notion of existence and say that you [existence or being] was in fact wu\n   [non-existence]. Even if one refuted the notion of non-existence will nonetheless still be\n   nonexistence. The original meaning of the Buddhist canons is that fei you [not being] is\n   not really being and that fei wu [not nonbeing] is not really non-being. Why must one insist"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "on refuting the notion of being and say that “this being is not,” or refute the notion of\n   non-being and say that “non-being is not”?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What this passage says is: The school of Original Nothingness maintains a\nbiased affinity for wu [nonbeing]. They accept the idea that nonbeing is the\nontological substance of reality, and all its arguments are based on this philosophy\nof nonbeing. Therefore, the adherents of this school do not recognize you [being];\nrather, they believe that being cannot be divorced from nonbeing; i.e., they accept\n“nonbeing as the origin.” They believe, moreover, that nonbeing itself could not be\nseparated from nonbeing; i.e., they maintain the notion of the fundamentality of\nnonbeing, insist upon it, and see nonbeing as true nonbeing. However, according to\nthe original intent of the Buddhist sutras, what is important, and to be maintained,\nwas that “not being” is not truly being [fei you bu shi zhen di you] and not nonbeing\nis also not truly nonbeing [fei wu ye bu shi zhen di wu]. Why, therefore, should\nanyone insist that “not being” meant the nonbeing of any particular thing or that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“not nonbeing” meant the absence of any particular nonbeing?\n    From the above, it appears that the Monk Shao took the original intent of the\nKong zong [Emptiness school] of prajna Buddhism as his point of departure in\ncriticizing the doctrine of Original Nothingness and its adherents for their insistence\non wu [nonexistence] and their failure to comprehend that “nonbeing” was itself a\njia ming [false name, or illusion] and not a real being. His argument, ultimately, was\nthat only “the refutation of both being and nonbeing” was the true principle taught\nby Buddhism. In doing so, in the Bu zhen kong lun [Treatise on the Fallacy of the\nDoctrine of True Nothingness], the Monk Shao criticized not only the doctrine of\nOriginal Nothingness itself but also Wang Bi’s idea of “valuing nothingness” and\nGuo Xiang’s idea of “exalting being” as well and thereby developed [not just\nBuddhist teachings but also] the teachings of xuanxue [Daoist metaphysics] of the\nWei and Jin periods."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wei and Jin periods.\n    The Meaning of the Doctrine of Non-real, Nonexistence, or Emptiness [bu shen\nkong yi]. It can be argued that the criticism contained in the Monk Shao’s Bu zhen\nkong lun of the three schools of prajna Buddhism which were popular in China at\nthat time was based on the original intent of the Indian teachings of Buddhist\nprajna. By positing that “emptiness is not real” [bu zhen kong], he suggested that\n\f9.1 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China and the Popularization. . .          121"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "all things do not truly exist, or that all things not truly are, but rather the existence of\nall things is unreal, and that that is why we can call [existence] kong [emptiness\nor unreality]. In other words, “emptiness” equals “unreality.” This was the Chinese\nexpression of the fundamental premise of the Kong zong [Emptiness school] of\nIndian Buddhist prajna teaching, namely, the premise that “all fa [dharma, or\nthings] do not have ontological self-substance” [zhu fa ben wu zi xing].\n    The Monk Shao said that the Zhong lun [Treatise on the Mean] posited the\nparadox that while, from one angle, “all fa [dharma] were not existent,” from\nanother angle, “all fa were also, and at the same time, not non-existent.” He argued\nthat to understand this principle of “not being and yet not nonbeing” would be to\nunderstand the ultimate truth. This is because, he argued, although there were very\nmany things of various forms and appearances, under analysis they can all be found"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to be formed only by causes and effects and their combinations and have no zi xing\n[self-nature, or ontological substance, or reality in and of themselves]. This would\ntherefore be “nonexistence.” On the other hand, although all dharma had no real\nontological substance, there were nonetheless phenomena in many diverse forms\nand appearances, and dharma was therefore also “not nonexistence.” Hence, he\nargued, one cannot say that there are no things, but only that there are no real things.\n    In what way, then, can there be such “unreal existence” [jia you]? According the\nMonk Shao’s interpretation of Zhong lun, all things are formed of the combinations\nand permutations of causes and effects and therefore have no ontological substance.\nHowever, once made up by the combination of causes and effects, things also then\nbecome “not nonexistent” and cannot be said to be fundamentally nonexistent.\nBy further applying logical reasoning to this issue, the Monk Shao concluded that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "this principle was the very basic truth. If “being” was “real being,” he argued,\n“being” would have existed at the beginning and should exist to the very end, and\nthere would have been no need to wait for the combination of causes and effects to\nbring “being” into existence. If, on the other hand, “nonbeing” was real nonbeing,\n“nonbeing” itself should also have existed at the very beginning and to the very end,\nand there would also have been no need to wait for the combination of causes and\neffects to bring about “nonbeing.”\n    If one were to accept that “being” cannot be “being in itself,” but had to wait for\nthe combination of causes and effects to bring it into being, then one would be\nable to realize that “being” was not “real being.” He said, “Being is not real being;\ntherefore, though there is being, we do not say that there is real being.” At the same\ntime, one must also say that there is “not nonbeing.” If there was real “nonbeing,”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "it would be monolithic and totally immobile [zhan ran bu dong] [i.e., totally\nincapable of transformation], and no phenomenon could then be generated.\nOnly such a totally immobile “nonexistence” could be called “real nonexistence.”\nTherefore, if we were to say that “all fa” [dharma] were “truly nonexistent,” there\nwould not be the generation of all fa, and nothing would come of causes and effects.\nSince “all fa” do come as a result of causes and effects, then one cannot say that\nthere is real “nonexistence.”\n    Both in terms of contents and methodology, one can say that the Monk Shao’s\nBu zhen kong lun was closer in meaning to the original intents of Indian Buddhist\n\f122                    9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "prajna teaching. It was not by accident that his doctrine of the Bu zhen kong lun\ncame about; it was, rather, because by that time two conditions had already come\ninto existence. The first was the fact that Kumarajiva was already in possession of\nthe various sutras that provided full explanation [to the Chinese] of the prajna\nteachings, such as Da zhi du lun [Treatise on the Paramita, or ferrying across by way\nof the Great Wisdom] and Zhong lun [Treatise on the Mean] and Bai lun\n[The Hundred Treatises] and Shi er men lun [Treatise on the Twelve Sects].\nThis made it possible by that time to have a clearer understanding of the teachings\nof the Indian prajna school of Buddhism. The second was that contemporary\ndevelopments in the teachings of xuanxue [Daoist metaphysics] made it possible\nfor such theories as “nonbeing and yet not nonbeing” [fei you fei wu] to appear in\nthe Chinese mind and exert an impact on Chinese thinkers (more on this later)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.2   The Interaction Between the Imported Ideological\n      Culture—Buddhism—And the Previously Existing\n      Ideological Culture of China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The question of the importation of an alien ideological culture and its interaction\nwith an existing native ideological culture is a very complicated one, and there is\ngreat significance in studying this problem. Our country’s philosophical thinking\n[and, in fact, its entire culture and society] underwent a major transformation in the\ntime of the Wei and Jin dynasties and the North and South dynasties; it can easily\nbe said that the introduction of Buddhism was one of the most significant causes of\nthis transformation. As for China Buddhism was an alien ideological culture, it is\nvery helpful to study the interaction between the two and the process by which this\nalien ideological culture integrated with China’s own preexisting traditional\nideological culture. This would include its development from being formalistically\nattached to the body of China’s traditional ideological culture, to emerging with its\nown characteristics which clearly conflicted with and were contradictory to China’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ideological culture, and finally to becoming an integral part of the Chinese\nideological culture.\n   The formation of an ideological culture is certain to have its roots in social\nhistory; thus, in the history of the world, various ideological cultures have emerged\nwhich are separate and different in both type and form. To understand the charac-\nteristics of an ideological culture and the level of its development, one must\ncompare it with other ideological cultures. If we were to compare the Buddhism\nintroduced into China during the period of the Wei, Jin, and North and South\ndynasties with what existed at that time as China’s native traditional ideological\nculture, we would be able to understand more profoundly not only the characteris-\ntics and level of development of that traditional Chinese ideological culture but\nalso the reasons for which an alien ideological culture was able to be assimilated by\nthe Chinese. The method of analytically studying the comparisons between the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.2 The Interaction Between the Imported Ideological. . .                        123"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ideological culture of one nation [or country or region] and that of another is known\nas comparative philosophy, which is guided by Marxist thought.\n    Another significant phenomenon which emerged in the period of the Wei, Jin,\nand North and South dynasties was the Daoist religion. This was formed in the late\nyears of the Eastern Han Dynasty and acquired its own theoretical system. Although\nit can be said that the formation of the Daoist religion was influenced or stimulated\nby the introduction of Buddhism, it was nonetheless a religion peculiar to the\nChinese, particularly to the Han people, and was bound, therefore, to have charac-\nteristics which set it apart from Buddhism. Prior to the Wei and the Jin, Buddhism\nhad just been introduced and in the early stages of its introduction had been\ngrafted to the already existing body of the daoshu [Daoist techniques and crafts].\nHence, the contradictions between the two religions, although already real, were not"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "obvious or outstanding. Since the Wei and Jin, however, because the Daoist\nreligion’s own system of thought and theory had gradually formed and because\nBuddhism, as an imported alien ideological culture, needed to shed gradually its\nown earlier attachment to the preexisting native ideological culture, the contradic-\ntions and conflict between the two religions became daily more acute and\nintensified. If we were to analyze and draw comparisons [between these two\nreligions] on the issues upon which they debated, it would be easy for us to see\nmore clearly the characteristics of the Daoist religion as well as the mutual\ninfluence which their two religions had upon one another in the midst of their\ncontradictions and polemical struggles. This is the task of those who undertake the\nstudy of comparative religion. At this time, we ought also to develop and promote\nthis field of investigation, so that we may form a comparative study of religions,\nguided, also, by Marxist thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "guided, also, by Marxist thought.\n    What were the most notable characteristics in Buddhism after it was introduced\ninto China and as it became popularized and developed in China? What are the\nones we should study and what general laws [of development] can we extract from\n[such a study]? What conclusions can be drawn? In the following discussion, we\nshall suggest three major problem areas for analysis."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.2.1     Adaptation to Tradition\n\nWhen Buddhism was introduced into China, at first it was grafted upon the body of\npreexisting Chinese ideological culture; then, it gradually developed on its own and\nbegan to exert its own influence on that culture and Chinese society. It should be\nunderstood that Buddhism did not have a great deal of influence immediately after\nits introduction.\n    After being introduced into China in the Han Dynasty, Buddhism at first attached\nitself to the daoshu. In the Wei and Jin period, because of the popularity and\ninfluence of xuanxue [Daoist metaphysics], Buddhism switched and was attached\nto the latter. During the time of the Han Dynasty, the central tenets of [Chinese]\nBuddhism were “the imperishability of the soul, or spirit,” and “causes and effects.”\n\f124                    9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These were ideas that were already originally carried within traditional Chinese\nthought or, in some cases, were at least similar in ways to certain ideas which\nalready existed in Chinese philosophical traditions. Furthermore, the Hinayana\nmethods of chan meditation [dhyam] which were preached at that time also\ngenerally were quite similar to the breathing exercises taught by the Huang-Lao\nSchool of Daoism (Taoism) and the Immortality [shen xian jia] school. By the time\nof the Wei and Jin Daoist, metaphysical teachings had become popular, and, since\nKong zong [the Emptiness sect] of Buddhist prajna teachings was somewhat\nsimilar to these Daoist metaphysical teachings, this branch of Buddhism was\ntherefore able to gain popularity by attaching itself to the body of xuanxue.\nHowever, it was not until Kumarajiva translated the sutras and commentaries\n[sastras] such as the Zhong lun that the Chinese understanding of the teachings of\nthe Kong zong of Indian Buddhist prajna philosophy came close to capturing the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "original intents of those teachings. From the above brief description, we can see\nthat, when Buddhism was first introduced into China, it had first to exist as an\nattachment, or graft, on the body of some previously existing ideology, and only\nthus was it able to achieve popularity of its own.\n    There is one question here which needs to be raised and calls for some\ndiscussion. When Zhi-lou-jian translated the Dao Xing Jing [Sutra on the Practice,\nor Way, of the Truth] in the year 179 A.D., there was in it a pin [segment or folio]\nknown as the ben wu pin [segment of Original Nothingness]. This appeared long\nbefore the [xuanxue] ideas of gui wu [exalting nothingness] and yi wei ben [taking\nnothingness as the origin] which are identified with He Yan [190–249] and Wang Bi\n[226–249]. Does this then mean that Wang and He’s idea of “taking nothingness\nas the origin” was a product, a result of the influence of Buddhism? We do not"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "believe that this is the answer; it would accord with the facts of the historical record\nto think that Daoist metaphysical thinking [or xuanxue] was generated only\nunder the influence of Buddhism. First of all, the formation of Daoist metaphysical\nthinking responded to the social needs at the time. Moreover, the emergence\nof xuanxue should be considered in the light and context of other intellectual\ndevelopments, either of the period or slightly earlier. These include the develop-\nment of the teachings of ming li zhi xue [on names and principles] and the\ndistinction between cai [ability] and xing [nature, or character] which appeared\nduring the interim period between the fall of the Han and the rise of Wei, as well as\nthe revival of various schools of Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), the School of\nNames [Ming jia] and Legalism, and their mutual intersection and influence.\nThis makes it possible to see that, from the angle of certain inevitable trends in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ideological and intellectual development, this emergence of xuanxue was a product\nof the natural processes of China’s indigenous intellectual evolution.\n    We have not found any convincing evidence that Wang Bi and He Yan were\ninfluenced by Buddhism. Even if one or two pieces of evidence were to be\ndiscovered indicating that Wang, He, and company may have been in contact\nwith the Buddhism of the day, either directly or indirectly, nonetheless we must\nstill maintain that the ideas of xuanxue were products of the development of\npreexisting indigenous Chinese ideas themselves. Furthermore, there is a great\n\f9.2 The Interaction Between the Imported Ideological. . .                               125"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "deal of evidence showing that by and large, during the Han-Wei period, the Chinese\nofficer-scholar gentry did not in the least think highly of Buddhism. For instance,\nMouzi in Li huo lun [Treatise on the Disposition of Error] said for the record that\n“the people of the age, and scholars, mostly sneer at it [i.e. Buddhism] and defame\nit” and “we have not heard that, among the rules and teachings accepted by the five\ntalents or among the discussions taken up in the Forest of Confucianist Scholars,\nthe practicing of the ways of Buddha is valued or self-disfigurement is esteemed.”\n    One thing serves to illustrate this point even more clearly and conclusively,\nnamely, that while in the prajna Buddhist teachings of the time the term ben wu\n[Original Nothingness] was used, it did not mean the same thing as Wang Bi’s idea\nof yi wu wei ben [taking nothingness to be the origin]. In the various prajna sutras,\nthe idea of ben wu was taken to mean that “all fa [dharma] do not have ontological"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "self-substance” [zhu fa ben wu zi xing]—that is, that all things did not, in and of\nthemselves, have real substance. This, if fact, negated the notion that there\nwas original substance to things. When Wang Bi spoke of ben wu [Original\nNothingness], on the other hand, he meant that “nothingness was the original\nsubstance”—that is, ontological reality—of existence [wu shi you di ben li].\n    The Buddhist teachings that were imported into China in the Wei-Jin period\nwere for the most part teachings of the Mahayana pr jna Kong zong [Emptiness\nschool]. Its fundamental premise was that “all things did not originally have\nontological substance, or self-substance” [zi xing]. In this, the term fa [dharma]\nreferred to all things, material but also spiritual. These were known as adharma in\nthe Buddhist sutras. In the Da bo-re jing [Great Collection of Prajna Sutras],\nvolume 556, we find the following passage:\n    Take ourselves, for instance; we are, ultimately, not life. We are jia ming [false"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "names or unreal names] [i.e., we are illusions, or falsehoods.] We have no zi xing\n[self-nature, or nature in and of ourselves]. Likewise, all dharma—they too are\nnothing but false names, and no nature in and of themselves. What is se [appear-\nance]? It cannot be assumed and cannot be born. What is shou [acceptance, or\ndestiny] or xiang [thought] or xing [action] or shi [perception, or understanding]?\nThey, too, are incapable of being assumed or being born.\n    The Kong zong [Emptiness school] of prajna teaching believed that while people\nhave always held to the notion that there was something which could be called you\nwuo [having oneself, or self-existence], i.e., zi ti [self-substance], they have done so\nwithout realizing that “self” was nothing but the combination produced by the five\nelements [wu yin] of se [appearance], shou [acceptance or destiny], xiang [thought],\nxing [action], and shi [perception or understanding]. They were indeed wrong to have"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "believed that there was such a thing as “self.” How could “self” exist apart from or\nindependent of these five elements? Therefore, it argued the term “self” was really\nnothing but a hypothesis, an unreal name [jia ming], and did not contain any self-\nnature. Not only was this true of people but of all dharma [things] as well. Therefore,\nthe Guan si ti pin [Segment of the Meditation on the Catvariarya satyani, or Four\nNoble True Statements] in the Zhong lun argued:\n   The various causes and effects generate the dharma. The idea of self is but an idea of\n   emptiness, and also a false name. This is the meaning of the Central Way, or the Mean.\n\f126                       9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The argument here, apparently, was that, since all things were generated by\ncauses and effects, there is in reality no such thing as zi xing [self-nature, or real\nself-substance] but only kong [nonexistence]. The idea of self, therefore, is itself\na “nonexistence.” However, although things did not contain “self-substance,”\nthere are, nonetheless, all sorts of separate phenomena in the world after all.\nWhat then are such things? To say that, they do not have real existence; still\npossible, however, are all sorts of unreal existences or phenomena. For purposes\nof convenience, the argument went, these are given hypothetical, or false, names.\nThe Fang guang bo-re jing [Prajnaparamita Sutra Emitting Light] said:\n   Buddha spoke thus to Subhuti [One of the Ten Major Discipies of Buddha, said to have\n   been the best exponent of the Sunya, or Doctrine of the Void—Tr.]: Names are not real; an\n   unreal designation is given and is known as a name, or as the five yin [elements] or as a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "human being, man or woman."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Monk Shao, in Bu zhen kong lun, provided the following explanation:\n   The Fangguang [sutra] said: All dharma have false designations which are not real.\n   For example, Man is the product of the transformation of illusions; this is not to say that\n   there is no man who is the product of the transformation of illusions, but simply that Man\n   who is the product of the transformation of illusions is not really Man [i.e., there is no\n   reality to Man who is produced by the transformation of illusions]."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This raises a secondary question which must be discussed here. Does the idea of\nkong [emptiness or nonexistence] in the saying “self, as it is expressed, is kong, or\nempty or non-existent” [wuo shuo ji shi kong] signify the position that while things,\nphenomenologically speaking, did not really exist, there was, nonetheless, an\nontologically real “nonexistence” [similar to Wang Bi’s ontologically real wu, or\nnonbeing] which itself was true? This, we shall see, was not the viewpoint of\nthe Kong zong [Emptiness school] of prajna Buddhist teaching. To the adherents\nof the Kong zong, kong simply referred to the absence “of ontological self-\nsubstance in all dharma.” This arose because the dictum “dharma is produced or\ngenerated by causes and effects; the statement of self is itself nonexistent” was\nproposed for the very purpose of dispelling people’s insistence on holding to the\nidea of real ontological substance in all things. But if people were simply to switch"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to insist on [the idea of the reality of] nonexistence, alluded to in the sentence\n“the statement of self is itself a non-existence,” then the purpose would be defeated,\nbecause people would still be insisting on the reality of something, i.e., of “non-\nexistence.” That is why, the Kong zong believed, it was necessary to add: “Even\nthis [non-existence itself] is but a false name.” Hence the formulation, completed,\nwould be: Not only are the names of things, i.e., phenomena, jia ruing [false names]\nand merely hypothetical; kong [emptiness, or nonexistence] itself is a false\nname also.\n   Volume 556 of the Da Bo You Jing contained this parable:\n   At one time, the various sons of heaven asked He Who Appeared in Goodness [a name for\n   Buddha]: Is it possible to be in Nirvana and still revert to the realm of illusion? He Who\n   Appeared in Goodness replied: If there was a thing [dharma] that overcame Nirvana and\n   yet, then, reverted to the state of illusion, what would Nirvana then be?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.2 The Interaction Between the Imported Ideological. . .                                       127"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One must, therefore, not only understand that all dharma do not have real\nontological substance; one must at the same time not insist on [the reality of]\nnon-existence. The Da zhi du lun [Treatise on the Ferrying Across by Means of\nthe Great Wisdom] said:\n   The situation is like the taking of medicine. Medicine can dispel the sickness. When the\n   illness has been dispelled, the medicine should also be expelled. If not, then an illness will\n   be acquired. Kong [non-existence] is something that was used to dispel all our troubles,\n   but we should be wary lest kong itself remain to plague us. Therefore, what we suggest is\n   that we must use kong to shed kong—that is, we must understand the non-existence of\n   non-existence itself."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This means that the assertion of “nonexistence” was for the purpose of\ndispelling the insistence on existence. When and if the notion of existence has\nbeen dispelled, the time would come for one to know that “nonexistence” is itself an\nillusion, an unreality, or false name. Yet, one cannot say that all is “nonexistence”\n(because there is still, e.g., man who is the product of the transformation of\nillusions). To understand both of these aspects would be to achieve the Zhong\ndao guan [True Meditation of the Middle Way, or Mean]. It was, however, not until\nthe late years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, after Kumarajiva had already translated\nsuch treatises as the Zhong lun, that this idea of “not existence and yet not\nnon-existence” [fei you fei wu] was truly accepted and understood among Chinese\nBuddhists and epitomized in the Bu zhen kong lun of the Monk Shao.\n    Prior to the time of the Monk Shao, the general understanding which the Chinese"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "monks had regarding prajna teaching was on the whole derived from the perspec-\ntives of the Daoist metaphysical [xuanxue] thought which was popular at the time.\nThis is something we have already discussed. To further substantiate this argument,\nlet us now analyze again some of the problems raised in connection with Dao An’s\ntheory of Original Nothingness. We have, earlier, cited the following passage from\nJi Kang (Chi Kang)’s Zhong Lun Shu [Commentary on the Treatise of the Mean]:\n   When Master An expressed [the doctrine of] Original Nothingness, he meant that all\n   dharma’s original nature was emptiness and extinction. That is why he said “Original\n   Nothingness.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Is this not the same idea as that contained in the saying: “All dharma do not\noriginally have any ontological self-substance”? In fact, it is not. The sentence here,\n“all dharma’s original nature is emptiness and extinction,” meant that emptiness\nand extinction made up the original nature of all dharma or, in other words, all\nthings have emptiness and extinction for their original nature or ontological\nsubstance. This was an interpretation that could be traced as far back as the Monk\nHui Da’s Shao Lun Shu [Commentary on the Arguments of the Monk Shao]. There\nhe criticized Dao An’s theory of Original Nothingness by saying: “[He, Dao An,]\nwas simply unable to realize that originally all dharma was nothing; and therefore\nhe called original non-existence real, but resulting existence vulgar.” The same idea\nwas contained in An Cheng’s Zhong Lun Shu [Commentary on the Treatise of the\nMean], which said: “The Bie ji [Alternative Record] says ‘The true statement"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[zhen li] is the origin of the vulgar statement [shu ti].’ That is why we say that\n\f128                     9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Non-existence existed prior to the Original, or Primeval, Transformation.” From all\nthe above illustrations, we can see that, in Dao An’s understanding of kong\n[nonexistence] or wu [nonbeing], he still took them to be the ontological substance\nfor you [existence].\n   Why did such a set of circumstances come about? Because, as Engels pointed\nout, tradition is an immense force of conservatism. It appears that every ideological\ncultural tradition is bound to have its conservative aspect which resists imported\nalien ideological cultural influences. For that reason, an imported ideological\nculture must first adapt itself to the requirements and demands of the originally\nexisting native ideological culture and be grafted onto its body. Those elements\nwithin the imported ideological culture which are relatively close to the original\nnative ideological culture or which resemble it will be easier to be propagated; only\nthen, after the grafting and the initial propagation, will it be possible for the various"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "parts of the imported culture gradually to infiltrate the original culture and exert\nsome of their own influence, until eventually [the imported culture] modifies, or\neffects transformations in, the original ideological culture."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.2.2    The Enrichment and Intensification of Tradition"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When an imported ideological culture is capable of having a relatively great\nimpact on the country [or nation or region] to which it was imported, in addition\nto the real and practical societal needs, this would often also occur because the\nimported culture in general approximated a potential or possible product of\nthe evolution—or certain aspects of the evolution—of the original indigenous\nideological culture itself.\n    It is possible to trace a line of development in the ideas of xuanxue [Daoist\nmetaphysics] from Wang Bi and He Yan’s ideas of gui wu [valuing nothingness or\nnonbeing] which were based on the notion of “taking nonbeing as the origin” to Guo\nXiang’s idea of cong you [exalting being] which was based on the notion of “all\nthings generating themselves” [wan wu zi sheng]. Subsequently, the ideas of Zhang\nZhan emerged during the time of the Eastern Jin, which were exemplified in the\nsaying, “Things are generated by themselves spontaneously and instantly, and yet"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "they share one common origin in nonbeing” [fu er er zi sheng, ze ben long yu wu].\nWhat then followed in this line of development was the notion of “not being and yet\nnot nonbeing” [fei you fei wu]. This was similar to the doctrine of “not real nonex-\nistence” [bu shen kong] in the Kong zong [Emptiness school] of prajna Buddhist\nteaching. Why was it possible for Wei-Jin Daoist metaphysics to develop into the\nidea of “not being and yet not nonbeing?” One may say that this was a “potential”\nproduct of the evolution of Wei-Jin Daoist metaphysics or, in other words, it can be\nsaid that such an evolution was not only not antithetical or contradictory to the\nessence of Wei-Jin Daoist metaphysics; it was in fact an enrichment of Wei-Jin\nDaoist metaphysics.\n\f9.2 The Interaction Between the Imported Ideological. . .                        129"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Beginning with Wang Bi and He Yan, and particularly in the case of Wang Bi,\nWei-Jin Daoist metaphysical thought carried out rather penetrating examinations\nand logical reasoning on the question of the relationship between you [being] and\nwu [nonbeing]. Wang Bi used the idea of ti [substance] and yong [effect, function,\nusage, or phenomenon] to illustrate the relationship between being and nonbeing.\nHe posited that “nonbeing cannot be without expression, and therefore must have\ncause in being.” Therefore, he believed that, while “nonbeing” was the ontological\nsubstance, it was contained in “being” and had expression in “being.” Therefore, he\nviewed substance [ti] and use [yong] as essentially one and the same thing.\nHowever, since there was an emphasis in Wang Bi’s system of thought on the\nabsoluteness of “nonbeing,” the idea of “exalting the origin and ending the result”\n[cong ben shi mo] emerged. This brought about an inconsistency in Wang Bi’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "system of thought. From the perspective of this cong ben shi mo idea, it can be said\nthat there was a notion of negating the being or an idea of “not being.” Through\nXiang Xiu and Pei Wei, Wang Bi’s idea of gui wu [valuing the nonbeing] later made\nthe transition to Guo Xiang’s idea of cong you [exalting being].\n   In Guo’s view, being was the only existence, and there was nothing that existed\nover and beyond wan wu [all things] and that could have served as the ontological\nsubstance for wan you [i.e., a Creator substance]. He believed that the existence of\nall things was based on their respective “self-nature” [zi xing] and that this\nself-nature was generated spontaneously and instantaneously. For this reason he\nargued: “Nonbeing is nonbeing; that is it. It cannot generate being.” In this way, he\ndirectly challenged and refuted the idea of an ontologically substantial nonbeing.\nThis idea in itself contained the notion of “not nonbeing.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Zhang Zhan wrote a commentary and annotations to\nthe book Lie Zi, and in it he attempted to bring together in his own way the ideas of\nWang Bi and Guo Xiang. On the one hand, he argued that “all beings [qun you]\nhave the Ultimate Void [zhi xu] as their ancestor [zong]”—i.e., wu [nonbeing] or zhi\nxu [the Ultimate Void] was the basis for the existence of you [being]. This was his\nidea of wu as ontological substance. To him, nonbeing was neither created nor\nperishable; it does not come together and does not dissipate, whereas all being is\ncreated and is perishable and clusters and dissipates. Moreover, he believed that all\nspecies [wan pin] have their ultimate test in their ultimate perishability and,\ntherefore, are “not being.” Yet, at the same time, Zhang argued that all things\nwere instantaneously and spontaneously created—their existence was neither\npurposeful nor conditional. This had the potential or possibility of leading toward\nthe idea of “not nonbeing.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the idea of “not nonbeing.”\n   Nevertheless, in the case of Zhang Zhan, these two ideas were put together\nmechanistically and were mutually incompatible and contradictory. His system of\nthought was not one which was tightly woven. And yet, incidentally, it was at this\njuncture that prajna Buddhist teachings, in particular those of the Kong zong,\nposited the idea of fei you fei wu [not being and yet not nonbeing], which itself\nwas far more solid and tightly argued in theory and reasoning methods. For that\nreason, one can say that the doctrine of the Bu zhen kong lun [Treatise on the\nFallacy of Real Nothingness] proposed by the Monk Shao was a development\n\f130                    9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the ideas of xuanxue [Daoist metaphysics] after Wang Bi and Guo Xiang.\nAlthough the ideas of the Monk Shao came directly from Indian prajna Buddhist\nteaching, they in fact became an important component of Chinese philosophy itself\nand helped to make up the following circle in the development of Wei-Jin\nxuanxue—Wang Bi—Guo Xiang—the Monk Shao.\n   Why was such a development possible? One may ascribe it to the demands or\nrequirements of the heritage or continuity of ideological cultures [as they came into\ncontact with one another]. As long as the development of an ideological culture is\nnot drastically interrupted, what follows must be the product of a continuous\nevolution from what preceded it. The development of preceding ideas often\nwould contain several possibilities and the ideas which would continue to be\ndeveloped, representing the subsequent parts of the development, and would be\nbound to take the shape of one or another of these possibilities. If an imported alien"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ideological culture can, on the whole, adapt or conform to a certain aspect of a\npotential or possible development of the original indigenous culture and ideology\n[or fit into a trend or tendency of one of the possible developments], not only will it\nbe itself developed and thus exert relatively great influence in itself, but it may\neven become directly a component part of the original indigenous ideological\nculture and perhaps even to some extent alter the course of the development of\nthat original ideological culture."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.2.3    Relative Excellence and Real Contribution"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If an imported alien ideological culture affects the original indigenous ideological\nculture, and if this is not a temporary influence but a long-lasting one, in some\naspects or even in all aspects in general it would have to achieve a higher level of\ndevelopment than that of the indigenous culture. Only in this way can the imported\nideological culture serve as a stimulus to the native culture and affect the develop-\nment of the native culture itself.\n    Whether or not the level of development and sophistication in reasoning\nachieved by the Kong zong [Emptiness school] of Indian prajna Buddhist teaching\nwas generally higher than that of China’s own native and traditional ideological\nculture which existed at that time is a question which may not be realistically and\nhonestly resolved until very careful and meticulous analysis has been made. This is\nnot a problem which we may attempt to discuss here. However, in one specific\naspect of its ways of reasoning and philosophizing, namely, its analysis of the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "questions of being and nonbeing [you-wu], the Kong zong of prajna Buddhism, in\npostulating the dialectical thesis of “not being and yet not nonbeing” [fei you fei\nwu], clearly demonstrated a superior level of theory and reasoning in comparison\nwith the ideas of Wang Bi and Guo Xiang, although its own ideas, like those of\nWang and Guo, were drawn from the general source of idealism. In terms of\ndevelopment, although it appeared to have been derived out of Wang Bi and\nGuo Xiang’s xuanxue thought, the Monk Shao’s doctrine of bu zhen kong\n\f9.2 The Interaction Between the Imported Ideological. . .                            131"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[not real emptiness] was closer to the original intents of the Kong zong’s\nteachings and should be acknowledged as having made certain advances beyond\nWang and Guo’s ideas.\n    As I see it, it was after the baptism of the introduction and assimilation of prajna\nphilosophy introduced from India that the idealist philosophies of the Chinese\ntradition became themselves a truly influential and meaningful system of thought.\nIn them, the doctrine of the Creator [a spiritual ontological substance which created\nHeaven and Earth and all things] no longer occupied a central position. Instead,\nabstract concepts such as li [principle] or dao [Way], which determined, rather than\npersonally created, the existence of Heaven, Earth, and all things, were put into the\nposition of first or primal importance. In another case, it was the mind that was put\ninto that position, as in ideas which posited that “mind equals principle” [xin ji li] or\n“the principle is possessed in the mind” [li ju yu xin]; i.e., the notions that the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "principles of Heaven, Earth, and all things were all present in the mind. It was only\nafter such idealistic concepts were developed that the fundamental forms of China’s\ntraditional idealist philosophy were set. This itself set the stage for the emergence of\nthe li xue [Neo-Confucianist Philosophy of Principle] in the Song and Ming\ndynasties, whether it be the Cheng and Zhu [Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, and Zhu Xi]\nschool or the Lu-Wang [Lu Xiangshan, Wang Yangming] school.\n    However, for an imported alien ideological culture, even one with a relatively\nhigher level of development in reasoning, to have a great and long-lasting impact on\nthe country [nation or region] to which it is introduced, it not only would have to\nsubject itself, nonetheless, to the limitations of the political and socioeconomic\nconditions of the host country, nation, or region, but it must also be in possession of\nthe first and second sets of conditions described in the afore-discussed sections."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is particularly true of ideological cultures, especially if the original, indigenous\nideological culture did not experience an abrupt and radical interruption or if such\nan interruption was not to be caused by the introduction of the alien culture. Only in\nsuch a way could the new culture affect the original culture in a profound and\nlong-lasting way. Without these conditions, no matter how advanced or superior the\nimported ideological culture may be, it would be difficult for it to strike roots\ninto the soil of the host country and over the long run exert any deep influence.\nFor example, the Wei shi [Vidjnana, or Consciousness Only school] teachings of\nBuddhism introduced [later] by the [Tang Dynasty] Monk Xuan Zang, and the\nrelated teachings of vidjna [yin ming, or hetuvidya, or nyaya teachings] which were\nintroduced at about the same time and in conjunction with the Consciousness Only\nschool, were also superior in the levels of their reasoning and development, and yet,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "though they gained much ground in establishing a reputation for themselves for a\ntime, they did not eventually have a very long-lasting impact on the development of\nChinese thought as a whole. Even though specific categories of thought in the\nConsciousness Only [Wei shi] school, such as the dual categories of neng [ability or\npossibility] and suo [identity or proper placement], were individually absorbed into\nChinese thought, on the whole the Wei shi school did not become an integrated\ncomponent of the Chinese traditional ideological culture, and to this day, we still\nhave the tendency to think of the Wei shi [vid jnana, or Consciousness Only]\nteachings as an Indian ideology.\n\f132                    9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Out of the three points of argumentation outlined above, we may draw out one\nproposition: that it is meaningful, at least in one aspect, to focus the comparative\nstudy of philosophies on the general and historical laws which govern the extent\nto which an imported alien ideological culture may influence [the ideological\nculture(s) of] the country, or nation or region to which it was introduced, and on\nthe conditions without which such an influence may not take place. In comparing\nand analyzing, for example, two ideological cultures which stemmed from different\ntraditions, we must understand, first, the characteristics and level of development\nand reasoning which have been achieved by the original indigenous ideological\nculture [i.e., that which, of the two, is the host culture] and, second, the differences\nand similarities between these two cultures, their mutual influences, their assimila-\ntion and conflict, the amelioration of their conflict, and so on."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As we study the introduction of Buddhism from India to China in the first\ncentury A.D. and its subsequent development, we must ask its meaning for the\npractical way of life today. The tendencies in the development of current world\nideological cultures are manifested as patterns conflict and harmony between many\ndifferent ideological cultures stemming from many different traditions. The insta-\nbility, contradictions, and conflicts in the world today may also be ascribed, in\naddition to certain other [political and economic] factors, in part to differences in\nideological and cultural [i.e., philosophical and religious] traditions. The contra-\ndictions between the Arab and Islamic world, on the one hand, and the West, on the\nother, for example, are themselves fraught with philosophical and religious factors.\nAt the same time, because of the increasing frequency and intimacy in terms of\nintercultural contacts in today’s world, the propensity for mutual interaction and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "influence and for harmonization and assimilation between various ideological\ncultures is also very obvious.\n    In particular, the broad spread of Marxism throughout the world today has\nprovided many new lessons to be learned and emulated in the relations between\nideological cultures which stem from different traditions and backgrounds.\nMarxism itself was generated in Western Europe under historical conditions\npeculiar to Western Europe and, therefore, as an ideological culture, it was alien\nto many other parts of the world. Out of this, problems have surfaced in the\nrelationship between Marxism and the various indigenous ideological cultures of\nthe places to which it has been introduced. Even though Marxism is a proletarian\nphilosophy and the cause of the proletariat is not confined by national boundaries—\n[Marxism] is the ideological weapon with which the proletariat and the revolu-\ntionary peoples of all countries carry out their revolutionary struggles—in order for"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Marxism to take root in any country [or nation or region] in a certain sense, it will\nstill have to become integrated with the native ideological culture of that country\n[nation or region]. Or, shall we say, it must undertake critically to carry on the\nlegacy of that original indigenous ideological cultural tradition. Unless this is\nachieved, Marxism will not be able to exert any real influence.\n    Is it possible then for Marxism to be enriched and furthered in its development\nby, say, the study of the relations between Marxism and China’s traditional\nindigenous ideological culture? We believe so. In the essay “The Task of the\n\f9.3 The Comparative Study of Philosophies and Regions                             133"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Youth League,” Lenin said: “It is only when we have indeed understood fully the\nculture which is created through the entire developmental process of humanity at\nlarge, and are capable of transforming this culture of the past, that we can proceed\nto construct a truly proletarian culture.” Undoubtedly, Marxism is a methodology\nwhich will guide us in dealing accurately with our various ideological cultural\ntraditions. It is “not a doctrine, but a methodology. It provides, not ready-made\ndogma, but points of departure for further investigation and a methodology which\nmay be employed in such an investigation” (see The Complete Works of Marx\nand Engels [Chinese edition], vol. 39, p. 406]). It should be acknowledged that in\nthe history of human civilization, each nation or people had, and has, its own\nspecial contribution to make. If we were to study, with the correct method, these\ncontributions, we would be able to render accurate assessments regarding them and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "turn these assessments into parts of the legacy of the spiritual civilization of\nhumanity, which we are to inherit. It is not the intent of Marxism to reject the\nspiritual cultures which have made contributions to the human society; rather, it\nhopes to absorb them, and transform them, and in the process continue to enrich\nand develop itself."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.3    The Comparative Study of Philosophies and Regions"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The present age is vastly different from past ages. As the world marches into the\n1980s, developments in science and technology and social progress have made the\ninteraction between the various countries and nations of the world immensely\ndifferent from that of the past when the world was still in a stage of feudalism.\nThese objective circumstances compel us to absorb imported alien ideological\ncultures more quickly. What methods can we use to turn those parts of alien ideas\nwhich are of use and value to us more speedily into integrated parts of our own\nideological culture? One important method would be to engage in the comparative\nstudy of philosophies. In the past, the absorption of alien ideological cultures as a\nnatural and spontaneous process was often slow and sluggish, and incidental and\naccidental factors tended to have a great deal of influence on the process. If we were\nto carry out such work today in a conscious and deliberate fashion, we are bound to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "be able to absorb the valuable and refined portions of an alien ideological culture\nmore speedily. This problem applies to Marxism as well. If we are able to deal\ncorrectly with the relationship between Marxism and our own ideological cultural\ntradition, so that Marxism may become even more compatible with the circum-\nstances and sentiments of the people in our country, if we may create a Sinicized\nMarxism, then it not only would take deeper and stronger roots in China but would\nalso more effectively absorb and retain the good and valuable parts of Chinese\nideological cultural tradition and expel those which are valueless or corrupted so\nthat our country’s fine spiritual culture may be further developed. Therefore, the\nestablishment of comparative philosophical studies under the guidance of Marxism\nis a most important task for us. The question is, how we should undertake the study\nof comparative philosophy?\n\f134                      9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.3.1    The Search for Common Laws"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In comparatively studying two ideological cultures from different traditions, we\nshould attend to the discovery of certain common laws which govern the evolution\nof human ideological culture.\n   The study of comparative philosophy, like the comparative study of religions\nand literature, has a specific meaning of its own. The study of comparative\nphilosophy does not mean simply the comparison between two, any two, philoso-\nphers (taking, for instance, Zhu Xi and Wang Shouren [Wang Yangming]); any\nmore than the study of comparative religion means the simple comparison of any\ntwo Buddhist monks [say, Zhi Dun and Dao An]. Comparative philosophy or\ncomparative religion refers to comparing two systems of philosophical thought\nwhich stem from different traditions or two religious systems that come from\ndifferent sources and origins. Therefore, such comparative studies must be com-\nparative analyses of two different countries [such as China and India] or regions"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[such as East and West] or nations [such as the Chinese people and some other\nnationality].\n   Philosophy is the most general science in the study of Nature, society, and\nhuman reasoning, and the laws which govern the development of human thought\nare, fundamentally speaking, similar or for the most part identical. Thus, when we\nhave understood the laws which governed and sustained the evolution of the\nphilosophical thought of a certain ideological cultural tradition, analyze the philo-\nsophical thoughts of another ideological cultural tradition promises to be of great\nhelp. In “On the Problems of the Dialectical Method,” Lenin said:\n   [These are] the circles which describe the history of philosophy: The Ancient World:\n   Dialectics from Democritus through Plato to Heraclitus; The Modern Age: Feuerbach to\n   Hegel [through Berkeley, Hume, and Kant]; Hegel to Feuerbach to Marx."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his “Outline to Hegel’s ‘Notes on the History of Philosophy,’” Lenin\nalso said:\n   It is possible to see the history of philosophy in terms of circles. . .. Each type of\n   philosophical thinking equals a smaller circle on the big circle (spiral) of the evolution\n   of human thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hegel’s idea of “the history of Philosophy as a circle,” which Lenin cited in the\nabovementioned essays, is not only a law which summarizes the development of\nWestern thought but also a profound reflection of the general law of the history of\nthe development of philosophy and of thought in the universal sense. If we took this\nidea to be a compass to guide us in studying the laws which governed the\ndevelopment of traditional Chinese philosophy, we could see that, in general,\ntraditional Chinese philosophy was also made up of three major spirals. The first\nwould be the philosophy of the pre-Qin period: from Confucius to Mencius to\nXunzi [through the philosophies of other schools of the time]. The second would be\nWei-Jin xuanxue [Daoist metaphysics]: Wang Bi to Guo Xiang to the Monk Shao.\nThe third would be Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism: Zhang Zai to Zhu Xi to Wang\n\f9.3 The Comparative Study of Philosophies and Regions                            135"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fuzhi. Between these three circles, which are to be seen as being put together as\nspirals, there would be the connecting tissues of development—the Han Classical\nscholarship [jing-xue], which made up the transition from the first circle to the\nsecond one, and the development of Sui-Tang Buddhism, which made up the\ntransition from the second circle to the third. Together, these three ascending\ncircles would make up a vast circle which would express the whole of Chinese\nphilosophical tradition: from the pre-Qin and Han philosophy, whose primary\nsubstance was Confucianism, to the Wei-Jin and Sui-Tang philosophy, whose\nprimary substance was xuanxue [metaphysics] built on the foundation and\nframework of the ideas of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi as well as a gradually\nSinicized Buddhism, to the Neo-Confucianism [Song-Ming Confucianism], which\nabsorbed the thought of both Daoism (Taoism) and Buddhism and on that basis\ndeveloped [Confucianism] to a higher stage of evolution."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the book Comparative Religion, F. B. Jevons cited one example which quite\nclearly demonstrated the general significance of the study of comparative religion.\nHe said that it was difficult to understand, or explain, the demotion of the Thunder\nGod in the religion of ancient Babylon from his original status to the rank of a\ndemon. The answer seemed to lie, he also said, in the study of comparative religion\nand its methodology, because in the history of the development of various religions\nwe often encounter the phenomenon of deities of an earlier religion being demoted\nto another rank in a new religion when the older, earlier religion is overcome and\nreplaced. In this case, the method of the study of comparative religion provides us\nwith a rational explanation for such a phenomenon as the demotion of the Thunder\nGod of Babylon to the rank of a demon.\n   At the present time, the methods of comparative studies generally fall into"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "two categories: “parallel studies” and “influence studies.” The former refers to\nconducting comparative studies between two different ideological cultures which\ndo not have direct or indirect influences upon one another, and yet between whom\nthere obviously are comparable points. In this case, the task would be to discover\nthe similar as well as the dissimilar phenomena between the two and to demonstrate\ncommon laws and dissimilar, individual qualities. The latter is to conduct compar-\native studies where there are direct or indirect mutual influences or, in some cases,\nunilateral influence, in order to discover the shared phenomena as well as points of\ndissimilarity so as to demonstrate the contradictions, conflicts, assimilations, and\ncompromises that exist between them.\n   No matter to which category it may belong, when a comparison is made, it\nshould not simply draw one or two elements from the ideological culture of a\ncountry, nation, or region and study them in comparison with a few sayings or one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "or two isolated phenomena from the ideological culture of another country, nation,\nor region. This would be what is known as piecemeal comparison which, strictly\nspeaking, has hardly anything to do with the study of comparative philosophy or\ncomparative religion. The comparative study of two different ideological cultural\ntraditions ought to be conducted on the basis of a rather comprehensive and\nexhaustive comparison of a problem or problems found in both traditions.\nOnly in this way can we discover the phenomena [within each] which reflect the\n\f136                    9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "presence of laws, and only then can we be led from knowledge or its absence to\nknowledge regarding this particular law of the development of human ideological\nculture and from the understanding of the individual to an understanding of\nthe general.\n\n\n\n\n9.3.2    Attention to the Specific Characteristics of a Culture"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In undertaking to study comparatively the ideological cultures of two different\ntraditions, we should base conclusions on the special characteristics and features of\nboth of these cultures. Only when a certain ideological culture is compared and\nanalyzed in the light of a different ideological cultural tradition that its own special\ncharacteristics and features can become clarified. It is impossible to express the\nspecial characteristics of an ideological culture when it is studied only by itself or\ninternally.\n    In the first and second part of this essay, we discussed the fact that although\nthere were apparent similarities between metaphysics [xuanxue] in China during\nthe Wei-Jin period and the prajna teachings of Indian Buddhism, they ultimately\nwere separate and not the same, each having its own special characteristics.\nWe were able to draw such a conclusion because we had made a comparative\nstudy of these two ideological cultures which stemmed from separate traditions."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For example, we came to know that the analysis which Wei-Jin xuanxue made of\n“being” and “nonbeing” was made from the angle or perspective of “existence,”\nthat is, from the perspective of the relationship between “ontological substance”\nand “phenomenon,” with the latter being seen as the various expressions of\nontological substance. Indian prajna Buddhist teaching, on the other hand, often\nanalyzed wu [or kong, or nonexistence] and you [being] as a pair of abstract\nconcepts. Therefore, although both may have appeared to be speaking of ben wu\n[nothingness or origin], when Wang Bi employed the term, he was referring to the\nidea of yi wu wei ben [taking nothingness to be the origin]—i.e., nonbeing\n[wu] being the substance behind being [you]—whereas when prajna teaching\nused the same, it referred to the idea that “all dharma did not have original self-\nnature” [zhu fa ben wu zi xing]. In this latter formulation, wu [or kong, or nonex-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "istence] did not refer to substance but rather [to the idea] that all things did not\nhave real self-substance [zi ti] and therefore that the existence of all things was\nmerely illusory. Furthermore, the methods of reasoning behind Wei-Jin meta-\nphysics and that behind Indian Buddhist prajna teaching were also different. The\ntendency for the Indian Buddhist prajna teachers was to employ an analytical\nmethod to reason out their viewpoints, whereas the Wei-Jin xuanxue metaphysicists\nwould reason by way of the philosophical methods represented by such sayings as\nde yi wang yan [Once the meaning, or intent, is attained, the words may be\nforgotten] and ji yu chu yan [The meaning resides outside of the words, which\nare only its temporary abode].\n\f9.3 The Comparative Study of Philosophies and Regions                                                 137"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For example, in the Kong zong [Emptiness school] of prajna Buddhism, the\npostulate “all dharma did not originally have self-nature” [zhu fa ben wu zi xing]\nwould often be analyzed in the following logical manner:\n1. When things are analyzed at the utmost level of minutiae, further analysis would,\n   presumably, bring the object of analysis to the realm of tin xu [the neighborhood\n   of Void or Nothingness]. That is, further analysis would bring about the logical\n   conclusion that the object of analysis does not really have substance or a self—\n   thus the saying: “Observe and contemplate the minutiae of things; when the final\n   minutiae is reached, there would be found no substance.”\n2. When one analyzes things from the angle of the relationship between time and\n   object, one will understand that neither wu xiang [material or physical phenom-\n   enon or appearance] nor xin xiang [mental or psychological phenomenon] is\n   real. First, all things are generated instantaneously and also perish equally"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "instantaneously, that is, all things are no sooner generated than they perish.\n   Second, nothing lasts at all, that is, not things are first generated and then perish,\n   but that they are generated and perish all at once: generation and perishing\n   happen at one and the same time. For these two reasons, therefore, things cannot\n   be said to have any real self-substance.\n3. The analysis of the object itself leads inevitably to the conclusion that it is made\n   up of the combination of causes and effects and therefore it does not have any\n   real ontological substance of its own. Since all dharma does not have real self-\n   substance, all things or phenomena are therefore without original existence—\n   thus the saying: “not that appearances (phenomena) perish, but that they are\n   non-existent.”\n  The method which the Wei-Jin xuanxue [Daoist metaphysics] scholars, such as\nWang Bi, used to argue for their idea of “having origin in nonbeing” [yi wu wei ben]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "was very different from that of the prajna Buddhists. In the Laozi (Lao Tzu) Zhi Lue\n[An Outline of the Intentions of Laozi (Lao Tzu)], Wang Bi said:\n   The cause for the generation of a thing and the fulfilling of its achievement is this: It must be\n   born of the Form-less [wu xing] and have origin in the Name-less [wu ming]. The Form-less\n   and the Name-less is the origin of all things. It is neither warm nor cold, neither gong nor\n   shang [Gong and shang are sounds of special characters—Tr.]; its sound cannot be heard;\n   one cannot see its expression if one were to look at it, nor know it by feeling, nor taste\n   it. This is made of a primal combination of forces; as a phenomenon it does not have a form,\n   as a noise it has but a little sound, and in terms of taste it does not have any presentation. It is\n   for this reason that it can be the origin of all species and objects. It exists as an embryo, in\n   which all Heaven and Earth is contained and all parts of Heaven and Earth are connected."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There is nowhere it cannot go, and yet it will not be directed. If something is warm, it\n   cannot be cool; if something is gong, it cannot be shang. Once things take form, they are\n   inevitably divided; sounds, too, naturally belong to separate divisions. Therefore, if some-\n   thing that is a phenomenon has form, it cannot be the Great Phenomenon; the sound that has\n   noise cannot be the Great Sound. Nevertheless, if the Four Phenomena did not have form,\n   the Great Phenomenon cannot be free. If the Five Sounds did not have noise, the Great\n   Sound cannot arrive. If the Four Phenomena do take form, and yet objects are not made to\n   submit to a master, the Great Phenomenon will be free; if the Five Sounds have noise but\n   the mind does not follow them, the Great Sound will arrive.\n\f138                      9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Wang Bi’s view, Heaven and Earth and all things have many forms and\nappearances. What is one thing therefore cannot be any other thing at the same time;\nif something has a specific form, it cannot take another form. Thus, it is only the\nformless that can accomplish any form, only the soundless that can become any\nsound, and only the nonbeing [that which is not any specific being] that can\naccomplish being [can become anything]. It is because nonbeing can become\nor accomplish all being that it can be the foundation of the existence of all\nexistence. Therefore:\n   All things under heaven are born of “being.” The beginning of being is in having non-being\n   as its origin. If one desired to accomplish “being” one must first revert to “non-being”\n   (see Laozi (Lao Tzu) Zhu [Annotations on Laozi (Lao Tzu)])."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All things under Heaven are specific and concrete existences with forms and\nphenomena. That these things with forms and phenomena can come into being, or\nbe generated, is because they have “nonbeing” as their ontological substance; only\nthen can this substance be expressed as many specific things with many forms and\nappearances. For example, it was argued the water of the sea is manifested in waves\nand billows of many different colors and shapes. That it can be manifested in these\nmany phenomena is precisely because it has its origins in water. Therefore, in order\nto preserve all things of various forms and phenomena, one must grasp the\n“nonbeing” which is their ontological substance.\n   However, the “nonbeing” which is the ontological substance is not a “thing”\nwhich exists outside of “all things.” Although one can say that “a phenomenon\nwhich has form is not the Great Phenomenon,” unless “the Four Phenomena have\nform the Great Phenomenon cannot be free.” Therefore, it is only when one can"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "understand things through specific forms and phenomena, and yet not be confined\nby the specific forms and phenomena, that one can grasp “the phenomenon which is\nwithout phenomenon” [wu xiang zhi xiang] or “the scenery outside of the picture”\n[hua wai zhi jing]. It is only when one can understand through specific sounds and\nyet not be insistent on, or confined by, specific sounds that one can grasp “the sound\nthat has no noise” [wu sheng zhi yin] or “the sounds outside the chords” [xuan wai\nzhi yin], and it is only through the understanding of language [words] and yet not\ninsisting on language that one can attain the “meaning without words” [wu yan zhi\nyi] or the “meaning outside the words” [yan wai zhi yi].\n   From the above, we can see quite clearly that the method with which the\nargument “taking nonbeing as the origin” [yi wu wei ben] was made by Wang Bi\nwas very different from the analytical approach adopted by the Kong zong of\nprajna Buddhist teaching. The approach taken by Wang Bi was the method of de"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "yi wang yan [attain the meaning and lose, or forget, the words] which is a peculiarly\nmetaphysical method of the xuanxue scholars.\n   When we have compared and studied the various aspects of the gui wu [valuing\nnonbeing] school of Wei-Jin xuanxue, as exemplified by Wang Bi, and the Kong\nzong [Emptiness school] of Indian prajna teaching, we shall be able to see more\nclearly each school’s characteristics and its level of development. Only on such a\nbasis can we clarify the relationship between Buddhism and Wei-Jin Daoist\nmetaphysics during the period immediately or shortly after the introduction of\nBuddhism into China.\n\f9.3 The Comparative Study of Philosophies and Regions                             139"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In issue no. 1, 1980 of Zhexue Yanjiu [Philosophical Studies], an article was\npublished on “A Brief Discussion on the Theories of Early Daoist Religion on the\nQuestions of Life and Death and Form and Spirit.” In that essay, comparisons were\nmade of the Daoist religion and Buddhism during the period of the Wei, Jin, and\nNorth and South dynasties, focusing on their respective views regarding life and\ndeath and the question of jietuo [emancipation, or, in the Buddhist case, more\ncommonly known as deliverance; in Sanskrit, mukti, or moksa]. The article pointed\nout that on these questions between these two religions, both of which were popular\nat the time, there were three major differences:\n1. On the question of life and death, the Daoist religion advocated adopting the\n   notion of “everlasting life” [i.e., nonperishing] as the goal, whereas Buddhism\n   advocated taking “eternal extinction” [i.e., nonlife] as the goal. Daoism\n   (Taoism)’s idea of emancipation advocated the transformation of mortal flesh"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "into immortality by way of an integration of the body and the spirit such that this\n   integrated substance may live on in nonperishable eternal life and in so doing be\n   separated from the trouble-laden world of the present and enter the spiritual\n   world of fantasy and illusion. Buddhism, on the other hand, believed that the\n   source of the pains of human life was the “life of being,” which was the state in\n   which the spirit was connected to the body. Within this state of “life of being,”\n   until the spirit achieves Nirvana, it must always return in the cycles of\n   incarnation. Only by transcending these cycles of incarnation becoming\n   separated from the body and returning to everlasting extinction can the spirit\n   be delivered from the sea of bitterness that is human life.\n2. On the question of form and spirit, Daoism (Taoism) advocated the achievement\n   of immortality by having the spirit and form become one. Buddhism advocated"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "having the form and spirit separated from one another and thereby achieving\n   Buddhahood. Buddhism believed that, unless the spirit became separated from\n   the form, it would not be able to escape the cycles of incarnation and could not\n   be delivered: to be delivered, the spirit must be separated from the form and, in\n   response to its own completed destiny, enter extinction and perish. Daoism\n   (Taoism) believed that the path of transcending life and death and becoming\n   liberated did not lie in this sort of completed destiny or extinction but in the\n   immortalization of the flesh, and for the flesh to become immortal, it cannot, and\n   must not, be separated from the spirit.\n3. As to the methods of achieving liberation or deliverance, Daoism (Taoism)\n   advocated the tempering of the form, whereas Buddhism advocated the nurtur-\n   ing of the spirit. As Buddhism believed that the achievement of Buddhahood\n   depended on enlightenment and realization, the chief means of achieving"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nirvana was to cultivate the inner mind and enhance one’s own realization or\n   awareness. As Daoism (Taoism) believed that the achievement of immortality\n   depended on the accumulation of successes and attainments, its chief means of\n   achieving liberation was to temper body and mind, nurture life, and be assisted\n   by external matter [foreign substances].\n\f140                     9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From these three points of comparison, we generally can know the\ncharacteristics of the Daoist and the Buddhist religions in China during the period\nof the Wei, Jin, and North and South dynasties. Daoism (Taoism)’s goal was the\nachievement of immortality. Though this was an impossibility, because of this\npeople’s attention was directed toward the tempering and nurturing of the functions\nof their own bodies and spirits [e.g., the qi gong, or breathing exercises] and to the\nstudy of external matter such as the manufacturing of pills and elixirs (foreign\nsubstances) whose assistance they counted upon for the achievement of the goal of\nimmortality. The goal of Buddhism was to achieve Buddhahood. Though this, too,\nwas obviously an unattainable goal, nevertheless it directed people’s attentions\ntoward the analysis of psychological activities and to the study of the cognitive\nprocesses.\n    Therefore, we have been able to discover that in Daoism (Taoism), there was,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and is, much material related to understanding of “the way of materials” and to\nknowledge concerning the human body that is worthy of our own efforts of analysis\nand investigation. For example, the book Dao Zang [The Treasury of the Way]\ncomprised of 5,000–6,000 volumes, all of which, unfortunately, have yet to be\nsystematically organized and studied, contains a wealth of information on such\nthings as breathing exercises, medicines and herbacology (pharmacology),\nchemistry, hygiene, and physical education.\n    On the other hand, there are also over 10,000 volumes of Buddhist sutras\n[including sastras, annotations, and other exegetical treatises] in Chinese.\nIn many areas, such as the analysis of psychological and psychic activity, of the\nprocesses of knowledge and cognition; the analysis of the relationship between\nsubject and object; the analysis of concepts, perception, and conceptualization; and\nthe logical process known as vidjnana or sometimes hetuvidya, these Buddhist"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "canons have much to add to our enlightenment. If we could but purge from\nthese Daoist and Buddhist materials those parts which are unscientific, fabulous,\nfantastic, or superstitious and analyze the remaining parts which are of positive\nvalue, it would be a most meaningful endeavor.\n    One of the purposes of studying comparative philosophy or comparative religion\nis to discover, through comparison and analysis, the characteristics of individual\nideological cultures of various traditions, to identify and establish their peculiarities\nso that people may correctly understand and assess the status and role of these\nparticular ideological cultures in the development of world history, and to ascertain\nthe contributions they have made. The great treasure trove of human ideological\nand intellectual culture inevitably is made up of the good and superior parts of many\nindividual ideological cultures, each with its own tradition and characteristics."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If an ideological culture did not contain any special characteristic of its own, it\nwould be difficult for it to make any contribution to human intellectual civilization.\nOn the other hand, a culture which becomes the ideological culture of a nation,\nor a part thereof, is bound to have its own special characteristics and therefore\nis bound to make some contribution to the ideological culture of the human race\nas a whole.\n\f9.4 The Isolation of Old Topics and New Issues                                        141"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "9.4    The Isolation of Old Topics and New Issues"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Finally, in the comparative study of two ideological cultures of different traditions,\nwe should attend to the discovery and rediscovery of problems to be mulled over\nand solved and to proposing new topics or lessons for investigation and study.\n    Jin Kemu, in his article “Shi lun fan yu zhong di ‘you yi chuanzai’” [A Tentative\nDiscussion of the Terms, or Expressions, for ‘Being, Unity and Existence’ in\nSanskrit], pointed out that there are several roots, or radicals, for the expressions\nin Sanskrit that stand for the notions of being, unity, or existence. The more common\nones, he tells us—and there are two of them—are as and bhu. These are both\ntranslated in the Chinese language as you [being]. For example, in the translation\nof the Zhong bian fen bie lun [The Treatise on the Differences Between the Mean and\nthe Extremes] [written by Vasubandhu] made by Chen Zhenti, and in the translation\nof the Bian zhong bian lun [The Treatise on the Debate Between the Doctrines of the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mean and the Extremes] made by Xuan Zang, the term “sattvau,” was consistently\ntranslated as you [being]. However, bhava [having, or possession], one of the\ndvadasanga pratityasamutpada or twelve yinyuan [nidanas, or combinations of\ncauses], was also translated as you [being]. As refers to existence or being in the\nsimple, abstract sense, or, if you will, the static, absolute sense, whereas bhu refers to\nexistence in the transforming or specific sense, or in the moving, relative sense.\n    We also know that in ancient Greek philosophy, particularly in the Aristotelian\nsystem of thought, “substance” was also divided into two categories: primary\nsubstance and secondary substance. The two possessed different meanings. The\nformer does not refer to simple and pure matter, nor to the general form common to\nthe various matters, but to the individual units of matter and their forms. The second\nmeaning of substance [or, secondary substance] referred, on the other hand, to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "general form or concept or category of matter, which becomes individualized in\neach separate matter.\n    Does this fact—that, while in Sanskrit, corresponding to various linguistic\nradicals, the terms for “being, unity, and existence” have different meanings and\nthat the term “substance” in the Aristotelian system of thought also has various\nmeanings—enlighten us in any way? In the Chinese translations of the Buddhist\ncanons, the term for existence and being, which had different meanings in the\noriginal, all were translated as you. In Chinese traditional philosophy, then, did the\nconcept conveyed by the term you also have various meanings? When Pei Wei, in\nhis Cong you lun [Treatise on the Exaltation of Being] spoke of “self-generating\nand inevitably existent in substance” [zi sheng er bie li you], did the term you there\nrefer to specifically existent matters or to the general existence of matter? Again, in\nthe usage of Guo Xiang’s Zhuangzi Zhu [Annotations on Zhuangzi], did the term"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "you sometimes refer to the specifically existent matters and sometimes to the\ngeneral existence of matter? These are all questions which call for further investi-\ngation and require deeper analyses of the meaning(s) contained in the term you in\ntraditional Chinese philosophy.\n\f142                     9 The Introduction of Indian Buddhism into China: A Perspective. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his book Ti yong lun [On Substance and Use], Xiong Shili proposed that the\nessential and fundamental difference between traditional Chinese philosophy and\nIndian Buddhism was that where traditional Chinese philosophy talked about\nthe “oneness of substance and use” [ti yong ru yi], Indian Buddhism separated\nsubstance from use, rending the two asunder. Whether or not Xiong’s conclusion\nwas correct is not something we wish to make a point of in our discussion here, but\ncertainly it can be said that the problem which he raised in his study of these two\nideological cultures stemming from different traditions is most likely to have\nconsiderable significance for the study of the characteristics of the Chinese philo-\nsophical tradition itself.\n    From the perspective of the general trends in the development of traditional\nChinese philosophy, it can be seen that the notions of tian dao [Heaven’s Way] and\nren dao [the way of humanity] generally are considered to be consistent"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and integrated one with the other—in other words, it was assumed that the ideal\nshould and could be realized in present reality. Even in the xuanxue metaphysics of\nthe Wei-Jin period, although this system of thought took the ideas of Lao Zi and\nZhuangzi to be its framework, the ultimate pursuit of the metaphysicians was\nstill to achieve the “way of the inner sage and the outward monarch combined”\n[nei sheng wai wang: hi dao] which was contained in the “paradise which is\nnaturally possessed by the Great Teaching” [ming jiao zhong zi you le di], i.e., in\nConfucianism. When the Song-Ming Neo-Confucianists opposed Buddhism and\nDaoism (Taoism), they did so chiefly on the grounds that Buddhists and Daoists,\naccording to the Neo-Confucianists, “pursued the illusory transcendental periphery\nof the universe of that which was real.” The Neo-Confucianists claimed to believe\nfundamentally that “the ethics of the norm” [gang chang] and the great teaching"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[ming jiao] equaled “the principle of Heaven” [tian li]. On the other hand, in\nChinese Buddhism, too, and particularly in the Chan School, the teaching was\nthat “achieving Buddhahood” did not require leaping out of or being separated from\na life of reality. The Chan Buddhists said, “Carrying water, cutting firewood, all\nthese contained the most wonderful way and truth”—that is, it was possible for one\nto become enlightened to the wonderful way of achieving Buddhahood even in the\nmundane routines of everyday life.\n    When we compare China’s traditional philosophy with the transcendentalist\n“going outside of the world” notion in Indian Buddhism, can we say that Chinese\nphilosophy, after all, remained indeed faithful to the idea of “one-ness of substance\nand use” and that it was for this reason that the notions of complete transcenden-\ntalism were never able to become part of the mainstream of traditional Chinese\nthought? As I see it, this, too, is a question which merits further and more"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "penetrating investigation.\n    If we were to apply the comparative method to the study of the philosophical\nideas and religious doctrines of various ideological cultures which stemmed from\ndifferent traditions, such as the ideological culture of China and that of India, or that\nof the Western world, we will, I believe, discover even more lessons to be learned\nand topics to be discussed.\n\f9.4 The Isolation of Old Topics and New Issues                                    143"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Over a hundred years ago that Marx and Engels pointed out: “Because the\nbourgeoisie opened up a world market, the production and consumption of the\nvarious countries have become universalized. . .. This is true not only of material\nproduction, but of the products of the mind and spirit as well. The spiritual products\nof the nations have become their common property, and the partialism and paro-\nchialism of the individual nations have become daily increasingly impossible.\nTherefore, out of the literature of the many nations and places of the world a\nworld literature has been formed.”\n   According to the editor-annotator, the term “literature” here referred to writing\nin many areas, including science, art, and philosophy. We have now reached the\n1980s; our age is much more advanced than that of 1848 when Marx and Engels\nwrote the Communist Manifesto. The interflow of ideas and culture and the inter-\naction between peoples and civilizations have become even more widespread and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "profound. The comparative study of philosophy and religion is bound to promote\nthe study of the history of Chinese philosophy. In the comparative study of\nideological cultures of different traditions, we can discover the common laws\nwhich govern the development of things; we can expose and demonstrate the\ncharacteristics and levels of development of various ideological cultures and\nexpand the contents and scope of our study. Will this also play a part in the\nenrichment and enhancement of the development of Marxism? I am sure that it will.\n\fChapter 10\nRelationships Between Traditional\nand Imported Thought and Culture in China:\nThe Importation of Buddhism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Historically, there were three major occasions when China imported foreign culture\nand ideology. The first was the importation of Buddhism—the focus of this paper.\n   The second cultural incursion was that of Western culture, an event which, for a\ntime, gave rise to debate over the respective merits of things past and present, Chinese\nand foreign. From a philosophical standpoint, this event raised questions concerning\nthe relationships between Western and Chinese philosophy. Many modern philoso-\nphers, whether or not they were aware of it, were in actuality striving to reconcile these\ntwo vastly different cultures. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China,\nFeng Youlana was perhaps most successful in reconciling the two. His “New Ratio-\nnalism” may be seen as an attempt to use Western pragmatism to resolve several\ntraditional Chinese philosophical questions. That he did not succeed in determining\nthe true course of Chinese philosophical development can be seen in the fact that, in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "practice, he failed to solve China’s social problems.\n   The third event was the importation of Marxism, a European ideology developed in\nresponse to European historical conditions. In order for Marxism to take root in China,\nit must also, in a certain sense, merge with traditional Chinese culture and thought.\nThat is to say, it must pass through a stage of critical acceptance of traditional culture.\n   Jia Yib in his “Guo Chin Lun”c (Treatise on the Failings of Ch’in) quoted an old\nadage: “The unforgotten events of the past are teachers of the future.” Can we today\nlearn anything from the contacts between imported Buddhism and traditional\nChinese culture? I think we can.\n   I would like to discuss three important elements which characterized\nBuddhism’s spread in China.\n   First is the fact that when Buddhism first entered China, it tended to attach itself\nto native ideologies. Only later did it gradually develop and begin to influence those\nideologies."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture, 1991:139–146\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                           145\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_10\n\f146             10   Relationships Between Traditional and Imported Thought and Culture. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When, during the Han Dynasty, Buddhism entered China, it identified itself with\nnative religious practitioners. During the Wei-Jin period, Buddhism identified itself\nwith the “Mysterious Learning”d then popular.\n    During the Han Dynasty, Buddhism was often seen as on par with the Huang-\nLaoe School. Thus, King Ying of Chu is reported as having “recited the subtle\nwords of Huang-Laoe and respectfully performed human sacrifices to the Buddha,”\nwhile Emperor Huanf “set up shrines to Huang-Lao and the Buddha in his palace.”\n    Buddhist disciples of the period even identified themselves as “practitioners of\nthe techniques of the Way.” The “Lihuo lun”g (Treatise on Rectifying Error) of the\nMozi (Mo Tzu)h states: “There are ninety-six distinct ways, but, among those worthy\nof veneration, none is so great as the teachings of the Buddha.” The Sutra in Forty-\ntwo Sectionsi also styles itself “the Way of the Buddha.”\n    At that time the principal tenets preached by Buddhist missionaries were the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "immortality of the soul and karmic retribution; such Indian concepts as the “non-\nexistence of the self” were simply not understood. The immortality of the soul was\nalready present in traditional Chinese thought, but only in the concept of spirits. The\nWen Wang Ode of the Shi Jing (Shih Ching)j says of the former Zhou Kings, “The\nThree Di-rectors are in Heaven,” that is, their souls have ascended. The “Jingshen\nXun” of the Huai Nan Zik asserts that “the form may be ground away, but the spirit\nis not transformed.” As a result of these beliefs, Huan Tanl held that “when the form\ncomes to an end, the spirit is easily destroyed,” while Wang Chongm argued that\n“when men die, they do not become ghosts (spirits).”\n    That the immortality of the soul or spirit depended on “refining and nurturing”\nwas also a native Chinese concept.\n    As for karmic retribution, while the Buddhist conception did not exactly accord\nwith that of China, it was promulgated during the Han and was compatible with the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese notion that “good fortune comes to those who are good and evil to the\ndissolute.” Witness the Wen-yen gloss to the Qian hexagram of the Yi Jing\n(I Ching)n: “Those who accumulate good deeds will certainly have an excess of\nblessings, while those who accumulate bad deeds will have an excess of calamity.”\n    During the end of the Han and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period, as\nBuddhist translations increased, Buddhism was divided into two main schools. The\nfirst was the An Shi Gao\u000e lineage of Hinayana Buddhism, emphasizing meditation.\nThe second was the Lokaksema lineage of Mahayana Buddhism, which emphasized\nprajtta.\n    An Shi Gao translated a number of sutras among which the most influential were\nthe Anapansmrti-sutra (T602) and the Yin chi Ru Jing (T1694). The former\nemphasizes breath control, a practice comparable to the “inhalation and exhalation”\n(tu-na)p methods of Chinese seekers of transcendence. The latter explicates Bud-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dhist numerical categories and may be compared to Han exegetical studies.\n    With regard to man’s place in the cosmos, the theories of these sutras are based\non the concept of “primal breath” and state that primal breath encompasses the five\nphases which they equate with the five skandhas. It can be seen that the Hinayana\npractices expounded by the An Shi Gao lineage were assimilated to the popular\nreligious practices and thought of the day which then used them to explicate\nBuddhism.\n\f10    Relationships Between Traditional and Imported Thought and Culture. . .                  147"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The prajna concept taught by the Lokaksema lineage held as its most important\ntruth the “return of the spirit to its original perfection and union with the Way.” In\nthis we see already the influence of the philosophy of the Laozi (Lao Tzu)q and the\nZhuangzi.r\n    Zhi Qian (Chih Ch’ien),s the disciple of Lokaksema’s disciple ZhiLian,\nretranslated the Prajnaparamita sutra as the Ta Ming Du Wu Ji Jing.t This title\nitself betrays the influence of the Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi. His translation of\n“grand luminescence” for prajna probably draws on the phrase “He who knows the\neternal nature of things appears luminous,” from the Laozi (Lao Tzu). The transla-\ntion “cross to the illimitable” for paramita also means to reach a state of union with\nthe Way, that is, the illimitable Dao.\n    Zhi Qian (Chih Ch’ien)’s gloss for the first chapter states: “My Master (that is\nChih Liangu) said: “The heart of the Bodhisativa treads the Great Way. Wishing to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "embody the Way, his heart and the way merge. For this reason, the formless is\ncalled the ‘empty void’.” This is the same point reached in Ruan Ji’sv “Biography of\nthe Prior-born Great Man,” wherein the great man merges with the way. The latter\nphrase recalls as well the Laozi (Lao Tzu) statement, “The constant nature of the\nWay is formless.”\n    Zhi Qian (Chih Ch’ien) and the others believed that man’s heart and spirit\noriginated in the Dao, but, because of such flaws of the latter heavens as desire,\nman can no longer join with the Dao. For the heart and spirit to escape these\nlimitations, one must embody one’s origin, the Dao, and become a Buddha. This is\nundoubtedly a Buddhism assimilated to the thought of the Laozi (Lao Tzu) and\nZhuangzi.\n    During the Wei-Jin period, the ontology of Mysterious Learning, based on the\nLaozi (Lao Tzu) and the Zhuangzi, was very popular. The central issues discussed in\nthe Mysterious Learning were questions of fundamental cause and secondary effects"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "as well as existence and nonexistence. Buddhist prajna studies were fairly similar to\nthe concerns of Mysterious Learning, so many monks used it to explain Buddhist\nprinciples. Dao An,w for example, wrote in his Pi-nai-yeh (Preface to the Vinaya):\n     Among the twelve sections of the Tripitaka, the vaipulya section is the largest due to the\n     fact that Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi have spread teachings in this country similar to the\n     Fang-teng Jing and Prajnaparamita sutra, and thus it has been easy to travel with the wind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Even the clerics of that time recognized that the popularity of Buddhism was due\nto the thought of the Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi.\n   What is the reason for this situation? As Engels has said: “Tradition is a great\nconservative force.” It seems that any cultural ideology has its conservative aspects\nand will resist foreign culture. Because of this, foreign ideologies must first adapt\nthemselves to the requirements of the native ideology, attaching themselves to a\nnative thought system. Elements of the foreign ideology which are similar or\nidentical to the native ideology are easily transmitted, while dissimilar elements\nseep in only gradually to eventually change the native ideology.\n   The second element involves the reason why Buddhism, as a foreign importa-\ntion, was able to have such a strong impact on Chinese culture. In addition to the\n\f148             10   Relationships Between Traditional and Imported Thought and Culture. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "fact that it met certain social needs, it often accorded with the natural development\nof Chinese thought.\n   The Mysterious Learning of the Wei-Chin period developed from Wang Bix and\nHe Yan’sy emphasis on nonbeing as the source of all existence through Guo\nXiang’sz emphasis on being (“The ten-thousand things are born of themselves,”)\nto Chang Chanaa of the Eastern Chin, who contended that “in being suddenly born\nof themselves, the Source of all things resides in Nonbeing.” Finally there was\nSeng Zhao,ab who held that “the Emptiness of the Unreal” consisted of a negation of\nboth being and nonbeing. Why was the Mysterious Learning of the Wei-Chin\nperiod summed up in Seng Zhao’s prajna inspired doctrine? Precisely because\nthis was one possible outcome to which this philosophical system tended.\n   Beginning with He Yan and particularly Wang Bi, Mysterious Learning was\nmuch engrossed with the relationship between being and nonbeing, which was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "explained in terms of substance and function. It was held that “Nonbeing may not\nbe understood in terms of Nonbeing, (so) it draws its name from Being.” Thus,\nnonbeing was held to be the original substance, which expressed itself as being so\nthat its substance and function were as one. However, since Wang Bi emphasized\nthe unconditional nature of nonbeing, there was also the tendency to glorify the\noriginal substance while neglecting its expression as being. This was an internal\ncontradiction in the thought of Wang Bi.\n   From just this element of Wang Bi’s thought, we can extrapolate the negation of\nbeing (which was fully realized in Seng Zhao’s system).\n   Wang Bi’s emphasis on nonbeing was further refined by Xiang Xiuac and Pei\nGuad and eventually developed into Guo Xiang’s emphasis on being. According to\nGuo Xiang, all existence was comprised of individual concrete objects. Beyond\nthese material objects, there was no original substance (i.e., no creator). The"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "existence of the ten-thousand things was based solely on their “self-nature.” This\nself-nature was self-generated. He wrote, “Nonbeing has no reality and thus cannot\ngive birth to Being.” This direct contradiction of nonexistence contains within it the\nseeds of (Seng Zhao’s) negation of existence.\n   These two developments fit exactly the Prajna School’s negation of being and\nnonbeing. So Seng Zhao’s doctrine of the Emptiness of the Unreal continues the\nphilosophical development begun by Wang Bi and Guo Xiang. We may, then, trace\nthe historical development of Mysterious Learning from Wang Bi through Guo\nXiang to Seng Zhao. Later, the San-lun Schoolae (Madhyamika) would develop\nSeng Zhao’s doctrine and Hui Nengaf of the Chan Schoolag would further refine it\nand eventually influence the Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties.\n   The reason for this development is that ideologies have certain set principles of\ndevelopment. Unless interrupted, later developments always grow out of earlier"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tendencies. Also, an ideology often has several possible ways in which it might\ndevelop, so that, if an important ideology accords in important respects with one\npossible line of development, it can have a very great impact. The important\nideology may then become a constituent element of the native ideology and, to a\ngreater or lesser extent, influence the development of the native culture.\n\f10   Relationships Between Traditional and Imported Thought and Culture. . .       149"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thirdly, the reason that Buddhism was able to work such a lasting influence on\nChinese thought and culture was that in certain respects, it was superior to native\nChinese systems of thought. In this way, it was able to act as a stimulus in the\ndevelopment of Chinese culture.\n    The question of the Indian Buddhist prajna doctrine’s superiority to native\nChinese modes of thought is one that must be examined closely from every angle\nbefore a conclusion can be reached. This we are not able to do here, so we will only\nexamine the prajna system’s resolution of the contradiction inherent in the doctrine\nof the negation of being and nonbeing. Despite the fact that, like the thought of\nWang Bi and Guo Xiang, this doctrine is an instance of idealism, it is undoubtedly\nsuperior to theirs in that it can be used to analyze problems from two opposite\ndirections. Even though Seng Zhao’s doctrine of the “Emptiness of the Unreal” can\nbe seen as an extension of Wang Bi and Guo Xiang, it goes beyond their systems in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that it accords fairly well with the Indian prajna system.\n    In my opinion, after its absorption into Indian Buddhism, the idea of a creator or\na spiritual entity which fashioned Heaven and earth never again occupied an\nimportant position in China’s idealism. This was replaced by such abstract concepts\nas the Confucian liah (the “natural pattern”) and Daoai (“the Way”), which, as first\nprinciples, determined human existence in the universe. Sometimes “Heart mind”aj\nwas made a first principle; it was held that “the heart is the natural pattern” or that\n“the natural pattern merges in the heart.” This is a feature of Sung and Ming\nDynasty philosophy. As this sort of idealism developed, it became the most\nimportant form of Chinese traditional philosophy.\n    However, even for a relatively superior foreign ideology to influence another\nculture, it must, in addition to satisfying certain economic and political conditions,\nalso meet the first two requirements we have discussed. If it does not, then even a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "superior ideology will fail to take root in the host country. For example, the\n“Treatise on the Completion of Ideation Only” (Wei-shih hun)ak brought in by\nXuan Zangal and Hetuvidya (Vin-ming xiieam) are both fairly lofty constructions,\nbut, despite Xuan Zang’s reputation, they were not influential in China and failed to\nbecome a constituent of Chinese philosophy.\n    I think that the above three points are significant phenomena attending Bud-\ndhism’s importation into China. With these in mind, I would like to bring up a\nquestion of current concern: can Marxism merge with traditional Chinese thought\nand culture. This is a large and difficult question. Predictions are hard to make, but\nit can be explained. In the abstract, most people respond that they wish for a merger\nof the two, but the question is whether this is possible and how it could be achieved.\n    Here I wish only to discuss a few thoughts drawn from the second of the points"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "above: If Marxism is to take root in China, continuing lines of development begun in\ntraditional Chinese thought and culture, the chief issue is to find points of conver-\ngence between the two so both Chinese philosophy and Marxism will progress.\n    Marxism is undoubtedly a superior ideology. Moreover, it developed in the West\nso that there are great differences between it and traditional Chinese thought. It is\nalso a vast system of thought, so that it is difficult to know just where to search for\npoints of convergence. Naturally, I cannot here discuss the problem in its entirety. I\nmerely wish to raise a few examples.\n\f150              10   Relationships Between Traditional and Imported Thought and Culture. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dialectical methodology of Marxism centers on the law of the unity of\nopposites and takes actual practice as the only standard of determining truth. This I\nbelieve to be correct. If related principles can be found among those fundamental to\ntraditional Chinese philosophy, then cannot Marxism be sinified and become a\nfurther development of Chinese philosophy?\n    The central problem of traditional Chinese philosophy as defined by ancient\nphilosophers and historians is the question of the relationship between man and\nHeaven. The traditional answer to this question, in most cases, has been that Heaven\n(i.e., the natural world, or the Way of Heaven) and man (society, or the way of man)\nare one. From this unity derives the unity of thought and action and, in art, the unity\nof subjective feeling and objective expression. (This is what Wang Fu calls the\ninterface of emotion and scene.)\n    These three unities of man and Heaven, of thought and action, and the unity of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "subjectivity and objectivity are questions of “truth,” “goodness,” and “beauty.”\nChinese philosophy, then, emphasizes unity, a fact which may have something to\ndo with Chinese thought processes or social conditions. Confucian thought has\nalways emphasized the Grand Unity and the Way of the Mean, and opposed excess.\n    If we correctly understand this unity and do not regard it as inflexible, then it is\neasy to see it as an active unification as in the Yi Zhuan (I Chuan) phrases “giving\nbirth without cessation” and “Heavens movements enduring while the Xunzi (Hsun\nTzu)an never ceases in expanding himself.”\n    Would it be wrong, then, to see struggle (or “movement”) as the traditional\ntechnique of Chinese philosophy by which union was achieved, with the unities of\nHeaven and man, knowledge and action, subjective and objective as the goals of\nthis striving? If so, then this is a point of convergence between traditional Chinese\nphilosophy and Marxism. From one standpoint, the Marxist law of the reconcilia-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tion of opposites is a superior summation and more scientific continuation of\ntraditional Chinese philosophy. From another, absorbing Chinese ideas of unity\nwould enrich Marxism.\n    Another special characteristic of Chinese philosophy is that it has never sepa-\nrated its theories of knowledge from questions of moral cultivation. Thus, questions\nof knowledge and action are at once epistemological and moral. To know one must\nbe able to put something into practice. The unity of thought and action, then, is an\nimportant concept.\n    From the point of view of the development of thought, it is proper and even\nnecessary to separate epistemological and moral questions. The failure to do so may\nhave been a shortcoming. Looked at from another angle, however, the traditional\nChinese concept of putting moral theories into action has a great significance.\n    “Practice” in Marxism primarily denotes production struggle, class struggle, and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "scientific experimentation. Of course, such things as the “struggle against Japan,”\nan example of social practice, also included moral practice. “Is it not meaningful,\nthen, to emphasize moral practice?”\n    I think that such an emphasis would have two important results: first, it would\nraise our self-evaluation and cause us to view ourselves as moral human beings;\nsecond, it would cause us to pay attention to the results of our actions.\n\fVocabulary                                                                        151"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I think that if we can overcome the confusion of traditional Chinese philosophy\nwith respect to practice and, moreover, refine it through reference to Marxist views,\nwe can make it more scientific and more correct.\n   This would serve both to advance traditional Chinese philosophy and to sinify\nMarxism. The moral emphasis on the unity of thought and action in practice would\nalso enrich Marxism. If this is so, then here is yet another point of convergence\nbetween traditional Chinese philosophy and Marxism.\n   Undoubtedly Marxism must develop, thus it must be an open system, and not a\nclosed one. If it is to develop in China, then it must resolve the question of its\nmerger with traditional Chinese culture. Naturally, the convergence of two such\nextremely different entities is difficult, but the need to advance Chinese philosophy\nrequires that we strive to do so.\n   The advancement of Chinese philosophy depends on Marxism’s union with the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "better elements of that philosophy. The modern generation of philosophers is faced\nwith this responsibility. I myself am without special abilities. I can only express my\nfeelings through an old adage: “Though I cannot achieve it, I aspire to do so.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Vocabulary"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A 冯友兰                                                                      u 支亮\nb 贾谊                                                                       v 阮籍\nc 过秦论                                                                      w 道安\nd 玄学                                                                       x 王弼\ne 黄老                                                                       y 何晏\nf 桓帝                                                                       z 郭象\ng 理惑论                                                                      aa 张湛\nh 墨子                                                                       ab 僧肇\ni 四十二章经                                                                    ac 向秀\nj 诗经「文王」                                                                   ad 裴[固]\nk 准南子「精神训」                                                                 ae 三论宗\nl 桓谭                                                                       af 慧能"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "m 王充                                                                       ag 禅宗\nn 易经「乾」卦                                                                   ah 礼\no 安也高                                                                      ai 道\np 吐钠                                                                       aj 心\nq 老子                                                                       ak 唯识论\nr 庄子                                                                       al 玄奘\ns 支谦                                                                       am 因明学\nt 大明度无极经                                                                   an 君子\n\fChapter 11\nOn the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) or Laozi (Lao Tzu) is a very important book for\nstudying Chinese philosophy. In its other title, when it was written and by whom\nremain questions that scholars have long discussed. Some assert that it was written\nby Lao Ran (sixth century B.C.), who was the teacher of Confucius. Most Chinese,\nhowever, believe that it was perhaps written later around the fifth century\nB.C. because some of its paragraphs criticize certain Confucians who lived around\nthe fifth century B.C. It is believed that someone living at that time put in writing\nthe thought of Lao Ran. The Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) could not have been\nwritten as late as the Zhuangzi, around the fourth century B.C., because there are\nquotations from the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) in the Zhuangzi. About the\nthird century B.C., a famous scholar, Han Fei, wrote a section entitled “The\nInterpretation of Laozi (Lao Tzu)” in his book Han Fei zi. This is the earliest"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "known interpretation of Laozi (Lao Tzu). Since, from the Han Dynasty till now,\nthere have been more than 1,000 different commentaries and annotations of this\ntext. Foreign scholars pay great attention to the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) as\nwell. The English translations of the text already number more than twenty and\nthere are translations into many other languages as well. Of course, in such a long\nhistory, many of these commentaries and annotations have been lost. According to\nthe old Taiwan scholar, Yen Linfeng, there should be more than 500 different\ncopies still remaining; he has collected 345 in the series he edited. Among these the\nfollowing five could be the most important:\n– Laozi (Lao Tzu) Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), interpreted by Wang Bi. His\n  interpretation created a new philosophical theory, known as “Mysterious\n  Learning,” around the third century A.D."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture, 1991:61–65\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                     153\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_11\n\f154                                               11   On the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "– Laozi (Lao Tzu) Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), interpreted by He Shang Gong.\n  This is the earliest interpretation from the view of Daoist religion, around second\n  century A.D.\n– Xiang’er Commentary on the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching). This interpretation\n  reflects the views of another faction of the Daoist religion around the third\n  century A.D.\n– Dao De Zhen Jing Shu, commentary of Emperor Ming Huang of Tang Dynasty.\n  This is the first text interpreted by an emperor.\n– Laozi Zhu, interpreted by a great politician, Wang An-Shih.\n    After 1949, many Chinese scholars tried to put the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)\ninto the vernacular, such as A New Translation of Laozi (Lao Tzu), by Ren Jiyu,\nTranslation of Laozi (Lao Tzu) by Yang Liu-qiao, and Commentary and Translation\nof Laozi (Lao Tzu) Written on Silk by Xu Kangsheng, etc.\n    Regarding the Dao De Jing (Too Te Ching) on Silk, in 1973 many books written\nduring the Han Dynasty, in the second century B.C. on silk, the so-called Silk Book"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(Bo Shu), were excavated from Han Tomb No. 3 at Ma Wang Dui in Hunan\nProvince. These silk books are of two different editions of the Dao De Jing\n(Tao Te Ching), editions A and B, which differ in quite a few words, sentences,\nand even in the number of characters.\n    These Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) on Silk are the earliest known texts of the\nDao De Jing (Tao Te Ching). In both editions, there is no title, Dao De Jing (Tao Te\nChing), but two separated tides: dao (tao) (meaning “way”) and De (meaning\n“virtue”). We can understand then why in the history book, Shi Ji (meaning records\nof the Historian), the writer said that Laozi (Lao Tzu) wrote two pieces of book,\none is dao (tao) and the other is De. Moreover, the order of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te\nChing) on Silk is quite different from the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) circulated\ntoday. The former begins with De (while the latter does the contrary), which is the\norder of the Interpretation of Laozi (Lao Tzu) written by Han Fei."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With the discovery of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) on Silk, some long\ndiscussed problems were resolved. Now we know that the title, Dao De Jing (Tao\nTe Ching), was formed only after the time of Emperor Jin of the Han Dynasty\n(156–141 B.C.). “Jing” means “canon” or “Scripture,” so dao (tao) and De became\na canon later than many Confucian canons. Besides, there are 5,463 characters in\nthe Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) on Silk (second century B.C.) and 5,683 characters\nin the text of Wang Bi (third century A.D.). Later, the text of Daoist religion usually\nincludes only 5,000 characters, for which reason the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) is\ncalled also 5,000 Characters Canon.\n    The Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) is especially important because it is one of the\ntwo trends which governed the ideology of the Chinese people for 2,000 years.\nAs we know, for Chinese culture, philosophy, art, and psychology, the greatest\ninfluences have been Confucianism and Daoism (Taoism), and hence the canon of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Daoism (Taoism), the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching). When the Chinese people\nestablished their own local Daoist religion, their scripture was the Dao De Jing\n(Tao Te Ching).\n\f11   On the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)                                              155"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It seems reasonable to translate Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) as Canon of the\nWay and Its Virtue, for in fact this book talks about two problems: first, the origin\nand essence of the universe, that is, the problem of the Way, and second, how\npeople can achieve the Way, or in other words how they can reach and understand\nthe way, namely, the problem of virtue.\n    In the period of Laozi (Lao Tzu) in answer to the question of how all things in\nthe universe were created, most people held that they were created by Heaven or by\nthe God of Heaven. As Heaven is the highest sovereign and has his own will, he is\ncalled the God of Heaven. According to the traditional ideology of Confucianism,\nHeaven is always a willful and distinctly highest sovereign power. But from the\nbeginning, Laozi (Lao Tzu) did not believe this. In chapter 4 of the Dao De Jing\n(Tao Te Ching), Laozi (Lao Tzu) said clearly that the Dao, the ancestor of all things,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "seems to have existed before the lord. It is very important to state the question in\nthis way, because it is the first time that someone denied the consistent belief that\nall things were created by a God in Heaven and on purpose.\n    Laozi (Lao Tzu) asserted that the dao (tao) is the source of Heaven and earth and\neverything. What is the meaning of the Dao? Laozi (Lao Tzu) tried to use many\ndifferent adjectives to modify it. For example, he said: The thing that is called the\ndao (tao) is elusive and vague, deep and obscure (21), soundless and formless (25).\nTherefore, it cannot be seen or touched, does not tangle with anything, does not\ndesire to do anything, and is so huge that nothing cannot be included; yet it is so tiny\nthat it can squeeze in anywhere. As such a source of the universe basically cannot be\ndescribed by language, we have no choice but to name it dao (tao) inadequately.\nThe descriptions of Dao are only ways to make people understand. It must be made"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "clear that the explanation of dao (tao) is different from dao (tao) itself; they are two\ndifferent things and the former should not be mistaken for the latter.\n    What is the essence of the Dao? According to Laozi (Lao Tzu), the dao (tao) is the\nabsolute supreme existence; no existence is earlier than the Dao. At the beginning of\nthe universe, the dao (tao) is undifferentiated: “There was something undifferentiated\nand yet complete, which existed before heaven and earth” (25), that is, Dao.\nTherefore, there is first the Dao, and then there is the integrated universe. Laozi\n(Lao Tzu) said: “The dao (tao) produced the one. The one produced the two. The two\nproduced the three, and the three produced the ten thousand things” (42). It is often\nunderstood that one is the original material force; it produces the two—yin and\nyang—and the three are their blending with the original force which blending\nproduces ten thousand things. It should be noted that the evolution here is natural"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and has nothing to do with any personal purposeful will. This is the first systematic\ntheory of the creation of the universe; it is a sort of cosmology. Although cosmology\nlater developed much further, basically it was influenced by the viewpoint of the\nDao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) just outlined. Of course, there are other theories of\ncosmology in the classics of Confucianism, for example, the Interpretation of the\nBook of Change written around the third century B.C. But what the Dao De Jing (Tao\nTe Ching) emphasized is that although the dao (tao) is the origin of Heaven, earth,\nand all things, dao (tao) produced them but never ruled them; everything developed\nand changed naturally. Therefore, the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) is negative toward\n\f156                                              11   On the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "any purposeful or conscious ruling power and for the same reason often describes\nthe essence of dao (tao) as nameless, formless, having no action, no desire, etc.\n    Furthermore, Laozi (Lao Tzu) defines the essence of dao (tao) as Wu. All things\ncome from being, and being comes from super being—Wu. All things in the world\nwere produced from something with name and form, while things with name and\nform were produced by things transcending experience, time, and space. In other\nwords, Laozi (Lao Tzu) asserts that dao (tao) which transcends all the sensory\nexperience is the final cause of all things which exist in sensory experience. In this\nway, the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) touches the problems of ontology. Later\nduring the Wei-Jin period (around third century A.D.), a scholar of mysterious\nlearning named Wang Bi developed the thought of Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)\nfrom this side; he tried to use Wu, the super being that transcends experience, to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "prove the rationality of existence in experience: As all things are produced by Wu,\nso they are rational.\n    How can the dao (tao) be gained by human beings? The Dao De Jing (Tao Te\nChing) assumes that people should follow the example of the Dao, which means\nthat people should have De. De means finding the way to reach the Dao. In the Dao\nDe Jing (Tao Te Ching), the supreme moral integrity is to take no action. The Sage\nsaid: “I take no action, and the people of themselves are transformed. I love\ntranquility and the people of themselves become correct. I engage in no activity,\nand the people of themselves become prosperous. I have no desire, and the people\nof themselves become simple” (57). This, then, is to follow the example of the Dao,\nand a person who follows the dao (tao) is a sage.\n    But how can people know the Dao? Laozi (Lao Tzu) emphasized that the way to\nknow the dao (tao) is totally different from the search for general knowledge."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Usually, the more you know, the more you want. Since the dao (tao) is nameless\nand formless, you cannot know it as one knows things with name and form; the way\nto know the dao (tao) is to get rid of things with name and form step by step.\nBy eliminating all things that bear names and forms, in other words, without any\nso-called knowledge, you can know the dao (tao) naturally.\n    How can we grasp the character of the Dao? Laozi (Lao Tzu) assumed that it is\nimpossible to put the dao (tao) into any language. He in fact said: “The dao (tao)\nthat can be told of is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the\neternal name” (1). Therefore, the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) uses many metaphors\nto explain the Dao. For example, it says that the character of dao (tao) is just like\nwater. “There is nothing softer and weaker than water, and yet there is nothing\nbetter for attacking hard and strong things” (78). “The great river and seas are kings"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of all mountain streams, because they skillfully stay below them” (66).\n    It is especially interesting that the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) often uses a\nnegative way to explain the Dao: nameless, formless, no activity, no desire—all are\nnegative ideas. Usually, what the dao (tao) is makes sense by saying what is not the\nDao, and what kind of character the dao (tao) possesses is described by saying what\nkind of character the dao (tao) does not possess. Reversal is the action of the Dao,\nweakness is the function of the Dao (40), sages follow the Dao, and what they\npursue is just the opposite of what common people chase after. For example,\n\f11   On the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)                                             157"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "common people seek to be in their prime, but after things reach their prime,\nthey begin to grow old and perish. Therefore, sages never seek their own prime.\nIn order not to perish, common people always compete with one another, which a\nsage does not. “It is precisely because he does not compete that the world cannot\ncompete with him, so he can protect himself in this way and remain whole.”\nIn order to destroy, it is necessary first to give; in order to grasp, it is necessary\nfirst to give. This is called the subtle light. The weak and the tender overcome the\nhard and the strong. All these principles remain till the present very influential in\nChinese action and thought.\n    Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) is the most important canon of Daoist philosophy as\nwell as the most important scripture of the Daoist religion. Daoist religion—the\nonly religion created by the Chinese nation—developed at the end of Han Dynasty\nin the first century A.D. Its main belief is that one can attain immortality, that one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "can rise to Heaven with body and soul. This belief of the immortals appeared much\nearlier than Daoist religion, during the third century B.C. But in the Dao De Jing\n(Tao Te Ching), we already find certain information. For example, in Chapter 59,\nwe find “that the roots are deep and the stalks are firm, which is the way of long life\nand everlasting vision.” In the Daoist religion, people either explain the dao (tao) as\na personified god or assume that if people know the Dao and grasp the Dao, they can\nattain immortality. The Xiang’er commentary, Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching),\ndescribed the dao (tao) as qi—vital energy. The supreme god of Daoist religion\nwas accumulated by Qi. In other words, the Qi accumulated into the being that is\nthe supreme god, Tai Shang Lao Jun. The He Shang Gong commentary Laozi\n(Lao Tzu) Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) also said: if you can keep the dao (tao) in\nyour body, if you don’t waste your vital energy, don’t torture your spirit, then, you"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "can attain immortality. Thus, Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) guides people in finding\ntheir way to immortality.\n\fChapter 12\nThe Origin and Characteristics of Daoism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Religion is a social phenomenon, and studying it with a view to understanding its\nhistorical development has special significance today. We can see similar trends\nin other countries where the rapid developments of science and technology do not in\nany significant way lessen the people’s sense of, nor interests in, religion. Even the\npeople of China, for some reason or other, show similar interests in the develop-\nment of religion. This phenomenon is enough to raise several theoretical questions\nconcerning the need for a better understanding of religion: what is the nature of\nreligion? Does the human psyche require a religious faith? Is religion synonymous\nwith religious belief? Is religious belief beneficial to social life? Is science com-\nplementary to, or inconsistent with, religious belief? Can religion be a modernizing\nagent? and so forth. This paper does not pretend to deal specifically with these\nquestions, but, why do we study the history of religions? Should an ideal history of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "religions be time-conscious? Can such a history help people think seriously about\nthe problems of religion that exist in the world today? All historians of religions\nneed to address themselves to these kinds of problems.\n   The religions which had been popular in Chinese history include Buddhism,\nDaoism (Taoism), Islam, Christianity, and animism. However, of all these religious\ntraditions, only Daoism (Taoism) is indigenous to China. To be sure, Daoism\n(Taoism) is a Chinese religion; it has characteristics peculiar to the Chinese.\nBesides, it has exercised considerable influence on the development of Chinese\nculture and psychology, customs and habits, science and technology, philosophy\nand thought, medicine and hygiene, and even political life. Can our investigation\ninto one of the more influential religions—the origin of Daoism (Taoism), its\ndevelopment, and characteristics—help us deepen our understanding of Chinese\nculture, personality, and way of thinking? Can it indirectly help us understand,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture, 1991: 67–80\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                      159\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_12\n\f160                                              12   The Origin and Characteristics of Daoism\n\n\nmore intimately, the theoretical and practical problems of religion in the world\ntoday? I think it can and toward this end, the present discussion is an attempt to\nanalyze and discuss the following issues.\n\n\n12.1     General Background\n\n   The development of Daoism (Taoism) was an attempt to orientate the Han Chinese to their\n   social, political, economic, moral and psychological lives at the end of the Eastern Han."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Why did Daoism (Taoism) develop only at the end of the Eastern Han period?\nHistorically, such Daoist ideas, as “immortality” and “sanctification of the bodies,”\nhad already existed during the time of the Warring States (Zhanguo). They became\neven more popular during the Qin and Han dynasties—why? We know that not just\nany kind of superstition can be called religion, although religion often embodies a\ngood deal of superstitious elements. Neither can we say that any theistic discourse can\nbecome a religion, even if it is capable of extending its influence over a sizable cross\nsection of the population. Its growth and development were directly related to the\nsocial life of the people, their history, and other objective facts. The development of\nDaoism (Taoism) during the Eastern Han may be attributed to the following factors.\n   First, the reality of social life at the end of the Eastern Han had laid fertile\ngrounds for the growth of Daoism (Taoism). The social and political conditions,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "since Shundi of the Eastern Han, had begun to deteriorate. There was outside\ninterference in the day-to-day administration, and the administrative machinery\nwas in the hands of a bureaucracy. Debauchery, unruly behavior, and social strife,\nboth from within and without, were the order of the day. Finally there were crop\nfailures due to severe drought, and large numbers of people died in ditches\n(Chong Zhangdong, Changyuan).1\n   Undue economic exploitations and political pressure at that time had made it\nimpossible for the populace to lead a decent life; bankruptcy and emigration were\ncommon. The conflict between the ruling class and the ruled was intense and acute.\nAccording to historical records, from Shundi’s time, peasant uprisings were ram-\npant. At that time, apart from the common class interest that united them in social\nmovements, their leaders resorted to magic and superstitions as organizing agents.\nThat is why, in history books, the rebels after Shundi’s time were often called"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "yaozei or “the goblin thieves.”\n   Two conclusions may be drawn from the above discussion. First, a period of\neconomic and political unrest, as well as spiritual and moral decay, provided an\nobjective vantage for the development of religion. Second, as the leaders of the\npeasantry had used magic and superstitions to rally support in their movements,\nthey knew that these could be used as tools for mobilizing the people, thus\npaving the way for the widespread development of religion. As is always the\ncase, social turbulence often caused great hardship and suffering to the lower\nclass. Thus, when people became desperate, they tended to hinge their hopes\nupon some kind of spiritual power, or shenling. This was one of the most common\n\f12.1   General Background                                                         161"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "avenues through which people, in antiquity, reconciled themselves with their\nsocial reality. This also explains why a majority of the early Daoist believers\nwere members of the lower social strata.\n    Second, the social conditions at the end of the Eastern Han had provided useful\nmaterial for the founding of Daoism (Taoism). Since the time of Han Wudi, when\nDong Zhongshu pointed out that “of the hundred schools, only Confucianism is the\nmost revered,” Confucian thought had adapted itself to the needs of building a\nunified feudal society and serving as an ideology for the ruling class. From then on,\nthe development of Confucianism depended primarily on the teaching of a recip-\nrocal relationship between Heaven and man, followed by an increased interest in\nthe development of theology and metaphysics. Though ideally a religion is theistic,\nnot any form of theism is adequate or sufficiently meaningful to become a religion.\nThis is because such a religion (namely, the religion of the masses) must include not"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "only the worship of spiritual beings but also possess a body of canon together with\nan endurable form of church organization, doctrines, and dogmas, and a historical\nmedium for the dissemination of religious knowledge. Generally, religion must see\nthe world in two forms: the real and the supernatural. Based on this premise, human\nbeings feel that they can only disengage themselves from the problems of social life\nin a supernatural world—believing that an ideal life can manifest itself only in the\nyonder shore of the supernatural world.\n    Despite the fact that Confucianism acknowledged the existence of Shen or God,\nespecially during the Han Dynasty, it had never thought it necessary that its ideals\nbe fulfilled outside the world, but required rather that the ideals of “governing the\nstate and pacifying the world” (zhi guo ping tianxia) be actualized in the real world,\neven though this were merely an illusion. Although religion had played a very"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "important role in feudal China, it had never become a force to reckon with. Instead\nit had, many a time, occupied a secondary position, which state of affairs clearly\nbespoke as well the dominance of Confucian ideology.\n    From the developmental point of view, after the Eastern Han, Confucianism\ncould very well have become a religion, because its metaphysics together with\nthe conception of the sacred could be easily converted into religion. However,\nConfucianism did not become a religion during the Han Dynasty for the simple\nreason that it attempted to materialize the ideals of “governing the state and\npacifying the world” in the real world. Thus, following the decay of the Han\nDynasty, Confucian ideology not only fell short of becoming a religion, but its\nposition as an ideology of the ruling class continued to decline. Because of this\ndecline, Confucian thought had given way to the growth of Daoism (Taoism).\nHistory shows that, whenever the dominant ideology of the ruling class lost its"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "power, it often signaled the growth and dominance of a countervailing religion.\n    Even though Confucianism had declined at the end of the Eastern Han, certain\nfacets of its ideology could still be absorbed and put to good use by an ongoing\nreligion. The fact that Confucian ideas are found in Daoism (Taoism) is clear proof\nthat such assimilation did take place. For example, the idea of “the ultimate peace\nin the unity of the three (Heaven, earth, and man) in one” (tian-di-ren san heyi zhi\ntaiping) shows that the Confucianists were concerned about political reality and the\n\f162                                         12   The Origin and Characteristics of Daoism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "notion of sancai (three endowments) mentioned in Yi Zhuan.2 The idea that the sky\nand the universe were formed by breath (qi) could have derived from the knowledge\nof world creation as well as the yin-yang principles and the five elements mentioned\nin the apocryphal texts. All these ideas were closely connected to Han Confucian\nthought. That most of the scholars who studied the development of Daoism\n(Taoism) focused their attention on its relationship with Daoist sources and\noverlooked the nexus between Daoist and Confucianist ideas is a bias.\n    Daoism (Taoism) could have another source in its gradual mingling with the\ntradition of the saints. Although there was a connection between the Daoists and the\nsaints of the early Qin, both seem to belong to quite different schools of thought.\nUntil the beginning of the Western Han, the popular Huang-Lao learning was\nessentially Daoist. It frequently emphasized the exemplary qualities of the sage"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and was thus deemed capable of exercising its power over the state and the cosmos.\nThat is why Sima Qian, in his preface, commented that the importance of the\nHuang-Lao learning lies in the doctrine of “self-actualization through non-action,\nand self-correction through expiation” (wuwei zihua, qingjing zizheng).\n    The Huang-Lao Daoist learning underwent a change during the Eastern Han:\npart of its adherents sought the help of the gods installed in shrines, thus becoming\nunified with the saints. Huandi, for example, made sacrifices to Laozi (Lao Tzu) at\nthe latter’s shrine with the aim to “preserve shen for the uplift of character and the\nultimate ascent to Heaven,” thus signaling the initial transformation or Huang-Lao’s\nDaoist teaching. Also, as early as the end of the Western Han, there was already in\nexistence of what was known as “Huang-Lao’s Dao” (the Way of Huang-Lao) and,\nlater on, the “Fangxian’s Dao” (the Way of the Saints), all of which actually"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "belonged to the immortalist sects. Further, the saints’ underlying objective was\nto attain “eternal life” (changsheng busi) and to cause the bodies to be sanctified\n(routi chengxian). Thus, once it merged with the Daoist ideas of “attaining peace\nthrough inaction, and remaining in peace through abstinence” (qingjing wuwei,\ntiandan guayu), it increasingly began to attract the masses and became a powerful\nsocial force. Lastly, the basic tenets of Daoism (Taoism), such as “immortality” and\n“the sanctification of the bodies,” although derived from the Way of the Saints,\nbecame part of the Daoist system. Hence, its transformation also represents an\nimportant factor contributing to the growth of Daoism (Taoism).\n    From the above viewpoints, Daoism (Taoism) as a religion may be said to have\ndeviated from the Confucianists’ and Daoists’ schools of thought. However, its\nsource of ideas was inseparable from both. Hence, from the beginning, it had"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "distinguished itself as a religious system in which Confucian and Daoist ideas\nsupplemented each other. This system represents some of the characteristics typical\nof Chinese culture, psychology, and way of thinking.\n    Third, the introduction of Buddhism into China had greatly stimulated the\ndevelopment of Chinese religion. From the time Buddhism spread to China during\nthe Western Han till after the middle or the Eastern Han, it maintained a steady level\nof propagation. Buddhism, acting like a catalyst, escalated the development of\nDaoism (Taoism). Actually, the school of the saints was already popular during\nthe Western Han, and disciples frequently had given tributes to Huang-Lao.\n\f12.1   General Background                                                            163"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was evidenced in the existing learnings of “Huang-Lao’s Dao” and\n“Fangxian’s Dao.” The former sanctified Huangdi and worshipped him in\nshrines dedicated to him; the latter talked about “non-death and everlasting life”\n(zhongshen busi). Shiji3 records that the teacher of the river elder, Le Jigong,\nlearned about Huangdi. The book of Fengchan4 records that Huangdi became an\nimmortal because of Fengchan. Yujie (more appropriately, Ganjie), who compiled\nthe Daoist scripture Taiping Jing,5 suggested that the book was originally by Laozi\n(Lao Tzu). During Han Mingdi, Chu Wangying had already worshipped Huangdi\nand Foutu. Chu Wangying recited Huang-Lao’s words and honored Foutu’s shrine.\nHuandi erected Huang-Lao’s and Foutu’s shrines in his palace. The fact that\nHuang-Lao and Foutu were worshiped manifestly shows that Huangdi was at that\ntime regarded as a deity or a Buddha. Sainthood was in fact a form of sagehood.\nLiving the life of an immortal is but a human discipline. There was no formal nor"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "endurable form of organization to be used as a base for the interaction of the\nreligious community. But after the spread of Buddhism to China, it became an\norganized form of religion, possessing not only a set of teaching which differed\nfrom that of traditional China but also an organized church, with a religious canon\nand a spiritual community, all of which served as a blueprint for the founding of\nDaoism (Taoism).\n    It is true that Buddhism had served as a model for the establishment of Daoism\n(Taoism). Of even greater importance is that Buddhism was alien to Chinese culture\nand its propagation in China was greeted with protests by the bearers of Xia’s\ncultural tradition. This defensive attitude acted as a stimulus spurring the Chinese to\nstrive even harder toward establishing an indigenous religion. When an ethnic\nculture encountered an alien culture, it often gave rise to mutual absorption or\nrejection.\n    This situation was particularly marked in the case of the Chinese response to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Indian Buddhism. We can provide evidence to show how it was actually reflected in\nthe earliest Daoist scripture, Taiping Jing. In this scripture, we see how some\nBuddhist ideas, like benqi (the primal beginning) and sanjie (the three worlds),\nhad their origins in the Buddhist canon. On the other hand, there were criticisms\nabout Buddhism, for example, the talks that “the conduct of the four destructions\ncollectively denigrates the spiritual Way of Heaven” (Shihui zhi xing, gong wuru\nhuangtian zhi shendao). Moreover, upon the establishment of Daoism (Taoism), its\nadherents circulated the story about Laozi (Lao Tzu)’s role in bringing about a\nrenaissance among the northern Chinese (Laozi [Lao Tzu] huahu). This was\ndesigned not only as a blow to Buddhism but also as an attempt to boost the\nimage of Daoism (Taoism). All this suggests a kind of antagonistic reaction against\nthe entry of the alien culture.\n    Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the end of the Eastern Han period saw the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "need for the development of an indigenous religion. The founding of this religion\ncould be traced to the existing tradition of the saints. The fact that it adopted\nConfucian and Daoist ideas as a basis for the development of Daoism (Taoism) is\neven less surprising. Once it emerged, it immediately became charged with an intense\nethnic fervor and came into direct conflict with the alien Buddhist religion. The\noutcome is, precisely, a manifestation of an indigenously endowed Chinese culture.\n\f164                                           12   The Origin and Characteristics of Daoism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12.2    The Development of Daoism\n\n   The Process through which Daoism (Taoism) developed into an organized religion also a\n   clear manifestation of how a religious community came into being."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What is the nature or religion? It can be defined in a great number of ways.\nEven in Marx’s writings,6 religion is conceived differently under different circum-\nstances. He said, “religion is the opiate of the people,” which is interpreted in terms\nof the use of religion as a way of hypnotizing the masses. This statement came not\nfrom Marx but Feuerbach.7 It means that the purveyors of religion who claimed that\nit could bring comfort to humankind were not being honest. Lenin8 conceived of\n“religion as the workers’ groaning sound,” which is interpreted as relating to the\nagony of the proletariat. Brezhnev9 said, “Religion has a countless number of\ndefinitions. . .. It may be interpreted as a form of relationship that helps to realize\nthe existence of the mystical superhuman power, for humans believe that they can\ndepend on this power.” Brezhnev’s definition seems to be more relevant and\npractical, but is there such a mystical power? How do we adjust to the existence"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of such a power? Why do people find it necessary to believe in such a power?\nIs belief in a mystical superhuman power superstitious? This raises some philo-\nsophical problems, viz, the problems of religion vis-à-vis superstition and belief.\n    Is religion a superstition? This question can be debated for a long time and no\none knows when it will end, but devout believers most certainly will reject the\npronouncement that “religion is superstition.” Why? It is because believers\nfrequently rely upon certain ideal principles to interpret what often is called the\n“mystical superhuman power” in the form of ultimate “truth, goodness, and beauty”\n(zhen, shan, mei), or else they often look upon the ideals of “truth, goodness, and\nbeauty” as a form of “mystical superhuman power.” They sincerely believe it to be\ntrue and try very hard to apply these ideals in their social life. Probably the belief in,\nand dependence upon, this ultimate “truth, goodness, and beauty” in the guise of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a “mystical superhuman power” is a matter of the human psyche’s response to\nspecific social conditions. But believers of the “mystical superhuman power”\nassume superstition and religion to be two different things. To them, “superstition”\ncan only be a trick played upon those who lack scientific knowledge, i.e., a\nmanifestation of spiritual poverty due to a lack of ideals. Devotees who believe\nthat the “mystical superhuman power” is a manifestation of “truth, goodness, and\nbeauty” may perhaps accept the idea that “religion is synonymous with belief” but\ncertainly will not accept that “religion is superstition.” According to them people\nshould have faith: even the agnostics believe in agnosticism.\n    Religion and belief are undoubtedly related. Religion is based on belief, but\nwhether belief is based on religion, in the classical sense, is a different matter. As a\nmatter of illustration, we can say that “we believe in the scientific explanation of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "atheism” or even accept that “we believe in Confucian philosophy.” Nonetheless,\nthere is no doubt that atheism is not a religion but a scientific doctrine. Even\nConfucianism may be said to have embodied certain religious elements, although\nit is not a religion. Therefore, we should distinguish not only between “religion”\n\f12.2   The Development of Daoism                                                    165"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and “belief” but also between “religion” and “religious thought.” Otherwise,\nalmost any kind of philosophical discourse could be regarded as a religion, and if\nthat be the case, it would be as good as abnegating the existence of religion.\n    Based on our understanding of the human psyche, we may postulate that human\nbeings really need a certain kind of belief. The question is whether there is the need\nfor a religious belief. If we could divide religion into two categories—one a\nscientific belief and another a nonscientific belief—religion may be said, generally,\nto belong to the latter category. What follows immediately will be questions like\nwhether human spiritual life requires a certain kind of self-satisfaction obtained\nfrom a nonscientific discipline or whether social life looks upon religious belief\nitself as a psychological need. This is too gigantic a problem to be discussed here.\nWe can only postulate that for a nonscientific belief to become an organized"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "religion, it must offer some kind of theoretical bases or support. Also, these\narguments must be able to reflect the spirit of the time. If there were no religious\nteachings to be used as a theoretical system, nonscientific beliefs could become an\nestablished religion. Besides, as an established religion, especially one that had\ncolored the history of the social masses, there must be a perduring church organi-\nzation, a religious canon, a community of devotees, and a history of religion.\n    In Chinese history, there were thousands of the so-called religious sects, but not\nall of them could be regarded strictly as “religious organizations.” In fact, a number\nof them could only be looked upon as “superstitious cults.” If that be the case, what\nthen may be thought to be an organized religion? We shall analyze the growth of\nDaoism (Taoism) first before illuminating the really meaningful form of religious\norganization.\n    An organized religion must have a canon with a philosophical base of its"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "own. The religious teachings should not be nonsensical but must contain a\nwell-organized system of ideas for the advancement of humankind. The reason\nwhy Indian Buddhism has become an influential world religion is that it provides an\nimpressive system of thought which is capable of enlightening the human mind.\nIf Daoism (Taoism) merely confined itself to a haphazard way of thinking, as is\nrepresented in the Taiping Jing, it would have been difficult to become an\nestablished religion in China. Thus, from the end of the Han Dynasty, through the\nThree Kingdoms, till after the Western and Eastern Jin, there emerged Daoists\nlike Ge Hong, Lu Xiujing, Kou Qianzhi, Tao Hongjing, and others who, in an\nattempt to fulfill the requirement of the time, not only integrated some of the Daoist\nand Confucian ideas but also absorbed some of the Buddhist elements to enrich\nDaoism (Taoism).\n    A really meaningful and influential religious community must have a formal or"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "more serious form of church organization. Even though the ideas of “immortality”\nand “the sanctification of the bodies” were subsequently incorporated into the\nDaoist religion, the saints relied heavily on personal devotion without developing\na distinctive church, and so they failed to develop a religion. It was not until the end\nof the Han Dynasty that Daoism (Taoism) became an established religion with a\npermanent membership of disciples, together with a body of clergy and church\nleaders. However, the regimes of the Three Kingdoms and the Western Jin\n\f166                                          12   The Origin and Characteristics of Daoism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "banned this organization, subjecting it to dissolution until the Eastern Jin when Du\nZhigong and others revived it and once again set it on course.\n    An organized religion must also have a more permanent set of religious\nteaching and canon. Although Daoism (Taoism) had its own precepts and canon\nwhen it was first instituted at the end of the Eastern Han, they were rather simple\nand impermanent in nature. From the Eastern Han onward, Daoism (Taoism)\ngradually became more firmly established under the impact of Buddhism and\nwith the tireless efforts of Lu Xiujing, Kou Qianzhi, and others.\n    An organized religion must have its own canon and scriptures for the guidance\nof its believers. Although there were a number of Daoist books, like the Laozi\n(Lao Tzu)10 and the Zhuangzi,11 before the Wei and the Jin dynasties, these books\ncame to be accepted as scriptures only after being popularized by the devotees.\nAll these books were written by Daoist philosophers of the early Qin, and they had"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "hardly any connection with Daoist religion. It was due to the believers’ attempt to\nlook for historical evidences that they decided to upgrade them as scriptures.\nTaiping Jing, for example, was written before the inception of the Daoist religion.\nHence, it served only as a groundwork for the development of Daoism (Taoism).\nHowever, by the time of the Eastern Jin and the Northern and Southern dynasties,\nwhen Daoism (Taoism) was firmly rooted and a church was organized, a large\nquantity of scriptures expounding the Daoist canon began to appear (Ge Hong’s\nPao Pozi).12 This period saw the appearance of three distinctive categories\nof scriptures: SanhuangJing13 (the Three Emperors Scripture), Shangqingjing14\n(the High Pure Scripture), and Lingbaojing15 (the Spirit Protected Scripture).\nAll these scriptures subsequently combined to form the “three caves” (sandong)\nof the Dizhangjing, namely, the cave of the real (dongzhen), the cave of the gods\n(dongshen), and the cave of the occult (dongxuan)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "An established religion must have a spirit being, or shenling, as specific object of\nworship and a history of its own. When Daoism (Taoism) was first instituted, it had\ninherited part of the saints’ tradition. The Daoist disciples claimed that it was\nimparted to them by the immortals, mostly with Laozi (Lao Tzu)’s assistance.\nUntil the Northern and the Southern dynasties, Daoist disciples created the “rank\nof the real being” based on the conception of the social hierarchy prevailing at the\ntime. Tao Hongjing’s Zhenlin Yueweitu16 (Real Spirit’s Occupational Status Chart)\ndivided the immortals into seven classes, the highest of which was occupied by the\nfirst three: the Primal Lord of Heaven (Yuanshi Tianzun), the Daoist Lord on\nHigh (Gaoshang Daojun), and the First Divine Daoist Lord (Yuanhuang Daojun).\nFrom then on, these three deities became the most honored in the objects of worship\nin the Daoist temples (daoguan). Since a religion always finds it necessary to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "undermine the existence of other competing religions, it has to create a history of\nits own in order to raise its own status. Thus, being an indigenous Chinese religion,\nDaoism (Taoism) had to tackle the entry of alien Buddhism. Besides emphasizing\nthe differences between “Chinese” and “non-Chinese” (huayi zhi bian) to under-\nmine Buddhism, Daoists also spread the story of “Laozi (Lao Tzu) huahu” and\nelevated Laozi (Lao Tzu)’s position to that of Buddha Shakyamuni’s teacher.\nConsequently, both Buddhism and Daoism (Taoism) remained in conflict for a\nlong time.\n\f12.3   Characteristics of Daoism                                                            167"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "However, it was not until the Eastern Jin and the Northern and Southern\ndynasties that Daoism (Taoism) finally became an established religion. The various\nstages of its development may be summarized as follows. First, from the Eastern Jin\nonward, the Daoists began to revive their religion by reorganizing the Daoist\ncommunity which had become scattered and unstable. At the same time, in order\nto overcome the inadequacy of Daoist teaching and theoretical formulations, Ge\nHong and others had provided a body of Daoist canon and precepts. Thereafter, as\nan attempt to consolidate the founding of the Daoist church, a set of religious\nteaching was formulated, and in order to propagate Daoist teaching, the required\nscriptures were made available. Lastly, so as to set the religion on a proper footing,\na compendium of fairy tales and legendary stories was kept alive. The various\nphases involved in the development of Daoism (Taoism) may thus be said to be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "characteristic of the circumstances under which a religious body came into\nexistence. One of our aims of studying the history of religion is to use it as a source\nfor illuminating the various phases of its development so as to enable us to assess,\nmore accurately, the role it played in society."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12.3     Characteristics of Daoism\n\n   As a form of religious philosophy Daoism (Taoism) has special characteristic, which can be\n   illuminated only through comparison with other religions."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "An established religion has characteristics which are distinctively different from\nthose of other religions. Besides such external forms, as church organization, reli-\ngious doctrines, and canon, as well as its conception of the sacred, its characteristics\nshould be reflected in the theoretical system which forms the core of the religion.\nThis theoretical system usually contains a body of basic ideals and conceptual\nschema. For instance, the ultimate reality of the Buddhist belief, as embodied in\nthe concepts of self-denial, transcendentalism, and Nirvana, is the insignia\nwhich distinguishes it from other religions. The three doctrines of the medieval\nChristianity—namely, “the existence of God,” “the resurrection of the soul,” and\n“free will”—form its religious philosophy and conceptual schema. If that be the case,\ndoes Daoist philosophy contain any doctrines and tenets which differ from those of\nother religions? I think it does, especially in the earlier form of Daoism (Taoism)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While almost all religions ask the question “what happens after the demise of a\nperson?” Daoism (Taoism) wanted to know “why humans don’t die?” This basic\nquestion serves as the key to the theoretical system of Daoism (Taoism). All this\nshows that it has characteristics different from those of other religions. The early\nform of Daoism (Taoism) held that its body of belief was made up of the tenet of\n“the ascent of the three in one,” that is, “the unity of Heaven, earth, and man for\nthe attainment of the Great Peace” (tian-di-ren, sanzhe heyi yi zhi taiping) and “the\nblending of the essence, breath, and shen to become a saint” (jing-qi-shen, sanzhe\nhunyi er cheng shenxian). From this it evolves into “non-death and eternal life”\n\f168                                         12   The Origin and Characteristics of Daoism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(zhongshen busi), “resurrection of the bodies” (routi feisheng), and “transformation\nof the breath into the three pure ones” (qihua sanqing), thus forming the basis of\nDaoism (Taoism).\n    To understand the tenets of the Buddhist philosophy, one must know the\nmeaning of Nirvana. Hence, a Russian Buddhist scholar17 wrote a book analyzing\nthe meaning of Nirvana. In Mou Zongsan’s book,18 he analyzed the concept of\nNirvana from the Chinese Buddhist viewpoint. In studying Christianity, one should\nanalyze the concept of “God.” Thus, Aurelius Augustinus (354–430), in his The\nCity of God,19 formulated his thesis regarding the “godliness” of the “Almighty.”\nIn his Shenxue Dazhuan,20 Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) put forward five para-\nmeters to prove that “God exists.” In Daoist philosophy, the basic concept is breath\n(qi), the existence of which may be proved by the following.\n    First, the unity of the three in one refers to the unity of Heaven, earth, and man,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and the reason why “Heaven, earth, and man” can be unified is due to the fact that\nthe breaths of Tian-di-ren are the same. The three Jing-qi-shen (essence, breath,\nand god) blend to become one, and the reason why Jing-qi-shen can be fused in one\nis due to the fact that the breaths of the Jing-qi-shen are the same.\n    Second, the so-called one breath giving birth to the three pure ones means\nthe three most respected worthies of Daoism (Taoism) were the manifestations\nof the breath, or the three layers of the most sacred Heaven were manifested by\nbreath, or qi. This also shows how the basic concept of Daoism (Taoism) came to\nbe formed.\n    Third, although dao (the way) is the highest form of Daoist doctrine, its early\nperiod identified three circumstances under which the relationship between dao\nand qi was highlighted. The first circumstance was that dao is more basic than qi,\nbut dao cannot be isolated from qi. Another circumstance showed that qi is more"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "basic than dao, because Daoism (Taoism) used qi as its prime mover—for example,\nLiu Xie in his Mie Huo Lun21 (on the Extinction of illusion), while citing\nSampolun22 (The Three Breakthroughs) said “qi is the prime mover of dao.”\nThe third circumstance was the synthesis that dao is qi—for example, Tao Hongjing\nin his Yangsheng Yanmionglu23 cited Fuqijing24 (Breathtaking Scripture) that\n“dao is qi.” In studying the philosophical basis of the Daoist canon, if one could\nanalyze the meaning of qi and the conceptual base upon which it is built, one would\nbe able to gain further insight into the various salient features of Daoism (Taoism).\n    Hegel in his Lectures on the History of Philosophy25 said, “the difference in\ncultures is due to the difference in the systems of ideas.” If we compare Daoism\n(Taoism) with other religious systems, the doctrines formulated by Daoist ideas,\nand the school of thought which formed the basis of these doctrines, we would be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "able to understand more clearly the characteristics of Daoism (Taoism). Although\nDaoism (Taoism) is indigenous to the Chinese, it actually owes its development to\nthe inspiration of Buddhism when the latter spread to China. Thus, we are able\nto identify the rival relationship between Buddhism and Daoism (Taoism) as one of\nits special characteristics.\n    The earliest Daoist scripture, Taiping Jing, on the one hand, shows that it was\ninfluenced by Buddhism. For example, it relates to the question of conformity,\n\f12.3   Characteristics of Daoism                                                  169"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a concept which was already in use in traditional Chinese thought. But in Taiping\nJing, this was discussed in such a detailed and outstanding manner that it became\nobvious that it was influenced by the Hinayanist Zen Buddhist concept of “mind\ncontrol” or “control of desire.” On the other hand, the scripture also shows that it\nwas antagonistic to Buddhism. For example, Taiping Jing’s satirical expression,\n“the way of the four destructions” (sihui zhi xing), was clearly aimed at Buddhism.\nIt also put forward the argument that “one’s burden is one’s responsibility”\n(chengfu) as a direct confrontation to the Buddhist concept of “reincarnation”\n(laishi baoying). After the Eastern Jin, Daoism (Taoism) gradually developed into\na full-fledged religion. It had a theoretical system of its own, and consequently its\ndifferentiation from Buddhism became more and more pronounced. At that time,\nthe differences between Buddhism and Daoism (Taoism) might be related to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "following problems: (1) life and death and the form of god, (2) the cause and\neffect of one’s deeds and misdeeds (yinguo baoying), and (3) this-worldly and\nother-worldly orientations. By analyzing of all these issues, we would be able to\nappreciate the special characteristics of Daoism (Taoism) as a religion.\n    In comparing Buddhism and Daoism (Taoism), we may encounter yet another\nquestion: why does not Daoism (Taoism) become a world religion as did Buddhism\nrather than remaining merely a Chinese religion? From the historical point of view,\nit is possible that Daoism (Taoism) could have spread to Korea at the end of\nthe Northern and the Southern dynasties. Sanguo Shiji26 (The History of the\nThree Kingdoms) recorded how Daoism (Taoism) spread to Korea at the beginning\nof the Tang Dynasty, but, shortly afterwards, Buddhism became popular in Korea\nand very soon it outran Daoism (Taoism), which thence forward ceased to retain its\nfoothold there. During the same period, Daoism (Taoism) passed through Korea to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Japan, where it might have exercised some influence on Japan’s Shinto, though this\ndoes not mean that the development of Shinto was due to the Daoist influence.\nUnlike Buddhism, however, Daoism (Taoism) also failed to spread its wing over\nJapan. In history Daoism (Taoism) had even less influence on other countries\n(notwithstanding its continuing impact on Chinese devotees who made their\nhomes outside China).\n    In my opinion, the main reason why Daoism (Taoism) could not become a world\nreligion is that it not only contains defects in its system of beliefs and practices\nbut also carries a heavy load of sentiments which are peculiarly Chinese. The goal\nDaoism (Taoism) seeks to achieve is “non-death and eternal life” and “the sancti-\nfication of bodies.” All this differs from the monotheistic doctrine that “the soul\ndoes not die.” On the one hand, its theoretical arguments, such as “the sanctification\nof bodies” and “non-death and eternal life,” are too crude and difficult to be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "absorbed. Consequently, Daoism (Taoism) had no alternative but to take in some\nBuddhist ideas, such as “when the form ceases, its spirit remains” (xingjin shen\nbu mie) and “the three kalpas’ wheel of karma” (somshi lunhui). Thus, the spread\nof Daoism (Taoism) has been seriously restricted, whereas wherever it goes,\nBuddhism has been able to take the place of Daoism (Taoism) wherever the latter\ngoes. On the other hand, Daoism (Taoism) is too closely related to science. For the\nsake of preserving life, ensuring “non-death and eternal life,” and sanctifying\n\f170                                         12   The Origin and Characteristics of Daoism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the dead, it emphasizes a great deal of physical conditioning for lifting the breath\n(qi) of material reality to the highest level. Consequently, China’s science and\ntechnology, especially medicine, came to be developed alongside Daoism\n(Taoism). Daoism (Taoism)’s use of science was bound to curtail its dynamism\nas a religion. Thus, the “nonscience” and “antiscience” components, in conjunction\nwith the basic qualities of science, began to contradict each other. Religion usually\nemphasizes “other-worldly orientations,” but Daoism (Taoism) seems to insist\ninstead on “this-worldly orientations” instead. Its adherents believe that they\ncould blend “the three (jing, qi, shen) to become saints” (sanzhe heyi er cheng\nxian). But as a religious system, Daoism (Taoism) also advocates the unity of the\nthree (tian, di, ran) in one to ensure the Great Peace (sanzhe heyi er zhi taiping) and\nfor this reason can be a potent disruptive force in the political process. In thus"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "fabricating the supernatural world of the saints, Daoism (Taoism) hopes to translate\nthe real world into an ideal one—this undeniably is a conflict of ideas.\n   The study of the characteristics of Daoism (Taoism) is of great importance for it\nenables us to understand the difference between Daoism (Taoism) and other\nreligions. By analyzing its characteristics, we are able to illuminate the salient\nfeatures of Chinese culture, psychology, and philosophy, as well as the direction of\ndevelopments in science and technology, medicine, and hygiene, and the ensuing\nshortcomings hidden therein. For people to succeed in development, they must\nknow not only the present and the future but also the past. They must come to grips\nnot only with the reality of political life and economic exigencies but also with their\ntraditional culture, religious belief, and pattern of thought. Herein lies the reason\nwhy serious research must be conducted on Daoism (Taoism) so as to enable us to\nunderstand its role as a Chinese religion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Vocabulary\n\n\n\n1.        仲长统hh昌言ii\n2.        hh易传ii\n3.        hh史记ii\n4.        hh封禅书ii\n5.        hh太平经ii\n6.        马克思\n7.        费尔巴哈\n8.        列宁\n9.        普列汉诺夫\n10.       hh老子ii\n11.       hh荘子ii\n12.       葛洪hh抱朴子ii\n                                                                             (continued)\n\fVocabulary                   171\n\n\n13.          hh三皇经ii\n14.          hh上清经ii\n15.          hh灵寳经ii\n16.          陶弘景hh真灵业位图ii\n17.          撤尔巴斯基\n18.          牟宗三\n19.          圣奥古斯丁hh上帝之城ii\n20.          hh神学大全ii\n21.          刘勰hh减惑论ii\n22.          hh三破论ii\n23.          陶弘景hh养生延命录ii\n24.          hh服气经ii\n25.          黑格尔hh哲学史讲演录ii\n26.          hh三国史记ii\n\fChapter 13\nThe Daoist Religion of China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Chinese history, there have been various religions such as Buddhism, Daoism\n(Taoism), Islam, and Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant, but among them\nonly Daoism (Taoism) is the religion of the Chinese people. To be more precise,\nDaoism (Taoism) is a religion of the Han people and has certain concrete features\nthat come from this association. It has had a large influence on Chinese culture,\npsychology, customs, science and technology, medicine and hygiene, philosophy,\nand even on Chinese politics and economics. How did the Daoist religion arise and\nwhat are its particular characteristics relative to other religions?\n    Daoist religion was born at the time of the Han Emperor Shundi at the end of the\nfirst century A.D. At this time, China already had a written history of about 2,000\nyears. At the end of the Warring States period (i.e., the third and second centuries\nB.C.), there had existed people called “immortals” who claimed that by certain"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "practices, they could “extend their lives and not die.” These “immortals” were only\nindividuals practicing by themselves; they never formed any kind of religious\norganization. However, at the end of the Western Han period (at the beginning of\nthe first century A.D.), Buddhism came to China from India. The entry of Buddhism\nhad a transformative effect and sped up the foundation of a Chinese religion.\nBecause Buddhism was a foreign culture entering China, however, it elicited a\nstrong reaction among the Chinese people.\n    The interaction of Chinese culture with a foreign culture led to both borrowing\nand criticizing. We can see both of these in the earliest of the Daoist religious\nwritings, the Taiping Jing. In this work, Daoists borrowed such Buddhist terms as\nthe “three realms” but also criticized Buddhists for their so-called four practices.\n(These were the unfilial abandonment of father and mother to become a monk, the\nabandoning of wife, and therefore the cutting off of future generations, the practice"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of begging, and the practice of eating excrement.) The Daoists said that this was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture, 1991: 81–85\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                     173\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_13\n\f174                                                   13   The Daoist Religion of China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "contravening the spiritual Way of Heaven. In particular, once established,\nthe Daoist religion set forth the doctrine of “Laozi (Lao Tzu) converting the\nbarbarians” in order to criticize Buddhism. They said that Laozi (Lao Tzu), the\noriginal teacher of Daoism (Taoism) in the Zhou period (the sixth century B.C.),\nhad left China through the Hangu Pass and gone to India, where he had taught\nShakyamuni, the historical Buddha. Therefore, the Buddha was the disciple of\nLaozi (Lao Tzu).\n   The founder of the Daoist religion is generally recognized to be Zhang\nDaoling. There are two views in the Chinese scholarly community as to where\nthe Daoist religion originated. The scholar Chen Yinge claims that the Daoist\nreligion originated in Shandong, Jiangsu, and other coastal areas. Another scholar,\nMeng Wentong, claims that it originated in Sichuan and was influenced by the\ncustoms and practices of minority peoples there. I think that the Daoist religion"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "originated in the coastal areas because the immortals were active in this area.\nFurther, Zhang Daoling himself was from Feng County in Jiangsu and only later\nwent to Sichuan, where he formally established the organization of the Daoist\nreligion. It is quite possible that certain elements of minority peoples’ customs\nwere absorbed into his teachings at that time.\n   The Daoist religion that later developed in Sichuan and the Han River area is\ncalled Five Pecks of Rice Daoism (Taoism) because people on entering the sect\nmade an offering of five pecks of rice. It is also called Heavenly Teacher Daoism\n(Taoism) because the leader of this sect, Zhang Daoling, was called the Heavenly\nTeacher. Heavenly Teacher Daoism (Taoism) was passed on from Zhang to his son,\nZhang Heng, and again transmitted to Zhang Lu, the latter’s son. Zhang Lu\nestablished a Daoist kingdom in the Han River area, which he ruled for 30 years.\nEventually he was defeated by Cao, to whom he surrendered. Zhang Lu’s son,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zhang Sheng, fled to Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi where he became the fourth-\ngeneration Heavenly Teacher. At the present time, this sect of Daoism (Taoism) has\nalready been transmitted to its sixty-fifth generation. The sixty-fourth-generation\nHeavenly Teacher is in Taiwan. His nephew is on the Chinese mainland continuing\nthe tradition as the sixty-fifth-generation Heavenly Teacher. This young Heavenly\nTeacher, a man in his twenties, came to my home to study the Daoist religion.\n   After the Five Pecks of Rich school, in Yan (Hebei), Qi (Shandong), Jiang\n(Jiangsu), and Huai (Huaihe, Anhui), another sect of the Daoist religion was\nfounded by Zhang Jiao called Taiping Daoism (Taoism). Zhang Jiao used the\nDaoist religion to organize an extremely large-scale peasant uprising. When this\nwas put down, Taiping Daoism (Taoism) largely disappeared.\n   In the Three Kingdoms and Western Jin periods (the third century A.D.), the\nDaoist religion was hemmed in by imperial rulers and developed very little."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "However, in the Eastern Jin period (fourth century A.D.), the Daoist religion\nbegan to develop speedily and many nobles adhered to it. For example, the most\nfamous aristocratic families of the time for generations believed in Daoism\n(Taoism). The most famous calligrapher in Chinese history, Wang Xizhi, was\nalso a follower of the Daoist religion. One story recounts that Wang Xizhi partic-\nularly loved geese and wanted to buy the dozen or so geese raised by a Daoist priest.\n\f13   The Daoist Religion of China                                                  175"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The priest would not sell, and Wang asked a second and a third time. Finally the\npriest said that if Wang would copy out for the whole Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching),\nhe would give him the geese. So Wang copied the entire work.\n    An interesting development occurred in the Tang period (618–907), whose\nrulers had the surname Li. At this time, the leaders of the Daoist religion were\nlooking for a mythological figure they could venerate as the founder of the religion,\nand they came upon Laozi (Lao Tzu), who was also named Li. This was not a\ncoincidence. First of all, even before the Daoist religion was formally established,\nLaozi (Lao Tzu) had been mythologized. Second, the Han Dynasty had venerated\nConfucian thought as orthodoxy, which, of course, honored Confucius. The Daoists\nclaimed that Laozi (Lao Tzu) was Confucius’s teacher, thus hoping to overcome\nthe Confucianists. Now, according to the Shiji, Laozi (Lao Tzu) was surnamed Li"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "with a given name of Erh. Since the Tang emperors were also surnamed Li, in order\nto increase their own importance, they said that they were descendants of Laozi\n(Lao Tzu). Because of this, the Tang emperors took the Daoist religion relatively\nseriously: Emperor Xuanzong even wrote his own commentary on the Dao De Jing\n(Tao Te Ching).\n    After the Daoist religion was established, on the one hand, it struggled with\nBuddhism and, on the other, it absorbed Buddhist thought. But the Daoist religion\nalso has its own definite characteristics. Many religions seek to understand or\nanswer such questions as what happens to human beings after death? For example,\nBuddhists seek to answer the question: What can people do after death to keep from\nbeing reborn into this world? The Daoists, however, seek to answer this question:\nHow can people keep from dying? The ideal in the Daoist religion is for people to\n“extend their lives and not die,” to “fly up in this very body”—that is, to become an\nimmortal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "immortal.\n    Regarding this question, the Daoist religion has certain theories. Daoists\nclaim that people have both a spirit or soul and a body, both of which are\nconstructed from qi. The qi that makes up the spirit or soul is called soul-qi.\nThe qi that makes up the body is called form-qi. Only when the soul-qi and the\nbody-qi are joined together in a single person do we have life. People should seek\ntwo things—to live forever and to obtain good fortune. If you die, everything is\nfinished, so in order to seek to extend life, first, you must get a body that does not\ndecay so that the spirit or soul will have a place to abide. Then seek a method for the\nsoul to stay with the body, otherwise you will be dead and not be able to achieve any\nkind of good fortune.\n    Because of this, Daoists seek ways to keep body and soul together, and Daoism\n(Taoism) has various methods to accomplish this purpose. The most basic of these\nare of two sorts: the outer pill and the inner pill. The outer pill consists of using"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "various minerals, especially mercury, in order to concoct a potion. It is hoped that\nby ingesting various potions, one can keep one’s body from decaying, and then the\nsoul can continue forever in its midst. They claim that if you put a bronze mud on\nyour feet and soak your feet in water for a very long time, you will not decay. If you\ncan find the so-called golden pill, once you eat it, your whole body will be able to\nlive forever without decaying.\n\f176                                                    13   The Daoist Religion of China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The inner pill is a series of practices that cause the qi within the human body to\ncirculate through certain channels. This is called “working on your qi” and is the\nsame kind of thing that is known these days as qigong. If the qi continually\ncirculates in the human body, the whole body will be suffused with the light of\nan extremely fine qi. The body itself will become as light as qi and the person will\nbe able to ascend to Heaven, which is called “to fly up in this very body.”\n   When Daoism (Taoism) became a religion, it had to have its own deities to\nvenerate. At first the deity most venerated was the mythologized Laozi (Lao Tzu),\ncalled “Laojun” or “Taishang Laojun.” Afterwards, under the influence of\nBuddhism, very many other deities were added. Originally Buddhism had only\nShakyamuni as the Buddha, but afterwards they said that before Shakyamuni there\nhad been seven other Buddhas. Toward the end of the Northern and Southern"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dynasties, a Daoist priest named Tao Hongjing wrote a book called Zhenling\nWeiye Tu in which he divided Daoist deities into seven levels. The highest level\ncontained three deities. In the center was one called Yuanshi Tiandao. On his left\nwas Gaoshang Daojun and on his right was Yuanhuang Daojun. Laozi (Lao Tzu),\nor Taishang Laojun, was placed below on the fourth level. Today in Daoist temples,\nthe formal hall is called the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, and most sects\nworship these three deities. However, not all Daoist sects are alike. Some still\nclaim Taishang Laojun as the highest deity, saying that he existed before Heaven\nand Earth were dreaded and that in different times he has different causes.\nOriginally he was Pan’gu Xiansheng. Heaven and Earth were separated by him,\nand he has various spiritual powers.\n   The Daoist religion has one female deity of particular power who is named\nXiwang Mu (Queen Mother of the West). Xiwang Mu existed as a deity before"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the founding of the Daoist religion. In the Shanhaijing (from the fourth to the\nsecond century B.C.), Xiwang Mu is not yet a female deity, but either of\nundifferentiated sex or male. Only after the Mutianzi Zhuan does Xiwang Mu\nbecome a female deity. This book recounts the story of the Zhou King Mu\n(of about 1000 B.C.) who went to the Kunlun Mountains to seek Xiwang\nMu. In the earliest Daoist scriptures, however, where it is said there that the\ncharacter “Mi” indicates the proof of the longevity of the deity, Xiwang Mu is\nmerely a deity of long life. Thus, “Mu” here does not necessarily mean a female\ndeity. Only in the Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties, when the Daoist\nreligion set up Dongwang Gong as a counterpart to Xiwang Mu, did Xi-Wang\nMu emerge as an important female deity.\n   The Daoist religion took the human body and its cultivation very seriously, as in\nsuch matters as exilers, the inner and outer pill, and qigong. Because of this, it has"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "had a great influence on ancient medicine, pharmacology, chemistry, and the\nnourishment of the human body. Many great Daoist leaders such as Ge Hong,\nTao Hongjing, and Sun Simiao were important scientists of Old China. Because of\nthis, people today who research the history and development of Chinese science\nand technology cannot but study the history of the Daoist religion. The English\nhistorian of science, Joseph Needham, in his Science and Civilization in China,\nhas relied extensively on the writings of the Daoist religion.\n\f13   The Daoist Religion of China                                                  177"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Daoists have written many works. The earliest collection of Daoist works,\ncalled the Zhengtong Daozang, has 5,000 volumes. It was compiled in 1445 in\nthe tenth year of the Zhengtong Emperor of the Ming. Later, in the Wanli period,\na supplement appeared. These are important resources for the study of the history of\nChinese religion.\n    In China today, Daoism (Taoism) is one of the important religions. About\n3,000 people have formally become Daoist priests, and several important Daoist\ntemples have been restored. In Beijing there is a Daoist temple, called the Temple\nof the White Clouds (Baiyun Guan), which was established in the Yuan Dynasty\n(the thirteenth century) and belongs to the Guanzhen sect of Daoism (Taoism).\nIts Hall of the Three Pure Ones is very fine; it also has two areas for the display of\nhistorical objects of the Daoist religion. In Chengdu, Sichuan there is the Green\nGoat palace and in Wuhan the Temple of Eternal Spring, both of which have been"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "very well restored and belong to the Guanzhen Daoist sect. In Xian a Daoist temple\ncalled Louguan Tai belongs to the Northern sect of Daoism (Taoism). It was first\nbuilt in the Northern Zhou Dynasty (fifth century A.D.), but what exists now was\nrebuilt in the Ming (fifteenth and sixteenth centuries). It is said that in the Louguan\nTai, Laozi (Lao Tzu), before he left for the West, dictated the Dao De Jing (Tao Te\nChing) to the gatekeeper, named Yixi.\n    Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi is the birthplace of the Zhengyi sect of Daoism\n(Taoism). Maoshan in Jiangsu is the birthplace of Tao Hongjing’s Maoshan sect.\nHangzhou has a Daoist temple in Geling where, it is said, Ge Hong refined the\npill. At each of these Daoist temples are Daoist priests, young and old, male and\nfemale. At Beijing’s Temple of the White Clouds, a school of Daoist religion\nteaches priests how to read Daoist scriptures. Beijing also has a Daoist Association,\na national organization publishing the Journal of the Chinese Daoist Association."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At Sichuan University, the Institute for the Study of Religion is dedicated solely to\nthe Daoist religion and is editing a Daoist dictionary. Beijing University has\nestablished an Institute for the Study of the History of the Daoist Religion, where\nI teach. The Institute for the Study of World Religions at the Chinese Academy\nof Social Sciences in Beijing is doing a synopsis of the 5,000 volumes of the Daoist\ncanon. Two national conferences have been devoted to the study of the\nDaoist religion, one at Beijing University. Thus, the study of Daoist currently is\ndeveloping very quickly.\n\fChapter 14\nThe Attempt of Matteo Ricci to Link Chinese\nand Western Cultures"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When introduced into another country or nation, a foreign culture is confronted\nby the problem of how to treat that cultural tradition. If it wishes to spread easily\nand exert influence in the country in which it is introduced, it must identify with that\ncountry’s native culture. Hence, as the attitude of Matteo Ricci toward traditional\nChinese culture is related to his missionary goals in contacting Chinese and\nespecially Confucianist culture, he developed an intensive knowledge of that\nculture and recognized its very positive value. Therefore, his missionary work\nis related to an important issue in the history of culture: how effectively to blend\nnot only into one but to communicate between two cultural traditions with\ndifferent backgrounds. This is the heart of the problem of cultural transplantation.\nMost probably, he appreciated well the significance of solving the problem and on\nthe whole took a positive attitude toward Confucianist culture. We may observe this"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "problem in two aspects: one is his own description of the problem, and the other\nis how the literati of the period or a little later looked upon Matteo Ricci.\n    Matteo Ricci not only had a good command of Chinese but also knew a great\ndeal about Chinese customs and etiquette. He not only dressed in Confucianist style\nand called himself a “Western Confucianist” (xiru) with a square piece of cloth on\nhis head but also followed the etiquette of a Chinese scholar when meeting visitors.\nHe made a careful study of ancient Chinese classics and records and regarded\nConfucius as a great man of wide knowledge. Of The Four Books (sishu) which he\ntranslated, he wrote that it “was written by the four great philosophers and is full\nof reasonable ethical thought.”1 To his mind, “it is no use at all just to know our\nlearning without the knowledge of theirs.”2"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture, 1991: 147–157\n1\n  Quoted from Luo Guang, Matteo Ricci (in Chinese: Taipei, Taiwan).\n2\n  Ibid., pp. 208–209.\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                        179\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_14\n\f180                    14 The Attempt of Matteo Ricci to Link Chinese and Western Cultures"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But how did he treat Chinese culture? In a letter dated 15 February 1609 to\nanother missionary, he wrote:\n   As I have gradually illustrated, they (the Chinese) also appreciate very much the principle\n   of filial piety, although one might hold different views. To date from its very beginning,\n   they faithfully followed natural law in ancient times, just like the case in our country. In\n   1500, this nation did not simply worship any idols. Even though they did worship some,\n   these idols were not so detestable as those worshipped by our Egyptians, Greeks and\n   Romans. Some of the gods were even very moral and well-known for their good conduct.\n   As a matter of fact, in the most ancient and authoritative works of the literati, they only\n   worshipped Heaven and Nature and their common master. When making a careful study of\n   all these works, we may find few things contrary to reason, but instead, most of them are"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "corresponding to reason. And their natural philosophers are no worse than anyone else.3"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The above quotations make clear the following: (1) Ricci knew very well\ntraditional—especially Confucian—Chinese culture. As in ancient society, China\nwas dominated by the patriarchal clan system, and moral importance was\nattached to filial piety based on the principle of blood relation and “natural law.”\nIn China worship of Heaven and Nature also is moral and hence naturally\n“reasonable.” Being quite knowledgeable regarding Chinese culture, Ricci\nregarded Confucianism not as a kind of religion but rather as based on “natural\nlaw.” (2) Ricci highly appreciated China’s Confucianist culture. He saw that the\nidolatry in ancient Chinese culture was not like that of the Egyptians, Greeks, and\nRomans and hence that ancient Chinese philosophy, in speaking of human nature\nand heavenly principles, transcended Western philosophy. This appears in his\nanswer to Xu Guangqi’s question, “China now, when virtue and rite and cultural"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "relics are all prevailing, really flourishes culturally as though it has dispelled clouds\nand seen the sun again.”4 This may be due to the fact that as Catholic, he attached\ngreat importance to opposing idolatry and advocating morality. Matteo Ricci was\nstrongly against the idolatry of Buddhism and Daoism (Taoism), but he did not\nregard Confucian worship as a kind of idolatry. Thus, we can say that, on the whole,\nMatteo Ricci agreed with and appreciated the orthodox Confucianist thought of\nChinese culture.\n   As Xu Guangqi believed in Catholicism through his contact with Ricci, he\nrespected Ricci both for his learning and for his morality. He noted that in Ricci’s\nspeech, “you cannot find even a single word which runs counter to the principle of\nloyalty and piety, nor can you find one harmful to the will of the people and the\nworld.”5 That Xu Guangqi should attach special importance to “loyalty and piety”\nwas influenced strongly by traditional Chinese ideas, and it is on this basis that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Matteo Ricci preached the Catholic doctrines and received Chinese culture."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3\n  Matteo Ricci, Lettere dalla China, trans. He Gaoji et al. (Zhonghuashu, China: China Press,\n1983), p. 687.\n4\n  See the “Epilogue” to Twenty-five Sayings from Epictetus, in Xu Zongmian, ed. Extracts of the\nTranslated Works by the Protestants in Ming and Qing Dynasties (Beijing: China Press,\n1949), p. 329.\n5\n  Ibid., p. 328.\n\f14.1     Modes of Relating Oriental and Occidental Cultures                                        181\n\n\nOne passage in Ten Discourses by a Paradoxical Man describes the statement of\nGong Dacan made on Matteo Ricci:\n      On hearing his wise talk, I feel that the Confucian classics of China and those of his country\n      corroborate each other. Thus those who believe in the real sages, either from the East or\n      from the West, from the North or from the South, are actually all the same.6"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the Chinese scholars mentioned above think that what Ricci preached\ncorresponded to traditional Chinese thought, especially to that of Confucianism,\nthe most fundamental linking point of which lies in “the principle of loyalty and\npiety.” As far as we know, although the Chinese intellectuals at the time set store in\nRicci’s knowledge of astronomy, almanac, science, and technology, they valued\neven more highly his attempt to combine Western with Chinese culture. This\nprobably is one of the earliest manifestations of “regarding Chinese learning as\nthe body and Western learning for use.” I shall discuss this problem later on.\n\n\n14.1        Modes of Relating Oriental and Occidental Cultures"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Judging from the above two aspects, we see that, while doing missionary work in\nChina, Matteo Ricci actually was trying to link Oriental and Occidental cultures.\nOn this premise, we would conclude that his attempt adopted the methods of\n“linking Catholicism with Confucianism” (heru), “using the Catholic doctrines as\na complement to Confucianism” (buru), “making in some respects the Catholic\ndoctrines transcend the Confucian ones” (chaoru), “and making some revisions of\nthe Catholic doctrines so that they would concord with the Confucianist ones”\n( furu). In short, on the above bases, Ricci attempted to discover the point at which\nOriental and Occidental cultures could be linked.\n\n\n\n14.1.1 Linking Catholicism with Confucianism (Heru)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Matteo Ricci wrote three important books on Catholic doctrines: The True Meaning\nof the Lord of Heaven, Ten Discourses by a Paradoxical Man, and Twenty-five\nSayings from Epictetus. The original title of the first one is “The True Meaning\nof the Learning of Heaven.” Obviously, he first thought of avoiding the name\n“the Lord of Heaven” because there is no such thing in China, to facilitate its\nreception by the Chinese. Fang Yingjing explains in the Preface as follows:\n      This book is about the questions and answers between Matteo Ricci and his fellow friends\n      and five Chinese. What is the Lord of Heaven? It is God. It does exist.\n\n\n\n\n6\n    See Ten Discourses by a Paradoxical Man (Yanzhoufu: Catholic Press, 1930), Vol. II, p. 76.\n\f182                       14 The Attempt of Matteo Ricci to Link Chinese and Western Cultures"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The edition of The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven in the Ming Dynasty\noften used the titles “God” and “Heaven” for “the Lord of Heaven” or “the Lord of\nSupremacy,” while the present edition often uses instead “the Lord of Heaven” and\n“the Lord of Supremacy” simply because Ricci used those titles in order to be\neasily received by the Chinese. Thus, in ancient times, the Chinese people\nworshipped Heaven, their state, and their forefathers, but not “the Lord of Heaven.”\nHe tries to conform to this by quoting the classics to show that in ancient China\n“the Lord of Heaven” is God himself. The Chinese classics which he quotes include\nThe Book of Songs (shi), The Book of History (shu), The Book of Rites (li), The Book\nof Changes (yi), and The Doctrine of the Mean (zhongyong). These quotes appear\nmore frequently in The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven. For instance, in\nDiscourse 6 of Vol. II, where he answers the question about “rewarding the good"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and punishing the evil,” he more than once quotes Chinese classics to confirm that\nthe doctrines of Catholicism should be combined with those of Confucianism.\n(1) Matteo Ricci is quite aware of the existence of a supreme personal “God” in\nancient China, regarding which he argues that the “Lord of Heaven” in Western\nCatholicism and “God” in China are one thing with different names. (2) Criticizing\nZhu Xi’s explanation, he argues that there is only one “supreme lord,” not two\n(Heaven and earth). In his Introduction to The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven,\nhe notes that the ancient sage advised that the subject should be faithful, but that\nthey cannot be faithful to two lords. Of the three Cardinal Guides, ruler guiding\nsubject stands first for since a state has its head, how can Heaven and earth not have\ntheir lord? As a state should be unified, how can Heaven and earth have two lords?\nAll these ideas obviously show his interpretations of the Catholic doctrines in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "relation to Confucianism. (3) Quoting the ancient classics, he also states that God\nwills to impose fortune and misfortune on humanity. (4) So God has his own\n“sphere” (ting) which is different from the “Heaven” (tian) in nature. From all\nthese, we can see that what Matteo Ricci attempts to prove is that Catholicism\ncoincides with Confucianism and the ancient Chinese classics."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "14.1.2 Complementing Confucianism (Buru)\n\nLettere dalla China is a note written by Matteo Ricci in Italian in China. Later a\nBritish missionary translated it from Italian into Latin and added something\nconcerning the history of missionary work as well as of Matteo Ricci, the\nmissionary. It also has an appendix relating the missionary’s posthumous glory\nand pathos. One passage in the book reads as follows:\n      In answering what the main content of Christianity is, Dr. Xu Guangqi sums it up very\n      exactly in four Chinese characters: “expelling Buddhism and omplementing Confucian-\n      ism” (qufuburu). That is to say, he wants to expel the idol of Buddhism and add something\n      to the doctrines of Confucianism.7\n\n\n\n7\n    Lettere dalla China, p. 663.\n\f14.1     Modes of Relating Oriental and Occidental Cultures                                  183"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As generally any religion is characterized by excluding others, Ricci criticized\nBuddhism and Daoism (Taoism), especially the former, since he wanted to bring\nCatholicism to China; this shows signs in nearly all his works. St. Augustine once\npointed out that the main content of a heathen religion should resolutely be given\nup, but that the ideas put forward by some heathen philosophers should be taken\ninto account, accepted, or approved if they were really reasonable. Matteo Ricci\ntook this approach to the doctrines of Confucianism. He declared that Confucianism\nhad nothing to do with religion, but was rather a kind of philosophy. He particularly\nesteemed Confucius, noting that as Confucius lived five centuries before the birth of\nJesus Christ, he could not know what was to happen 500 years later. “Ricci just\nquotes the classics of Confucianism in their own terms, saying nothing of how they\nshould be evaluated after the death of Confucius.”8 In Ten Discourses by a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Paradoxical Man, there is a passage about Gong Dacan’s discussion with Ricci\non the issue: “whether good or evil will be rewarded posthumously.” Gong first\nnotes that the Chinese classics, because Emperor Qin Shihuang burned books and\npersecuted scholars after the death of Confucius, lost the records of the paradise,\nhell, and retribution, which are still in a good state of preservation in the West:\n“Thus the stories about the paradise and hell are well preserved.” In China, the story\nof retribution in later ages “is both vague and strange to scholars, who half believe\nand half doubt its existence.” Gong also tries to prove the probable existence of the\nparadise by quoting ancient classics, but he still doubts the idea that “bestowing\ncharity is bound to be rewarded a place and stand long.” Ricci explains this\naccording to the doctrines of Catholicism in which retribution to those who bestow\nfavor does not consist in “place” or “life span.” A man living in the world should"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "work hard for the Lord of Heaven instead of intending to be rewarded in his\nlifetime; he should be confident that he will finally go to the paradise. Therefore,\nanswering Xu Guangqi he says: “Those who suffer simply for benefit and emolu-\nment or fame and official rank or lasciviousness rather than the sacred cause are\nactually tragic. But those who suffer for the Lord of Heaven are obviously happy\nand seem to live in the paradise.”9 It is apparent that he wants to complement the\nthought of Confucianism with Catholic doctrines, but the approach he adopts is\nnot to negate the Confucian classics but to extend and develop them so as to show\nthat the Confucian ideas do not run counter to those of Western religions but may be\ncomplemented by them.\n    In The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven, many passages deal with the\n“retribution of good and evil.” In Discourse VI “On Man’s Being Rewarded with\nHeaven or Punished with Hell after Death,” he more or less complements and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "revises the Confucianist concept that “the family always doing good is bound to be\nfortunate, whereas the family always doing evil is doomed to misfortune.” To him,\nthere is not only retribution in one’s lifetime or to one’s descendants (he seems not\nto be favor of that to one’s descendants). What is more important is posthumous"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "8\n    Ibid., p. 664; also cf. p. 693.\n9\n    All the quotations are from Vol. II of Ten Discourses by a Paradoxical Man, pp. 57–79.\n\f184                      14 The Attempt of Matteo Ricci to Link Chinese and Western Cultures\n\n\nretribution: those who do good will go to Heaven instead of going to Hell after\ndeath. But as their purpose is not just this, Ricci adds:\n     All those who do good usually have three intentions: (1) to go to Heaven instead of going to\n     Hell; (2) to reward the kindness bestowed by the Lord of Heaven; and (3) just to follow the\n     imperial edict given by the Lord of Heaven.10"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The first intention serves as a bridge in order for one to reach the third; that is, doing\ngood is after all following the imperial edict. However, the Confucianists did not\nknow this and even criticized the concepts of Heaven and Hell simply because they\ncould not understand their deep significance: “The Confucianists criticize the\nconcepts of the Heaven and Hell because they do not know truth.”11 We can see\nroughly the difference between Catholicism and China’s Confucianist tradition.\nSince the Confucianists talk about “the retribution of good or evil” just from\npersonal moral cultivation, everyone should “have self-cultivation” or “stick to\nmorality” only for the purpose of reaching one’s inner moral accomplishment.\nIn this sense, it is pursuing a kind of “inner transcendence.” But the Catholic\ndoing good is after all for “the Lord of Heaven,” which is a kind of power of\n“outer transcendence.” So it pursues or follows a kind of “outer transcendence.”\nI shall discuss this problem later on."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "14.1.3 Transcending Confucianism (Chaoru)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The aim of China’s Confucianist theory is to pursue “inner transcendence,” whereas\nthat of Catholicism is to pursue “outer transcendence.” In The True Meaning of the\nLord of Heaven, Matteo Ricci points out this shortcoming of Confucianism and\ncriticizes it.12\n   As far as we know, traditional Chinese philosophy, and Confucianist philosophy\nin particular, is strikingly different from Western philosophy and religion. The\nGreek philosophy of Plato and Aristotle already had divided the world into two\nparts: a transcendental noumenon and a real world. Thereafter Christianity was\nconcerned especially with an outer transcendent God, whereas traditional Chinese\nphilosophy was characterized by “inner transcendence.” What Confucius means by\n“nature and the doctrine of Heaven” is a matter of inner transcendence, and what\nMencius meant by “thinking hard, knowing nature and Heaven” is also a matter of\n“inner transcendence.” There is a sentence in Xici saying: “A feminine (yin) and a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "masculine (yang) equals a word, and it is followed by virtue (shan) and will have\na nature,” which is a matter of “inner transcendence.” According to this, one may\nreach a realm leading to a transcendental “Way of Heaven” through one’s own"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "10\n   See The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven (T’ien chu shih), p. 52.\n11\n   Ibid., p. 55.\n12\n   Ibid., p. 71.\n\f14.1     Modes of Relating Oriental and Occidental Cultures                                           185\n\n\ninner moral cultivation, without the help of an outer transcendent power. But for\nRicci, one can hardly reach the culminating realm just through one’s inner moral\ncultivation; one must be pushed by an outer transcendent power or God; thus, it is\nnecessary to believe in God. That is to say, Ricci considers the doctrines of\nCatholicism to be more perfect than those of Confucianism.\n\n\n\n14.1.4 Concordance with Confucianism (Furu)"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This concept means that it is necessary to make some revisions of the Catholic\ndoctrines or to yield to some of the Confucianist ideas in order to concord or chime\nin with China’s traditional Confucianist thought.\n   The editor’s Preface to the French 1978 edition of Lettere dalla China says:\n      Immediately before Ricci’s death, the methods adapted by the Chinese missionary group\n      led by him had already become an issue argued both at home and abroad. It was disputed\n      with two objections. In practice, he was accused of paying too much attention to developing\n      his relation to the Confucianist elite instead of pushing forward the missionary cause.\n      In theory, he was also opposed for his positive evaluation of Confucianism. Some people\n      even pointed out that, if so, it would run a risk of sullying the purity of Christianity. Only by\n      means of a heightened religious emphasis can the missionary preach the Gospel to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "broad masses of people and make evident the characteristics of Christianity.13"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I have already pointed out that Matteo Ricci had some opinions of China’s\nConfucianist tradition and attempted to link Western and Eastern cultures. Natu-\nrally, he knew clearly that there were many differences and conflicts between\nConfucianism and Catholicism and probably would have dealt with these by the\nmethods of “complementing Confucianism” and “transcending Confucianism.”\nIf his missionary work were completely according to Catholic doctrines, however,\nhe would have been confronted with more difficulties. Therefore, he had to make\nsome revisions of the Catholic doctrines so as to cater to the Chinese tradition and\nit is not strange that he was criticized. As to how he adapted Catholicism to\nConfucianism, the following should be noted.\n(a) In order to fit Catholicism to Chinese society, he explained its differences from\n    Chinese society. In the Italian edition of his Lettere dalla China, there is a\n    passage describing how the Confucianist offers sacrifices to gods."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "However, according to an old law, there is a grand Confucian temple in every big city\n      where the literati gather, with a figure of Confucius enshrined and his name; every year, the\n      literati offer sacrifices to him four times, with a candle burning and a beast is killed.\n      However, as they do not think of him as godly or want anything of him, such a rite cannot\n      be called a real offering.14"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "13\n     See Lettere dalla China, p. 660.\n14\n     Ibid., p. 659.\n\f186                       14 The Attempt of Matteo Ricci to Link Chinese and Western Cultures"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Matteo Ricci’s books, there are many signs of the Catholic stance against\n    idolatry; the criticism of Buddhist idolatry is particularly strong. However,\n    he never criticizes Confucian offerings to the Sage, nor does he criticize the\n    Chinese offerings to their ancestors. The issue concerning offerings is an\n    important reason why China later forbad the preaching of Catholicism.\n    In 1704, the Vatican gave orders that Chinese Catholics should not follow\n    traditional Chinese rites that did not conform to Catholicism. Obviously,\n    offering sacrifices to Confucius as well as to ancestors is especially counter\n    to Catholicism; this led the Chinese government to limit and even forbid the\n    preaching of Catholicism. Since Matteo Ricci well understood Chinese con-\n    ditions, he adopted the method of compromising with the Chinese tradition for\n    the sake of adapting to Chinese society as well as his missionary work,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "although the attempts did not conform to the doctrines of Catholicism.\n(b) He makes some Catholic ideas conform to traditional Chinese Confucianist\n    thought so as to enable the Chinese to accept Catholicism. As mentioned\n    previously, the “Lord of Heaven” in Catholicism is, of course, the supreme\n    personified God, but Ricci’s The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven does not\n    mean this according to its original title. In that book, he often uses such words\n    as “God” and “Heaven” of Chinese origin, instead of the “Lord of Heaven.”\n    According to Fang Hao’s Collected Essays on The History of Chinese\n    Catholicism, in contrast to the edition of the Ming Dynasty, it is found that\n    the later edition has changed the words “God” or “Heaven” in the Ming to\n    “Lord of Heaven” or “Supreme Lord” in 79 places.15 In the Chinese language,\n    there are already such words as “God” (shangdi) and “Heaven” (tian), but in\n    traditional Chinese thought, tian has several meanings. Among these Ricci"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "takes the meanings “God,” “Heaven,” and the supreme personified God, but\n    for the Chinese people, there may be some other meanings. In 1715, after\n    Ricci’s death, the Pope gave an edict that the name “Lord of Heaven” was a\n    legal one and such names as “God” and “Heaven” should no longer be used\n    because they could be interpreted in different ways.\n       Also, according to Professor Luo Guang, Ricci says in his Twenty-five\n    Sayings from Epictetus, “This book is actually composed of 25 chapters.\n    Every chapter is short and concise. It advises people to live simply and to\n    restrain desire and feeling. Happiness lies in one’s secure state of mind without\n    having stirred either by good fortune or misfortune. The purpose of human life\n    lies in one’s obedience to the Lord of Heaven.” It is apparent then that the book\n    is intended to conform to Chinese conditions.\n(c) Ricci made some revisions in the “idea of sin” in order that it should approach"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "more closely the “idea of virtue” in China’s Confucianist tradition. As the\n    “idea of sin” in Catholicism implies, human nature cannot be considered\n    “virtuous,” which is entirely different from the “idea of human nature being\n    virtuous” in China’s traditional Confucianist thought. In accordance with St."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "15\n     See Collected Essays on the History of Chinese Catholicism, pp. 4–8.\n\f14.2   “Body and Use” and the Correlation of Chinese and Western Harmony            187"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Augustine’s interpretation, man is born to be “sinful” because of his rational\n       choice. In the final analysis, what causes man to choose evil with reason is his\n       vanity or an egocentric desire that puts himself over God. Such a desire usually\n       drives him into following his own intention and holding in contempt God’s\n       decree, which is particularly apparent in human desire. Augustine then adds\n       that, since man intentionally chooses evil and commits sins violating God, he\n       can never recover his original state with his own effort, for such a “sin” causes\n       him to degenerate inevitably, being characteristically egocentric in willing\n       and desiring and able only to choose “committing sin” or tending to “evil.”\n   In this regard in the 7th discourse of The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven,\nRicci thinks that the “human nature” refers to what differentiates man from metal\nand stone, grass and wood, bird, beast, and even spirit, and this is why man “can"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "reason things out.” So he says: “What can reason things out is alone called human\nnature, which is different from other creatures.” “Virtue and morality come after\nreason, which itself is something dependent, and not human nature itself.” Thus,\n“reasoning things out” refers simply to this virtuous “ability,” and “human nature is\nborn to be virtuous.” This obviously caters to Confucianist ideas. But since Matteo\nRicci could not completely violate the doctrines of the Lord of Heaven, he thinks\nthat man is “able to reason things out.” How can he get such an ability? Just as\nfarmers plow, weed, remove the stones, and irrigate before they sow seeds in order\nto get good harvests, so “learners should first of all get rid of evil before they could\nbe virtuous. Only by standing aloof from worldly success can they be successful.”\nAs this idea is associated with that of “sin” in Catholicism, it could not but conflict\nwith the so-called idea of “good ability.” Thus, it is quite difficult to reconcile one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cultural tradition with another.\n   From the above four points, we can see that Matteo Ricci preached the doctrines\nof Catholicism for the purpose of linking Oriental and Occidental culture together.\nWhether his attempt was successful or not will not be evaluated here, but that he\nwas the very first Westerner to make such an attempt is certainly of historical\nimportance."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "14.2      “Body and Use” and the Correlation of Chinese\n          and Western Harmony\n\nIn trying to link Western and Chinese culture, often we encounter the problem of\nthe “body and use” (tiyong), of Chinese learning and Western learning. In preaching\nCatholicism in China, Matteo Ricci could not but consider his relation to traditional\nChinese thought and culture. Similarly, in receiving Catholicism, the Chinese had\nto consider such a relation. Above I have discussed how he dealt with this problem.\nNow let us consider how the Chinese intellectuals at the time received Catholicism.\nIn my opinion, such receivers of Catholicism at the time as Xu Guangqi, Li Zhizao,\n\f188                       14 The Attempt of Matteo Ricci to Link Chinese and Western Cultures"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and others in receiving or studying Western learning took the attitude: “Chinese\nlearning as body and Western learning for use”, we know that although the Protes-\ntants were active at that time even at the court in Beijing, yet “the Chinese court\nmade use of them only by employing their techniques.” “For example, Ricci once\nrepaired clocks and other machines in the court, and Tang Ruowang and Nan\nHuairen and others joined in revising the calendar.” “What China’s enlightened\nliterati were particularly interested in was to learn from them their science and\nknowledge.” “They did not have great success in shaping China’s intellectuals”16\nfor few Chinese intellectuals received the doctrines of Catholicism. As these were\nreceived chiefly due to his association with traditional Chinese thought, especially\nthe Confucianist morality, his attempt can be regarded as another earlier form of\n“regarding Chinese learning as body and Western learning for use” formulated in\nthe 1860s."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the 1860s.\n    During subsequent centuries, there have been various attempts to correlate\n“Chinese learning” and “Western learning” with that between “body” (ti) and\n“use” (yong), such as “Chinese learning as body and Western learning for use,”\nor “Western learning as body and Chinese learning for use,” and even “both the two\nlearnings as body and Chinese learning for use” are called “all-Westernizers”\n(quanpan xihua pai); those who regard “Chinese learning as body and Western\nlearning for use” are called “Chinese culture supremacists” (guocui pai). Such\nconfusions are caused by the attempt to describe the relationship between “Chinese\nlearning” and “Western learning” with that between “body and use.” As a matter of\nfact, none of the above ideas are tenable.\n    As a pair of important categories in the history of Chinese philosophy, “body”\nand “use” are not substantial categories but rather fundamental relations. “Body”\n(ti) generally refers to the “inner transcendental spirit” or “transcendental"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "noumenon.” It corresponds to what Mencius means by “conscience” (liangzhi or\nliangneng) and Wang Yangming by “mind” (xin), etc.; the latter corresponds to\n“God’s will” (tianming), “taiji,” “God’s word” (tianli), and “logos” (dao); “use”\n(yong) refers to the various functions demonstrated by such an “inner trans-\ncendental spirit” or “transcendental noumenon.” According to traditional Chinese\nphilosophy, ti and yong are unified, with the former presenting the latter for, as\nWang Bi in the Wei-Jin Dynasty pointed out, there would be no corresponding yong\nwithout ti. The so-called concept of “Chinese learning as body and Western\nlearning for use” is nothing but an effort to preserve the inner transcendental\nnoumenon in Chinese tradition, so as to reject the Western spirit. For how could\nwe make “Western learning for use” if we should do like that? Similarly, it is\nimpossible to regard “Western learning as body and Chinese learning for use.” The"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "former will inevitably result in “Chinese learning both as body and for use” and, the\nlatter, “Western learning both as body and for use.”\n    As for “both the learnings as body and for use interchangeably,” it can be\ninterpreted as: if something in Chinese learning is good, we should regard"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16\n     See the Preface to the Chinese version of Lettere dalla China, p. 23.\n\f14.2     “Body and Use” and the Correlation of Chinese and Western Harmony           189"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Chinese learning as body and Western learning for use”; also, if something in\nWestern learning is good, we should in turn regard “Western learning as body and\nChinese learning for use.” Such an idea is obviously untenable. It will do nothing\nbut include both attitudes in the so-called concept of regarding “both learnings as\nbody and for use interchangeably,” which is just eclectic. Professor Fang Keli\ninvolves himself in a confused eclectic situation, although he criticizes the above\ntwo attitudes in his “‘Chinese Learning as Body and Western Learning for Use’ and\n‘Western Learning as Body and Chinese Learning for Use.’”17\n    It would give rise to “stealthily substituting one culture for another” if we use the\nrelation of tiyong to explain the relationship between Chinese culture and Western\nculture. If we do not improve the cultural soil and other conditions, but just\nstealthily substitute one culture for another, the cultural foundation will not be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "solid. Thus, to my mind, our modern society should have its modern spirit and\nvarious systems embodying such a spirit. If we use the relation of tiyong to explain\nthis problem, we might probably regard “the modern spirit as body and the systems\nand their functions embodying such a spirit for use.” If so, one might ask: What is\nthe “modern spirit” and what are the “systems and their functions embodying the\nspirit”?\n    Here I would refer to the point of view put forward by Mr. Yan Fu, who once\ncriticized the idea of regarding “Chinese learning as body and Western learning for\nuse.” He also points out that body and use should be unified rather than dual.\nParticularly, he lays emphasis on the significance of science and puts forward a very\nmeaningful proposition: “liberty as body and democracy for use.” I do think that\nsuch an idea of his is probably of certain modern significance. So in my opinion,\n“liberty” is the concentrative embodiment of the modern spirit or an inner spirit in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the modern era and a universal ideal that the people in modern society are pursuing,\nwhereas “democracy” consists of various systems of modern society ensuring one\n“liberty” rather than certain people only. We now live in a Chinese society. It is\nmost important to give everyone “liberty” and have a set of democratic systems\nensuring its realization if we want to enable our society to become modernized.\nOnly in this way can people give full play to their enthusiasm and creativity, and\nour country set foot on the road not only of the “four modernization” but also of\nall-around modernization."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17\n     See Studies of Philosophy, 9 (1987), 29–35.\n\fChapter 15\nThe Possible Orientations of Chinese\nCulture in the Context of Globalization"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the context of globalization today, human culture will remain diverse. This is\nbecause since World War II, with the collapse of the colonial system, the former\ncolonies and oppressed peoples have had the urgent task of confirming their\nindependent status in all aspects; a nation’s unique culture (language, religion,\nvalues, etc.) is one of the most important pillars for the establishment of this status,\nand it therefore provides the conditions for the diversified development of world\nculture. In addition, the rise of the postmodern trend of thought in the Western\nworld in the latter part of the last century and its tremendous impact on the\nmodernist ideas of clarity, determinacy, the ultimate value, and the integrity of\nthe theoretical system led to the pursuit of indeterminacy, disorder, and anti-\ncentrism, which has strengthened multicultural development. Chinese culture, as\na component of human culture, needs to walk out of the debates on “China versus"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the West” and “the ancient versus the contemporary” that have lasted for more than\na hundred years and to approach the new stage of mastering the knowledge of\nthe four perspectives to realize the transformation of Chinese culture. At present,\ndue to the diversity of world culture, Chinese culture has also formed its own\ndiversified pattern.\n    In the history of China, there were two significant cultural imports, one being\nthe import of the Indian Buddhist culture since the first century and the other\nbeing the import of Western culture since the end of the sixteenth century, espe-\ncially in the mid-nineteenth century.\n    The import of Indian Buddhism into China has undergone three historical\nphases. (1) From the late Western Han Dynasty to Eastern Jin Dynasty, Buddhism\nfirst attached itself to astronomy and astrology in the Han Dynasty and then to the\nmetaphysics in the Wei and Jin dynasties. (2) After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "were contradictions and conflicts between Chinese culture and Indian culture due to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese Culture and Globalization: History and Challenges for the 21st Century, 2009: 33–40\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                             191\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_15\n\f192         15   The Possible Orientations of Chinese Culture in the Context of Globalization"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cultural differences, with the two influencing and absorbing each other. (3) Since\nthe Sui and Tang dynasties, several Sinicized Buddhist sects, such as Tiantai,\nHuayan, and Chan, had come into being, while the Indian Buddhist culture was\ninfluenced by Confucianism and Daoism in China. Meanwhile, Confucianism\nreemerged, emphasizing traditional Chinese subjectivity, and Daoism absorbed\nBuddhism. It can be maintained that Indian Buddhist thoughts had been completely\nfused with Chinese culture by the time of the Song Dynasty. This historical process\nof the import of the Indian Buddhist culture into China can function as a frame of\nreference for us to draw experiences and inspiration from when we study the import\nof Western culture into China.\n    When it was imported into China in the late sixteenth century, Western culture,\nsimilarly, attached itself to the Chinese Confucian culture, which was interrupted\ndue to the famous Rites controversy. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Western culture flooded into China with the invasion of the Western imperialists.\nFor more than a hundred years, there have been debates on “China versus the West”\nand “the ancient versus the contemporary,” which are, in effect, the debates on\n“wholesale Westernization” versus “ontological culture.” These indicate that there\nhas been a tendency to set “the ancient” against “the contemporary” and “China”\nagainst “the West.” This simplified mode of dealing with intercultural issues is\nharmful to the healthy and reasonable development of culture. At present, we\nshould abandon setting “the ancient” against “the contemporary” and “China”\nagainst ‘the West” and walk out of the debates. We might claim that cultural\ndevelopments in China at present are at the transitional point from the second\nphase of the import of Indian Buddhism (Southern and Northern dynasties) to the\nthird phase (Sui and Tang dynasties), namely, from the phase of cultural contra-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dictions and conflicts between the two cultures to the phase when the local culture\nbegins to digest Western culture. In this third phase, the development of our\nChinese culture will go beyond the debates on “China versus the West” and “the\nancient versus the contemporary” and into the phase when we absorb and fuse\nWestern culture in an all-round and profound way to help Chinese culture develop\nfrom the traditional to the modern, giving rise to multicultural development. I will\nillustrate this orientation with the example of Chinese philosophy. I believe that\nunder these circumstances, there are at least three “carry-on” orientations for the\nconstruction of modern Chinese philosophy:\nA. On the basis of absorbing and fusing Western philosophy, we can “carry on”\n   with traditional Chinese philosophy by talking about “Chinese philosophy.”\n   “Carry-on” and “abide-by” issues were raised by Mr. Feng Youlan. In his\n   view, his “New Confucian Philosophy” carries on rather than abides by the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties. By the same token, the\n   philosophy of the philosophers in the Song and Ming dynasties, so-called\n   Neo-Confucianism, came into being after absorbing and fusing with Indian\n   Buddhist philosophy, which had a great impact on it. Such philosophers in the\n   1930s and 1940s as Xiong Shili, Feng Youlan, He Lin, Jin Yuelin, Zhang\n   Dongsun, and Zhang Shenfu constructed modern Chinese philosophy by\n   absorbing Western philosophy under the impact of the latter.\n\f15   The Possible Orientations of Chinese Culture in the Context of Globalization       193"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We can take Feng Youlan as an example. His New Confucian Philosophy is\nnew because it introduces into Chinese philosophy Plato’s “universals” and\n“particulars” as well as the thought of “the latent” of the New Realism Philosophy.\nHe divides the world into “truth” (or “idea” or “tai chi”) and reality. A matter in\nreality becomes a matter relying on the “idea.” In this way, his New Confucian\nPhilosophy carries on the thought that “the principle is one and its manifestations\nare many” of the Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties on the one\nhand and applies the thoughts of “universals” and “particulars” from Western\nphilosophy into Chinese philosophy on the other hand, giving impetus to the\nmodern transformation of Chinese philosophy. In reality, the scholars in the\n1930s and 1940s were generally like this.\n   Of course, Feng Youlan’s “New Confucian Philosophy” has also left unresolved\nissues. As is stated in the seventh volume of The Newly Compiled History of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese Philosophy (The History of Modern Chinese Philosophy), Feng maintains\nthat idea, is nonexistence but being for one thing and it is still “existence” for\nanother. There is a clear contradiction here. Therefore, if we attempt to push the\ndevelopment of Chinese philosophy, we should carry on the “New Confucian\nPhilosophy” instead of the Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties.\nOne of the conditions to achieve this goal is for us to further absorb and digest\nWestern philosophy and help Chinese philosophy have more universal significance\nin the dialogues between China and the West. Meanwhile, we should pay more\nattention to the strong points of Chinese philosophy and establish the cultural\nsubjectivity of our own so as to make a special contribution to human culture.\nWe can also note that, although there is a tradition of discussing the “relationship\nbetween knowledge and action” in traditional Chinese philosophy and the doctrine"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of “the unity of knowledge and action” once occupied a dominant position, this\ndoctrine was often linked with morality and ethics, lacking an epistemological\nbasis. This issue was raised by He Lin in the 1930s when he stated: “Studying the\nissue of ‘knowledge and action’ uncritically and discussing morality directly will\ndefinitely lead to dogmatic ethics. Ethics studies the code of conduct and the\nconcept of good, so if we do not study the relevant knowledge and the truth related\nto the good, we will certainly be trapped in baseless dogmatisms.” Therefore, we\n“must investigate thoroughly the knowledge basis of ethics.”1 We can see that such\nChinese philosophers in the 1930s and 1940s as Zhang Dongsun, Xiong Shili,\nHe Lin, Jin Yudin, and Feng Youlan all noticed the lack of “epistemological”\ntheory in traditional Chinese philosophy and made an attempt to learn from\nWestern philosophy in order to complement this deficiency. Hence, the establish-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ment of real modern Chinese philosophy is impossible without Western philosophy.\nThat is to say, paying constant attention to and drawing nourishment from Western\nphilosophy is the necessary means by which Chinese philosophy can develop and\nenter the world."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1\n  He Lin, “New Understanding of the Unity of Knowledge and Action,” in Chinese Philosophy in\nthe Fifty Years (Liaoning Educational Press, 1989).\n\f194          15   The Possible Orientations of Chinese Culture in the Context of Globalization"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "B. We can carry on with Western philosophy to construct Chinese philosophy by\n   introducing the ideological resources of the latter into the former. In China’s\n   history, there was the experience of carrying on with Indian Buddhist philoso-\n   phy. During the Sui and Tang dynasties in China, several Sinicized Buddhist\n   sects such as Chan, Tiantai, and Huayan had come into being. They absorbed\n   thoughts from Confucianism and Daoism, becoming Chinese Buddhist philos-\n   ophy which was different from Indian Buddhist philosophy. We can maintain\n   that Chinese philosophy once benefited from Indian Buddhist philosophy, while\n   the latter was carried into China.\n   For more than a century, various schools of Western philosophy have entered\nChina one after another and greatly influenced Chinese philosophy. Facing the\nWestern philosophy of great strength, is it possible for Chinese philosophers to\nintroduce Chinese philosophical thoughts into Western philosophy to form several"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sinicized schools of Western philosophy, as they did in the Sui and Tang\ndynasties? Here, I will take hermeneutics as an example to illustrate the point.\nCurrently, there is a “trend of hermeneutic thoughts” in the West, and since the\n1980s, scholars from a variety of disciplines in the Chinese academia have been\napplying Western hermeneutics to the investigation of the different aspects of\nChinese culture; thus, some Chinese scholars (including the overseas ones) have\nbeen trying to construct “Chinese hermeneutics.” Because there is a very long\nhistory of interpreting the classic and rich archives of thoughts in China, the issue of\nthe construction of Chinese hermeneutics has been raised under the influence of\nWestern hermeneutics.\n   In his The Modern Interpretations of Chinese Philosophy, Professor Jing\nHaifeng takes four people, Fu Weixun, Cheng Zhongying, Huang Junjie, and\nTang Yijie, as an example to illustrate the efforts to construct Chinese herme-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "neutics. Fu’s “creative hermeneutics” divides a philosopher’s thinking into five\nlevels, constructing Chinese hermeneutics from the perspective of hermeneutic\nmethodology. This is characterized by the introduction of the thinking methodology\nof Taoist philosophy (such as Lao Zhuang philosophy) and Chinese Buddhist\nphilosophy (such as Chan) into hermeneutics. Cheng differs from Fu in his empha-\nsis on the hermeneutic theory of the methodology, paying special attention to the\nontological meanings of interpretations. He mainly introduces the thoughts of\nThe Book of Changes into hermeneutics, believing that Chinese ontological\nhermeneutics is different from Western hermeneutics, which is characterized by\nthe static “interpretation of ontology,” in that it is characterized by the dynamic\n“interpretation of ontology,” which is based on “life ontology,” with knowledge\nbeing unified in the mind. Based on his analysis of Mencius and his study of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mencius’ thinking, Huang reveals the characteristics of the interpretation of the\nclassic in China. Tang has sorted out the history of interpreting the classic in China\nby analyzing the different types of interpretations in pre-Qin philosophy. Despite all\nthese attempts, more efforts are still needed to establish “Chinese hermeneutics.”\n   However, all these attempts are of great significance at any rate, as they will\nenrich hermeneutic theory. In fact, in the last century, some scholars attempted to\n\f15   The Possible Orientations of Chinese Culture in the Context of Globalization   195"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "establish “Chinese phenomenology and Chinese semiotics.” In this connection, the\ncurrent philosophical circles in China are perhaps adding Chinese philosophical\nthinking resources to the branches of Western philosophy to form some Sinicized\nbranches of the latter, as they did in the Sui and Tang dynasties. This attempt by\nChinese philosophers to introduce Chinese philosophical thinking into a branch\nof Western philosophy to form a philosophy different from the latter will enrich\nWestern philosophy (as Chan, Tiantai, and Huayan did during the Sui and Tang\ndynasties) on the one hand and will open up more extensive space for the develop-\nment of Chinese philosophy (such as the Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming\ndynasties), helping Chinese philosophy to enter the diversified philosophy of the\nworld in a better way.\nC. We should establish Marxist philosophy with Chinese features: Marxism was\n   originally a branch of Western philosophy. It is quite necessary for us to make"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a separate study of Marxism because it had a tremendous impact on Chinese\n   society during the twentieth century. Here, I would like to take the late philos-\n   opher Feng Qi as an example. Feng attempted to make Marxist philosophy one\n   with Chinese features by absorbing traditional Chinese philosophy and Western\n   analytical philosophy. In the “introduction” of his Three Discussions on\n   Wisdom, he states: “This book aims at understanding humanity and nature\n   based on the dialectics of the epistemological process of practice, particularly\n   through the leap of ‘transforming knowledge into wisdom.’”\n   First of all, Feng does not aim to solve the problem of Western philosophy, but\nthat of “humanity and nature” in Chinese philosophy through practical, materialist\ndialectics. Second, he thinks that “transforming knowledge into wisdom” (namely,\nthe intuition of wisdom) is the way of solving the problem. “Transforming\nknowledge into wisdom” is borrowed from the language of Buddhism, which"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "requires that “knowledge” be elevated to “wisdom” to reach the spiritual realm of\ntranscendence. Third, he believes that the purpose of philosophy is to regard the\nprocess of understanding the world and that of understanding oneself as the same as\nachieving the transformation of theories into methods and virtues. Marxism\nbelieves that theories and methods are unified, while Chinese philosophy has\nalways maintained that “theories” and “virtues” are unified. Feng Qi requires that\n“theories,” “methods,” and “virtues” should be unified. He explains that, in one\nsense, philosophical theories “should be transformed into thinking methods and\nimplemented in their own activities and research areas.” But in addition they should\nalso “be transformed into their own virtues and embodied as their own personalities\nthrough their own practice.”\n   Thus, although based on Marxist materialist dialectics, Feng’ s philosophy is to\nsettle the issue of Chinese philosophy and its way is to reach the ideal moral realm"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of life by absorbing the Buddhist way of thinking into Chinese philosophy\n(“transforming knowledge into wisdom”). Undoubtedly, this is Marxist philosophy\nwith Chinese “features.” The Chinanization of traditional Marxism will make\nMarxism in China have more epochal and ethnic characteristics, as did Western\nMarxism (such as the Frankfurt School) in the last century.\n\f196         15   The Possible Orientations of Chinese Culture in the Context of Globalization"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Of course, for more than a century, there have been cultural “revivalists”\nin Chinese academia. After World War I, traveling back from Europe, Liang\nQichao claimed that Western culture had declined and would be rescued by\nChinese culture; the “Declaration of the Chinese Cultural Ontology” also\nappeared in the 1930s. Especially in the twenty-first century, some Chinese\nscholars have raised the issue of “reestablishing Chinese Confucianism.” They\nmaintain that “the all-round rejuvenation of Confucianism must be achieved in\nresponse to the challenges posed by Western civilization” and that “the rejuve-\nnation of Confucianism is the urgent task on hand for the rejuvenation of the\nChinese nation.” Therefore, they advocate Confucianism as the state religion\nin China to achieve the so-called unification of the state and the religion practiced\never since ancient times. I think that this attempt to close one’s own culture and to\nexclude without analysis Western culture is certainly inadvisable and against the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "current trend of globalization and so cannot be realized.\n   The above mentioned three possible orientations of the development of Chinese\nphilosophy might be ways for Chinese philosophy to go beyond the debates on\n“China versus the West” and “the ancient versus the contemporary,” to approach\nthe new road that fuses the knowledge of the ancient and the contemporary as well\nas of China and the West, and to let various schools of philosophical thought strive\nin more extensive fields. That is to say, to construct modern Chinese philosophy,\nwe should uphold the subjectivity of Chinese philosophy on the one hand and have\na good absorption of the essence of Western philosophy on the other hand.\nThis requires that we should not only carry on traditional Chinese philosophy but\nalso have the courage to carry on Western philosophy (or the Sinicization of a\nbranch on of Western philosophy). We should not simply abide by Chinese and\nWestern philosophy as they existed in history, but carry them on instead, which will"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "open up new prospects for the development of philosophy.\n\fChapter 16\nProspects for the Study of the History\nof Chinese Philosophy and the Issue\nof the True, the Good, and the Beautiful\nin China’s Traditional Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confronting us now is the problem of prospects for the study of Chinese\nphilosophy, that is, the problem of how to evaluate the traditional philosophy\nof China.\n   China is a great country with a long history and cultural tradition. The traditional\nphilosophy of China is rich in content and displays an originality. Because society\nhas moved forward and China has been in a backward position for more than\n100 years, and also because we failed to adopt a scientific attitude toward the\nstudy of China’s traditional thought and culture, we have been unable, over a long\nperiod of time, to acquire a true understanding of the value of China’s traditional\nphilosophy or to find out where its shortcomings and problems lie. However, things\nhave been changing dramatically in this area in recent years.\n   In addressing the rally commemorating the 100th anniversary of Marx’s death,\nComrade Hu Yaobang, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, said:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The mistaken tendency to split Marxism from the cultural achievements of\nmankind and pit the one against the other must be opposed; we must acquire a\nstandpoint of respecting the knowledge of science and culture.” Note that in recent\nyears, a very important phenomenon has appeared in China’s newspapers and\nperiodicals, namely, large numbers of articles on problems in real life all quoting\nphilosophical remarks made in ancient China.\n   For example, Guangming ribao (Bright Daily) carried two short articles\non February 19 this year. One article was entitled “Remain Tenacious after a\nThousand Whettings and Ten Thousand Thrashings.” It was a line from Zheng\nBanqiao’s poem “On Bamboo,” which the article used to encourage an indomitable\nbehavior among the people. Another article, entitled “King of Wei Killed Those\nWho Knew him and the Fake King of Wei,” dwelt on the suspicious character of\nCao. The article quoted from the Chronicle of the Reign of Zhengguan what"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture, 1991: 5–16\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                       197\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_16\n\f198         16   Prospects for the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy and the Issue. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to Feng Deyi: “Whether a flowing water\nis clear or muddy hinges on its source. An emperor is the source of government and\nthe common people are like the water. If the emperor plays tricks himself and\nexpects his ministers to behave honestly, it is like a muddy source expecting its\nflow to be clear; it is unreasonable.” The same goes for quite a few literary works.\nTake, for example, “A Wreath at the Foot of a High Mountain,” a controversial\nshort story, which describes how a FLA commander criticized a high-ranking\ncadre’s wife. As an admonition, the commander quoted from Du Mu’s “Epic of\nE-Pang Palace” by saying: “People of Qin had no time to lament and were lamented\nby people after Qin. If the people after Qin lamented but did not take warning, then\nthey would be lamented by those after them.”\n    There are many examples like this which can be found everywhere in\nnewspapers and periodicals. All this has raised a question: Since so many ancient"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "sayings in China still bear great significance for us today and serve as an indis-\npensable guide to our behavior in real life, what value does the traditional philo-\nsophy of China have in its entirety? A reevaluation of China’s traditional\nphilosophy seems called for.\n    If we say that philosophical ideas may embody the problems of the true, the\ngood, and the beautiful, then does not the traditional Chinese philosophy have\nsomething valuable or unique in this regard? I think it does, and very remarkably\nso. We can approach this issue from two aspects: one is the contents of its thinking,\nand another is its attitude toward life, both of which aspects are closely related."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16.1    Chinese Philosophy as a Threefold Integration\n\nRegarding the issue of the true, the good, and the beautiful, traditional Chinese\nphilosophy has had three propositions exerting an extended influence over Chinese\nthinking: the “integration of Heaven with man,” which inquires into the unity of\nthe world; the “integration of knowledge with practice,” the problem of an ethical\nnorm; and the “integration of feeling with scenery,” involving the creation and\nappreciation of artistic works.\n\n\n\n\n16.1.1 Integration of Heaven with Man: The True"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16.1.1 Integration of Heaven with Man: The True\n\nHow to define the two concepts of “Heaven” and “man” varies with different\nphilosophers. Nevertheless, the “Way of Heaven” refers to the basics of the\nuniverse or the universe as a whole. The “way of man” often refers to the society\nof man or man himself. The relationship between Heaven and man has always been\nthe fundamental issue studied by Chinese thinkers.\n   Sima Qian called his Historical Records a book that “probes into the relations\nbetween heaven and man.” Dong Zhongshu described what he said as a branch of\n\f16.1   Chinese Philosophy as a Threefold Integration                                199"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "learning that “studies how man is related to Heaven.” He Yan, one of the founders\nof the metaphysics of the Wei and Jin dynasties, called another founder, Wang Bi,\na philosopher “qualified to discuss the relations between Heaven and man.”\nTao Hongjing, the true founder of the Maoshan sect of China’s Daoism (Taoism),\nsaid only Yan Huan, another Daoist leader, understood that “what he had in mind”\nwas the problem “between Heaven and man.” The “relationship between Heaven\nand man” has been explained by different theories in traditional Chinese philoso-\nphy. For example, Zhuangzi required that a “distinction be made between Heaven\nand man,” and Zhuangzi theorized that “those who are ignorant of Heaven know\nnothing about man.” Furthermore, the question of “relations between Heaven and\nman” often has found expression in the discussion about the relation between\n“nature” and the “Confucian ethical code.” Nevertheless, the mainstream of tradi-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tional Chinese philosophy has taken as its main task the demonstration or explana-\ntion of how “Heaven is integrated with man.”\n   Confucius said more about “human affairs” and less about “the Mandate of\nHeaven.” Nonetheless, he also believed that “what the saint says” is in keeping with\n“the Mandate of Heaven.” Mencius, it can be said, is the philosopher who first\nproposed the idea of “integration of Heaven with man” in a complete sense.\nFor example, he said: “Do with all your heart, know your lot, and understand\nHeaven”; “keep up with Heaven and earth above and below.” Even though Xunzi\nadvocated that a “distinction be made between Heaven and man,” his fundamental\ngoal was to “bend the will of Heaven to our use” so that “Heaven” would be\nintegrated with man. Laozi (Lao Tzu) of the Daoist school urged: “Man follows\nearth, earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Way, and the Way follows nature.”\n   Even Zhuangzi who was “ignorant of Heaven and knows nothing about man”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "had this to say: “Heaven and earth live side by side with me, and all things on earth\nare identified with me.” He also said that the superior man can “communicate with\nHeaven, earth, and spirit.” Dong Zhongshu preached the idea that “Heaven and man\nrespond to each other,” and his argument was that the two were integrated. The\nmetaphysics of the Wei and Jin dynasties focused its discussion on the relationship\nbetween “nature” and “the Confucian ethical code.” Even though Ji Kang\n(Chi Kang) and Yuan Ji advocated that the “ethical code be overstepped and nature\nfollowed,” the mainstream of the metaphysics school stressed that the “ethical\ncode” be reconciled with “nature.” As Wang Bi embraced the idea that “the\nintrinsic and the extrinsic are like one,” he urged that “the essentials (nature and\nthe Way of Heaven) be upheld to rule the nonessentials (ethical code and mundane\naffairs).” In stressing “the intrinsic and the extrinsic are like one,” Guo Xiang"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "believed “there is no intrinsic beyond the extrinsic” and therefore concluded that\n“Heaven is the general term for all things on earth.”\n   By the time of the Song Dynasty, the Confucian philosopher Zhou Dunyi noted\nin more explicit terms: “A saint shares virtue with Heaven and earth,” and “a saint\naspires to Heaven.” Zhang Zai stated in his West Inscription: “That which blocks\nheaven and earth is my intrinsic; that which commands heaven and earth is my\ncharacter.” The two Cheng theorized that “the intrinsic and the extrinsic come from\nthe same source” and stated: “In Heaven it is destiny, in man it is character, and it is\n\f200         16   Prospects for the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy and the Issue. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the heart that commands the body. They are actually one and the same.” Zhu Xi\nstated that: “Heaven is man, and man is Heaven. The beginning of man is derived\nfrom Heaven. Since this man is born, Heaven rests in him.” And he added:\n“A saint. . .is integrated with Heaven.” Wang Yangming said: “The heart is Heaven.\nStressing the importance of the heart upholds Heaven, earth, and all things.” “Man\nis actually one with Heaven, earth and all things.” “The heart has no intrinsic but\ntakes the response of Heaven, earth, and all things as the intrinsic.” Later Wang\nFuzhi advanced the idea that man moves along with the vaporization of Heaven to\nexplain why Heaven is integrated with man. He said: “Destiny is realized by days\nand character is formed by days.” “There is not a day that Heaven stops thinking of\ndestiny, and there is not a day that man does not submit his destiny to Heaven.”\n    As far as traditional Chinese philosophy is concerned, the major philosophers,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "either materialist or idealist, all talked about the problem of “integration of Heaven\nwith man.” By analyzing their theories, we can roughly arrive at the following\nconclusions: First, in traditional Chinese philosophy, the concept of “integration of\nHeaven with man” gives expression to the idea of observing things in their entirety.\nIt is a direct description rather than a detailed analysis; we can call it a directly\nperceived “overall concept.” Second, in traditional Chinese philosophy, the basic\nargument for the idea of “integration of Heaven with man” is, “The intrinsic and the\nextrinsic are like one”: unity of the ways of Heaven and man is “both the intrinsic\nand the extrinsic,” the Way of Heaven serving as the intrinsic and the way of man\nthe extrinsic. This can be termed as an “‘absolute’ concept of unity.” Third,\ntraditional Chinese philosophy does not see the “way of man” as something rigid;\nwhat is more, it also sees in the “Way of Heaven” liveliness and unending vitality."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Heaven moves along a healthy track, and a gentleman should make unremitting\nefforts to improve himself.” That human society should move forward and man\nshould improve himself is due to the necessity of keeping up with the development\nof the “Way of Heaven.” This can be called the unlimited “concept of develop-\nment.” Fourth, in traditional Chinese philosophy, “Heaven” is object and the “way\nof man” must be brought in line with the “Way of Heaven.” However, “man” is the\nheart of Heaven and earth; he should install a heart for Heaven and earth. Without\n“man,” Heaven and earth would have no vitality, rationality, or morality. This can\nbe called the “humanistic concept” of ethics. The abovementioned four concepts\ncomprise the total implication of the idea of “integration of Heaven with man” in\ntraditional Chinese philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16.1.2 Integration of Knowledge with Practice: The Good\n\nThe problem of “knowledge and practice” is an issue of the theory of knowledge; in\ntraditional Chinese philosophy, however, it poses even more a problem of ethics\nand morality. If, in traditional Chinese philosophy, a question of the theory of\nknowledge had not been linked to the question of ethics, it would have been difficult\nfor it to be passed down as a part of traditional philosophy. Therefore, the problem\n\f16.1   Chinese Philosophy as a Threefold Integration                             201"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of a theory of knowledge is often also the problem of ethics. This is why the\nphilosophers advocated that man not only should seek “knowledge” but must also\npay special attention to “conduct” (practice).\n   What is the “good”? The criterion for the “good” can vary, but, according to\ntraditional Chinese philosophy, unity of “knowledge” and “practice” must be\nregarded as a prerequisite. From the history of Chinese philosophy, we can come\nacross many different explanations about the relationship between knowledge and\nconduct. In History Classic (Chapter 1, “On Destiny”), it was said long ago that\n“it is not difficult to know but difficult to put it in practice.” Later, the two\nCheng advocated: “Knowledge precedes practice.” Zhu Xi was of the opinion\nthat “knowledge and practice each give rise to the other.” Wang Fuzhi theorized\nthat “practice precedes knowledge,” and Sun Zhongshan advanced the idea that “to\nknow about a thing is more difficult than to do it” and so forth. Taking things as a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "whole, however, the concept of an “integration of knowledge with practice”\nactually has run through traditional Chinese philosophy from beginning to end.\n   Starting from the time of Confucius, the “agreement of one’s words with one’s\ndeeds” has always been used as an ethical criterion to differentiate a gentleman\nfrom a villain. Confucius said: “A gentleman feels it a shame not to be able to match\nhis words with actions.” Mencius stressed “intuitive knowledge” and “intuitive\nability.” Even though he regarded the four factors including the “sense of pity” as\ninherent, he thought it is necessary to “foster and enhance” benevolence, righteous-\nness, rite, and wisdom, which had already become moral codes. As they could be\nacquired only through moral practice, he advocated that “a noble spirit be culti-\nvated.” Zhuangzi stressed “practice” as the purpose of seeking “knowledge”; at the\nsame time, he also admitted the guidance “knowledge” provided for “practice.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He said: “One who practices it knows it. One who knows it is a saint.” As a saint,\ntherefore, one must “integrate knowledge with practice.”\n   By the Song Dynasty, the Confucian philosopher Cheng Yi, regardless of his\nopinion that “knowledge precedes practice,” argued in terms of morality and\nself-cultivation that “one who knows but cannot practice is one who does not\ntruly know.” Therefore, Huang Zongxi noted: “Mr. Cheng already had the idea of\nintegrating knowledge with practice” (Academic Files of the Song and Yuan\ndynasties, Volume 75). Zhu Xi inherited Cheng Yi’s theory that “knowledge\nprecedes practice,” but he stressed in particular that “knowledge and practice are\nmutually dependent” and “efforts on knowledge and practice should be pushed\nforward side by side.” He reasoned: “In terms of sequence, knowledge precedes;\nin terms of importance, practice is more important.” Therefore some people\ndescribed Cheng and Zhu’s as “a theory of integration of knowledge with practice"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "with emphasis on the latter.” Even though “knowledge” is the foundation of\n“practice,” “knowledge is shallow when knowledge has just been acquired and\nyet to be put into practice.” “When one personally experiences it, his knowledge\nwill be deeper, different from what he knew before.” That Zhu Xi stressed\n“practice” resulted because he basically regarded “knowledge” and “practice” as\nan issue of morality. This is why he remarked: “Wherever the good is, one must\npractice it. Having practiced it for a long time, it will become identified with\n\f202         16   Prospects for the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy and the Issue. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "oneself. Having identified with it, it will become a part of oneself. Failing to\npractice it, the good remains the good, and oneself remains oneself; they have\nnothing to do with each other.”\n    Traditional Chinese philosophy often advocated “practicing the Way (Dao).”\nThis idea perhaps had a twofold implication: One was to “take the Way as the\nintrinsic,” another to practice the “intrinsic way,” namely, to earnestly practice\nthe “intrinsic way” one advocated. Therefore, this is not merely an issue of\nunderstanding. As for Wang Yangming’s theory of “integration of knowledge\nwith practice,” naturally we all know about it; however, our understanding about\nit seems not to be totally correct. By quoting his remark, “practice begins once an\nidea is struck upon,” people often describe him as “ascribing practice to knowl-\nedge” and “taking knowledge to be practice.” In fact, Wang Yangming did not\nequate “knowledge” with “practice” completely. The remark that “practice"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "begins once an idea is struck upon” was made in the context of morality and\nself-cultivation. Immediately after that, he added: “If the idea is no good, we\nhave to overcome it. We have to overcome it thoroughly and thoroughly so that\nthe no-good idea will not lay hidden in our hearts.” He also said: “A close and\nsolid knowledge is where practice lies, and a conscious and precise practice is\nwhere knowledge lies. Efforts on knowledge and practice were originally insepa-\nrable. Only scholars in later ages split them into two and lost the essence of\nknowledge and practice.”\n    In regard to the relations between knowledge and practice, Wang explained\nclearly: “Knowledge gives the idea to practice, and practice is the efforts made of\nknowledge. Knowledge is the beginning of practice and practice is the end result\nof knowledge.” From the angle of the theory of knowledge, Wang Yangming could\nbe suspected of “including practice in knowledge.” In the perspective of morality"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and self-cultivation, however, emphasis on “integration of knowledge with prac-\ntice” had a positive significance.\n    By the time between the Ming and Qing dynasties, Wang Fuzhi advanced the\nidea that “practice precedes knowledge” and “practice can also gain knowledge.”\nHowever, he still stressed “integration of knowledge with practice” when\naddressing the issue of ethics. He opined that “knowledge and practice\ncomplementing each other is use and the two progressing alongside is achieve-\nment.” He criticized Wang Yangming’s idea of “integration of knowledge with\npractice” and called Wang “ignorant of the fact that they each have their own use\nand complement each other.” Nevertheless, Wang Fuzhi, too, was an advocator of\n“integration of knowledge with practice.” He said:\n  In calling someone engaged in pursuing knowledge and practice we mean he devotes\n  himself to the pursuit of knowledge and makes every effort to practice. Because of his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "devotion and efforts, achievements can be made and divided. Since achievements can be\n  made and divided, an order of succession can be established. Since an order of succession\n  can be established, the antecedent and the subsequent can complement each other. From\n  knowledge one knows what is being practiced, and from practice one practices what is\n  being known. Thus it can be said the two progress alongside and therefore make\n  achievements.\n\f16.1   Chinese Philosophy as a Threefold Integration                              203"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That knowledge and practice can progress alongside arises because the two, in\nthe final analysis, are a moral issue. According to Wang Fuzhi’s opinion: “A wise\nman is one who knows the rites. A man of ritual is one who practices knowledge.\nIn practicing knowledge, all rituals will be properly performed; in knowing the\nrites all essentials will go to the mind. Thus one will improve oneself with each\npassing day and there will be no end to it.” A saint “combines his intelligence with\nsincerity. He practices what he knows and what he practices becomes his knowl-\nedge.” This is how traditional Chinese philosophy envisages that a man should\nbehave himself.\n    Now prevailing in the study of traditional Chinese philosophy is a viewpoint\nwhich asserts that “since the Song and Ming dynasties the neo-Confucianists,\nwhen discussing knowledge and practice, often mixed up this issue of theory of\nknowledge with the issue of ethics.” It insists that this is where the limitations and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mistakes of Chinese ancient philosophers lay. In this regard, two questions deserve\nto be discussed.\n    First, Neo-Confucianists since the Song and Ming dynasties, as a matter of\nfact, did not regard knowledge and practice merely as an issue of the theory of\nknowledge. They thought the issue was important precisely because it was related\nto morality and self-cultivation. The final purpose of their discussion of relations\nbetween knowledge and practice was to improve moral cultivation. Therefore, it is\nout of the question to assert that the Neo-Confucians confused the issue of the\ntheory of knowledge with that of morality. Second, as an issue of morality and\nself-cultivation, the theory of integration of knowledge with practice and the\nviewpoint of unity between knowledge and practice cannot be said to be without\npositive significance. Ethically, knowledge and practice cannot be separated\ninto two ends; what is necessary is that “knowledge be integrated with practice.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The remark made by Wang Yangming that “knowledge is the purpose of practice\nand practice is the work of knowledge; knowledge is the beginning of practice and\npractice is the end result of knowledge” can be seen as the best summary the\nChinese ancient philosophers ever made about this issue."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16.1.3 Integration of Feeling with Scenery: The Beautiful\n\nThis is an aesthetic issue which Wang Guowei made a thorough discussion in his\nRandom Talks about Poetry. He said: “Realm is the top quality in poetry writing.\nHaving realm, a poem is naturally of a high quality and carries famous lines.”\n   What does “realm” mean? Wang explained that “realm does not refer to scenery\nalone. Delight, anger, sorrow, and joy are also a realm in man’s heart. Therefore a\npoem that can depict true scenery and true feelings can be said to have realm.\nOtherwise it should be said to have no realm.” Obviously, the term “realm” refers\nnot only to scenery but to “sentiments” as well. In Jialing Manuscripts Discussing\n\f204           16   Prospects for the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy and the Issue. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Poetry, Ye Jiaying made a very perceptive explanation about Wang Guowei’s\n“realm theory.” According to Ye:\n   The generation of realm depends entirely on our sense of perception. The existence of realm\n   depends entirely on what our sense of perception can reach. Therefore the outside world\n   cannot be called realm before we can reproduce it through the function of our perception\n   sense. Judging by such a conclusion, the theory of realm as advocated by Wang, as a matter\n   of fact, can be traced to the same origin as the theory of interest by Canglang and the theory\n   of romantic charm by Yuan Tingzhi."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bu Yentu, after Wang Guowei, also said in his Questions and Answers on the\nMethods of Painting: “Landscape painting is no more than portraying feeling and\nscenery, and feeling and scenery is realm.” This is why Wang Guowei remarked:\n“When people in the past discussed poetry, they divided the verses into those\ndescribing scenery and those depicting feeling. They did not know all verses\ndescribing scenery depict feeling.” Obviously, Wang Guowei regarded as\ntop-grade creative writings literary pieces that “integrate feeling with scenery.”\nHowever, this aesthetic viewpoint of “integration of feeling with scenery” did not\nstart with Wang Guowei.\n   Generally speaking, it was in the period of the Wei and Jin dynasties that the\ntheory of China’s literature and art truly became independent as a branch of\nlearning, and by that time, the idea of “integrating feeling with theory” already\nemerged. In Introduction to the Grades of Poetry, Zhong Rong states:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The four-characters-to-a-line poems, they can be useful if they imply more in fewer words\n   and model on works of literary excellence. However, the problem is they often involve a lot\n   of words but connote little contents. Therefore few people learn to write them. The five-\n   characters-to-a-line poems occupy the primary position in writing and stand out as the most\n   savory among a variety of genres, thus winning the praise of being popular. Isn’t it because\n   they are the most detailed and truthful in narrating events, conjuring images, expressing\n   feelings, and portraying things? Therefore there are three approaches to writing poetry: First,\n   implication; second, comparison; third, narration. The idea that there is more to the poem\n   than the words state is what we call implication. Citing things to indicate one’s intention is\n   comparison. A direct account of the happening, thus embodying the idea, is narration. Take"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the three approaches into consideration and choose the most appropriate, enhancing it with\n   charm and force and polishing it with color so that those who read it will find unlimited savor\n   and those who listen to it will be stirred. This will be a poem of the top grade."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A “masterpiece,” a “superb work,” should “express feelings and portray things.”\nThis was the forerunner of the idea of “integration of feeling with scenery.”\nXie Zhen, one of the later seven scholars of the Ming Dynasty, said in Four Seas\nPoetic Discussions: “Writing poetry rests on feeling and scenery. Neither can work\nwithout the other or conflict with the other.” He also said: “poetry is the tool for the\nportrayal of feeling and scenery. Feeling melts inside, running deep and long;\nscenery shines on the outside, stretching far and wide.” In Poetic Discussions\nfrom the Ginger Studio, Wang Fuzhi put it in an even clearer way: “In name feeling\nand scenery are two things, but in fact they are inseparable.”\n    Those skillful in writing poems have unlimited chances to hit upon good ones.\nIn an ingenious piece, there is “scenery in feeling and feeling in scenery.” “Feeling\nis generated from amid scenery and scenery is generated from amid feeling. This is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "why we say scenery is the scenery of feeling, and feeling is the feeling of scenery.”\n\f16.2   The Study of Chinese Philosophy and the Reason for Being Human                 205"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Once feeling is integrated with scenery, witty expressions are readily available.” This\nlast sentence perhaps constitutes the basic proposition for China’s traditional theory of\nart and literature, manifesting its basic view on “beauty.” In the traditional thinking in\nChina, what is beautiful has always been linked to what is good. “The substantial is\ncalled the beautiful” refers to a spiritual realm in which one has a noble enjoyment.\nHaving listened to the music of “Wu” (nothing, e.g., the silence that follows sound),\nConfucius commented: “It has all the beautiful but not all the good,” and after listening\nto the music of “Shao” (few), he remarked: “It has all the good and also all the\nbeautiful.” Only music that “has all the good and also all the beautiful” can be regarded\nas the highest and most ideal music. This applies to music and should apply to other\narts as well. An art that “has all the good and also all the beautiful” is designed to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "elevate man’s spiritual realm and help him derive there from the highest enjoyment of\nbeauty. Because of this, the creator of artistic and literary works must be one who has\n“realm,” and his works must “integrate feeling with scenery.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16.2     The Study of Chinese Philosophy and the Reason\n         for Being Human"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With regard to the true, the good, and the beautiful, why does traditional Chinese\nphilosophy consistently pursue the three “integrations”? In my opinion, it is\nbecause the basic spirit of Chinese philosophy is to teach how one should behave\nlike a man. To be a “man” one must have set for oneself a demand, must have an\nideal realm of the true, the good, and the beautiful. One who has attained such an\nideal realm in which “Heaven is integrated with man,” “knowledge is integrated\nwith practice,” and “feeling is integrated with scenery” is a saint. Therefore, the\nprospects for traditional Chinese philosophy lie in bringing this demand to be a\n“man” in line with the need of the modernization program and thus realizing\nit. One’s ideal may find expression in an immense variety of ways; nevertheless,\none must have an ideal and noble spiritual realm. The three integrations advocated\nby traditional Chinese philosophy are in fact a unified realm for one to be a “man.”\nThey cannot be separated, at least theoretically."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They cannot be separated, at least theoretically.\n    The proposition of “integration of Heaven with man,” though designed to\nillustrate the relations between man and the entire universe, was made in view of\nman as center of the universe. The Golden Mean states: “Honesty is the Way\nof Heaven; to be honest is the way of man.” “An honest man who hits the target\nwithout difficulty, arrives at the right idea without brain-racking, and conforms to\nthe Way without hurry is a saint.” The role of a saint is to “foster a heart for Heaven\nand earth, create a life for living creatures, carry forward peak learnings for\nposterity, and open up peace for thousands of generations to come.” Therefore, a\n“man” (mainly, the saint) must behave in accord with the requirements of the Way\nof Heaven and should assume it his responsibility to fulfill them. Being alive in the\nworld, one must not take a passive attitude; rather, one should “make unremitting"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "206           16   Prospects for the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy and the Issue. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "efforts to improve oneself” so as to embody the evolution of the immense universe.\nIn this way, one will set oneself a demand, find a reason for one’s being, and foster a\nnoble spiritual realm. Since one has set a demand for oneself and has a reason for\none’s being, the most important thing is for one to “integrate his knowledge with\nhis practice.” One must have an ethical standpoint unifying the two. The three\nprograms and the eight items listed in the Great Learnings tell us the exact reason\nfor this. It says:\n   The Way of the great learning lies in shedding light on the bright principles, being close to\n   the people, and stopping at nothing but the utmost good. Those in ancient times who wanted\n   to shed light on the bright principles for the world had to first bring order to their own\n   kingdoms. To bring order to their kingdoms they had to first bring their own houses to\n   order. To bring their houses to order they had to first cultivate their own moral character."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To cultivate their own moral character they had to first set their minds straight. To set their\n   minds straight they had to first foster a sincere desire. To foster a sincere desire they had to\n   first carry knowledge to the utmost degree. To carry knowledge to the utmost degree they\n   had to first inquire into the properties of things. Having inquired into the properties of\n   things, they were able to carry knowledge to the utmost degree. Having carried knowledge\n   to the utmost degree, they were able to foster a sincere desire. Having fostered a sincere\n   desire, they were able to set their minds straight. Having set their minds straight, they\n   were able to cultivate their own moral character. Having cultivated their own moral\n   character, they were able to bring their houses to order. Having brought their houses to\n   order, they were able to bring order to their kingdoms. Having brought order to their\n   kingdoms, the whole world would be at peace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Knowledge” must be integrated with “practice.” From “inquiring into the\nproperties of things to carry knowledge to the utmost degree” to “bringing order\nto their kingdoms and peace to the world” is a process of cognition and, more\nimportant, a process of moral practice. Man must have an ideal. The highest ideal is\nto “achieve peace” and thus enable human society to attain a realm of “Great\nHarmony.” The basic demand of a society of “Great Harmony” is that everyone\nshould set on himself a demand, find a reason for his “being,” and “not do to others\nwhat he does not wish done to himself.” Said Confucius: “My way is consistent; it is\nnothing more than honesty and forbearance.” Leading a life in this world, one\nshould behave like a “man” and must enjoy the pleasure of “being a man” and\nappreciate the creation of the universe.\n   In order to have a genuine appreciation of the creation of the universe, one\nshould have the ability to display man’s creativity through the reproduction of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“the creation of the universe.” One should display the spiritual realm of man, the\nwhy and how for a man to exist as a man: this makes it possible to render a writing\ninto a “masterpiece,” a painting into a “superb work,” and music into the “sound of\nnature.” Therefore, art requires “integration of feeling with scenery” so that\n“feeling is generated amid scenery and scenery is generated amid feeling.” In the\nrealm of creation, one reaches a situation in which the true, the good, and the\nbeautiful are integrated; there lies the meaning of life and the man’s highest ideal.\nConfucius professed: “At the age of seventy, I can do everything as my heart\npleases without violating the rule.” What he described was probably such a realm\nin which all one did and said was in harmony with the universe, human society,\n\f16.2   The Study of Chinese Philosophy and the Reason for Being Human               207"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "others, and oneself—both body and mind, inside and without. This realm of life is,\nof course, that of the saint.\n    Traditional Chinese philosophy still bears existential value precisely because it\ntells us the reason for being a man. To be a man is by no means easy, and it is even\nmore difficult to have harmony with nature, society, other people, and oneself in\nboth body and mind, inside and outside. But is this not necessary for today’s world?\nTherefore, we cannot underestimate traditional Chinese philosophy and ignore its\nproper value. Precisely, because traditional Chinese philosophy tells us only the\nreason for being a man, it is inappropriate to set undue demands upon it in other\nregards, and it should come as no surprise to us that it is inadequate in certain areas.\nFor example, it does not emphasize issues of logic and the theory of knowledge nor\nprovide a well-conceived demonstration of the structure of its own theory; we"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "should not be overcritical of this. Under such circumstances, can we further develop\ntraditional Chinese philosophy while engaged in studying its value? We should\nand we can. Note that, aside from the Book of Change, the pre-Qin Dynasty\nConfucians are seldom touched upon problems of ontology. Under the impact of\nBuddhism, however, Neo-Confucians of the Song and Ming dynasties founded a\nvery significant theory of ontology which made great progress and became\nNeo-Confucianism. As the mainstream of China’s traditional philosophy, thinking,\nand culture, the Confucian philosophy has sustained today an even heavier impact\nthan in the past. Having made a profound criticism of it, we are now reexamining its\nvalue. Is it inconceivable that we can develop it again or impossible under the new\nimpact to establish a new logic and theory of knowledge proper to it? Traditional\nChinese philosophy should have a third phase development because “one must have"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a reason for being a man.” Whether or not it can be developed depends on whether\nor not it can establish for itself a new system of logic and theory of knowledge.\n“Man can enhance the Way, not the Way can enhance man.” The outcome depends\nupon our efforts.\n\fChapter 17\nQuestions Concerning the Categorical\nSystem of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Aristotle’s Categories outlined the philosophical categories of ancient Greece,\nputting forward and thoroughly analyzing ten categories. Hegel’s Logik outlined\ncontemporary Western philosophical categories in a comparatively complete cate-\ngorical system. Did China’s traditional philosophy (China’s ancient philosophy)\nhave a categorical system? Why and how should we study the question of tradi-\ntional Chinese philosophy’s concepts and categories? This essay attempts to\ncontribute to the discussion of these questions.\n\n\n17.1     The Significance of Studying the Categorical\n         System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1. The study of the categorical system of traditional Chinese philosophy has its\n   general and particular significance. Its general significance can be expounded in\n   at least the following three aspects:\n   First, while the study of the history of philosophy necessarily requires the study\n      of the historical function of philosophers and philosophical schools, the\n      ultimate value of such a study is to reveal the necessary logic that determined\n      the specific development of certain philosophical thinking in history.\n      For instance, what is the necessary logic of the development of the pre-Qin\n      philosophical thinking from Confucius to Mencius to Xunzi? A scientific\n      history of philosophy with Marxism as its guiding thought should reveal not"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Translated by Liu Bingwen\nConfucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, and Chinese Culture, 1991: 17–37\nThe tables on p. 222 and p. 228 are taken from Social Sciences in China, A Quarterly Journal\n(Beijing: The Social Sciences Publishing House; no. 4, 1982), III, 204, and 210, respectively.\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                              209\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_17\n\f210     17   Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "only the developmental causes of philosophical thought but also the inner\n    logic of the growth of such thought. Since philosophy is a science of the most\n    general laws of nature, society, and human thought presented in the form of\n    abstractions, the development of the content of philosophical thought is\n    therefore a history of the continuous advancement of concepts and categories\n    and of their continuous clarification, enrichment, and growth. We should\n    study how concepts and categories were advanced in the history of philoso-\n    phy; how their contents became clearer, richer, and more systematic; and how\n    the categorical system became more complicated, more comprehensive, and\n    more systematic; we should conduct a concrete analysis of the development\n    of concepts and categories. This will enable us to discover the laws governing\n    the development of philosophical thought and reveal its inner logic.\n  Second, when we say that the history of philosophy is one of the struggle"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "between materialism and idealism, we do not mean to imply that this struggle\n    and the development of man’s cognition are two separate processes. It was\n    the one and same process through which man’s knowledge of the world has\n    been developing in the struggle between materialism and idealism which\n    manifests the law of the development of man’s knowledge. As the process\n    of knowledge calls for the use of concepts and categories, every stage of\n    development in the history of philosophy is marked by differing explanations\n    of certain basic concepts and categories out of which emerged materialism\n    and idealism. In the history of Chinese philosophy, for example, the struggle\n    between materialism and idealism before the Qin Dynasty generally centered\n    around the differing explanations of the heavenly way and the human way,\n    name and content, knowledge and conduct, and the variable and the constant.\n    During the Wei and Jin dynasties, it centered around such pairs of concepts as"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "being and nonbeing, essence and function, word and idea, ethical code and\n    spontaneity. During the Song and Ming dynasties, it focused on principle and\n    force, mind and matter, mind and nature, subject and object. A study of the\n    development of concepts and categories is a key to the exposure of the law\n    governing the struggle between materialism and idealism.\n  What is more is that this study will enable us to understand the necessity of the\n    emergence of certain concepts and categories in the history of cognition and\n    to overcome the shortcomings of maintaining an oversimplified negative\n    attitude toward idealism which can be found in the past studies of the history\n    of philosophy. Wang Bi was an idealist philosopher, but it was he who\n    advanced some categories such as essence and function, the one and the\n    many, word and idea “which help us recognize and master the focal point\n    in the web of natural phenomena.” Despite his incorrect presentation of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "these categories, his advancement of them marked a step forward in man’s\n    knowledge, which deserves recognition for its position in the history of\n    philosophy. Only after Wang Bi first posed the concepts of “taking nonbeing\n    as essence” and “forget the words having grasped the concept” did there\n    appear Ouyang Jian’s later theory of “The Word Expresses the Concept”\n    (Yan jin yi lun) and Pei Wei’s “On the Exaltation of Being” (Chong you lun).\n    Therefore, the study of the concepts and categories in the history of\n\f17.1   The Significance of Studying the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese. . .   211"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "philosophy and their development constitutes an indispensable link in cor-\n     rectly appraising materialism and idealism in the history of philosophy.\n   Third, Engels believed that the study of philosophies of the past was the only\n     way to temper one’s theoretical thinking. A scientific history of philosophy\n     can certainly play such a role, and a scientific history of man’s knowledge\n     essentially would be the history of the development of concepts and catego-\n     ries. Since concepts and categories in the history of philosophy reflect man’s\n     deepening knowledge, when we study its development, we are rethinking in\n     our own thought the process of man’s coming to know the world. Of course\n     we discard the accidental and secondary factors and grasp the essential,\n     normative content. This process of rethinking inevitably deepens our own\n     thought. In our study of the development of concepts and categories, we not"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "only relive the process of mankind using concepts and categories to under-\n     stand the world but invariably use certain methods to revisualize them.\n     That method can only be one of making a theoretical analysis of the contents\n     of the concepts and categories and the relationships between them and the\n     logical relationships in their development. Such a process of analysis itself is\n     a kind of theoretical thinking. In this sense, this study can help us improve our\n     ability for theoretical thinking.\n    The abovementioned three points give only the general significance of studying\nphilosophical concepts and categories, for that significance exists in the study of the\nhistory of any philosophy (e.g., the Western or Indian). However, the study of the\ncategories of traditional Chinese philosophy and its history of development has also\nits particular significance; namely, it will enable us to understand the characteristics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and level of development of traditional Chinese philosophy. Western philosophy\nhas its own categorical system; its characteristics and the different levels of\ndevelopment of its philosophical thinking at different historical stages are reflected\nin the development from Aristotle’s Categories to Hegel’s Logik. The categories\nused in the primitive Indian Buddhism and the categories of the Kunya and Bhava\nsects of Mahayana, more or less in succession and each with its striking features,\nrepresent the fairly high-level Indian Buddhism attained in logical thought and\ncategorical analysis. Traditional Chinese philosophy has its own concepts and\ncategories which gradually formed a fairly comprehensive system. Because of\nthis, it will not do just to take them in terms of the concepts and categories of\nWestern philosophy nor will it do to take them in terms of the Marxist philosophical\nconcepts and categories.\n    Except for a few concepts taken from Indian Buddhism, the concepts and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "categories which have taken form in the long history of Chinese philosophy\nbasically developed independently, hence their striking features. For example, the\nheavenly way (Tian dao) and the human way (ren dao) as a pair of categories\nwere very important in the history of Chinese philosophy. Therefore, traditional\nChinese philosophy not only paid considerable attention to the study of the rela-\ntionship between the Heaven and man but paid special attention to the study of the\n\f212      17   Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "relationships between man and man (society). Another example is the pair of\ncategories ti and yong which contain the meanings of not only noumenon and\nphenomenon but also base and function, whole and part, and abstract and concrete.\nSuch series of pairs of concepts and categories reflect not only the characteristics of\ntraditional Chinese philosophy but also the level of theoretical thinking at a certain\nstage of historical development. To make a not completely apt comparison:\ntraditional Chinese medicine certainly has its own particular tradition with its\nown particular theoretical system, medical terms, and concepts. Despite the fact\nthat we have not found clear scientific explanations for some of the theories and\nachievements, since it does achieve good results in medical treatment, it must\nreflect certain aspects of objective reality and contain fairly profound truths.\nSince concepts and categories are necessary conditions for the formation of knowl-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "edge and play a pivotal role in linking the subjective to the objective, definite\nconcepts and categories reflect definite achievements made by man in recognizing\ncertain aspects of objective reality through his theoretical practice; hence,\ndifferent concepts and categories mark different depths of man’s cognition.\nTherefore, when we study the concepts and categories at different stages of the\ndevelopment of traditional Chinese philosophy, we can see the level of theoretical\nthinking at the different stages of development of Chinese history.\n    In the history of Chinese philosophy, there are three periods during which\nschools made major contributions to the formation of the categorical system of\ntraditional Chinese philosophy, namely, the various pre-Qin schools, the metaphys-\nical school (xuanxue) of the Wei and Jin, and the Neo-Confucianism (Lixue) of the\nSong and Ming dynasties. When we compare the categorical system of traditional"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese philosophy in the three stages with those of the Western philosophy, we are\nimpressed by its distinct features and fairly high level. This comparison between the\ncategorical system of traditional Chinese philosophy and those of other countries,\nnations, and regions constitutes an important subject in comparative philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17.2    How to Study the Concepts and Categories\n        of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fundamentally speaking, the study of the concepts and categories of traditional\nChinese philosophy requires the scientific analytical method of Marxism. Merely to\npose the concepts and categories used in the history of Chinese philosophy is\ncontrary to the goal of our study. For that will not uncover the laws governing the\ndevelopment of philosophical thought, nor will it help us better to understand\nthe laws of the struggle between materialism and idealism, or to improve our\ntheoretical thinking; in particular, we will be unable to recognize the characteristics\nand level of traditional Chinese philosophy. To achieve our goal, it is necessary to\nuse the scientific analytical method of Marxism to (1) analyze the meaning of\nthe concepts and categories, (2) investigate the development of those meanings,\n(3) analyze the systems of concepts and categories of philosophers or philosophical\nschools, and (4) study the similarities and differences between the concepts and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17.2     How to Study the Concepts and Categories of Traditional Chinese Philosophy          213"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "categories of Chinese and foreign philosophies. It is only on the basis of such an\nanalysis that it is possible to advance the study of the history of Chinese philosophy\nalong a scientific path.\n\n\n\n17.2.1 Analysis of the Meaning of Concepts and Categories"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The advancement of one or of a pair of concepts (categories) marks the level of\nman’s understanding of the world, yet it is up to us to make an analysis of the\nmeaning of such a concept or pair of concepts. When ancient philosophers\nadvanced a new concept, they did not have as clear and scientific an understanding\nof its meaning as we do today; this is particularly true of the concepts they used to\nexplain the origin of the world. For instance, Laozi (Lao Tzu) was the first man to\nadvance the “way” (dao) as the paramount category in his philosophical system.\nThis concept of the “way” he advanced as an antithesis to the contemporary concept\nof “respecting Heaven.” By taking the “way” as the origin of the world, Laozi\n(Lao Tzu) certainly raised the level of ancient Chinese philosophical thinking. But\nwhat was the meaning of the “way”? Laozi (Lao Tzu) himself found it difficult to\ngive a clear definition. He said: “I do not know its name; I call it Dao. If forced to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "give it a name, I shall call it Great.” Therefore, he used quite a number of adjectives\nto describe the “way,” such as “soundless and formless,” “eluding and vague,” and\n“deep and obscure.” Obviously, with the limitations of the objective conditions\nand their level of knowledge, the ancient philosophers found it difficult to give lucid\ndefinitions of the concept of the origin of the world.\n   Thus, it is necessary for us to investigate the meaning of the concept of the\n“way” in the light of the book Laozi (Lao Tzu).1 The term “spontaneity” (ziran) was\nwidely used by ancient Chinese philosophers, but each had his own definition.\nIt was Laozi (Lao Tzu), too, who was the first to use “spontaneity” as a philosoph-\nical concept, by which he generally meant non-activity. Wang Chong of the Han\nDynasty continued this usage when he wrote: “The Heavenly way is spontaneous\nnon-activity.” By the time of the Wei and Jin dynasties, the proponents of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "non-activity such as Wang Bi and Xiahou Xuan practically took “spontaneity” for\nthe “way”—that is, the primal stuff of the universe. Xiahou Xuan wrote: “Heaven\nand earth operate with spontaneity and the sage functions following spontaneity.\nSpontaneity is the way, which originally had no name and Laozi (Lao Tzu) was\nforced to give it a name.”\n   Even the same philosopher had different definitions for “spontaneity.” We can\nuse Guo Xiang’s definitions of “spontaneity” as an example for analysis. He\nidentified at least five connotations for “spontaneity.” First, the actions of Heaven\nand man are “spontaneous.” In his annotations of Zhuangzi (the chapter, The Great\nTeacher), he wrote: “He who knows the deeds of both Heaven and man is a sage,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1\n    See “Early Daoist Theories of Life and Death, and Spirit and Form,” Zhexue Yanjiu, 1 (1981).\n\f214      17   Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "means knowing the deeds of Heaven and man is spontaneity.” Thus, Guo Xiang\nlooked not only at the natural phenomena but also at man’s deeds as in a sense\nspontaneous; in what sense could this be so? Second, “working for oneself” (ziwei)\nis “spontaneity.” Guo Xiang said: “To say that matter is spontaneous means\nnon-activity.” He also wrote: “We value this non-activity and matter’s working\nfor itself.” Then why is “working for itself” a kind of “non-activity”? Third,\n“being self-willed” is “spontaneity.” Guo Xiang held that “working for oneself”\nis “spontaneity,” but “working for oneself” does not mean acting wilfully but\n“acting by one’s nature,” namely, “acting in accordance with one’s nature, that\nis, spontaneity, thus called nature (xing).” “According to spontaneity” means\n“according to one’s nature,” that is, neither making others succumb to oneself nor\nallowing oneself succumb to another. Fourth, “inevitability” is “spontaneity.” Guo"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xiang wrote: “Knowing the reality of destiny one will not seek what lies beyond it,\nbut just to fulfill one’s nature.” One who “knows his destiny” will not ask for what\ncannot be done—this is called “spontaneity.” Destiny here means “inevitability.”\nFifth, “chance is spontaneity.” Guo Xiang wrote: “Things are all spontaneous,\nacting without knowing why or how it should be so.” By not knowing the reason\nof action, “spontaneity” implies “chance.” Therefore, when the philosophers were\ntrying to explain “self-generation,” they often employed such terms as “suddenly”\nor “abruptly”—all meaning that things exist without reason, the causality being\nbeyond explanation.\n    According to Guo Xiang, “spontaneity” has the abovementioned five\ninterconnected meanings, of which the last two are most important, that is, “spon-\ntaneity” has the meaning of both “inevitability” and “chance.” Actually, they are a\npair of antagonistic concepts and, from the dialectical point of view, are mutually"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "connected and transform themselves into each other, with inevitability manifesting\nitself through chance. Guo Xiang used the term “spontaneity” to explain both\n“inevitability” and “change,” precisely because he saw the relationship of mutual\ndependence between them: that a matter so exists is “inevitable” in one respect\nbecause “things emerge by themselves abruptly.” In Guo Xiang’s philosophical\nsystem, things must have these two aspects. From this analysis of Guo Xiang’s\ndefinition of the concept of “spontaneity,” we can see the general characteristics\nand level of the philosophy of Guo Xiang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17.2.2 Analysis of the Development of the Meanings\n       of Concepts and Categories\n\nNot only do the meanings of concepts and categories differ from one philosopher\nto another, at different times, they also differ in meaning. Nevertheless, if philo-\nsophical thoughts follow one another, it is always possible to discover the relation-\nship of succession between these concepts and categories. The study of their\ndevelopment is extremely important for understanding the laws of the development\n\f17.2   How to Study the Concepts and Categories of Traditional Chinese Philosophy   215"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of man’s knowledge. In the following, we will analyze the growth of the concept\nof qi (often translated as material force, ether, or fluid—tr.) in traditional Chinese\nphilosophy.\n    Some thinkers as early as the spring and autumn period already discussed the\nimpact of qi on man. For example, the Zuo Zhuan mentioned “the six qi” in the\nmedical theory recorded in the first year of the reign of Duke Zhao of Lu (B.C. 541).\nBy the Warring States period, qi became a general concept. People not only\nbelieved that the body of man was made of qi, but some believed that the spirit of\nman also was made of qi. In “White Heart,” “Inner Function,” and “Mechanism of\nthe Heart” chapters of the book Guanzi, it was said: “As for essence ( jing), it is the\nessence of qi”; “the qi of all things changes and thus becomes life”; “when qi goes\nto the ground, grains grow; when it goes into the heavens, there emerge the\nconstellations; when it floats in the air, it becomes ghosts and spirits; when it"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "goes into man’s chest, the man becomes a sage,” and “therefore when there is qi,\nthere is life; when there is no qi, there is death,” etc. According to these thinkers,\namong the “qi” there is an “essential qi” the life giver. When such an “essential qi”\nenters the body of a man, he becomes wise and turns into a sage.\n    During the Warring States period, this unscientific theory of “essential qi” was\nused to explain man’s spirit. If we considered it materialist, it would be a materialist\nviewpoint with grave defects which, under certain circumstances, were used by\nidealists and turned into a component part of their system. It could also be utilized\nby the supernaturalists who transformed it into a basis for advocating “life without\nend.” We know that Mencius also talked about qi and posed a sort of qi called the\n“qi of vastness” (hao ran zhi qi). The “White Heart” chapter of the book Guanzi\nmentions the “essential qi” that can give man wisdom and “this qi should not be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "checked by strength but should be accommodated by power (de)” which is to say, qi\nitself possesses an intelligence which should be consolidated by moral power.\nAnd in the theory of Mencius, his “qi of vastness” is “obtained through accentuating\nrighteousness.” Obviously, qi in Mencius’ theory has already become spiritual.\n    By the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu went a step further and moralized and\nmystified qi which became the manifestation of the will and power of God. Dong\nZhongshu held that qi had the power of meting out punishment and award, that\nthere were good and vicious qi, and that qi had emotions such as happiness, anger,\ngrief, and joy. So qi, though still retaining material appearance, already lost its\nmaterial substance. Later, during the Han period, there were all sorts of supersti-\ntious explanations of qi which were indeed the outgrowth of the viewpoint of Dong\nZhongshu.\n    From the historical data of the pre-Qin period and the Han Dynasty, we can see"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that the concept of qi is closely linked with questions of spirit and form and thus has\nmuch to do with the question of the preservation of health, which often was deemed\na means to becoming a deity. In Zhuangzi the “true man” (zhenren), the “spiritual\nman” (shenren), and others were often described as “with the spirit guarding the\nform to achieve longevity,” “drinking dew and breathing the wind instead of eating\ngrain,” “unifying their nature and preserving their qi.” They made their spirit\nintegrate with their form so that they could accomplish the goal of “keeping their\n\f216      17   Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "form perfect and replenishing their spirit to be merged into one with Heaven and\nearth.” The L€u Shi Chun Qiu includes numerous discussions of the “preservation of\ngood health” and considers that to “achieve longevity,” qi “should be made to flow\nconstantly within the body,” and “with essential qi renewed daily, the vicious qi\nwill go and a full life span will be reached; this is called truth.” In Huai Nan Zi the\npreservation of qi, of form, and of nature is the same thing; moreover, all are linked\ntogether with qi. The writers of both of these two books were influenced by the\n“theory of essential qi,” in “White Heart,” and other philosophical works. They all\nthought that “spirit” (Jingshen) is also a kind of qi, or “essential qi which can reside\nor leave the body and that when spirit and body are at one, there will be long life.”\n   Meanwhile, some philosophers of the pre-Qin and Han periods held a materialist\nview of qi and considered it to be the matter that constitutes the world. Xunzi held"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that everything in the universe, including man, was made of qi. He wrote: “Water\nand fire have qi but no life, plants have life but no senses, birds and beasts\nhave senses but know not righteousness and man has qi, life, senses and also\nrighteousness.” The chapter “On Spirit” of the book Huai Nan Zi says that the\nuniverse was originally a murky body of original qi without any shape and that later\nthe interaction of the positive and negative forces gave birth to everything, so\n“the dirty qi became worms and the pure essential qi became human beings.”\nWang Chong put it with even greater clarity. He wrote: “The merging of the qi of\nHeaven and earth gave birth to everything,” and that was the result of the movement\nof qi. He said: “When Heaven moves, it gives qi. . .qi comes out and it gives birth to\nthings.” In order to oppose Dong Zhongshu’s idealist view of qi, Wang Chong\nparticularly pointed out that qi has no will, no aim. He said: “qi is void of ambition,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "purpose or scheme”; “qi is like smoke and cloud, how can it listen to man’s\nrequest”? Nevertheless, like the book Huai Nan Zi, Wang Chong took the spirit\nof man (or the phenomenon of life) as “essential qi.” He said: “Man lives because he\nhas essential qi; when man dies, the essential qi vanishes.” An analysis of the\ncontents of the concept qi in the history of ancient Chinese philosophy reveals\nclearly the development of this concept. The three doctrines, or rather definitions,\nmentioned above, however, were all merged into the thought of Daoism (Taoism)\ntoward the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which we will not discuss here."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17.2.3 Analysis of the Systems of Concepts and Categories\n       of Philosophers (or Philosophical Schools)\n\nHistorically major philosophers, in establishing their philosophical systems, have\ninvariably used a series of concepts and categories. Thus, the study of the relation-\nships between these concepts and categories is necessary for us to make a thorough\nanalysis of their theoretical systems. The level a philosopher’s thought reaches\noften can be judged by how richly and systematically his concepts and categories\nreflect the essential relationships between the objects they are meant to reflect.\n\f17.2   How to Study the Concepts and Categories of Traditional Chinese Philosophy     217"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Divergent views in the study of a past philosopher (or philosophical school)\nsometimes arise from the lack of a comprehensive, systematic study of the system\nof concepts and categories of that philosopher or school. For example, if we merely\ntake into account Guo Xiang’s concepts of “being” and “nonbeing” and their\nrelationship, we might conclude that he was a materialist. But the reason why\nGuo Xiang’s philosophy was the zenith of the Wei and Jin metaphysical school was\nnot that he put forth a view different from that of Wang Bi’s on the relationship\nbetween “being” and “nonbeing” but that he had a fairly complete philosophical\nsystem, an analysis of which reveals that it comprises the following four groups of\nbasic concepts. (Though there are other important concepts in Guo’s philosophical\nsystem, we will not deal with them here.)\n    “Being” and “nonbeing”: The central topic of discussion among the Wei and\nJin metaphysicians was the question of “origin and outcome, being and nonbeing.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The philosophy of Guo Xiang might be considered to originate from the discussion\non this topic. Guo believed that “being” (the “being of everything”) is the only thing\nthat exists; it is constantly present; although being undergoes infinite changes and\ntransformations, it cannot in any instance become “nonbeing,” and “we say the\nHeaven and earth constantly exist because there is no time they have not existed.”\nAs for “nonbeing,” he held that the creator above “being,” or “the nonbeing”\nserving as noumenon, is nonexistence, that is, “nothing.” Thus he said: “Nonbeing\nis simply nonbeing, it cannot produce being,” and “I venture to ask whether there is\na creator or not? If not, how can he create things?” Therefore, from the very\nbeginning, Guo Xiang denied the existence of a “creator” above the being of\n“everything” or a “nonbeing” which is the antithesis of “being” which as the primal\nbody serves as the basis for the existence of being. However, Guo Xiang’s philos-\nophy did not stop here, but went further."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ophy did not stop here, but went further.\n    “Nature” and “destiny”: Since the existence of things is not based on “nonbeing”\nas the primal body, then is there an inherent cause for the existence of things?\nAccording to Guo Xiang, one cannot say that the being of “everything” is ground-\nless. Since things exist, their very existence is the basis for their existence.\n    Specifically, the basis of their existence is their own “nature”: “Everything\nhas its own nature and every nature has its limit.” “The nature” Guo Xiang meant\nis “the reason that things are what they are” which has the sense of “necessity.”\nThus, he said: “Each gets what he deserves by nature; there is no avoiding it nor\nadding more.” He also said: “Things have their own nature, so the wise stays wise\ntill his last day while the dull goes on being dull till his death, neither able to change\nhalfway.” As for “destiny,” Guo Xiang defined it as “inevitability”; as he put it"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“destiny means things all act spontaneously without anything acting on them” and\n“being aware of the impossible.” Obviously, his “nature” and “destiny” are two\nconcepts he employed to prove the point that “being” alone exists and that\n“nonbeing” as creator or primal body is absolutely nonexistent.\n    “Self-generated” and “self-sufficient”: The “nature” of things is the basis for\ntheir existence, but how does this “nature” originate? Is its emergence with some\npurpose, or condition? Guo Xiang said: “Things exist by themselves without a\nsource; this is the way of Heaven” and “the emergence of things is just out of their\n\f218      17   Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "own accord.” If the “nature” of a thing is not “self-generated,” then it must be given\nby others or intentionally produced by a creator. Yet this thing becoming this thing\nand that thing becoming that thing is not something else making this or that\nthing emerge and exist, nor even making itself emerge and exist; therefore, “self-\ngeneration” can only be produced “unexpectedly,” “abruptly,” and “spontaneously”\nby itself. Were there any reason or purpose for the emergence and existence of a\nthing, it would inevitably lead to the admission of the existence of an initiator. Then\nwhat is the relation between one “self-generated” thing and another “self-generated”\nthing? Guo Xiang held that everything is “self-generated” and its existence is\n“entirely in keeping with its own nature” and therefore is “self-sufficient”\n(wudai). On the one hand, “self-sufficiency” is possible because “things produce\nthemselves”; “things produce themselves without relying on anything else.” On the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "other hand, anything can be “self-sufficient” as long as it “conforms with its own\nnature,” and “is content with its own nature,” “for when satisfied with its own\nnature, a giant roc does not despise the sparrow and the sparrow does not covet the\nheavenly lake and both are quite satisfied. Thus, big or small, all live in compla-\ncence.” So, to insist on the premise that a thing produces itself without relying on\nanything else one must recognize that it is “self-generated” and “self-sufficient.”\n   “Self-transformation” and “mutual indispensability”: To support the concepts of\n“self-generated” and “self-sufficient” requires the solution of another question.\nSuppose everything exists by itself, this being this and that being that with one\ndiffering from another, then are not all the things related? Suppose all the things are\nrelative, then are not they limited? Suppose they are limited, then are not they\n“insufficient” (you dai)? To answer this question, Guo Xiang advanced the concept"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of “self-transformation” (duhua). By “self-transformation,” he meant that every-\nthing emerges and generates independently; hence, “self-sufficiency” is absolute. If\nwe try to seek the cause and basis of the emergence and generation of things,\nostensibly we can pursue this question infinitely, but ultimately we can come only\nto the conclusion of “self-sufficiency.” Thus, he said: “If we try to find out what a\nthing relies on and what is the cause of its creation, there will be no end and finally\nwe will come to self-sufficiency and the working of self-transformation will be\nobvious.” In his “Annotations on (Zhuangzi’s) Qi Wu Lun” Guo Xiang cited an\nabsolute example. He said that the bodily form, the shadow, and the penumbra\nare all beings of absolute independence, for “thus throughout the realm of things,\nthere is nothing, not even the penumbra, which is not ‘self-transformed’.”\n   If one thing does not exist independently, then everything else is not indepen-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dent, which will inevitably lead to the existence of a primal body (or creator) above\n“everything,” serving as the basis of their existence and inevitably recognized as “a\ncause of creation and generation.” Although things exist independently and self-\nsufficiently, as long as everything fully realizes its “nature,” brings it into full play\nand “the wise stays wise till his last day and the dull goes on being dull till his\ndeath,” then the ideal realm will be achieved where “Heaven and earth are not so\nlong-lived but live along with me, and things in the world are not divergent, but\nthe same as me.” Relating this way to every other thing has the greatest function;\nthat is, “the greatest function of mutual indispensability is the perfection of\nself-transformation.” Seen from another angle, everything is indispensable as\n\f17.2   How to Study the Concepts and Categories of Traditional Chinese Philosophy     219"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "long as it exists. Guo Xiang said: “A man, though only seven feet tall, possesses the\nfive constant virtues; thus this mere body is provided with everything in the\nuniverse. Therefore none of the things in the world can be dispensed for one day.\nWith one thing lacking, the living will not have means to live; with one law lacking,\nthe living cannot fulfill their natural life-span.” Thus, everything existent is rational,\ninevitable, and not mutually exclusive. This view appears to contradict the doctrine\nof “self-transformation,” but it does not. According to Guo Xiang, everything that\nexists is rational, inevitable, and not mutually exclusive precisely because, as the\ncondition for the existence of everything else, everything fully and absolutely\nbrings its “nature” into full play, creates itself, and generates self-sufficiently.\n    From this analysis of Guo Xiang’s system of philosophical categories, we\ncan see that his philosophy finally arrives at the doctrine of “self-transformation,”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and the concept of “exalted being” (chongyou) is merely a bridge to “self-\ntransformation.” What is more, in Guo Xiang’s system, only after the establishment\nof the doctrine on “self-transformation” can one support “sublime being” and a\nrelatively thorough refutation of a “nonbeing” above everything as the basis of the\nlatter’s existence.\n    If we want to know whether a philosopher is a materialist or idealist, or the\ncharacteristic of his philosophy, its ideological relations with its predecessors\nand successors, and its place in history, we must first make an analysis of his\ncategorical system."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17.2.4 Analysis of the Similarities and Differences Between\n       the Concepts and Categories of Chinese and Foreign\n       Philosophies"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A comparison between the categorical systems of Chinese and foreign philosophies\nwill undoubtedly enable us to have a better understanding of the characteristics\nand level of traditional Chinese philosophy. Because of the breadth of this topic and\nthe limited study conducted by this author, we can make only a rather superficial\ncomparison here between Wei and Jin metaphysics and the Buddhist doctrine of\nprajna introduced into China in that period.\n   The central theme of Wei and Jin metaphysics is the question of “being and\nnonbeing, origin and outcome.” Therefore “being” and “nonbeing” are two basic\ncategories in the Wei and Jin metaphysics. The Buddhist prajna doctrine also\ndiscussed the question of “being” and “nonbeing” (or the “void,” kong); hence,\nDao-an said: “Of the twelve books, Vaipuliya is most copious and its doctrine on\nthe void of being and nonbeing is similar to the teachings of Laozi (Lao Tzu)\nand Zhuangzi, thus the doctrine of Mahayana has been easy to spread in China.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The concept of the “void” (or “nonbeing”) of the Buddhist prajna school is actually\ndifferent from the “nonbeing” advocated by Wang Bi and other Chinese meta-\nphysicians, despite their apparent similarity. The Buddhist concept of original\nnonbeing, or Tathata in Sanskrit, has the meaning that “all the different dharmas\n\f220      17   Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "are in their original nature void and empty” and that all things have no original\nactual forms. Wang Bi and other metaphysicians also talked about “original\nnonbeing” by which, however, they meant that everything “is based on nonbeing\nas its origin.” Although the two concepts of “original nonbeing” cannot be consid-\nered to be entirely different, they do have vast differences in meaning. In Wei and\nJin metaphysics, Wang Bi’s thought succeeded the doctrines of Laozi (Lao Tzu).\nIn his philosophical system, the category “nonbeing” is one and the same thing as\n“the way” or “principle,” as he said: “The extreme of greatness is nothing but the\nway!. . . though it is important that it has nonbeing as its phenomenon, yet it cannot\ndo without nonbeing as its noumenon”; “nothing exists without principle, every-\nthing operates according to its own law.” Obviously, the “nonbeing” used by Wang\nBi is not the “void” or “nonexistence” but the “substance” of a thing. The “original"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nonbeing” of the Buddhist prajna doctrine on the void only means that “all the\ndifferent dharmas are in their original nature void and empty.” They held that\neverything is void of nature, but created through the association of hetupratyaya.\nFrom this one can see that the Buddhist prajna school in its discourse on the void\nrefers not to “substance,” but to “nonexistence.” As for the content of “being,” the\nWei and Jin metaphysicians usually referred to “universal being,” namely, all sorts\nof actually existing things, whereas, on the other hand, in the translation of Buddhist\nscripts, terms denoting different meanings of “being” (existence) were all translated\ninto the term “being.”\n   After its introduction into China, Buddhism first attached itself to Daoist\nnecromancy during the Eastern Han Dynasty and then to Wei and Jin metaphysics.\nThe various schools of the prajna doctrine formed by Chinese monks during the\nEastern Jin period generally still used metaphysical thought to explain the teachings"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of prajna until the arrival in China of Kumarajiva whose translations of\nModhyamikasatra, Satasastra, and Dvadasa-mikaya sastra of the Mahaprajnapra-\nmitasastra provided Chinese Buddhist with the material for understanding the true\nmeaning of Buddhism Monk Zhao’s On No Real Non-Existence is more or less\nclose to the original meaning of “neither being nor nonbeing” of the Buddhist\nprajna doctrine.\n   A comparison and analysis of the Chinese and foreign philosophical concepts\nand categories can thus show their characteristics and level of development as\nwell as the impact of foreign culture on indigenous traditional culture and the\nprocess of a foreign culture being assimilated and becoming a component of\nthe culture of the country (nation or region) into which the foreign culture was\nintroduced."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17.3    A Tentative Theory of the Categorical System\n        of Traditional Chinese Philosophy\n\nThe term category has myriad definitions in the history of philosophy in the West.\nAristotle in his Categories treated it as the basic mode of being and put forward ten\ncategories such as substance, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, state, action,\n\f17.3   A Tentative Theory of the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy   221"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and passion. And Kant described his 12 categories as principles related to cognition\nor as the precondition for constituting experience. Lenin said: “Categories are\nstages of distinguishing, i.e., of cognizing the world, focal points in the web,\nwhich assist in cognizing and mastering it.”2 A Dictionary of Philosophy published\nin the Soviet Union defines category as “the basic concept that reflects the most\ngeneral and most essential character, aspect and relationship of the various\nphenomena and knowledge of reality.”\n   “Category” then is generally explained from the two aspects of the existence and\nknowledge of reality: from the aspect of existence, it is defined as “the basic mode\nof existence” or “the most general and most essential character, aspect, and\nrelationship of the phenomena of reality”; from the aspect of knowledge, it is\ndefined as the “precondition for constituting experience” or “focal points in the\nweb, which assist in cognizing and mastering it.” The necessary precondition for"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "knowledge is certainly the reflection and manifestation of the “basic mode of\nexistence,” while the “basic mode of existence” is meaningful only in the process\nof man’s knowledge. From what we listed above, we can see the relationship\nbetween “category” and “concept”: a category is a basic concept, whereas a concept\nis not necessarily a category. Thus, what we are discussing here is what are the\ncategories or basic concepts of traditional Chinese philosophy. If, using the basic\nconcepts of classic Chinese philosophers, we can form a system which shows how\ntraditional Chinese philosophy identified and explained “the basic mode of\nexistence” and which reveal the line of development of the traditional Chinese\nphilosophical thinking, then we have proven that traditional Chinese philosophy\ndoes have a categorical system. This is presented first in the following diagram and\nfurther explained below.\n   In this diagram, 20 pairs of basic concepts make up the categorical system of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "traditional Chinese philosophy. This is certainly a very preliminary proposition.\nHowever, despite its many possible defects, it is intended to initiate discussion and\nstudy on this question. Here the author would like to explain some points:\n(1) This diagram is divided into three major parts. Part I is intended to indicate\n    what basic concepts are used in traditional Chinese philosophy on the question\n    of the existence of the world, Part II is meant to show what basic concepts are\n    used to present the form of being, and Part III is meant to show what basic\n    concepts are used to denote the existence and knowledge of man. The relation-\n    ship between “Heaven” (or the heavenly way) and “man” (or the way of man)\n    has always been a central theme for discussion in traditional Chinese philoso-\n    phy, and it is around this question that the struggle between materialism and\n    idealism has been waged in the history of Chinese philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zi Can was the first Chinese philosopher to make a proposition on the relation-\nship between the two when he wrote: “The way of Heaven is remote, whereas the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2\n  V. I. Lenin, Collected Works (Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1961), XXXVIII,\n92.\n\f222      17      Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "way of man is near.” Confucius attached importance to the “mandate of the\nHeaven,” but he gave even greater attention to the “affairs of man.” Although\nhe mentioned that he “began to know the mandate of Heaven as the age of fifty,” he\nseldom discussed this question. “The master was seldom heard discussing the\nquestion of nature and the Heavenly way,” reports the Analects which, however,\nextensively records Confucius’ sayings on the question of the “way of man.”\nMencius talked about “obeying nature and knowing fate and Heaven,” and the\nDoctrine of the Mean says: “Sincerity is the way of Heaven; knowing sincerity\nis the way of man.” Xunzi said: “Grasp the way of Heaven and man.” Laozi (Lao\nTzu), the founder of Daoism (Taoism) said: “The Heavenly way is spontaneous\nnon-activity,” and he played down the importance of “humanness and righteous-\nness” (the way of man). And Zhuangzi “was misguided by Heaven and ignorant of\nman.” Dong Zhongshu, the Confucian master of the Han Dynasty, described his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "research as a study of “the relationship between Heaven and man.” Sima Qian who\nwas much influenced by Daoist thinking said that his Historical Records was a work\nof “investigations into the relationship between Heaven and man and the changes\npast and present.” The Wei and Jin metaphysicians concentrated on the question of\n“spontaneity” (the Way of Heaven) and “ethics” (the way of man). Hence, He Yan\nsaid: “Only with people like Wang Bi, can you discuss the question of the relation-\nship between Heaven and man.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "constant\n          quiescence\n\n          movement                      variable\nII\n\n          positive\n          negative\n\n                                                                                 idea"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "word                   mind      fulfillment of principle\n                     nonbeing (the way)             essence (stem, one)\n                                                                                                       nature    investigation of things\n                                  being                                          spontaneity\n           Heaven (thing, qi material force) function (branch, many)                               principle           mind\nI                                                                                ethical code\n           man                                                                                                         matter\n                           the way                                                              force (affair)\n                                                                          supreme ultimate"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Heavenly principle\n                                                                          yin-yang\n                        instrument (force, thing)                                                                       human desire"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "spirit\n\n          form\n\n           nature\n\nIII        emotion\n          knowledge\n                             subject\n          action\n\n          name\n                             object\n           actuality\n\n\n   The Song Neo-Confucians of both the School of Principle (Lixue) and School of\nMind (Xinxue) strongly believed: “The supreme ultimate (the principle of Heaven)\nis simply an utterly excellent and supremely good normative principle”;\n\f17.3   A Tentative Theory of the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy   223"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the supreme ultimate is an appellation for “all that is good in heaven and on earth,\nand among men and things.” The “principles of Heaven” and the “desires of man”\nare still a question of the relationship between Heaven and man. Even Wang Fuzhi\nstill made this a focal point in his philosophical discourse. He held that “Rites, no\nmatter how pure they are, are merely expressions of the principles of Heaven\ninevitably to be found in the desires of man” and that “the desire of man, when\nreaching superb altruism is the perfection of the principle of Heaven.” Thus,\ntraditional Chinese philosophy proceeded from the discussion of the pair of cate-\ngories: (the way of) Heaven and (the way of) man, an indication of the main\nattention and particular content of traditional Chinese philosophy.\n(2) This diagram shows the development of the categories of traditional Chinese\n    philosophy and their relationships. Proceeding from the study of the relation-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ship between Heaven and man, traditional Chinese philosophy branches out\n    into two parts: Daoism (Taoism) and Confucianism. Laozi (Lao Tzu) advanced\n    the relationship between the “way” and “all things.” He said; “The way creates\n    one, one creates two, two create three and three create all things.” He also said:\n    “All things in the world are produced by being and being is produced by\n    nonbeing”; therefore, the relationship between the “way” and the “thing” is\n    also represented by the pair of categories “being” and “nonbeing.” The Confu-\n    cian school however proposed the categories the “way” and the “instrument” in\n    the Commentary on the Book of Changes, which says: “That which shapes and\n    is above is called the way and that which shapes and is below is called the\n    instrument” and adds: “Change contains the supreme ultimate which produces\n    two extremes,” and “the alternation of yin and yang is called the way”; thus, the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "relationship between the way and the instrument is reflected in the categories of\n    the supreme ultimate and yin and yang. The Han Dynasty witnessed some\n    development in philosophical thought, but it seems that practically no new and\n    influential philosophical categories were advanced. The Wei and Jin metaphys-\n    ics upheld three philosophical classes, Laozi (Lao Tzu), Zhuangzi, and Zhou Yi,\n    which brought a gradual merging of Daoism (Taoism) with the Confucianism\n    of the Zhou Yi system. This established the theory of a primal body as the origin\n    of the universe, a theory with Laozi (Lao Tzu)’s and Zhuangzi’s thought as the\n    framework. The Wei and Jin metaphysicians used categories such as “essence”\n    and “function,” “stem and branch,” the “one” and the “many” to illustrate\n    “nonbeing” (the primal) and “being” (everything or the various manifestations\n    of this substance). They used “spontaneity” (essence) and “ethics” (function) to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "present the relationship between the “originality of the universe” (primal body)\n    and “human social relations” (the various social positions and codes) and used\n    the pair of categories “idea” and “word” to explain questions on understanding\n    the substance of the universe. From the Wei and Jin dynasties and the Northern\n    and Southern dynasties, onward, traditional Chinese philosophical thought,\n    under the impact of Buddhism introduced from India, evolved into the\n\f224           17     Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Neo-Confucianism of the Song Dynasty. If the Wei and Jin metaphysical\n       doctrine on substance has the thought of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi as\n       the framework, then Neo-Confucianism of the Song-Ming period alternately\n       was based on an objective idealism (represented by Zhu Xi), a subjective\n       idealism (represented by Wang Yangming), and a fairly high-level materialism\n       (represented by Wang Fuzhi). The philosophical categories of this period\n       succeeded Wei and Jin metaphysics and also absorbed Tang Buddhist thought\n       in the Sui and Tang periods. Thus, there was a confluence of the thinking of\n       Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), and Buddhism within a Confucian frame-\n       work. The most basic philosophical categories of the time became “principle”\n       and qi, “mind,” and “matter”; the question of “mind” and “nature” grew into the\n       question of whether “mind is principle” or “nature is principle.” Categories"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "such as “subject” and “object,” “investigation of things,” and “fulfillment of\n       principle” were used in the discussion of the question of knowledge, and the\n       categories “Heavenly principle” and “human desire” were used to discuss\n       social issues.\n      Lenin in his On the Question of Dialectics wrote:\n      “Circles” in philosophy: (is a chronology of persons essential? No!) Ancient: from\n      Democritus to Plato and the dialectics of Heraclitus.\n         Modern: Holbach—Hegel (via Berkeley, Hume, Kant). Hegel—Feuerbach—Marx.3"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his Conspectus of Hegel’s Book “Lectures on the History of Philosophy,” he\nwrote: “Comparison of the history of philosophy with a circle . . .a circle on the\ngreat circle (a spiral) of the development of human though in general.”4 Hegel’s\ncomparison of the history of philosophy with a circle, as pointed out by Lenin, is a\npenetrating reflection of the law of development of the philosophical thought.\nThis is of tremendous importance in our study of the development of traditional\nChinese philosophic thought.\n   From the above diagram, we can see that the development of traditional Chinese\nphilosophy is roughly made up of three spiraling circles: The first covers the period\nprior to the Qin Dynasty; the Confucian school, including Confucius, Mencius, and\nZhuangzi (or the Commentary on the Book of Changes); Daoism (Taoism) includ-\ning Laozi (Lao Tzu), the School of Shuxia (i.e., the “White Heart” and other works),\nand Zhuangzi, with the Han Dynasty forming a transitional period. The second"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "circle was the period of the Wei and Jin dynasties represented by Wang Bi-Xiang\nXiu-Guo Xiang (or Wang Bi-Guo Xiang-Seng Zhao). Buddhism was in vogue from\nthe Northern and Southern dynasties through the Sui and Tang dynasties, and after\na period of development, Buddhism in China grew into several sects such as the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3\n    Ibid., p. 362.\n4\n    Ibid., p. 247.\n\f17.3   A Tentative Theory of the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy   225"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Huayan (Avatamsaka) Sect and the Chan (Zen) Sect. The third circle covers\nthe Song and Ming dynasties represented by Zhang Zai-Zhu Xi-Wang Fuzhi.\n(3) In the second column of the diagram, only three pairs of categories are listed, of\n    which the most fundamental is the pair “quiescence” and “movement,” whose\n    manifestation is the pair “constant” and “variable,” though in fact “positive”\n    and “negative” are also peculiar manifestations of “quiescence” and “move-\n    ment.” Although many philosophers of traditional Chinese philosophy\n    discussed the question of “quiescence” and “movement,” little discussion on\n    the question of “time” and “space” was conducted among Chinese philosophers\n    (except for the pre-Qin philosophers of the School of Names and philosophers\n    of the later Mohist School). Philosophical propositions in traditional Chinese\n    philosophy seem not to have been restricted by time or space, and they paid"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "little attention to the question whether movement took place in time and space.\n    That is why we have not included the categories “time” and “space” in our\n    diagram.\n(4) The question of man (the way of man) was much discussed in traditional\n    Chinese philosophy which was especially characterized by the study of the\n    question of “morals” (ethics). Therefore, careful consideration should be given\n    to what should be included in the categorical system of traditional Chinese\n    philosophy. In this diagram (column III), five pairs of categories (in fact not all\n    of them are related to the way of man) seem to be sufficient as basic concepts.\n    “Spirit” and “form,” or the relationship between spirit and body, are used for\n    the study of the phenomena of the human life. This was discussed from pre-Qin\n    days onward, with materialists and idealists holding different views. The\n    question of “nature” and “emotion” might be looked at as the key ethical"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "issue. There have been divergent views on the question of “nature” ever since\n    the pre-Qin days, such as “man is born good by nature,” “man is born evil by\n    nature,” “man is born with a mixed nature both good and evil,” “man is born\n    neither good nor evil by nature,” and “man is born good or evil by nature, all\n    depending on the specific man,” etc. On the question of nature and emotion,\n    there were views that “nature is good, whereas emotion is bad,” “nature is\n    quiescent and emotion is active,” etc. The Wei and Jin metaphysicians paid\n    considerable attention to this question, but concentrated on a discussion of the\n    difference and similarity between the sage and the ordinary man. The Song and\n    Ming Neo-Confucians divided nature into “the universal nature” and the\n    “humoral nature,” with the former stemming from the “principle of Heaven”\n    and the latter from man’s inherent emotion and desire or from the qi that makes"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "up the body. Hence, this is still a question of nature and emotion, and the\n    importance of ethical education is to “maintain the principle of Heaven and\n    suppress human desire.” The question of “knowledge” and “action” also\n    occupies a very important position in traditional Chinese philosophy. Most of\n    the past Chinese philosophers upheld both “acknowledge” and “action” and\n    thought the latter was even more important. The categories “name” and\n\f226        17   Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“actuality” were always contained in traditional Chinese philosophy, and the\n      categories “subject” and “object” were borrowed from Buddhism, but all four\n      are related to the question of knowledge. Therefore, column III of the diagram\n      contains categories involving existence and knowledge.\n\n\n\n17.4      Discussion"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the categorical system of traditional Chinese philosophy is a rather broad and\ncomplicated issue, it calls for an earnest and extensive discussion. The following\nare only preliminary views on some of the questions:\n(1) Should the categories in the categorical system be in pairs?\n    This question should be discussed in two aspects. On the one hand, in the history\nof philosophy, the philosophical categories used by a philosopher may not be in\npairs. For example, the concept “spontaneity” used by Laozi (Lao Tzu) seems not to\nhave its opposite in the book Laozi (Lao Tzu). The concept qi used as the most\ngeneral concept in the “White Heart” chapter of Guanzi did not seem to have its\nopposite either. However, taking the development of traditional Chinese philosophy\nas a whole, the categories are in pairs. For example, the concept “spontaneity” is\npaired with “ethics” and “principle” with qi. On the other hand, everything is\ncontradictory, with two contradictory aspects, of which one does not exist without"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the other. Therefore, the categories which reflect the essential relationships of\nthings must be in pairs of opposites. Some of the philosophical concepts and\ncategories of traditional Chinese philosophy indeed seem to have no pairs of\nopposites, such as the “mean.” We certainly cannot say there is a “counter-\nmean.” Yet an analysis of the meaning of the mean may possibly lead to the\nsolution of this question. Confucius advanced his “doctrine of the mean” to oppose\n“excess”; he said: “Excess amounts to insufficiency.” Thus, the “mean” has\nthe sense of “middle” or “correct.” Therefore, it would be sufficient to have the\nconcepts of the “positive” and the “negative” in traditional Chinese philosophy\nsince “mean” is included in the meaning of “positive.”\n    Not all the categorical systems used by Western philosophers necessarily reflect\nthe unity of opposites. Among the ten categories used by Aristotle, some can be\npaired up as opposites such as “quality” and “quantity,” but “substance” has no"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "specific opposite, though the other nine categories might be considered to be the\nopposites of “substance.” The 12 categories used by Kant and the categories of\nthe categorical system of Hegel’s Logik are mostly pairs of opposites. Though\ndivergent in their views on the categorical system, all Marxist philosophers agree\nthat categories are in pairs, for instance, essence and phenomenon, content and\nform, necessity and chance, possibility and actuality, etc. Marxist philosophy holds\nthat categories must be pairs of opposites; this is certainly a correct view and\nreflects the reality of things. Thus, when we today study the categorical system\n\f17.4   Discussion                                                                  227"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of traditional Chinese philosophy and try to make it more systematically and\nscientifically reflect the characteristics and level of traditional Chinese philosophy,\nwe should try to find out the law of unity of opposites in its categorical system.\n(2) How many categories should the categorical system of traditional Chinese\n    philosophy contain in order to be sufficient to indicate “the basic pattern of\n    being” or “the basic concepts that reflect the most fundamental characteristics,\n    aspects, and relationships of the phenomena and knowledge of the reality”?\n   The 20 pairs of opposite basic concepts of the categorical system of traditional\nChinese philosophy are merely a tentative proposition. They indicate mostly what\nthe “world” and “man” are; for example, the existence of the “world” comprises\n“principle” and qi and the existence of “man” comprises “spirit” and “form.” The\ncategories used by Western philosophers, however, generally show the mode of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "existence and the “principles of knowledge.” The contemporary categories of\nMarxist philosophy as a whole also show the characteristics and aspects of being\nand do not include the most basic concepts such as “mind” and “thing” in the\ncategorical system. By this criterion, some of the categories listed above should not\nbe included in the categorical system of traditional Chinese philosophy, and some\nother concepts should be added. However, the way we have indicated the system of\ntraditional Chinese philosophy might be just one approach, for the various catego-\nries listed in the diagram do indicate the “basic mode of existence” so far as their\ncontents are concerned and are also “focal points in the web” of man’s knowledge.\nWould not, then, our way seem to be better suited to reflect the characteristics and\nlevel of traditional Chinese philosophy? Of course it would be even better if\nwe could use less basic concepts to indicate traditional Chinese philosophy, such"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "as the diagram on the next page. (3) Can “the categorical system of traditional\nChinese philosophy” reflect its characteristics and level?\n   This is a major question because serious research and thorough discussion is\nneeded to ascertain the characteristics of traditional Chinese philosophy and its\nlevel. Could we venture to say that our diagram of the categorical system more\nor less reflects the characteristics and level of traditional Chinese philosophy?\nApparently, traditional Chinese philosophy paid special attention to the study of\nthe basic mode of existence and the existence of man and the relationships between\nthings, that is, the identity of things, hence the multitude of concepts such as the\n“Heaven and man combine as one,” the “knowledge and action combine as one,”\n“essence and function are like one,” “nonbeing originates in being,” the “spirit and\nform combine as one,” and “mind and matter are not two.” Although traditional"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese philosophy did not devote much discussion to such concepts as time and\nspace, cause and effect which are not included in our diagram, yet as a categorical\nsystem, traditional Chinese philosophy already attained a fairly high level as\ncompared with ancient Western and Indian philosophy in that it covered a vast\nscope, with basic concepts all in pairs and the development of the meaning of its\nconcepts reflecting the world with increasing depth.\n\f228      17    Questions Concerning the Categorical System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "quiescence\n\n              movement\n              constant\n\n              variable\n              positive\n                                             nonbeing\n                                             (the way)                          principle\n              negative\n\n                                                                                  force\n                                                           essence\n                                being (thing,\n                 Heaven        material force)\n\n                                   the way\n                 man           (supreme ultimate)\n                                                             function\n                                                                                 mind\n\n                spirit\n                                                                                 matter\n\n                form              instrument\n                nature           (force, thing)\n\n                emotion"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "emotion\n\n               knowledge\n\n                 action\n\n   The categorical system of traditional Chinese philosophy has not been widely\ndiscussed and is a fairly new topic. Here, the author has ventured to propose some\npreliminary propositions with the aim of arousing interest in the discussion of this\ntopic in the hope that the study of the history of Chinese philosophy, under the\nguidance of Marxism, will advance even more scientifically.\n\fChapter 18\nNew Progress in the Study of the History\nof Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In recent years, study of the history of Chinese philosophy has been in full swing in\nChina. The Society of the History of Chinese Philosophy has been set up and has in\npublication two journals entitled Studies of the History of Chinese Philosophy and\nChinese Philosophy dedicated to publishing research results in this area. A number\nof books specializing in the subject have come off press, and dozens of seminars\nhave been held to discuss special issues. Thus, a variety of different views in regard\nto Chinese philosophers ranging from Confucius to Sun Yat-sen have come forth.\nAll this signals the new progress made in the study of the history of Chinese\nphilosophy. However, I do not propose to discuss here the concrete issues; rather,\nI would like to talk about the prevailing trends in the study as these probably can\ngive a better picture of the new progress made in this area and points to new\nprospects which will open up in the studies. In light of this, I would like to address"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "myself to four mutually related issues."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "18.1     The History of Chinese Philosophy as the History\n         of Knowledge of the Chinese Nation\n\nThere had been in the past a theory which moved from the classical conclusion that\nthe history of philosophy was a historical account of the struggle between materi-\nalism and idealism to the study of the history of philosophy as the development of\nman’s knowledge and the laws governing the development of theoretic thinking.\nHowever, the many years of practice in taking the history of philosophy merely as a\nhistorical account of the struggle between materialism and idealism not only gave\nrise to such drawbacks as oversimplification and indiscriminate labeling but also\nfailed to identify any concepts that bore the nature of regularity. How should we\n\n\nConfucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, and Chinese Culture, 1991: 39–48"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                      229\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_18\n\f230                     18   New Progress in the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "resolve this problem? The discussion of “how to evaluate idealism” and “the object\nof the study of history of philosophy” had failed to lead us out of the dilemma.\nUnder such circumstances, people began to turn their attention to studying how\nphilosophy as theoretical thinking developed in history rather than becoming\nunduly entangled in the class background of a certain philosopher and his place\nin history.\n   A philosophical idea that once played a role in the development of man’s\nknowledge naturally had a place in history. But excessive discussion about the\nrelative superiority or inferiority of materialism and idealism is unnecessary, for\nwhich of the two is better can be fully determined by the effect they each produced\non the development of man’s knowledge. The study of the history of Chinese\nphilosophy, in particular, used to stress the role played by a certain philosopher\nor philosophical school in history and how they were related to the ongoing class"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "struggle and political struggle at that time. Of course, studies of this sort are also\nimportant; though strictly speaking, they are the problem that the historical study of\nphilosophy is designed to resolve eventually. The final purpose of such a historical\nstudy is to reveal the logical inevitability of the development of theoretic thinking\nas it occurred in history. In the pre-Qin Dynasty philosophy, for example, was\nthere any inevitability for the ideas of Confucius to develop through Mencius to that\nof Xunzi?\n   At present more and more people study the history of Chinese philosophy as\na history of knowledge. For example, a multivolume book entitled History of the\nDevelopment of Chinese Philosophy is now being compiled under the auspices\nof Professor Ren Jiyu, who asserted that the book was intended to deal with the\ndevelopmental history of the Chinese nation’s knowledge. The History of Chinese\nPhilosophy compiled with the joint efforts of Wuhan and Zhongshan universities"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "also applied this idea as its guiding thought. In the preface, Xiao Jiefu (Hsiao\nChe-fu) of Wuhan University remarked: “The history of philosophy is the history of\nhow the contradictions of philosophical knowledge have developed; it is man’s\nunderstanding about the general laws governing nature, society and movements of\nthinking manifested in the form of theoretic thinking.”\n   Chen Junmin of Shaanxi Teachers University wrote that the “study of the history\nof philosophy is in essence a science that inquires into the dialectic movement of\nman’s philosophical understanding.” In the article “On the Scope, Target, and Task\nof the History of Chinese Philosophy,” Zhang Dainian observed: “The history of\nphilosophy is the history of knowledge in its totality.” “It is the history of how\nman’s knowledge develops, that is, a process in which the relative truths developed\nby mankind accumulate and increase, and the new ones replace the old.” To find"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "out in its totality the law that governs the development of Chinese philosophy,\nChinese philosophical circles have also turned their attention to Hegel’s idea of\n“likening the history of philosophy to cycles.” In the preface to his newly published\nHistory of Chinese Philosophy: New Version, Feng Youlan made a special refer-\nence to this issue.\n   Two seminars were held in Beijing: one on “The Philosophy of the Han and\nTang Dynasties” was convened by the editorial department of Study of the History\n\f18.2   The Concept and Category of Traditional Chinese Philosophy                  231"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of Chinese Philosophy and the other on “Philosophy of the Han Dynasty” was under\nthe auspices of the editorial department of Chinese Philosophy. At both meetings,\nI suggested as a clue to the development of traditional Chinese philosophy in its\ntotality that it is formed by a large spiral cycle constituted in turn of three smaller\nspiral developmental cycles. The first cycle was pre-Qin Dynasty philosophy.\nWith Confucius as the starting point, it moved on through Mencius and Xunzi to\nthe Book of Change (also through other masters of the School of Logicians) and\nthus formed the first cycle in the history of Chinese philosophy. The second cycle\nwas the philosophy of the Wei and Jin dynasties and the Northern and Southern\ndynasties. Starting from the idea of “valuing nil” advocated by Wang Bi and He\nYan, it developed through “esteeming substance” upheld by Xiang Xiu and Guo\nXiang, to Seng Pi’s “doctrine of non-vacuum” which was “neither something nor"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nothing.” The third cycle began with Zhang Zai and moved on through Zhu Xi to\nWang Fuzhi.\n    In the midst of the three cycles were the study of the Confucian classics of the\ntwo Han dynasties and Buddhist studies during the Sui and Tang dynasties,\nindicating the transition from one cycle to another. The three cycles of spiral\nmovements made up the large cycle of traditional Chinese philosophy. Namely,\nfrom the philosophy of the pre-Qin period and the two Han dynasties with Confu-\ncianism as its main body, it moved on to the metaphysics of the Wei-Jin period and\nthe Sui and Tang dynasties built on the framework of Lao-Zhuang theories.\nGradually, it assimilated Buddhism (the Hua Yan sect, the Chan sect) and finally\ndeveloped into the Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties, a new\nschool of Confucianism that had absorbed ideas of both the Buddhist and the Daoist\nschools which it developed at an even higher plane. This pattern of development,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "it seems, gives expression to the true feature of traditional Chinese philosophy; it\nshows the place of Confucianism in traditional Chinese philosophy and also the\nprofound influence which Buddhist and Daoist ideas exerted over the philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "18.2     The Concept and Category of Traditional\n         Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If we intend to study the history of philosophy as the history of man’s knowledge and\nreveal the law of the development of theoretic thinking in history, we must probe the\nissue of concept and category. As theoretic thinking, philosophy is unavoidably\nmanifested through a series of concepts and categories and philosophical propositions\nformed by concepts and categories. This applies to philosophies in general and is\nparticularly significant in the study of concepts of traditional Chinese philosophy.\nAs Hegel said: “As cultural difference is generally formed on the basis of differences\nof ideological categories, it is even more so by difference of philosophy.” Therefore,\nthe study of the concepts and categories of traditional Chinese philosophy and the\nhistory of its development will help us understand the characteristics of China’s\ntraditional philosophy and the level of its development.\n\f232                     18   New Progress in the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Except for having absorbed some concepts from the Buddhism of India,\nphilosophical studies in China had in the main developed independently prior to\nmodern times and thus maintained a very distinctive character. Precisely because\ntraditional Chinese philosophy has a set of concepts and categories of its own and\nhas gradually formed itself into a complete system, it is inappropriate to apply to it\nconcepts and categories of Western philosophy in an oversimplified way; nor is\nit possible to equate them simply with the concepts and categories of Marxist\nphilosophy. For example, the concept of Shen in traditional Chinese philosophy\nhas several implications. It may refer to god and ghosts, the meaning that was\nprobably meant by Confucius when he said: “Worship god as if god were there.”\nShen may also mean “spirit” or “soul.” This was what Xunzi implied when he said\n“Shen (spirit or soul) is engendered when matter takes shape.” Nevertheless, in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "traditional Chinese philosophy, Shen has an even deeper layer of meaning, that is,\n“a subtle change.” This idea stood out in the Record of Changes, which said: “When\nthere is no telling whether it is yin or yang, it is called ‘shen.’” Even though “Shen”\nimplies a variety of ideas, the implications are related to each other. Another\nexample is the opposite of yong in traditional Chinese philosophy. It also has a\nlot of implications; it implies not only “substance” and “support” but also “whole”\nand “abstract.” The multiplex and mutually related implications embodied in one\nconcept give expression to the special features of traditional Chinese philosophy\nand its level of development.\n    Since traditional Chinese philosophy has its special conceptual categories, is it\ntrue that it has a special category system? I have discussed this issue in my article\n“On the Problems of a Category System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy,” which,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "on the basis of the historical development of Chinese philosophy, delineated the\nsystem of its categories. According to the article, this system is made up by 20 or\n12 pairs of categories. Among them, the most important pair comprises “the Way of\nHeaven” and “the way of man.” This problem of “Heaven” and “man” remains the\ncore issue of traditional Chinese philosophy. Starting from Confucius’ theory of\n“the Way of Heaven and life,” it moved on through Mencius’ idea of “do with all\none’s heart, understand one’s lot, and know about Heaven”; the concept “honesty is\nthe Way of Heaven and to be honest is the way of man” stated in The Doctrine of the\nMean; and the idea to “establish the Way of Heaven” and “establish the way of\nman” as advocated by Record of Changes down to Dong Zhongshu, the great\nConfucian of the Han Dynasty, who described his studies as a learning that probed\ninto “what links man with Heaven.” Even Sima Qian, much influenced by Daoist"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ideas, called his Historical Records a book designed as “an inquiry into what is\nbetween Heaven and man and a probe into the changes in the past and present.”\nHe Yan, a founder of the metaphysics of the Wei and Jin dynasties, described Wang\nBi, another founder of metaphysics, as “one who is qualified to talk about what is\nbetween Heaven and man.” Even Tao Hongjing, a Daoist master during the\nNorthern and Southern dynasties, was also of the opinion that Daoism (Taoism)\nstudied “what is between Heaven and man.” By the time of the Song Dynasty, the\nConfucians discussed such issues as “the separation of reason and Way,” “the heart\nof Way,” “the heart of man,” “Heaven’s reason,” “man’s desire,” and so on,\n\f18.3   The Comparison and Analysis of Traditional Chinese and Foreign Philosophies   233"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "which were all developments of the issue of “Heaven” and “man.” Therefore, an\nunderstanding about the relations between “Heaven” and “man” means having a\ngrip on the basic issue of traditional Chinese philosophy.\n   Judging by how things stand at present, articles dwelling on conceptual catego-\nries of Chinese philosophy in its totality are increasing. Aside from my article, there\nwere “Unfold the Study of Conceptual Categories Inherent in Chinese Philosophy”\nby Professor Zhang Dainian [Studies of the History of Chinese Philosophy, January\n1982], “Unfold the Study of Categories in the History of Chinese Philosophy” by\nFang Keli [People’s Daily, September 3, 1982], “A Preliminary Discussion of\nMethodology in the History of Chinese Philosophy” by Xiao Jiefu (Hsiao Che-fu)\n[Journal of Wuhcut University, no. 3, 1982], and others. However, there are even\nmore papers and publications dwelling on the category systems of certain philos-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ophers or a certain pair of philosophic categories. For example, in the article “Study\nof Zhu Xi’s Thinking,” Zhang Liwen made a special study of the relations among\ndifferent categories of Zhu Xi’s philosophy. In his book entitled The Viewpoint\non Knowledge and Practice in the History of Chinese Philosophy, Fang Keli\nanalyzed knowledge and practice as a pair of categories in the perspective of\nhistorical development. The journal Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy\nbegan a special column in every issue to publish various studies of categories in\ntraditional Chinese philosophy. In particular, we should mention Pang Pu’s\n“On ‘San (Three)’”, in which in the perspective of “san’s” various implications,\nhe discussed the unique position of “three” in Chinese culture and the special\nphilosophical significance of triaism. It appears the study of traditional Chinese\nphilosophy can take a further step forward only after such research into the\ncategories of Chinese philosophy and its system."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "18.3     The Comparison and Analysis of Traditional\n         Chinese and Foreign Philosophies"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Toward the end of October 1980, a “Symposium on the Comparative Study of\nChinese and Foreign Philosophies” was held in Guilin. The conference failed to\nproduce any results; however, the issue it brought up began to arouse the attention\nof us all. As a matter of fact, the study of conceptual categories of Chinese\nphilosophy naturally would have led to such a question, but special features of\nthe conceptual categories of Chinese philosophy can be identified only through\ncomparison with foreign philosophy. That little attention has been paid to the\nsimilarities and differences between Chinese and foreign philosophies is due to a\nvariety of factors. As far as the study of history of philosophy itself is concerned,\nhowever, one of the most important reasons was the total neglect of the special\ncharacteristics of traditional Chinese philosophy. We tried either to explain it in\nlight of Western philosophy or mechanically to apply Marxist jargon to it. Thus, it"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "became unnecessary to study the similarities and differences between Chinese and\n\f234                     18   New Progress in the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "foreign philosophies. Thus far not many studies have been conducted in this regard,\nand studies generally have been done on some individual topics. For example, the\nDepartment of Philosophy of People’s University held a discussion to compare and\nanalyze Zhu Xi’s idea of “Taij” [the great ultimate] and the “absolute spirit”\nadvocated by Hegel.\n   An interesting phenomenon which has emerged in the course of comparing\nChinese and foreign philosophies is that a number of people, including some natural\nscientists, have analyzed the Chinese theory of “vitality” and found that it contains\nmore grains of truth and thus is superior to the Western theory of the “atom.”\nAccording to them, the concept of “vitality” as theorized in China has not only the\nimplication of “basic particle” but also that of “Held”; in other words, it has a “dual\ncharacter of both wave and particle.” Professor He Zuoxiu of the Institute of\nTheoretic Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences published in Chinese"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Science an article entitled “The Materialist Theory of Vitality” in which he said:\n“Vitality is a matter of continuity. It is close to ‘field’ as discussed in modern\nscience.” “The theory of vitality is the forerunner of the contemporary theory of the\nquantum field. The theory of ‘vitality’ as discussed in Chinese philosophy has\nspecial value in holding that the interaction among different things comes as a\nresult of the effect of “vital energy.”\n   But while this thesis probably contains some grains of truth, it appears also to\nhave certain drawbacks, namely, it lumps together all different phenomena under\n“vital energy” or the “effect of vital energy” instead of focusing attention on\nanalyzing the phenomena. The “theory of the atom” which prevailed in ancient\nGreece required that the smallest, indivisible particles be found and called “atoms.”\nWhile this was, of course, incorrect, in terms of method it called for analysis of\nconcrete matter which cannot be but as an advantage for Western philosophy. As far"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "as the method of thinking is concerned, traditional Chinese philosophy seems to\nhave laid more emphasis on the relations among things and the unity of their many\naspects. On the contrary, Western philosophers in ancient times were probably\nmore concerned about the distinction between different things and stressed the\nanalysis of their various aspects.\n   As attention has been paid to the comparison of Chinese and Western philoso-\nphies, the comparison between Chinese and foreign religions also has drawn more\nattention than before. More studies have been carried out on Daoism (Taoism), the\nreligion of the Chinese nation. There are institutions for Daoist studies, for exam-\nple, the Institute of Religion under Sichuan University specializes in the study of\nDaoism (Taoism). Special courses on Daoism (Taoism) are now being offered in\nuniversities, special teams have been set up to compile An Outline of Daoist\nCollections, and articles have been published comparing Daoism (Taoism) with"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Buddhism. The January issue of Philosophical Studies in 1981 carried an article\nunder the title of “A Preliminary Discussion of the Early Daoist Theory of Life,\nDeath, Spirit, and Body,” which, based on historical data, this analysis of these\nspecific concepts in Daoism (Taoism) and Buddhism revealed the special features\nof Daoism (Taoism) as a religion.\n\f18.4   The Method Employed by Traditional Chinese Philosophy in Establishing a System 235"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the perspective of a comparison of Chinese and foreign philosophies, two\nimportant questions have been raised. First, in view of the different development in\nChinese and Western societies, some have asked very perceptively whether there is\na “mode of Asian thinking.” Did not some major propositions of traditional Chinese\nphilosophy express the characteristics of the Chinese mode of thinking? Over\nthe last few years, quite a few articles have addressed such propositions as the\n“integration of Heaven with man,” “identification of the intrinsic with the extrin-\nsic,” “integration of knowledge with practice,” and “feeling and scenery in perfect\nharmony.” Do not all these propositions embody a search for “unity,” and is this the\nbasic characteristic of the mode of thinking in traditional Chinese philosophy?\nIf such be the case, can we predict that once its lack of logical analysis and\ndemonstration has been rectified, Chinese philosophy will develop more along"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "this search for unity? The second question raised is where the national spirit of\nChinese culture lies. The answer to such a question can be found only through the\ncomparison of Chinese with foreign philosophies."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "18.4     The Method Employed by Traditional Chinese\n         Philosophy in Establishing a System"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the “Symposium on Philosophy of the Han and Tang dynasties” and the\n“Discussion of Philosophy of the Han Dynasty” held in 1983, the method of\nestablishing a philosophical system was raised, and Jin Chun Feng was the first to\naddress this issue. He said philosophers of the Han Dynasty generally used the\nmethod of positivism to establish the philosophical system; the Wei and Jin people\nused a different method, but he was not sure how to define it; the method used by\nNeo-Confucians of the Song and Ming dynasties can be called the method of ethical\nrationalism. At an enlarged session of the editorial committee on Study of the\nHistory of Chinese Philosophy held in 1981, I proposed that this question be chosen\nas a topic for solicited contributions. Philosophy has two aspects, the “contents”\nand the “method.” Not only the “contents” but the “method” as well reflect a\nphilosophy’s level of theoretic thinking. During the period from the pre-Qin"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dynasty to the Wei and Jin dynasties, traditional Chinese philosophy comprised\ntwo major systems, Confucianism and Daoism (Taoism). These two schools were\nsignificantly different not only in their contents but also in terms of the methods\nthey used in establishing their systems.\n   To put it briefly, the method used by the Confucians was basically that of\nexperience, namely, to use experience in demonstration of things transcending\nexperience or other experience. By the method of experience, we mean that the\nrationality of a philosophical idea can be proved through experience. Confucius\nsaid: “To draw a simile from something close can be called the method of benev-\nolence.” Mencius remarked: “Categorize and list things that are similar.” Xunzi\nalso noted: “Things of the same category do not conflict; they are of the same\n\f236                     18   New Progress in the Study of the History of Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "rationality even after a long time.” The Record of Changes mentioned “draw close\nexperience from your own person and distant experience from things,” “make a\ndivination to observe nature,” and “observe astronomic phenomena above and\nstudy geographical features below” to illustrate the principles of its thinking.\nDong Zhongshu put forward the idea that “things that can be counted are of the\nsecond number and things that cannot be counted are of the second category,” and\nwith this, he demonstrated that “things can be combined by the category and\nHeaven becomes one with man.”\n    By the time of the metaphysics school in the Wei and Jin dynasties, the method\nunderwent a change. In fact, metaphysics was built on the framework of\nLao-Zhuang’s thinking, and therefore, the method it used in establishing its philo-\nsophical system can be called “dialectical thinking,” which is characterized by\ndemonstrating the rationality of things existing in experience with things"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "transcending experience. Wang Bi said: “Forget words when the idea is grasped”;\nGuo Xiang said: “place words within the framework of the idea”; and Ji Kang\n(Chi Kang) remarked: “Words cannot express the idea completely”—they all meant\nthe same thing. Wang Bi cited “implements originate from the Way” to demonstrate\nthat “ministers are subordinated to the king.” Guo Xiang tried to prove the “fairy-\nland” did not exist “beyond the real world” (“to take a journey to the outside world\nin order to enhance the inner world” “inside and outside are mutually obscure”).\nThe method of “dialectical thinking” was used in all these.\n    Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties was a combination of the\ntwo schools and an improvement on them. Their method perhaps can be called\n“introspection of ethical rationality.” Regardless of whether it was “character is\nrationality” advocated by Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi or “heart is rationality” upheld by"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming, they all took rationality [taiji], a priori morality,\nas the basic contents. Zhu Xi said: “Tai ji is a principle of the extremely good. Every\nman has a tai ji, and every thing has a tai ji.” Lu Jiuyuan remarked: “Those who\nknow before others know this reason, and those who become aware before others\nare aware of this reason. For this reason one loves one’s close relative and respects\none’s older brother.”\n    In either “the Way questioning the learning” or “respecting virtue and\ncharacter,” one can perceive the “reason of Heaven” in its totality through a\nmoral introspection.\n    Why was this question raised? Because at that time we were thinking about\nEngels’ remark: “Theoretic thinking is merely an ability endowed by nature and\nshould be developed and trained. To train it, there has been no other method up to\nnow except studying philosophies of the past.” Theoretic thinking calls for the\nformulation of a number of philosophic concepts and the formation, on the basis of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "philosophic concepts, of a series of philosophic propositions. In order to form the\nconcepts and propositions of a philosophical system as well as the system itself, it is\nimperative to use a certain method, which itself must be a certain kind of abstract\nthinking. The abstract thinking one exercises in the course of establishing one’s\nphilosophical system certainly will train and improve one’s level of theoretic\nthinking. If we can reveal the different methods employed by the various\n\f18.4   The Method Employed by Traditional Chinese Philosophy in Establishing a System 237"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "philosophers and philosophical schools in history and make a clear analysis\nof them, they will be an important help in analyzing the philosophers and philo-\nsophical schools under study. In addition, practice is no different from telling\npeople a method for training and improving their level of theoretic thinking and\nis therefore very significant.\n    Judging from the problems mentioned above, we seem to be able to perceive\nsuch a trend of development; namely, people may raise the question: What are the\nprospects of traditional Chinese philosophy, or in other words, does the continued\nexistence of Chinese philosophy in its entirety have any value? If this question is\nraised and the proper conditions are available, then a comprehensive and systematic\nanalysis can be made of Chinese philosophy in today’s perspective. But at present,\nquite a few people continuously maintain a negative attitude toward traditional\nChinese philosophy as a whole. Whatever the circumstances, they regard traditional"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese philosophy as a product of old times, an ideology of feudal and even slave\nsociety. Nevertheless, certain ideas of the philosophy are continuously quoted\nin everyday life. We can see that a great many articles, especially writings on\n“spiritual civilization,” often quote passages from books of ancient China or\nhistorical stories in ancient times which were mostly the embodiment of traditional\nChinese philosophical thinking.\n    Why are there such a contradictory phenomenon? Is the concept of “value”\ninvolved here? Where does the basic spirit of traditional Chinese philosophy lie?\nDoes this spirit still have value in today’s world? Following the disclosure of the\nlaw of how traditional Chinese philosophy developed, the study of this problem\nwill, in my opinion, show increasingly clearly that it works continuously toward\nthe solution of a major problem, namely, the value of the “‘Way of Heaven’ and the\n‘way of’ man” and their relations."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "‘way of’ man” and their relations.\n    This problem should be resolved through the continuous elevation of man’s\nspiritual realm, a concept in Chinese philosophy which requires that man should\ntranscend “oneself” and identify with the “Way of Heaven.” Having attained such a\nrealm in which “Heaven is integrated with man” and “man succeeds alongside the\nWay,” an individual could become a saint and society a “world of Great Harmony.”\nAs to how or whether it would be possible to realize such an ideal, there were, of\ncourse, different views due to the difference in historical conditions and environ-\nments. Nevertheless, philosophers in Chinese history tended to take as their motto\nthe epigram that “Heaven moves along a healthy track, and a gentleman should\nmake unremitting efforts to improve himself.” How things will develop is hard to\npredict; we are not prophets, nor do we believe in prophecy. But if things always\ndevelop according to law, can we predict its future development by studying and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "analyzing its previous experience and can the development of philosophy be\nforecast to help us know what will happen with Chinese philosophy in the future?\nI think it is possible.\n    Even though I proposed to describe the new progress now made in China about\nthe study of the history of traditional Chinese philosophy, I mainly discussed my\npersonal views on the new trends of philosophical studies. Perhaps, this can be\ncalled the idea of one school.\n\fChapter 19\nA Reconsideration of the Question\nof “The True, the Good, and the Beautiful”\nin Traditional Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What is the highest ideal in spiritual life human beings quest for? I believe it is\n“the true, the good, and the beautiful” and the unity of this three in one system.\nOf course, ideas of philosophers are different regarding what constitutes each of\nthese three ideals. As far as how these are unified in one system, opinions differ\nfrom each other. There cannot be any final conclusion to this discussion, and\nactually there is no need for such one. As long as people quest for truth, goodness,\nand beauty, thinkers will undoubtedly want to construct systems unifying the\nconcepts. In my opinion, the quest for spiritual realm of life in Chinese traditional\nphilosophy can be referred as ancient philosophers’ quest for “the true, the good,\nand the beautiful” in another way. I wrote an article entitled “The Question of the\nTrue, the Good and the Beautiful in Traditional Chinese Philosophy”1 which was\nlargely a historical discussion of the Confucian view about the question. This article"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is, however, not confined to a discussion of the Confucians and is not historical in\nits approach because such an approach would entail too unfocussed and lengthy\nan article. We will therefore analyze and discuss selected representative thinkers.\n    Influence on the development of Chinese philosophy has always been exerted by\nChina’s pre-Qin philosophers, among whom Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi have\nbeen the most influential. If we regard these three as typical and through them\ndiscuss the question of the different spiritual realm of life (rensheng jingjie)\nadvanced by different traditional Chinese philosophies, we may perhaps be able\nto derive a unified understanding of spiritual realm of life held by traditional\nChinese philosophy.\n    Forty years ago, Shen Youding, who was engaged in research at Oxford\nUniversity, wrote to friends in China saying:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Translated by Bruce Doar from Zhongguo Shehui Kexue, 1990, No. 3, with some added passages\ntranslated by Yang Hao.\n1\n  In Zhongguo Shehui Kexue, 1984, No. 4.\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                          239\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_19\n\f240                               19   A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . .\n\n\n   The value theories of Kant and of Hegel have one important difference which we\ncan represent as follows:\n\nKant                The good                           The beautiful                         The true\nHegel               The true                           The beautiful                         The good"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From this we can see that Kant was perhaps closer to the Chinese, while Hegel\nwas closer to the Indian or Greek.2\n   This conclusion of Mr. Shen is particularly insightful and innovative.\nFrom Confucian thought, which formed the mainstream in the development of\nChinese traditional philosophy, we can see that this scheme holds, but if we\nexamine the different schools of thought and philosophies which make up tradi-\ntional Chinese philosophy, we find that it does not. As I see it, in traditional Chinese\nphilosophy there were in fact three different systems integrating the true, the good,\nand the beautiful. The systems of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi are set out below:\n\nConfucius             The good                          The beautiful                    The true\nLaozi                 The true                          The good                         The beautiful\nZhuangzi              The beautiful                     The good                         The true"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Drawing analogies from this diagram, we can say in overall terms that in\nterms of value regarding the question of the true, the good, and the beautiful,\nConfucius approximates Kant, Laozi approximates Hegel, while in a limited way\nZhuangzi approximates Schelling or Aristotle. Of course such analogies are limited\nand we cannot extrapolate them to all other aspects of the ideas of these thinkers,\nbut they do serve to direct the lines along which we can think.\n\n\n19.1        Confucius’ Demands of the Realm of Life\n\nIn the section of The Analects entitled “Wei Zheng” (Practicing Government), the\nfollowing statement is attributed to Confucius:\n      At fifteen I set my heart upon learning, at thirty I had established myself, at forty I was not\n      subject to doubt, at fifty I came to know the commands of Heaven, at sixty I could\n      immediately discriminate the truth or falsity of what others said, and at seventy I followed\n      my heart’s dictates, but did not transgress the rules."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We know that Confucius and later Confucians believed that life and death or\nwealth and honor were not attained by mere individual efforts, but that the level of a\nperson’s morality or learning could differ because of the amount of individual\neffort. These words of Confucius are at one and the same time a description of the\ncourse of his life, an outline of the process of self-cultivation he pursued, and a\nsummation of his quest for and understanding of the true, the good, and the\n\n\n2\n    Zhexue Pinglun, Vol. 10, No. 6.\n\f19.1   Confucius’ Demands of the Realm of Life                                             241"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "beautiful. The years from 15 to 40 can be seen as the preparatory stage for his\nassumption of sagehood, and the statements that he was “not subject to doubt” and\nthat he could “follow” his “heart’s dictates, and not transgress the rules,” reveal that\ndeepening of the process whereby he acquired sagehood. The statement that he had\ncome “to know the commands of Heaven” explains how he acquired knowledge\nand understanding of “Heaven” (the ultimate questions of life and the universe),\nwhich may perhaps be considered to fall within the scope of the quest for the true.\nHere Confucius sees Heaven as a cognitive object, and he has not attained the stage\nwhere he is “one with Heaven,” having not yet entered that realm of unity. In his\n“Preface to Zhuangzi,” Guo Xiang wrote:\n   Zhuangzi can be said to have known the origin....although he said he did not have that\n   understanding, he alone responded to it. To respond without understanding is, however, to\n   have no need to apply effort."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To be able to respond to the noumenon of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things\ncan be called knowing “the root,” but this entails the cognitive subject being apart\nfrom the noumenon of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things, and to see this\nnoumenon as the object of cognition necessarily means that one has not yet attained\noneness with that noumenon. While this noumenon exists on a higher realm,\nZhuangzi was not yet able to “follow” his “heart’s dictates, but did not transgress\nthe rules.”\n   Confucius’ statement that at sixty he “could immediately discriminate the truth\nor falsity of what others said” (liushi er ershun) has, in fact, been subject to varying\ninterpretations over the ages. Yang Bojun, whose interpretation presented in Lunyu\nYizhu (Analects, Vernacular Translation and Annotation; Beijing, Zhonghua Shuju,\n1958) is used here, writes that the expression ershun “is extremely difficult to\nexplain. Many have sought to do so, but I feel all their explanations to be forced....”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I believe that Yang’s interpretation is close to what Confucius intended by the\nstatement. Yang’s interpretation is probably based on the explanation of Li Chong\nof the Jin Dynasty who wrote that ershun means “the heart and the ear follow each\nother” (xinyuer xiangcong). Sun Chuo, also of the Jin Dynasty, provided a more\nmetaphysical explanation when he wrote:\n   Ershun means to discard the logic which governs listening, to intuit the mystery of the\n   meaning, and to not pursue but nevertheless obtain—what can be termed following the\n   principle of the supreme one unconsciously and unknowingly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is the intuitive understanding which transcends experience of the entirety of\nthe principles governing the universe and is in the realm of “inner transcendence.”\nAccording to the views of modern hermeneutics, all explanations of our predeces-\nsors’ ideas contain within them the ideas of the explicator; by definition, there must\nbe connections between the person doing the explanation and what he is explaining.\nMost of the explanations of Confucius’ thought by thinkers throughout the ages\nreveal this to be the case. I would like to turn to Zhu Xi’s explanation of these words\nof Confucius. He wrote:\n   As the sounds enter, the heart communes with them, finding nothing in them to evade or\n   oppose, thereby understanding their ultimate sense, acquired without any thought.\n\f242                          19   A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zhu Xi’s “sounds” (sheng) relate to voice (shengyin), and they encompass both\nthe “articulated sounds” (yousheng zhi yin) and the “unarticulated sounds”\n(wushengzhi yin). “Understanding their ultimate sense” should transcend the\nrealm in which Confucius knew the commands of Heaven, and so this realm\n“acquired without any thought” transcends knowledge. I believe that this can be\nexplained as an intuited aesthetic realm, and what is thereby acquired is an intuited\nimage transcending experience. This can also be explained as an artistic realm, the\nrealm of “beauty.” This explanation of Confucius’ statement may also be “forced,”\nbut as Yang Bojun asserts that most explanations of this line have, throughout\nhistory, been forced, I see no harm in building on this legacy. But I also believe\nthat such an explanation does have a basis, particularly from the viewpoint of\nphilosophy, in which it may have a new sense. We know that Confucius regarded"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "music as a form of cultivation and that “when in the kingdom of Qi he heard\nthe music of Shao,” he was “unable to savor the taste of meat for three months,”\na detail revealing that he had entered a sublime aesthetic realm “acquired\nwithout any thought.” Confucius had his own explanation of this realm he had\nattained: “I had not anticipated that music could transport me to such a state.”\nHe thus unintentionally attained a realm in which he enjoyed a form of transcen-\ndental beauty.\n   Zhu Xi commented as follows on Confucius’ statement that at seventy he\n“followed” his “heart’s dictates, but did not transgress the rules”:\n   (Ju), the carpenter’s square, is an instrument for measuring patterns, but here it refers\n   generally to pattern or custom. While following his heart’s dictates, Confucius did\n   not transgress his pattern, and so he was at ease in his deeds and attained the mean\n   without effort."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The passage from The Analects being commented on here therefore refers to a\nrealm at one with Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things, where one “knows truth”\n(zhi zhen), “acquires beauty” (de mei), and later arrives in a perfect realm of\n“ultimate goodness” (zhishan). Confucius believed that “perfect beauty” could\nnot compare with “perfect beauty combined with perfect goodness.” The Analects\ncontains the following passage in “The Eight Yi”:\n   Discussing the music of Shao, Confucius commented: “It possesses perfect beauty, as well\n   as perfect goodness.” Of the music of King Wu, he commented: “It has perfect beauty,\n   but does not possess perfect goodness.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To say that something possesses perfect goodness is, to a certain extent (at least\nfor the Confucians), connected with a judgment concerning ethical value. Mencius\nsaid: “Complete truthfulness is called beauty.”\n   “Beauty” here contains the idea of ethical evaluation. Zhu Xi annotated this line\nas follows:\n   When one has strenuously implemented goodness until it is filled to completion and has\n   accumulated truth, then the beauty will reside within it and will not depend on externals.\n\n   “Goodness” here is a form of internalized “beauty,” the highest beauty of\ncharacter. It can be seen that Zhu Xi believed that “goodness” in one respect can\n\f19.1   Confucius’ Demands of the Realm of Life                                                    243"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "encompass “beauty.” “Perfect goodness” was held to be superior to “perfect\nbeauty” because “perfect goodness” was in fact both “perfect goodness and\nperfect beauty.” We would now seem to be able to assert that Confucius’ realm\nof life (or his realm of the sage) proceeds from “knowing truth” and “acquiring\nbeauty” to a realm of perfect goodness in which “one can be at ease in one’s deeds\nand attain the mean without effort.” In other words, from “truth” we proceed to\n“beauty” and then we finally attain “goodness.”\n   “The good        the beautiful       the true” was the special characteristic of\nKant’s philosophy. As Kant saw it, practical reasoning was superior to speculative\nreasoning. In his Kritik der reinen Vernunft (Critique of Pure Reason), the object of\nresearch was the phenomenal world, and it was subject to the control of the laws\nof necessity of nature. In his Critique of Practical Reasoning, the object of research\nwas the noumenon of rational functioning, which was not subject to laws of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "necessity, and so was free. The former was nature, the latter morality. The former\nbelonged to the realm of theoretical knowledge, the latter to the realm of ethical\nbelief, and there was no direct channel connecting the two. The question, therefore,\nwas how to build a bridge between theoretical knowledge (epistemology) and\nethical belief (ethics); and to resolve the question of how to connect the two,\nKant wrote his Kritik der Urteilskraft (Critique of Judgment), at the beginning of\nwhich he said:\n    Hence an immense gulf is fixed between the domain of the concept of nature, the sensible,\n    and the domain of the concept of freedom, the supersensible, so that no transition from the\n    sensible to the supersensible (and hence by means of the theoretical use of reason) is\n    possible, just as if they were two different worlds, the first of which cannot have any\n    influence on the second; and yet the second is to have an influence on the first, i.e., the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "concept of freedom is to actualize in the world of sense the purpose enjoined by its laws.\n    Hence it must be possible to think of nature as being such that the lawfulness in its form will\n    harmonize with at least the possibility of [achieving] the purposes that we are to achieve in\n    nature according to laws of freedom. So there must after all be a basis uniting the\n    supersensible that underlies nature and the supersensible that the concept of freedom\n    contains practically, even though the concept of this basis does not reach cognition of it\n    either theoretically or practically and hence does not have a domain of its own, though it\n    does make possible the transition from our way of thinking in terms of principles of nature\n    to our way of thinking in terms of principles of freedom.”3"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kant believes that it was the power of judgment which united reason (pure\nreason) and rationality (practical reasoning), yet while judgment had something of\nthe nature of each of these forms of reasoning, it was not the same thing as them.\nKant divided man’s soul into intelligence, feeling, and idea. The cognitive ability\nof intelligence was pure reason, the cognitive ability of idea was rationality\nor practical reasoning which transcended experience, and the cognitive ability of\nfeeling was what Kant called “judgment.” Because feeling was the intermediary\nbetween intelligence and idea, it, like intelligence, was moved by external stimuli,\n\n3\n Kant, Panduanli Pipan, (Critique of Pure Reason, Chinese edition), Beijing: Shangwu Yin\nshuguan, 1964, p. 13. [Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgment, tr. Werner S. Pluhar. Hackett\nPublishing Company, 1987, pp. 15–16. —editor].\n\f244                          19   A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and like idea it played its role regarding external things, and thus judgment\nfunctioned as an intermediary between reason and rationality.\n   In one respect, judgment, like reason, confronted incomplete phenomena.\nIn another respect, like rationality, it aimed to reconcile incomplete aspects with\na totality. Thus, the understanding of confronted incomplete phenomena and the\nrationality which addresses itself to a totality meet in judgment, judgment seeks\nto include the parts within the whole and then subject them to reflection, so\njudgment is able to act as a bridge between reason and rationality.4 Thus, Kant\nconstructed his philosophical trilogy of “the good     the beautiful    the true.”\n   Of course, while there are similarities in value between the philosophies of\nConfucius and Kant, their aims in constructing their philosophies were dissimilar.\nConfucius established a philosophy of life, whereas Kant constructed a complete\nrational philosophical system. This is perhaps one of the differences between"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese and Western philosophy. If we compare Confucius’ process which led\nhim from knowing the commands of Heaven to being able to immediately discrim-\ninate the truth or falsity of what others said and then on to “following his heart’s\ndictates without transgression,” with the basic theme of the true, the good, and\nthe beautiful in traditional Chinese philosophy, then we can say that Confucius’\nstatement that “at fifty I came to know the commands of Heaven” represents the\nstage of seeking “the unity of Heaven and Man” (tian ren heyi). His statement that\n“at sixty I could immediately discriminate the truth or falsity of what others said”\nrepresents attaining the stage of “the unity of feeling and scene” (qing jing heyi),\nand his statement that “at seventy I followed my heart’s dictates, but did not\ntransgress the rules” represents the stage at which he was able to realize “the\nunity of knowledge and action” (zhi xing heyi).\n   The unity of Heaven and Man belongs to the domain of “intelligence”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(knowledge). The unity of feeling and scene belongs to the domain of “apprecia-\ntion” (feeling), and the unity of knowledge and action belongs to “praxis” (idea or\nintention). According to the Confucians, these three were inseparable. Being human\nentailed an understanding of the flow of the cosmos and creation as well as\nan ability to appreciate the achievements of the cosmos and creation. Moreover,\nin one’s life practice, one should re-manifest the perfect beauty and the perfect\ngoodness of the cosmos. The process that Confucius outlined represented the\ndemands made by the human in the realm of life. This was the summation of\nConfucius’ personal quest for the true, the beautiful, and the good."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4\n Li Zehou, Pipan Zhexue de Pipan, (A Critique of Critical Philosophy), Renmin Chubanshe, 1984,\npp. 368–370; Jiang Kongyang, Deguo Gudian Meixue (Classical German Aesthetics), Shangwu\nYinshuguan, 1981, pp. 67–68.\n\f19.2   Laozi’s Quest in the Realm of Life                                                         245\n\n\n19.2     Laozi’s Quest in the Realm of Life"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Laozi seems to have upheld an attitude of denial regarding the demands of most\npeople (including the Confucians) for the true, the good, and the beautiful. His call\nto “deny the sages and discard knowledge” (juesheng-qizhi) would seem to be a\ndenial of the quest for ordinary knowledge. His statement that “the five colors blind\none’s vision” (wuse ling ren mu mang) is an opposition to the general quest for\nbeauty; and his assertion that “when the Great Way declines, compassion and\nrighteousness come into existence” (dadao fei, you ren yi) is opposition to the\ngeneral moral concept of goodness. Does Laozi therefore not argue for any quest\nfor the true, the good, and the beautiful in the human realm? I disagree with this\nproposition. He called for a quest after such ideals which would transcend the banal,\na quest that for him was within a realm “equal with the Way” (tongyu dao). We can\nsee that Laozi regarded “the Way” as the unity of the true, the good, and the\nbeautiful."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "beautiful.\n   The 25th chapter of Dao De Jing (The Classic of the Way and Power) contains\nthe following passage:\n   The model for man is the earth, the model for earth is heaven, the model for heaven is the\n   Way, and the model for the Way is Nature."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is a description of Laozi’s views of the quest of the realm of life.\nHe believed that man’s highest ideal was imitation of the Way, while the Way\nitself was natural and spontaneous. What was the Way he discussed? Dao De Jing\ncontains a number of definitions, but the most basic is of a transcendental highest\ncriterion.5 Chapter 14 of that classic reads:\n   Viewing it, it cannot be seen and so it is described as “beyond color;” listening to it, it\n   cannot be heard and so it is described as “beyond sound;” grasping for it, it cannot be\n   grasped and so it is described as “formless.” These three are beyond imagination, all being\n   aspects of the one chaotic whole. Upwardly, it emits no light; downwardly, no darkness.\n   It is endless, so that words cannot describe it, and it returns to nothingness. This is formless\n   form, shape without matter, and is called seemingness. Meeting it, it has no front; pursuing"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "it, it has no rear. Cleave to the eternal Way, to govern what exists in the present; if one can\n   understand its ancient origin, one finds the laws governing the Way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Examining this we find it contains three levels of meaning:\n(1) “The Way” transcends sensory experience, and this transcendence is described\n    as “beyond color,” “beyond sound,” and “beyond form.” Monk Deqing in the\n    Ming Dynasty wrote in his Dao De Jing Jie (Explanation of The Classic of\n    the Way and the Power): “The one chaotic whole” which cannot be imagined\n    is the Way.\n\n\n\n\n5\n  Tang Yijie, Nanbeichao Shiqi de Daojiao (Taoism in the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern\nDynasties Period), Shaanxi Shifan Daxue Chubanshe, 1988, pp. 56–57.\n\f246                             19   A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(2) While the Way is transcendental, it is nevertheless based on the existence of\n    real things, i.e., “formless form, shape without matter.” Wang Bi comments\n    on this line:\n          From it all “things” possessing specificity can be formed\n          One may want to say that it is nothingness, but from it things can be formed; one wants,\n          to say that it exists, but one cannot see its form. . ..\n          That which is without form and without name is the basic principle of the\n          myriad things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The seemingness” which is formless form and shape without matter can\nconstitute the basic principle underlying the existence of all forms and shapes.\nWang Bi comments that “seemingness” means “one cannot grasp and define it.”\n   In other words, the Way has no specificity. All things which possess specificity\nfall within the realm of experience and that which lacks specificity transcends\nexperience. In Chapter 21 of Dao De Jing, we read:\n     This Way is seemingness, but within this seemingness forms can be discerned and real\n     things do exist. In this darkness there is essence. This essence is exceptionally real and can\n     be authenticated."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Therefore, while the Way lacks specificity, from it all “things” possessing\nspecificity can be formed, and so it constitutes the most real existence, being the\nnoumenon of things.\n(3) The Way is the basis of the existence of all things and is the highest criterion of\n    transcendence. “The laws governing the Way” are said to be “principles”.6\n    “He laws governing the Way” are then the Way as the highest criterion of the\n    myriad things from ancient times to the present.\n   The above three points show that Laozi’s philosophy was a quest for the origin of\nHeaven, Earth, and the myriad things and for the basis of their existence, from\nwhich he created a philosophical system in which the Way was the highest criterion\nof transcendence. Laozi’s discussion of the noumenon of the cosmos in fact falls\nwithin the scope of the quest for truth.\n   Laozi made the Way the highest category in his philosophical system. If man\ngrasped the Way, then he grasped the truth, and this was in fact the aim of life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus, for Laozi “being one with the Way” was the highest aim in life. He said:\n“Serving the Way is being one with the Way.”\n   Wang Bi commented:\n     The Way relies on non-form and non-action to form the myriad things and so if, in serving\n     the Way, one relies on non-action, then one will be a superior man and teach without words.\n     In the continuity of seeming existence things will follow their reality, and the Way will be\n     one with the body. This is called being one with the Way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Being one with the Way” is thus equivalent to being of one body with the Way.\nIt can be seen that Laozi believed that the relationship between man and the Way\ndid not entail man regarding the Way as an ordinary object of cognition\n\n\n6\n    “Sangang Wuji,” in Baihu Tongyi.\n\f19.2   Laozi’s Quest in the Realm of Life                                                      247"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(because the Way lacked name and form). Rather it involved man becoming one\nwith the Way. Therefore, being one with the Way was merely the highest realm\nman’s life could assume, a realm in which man could transcend the mundane and\n“acquire the Way” (de Dao). This was the supreme realm after which Laozi sought.\n   How then did Laozi regard the good and the beautiful? We know that Laozi\nregarded the basic character of the Way as “nature and nonaction” (ziran wuwei),\nand this then was his criterion for goodness and beauty. He said: “When the Great\nWay declines, compassion and righteousness arise.” Because moral concepts such\nas compassion and righteousness are man-made, not only are they incompatible\nwith the principles of “nature and nonaction” but also destroy the Way. Only when\nthese man-made things are discarded can man acquire true “goodness.” Therefore,\nhe said: “Only when compassion is terminated and righteousness is discarded. . .."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "can people return to genuine filial piety and kindness.” Only when all man-made\nmoral concepts are discarded can people return to their natural relationships.\nChapter 8 of Dao De Jing contains the following passage:\n   Those who possess supreme goodness are like water. Water serves to nourish the myriad\n   things and does not harm them; if one remains in the lowest place that people most loathe,\n   one is closest to the Way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ethical persons have the nature of water. Water may benefit the myriad things,\nbut it does not strive for high places. It is content to remain in the lowest place and\ntherefore it approaches the Way. In Chapter 66 we read: “The rivers and oceans are\nthe kings of the waterways, because they choose the lowest places. Because\neverything flows into them, the oceans and mighty rivers are called the rulers of\nthe valleys.”\n   This is Laozi’s explanation of how persons possessing morality are close to the\nrealm of the Way while not yet being one with the Way. To use Feng Youlan’s\nexposition of “the four realms” in his Xin Yuanren (A New Exposition of Man),\nthose who possess the highest goodness belong only to “the realm of morality,”\nwhile those who are one with the Way belong to “the realm of Heaven and Earth.”\nThus, in terms of value, the good is on a lower level than the true.\n   In Chapter 12 of Dao De Jing, we read:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Chapter 12 of Dao De Jing, we read:\n   The five colors dazzle and blind the eyes; the five sounds deafen the ears; the five flavors\n   numb the palate; indulgence in hunting them leads to dissipation and craziness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wang Bi comments:\n   The eyes, mouths and hearts all follow their own nature; one acts not to follow their nature,\n   then one harms nature, and blindness, deafness, numbness and madness result.\n\nIn other words, the five colors, the five sounds, and the five flavors are all\n“man-made” and have lost the original character of nature. Laozi regarded\nplain simplicity as beauty (Jian su bao pu).7 One should heed what is natural.\n\n\n\n7\n  “Tiandao,” in Zhuangzi, contains the following passage: “With pure simplicity, the world cannot\ncompete in beauty.” This passage serves to explain the expression jiansu baopu.\n\f248                            19   A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Artifice results in a loss of the beauty of original nature, and a lack of artifice\npreserves natural beauty. Thus, in Chapter 41 of Dao De Jing, the following\npassage occurs:\n   The supreme note has no sound, the supreme image has no form, the Way loses itself in\n   anonymity, yet it alone excels in starting and completing.\n\nWang Bi commented:\n   One listens to the supreme note, but cannot hear it, because it has no sound. A note that has\n   sound will fall, necessarily, into either the second note on the pentatonic scale or the first.\n   When it is thus discriminated, it cannot assemble a crowd. Therefore a note that has sound\n   is not the supreme note.\n\nAnd:\n   If an image has form then there will be discrimination, and if there is discrimination then it\n   will either be warm or burning. If not burning, it will be cold. And so an image that has form\n   is not the supreme image."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And:\n   All these good things are completed by the Way. In terms of image, it is the supreme image\n   among all images, and is image without form. In terms of note, it is the supreme note among\n   notes, and is the note of silence."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The music which is one with the Way is supreme music, and the image which is\none with the Way is supreme image. The supreme music encompasses all music,\nwhile the supreme image encompasses all forms. Music is dependent on sound and\npainting is dependent on form, but for Laozi the supreme music is without sound\nand the supreme painting lacks all forms. Because lack of sound or form harmo-\nnizes with the principles of “nature and nonaction,” they constitute true beauty.\nFrom this we can see that for Laozi the good and the beautiful derive from the true\n(the Way) and are specific manifestations of the Way.\n   In the final chapter of Dao De Jing, chapter 81, the following passage occurs:\n   Fealty words are not beautiful,\n   Beautiful words are not about fealty.\n   Good persons don’t argue,\n   Those who argue are not good.\n   Men of knowledge are without depth,\n   Those who have depth do not (seek) knowledge."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I believe that this passage expresses Laozi’s hierarchy of the good, the true,\nand the beautiful. “The beautiful” is spoken of in terms of speech (which can stand\nfor literature), “goodness” is spoken of in the context of deeds or actions, and\n“knowing” is spoken of in terms of intelligence. “True knowing” is superior to “true\ngoodness,” which in turn is superior to “true beauty,” thereby creating a hierarchical\nseries of criteria. This is the model of Laozi’s quest in the realm of life.\n   When we say that Laozi’s view of “the good, the true, and the beautiful” has\ncertain points in common with Hegel’s philosophy, we are only saying that there are\ncertain similarities in the arrangement of these three criteria of value orientation.\nIn Hegel’s philosophical system, “morality,” “art,” and “philosophy” all belong to\n\f19.2   Laozi’s Quest in the Realm of Life                                                 249"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the realm of spiritual philosophy. Spiritual philosophy is the third part of Hegel’s\nphilosophical system; it constitutes the third great stage of self-development in the\ndirection of pure spirit—the description of the spiritual stage. The spiritual stage is\nthe unity of the logical and natural stages, and it is self-existing and self-acting.\nTransition from self-existing to self-acting, spirit experienced a complicated\ndeveloping process which consists of three stages: (1) subjective spirit, (2) objective\nspirit, and (3) absolute spirit. “Morality” belongs to objective spirit. Objective spirit\nmeans the spirit that manifested itself in the external objective world, which refers\nnot to the natural world and only to the spiritual world, say, different spheres of\nhuman social life and human history. It consists of three developing stages:\n(1) abstract law (property law), (2) morality, and (3) ethic (family, citizen society,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "country). Objective spirit is inferior to absolute spirit in the stage of spirit devel-\nopment, thus also inferior to “art” and “philosophy” which belong to absolute spirit.\nTo Hegel, both subjective spirit and objective spirit are partial respectively:\nSubjective spirit such as soul, sense, consciousness, mind, will, etc., is inner\nconscious state of individuals, and not yet actualized as the reality of existence.\nObjective spirit, such as property, law, morality, politics, family, society, country,\netc., is objective though had no self-consciousness. The essence of spirit is\nunlimited, absolute, and free; therefore, it has to keep on developing forward to\navoid the partiality of subjective spirit and objective spirit and to prevent the\nincident of their opposition between each other, thus spirit could ascend to the\nsupreme stage of spirit. Absolute spirit is completed and full realization of spirit\nunto itself. It is both subjective and objective, and apart from taking itself as the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "object and manifesting its essence self-consciously, it has no other purpose, hence is\ntruly unlimited, absolute, and free. “Art,” “religion,” and “philosophy” as three\ndeveloping stages of the absolute spirit are identical as far as their content\nare concerned, for their differences are only forms. Hegel said: “The element of\nthe universal spirit’s existence [Dasein] is intuition and image in art, feeling and\nrepresentational thought in religion, and pure and free thought in philosophy”.8\nListed those three stages of absolute spirit as such, Hegel tries to betray that the self-\nrealization of absolute spirit also accords to the process that started from sensuous\nintuition, passed through the representational thought (he also name it as “pictorial\nthinking”), and reached to the abstract thinking. Therefore, philosophy is the\nhighest, freest, wisest state of absolute spirit. He said, “The most perfect method\nof knowledge proceeds in the pure form of thought: and here the attitude of man"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is one of entire freedom”.9 By saying “Pure form of thought,” he means pure\nconception and logical category. The sensuous form of art cannot fully embody\ninfiniteness, absoluteness, and freeness of absolute spirit (idea), because it was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "8\n  Hegel, Fa Zhexue Yuanli, Shangwu Yinshuguan, 1961, pp. 351. [G. W. F. Hegel, Elements of the\nPhilosophy of Right, tr. H. B. Nisbet, ed. Allen W. Wood, Cambridge University Press, 1991,\n§341, p. 372. —editor].\n9\n  Hegel, Xiao Luoji, Shangwu Yinshuguan, 1980, pp. 87. [G. W. F. Hegel, Hegel’s Logic: Being\nPart One of the Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences, tr. W. Wallace, Oxford: Oxford\nUniversity Press, 1975, §24, remark, —editor].\n\f250                         19   A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "confined by the sensuous form somehow. “This at the same time makes it plain that\nthe manifestation of truth in a sensuous form is not truly adequate to the spirit”.10\nOnly philosophy is the perfect way to realize “truth.” To Hegel’s philosophy of\nmind, “philosophy” is the most accomplished form of truth, the supreme one; and\nthe quest of “beauty” (“art”) being the sensuous manifestation of the idea is only in\nthe developing stage, apparently inferior to “philosophy.” Being the inner belief of\nbehavior subject toward good or bad, “morality” is even lower to the developing\nstage of “art”.11 That is to say, as far as the value is concerned, Hegel’s idea\nabout the sequence of “the true, the good, and the beautiful” can be referred as\n“the true     the beautiful    the good.” In this sense, his point is not the same as\nLaozi’s philosophy, but they share the same view that “the true” is superior to both\nthe “the beautiful” and “the good.” As we have said before that Chinese traditional"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "philosophy tends to actually reach a kind of spiritual realm of “the true, the good,\nand the beautiful,” while Western philosophy tries to establish a kind of thought\nsystem that rationalized the value of “the true, the good, and the beautiful.” We can\nsay that the former one was pursuing a kind of enlightenment, and the latter one\nwas only discussing about its “knowledge.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "19.3     Zhuangzi’s Quest in the Realm of Life"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Like Laozi, Zhuangzi made the Way the highest category in his philosophy,\nbut Zhuangzi’s philosophy did not concentrate on proving the limitlessness,\nabsoluteness, and eternity of the Way (even though he devoted quite a bit of\nspace in his writings to these questions) but rather on proving the spiritual limit-\nlessness, absoluteness, and eternity of those persons, such as perfected men, spirits,\nand sages, who had acquired the Way.\n   The first chapter of his Zhuangzi is entitled “Roaming Free” (Xiaoyao You), and\nthe theme of this chapter is a discussion of the question of how man can attain\nabsolute spiritual freedom. According to Zhuangzi, while the peng creature had a\nwing span of three thousand li and could rise to a height of ninety thousand li and\nLiezi could ride on the wind over eight hundred li in a day, actions which would\nseem sufficiently free, they did not in fact constitute true freedom. For the roc to fly\nninety thousand li, a vast expanse of space was required; to travel those eight"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "hundred li, Liezi had to rely on the force of the wind. These actions were"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "10\n   Hegel, Mei Xue, Vol. I, Shangwu Yinshuguan, 1979, pp. 133. [G.W.F. Hegel, Aesthetics:\nLectures on Fine Art, Vol. I, tr. T. M. Knox, Oxford University Press, 1975, pp. 104–105. —\neditor].\n11\n   The discussion about the philosophy of Hegel refers to: Chen Xiuzhai, Yang Zutao, Ouzhou\nZhexue Shigao, (History of European philosophy) Hubei Renmin Chubanshe, 1983, pp. 553–558;\nJiang Kongyang, op. cit., pp. 219–220; Xue Hua, Heigeer Yu Yishu Nanti, (Hegel and artistic\nproblem) Zhongguo Shehui Kexue Chubanshe, 1986, pp. 25–27.\n\f19.3   Zhuangzi’s Quest in the Realm of Life                                                 251"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“conditional” (youdai), and only the “unconditional” (wudai) can be described as\nthe attainment of true freedom. Thus, he said:\n   “If one is able to follow the laws of nature and grasp the transformations of the\nsix breaths and roam freely in a limitless domain, what does one need to rely on?!”\nRelying on nothing, this “roaming free” was “unconditional.” It constituted\nabsolute freedom. But how could one attain this realm? Zhuangzi believed that\nordinary mortals could not attain this realm. Only perfected men, deities, and sages\ncould do so, because “perfected men have no self, deities exert no effort, and sages\nknow no name.” To have no self (wu ji) is to “extinguish the self” (sang wo), and in\n“Discussion of the Equality of Things” (Qiwu Lun) Zhuangzi wrote: “Now I have\nextinguished myself.” In the chapter entitled “Great Master” (Da Zongshi), there is\na passage which describes “sitting in forgetfulness” (zuowang), which can be called\na description of “having no self” in this realm of absolute freedom:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have made progress,” Yan Hui said.\n   “How have you progressed?” Confucius asked.\n   “I have forgotten benevolence and righteousness,” Yan Hui replied. “Fine, but that’s not\n       enough,” Confucius said.\n   Several days later Yan Hui again saw Confucius, and said, “I have made progress.”\n   “How have you progressed?” Confucius asked.\n   “I have forgotten the rites and music,” Yan Hui replied.\n   “Fine, but that’s not enough,” Confucius said.\n   Several more days passed, and Yan Hui again saw Confucius and announced, “I have made\n       progress.”\n   “How have you progressed?” Confucius asked.\n   “I sat in forgetfulness,” Yan Hui replied.\n   “What do you mean by saying you sat in forgetfulness?” Confucius asked in alarm.\n   Yan Hui replied, “My limbs fell away, I cast aside my intelligence, I left behind my body,\n       and I forgot all that I know. I merged with the Great Way. That is what I meant by\n       saying that I sat in forgetfulness.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "saying that I sat in forgetfulness.”\n   “To be of one body with the myriad things and to have no preferences, and to participate in\n       the transformations of the myriad things and to depend on no thing—this means you\n       have become a sage! I wish to follow in your footsteps.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The realm to which Zhuangzi’s “sitting in forgetfulness” belongs is the realm in\nwhich he describes one as “transcending self” or “having extinguished the self.”\nIn the text quoted above, Yan Hui sets out from a denial of mundane morality and\nthen enters a state in which the various fetters imposed on the spirit by the body and\nknowledge which befuddles the spirit are all eliminated. He then finally attains a\nmental realm in which “his body is like desiccated timber and his mind is like cold\nashes,” a realm which transcends material gain, morality, life, and death, and in\nwhich there are no restrictions from internal and external truths, untruths, likes,\nhatreds, beauty, and ugliness. That realm was, moreover, typified by “the oneness of\nHeaven and Earth” and “unity with the Way.” The most significant feature of that\nrealm was “the rejection of knowledge,” which was the elimination of all discrim-\ninatory and conceptual cognitive activities, what Zhuangzi elsewhere called"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“mental fasting,” or “following the inner channels of the ear and eye, yet being\nbeyond the knowledge of the mind.”\n\f252                            19    A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The perfected men, deities, and sages” Zhuangzi describes had all transcended\nthe mundane world in this way and had achieved an absolute spiritual freedom\nconferred by “sitting in forgetfulness” and “mental fasting.” In the chapter entitled\n“Tian Zifang,” we read: “The perfected man looks down from the blue sky above,\nconceals himself in the Yellow Springs below, and soars in every direction, his\nexpression remaining unchanged.” The “deities” are described in the chapter\nentitled “Heaven and Earth”: “The supreme deities ride on the light and their\nform vanishes. This is called abandoning space. To exhaust life and scatter the\nemotions, to share in the delight of Heaven and Earth and to be unencumbered by\nthe myriad things so that the myriad things return to their true feelings—this is\ncalled merging with the dark mystery.” In the chapter “Curbing the Mind,” we read:\n“The sage in life moves with Heaven and in death blends with external matter.. . .he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "rejects all knowledge and deceit and follows the constant laws of nature. . ..he is\nempty and indifferent to gain, and is one with the power of Heaven.” The ability of\nperfected men, deities, and sages to transcend time and space and roam freely\nbeyond the coordinates of space was the result of their ability to “leave their bodies\nand discard knowledge,” to rely in everything on nature and nonaction, and to make\nno demands of the real world. Thus, they were able to roam freely in “a land of\nnothingness.” Such roaming could, of course, only take place in the spirit. This\nspiritual realm of absolute freedom could only be an aesthetic realm of art.\n   In the section entitled “Zhi’s Journey to the North” (Zhi Bei You), we read:\n   Heaven and Earth possess great beauty, but speak no language. The seasons move in\n   accordance with clear laws which they do not discuss. The myriad creatures have reasons\n   for their lives but do not speak. The sages can go to the source of the great beauty of Heaven"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and Earth and commune with the reasons of the myriad creatures, and thus do the perfected\n   men possess non-action. The great sages do not act, and so are said to partake of the reasons\n   of Heaven and Earth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And in Tian Zifang:\n   To attain that realm is to gain supreme beauty and supreme joy. The gaining of supreme\n   beauty and roaming in supreme joy define the sage."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The attaining of “truth” in the above passage admits the sage into the realm\nwhere “one can wander in the heart to the beginnings of things.” This is the realm of\nnature’s inarticulate nonaction. The highest form of beauty is “the supreme beauty\nof Heaven and Earth.” “Sages, the perfected, and the divines” are waiting to “go to\nthe source of the beauty of Heaven and Earth” (or “prepared for the beauty of\nHeaven and Earth”). Because of the very existence of nature and nonaction,\n“the abandonment of form, and the rejection of knowledge,” one can gain “ultimate\nbeauty and roam in the midst of ultimate pleasure,” this realm of “ultimate beauty\nand ultimate pleasure” also constituting the highest aesthetic realm of art.\n   In the philosophy of Zhuangzi, the relationship between “truth” and “beauty” is\nalso discussed. There is a passage in “Autumn Floodwaters” (qiushui):\n   Horses and oxen have four hooves, which are from Heaven. Bridle the horse’s head,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and pierce the bull’s nostrils, this is the work of a human being. So we say: do not use\n   human powers to destroy Heaven, do not use reason to destroy a good name, and do not use\n   gain to harm the people. If one diligently keeps this rule and does not lose it, this is to return\n   to the Dao.\n\f19.3   Zhuangzi’s Quest in the Realm of Life                                       253"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zhuangzi’s emphasis on “imitating Heaven and respecting truth” ( fatian\nguizhen) was opposition to all “human actions” (renwei) which ran counter to\noriginal nature. The authenticity of the horse is its “chewing the pasture and\ndrinking water, raising its hooves, and shaking them,” but if the horse’s head is\nbridled and the bull’s nostrils are pierced, then horses and bulls lose their original\nnature (authenticity), and lose their freedom, thereby losing beauty and their truth.\nTruth and beauty are one and the same in Zhuangzi’s philosophy, but truth must\nbe “follow the way (Dao) of nature.” “Truth” is defined in the chapter entitled\n“The Venerable Fisherman” as “the acme of the spirit, and that which is not spirit is\nnot sincere, and so cannot influence man’s feelings.” The ability to “influence man’s\nfeelings” exists when there are true feelings which cause man to gain an appreci-\nation of beauty. “Accomplished beauty is not uniform in its traces,” but the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "most accomplished beauty is not contrived and is able to freely manifest its\nauthenticity. Therefore, Zhuangzi’s “quest for truth” was also in order to “seek\nbeauty.” If there is no beauty, then there is also no truth to speak of. “The quest for\ntruth” is a quest for a spiritual realm of untrammeled freedom.\n   Zhuangzi rarely affirmed morality, and his thought was characterized by an\nanti-ethical trend. He believed that all ethical restraints were “man-made” and\nthat they destroyed man’s authenticity. Therefore, he opposed “using humaneness\nand righteousness to transform man’s nature.” Zhuangzi believed that the\nrealization of the freedom of the individual personality was not only “great beauty”\n(damei) but the highest form of “morality” (de) and supreme goodness (shan).\nIn the chapter entitled “Curbing the Mind” (Ke Yi), we read: “If we do not hone the\nintellect but are noble, if we do not practice humaneness and righteousness but are"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "self-cultivated, if we have no great achievements but rule, if we have no rivers\nand oceans to roam among but roam as if we did, if we practice no breath techniques\nhut possess longevity, we forget everything and possess nothing, then we have no\nlimits and all beauty follows us. This is the Way of Heaven and Earth and the\ncomplete virtue of the sage.”\n   Cheng Xuanying explains: “When the heart is not impeded by a single obstacle,\nand the traces of darkness complement the Five Elements, then we have unlimited\npeace, are empty and expansive and arrive at the Way that cannot be exhausted.\nThe beauty of true virtue follows and resides in the self.” By this he means that\nwhen the mind is not trapped, follows nature, and practices nonaction, then one sits\nin forgetfulness and in total freedom. Thus, one attains the ultimate whereby every\nbeauty gathers about and follows the self. This is the movement of natural sponta-\nneity of Heaven and Earth as well as being the path by which the sage perfects his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "goodness. According to this interpretation, the “good” for Zhuangzi encompasses\nthe highest beauty (“great beauty”) within it.\n   From the above discussion, we can see that in Zhuangzi’s philosophy, “the true,\nthe good, and the beautiful” are a unity and they are unified in an aesthetic realm of\nspiritual freedom. Zhuangzi, like Laozi, sought “oneness with the Way,” but\nLaozi’s unity with the Way entailed understanding and realizing the Way, which\nwere both epistemological concerns, as well as being a form of philosophical\nenlightenment. For Zhuangzi, however, “unity with the Way” was an appreciation\n\f254                        19   A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of, and reflection, on the Way, which involved direct aesthetic perception. From this\nwe can see that the question of “the true, the good, and the beautiful” in the\nphilosophy of Zhuangzi differed from that in the philosophy of Laozi, and for\nZhuangzi “the beautiful” was paramount.\n    The quest for the good, the true, and the beautiful in the philosophical axiology\nof Western philosophy can be seen to have some points in common with the\nviews of Zhuangzi. The philosophy of Aristotle, and more especially that of\nSchelling, would seem to be similar to that of Zhuangzi regarding this question.\n    Regarding the quest for the unity of truth, goodness, and beauty, Aristotle stated:\n“Beauty is goodness, and the keen perception it imparts is in fact because it is\ngoodness.” But the manifestation of good conduct and beautiful art requires the\ncognition of things as its basis. From the perspective of values (axiology), Aristotle\ndid not impart the same significance to goodness, truth, and beauty. In demarcating"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "human activities, he believed that of the three activities of cognition, practice, and\ncreation, cognition was the highest form of activity, because it was only on the basis\nof this particular activity that man could confront highest truths. But from the\nperspective of the products resulting from these three activities, Aristotle believed\nthat the fruits of “the quest for truth” were theoretical sciences (such as mathe-\nmatics, physics, and metaphysics), knowledge for the sake of knowledge; the quests\nfor goodness and beauty yielded the practical sciences (including politics and\nethics) and the creative sciences (including poetics and rhetoric), all of which\nhave higher external goals. The former directs action, the latter directs creation.\nAristotle believed that the basic nature of art was creation. He said: “The arts are\na form of creative ability, which encompasses the true process of inference.”\nHere, creative activities become those activities most able to realize man’s basic"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nature, which is logical reasoning (Aristotle once defined the parameters of man’s\nnature as rationality). Accordingly, it would seem that we could say that in\nAristotle’s philosophy, artistic creation which can manifest beauty itself attains\nthe highest value, followed by actions with an external aim (such as moral practice,\nwhich belongs to the realm of the “good”), and then followed by knowledge for\nknowledge’s sake which constitutes an activity involving “the quest for truth”.12\n    Schelling proposed the philosophical problem of “absolute unity.” According to\nhis view, “absolute unity” was neither subject nor object but “the absolute undiffer-\nentiated unity of both subject and object.” This “unity” can only be realized within\nan “intellectual direct perception.” “Intellectual direct perception” is the activity\nproducing the directly perceived object. The unity of the two (subject and object) is,\nin fact, an activity of direct perception. By means of direct perception, the ego"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "unites the self with the cosmic spirit which has unconsciously produced the natural\nworld. Schelling believed that even the activity of “intellectual direct perception,”\nwhich is possible only with a philosophical genius, but not with just any one, cannot\nbe regarded as achieving an absolute unity of subject and object because a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "12\n  Zhu Guangqian, Xifang Meixue Shi (History of Western Aesthetics), Beijing: Renmin Wenxue\nChubanshe, 1963, pp. 55–56.\n\f19.4     Brief Conclusion                                                                     255"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "discrepancy still exists between the direct perceiver and the directly perceived\nobject (although this directly perceived object is produced by the free action of\nthe direct perceiver). Thus, Schelling also believed that only within “the direct\nperception of art” could a truly undifferentiated absolute unity between subject and\nobject be realized.\n    This “truly undifferentiated absolute unity” is analogous in some aspects to\nZhuangzi’s concept of the realm entered through “mental fasting” and “sitting in\nforgetfulness.” Schelling believed that “the direct perception of art” is derived from\ninspiration and from an intense yearning of great internal power within the inner\nspirit. This can only be described as a mysterious spiritual realm of direct percep-\ntion. Thus, for Schelling, art constitutes a supreme undifferentiated ideal world.\nOn the basis of the view that “the direct perception of art” is a higher “intellectual\ndirect perception,” Schelling regarded “beauty” as the highest value. As he saw it,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“truth” was a question of necessity, “goodness” was a question of freedom, and\n“beauty” was the synthesis of the two. “Beauty” synthesized in art the scientific\nknowledge of “truth” and the ethical behavior of “goodness.” Schelling said:\n“I believe that the highest ideal activity encompasses all idealized aesthetic activ-\nities. Truth and goodness can only be brought into proximity within beauty.\nPhilosophers, like poets, must have aesthetic powers.” Thus, from the perspective\nof the theory of value, “the beautiful” for Schelling constitutes a higher value than\n“the true” or “the good”.13 This schema reveals some similarities with Zhuangzi’s\nview of these values."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "19.4        Brief Conclusion"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "1. In the world of man, Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi pursued three different\n   quests, and their philosophies manifest three different value orientations.\n   I believe that in philosophical systems embodying any value, we find a quest\n   for the unity of truth, goodness, and beauty, but philosophers have different\n   views on how to effect and attain this unity. From the perspective of the\n   development of mankind’s culture, we cannot demand that philosophies are\n   similar. In China’s pre-Qin period, philosophy richly flowered because of this\n   very diversity of value orientation. Philosophers at that time were able to\n   approach the ultimate questions of life from an unusually broad perspective\n   and realm, and this enabled Chinese philosophy to take its place beside that of\n   other great contemporary cultures, such as Indian and Greek. It is right because it\n   is pluralistic, not monistic. It can quest the issue of ultimate concern about"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "universe and life from different approaches. If the development of pre-Qin\n   philosophy could have some value nowadays, I believe one of the important\n   elements is its plurality. Plurality of philosophy could make itself fully"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "13\n     See Chen Xiuzhai, Yang Zutao, op. cit., pp. 481, 488; Jiang Kongyang, op. cit., pp. 140–142.\n\f256                       19   A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "developed, and “centralization” would only suffocate the vitality of philosophy\n   eventually. Currently, world culture and philosophy are showing the tendency of\n   pluralistic development under the global consciousness; we can follow with this\n   developing tide to establish the Chinese modernized philosophy.\n2. If the historical philosophies could betray its modern implication, and be\n   practiced in reality in society, we have to give them modern interpretation.\n   The interpretation of the philosophical thought of Confucius, Laozi, and\n   Zhuangzi above is an attempt doing this. The interpretation of their thought\n   can only be “both their philosophy and yet not their philosophy.” Because what\n   we said in this article is the interpretation derived from the philosophy of\n   Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi. Its foundation is the philosophy of Confucius,\n   Laozi, and Zhuangzi; thus, we can say it IS “philosophy of Confucius, Laozi, and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zhuangzi.” Also it is “the interpretation derived from philosophy of Confucius,\n   Laozi, and Zhuangzi,” since it is an inferred interpretation; hence, it is NOT\n   (or not totally) the philosophy of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi. Only by this\n   can we extend the implication of the philosophy of Confucius, Laozi, and\n   Zhuangzi. Right because it is derived from the philosophy of Confucius,\n   Laozi, and Zhuangzi nowadays, the modern implication has actualized, and\n   philosophy has developed. Making a comparative study about the philosophy\n   of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi from the point of axiology, and revealing\n   their different orientations in the axiology of their philosophy, not only could\n   show “plurality” could be significant to the cultural and philosophical develop-\n   ment but also could make an example of a distinctive type of philosophical\n   system and respective orientation of life value and at the same time could show"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "our attention and comprehension to “the true, the good, and the beautiful” today.\n   Undoubtedly, this would be very meaningful for the philosophical studies today.\n3. It is significant to understand (interpret, study) the characteristics of Chinese\n   philosophy with reference to Western philosophy. In history of traditional\n   Chinese philosophy, hardly can we find any philosopher has been discussed\n   about “the true, the good, and beautiful” particularly, but the conclusion that\n   there were not any such thoughts cannot be drawn. With reference to Western\n   philosophy, we can betray that the philosophy of Chinese philosophers in history\n   of China also contain rich content about “the true, the good, and the beautiful.”\n   On the one hand, the meaning of traditional Chinese philosophy extended from\n   the point of Western philosophy. On the other hand, the meaning of Western\n   philosophy extended from the point of Chinese philosophy. Though western and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese philosophy both have their particular meaning, by the comparison\n   between their differences, their perspective characteristics could be distinctively\n   revealed and hence perhaps compensate with each other in some ways. If we can\n   say those western philosophers’ discussion about “the true, the good, and the\n   beautiful” mostly belongs to issue of knowledge (or belief, say, Christian), then\n   Chinese philosophers’ quest of “the true, the good, and the beautiful” mostly\n   belongs to issue of spiritual realm. Therefore, Chinese and Western philosophy,\n   both having their perspective meaning, could be enriched with reference to\n   each other.\n\fChinese Character                257"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese Character"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Laozi                   老子\nZhuangzi                庄子\nrensheng jingjie        人生境界\nShen Youding            沈有鼎\nWei Zheng               为政\nGuo Xiang               郭象\nliushi er ershun        六十而耳顺\nYang Bojun              杨伯峻\nLunyu Yizhu             论语译注\nZhonghua Shuju          中华书局\nershun                  耳顺\nLi Chong                李充\nxinyuer xiangcong       心与耳相从\nSun Chuo                孙绰\nZhu Xi                  朱熹\nsheng                   声\nshengyin                声音\nyousheng zhi yin        有声之音\nwusheng zhi yin         无声之音\nJu                      矩\nzhi zhen                知真\nde mei                  得美\nzhishan                 至善\nThe Eight Yi            八佾\ntian ren heyi           天人合一\nqing jing heyi          情景合一\nzhi xing heyi           知行合一\njuesheng-qizhi          绝圣弃智\nwuse ling ren mu mang   五色令人目盲\ndadao fei, you ren yi   大道废有仁义\ntongyu dao              同于道\nDao De Jing             道德经\nMonk Deqing             释德清\nDao De Jing Jie         道德经解\nWang Bi                 王弼\nde Dao                  得道"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "de Dao                  得道\nziran wuwei             自然无为\nFeng Youlan             冯友兰\nXin Yuanren             新原人\nJian su bao pu          见素抱朴\nXiaoyao You             逍遥游\n\f258                   19   A Reconsideration of the Question of “The True, the Good. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "peng                                  鹏\nli                                    里\nLiezi                                 列子\nyoudai                                有待\nwudai                                 无待\nwu ji                                 无己\nsang wo                               丧我\nQiwu Lun                              齐物论\nDa Zongshi                            大宗师\nzuowang                               坐忘\nYan Hui                               颜回\nTian Zifang                           田子方\nZhi Bei You                           知北游\nqiushui                               秋水\nfatian guizhen                        法天贵真\nrenwei                                人为\ndamei                                 大美\nde                                    德\nshan                                  善\nKe Yi                                 刻意\nCheng Xuanying                        成玄英\nZhongguo Shehui Kexue                 中国社会科学\nZhexue Pinglun                        哲学评论\nPanduanli Pipan                       判断力批判"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Panduanli Pipan                       判断力批判\nShangwu Yin shuguan                   商务印书馆\nLi Zehou                              李泽厚\nPipan Zhexue de Pipan                 批判哲学的批判\nRenmin Chubanshe                      人民出版社\nJiang Kongyang                        蒋孔阳\nDeguo Gudian Meixue                   德国古典美学\nTang Yijie                            汤一介\nNanbeichao Shiqi de Daojiao           南北朝时期的道教\nShaanxi Shifan Daxue Chubanshe        陕西师范大学出版社\nSangang Wuji                          三纲五纪\nBaihu Tongyi                          白虎通义\nTiandao                               天道\nFa Zhexue Yuanli                      法哲学原理\nXiao Luoji                            小逻辑\nMei Xue                               美学\nChen Xiuzhai                          陈修斋\nYang Zutao                            杨祖陶\nOuzhou Zhexue Shigao                  欧洲哲学史稿\nHubei Renmin Chubanshe                湖北人民出版社\nXue Hua                               薛华\n\fChinese Character                             259"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Heigeer Yu Yishu Nanti            黑格尔与艺术难题\nZhongguo Shehui Kexue Chubanshe   中国社会科学出版社\nZhu Guangqian                     朱光潜\nXifang Meixue Shi                 西方美学史\nRenmin Wenxue Chubanshe           人民文学出版社\n\fChapter 20\nChinese Traditional Cultures\nand Corporate Management"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Comments from Max Weber on the Confucian ideology and Chinese traditional\ncultures which can deter the development of the modern industrialization have\nproved its accuracy by the history, but, according to the comments from Prof.\nC. Canchy, vice-chancellor of the Montreal University, Canada, on the 17th\nPhilosophy Meeting in 1983, “From the past two hundred years, due to the success\nof the economic and technological achievements, the Western countries have\nproclaimed themselves to have advanced status. Now the gap between East\nand West has been narrowed to the point that there is a tendency of surpassing\nthe Western economies by their Eastern counterparts. It is the right time to awake\nand learn from the East.” According to the development in the past 30 years, his\nopinion is logical and reasonable. The industrialization of Japanese economy in the\n1970s and the leapfrog advancement of the Four Little Dragons in Asia can lead to a\nbetter prediction of the economic development trend of Eastern and Western"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "countries in 1990s. How can we explain the above-mentioned arguments which\nare both contradictory and correct? In my opinion, it can be explained by the\ncomments of Japanese sociologist Tomita.\n   He commented in his Fundamentals of Sociology which was published in 1986,\n“Only the industrialization and modernization of Western countries are internally\ndriven, which is a historical fact and cannot be argued. So, all the non-Western\nsocieties cannot depend on their own internal forces to industrialize and modernize\ntheir societies.” But he argued that the weakness of Weber’s comment was his\nnegligence to speak of the spread of culture to have modernization; he classified the\nmodernization process of the Eastern world as “External Learning.” It is a very\nreasonable comment. Why is that so? According to Tomita, it is because “the public\ncreate a strong initiative to escape the traditionalism, and introduce the Western\nidea with the co-existence of their traditional cultures.” His comments had been"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Journal of Euro Asia, 11 (July 1996): 19–22\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                     261\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_20\n\f262                            20 Chinese Traditional Cultures and Corporate Management"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "verified by the historical development of the world for the past 30 years. They have\ntried to introduce the Western civilization and combine it with their local traditional\ncultures, surpassing the economies of Eastern countries over the West. What is the\nreason? In my opinion, it is somehow related to the Eastern culture (Confucianism).\n    Here I would like to elaborate my argument that it would be beneficial to the\nEastern countries for enterprise management, even to the development of society,\nif they can better utilize the philosophy of Confucianism and Taoism on the\nmethodological and theoretical foundation learned from the Western society.\n    If the Chinese Confucianism and Taoism cannot initiate the process of modern-\nization and industrialization, would it be better for those countries having the\ntraditions of Confucianism and Taoism to integrate some of the concepts of these\ntwo philosophies in order to further develop the economy? I believe it is not only"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "possible but also mandatory. In the traditional Chinese culture, there are two\nimportant concepts. One is the concept of “harmony,” which is from “Zhaoxi.”\nWe can explain it as “perfect harmony.” Confucius introduced this concept into\nthe society. He said, “It is preferred to have harmony and politeness would\nbe treasured.” The word “politeness” refers to the ceremony and rituals necessary\nto maintain the social order, and “harmony” is the most important principle.\nAnother one is the concept of “nature.” Everything should follow this principle,\nwhich is called “supreme nature.”\n    If the essence of Confucianism is “harmony” which regulates and maintains\nthe various relationships in the society, the principle of “practices should follow\nnature” is to regulate the relationship between human and nature. We will realize\nthe positive and negative aspects of the evolution of society brought to mankind by\nlooking back on the history of the twentieth century. The breakout of the World"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "War I and II and the destruction of the natural environment are the consequences of\nnot adjusting the relationship between mankind and nature. Those will have direct\nor indirect relationship with the operation of enterprises.\n    Will the development of one enterprise, the enterprise system of one country,\nand the various enterprises in the world not consider the relationship between the\ncitizens and society? In my opinion, the operation and development of the enter-\nprises, if it is reasonable, healthy, and consistent, has to consider its internal\nenvironment, which includes the employers, employees, various departments, and\nthe linkage between the departments themselves, and its external environment,\nwhich consists of customers, industry environment, and societal and national\ninterests. If there is no harmonious relationship inside the enterprise, it will encoun-\nter many problems, or even demise; if there is no harmonious external relationship,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "it will encounter many unexpected obstacles, or even bankruptcy. So, I believe,\nthe concept of “treasure of harmony” from Confucianism can provide a valuable\nconcept to enterprise management now and in the future. In the classics of\nChinese Confucianism, “The Great Learning,” it stipulated that the basis of\nharmony for the family, country, and the world will rely on the harmony within\noneself. From Confucianism, the harmony within oneself can influence others, and\nthe harmony with others, the country, and society will involve the relationship\nbetween oneself and others, which will also create the problem of power and duty.\n\f20   Chinese Traditional Cultures and Corporate Management                         263"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So, Confucius encourages the five relationships. As long as the mutual relationship\ncan be managed, people can cooperate together. This is also true for the enterprises.\nThe prosperity of the enterprises can be maintained only after the external and\ninternal relationships are handled satisfactorily. It can mitigate the weakness of the\ncompetition-oriented culture of Western economies. The emphasis of Confucian-\nism on selfgrooming and development is to maintain the mutual development of the\ngroup. One’s perfection is the condition to create a better environment for the\nenterprises.\n    In 1992, a report called “The Advice to Human from the Scientists” was\npublished by 1575 social scientists, saying that “Human and nature are heading in\na contradictory road.” I believe this warning is just right. The advancement of\nthe technology can initiate a large development to the society but also create a\nmajor threat for the survival of people. Due to the excess exploitation of nature, the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "problems of environmental pollution, thinning of the ozone layer, and the destruc-\ntion of the biological balance are becoming very serious. For the cultural point of\nview, the principle of Taoism saying “nature is preferred” may help remedy the\nrelationship between human and nature. According to Taoism, the human is a\nharmonious body, and Tao represents this natural harmony. The society will have\nno problems and the emperor can have a peaceful country by having Tao. Tsun Tsu\nthinks that human should follow the natural development and not interrupt it, so that\nit can achieve the stage of integration between the human and universe. We can see\nthe importance given by Taoism on the harmony between human and nature.\n    The traditional Chinese Confucianism and Taoism cultures have a development\nprocess for more than two thousand years. During this period, it was influenced by\nthe Indian Buddhism. In the Tong Dynasty, the impact of the Buddhism on the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "society was ubiquitous and significant, but the Chinese tradition culture could have\na full-fledged development after absorbing the Buddhism culture in the Shao\nDynasty. It can explain the adaptability of the traditional Taoism and Confucianism\ncultures on the cultural perspectives. As said by Max Weber, the Confucianism and\nTaoism cultures could not initiate the process of modernization and industrializa-\ntion, but under the background of the traditional culture as a basis from Taoism and\nConfucianism philosophy, after the adaptation of Western modern and industrial\neconomy, the principles of relationship between mankind and nature from Taoism\nand Confucianism, “treasure of harmony” and “nature is preferred,” can become the\ncorporate mission under the modern identification.\n    These two concepts are only meaningful to the human society and enterprise\nadministration. If it is needed to explore its functions by operationalizing these two"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "concepts in the social life and enterprise management, it is a very complicated\nprocess. A lot of procedures have to be done. These concepts will not be transferred\ninto practical consideration automatically, but if there is no meaningful opinion or\nconcept to be promoted, there will not be practical and scientific solutions to realize\nthese meaningful concepts.\n    Learning from history, the process of modernization and industrialization has\nhappened in the West, while the East has learned from the West about these kinds of\nexperience. Now some of the countries in the East give a modern definition to some\n\f264                           20 Chinese Traditional Cultures and Corporate Management"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the concepts in their traditional cultures and operationalize these concepts.\nThe phenomenon is noticed by some of the scholars in the West, and they proclaim\nto learn it from the East, which can illustrate the importance of coexistence of the\nWestern and Eastern cultures. It can also explain that some of the concepts in\nConfucianism and Taoism are very important to the economic development of\nmodern enterprises.\n   After the visit to China in the 1920s, Western philosopher Russell had written\none article “Comparison of Eastern and Western cultures.” It said “In the past it had\nproved many times the importance of the cultural exchange to the human civiliza-\ntion process. Greece learnt from Egypt, Rome learnt from Greece, Arabia studied\nRoman Empire and Europe in the middle century followed Arabia. In all of these\nexchange activities, the developing countries as a student have surpassed the\nadvanced countries as a teacher. During the process of interaction between China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and foreign countries, China will at last surpass his counterparts which are more\ndeveloped.” It is very meaningful for Russell’s arguments. China is still a devel-\noping country and tries to implement the modernization process. There is a must\nto learn and transfer the experience of Western economy, but when the Western\ncountries are facing various kinds of problems concerning the relationship\nbetween mankind and nature, is it suitable for them also to introduce some of the\nEastern concepts? For those Eastern entrepreneurs who are trying very hard to\nrealize the modernization process, it is worthwhile to consider whether they have\npaid enough attention to the importance of these existing concepts. It seems to be an\ninteresting topic to be discussed in the meeting between the Chinese and European\nentrepreneurs.\n\fChapter 21\nA Study of the Question of China’s\nCultural Development"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Recently, a “Seminar to Coordinate the Comparative Study of Eastern and Western\nCultures” was held at Shenzhen University. The focus of the meeting was the\ndiscussion of the meaning and significance of “comparative studies in Eastern\nand Western cultures.” Why did we discuss this problem? To us, studying compar-\nisons between Eastern and Western Cultures is, fundamentally, for the purpose of\nresolving the question, “How did, and how does, China’s culture develop?” Natu-\nrally, this is a question that cannot be resolved in a short time and neither can a\nconsensus on this issue be achieved in the short run. Nonetheless, it is a lesson that\nholds epochal significance for us at present and therefore has to be proposed for\ndiscussion and commands our careful and earnest consideration.\n   Since the scholars who attended the conference were, for the most part, students\nof Chinese intellectual history or history of Chinese philosophy, when we discussed"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“culture,” we tended to adopt a relatively narrow definition, namely, as referring to\nthe culture of conceptual formations; or, in other words, we looked at Chinese\nculture from the viewpoint of China’s traditional thought. In the process of our\ndiscussions, we agreed that the proposal to study Chinese culture was a natural and\ninevitable consequence of socioeconomic and cultural developments both in China\nand in terms of China abroad. In terms of the domestic conditions in China, there\nare two areas of need—vertical and horizontal.\n   In the vertical aspect, that is, in terms of the development of history up to the\npresent, we are mindful that our country is now at a stage of history where we are\nrealizing the four modernizations and undergoing a reform of the economic system.\nThe slogan “modernization” has been current for more than half a century, since the\nMay Fourth Movement, and yet the process of modernization has been interrupted"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "time and again. Why did this happen? It appears that quite possibly it was because a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Contemporary Chinese Thought, 1986, 17(4): 16–34\nTang Yijie, “Guanyu Zhongguo wenhua fazhan wentide tantao,” presented at the 4th International\nCongress in Chinese Philosophy, Stony Brook, New York, July 15–18, 1985.\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                              265\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_21\n\f266                          21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "central problem had not been accurately or properly resolved. Modernization\ncannot be restricted to the level of science and technology; a more important aspect\nis modernization of the infrastructure of culture. This includes value concepts,\nmodes of thought, the historical rethinking of our traditional culture, and so on. If\nwe only modernize science and technology but not the people, then the realization\nof modernization is nothing but an empty slogan. This is well exemplified by the\nreality that prevails in certain areas of the Middle East and the Near East.\n   “Modernization” is a very complex problem. If we raise the slogan of realizing\nmodernization, it reflects and demonstrates that we are still in a premodernized or\nnonmodernized historical era. Therefore, first and foremost, we have to tackle the\nproblem of “modernization” and “tradition.” This involves deep-rooted problems of\nconcepts of values, and these problems are inevitably connected with traditional"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "culture. Therefore, on the issue of modernization, we cannot take shortcuts; we\ncannot work only on the superficial cultural phenomena of methods of natural\nscience but must introduce some factors in the cultural infrastructure. As we look\nback on the last century or so of our history, we can see that ever since the\nintroduction of the slogan “Chinese essence, Western function” (Zhongti xiyong)\nor “Chinese learning for essence and Western learning for applicational function”\n(Zhong xue wei ti, Xi xue wei yong), there has been a debate over “the past and the\nfuture, the Chinese and the foreign” (gu jin Zhong wai). The debate between\n“wholesale Westernization” (quan pan xi hua) and “maintaining China’s essential\nand original culture” (benti wenhua) started during the May Fourth period and\nextended into the 1930s and 1940s. The problem was never really resolved, and in\nthe end, it was shelved. We should ask ourselves: Isn’t there a problem here of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mistaking modernization for Westernization? “Science and democracy” was a\nslogan in the modernization of the West; it was an unavoidable consequence of\nthe forward development of Western culture on the basis of its medieval theology\nand theocracy. China, with the May Fourth Movement, simply took over this slogan\nand engaged in simplistic transplantation. It would appear that something, a certain\nnecessary intermediary link, was and is missing here. This, then, very naturally\nleads us toward the lesson of comparative studies of Eastern and Western cultures.\n   For over half a century, people have attempted to discover a shortcut of\nmodernization by simply introducing into China the science and technology of\nthe West and their methods. Nonetheless, China’s path to modernization has been\nexpressed as circuitous and tortuous. It is precisely because of the repeated hiatuses\nand stoppages in the progress of modernization that people have been forced to turn"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "toward the infrastructure of Chinese society—the traditional cultural—and with\nthat focus to rethink history. They have considered the necessity of comparing the\ndifferences in the realities and substance of various cultures. The comparative study\nof Eastern and Western cultures and the problems of reevaluating China’s tradi-\ntional culture and of how China’s culture has progressed and will develop are\nthereby logically proposed on the vertical line of history.\n   In the horizontal sense, the question of the reversion of Hong Kong to China\nforces us to confront the reality of one nation with two systems. The issue here is\nhow two very different systems can coexist within one country and how this\n\f21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development                      267"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "situation can remain for a prolonged period in relative stability. This raises another\nquestion: If we are to handle this issue in a way that conforms to historical\ndevelopment, do we need an ideological basis for it? If we answer this question\nin the negative, then how do we guarantee that the handling of this problem will\ncontinue to conform to historical development? It therefore appears that we must\nconsider finding, in some quarter, a “common basis of ideology.” And this common\nbasis of ideology should and can be found only at the level of some common\nculture. This touches on the core problem of national culture. To grasp this, we must\nnot only earnestly study current cultural problems but also carry out historical\nrethinking on the issue of traditional culture.\n    It is precisely on the cross hairs of these vertical and horizontal lines that the\nlessons of historical rethinking of traditional culture and comparative study of\nEastern and Western cultures assume epochal significance."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the Shi Ji (The Record of History), we find the sentence: “We live in the\nworld of today while we take to heart the way of the past; therefore those who\nreflect upon themselves may come up with very different images.” Jia Yi, in the\nessay Guo Qin lun (Discourse on the Errors of the Qin), cited an old adage: “If we\ndo not forget old things, they will serve as teachers for subsequent ages.” Indeed,\nwe cannot take all the things of the past to be the examples or models of\ndevelopment of the future, but can we not, by analyzing and examining history,\ndiscover certain regulated phenomena, or phenomena that conform to certain\nlaws, that can serve as a reflection for us? If we cannot, then it makes no sense\nto study history or to rethink history at all. Therefore, I believe that the adage “If\nwe do not forget old things, they will serve as teachers for subsequent ages” has a\ncertain grain of truth after all.\n    When we examine China’s historical development, we shall see that there have"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "been three major influxes of foreign culture into China: The first was the introduc-\ntion of Indian culture, primarily Indian Buddhism, starting in the first century\nA.D. It made a great impact on Chinese culture. The second was the introduction\nof Western civilization during and after the seventeenth century (from the second\nhalf of the Ming Dynasty onward). At first, this was chiefly the Western civilization\nintroduced by Western missionaries such as Matteo Ricci. The third influx was the\nintroduction of Marxism into China before and after the May Fourth Movement.\nOwing to variations in historical conditions, time, and mode and nature of the\nintroduction, these three influxes of foreign culture into China created different\ninfluences and impacts on China. It is not within my scope and ability to examine\nthis problem comprehensively. What I want to do here is simply to examine, by\nlooking at the historical process of the introduction of Indian Buddhism, some of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the phenomena resulting from the contact between foreign culture and indigenous\nculture and to see if we can draw some meaningful conclusions from these\nphenomena.\n    As we know, the introduction of Indian Buddhism into China in general\nfollowed this process: First, it attached itself to China’s indigenous culture and\nwas thereby popularized; then, it came into contradiction and conflict with China’s\ntraditional culture; and, finally, it was absorbed by Chinese culture and blended into\n\f268                           21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "it. Thus, it played a major role in propelling forward the development of China’s\nculture. I would like to develop and explain this process somewhat.\n1. When Indian Buddhism was introduced into China, it was, in the beginning,\n   attached to China’s indigenous culture, and it was through this that it became\n   initially popularized and influential.\n    When Buddhism was introduced in the Han Dynasty, it first attached itself to\ndaoshu (the techniques of the Daoists), also known as fangshu; then, during the Wei\nand Jin dynasties, xuanxue metaphysical learning became popular, and Buddhism\nswitched to attach itself to it. In the Han Dynasty, people tended to equate Foutu\n(Buddha) with Huang-Lao. For example, it was said of Prince Ying of Chu that he\n“recited the hidden words of Huang and Lao and paid homage to the beneficent\ntemples of Foutu.” Emperor Huandi “established shrines to Huang-Lao and Foutu in\nthe palace.” Indeed, even Buddhists at the time called themselves [disciples of]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "daoshu. For example, in the Li luo lun (Discourse on Separating Principle from\nConfusion), Mou Zi took Buddhism to be one of the ninety-six kinds of daoshu. He\nsaid: “There are ninety-six kinds of dao. Of these the most respected and grand is\nnone other than the fodao (Way of Buddhism)” The Sishi er zhang jing (Sutra of\n42 Chapters) also called fojiao (the teaching of Buddha) fodao. At that time, the\ncontent of the teachings of Buddhism was generally such things as “indestructability\nof the soul” and “cause and effect and retribution.” In fact, they did not seem to\nunderstand anything of the idea of wuwo (denial of self) embodied in Indian\nBuddhism. The idea of the indestructability of the soul was originally Chinese and\nwas expressed in all sorts of theories of the existence of ghosts or spirits. For\nexample, in the poem “Fu wang” (Father-king) in the Daya section of the Shi Jing\n(Book of Odes), there is the line san hou zai tian (the three consorts are in Heaven),"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "which expresses a theory of the sublimation of the essential spirit. In the chapter\n“Jing shen xun” (Exhortations on the Subject of the Spirit) in Huai nan zi, there is the\nsaying “Thus the form can wear out, but the spirit will not dissolve.” It is because of\nall this that in the time of the two Han dynasties, there were theories such as Huan\nTan’s “When the form is destroyed, the spirit also is extinguished” and Wang\nChong’s “When a man dies, he does not become a ghost, or spirit.” At the same\ntime, the idea that the “indestruction of the soul” depended on the training and\nnurturing of the body and the mind was also an idea that already had some\nindigenous currency in China. As for the theory of “cause and result and retribution,”\nalthough here the interpretations of Buddhism were not quite the same as those\nindigenous to China, nonetheless, the idea of yin-guo baoying (correspondence\nbetween cause and effect, and of retribution) popularized by Buddhism clearly"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "was connected to the idea of fu shan huo yin (good fortune to good people; calamity\nbefalls the adulterous), which again was indigenous to China. For example, in the\nWen yan (Text-commentary) of the Kungua (The Kun Trigram) in the Yijing (Book\nof Changes), we find the prophetic announcement: “To those families who stock up\non good deeds, there will certainly be abundant and overflowing celebration; to the\nhouseholds that pile evil upon evil, there is bound to be overflowing misfortune.”\n\f21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development                        269"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the end of the Han and in the early Wei Dynasty, the activity of translating\nBuddhist sutras increased daily. Buddhism was popularized in China in two major\nbranches: one was the system installed by An Shi Gao, which was a school of\nHinayana Buddhism, emphasizing the method of dhyana (or Chan) or meditation.\nThe other was the system of Zhi-lou-jia-qian, which was a Mahayana school and\nemphasized the teachings of prajua (thinking and wisdom). An Shi Gao translated\nmany sutras, among which the most influential were the An-boshou-yijing (Sutra on\nEntrance by Covert Maintenance). The former taught breathing methods and the\nsteadying or maintaining of one’s mind. This was very similar to the teaching of the\ntechniques of breathing (inhaling and exhaling) of China’s own Daoists and School\nof Immortality (Shen xian jia). The latter explained the terminology of Buddhism\nand its concepts and was very similar in style to the textual scholarship with which"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Han erudites annotated the Chinese classics. The Yin chiru jing, in discussing\nthe universe and human life, took yuanqi (original breath) to be the root and said\nthat yuanqi was equal to the wuxing (Five Elements). It went on to use this to\ndiscuss the wuyin (Five Negatives) (this was later translated as the wuyun) (hidden\nor internal qualities). It also explained Buddhism’s categories of se (appearance),\nshou (acceptance), xiang (thought), xing (action), and shi (knowledge or under-\nstanding) as the effects of yuanqi. Thus, we can see that the Hinayana dyana method\npropagated by An Shi Gao was clearly attached to the daoshu thought already\npopular in China and that he used daoshu to explain Buddhism to the Chinese.\n   Zhi-lou-jia-qian’s school, on the other hand, belonged to the prajua-oriented\nteachings of Mahayana Buddhism. It considered shen-fan ben-zhen (to revert the\nspirit to its original truth) as the most important, fundamental truth of human life. It"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "also considered this to be a reversion and reconnection with the dao (the natural\nWay). Here, we can see the extent to which it was influenced by the thoughts of Lao\nZi and Zhuang Zi. Zhi-lou-jia-qian’s third-generation disciple, Zhi-qian, translated\nthe Indian (Sanskrit) Prajnaparamita sutra as Da ming du wuji jing (Sutra on the\nferrying across to the endless ultimate by the great illumination). Here, he translated\nprajua (wisdom) as da ming (great illumination), which is clearly derived from the\nidea of zhi chang yue ming (knowledge of the constant is the illumination or\nenlightenment) in the classic Lao Zi. [Translator’s note: The Chinese text of this\narticle, which reads here “zhi chang ri ming (ri being the character for “son”), is in\nerror. The corresponding sentence in Lao Zi, or the Daodejing, reads “Zhi chang\nyue ming,” which translates as rendered here.] He also translated paramita (con-\nveyance to the farther shores) as du wuji (conveyance to the ultimate), which also"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "conveys the sense of achieving the state of oneness with the dao (in Lao Zi we read\n“reversion to wuji, or the ultimate”).\n   In the Wei and Jin dynasties, the xuanxue ontology, which was formed on the\nframework of the ideas in Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi, became greatly popular. The focus\nof xuanxue discussions was on the question of ben-mo (origin and end) and you-wu\n(being and nonbeing). The central question in Buddhist prajua scholarship was also\nthe question of kong (sunya or void) and you (reality or substantiality), which was\nrather close to xuanxue. Therefore, the Buddhists of the time generally used\nxuanxue to explain the principles of Buddhism and adopted the methods known\n\f270                           21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "as geyi (defining meanings) and lian lei (connecting categories). For example, the\nmonk Dao An, in Bi-nai-ye xu (Preface to the Vinaya Pitaka), said: “Of the Twelve\nsegments of scriptures, the most voluminous is the vaipulya [i.e., the sutras]. This\nwas because in this country [China] the people used the teachings of Lao and\nZhuang to propagate the [Buddhist] teaching. Their teachings [i.e., Lao-Zhuang]\nare quite similar to the [teachings of] fang deng [Mahayana vaipulya] scriptures.\nTherefore [the disciples] changed their practices according to prevailing custom.”\nHere, we can see that even the renowned Buddhist monks of the time recognized\nthat the popularity of Buddhism was dependent on the ideas of Lao Zi and Zhuang\nZi. The section “Wenxue” (literature) in the book Shi shuo xin yu (New Sayings\nPrevalent in Contemporary Times) said: “In the years of the reign of Zhengdi,\nWang Bi and He Yan emphasized the discussions by xuansheng (metaphysical"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "discourse) in Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi, and the people of the time began to value this\ndiscussion. Thus, after the crossing of the river, Buddhist teaching became even\nmore widespread.” In the early years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the prajua\nscholarship which had become popular in China underwent an even greater and\nbroader propagation. There were the so-called Six Houses and Seven Schools. The\nproblems they discussed were still, in essence, the problems of ben-mo and you-wu.\nThe so-called doctrine of ben-wu (original nonbeing) was developed on the basis of\nthe legacy of the gui-wu (exalting nonbeing) doctrine proposed by Wang Bi and He\nYan. On the other hand, the doctrine of xin-wu (nonbeing of the mind) was close to\nthe idea of wu-xin (nonmind) of Xi Kang and Ruan Ji. Furthermore, the doctrine of\nzhi-se (approaching appearance), also another development of Buddhism at the\ntime, was clearly not unrelated to Guo Xiang’s idea of cong-you (exalting being)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "How did all these conditions come about? It appears that every culture has its\nconservative aspect, which pits it against a foreign and introduced culture. There-\nfore, every introduced culture must first adapt itself to certain demands of the\nindigenous ideological or intellectual culture and attach itself to the latter. Those\nelements in the introduced culture that are similar or approximate to the indigenous\nintellectual culture will always be easier to propagate. Only when this is done can\nthe parts of the introduced culture that are dissimilar to the original indigenous\nculture gradually infiltrate the indigenous intellectual culture and begin to take\neffect and even influence the indigenous intellectual culture.\n2. The spread of Indian Buddhism in China after the Eastern Jin Dynasty led to the\n   contradiction and conflict between the introduced Indian intellectual culture and\n   China’s own traditional intellectual culture. In this contradiction and conflict, the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "development of China’s intellectual culture was propelled.\n   In the early years of the Eastern Jin, Buddhism’s prajua teachings were still\nattached to xuanxue of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi, and we shall call it fo xuan (Buddhist\nxuanxue). At the end of the Eastern Jin and in the early years of the Liu-Song\nDynasty, there was a general introduction of many schools and sects of Buddhist\nteaching, Hinayana as well as Mahayana. This led to a great upsurge of all sorts of\ndifferent interpretations of the Buddhist sutras or scriptures and thus the emergence\nof the preaching style of the sutra masters. Nonetheless, the Indian culture and the\n\f21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development                       271"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "indigenous Chinese culture were, after all, two very separate and different cultural\ntraditions, and the former could not forever attach itself to the latter. Therefore,\nafter the Eastern Jin, as a result of the daily increase in translation of the Buddhist\nsutras and the fact that this was becoming more and more systematic, it could be\nseen eventually that in certain ways, Buddhism indeed was superiority to China’s\ntraditional culture. As a result, the contradiction between these two cultures of\ndifferent traditional background was bound to occur.\n   According to the Kai yuan lu (Catalogue of the Years of Kaiyuan), in the 250\nyears between the end of the Han and the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, a total of\n1,420 volumes of Buddhist sutras were translated into Chinese. In the Eastern Jin\nperiod (including in contemporary northern China under the later Qin, Western Qin,\nformer Liang, and Northern Liang regimes), 1,716 volumes were translated. In"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "other words, the amount of translation done in those 100 years outstripped the\namount done in the preceding 250 years. In particular, there were, in this latter\nperiod, the voluminous and relatively accurate translations done by Kumaradjiva\nof the sutras, vinayas, and sastras of both the Mahayana and Hinayana schools.\nThis allowed people to comprehend the original meanings of Indian Buddhist\nculture. At this time, not only the foreign Buddhist monks who came to China but\nChina’s own Buddhist monks, too, came to have understandings of Buddhist\nteachings that were closer to the original meanings. As a result of this rectification\nprocess toward a more accurate understanding of the original intentions of\nBuddhism, a general problem emerged among Chinese Buddhists. Should they\ncontinue to comprehend Buddhism in accordance with indigenous Chinese ideas?\nOr should they teach Buddhism in China according to the original meanings of\nIndian Buddhism? This generated a problem of conflict between two cultures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the period of the Northern and Southern dynasties, the conflict between\nBuddhism and the indigenous culture of China was expressed and demonstrated\nin many areas, including political and economic interests as well as questions of\nphilosophy, religion, and ethics.\n   History leaves to us a very important book which in general serves to describe to\nus the conditions of conflict and contradictions between the imported culture of\nIndian Buddhism and China’s traditional culture in the Northern-Southern Dynasty\nperiod. This is the book Hongming ji (Collection of the Great Illumination).\nFrom this book, we can see the range of problems that were involved in the\ncontradiction and conflict between these two cultures. There was, for instance,\nthe debate over the question of whether the spirit can be destroyed or not. There was\nthe debate on whether there are such things as yin-guo (cause and effect) and\nbaoying (retributions), which involved the philosophical problems of cause and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "effect and ziran (or nature’s mandate on life, i.e., fate). There was the debate over\nthe question of the relationship between kong (sunya, or nonbeing) and you (being).\nThere was the debate over whether or not the shamen (Buddhist monks and\ndevotees) ought to pay homage to the throne or prince, which involved the question\nof what it means to be chushi (removed from the secular world by joining the\nreligion) or rushi (remaining in or entering the secular world). There was the debate\nover the relationship between humanity and zhongsheng (other forms of life).\n\f272                           21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He Chengtian, basing his argument on the Zhou Yi (Zhou Classic of Changes),\nasserted that humanity and Heaven and earth were the sancai (Three Special\nElements of Ability) and refuted Buddhism for placing humanity on a par with\nzhong-sheng. This debate, then, was related to the question of defending\nConfucianism’s tradition.\n   There was also the question of the contest between Hua (Chinese) and yi\n(barbarians). He Chengtian, in his “Letter in Reply to [the monk] Zong Bing,”\nsaid: “Of course there are differences between the Hua and the yi.” In terms of their\nnatures, he said, “The people of China have an innate spirit (qi) of purity (qing) and\nharmony (he); they contain the ideals of benevolence (ren) and principledness (yi).\nThat is why Zhou (i.e., The Duke of Zhou) and Kong (Confucius) proposed the\nteachings of customs on the basis of people’s nature (xing xi zhi jiao). On the other\nhand, the disciples of other nations have received a nature that is rigid and forceful"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(gangqiang); they are rapacious and desireful, angry and warlike. That is why\nSakyamani (Buddism’ s founder) was severe about the disciplining of the Five\nBarbarians (wu yong).” Gu Kuan, in his Yixia lun (Discourse on the Barbarians and\nthe Chinese), said that Huaxia (the Chinese) were a nation of rites (li) and principle\n(yi) and should not abandon Chineseness to follow the way of the barbarian.\nIn general, his logic reflected similarities with that of He Chengtian. The campaigns\nagainst Buddhist teaching, such as those conducted by Taiwudi of the Northern Wei\nDynasty and Wudi of Northern Zhou, had not only political and economic causes\nbut intellectual and cultural roots as well.\n   In addition to the Confucianism-Buddhism conflict, there was also at this time an\nincreasingly acute conflict and contradiction between Buddhism and China’s indig-\nenous national religion, Daoism (Daojiao). First, there was the debate over the\nhistoricity or historical authenticity and validity of the legend that Lao Zi went to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the barbarians and became their teacher (Lao Zi hua hu). In its wake, there was a\nseries of debates over the question of shengsi (the meaning of living and dying) and\nof shenxing (spirit and form), over the chushi and rushi issue, and over the\nseparateness of yi and xia.\n   All these debates demonstrate the contradiction and conflict between the two\ndifferent cultures. Some of them carried over all the way to the period of the Sui and\nTang dynasties. We need not belabor the point with detailed descriptions here.\n   From these aforementioned conditions, we can see that when two different\ncultures come in contact with each other, contradictions and conflicts between\nthem are inevitable. The question is how did people deal with these contradictions\nand conflicts? Did they use political force to reject the imported culture? Or did they\nabsorb, from the contradictions and conflicts, the elements of the imported culture\nand assimilate them, blending them into the indigenous culture? This is a major"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "question. It appears that from the Northern-Southern Dynasty period to the\nSui-Tang period, in spite of the existence of contradictions and conflicts between\nChina’s indigenous culture and imported Indian culture, the Chinese nation did not\nreject the imported culture but to the best of its ability absorbed and digested it in\nthe midst of the contradiction and conflicts. This expressed the nation’s self-\nconfidence and sense of the value of its own culture. It was precisely because\n\f21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development                      273"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "there were these contradictions and conflicts between the two cultural traditions and\nbecause our nation’s traditional culture continued to absorb Indian culture in the\nmidst of these contradictions and conflicts that our national culture’s development\nwas greatly and forcefully propelled forward. In this period, our nation’s culture, in\nthe areas of philosophy and thought, literature and art, architecture and sculpture,\nand even in science, technology, and medicine and health care, expressed a lively,\nflourishing posture. This was certainly and undeniably related to the relatively good\ntreatment that it gave to the imported Indian culture.\n3. After the Sui-Tang period, Indian Buddhism was absorbed by Chinese culture.\n   First to emerge were sinicized sects of Buddhism. Then, in the Song Dynasty,\n   Buddhism actually became an integral part of Chinese traditional culture and\n   was absorbed, in toto, by China’s traditional culture, forming the school of Song-\n   Ming lixue, or Neo-Confucianism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ming lixue, or Neo-Confucianism.\n    In the Sui-Tang period, a number of (new) Buddhist sects appeared in China.\nAmong these, the Tiantai (Heavenly Terrace), Huayan (Garland), and Chan\n(Meditation) sects were all in fact Sinicized Buddhist sects. The major issues\ndiscussed by these three sects were the questions of xinxing (mind and nature)\nand lishi (principle and matter). The xinxing question was a major problem in\nChina’s own traditional philosophy to begin with. It can be traced back to Confu-\ncius and Mencius—especially the latter. When Mencius proposed “extend the\nmind, know one’s innate nature, and thereby know the heavens” ( jin xin,zhi xing\nzhi tian), he touched on the question of xinxing. The aforementioned three sects of\nBuddhism all discussed the question of foxing (Buddha nature) and ben xin (original\nmind). Especially in the case of the Chan sect, the problem of xinxing was discussed\nat length. According to this sect’s view, “Buddha Nature” is really the equivalent of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“original mind.” What Chan did was to develop, from one particular angle, the\nquestion of xinxing, which was in China already. As for the question of the\nrelationship between li (principle) and shi (matter), the Huayan sect proposed that\n“li and shi do not interfere with each other” and “shi and shi do not interfere with\none another.” This was related to the xuanxue metaphysics of the Wei-Jin period. In\nWei-Jin xuanxue, there was already the idea of “unity of essence and function”\n(ti yong ru yi). For example, Wang Bi spoke of “the cause of wu (nonbeing) lies in\nyou (being).” He said: “Even when we are faced with a grand enterprise and\nimmense wealth and acknowledge the you of all things (wan wu), we must say\nthat each (thing) has its de (metaphysical, not physical, character); although we\nexalt wu (nonbeing) as a matter of yong (function, i.e., not essence) we cannot have\nti (essence) in total discard of wu.” Here, he was using the concept of “unity or"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "oneness of essence and function” to explain the relationship between being and\nnonbeing. Thus, the idea of li shi wu wai (principle, i.e., the issue of essence, and\nmatter, i.e., the issue of function or phenomena, do not interfere with each other) is\nclearly related to the ideas of Wang Bi. As for the idea of shi shi wu wai (matter\ndoes not interfere with other matter), it could very well be something influenced by\nthe notion of singularization (du hua lun) of Guo Xiang. Subsequently in China, the\nHuayan sect and the Chan sect had very important influences or philosophical\n\f274                            21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "thought. This was precisely because they were Sinicized Buddhism. In contrast, the\nteaching of wei shi (the Dharmalaksana sect, or the School of Understanding Only),\nalthough propagated and espoused in the early Tang by the Grand Master Xuan\nZhang, was popular for only some 30 years and then quickly declined. This is\nbecause the wei shi school was dyed-in-the-wool Indian Buddhism.\n    In the Song Dynasty, the lixue philosophy opposed Buddhism, but in terms of\nphilosophical intellectual development, it totally took the place of Buddhism. This\nwas, of course, not accidental. In the beginning, China’s traditional thought was\noriented toward entering the secular world (rather than leaving it) (rushi), or we\nmay say it focused on the realization of “bringing stable government to the nation\nand order to the world” (zhi guo ping tianxia) within the context of the world of\npresent reality. In this, it was fundamentally different from the Buddhist idea of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "removing oneself from the secular world (chushi). However, as a consequence, the\nquestion of what sort of basis there can be for arguing that it is possible to establish\nan ideal society and the question of how the ideal of zhi guo ping tianxia can be\nrealized became a major problem for consideration. Thus, the concept of “Heaven’s\nprinciple” (tian li) was proposed. Cheng Hao said: “Although there are parts of my\nlearning that came from some previous teachers, the idea of tian li—these two\nwords—was definitely something that I derived myself from experience and from\nmy own realizations.” “Heaven’s principle” was not a “principle of emptiness (kong\nli), but a principle of substance” (shi li); it was considered to be the “exterior\ncharacter of the ultimate or greatest good” (zhi shan zhi biaode). As for the\nrelationship between “Heaven” (tian li, or Heaven’s principle) and “humanity”\n(renxing, or human nature), the Song Neo-Confucianist scholars speak either of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "xing zhi li (nature equals principle) or of xin zhi li (the mind equals principle). In this\nway, the xinxing question became the fundamental problem for Song-Ming lixue\nNeo-Confucianism. Both the xing zhi li formulation and the xin zhi li formulation\ncontain within themselves a question of the relationship between Heaven and\nhumanity (tian ren guanxi), and therefore, the Song-Ming lixue scholars argued,\nontologically speaking, the viewpoint of “unity of Heaven and humanity”(tian ren\nhe yi). The two Cheng brothers used the dictum: “Essence and function come from\nthe same source; there is no separation between that which is manifest and that\nwhich is hidden” (tiyong yi yuan, xian wei wu juan) to describe the relationship\nbetween Heaven and humanity. Zhu Xi, on the other hand, used the formulation of\n“every man has an ultimate, every object has an ultimate” (ren ren you yi tai ji, wu\nwu you yi tai ji) to do the same. Lu Jinyuan said: “The universe is my mind; my"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mind is the universe” (yu zou bian shi wu xin, wu xin bian shi yu zou), and Wang\nShouren said: “The mind is Heaven; when we speak of the mind, then Heaven, earth\nand all things are already mentioned.” Here both were speaking of the principle,\n“Heaven and humanity are of the same essence, or body” (tian ren yi ti). What all\nthese people advocated was that to accomplish the ideal state of “unity of Heaven\nand humanity” (tian ren he yi) and thus to realize the sagely enterprise of “giving\ngood government to the nation and order to the world” (zhi guo ping tianxia); we\nmust, from the side of man (ren), realize in ourselves the principle of Heaven, and to\ndo this, we must enhance our own moral standards to attain the heights of “unity of\n\f21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development                        275"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "knowledge and action” (zhi xing he yi) and discipline as well as nurture our mind\nand nature. From the angle of this doctrine of nurturing and disciplining one’s mind\nand nature, Song-Ming lixue once again connected itself in a way to the xiuyang\ngongfu (exercises or efforts of discipline and nurturing) advocated by Chan Bud-\ndhism, such that the purpose of moral or ethical practice on the part of lixue was not\nthe individual’s becoming Buddha but the realization of their ideal of a harmonious\nsociety. Song-Ming lixue criticized Buddhism, but it also absorbed from Buddhism\nand blended it into its own teachings, giving Chinese philosophy a more complete\nontological theory, theory of value, and a system of lebensphilosophie\n(or philosophy of life). Thus, from the time of the two Han dynasties through the\nSong and Ming, Chinese philosophy, under the impact of an imported culture,\naccomplished its first syllogistic process of “positive-negative synthesis” (zheng-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "fan-he), and this propelled Chinese philosophy’s forward development. What\nrevelations do we reap from this process? I believe that we can learn at least the\nfollowing four things:\n(1) The absorption of Indian culture by China’s culture took several centuries. This\n    demonstrates that the absorption and blending by a cultural tradition of an\n    imported culture cannot be accomplished in a day. It calls for a certain length of\n    time and certain conditions. From the angle of the introduction of Indian\n    culture, from the first century to the ninth and tenth centuries, Indian Buddhism\n    was very popular in China, but at the same time, China’s traditional culture also\n    expressed its extremely great life-force. In each of the three aforementioned\n    stages, China’s traditional culture’s life-force–where it was located, the locus\n    of its value–was demonstrated; also clearly it expressed an ability boldly to\n    welcome, absorb, and blend in this imported culture. Therefore, we can arrive at"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a perspective, namely, that when a culture adopts a “liberal” (kaifang) attitude\n    toward an imported culture, it is giving expression to the fact that this national\n    culture itself has a strong life-force. For a culture to be able fully to absorb and\n    blend in with an imported culture is an important condition for the accelerated\n    development of this culture. The effect that an imported culture has on the\n    development of an indigenous culture is a new stimulus. When a culture with\n    life-force is challenged by an imported culture, not only will it not reject the\n    latter, but it will digest it so as to make for a faster and more healthy develop-\n    ment on its own part. Therefore, such ideas as “keeping to one’s own cultural\n    standards” (ben wei wenhua) or “national essentialism” (guo cui zhuyi) not only\n    are harmful to the development of the nation’s culture but are nothing more\n    than a demonstration of the decline of that national culture."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "(2) Our analysis of the numerous phenomena that have been generated since the\n    contact between our country’s indigenous culture and Indian culture is an\n    understanding at which we have arrived only today. In the developmental\n    process of history itself, people did not understand this. When we study this\n    developmental process today, we can observe the following phenomenon: in\n    the stage that immediately follows the introduction of an imported culture, it\n    very often automatically and self-motivatingly adapts itself to the needs of the\n\f276                           21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "indigenous culture in some respects and finds for itself some connecting and\n    integrating points with the indigenous culture. For example, in the Han Dynasty,\n    Buddhism focused on preaching such things as the indestructability of the soul\n    ( jing ling bu mie) and cause-and-effect retribution (yin-guo bao ying) and later\n    on adapted to the requirements of Wei-Jin xuanxue metaphysics, giving rise to\n    the so-called fo xuan (Buddhist metaphysics). This phenomenon does not occur\n    by accident. Can we consider this to be a general rule or law then? I think we\n    can and we should. This is because if the imported culture did not adapt itself to\n    the indigenous traditional culture (perhaps we should say certain parts of the\n    traditional culture) but attempted to take its place, it would have to make a\n    wholesale negation of the traditional culture. This would mean cutting through\n    history and severing it into segments, abandoning the spiritual pillar on which"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the nation had long relied for its very existence. Under these conditions, the\n    imported culture would be, for the nation or country to which it is introduced, a\n    forced imposition and a culture that has no root, and it would not be able to exist\n    for a prolonged time in this way. On the other hand, if we can, soon after the\n    introduction of an imported culture, discover between it and the indigenous\n    culture certain connective and integrative points, and thus make the imported\n    culture quickly and more successfully adapt to the requirements of the devel-\n    opment of the nation or country to which it was introduced, it would not only\n    help to enrich and develop the indigenous culture but also cause the indigenous\n    culture to generate, under the impact of the imported culture, certain possibil-\n    ities of altering its directions of development.\n(3) Every culture is bound to have characteristics that differentiate it from other"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cultures. If it existed merely as a unique culture in itself, it must preserve its\n    most basic characteristics, or the culture would soon become a relic of history\n    instead of remaining effective as a contemporary culture. By comparison with\n    Indian Buddhism, the most salient characteristic of China’s traditional culture\n    was how it taught people to realize its ideal of zhi guo ping tianxia in real life.\n    This sort of rushi (entering the secular world) spirit was very must at odds with\n    Indian Buddhism’s idea of chushi (removing oneself from the secular world).\n    After its introduction, Indian Buddhism had a profound impact on the social life\n    of the Chinese people and indeed made a difference in many aspects of that life,\n    but the basic spirit of rushi of the Chinese culture was not changed by the\n    imported Indian culture. Thus, as an independent cultural system, China’s\n    culture continued to exist and develop. Whether or not this traditional culture"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of China can continue to develop from now on depends on two conditions: one,\n    it must be able to maintain its special character and, two, it must be bold enough\n    to absorb imported culture to adapt to the requirements of the development of\n    real social life. The first aspect exemplifies the unique value it has as a cultural\n    tradition for all of human civilization. If it cannot maintain its special character,\n    this cultural tradition will disappear from history. The latter aspect exemplifies\n    that a culture with a life-force can, by maintaining its own special character,\n    develop and absorb new things. If it does, it is bound to develop. But if it loses\n    its ability to absorb new things, then it cannot continue to exist solely on the\n\f21   A Study of the Question of China’s Cultural Development                     277"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "basis of maintaining its special character. From the viewpoint of the history of\n    the development of China’s traditional culture, it can be said to possess both of\n    these conditions.\n(4) After Indian culture was introduced into China, at one stage, it appeared,\n    outwardly, that Buddhism had an influence on social life that superseded that\n    of the indigenous traditional culture. For example, the Jing zhi zhi (Record of\n    Books and Documents) in the Sui shi (History of the Sui Dynasty) tells us that\n    as a result of the advocacy of kings and emperors, Buddhism flourished to the\n    extent that “people throughout the realm competed to express their adoration\n    of teaching, and the number of Buddhist scriptures in the common society was\n    tens or even hundreds of times greater than that of the Six Classics.” There-\n    fore, the development of ideological culture in the Sui-Tang period clearly\n    was related in great part to the development of Buddhism. Many important"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "thinkers of the time were Buddhist monks, and some Buddhist sects were\n    engaged in developing Chinese philosophy. This might have been an inevi-\n    table phenomenon at a certain stage of the relationship between two different\n    traditional cultures after they have been in contact with one another for some\n    time. Nonetheless, what is significant here is that the development of the\n    Chinese Buddhist sects did not head in the direction of forcing China’s social\n    life to adapt spiritually to the requirements of Indian culture, but on the\n    contrary, Buddhism headed in the direction of sinicization. In particular, the\n    emergence of the Chan sect destroyed the character of Buddhism as a religion.\n    Not only did it not call for the practices of reciting the sutras and worshipping\n    Buddha, it even allowed devotees to scold Buddha and the masters and\n    patriarchs. Buddhism proposed that it was possible to realize the ideal of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "becoming Buddha in everyday life, saying “no matter whether you are fetch-\n    ing water or cutting firewood, all that is the wondrous way.” Therefore, just\n    taking that one step further meant that one could become a saint or a sage if\n    only one “served one’s father filially and served one’s sovereign faithfully.”\n    This meant that China’s traditional culture could take the place of Buddhism.\n   At present, as a result of the requirements of historical development, the\nquestion of how China’s culture shall develop has once more been placed on\nour agenda. We are again confronted with the impact of all sorts of Western ideas\nand trends of thought. How do we reconsider the value of China’s traditional\nculture? How shall we reform and develop it to adapt it to the current trends of the\ndevelopment of modernization? These problems call upon us to continue to\nexplore new lessons. From the history of the introduction of Buddhism into"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "China, we have revealed phenomena that occurred as China’s culture came\nunder the impact of an imported culture; this ought to have great value as\nreference to us in our study of how China’s culture should develop from now on.\n\fChapter 22\nThe Enlightenment and Its Difficult\nJourney in China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Two broadly intellectual trends are seen as influential in China today: (1) the zeal\nfor “national essence” or “national character” and (2) constructive postmodernism.\nThese two trends can, if under the guidance of Marxism, not only take root in China\nbut further develop so that, with comparative ease, China can complete its “First\nEnlightenment”—realizing its modernization—and also very quickly enter into the\n“second enlightenment,” becoming the standard-bearer of a postmodern society.\n\n\n22.1     The Eighteenth-Century European “Enlightenment\n         Movement” and China’s Sixteenth-Century Late\n         Ming “Enlightenment Trend of Thought”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kant (1724–1804) advocated “the audacity to make use of reason” as the watchword\nof the “Enlightenment Movement.” Therefore, we can say that “rationality” opened\nup Europe’s Enlightenment Movement. Its thinkers used “reason” to counteract the\nsuperstition of the Roman Catholic Church and the folly of secularism, leading up to\nEuropean capitalistic class society and its revolutionary movements. This movement\nnot only led to a breakthrough in the natural sciences, it also influenced the social\nsciences of the West (political science, economics, sociology, etc.) by establishing\ntheir foundations of intellectual inquiry. European philosophy, political science,\neconomics, jurisprudence, and theories of sociology led to the 1789 capitalistic\nclass revolution in France, overturning its feudal order. By 1793 it proclaimed"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This article appeared in 文汇报 (Wen Hui Bao), Shanghai, on Wednesday,\n14 November 2011. The Wen Hui Bao was founded by leftist-leaning intellectuals in 1938.\nThe newspaper has a circulation of more than two million today.\nProcess Perspectives, Spring 2012, 34(2): 1, 3–5\nTranslated by Franklin J. Woo, December 21, 2011\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                              279\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_22\n\f280                               22   The Enlightenment and Its Difficult Journey in China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Human Rights and Citizens Rights Manifesto,” leading up to monarchical\nconstitutionalism. The victory of the French capitalistic class revolutionary move-\nment broke the power of European feudalism and had the powerful influence of\nother European nations to establish capitalistic class revolutionary movements.\nThus began the European Enlightenment which resulted finally in European\ncapitalistic countries with republicanism or the establishment of democratic institu-\ntions with monarchical constitutionalism.\n    Presently, the scholarly world in China often refers to the sixteenth-century late\nMing Dynasty where grew the antifeudal totalitarian despotic rule which controlled\nChinese society in the name of “the heavenly order,” “eliminating human hubris” in\nits ritualized socialization. The antifeudal movement attacked asceticism, elevated\npersonhood, and upheld the spirit of individuality in nonconformity to anyone or"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "social mores, with sensuality seen as a new value and the realization of the spirit of\nhumanism, frequently using “enlightenment trend,” “enlightenment thought,”\n“enlightenment culture,” “enlightenment in substance,” etc., to describe the nature\nof this movement. Some scholars regarded the antifeudal ritualized socialization\nof the late Ming as “enlightenment thinking” or enlightenment as a type of “ism.”\nThey saw a branch of the 泰州 Tai Chou School, represented by playwright\nTang Xianzu (汤显祖, 1550–1616), who stressed “inner feeling” as “a profound\nenlightened thinker.” This can easily lead people to mistake the sixteenth-century\nlate Ming antifeudal movement against ritualized socialization in the liberation of\nthe individual as being similar to the eighteenth-century Enlightenment of Europe.\nHowever, as I see it, the two movements described above are not only different on\nthe surface, they are also very different in their nature and substance. The European"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Enlightenment movement of the eighteenth century was an answer to a call to make\nreason central, while the sixteenth-century late Ming antifeudal movement was in\nanswer to a call to liberate human inner feeling as central. The results of the former\nare the major breakthrough in natural science, the establishment of the foundations\nof the social sciences, and the systems of capitalistic and democratic societies.\nThe results of the latter are different. Although a small number of thinkers still\nsupported antifeudal totalitarian despotic rule, as the conquering of China by the\nQing reinforced the feudal control of Chinese society and suppressed those scholars\nwho were critical of the feudal system, to the point that the tide of antifeudalism\nwas broken."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "22.2    The Mid-Nineteenth-Century Chinese Society Amid\n        the “Enlightenment” of the West and Its Struggle\n        to Advance Through Manifold Obstacles\n\nIn the 1840s, after China’s defeat in the First Opium War, amid conflicts with the\nimperial West (including the industrialized East, as seen in Japan), which made the\nChinese people realize that their country was weak, the Chinese government was\n\f22.3   China’s Own Enlightenment and Its Slogan of “Science. . .                  281"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "inept and corrupt, while the governments of the West were strong and progressive.\nThe root cause was that China’s thinking was out of date and its government was in\ndisarray and powerless. A small coterie of progressive intellectuals including\ngovernment officials in China were passively influenced incrementally by the\nEnlightenment coming steadily from the West, including its thinking and its\npolitical system. During this period, the ideas and political system of the West\ncame to China through its publications and translations. The capitalistic thinkers of\nthe West promulgated democracy, freedom, human rights, and all sorts of thinking\nemphasizing equality. All these contributed to the progress of humanity that\nwithout doubt had a huge influence on China, albeit slowly.\n   Knowledgeable people in China recognized that the strength of Western\ncountries was based on their progressive knowledge of science and technology.\nThey therefore advocated “to learn from the enemy’s strength to control them”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and then established a movement to “learn from the West” [in terms of science and\ntechnology]. But this learning from the Western movement could not transcend the\nlimited understanding of 中学为体, 西学为用, zhong xue wei ti, xi xue wei yong,\n“Chinese substance, through Western usage.” It could break out of the Qing\nDynasty’s foundation of totalitarian despotic rule. The more progressive intellec-\ntuals and government officials in their deeper understanding of the Enlightenment\nand its condition of governance claimed that China must change its own political\nsystem, if it wanted to be strong and economically viable. To promote change, there\nwas an attempt at reform through establishing a constitution by 1898, but this was\nwithout effect. And under the Qing government’s top-down pressure, the feeble\neffort at reform was a complete failure.\n   Under such an impossible situation, it was up to Dr. Sun Yatsen to initiate a\nrevolution to overturn the Qing government. The 1911 revolution was successful in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "eliminating elitist feudalism and establishing the Republic of China. Although\nSun’s revolution was successful, it did not solve the fundamental problem of\nChinese society. On the one hand, China was still under the encroachment and\noppression of the imperialist countries. On the other, there were two attempts to\nrevive the old emperor system, and the old entrenched system of thought and its\npower kept resisting and being obstructive to any reform attempts. The democratic\nRepublic of China was never truly established, and the harsh reality was that it still\nawaited the Chinese people themselves to solve its persisting problems."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "22.3     China’s Own Enlightenment and Its Slogan\n         of “Science and Democracy”: Have They\n         Come to Fruition?\n\nRegarding the May Fourth Movement (1919), there are many different interpreta-\ntions according to Chinese intellectuals, so many that I cannot introduce all of them.\nBut I feel that we cannot place the May Fourth Movement and the New Culture\nMovement as if there is no connection between these two movements with entirely\n\f282                              22   The Enlightenment and Its Difficult Journey in China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "different natures. We can perhaps say that the former is a type of antitraditional\nthinking and culture enlightenment. The latter can be seen as a type of saving-the-\nnation movement. It is only by having a new culture movement that can enable\nthe Chinese people to have a new perspective and a new set of values to realize\nhow much their country is behind, and this undoubtedly includes the hope that\nChina would be strengthened and enriched economically.\n    Also, it is only through the May Fourth love-of-country sentiment that enables\nthe Chinese people to realize that governance needs to be democratic, allowing\nfreedom of thought, thus enabling the enlightenment to be concretized in the social\nlife of China. Therefore, both the New Life Movement and the May Fourth\nMovement were integral parts of the same process. Enlightenment calls forth\nsalvation, and salvation deepens enlightenment, but in the process the国民党\nGuomindang (Nationalist Party) came up with the policy of “One leader, one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ideology, and the dictatorship of one party” resulting in the opposition between\nthe two movements. Using the salvation of the nation as central, the people’s\ndemocracy trend, freedom, human rights, etc., were all suppressed. Because of\nthis, the salvation of the nation took precedence over enlightenment, on the\nclaim that only with salvation of the nation can there be enlightenment. Such\nwas the superficial understanding of enlightenment and salvation of nation on a\ntheoretical and practical level. At the moment we need to consider both the\naspirations towards enlightenment of the New Life Movement and the May Fourth\nMovement. Have these been realized in our present society? This indeed is an\nextremely big question. I will therefore raise an example regarding this question.\n    In 1985, I was in Shenzhen at a conference of the “Association for the Coordi-\nnation of Questions of Culture.” At this conference were 20 or more participating"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "scholars from Beijing, Wuhan, Xian, and Shenzhen. During the conference, we\narrived at a common understanding. We felt that Comrade Deng Xiaoping’s\npromoting of economic development is central and that intensely realizing the\nfour modernizations was correct, and we were totally in full support. At the\nsame time, we asked if the problem of modernization is only to be understood as\nthe modernization of industry, agriculture, science and technology, and national\ndefense, because we felt that without the modernization of thought, the moderni-\nzation process will come to naught. This point made us realize that the enlighten-\nment process needs to be continued and still has a long way to go in China. In other\nwords, modernization of Chinese society is a holistic process that includes all\nsectors of society. We need Enlightenment as an ongoing process, forever moving\nforward."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "22.4    Whither Enlightenment in Chinese Society?\n\nIt has been more than 160 years since the Enlightenment trend of the West reached\nChina. However, China has not been able totally to complete its modernization.\nThis was largely because of two trends appearing in China in the latter part of the\n\f22.4   Whither Enlightenment in Chinese Society?                                    283"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "last century in the 1990s: (1) One is the opposition to monism (as opposed to\npluralism), as seen in the critique of the flaws in modernism by the postmodern\ntrend. (2) Another trend in China was the revival of Chinese cultural tradition in\nsearch of Chinese national essence or character. After more than two centuries of\ndevelopment in the West, modernism has shown all types of flaws and weaknesses,\nmanifested in its decline from “science as a panacea” leading to “instrumental\nreason,” to the degradation of the natural environment. Also, the unbridled\ndevelopment of economic growth resulted in sharp contradictions and mutual\nantagonism between person and person, and nation and nation, by its support of\ngreed in the accumulation of wealth and power. The result is the decline of human\nmorality. For the saving humanity, the negative consequences of modernity must\nbe eliminated.\n    During the 1960s, the rise of the deconstructive postmodern trend was the first"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "part of the postmodern movement which was an analysis of the flaws of modernism,\nin opposition to monism and its authoritative claims, and the smashing of all\nauthorities. Undoubtedly, this was a contribution to humanity; however, decon-\nstructive postmodernism did not provide any viable constructive alternative to what\nit attacked. Because of this lack, at the end of the last century, through process\nthinking, constructive postmodernism appeared on the scene, revealing the First\nEnlightenment (i.e., the enlightenment trends since the seventeenth and eighteenth\ncenturies) and its negative results. Integrated into the second enlightenment, these\nprocess thinkers advocate that the postmodern period is a time for the harmony\nof person to person and people to nature and for seeing the importance of a\npostmodern world. At this new era, its purpose is to build constructive relations\nbetween all life, sentient beings, and the natural order. They say that if the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "watchword for the First Enlightenment was “to liberate self,” “to be concerned\nabout others, respect and honor diversity” should be the new watchwords for the\nsecond enlightenment. At present, the influence of constructive postmodernism in\nthe West is still minimal, but I believe that, in time, it will be of great importance\nin both East and West.\n    The appearance of the quest for national character in China grew out of\nthe revival of the Chinese people. The revival of the Chinese people needs to be\ngrounded in the revival of their culture. Therefore, the task is to shift from the blind\ncriticism of cultural tradition of the past to the present struggle of how to preserve\nthe glorious 5,000 years of Chinese culture, so that it can be relevantly renewed for\nour time. Such reappropriating of the values of culture can help to overturn the\ncontinual destruction of the natural world. A group of Chinese scholars advocate\nthe classical Confucian notion of 天人合一 tian ren he yi “Heaven and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "human united.” This can mean that the harmony between humans and nature is\nthe meaningful source of all relations. Confucius was for “knowing Heaven,” which\nwas also “to fear Heaven.” To know Heaven is to use the natural world properly.\nTo fear Heaven is to respect and protect the natural world as a responsibility. The\nChinese Confucian “Heaven and humans united” resonates well with constructive\npostmodernism’s position that humans and nature are of one body. After more than\na century of distorting and denigrating Confucianism, the more knowledgeable\nscholars of China today are advocating the revival of Chinese culture, including\n\f284                               22   The Enlightenment and Its Difficult Journey in China"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "restoring the important status of Confucianism in China. In the human aim to\nsurvive and develop, China inadvertently cut itself off from its own cultural\ntradition. We all know that the central core of Confucius is 仁学 ren xue or\n“learning to be human.” Fan Qi asked, “What is 仁?” Confucius answered 爱人\nair en (“love people”). Whence come this type of love of people? (Great Learning).\nQuoting Confucius, 仁者 ren zhi (“the human person”) is a human being, intimately\nincreasing circles of relationship. Loving in relationship is a virtue that is inherent\nin humans. To love one’s own relatives is the foundation. But according to\nConfucius, loving in relationship cannot be confined to one’s own personal\nrelations; it needs to be expanded from self to others in larger circles from intimate\nrelations to loving the whole populace. It was Mencius who said that love must be\nextended to the populace and from the populace to the entire created order."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Confucian spirit of “loving relations” is not exactly equivalent to constructive\npostmodernism’s second enlightenment and its “concern of others.” The tunes may\nnot be the same, but the theme is. Together, these emphases can deal with the\nmanifold problems of modernism, preserving all the treasures of its thought and\ngoodness in society while eliminating all its flaws and ill consequences.\n   We are fully aware that in China there are scholars who are not only in touch\nwith constructive postmodernism but also have begun friendly cooperation.\nRepresentatives of constructive postmodernism are interested in traditional Chinese\nculture and its value and also receptive to its contribution. At the same time,\nscholars in China are already interested in constructive postmodernism as enabling\nhumanity to come out of its present difficult predicament. Under the guidance of\nMarxism, these two intellectual trends can seek organic synthesis. If this hybrid"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "trend can take root in China and develop, perhaps China can complete its first\nEnlightenment and with relative ease realize its modernization. Also, without\nfurther delay, China will enter into its second enlightenment and become the\nstandard-bearer of a postmodern society. That is to say, if such is a reality,\nthen the result of China’s enlightenment will be most rich in the development of\nhuman society.\n\fChapter 23\nThe Coexistence of Cultural Diversity:\nSources of the Value of Harmony in Diversity"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "23.1     Introduction"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Though one cannot say that present world conflicts are mainly the result of cultural\nclashes, they certainly are related to clashes between cultures. A debate taking place\nin the world over cultural clashes and cultural coexistence might lead to greater\nmutual understanding, tolerance, and peace or, as a result of cultural isolation and\nhegemony, to political clashes. In either case, this debate will affect the destiny of\nhumankind in the twenty-first century. Owing to the collapse of colonialism after\nthe end of World War II, Western cultural imperialism gradually faded, and greater\ncultural diversity emerged in the world. In the past half century, developments in\nworld trade and communication have led to ever more frequent cultural interactions\nbetween different peoples, nations, and regions and have made the world an\nincreasingly indivisible whole. In the present stage of world culture, two different\ntendencies have arisen: Some Western theoreticians, seeking to protect their tradi-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tional interests and customs, continue to maintain a Western-centric perspective.\nOthers, adopting an indigenous romantic feeling toward an independent or revital-\nized people, create a nationalism that seeks to return to roots and preserve native\nculture and a conservativism that seeks to return to past traditions. Some East Asian\nscholars, looking at the suffering wrought by Western culture throughout the world\nand the oppression that they personally suffered, even suggest a cultural perspective\nfocused on East Asia. A great problem that we presently face is how we can prevent\nthese two conflicting tendencies from developing into a large-scale confrontation"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Originally published in Kua wenhua duihua, Vol. l (Cross-Cultural Dialogue, I),\nYue Daiyun, ed., (Shanghai: Shanghai Wenhua Chubanshe, 1998). Translated from the\nChinese by Alan Thwaits. Translation published by permission of the author.\nCultural Interaction Studies in East Asia: New Methods and Perspectives,\nMarch 31, 2012: 229–234\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                        285\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_23\n\f286           23 The Coexistence of Cultural Diversity: Sources of the Value of Harmony. . .\n\n\nand how we can dispel confrontations that do arise. At the same time, we must be\ncareful about conflicts that may arise between the West and East Asia owing to\ndifferences in cultures and traditions.\n\n\n\n23.2    Harmony in Diversity"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "How do we enable peoples, nations, and regions of different cultural traditions to\ndevelop together while remaining different and in this way create a globally\nconscious environment for the development of cultural diversity? I think that the\nChinese principle of harmony in diversity (he er butong) provides us with a source\nof positive value for doing precisely this.\n    The Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals for the 20th year of Duke\nZhao of Lu (520 BCE) records the following conversation between Jing, marquis of Qi,\nand Yan Ying: The marquis of Qi said to Yan Ying, “‘Does only Liangqiu Ju\n[an official close to the marquis] act in harmony with me?’ Yan Ying replied, ‘Ju\nconforms. How do you get harmony (he) from conformity (tong)?’ The marquis said,\n‘Is harmony different from conformity?’ Yan Ying replied, ‘Yes. Harmony is like the\nblending of ingredients of a good soup. The chef uses various condiments to cook a\nthick meat soup over a blazing fire, blending them together, adjusting the flavor,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "adding to make up for deficiencies, and draining off excesses. The gentleman eats the\nsoup to calm his mind. The relation between ruler and minister is similar. . . Now Ju\ndoes not operate like this. Whatever you approve, Ju also approves, and whatever you\nreject, Ju also rejects. This is like adding water to water. Who can eat such “soup”?\nAgain, this is like a zither that can produce only one note. Who can listen to such\n“music”? In all such cases, sameness/conformity (tong) is unacceptable.’” Also,\nDiscourses of the States (Guoyu), in the chapter “Discourses of Zheng,” has Shi\nBo’s reply to Duke Huan of Zheng (d. 771 BCE): “NOW blending (he) various\nsubstances can in fact produce many things, whereas things of the same (tong)\nsubstance do not maintain well. Balancing one substance with another is called\nblending. Things so produced are rich and long-lasting, and substances naturally\ncome together in this fashion. Supplementing one substance with the same substance"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "produces nothing but rubbish. Thus the kings of the past had clay mixed with metal,\nwood, water, and fire to produce ceramics of all kinds.” These two passages make\nclear that he and tong are completely different in meaning. Confucius said this even\nmore clearly: “The man of virtue harmonizes without conforming (he er butong). The\nnarrow-minded man conforms without harmonizing (tong er buhe)” (Analects,\n“Zilu”). From the passages above, one can see that the significance of “harmony in\ndiversity” (he er butong) is that when two different cultural traditions achieve a\ncommon understanding through cultural intercourse and dialogue, they are in some\nsense attaining a commonality from their diverse perspectives. This commonality\nconsists not of one side vanquishing the other side, nor of one side converting the other\nside, but of finding points in common in the two different traditions and on this\nfoundation advancing both traditions. Precisely herein lies the power of harmony."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We can see this effect in the development of Chinese culture.\n\f23.2   Harmony in Diversity                                                           287"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Confucians sought to establish propriety and create music to actively maintain (you\nwei) the harmony of society. Daoists, in contrast, sought to follow nature to passively\nmaintain (wu wei) peace in society. These two originally very different cultural tradi-\ntions, over the course of nearly 2,000 years of development, achieved a certain common\nunderstanding through continuous dialogue. In the Western Jin period (265–317), Guo\nXiang, in an effort to harmonize the Confucian and Daoist traditions, proposed that\nactive administration of government (you wei) is a form of passive administration of\ngovernment (wu wei). In a comment on “Autumn Floods” in the Zhuangzi, he wrote,\n“Can men, in eking out a living, forego plowing with oxen or riding horses? In plowing\nwith an ox and riding a horse, can one avoid ringing the ox in the nose or bridling the\nhorse? The ox does not resist being ringed in the nose, and the horse does not resist"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "being bridled, because Heaven wills it. If this is mandated by Heaven, then though\nthese beasts of burden are placed in the service of man, this circumstance is rooted in\nthe will of Heaven.” The point of this passage is that though the ox is ringed in the nose\nand the horse is bridled, through the active efforts (you wei) of man, these relations\nconform to what is natural (wu wei). Both Confucians and Daoists could accept this\nperspective of Guo Xiang even though this view does not fit squarely within either the\noriginal Confucian or original Daoist tradition. Active engagement (you wei) and\npassive following (wu wei) are quite different concepts. If both perspectives are to be\naccepted to some extent, both sides must find, through a process of negotiation, points\nof commonality (points of harmony). These points of commonality can serve as\nuniversal principles that both sides can accept. These universal principles are princi-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ples that both sides can accept without their negating the distinguishing features of\neither side. This state of affairs would indeed be a case of harmony in diversity.\n    We can also illustrate the significance of harmony in diversity with developments\nresulting from the encounter of traditional Chinese culture and a foreign cultural\ntradition. Originally, Indian Buddhist culture and traditional Chinese culture (Confu-\ncianism, Daoism, etc.) were quite distinct, but from the Han (206 BCE–220 CE) to\nTang (618–907) dynasties, Chinese culture continuously strove to accept and adapt the\nquite alien culture of Buddhism, and Indian Buddhism, for its part, continuously strove\nto change aspects of itself ill-suited to the demands of Chinese society. As a result,\nduring the nearly 1,000 years in which Indian Buddhism was transmitted to China,\nChinese culture highly benefited from Indian Buddhism. Indian Buddhism profoundly\ninfluenced Chinese philosophy, literature, art, architecture, and popular customs. At"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the same time, Indian Buddhism was able to promote and perfect itself throughout the\nimmense Chinese empire. During the Sui (581–618) and Tang dynasties, for example,\nthere formed several more-Sinitie sects of Buddhism (the Tiantai sect, Huayan sect,\nand Chan sect). Yet Chinese culture remained Chinese culture and did not lose its\ndistinctive features because it adopted Indian Buddhism. Such cultural exchange and\nmutual influence serve as an excellent illustration of the principle of harmony in\ndiversity. As a matter of fact, the development of European culture also exemplifies\nthis principle. Bertrand Russell, in The Problem of China (1922), wrote, “Greece\nlearned from Egypt, Rome from Greece, the Arabs from the Roman Empire, medieval\nEurope from the Arabs, and Renaissance Europe from the Byzantines.” The reason\nthat one culture could adopt another culture was often because the notion of harmony\nin diversity was embedded in the interactions and negotiations of the two cultures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "288           23 The Coexistence of Cultural Diversity: Sources of the Value of Harmony. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "23.3    Commonalities Across Cultural Traditions"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There are various circumstances under which the principle of harmony in diversity\nappears in the interactions of two different cultural traditions. One is that in the\nnegotiations between cultures, the two cultures discover that they have similar\nconcepts. For example, Christianity has the concept of love for humanity, Buddhism\nhas the concept of compassion, and Confucianism has the concept of concern for the\nmasses. In an abstract sense, all of these concepts signify love. Love can thus serve as\na universal principle that all these different cultural traditions can accept. At the same\ntime, love for humanity, compassion, and concern for the masses are concepts that\npreserve the distinct features of their respective traditions. Another circumstance is\nthat one culture, in its intercourse with another culture, discovers that it lacks\nimportant ideas present in the latter culture and that these ideas can be accepted\ninto the former culture. By accepting the new ideas through cultural interaction,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "transforming them, and fitting them into its culture, the receiving culture can enrich\nitself. For example, China originally lacked a clear notion of sudden enlightenment,\nbut by the Song (960–1127) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties, Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi,\nand Zhu Xi had adopted the notion of sudden enlightenment into their Rational\nSchool of Neo-Confucianism, as did Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Shouren (Yangming) in\ntheir School-of-Mind Neo-Confucianism. A third circumstance is that one culture, in\nits intercourse with another culture, discovers that it lacks significant ideas present in\nthe latter culture and that though these new ideas are incompatible with some ideas of\nthe receiving culture, interactions with the other culture force it to forsake the old\nideas and accept the new foreign ideas in order to develop. For example, after the idea\nof democracy penetrated China, it had to give up such traditional notions as the “three\nguides” (san’gang; the ruler guides the minister, the father guides the son, and the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "husband guides the wife). A fourth circumstance is that in the interaction of two or\nmore cultures, these cultures discover, through repeated discussions, significant new\nideas previously missing in their cultures—ideas such as peaceful coexistence and the\ncoexistence of cultural diversity—that, when incorporated into a system of diverse\ncultures, are undoubtedly significant for the individual cultures. There may, of course,\nbe other circumstances leading one culture to adopt ideas from another, but here I will\nsay no more. When, as described above, different cultures create commonalities by\nharmonizing their differences, when they find common principles in their differences,\nand when they find common understanding in their different circumstances, such\nindeed is realizing harmony in diversity through cultural interaction and negotiation."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "23.4    Regional Diversity and the Bidirectional Nature\n        of Cultural Selection\n\nIn this discussion of harmony in diversity as a principle of intercourse between\ndifferent cultures, there are two other points worth noting. One is the issue of\nregional differences in cultural development. The other is the bidirectional nature of\n\f23.4   Regional Diversity and the Bidirectional Nature of Cultural Selection       289"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "culture selection. Having persisted for a long period or having encountered some\nspecial cause, a culture may decline or even die out in one particular region or\namong a particular people and continue to develop in another region or among\nanother people. For example, Buddhism, having been transmitted in India down to\nthe fifth and sixth centuries, stagnated, but in China, having absorbed aspects of\nChinese culture and having been developed at the hands of eminent monks during\nthe Sui and Tang dynasties, it became more sinified. Then from China it was\ntransmitted to the Korean peninsula and Japan, where it blended in with the local\ncultures. In Japan especially, there developed some distinctly local sects of Bud-\ndhism. This is why I say that Chinese culture benefited from Indian Buddhism and\nthat Indian Buddhism was promoted and perfected in China. Such regional differ-\nences in development occurred not only in China but also in Europe. As Russell"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "said in the passage quoted above, present-day European culture arose in Egypt, was\ntransmitted to Greece, passed through Rome and Arabia, and reentered Europe.\nSuch regional development of culture thus laid down many milestones in the\ndevelopment of human civilization. The reason for such development is that\nwhen culture a is transplanted within culture b, it may acquire aspects of culture\nb. These acquired aspects may be originally lacking in culture a or may have not\nreceived much development. After being added to culture a, these aspects then lead\nculture a to be developed within culture b. Such cultural development is perfectly\nconsistent with the principle of harmony in diversity and is a good example of the\nidea that “blending various substances can in fact produce many things, whereas\nthings of the same substance do not maintain well” (“Discourses of Zheng”).\n   As for the bidirectional nature of culture selection, as we know, it is not the case"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that any alien culture transmitted to a region or a people at any time and under any\ncircumstances will always be accepted and developed. For example, during the Sui\nand Tang dynasties, not only did Buddhism have a tremendous influence on\nChinese society; “Buddhist sutras were over ten times more common among the\npopulace than Confucian classics” (Sui shu [Book of Sui], Jingji zhi [Treatise on\nClassics and Books]). At this time Nestorianism (a type of Christianity) was\ntransmitted to China and had a degree of influence, yet it could not establish itself.\nThis failure was due to the bidirectional nature of culture selection. Even different\nsects of Indian Buddhism fared differently in China. For instance, Esoteric (Tantric)\nBuddhism flourished for a while in the area of Han society after the mid-Tang—a\nfact verified by the relics excavated from the underground palace at Famen Temple.\nBut later, Esoteric Buddhism fell into decline and had little lasting influence on Han"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "society. Yet in Tibet, Indian Esoteric Buddhism blended in with the local religion to\nproduce Tibetan Buddhism, which has persisted down to the present as the religion\nof Tibetans.\n   What brought about this difference? The first type of Buddhism to enter the area\nof Han society consisted of the Theravada meditation techniques associated with\nAn Shigao (d. 168 CE). Later, Lokaksema (b.c. 147 CE) brought Prajna Buddhism\nto China. From the Jin Dynasty (265–420) on, the form of Buddhism that spread in\nChina was Prajna Buddhism, not the Theravada meditation techniques. The reason\nwas that Prajna Buddhism was similar to Neo-Daoism (whose core teachings were\nthose of Laozi and Zhuangzi); that Chan Buddhism (which developed during the\n\f290          23 The Coexistence of Cultural Diversity: Sources of the Value of Harmony. . ."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tang Dynasty after Prajna Buddhism was adopted during the Eastern Jin Dynasty\n[317–420] and the Southern dynasties [420–589]) was different from Indian\nmeditation techniques, its philosophical foundation arising from Prajna Buddhism;\nand that Chan Buddhism adopted not only some elements of Daoism but also some\nelements of Confucianism in order to adapt to the needs of Chinese society. Here\nwe see mutual selection between cultures. Moreover, such mutual selection\nbetween cultures is another typical manifestation of the principle of harmony in\ndiversity.\n\n\n\n23.5    Conclusion"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the early Tang period, Xuanzang (602–664) propagated the Consciousness-Only\nSchool of Thought, but this school of thought lasted only 30 some years. The reason\nthat it was not respected by the Chinese is that this mode of thought was thoroughly\nIndian in style and thus quite different from the Chinese manner of thinking. In\ncontrast, Chan Buddhism spread quickly from the mid-Tang on because Chan\nthought was similar to Chinese thought and jelled into a Signified sect of Buddhism.\nIt then went on to influence the Rational School of Neo-Confucianism during the\nSong and Ming dynasties. This shows that in the intercourse between two different\ncultures, there is often mutual selection, and this mutual selection is to some extent\na manifestation of the principle of harmony in diversity. For only if there is\ndiversity between cultures can there be selection among diverse elements. If the\nthought of two cultures is entirely the same, there is nothing to select, and thought"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that is completely alike cannot add to preexisting thought any new ideas and so\ncannot stimulate or promote the development of the preexisting culture. We can\nthus see that the principle of harmony in diversity has great significance for the\nmutual selectivity of interacting cultures.\n    We have seen that the principle of harmony in diversity can spur healthy cultural\nexchange and promote rational development of culture, in accord with the present\nworld trend toward cultural diversity. If we want Chinese culture to develop for the\nbetter, if we want it to make a contribution to future world civilization, then we\nmust approach the culture of other peoples, nations, and regions with an attitude of\nharmony in diversity, sufficiently absorb the achievements of other cultures, and\nrenew our own traditional culture so that we can create a new culture suited to\nmodern social life.\n\fChapter 24\nOn the Clash and Coexistence\nof Human Civilizations"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "24.1     “The Clash of Civilizations”\n         and the “New Empire” Theory"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 1993, an essay entitled “Clash of Civilizations?” was published on the summer\nissue of Foreign Affairs, USA, by Samuel Hungtington. In 1994, I criticized\nthe American Hegemonism represented by Hungtington in an essay titled as\n“On Hungtington’s Clash of Civilizations?”, published in Philosophical Studies.1\nBetween the publications of the two essays, Hungtington’s theory was widely\ndiscussed and criticized in all aspects by many scholars at home and abroad.\nTo respond to these challenges as well as to amplify and revise his own theory,\nHungtington published his chef d’oeuvre, The Clash of Civilizations and Remaking\nof World Order, in 1996, which had marked some changes in his arguments; for\nexample, in the Foreword to the Chinese translation, he writes: “The global politics,\nfor the first time in human history, has become multipolar and multicultural.”2\nIn the section of “The Commonalities of Civilization,” he points out:\n   Some Americans have promoted multiculturalism at home; some have promoted"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "universalism abroad; and some have done both. Multiculturalism at home threatens\nthe United States and the West; universalism abroad threatens the West and the\nworld. Both deny the uniqueness of Western culture. The global monoculturalists\nwant to make the world like America. The domestic multiculturalists want to make\nAmerica like the world. A multicultural America is impossible because a\nnon-Western America is not American. A multicultural world is unavoidable"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Translated by Yang Zhiyi: Revised by Shen Hong\nProcedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2010 (2): 7381–7391\n1\n  hh评亨廷顿<文明的冲突?>ii, 载hh哲学研究ii, 1994 年第 3 期。\n2\n  中文版序言ii, 亨廷顿: hh文明的冲突与世界秩序的重建ii, 周琪、刘绯、王圆译, 新华出版\n社, 1999 年。\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                     291\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_24\n\f292                                   24 On the Clash and Coexistence of Human Civilizations"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "because global empire is impossible. The preservation of the United States and the\nWest requires the renewal of Western identity. The security of the world requires\nacceptance of global multiculturality.3\n   Though there are still some arguable points in the above-quoted paragraph, the\nopinion that “the security of the world requires acceptance of global multicul-\nturality” is undoubtedly prudent enough. Why did this change occur in\nHungtington’s point of view? It was because he had felt the global challenges\nand threats endangering the Western (or American de facto) hegemony, and the\ndomestic problems of racism and the like, that he proposed the “remaking of world\norder.” In the section of “Renewal of the West?” Hungtington claims:\n   The West obviously differs from all other civilizations that have ever existed in that it has\n   had an overwhelming impact on all other civilizations that have existed since 1500. It also"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "inaugurated the process of modernization and industrialization that have become world-\n   wide, and as a result societies in all other civilizations have been attempting to catch\n   up with the West in wealth and modernity. Do these characters of the West, however, mean\n   that its evolution and dynamics as a civilization are fundamentally different from\n   the patterns that have prevailed in all other civilizations? The evidence of history and the\n   judgments of the scholars of the comparative history of civilizations suggest otherwise.\n   The development of the West to date has not deviated significantly from the evolutionary\n   patterns common to civilizations throughout history. The Islamic Resurgence and the\n   economic dynamism of Asia demonstrate that other civilizations are alive and well and at\n   least potentially threatening to the West. A major war involving the West and the core states\n   of other civilizations is not inevitable, but it could happen. Alternatively the gradual and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "irregular decline of the West which started in the early twentieth century could continue for\n   decades and perhaps centuries to come. Or the West could go through a period of revival,\n   reverse its declining influence in world affairs, and reconfirm its position as the leader\n   whom other civilizations follow and imitate.4"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We conclude from the above quotation that, on the one hand, Hungtington has\nfelt “the gradual and irregular decline” of the Western leadership in the world and\nthe potential threat to the West coming from those countries undergoing or having\nundergone the process of modernization and industrialization by imitating the\nWest. Surely, this is a reality unacceptable for him and some other Western\nscholars, especially for certain political leaders (Mr. George W. Bush, the current\nAmerican president, for instance), involved with an unsolvable complex of theirs:\nwhy do those resurgent Islamic movements or rising Asian countries which have\naccepted the western way of modernization and industrialization become a threat to\nthe West instead? According to their reasoning, these countries should and could\nonly play the role of Western adherents or loyal subjects in all spheres, especially in\npolitics and culture. Nevertheless, the reality contradicts their expectations,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "resulting consequently in an anxiety in the Western mind. On the other hand, the\ndeep-seated dream Hungtington really cherishes is the “renewal of the West,” to\n“reconfirm its position as the leader whom other civilizations follow and imitate.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3\n  Samuel P. Hungtington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, New York,\n1996, p.318\n4\n  Ibid., p. 302.\n\f24.1   “The Clash of Civilizations” and the “New Empire” Theory                          293"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The performance of the Bush administration after “9.11” incident can be regarded\nfrom this standpoint as an attempt to reconfirm American hegemonic leadership\non other civilizations.\n   After Hungtington’s The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of\nWorld Order, another book, Empire—A Global Political Order, coauthored by\nAntonio Negri (Italy) and Michael Handt (USA), was published in 2000.\nThe basic judgment of this work on current global situation is as follows: “Empire\nis materializing before our very eyes”; it presents its rule as a regime with no\nterritorial or temporal boundaries; “this new global form of sovereignty is what we\ncall Empire,” “the political subject that effectively regulates these global\nexchanges, the sovereign power that governs the world.”5 Embracing this doctrine,\nmany scholars in the United States propagate the “New Empire” theories. For\nexample, John J. Mearsheimer, professor of politics in the University of Chicago,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "put forward in his Tragedy of Great Power Politics (New York, 2002) the following\ntheory: As every state seeks the maximization of its share of world power, no\nbalancing structure could exist, and the best defense is to offend (which provides\na theoretical basis for President Bush’s “Preemptive Strike” theory). Another\n“postmodern state” theorist is Robert Cooper, Foreign Office adviser of British\nprime minister Tony Blaire, who divides all states into three types: first, postmodern\nstates, e.g., North American and European countries and Japan; second, modern\nstates, i.e., nation-states like China, India, Brazil and Pakistan; and, third,\npremodern states, e.g., African and Middle East countries and Afghanistan.\nA concept put forward and reiterated by Cooper is “New Imperialism,” which\nmeans postmodern states should use their national power (including military\npower) to control modern states, meanwhile to contain the barbaric acts in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "premodern states such as mass slaughter.6 More aggressive still, the American\nneoconservatists in the twenty-first century have advocated three core creeds:\n(1) the extreme adoration of military force, (2) the claim of an American “benign\nhegemony,” and (3) the emphasis on the exportation of American democracy and\nvalues. In accordance with this tone, President George W. Bush delivered his\nspeech at the commencement of West Point on June 1, 2002, which could be\nsummarized as three basic principles: First, America should maintain its power of\n“preemptive strike”; second, American values are universal; and, third, the United\nStates should maintain an unchallengeable military force.7 This “New Empire”\ndoctrine would inevitably arouse “clashes” among the states and nations of other\ncivilizations, and its central rhetoric has already been echoed by Hungtington’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "5\n  Michael Handt & Antonio Negri, Empire, “Preface”, Harvard University Press, 2000.\n6\n  C.f. 佩里·安德森 (Perry Anderson) 等: hh三种新的全球化国际关系理论ii (“Three Recent\nTheories on International Relationships in Globalization Era”), hh读书ii 2002 年第10 期。\n7\n  C.f., 陈光兴: hh<帝国>与去帝国化问题ii (“Empire and the problem of de-empirization”), hh读书ii\n2002 年7期:崔之元: hh布什原则、西方人文传统、新保守主义ii (“Principles of Bush, Western\nhumanity tradition and Neoconservatism”), hh读书ii 2003 年 8 期。hh布莱尔的自由帝国主义理论\n奏效吗?ii (“Would Blair’s Liberal Imperialism work?”), originally Tony Blair’s speech: “The best\ndefense of our security lies in the spread of our values.” (Sunday Telegraph, May 30, 2004).\n\f294                                  24 On the Clash and Coexistence of Human Civilizations"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "theory of the “clash of civilizations.” Two basic proposals are made in the latter’s\n“Clash of Civilizations?”: (1) to “limit the expansion of the military strength in\nIslamic and Confucian states,” to “maintain the military superiority of the West in\nEast and Southwest Asia,” and to “exploit the differences and conflicts among\nIslamic and Confucian states” and (2) to “strengthen international institutions that\nreflect and legitimate Western interests and values and to promote the involvement\nof non-Western states in those institutions.”8 From these proposals, we conclude\nthat because of the “clashes of civilizations” kindled by the West, headed by the\nUnited States, on cultural differences (values, for example), the world has become a\npandemonium with the upgrading of regional wars.\n    Should civilizations survive only in “clashes,” in order to materialize the uni-\nversal “New Empire” doctrine? Why couldn’t they “coexist” in peace?\n\n\n\n24.2      “Coexistence of Civilizations” and New Axial Age"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Human history has recorded enough cases of clashes caused by cultural\n(or religious) differences among states, nations, or regions. Nevertheless, in view\nof the general tendency of history, we find that the development of civilizations\namong different states, nations, and regions should be dominated by mutual\nabsorption and convergence. In my opinion, most conflicts among these states,\nnations, and regions were not provoked by cultural differences. As my knowledge\nabout Western culture (both civilization and culture concern with a comprehensive\nlifestyle of a nation; thus civilization is a magnified culture) is limited, I am not\nauthoritative enough to speak on this issue; here I would like to quote Bertrand\nRussell to justify a proposition that the present Western civilization is formed by\nabsorbing and syncretizing several cultural elements. In 1922, after Russell’s visit\nto China, he wrote in an essay titled as “Chinese and Western Civilization\nContrasted” the following words:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Contrasted” the following words:\n    Contacts between different civilizations have often in the past proved to be landmarks in\n    human progress. Greece learnt from Egypt, Rome from Greece, the Arabs from the Roman\n    Empire, medieval Europe from the Arabs, and Renaissance Europe from the Byzantines.9\n    Though it might be arguable whether Russell was accurate enough on every point of his\n    views, two of which, however, are undoubtedly correct: 1. contacts between different\n    cultures are important dynamics for the progress of human civilizations; 2. the European\n    culture today has absorbed many elements from other national cultures, including some\n    from the Arabian. Another observation based on the progress of Chinese culture would be\n    even more forceful to prove that clashes of civilizations are always temporal, whereas\n    mutual absorption and convergence are far more important."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "8\n Samuel P. Hungtington. “Clash of Civilizations?” p. 49, in Foreign Affairs, summer, 1993.\n9\n Bertrand Russell. “Chinese and Western Civilization Contrasted”, in The Problem of China.\nLondon. 1922.\n\f24.2     “Coexistence of Civilizations” and New Axial Age                                          295"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Spring-and-Autumn and Warring States periods, different local cultures\nexisted in China, including Central Area (Henan) culture, Qi-Lu (Shandong)\nculture, Qinlong (Shaanxi) culture, Jingchu (Southern) culture, Wu-Yue (Southeast)\nculture, and Ba-Shu (Southwest) culture. All of them were amalgamated later into a\ngenerally unified Chinese (Huaxia) culture. The possibility of the coexistence of two\ncultures would be especially illuminated by the importation of Indian Buddhism in\nthe first century A.D. Buddhism culture spread in China peacefully; its cultural\ndifferences with indigenous Confucianism or Taoism had never brought their\ndisciples into war. Only on three occasions had the Chinese imperial courts\nsuppressed Buddhism, which were caused without exception by political or\neconomic factors. Generally speaking, Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist cultures\ncoexist well in China. A famous French sinologist (Kristofer Schipper) once asked"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "me: “Why is China multicultural?” I pondered for a while and then answered,\nperhaps there are two reasons: First, from the ideological point of view, the Chinese\nalways advocates “harmony in diversity” (和而不同), i.e., the harmonious coexis-\ntence of diverse cultures. Secondly, in terms of political systems, the Chinese\nemperor was the highest authority dominating the fates of religious, philosophical,\nand ethical cultures in China. For the sake of social stability, the emperor did not\nwant to see conflicts or wars provoked by cultural differences. Thus, he usually\nsponsored the “debate of three schools,” summoning the representatives of Confu-\ncian, Taoist, and Buddhist scholars to debate in imperial court, arbitrating their\nrespective statuses according to the degree of success in debate, instead of allowing\nany conflicts or even wars.\n   From the above arguments and historical experiences, I conclude that\nHungtington’s “clash of civilizations” theory is, at any rate, ex parte, serving"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "merely for American international politics. He says as follows:\n      It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in the new world will not be\n      primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the\n      dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation-states will remain the most powerful\n      actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between\n      nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global\n      politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future.10"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hungtington’s observation is insightful in certain cases, such as Palestinian-\nIsrael conflict in the Middle East, Kosovo conflict, or even the Iraqi War, where\nsome cultural (religious and ethical) elements catalyzed the outbursts of wars.\nYet in closer analysis, the basic causes of wars or conflicts are not cultural but\npolitical and economic: Palestinian-Israel conflict was a contest for regional\nhegemony, Iraqi War was mainly for oil, and Kosovo conflict for the strategies of\npower politics. But on the other hand, cultural differences have not provoked\nconflicts between many nations, such as in Sino-Indian, Sino-Russian, or even\nSino-European relations. In fact, there have been no serious conflicts or wars\n(for whatever reason) between them, especially in the last decade. Thus, the\n\n\n10\n     “Clash of civilizations?”, p. 22, op. cit.\n\f296                               24 On the Clash and Coexistence of Human Civilizations"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“clash of civilizations” theory hardly fits the present global situation, nor will it be\nthe future perspective of mankind. Instead, the “coexistence of civilizations” should\nbe the only outlet for human society and a future goal we should strive for.\n    Perhaps, a clearer picture of our age may help to illuminate this problem. In my\nopinion, we find ourselves in a New Axial Age.\n    The idea of Axial Age was proposed by German philosopher Karl Jaspers\n(1883–1969). According to his theory, around 500 B.C., great thinkers appeared\nalmost simultaneously in Ancient Greece, Israel, India, and China, and they con-\ntributed their original ideas to the solution of the problems which are of great\nconcern to humankind. Distinctive cultural traditions were then formed, respec-\ntively, by Socrates and Plato in Ancient Greece, Laozi and Confucius in China,\nShakyamuni in India, and Jewish prophets in Israel, which, after more than 2,000\nyears of progress, have become the principle part of human intellectual wealth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These regional cultural traditions were independent in their births and develop-\nments, without mutual influence. “Until today mankind has lived by what happened\nduring the Axial Period, by what was thought and created during that period. In\neach new upward flight it returns in recollection to this period and is fired anew by\nit. Even since then it has been the case that recollections and reawakenings of the\npotentialities of the Axial Period—renaissances—afford a spiritual impetus.”11 For\nexample, the Europeans in Renaissance had traced the origin of their culture back to\nAncient Greece, which had rekindled the European civilization and left its mark in\nworld history. Similarly, the Song and Ming Neo-Confucian thinkers in China,\nstimulated by the impacts of Indian Buddhism, rediscovered Confucius and\nMencius of the pre-Qin period and elevated the indigenous Chinese philosophy to\na new height. In a certain sense, the current development of world multiculturalism"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "might become a new leap forward on the basis of the Axial Age 2,000 years ago.\nHas the contemporary human cultures created, or will create, a New Axial Age?\nJudging from certain evidences, we may well draw such a conclusion.\n    First of all, since World War II, with the gradual collapse of colonialism, the\nonce colonized and oppressed nations have taken upon themselves an urgent task to\nreaffirm their independent identities by all means. Their unique cultures (such as\nlanguages, religions, and social values) were the most important means for this\njustification. We know that Malaysia after World War II insisted on using Malay as\ntheir national tongue to emphasize the nation’s unification; and after the establish-\nment of Israel, the Israeli decided to revive Hebrew as a vernacular, though for a\nlong period of time in the past, Hebrew had only been used in religious ceremonies.\n“The central elements of any culture or civilization are language and religion.”12"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Some political leaders and scholars in Eastern countries also put forward the\n“Asian values” centered on community to distinguish themselves from the Western\n“universal values” centered on individual and so forth. Even Hungtington began to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "11\n   Karl Jaspers. The Origin and Goal of History. Michael Bullock (trans.). New Haven: Yale\nUniversity Press.1953, p. 7.\n12\n   The Clash of Civilizations and the Remarking of World Order, p. 59, op. cit.\n\f24.2    “Coexistence of Civilizations” and New Axial Age                                         297"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "understand that “non-Western civilizations generally are reaffirming the value of\ntheir own cultures.”13\n   Secondly, the Axial Age around 500 B.C. was a time when axial civilizations\nentered the Iron Age and a time of great leaps forward in productivity, which in\nconsequence produced great thinkers. Now, we have entered the Information Age,\nwhen another great leap forward in human society is just happening. Because of the\neconomic globalization, the integration of science and technology, and the progress of\ninformation network, different regions all over the world are tightly connected, and\nlocal cultural progress could no longer be independent as they once were in the “Axial\nAge” 2,000 years ago. Instead, they will be developed in the midst of discords,\nconflicts, and through mutual influences or mutual absorptions. The self-\nunderstanding of each culture is undoubtedly limited, as is described in a famous\npoem of Su Shi (1037–1101):\n     They know not Lushan Mountain’s real face;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They know not Lushan Mountain’s real face;\n     So long as they continue to stay in her embrace.14"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This couplet tells us a different perspective from another cultural system, i.e., from a\ncultural “other,” might provide us with a more comprehensive view of our own culture.\nIn an essay entitled “Why Is China Necessary for Us Westerners in Studying Philos-\nophy?”, Francois Jullien, a French scholar, writes: “We have chosen departure, which\nmeans a choice for leaving here, in order to create a space for thinking from a distant\nperspective. This detour in steady steps distinguishes itself from exoticism. We have\nmade our trip traversing China in this manner in order to better understand Greece,\nwhich, though curtained off from our knowledge by a lapse of time, is something inborn\nand inherited by us through birthright. For the purpose of enhancing this perspective,\nwe have to cut off this umbilical cord and constitute an exterior viewpoint.”15 This kind\nof intercultural study in the spirit of intersubjectivity and inter-reference, together with"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "its methodology of judging one’s own culture from the standpoint of a culture “other,”\nis gradually accepted by scholars at home and abroad. Why, then, should we understand\nour culture from another’s perspective? Just because we desire to inherit and develop\nthe cultural tradition of our own. In this case, it undoubtedly becomes a serious problem\nin how to preserve the proper traits of a culture and pass on its lifeline. As we know,\neconomy can be globalized, science and technology can be integrated, but civilizations\ncan never be monoculturalized. In the history of the progress of human society to date,\nit is neither possible nor wise enough for any culture to reject all external influences; but\nonly when the essence of the target culture is sufficiently digested could it better absorb\nforeign cultures to nourish its domestic culture. “When we keep in contacts and\nexchanges with Western world,” Mr. Fei Xiaotong said, “we should make our own"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "treasures part of the world cultural heritage. Indigenization first, globalization"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "13\n   Ibid., p. 20 op.cit.\n14\n   苏轼: hh题西林壁ii: “不识庐山真面目,只缘身在此山中。                             ”\n15\n   As the translator fails to find the French version of this essay, this translation is based on the\nChinese translation, hh为什么我们西方人研究哲学不能绕开中国?ii, published on hh跨文化对\n话ii, 5th issue, p. 146, 上海文化出版社, Jan. 2001.—Translator’s note.\n\f298                                  24 On the Clash and Coexistence of Human Civilizations"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "second.”16 That is to say, our own cultural root should be protected when learning from\nother cultures. Thus, the cultural progress in the twenty-first century concerning all\nhuman societies should be both national and universal.\n    Thirdly, judging from the status quo of human societies and cultures, a new\npattern of cultural diversity with a global consciousness has already been formed or\nis still being formed. Perhaps the twenty-first century would be dominated by four\nprinciple cultural systems: the Euro-American, the East Asian, the South Asian, and\nthe Islamic (Middle Eastern and North African). Each of the four cultures has a\nlong tradition and a population of over a billion. Of course, there are other cultures\ninfluencing the future of human society in the twenty-first century as well, for\nexample, the Latin American and the African; nevertheless, at least in the present,\nthe influence of these cultures is far less than that of the four principle cultures"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "mentioned above. If human society hopes to terminate the present chaos, it should\nespecially criticize the cultural Hegemonism and cultural Tribalism; it should not\nonly face this new cultural Axial Age but also make unremitting efforts to promote\nthe dialogues among states or nations belonging to different cultural traditions, in\norder to coordinate all the cultures into a project of solving the common problems\nchallenging human society. Undoubtedly, the four principle cultures are burdened\nwith a major responsibility for the current human society. At present, human society\nis standing on a historic turning point, and every nation or country should seriously\nreexamine its own culture in the historical perspective. This is especially true for\nthose nations in Euro-American, East Asian, South Asian, or Islamic cultural\nregions, because of the crucial functions they perform in contemporary human\ncivilization. This kind of reexamination is surely quite necessary for the future of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "human society. The culture tradition is a reality de facto for every nation or state,\nespecially for those nations and states with a long history and having crucial\ninfluence on contemporary human society, for it is deeply rooted in the hearts of\nits people, forming the spiritual prop of this particular nation or state.\n    Let us return to our own cultural tradition, make it a starting point, and seek in it\nthe source of our power and our spiritual prop, in order to promote the development\nof our contemporary culture and to solve the pressing problems existing in human\nsociety. In this sense, the Euro-American, East Asian, South Asian, and Islamic\ncultures, with their long historical traditions, might help to promote the human\nsociety in the twenty-first century to the level of a “New Axial Age,” comparable to\nthe Axial Age 2,500 years ago. Different cultural traditions would subsist in this\nNew Axial Age, each with a population too large to be eliminated—even with wars,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "there would be only little or temporary effects. Thus, in the long run, the coexis-\ntence of civilizations is predictable."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "16\n   Fei Xiaotong. (1999). Fei Xiaotong wenji [Collected works of Fei Xiaotong] (Vol. 14). Beijing:\nQunyan chubanshe.\n\f24.3   Can Chinese Culture Make Contributions to the Coexistence of Civilizations?   299\n\n\n24.3     Can Chinese Culture Make Contributions\n         to the Coexistence of Civilizations?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If Chinese people want to make contributions to the “coexistence of civiliza-\ntions” in contemporary human society, they must first know their own culture\nwell, which means they must have a cultural self-consciousness. The so-called\ncultural self-consciousness refers to the fact that people in a certain cultural\ntradition can give serious consideration or make earnest reexamination of their\nown culture’s origin, history, characteristics (including both merits and weak-\nness), and its tendency of progress. It is fair to say that the Chinese nation is on\nthe eve of a national renewal. To achieve this goal, we must have some self-\nknowledge about Chinese culture, make a proper estimation of its place\nin human civilizations, and try to ascertain the genuine spirit of this ancient\nculture, in order to present its true essence to contemporary human society.\nOn the other hand, we must analyze the weak points of our own culture as well,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to better absorb other cultures’ essences, and to give a modern reinterpretation\nof Chinese culture, so that it can adapt to the general tendency in the develop-\nment of modern society. Only in this way may our country become a vanguard in\nthe development of a global culture and create a brave new world together with\nother cultures. Confucianism and Taoism were two principle schools of thinking\nin traditional Chinese culture and generally considered to be complementary to\neach other. Of course, since Indian Buddhism was introduced into China,\nBuddhism has also played an important role in Chinese society and culture.\nNow, I would like to discuss whether the Confucian and Taoist thinking\ncan provide meaningful resources to the doctrine of “coexistence of\ncivilizations.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "24.3.1 The Confucian Doctrine of Ren (仁, Benevolence,\n       Virtue) Is a Resource of Thinking with a Positive\n       Meaning for the “Coexistence of Civilizations”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Way originates in Emotion” (道始于性), as prescribed in “Destiny is the\nresource of Human nature” (性自命出), a manuscript text in Guodian Bamboo\nSlips (hh郭店竹简ii). “The Way” here means “the Way of Humanity” (人道), i.e.,\nthe principles in dealing with human (or in other words, social) relationships, which\nis different from “the Way of Heaven” (天道), i.e., the laws of nature or of universe.\nHuman relationships are established on the basis of emotion, which is the starting\npoint of the Confucian doctrine of Ren. Once a disciple named Fan Chi asked\nConfucius: “What is Ren?” The answer was: “To love people.” Where is the origin\nof this idea—“to love people”? In The Doctrine of the Mean, a saying of Confucius\nwas quoted as: “Ren is the characteristic element of humanity, and the great\n\f300                                 24 On the Clash and Coexistence of Human Civilizations"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "exercise of it is in loving relatives.”17 The spirit of Benevolence and Love (仁爱) is\nrooted in human nature, and to love one’s relative is the most basic exercise of it.\nBut the spirit of Ren goes far beyond this level. To quote Guodian Bamboo Slips:\n“To love and love deep, that is love; but to enlarge the love for one’s father to the\nlove for human being, that is Ren.”18 “The enlargement of filial piety is to love all\nthe people below Heaven.”19 From these sayings, we observe that the Confucian\nDoctrine of Ren demands to enlarge “the love for relatives” to “the benevolence on\npeople,” i.e., to “enlarge one’s self-concern to the concern for others” (推己及人),\nto “treat with the reverence the elders in your own family, so that the elders in the\nfamilies of others shall be similarly treated; treat with the kindness due to youth\nthe young in your own family, so that the young in the families of others shall\nbe similarly treated”20—that is, Ren. It is not easy to practice the doctrine of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“enlarging one’s self-concern to the concern for others,” which requires a “practice\nof Ren” rooted in “the Way of Loyalty and Forgiveness” (忠恕之道), i.e., “never do\nto others as you do not wish done on yourself,”21 “wishing to be established\nhimself, he seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he\nseeks also to enlarge others.”22 (“Loyalty is the complete devotion of oneself;\nforgiveness is the deduction of one’s self-concern.” 朱熹: hh四书集注ii)\n   If Ren is to be extended to the whole society, it would be as what Confucius once\nsaid: “To subdue one’s self and return to propriety, is perfect virtue. If a junzi (君子:\ngentleman, nobleman) can for one day subdue himself and return to propriety, all\nunder heaven will return to Ren (after his example). Is the practice of Ren from a\nman himself, or is it from others?”23 “To subdue one’s self” and “to return to\npropriety” are usually interpreted as two parallel teachings, but I do not consider"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "this the best explanation of this doctrine. “To subdue one’s self and return to\npropriety, is perfect virtue” actually means the behavior of “returning to propriety”\nbased on the “subduing of one’s self” can be regarded as Ren. Mr. Fei Xiaotong had\nhis own interpretation about this doctrine: “Only after one has subdued one’s self\ncould one return to propriety. The return to propriety is prerequisite for one to enter\nthe society and become a social man. Perhaps it is just on this point Western and\nEastern civilizations have parted, that is, whether to expand or to subdue one’s\nself.”24 I think Mr. Fei’s remark makes a lot of sense. Zhu Xi also had an exegesis\non this doctrine. “To subdue means to conquer,” he said, “and the self’ means one’s"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "17\n   hh中庸ii: “仁者, 人也, 亲亲为大。           ” C.f. The Doctrine of the Mean, Chapter 20.\n18\n   hh郭店竹简·五行ii: “亲而笃之, 爱也。 爱父, 其攸爱人, 仁也。                           ”\n19\n   hh郭店竹简·唐虞之道ii: “孝之放,爱天下之民。                    ”\n20\n   hh孟子·梁惠王上ii: “老吾老以及人之老, 幼吾幼以及人之幼。                              ” C.f. Mencius, Chapter 2.\n21\n   hh论语·颜渊ii: “己所不欲, 勿施于人。              ” C.f. The Analects, Chapter 12.\n22\n   hh论语·雍也ii: “己欲立而立人, 己欲达而达人。                    ” C.f. The Analects, Chapter 6.\n23\n   hh论语·颜渊ii: “克己复礼曰仁。. . .. . .” C.f. The Analects, Chapter 12.\n24\n   Fei Xiaotong. (2002, February). A reconsideration of the relationship between man and nature\nin culturalism. Working paper of the Center for Sociological Research and Development Studies\nof China (CSRDSC), Department of Sociology, Institute of Sociology and Anthropology, Peking\nUniversity, Beijing.\n\f24.3   Can Chinese Culture Make Contributions to the Coexistence of Civilizations?          301"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "personal desires. To return means to restore, and the propriety’ means the laws and\npatterns of the Principle of Heaven.” According to this exegesis, one should subdue\none’s personal desires to abide by proprieties and social criteria. Ren is one’s natural\nvirtues (“Love is born in nature”25); and propriety is exterior conventions to rule\none’s behavior, the function of which is to adjust social relationships so that people\ncould live in harmony, as is summed up in one of Confucius’s old saying:\n“The most valuable function of propriety is harmony.”26 Only if one abides by\nproprieties and social criteria willingly, i.e., by an innate will to love people, can\none fulfill the demands of Ren. Thus, Confucius asked: “Is the practice of Ren from a\nman himself, or is it from others?” He made a distinction between Ren and propriety:\n“If a man be without Ren, what has he to do with the rites of propriety? If a man be\nwithout Ren, what has he to do with music?”27 He who performs the rites or music"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "without a heart of Benevolence and Love is a hypocrite and is serving a purpose of\ncheating. It is in this sense that Confucius thought if people would pursue Ren self-\nconsciously and practice what a heart of Benevolence and Love demands according to\nthe proprieties in everyday life, then harmony and peace would be achieved in a\nsociety—“If a junzi can for one day subdue himself and return to propriety, all under\nHeaven will return to Ren.” In my opinion, this teaching of Confucius is not totally\nmeaningless for the political leaders of a state or the ruling class in developed countries\n(the United States in particular). “The politics of Ren” (仁政), or “the Way of a\nvirtuous emperor” (王道) instead of “the Way of hegemony” (霸道), is indispensable\nto “rule the state” (治国) and to “harmonize all under Heaven” (平天下). If “the\npolitics of Ren” or “the Way of a virtuous emperor” is practiced, different cultures\nwould be able to coexist and develop in peace, while “the Way of hegemony” will"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "bring forth the “clash of civilizations,” resulting in monoculturalism and cultural\nHegemonism. If Confucian doctrine of Ren is applied to the regulating of intercultural\nrelationships, clash or war of civilizations will be avoided and the coexistence of\ncivilizations achieved.\n   Of course, even the Confucian doctrine of Ren is no miracle drug to solve\nall the problems about the existence of civilizations in contemporary society.\nNevertheless, as a set of moral self-regulations based on Benevolence and Love,\nit would undoubtedly be of some practical significance to harmonize the coexis-\ntence of civilizations if practiced as a principle to regulate intercultural and cultural\nrelationships.\n   It is not easy to make different cultures get along in harmony and thus to make\nstates and nations in different cultural traditions coexist in peace. Probably, the\nConfucian doctrine of “Harmony in Diversity” (和而不同)28 could provide us with"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "25\n   hh郭店竹简·语丛二ii: “爱生于性。              ”\n26\n   hh论语·学而ii: “礼之用, 和为贵。            ” C.f. The Analects, Chapter 1.\n27\n   hh论语·八佾ii: “人而不仁如礼何?人而不仁如乐何?” C.f. The Analects, Chapter 3.\n28\n   In this context, I translate this saying as “Harmony in Diversity,” instead of “Unity in\nDiversity”-the latter is another popular translation of this term. Tong (同) means Agreement\nwhen applied on human relationships, or Sameness/Homogeneity on material objects. Thus the\ntranslator would use different translations according to the contexts, and translate the “不同” as\ndiversity, disagreement, or heterogeneity, etc.—Translator’s note.\n\f302                                 24 On the Clash and Coexistence of Human Civilizations"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "an illuminating resource of thinking. According to Confucius, “The virtuous ( junzi)\nget on in harmony without agreeing to each other; the base (xiaoren) agree with\nothers without harmony.”29 Junzi, as intellectuals with moral discipline practicing\nthe Way of Loyalty and Forgiveness, should try to get on with others in harmony in\nspite of their different opinions; but those with no morality or discipline always\nforce others to accept their opinions, thus could not maintain a harmonious\nrelationship with others. If this doctrine of “Harmony in Diversity” could be applied\nas a principle in dealing with intercultural and cultural relationships, it can play a\nvery positive role in resolving the conflicts among states or nations. It would be\nespecially true in dealing with those discords and conflicts provoked by cultural\ndifferences (e.g., the differences in religious beliefs or social values) among states\nor nations, if we practice the teaching of “Harmony in Diversity” as principle to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "resolve these conflicts.\n    “Harmony” and “sameness” are generally regarded as two different concepts in\ntraditional Chinese thinking. There was even “a debate on the differences between\nHarmony and Sameness” in China’s history. As a passage in Zuozhuan relates,\nonce the Duke of Qi asked Yan-zi: “Is there only Ju who can get along with me in\nharmony?” The reply of Yan-zi was: “Ju merely expresses the same opinion with\nYour Highness,—how can it be called harmony?” “Is there any difference between\nHarmony and Sameness?” asked the Duke. “They are quite different,” replied\nYan-zi. “Harmony is like well-cooked dish, you must concoct fish and meat with\nwater, fire, vinegar, sauce, salt and plum, and then cook the dish with firewood.\nThe cook harmonizes these flavors to make it moderate. If it is too light, then salt\nshould be added; if too salty, then water. When Junzi dines with such a dish, his\nheart would be pacified. This is analogous to the relationship between the King and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "his magistrates. But Ju is different from it. When Your Highness say that something\nis right, he agrees; when Your Highness say the opposite, he agrees as well. It is as if\nto moderate water with water,—who could tolerate to eat such a dish? Or as if a\nzither always plays the same tune,—who could tolerate to enjoy such music? This is\nwhy Sameness differs from Harmony.” (hh左传·昭公二十年ii) Another saying of\nShibo (史伯) was recorded as follows: “In fact, only Harmony can activate the\ngrowth of lives, and Sameness would stop it on the contrary. Harmony is to\nmoderate something with heterogeneous things—only in this way, the lives\nwould flourish and find their belongings. If something is supplemented by homo-\ngeneous things, it can only be abandoned after its exhaustion. Thus the ancient\nvirtuous emperors had concocted Earth with Metal, Wood, Water and Fire,30\nto transform it into miscellaneous lives.”31 (hh国语·郑语ii) From the above quota-\ntions, we understand that harmony and sameness are totally different concepts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "29\n   hh论语·子路ii: “君子和而不同, 小人同而不和。                    ” C.f. The Analects, Chapter 12.\n30\n   In ancient Chinese philosophy, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth are Five Processes (五行),\ni.e. five basic elements, to make up the world. —Translator’s note.\n31\n   hh国语·郑语ii: “(史伯曰:)夫和实生物, 同则不继。 以他平他谓之和, 故能丰长而物归之; 若\n以同裨同, 尽乃弃之。 故先王以土、与金、木、水、火杂, 以成百物。                                       ”\n\f24.3   Can Chinese Culture Make Contributions to the Coexistence of Civilizations?         303"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only under the presupposition of difference and correlation could things\n“be moderated with heterogeneity,” and the diverse things progress together in\nharmony with one another. “To supplement something with homogeneity” is to\naggregate the sameness, which would only suffocate the lives. The supreme ideal of\ntraditional Chinese culture is that “miscellaneous lives are nourished together\nwithout harming each other; miscellaneous ways are practiced together without\ncounteracting each other.”32 The “miscellaneous lives” and “miscellaneous ways”\nrefer to diversity; and the “without harming each other” and “without counteracting\neach other” refer to harmony. This doctrine would provide us with inexhaustible\nresources of thinking for the coexistence of diverse cultures.\n    Now in Western countries, people of insight have already admitted the possibil-\nity of coexistence of civilizations that the clash or war provoked by mere cultural"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "differences should be avoided. They believe that different nations and states should\nbe able to achieve common understanding through cultural exchanges, dialogues,\nand discussions. This would be a process moving from “diversity” to mutual\nunderstanding. This mutual understanding is neither to extinct nor to assimilate\nthe individual cultures, but to find a cross-point in two different cultures and to use\nit as the basis to promote the progress of both cultures—such is the function of\n“harmony.” It is just because of the differences of diverse cultures that human\ncivilizations have become so colorful and that the complementary and interactive\nsetup is formed gradually in the ever-flowing river of human history. Cultural\ndifferences might lead to clashes or even wars, but not all differences are destined\nto cause clashes or wars. Especially in an era when science and technology are\nrapidly developing, a massive war, if it really happens, would easily destroy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "humankind itself. Thus, we must endeavor to maintain a harmonious coexistence\nthrough intercultural dialogues. Many scholars at home and abroad have recognized\nthe importance of mutual understanding achieved through dialogues between\ndifferent cultures. Habermas, for instance, begins to emphasize the concepts of\njustice and solidarity. In my opinion, they are significant principles in dealing\nwith international cultural relationships. Habermas’s “Principle of Justice” can\nbe understood as follows: every national culture has a right to protect its indepen-\ndence and autonomy and to develop freely according to the will of its people.\nHis “Principle of Solidarity,” on the other hand, can be interpreted as an obligation\nto sympathize, understand, and respect other national cultures. By uninterrupted\ndialogues and communication between different national cultures, there will be a\ntime, sooner or later, when a positive cycle of interactions can be formed.33 Another"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "advocator of this principle is Gadamer, the German philosopher who passed away\nonly recently. He proposed that “understanding” should be extended to the level of\n“universal dialogue.” Because of this extension, the relationship between subject\nand object (as cognitive or grammatical concepts) is possible to be transformed"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "32\n  hh中庸ii: “万物并育而不相害, 道并行而不相悖。                    ” C.f. The Doctrine of the Mean, Chapter 30.\n33\n  Yue Daiyun. (2002). Cultural relativism and comparative literature. A bridge across cultures.\nBeijing: Peking University Press.\n\f304                                 24 On the Clash and Coexistence of Human Civilizations"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "from inequality to equality; in other words, only when the dialogues are conducted\non equal basis can there be any meaningful dialogue and fruitful result. Gadarmer’s\nconsciousness of equality between subject and object and his theory of “cultural\ndialogue” are important ideas urgently needed in our time,34 illuminating enough\nfor us to understand properly and thoroughly the cultural or national relationships\nbetween China and other nations. Nevertheless, whether it is Habermas’ principles\nof justice and solidarity or Gadamer’s theory of universal dialogue, their common\npresupposition should be the principle of “Harmony in Diversity,” since only\nwhen nations and states in different cultural traditions coexist in harmony through\ndialogues can they acquire equal rights and obligations and only then the “universal\ndialogue” between them may become meaningful and fruitful. Thus, the Confucian\nprinciple of “Harmony in Diversity” based on the belief that “harmony is the most"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "valuable”35 should be practiced as one of the basic principles in dealing with\nintercultural relationships. This principle, if adopted by all states and nations, would\nbecome a positive factor not only in eliminating the discords, conflicts, and even wars\nbut also as a dynamics in promoting the development of all states and nations through\nexchange and communication. It is just in this sense that Bertrand Russell said:\n“Contacts between different civilizations have often in the past proved to be land-\nmarks in human progress.”36 The contemporary human society needs different cul-\ntures to develop their traditional characters through mutual absorption and\nconvergence, in order to bring about the coexistence of civilizations on a new basis."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "24.3.2 The Taoist Doctrine of the Way (tao) Can Provide\n       Significant Resources of Thinking to Prevent “The\n       Clash of Civilizations”\n\nIf Confucius is a “man of virtue” (仁者), then Laozi is a “man of wisdom” (智者).\nThe Way is the fundamental concept in Laozi’s Tao Te Ching, while “the sponta-\nneity and doing-nothing” (自然无为: to obey natural laws without offences) are the\nbasic features of the Way. “The spontaneity and doing-nothing are the Way of\nHeaven,” said Wang Chong in his Lun Heng.37 All kinds of conflicts in contempo-\nrary human society are undoubtedly caused by the greedy desires for power and\nwealth. Those great powers, in their pursuit of selfish gains and expansion of power,\nexploit the resources of underdeveloped countries and practice power politics,\nwhich is the fundamental cause of global chaos. Laozi’s doctrine of “spontaneity"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "34\n   Pan Derong. “The Philosophical Heritage of Gadamer.” Twenty-First Century, HK, Apr. Issue,\n2002; Yu Qizhi. “Humanisitic Cultivation of the Philosophers.” Twenty-First Century, HK, Aug.\nIssue, 2002.\n35\n   hh论语·学而ii: “和为贵。      ” C.f. The Analects, Chapter 1. (Also: note 23.) —Translator’s note.\n36\n   Op. cit.\n37\n   王充: hh论衡·初禀ii。\n\f24.3   Can Chinese Culture Make Contributions to the Coexistence of Civilizations?   305"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and doing-nothing” could be interpreted as to do nothing against people’s will,\nwhich will render the society and the world peacefulness. Laozi once quoted the\nsaying of an ancient sage: “As I do nothing, the people will reform by themselves;\nsince I like quiet, they will keep order by themselves; when I seek no trouble,\nthe people will prosper by themselves; when I have no desire, they will live in\nausterity by themselves.”38 It means that the ruler with political powers should\nneither interfere with his people (doing-nothing), nor disturb their everyday life\n(liking quiet), nor act against their will (seeking no trouble), nor exploit them\ninsatiably (having no desire); thus, the people will reform by themselves, keep\norder by themselves, prosper by themselves, and live in austerity by themselves.\nIf we give a modern interpretation of this teaching and apply it to the administration\nof contemporary society, it will not only bring peace to a country but also function"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "significantly in eliminating the clash of civilizations. We can interpret the above-\nquoted teaching as follows: In international politics, the more a country interferes\nwith the affairs of other countries, the more chaotic the world will become; the\nmore those great powers threaten others with military force, the more turbulent\nand disorderly the world will become; the more those great powers exploit the\nunderdeveloped countries under the pretext of international aids, the poorer\nthose underdeveloped countries will become; the more those developed countries\ndesire and fight for the world dominance of wealth and power, the more immoral\nand terrorized the world will become. Therefore, in my opinion, the doctrine of\n“doing-nothing” may be an effective prescription for the leaders of the so-called\nnew empire. If they would accept this prescription, the world will enjoy peace.\nNevertheless, the “new empire” always bully other states and nations by means of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“willful acts” (有为), such as interference, exploitation, or military threat, which\nare undoubtedly determined by its greedy nature as an empire. According to Laozi,\n“No calamity is worse than to be discontented. Nor is there a sin more dreadful than\ncoveting. He who knows how to be content, truly he will always be so.”39 Isn’t the\n“new empire” discontented and coveting? Laozi said again: “Isn’t the Way of\nHeaven much like a bow bent? The upper part has been disturbed, pressed down;\nthe lower part is raised up from its place; the slack is taken up; the slender width is\nbroader drawn. For thus the Way of Heaven cuts people down when they have had\ntoo much, and fills the bowls of those who are in want. But the way of man will not\nwork like this: the people who have not enough are spoiled, for tribute to the rich\nand the surfeited.”40 Why is the human society in this world today in a state of\nturbulence and disorder? Isn’t it totally caused by human beings themselves,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "especially those leaders of the “new empire” acting against the “Way of Heaven”\nand losing the “hearts of men,” practicing a policy of spoiling those who have not"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "38\n   hh道德经ii第 57 章: “我无为而民自化, 我好静而民自正, 我无事而民自富, 我无欲而民自\n朴。   ” C.f. Tao TeChing, Chapter 57.\n39\n   hh道德经ii第 46 章: “祸莫大于不知足, 咎莫大于欲得, 知足之足, 常足矣” C.f. Tao Te Ching,\nChapter 46.\n40\n   hh道德经ii第77章: “天之道”, 其犹张弓欤? 高者抑之, 下者举之; 有余者损之, 不足者补之。\n天之道, 损有余而不足, 人道则不然, 损不足以奉有余。         ” C.f. Tao Te Ching, Chapter 77.\n\f306                               24 On the Clash and Coexistence of Human Civilizations"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "enough, in order to pay tribute to the rich and the surfeited? Isn’t it the root of\ndiscords, conflicts, and wars in contemporary world? Thus, we find that the “clash\nof civilizations” theory is closely related to the theory of “new empire” hidden\nbehind its back.\n    Laozi strongly opposed wars for the sake of preserving peace in the world.\nIn Chapter 31, Tao Te Ching, he said: “Weapons at best are tools of bad omen,\nloathed by all. Thus those of the Way avoid them.”41 In wars, there are always\npeople killed, production interrupted, and social orders broken; thus Laozi thinks\nthat war is evil, because people hate it, and virtuous statesmen would not push the\ncountry into war to solve their problems. Again Laozi said: “To those who would\nhelp the ruler of men by means of the Way: let him not with his militant might try to\nconquer the world; this tactic will be revenged by Heaven. For where armies have\nmarched, there do briers spring up; where great hosts are impressed, years of hunger"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and evil ensue.”42 This is generally true in the history of all nations. In China, after\nevery major war, the population would be reduced dramatically, farmland disserted,\nproduction interrupted, and robbers and thieves infesting. The two World Wars both\nended in this way, and the current war in the Middle East is no exception. Whenever\nthe leaders of the “new empire” provokes a war anywhere, they will surely be\nbogged down there, since the people in the conquered countries will not surrender,\nthey will fight without the fear of death, as Laozi said: “The people do not fear at\nall to die; what’s gained therefore by threatening them with death?”43 And: “As for\nthose who delight to do murder, it is certain they can never get from the world what\nthey sought.”44 We see from history that those who had initiated wars, though\nmomentary successes they might get, would finally fail and be dishonored. Hitler\nwas such an example, and Japanese Militarism, another. As a “man of wisdom,”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Laozi could observe the latent converse side with his wisdom, as he said: “On bad\nfortune the good fortune always leans; in good fortune the bad fortune always\nhides.”45 Now, people in some countries are suffering, but it would be a necessary\nprecondition prepared for their nation’s renewal in future. Take the past hundred\nyears of China’s history, for example, it is just after being beaten repeatedly that the\nChinese people had finally waken up. Today, we may say that the Chinese nation is\non the eve of a great renewal. In my opinion, leaders of every country, especially\nthose of the “new empire,” should learn some wise teachings from the Tao Te Ching\nand realize that, in the long run, the politics of great powers and Hegemonism will\nhave no future. Therefore, I consider the thinking of Laozi valuable in refuting\nthe theories of “clash of civilizations” and of the “new empire.” We advocate the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "41\n   hh道德经ii第31章: “夫兵者, 不祥之器, 物或恶之, 故有道者不处。                    ” C.f. Tao Te Ching,\nChapter 31.\n42\n   hh道德经ii第 30 章: “以道佐人主者, 不以兵强天下, 其事好还。 师之所处, 荆棘生焉, 大军\n之后, 必有凶年。    ” C.f. Tao Te Ching, Chapter 30.\n43\n   hh道德经ii第74章: “民不畏死, 奈何以死惧之?” C.f. Tao Te Ching, Chapter 74.\n44\n   hh道德经ii第31章: “夫乐杀人者, 则不可得志于天下矣。              ” C.f. Tao Te Ching, Chapter 31.\n45\n   hh道德经ii第58章: “祸兮, 福之所倚; 福兮, 祸之所伏。          ” C.f. Tao Te Ching, Chapter 58.\n\f24.3   Can Chinese Culture Make Contributions to the Coexistence of Civilizations?   307"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "theory of “coexistence of civilizations” and are in agreement with Laozi’s idea of\n“doing-nothing,” in the expectation of a world of Great Harmony, with peace and\nsecurity, general progress, and common wealth for humankind. Of course, as Laozi\nwas born 2,000 years ago, his philosophy cannot be used to solve all the problems\nthat contemporary human society is confronted with (including the discords and\nconflicts among nations), but his wisdom should be of important value to illuminate\nour way. Our task is to rediscover and develop the essence of his thinking, to give it\na modern interpretation, so that the general public can benefit from the edifications\nin the treasury of ancient Chinese philosophy.\n   Differences in religious beliefs, values, and ways of thinking may lead to\nconflicts among nations and states; and conflicts can breed wars. However, we\nmay ask: Are these conflicts inevitable? Would it be possible that these conflicts"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "be resolved peacefully, without a war for cultural differences? We have to find a\ncommon resource of thinking in all national cultures advocating the coexistence\nof civilizations, in order to prevent any possible conflict or war. As argued above,\nthe Confucianism and Taoism in Chinese culture could provide significant\nresources of thinking to bring about the peaceful coexistence of civilizations.\nI believe that the same kind of resources can be found in cultures of other nations\nand states as well. At the turn of the twenty-first century, we must make a careful\nchoice whether to practice the theory of “clash of civilizations” in dealing with the\nproblems among nations and states or the theory advocating the “coexistence of\ncivilizations” to bring peace to human society. It would be a blessing to humankind\nif we choose not the clash but the coexistence of civilizations. The Book of History\nteaches us: “All the states under Heaven should be harmonized.”46 Like many other"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nations, the Chinese nation is a great one with a long and brilliant tradition of\nhistory and culture. Chinese culture is undoubtedly one of the most valuable\ntreasures for mankind. With this cultural heritage, we should be able to make\ncontributions to the peaceful coexistence of human civilizations, promote cultural\nexchanges, so that harmony might befall on this world of diverse cultures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "46\n     hh尚书尧典ii: “协和万邦”。\n\fChapter 25\nConstructing “Chinese Philosophy”\nin Sino-European Cultural Exchange"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In December 2002, I published a 14-volume series Ershi Shiji Xifang Zhexue\nDongjian Shi (History of the Dissemination of Western Philosophy to China in\nthe 20th Century).1 My reason for engaging in this study was to review the history\nof the importation of Western philosophy into China in order to more fully\nunderstand the development of the discipline of “Chinese Philosophy.”\n   There was no such a word as “philosophy,” or zhexue, in the Chinese language.\nThe term zhexue was coined by a Japanese scholar Nishi Amane (1829–1897), who\nborrowed the two Chinese characters zhe (“wisdom”) and xue (“study”) to refer to\n“philosophy” originated in Ancient Greece and Rome. This new term was intro-\nduced into China by a Chinese scholar, Huang Zunxian (1848–1905), and was\naccepted by Chinese scholars. Although this term zhexue was accepted by Chinese\nscholars late in the nineteenth century, the problem remained, regarding whether\nChina had “philosophy” or the sort that was comparable to Western philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Indeed, this issue is still being debated by contemporary scholars in the field.\n   Western philosophy was imported into China at the end of the nineteenth\ncentury. Its foremost and most influential introducer, Yan Fu (1853–1921), had\ntranslated numerous Western philosophical texts into Chinese, especially those\npertaining to evolutionary theory. In quick succession, the texts of Kant, Descartes,\nSchopenhauer, and Nietzsche were introduced into China. These movements\nprovided a perspective on the issue of whether there is philosophy in China.\nSome Chinese scholars discovered that although “philosophy” was not an indepen-\ndent discipline, there were ample philosophical themes and questions in the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 2007, 34 (supple): 33–42\n1\n  Tang Yijie, ed., History of the Dissemination of Western Philosophy to China in the 20th Century\n[Ershi Shiji Xifang Zhexue Dongjian Shi], 14 vols. (Beijing: Shoudu shifan daxue\nchubanshe, 2002).\n\n© Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing Co., Ltd                                  309\nand Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015\nY. Tang, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture,\nChina Academic Library, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45533-3_25\n\f310               25 Constructing “Chinese Philosophy” in Sino-European Cultural Exchange"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "classical Chinese canons, such as Shang Shu (Book of History), Yi Jing (Book of\nChanges), LunYu (Confucian Analects), Laozi, and Zhuang Zi, which were compa-\nrable to those in Western philosophy. There were also significant differences\nbetween the inquiries in these canons and those in Western philosophy, and study\nof these differences were invaluable to scholarship.\n    We must acknowledge that, before the importation of Western philosophy, there\nwas no scholarly study of Chinese philosophy in its own right, as a field distinct\nfrom “canon studies” ( jing xue) and “traditions of the masters” (zi xue). From the\nfirst half of the twentieth century, there was a surge into China of the fields of\nWestern philosophy including Marxism, pragmatism, realism, analytic philosophy,\nAncient Greek philosophy, and nineteenth-century German philosophy. This had a\npowerful impact on scholarship in China. As a result of their engagement with\nWestern philosophy and its frameworks, Chinese scholars attempted to compile"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "voluminous collections of classical canons and commentaries associated with\nKongzi (Confucius), Laozi, Zhuangzi, and so forth, in order to establish a discipline\nof “Chinese philosophy.” In the early stages, such study focused only on the\nthoughts of particular individuals or isolated topics. By the twentieth century,\nhowever, the field of Chinese philosophy had been founded primarily through the\nroute of studies in Chinese intellectual history. During this period, several volumes\nof “History of Chinese Philosophy,” including Hu Shih’s (Hu Shi) Zhongguo\nZhexue Shi Dagang (Outline of the History of Chinese Philosophy2) and Feng\nYoulan’s (Fung Yu-lan) Zhongguo Zhexue Shi (History of Chinese Philosophy3),\nwere authored by scholars who sought to demonstrate that Chinese philosophy had\npre-Qin (before 221 BCE) origins. In other words, these Chinese thinkers were\nconsciously separating philosophical study from studies in classics and studies"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "under masters and establishing Chinese philosophy as an independent disciplinary\nfield. Nevertheless, all these accounts of Chinese intellectual history were greatly\ninfluenced and defined by the frameworks supplied by Western philosophy.\n    From the 1930s, Chinese philosophers were absorbing and adapting Western\nphilosophy in their accounts of Chinese philosophy. This led to the articulation of\nseveral modern versions of Chinese philosophy. The prominent thinkers of this\nperiod include Xiong Shili, Zhang Dongsun, Feng Youlan, and Jin Yuelin.\nUnfortunately, after 1949, such attempts to construct strains of modern Chinese\nphilosophy were abruptly halted, as were studies that sought to engage dialogue\nbetween Chinese and Western philosophies.\n    It was not until the 1980s, when China embraced reforms toward a more open\nsociety, that the study of Chinese philosophy was again permitted. The doctrines of\nexistentialism, Western Marxism, phenomenology, structuralism, hermeneutics,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "2\n  Hu Shih, Outline of the History of Chinese Philosophy (Beijing: Dong Fang Press, 1996),\noriginally entitled History of Pre-Qin Sophism [Xian Qin Mingxue Shi], written between 1915\nand 1917 and first published in 1922.\n3\n  Feng Youlan, History of Chinese Philosophy, vol. 1 (first published in 1931) and vol. 2 (first\npublished in 1934) (Beijing: Zhong Hua Shuju, 1962).\n\f25.1   Western Philosophy and Chinese Philosophy as an Independent Discipline                 311\n\n\npostmodernism, and semiotics, to name a few, were introduced in China. This not\nonly broadened the horizons of Chinese philosophers but also provided many\ndifferent perspectives for richer, in-depth scholarship in Chinese philosophy.\n   From this brief retrospective on the history of the importation of Western\nphilosophy into China, I would like to make the following proposals in order to\ngenerate further discussion.\n\n\n25.1     Western Philosophy and Chinese Philosophy\n         as an Independent Discipline"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There was neither an original Chinese term zhexue nor did Chinese philosophy as\nan independent discipline which originates in China. It was only in engagement\nwith and response to Western philosophy that elements of philosophical ideas\nand philosophical questions were identified in the Chinese classics. Hence, the\n“Chinese philosophy” that had been developed through this period was primarily\nconstructed according to paradigms and frameworks provided by Western\nphilosophy. Take Feng Youlan’s History of Chinese Philosophy, for example.\nIts structure, terminology, and perspectives were mainly borrowed from their\nequivalents in Western philosophy. These include concepts such as idealism\nand materialism, ontology and cosmology, monism and dualism (or pluralism),\nempirical and transcendental, phenomenon and essence, universals and particulars,\nthought and existence, and the like. These conceptual frameworks were employed\nto explain certain notions in Chinese thought including dao, tian, and xin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Existing ideas, issues, terminologies, concepts, and logic were shaped by Western\nphilosophy. Fortuitously, the result was greater clarity in the specification of issues\nand outline of concepts as well as greater precision in logic. I suggest that this was a\nnecessary step in the creation of a viable “Chinese philosophy.”\n   Modern Chinese philosophy of the 1930s and 1940s is comprised by scholarly\nwork that characteristically continues rather than follows the traditional discourse of\nChinese philosophy. That is to say, in the process of studying and adapting Western\nphilosophy, Chinese philosophers transformed Chinese philosophy from the tradi-\ntional to the modern. This continued development in Chinese philosophy had to\nmeet the criteria of Western philosophy; attempt to “converge the Chinese and\nthe West” was primarily involved supplementing the shortcomings of Chinese\nscholarship with those of Western scholarship. Let me demonstrate this with two"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "representative examples. The first is Xiong Shili’s doctrine of the Neo-Weishi Lun\n(Yogācāra Buddhism),4 and the second Feng Youlan’s Neo-Confucianism\n(xinlixue).5"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4\n  Tang Yijie and Xiao Jiefu, eds., Xiong Shili Lunzhu Ji Zhiyi: Xin Weishi Lun [Collected Works of\nXiong Shili [1]: New Doctrine of Consciousness Only] (Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju, 1985).\n5\n  Feng Youlan, XinLi-xue [New Rational Philosophy] (Changsha: Commercial Press, 1939).\n\f312                 25 Constructing “Chinese Philosophy” in Sino-European Cultural Exchange"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xiong Shili’s Neo-Weishi Lun is only partially complete. The completed\nsection, the “Doctrine of the Jing” ( jing lun), is a treatise that covers topics in the\nfield of ontology (benti lun) in Western philosophy, albeit with some Chinese\ncharacteristics. The other section which he had originally planned to write was\nthe “Doctrine of the Liang” (liang lun). Had it been written, this section would\nhave covered a topic area roughly equivalent to epistemology (renshi lun) in\nWestern philosophy. His other works allow us a glimpse as well into his view of\nChinese philosophy as it stands in relation to Western philosophy. Xiong believes\nthat traditional Chinese philosophy tended to place more emphasis on experiential\nwisdom (tiren) than rational judgment or analysis (sibian). For Xiong, this is\nwhere discussions on epistemology in Western philosophy can benefit Chinese\nphilosophy: He envisaged an epistemological approach that synthesized experien-\ntial wisdom with rational analysis."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "tial wisdom with rational analysis.\n    In his approach to Neo-Confucianism, Feng Youlan asserts that his vision was\nnot to follow, but to continue, the Neo-Confucianism of the Song (960–1280) and\nthe Ming (1368–1644) dynasties. Feng’s approach resulted in an introduction into\nChinese philosophy the “universals” (gong xiang) and “particulars” (shu xiang) of\nPlatonic philosophy as well as ideas in Neo-Realism (xin shizai lun). Using this\nschema, the world is divided into “truth” (zhenji)—or principle (li) or great ultimate\n(taiji)—and “reality” (shiji). Accordingly, things in reality become what they are\naccording to their essence or principle. In adapting the bipolar concepts of truth and\nreality, Feng was able to continue the Neo-Confucian doctrine of the “many sharing\nthe one” (li yi fen shu). Another Neo-Confucian work of Feng Youlan, entitled A\nNew Understanding of Words (Xin Zhi Yan),6 discusses philosophical methodology\nand its relation to epistemological questions. According to Feng, Western philos-"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ophy excels in analysis, while traditional Chinese philosophy excels in intuition.\nHis treatment of Neo-Confucianism combines and reaps the benefits of both these\napproaches.\n    Both Xiong Shili and Feng Youlan drew from traditional Chinese thought to\narticulate Chinese philosophy. However, they continued the tradition by taking on\nWestern philosophy as the fundamental framework. Unfortunately, such exciting\ndevelopments in Chinese philosophy were forestalled by external circumstances.\n    From the discussion above, it is clear that whether we understand Chinese\nphilosophy in terms of its early forays into Chinese intellectual history or its\ncontinuing development in the early modern period in Chinese history, we must\nrecognize that it was very much shaped by Western philosophy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "6\n    Feng Youlan, Xin zhi yan [A New Understanding of Words] (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1946).\n\f25.2   Paradigms and Frameworks of Western Philosophy and Potential Problems in. . .       313\n\n\n25.2      Paradigms and Frameworks of Western Philosophy\n          and Potential Problems in Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As humans, we inevitably share a number of common characteristics that cut across\ndifferent civilizations and cultures. Nevertheless, each civilization or culture is\nunique in geographical, historical, and even accidental aspects. Naturally, we\nexpect that Western philosophy will have distinctive characteristics due to its\nevolution within a particular sociocultural environment. Likewise, Chinese philos-\nophy will necessarily be influenced by social and cultural factors and hence will\npossess certain particularities. Thus, injudicious and unrestrained construction of\nChinese philosophy according to the terms of reference in Western philosophy will\nunavoidably be problematic. I believe there are at least two fundamental problems.\n    The first problem concerns the obliteration of characteristics of Chinese philos-\nophy that may be of unique significance to philosophical inquiry. I will discuss two\nkey features of Chinese philosophy that will help to demonstrate this point. Western"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "philosophy from the time of the ancient Greeks and especially from Descartes on\nhas regarded more highly the systematic construction of philosophic knowledge.\nBy contrast, thinkers in the Chinese tradition have put more emphasis on the pursuit\nof certain paths or goals in order to realize one’s virtue or efficacy ( jingshen\njingjie). A passage in the Confucian Analects portrays Confucius’ emphasis on\nthe “inner,” personal pleasure associated with learning: “The Master said,\n‘They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love\nit are not equal to those who delight in it’” (Analects 6:18).7 The ultimate pursuit of\nlife is not merely to attain knowledge or acquire skills; Yan Hui, Confucius’ much\nloved disciple, harmonized his love of learning and personal conduct (Analects\n6:3). In Yan Hui, the body and mind, the exterior and the interior, were in harmony.\n    The Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi pursued jingshen jingjie of spontaneous"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "wandering in his first chapter, “Xiaoyao you,”8 that was not cramped by conven-\ntional aspirations and values. Similarly, a well-known Chan Buddhist poem artic-\nulates the jingshen jingjie of being comfortable in different environments:\n    The spring flowers, the autumn moon;\n    Summer breezes, winter snow.\n    If useless things do not clutter your mind,\n    You have the best days of your life.9"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "7\n  James Legge, trans., The Four Books (Taiwan: Culture Book Company, 1981), 195. The\nfollowing quotations from this book will show chapter and page number(s) in parenthesis.\n8\n  Angus C. Graham, trans., Chuang-Tzu: The Inner Chapters (Indianapolis: Hackett, 2001), 43–47.\nGraham translates “Xiaoyao you” as “Going Rambling with a Destination.”\n9\n  Wumen Huikai (Mumon Ekai), The Gateless Gate (Wumen guan in Chinese; Mumonkan in\nJapanese). English translation by Katsuki Sekida, Two Zen Classics: The Gateless Gate and the\nBlue Cliff Records (Boston: Shambhala Press, 2005, previously published in 1995 by Weatherhill\nPress). Translation available online at http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/zen/mumonkan.htm\n(accessed on February 23, 2007).\n\f314              25 Constructing “Chinese Philosophy” in Sino-European Cultural Exchange"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The spirit of such a philosophy characterized by reflective personal engagement\nwith its insights is distinct from those predominant in Western philosophy, but its\nvalue for humanity cannot be underestimated.\n   Another distinctive and fundamental characteristic of traditional Chinese\nthought is its balance of holistic and individual perspectives. The key notions in\ntraditional Chinese philosophy include “the unity of Heaven and humanity” (tian\nren he yi), “the myriad of things are one” (wanwu yiben), and “the unity of body and\nmind, the exterior and the interior” (shenxin neiwai heyi). These fundamental\nparadigms stand in contrast to the subject-orientated approaches and the subject-\nobject dichotomy that are dominant in (Western) Anglo-analytic philosophy. If this\nsubject orientation and its attendant dualistic frameworks are used as reference\npoints from which to understand Chinese philosophy, the distinctive characteristics"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the latter will not be sufficiently articulated. On the other hand, it is important to\nnote that the themes in Chinese philosophy outlined above are more closely aligned\nin spirit and approach with those in continental European philosophy, such as,\nfor instance, in phenomenology, which emphasizes the intersubjective nature\n(huzhutixing) of an individual’s engagement with the world. To bring to the\nforeground, these features in traditional Chinese thinking will benefit both\nChinese and Western philosophies.\n   The second source of potential problems is related to the translation\nof Chinese terms and phrases into English. There are many notions in traditional\nChinese thought such as tian, dao, xin, xing, you, wu, and qi, with distinctive\nmeanings within specific philosophical frameworks that are difficult to express in\ncorrespondence with Western philosophy. For example, tian (often “thinly” trans-\nlated “Heaven”) has at least three meanings:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "lated “Heaven”) has at least three meanings:\n(a) Supreme and ultimate Heaven, sometimes expressed in terms of a\n    personal god.\n(b) Naturalistic Heaven that incorporates a sense of the natural environment.\n(c) Heaven associated with a transcendent order; this is the ground of normative\n    principles (yili) that may also have implications for ethical conduct.\n   Another example is qi, which may be interpreted in at least three ways:\n(a) Material existence\n(b) Vitality and consciousness, as, for instance, in Mencius’ and energetic and\n    dynamic qi (huo qi zhi qi) or the Guanzi’s essential qi ( jingqi)\n(c) The ultimate, as, for instance, in the “one qi evolved into three” (yiqi hua\n    sanqing) theme in Daoist thought\nIt is not easy to find parallels to all these meanings of qi in Western philosophy.\nStrictly speaking, some of them cannot be translated, and I suggest in these cases to\nuse transliterations. Here, I refer to an example of successful use of transliteration in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "order to preserve the original insights of a doctrine. When Buddhist thought was\nintroduced into China, several important notions including “prajna” (bo-re) and\n“Nirvana” (niepan) were only transliterated. In time, these transliterations were\nadopted into the Chinese language, and their original Indian Buddhist meanings\n\f25.3   Future Developments in Chinese Philosophy                                                   315"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "were retained. It is important to note that the Dharma exponent, Xuan Zang\n(600–664), deliberately articulated five principles of “no translation” (wu bufan)\nin relation to the concepts in the Buddhist canons.10 We may follow this example\nto sustain the potency and uniqueness of certain distinctive notions in Chinese\nphilosophy rather than assimilate them according to Western terminologies.\nHowever, some indiscriminate superimpositions of categories and paradigms in\nWestern philosophy have already reduced the amplitude and distinctiveness of\nseveral concepts in Chinese thought. There is a need to handle these concepts\ncarefully, including attending to translation and transliteration issues so as not to\nerroneously circumscribe them. Careful consideration of these issues will enhance\nthe contribution of Chinese philosophy to contemporary philosophical debates.\n\n\n\n25.3      Future Developments in Chinese Philosophy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In my view, scholars of Chinese philosophy should continue serious and systematic\nstudy of Western philosophy, paying special attention to its new trends. In partic-\nular, these new developments reflect concerns about globalization and its implica-\ntions for human understanding, advances in science and technology, and their\nimpact on the environment, moral development, and conceptions of human\nwell-being, to name a few. Here, I make a suggestion for future research.\n    I draw upon the history of the adaptation and synthesis of Buddhism into\nChinese culture to illustrate how we might approach the engagement of Chinese\nand Western philosophies. During the Sui and Tang dynasties (from the sixth to\nthe eighth centuries), several Sinicized Buddhist schools emerged in China. These\nschools developed the doctrines of Indian Buddhism by integrating within it\nConfucian and Daoist ideas.\n    In engaging Chinese and Western philosophies, one important methodological"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "approach is to employ relevant themes and concepts in Chinese thought to explicate\nand embellish ideas in Western philosophy. This kind of study not only broadens\nthe scope of Western philosophy but also makes new contributions to the discipline\nof philosophy. We are now aware that this is an emergent approach as, for instance,\nin the theses of scholars who discuss Chinese hermeneutics, Chinese phenomenol-\nogy, Chinese semiotics, and the like. In this light, the phrase “Chinese philosophy”\nshould apply not only to “the philosophy of the Chinese” but also to philosophy that\ninfluence contemporary debates in a distinctive way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "10\n   According to the Song Dynasty scholar Zhou Dunyi, Xuan Zang’s wu bufan recommends that\nSanskrit terms should only be transliterated, rather than translated, in the following five situations:\nthe terms are arcane, such as in incantations, they have multiple meanings; there are no equivalent\nterms in Chinese, traditionally these terms have been transliterated and not translated, and if\ntranslation might obscure a profound concept (Zhou Dunyi, Fanyi Minyi Xu [Preface to the\nExplanation of Buddhist Terms] [Beijing: Shangwu Yinshuguan, 1984], 54.1055).\n\f316              25 Constructing “Chinese Philosophy” in Sino-European Cultural Exchange"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This method is compatible with the kind of constructive strategy used by a\nnumber of Chinese scholars in the 1930s and 1940s, which I had referred to earlier.\nScholars including Xiong Shili and Feng Youlan constructed the early Chinese\nphilosophical traditions in resonance with Western philosophical themes and\nconcepts to create a modern Chinese philosophy. Indeed, scholars now may even\nextend and continue the work of Xiong Shili and Feng Youlan, just as they continue\nthe traditions of Confucius, Mencius, Zhu Xi, and Wang Yangming in their\nengagement with Western philosophy. In brief, scholars in the field of Chinese\nphilosophy should both take up the standpoint of its proper tradition and effectively\nabsorb and adapt new ideas in contemporary Western philosophy. In contemporary\nChinese-Western cultural exchange we should, in our dialogues, place these phi-\nlosophies on equal footing. This will allow philosophical discussions to achieve"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "significant developments in the twenty-first century. Active engagement in these\ndiscussions will enhance the development of philosophy, Chinese and Western,\nin an increasingly globalized world."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chinese Glossary"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bo-re 般若                                   Lun Yu hh论语ii\nBenti lun 本体论                              Niepan 涅盘\nDao 道                                      Qi 气\nErshi Shiji Xifang Zhexue Dongjian Shi     Renshi lun 认识论\nhh二十世纪西方哲学东渐史ii                            Shang Shu hh尚书ii\nFanyi Mingyi Xu hh翻译名羲序ii                  Shenxin neiwai heyi身心内外合一\nFeng Youlan 冯友兰                            Shiji 实际\nGong xiang 共相                              Shu xiang 殊相\nGuanzi hh管子ii                              Sibian 思辨\nHuang Zunxian 黄遵宪                          Taiji 太极\nHuo qi zhi qi 活气之气                         Tian 天\nHu Shi 胡适                                  Tiren 体认\nHu zhu ti xing 互主体性                        Wanwu yiben 万物一本\nJing lun 镜论                                Weishi 唯识\nJing qi 精气                                 Wu 无\nJingshen jingjie 精神境界                      Wu bufan 五不翻\nJing xue 经学                                Wumen Huikai 无门慧开\nJin Yuelin 金岳霖                             Xian Qin Mingxue Shi hh先秦名学史ii"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Laozi 老子                                   “Xiaoyao you” “逍遥游”\nLi 理                                       Xin 心\nLiang lun 量论                               Xing 性\n                                                                       (continued)\n\fChinese Glossary                                        317"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Li yi fen shu 理一分殊       Xin lixue 新理学\nxin shizai lun 新实在论      Zhang Dongsun 张东̈́\nXin Zhi Yan hh新知言ii      zhenji 真际\nXiong Shili 熊十力          zhexue 哲学\nXuan Zang 玄奘             Zhuang Zi hh庄子ii\nYan Fu 严复                Zhongguo Zhexue Shi 中国哲学史\nYi Jing hh易经ii           Zhongguo Zhexue Shi Dagang 中国哲学史大纲\nyiqi hua sanqing 一气化三清   Zhou Dunyi 周敦颐\nyou 有                    zi xue 子学"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wukong's Story"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/1651229. \nRating:\nTeen And Up Audiences\nArchive Warning:\nNo Archive Warnings Apply\nCategories:\nGen, F/M\nFandom:\nXi You Ji | Journey to the West - Wu Cheng'en\nRelationship:\nSun Wukong | Monkey King/Original Female Character(s)\nCharacters:\nSun Wukong | Monkey, Zhū Bājiè | Pigsy, Táng Sānzàng, Bai Long Ma | White Dragon Horse, Sha Wujing | Friar Sand\nAdditional Tags:\nWukong Zhuan, Translation, Jinhezai, 今何在, 悟空传, Profanity, Violence, Romance\nLanguage:\nEnglish\nStats:\nPublished: 2014-05-18 Updated: 2024-09-03 Words: 13,778 Chapters: 7/20 \nWukong's Story\nby OneMoreStory\nSummary\n\"I want the sky to never again cover my eyes; the earth, never again bury my heart. I want every living creature to know my will; I want all the gods to scatter, like smoke in the wind.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A translation of the highly acclaimed Chinese internet novel Wukong Zhuan (悟空传）by Jinhezai (今何在）based on Journey to the West. This story contains love, philosophy, humor and rebellion, and considers what it means to be Sun Wukong the Monkey King.\nNotes\nSome names spelled according to Mandarin pronunciation instead of more typical English names:\nSun Wukong - By Chinese convention, Sun is the family name. The Monkey King."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zhu Bajie - Pigsy.\n\nTang Sanzang - Tripitaka.\n\nGuanyin - Goddess of Mercy.\nOne\nForeword.\nI want the sky to never again cover my eyes; the earth, never again bury my heart. I want every living creature to know my will; I want all the gods to scatter, like smoke in the wind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One.\nThe four stopped before a forest. There was no more road ahead.\n\"Wukong, I'm hungry. Go get some food.\" Tang sat ostentatiously down on a rock, and said.\n\"I'm busy. Go get some yourself, you've got legs.\" replied Wukong, leaning on his staff.\n\"Busy? What are you doing?\"\n\"Don't you think the clouds at sunset are really beautiful?\" Wukong said, eyes on the horizon, \"I have to take a look at them every day, to be able to continue walking west.\"\n\"You can look at them as you are getting food, just don't walk into anything.\"\n\"When I'm watching the sunset, I don't do anything else!\"\n\"Sun Wukong, you can't do this, you can't be mean to the bald guy. If he starves to death, we'd never get to the Western Paradise; if we never get to the Western Paradise, the curses we bear will never be lifted.\" said Zhu Bajie.\n\"Fuck off, pig-head, who asked you?\"\n\"What'd you say? Who're you calling a pig?\"\n\"Not a pig, a pig's head.\" Wukong snickered through his teeth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"You wanna say that one more time?\" Bajie charged with his rake lifted.\n\"Shut the fuck up, I'm sleeping! Get the fuck out of here, if you want to fight!\" Friar Sand roared.\nThe three thugs glared.\n\"Fight all you like! The more of you die, the better!\" Tang stood up, \"You're all masters, I'll go get food for all of you, how about that? It'd be great if a passing demon could eat me up too, then you can all cry your hearts out.\"\n\"Go on, there's a lady demon waiting for you!\" Wukong called.\n\"Hee hee hee.\" The three monsters snickered.\n\"Don't think I won't!\" Tang turned to shake his fist at them, then patted down his robes, then straightened his robes, then began to walk towards the forest. On the first step, skritch - his robes had caught on something.\n\"Ha ha ha…\" The three monsters rolled on the ground in laughter, quite forgetting to fight.\n***"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "***\nThis was a purple wood, and all around, strange plants grew in an ever-present, indigo mist. The deeper one walked, the wetter the ground and darker the canopy, until finally, the branches and leaves completely covered the sky, and Tang was completely lost.\n\"Wonderful! What lively, what unique living beings!\" Tang said happily.\n\"Thank you!\" said a voice.\nTang turned and saw a tree; set into its purple trunk were two blinking eyes.\n\"Amazing, I see a demon! I love such supernatural beings, what a wonder life is! Let me feel you, spirit of the earth.\" Tang reached out, joyfully rubbing the trunk.\nThe trunk was covered with purple sap, and felt slippery-wet and silk-smooth.\nThe tree relaxed into the stroking, and allowed its thousands of draping branches to wave about in pleasure."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Ahh… No one has touched me for several tens of thousands of years! It used to be… perhaps a few thousand years ago, that a tribe of monkeys played on me, but since then they have disappeared. Back then, I did not yet have eyes, and only felt so many moving creatures all around me, talking, singing… I couldn't see, and couldn't move, but I was happy. Now, I have finally grown my eyes, but I'm not sure where they all are…\"\n\"They're dead.\" said Tang.\n\"Dead? What is dead?\"\n\"Death means you cannot see anything, cannot hear or feel or think anything, like the time before you were born.\"\n\"No! Don't want death. And don't want to be alone.\"\n\"You will live for a long time yet. You don't have hands, or legs - you'll grow those later.\"\n\"I spent a hundred thousand years growing eyes - I cannot bear such waiting anymore! I want to feel the others around me right now, feel you, the very smell of your body intoxicates me!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"It has been a while since I last showered. By the way, if you don't have a mouth, how are you talking?\"\n\"I use this.\" The tree waved a branch in front of Tang.\nOn it hung a human mouth.\n\"That's not yours.\"\n\"Correct. I found it. Three hundred years ago, a man was eaten here, and this was left behind. I used my sap to keep it fresh, then spent another dozen years to grow a branch and pick it up.\"\n\"That's not nice, you know, you have become opportunistic. If it's not yours, you should return it to where it's from.\"\n\"Don't you want to know why that man was eaten?\"\n\"Because he met you?\"\n\"Yes.\"\nSuddenly, Tang realized his feet have been tangled by vines for some time.\nBehind him came a snuffling noise, and hot air the smell of rotten flesh blasted at his neck, but he found could not turn around.\n\"Leave his hands for me. I like those hands,\" said the tree.\n\"Taking other demons' leftovers; If I were you I'd hang myself for shame.\" said Tang.\n\"If I had a neck, I'd consider it.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"If I had a neck, I'd consider it.\"\nA pair of claws rested on Tang's shoulders.\nThe tree said: \"Wait, I wish to say one last thing to him. He is the first to talk to me after I got this mouth. I'm very curious what the psychology is like for a person about to be eaten.\"\n\"Don't you prattle on at me!\" yelled Tang, \"the earlier I die, the earlier I reincarnate! I'm not scared! …do you really want to hear my last words?\"\nThe tree nodded its branches.\n\"Alright.\" Tang took a deep breath: \"HEEEEEEEEEAAAAAALLLLPPP!\"\n***\n\"The master's calling for help again.\" said the pig.\n\"Ignore him, he's always like that. Tireless.\" Wukong had finished looking at the sunset, and was now gnawing on a bone.\nBajie stared at him. \"What are you eating?\"\n\"Pork.\"\n\"All right, you little-\" The pig threw himself at the monkey.\n\"Yeah.\" Friar Sand turned over in his sleep. \"Chop… Chop him up…\" And fell back into a deep slumber.\n***"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "***\n\"You have called seventeen times. I only permitted one sentence.\" The tree stared at Tang. \"Why are you leaking water?\"\n\"Grandpa Tree, I'm really scared. I'm still young, I'm barely twenty years old.\"\n\"You have your limbs and your senses at only twenty. I've lived hundreds of thousands of years and only have a pair of eyes. How is that fair?\"\n\"To become human you must reincarnate several hundred times, so altogether I haven't waited for much less time than you. Please let me live a few more years, or better yet, centuries.\"\n\"If I release you, you will leave me, and I will be left alone. No.\"\n\"I won't leave, I swear by my eldest disciple Sun Wukong that I'll stay until your death. And can whatever's behind me stop licking me? I'm rather dirty, you know.\"\n\"Sun Wukong? I've heard of that name somewhere… Oh forget it, you said you have disciples?\"\n\"Yes. My second disciple Zhu Bajie is very plump.\"\n\"Then keep shouting.\"\n***"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Then keep shouting.\"\n***\n\"The master has called for the one hundred and thirty-forth time. You still won't go and shut him up?\"\n\"Call me uncle first.\"\n\"Never! Hey! Why don’t you take your foot off my back and fight me like a man!\"\n\"No, huh? Then you bring this on yourself…\"\nBang, bang, crash. #%!!&@.\n***\n\"Ahh - Ahem,” Tang coughed between his screams, “Um, can I get a drink of water before I get back to yelling?\"\n\"They're not coming. Maybe they've run away.\"\n\"Wait, I think hear a sound like a pig getting slaughtered.\" The creature behind Tang said.\n\"Oh yeah, that'll be them,” said Tang.\n\"Whatever. I'll eat you first, and then go look for them.\"\n\"No no no, don't do that, why don't we sit down and talk about philosophy - how about I give you a riddle? What is a lotus before it's a lotus?\"\n\"Ahh!\" Both the tree and the creature gave a sudden scream, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.\n\"Huh?\" said Tang, \"What happened to you? Sorry if my riddle was a little too hard.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"A lotus before it's a lotus is still a lotus.\" A girl's voice said.\nTang turned around, and saw a girl smirking at him. She had long flowing hair and shimmering clothes woven from the finest silver grass.\n\"You're really pretty, lady!\" said Tang.\n\"It seems you are a lustful monk.\"\n\"Oh, no! Only, a monk must not lie.\"\n\"If you weren't bald, girls would like you.\"\n\"I've always thought it makes me look rather dashing.\"\n\"Such a slippery tongue; how will you ever learn the Way?\"\n\"The Way which I study is different from everyone else's; they study the Minor Scriptures, I study the Greater Scriptures; they learn about emptiness, I learn about fulfillment.\"\n\"Greater Scriptures? Ha, never heard of them.\"\n\"Because I haven't made them up yet.\"\n\"I've only heard of the Golden Cicada who doubted the Minor Scriptures, and wanted to comprehend everything all by himself. He ended up going astray, and re-entered the mortal world.\"\n\"That's dumb of him.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"That's dumb of him.\"\nThe girl was suddenly angry. \"What right do you have to talk about him like that?! He has enough wisdom in his little finger to reveal the very Heaven’s secrets; you are only a common mortal who begs demons for your life!\"\n\"Because I want to live, and I cannot bury the desire in my heart; in the same manner, I delight in your beauty - how then can I say that all is empty?\"\n\"You are a simple mortal; you cannot see that the perceptions of all things are but illusions.\"\n\"Even the bitches of swine have beauty and ugliness, there is no need to feel ashamed of yourself.\"\n\"You have already broken the Ban of Hostility! Incessant talk of nonsense; unclean heart and mind - how can you possibly be a monk?\"\n\"I was raised in a temple, so luck of the draw, I suppose.\"\n\"You are not worthy of discussing Buddhism. When I heard your riddle, I thought you had some understanding, and so came to your aid - now I see that I have saved an ignorant fool. Leave my sight!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Ha, that was not well said, lady; it is said 'life and death are the will of Heaven' - if I were a wise monk of deep understanding, the Buddha would naturally protect me - why would ever I require your fussing?\"\n\"Infuriating, bald -\"\nThe girl turned suddenly about and the pretty face was immediately twisted and frightening: \"If you are such an unimportant mortal, then I should devour you!\"\nTang sighed. \"Why is it that demons always have so much to say before they eat me?\"\nIn the blink of an eye, a figure streaked through the air.\nIt was, of course, Sun Wukong.\nThe moment the girl's wrist was caught, she felt a suffocating force flooding her body; it was an unassailable will power, paralyzing her every muscle. With a soft sigh, she gave up the fight, and fell to the ground."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wukong studied the girl-demon. \"Well, egg-head, you attract female demons like dung attracts flies; using you as bait seems to be working marvellously well - I'll have collected enough merit points very soon… Why is it that the demons that fall for you become uglier by the day?\"\n\"Amita - good heavens - bha! You think even this beautiful lady is ugly?\" said Tang.\n\"Beau- Beauti- Look at her, she's nearing my level… Does that turn you on or something?\"\n\"Ah, though appearances be ever-shifting, the heart remains a clear mirror. How can your monkey's eyes distinguish beauty from ugliness?\"\n\"Pfft. Just because I have cataracts and moderate astigmatism, in addition to teary eyes in strong wind and direct sunlight - only because I'd been underground for too long! - How dare you mock me for my handicap? Make me angry and my staff will pay retribution to your behind. Now, let me finish off your little lady first.\"\nWukong lifted his Gold-tipped Staff.\nThe girl stirred, and opened her eyes to Wukong raising his staff."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Sun Wukong… You are Sun Wukong!\"\nShe suddenly clutched his legs to her chest. \"Is it you? Is it really you? I'm not dreaming?\"\nShe lifted her ugly face to fix it with deep emotion on Wukong, tears actually spilling from her eyes.\nSun Wukong felt his whole body shudder, like all his organs had jerked, and thought, what magic was this, that prevented him from using even an ounce of his strength?\nThe girl was still talking: \"You've come; it's too wonderful - is it another dream? But I am satisfied. I've stayed here for so many years, hoping one day you would appear before me - you are free - are you finally free? I knew this day would come, no-one can imprison you, never… I'm so happy… so happy…\"\nShe had become inarticulate with sobs.\nWukong coalesced his power, and gave a shout. The girl flew through the air, and rammed into a tree, cracking a trunk large enough for two men to wrap their arms around clean into two."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Ha, you incorrigible demon, do you think this is any use on me? Crying? Crying won't do a thing for you, I kill people as soon as I look at them.\"\n\"You, you don't recognize me… True, now that I look like this, you cannot recognize me… but I was cursed by the Jade Emperor, and cannot change back… I am…\"\nThe girl suddenly screamed, and blood poured from her mouth. She fell writhing to the ground.\nTang gave a sigh of pity: \"Are you cursed as well to prevent you from saying who you are?\"\nThe girl clawed at the earth, clearly in terrible pain.\n\"Don't buy into her act, egg-head. I've seen plenty of demons, they'll use any trick they can. Get out of the way and let me finish her.\" said Wukong.\n\"I'm not stopping you, go on... why aren't you finishing her?\"\n\"…You're not the boss of me, I don't kill when you order me to.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Amitabha. A thousand difficulties forges an undying will.\" Tang straightened his shredded robes, and strolled towards the edge of the forest. \"You two take your time, I'll not impose myself. I'll take a walk in this beautiful wood, and hope to meet a flower demon…\"\nHe paused beside the remains of the trunk of the old tree, and gave a deep sigh: \"Don't want to die, and don't want to be alone. Have you lived hundreds of thousands of years only for this day?\"\nTang left. Wukong hopped on a tree branch, and swung around while the girl convulsed and moaned on the ground. After a long time, the girl slowly recovered.\nWukong: \"It’s not that I pity you or anything, I just don't kill anyone who can't defend themselves as a rule. You're good now, right? Bring it on.\"\nHe was still swinging languidly on a thick vine, looking more like he was preparing for an afternoon nap than a battle.\nThe girl's face was very pale, but as she watched Wukong, a trace of laughter came to her mouth, still red with blood."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"You haven't changed. You used to be… just like this… Do you remember the time we first met? You were lying on a tree branch then too, on the branch of a Heavenly peach tree…\"\n\"The hell, I've met an insane demon. Lady, I've never seen you before, nor have I ever seen any Heavenly peach trees. Why don't you make a random move, so I can kill you with one counter move instead of wasting time?\"\n\"You still can't remember who I am? Have… have you forgotten everything?\"\n\"Old lady, stop going on about your life story, you've got the wrong person. I was only released from the Five Dungeons Mountain five years ago, and all I want to do is to kill a few extra demons so the guys in heaven can clear my old charges - maybe even give me a job as a minor earth spirit or something… When have I ever met you?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"What are you talking about? Five Dungeons? Shouldn't it be the Five Elements Mountain? As for your charges… You know what crimes you've committed, do you really expect Heaven to forget it all just for killing a few demons?\n\"What are you talking about? I was a monkey-demon from Fruit-blossom Mountain, punished in the Five Dungeons for being disrespectful to the Jade Emperor. Now the Emperor himself has pardoned me, on the condition that I perform those three tasks… I remember the past perfectly clearly - where do you come into it? Why the hell am I even talking to you about this?\"\nThe girl's expression was full of shock and suspicion.\n\"How could.. Unless.. They want you to do three tasks? What three tasks?\"\n\"You're just endless, aren't you? Well, I guess you can die with your curiosity satisfied. The first task is to get the egg-head to the Western Paradise. The second is to kill the four Demon Kings…\"\n\"The Four Kings!?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"The Four Kings!?\"\n\"Yeah, you know, the Great Sage in Level with Heaven, Demon Bull King of Western Heniu; the Great Sage Clouding Heaven, Demon Hawk King of Northern Julu; and another one of those sages, Overlooking Heaven, the Macaque King of Southern Jiabu, and also, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Monkey King of Eastern Shen -\n\"Ha! The - the Monkey King?\"\n\" - Yeah, you know him? - The third task they said they'll tell me after I've done the first two. Why are you crying again?\"\nThe girl had lowered her head, murmuring: \"Yes, he has forgotten everything, forgotten you…\" Her tears fell into the earth beneath her.\nWukong leaped from the tree with a sigh. \"You look so miserable, it would probably be a good thing for me to finish you. In your next life, try to be a wild flower or something growing on a cliff, and sway around in the wind a bit - wouldn't that be better than a demon that lived too long to keep its memories straight?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The girl lifted her face through the pain: \"I do not remember wrongly. I will remember everything, remember it forever… I could never have guessed that after five hundred years of waiting for you, I would die by your hand. We never did escape the center of his palm.\"\nWukong lifted his staff…\n\"Before I die, I want to ask you one thing,” said the one beneath the staff.\n\"Is it true that, after you forget everything, there will be no more pain?\"\n\"……”\nWukong held the staff in the air.\n\"Argh!\" He swung his staff to the side, clearing all the trees in a fan-shaped space of over ten yards in diameter.\n\"A demon with dementia, no point in killing…\" He muttered, walking away without a single look back.\nNot seeing the girl as she stretched her hand towards him, too weak to shout, her eyes full of sadness.\nAs he walked, he thought he heard the sound of ocean waves. But he was in a forest, surrounded by trees.\n\"Five hundred years ago,\" he thought, \"where was I?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the thought, he had a sudden headache. He shook his head to clear it, and felt better.\n\"Weird. How come I suddenly don't feel like killing anymore?\"\nTwo\nTwo.\nTang and the other two disciples were eating fruit in front of the campfire.\nSun Wukong walked slowly out of the woods.\nTang looked up.\n\"You're back? Take a seat.\"\nWukong said nothing. He sat down and stared into the fire.\n\"Eh, what's wrong with the monkey today?\" said the pig, \"He's looks like he's been knocked on the head. Haha… hahaha…\"\nHe laughed until tears came out of his eyes before he realized no one else was laughing.\n\"Not good.\" said Sand.\n\"What's not good?\" asked Bajie.\n\"I don't know, but I feel nervous all of a sudden.\" said Sand.\n\"It’s fine, everything's fine. What will come, will come.\" Tang said, watching Wukong carefully, \"Isn't that right, monkey?\"\nWukong's face was hidden in the shadows.\n\"I didn't kill her.\" he said.\n\"I knew you couldn't bear to kill such a pretty girl.\" said Tang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Ah! Pretty women! No wonder the monkey stayed for so long! And you too, monk! What have you guys been d-\"\nSand kicked Bajie.\n\"What are you kicking me for? You think they're acting weird? Big deal, what do you want me to do about it? When have they ever acted NOT weird?\" The pig yelled.\n\"She told me everything.\" said Sun Wukong.\n\"Oh?\" said Tang.\n\"She told me who I am, and who all of us are.\"\n\"Oh?\" said Tang.\n\"Oh?\" said the pig, \"Did she tell you I'm not actually a pig ahahaha… hahaha…\"\nSun Wukong sprang to his feet. The pig was still rolling on the floor with laughter.\nWukong pointed his staff staight at Tang: \"Since I now know who you are, I am bound to kill you.\"\n\"Oh.\" said Tang, \"Who am I? Can you tell me before you kill me?\"\nWukong leaped, and his staff landed directly on Tang's head. Blood spurted, and Tang fell to the ground.\nWukong roared with laughter: \"Sun Wukong, you've committed another crime against Heaven!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He threw back his head and bellowed at the sky: \"I've killed him! What now?? COME AND GET ME!\"\nSuddenly, a bolt of lightning struck, accompanied by an enormous roll of thunder. The entire woods caught fire.\nWukong laughed carelessly. \"Ha! Missed me! Aim for this!\" He pointed at his own forehead. \"Come on! Are you scared? I DARE YOU!\"\nThe dancing firelight twisted his face frightfully.\nLow rumbles of thunder sounded, but no more lightning struck. The thunder was like the panting of an enormous beast in the face of an even greater opponent, fading away with each rumble.\nWukong seemed to sense something, suddenly. He leaped, then disappeared into the sky.\nFriar Sand looked up at the sky, then looked down at the ground. Tang's body laid on the ground, and had begun to burn. Bajie was still laughing.\n\"Hey. Stop laughing. Tang's dead.\"\n\"Dead is good, dead is good, let's divide up the luggage shall we, ahahaha… hahaha…\"\nThe pig kept on laughing, tears streaming down his face.\n***\nThe cause…"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "***\nThe cause…\nGeneral Tian Peng had watched it all since the first day the moon rose into the sky.\nHe watched as she collected the countless dust particles of the world, and from them carefully select the silver ones; only one in five billion billion particles are of that colour. She patiently sorted through each one, and Tian Peng stood beside her and watched. She did not talk while she was worked, for fear of her breath blowing away the dust, and so Tian Peng did not talk. When hurried travelers of the sky rushed by, Tian Peng would spread his great wings to protect her from the wind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So she worked for eighty thousand years; so Tian Peng stood silently beside her for eighty thousand years, never saying a word, or even seeing her face, as she only ever faced the pile of dust she sorted. Yet Tian Peng was happy, for there was someone he could silently watch, someone who needed him, though only once every few thousand years. It was still better than living alone in the dark, in the Heavenly river - much, much better.\nAnd so, ten billion billion silver particles were selected. One day, she lifted her hand and ten billion billion particles all flew into the sky, and in the ancient darkness, there were suddenly clouds of glowing silver light.\n\"It's beautiful!\" Tian Peng could not help but shout. She gently put a hand to Tian Peng's mouth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Shh. Don't scare them.\" she whispered, her eyes filled with love. Tian Peng was light-headed, though she directed her gaze not at him but at the silver fairies; he was dizzy with the thought that there could be such love in the world, such magical creations. To have such a thing to love, he thought, must be wonderful.\nThe second time she lifted her hand, the clouds of silver dust began to spin, surrounding where she and Tian Peng stood; they spun faster and faster, until they became an enormous silver ring. Tian Peng was almost fainting from this fantastic view; he stumbled and leaned against her slightly. She did not push him away, but held him, gently.\n\"Careful,\" she said, still quietly.\nThat single word was the most beautiful music Tian Peng had heard in eighty thousand years.\nThe third time she lifted her hand, the glowing ring began to spiral into the center, becoming billions of silver threads flowing towards the very middle of the ring, where a small silver core was becoming clearer and clearer."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"What is attracting them?\" asked Tian Peng.\n\"Me.\" she said.\n\"…\"\n\"Us.\" she smiled. Her finger lightly touched his face.\nTian Peng felt the silver river flow into his veins with that touch, and he could bear it no longer. He pulled her into his arms.\nHe kissed her, deeply, the kiss matured by eighty thousand years.\nWhen it was over, she slipped out of his arms, looked across the sky and gasped.\n\"Oh, no!\"\nWhile she was kissed her concentration on her power had lapsed, and now, though the silver core has been created, several billion particles were still scattered around the heavenly river.\nShe covered her face and cried.\n\"I've worked on it for so long, and I still failed, in the end.\"\nTian Peng gently put his arm around her.\n\"Don't cry. There is no creation that is perfect in the world, but sometimes imperfection is more beautiful. Look.\"\nShe lifted her head, and saw that the Heavenly river now flowed with twinkling silver stars."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Heavenly river used to be dark, but now you have turned it into silver, so let us then call it the \"Milky Way\", and this silver core, we can call it…\"\n\"Use my name. We can call it ‘Moon’.\"\n\"The Moon… yes. Does that mean we can say, the lovers are bathed in the light of the moon?\"\n\"…\"\nBathed in the moonlight, the lovers stood, arms tight around each other.\n\"Zhu Bajie! You're drooling; can you suck it up a bit? It's nearly at my feet.\" the White Dragon said.\n\"Damn you, horse, you woke me up.\"\n\"Are your eyes drooling too or are you actually capable of crying?\"\n\"What are talking about? Me, crying? Pfft. The egg-head is dead, off to the West all by himself, and I don't have to deal with it all any more. I couldn't be happier. I was dreaming about my pretty wife at Gao village.\"\n\"You keep saying you have a wife there, but I've never even heard of the village. Besides, who would fall for a pig, unless… is she also a…\"\n\"Shut up! You can call me a pig, but don't you say a word against her!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"You actually are a pig, though.\"\n\"I can dream, can't I?\"\nA shadow fell on them.\nZhu Bajie looked up.\n\"Heyyy, monkey, what are you doing back here? Aren't you on the run? Pug-face Sand is already off to report you, hahaha…\"\nSun Wukong continued to glare at him coldly.\n\"Where's the Master?\"\n\"Here to make sure he's dead? He's over there, I was about to bury him tomorrow according to Buddhist tradition… hahahaha… you know, I think I'm getting more humorous by the minute.\"\n\"Dead! Who did it? How did it happen?\"\n\"Who did it? Don't tell me you've got amnesia, that won't get past the jury you know, hahahaha…\"\n\"Perhaps I have forgotten something.\"\n\"Yeah, yeah, I've forgotten everything too please stop making me laugh I'm going to pee hahahaha…\"\nSun Wukong surged suddenly forward and held the pig snout shut.\n\"Make just one more sound...\"\nBajie's eyes widened, his mouth swelled, then he swallowed his laugh with a gulp.\nOne minute later…"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One minute later…\n\"So that's what happened. Obviously, someone pretending to be me killed the egg-head. How dare they.\"\n\"I totally believe it was someone pretending to be you, so long as you don't kill me for being a witness, haha - ahem.\"\n\"By killing the monk, he is clearly trying to stop me reaching the West. And how dare he transform into my shape!\"\n\"Well, I'd rather he had transformed into me, too, but maybe my handsome features were too much for him to handle hehehe.\"\n\"Stop laughing! Only the monk can gain us entrance into the Western Paradise, isn't that what the Goddess said? Now great, he's dead, and the curses on us will never be lifted.\"\n\"That's alright. What's the difference between being a pig and an immortal anyway? Perhaps the pig is just a little bit happier? Hahahahaha…\"\n\"Well, I can't stand it! I’ll never feel free with this ring around my head.\"\n\"Freedom? Whoa did I hear that? Everybody look there's a monkey here and he's talking about freedom!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Piss off!\" Wukong aimed a kick at the pig, which the pig dodged with a back flip.\n\"Did you really think you could touch me, monkey? Did you really think you were a hero out to save the world? Guanyin and the Emperor are playing with you like a circus monkey - oh whoops, I forgot you actually are a monkey hahahaha…\"\n\"Pig!\"\n\"Monkey!\"\n\"Pork!\"\n\"Monkey brains!\"\n\"Pig intestines!\"\n\"Monkey butt!\"\n…\nOne moment Zhu Bajie was shouting, the next he was suddenly screaming at the sky:\n\"Why?! What the hell is this all for…\"\n\"Nooo…\" he was suddenly inarticulate with sobs.\nThat night, a blue moon came out. The whole Milky Way full of stars shined silently on a sobbing pig.\nThree\nThree."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Three\nThree.\n…I am a ghost, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing, until, eventually, I do not know if I actually feel anything, or if I am merely acting. Many people are watching me, and they are applauding me, but I am very lonely. I live in my own imagination; I imagine a world both simple and complicated. In my world, there are only demons and immortals. There are no humans, and none of the frivolities of humanity, but there are impossible, fantastic things. Yet had I truly lived there, I would be lonely still, for I am human.\nThese thoughts belong to the monk Tang, or perhaps Sun Wukong, or Zhu Bajie, or Friar Sand, or the girl-demon who now sits on a tree branch. They are all human, so they all think like this, though they do not look human, and perhaps that is the source of their pain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The cause…\nSwirling, pure white clouds fill the world, and yet they are not anywhere. They are like sunshine - all the light and colour of the world come from the sun, yet the sun itself is white.\nShe still likes to watch the sun as it rises and sets, when all four fire dragons are singing to the slow, low tune of the long horns atop the bell tower, pulling the golden carriage in a great arc across the sky. Each sunset, maiden Violet would lift her silken sleeve and place a thin veil over the golden crown of the sun god, to protect him from dust and sand. But what dust can be found in the heavens? Of course the sun god knew her plan was to have all the clouds at sunset be given a violet sheen. So every time, he good-naturedly accepted. When this secret was out, the sun god's carriage became constantly draped with sheer silk scarves of every colour, some even tied around the necks of the fire dragons. And so the clouds at sunset took on a myriad of different hues."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sun god received quite a lot of scarves every day, and these he would hang on his twin pine trees; if you looked far enough east, and high above the clouds, you would see them, so tall and wide that they seemed to reach the sky, with silk scarves of all colours draped on their branches, fluttering in the wind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After the carriage of the sun god had disappeared into the distance, the bell tower would chime three times again, and Tian Peng, the keeper of the Heavenly river, would open the great dam of the Milky Way, and out would flow not water, but billions and billions of particles of silver dust. They are too light, and so floated all throughout the Heavenly temples, and the immortals would walk among the stars. Then Tian Peng would remain waiting by the mouth of the river, and everyone would know who he was waiting for. Soon a silver boat glided in from the edge of the sky. The Moon Goddess, in the company of Tian Peng, was like a playful little girl, pulling him by the hand, sitting beside him on the boat, talking, as they drifted towards the west.\n\"Ayao, are you peeking at the them again? Jealous much?\"\n\"No!\"\n\"No? But your face is as red as the sky at sunset,\" laughed Heavenly maiden Ayu.\n\"I…\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"I…\"\n\"All right, I'll stop. The Heavenly Mother said that the Peach Banquet is soon to take place and that it is time for us to pick the peaches from her Garden.\"\n\"Is it time again? Feels like we just had one. Nine thousand years passes so quickly.\"\n\"Where are you going?\" asked Violet, \"the Peach Garden?\"\n\"Yes, Violet, come along!\" the maidens chorused.\n\"No thanks, I want to stay here a while longer.\"\n\"Oh, of course, we forgot. You don't do anything else when you watch the sunset!\"\nThe maidens left, chatting and giggling.\n\"Did you hear? There's a new guard at the Garden.\"\n\"Oh yes. It's um, wind… Windy.\"\n\"Don't be silly, Windy was discharged like three thousand years ago. The one after him was um, Wu… Well, Wu something.\"\n\"I don't think that's it at all.\"\n\"Well, whoever he is, we'll probably be done without even meeting him - it's like that every time, isn't it?\"\nThey had arrived at the Peach Garden.\n\"Hm. Are we here at the wrong season? None of the peaches are ripe yet!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"They are hardly grown! Only a few small green ones on each tree!\"\n\"Has the Heavenly Mother mistaken the time?\"\n\"Don't say that, how could the Mother be wrong? Have you forgotten the time when she said that the Wintersweet should bloom in the summer, and she still bloomed in the winter instead?\"\n\"Oh, don't talk about it, it scares me to think of it!\"\nAyao circled through the woods, and finally saw a big, ripe peach, right where she could reach.\n\"I've found a big one!\" she called, grinning, as she reached for it.\nHer nightmare of a thousand years began there.\nAyao still clearly remembered the scene: a monkey appeared in place of the peach on the tree; he laid back on the branch, head propped on an elbow, and watched her smugly.\n\"But I don't taste good at all, miss.\"\nThat was the first thing he said to her.\nNow Ayao sat in the ever-dark Forest of a Thousand Creatures, on the very branch that Sun Wukong had sat on moments ago. When she closed her eyes, everything flashed before them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"I don't taste good at all, miss…\"\n\"Old lady, you've got the wrong person…\"\nAyao screwed her eyes tight; tears flowed down her face, which was as wrinkled as old, dried tree bark.\nAt the other end of the forest.\n\"Sun Wukong, do you really want to be an immortal that much?\" asked Zhu Bajie.\n\"Yeah! I was born a lowly creature, always a mere monkey demon that everyone looks down on! I'll show them all! …What are you laughing about?\"\n\"What's wrong with laughing?\"\n\"Stop it, stop! I've already vomited everything up when you were crying! I can't watch you laugh anymore, somebody save me from this…\"\n\"You are scared of people laughing at you…\"\n\"No! No, no, no! What do you mean? Who have I ever been afraid of? I've never been scared!\"\n\"You're scared of Guanyin scared of the Emperor…\"\n\"Shut up! I'm not scared…\"\n\"You're scared of the immortal Erlang and even his dog!\"\n\"I’m NOT!\"\n\"You're scared of dying scared when people ignore you scared you're not human scared that people think you're scared…\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Shut. Your. Mouth! I'm not scared not scared not scared ARGHHHH…\"\nSun Wukong leaped into the air, and brought his staff down on a boulder.\nBoom, a deafening explosion rang out; when the dust cleared, a deep crater had appeared in the earth.\nSun Wukong stood at the crater's center, covered in dust, breathing heavily, still muttering:\n\"Not scared, not scared, not scared…\"\n\"Just look at how freaked out you are…\"\n\"Oh, shut the fuck up.\"\nSuddenly, both of them stopped talking.\nThey had both heard something.\nIn the silence of the night, a faint howling could be heard, full of pain and misery.\n\"What was that?! Sounds like some wild beast,\" said Sun Wukong.\n\"I think it sounds like sobbing,\" said Zhu Bajie.\n\"A wild beast crying perhaps. It's like a bear who just lost his dad!\"\n\"Just because you don't have a dad doesn't mean you should wish it on everyone else, you know.\"\n\"If I don't kick your ass right now, then my name isn't Sun-\"\nThey were almost on top of each other, when the pig said:\n\"Shh…\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Shh…\"\nThe voice was very clear now, it was shouting a name, drawn out, over and over again.\n\"Sun… Wu… Kong… Sun… Wu… Kong… Nooo…\"\n\"Is that a ghost sent to get me?\" said Sun Wukong in alarm.\n\"Is that your voice trembling? Whoa, you look really pale, like you're about to die.\"\nSun Wukong stared all round, one hand firmly around the pig's neck.\n\"Ack, even if you're scared, you don't… hem… have to… hug me so tightly…\"\n\"If I'm about to die, I'm taking you with me.\"\n\"It's probably Master's spirit come to haunt you.\"\n\"Spirit? Got it!\"\nWith a flick of Wukong's wrist, Zhu Bajie flew into the air.\n\"I'll make a trip to the Underworld, find the baldie's ghost, and we can get back on the road!\"\n\"Hem, hem… hahaha…” Bajie coughed upon being released, then started laughing.\n\"You're doing it again!\"\n\"Lives we spend to purge our sins, purge our sins for lives to spend.\"\n\"Are you taking up the baldie's habit of making up rhymes?\"\n\"The master's body is already burnt up, there's about half of it left over there.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Well, we'll just have to make do, maybe get a few extra parts from somewhere. You stay here and watch the luggage and the body, I'll be back in about fifteen years, tops.\"\nWith a leap, Sun Wukong had disappeared into the distance.\n\"But Friar Sand has already left… \" Zhu Bajie muttered, \"Does that mean I have to carry the luggage from now on?\"\n\"Good timing.\" said the White Dragon. She only ever talks in front of Zhu Bajie, and only he knows her secret.\n\"I need to go home for a visit, too.\"\n\"Go on, go on. If the monkey can actually get the monk's spirit back, I'll change my name to Sun.\"\nAfter the White Dragon left, Zhu Bajie walked, alone, into the woods, to where the strange noise had emanated from.\n\"Ayao. How are you?\" he spoke to the darkness.\nA long pause. Then -\n\"Who are you? How do you know my old name?\"\n\"I?\" replied Zhu Bajie, \"I am you. I am one who would rather bear the pain than forget the past.\"\nFour\nFour."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Four\nFour.\nThis was a place of endless darkness. In the dark, only faint, transparent shapes could be seen sinking slowly down from above, being sucked into a great pit below.\nSun Wukong tried to take a deep breath, and found that there was no air to breathe in.\nHere, there was no hunger, no temperature, no pain, no feeling at all.\nBut Wukong could feel, because he was still alive. He felt something that wasn't the cold creep into him.\nThe ghosts floated all around like jellyfish, and in their soft, transparent bodies, strange, insect-like things were ricocheting around.\n\"What are those?\"\n\"We are desires!\" the insects cried in shrill, whiny voices, \"Let us go! We don't want to be exterminated!\"\nWukong shuddered as he realized that the reply came from things inside his own body.\nHe checked himself over, hurriedly. At least he wasn't transparent."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Upon entering the pit, his feet touched ground. In front of him, a gigantic monster with countless legs was dragging his horns through thousands of souls at a time, removing the bugs and throwing them into a sea of lava.\n\"Nooo... Nooo… Save meee…\" a cacophony of countless tiny voices screamed unceasingly.\nDesires of all shapes and sizes fell like snowflakes.\nOne of the long horns extended in front of Wukong; on it, an eye blinked.\nWukong started and leaped aside.\nA shrill voice: \"Save me! Save me!\"\nIt was a small, pink insect, caught on the horn, fluttering in panic.\nWhat difference would it make, Sun Wukong thought．\nBut he still flew over, and lifted the bug from the horn.\n\"Thank you! Thank you! How can I repay you?\"\n\"Don't worry about it. Besides, what can you do? You're tiny.\"\n\"I can be small and I can be great; sometimes I’m fragile, yet sometimes I’m strong enough to defeat anything.\"\n\"Oh yeah? Who're you?\"\n\"My name is… Someone's coming! Let me ride this one out.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In a blink, the bug had dived into Wukong's body.\n\"Oh the heavens save me! Can it be?\" someone shouted wildly.\nSun Wukong lifted his gaze, and saw a man - or rather a ghost - clad in an officer's clothes, fallen over in fright.\nWukong walked over: \"What's with you?\"\n\"Holy smokes!\" the ghost scrambled to stand up, \"I'm scared! I'm so scared!\"\n\"But you're a ghost. Do ghosts get scared?\"\n\"Ghosts are insubstantial, and fear all things solid and bright, even so much as a spark of sunlight. Not to mention you, the Great Sa - \"\n\"I'm not the great anything, I'm Sun Wukong. And I'm looking for someone - well, his ghost.\"\n\"You…\" the creature was still staring at Wukong warily, \"Oh yes, you've forgotten… thank heavens, thank heavens…\"\n\"What?\"\nThe ghost did not reply, and instead led Wukong for what seemed to be thousands of miles in the dark, deep underground.\nThey came to a sheer cliff. Beyond it was only endless nothingness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ghost brought Wukong to the very edge: \"On matters of life and death, nothing escapes the Earthly Buddha. You may ask him.\"\n\"Where's he? Why can't I see him?\"\n\"Do you know where this is?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Looks like the end of the Earth.\"\n\"Exactly. Ahead, there is no longer any ground. Mortals who arrive here cannot travel one step further, and can only fall into bottomless void. Hence, this place is named the Empty Mountain.\"\n\"Cool.\"\n\"To see the Earthly Buddha, you must go through here.\"\n\"How?\"\n\"Jump, of course. Whether or not you reach the bottom will depend on you.\"\n\"Ha! Think you can kid me around? Even if there is a bottom, suppose I fall non-stop for a few centuries - wouldn't I get bored to death on the way? Let me test it out first… Dammit, there isn't so much as a pebble in this place!\"\n\"All depends on you. A man who knows the Way, will reach the Other Side. This drop, to a man with the Knowledge, is a flight up, and the darkness, light.\"\n\"Oh, wow, that sounds truly incredible… You first!\" Without warning, Wukong kicked the ghost off the cliff.\n\"Ahhh! Noooo…\" The ghost dropped like a stone.\nWukong leaned over. \"Are you rising up? See any light?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Fucking monkey, you better…\" The voice shrank and faded away.\n\"Ha! Jump off, my tail. Do I look stupid?\"\nWukong turned around to find that he was alone in the endless darkness.\n\"Is there no direction in this place?\"\n\"Of course there is.\" said a voice in the dark.\n\"Who was that? And can everybody stop randomly speaking up like that?\"\n\"There are two directions in this place: up, and down.\"\n\"Yeah? So you actually have to jump to find the Earthly Buddha?\" Wukong stared all around, seeing nothing.\n\"Not exactly. Without true understanding, a journey of a thousand miles is all for nothing; With it, the Western Paradise is at one's feet.\"\n\"Woah, so deep. About as useful as letting out gas.\"\n\"You want answers, but you do not have a receptive heart. How, then, can I teach you?\"\n\"Teach me? Who the fuck do you think you are? Show yourself!\"\n\"I am right before you.\"\n\"Where? Are you a black bear blinking in the dark or something like that? Flash me a grin, will you?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A sudden brightness appeared before Wukong's eyes. Before the cliff, two large regions of white had appeared, both many miles across, and within each of the white regions, was a great circular region of darkness. Within the darkness, a figure was visible. It was the reflection of Wukong himself.\nWukong looked the apparition up and down.\n\"Ohhh, a pair of eyes, I see! That all you've got?\"\n\"Do you know who I am?\"\n\"How should I know? Where's your face? What are you looking at, with your goldfish eyes?\"\n\"You have no idea the size I can grow to with my power! Ha ha ha… I, am the -\"\n\"I don't care! What's that got to do with me?\"\n\"I… Well, I'm telling you anyway: I, am - \"\n\"Dontcaredontcaredontcare…\"\n\"Listen, you - you monkey-\"\n\"Oh, pissed are we? Still want to teach me?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Shut up! I'm the King of the Underworld.\"\n\"…\"\n\"Humph. Cat got your tongue, monkey? Don't you want to find your master? I can help you, you insolent creature!\"\n\"…\"\n\"To tell the truth, his ghost never even came to this place. Which means that he has either become an immortal and risen to the heavens, or he has too much he cannot let go in the mortal world, and his spirit still wanders there.\"\nWithout a word, Wukong turned to leave.\n\"Where are you going?\"\n\"Since he's not here, I'll look elsewhere.\"\n\"You're going just like that?\"\n\"Yeah. Thanks.\" Wukong said lightly, without pausing on his way out.\n\"What did you say?\"\n\"Thanks, thanks! Are you deaf?\"\n \"Did you hear that? He said thanks! Sun Wukong, said thanks! Sun Wukong said thanks to me! Hahaha… oh, that feels fucking good.\"\n\"Hahahaha…\" Countless voices suddenly began laughing all around. Sun Wukong realized at once that there were actually thousands of ghosts surrounding him, invisible in the dark.\n\"Hahaha… is this what the great Sun Wukong has become?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Isn't he cute, now?\"\n\"Look at him, all quiet - what're you looking at, huh?\"\n\"Hahahaha…\"\n\"HAHAHAHA…\"\nSun Wukong was starting to realize that something was wrong. Why was he so calm?\nHe actually wanted to be angry, but he only felt utterly empty. He seemed to have nothing to fuel his anger with.\nSo he just walked, slowly, among the echoing laughter.\nWhat are they laughing at? He thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What should I do now?\nWukong walked away into the darkness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The King of the Underworld heaved a great sigh of relief. \"Thank heavens, he's finally gone. All right, at ease, everyone!\"\nSuddenly, a flood of ghost-soldiers emerged from every corner of the Underworld, hundreds and thousands of them, like ants scurrying from a disturbed anthill. All of them were armed.\n\"Bravo, my King,\" chuckled one ghost, \"Scared off the Great Sage Equal to Heaven himself!\" It was the ghost that Wukong had pushed over the cliff.\n\"Well, Advisor, I must confess, I was pretty freaked out, too. I mean, what if he'd actually gotten mad?\" The King of the Underworld, having removed his illusions, now appears to be a short, portly fellow.\n\"Looks like Guanyin's idea really worked.\"\n\"Yeah, he's just a tame dog, now - all bark and no bite!\"\n\"Hahahaha…\"\n\"Hahahaha… …ack.\"\nIn unison they choked on their laughter, jaws dropping open.\nThey were both staring at the same point ahead.\nThe thousands of ghost-soldiers turned to stare as well.\nIn the dark, a figure was walking towards them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the dark, a figure was walking towards them.\nHe walked quite slowly, but every step seemed to shake the Underworld.\nSun Wukong!\n\"Hello, little ghosts of the Underworld. We meet again.\" said Wukong, \"Why stop enjoying yourselves? Keep laughing. Go on.\"\nEvery ghost clapped a hand tightly over their own mouth.\n\"Who was it that laughed the loudest?\"\nHundreds of thousands of fingers lifted and pointed at the King of the Underworld.\nThe King of the Underworld paled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Advisor pointing at him. He glared at the Advisor, who quickly shrank his hand back.\n\"You! Get over here, and get your behind ready for two hundred of the best.\" Wukong twitched his staff.\n\"Spare me Great Sage no need to take it so seriously Great Sage it was just my little joke!\"\n\"Two hundred on the ass… or one on the head.\"\n\"…\"\nWukong's face suddenly twisted: \"All of you, you will pay!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In a flash, before the King of the Underworld could move a muscle, Wukong had leapt forward, and seized him by the scruff of the neck.\n\"Off with you!\" With a swing of Wukong's arm, the King of the Underworld was tossed high into the air like a large pillow, arcing over the heads of the ghost army, and ramming into the tip of the Empty Mountain.\n\"Charge! Everybody, charge!\" the Advisor bellowed.\nHundreds of thousands of ghosts rushed forward with shrill battle cries.\n\"Come, come, bring it on!\" With a wild laugh, Wukong leapt into the crowd. At once, ghosts began flying into the air.\nFive\nFive."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The White Dragon of the Eastern Sea sneaked quietly into the Dragon Palace. The Eastern Dragon King was nodding on his throne. No one else was around.\nShe stepped silently over, and wrapped her arms around him.\nA single tear fell on the Dragon King's face.\nThe Dragon King opened his eyes.\n\"My child! Is it really you?\"  He hugged the White Dragon to his chest, tears brimming his old eyes. \"Have you finally decided to come home?\"\n\"Father, he's dead. Sun Wukong killed him.\" the White Dragon sobbed, \"I watched him die, and couldn't do anything.\"\n\"Child, why do you do this to yourself? You could have been married to a prince in the Heavens, but you choose to carry a mortal on an endless journey!\"\n\"Father, you don't understand. You will never understand.\"\n\"No matter what, Father will not let you leave the Palace this time.\"\n\"You can't stop me. I believe he is still somewhere in the world, and I will find him. Father, I may have longer journeys yet in the future - please look after yourself!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"My silly child! My heart is with you. Every hardship you endure is a knife in my chest!\"\n\"I'm sorry, Father. But I believe in him, believe in the dream he believes. Nothing can stop him in achieving that dream.\"\n\"Him! Him! He is all you talk about! If you are determined to leave, why come back at all?\"\n\"Father, I need to borrow your Pearl. With its magic, I can protect his body, until I find his soul.\nThe Dragon King sighed. \"Have I ever been able to refuse you anything, child? But Heaven has issued orders, no one is to help those four.\"\n\"Father, who are they, and what have they done to offend Heaven?\"\n\"I do not know who the monk Tang may be, that he can inspire you so. But Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing - they are all… do not make me say it!\"\n\"All right. I won't ask.\"\n\"Child, if Heaven should know that you are helping them, your entire family in the sea will not escape the penalty of death!\"\n\"I understand, Father. I will be careful.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"I understand, Father. I will be careful.\"\nA fish swam in to report. \"Sire! A monkey requests a meeting. He said his name is Sun.\"\n\"Go child!\" The Dragon King said hurriedly, \"take the Pearl, and above all, be careful!\"\n\"Goodbye, Father!\" the White Dragon bowed out with tears in her eyes.\nSun Wukong burst into the room out of impatience, and found himself facing a girl, clad all in white, on her way out. At the moment she passed, her gaze flickered up at him briefly, then she lowered her head and walked past him hurriedly.\nHave I seen her somewhere before? Wukong wondered.\nThe entire dragon palace was empty but for the Dragon King and Sun Wukong. All the other fish had been sent away - this was a meeting Heaven must not find out about.\n\"What brings the Great Sage here?\" asked the old King.\n\"Nothing much. Just need to borrow that Incorruptible Pearl of yours.\"\n\"W-What?\"\n\"What do you mean, 'what'? Don't you trust me? I always return what I borrow.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"I am well aware of how principled the Great Sage is. And is the Gold-tipped Staff still working well for you?\"\n\"How did you know I have it? It seems like I was born with it in my ear!\"\n\"You truly do not remember the past?\" the Dragon King chuckled bitterly, \"A travesty! That such greatness can be so reduced.\"\n\"What the hell are you talking about?\"\n\"Nothing… How did the monk Tang die?\"\n\"You heard about that? Some fucker transformed into my shape and killed the egg-head, no doubt in an attempt to stop me from reaching the West. He's still in this world somewhere, of course. The baldie, I mean. I have to find him now, and it's going to take who knows how long!\"\n\"Unfortunate creature!\"\n\"No need to pity me, I'm simply destined for running errands. Now how about that Pearl?\"\n\"It… well… It's lost.\"\n\"Lost? You can just say if you don't want to lend it to me, you know. What do you expect me to do? Eat you?\"\n\"You just might.\" the Dragon King murmured."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"You just might.\" the Dragon King murmured.\n\"Whatever, cheapskate. Oh well, let His Hairlessness rot, then. The pig's body is still good, Tang can share it, I suppose. I'm off.\"\nThe Dragon King watched Sun Wukong's faint sillouette disappear rapidly into the distance, mouth slightly agape.\n\"He left, just like that?\"\nHe shook his head, turned, and yelled in shock.\nSun Wukong stood behind him.\n\"You slimy old worm, you gave the Pearl to your daughter! I'll finish her off first!\" Sun Wukong snarled.\n\"No, Great Sage!\" the Dragon King clutched Wukong's sleeve desperately, \"She's gone back to help your Master! Do anything you like to this old Dragon, but do not hurt my daughter! She, too, has only good intentions for the traveling monk!\"\n\"Good intentions? The road to hell is paved with them! I hate good intentions! How many have died, because of good intentions? I'd sooner wake her to her folly with a good knock on the head!\"\n\"No, Great Sage! I'm begging you!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"No, Great Sage! I'm begging you!\"\nThe Dragon King was kneeling on the ground, still refusing to loosen his grip on Wukong's sleeve.\n\"Let go!\"\n\"Promise me you will spare my daughter!\"\n\"Ha! When have I spared anyone?\"\nWith a swing of his arm, he threw the Dragon King back, and drew out the Gold-tipped Staff.\n\"Yours, huh? Old Sun has not forgotten. Today I'll end you with it, and I shall owe you no more!\"\nBam!\nA dark red mist began to spread, slowly, in the blue sea water.\n***\nThe cause.\nFive hundred years ago.\nEndlessly, the blue-green sea stretched on.\nOn stretched the green-blue sea, endlessly.\n\"Is there anything else here at all, besides sea water?\" The Dragon Princess pouted.\n\"I want to take a look outside.\" And anything the Princess wanted, the Princess got.\nSo she turned into a goldfish, and left the Dragon Palace!\nOf course she didn't tell her Father. She was grown up. If she wanted to sneak out of the Palace, then she would."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She swam and swam, for three nights and days. And still, all around her was the endless blueness.\n \"Am I there yet? Hey, you there - how far are we from the shore?\" She had stopped a fish swimming alongside her.\n \"You dare talk to me like this!? I'm a shark!\" said the other fish.\n\"I always talk like this. What are you going to do, bite me? Ha! You wouldn't dare!\"\n\"Why not?\"\n\"Because I'm me, of course.\"\nShe swam away, laughing, leaving the shark looking befuddled. \"Why can't I bite her? She's just a carp!\"\nOn she swam, for three more days.\n\"This is such a bore. But I'm probably very near the shore now.\"\n\"The shore! Ha, we are miles away! At your speed, you'll die of old age before you get there!\" A sword fish zipped past her, and laughed.\n\"Oh, you're horrible! Take that, and that, and that!\" she pounded him with her small fins bunched like fists.\n\"Humph. I was only telling the truth. What a terrible temper. Probably will never get a husband.\" the sword fish swam away with a flick of its tail."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"I won't have it! I shall transform, right now!\"\nThe water around her began to vibrate. Waves, aglow with magic, rippled from her position and swept through the ocean. At the very crescendo of the rippling waves, a spherical vacuum formed around her, burning with light that lit up the very depths of the sea!\n\"Look out! The sun fell into the sea!\" a nearby school of fish shouted in unison.\nA column of water rose high, high into the air. Then, suddenly, it collapsed into countless dew drops of water, and for a moment, suspended between the sky and the glassy sea below was a galaxy of shimmering golden stars!\nFaint at first in the brilliance, but growing ever clearer, was the silhouette of the White Dragon's true form.\nShe was the colour of pure white jade and the shape of gently rolling clouds.\n\"Oooh…\" said the fish.  \"Aaah…\"\n\"This is the best moment of my life!\" the seaweed and coral exclaimed happily.\n\"Ah! I'm scared of heights!\" yelled the fish that were brought into the air by the churning water."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a flick of her tail, the White Dragon waved the water droplets to them, encasing each one in a shimmering liquid bubble.\n\"Wow! We're flying!\" promptly cried the previously panicking fish.\n\"I want to fly too!\" shouted an excited young fish in the sea.\n\"Don't be silly. Fish can't fly.\" snapped his harried-looking mother.\nThe White Dragon grinned. She really was very lucky to be a dragon, to be free to roam in the sky or the depths of the sea as she liked. Funny how she never realized that, until she saw these common fish. That the ability to cross boundaries, was quite nice.\nIn mere minutes, she could see land through the clouds beneath her.\nOf course she couldn't just fly down like this.\nShe morphed back into a fish, and slipped into the ocean near the shore.\nAnd chose a direction in which to swim.\nDo we always arrive at the same place, whatever path we choose?\nSix\nSix."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Six\nSix.\nThe White Dragon could see the world above the water - a strange, wonderful world, with creatures called “humans”, walking about along the shore. What were they doing? They were wearing different clothes, and a range of different expressions, from happy to woeful. She longed to know what they were thinking.\nShe suddenly had a strong desire to get to know a human. To understand his heart.\nSo she swam along the bank of the river, examining every human along the shore.\nIt was then that she saw him.\nThe very moment she laid eyes on him, she was captivated.\nWhy? She wasn’t sure. Was it his handsome features? His exceptional bald head? Ah yes, it was his eyes.\nHe was sight-seeing on the shore of the river, and he looked at everything around him with something in his eyes that was different from everyone else."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That gaze, was like… like the sun - warm and happy. Whether he was looking at a blade of grass, or willows growing across the river, or the busy people on the street, his eyes were always admiring, serenading...\n“Hey, monk! What are you staring at a girl for? Creep!” a woman snapped.\nMonk? He was called “monk”? Why do they rebuke him? Was it not nice to have such gentle eyes looking at you? Surely that was nothing to be angry about.\nBut the monk was not angry. He replied with a smile: “I look not at you, but at flowers. Flowers reflect in the water, making colours where there’s none.\"\n“Crazy monk!” everyone sneered."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Crazy monk!” everyone sneered.\nThe White Dragon didn't understand humans. On the shore, the butcher was glaring at a customer trying to select a boar head; the boar head on the rack was glaring at the butcher. In the street, a scholar walked with his head bowed, sighing miserably; a woman in an upstairs window was batting her eyes, unnoticed by the scholar. In a restaurant, a customer and the waiter were arguing over a fly in a bowl; outside, two warriors were getting into a sword fight over an argument about who had walked into whom.\nIf they all looked at the world the way the monk did, they would surely find all of this very amusing.\nThe White Dragon was suddenly very eager to let the monk take a look at her. Would his eyes light up with delight? After all, her current form was that of a very rare, pure gold carp. The monk would surely be impressed.\nShe found herself swimming towards the shore…\nSuddenly, something tightened around her. Then, with a splash, she had been lifted out of the water!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Everyone! Look what I caught! A golden carp! A pure gold carp!\" a fisherman shouted.\nThe White Dragon was embarrassed and furious. She had been caught by a mere mortal! And displayed for the masses to see! She wanted to transform, but her powers are diminished outside of the water.\nEveryone was staring at her. The White Dragon tried to close her eyes in embarrassment, but found that fish have no eyelids.\nIn her panic, she looked towards the monk.\nHow infuriating! Everyone was looking this way, but not him. He was still smiling vaguely at the river water.\n“I’ll buy it from you for ten coppers!\" someone in the crowd shouted.\n“This is a rare delicacy! You might not see one again all your life!” the fisherman prompted encouragingly.\n“Eleven coppers!” someone else offered.\n“Twelve coppers!\"\nThe White Dragon struggled furiously in the net, almost succumbing to chewing at the cords. Fools! Humans are all ignorant fools! Do they have no respect for the beautiful and precious things in the world?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was then, that a voice said: “Amitabha. Sir, we must not eat that fish...\"\n“Eh? What are you talking about, monk?” demanded the fisherman.\nIt was him! The White Dragon stopped struggling.\nThe monk was still smiling. “That’s no carp, sir -\"\nDoes he recognize me for what I am? The White Dragon held her breath.\n“ - It’s a shell-less tortoise!” finished the monk.\nThe White Dragon almost keeled over, for a moment there.\n“What did you say? A shell-less…? Haha, idiot!” the fisherman roared with laughter.\nThe whole crowd burst into laughter, too.\n“Really! On my monk’s honour, it has four legs.\"\n“Four legs? Ahahaha! Where? I don’t see them! Hahaha…”\n“I’ve seen this type of fish before, they really have four little legs. It’s just that, normally, they keep them tucked in. Here, allow me to show you... riiight there…\"\nStarting to look uncertain, the fisherman held out the carp for the monk.\nThe monk snatched the carp, stuffed it in his robe, and bolted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Wha-?\" The fisherman's eyes widened in realization, \"The monk's stealing the fish! Someone get him! The monk's stealing the fish!\"\nWith astonishing speed, the monk sprinted all the way to the city gates, and out.\nHaha, and that, my friends, is the famous story of the young Tripitaka compassionately saving the golden carp. Let us continue.\nThe White Dragon, tucked in the monk's arms, could see nothing, and could only hear the monk panting as he ran, and smell the sweaty scent of his young man's body. She felt strange, like she was growing tipsy with wine.\nThe monk had finally stopped. With a splash, the White Dragon was in water again. She swam about in a quick turn, and discovered that she was in a large porcelain urn.\nThe monk slumped beside the tank, panting.\nThe monk was a kind man, the White Dragon thought, wagging her fish tail.\nNow the monk had stood up again, leaning over the tank and gazing at her. He was muttering something.\n\"... Shall I have it boiled or fried?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"... Shall I have it boiled or fried?\"\nThe White Dragon almost fell to the bottom of the tank - he was going to cook her too?!\n\"Got you!\" the monk laughed, and reached down and tickled her.\nI knew you wouldn't, the White Dragon thought. Where the monk's hand touched her, she felt a strange shiver along her fish's body, and quickly ducked away.\nDid the monk know she could understand him? She wondered.\nNo, he didn't. He was speaking to the flowers planted outside the cottage now.\n\"Have you all been good while I was gone? Have the ants bothered you? I had a talk with them yesterday, so they should be fine. No need to spit at them if you see them again.\"\nWhat a funny monk, the White Dragon thought. He looked like he was perhaps eighteen or nineteen, but sometimes, he still acted like a child.\n\"Tang! Master Tianyang from the People's Guild Temple of Hong Province is here to debate with Master Fa‘Ming in the great hall - come and see!\"\n\"Coming!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Coming!\"\nBefore the monk Tang left, he turned and told her: \"Stay here by yourself for a bit. I'll take you home when I'm back. Don't let Brother Shi and his cat see you!\"\nGot it. The White Dragon thought. I'll be right behind you, anyway.\nTang ran out, leaving the room empty.\nA streak of golden light flew from the water tank, and the water splashed to the floor.\nThe White Dragon stood in the room. There was not enough water for her to change into a dragon, so she had taken the form of a human.\nShe was now an impossibly beautiful young woman, clad all in white.\nActually, the White Dragon frequently took this form back in the Palace; all dragons are born with a natural human form.\nShe carefully peeked out from the hut. She was in a small cottage within a spacious temple built in the mountains. From a great hall in the distance, she could hear the hum of collective human voices. Nearby, all was quiet. It seemed everybody was at the debate.\nShe grinned.\nIt was time to observe the life of Tang the Human!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She transformed into a pure white nightingale, and flew to the great hall, landing in one of the windows. Here in the mountains, the most common bird was the sparrow - but that was much too mundane for her.\nA great array of monks sat on the floor of the hall. At the very centre, two elderly monks stood. One held a walking stick and a sack, and seemed to be a visiting nomad. The other, naturally, was the resident Abbot of the temple.\n\"Master Fa’ming, I have long heard of the thriving Buddhist wisdom of Golden Peak Temple, and arrived here today to beg for your teachings,\" said the old monk with the walking stick.\n\"Master Tianyang is too kind.\"\n\"Why is that?\" Tianyang barked suddenly, \"Do you not dare accept praise?\"\nMaster Fa’ming looked startled for a moment, before he realized that the debate had begun. He smiled and calmly replied: \"I dare accept but dare not relinquish.\"\n\"Release it!\"\n\"My hands are empty. What is there to release?\"\n\"Then what are you holding?\"\n\"The heart knows the truth.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"The heart knows the truth.\"\nThe two shot questions and answers at each other like arrows, and all around them the monks whispered fervent discussions.\n\"Do you understand any of it?\"\n\"Not a word!\"\n\"This is quite beyond my depth!\"\n\"Such incredible wisdom!\"\nThe White Dragon searched the crowd for Tang, only to find him standing among his peers, and looking right back at her.\nThe White Dragon's heart skipped a beat, and felt herself blush, before remembering that she was a bird, and that no one could see a blush under her feathers.\nTang merely smiled at her.\nDoes he recognize me? The White Dragon wondered. Impossible! He was only a mortal; he couldn't possibly have any power to see through her magic.\nThe two monks had reached a critical point in their debate, and were both concentrating so hard that steam was rising from the tops of their heads.\n\"What is Zen?\" asked Tianyang.\n\"It is.\" replied Fa’ming.\n\"What is the True Dharma Eye?\"\n\"It isn't.\"\n\"What is Emptiness?\"\n\"A question.\"\n\"Is it?\"\n\"Isn't it?\"\n\"Is it??\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"A question.\"\n\"Is it?\"\n\"Isn't it?\"\n\"Is it??\"\n\"Ah-\"\nFa’ming had stumbled. Tianyang roared with laughter. \"Is that all you've got?\"\n\"I... Ah...\" Fa’ming had turned a deep red, and all the monks around them started speaking at once.\n\"The Golden Peak Temple seems to have an undeserved reputation. Despite all my travels, I have not met a true Master! Pity! Pity... ” laughed Tianyang above the cacophony of the crowd.\n\"Hahaha...\"\nA single voice in the crowd was laughing too.\nEveryone turned around. It was Tang.\nTianyang stared at Tang.\n\"Does the young Master find this old monk funny?\"\n\"Hm?\" said Tang, \"Oh, no, I was watching a couple of rabbits fighting, just up that tree outside in the yard. It was quite funny, so I laughed.\"\n\"Nonsense. There are no rabbits in trees.\"\n\"So what was in the trees?\" asked Tang.\nTianyang paused, stumped. He looked Tang up and down, examining him anew.\n\"You hide great talents behind your young age, Master Tang!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"What?\" cried one of the monks in the crowd, \"But he is the laziest of us all! He never even listens in lectures.\"\n\"Be silent!\" Fa’ming quieted the other monk, and said to Tang, \"Tang, if you have something to say, you may say it.\"\n\"It's really nothing.\" Tang smiled. \"I really did see some rabbits just now. I also saw a white nightingale that can blush.\"\nHuh? The White Dragon almost fell off the window ledge.\n\"The young Master is being reticent! Then I shall speak first.\" said Tianyang.\n\"Please do.\"\n\"What is the Buddha?\"\nTang looked up, and down, and outside the door...\n\"Have you lost something? Quick! Think of a reply!\" cried Fa’ming.\n\"He has already replied.\" chuckled Tianyang, \"He means to say, 'the Buddha is in all things'. Very impressive, young Master.\"\nTang smiled.\n\"I'll ask you another question, the one that Fa’ming could not answer. What is Emptiness?\"\n\"Broken.\" said Tang without hesitation.\n\"Is it?\"\n\"Nope.\"\n\"If it isn't, then why did you answer?\" Tianyang snapped, \"Little whelp!\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"If it isn't, then why did you ask?\" Tang shot back, \"Old fart!\"\nThe two glared at each other. Everyone else watched, frozen in shock.\nAfter a long silence, Tianyang gave a great sigh.\n\"You are quite right, young Master. I have lost.\"\nTang was immediately the talk of the temple.\nAfter Tianyang left, all crowded closer to Tang, asking him for explanations.\n\"That last attack of Tianyang came very quickly and viciously! How did you manage to parry it? What is the true meaning behind the phrase, 'old fart'?\"\nTang rubbed his bald head, grinning.\n\"It wasn't much. He said my answer was wrong, and that I was a little kid who should be beat up. I said, so what if I get it wrong? If you beat me up, I can beat you up back, old man. And since he saw I was young, he realized he probably can't win in a fight. So he surrendered.\"\nA seizable section of the crowd had fallen over."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A seizable section of the crowd had fallen over.\n\"Tang, you are clearly immensely talented. From now on, I would like you to live and study directly with me. I will teach you all that I know,\" said Fa’ming.\nTang rubbed his head and said: \"Actually, I think it's pretty nice in the cottage where I live. I can grow flowers and look at the sky. I can't memorize all those scriptures.\"\n\"If you do not put in the effort to study, how will you one day become worthy of my position and legacy?\" smiled Fa’ming.\nAll the monks nearby looked at Tang with envy - the Abbot was clearly indicating that Tang would be his chosen successor.\nBut Tang said: \"What I want to learn, you cannot teach me.\"\nThe crowd of monks collectively drew a breath in shock. Fa’ming, too, stumbled back, looking shaken.\n\"What is it that you wish to learn?\" asked Fa’ming with forced calm.\nTang tilted back his head, looking up at the clouds changing shape in the sky, and spoke."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"I want the sky to never again cover my eyes; the earth, never again bury my heart. I want every living creature to know my will; I want all the gods to scatter, like smoke in the wind.\"\nThose words were like a flash of lightning across a cloudless sky.\nIn the Western Paradise, Gautama Buddha had been meditating when he suddenly opened his eyes with a gasped, \"No!\"\nThe Goddess of Mercy, Bodhisattva Guanyin stepped forward.\n\"What is it, Master?\"\nSaid the Lord Buddha:\n\"It's him. He's back.\"\nSeven\nSeven.\nTang returned to the hut.\nThe carp was still in the tank. \n\"Why, the ground is wet! It was you being naughty, wasn't it?\" Tang smiled at the White Dragon.\nThe White Dragon wiggled her tail and smiled back. She realized that she was actually content to be a fish if it meant she could stay by his side."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since the day Tang fought with Tianyang, and refused Fa'ming's teachings, he seemed to become more and more isolated within the temple. All the monks merely gave him an uncomfortable smile when they neared him, Fa'ming no longer paid him any attention, and when it came time for lectures, no one called for him to attend. When all were in the great hall reciting, Tang would sweep leaves by himself in the empty courtyard, returning every fallen leaf to the roots of the trees. Or else he would lie on the ground by himself. It might appear to others that he was sleeping, but the White Dragon knew that he was looking at the sky, and sometimes he would do it for hours.\nAt night, he would return to the shabby hut that only he lived in, and do some writing by the faint light of an oil lamp."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He became more and more quiet, and spoke less and less with the White Dragon and the plants. His smile, which had been as bright and clear as the sky, slowly faded, and as time passed, something else began to creep onto his brow. He no longer swept the courtyard or watched the sky, and instead only sat there, thinking... thinking...\nHe was very troubled, the White Dragon thought. He must have something that he could not figure out. But she did not know what he was thinking. Perversely, the longer she lived with him, the less and less she was able to understand his innermost thoughts. What could be in a human's heart? The White Dragon swore to get to the truth of it. Sometimes when he wrote by the light of the lamp, she would leap above the water in the tank. Tang used to always smile faintly at her when she did that, but now, he did not acknowledge her at all.\nHe no longer spoke of taking her back home, nor did she want him to.\nOne day, several monks sat down beneath a tree for a discussion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One monk, whose name was Xuansheng, said: \"In my opinion, the Buddha is like the great tree before the terrace; though it has tens of thousands of branches, all branches stem from the same root.\"\nAnother by the name of Xuanqi spoke: \"I, too, have a comparison to make. In my opinion, the Buddha is like the ancient well in the courtyard; from time to time, one can see oneself reflected within.\"\nThe surrounding monks chorused:  \"The two elder brothers speak most elegantly, revealing the vital truths of Buddhism.\"\nThe two elder monks looked quite satisfied with themselves, but then saw Tang sitting alone, without acknowledging them at all.\nXuanqi called to him: \"Tang, what do you think of our discussion?\"\nWithout even turning his head, Tang answered with a chuckle: \"If it were up to me, I'd cut down the tree, and bury the well, just so you would perish the thought.\"\nXuansheng and Xuanqi leaped to their feet: \"You vicious monk! Are you envious that we have unraveled arcane truths?\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tang laughed heartily: \"If you've genuinely unraveled truths, why do you speak of trees and wells?\"\n\"Hmph. Then what do you think the Buddha is?\"\n\"What Buddha? Where? Can you snare one and show it to me?\" retorted Tang.\n\"You mundane creature... The Buddha is in the heart, it cannot be snared.\"\n\"If Buddha is in your heart, then why talk about it? You may as well be letting out gas!\"\nXuanqi was infuriated, and snarled: \"You animal! You speak unclean words and smear the Buddhist scriptures! No wonder the Buddha had you float here on the river, an orphan without a name or parents!\"\nAt these words, Tang paled, his face turning as white as paper.\nXuanqi knew he had misspoke, and everyone quickly scattered.\nTang was the only one left in the courtyard.\nThe wind blew a few dried leaves to his feet. Above the horizon, a lonely goose gave a few somber calls, stark against the backdrop of the blood-red sunset in the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Who... who made me? And what for?\" Tang spoke as if in a trance, \"Why bring me here, then leave me without directions... Why? Why??\"\nHe lifted his head and cried out to the sky, but it remained grave and silent. A tear slipped past the corner of his lips.\nTang returned to the cottage. The White Dragon was in the room snooping through his books. When she saw he had returned, with a twist of her body, she transformed back into a carp in the urn.\nTang stood blankly in the room for a long moment. Suddenly, he began to pack.\nThe White Dragon watched as he picked up a bundle, then walked over to the urn.\n\"Come, I'll take you home,\" said Tang.\nTang had decided to leave the temple, and Fa'ming could not stop him. Fa'ming only sighed: \"You are alone and without family in this world, so remember to keep the Buddha in your thoughts, and pray to him often for protection.\""}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "\"Master, I've always wondered... if everything that exists all came from nothing, then this stubborn love that all living things share, where does it come from? And if everything that exists shall ultimately end in nothingness, what is the point of all the vicissitudes people experience in the mortal world?\"\n\"Well... to be honest with you, if I could answer these questions, I would not be so assiduously meditating for all these years.\"\n“Goodbye, Master. I must start on a long journey.\"\nReplied Fa'ming: \"I understand what you mean. Take good care.\"\nThe Master improvised a poem and spoke it aloud: \"Speak of the way, the way cannot be described. Ask your heart, the heart will receive no questions. Awaken, and between the sky and the earth, the Emptiness will be there to be found.\"\n\"I will always remember your words.\"\nTang knelt and bowed to Master Fa'ming three times in parting. Then he stood and, cradling the golden carp in an alms bowl full of water, he turned and left."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All of creation seemed quiet and grave. There was the rustle of endless falling leaves, the wind, the rippling of the grass and branches, the waves, birdsong... the world seemed suddenly full of all kinds of sounds, as if countless voices are in susurrus, but when one tries to listen more closely, there seems to be no sound at all.\nHere, at this moment, a great journey began.\nTang stood at the bank of a great river, holding the alms bowl: \"This is where I came from, all those years ago.\"\nWhite fog drifted over the river; a gust of wind tossed his clothes about. He seemed to be speaking to himself as much as to the White Dragon.\n\"All living beings are sacred, whether it be a single tree or a single blade of grass. You have your own home, and your own life to live in freedom. I can't keep you any longer. Go on, now.\"\nHe released the golden carp into the river. The fish did a few about-turns in the water but did not leave.\n\"Are you a creature of loyalty, too? I appreciate the thought. Now, go on,\" said Tang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The White Dragon suddenly felt she was about to cry. For so many days, she had not spoken one word, and only listened to the monk talk, watched the monk read, sweep up; watched his brow furrow deeply when he thought, watched his expression turn peaceful when he slept. She felt she could no longer be without these things. There was no one like this in the Dragon Palace, no one like this in all of the square miles of the great Eastern Sea. In the whole wide world, there was but one such person.\nMust she truly leave him like this?\n“Fate governs all meetings. When it deems that we part, we should not try to struggle against it. I am headed far away, beyond the horizon. You cannot follow me there. Go on.\"\nThe White Dragon has the sudden, impetuous urge to reveal her true form, tell the monk everything, and then accompany him to the ends of the Earth.\nBut in the end, she did not. She turned her head and swam with the river towards the sea.\nIn the water, a shimmering pearl sank slowly to the depths."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Title : Journey to the west\nAuthor: Wu Cheng'en\n\nChapter One\n\nThe Divine Root Conceives and the Spring Breaks Forth\n\nAs the Heart’s Nature Is Cultivated, the Great Way Arises\n\nBefore Chaos was divided, Heaven and Earth were one;\n\nAll was a shapeless blur, and no men had appeared.\n\nOnce Pan Gu destroyed the Enormous Vagueness\n\nThe separation of clear and impure began.\n\nLiving things have always tended towards humanity;\n\nFrom their creation all beings improve.\n\nIf you want to know about Creation and Time,\n\nRead Difficulties Resolved on the Journey to the West.\n\nIn the arithmetic of the universe, 129,600 years make one cycle. Each cycle can be divided into twelve phases: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI and XII, the twelve branches. Each phase lasts 10,800 years."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now within a single day, the positive begins at the time I; at II the cock crows; at III it is not quite light; at IV the sun rises; V is after breakfast; and at VI one does business. VII is when the sun reaches noon; at VIII it is slipping towards the West; IX is late afternoon; the sun sets at X; XI is dusk; and at XII people settle down for the night.\n\nIf you compare this with the big numbers, then at the end of Phase XI Heaven and Earth were still one, and no beings had appeared. 5,400 years later came the beginning of Phase XII, when all was darkness and there were still no people or other creatures; for this reason it was called Chaos. Another 5,400 years later Phase XII was drawing to a close and a new cycle was about to begin. As Phase I of the new era approached, gradually there was light. As Shao Yong said,\n\n“When winter reaches the mid-point of Phase I\n\nThe heart of Heaven does not move.\n\nWhere the Positive first appears\n\nNothing has yet come to life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nothing has yet come to life.”\n\nAt this time, Heaven first had a foundation. 5,400 years later, in the middle of Phase I, the light and pure rose upwards, and sun, moon, stars, and constellations were created. These were called the Four Images. Hence the saying that heaven began in I.\n\nAnother 5,400 years later, when Phase I was nearing its end and Phase II was imminent, things gradually solidified. As the Book of Changes says, “Great is the Positive; far-reaching is the Negative! All things are endowed and born in accordance with Heaven.” This was when the earth began to congeal. After 5,400 more years came the height of Phase II, when the heavy and impure solidified, and water, fire, mountains, stone, and Earth came into being. These five were called the Five Movers. Therefore it is said that the Earth was created in Phase II."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After a further 5,400 years, at the end of Phase II and the beginning of the Phase III, living beings were created. In the words of the Book of the Calendar, “ The essence of the sky came down and the essence of earth went up. Heaven and Earth intermingled, and all creatures were born.” Then Heaven was bright and Earth was fresh, and the Positive intermingled with the Negative. 5,400 years later, when Phase III was at its height, men, birds and beasts were created. Thus the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth and Man—now had their set places. Therefore it is said that man was created in Phase III."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Moved by Pan Gu’s creation, the Three Emperors put the world in order and the Five Rulers laid down the moral code. The world was then divided into four great continents: The Eastern Continent of Superior Body, the Western Continent of Cattle-gift, the Southern Continent of Jambu and the Northern Continent of Kuru. This book deals only with the Eastern Continent of Superior Body. Beyond the seas there is a country called Aolai. This country is next to an ocean, and in the middle of the ocean is a famous island called the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. This mountain is the ancestral artery of the Ten Continents, the origin of the Three Islands; it was formed when the clear and impure were separated and the Enormous Vagueness was divided. It is a really splendid mountain and there are some verses to prove it:\n\nIt stills the ocean with its might,\n\nIt awes the jade sea into calm.\n\nIt stills the ocean with its might:\n\nTides wash its silver slopes and fish swim into its caves.\n\nIt awes the jade sea into calm:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It awes the jade sea into calm:\n\nAmid the snowy breakers the sea-serpent rises from the deep.\n\nIt rises high in the corner of the world where Fire and Wood meet;\n\nIts summit towers above the Eastern Sea.\n\nRed cliffs and strange rocks;\n\nBeetling crags and jagged peaks.\n\nOn the red cliffs phoenixes sing in pairs;\n\nLone unicorns lie before the beetling crags.\n\nThe cry of pheasants is heard upon the peaks;\n\nIn caves the dragons come and go.\n\nThere are deer of long life and magic foxes in the woods;\n\nMiraculous birds and black cranes in the trees.\n\nThere are flowers of jade and strange plants that wither not;\n\nGreen pine and bluish cypress ever in leaf,\n\nMagic peaches always in fruit.\n\nClouds gather round the tall bamboo.\n\nThe wisteria grows thick around the mountain brook\n\nAnd the banks around are newly-coloured with flowers.\n\nIt is the Heaven-supporting pillar where all the rivers meet,\n\nThe Earth’s root, unchanged through a myriad aeons."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There was once a magic stone on the top of this mountain which was thirty-six feet five inches high and twenty-four feet round. It was thirty-six feet five inches high to correspond with the 365 degrees of the heavens, and twenty-four feet round to match the twenty-four divisions of the solar calendar. On top of it were nine apertures and eight holes, for the Nine Palaces and the Eight Trigrams. There were no trees around it to give shade, but magic fungus and orchids clung to its sides. Ever since Creation began it had been receiving the truth of Heaven, the beauty of Earth, the essence of the Sun and the splendour of the Moon; and as it had been influenced by them for so long it had miraculous powers. It developed a magic womb, which burst open one day to produce a stone egg about the size of a ball."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the wind blew on this egg it turned into a stone monkey, complete with the five senses and four limbs. When the stone monkey had learned to crawl and walk, he bowed to each of the four quarters. As his eyes moved, two beams of golden light shot towards the Pole Star palace and startled the Supreme Heavenly Sage, the Greatly Compassionate Jade Emperor of the Azure Vault of Heaven, who was sitting surrounded by his immortal ministers on his throne in the Hall of Miraculous Mist in the Golden-gated Cloud Palace. When he saw the dazzling golden light he ordered Thousand-mile Eye and Wind-accompanying Ear to open the Southern Gate of Heaven and take a look. The two officers went out through the gate in obedience to the imperial command, and while one observed what was going on the other listened carefully. Soon afterwards they reported back: “In obedience to the Imperial Mandate your subjects observed and listened to the source of the golden light. We found that at the edge of the country of Aolai, which is"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "at the edge of the country of Aolai, which is East of the ocean belonging to the Eastern Continent of Superior Body, there is an island called the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. A magic stone on the top of this mountain produced a magic egg, and when the wind blew on this egg it turned into a stone monkey which bowed to each of the four quarters. When he moved his eyes, golden light shot towards the Pole Star Palace; but now that he is eating and drinking, the golden light is gradually dying.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his benevolence and mercy the Jade Emperor said, “Creatures down below are born of the essence of heaven and earth: there is nothing remarkable about him.”\n\nOn his mountain the monkey was soon able to run and jump, feed from plants and trees, drink from brooks and springs, pick mountain flowers and look for fruit. He made friends with the wolves, went around with the tigers and leopards, was on good terms with the deer, and had the other monkeys and apes for relations. At night he slept under the rockfaces, and he roamed around the peaks and caves by day. As the saying so rightly goes, “There is no calendar in the mountains, and when winter’s over you don’t know the time of year.” On hot mornings he and all the other monkeys would play under the shade of some pines to avoid the heat. Just look at them all:\n\nClimbing trees, picking flowers, looking for fruit;\n\nThrowing pellets, playing knucklebones;\n\nRunning round sandy hollows, building stone pagodas;\n\nChasing dragonflies and catching locusts;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chasing dragonflies and catching locusts;\n\nWorshipping the sky and visiting Bodhisattvas;\n\nTearing off creepers and weaving straw hats;\n\nCatching fleas then popping them with their teeth and fingers;\n\nGrooming their coats and sharpening their nails;\n\nBeating, scratching, pushing, squashing, tearing and tugging;\n\nPlaying all over the place under the pine trees;\n\nWashing themselves beside the green stream.\n\nAfter playing, the monkeys would go and bathe in the stream, a mountain torrent that tumbled along like rolling melons. There is an old saying, “Birds have bird language and, animals have animal talk.”\n\nAll the monkeys said to each other, “I wonder where that water comes from. We’ve got nothing else to do today, so wouldn’t it be fun to go upstream and find its source?” With a shout they all ran off, leading their children and calling to their brothers. They climbed up the mountain beside the stream until they reached its source, where a waterfall cascaded from a spring. They saw"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One white rainbow arching,\n\nA thousand strands of flying snow,\n\nUnbroken by the sea winds,\n\nStill there under the moon.\n\nCold air divides the greeny crags,\n\nSplashes moisten the mountainside;\n\nA noble waterfall cascades,\n\nHanging suspended like a curtain.\n\nThe monkeys clapped their hands and explained with delight, “What lovely water. It must go all the way to the bottom of the mountain and join the waves of the sea.”\n\nThen one monkey made a suggestion: “If anyone is clever enough to go through the fall, find the source, and come out in one piece, let’s make him our king.” When this challenge had been shouted three times, the stone monkey leapt out from the crowd and answered at the top of his voice, “I’ll go, I’ll go.” Splendid monkey! Indeed:\n\nToday he will make his name;\n\nTomorrow his destiny shall triumph.\n\nHe is fated to live here;\n\nAs a King he will enter the Immortals’ palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As a King he will enter the Immortals’ palace.\n\nWatch him as he shuts his eyes, crouches, and springs, leaping straight into the waterfall. When he opened his eyes and raised his head to look round, he saw neither water nor waves. A bridge stood in front of him, as large as life. He stopped, calmed himself, took a closer look, and saw that the bridge was made of iron. The water that rushed under it poured out through a fissure in the rocks, screening the gateway to the bridge. He started walking towards the bridge, and as he looked he made out what seemed to be a house. It was a really good place. He saw:\n\nEmerald moss piled up in heaps of blue,\n\nWhite clouds like drifting jade,\n\nWhile the light flickered among wisps of coloured mist.\n\nA quiet house with peaceful windows,\n\nFlowers growing on the smooth bench;\n\nDragon pearls hanging in niches,\n\nExotic blooms all around.\n\nTraces of fire beside the stove,\n\nScraps of food in the vessels by the table.\n\nAdorable stone chairs and beds,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Adorable stone chairs and beds,\n\nEven better stone plates and bowls.\n\nOne or two tall bamboos,\n\nThree or four sprigs of plum blossom,\n\nA few pines that always attract rain,\n\nAll just like a real home.\n\nHe took a good, long look and then scampered to the middle of the bridge, from where he noticed a stone tablet. On the tablet had been carved in big square letters: HAPPY LAND OF THE MOUNTAIN OF FLOWERS AND FRUIT, CAVE HEAVEN OF THE WATER CURTAIN. The stone monkey was beside himself with glee. He rushed away, shut his eyes, crouched, and leapt back through the waterfall.\n\n“We’re in luck, we’re in luck,” he said with a chuckle. All the other monkeys crowded round him asking, “What’s it like in there? How deep is the water?”\n\n“There’s no water, none at all,” replied the stone monkey. “There’s an iron bridge, and on the other side of the bridge there’s a house that must have been made by Heaven and Earth.”\n\n“How ever could you see a house there?” the other monkeys asked. The stone monkey chuckled again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The water here comes under the bridge and through the rocks, and it hides the gateway to the bridge from view. There are flowers and trees by the bridge, and a stone house too. Inside the house are stone rooms, a stone stove, stone bowls, stone plates, stone beds, and even stone benches. In the middle of it all is a tablet which says ‘Happy Land of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, Cave Heaven of the Water Curtain’. It’s just the place for us to settle down in—there’s room there for thousands. Let’s all move in, then we won’t have to put up with any more nonsense from heaven. In there\n\nWe can hide there from the wind,\n\nAnd shelter from the rain,\n\nWith nothing to fear from frost and snow,\n\nAnd never a rumble of thunder.\n\nThe coloured mists glow bright\n\nAnd the place smells lucky.\n\nThe pine and bamboo will always be beautiful,\n\nAnd rare flowers blossom every day.”\n\nThe other monkeys were all so delighted to hear this that they said, “You go first and take us with you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The stone monkey shut his eyes, crouched, and leapt in again, shouting, “Follow me in, follow me in.” The braver monkeys all jumped through. The more timid ones peered forward, shrank back, rubbed their ears, scratched their cheeks, shouted, and yelled at the top of their voices, before going in, all clinging to each other. After rushing across the bridge they all grabbed plates and snatched bowls, bagged stoves and fought over beds, and moved everything around. Monkeys are born naughty and they could not keep quiet for a single moment until they had worn themselves out moving things around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The stone monkey sat himself in the main seat and said, “Gentlemen, A man who breaks his word is worthless. Just now you said that if anyone was clever enough to come in here and get out again in one piece, you’d make him king. Well, then. I’ve come in and gone out, and gone out and come in. I’ve found you gentlemen a cave heaven where you can sleep in peace and all settle down to live in bliss. Why haven’t you made me king?” On hearing this all the monkeys bowed and prostrated themselves, not daring to disobey.\n\nThey lined up in groups in order of age and paid their homage as at court, all acclaiming him as the “Great King of a Thousand Years.” The stone monkey then took the throne, made the word “stone” taboo, and called himself Handsome Monkey King. There is a poem to prove it that goes:\n\nAll things are born from the Three positives;\n\nThe magic stone was quick with the essence of sun and moon.\n\nAn egg was turned into a monkey to complete the Great Way;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He was lent a name so that the elixir would be complete.\n\nLooking inside he perceives nothing because it has no form,\n\nOutside he uses his intelligence to create visible things.\n\nMen have always been like this:\n\nThose who are called kings and sages do just as they wish.\n\nTaking control of his host of monkeys, apes, gibbons and others, the Handsome Monkey King divided them into rulers and subjects, assistants and officers. In the morning they roamed the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and in the evening they settled down for the night in the Water Curtain Cave. They made a compact that they would not join the ranks of the birds or go with the running beasts. They had their own king, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.\n\nIn spring they picked flowers for food and drink,\n\nIn summer they lived off fruit.\n\nIn autumn they gathered tares and chestnuts,\n\nThey got through the winter on Solomon’s-seal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They got through the winter on Solomon’s-seal.\n\nThe Handsome Monkey King’s innocent high spirits could not, of course, last three or four hundred years. One day he suddenly felt depressed during a banquet with his monkey host, and he started to weep. The startled monkeys crowded round, bowed to him and asked, “What’s the matter, Your Majesty?”\n\n“Although I’m happy now,” the Monkey King replied, “I’m worried about the future. That’s what’s getting me down.”\n\nThe other monkeys laughed and said, “Your Majesty is being greedy. We have parties every day; we live in a mountain paradise, in an ancient cave in a divine continent. We are spared the rule of unicorns, the domination of phoenixes, and the restraints of human kings. We are free to do just as we like—we are infinitely lucky. Why make yourself miserable worrying about the future?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the Monkey King replied, “Yes, we don’t have to submit to the laws and regulations of human kings, and we don’t live in terror of the power of birds and beasts. But the time will come when we are old and weak, and the underworld is controlled by the King of Hell. When the time comes for us to die, we won’t be able to go on living among the Blessed, and our lives will have been in vain.” All the monkeys covered their faces and wept as everyone of them thought about death.\n\nSuddenly a gibbon jumped out from their ranks and shrieked in a piercing voice, “If Your Majesty is thinking so far ahead, this is the beginning of enlightenment. Now of the Five Creatures, there are only three that do not come under the jurisdiction of the King of Hell.”\n\n“Do you know which they are?” asked the Monkey King."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” the ape replied. “They are the Buddhas, the Immortals and the Sages. They are free from the Wheel of Reincarnation. They are not born and they do not die. They are as eternal as Heaven and Earth, as the mountains and the rivers.”\n\n“Where do they live?” the Monkey King asked.\n\n“Only in the human world,” the ape replied, “in ancient caves on magic mountains.” The Monkey King was delighted to hear this.\n\n“I shall leave you all tomorrow,” he said, “and go down the mountain. If I have to, I’ll roam the corners of the oceans and go to the edge of the sky to find these three kinds of beings and discover the secret of eternal youth that will keep us out of the clutches of the King of Hell for ever.” Goodness! Because of these words he was to learn how to be free from the Wheel of Reincarnation and become the Great Sage Equaling Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the monkeys clapped with approval and said, “Great! Great! Tomorrow we’ll climb all over the mountain and get lots of fruit to give Your Majesty a really big banquet to send you off.”\n\nThe next day the monkeys set out to pick magic peaches, gather rare fruits, dig out yams, and cut Solomon’s-seal. Magic fungus and fragrant orchid were collected, and everything was set on the stone benches and the stone tables, with fairy wine and dishes. You could see\n\nGolden pills and pearl pellets,\n\nBursting red and plump yellow.\n\nThe golden pills and pearl pellets were winter cherries, beautiful and sweet;\n\nThe bursting red and plump yellow were ripe plums, tasty and sharp.\n\nFresh, sweet-fleshed longans with thin skins.\n\nFiery lichees with tiny stones in a red sack.\n\nBranch after branch of crab-apples,\n\nYellow-skinned loquats with their leaves on.\n\nRabbit-head pears and chicken-heart jujubes\n\nTo quench your thirst, remove your cares, and sober you up.\n\nFragrant peaches and tender apricots,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fragrant peaches and tender apricots,\n\nAs sweet and luscious as jade wine.\n\nCrisp plums and arbutus,\n\nAs sharp as glistening yogurt.\n\nRipe melons with red coats and black seeds,\n\nBig, four-sectioned persimmons with yellow skins.\n\nBursting pomegranates:\n\nCinnabar pips shining like fire-crystal pearls.\n\nOpened water-chestnuts\n\nWith firm round flesh like golden agate.\n\nWalnuts and gingko fruits to eat with tea;\n\nCoconuts and grapes to make into wine.\n\nDishes loaded with pine cones, yew-nuts, filberts, and crab-apples;\n\nTangerines, sugar-cane and oranges covering the table.\n\nHot roast yams,\n\nTender boiled Solomon’s-seal.\n\nPounded china-root and Job’s tears.\n\nSimmered in soup in a stone-pot.\n\nAlthough we humans have rare delicacies to eat,\n\nWe are no happier than those monkeys in the mountains."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The host of monkeys ushered the Handsome Monkey King to the seat of honour and sat down below him according to age. Each of them took it in turns to bring him wine, flowers, and fruit, and they drank hard for a whole day. The next morning the Handsome Monkey King got up early and ordered, “Children, tear down some old pines and make me a raft. Find a bamboo pole to punt with and load it up with fruit. I’m going.” He went aboard the raft all by himself, pushed off with all his might, and floated off towards the waves of the ocean. He intended to sail with the wind and cross over to the Southern Jambu Continent.\n\nThe heaven-born monkey, whose conduct was so noble,\n\nLeft his island to drift with heaven’s winds.\n\nHe sailed oceans and seas to find the Way of Immortality,\n\nDeeply determined to do a great deed.\n\nThe predestined one should not have vulgar longings;\n\nHe can attain the primal truth without care or worry.\n\nHe is bound to find a kindred spirit,\n\nTo explain the origins and the laws of nature."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He had chosen just the right time for his journey. After he boarded his raft the Southeasterly wind blew hard for days on end and bore him to the Northwestern shore of the Southern Continent. Testing the depth of the water with his pole he found that it was shallow, so he abandoned the raft and jumped ashore. He saw humans by the coast, fishing, hunting geese, gathering clams, and extracting salt. He went up to them, leaping around and making faces, which so scared them that they dropped their baskets and nets and fled in all directions as fast as they could. The Monkey King grabbed one of them who was a poor runner, stripped him of his clothes, and dressed himself in them like a human. He swaggered through the provinces and prefectures, learning human behavior and human speech in the market places. Whether he was eating his breakfast or going to bed at nigh he was always asking about Buddhas, Immortals and Sages, and seeking the secret of eternal youth. He observed that the people of the world were too"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He observed that the people of the world were too concerned with fame and fortune to be interested in their fates."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When will the struggle for fame and fortune end?\n\nToiling from morning till night, never pleasing yourself.\n\nThose who ride donkeys long for stallions,\n\nThe Prime Minister always wants to be a prince.\n\nThey only worry about having to stop work to eat or dress;\n\nThey never fear that the King of Hell will come to get them.\n\nWhen trying to ensure their sons and grandsons inherit their wealth and power,\n\nThey have no time to stop and think."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They have no time to stop and think.\n\nAlthough he asked about the way of the Immortals, the Monkey King was unable to meet one. He spent eight or nine years in the Southern Jambu Continent, going through its great walls and visiting its little counties. When he found that he had reached the Great Western Ocean he thought that there must be Sages and Immortals on the other side of it, so he made himself another raft like the last one, and floated across the Western Ocean until he came to the Western Continent of Cattle-gift. He went ashore and made extensive and lengthy enquiries until one day he came upon a high and beautiful mountain, thickly forested on its lower slopes. Not fearing wolves, and undaunted by tigers or leopards, he climbed to the summit to see the view. It was indeed a fine mountain:\n\nA thousand peaks brandishing halberds,\n\nScreens ten thousand measures tall.\n\nIn the sunlight the mountain haze is lightly touched with blue;\n\nAfter the rain the black rocks look coldly green."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Withered creepers coil round ancient trees,\n\nAnd the old ford marks the bounds of the mysterious.\n\nStrange flowers and precious plants,\n\nFlourishing in all four seasons, rivaling fairyland.\n\nThe nearby cry of a hidden bird,\n\nThe clear running of a spring.\n\nValley upon valley of mushroom and orchid,\n\nLichen grows all over the cliffs.\n\nThe range rises and dips in dragon-like majesty.\n\nSurely there mush be lofty hermits here.\n\nAs he was looking at the view the Monkey King heard a human voice coming from the depths of the forest. He rushed into the trees, and when he cocked his ear to listen he heard a song:\n\n“Watching the chess game I cut through the rotten,\n\nFelling trees, ding, ding,\n\nStrolling at the edge of the cloud and the mouth of the valley,\n\nI sell firewood to buy wine,\n\nCackling with laughter and perfectly happy.\n\nI pillow myself on a pine root, looking up at the moon.\n\nWhen I wake up it is light.\n\nRecognizing the old forest\n\nI scale cliffs and cross ridges,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I scale cliffs and cross ridges,\n\nCutting down withered creepers with my axe.\n\nWhen I’ve gathered a basketful\n\nI walk down to the market with a song,\n\nAnd trade it for three pints of rice.\n\nNobody else competes with me,\n\nSo prices are stable.\n\nI don’t speculate or try sharp practice,\n\nCouldn’t care less what people think of me,\n\nCalmly lengthening my days.\n\nThe people I meet\n\nAre Taoists and Immortals,\n\nSitting quietly and expounding the Yellow Court.”\n\nThe Monkey King was overjoyed to hear this, and he said with glee, “So this is where the Immortals have been hiding.” He bounded deeper into the woods for a closer look and saw that the singer was a woodcutter cutting firewood. He was wearing the most unusual clothes:\n\nOn his head he wore a hat\n\nWoven from the first skin shed by new bamboo shoots.\n\nThe clothes on his body\n\nWere made of yam from the wild cotton-tree.\n\nThe belt round his waist\n\nWas of silk from an old silkworm.\n\nThe straw sandals under his feet\n\nHad straps torn from rotten sago trees."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Had straps torn from rotten sago trees.\n\nIn his hand he held a steel axe\n\nOn his back he carried a hempen rope\n\nAt climbing pines and felling dead trees,\n\nWho was a match for this woodcutter?\n\nThe Monkey King went closer and called to him. “Old Immortal, your disciple greets you.”\n\nThe woodcutter dropped his axe in astonishment and turned round to say, “No, no. I don’t even have enough to eat or drink, so how can I possibly let you call me an Immortal?”\n\n“If you’re not an Immortal,” the Monkey King said, “why do you talk like one?”\n\n“I don’t talk like an Immortal,” the woodcutter said.\n\n“At the edge of the wood just now,” the Monkey King replied, “I heard you say, ‘The people I meet are Taoists and Immortals, sitting quietly and expounding the Mantingfang.’ The Mantingfang contains the truth about the Way, so if you’re not an Immortal, what are you?” The woodcutter laughed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s quite true that the song is called ‘The Fragrance of the Mantingfang,’ and an Immortal who lives near my hut taught me it. He said he saw how hard I had to work and how I was always worried, so he made me sing this song when things were getting me down. It lightens my cares and makes me forget my weariness. I was singing it just now because I had some problems on my mind, and I never imagined that you would be listening.”\n\n“If you’ve got an Immortal for a neighbour, you ought to learn from him how to cultivate your conduct and get him to teach you a recipe for eternal youth.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve had a hard life,” the woodcutter replied. “My mother and father brought me up till I was about eight, and just when I was beginning to know about life my father died. My mother remained a widow, and I had no brothers or sisters. As I was the only child I had to look after my mother morning and night. Now she is old that I can’t possibly leave her. Our land is so overgrown that I can’t grow enough to feed and clothe both of us, so I have to cut a couple of bundles of firewood to sell in the market for a handful of coppers to buy the few pints of rice that I cook for myself and for my mother. That’s why I can’t cultivate my conduct.”\n\n“From what you say,” the Monkey King replied, “you’re a filial son and a gentleman—you’re bound to be rewarded for it one day. But I’d be grateful if you could show me where that Immortal lives, so that I can go and pay him my respects.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The woodcutter said, “It’s not far from here. This mountain is the Spirit Tower Heart Mountain, and in it there is the Cave of the Setting Moon and the Three Stars. In that cave lives an Immortal called the Patriarch Subhuti. I don’t know how many disciples he has trained—there are thirty or forty of them cultivating their conduct with him at the moment. If you take that path South for two or three miles you’ll reach his home.”\n\nThe Monkey King tugged at the woodcutter and said, “Take me there, Elder Brother. If I get anything out of this, I won’t forget your kindness.”\n\n“You idiot,” the woodcutter replied, “didn’t you understand what I told you just now? If I went with you I wouldn’t be able to earn my living, and who would look after my poor old mother then? I’ve got to get on with my woodcutting. Go by yourself.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After hearing this the Monkey King had to take his leave. He came out of the forest and found the path, which led up a mountain slope for two or three miles, when he saw the cave. He pulled himself up to his full height to take a look, and it was a really magnificent place:\n\nMisty clouds scattered colours,\n\nSun and moon shimmered bright.\n\nA thousand ancient cypresses,\n\nTen thousand lofty bamboos.\n\nA thousand ancient cypresses,\n\nA soft green drawing the rain from the sky.\n\nTen thousand lofty bamboos,\n\nAnd a misty valley is azure blue.\n\nOutside the gate rare flowers spread brocade;\n\nBeside the bridge wafts the scent of jade flowers.\n\nRocky crags jut, glossy with green moss;\n\nOn overhanging cliffs blue lichen grows.\n\nSometimes the call of the crane is heard\n\nAnd often you see the phoenix soar.\n\nThe call of the crane\n\nEchoes beyond the Ninth Heaven and the Milky Way.\n\nWhen the phoenix soars,\n\nThe brilliance of its wings colours the clouds.\n\nBlack apes and white deer can be just made out;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Black apes and white deer can be just made out;\n\nGolden lions and jade elephants prefer to keep hidden.\n\nIf you look closely at this happy land,\n\nYou will see that it rivals paradise.\n\nHe saw that the doors of the cave were shut fast, and that everything was still, with no signs of any people. He turned round and noticed that there was a stone tablet about thirty feet high and eight feet wide at the top of the cliff. On it was carved in enormous letters: SPIRIT-TOWER HEART MOUNTAIN, CAVE OF THE SETTING MOON AND THE THREE STARS. The Monkey King exclaimed with delight, “The people here really are honest. The mountain and the cave do exist.” He took a good long look, but did not dare to knock on the door. He climbed to the and of a pine branch and ate some pine seeds to amuse himself.\n\nBefore long the doors of the cave opened with a creak, and an immortal boy came out. In the nobility of his bearing and the exceptional purity of his features he was completely different from an ordinary boy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His hair was bound with a pair of silken bands,\n\nHis flowing gown had two capacious sleeves.\n\nHis face and body were naturally distinguished;\n\nHis mind and appearance were both empty.\n\nFor many years a guest beyond the world of things,\n\nAn eternal child amid the mountains,\n\nUntouched by any speck of dust,\n\nHe let the years go tumbling by.\n\nWhen this boy had come out he shouted, “Who’s making that row out here?”\n\nThe Monkey King scampered down the tree, went up to him, and said with a bow, “Immortal child, I am a disciple who has come to ask about the Way and study under the Immortal. The last thing I’d do would be to make a row here?” The boy laughed.\n\n“So you’ve come to ask about the Way, have you?”\n\n“Yes,” the Monkey King replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” the Monkey King replied.\n\n“Our master has just got up,” the boy said, “and has now mounted the dais to expound the Way. Before he had started to explain about origins he told me to open the door. He said, ‘There is someone outside who wants to cultivate his conduct. Go and welcome him.’ I suppose he must have meant you.”\n\n“Yes, he meant me,” the Monkey King said with a smile.\n\n“Come with me,” the boy said.\n\nThe Monkey King straightened his clothes and followed the boy deep into the depths of the cave. He saw majestic pavilions and towers of red jade, pearl palaces and gateways of cowry, and countless rooms of silence and secluded cells leading all the way to a jasper dais. He saw the Patriarch Subhuti sitting on the dais and thirty-six minor Immortals standing below it.\n\nA golden Immortal of great enlightenment, free from filth,\n\nSubhuti, the marvel of the Western World.\n\nNeither dying nor born, he practices the triple meditation,\n\nHis spirit and soul entirely benevolent."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His spirit and soul entirely benevolent.\n\nIn empty detachment he follows the changes;\n\nHaving found his true nature he lets it run free.\n\nAs eternal as Heaven, and majestic in body,\n\nThe great teacher of the Law is enlightened through aeons.\n\nAs soon as the Handsome Monkey King saw him he bowed low and knocked his head on the ground before him many times, saying, “Master, master, your disciple pays his deepest respects.”\n\n“Where are you from?” the Patriarch asked. “You must tell me your name and address before you can become my pupil.”\n\n“I come from the Water Curtain Cave in the Flowers and Fruit Mountain in the land of Aolai in the Eastern Continent of Superior Body,” replied the Monkey King.\n\n“Throw him out,” the Patriarch roared. “He’s a liar and a cheat, and even if he tried cultivating his conduct he would get nowhere.”\n\nThe Monkey King desperately kept hitting his head on the ground and said, “Your disciple spoke the truth. I promise I wasn’t lying.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Patriarch asked, “If you were speaking the truth, why did you say that you came from the Eastern Continent of Superior Body? Between here and the Eastern Continent there are two seas and the Southern Jambu Continent, so how could you possibly have come here from there?”\n\nThe Monkey King, still kowtowing, replied, “I sailed across seas and oceans, crossed frontiers and wandered through many countries for over ten years before I arrived here.”\n\n“So you came here by stages,” the Patriarch remarked. “What is your surname?”\n\n“I’m not surly,” the Monkey King replied. “If people call me names it doesn’t bother me, and if they hit me I don’t get angry. I’m just polite to them and that’s that. I’ve never been surly.”\n\n“I didn’t ask if you were surly. I wanted to know the surname you inherited from your parents.”\n\n“I didn’t have any parents,” the Monkey King replied.\n\n“If you had no parents, did you grow on a tree?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you had no parents, did you grow on a tree?”\n\n“I grew not on a tree but in a stone,” the Monkey King replied. “All I remember is that there was a magic stone on the top of the Flower and Fruit Mountain, and that one year the stone split open and I was born.”\n\nConcealing his delight at searing this, the Patriarch remarked, “In other words, you were born of Heaven and Earth. Walk around for a moment and let me have a look at you.” The Monkey King leapt to his feet and shambled round a couple of times."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Patriarch smiled and said, “Though you have rather a base sort of body, you look like one of the rhesus monkeys that eat pine seeds, and I ought to give you a surname that fits your appearance and call you Hu (‘Macaque’). The elements that make up the character Hu are ‘animal,’ ‘old’ and ‘moon’. What is old is ancient, and the moon embodies the Negative principle, and what is ancient and Negative cannot be transformed. But I think I would do much better to call you Sun (‘Monkey’). Apart from the ‘animal’ element, the character Sun has one part implying male and one part suggesting a baby, which fits in with my basic theories about children. Your surname will be Sun.”\n\nWhen the Monkey King heard this he kowtowed with delight and said, “Great! Great! Now I have a surname. I am eternally grateful to you for your mercy and compassion, master. I beg you to give me a personal name to go with my new surname, then it will be much easier to address me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There are twelve words within my sect,” said the Patriarch, “which I give as names. You belong to the tenth generation of my disciples.”\n\n“What are these twelve words?” asked the Monkey King.\n\n“Broad, great, wisdom, intelligence, true, likeness, nature, sea, bright, awakened, complete and enlightenment. If we work out the generations of disciples, then you should have a name with Wu (‘Awakened’) in it. So we can give you the Dharma-name Sun Wukong, which means ‘Monkey Awakened to Emptiness’. Will that do?”\n\n“Marvellous, marvellous,” said the smiling Monkey King. “From now on my name will be Sun Wukong.” Indeed:\n\nWhen the Great Vagueness was separated there were no surnames;\n\nTo smash foolish emptiness he had to be awakened to emptiness.\n\nIf you want to know what success he had in cultivating his conduct, you must listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Two\n\nHe Becomes Aware of the Wonderful Truth of Enlightenment\n\nBy Killing the Demon He Realizes His Spirit-Nature"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story goes on to tell how after being given a name the Handsome Monkey King jumped for joy and bowed to Subhuti to express his thanks. The Patriarch then ordered the others to take Sun Wukong out through the double doors and teach him how to sprinkle and sweep the floor, answer orders, and deport himself properly. All the Immortals went out in obedience to this command. When Sun Wukong was outside the doors he bowed to all his spiritual elder brothers and laid out his bed on the verandah. The next morning and every following day he studied language and deportment under his spiritual elder brothers, expounded the scriptures, discussed the Way, practiced calligraphy, and burnt incense. When he had any spare time he would sweep the grounds, dig the vegetable patch, grow flowers, tend trees, look for kindling, light the fire, carry water, and fetch soy. Everything he needed was provided. Thus six or seven years slipped by in the cave without his noticing them. One day the Patriarch took his seat on the dais,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One day the Patriarch took his seat on the dais, called all the Immortals together, and began to explain the Great Way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Heavenly flowers fell in profusion,\n\nWhile golden lotuses burst forth from the earth.\n\nBrilliantly he expounded the doctrine of the Three Vehicles,\n\nSetting forth ten thousand Dharmas in all their details.\n\nAs he slowly waved his whisk, jewels fell from his mouth,\n\nEchoing like thunder and shaking the Nine Heavens.\n\nNow preaching the Way,\n\nNow teaching meditation,\n\nHe showed that the Three Beliefs are basically the same.\n\nIn explaining a single word he brought one back to the truth,\n\nAnd taught the secrets of avoiding birth and understanding one’s nature.\n\nAs Monkey sat at the side listening to the exposition he was so delighted that he tugged at his ear, scratched his cheek and smiled. He could not help waving his hands and stamping. When the Patriarch noticed this he said to Monkey, “Why are you leaping around like a madman in class instead of listening to the lesson?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your disciple is listening to the exposition with all his attention,” Monkey replied, “but your marvellous words made me so happy that I started jumping around without realizing what I was doing. Please forgive me.”\n\nTo this the Patriarch replied, “If you really understand my marvellous words, then answer this question. How long have you been in my cave?”\n\n“You disciple was born stupid,” Monkey replied, “so I’ve no idea how long I’ve been here. All I know is that whenever the fire in the stove goes out I go to the other side of the mountain to collect firewood and there I see a hill covered with fine peach trees. I’ve had seven good feeds of peaches there.”\n\n“That hill is called Tender Peach Hill. If you have eaten there seven times you must have been here seven years. What sort of Way do you want to learn from me?”\n\n“That depends what you teach me, master. As long as there’s a whiff of Way to it, your disciple will learn it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There are three hundred and sixty side-entrances to the Way, and they all lead to a True Result,” the Patriarch said. “Which branch would you like to study?”\n\n“I will do whatever you think best, master,” replied Monkey.\n\n“What about teaching you the Way of Magic Arts?”\n\n“What does ‘the Way of Magic Arts’ mean?”\n\n“Magic arts,” the Patriarch replied, “include summoning Immortals, using the magic sandboard, and divining by milfoil. With them one can learn how to bring on good fortune and avert disaster.”\n\n“Can you become immortal this way?” asked Monkey.\n\n“No, certainly not,” replied the Patriarch.\n\n“No. Shan’t learn it.”\n\n“Shall I teach you the Way of Sects?” the Patriarch asked.\n\n“What are the principles of the Sects?” said Monkey.\n\n“Within the branch of Sects, there is Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, the study of the Negative and Positive, Mohism, medicine, reading scriptures and chanting the name of a Buddha. You can also summon Immortals and Sages with this branch.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Can you attain immortality that way?” asked Monkey.\n\n“To try and attain immortality that way,” the Patriarch replied, “is like ‘putting a pillar in the wall.’”\n\n“Master,” Monkey said, “I’m a simple chap and I can’t understand your technical jargon. What do you mean by ‘putting a pillar in the wall?’”\n\n“When a man builds a house and wants to make it strong he puts a pillar in the wall. But when the day comes for his mansion to collapse the pillar is bound to rot.”\n\n“From what you say,” Monkey observed, “it’s not eternal. No. Shan’t learn it.”\n\n“Shall I teach you the Way of Silence?” the Patriarch then asked.\n\n“What True Result can be got from Silence?” said Monkey.\n\n“It involves abstaining from grain, preserving one’s essence, silence, inaction, meditation, abstaining from speech, eating vegetarian food, performing certain exercises when asleep or standing up, going into trances, and being walled up in total isolation.”\n\n“Is this a way of becoming immortal?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s like building the top of a kiln with sun-dried bricks,” the patriarch replied.\n\n“You do go on, master,” said Sun Wukong. “I’ve already told you that I can’t understand your technical jargon. What does ‘building the top of a kiln with sun-dried bricks’ mean?”\n\n“If you build the top of a kiln with sun-dried bricks they may make it look all right, but if they have not been hardened with fire and water, then they will crumble away in the first heavy rainstorm.”\n\n“There’s nothing eternal about that either, then,” replied Monkey. “No. Shan’t learn that.”\n\n“Shall I teach you the Way of Action then?” the Patriarch asked.\n\n“What’s that like?” Monkey asked.\n\n“It involves acting and doing, extracting the Negative and building up the Positive, drawing the bow and loading the crossbow, rubbing the navel to make the subtle humors flow, refining elixirs according to formulae, lighting fires under cauldrons, consuming ‘Red lead,’ purifying ‘Autumn Stone,’ and drinking women’s milk.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Can doing things like that make me live for ever?” Monkey asked.\n\n“To try and attain immortality that way is like ‘lifting the moon out of water.’”\n\n“What does ‘lifting the moon out of water’ mean?”\n\n“The moon is in the sky,” the Patriarch replied, “and only its reflection is in the water. Although you can see it there, you will try in vain to lift it out.”\n\n“No. Shan’t learn that,” Monkey exclaimed.\n\nWhen the Patriarch heard this he gasped and climbed down from his dais. Pointing at Sun Wukong with his cane he said, “You won’t study this and you won’t study that, so what do you want, you monkey?” He went up to Monkey and hit him three times on the head, then went inside with his hands behind his back and shut the main door, abandoning them all. The class was shocked, and they all blamed Sun Wukong."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You cheeky ape, you’ve no idea how to behave. The master was teaching you the Way, so why did you have to argue with him instead of learning from him? Now you’ve offended him we don’t know when he’ll come out again.” They were all very angry with him and regarded him with loathing and contempt. But Sun Wukong was not bothered in the least, and his face was covered with smiles.\n\nThe Monkey King had understood the riddle, and had the answer hidden away in his mind. So he did not argue with the others but bore it all without a word. When the Patriarch hit him three times he had been telling him to pay attention at the third watch; and when he went inside with his hands behind his back and shut the main door he had told the Monkey King to go in through the back door and be taught the Way in secret."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The delighted Sun Wukong spent the rest of that day with the others in front of the Three Stars Cave, looking at the sky and impatient for night to come. At dusk he went to bed like all the others, pretended to close his eyes, controlled his breathing, and calmed himself down. Nobody beats the watches or calls out the hour in the mountains, so he had no way of knowing the time except by regulating the breath going in and out of his nose. When he reckoned that it was about the third watch he got up very quietly, dressed, and slipped out through the front door away from the others. When he was outside he looked up and saw\n\nThe moon was bright and clear and cold,\n\nThe vast space of the eight points was free from dust.\n\nDeep in the trees a bird slept hidden,\n\nWhile the water flowed from the spring.\n\nFireflies scattered their lights\n\nAnd a line of geese was stretched across the clouds.\n\nIt was exactly the third watch,\n\nThe right time to ask about the Way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The right time to ask about the Way.\n\nWatch the Monkey King as he follows the old path to the back door, which he found to be ajar. “The Patriarch has left the door open, so he really intends to teach me the Way,” he exclaimed in delight. He tiptoed toward, went in sideways through the door, and walked over to the Patriarch’s bed, where he saw the Patriarch sleeping curled up, facing the inside of the room. Not daring to disturb him, Sun Wukong knelt in front of the bed. Before long the Patriarch woke up, stretched out both his legs, and mumbled to himself:\n\n“It’s hard, hard, hard. The Way is very obscure,\n\nDon’t make light of the Gold and the Cinnabar.\n\nTo teach miraculous spells to any but the Perfect Man,\n\nIs to tire the voice and dry the tongue in vain.”\n\nSun Wukong said in reply, “Master, your disciple has been kneeling here for a long time.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Patriarch heard that it was Sun Wukong who was speaking he pulled some clothes on, sat up cross-legged, and shouted, “It’s that monkey. Why have you come into my room instead of sleeping out in front?”\n\n“Master, you told me publicly in front of the altar yesterday that your disciple was to come in here through the back gate at the third watch as you were going to teach me the Way. That is why I made so bold as to come to pay my respects beside my master’s bed.”\n\nThe Patriarch was very pleased to hear this and said to himself, “This wretch was indeed born of Heaven and Earth. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to understand my cryptic message.”\n\nSun Wukong said, “There is no third pair of ears in this room; your disciple is the only other person here. I hope, master, that in your great mercy you will teach me the Way of Immortality. If you do, I’ll always be grateful to you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You are predestined,” the Patriarch said, “so I shall be happy to tell you. Since you understood my cryptic message, come over here and listen carefully while I teach you the miraculous Way of Immortality.” Sun Wukong kowtowed with gratitude and knelt before the bed, listening with all his attention. The Patriarch said:\n\n“True spells, revealing secrets and all powerful,\n\nAre the only sure way of protecting one’s life.\n\nThey all come from essence, vapour, and spirit,\n\nMust never be divulged, and be stored in the body,\n\nThen the Way I teach you will flourish of itself.\n\nMany are the benefits of learning spells:\n\nThey give protection from evil desires and make one pure.\n\nMake one pure with a dazzling radiance\n\nLike a bright moon shining on a cinnabar tower.\n\nThe moon contains a Jade Rabbit, the sun a Golden Crow,\n\nThe Tortoise and the Snake are always intertwined.\n\nAlways intertwined, then life is firm,\n\nAnd one can plant golden lotuses in fire.\n\nGrasp all the Five Elements and turn them upside down,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And when you are successful you can become a Buddha, or an Immortal.”\n\nThe Patriarch’s explanation went to the root of things, and Sun Wukong’s heart was filled with bliss as he committed the spells to memory. He bowed to the Patriarch to express his deep gratitude and went out of the back door to look. He saw that there was a trace of white in the East, while the golden light of the moon was shining in the West. He went to the front door by the old path, pushed it open gently, and went in.\n\nHe sat down where he had been sleeping earlier, shook his bedding and said loudly, “It’s dawn, it’s dawn. Get up.” The others were all asleep, unaware of Sun Wukong’s good fortune. At daybreak he got up and muddled through the day, while secretly keeping to what he had been told. In the afternoon and evening he regulated his breathing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After three years had passed in this way the Patriarch once more sat on his lecturing throne and expounded the Dharma to the students. He recounted famous sayings and parables, and discussed external phenomena and external appearances.\n\nWithout warning he asked, “Where is Sun Wukong?” Sun Wukong went forward, knelt down and replied, “Your disciple is present.”\n\n“What Way have you cultivated since coming here?”\n\n“Your disciple is now fairly well conversant with the Dharma,” Sun Wukong replied, “and my Source is getting gradually stronger.”\n\n“If you are conversant with the Dharma and you know about the Source,” the Patriarch replied, “and if the spirit has already flowed into you, then you must beware of the ‘Three Disasters.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun Wukong thought for a long time, then he said, “Patriarch, you’re talking rubbish. I have often heard that the Way is lofty and its power mighty, that it is as eternal as Heaven, that it can overcome fire and water, and prevent all illnesses from arising, so how could there be “Three Disasters?’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the Patriarch replied, “This is not the ordinary Way: it involves seizing the very creation of Heaven and Earth, and encroaching on the hidden workings of the sun and moon. Once the elixir is made, devils and spirits cannot tolerate it. Although it will preserve the youthfulness of your face and prolong your life, in five hundred years’ time Heaven will strike you with a thunderbolt. You must be clear-sighted in nature and mind, so that you can hide from it before it comes. If you succeed in avoiding it you will live as long as Heaven; and if you don’t, it will kill you. Another five hundred years later Heaven will burn you with fire. This fire will be not heavenly fire or ordinary fire but ‘hidden fire’. It will burn you from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head; your five viscera will be reduced to ashes, your four limbs will be destroyed, and a thousand years of asceticism will have been so much wasted time. Yet another five hundred years later a wind will blow at you. It will not be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "later a wind will blow at you. It will not be the North, South, East, or West wind, nor will it be a warm, fragrant wind from the Northwest; nor will it be the kind of wind that blows among flowers, willows, pine, and bamboo. It will be what is called a ‘monster wind’. It will blow through the crown of your head down into your six entrails. It will go through the Cinnabar Field below your navel and penetrate your nine orifices. Your flesh and your bones will be destroyed and your body will disintegrate. So you must avoid all three of these disasters.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he heard this Sun Wukong’s hair stood on end, and he kowtowed with the words, “I implore you, my lord, to show pity and teach me how to avoid these three disasters. If you do I will be grateful to you for ever.”\n\n“That would be easy,” the Patriarch replied, “but for the fact that you are different from other people—which means that I can’t.”\n\n“I have a head that faces the sky and feet standing on earth,” said Sun Wukong. “I have nine orifices and four limbs, five viscera and six entrails. How am I different from anyone else?”\n\n“Although you are quite like other people, your cheeks are too small.” Now the Monkey had a funny face, with cheeks that caved inwards and a sharp chin.\n\nSun Wukong felt it with his hand and replied with a laugh, “Master, you didn’t take everything into account. Although I’m a bit short of jaw, I’ve got more dewlap than other people to make up for it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well then,” the Patriarch said, “which would you prefer to learn: the thirty-six heavenly transformations or the seventy-two earthly ones?”\n\n“Your disciple wants to get as much out of it as he can, so I would like to learn the seventy-two earthly ones.”\n\n“If that’s what you want,” the Patriarch replied, “come here and I’ll teach you the spells.” Thereupon he whispered into Sun Wukong’s ear, and who knows what miraculous spells he taught him? The Monkey King was the sort of person who understands everything once he is told a tiny part, and he learned the spells on the spot. He practiced and trained until he had mastered all seventy-two transformations. One day the Patriarch and all his disciples were enjoying the sunset outside the Three Stars Cave.\n\nThe Patriarch asked Sun Wukong, “Have you succeeded yet?”\n\nSun Wukong replied, “Thanks to your infinite mercy, master, your disciple’s results have been perfect, and I can now rise on the clouds and fly.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Let me see you try a flight,” the Patriarch said. Sun Wukong used his skill to perform a series of somersaults that carried him fifty or sixty feet into the air, then walked around on the clouds for about as long as it takes to eat a meal.\n\nHe covered about a mile altogether before landing in front of the Patriarch, folding his arms across his chest, and saying, “Master, that’s flying and soaring in the clouds.” The Patriarch laughed.\n\n“That’s not soaring on the clouds—it’s just climbing up them. There is an old saying that ‘an Immortal visits the Northern Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening’. But to take as long as you did just to go a mile doesn’t count as climbing on the clouds.”\n\n“How can it be possible to visit the Northern Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening?” Sun Wukong asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All cloud-soarers start off from the Northern Sea early in the morning, visit the Eastern, Western and Southern Seas, and then come back to Cangwu; Cangwu is what the Northern Sea is called in the Lingling language. When you can go beyond all four seas in a single day you can regard yourself as a cloud-soarer.”\n\n“But that must be very difficult,” Sun Wukong observed.\n\n“Where there’s a will there’s a way,” the Patriarch replied.\n\n“Nothing by halves, master,” replied Sun Wukong with bows and kowtows, “I beg of you in your great mercy to teach me the art of cloud-soaring. I promise that I will always be grateful.”\n\n“Immortals take off with a stamp of their feet,” said the Patriarch, “but you do it differently—just now I saw you pull yourself up. As that is the way you do it, I’ll show you how to do it your own way and teach you the ‘somersault cloud.’” Sun Wukong bowed again, imploring him to do so, and the Patriarch taught him the spell."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“For this kind of cloud,” the Patriarch said, “you make the magic by clasping your hands in the special way, recite the words of the spell, clench your fist, shake yourself, and jump. With one somersault you can go sixty thousand miles.” When the others heard this they all exclaimed with a laugh.\n\n“Lucky old Sun Wukong. With magic like this he could be-a messenger delivering official letters and reports, and he’d never go short of a meal.” When it was dark the Patriarch and his pupils returned to the cave. That night Sun Wukong moved his spirit, practiced the technique, and mastered the cloud somersault. From then on he was free from all restraint and he enjoyed the delights of immortality, drifting around as he pleased."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On a day when spring was giving way to summer, and all the students had been sitting under some pine trees listening to lectures for a long time, they said, “Sun Wukong, in what life did you earn your present destiny? The other day our teacher whispered to you how to do the transformations to avoid the Three Disasters. Can you do them all yet?”\n\n“It’s true, brothers,” said Sun Wukong with a grin, “I can do them all. In the first place, it’s because our master taught me; and in the second place, it’s because I practiced them hard day and night.”\n\n“This would be a good time for you to give us a demonstration.” At this suggestion Sun Wukong braced his spirit to show off his skill.\n\n“What’s it to be, brothers? Tell me what you’d like me to turn myself into.”\n\n“Turn into a pine tree,” they all said. Sun Wukong clenched his fist, said the magic words, shook himself, and changed into a pine tree. It was truly\n\nGreen and misty throughout the four seasons,\n\nRaising its upright beauty to the clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Raising its upright beauty to the clouds.\n\nNot in the least like a demon monkey,\n\nEvery inch a tree that withstands frost and snow.\n\nWhen the students saw it they clapped their hands and chuckled aloud, saying, “Good old monkey, good old monkey.” They did not realize that the row they were making had disturbed the Patriarch, who rushed out through the door, dragging his stick behind him.\n\n“Who’s making a row out here?” he asked. The students hurriedly pulled themselves together, straightened their clothes and went over to him.\n\nSun Wukong, who had now resumed his real appearance, said from the forest, “Master, we were holding a discussion here, and there were no outsiders making a din.”\n\n“Yelling and shouting like that,” the Patriarch angrily roared, “is no way for those cultivating their conduct to behave. If you are cultivating your conduct, the subtle vapours escape when you open your mouth, and when you wag your tongue, trouble starts. What was all the laughing and shouting about”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Just now Sun Wukong did a transformation for fun. We told him to turn himself into a pine tree, and he did. We all praised and applauded him, which was why we disturbed you with the noise, master. We beg you to forgive us.”\n\nThe Patriarch sent them all away except for Sun Wukong, to whom he said, “Come here. Is that a way to use your spirit? To change into a pine tree? Is this a skill you should be showing off in front of people? If you saw somebody else doing that, wouldn’t you ask him to teach you? If other people see you doing it, they’re bound to ask you to teach them, and if you want to keep out of trouble you’ll have to do so; otherwise they may do you harm, and then your life will be in danger.”\n\nSun Wukong kowtowed and said, “Please forgive me, master.”\n\n“I shan’t punish you,” the Patriarch replied, “but you’ll have to go.” Sun Wukong’s eyes filled with tears.\n\n“Master, where am I to go?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master, where am I to go?”\n\n“Go back to where you came from.” Sun Wukong had a sudden awakening, and he said, “I came from the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the country of Aolai in the Eastern Continent of Superior Body.”\n\n“If you hurry back there,” the Patriarch replied, “you will be able to preserve your life. If you stay here it will be absolutely impossible to do so.” Sun Wukong accepted his punishment.\n\n“Yes, master,” he said. “I’ve been away from home for twenty years and I do miss the old days and my children and grandchildren. But when I remember that I have not yet repaid your enormous generosity to me, I can’t bring myself to go.”\n\n“What sort of kindness would you be doing me if you stayed? I’ll be happy enough if you keep me out of any disasters you cause.”\n\nSeeing that there was nothing else for it, Sun Wukong bowed and took leave of him, saying good-bye to all the other students."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Now that you’re going,” the Patriarch said, “I’m sure that your life will not be a good one. Whatever disasters you cause and crimes you commit, I forbid you under any circumstances to call yourself my disciple. If you so much as hint at it I’ll know at once, and I’ll tear off your monkey skin, chop up your bones, and banish your soul to the Ninth Darkness. I won’t let you out for ten thousand aeons.”\n\n“I promise never to give away a single letter of your name,” said Sun Wukong. “I’ll just say that I taught myself.”\n\nSun Wukong took his leave and went away. Making the spell by clasping his fist he jumped head over heels, summoned a somersault cloud, and went back to the Eastern Continent. Within two hours he saw the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. The Handsome Monkey King was so pleased that he said to himself:\n\n“When I left here my mortal flesh and bones were heavy,\n\nBut now I have the Way my body’s light.\n\nNo one in the world has real determination,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "No one in the world has real determination,\n\nTo the firm will, the hidden becomes clear.\n\nWhen I last crossed the seas the waves got in my way,\n\nBut now on my return the journey’s easy.\n\nThe parting words still echo in my ears;\n\nWhen will I see The Eastern Ocean again?”\n\nSun Wukong put away his cloud and headed straight to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. As he followed the path there he heard the call of the cranes and the cries of the apes. The crane calls echoed beyond the Milky Way, and the ape cries were pathetically sad.\n\nSun Wukong shouted, “Children, I’m back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun Wukong shouted, “Children, I’m back.”\n\nBig monkeys and little monkeys came bounding in their thousands and tens of thousands from caves in the cliffs, from the grass and flowers, and down from the trees. They all crowded round the Handsome Monkey King, kowtowed and said, “Your Majesty, you’re a cool one. How could you stay away for so long, abandoning us all here? We’ve been desperate for you to come back. A demon has been mistreating us terribly. He’s occupied our Water Curtain Cave, and we’ve been fighting for our lives with him. Recently he’s been stealing our things and carrying off many of our youngsters. We’ve had to stay awake all night to guard our families. Thank goodness you’ve come back! Another year without you, Your Majesty, and every one of us would be under his control, cave and all.”\n\nSun Wukong was furious, “Who is this demon? What an outrage! Tell me everything about him, and then I’ll go and give him what’s coming to him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monkey host kowtowed again and said, “Your Majesty, the wretch calls himself the Demon King of Confusion. He lives North of here.”\n\n“How far away is his lair?” Sun Wukong asked.\n\n“He comes and goes in cloud and mist with wind and rain, or thunder and lightning, so we don’t know how far it is.”\n\n“If that’s how it is,” Sun Wukong replied, “then don’t worry. Just keep yourselves amused while I go and find him.”\n\nThe splendid Monkey King jumped up into the air, and as he somersaulted towards the North he saw a high and precipitous mountain. It was a fine sight:\n\nPerpendicular peaks jutting straight up,\n\nDeep-sunk winding streams.\n\nThe perpendicular peaks jutting straight up pierced the sky;\n\nThe deep-sunk winding streams led to the underworld.\n\nOn pairs of cliffs the plants compete in strangeness;\n\nElsewhere pine vies in greenness with bamboo.\n\nTo the left are docile dragons,\n\nTo the right are tame tigers.\n\nIron oxen ploughing are a common sight,\n\nGolden coins are always sown as seeds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Golden coins are always sown as seeds.\n\nHidden birds sing beautifully,\n\nRed phoenixes stand in the sun.\n\nRacing over stones, the clear waves\n\nTwist and bend in a vicious torrent.\n\nMany are the famous mountains in the world,\n\nAnd many the flowers that bloom and wither on them.\n\nBut this scenery is eternal,\n\nUnchanging through the four seasons.\n\nIt is truly the mountain from which the Three Worlds spring,\n\nThe Cave in the Belly of the Water that nourishes the Five Elements.\n\nAs the Handsome Monkey King stood gazing in silence at this view, he heard voices. When he went down the mountainside to look he found the Cave in the Belly of the Water facing the cliff. Several minor demons were dancing around in front of the cave doors, and they ran away as soon as they saw Sun Wukong."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wait a moment,” Sun Wukong said. “I want you to take a message for me. I am the King of the Water Curtain Cave in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit that lies due South of here. I’ve come to find that Demon of Confusion of yours, or whatever he’s called, the one who’s been mistreating my children and grandchildren, and have it out with him.”\n\nThe minor demons scuttled into the cave and reported, “A disaster, Your Majesty.”\n\n“What do you mean, disaster?” the demon king asked.\n\n“There’s a monkey outside the cave,” the minor demons reported, “who says that he’s the King of the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. He says that you have been bullying his children and grandchildren, and that he’s come specially to find you to have it out with you.” The demon king laughed.\n\n“Those monkey devils are always going on about a king of theirs who renounced the world to cultivate his conduct; I suppose it must be him who’s here now. Did you see how he was dressed or what weapons he was carrying?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He hasn’t got any weapons. He’s bareheaded, and he’s wearing a red gown belted with a yellow silk sash, and a pair of black boots. He isn’t dressed like a monk, or a layman, or an Immortal. He’s bare-handed and empty-fisted, and he’s standing outside the doors yelling.”\n\n“Bring me my armour and weapons,” said the demon king when he heard this. The minor demons produced them at once, and when he had donned his armour he went out of the door with all the demons, his sword in his hand.\n\n“Who is the King of the Water Curtain Cave?” he roared. Sun Wukong took a quick look at him and saw that\n\nOn his head he wore a dark golden helmet,\n\nGlistening in the sun.\n\nOn his body he wore a black silk gown,\n\nFlapping in the breeze.\n\nBelow that he wore black metal armour,\n\nGirt with a leather belt.\n\nOn his feet he wore patterned boots,\n\nAs splendid as a field-marshal’s.\n\nHis waist was ten feet round,\n\nAnd his height was thirty cubits.\n\nIn his hand he held a sword,\n\nWith gleaming point and edge."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With gleaming point and edge.\n\nHe called himself the Demon King of Confusion\n\nAnd his appearance was truly dazzling.\n\n“You insolent demon,” shouted the Monkey King. “Your eyes may be big but you can’t see who I am.”\n\nThe demon king laughed at him. “You don’t even stand four feet from the ground, you’re still in your twenties, and you’ve got no weapon in your hand. What sort of mad courage makes you challenge me to a fight?”\n\n“You insolent demon,” retorted Sun Wukong, “how blind you are. You may think I’m small, but I can grow easily enough. You may think I’m unarmed, but I could pull the moon down from the sky with my two hands. Don’t worry, old Sun Wukong will sock you one.” Sun Wukong gave a jump and leapt into the air, taking a swing at his face."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demon king put out his hand to stop him and said, “Look how big I am, you dwarf. If you use your fists, I’ll use my sword. But I’d only make myself look ridiculous if I killed you with a sword. Wait till I’ve put my sword down and then I’ll give you a display of boxing.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Well said,” exclaimed Sun Wukong, “spoken like a man. Come on then.” The demon king dropped his guard to throw a punch, and Sun Wukong rushed in towards him, punching and kicking. When he spread out his hand it was enormous, and when he clenched his fist it was very hard. Sun Wukong hit the demon king in the ribs, kicked his backside, and smashed several of his joints. The demon king seized his steel sword that was as big as a plank, and swung it at Sun Wukong’s skull. Sun Wukong dodged the blow, and the sword only split air. Seeing how ugly the demon king had turned, Sun Wukong used his magic art of getting extra bodies. He pulled out one of his hairs, popped it in his mouth, chewed it up, and blew it out into the air, shouting, “Change!” It turned into two or three hundred little monkeys, who all crowded round him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun Wukong now had an immortal body, and there was no magic transformation of which he was not capable. Since he had followed the Way he could change each of the eighty-four thousand hairs on his body into anything he wanted. The little monkeys were too quick and nimble for sword or spear.\n\nLook at them, leaping forwards and jumping backwards, rushing up and surrounding the demon king, grabbing him, seizing him, poking him in the backside, pulling at his feet, punching him, kicking him, tearing his hair out, scratching at his eyes, twisting his nose, all picking him up together and throwing him to the ground. They went on until they had beaten him to a pulp. Sun Wukong snatched his sword from him, told the little monkeys to get out of the way, and brought it down on the crown of his head, splitting it into two."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then he led his forces charging into the cave, where they exterminated all the demons, big and small. He shook his hair and put it back on his body. The monkeys who did not go back on his body were the little monkeys the demon king had carried off from the Water Curtain Cave. Sun Wukong asked them how they had got there.\n\nThere were thirty of forty of them, and they replied with tears in their eyes, “It was after Your Majesty went off to become an Immortal. He has been fighting with us for the last two years. He brought us all here by force. All the things here—the stone bowls and plates—were stolen from our cave by that beast.”\n\n“If it’s our stuff, take it all out,” said Sun Wukong. He then set fire to the Cave in the Belly of the Water and burnt it to a cinder.\n\n“Come back with me,” he ordered the monkeys.\n\n“Your Majesty,” they replied, “when we came here all we could hear was the wind howling in our ears as it blew us here, so we don’t know the way. How are we ever going to get back?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s nothing at all to that spell he used,” said Sun Wukong. “I can do it too, as now I only have to know the smallest bit about something to understand it completely. Shut your eyes and don’t worry.”\n\nSplendid Monkey King. He recited a spell, took them riding on a hurricane, then brought the cloud down to the ground.\n\n“Open your eyes and look, children,” he shouted. As soon as the monkeys’ feet touched the ground they recognized their home. In their delight they all ran along the familiar path to the cave, and the monkeys who had stayed in the cave all crowded in as well. They divided themselves into age-groups and bowed in homage to the Monkey King. Wine and food was laid out to celebrate, and they asked him how he had defeated the demon king and saved their children. When Sun Wukong had told them the whole story the monkeys were full of admiration.\n\n“Where did you learn such arts, Your Majesty?” they asked insistently."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I left you,” Sun Wukong replied, “I followed the waves and the currents, and drifted across the Eastern Ocean to the Southern Jambu Continent. Here I taught myself to take human form and to wear these clothes and boots. I swaggered around for eight or nine years, but I never found the Way, so I sailed across the Western Ocean to the Western Continent of Cattle-gift. After long enquiries I was lucky enough to meet a venerable Immortal, who taught me the True Result, which makes me as immortal as heaven, and the great Dharma Gate to eternal youth.” The monkeys all congratulated him and exclaimed that his like could not be found in a billion years.\n\nSun Wukong laughed and said, “Children, we should congratulate ourselves on having a surname.”\n\n“What is Your Majesty’s surname?” the monkey masses asked.\n\n“My surname is now Sun, and my Buddhist name is Wukong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monkeys all clapped their hands with joy and said, “Your Majesty is Old Sun, and we are Second Sun, Third Sun, Thin Sun, Little Sun—a family of Suns, a nation of Suns, a den of Suns.” They all offered Old Sun their respects, with big plates and small bowls of coconut toddy, grape wine, magic flowers, and magic fruit. The whole household was happy. My word!\n\nBy uniting themselves with a single surname\n\nThey are waiting to be transferred to the Register of Immortals.\n\nIf you don’t know how this ended and want to know about the rest of their lives there, then listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Three\n\nThe Four Seas and Thousand Mountains All Submit\n\nIn the Ninth Hell the Tenth Category Is Struck Off the Register"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We have related how the Handsome Monkey King returned home in glory, bringing a large sword he had captured when he killed the Demon King of Confusion. From then on they practiced the military arts every day. He asked the little monkeys to cut down bamboo to make spears, carve swords out of wood, and learn to use banners and whistles. They learned to advance and retreat, and build a camp with a stockade round it. They spent a lot of time playing at this.\n\nOnce Sun Wukong was sitting in his seat of meditation when he wondered: “What would happen to us if our games were taken for the real thing? What if it alarmed some human monarch or gave offence to some king of birds or beasts? They might say that we were having military training for a rebellion, and attack us with their armies. You would be no match for them with your bamboo spears and wooden swords. We must have really sharp swords and halberds. What are we to do about it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the monkeys heard this they all said with alarm, “Your Majesty has great foresight, but there’s nowhere we can get them.” When it was the turn of four older monkeys to speak—two bare-bottomed apes and two gibbons—they came forward and said, “Your Majesty, if you want sharp weapons they can be very easily obtained.”\n\n“How could it be easy?” asked Sun Wukong.\n\n“To the East of our mountain,” they replied, “there is a lake some seventy miles wide that is the boundary of the country of Aolai. That country has a princely capital, and huge numbers of soldiers and civilians live in the city. It must have workshops for gold, silver, bronze and iron. If you went there, Your Majesty, you could either buy arms or get them made; then you could train us to use them in the defense of our mountain. This would give us long-term security.” Sun Wukong was delighted with the suggestion.\n\n“Wait here while I go there,” he said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wait here while I go there,” he said.\n\nSplendid Monkey King! He leapt on to his somersault cloud, crossed the seventy miles of lake, and saw that on the other side there was indeed a city wall, a moat, streets, markets, ten thousand houses, a thousand gates, and people coming and going in the sunlight.\n\n“There must be ready-made weapons here,” Sun Wukong thought, “and getting a few by magic would be much better than buying them.” So he made a magic with his fist and said the words of the spell, sucked in some air from the Southeast, and blew it hard out again. It turned into a terrifying gale carrying sand and stones with it.\n\nWhere the thunderclouds rise the elements are in chaos;\n\nBlack fogs thick with dust cloak the earth in darkness.\n\nBoiling rivers and seas terrify the crabs and fish;\n\nAs trees are snapped off in mountain forests tigers and wolves flee.\n\nNo business is done in any branch of commerce;\n\nAnd no one is working at any kind of trade.\n\nIn the palace the king has gone to his inner quarters;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And the officials in front of the steps have returned to their offices.\n\nThe thrones of princes are all blown over;\n\nTowers of five phoenixes are shaken to their foundations.\n\nWhere the storm blew, the prince of Aolai fled in terror, and gates and doors were shut in the streets and markets. Nobody dared to move outside. Sun Wukong landed his cloud and rushed straight through the gates of the palace to the arsenal and the military stores, opened the doors, and saw countless weapons: swords, pikes, sabres, halberds, battleaxes, bills, scimitars, maces, tridents, clubs, bows, crossbows, forks, and spears were all there.\n\nAt the sight of them he said happily, “How many of these could I carry by myself? I’d better use the magic for dividing up my body.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Monkey King. He plucked a hair from his body, chewed it up, spat it out, made the magic with his fist, said the words of the spell, and shouted “Change!” It turned into hundreds and thousands of little monkeys, who rushed wildly about grabbing weapons. The strong ones took six or seven each and the weaker ones two or three, and between them they removed the lot. He climbed back up on the clouds, called up a gale by magic, and took all the little monkeys home with him.\n\nThe monkeys big and small of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit were playing outside the gates of the cave when they heard the wind. At the sight of countless monkey spirits flying through the air they fled and hid. A moment later the Handsome Monkey King landed his cloud, put away his mists, shook himself, replaced his hair, and threw all the weapons into a pile beside the mountain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Children,” he shouted, “come and get your weapons.” When the monkey masses looked they saw Sun Wukong standing by himself on some level ground, and they all rushed over to him to kowtow and asked what had happened. Sun Wukong told them the whole story of how he had raised the gale and taken the weapons. After all the monkeys had thanked him they snatched sabres, grabbed swords, seized battleaxes, fought for pikes, drew bows, stretched crossbows, shouted, yelled, and so amused themselves for the rest of the day."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next day they paraded as usual. Sun Wukong assembled all the monkey host, and they numbered over forty-seven thousand. This had alarmed all the strange beasts of the mountain—wolves, monsters, tigers, leopards, deer, muntjacs, river-deer, foxes, wild cats, badgers, raccoons, lions, elephants, horses, orangutans, bears, stags, wild boar, mountain cattle, antelopes, rhinoceroses, little dogs, huge dogs. The kings of various kinds of monsters, seventy-two in all, all came to pay homage to the Monkey King. They offered tribute every year and attended court in each of the four seasons. They also took part in drill and paid their seasonal grain levies. Everything was so orderly that the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit was as secure as an iron bucket or a wall of bronze. The kings of the monsters sent gongs, drums, coloured flags, helmets, and armour in great abundance, and every day there were military exercises."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One day, amid all this success, the Handsome Monkey King suddenly said to the other monkeys, “You are now expert in the bow and crossbow, and highly skilled in other weapons; but this sword of mine is too clumsy for my liking. What shall I do about it?”\n\nThe four veteran monkeys came forward and submitted a suggestion: “Your Majesty is an Immortal, so mortals’ weapons are not good enough for you. We wonder if Your Majesty is able to travel underwater.”\n\n“Since hearing the Way,” Sun Wukong replied, “I have mastered the seventy-two earthly transformations. My somersault cloud has outstanding magical powers. I know how to conceal myself and vanish. I can make spells and end them. I can reach the sky and find my way into the earth. I can travel under the sun or moon without leaving a shadow or go through metal or stone freely. I can’t be drowned by water or burned by fire. There’s nowhere I cannot go.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If Your Majesty has these magical powers, the stream under our iron bridge leads to the Dragon palace of the Eastern Sea. If you are willing to go down there, go and find the Dragon King and ask him for whatever weapon it is you want. Wouldn’t that suit you?”\n\n“Wait till I get back,” was Sun Wukong’s delighted reply.\n\nSplendid Monkey King. He leapt to the end of the bridge and made a spell with his fist to ward off the water. Then he dived into the waves and split the waters to make way for himself till he reached the bed of the Eastern Sea. On his journey he saw a yaksha demon who was patrolling the sea.\n\nThe yaksha barred his way and asked, “What sage or divinity are you, pushing the waters aside like that? Please tell me so that I can make a report and have you properly received.”\n\n“I am the Heaven-born Sage Sun Wukong from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, and your old Dragon King’s close neighbour. How is it you don’t know me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the yaksha heard this he hurried back to the crystal palace and reported, “Your Majesty, Sun Wukong, the Heaven-born Sage from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit who says he is your neighbour, is coming to your palace.” Ao Guang, the Old Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, leapt to his feet and went out to meet Sun Wukong with his dragon sons and grandsons, his prawn soldiers, and his crab generals.\n\n“Come in, exalted Immortal,” he said, taking Sun Wukong into the palace where they introduced themselves, seated him in the place of honour, and offered him tea. Then the Dragon King asked him, “Exalted Immortal, when did you find the Way, and what magic arts did you acquire?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“After my birth,” said Sun Wukong, “I renounced the world and cultivated my conduct, and thus obtained an immortal and indestructible body. Recently I have trained my sons and grandsons to guard our cave, but unfortunately I have not yet found my self a weapon. I have long heard that my illustrious neighbour enjoys the delights of a jade palace with gate-towers of cowry, and I was sure that you must have some magic weapons to spare, so I have come especially to beg one of you.”\n\nNot wishing to refuse this request, the Dragon King sent Commander Perch to fetch a large sword and offer it to Sun Wukong.\n\n“I don’t know how to use a sword,” said Sun Wukong, “so could I ask you to give me something else?” The Old Dragon King then sent Colonel Mackerel and Guard Commander Eel to fetch a nine-pronged spear.\n\nSun Wukong leapt down from his seat, took it, tried it out, then flung it down, saying, “It’s too light, far too light; and it doesn’t suit me. I beg you to give me another.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Dragon King smiled as he said, “Exalted Immortal, don’t you see that this weighs three thousand six hundred pounds?”\n\n“It doesn’t suit me, it doesn’t suit me at all,” protested Sun Wukong.\n\nThe Dragon King, feeling frightened now, ordered Provincial Commander Bream and Garrison Commander Carp to bring out a patterned heavenly halberd for warding off spells that weighed seven thousand two hundred pounds.\n\nAs soon as he saw it Sun Wukong bounded forward to take it. He tried a few postures and thrusts with it then stuck it in the ground between them. “Still too light, far too light.”\n\nThe Dragon King, now really terrified, said, “Exalted Immortal, that halberd is the heaviest weapon in my palace.”\n\n“As the old saying goes,” said Sun Wukong with a grin, “‘Never think the dragon king has no treasures.’ Have another look, and if you find anything satisfying I’ll give you a good price for it.”\n\n“I really have nothing else,” the Dragon King replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he was speaking, his dragon wife and dragon daughters came in from the back of the palace and said, “Your Majesty, by the look of him this sage must be really somebody. The piece of miraculous iron that anchors the Milkey Way in place has been shining with a lovely rosy glow for the last few days, and creating a most auspicious atmosphere. Perhaps it has started to shine to greet this sage.”\n\n“That piece of miraculous iron is one of the nails that Yu the Great used to fix the depths of rivers and seas when he brought the waters under control,” said the Dragon King. “What use could it be?”\n\n“Never mind whether it’s useful or not,” his wife replied. “Just give it to him and let him do with it as he pleases. At least you’ll get him out of the palace.”\n\nThe Dragon King did as she suggested and described the piece of iron to Sun Wukong, who said, “Bring it out and let me see.”\n\n“It can’t be moved. You will have to go and look at it yourself, exalted Immortal.”\n\n“Where is it? Take me there,” said Sun Wukong."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where is it? Take me there,” said Sun Wukong.\n\nThe Dragon King took him into the middle of the sea treasury, where all of a sudden they could see ten thousand rays of golden light. Pointing at it, the Dragon King said, “That’s it, where all the light is coming from.”\n\nSun Wukong hitched up his clothes and went to give it a feel. He found that it was an iron pillar about as thick as a measure for a peck of grain and some twenty feet long. Seizing it with both hands he said, “It’s too thick and too long. If it were a bit shorter and thinner it would do.” As soon as these words were out of his mouth this precious piece of iron became several feet shorter and a few inches thinner."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun Wukong tossed it in his hands, remarking that it would be even better if it were thinner still. The precious iron thereupon became even thinner. Sun Wukong was taking it out of the sea treasury to have a look at it when he saw that it had two gold bands round it, while the middle part was made of black iron. There was a line of inlaid writing near the bands which said that it was the AS-YOU-WILL COLD-BANDED CUDGEL: WEIGHT 13,500 POUNDS.\n\nSun Wukong was delighted, though he did not show it. “I think that this little darling will do whatever I want.” As he walked along he weighed it in his hand and said reflectively, “If it were even smaller still it would be perfect.” By the time he had taken it outside it was twenty feet long and as thick as a rice bowl."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Watch him as he uses his magical powers to try a few routines with it, whirling all round the crystal palace. The Old Dragon King was trembling with fright, and the little dragons were scared out of their wits. Terrapins, freshwater turtles, seawater turtles and alligators drew in their heads, while fish, shrimps, lobsters and giant turtles hid their faces.\n\nHolding his treasure in his hands, Sun Wukong sat down in the main hall of the palace of crystal and said with a smile to the Dragon King, “Many thanks, worthy neighbour, for your great generosity.”\n\nThe Old Dragon King humbly acknowledged his thanks, and Sun Wukong went on, “This piece of iron will be very useful, but there is one more thing I want to ask.”\n\n“What might that be, exalted Immortal?” asked the Dragon King."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I hadn’t got this cudgel, that would be the end of the matter, but as I have got it the problem is that I don’t have-the clothes to go with it. What are we to do about it? If you have any armour here, I’d be most obliged if you gave me a suit.” The Dragon King said he had not any.\n\n”‘A guest should not have to trouble two hosts,’” said Sun Wukong. “I won’t leave without one.”\n\n“Please try some other sea, exalted Immortal—you may find one there.”\n\n”‘It’s better to stay in one house than to visit three.’ I beg and implore you to give me a suit.”\n\n“I really don’t have one,” replied the Dragon King. “If I had I would present it to you.”\n\n“If you really haven’t, then I’ll try this cudgel out on you.”\n\n“Don’t hit me, exalted Immortal, don’t hit me,” pleaded the Dragon King in terror. “Let me see whether my brothers have one that they could give you.”\n\n“Where do your brothers live?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where do your brothers live?”\n\n“They are Ao Qin, the Dragon King of the Southern Sea, Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the Northern Sea, and Ao Run, the Dragon King of the Southern Sea.”\n\n“I’m damned if I’m going there: as the saying goes, ‘Two in the pocket is better than three owing.’ So be a good chap and give me one.”\n\n“There is no need for you to go, lofty Immortal,” the Dragon King replied, “I have an iron drum and a bronze bell. In an emergency we strike them to bring my brothers here in an instant.”\n\n“In that case,” said Sun Wukong, “hurry up and sound them.” And indeed an alligator general struck the bell while a terrapin marshal beat the drum. The sound of the bell and the drum startled the other three dragon kings, who had arrived and were waiting together outside within the instant.\n\nOne of them, Ao Qin, said, “Elder Brother, what’s up? Why the drum and the bell?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It hurts me to tell you, brother,” the Old Dragon King replied. “There’s this so-called heaven-born sage from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit who came here this morning saying that I was his neighbour, then demanded a weapon. I offered him a steel-pronged spear but he said it was too small, and a patterned halberd that he said was too light. Then he picked up the miraculous iron that fastens the Milky Way and tried a few movements with it. Now he’s sitting in the palace and demanding a suit of armour, but we haven’t got one. That’s why I used the bell and the drum to call you here. You three must have some armour. Please give him a suit, then we can get rid of him.”\n\nWhen Ao Qin heard this he said in a fury, “To arms, brothers. Arrest the criminal.”\n\n“No! No! It’s out of the question,” said the Old Dragon King. “If that iron cudgel of his gets you you’re done for, if it hits you die, if it comes close your skin is broken, and if it so much as brushes against you your sinews are smashed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ao Run, the Dragon King of the Western Sea, said, “Second brother, you must not attack him. Instead we should put a suit of armour together for him, then send him away. We can send a memorial about it to Heaven, then Heaven will of course punish him.”\n\n“You’re right,” said Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the Northern Sea. “I have a pair of lotus-root cloud-walking shoes.”\n\n“I’ve brought a suit of golden chain mail,” said Ao Run, the Dragon King of the Western Sea.\n\n“And I have a phoenix-winged purple gold helmet,” added Ao Qin, the Dragon King of the Southern Sea. The Old Dragon King was very pleased, and he brought them into the palace to meet Sun Wukong and present the equipment to him.\n\nSun Wukong put on the golden helmet and the armour and the cloud-walking shoes, then charged out, waving his cudgel and saying to the dragons, “My apologies for disturbing you.” The four Dragon Kings were most indignant, but we will not go into their discussions on the protest they sent to Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Watch the Monkey King as he parts the waters and goes straight back to the iron bridge, where the four senior apes can be seen waiting for him at the head of the monkey host. Sun Wukong suddenly leapt out of the waves without a drop of water on him and gleaming with gold.\n\nAs he came across the bridge the monkeys were so astonished that they fell to their knees and said, “How splendid you look, Your Majesty, how splendid.” Sun Wukong, his face lit up with youthful vigor, climbed up to his throne, thrust his cudgel into the ground in their midst. The foolish monkeys all tried to grab this treasure, but it was as futile as a dragonfly trying to shake an iron tree: they were unable to move it in the slightest.\n\nBiting their fingers and sticking out their tongues they said, “Grandpa, it’s so heavy, how can you possibly lift it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun Wukong went over, lifted it with one hand, and laughed as he said to them, “Everything has its rightful owner. This little treasure has been lying in the sea treasury for goodness knows how many thousands of years, but it just happened to start shining this year. The Dragon King thought it was just a piece of ordinary iron, and said it was the miraculous treasure that holds the bed of the Milky Way in place. None of his men could move it, so he had to ask me to go and fetch it myself. It was more than twenty feet long then, and as thick as a peck-measure. When I picked it up I felt that it was too big, and it shrank till it was several times as small. I told it to get even smaller, and it did that too; then I told it to get smaller still, and it got many times smaller again. I hurried out into the light of day to look at it, and I saw that there was an inscription on it that read ‘AS-YOU-WILL GOLD-BANDED CUDGEL: WEIGHT 13,500 POUNDS’. Stand aside, and I’ll make it change again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Holding his treasure in his hand he said, “Shrink, shrink, shrink,” and it became as small as an embroidery needle, tiny enough to be hidden in his ear.\n\n“Your Majesty,” the monkeys cried out in astonishment, “bring it out and play with it again.”\n\nSo the Monkey King brought it out of his ear again, laid it on the palm of his hand, and said, “Grow, grow, grow.” It became as thick as a peck again and twenty feet long. Now that he was really enjoying himself he bounded over the bridge and went out of the cave. Clasping his treasure he used some of his heaven and earth magic, bowed, and shouted, “Grow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He became a hundred thousand feet tall; his head was as big as a mountain, his waist like a range of hills, his eyes flashed like lightning, his mouth seemed to be a bowl of blood, and his teeth were as swords and halberds; the cudgel in his hands reached up to the Thirty-third Heaven and down to the Eighteenth Hell. The tigers, leopards and wolves, the beasts of the mountain, and the seventy-two monster kings all kowtowed and bowed in terror, trembling so much that they went out of their minds. A moment later he reverted to his proper size, turned his treasure into an embroidery needle, hid it in his ear, and went back to the cave. The panic-stricken kings of the monsters all came to offer their congratulations."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There was a great display of banners and drums, and the air resounded to the sound of gongs and bells. Rare delicacies were set out in great quantities, cups brimmed with coconut toddy and the wine of the grape, and the Monkey King feasted and drank with his people for a long time. Then training went on as before."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Monkey King named the four senior apes as his four Stalwart Generals: he named the two bare-bottomed apes Marshal Ma and Marshal Liu, and called the two gibbons General Beng and General Ba. He entrusted the stockade, questions of discipline and rewards to these four. Thus freed from cares, he mounted the clouds and rode the mists, wandering round the four seas and enjoying the thousand mountains. He practiced his martial arts, visited many a hero, used his magical powers, and made a wide and distinguished circle of friends. He met with six sworn brothers of his: the Bull Demon King, the Salamander Demon King, the Roc Demon King, the Camel King, the Macaque King, and the Lion King. With him included they made seven. For days on end they talked about politics and war, passed round the goblet, strummed, sang, piped, danced, went off on days out together, and enjoyed themselves in every possible way. A journey of thousands of miles seemed to them to be no more than a walk in the courtyard. It could be said"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "than a walk in the courtyard. It could be said that they traveled a thousand miles in the time it takes to nod one’s head, and covered three hundred with a twist of the waist."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One day he instructed his four Stalwart Generals to arrange a feast for the six other kings. Oxen and horses were slaughtered, sacrifices were made to Heaven and Earth, and the assembled monsters danced, sang, and drank themselves blotto. When he had seen the six kings out and tipped his senior and junior officials Sun Wukong lay himself down under the shade of the pines beside the bridge and was asleep in an instant. The four Stalwart Generals made the others stand round and guard him, and they all kept their voices down.\n\nIn his sleep the Handsome Monkey King saw two men approach him with a piece of paper in their hands on which was written “Sun Wukong.” Without allowing any explanations they tied up his soul and dragged it staggering along till they reached a city wall. The Monkey King, who was gradually recovering from his drunken stupor, looked up and saw an iron plate on the wall on which was inscribed WORLD OF DARKNESS in large letters."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In a flash of realization he said, “The World of Darkness is where King Yama lives. Why have I come here?”\n\n“Your life in the world above is due to end now,” his escorts said, “and we were ordered to fetch you.”\n\nTo this the Monkey King replied, “I have gone beyond the Three Worlds, and I am no longer subject to the Five Elements. I don’t come under King Yama’s jurisdiction. How dare you grab me, you idiots?” But the fetchers of the dead just went on tugging at him, determined to drag him inside.\n\nThe Monkey King lost his temper, pulled his treasure out of his ear, and gave it a shake. It became as thick as a rice bowl. It only took a slight movement of his arm to smash the two fetchers of the dead to pulp. He untied his bonds, loosed his hands, and charged into the city whirling his cudgel, so terrifying the ox-headed and horse-faced devils that they fled in all directions for cover."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the devil soldiers rushed to the Senluo Palace and reported, “Your Majesty, disaster, disaster! A hairy-faced thunder-god is attacking us out there.”\n\nStricken by panic, the Ten Kings who sit in the ten palaces, judging the criminal cases of the dead, hurriedly straightened their clothing and went out to look. When they saw his ferocious expression they lined up in order and shouted at the tops of their voices, “Please tell us your name, exalted Immortal.”\n\n“If you don’t know who I am,” replied the Monkey King, “then why did you send men to bring me here?”\n\n“We wouldn’t dare do such a thing. The messengers must have made a mistake.”\n\n“I am Sun Wukong, the Heaven-born sage of the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. What are your posts?”\n\n“We are the ten kings.”\n\n“Tell me your names at once if you don’t want a bashing.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the ten kings replied, “We are the King of Qinguang, the King of Chujiang, King Songdi, King Wuguan, King Yama, King Impartial, the King of Mount Tai, the Metropolitan King, the King of Biancheng, and the King of the Ever-turning Wheel.”\n\nTo this Sun Wukong replied, “You are all kings, and have esoteric understanding, so why don’t you know any better? I, Sun Wukong, have cultivated the Way of Immortality and will live as long as Heaven. I’ve soared beyond the Three Worlds and leapt outside the Five Elements, so why did you send your men to get me?”\n\n“Please don’t be angry, lofty Immortal,” the ten kings said. “Many people in the world share the same name, so perhaps the fetchers of the dead went to the wrong place.”\n\n“Nonsense, nonsense. As the saying goes, ‘The magistrate may be wrong and the sergeant may be wrong, but the man who comes to get you is never wrong.’ Go and get the Register of Life and Death for me to see.” The Ten Kings invited him to come into the palace and look through it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun Wukong went into the Senluo Palace with his club in his hand, and sat down in the middle of the hall facing South. The Ten Kings then ordered the presiding judge to fetch the register, and the judge hastened to his office and brought out five or six documents and ten registers. He looked through them all one by one, but could not find Sun Wukong’s name in the sections devoted to hairless creatures, hairy creatures, feathered creatures, insects, or scaly creatures. Then he looked through the monkey section. Now although monkeys looked like men, they were not entered under the humans; although they were like the hairless creatures, they did not live within their boundaries; although they were like running animals, they were not under the jurisdiction of the unicorn; and although they were like birds, they were not ruled by the phoenix. There was another register, and Sun Wukong looked through this one himself. Under “Soul No. 1350” was the name of Sun Wukong, the Heaven-born stone monkey, who was destined"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the Heaven-born stone monkey, who was destined to live to the age of 342 and die a good death."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I won’t write down any number of years,” said Sun Wukong. “I’ll just erase my name and be done with it. Bring me a brush.” The judge hastily handed him a brush and thick, black ink.\n\nSun Wukong took the register, crossed out all the names in the monkey section, and threw it on the floor with the words, “The account’s closed. That’s an end of it. We won’t come under your control any longer.” Then he cudgeled his way out of the World of Darkness. The Ten Kings dared not go near him, and they all went to the Azure Cloud Palace to bow in homage to the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha and discuss the report they would send up to Heaven. But we will not go into this.\n\nAfter charging out through the city wall the Monkey King tripped over a clump of grass, tried to regain his balance, and woke up with a start. It had all been a dream. As he stretched himself he heard his four Stalwart Generals and the other monkeys saying, “Your Majesty, time to wake up. You drank too much and slept all night.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Never mind about my sleeping. I dreamt that two men came for me. They dragged me to the city-wall of the World of Darkness, where I came round. I showed them my magic powers and went yelling all the way to the Senluo Palace, where I had an argument with those Ten Kings and looked through the Register of Life and Death of us. Wherever there was mention of your names in the register, I crossed them out. We won’t come under the jurisdiction of those idiots any more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the monkeys kowtowed to him in gratitude. The reason why from that time on so many mountain monkeys have never grown old is that their names are not on the books of the officials of the Underworld. When the Handsome Monkey King had finished telling his story, the four Stalwart Generals informed the other monster kings, who all came to offer their felicitations. A few days later his six sworn brothers also came to congratulate him, and all were delighted to hear how he had struck the names off the books. We will not describe the daily feasts that followed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Instead we will describe how one day the Supreme Heavenly Sage, the Greatly Compassionate Jade Emperor of the Azure Vault of Heaven, was sitting on his throne in the Hall of Miraculous Mist in the Golden-gated Cloud Palace, surrounded by his immortal civil and military officials at morning court, when the Immortal Qiu Hongji reported, “Your Majesty, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, has presented a memorial outside the Hall of Universal Brightness, and is awaiting a summons from your Imperial Majesty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Jade Emperor ordered that he be called in, and the Dragon King came to the Hall of Miraculous Mist. When he had done obeisance an immortal page came from the side to take his memorial. The Jade Emperor read it through. It ran: Your Subject Ao Guang, the Humble Dragon of the Eastern Sea of the Eastern Continent of Superior Body in the Nether Watery Regions Reports to the Jade Emperor of the Azure Vault of Heaven Recently one Sun Wukong, an immortal fiend born on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit now living in the Water Curtain Cave, bullied this humble dragon and occupied my watery house by force. He demanded a weapon by displaying magical prowess; he insisted on having armour by showing off his evil powers. He terrified the watery tribe and made the tortoises and alligators flee in terror. The dragon of the Southern Sea trembled, the dragon of the Western Sea was made miserable, the dragon of the Northern Sea had to hang his head and come in submission, and I, your subject Ao Guang, humbled myself before"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I, your subject Ao Guang, humbled myself before him. We had to present him with a miraculous iron cudgel, a golden phoenix-winged helmet, a suit of chain mail, and a pair of cloud-walking shoes; and we escorted him out politely."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He continued to show off his martial arts and magic powers, and all he had to say for himself was, “My apologies for disturbing you.” There is truly no match for him, and he is uncontrollable. Your subject now presents this memorial, and respectfully awaits your sage decision. I humbly beg that heavenly soldiers be sent to arrest this evil demon, so that the sea and the mountains may be at peace, and the ocean may enjoy tranquillity.\n\nWhen the Jade Emperor had read this through he ordered, “Let the Dragon God return to the Sea; we shall send generals to arrest the demon.” The Old Dragon King bowed till his head touched the floor and took his leave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then the Venerable Immortal Ge, a heavenly teacher, reported, “Your Majesty, the King of Qinguang, one of the ministers of the Underworld, has come with a memorial from the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha.” A jade girl messenger took the memorial, which the Jade Emperor read through. It ran: The regions of darkness are the negative part of the Earth. Heaven contains gods while the Earth has devils; Positive and Negative are in a constant cycle. Birds and beasts are born and die; male and female alternate. Life is created and change takes place; male and female are conceived and born; this is the order of nature, and it cannot be changed. Now the evil spirit, the Heaven-born monkey of the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, is presently giving full rein to his wicked nature, committing murders, and refusing to submit to discipline. He killed the devil messengers of the Ninth Hell with his magic, and he terrified the Ten Benevolent Kings of the Underworld with his power. He made an uproar in the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "with his power. He made an uproar in the Senluo Palace and crossed some names out by force. He has made the race of monkeys completely uncontrollable, and given eternal life to the macaques. He has annulled the law of transmigration and brought them beyond birth and death. I, impoverished monk that I am, importune the might of Heaven by presenting this memorial. I prostrate myself to beg that Heavenly soldiers be despatched to subdue this fiend, bring the positive and Negative back into order, and give lasting security to the Underworld."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Jade Emperor had read this through he ordered, “Let the Lord of Darkness return to the Underworld. We shall send generals to arrest the demon.” The King of Qinguang then bowed till his head touched the floor and took his leave.\n\nHis Celestial Majesty then asked all his civil and military officials, “When was this monkey demon born? What is his origin, that he should have such powers?”\n\nBefore he had finished speaking, Thousand-mile Eye and Wind-accompanying Ear came forward from the ranks of officials and said, “This demon monkey is the stone monkey who was born of heaven three hundred years ago. At the time nobody paid any attention to him, and we do not know where he refined himself and became an Immortal in recent years, so that he has been able to make the tigers and dragons submit to him and to strike his name off the register of the dead.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Which divine general shall be sent down to capture him?” asked the Jade Emperor, and before he had finished speaking the Great White Planet stepped forward, bowed down, and submitted, “All beings in the upper worlds that have nine apertures can become Immortals. This monkey has a body that was created by Heaven and Earth and conceived by the sun and moon. His head touches they sky and his feet stand on the earth; he drinks the dew and eats the mist. How does he differ from humans, if he has succeeded in cultivating the way of immortality and can subdue dragons and tigers? I beg Your Majesty to remember your life-giving mercy and hand down a sage edict of amnesty and enlistment, summoning him to this upper world and inscribing his name on the list of officeholders, thus keeping him here under control. If he obeys Your Majesty’s heavenly commands, he can later be promoted; and if he disobeys, he can be arrested. This will both avoid military operations and be a way of winning over an Immortal.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Jade Emperor, delighted with the suggestion, ordered that it should be put into effect. He told the Wenqu Star Officer to compose the edict, and commanded the Great White planet to persuade the monkey to accept the amnesty.\n\nThe Great White Planet left Heaven by the Southern Gate, and brought his propitious cloud down by the Water Curtain Cave, where he said to the little monkeys, “I am an envoy from Heaven, and I am carrying a divine edict inviting your great king to the upper world. Go and tell him at once.”\n\nThe little monkeys outside conveyed the message by relays into the depths of the cave: “Your Majesty, there’s an old man outside carrying a document on his back. He says he’s an envoy from Heaven with an invitation for you.” The Handsome Monkey King was delighted.\n\nHe said, “I’d been thinking of going up to Heaven to have a look round for the past couple of days, and now a heavenly envoy has come to invite me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Ask him in at once,” he shouted, hastily straightening his clothes and going out to meet the envoy.\n\nThe Planet came straight in, stood facing the South, and said, “I am the Great White Planet of the West, and I have come down to earth with an Edict of Amnesty and enlistment from the Jade Emperor to invite you to Heaven to be given office as an Immortal.”\n\n“I am very grateful to you, venerable Planet, for condescending to come here,” replied Sun Wukong with a smile; then he told his subjects to prepare a feast to entertain the visitor.\n\n“I’m afraid I can’t delay,” replied the Planet, “as I am carrying a divine edict, so may I ask Your Majesty to come back with me now? We can talk at leisure after your glorious elevation.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Thank you for coming,” said Sun Wukong. “I’m sorry you couldn’t take some refreshments before leaving.” Then he called for his four Stalwart Generals and ordered them, “Give my sons and grandsons a thorough training. When I’ve had a look round in Heaven, I’ll take you all to live with me up there.” The four Stalwart Generals accepted their orders, and the Monkey King made his cloud carry him up above the clouds. He was\n\nRaised to a high-ranking heavenly office,\n\nListed among the courtiers in the clouds.\n\nIf you don’t know what office he was given, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Four\n\nDissatisfied at Being Appointed Protector of the Horses\n\nNot Content with the Title of Equal of Heaven"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not Content with the Title of Equal of Heaven\n\nThe Great White Planet left the depths of the cave with the Handsome Monkey King, and they ascended together on their clouds. As Sun Wukong’s somersault cloud was exceptionally fast he reached the Southern Gate of Heaven first, leaving the Great White planet far behind. Just as he was putting away his cloud to go in, his way was barred by the Heavenly Guardian Virudhaka and his powerful heavenly soldiers Liu, Gou, Bi, Deng, Xin, Zhang, and Tao, who blocked the gate of Heaven with their spears and swords and refused to let him in.\n\n“This old Great White planet is a trickster,” said Sun Wukong. “He invited me here, so he has no business to have me kept out with spears and swords.” Just as he was kicking up a row the Planet suddenly arrived."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun Wukong flung his accusation at him: “Why did you play this trick on me, you old fogy? You told me you came with an Edict of Amnesty from the Jade Emperor to invite me here, so why did you arrange for these people not to let me in through the gate of Heaven?” The Great White Planet laughed.\n\n“Don’t be angry, Your Majesty. You’ve never been here before, your name is not on the books here, and the heavenly soldiers have never met you. Of course they could not let you in just for the asking. But when you’ve seen His Celestial Majesty and been given office among the Immortals, you will be able to come and go as you wish, and nobody will try to stop you.”\n\n“Be that as it may,” said Sun Wukong, “I’m not going in.” The Great White Planet would not let him go and asked him to go in with him in spite of it all."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they approached the gate, the Planet shouted, “Heavenly officers of the gates of Heaven, sergeants and soldiers, let us in. This is an Immortal from the lower world, and I am carrying an edict from the Jade Emperor summoning him here.” Only then did the Heavenly King Zengzhang and his soldiers withdraw their arms and stand back. Now the Monkey King began to trust the Great White Planet. He walked slowly in with him and looked at the view. Truly it was his\n\nFirst ascent to the upper world,\n\nSudden entry into paradise.\n\nTen thousand beams of golden light shone with a reddish glow;\n\nA thousand strands of propitious vapour puffed out purple mist.\n\nSee the Southern Gate of Heaven,\n\nDeep green,\n\nCrystalline,\n\nShimmering bright,\n\nStudded with jewels.\n\nOn either side stood scores of heavenly marshals,\n\nTall as the roofbeams, next to the pillars,\n\nHolding metal-tipped bows and banners.\n\nAll around stood gods in golden armour,\n\nBrandishing their clubs and halberds,\n\nWielding their cutlasses and swords."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wielding their cutlasses and swords.\n\nThe outside was remarkable enough,\n\nBut the inside astonished him.\n\nHere were several mighty pillars,\n\nRound which coiled tawny-bearded dragons, their gold scales gleaming in the sun.\n\nThere were long bridges,\n\nWhere strutted phoenixes, brilliant of plumage and with bright red crests.\n\nA rosy glow shone with heavenly light;\n\nThick green mists obscured the Pole Star.\n\nIn this heaven there are thirty-three heavenly palaces:\n\nThe Palace of Clouds Dispersed, the Vaisravana Palace, the palace of\n\nFive Lores, the Sun Palace, the Palace of Flowery Bliss,\n\nEvery palace had golden animals on its roof.\n\nThen there were seventy-two precious halls:\n\nThe Hall of Morning Audience, the Hall of Rising into Space, the Precious Light Hall, the Hall of the Heavenly Kings, the Hall of the Master of Miracles,\n\nJade unicorns on every column.\n\nOn the Terrace of the Star of Longevity\n\nGrew flowers that never wither.\n\nBeside the Stove for Decocting Elixir,\n\nWere herbs that stay green for ever."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Were herbs that stay green for ever.\n\nIn front of the Facing the Sage pavilion\n\nCrimson gauze clothes Glittered like stars;\n\nLotus hats\n\nShone with gold and jade.\n\nJade hairpins and pearl-sewn shoes,\n\nGolden seals on purple cords.\n\nAs the golden bell tolled,\n\nThe three classes of divinities approached the steps and submitted memorials.\n\nAs the heavenly drum was beaten,\n\nTen thousand sage kings attended the Jade Emperor.\n\nThen they entered the Hall of Miraculous Mist,\n\nWhere jade doors were studded with gold,\n\nAnd phoenixes danced before the crimson gates.\n\nWinding arcades,\n\nEverywhere carved in openwork;\n\nLayer on Layer of eaves,\n\nWith dragons and phoenixes soaring.\n\nOn top was a majestically purple,\n\nBright,\n\nPerfectly round,\n\nAnd dazzling\n\nGolden gourd-shaped finial;\n\nBelow, fans hung from the hands of heavenly consorts,\n\nWhile jade maidens proffered magic clothes.\n\nFerocious\n\nThe heavenly generals guarding the court;\n\nMajestic\n\nThe immortal officials protecting the throne."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The immortal officials protecting the throne.\n\nIn the middle were set Crystal dishes\n\nFilled to overflowing with Great Monad Pills;\n\nAgate jars\n\nIn which stood twisted coral trees.\n\nAll the wonderful things in Heaven were there,\n\nNone of which are seen on Earth:\n\nGolden gates, silver chariots, and a purple palace;\n\nPrecious plants, jade flowers, and jasper petals.\n\nThe jade hares of the princes at court ran past the alter;\n\nThe golden rooks of the sages present flew down low.\n\nThe Monkey King was fated to come to Heaven,\n\nRather than be sullied by the mortal world.\n\nThe Great White Planet led the Handsome Monkey King to the outside of the Hall of Miraculous Mist. He went straight in to the imperial presence without waiting to be summoned, and did obeisance to the throne."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun Wukong stood bolt upright beside him, not bothering with any court etiquette, but just concentrating on listening to the Great White Planet make his report to the Jade Emperor: “In obedience to the Divine Edict, your subject has brought the demon Immortal here.”\n\nThe Jade Emperor lowered his curtain and asked, “And which of you is the demon Immortal?”\n\n“Me,” replied Sun Wukong, only now making a slight bow.\n\nThe faces of the officials went white with horror as they exclaimed, “What a savage monkey! He has the impudence to answer ‘Me,’ and without even prostrating himself first! He must die!”\n\nIn reply to this the Jade Emperor announced, “Sun Wukong is a demon Immortal of the lower world who has only just obtained human form, so he is not acquainted with court procedure. We shall forgive him this time.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We thank you for your mercy,” said the immortal ministers. Only then did Sun Wukong express his respect by bowing low and chanting “na-a-aw” at the top of his voice. The Jade Emperor ordered his immortal civil and military officials to find a vacancy in some department for Sun Wukong.\n\nThe Star Lord Wuqu stepped forward form the side and reported, “There are no vacancies in any of the palaces, halls, and departments of Heaven except for a superintendent in the Imperial Stables.”\n\n“Then make him Protector of the Horses,” ordered the Jade Emperor. All the ministers thanked him for his mercy, apart from Sun Wukong, who just expressed his respect with a loud “na-a-aw.” The Jade Emperor then told the Wood Planet to take him to the Imperial Stables."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Wood Planet accompanied the delighted Monkey King to his post and then went back to the palace. The Monkey King then called together the deputy and the assistant superintendent, the book-keeper, the grooms, and all the other officials, high and low, to find out about the duties of his department. He found that he had to look after a thousand heavenly horses:\n\nChestnuts and stallions,\n\nCourser and chargers:\n\nDragon and Purple Swallow,\n\nPegasus and Sushun,\n\nJueti and Silver,\n\nYaoniao and Flying Yellow,\n\nTaotu and Feathers,\n\nRed Hare and Faster Than Light,\n\nDazzler and Horizon,\n\nMist-soarer and Victory;\n\nWind-chaser and Matchless,\n\nFlying Wing and Galloping Mist,\n\nLazy Whirlwind and Red Lightning,\n\nBronze Cup and Drifting Cloud,\n\nSkewbald and Tiger-Stripe,\n\nDustfree and Purple Scales,\n\nThe Four Ferghana Steeds,\n\nThe Eight Chargers and Nine Gallopers,\n\nCoursers that can cover three hundred miles—\n\nAll these fine horses were\n\nNeighing in the wind, chasing the lightning, mighty in spirit;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pawing the mist, climbing the clouds, great in their strength.\n\nThe Monkey King looked through the register and counted the horses. In the stables the book-keeper was responsible for ordering the fodder, the head groom was in charge of currying the horses, chopping up and cooking the fodder, and giving them water; the deputy superintendent and his assistant helped to oversee the work. The Protector of the Horses looked after his charges, sleeping neither by day nor by night. It is true that he fooled around by day, but at night he looked after the animals with great diligence, waking them up and making them eat whenever they fell asleep, and leading those still on their feet to the trough. At the sight of him the heavenly horses would prick up their ears and paw the ground, and they became fat and plump. Thus more than half a month slipped by.\n\nOn one morning that was a holiday all the officials of the stables held a feast both to welcome and congratulate the Protector of the Horses."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the middle of the party the Monkey King suddenly put down his cup and asked, “What sort of office is this ‘Protector of the Horses?’”\n\n“What the name suggests, that’s all.”\n\n“Which official grading does it carry?”\n\n“Unclassified.”\n\n“What does ‘unclassified’ mean?”\n\n“Bottom grade,” the others replied, going on to explain, “It is a very low and unimportant office, and all you can do in it is look after the horses. Even someone who works as conscientiously as Your Honour and gets the horses so fat will get no more reward than someone saying ‘good’; and if anything goes at all wrong you will be held responsible, and if the losses are serious you will be fined and punished.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Monkey King flared up on hearing this, gnashed his teeth, and said in a great rage, “How dare they treat me with such contempt? On the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit I am a king and a patriarch. How dare he trick me into coming here to feed his horses for him? It’s a low job for youngsters, not for me. I won’t do it, I won’t. I’m going back.” He pushed the table over with a crash, took his treasure out of his ear, and shook it. It became as thick as a rice bowl, and he brandished it as he charged out of the Imperial Stables to the Southern Gate of Heaven. As the celestial guards knew that his name was on the register of immortal officials they did not dare to block his path, but let him out through the gate."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He descended by cloud and was back on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in an instant. Seeing the four Stalwart Generals and all the kings of the monsters drilling their troops there he shouted in a shrill voice, “Children, I’m back.” The monkeys all bowed to him, took him into the heart of the cave, and asked him to sit on his throne, while they prepared a banquet to welcome him back.\n\n“Congratulations, Your Majesty,” they all said. “After over a dozen years up there you must be coming back in glory and triumph.”\n\n“What do you mean, over a dozen years?” asked the Monkey King. “I’ve only been away for a fortnight or so.”\n\n“Your Majesty can’t have noticed the time passing in heaven. A day in heaven lasts as long as a year on earth. May we ask what office you held?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It hurts me to tell you,” replied the Monkey King with a wave of his hand. “I feel thoroughly humiliated. That Jade Emperor doesn’t know how to use a good man. A man like me—‘Protector of the Horses’. That meant I had to feed his animals for him and wasn’t even given an official grading. I didn’t know this at first, so I fooled around in the Imperial Stables until today, when I found out from my colleagues how low the job was. I was so angry that I pushed the table over and quit the job. That’s why I’ve come back.”\n\n“Quite right too,” the other monkeys said. “Your Majesty can be king in our cave paradise and enjoy as much honour and pleasure as you like, so why go and be his groom?” Then they gave orders for wine to be brought at once to cheer their king up.\n\nAs they were drinking someone came in to report, “Your Majesty, there are two Single-horned Devil Kings outside who want to see you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Ask them in,” said the Monkey King, and the two formally-dressed devil kings hurried into the cave and prostrated themselves.\n\n“Why have you come to see me?” asked the Handsome Monkey King; and they replied, “We have long heard that Your Majesty is looking for men of talent, but we were unable to see you before. Now that Your Majesty has been given heavenly office and come back in triumph, we would like to offer you this yellow robe as a token of our congratulations. We also hope that you will not reject us although we are low and worthless, but will accept our humble services.” An exultant Monkey King put on the yellow robe and his happy subjects bowed to him in order of precedence. The two devil kings were appointed Commanders of the Van, and when they had thanked the Monkey King for this they asked, “What office did Your Majesty hold while you were all that time in Heaven?”\n\n“The Jade Emperor has no respect for talent,” replied the Monkey King. “He made me something called ‘Protector of the Horses.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty has such miraculous powers: you should never have been feeding his horses for him. You should have been made a ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven,’ shouldn’t you?” The Monkey King was beside himself with delight at this suggestion, and he kept saying how splendid it was.\n\n“Get me a banner made at once with the words ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven’ in big letters on it, and put up a pole to hang it from,” he ordered his four Stalwart Generals. “From now on I am to be called ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven,’ not ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘King’. Pass this order on to all the other kings of the monsters.” We will leave him at this point.\n\nWhen the Jade Emperor held his morning court the next day the Heavenly Teacher Zhang led the deputy and assistant superintendents of the Imperial Stables to the vermilion steps, bowed low, and reported, “Your Majesty, Sun Wukong, the new Protector of the Horses, left Heaven yesterday because he thought his office was too humble.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just as he was speaking the Heavenly Guardian Virudhaka came from the Southern Gate of Heaven with his heavenly soldiers and reported, “The Protector of the Horses has gone out through the gate. We do not know why.”\n\nOn hearing this the Jade Emperor commanded, “Let the two divine officials return to their posts; we shall send heavenly soldiers to capture this devil.”\n\nThe pagoda-bearing Heavenly King Li Jing and Prince Nezha stepped forward from the ranks of those attending the audience, and they memorialized, “Your Imperial Majesty, we beg you to command us, your incompetent servants, to subdue this fiend.” The Emperor was delighted with this suggestion, and he appointed the Pagoda-bearing Heavenly King as Demon quelling High Marshal, and Prince Nezha as Great God of the Seas. He told them to take their forces down to the lower world at once."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Heavenly King Li and Nezha kowtowed, took their leave, went straight back to their own palace, and assembled their troops, commanders and officers. They put the Mighty Miracle God in charge of the vanguard, and General Fishbelly in command of the rear, while General Yaksa was made adjutant. Within an instant they were outside the Southern Gate of Heaven, and they went straight to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. They chose a piece of level and open ground on which to construct a fortified camp, and ordered the Mighty Miracle God to issue the challenge to battle. On receiving this order the Mighty Miracle God tied on his armour firmly and went to the Water Curtain Cave, holding his flower-spreading battle-axe. When he got there he saw huge numbers of devils—wolves, tigers and leopards—wielding spears, brandishing swords, leaping around, fighting each other, and making a great noise outside the little entrance to the cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Accursed beasts,” shouted the Mighty Miracle God, “tell the Protector of the Horses at once that I am a heavenly general come on the orders of the Jade Emperor to subdue him. If you make him come out and surrender immediately it will save the lot of you from being wiped out.”\n\nThe devils went rushing into the cave and reported, “Disaster, disaster.”\n\n“What disaster?” the Monkey King asked.\n\n“There’s a heavenly general outside who says he’s come on the orders of the Jade Emperor to subdue you. If you go out and surrender immediately, he says he’ll spare our lives.”\n\n“Fetch me my armour,” said the Monkey King. He then donned his golden helmet, tied on his golden armour, put on his cloud-walking shoes, and took his As-You-Will gold-banded cudgel in his hand. He led his troops out of the cave and drew them up in battle array. The Mighty Miracle God gazed wide-eyed at the excellent Monkey King:\n\nOn his body was gleaming golden armour,\n\nOn his head a dazzling golden helmet,\n\nIn his hand a gold-banded club,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his hand a gold-banded club,\n\nOn his feet a pair of cloud-walking shoes to match.\n\nHis devil eyes shone like stars,\n\nHis ears were long and hard.\n\nHis sturdy frame could be transformed at will,\n\nHis voice rang clearly as a bell.\n\nThe sharp-mouthed Horse Protector with protruding teeth\n\nWanted to become a Sage Equaling Heaven.\n\nThe Mighty Miracle God shouted in a harsh voice, “Insolent ape! Don’t you recognize me?”\n\nThe Great Sage Sun Wukong replied at once, “I’ve never met you before. How should I know which wretched little deity you are? Tell me your name at once.”\n\n“I’ll get you, you conceited baboon. So you don’t know who I am? I am the Heavenly General Mighty Miracle, the commander of the vanguard for Heavenly King Li, the Pagoda-bearer. I have come here on the orders of the Jade Emperor to accept your surrender. Take off your armour at once and submit to the mercy of Heaven, or I’ll wipe out every animal on the mountain. And if you so much as hint at a refusal, I’ll smash you to powder.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop talking so big, you lousy god,” retorted the furious Monkey King, “and give that long tongue of yours a rest. I’d just love to kill you with this cudgel of mine, but if I did there’d be no one to deliver my message for me, so I’ll spare your life. Hurry back to Heaven and tell that Jade Emperor that he doesn’t know how to use a good man. Why did he make me waste my infinite powers on feeding his horses for him? Take a look at what’s written on my standard. If he’s willing to give me this title officially, I’ll call off my troops and let Heaven and Earth continue in peace; but if he refuses I’m coming up to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to knock him off his dragon throne.” When the Mighty Miracle God heard this he looked hard and saw that a tall pole had been planted outside the entrance to the cave, on which hung a banner reading GREAT SAGE EQUALING HEAVEN."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Heh, heh, heh,” he mocked, “you ignorant ape. What shameless effrontery, to want to be a ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven!’ Take that!” He swung with his battle-axe at the Monkey King who, quite unflustered, parried with his gold banded cudgel. It was a fine battle:\n\nThe cudgel was called As-You-Will,\n\nThe axe was named Flower Spreader.\n\nAs soon as the two met,\n\nYou could not tell which was better:\n\nAxe and club\n\nLocked together.\n\nOne was concealing his magic powers,\n\nOne was a big-mouthed boaster.\n\nThey used their magic\n\nTo breathe out cloud and mist;\n\nWhen they opened their hands\n\nThey scattered sand and dust.\n\nThe heavenly general was a master of magic;\n\nEndless were the changes the Monkey King could make.\n\nWhen the cudgel was raised it was like a dragon playing in the water;\n\nAs the axe came down it was a phoenix among the flowers.\n\nAlthough the fame of Miracle was known throughout the world,\n\nHis skill was no match for his enemy.\n\nIf the Great Sage lightly twirled his club,\n\nA mere touch would paralyze."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A mere touch would paralyze.\n\nThe Mighty Miracle God was no match for his opponent. He hastened to block the Monkey King’s first blow with his axe, which broke in two with a crunch. He fled for his life as fast as he could, and the Monkey King said mockingly, “You bag of pus, I’ll spare you this time. Hurry back with my message, and look sharp about it.”\n\nThe Mighty Miracle God returned to his camp, went straight to the Pagoda-bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, knelt before him, and said with an awkward laugh, “The Protector of the Horses has really tremendous magic powers. I was no match for him. He beat me, and now I have come to take my punishment.”\n\n“This fool has ruined our morale,” exploded the Heavenly King Li in a fury. “Take him away, and off with his head.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Prince Nezha, who was standing to one side, stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Do not be angry, Your Majesty. Forgive the Mighty Miracle God, and let me go and do battle; then we’ll see who’s boss.” The heavenly king accepted his advice, and told Mighty Miracle God to go back and look after the camp while he awaited his punishment.\n\nWhen he had put on his armour and helmet, Prince Nezha charged straight out of the camp to the Water Curtain Cave. Sun Wukong, who was just going to pull back his troops, saw the ferocity of his onslaught. What a fine prince he was:\n\nHis hair in tufts barely covers his scalp,\n\nHis cloak not over his shoulders.\n\nHow striking his intelligence,\n\nHow elegant his air.\n\nIndeed he is the scion of a unicorn in Heaven;\n\nIn truth he is a phoenix Immortal from the clouds.\n\nThe seed of dragons is different from the common herd;\n\nThis fine youth is not at all like mortals.\n\nWith him he carries six divine weapons;\n\nEndless his transformations as he soars through the air."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now he has received an edict from the Jade Emperor’s mouth,\n\nMaking him Commander of the Three Temples of the Masses.\n\nSun Wukong went up to him and asked, “Whose little boy are you then? What do you mean, charging up to my door?”\n\n“Stinking monkey fiend,” shouted Prince Nezha, “don’t you know who I am? I am Nezha, the third son of the pagoda-bearing Heavenly King, and I have been commanded by the Jade Emperor to come here and arrest you.”\n\n“You do talk big, don’t you, little prince,” said Sun Wukong, laughing at him. “But as you’ve still got all your milk teeth and are still wet behind the ears I’ll spare your life and I won’t hit you. Do you see what it says on my standard? Go and tell the Jade Emperor that if he gives me that title I’ll call off my armies and submit to him once more. But if he doesn’t do what I want him to, I’ll surely attack the Hall of Miraculous Mist.” Nezha looked up and saw the words “Great Sage Equaling Heaven.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wicked monkey! How dare you give yourself a title like that, whatever your magic powers may be! Don’t worry, all you’re getting is my sword.”\n\n“Give me a few swipes, then,” replied Sun Wukong, “I won’t move.”\n\n“Change,” yelled Nezha in a passion, and at once he had three heads and six arms, which made him look most ferocious. In his hands he held six weapons, a demon-beheading sword, a demon-hacking cutlass, a demon-binding rope, a demon-quelling pestle, an embroidered ball, and a fire-wheel—and wielding all these he rushed straight at Sun Wukong.\n\nAt the sight of him Sun Wukong exclaimed with astonishment, “Well, my boy, you certainly know a trick or two. But just behave yourself and watch what I can do.” Our dear Great Sage shouted “Change,” and he too had three heads and six arms. He shook his gold-banded cudgel, and it turned into three cudgels, which he gripped with his six hands to ward off Nezha’s blows. It was a great fight, and it made the earth shake and the mountains tremble:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Six-armed Prince Nezha\n\nHeaven-born Monkey King:\n\nWell-matched opponents,\n\nBoth in the same class.\n\nOne sent down to the lower world on a mission,\n\nThe other priding himself as a fighting bull.\n\nFast moves the point of the demon-beheading sword,\n\nAnd evil spirits fear the demon-hacking cutlass,\n\nThe demon-binding rope flies like a dragon,\n\nWhile the demon-quelling pestle has the head of a wolf,\n\nThe fire-wheel flashes with lightning,\n\nAnd the embroidered ball shoots everywhere.\n\nThe Great Sage’s three As-You-Will cudgels\n\nBlock and parry with consummate skill.\n\nThough many hard-fought rounds prove inconclusive,\n\nThe prince refuses to call the battle off;\n\nMaking his six weapons multiply in number,\n\nHe throws them in their millions at the Monkey King’s head,\n\nBut the Monkey King, fearless, roars with laughter\n\nAs his iron clubs whirl and think for themselves.\n\nOne becomes a thousand; one thousand, ten;\n\nTheir wild dance fills the sky as if with dragons.\n\nAll the demon kings shut their gates in terror;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the demon kings shut their gates in terror;\n\nEvery goblin on the mountain finds some place to hide.\n\nCloud-black, the anger of the heavenly troops;\n\nWhistling like the wind, the gold-banded cudgels.\n\nOn the one side,\n\nThe blood-curdling war-cries of the heavenly host.\n\nOn the other,\n\nThe spine-chilling banners of the monkey fiends.\n\nBoth parties are equal in fighting courage;\n\nNeither could be said to be the winner."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Neither could be said to be the winner.\n\nPrince Nezha and Sun Wukong both used their divine powers to the full as they fought thirty rounds. When the six weapons of the prince turned into thousands and tens of thousands, so did Sun Wukong’s gold-banded cudgel. The air was filled as if with drops of rain or shooting stars, and there was no way of telling who was winning. As Sun Wukong was deft of hand and quick of eye, he plucked one of the hairs from his body in the midst of the fray and shouted “Change!” It changed into his own double to mislead Nezha while his real self leapt round till he was behind Nezha and struck at his left shoulder. Nezha was in the middle of performing a spell when he heard the whistle of the cudgel through the air and twisted away as fast as he could. But he was unable to avoid the blow and had to flee wounded. He brought his magic to an end, put his six weapons away, reverted to his true appearance, and abandoned the field of battle in defeat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This had all been observed by Heavenly King Li, who was on the point of sending reinforcements when his son appeared before him and reported in fear and trembling, “Father, the Protector of the Horses is very powerful. My magic was outclassed and he has wounded me in the shoulder.”\n\nThe color drained from the face of the horror-struck Heavenly King as he said, “If the creature has magic powers like that, how are we going to defeat him?”\n\n“Outside the gates of the cave,” the prince went on to report, “there is a banner on a pole that reads ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven’. He bragged that if the Jade Emperor gave him this title he would call everything off; otherwise he said he would attack the Hall of Miraculous Mist.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case,” said the Heavenly King, “we’ll disengage now, go back to Heaven, and request that more heavenly troops be sent to capture this wretch. There is plenty of time.” The prince, in pain and unable to go on fighting, went back to Heaven with the Heavenly King and put in this request, but of that no more for the moment.\n\nWatch as the Monkey King returns to the mountain in triumph to receive the congratulations of the seventy-two kings of the monsters and his six sworn brothers. There was great drinking and singing in the cave paradise. Sun Wukong said to his six sworn brothers, “As I’ve called myself Great Sage Equaling Heaven, you can all call yourselves great sages too.”\n\n“Honorable brother, you’re right,” roared the Bull Demon King. “I shall call myself the Great Sage Matching Heaven.”\n\n“I’ll be the Great Sage Overturning the Sea,” said the Salamander Demon King.\n\n“I’ll be the Great Sage Throwing Heaven into Confusion,” said the Roc Demon King."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll be the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains,” said the Camel Demon King.\n\n“I’ll be the Great Sage Who Travels with the Wind,” said the Macaque King.\n\n“And I’ll be the Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods,” said the Lion King. The seven great sages then did just as they pleased and gave themselves the titles they chose, and after enjoying themselves all day they went home.\n\nHeavenly King Li and Prince Nezha led their forces straight to the Palace of Miraculous Mist and made this request: “We, your subjects, took our forces down to the lower world, under your Divine Edict, to subdue the immortal fiend Sun Wukong. But to our surprise we found that his magical powers were too far-reaching for us to be able to defeat him. We therefore hope that Your Imperial Majesty will send more troops to exterminate him.”\n\n“How could a mere monkey goblin have such great powers that you actually need more troops?” asked the Jade Emperor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Prince Nezha then came forward and memorialized, “We beg Your Majesty to spare us the deaths we deserve. That monkey fiend has an iron cudgel that he used to defeat the Mighty Miracle God and wounded me on the shoulder. He has set a banner up outside the entrance to his cave that reads ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven,’ and he says that if you give him this office he will stop fighting and submit; otherwise he will attack the Hall of Miraculous Mist.”\n\nWhen the Jade Emperor heard this he asked in horror, “How dare that monkey fiend talk so wildly? Send all the generals to execute him at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he spoke the Great White Planet stepped forward from the ranks of officials. “That monkey fiend knows how to talk,” he suggested, “but he has no idea about real power. If more soldiers were sent to fight him, they might not be able to overcome him at once and their energies would be wasted. But if Your Imperial Majesty were to show your great mercy, you could send down a pacificatory amnesty and let him be a Great Sage Equaling Heaven. It would only be an empty title that he was given, just an honorary appointment.”\n\n“What do you mean by an honorary appointment?” asked the Jade Emperor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He would be called a Great Sage Equaling Heaven, but he would not be given any responsibility or paid any salary. He would be kept between Heaven and Earth, where his evil nature would be under control and he would be kept from wickedness. Thus Heaven and Earth can be at peace, while sea and sky enjoy tranquillity.” The Jade Emperor approved this suggestion and ordered that a new edict should be issued for the Great White Planet to deliver.\n\nThe Great White Planet left once more through the Southern Gate of Heaven and went straight to have a look at the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. It was quite different from before. There was an awe-inspiring and spine-chilling atmosphere, and every kind of fiend was present. They were roaring and leaping around with their swords, spears, cutlasses and staves. As soon as they saw the Great White Planet they all went for him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Will your commander please come forward,” said the Planet. “I would trouble you to inform your Great Sage that I am a heavenly envoy sent by the Jade Emperor, and I am carrying a divine edict with an invitation for him.”\n\nThe fiends rushed in to report, “There’s an old man outside who says he’s come from Heaven with an edict of invitation for you.”\n\nWhen Sun Wukong heard this he said, “I’m glad he’s come. I expect he’s that Great White Planet who came before. Although I wasn’t given a decent job last time I went to Heaven, I did get up there and learn my way around. If it’s him again, his intentions must be good.” He told his commanders to put on a big display of banners and drums and to turn out a guard of honour to welcome him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then the Great Sage, wearing his helmet, his yellow robe over his armour, and his cloud-walking shoes, hurried out of the cave at the head of his monkey host, bowed in greeting, and shouted in a loud voice, “Please come in, venerable Planet. Forgive me for not being here to welcome you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Planet walked straight into the cave, stood facing the South and said, “Great Sage, when you left the Imperial Stables because you found the post too humble, the officials of that department naturally reported the matter to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor decreed that all officials have to work their way up from the bottom, and asked why you objected to its being humble. After this Heavenly King Li took Nezha down to the lower world to do battle with you. Your divine powers, Great Sage, were more than they expected, and they suffered defeat. On their return to Heaven they reported that you had set up a banner and wanted to be a ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven’. All the generals wanted to punish you; but I, Great Sage, ran the risk of punishment by suggesting that the armies should not be called out, and that Your Majesty should be given a post instead. The Jade Emperor approved my memorial, and that is why I have come here to invite you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am most grateful for this honour after the trouble I caused you earlier,” replied Sun Wukong, “but I am not sure whether there is such a title as ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven’ in the upper world.”\n\n“After obtaining imperial approval for this title,” said the Planet, “I came down bearing a decree. If anything goes wrong, I’ll bear the responsibility.”\n\nA highly delighted Sun Wukong tried his hardest to persuade the Planet to stay to a banquet, but without success, so he went with him by propitious cloud to the Southern Gate of Heaven. The heavenly generals and soldiers all greeted them with respectfully folded arms, and they went straight to the Hall of Miraculous Mist. The Great White Planet did obeisance and said, “In obedience to the imperial edict your subject has summoned Sun Wukong, the Protector of the Horses, and he is present.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Let Sun Wukong come forward,” said the Jade Emperor. “We do now proclaim you Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Your rank is now very high. Let there be no more mischief from you.” The monkey simply chanted “na-a-aw” to express his thanks to the Emperor. The Jade Emperor then ordered the two officials in charge of public works, Zhang and Lu, to build a residence for the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to the left of the Peach Orchard. In the residence there were to be two offices: a Tranquillity Office and a Calm Divinity Office. Both these offices were to have immortal clerks and senior and junior assistants. He then told the Star Lords of the Constellation Five to escort Sun Wukong to his post, and in addition gave him two bottles of imperial wine and ten golden flowers, and admonished him to settle down and keep out of mischief. The Monkey King accepted the order and went that same day with the Star Lords of the Constellation Five to his residence, where he opened the bottles of wine and drained them dry with the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the bottles of wine and drained them dry with the help of all present. He then saw the star officials off and returned to his own palace. From then on he lived in happiness and content, and enjoyed untrammelled pleasure in the Palace. Truly,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His immortal name was for ever inscribed in the register of eternal life,\n\nTo be transmitted for ten thousand ages, free of the wheel of rebirth.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened next, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Five\n\nAfter Chaos Among the Peaches the Great Sage Steals the Pills\n\nIn the Revolt Against Heaven the Gods Capture the Demons"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story goes on to relate that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, a mere monkey devil after all, was quite satisfied that his name was on the register of office without caring about the grading of his job and his own rank, or the size of his salary. The immortal clerks in the two offices in his residence were in constant attendance on him, he had three meals a day and a bed to sleep on at night, and he lived a free and easy life without worries. In his spare time he would visit the other palaces, get together with his old friends, and make new ones. When he saw the Three Pure Ones, he would address them as “venerable,” and when he met the Four Emperors he called them “Your Majesty.” He was on fraternal terms with the Nine Bright Shiners, the Generals of the Five Regions, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, the Four Great Heavenly Kings, the Gods of the Twelve Branches, the Five Ancients of the Five Regions, the star ministers of the whole sky, and the countless gods of the Milky Way. Today he would wander East,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the Milky Way. Today he would wander East, and tomorrow he would go West, coming and going by cloud, and never staying anywhere for long."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Jade Emperor was holding his morning court one day the Immortal Xu of Jingyang came forward from the body of officials, kowtowed, and suggested, “The Great Sage Equaling Heaven is spending his time in idle travel, and is making the acquaintance of all the stars in the sky, calling them all his friends irrespective of their rank. It would be as well to give him some responsibility, and prevent his idleness leading to trouble later on.”\n\nThe Jade Emperor’s response to this suggestion was to send for the Monkey King at once. He came in a cheerful mood and asked, “What promotion and reward have you summoned me here to receive, Your Majesty?”\n\n“Seeing that you are idle and have nothing to do,” replied the Jade Emperor, “we are giving you a job. You are to administer the Peach Orchard, and you will give it your attention day and night.” The Great Sage was overjoyed, and after expressing his thanks and chanting “na-a-aw” he withdrew."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his eagerness to be at work he went straight to the Peach Orchard to have a look round. When he got there he was stopped by a local tutelary god who asked him, “Where are you going, Great Sage?”\n\n“I’ve been put in charge of the Peach Orchard by the Jade Emperor, and I’ve come to inspect it.” The local god hastened to greet him formally, and he called the men who weeded, brought water, looked after the trees, and swept the grounds to come and kowtow to the Great Sage. When Sun Wukong was taken inside this is what he saw:\n\nCharming,\n\nEvery tree.\n\nCharming and luxuriant the full blossom;\n\nEvery tree weighed down with fruit.\n\nThe fruit-laden branches bend like carding-bows;\n\nThe blossoming trees are covered with powder and rouge.\n\nAlways blossoming, always in fruit, they are ripe for a thousand years;\n\nThey know no summer or winter, but linger for ever.\n\nThe early ripeners\n\nLook red-faced and tipsy;\n\nThe ones still growing\n\nAre green in stalk and skin.\n\nWhen the dew forms, their flesh has a touch of blue,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While the sun picks out their vermilion beauty.\n\nBelow the trees exotic flowers grow,\n\nBright and unfading throughout the year.\n\nOn either side stand towers and pavilions,\n\nAnd a rainbow always arches the sky.\n\nThese are not the common breeds of the Dark Earth Capital,\n\nBut are tended by the Queen Mother of the Jade Pool.\n\nAfter taking a good look at this the Great Sage asked the local god, “How many of these trees are there?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Three thousand six hundred all together,” the local god replied. “The ones growing at the front have tiny blossoms and small fruits, and they ripen every three thousand years. Anyone who eats them becomes an Immortal and understands the Way, and his body becomes both light and strong. The twelve hundred in the middle have multiple blossoms and sweet fruits, and ripen every six thousand years; whoever eats them can fly and enjoy eternal youth. The back twelve hundred are streaked with purple and have pale yellow stones. They ripen once every nine thousand years, and anyone who eats them becomes as eternal as Heaven and Earth, as long-lived as the Sun and Moon.” The Great Sage was beside himself with joy on learning this, and that day he checked the number of the trees and looked over the buildings in the orchard before going back to his residence. From then on he went to admire them every three or four days. He dropped his friends, and made no more pleasure jaunts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One day he noticed that the peaches near the end of the branches of one old tree were all but ripe, and he felt like trying one; but as the local god, the workmen, and the immortal clerks from his residence were close on his heels it was impossible. Suddenly he had an idea, and he said, “Go and wait for me outside the gates while I take a nap in this summer-house.”\n\nAll the Immortals thereupon withdrew, and the Monkey King took off his official hat and clothes, climbed one of the bigger trees, and chose some large, ripe peaches. When he had picked a good number he sat at his ease in the branches and ate his fill of them, then jumped down from the tree, pinned on his hat, put on his clothes, and shouted for all his attendants to go back to his residence with him. Two or three days later he thought of another trick to steal some more peaches, and he ate his fill of them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One day the Queen Mother arranged a banquet, opening many precious pavilions for a feast of peaches by the Jade Pool. She sent the Red Fairy, the Blue Fairy, the White Fairy, the Black Fairy, the Purple Fairy, the Yellow Fairy, and the Green Fairy to the Peach Orchard with their baskets to pick peaches for the feast. The seven fairies went straight to the orchard gates, the workmen of the orchard and the immortal superintendents of the two offices of the Equaling Heaven Residence were guarding the gate.\n\nThe fairies went up to them and said, “We have come on the orders of the Queen Mother to pick peaches for a feast.”\n\n“Wait a moment please, Immortal Beauties,” said the local god. “Things are different this year. The Jade Emperor has appointed the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to be the guardian of this orchard, and we must ask him before we can open the orchard to you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where is the Great Sage?” the fairies asked, and the local god replied, “Inside the orchard. As he was feeling tired he is having a nap by himself in a summerhouse.”\n\n“In that case, please find him without delay,” requested the fairies, and the local god took them into the orchard. But all they could find of him in the summerhouse were his hat and clothes. They had no idea where he could have gone, and looked everywhere without success. The Great Sage had in fact made himself only two inches long after eating some of the peaches for fun, and he was sleeping under a large leaf at the top of one of the big trees.\n\n“We have come by decree, and we can’t go back empty-handed, although the Great Sage is nowhere to be found,” said the fairies."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One of the immortal superintendents who was standing nearby replied, “As you Immortal Beauties have come by order of the Queen Mother, we must not delay you. Our Great Sage is always wandering off, so I expect that he has gone away to visit some of his friends. You had better pick the peaches; it will be all right if we inform him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fairies did as he suggested and went into the orchard to pick peaches. First they filled two baskets from the trees in front, and then they picked three basketfuls from the trees in the middle; but when they came to the trees at the back, they saw that peaches and blossoms were few and far between. Only a few unripe fruits with furry stalks and green skins were left. All the ripe ones had been eaten up by the Monkey King. The seven fairies looked everywhere, but all they could see was a single red and white peach on a Southern branch. The Blue Fairy pulled the branch down, the Red Fairy picked the peach, and then they let the branch go again. This woke up the Great Sage, who had changed himself into this peach to take a nap on this branch.\n\nHe resumed his own form, took his gold-banded cudgel from his ear, shook it till it was as thick as a ricebowl, and shouted at them, “Where are you from, you thieving fiends?” The seven fairies fell on their knees in confusion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please don’t be angry with us, Great Sage. We’re not fiends but seven fairies sent by Her Majesty the Queen Mother of the West to pick peaches of immortality and open the precious halls here for a Feast of Peaches. When we arrived here we saw the local god and other deities of the place, but we could not find you, Great Sage. We could not delay carrying out the Queen Mother’s orders, so we went ahead and picked the peaches without waiting for you, Great Sage. We very much hope that you will forgive us.”\n\nThese words turned the Great Sage’s bad mood into a good one, and he said, “Please rise, Fairy Beauties. Who is the Queen Mother inviting to this feast?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There are old rules about who attends: The Buddha of the Western Heaven, Bodhisattvas, holy monks, Arhats, the Guanyin of the South Pole, the Merciful and Sage Emperor of the East, the Venerable Immortals of the Ten Continents and the Three Islands, the Mystic Divinity of the North Pole, and the Great Yellow-horned Immortal of the Yellow Pole at the Centre. These make up the Five Venerable Ones of the Five Regions. There will also be the Star Lords of the Five Constellation; the Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors and the Heavenly Immortal of the Great Monad from the Eight High Caves; the Jade Emperor, the immortals of the Nine Mounds, and the gods of the Seas and Mountains and the Ruler of the Nether World from the Eight Lower Caves; and the terrestrial deities. All the major and minor gods of all the halls and palaces will come to the Feast of Peaches.”\n\n“Will I be invited?” asked the Great Sage with an ingratiating smile.\n\n“Not as far as we’ve heard,” the fairies replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, so why shouldn’t I be asked?” said the Great Sage.\n\n“That was what happened before: we don’t know about this time,” the fairies replied.\n\n“You’re right,” he said. “Just wait here while I go and find out whether I’m invited.”\n\nSplendid Great Sage. Making a magic with his hands as he spoke the words of the spell, he said to the fairies, “Stay where you are! Stay where you are!” As this was an immobilizing spell, the seven fairies were left standing in a daze under the peach tree with their eyes wide open as the Great Sage leapt out of the orchard on a somersault cloud and headed for the Jade Pool. As he traveled he saw that\n\nThe sky shimmered with auspicious light\n\nAs clouds of many colours streamed across it.\n\nThe white stork’s cry made the heavens shake;\n\nA thousand leaves grew on the purple asphodel.\n\nAmid it all an Immortal appeared,\n\nCarrying himself with heaven-sent elegance,\n\nAs he danced on the rainbow, cloaked by the Milky Way,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a talisman at his waist to ward off birth and death.\n\nHis name was Bare-Foot Immortal,\n\nAnd he was going to the feast of longevity-giving peaches.\n\nAs the Bare-foot Immortal saw him, the Great Sage lowered his head and thought of a plan by which to trick the Immortal and get to the banquet himself.\n\n“Where are you going, reverend sir?” he asked; and the Immortal replied, “I’m going to the Peach Banquet by the invitation of the Queen Mother.”\n\n“There is something you do not know, venerable sir,” said the Great Sage. “As my somersault cloud is so fast, the Jade Emperor has sent me everywhere to tell all you gentlemen to go to the Hall of Universal Brightness for a ceremony before going on to the banquet.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the Immortal was an open and upright man, he took this lie for the truth, but wondered, “The thanksgiving ceremony is usually held by the Jade Pool, so why are we having the ceremony in the Hall of Universal Brightness before going to the Jade Pool for the banquet?” Nevertheless, he turned his propitious cloud around and went to the Hall of Universal Brightness.\n\nAs the Great Sage rode his cloud he said a spell, shook himself, took the form of the Bare-foot Immortal, and hurried to the Jade Pool. He reached the pavilion there a moment later, stopped his cloud, and went quietly inside. He saw\n\nFabulous perfumes coiling,\n\nA confusion of auspicious clouds;\n\nThe jade tower set with color,\n\nThe precious pavilions scattering mists;\n\nThe phoenix soars till almost lost to view,\n\nAnd jeweled flowers seem to rise and fall.\n\nAbove a nine-phoenix screen\n\nA rainbow stool of the eight precious things,\n\nA coloured golden table,\n\nGreen jade bowls with a thousand flowers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Green jade bowls with a thousand flowers.\n\nOn the table were dragon livers and marrow of phoenix bone,\n\nBears’ paws and apes’ lips—\n\nA hundred different dishes, and all of them good;\n\nRare fruits and fine delicacies, every one unique."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Everything was neatly set out, but no Immortals had yet arrived. The Great Sage had not finished looking when he smelt wine; and as he whirled round he saw under a portico to the right several immortal officials in charge of brewing liquor with some workmen who stirred the lees, a number of novices who carried water and some boys who looked after the fires. They were washing the vats and scrubbing the pots, having made jade liquor and a fragrant fermentation of the lees. The Great Sage could not stop himself from drooling, and he longed to drink some, but unfortunately all those people were there. So he performed a spell by pulling several hairs from his body, chewing them up, spitting them up, saying the magic words, and shouting “Change”; whereupon the hairs turned into sleep insects, which flew into the faces of all the liquor-makers. Watch them as their hands go limp, their heads droop, their eyes close, and they drop their symbols of office and all fall asleep. Whereupon the Great Sage grabbed the rare"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "asleep. Whereupon the Great Sage grabbed the rare delicacies and exotic foods, then went under the portico and drank from the vats and pots until he was completely drunk."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then did he think, “This won’t do at all. When the guests come for the banquet they’ll be furious with me, and I’ll be for it if I’m caught. I’d better get back to the Residence as soon as I can and sleep it off.”\n\nOur dear Great Sage staggered and swayed, charging about all over the place under the influence of the liquor, and going the wrong way. He arrived not at the Equaling Heaven Residence but at the Tushita Heavenly Palace. As soon as he saw this he sobered up and said to himself, “The Tushita Palace is the highest of the thirty-three heavens, where Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad reigns. However did I get here? Never mind, I’ve always wanted to see that old chap, and I’ve never managed to come here before. I might as well go and have a look at him now that I’m passing this way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He straightened his clothes and rushed in, but did not see Lord Lao Zi. There was no sign of anyone. This was because Lao Zi and the Ancient Buddha Dipamkara were expounding the Way from a red dais in a triple-storied pavilion, and all the immortal boys, generals, officials and petty functionaries were standing to right and left listening to the lecture. The Great Sage went straight to the room in which the elixir was kept, and although he could not find Lao Zi there he saw that there was a small fire in the stove beside the range over which pills were made. On either side of the stove were five gourds, full of golden pills of refined elixir."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This is the Immortals’ greatest treasure,” he exclaimed in delight. “I’ve wanted to refine some of these golden pills to save people with ever since I understood the Way and mastered the principle of the correspondence of the Esoteric and Exoteric, but I’ve never had time to come here. Today I’m in luck—I’ve found them. As Lao Zi isn’t here I’ll try a few.” He emptied the gourds of their contents and ate up all the pills as if he were eating fried beans.\n\nBefore long he was full of pills and quite sober. “This is terrible,” he thought, “this is a colossal disaster. If the Jade Emperor is shocked by this, I’m done for. I must get out of here. I’d be much better off as a king in the lower world.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He rushed out of the Tushita Palace, avoiding his usual route. Using a spell to make himself invisible, he left by the West Gate of Heaven, and went straight down to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit by cloud. When he got there he saw flags, banners, spears and halberds gleaming in the sun: the four Stalwart Generals and the seventy-two kings of the monsters were holding military exercises.\n\n“Children, I’m back,” shouted the Great Sage in a loud voice, and all the fiends dropped their weapons and fell to their knees.\n\n“You don’t care, do you, Great Sage?” they said. “It’s been so long since you left us, and you never came back to see us.”\n\n“I haven’t been long, I haven’t been long,” protested the Great Sage, and as they talked they walked into the innermost part of the cave. When the four Stalwart General’s had tidied the place up and made him sit down, they kowtowed to him and asked, “What office did you hold, Great Sage, during your century and more in Heaven?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage laughed and said, “As far as I can remember it was only six months, so why do you say it was over a century?”\n\n“A day in Heaven is the same as a year on earth,” the Stalwart Generals replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was lucky this time,” said the Great Sage. “The Jade Emperor took a liking to me and ennobled me as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. He had an Equaling Heaven Residence built for me, complete with a Tranquillity Office and a Calm Divinity Office with Immortal functionaries, attendants and guards. Later on, when he saw that I had nothing to do, he put me in charge of the Peach Orchard. Recently the Queen Mother Goddess gave a Peach Banquet, but she didn’t invite me. Instead of waiting for an invitation, I went to the Jade Pool and stole all the immortal food and drink. I staggered away from the Jade Pool and blundered into Lord Lao Zi’s palace, and there I ate up his five gourds of pills of immortality. Then I got out through the heavenly gates and came here because I was scared that the Jade Emperor was going to punish me.”\n\nAll the fiends were delighted with what they heard, and they laid on liquor and fruit with which to welcome him back."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They filled a stone bowl with coconut toddy and handed it to him, but when he tasted it the Great Sage grimaced and said, “It’s awful, it’s awful.”\n\nTwo of his Stalwart Generals, Beng and Ba, explained, “You don’t find coconut toddy very tasty because you have drunk immortal liquor and eaten immortal food in the heavenly palace, Great Sage. But as the saying goes, ‘Sweet or not, it’s water from home.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the Great Sage replied, “And all of you, whether related to me or not, are from my home. When I was enjoying myself beside the Jade Pool today I saw jars and jars of jade liquor under a portico there. As none of you have ever tasted it I’ll go and pinch you a few jars; then you can each have a little drink, and live for ever.” All the monkeys were beside themselves with glee. The Great Sage then went out of the cave, turned a somersault, made himself invisible, and went straight to the Peach Banquet. As he went through the gates of the Jade Pool he saw that the men who made the wine, stirred the lees, carried the water, and looked after the fire were still snoring away. He tucked two big jars of wine under his arms, took two more in his hands, then turned his cloud round and went back to have a feast of immortal wine with the monkey masses in the cave. They all drank several cups and were very happy, but we will not go into this."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story returns to the seven fairies, who were only able to free themselves a whole day after Sun Wukong had immobilized them with his magic. They picked up their baskets and went back to report to the Queen Mother that they were late because the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had held them there by magic.\n\n“How many peaches did you pick?” the Queen Mother asked.\n\n“Two baskets of little ones and three baskets of medium ones. But when we got to the back we could not find a single big one; we think that they were all eaten by the Great Sage. While we were looking for some the Great Sage suddenly appeared, and he beat and tortured us to make us tell him who had been invited to the banquet. After we had told him he immobilized us there, and we don’t know where he went. We only came round and freed ourselves a moment ago.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this the Queen Mother went to see the Jade Emperor and gave him a full account of what had happened. Before she had finished, the liquor-makers arrived with their immortal officials to report that an unknown person had thrown the Grand Peach Banquet into confusion and stolen the jade liquor as well as the precious delicacies of a hundred flavors. Then came Four Heavenly Teachers to announce that the Supreme Patriarch of the Way, Lao Zi, had arrived.\n\nThe Jade Emperor went out with the Queen Mother to meet him, and after doing obeisance Lao Zi said, “I had refined some Golden Pills of the Nine Transformations in my palace for a Feast of Elixir Pills with Your Majesty, but a thief has stolen them. This is what I have come to report to Your Majesty.” This news made the Jade Emperor tremble with fear."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not long afterwards the immortal administrators from the Equaling Heaven Residence came to kowtow and report: “The Great Sage Sun Wukong abandoned his post and went wandering off yesterday. He has not come back yet and we do not know where he has gone.” The Jade Emperor, now more suspicious than ever, then saw the Bare-Foot Immortal bow his head to the ground.\n\n“Your subject was going to the banquet on a summons from the Queen Mother,” he reported, “when I happened to meet the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. He told me, O Lord of Ten Thousand Years, that you had issued a decree ordering him to tell all the rest of us to go to the Hall of Universal Brightness for a ceremony before going to the banquet. Your subject went back to the Hall of Universal Brightness as he had told me to, but as I did not see the Imperial Dragon and Phoenix Chariot outside I hurried here to await orders.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This wretch has the impudence to invent fraudulent decrees and deceive eminent ministers,” exclaimed the Jade Emperor with anger and astonishment. “The Miraculous Investigator is to find out at once what he has been up to.”\n\nThe Miraculous Investigator left the palace in obedience to the edict, and by making thorough enquiries he found out all the details of what had happened."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The wrecker of the Heavenly Palace was Sun Wukong,” he reported, and he went on to give a full account. The Jade Emperor was furiously angry, and he ordered the Four Great Heavenly Kings along with Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha to mobilize the Twenty-eight Constellations, the Nine Bright Shiners, the Twelve Gods of the Twelve Branches, the Revealers of the Truth of the Five Regions, the Four Duty Gods, the Constellations of the East and West, the Gods of the North and South, the Deities of the Five Mountains and the Four Rivers, the star ministers of all Heaven, and a total of a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers. They were to descend to the lower world with eighteen heaven-and-earth nets, surround the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, and capture that wretch for punishment. The gods called out their troops at once, and left the heavenly palace.\n\nA gusty sandstorm blotted out the heavens,\n\nPurple fog threw the earth into darkness.\n\nJust because the monkey fiend offended the Supreme Emperor"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Heavenly hosts were sent down to the mortal dust.\n\nThe Four Great Heavenly Kings,\n\nThe Revealers of the Truth of the Five Regions.\n\nThe Four Great Heavenly Kings held the supreme command,\n\nAnd the Revealers controlled the soldiers’ movements.\n\nLi the Pagoda Carrier commanded the central corps,\n\nNezha the deadly led the van.\n\nThe star Rahu ordered the leading rands,\n\nAnd the star Ketu towered behind.\n\nThe Sun revealed his divinity,\n\nAnd radiance shone from the Moon.\n\nThe stars of the Five Elements were mighty in valour,\n\nAnd the Nine Bright Shiners were fond of battle.\n\nThe stars of the Branches Zi, Wu, Mao and You,\n\nWere all great heavenly warriors.\n\nThe Five Plagues and the Five Mountains were drawn up on the East and West,\n\nWhile the Six Ding and Six Jia marched to right and left.\n\nThe Dragon Gods of the Four Rivers stood above and below,\n\nAnd the Twenty-eight Constellations were drawn up in serried ranks:\n\nHorn, Gullet, Base, and Chamber were the officers commanding,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Strider, Harvester, Stomach, and Mane wheeled and soared;\n\nDipper, Ox, Woman, Barrens, Roof, House, and Wall, Heart, Tail, and\n\nWinnower—all able stars—\n\nWell, Ghost, Willow, Spread, Whig and Axletree\n\nWielded their swords and spears, showed forth their power,\n\nHalted their clouds and descended in mists to the mortal world,\n\nPitching camp before the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit.\n\nThere is a poem that runs:\n\nMany the transformations of the heaven-born Monkey King\n\nHappy in his lair after stealing the pills and wine.\n\nJust because he wrecked the banquet of peaches,\n\nA hundred thousand heavenly troops now spread their nets.\n\nHeavenly King Li gave the order for the heavenly soldiers to pitch camp and throw a watertight cordon round the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Above and below they spread eighteen heaven-and-earth nets, and the Nine Bright Shiners were sent out to start the battle. They took their soldiers to the outside of the cave, where they saw the monkeys, big and small, leaping and fooling around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The star officers shouted in harsh voices, “Little goblins, where’s that Great Sage of yours? We are gods, sent from the upper world to subdue your mutinous Great Sage. Tell him to surrender at once—-and if there’s so much as a hint of a ‘no’ from him, we will exterminate every last one of you.”\n\nThe little monkeys went rushing in to report, “Great Sage, a disaster, a disaster. There are nine evil gods outside who say they’ve been sent from the upper world to subdue you.”\n\nThe Great Sage, who was just then sharing the immortal liquor with the seventy-two kings of the monsters and his four Stalwart Generals, paid no attention to the report, saying:\n\n“Today we have wine so today we celebrate:\n\nTo hell with what’s happening outside the gate.”\n\nBut before the words were out of his mouth another group of little devils came in. “Those nine evil gods are using foul and provocative language to challenge us to fight,” they announced.\n\n“Never mind them,” said the Great Sage with a laugh."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“With verse and wine we’re happy today;\n\nWho cares when fame will come our way?”\n\nBut before these words were out of his mouth yet another group of devils came rushing in. “Sir, those nine evil gods have smashed the gates and are charging in.”\n\n“The stinking gods!” exploded the Great Sage, “What nerve! I never wanted a fight with them, so why should they come here to push us around?” He thereupon ordered the One-horned Monster King to lead the seventy-two monster kings into battle while he followed them with the four Stalwart Generals. The monster king hastily assembled the devil soldiers and sallied forth to meet the enemy. They were all stopped by a charge by the Nine Bright Shiners, who held the head of the iron bridge so that no one could enter or leave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "During the tumult the Great Sage came on the scene, and shouting “Make way!” he raised his iron cudgel, shook it till it was as thick as a bowl and twelve feet long, and struck and parried as he came charging out. The Nine Bright Shiners, who were no match for him, fell back.\n\n“You reckless Protector of the Horses,” they shouted when they were back in the safety of their own position. “You have committed the most terrible crimes. You stole the peaches and the wine, wrecked the Peach Banquet, and pilfered the immortality pills of Lord Lao Zi. On top of all this you brought some of the immortal liquor you stole back here. Don’t you realize that you have piled crime upon crime?” The Great Sage laughed.\n\n“It’s true, it’s true,” he said, “but what are you going to do about it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In obedience to a golden edict of the Jade Emperor,” the Nine Bright Shiners replied, “we have led out troops here to subdue you. Submit at once, or else all these creatures of yours will have to pay with their lives. If you refuse, we shall trample this mountain flat and turn your cave upside-down.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You hairy gods,” roared the Great Sage in a fury, “what magic powers have you got to let you talk so big? Clear off, or I’ll give you a taste of my cudgel.” The Nine Bright Shiners did a war-dance together, which did not frighten the Handsome Monkey King in the least. He whirled his gold-banded cudgel, parrying to right and left, and fought the Nine Bright Shiners till their muscles were weak and their strength was gone; then each of them broke ranks and fled, dragging their weapons behind them. They rushed to the command post of the central corps and reported to the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li that the Monkey King was so ferocious that they had fled from the battlefield, unable to defeat him. Heavenly King Li then sent the Four Heavenly Kings and the Twenty-eight Constellations into battle. The Great Sage, not at all frightened at this, ordered the One-horned Demon King, the seventy-two kings of the monsters, and the four Stalwart Generals to draw up their line of battle outside the gates of the cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "line of battle outside the gates of the cave. The ensuing melee was really terrifying."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Howling winds,\n\nDark, sinister clouds.\n\nOn one side flags and standards colorfully flying,\n\nOn the other side the gleam of spears and halberds.\n\nRound helmets shine,\n\nLayered armour gleams.\n\nThe shining round helmets reflect the sun,\n\nLike silver boulders reaching to the sky;\n\nGleaming layers of armour are built into a wall\n\nLike a mountain of ice weighing down the earth.\n\nLong-handled swords\n\nFlash through the clouds like lightning;\n\nPaper-white spears\n\nPierce mists and fogs;\n\nHeaven-shaped halberds,\n\nTiger-eye chains,\n\nBristling like a field of hemp;\n\nBronze swords,\n\nAnd four-brightness spears\n\nDrawn up like a dense forest.\n\nBows and crossbows, eagle-feathered arrows,\n\nShort clubs and snaky spears to terrify the soul.\n\nWielding his single As-You-Will cudgel,\n\nThe Great Sage fights against the heavenly gods.\n\nSuch is the slaughter that no bird flies over it;\n\nAnd tigers and wolves flee in terror.\n\nThe swirling stones and clouds of sand make everything dark,\n\nThe dirt and the dust blot out the heavens."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dirt and the dust blot out the heavens.\n\nThe clash of arms startles the universe\n\nAs the battle strikes awe into gods and demons.\n\nThe battle started in the morning and went on till the sun set behind the mountains in the West. By then the One-horned Demon King and the seventy-two kings of the monsters had all been captured by the heavenly hosts. Only the four Stalwart Generals and the monkeys had got away, and they were now hiding in the innermost recesses of the Water Curtain Cave. The Great Sage’s solitary cudgel had fought off the Four Heavenly Kings, Li the Pagoda-bearer and Prince Nezha, who were all in the sky. After the battle had gone on for a long time the Great Sage saw that night was drawing on, so he plucked out one of his hairs, munched it up, spat out the pieces and shouted, “Change!” They changed into thousands of Great Sages, all with gold-banded cudgels, who forced Prince Nezha and the five Heavenly Kings to withdraw."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After winning this victory the Great Sage put back his hair and hurried back to the cave, where the four Stalwart Generals at once led the monkeys out to kowtow at the head of the iron bridge to welcome him back. They sobbed three times and then laughed three times.\n\n“Why are you laughing and crying at the sight of me?” the Great Sage asked.\n\n“When we led all the commanders into battle against the heavenly kings this morning,” replied the Stalwart Generals, “the seventy-two kings of the monsters and the One-horned Demon King were all captured by the gods, and we had to flee for our lives. That is why we cried. We laughed because you, Great Sage, have come back victorious and unharmed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the Great Sage replied, “Victory and defeat are all the soldier’s lot. As the ancients said, ‘To kill ten thousand of the enemy you must lose three thousand of your own.’ Anyhow, the officers of ours who were captured were all tigers, leopards, wolves, badgers, river-deer, foxes, and raccoon-dogs. Not one of our own kind was even wounded, so there’s no need for us to be bothered about it. But although I forced the enemy to withdraw by dividing up my body through magic, they’re still encamped at the foot of our mountain, so we’ll have to remain on our guard. Meanwhile we must eat a good meal and get a good night’s sleep to build up our energy. Tomorrow morning I’ll use powerful magic to capture those heavenly generals and avenge our people.” After the four Stalwart Generals and the other monkey commanders had drunk several cups of coconut toddy, they went to bed with their worries calmed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the four Heavenly Kings had withdrawn their troops and ended the battle, those who had distinguished themselves reported what they had done. Some had captured tigers and leopards, some lions and elephants, and others wolves and raccoon-dogs, but not one single monkey goblin had been taken. Then they built a mighty stockade around their camp. Commanders who had distinguished themselves wee rewarded, and the soldiers who made up the heaven-and-earth nets were ordered to surround the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, holding bells and shouting, ready for a great battle the next day. Every man heard the orders, and they were strictly obeyed. Indeed:\n\nA wicked monkey made chaos, shocking heaven and earth,\n\nSo they spread their nets and watched by night and day.\n\nListen to the next installment to hear how he was dealt with the following morning\n\n \n\nChapter Six\n\nGuanyin Comes to the Feast and Asks the Reason Why\n\nThe Little Sage Uses His Might to Subdue the Great Sage"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We shall leave for the moment the Heavenly Generals making their encirclement and the soundly sleeping Great Sage. The story goes on to tell how the Compassionate and Merciful Miraculous Savior from Suffering, the Bodhisattva Guanyin of Mount Potaraka in the Southern Sea, having been invited by the Queen Mother to the Peach Banquet, went to the precious pavilions at the Jade Pool with her great disciple Huian the Novice. She found the place deserted and the banquet ruined. The few Immortals present were not sitting at their places but holding confused discussions. When greetings were over the Immortals gave the Bodhisattva an account of what had happened."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If there is to be no banquet and no drinking,” said the Bodhisattva, “you had better all come with me to the Jade Emperor.” The Immortals were delighted to follow her, and when they arrived before the Hall of Universal Brightness the Four Heavenly Teachers, the Bare-Foot Immortal and many others were all there to greet the Bodhisattva. They told her that the Jade Emperor had sent heavenly armies to capture the demon, but they had not yet returned.\n\n“I wish to see the Jade Emperor,” said the Bodhisattva, “so may I trouble you to inform him on my behalf?” The heavenly teacher Qui Hongji then went to the Hall of Miraculous Mist, and the Bodhisattva was invited in. She found that Lord Lao Zi was there in the place of honour, and that the Queen Mother was behind him.\n\nThe Bodhisattva went in at the head of the others, and when she had done obeisance to the Jade Emperor she greeted Lao Zi and the Queen Mother. After they had all sat down she asked what had happened at the Peach Banquet."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The banquet is held every year, and it is normally a very happy occasion,” the Jade Emperor replied, “but this year that monkey fiend wrecked it, so that your invitation was worth nothing.”\n\n“Where does this monkey fiend come from?” asked the Bodhisattva."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He was born from a stone egg on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the land of Aolai in the Eastern Continent of Superior Body,” the Jade Emperor answered. “When he was born golden beams flashed from his eyes that reached to the star palace. At first we paid no attention to him, but later on he became a spirit, subduing dragons and tigers, and erasing his own name from the registers of death. The Dragon Kings and King Yama of the underworld informed us of this in memorials, and we wanted to capture him, but the Star of Longevity memorialized that in the Three Worlds all beings with nine orifices can become Immortals. We therefore extended education to the worthy by summoning him to the upper world and appointing him Protector of the Horses in the Imperial Stable. But this was not good enough for the scoundrel, who rebelled against Heaven. We sent Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha to accept his surrender, extended him an amnesty, and summoned him back to the upper world. We made him a ‘Great Sage Equaling"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "upper world. We made him a ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven,’ though this carried no salary. As he had nothing to do he would go wandering all over the place, and for fear that this might lead to trouble we had him look after the Peach Orchard. Once again he flouted the law by stealing and eating every single one of the big peaches from the old trees. When the banquet was to be held he was not invited as his position was purely an honorary one; so he played a trick on the Bare-foot Immortal, went to the banquet looking like him, ate all the immortal delicacies, and drank all the immortal liquor. On top of this he stole Lord Lao Zi’s pills of immortality and some imperial liquor, which he took to his mountain for the monkeys to enjoy. This made us very angry so we sent a hundred thousand heavenly troops to spread heaven-and-earth nets and subdue him. But we have received no reports today, so we do not know whether we have been victorious.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Bodhisattva heard this she said to Huian the Novice, “Hurry down from Heaven to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and find out about the military situation. If you meet with any opposition you may do your bit to help, but the important thing is to bring an accurate report back.” Huian the Novice straightened his robes, took his iron staff, left the palace by cloud, and went straight to the mountain. He saw that with the layer upon layer of heaven-and-earth nets, and the men holding bells and shouting passwords at the gates of the camp, the cordon round the mountain was watertight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Huian stopped and called, “Heavenly soldiers at the gates of the camp, I would trouble you to report that I, Moksa, the second son of Heavenly King Li, also known as Huian, the senior disciple of Guanyin of the Southern Sea, have come to ask about the military situation.” Then the divine soldiers of the Five Mountains inside the camp went in through the gates of the headquarters, where the Rat, the Cock, the Horse and the Hare stars reported the news to the commander of the central corps. Heavenly King Li sent a flag of command with the order that the heaven-and-earth nets were to be opened to let Huian in. The East was just beginning to grow light as Huian followed the flag in and bowed to Heavenly King Li and the four other heavenly kings.\n\n“Where have you come from, my son?” asked Heavenly King Li."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your stupid son accompanied the Bodhisattva to the Peach Banquet, and when she found the banquet deserted and nobody at the Jade Pool, she took me and the other Immortals to see the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor told her that you, father, and the other kings had gone down to the lower world to capture this monkey fiend. As the Jade Emperor has received no news all day on the outcome of the battle, the Bodhisattva sent me here to find out what has happened.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We arrived here and encamped yesterday,” Heavenly King Li replied, “then sent the Nine Bright Shiners to challenge the enemy to battle, but that wretch used such tremendous magic powers that the Nine Bright Shiners all came back defeated. Then we led out own soldiers into action, and the wretch also drew up his line of battle. Our hundred thousand heavenly soldiers fought an indecisive engagements with him till dusk when he used a spell to divide up his body and force us back. When we withdrew our forces and held an investigation, we found that we had only captured wolves, tigers, leopards, and so on, and had not even taken half a monkey fiend. We have not yet given battle today.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before he had finished speaking someone appeared outside the gates of the headquarters to report that the Great Sage was outside at the head of a crowd of monkey spirits, clamoring for battle. The four other Heavenly Kings, Heavenly King Li, and Prince Nezha were all for committing their forces, but Moksa said, “Father, when your stupid son was instructed by the Bodhisattva to come here and find out the news, I was also told that if there was a battle I could do my bit to help. May I please go and see what sort of a ‘Great Sage’ he is, untalented though I am?”\n\n“My boy,” said Heavenly King Li, “you have been cultivating your conduct with the Bodhisattva for some years now so I suppose that you must have acquired some magic powers, but do be very careful.”\n\nThe splendid Prince Moksa hitched up his embroidered robes and charged out through the gates of the headquarters waving his iron staff with both hands. “Which of you is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?” he shouted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am,” answered the Great Sage, brandishing his As-You-Will cudgel. “But who do you think you are, asking a question like that?”\n\n“I am Prince Moksa, the second son of Heavenly King Li, and I am now a disciple and a guard before the throne of the Bodhisattva Guanyin. My Buddhist name is Huian.”\n\n“Why have you come here to see me instead of staying in the Southern Sea and cultivating your conduct?” asked the Great Sage, and Moksa replied, “My teacher sent me here to find out about the military situation, but now that I’ve seen your savagery I’ve come to capture you.”\n\n“You talk big, don’t you,” said the Great Sage.\n\n“Well then, don’t go away, try a taste of my cudgel.” Moksa, not in the least frightened, struck at him with his iron staff. It was a fine fight they fought, half-way up the mountainside outside the gates of the headquarters.\n\nThe staves were matched, but made of different iron;\n\nThe weapons clashed, but their masters were not the same.\n\nOne was a wayward Immortal known as the Great Sage,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other a true dragon disciple of Guanyin.\n\nThe cast-iron staff, beaten with a thousand hammers,\n\nHad been forged by the art of the Ding and the Jia.\n\nThe As-You-Will cudgel once anchored the Milky Way:\n\nAs the Treasure Stilling the Sea its magic power was great.\n\nWhen the two met they were well matched indeed.\n\nAnd they parried and lunged at each other without end.\n\nThe sinister cudgel, Infinitely murderous,\n\nCould whirl round your waist as quick as the wind,\n\nThe spear-catching staff,\n\nNever yielding an opening,\n\nWas irresistible, parrying to right and left.\n\nOn the one side the flags and banners fly,\n\nOn the other the camel drums roll.\n\nTen thousand heavenly generals in multiple encirclement;\n\nA cave of monkey devils densely packed together.\n\nMonstrous fogs and evil clouds cover the earth,\n\nWhile the smoke of deadly battle rises to the sky.\n\nYesterday’s fighting was bad enough;\n\nToday’s struggle is even worse.\n\nThe admirable skills of the Monkey King\n\nPut Moksa to flight, utterly defeated."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Put Moksa to flight, utterly defeated.\n\nAfter they had fought some fifty or sixty rounds, Huian’s arm and shoulders were numbed and aching, and he could resist the Great Sage no longer. Waving his staff in a feint, he turned away and ran. The Great Sage then withdrew his monkey soldiers and encamped outside the gates of the cave.\n\nThe big and little heavenly soldiers at the gates of the other camp received Huian and let him go straight to the headquarters, where he gasped and panted for breath as he said to the Four Heavenly Kings, Li the Pagoda-bearer, and his brother Prince Nezha, “What a Great Sage! What a Great Sage! His magic powers are too much for me. He beat me.” Startled by this news, Heavenly King Li had a request for reinforcements written and sent the Strong-arm Devil King and Prince Moksa up to Heaven to submit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not daring to waste a moment, the two messengers rushed out through the heaven-and-earth nets and mounted their propitious clouds. A moment later they arrived outside the Hall of Universal Brightness, where they greeted the Four Heavenly Teachers, who led them to the Hall of Miraculous Mist and handed up their memorial. Prince Moksa, or Huian, did homage to the Bodhisattva, who asked him what he had found out."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As you instructed me, I went to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit,” reported Huian, “asked them to open the gates of the heaven-and-earth net, saw my father, and told him of the orders you had given me. His Majesty my father said that they fought against the Monkey King yesterday but did not capture a single monkey spirit—only tigers, leopards, lions, elephants and so on. While he was telling me this the Monkey King demanded battle again, so your disciple fought some fifty or sixty rounds against him with my iron staff, but I was no match for him. He beat me, and drove me back to the camp. This is why my father has sent me and the Strong-arm Devil King up to Heaven to ask for reinforcements.” The Bodhisattva lowered her head in deep thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Jade Emperor opened the memorial and saw that it contained a request for help. “This intolerable monkey spirit has enough tricks to fight off a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers,” he observed with a smile. “Heavenly King Li has asked for reinforcements. Which heavenly soldiers should I send him?”\n\nBefore the words were out of his mouth, Guanyin put her hands together and said, “Do not worry, You Majesty. I can recommend a god to capture this monkey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Which god?” the Jade Emperor asked, and the Bodhisattva replied, “Your Majesty’s nephew, the Illustrious Sage and True Lord Erlang, who is now living at Guanjiangkou in Guanzhou, enjoying the incense that the lower beings burn to him. In the past he exterminated the Six Bogies. He has the Brothers of Plum Hill and the twelve hundred straw-headed gods, and his magical powers are enormous. He will agree to be sent though he would not obey a summons to come here, so Your Majesty might like to issue a decree ordering him to take his troops to the rescue.” The Jade Emperor then issued such a decree and sent the Strong-arm Devil King to deliver it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The devil king took the decree, mounted his cloud, and went straight to Guanjiangkou. He reached the temple of the True Lord within an hour. When the demon judges guarding the gates went in to report that there was an envoy from heaven standing outside with an imperial decree, Erlang went with the brothers to receive the decree outside the gates, and incense was burned as he read.\n\nThe Great Sage Equaling Heaven, the monkey fiend of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, has rebelled. Because he stole peaches, wine and pills while in Heaven and wrecked the Peach Banquet, we have despatched a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and eighteen heaven-and-earth nets to surround the mountain and force him to submit, but we have not yet succeeded. We do now therefore especially appoint our worthy nephew and his sworn brothers to go to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and give their help in eliminating him. When you succeed, large rewards and high office shall be yours."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Erlang was delighted. He told the envoy from Heaven to go back and report that the would be putting his sword to the Emperor’s service. We need not describe how the devil king reported back to Heaven.\n\nThe True Lord Erlang called the six sworn brothers of Plum Hill—Marshals Kang, Zhang, Yao, and Li, and Generals Quo Shen and Zhi Jian—together before the hall. “The Jade Emperor has just ordered us to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit to subdue a monkey fiend,” he said. “You are all coming with me.”\n\nThe brothers were all eager to go, and mustering their divine troops they unleashed a gale wind. In an instant they had crossed the Eastern Ocean, riding eagles and leading dogs, pulling their bows and drawing their crossbows, and had reached the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Finding that the many layers of heaven-earth nets were impenetrable, Erlang shouted, “Listen, all you generals in charge of the heaven-and-earth nets. I am the True Lord and the Illustrious Sage Erlang, and I have been sent here by the Jade Emperor to capture the monkey fiend. Open the gates of the camp and let me in at once.” Each line of gods forming the nets let them through, and the four other Heavenly Kings and Heavenly King Li all came to welcome him outside the headquarters. When the introductions were over he asked how the fighting had gone, and the Heavenly Kings gave him a full account of what had happened."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Now that I, the Little Sage, have come here I shall have to match a few transformations with him,” said Erlang with a smile. “I hope that all you gentlemen will maintain a close cordon with your heaven-and-earth nets, but don’t screen off the top of the mountain; then I’ll be able to fight him. If he beats me I shan’t need the help of you gentlemen, as I have my brothers to support me; and if I beat him I won’t have to trouble you to tie him up as my brothers can do it. I would just like to ask Heavenly King Li to stand in the sky and operate this fiend-detecting mirror. I’m worried that if he’s beaten he may go and hide somewhere, so you will have to give me a clear view of him and not let him get away.” The Heavenly Kings stayed in the four quarters, and all the heavenly soldiers were drawn up in their battle positions."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The True Lord Erlang went out at the head of the four marshals and the two generals—making seven sworn brothers with himself included—to challenge the enemy to battle; and he ordered his other officers to defend the camp firmly and keep the eagles and dogs under control. All the straw-headed gods acknowledged the order. Erlang then went to the outside of the Water Curtain Cave, where he saw the monkey hordes neatly drawn up in a coiled-dragon battle line; in the middle of the central corps stood a pole with a banner on it reading “Great Sage Equaling Heaven.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What business has that loathsome fiend to call himself the equal of Heaven?” Erlang asked; and the six sworn brothers of Plum Hill replied, “Stop admiring him and challenge him to battle.” When the junior monkeys at the gate of their camp saw the True Lord Erlang they rushed back to report, whereupon the Monkey King took his gold-banded cudgel, adjusted his golden armour, put on his cloud-walking shoes, felt his golden helmet, and leapt out through the gates of the camp. He saw at first sight how cool and remarkable Erlang looked, and how elegantly he was dressed. Indeed:\n\nHis bearing was refined, his visage noble,\n\nHis ears hung down to his shoulders, and his eyes shone.\n\nThe hat on his head had three peaks and phoenixes flying,\n\nAnd his robe was of a pale goose-yellow.\n\nHis boots were lined with cloth of gold; dragons coiled round his socks;\n\nHis jade belt was decorated with the eight jewels,\n\nAt his waist was a bow, curved like the moon,\n\nIn his hand a double-edged trident."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his hand a double-edged trident.\n\nHis axe had split open Peach Mountain when he rescued his mother,\n\nHis bow had killed the twin phoenixes of Zongluo.\n\nWidespread was his fame for killing the Eight Bogies,\n\nAnd he had become one of Plum Hill’s seven sages.\n\nHis heart was too lofty to acknowledge his relatives in Heaven;\n\nIn his pride he went back to be a god at Guanjiang.\n\nHe was the Merciful and Miraculous Sage of the red city,\n\nErlang, whose transformations were numberless.\n\nWhen the Great Sage saw him he laughed with delight, raised his gold-banded cudgel, and shouted, “Where are you from, little general, that you have the audacity to challenge me?”\n\n“You must be blind, you wretch, if you can’t recognize me. I am the nephew of the Jade Emperor, and my title is Merciful and Miraculous King Erlang. I am here on imperial orders to arrest you, Protector of the Horses, you rebel against Heaven, you reckless baboon.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Now I remember who you are,” replied the Great Sage. “Some years ago the Jade Emperor’s younger sister wanted to be mortal and came down to the lower world, where she married a Mr. Yang and gave birth to a son, who split the Peach Mountain open with his axe. Is that who you are? I should really fling you a few curses, but I’ve got no quarrel with you; and it would be a pity to kill you by hitting you with my cudgel. So why don’t you hurry back, young sir, and tell those four Heavenly Kings of yours to come out?”\n\nWhen the True Lord Erlang heard this he burst out angrily, “Damned monkey! Where are your manners? Try this blade of mine!” The Great Sage dodged the blow and instantly raised his gold-banded club to hit back. There was a fine battle between the two of them:\n\nThe Merciful God Erlang,\n\nThe Great Sage Equaling Heaven:\n\nOne is the Handsome Monkey King, the proud deceiver of his enemies;\n\nThe other a true pillar, the unknown subduer.\n\nWhen the two met\n\nThey were both in a fighting mood."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They were both in a fighting mood.\n\nHe who had no respect before\n\nToday learned a sense of proportion.\n\nThe iron staff raced with the flying dragons,\n\nThe divine cudgel seemed like a dancing phoenix.\n\nParrying to the left, thrusting to the right,\n\nAdvancing to meet a blow, flashing behind.\n\nThe brothers of Plum Hill add to one side’s might,\n\nWhile the other has the four Stalwart Generals to transmit orders.\n\nAs the flags wave and the drums roll each side is as one;\n\nBattle-cries and gongs raise everyone’s morale.\n\nThe two steel blades each watch for their chance,\n\nBut neither leaves an opening as they come and go.\n\nThe gold-banded cudgel, the treasure from the sea,\n\nCan fly and transform itself to win the victory.\n\nA moment’s delay and life is lost;\n\nA single mistake will be the last."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After Erlang and the Great Sage had fought over three hundred rounds the outcome of the fight was still undecided. Erlang braced, himself, and with a shake became ten thousand fathoms tall; in his hands his two-bladed trident looked like the peaks of Mount Hua. His face was black, his fangs were long, and his hair was bright red: he looked ferociously evil. He hacked at the Great Sage’s head. The Great Sage, also resorting to magic, gave himself a body as big as Erlang’s and a face as frightening; and he raised his As-You-Will gold-banded cudgel, which was now like the pillar of Heaven on the summit of the Kunlun Mountain, to ward off Erlang’s blow. This reduced the two ape field marshals Ma and Liu to such trembling terror that they could no longer wave their banners, while the gibbon generals Seng and Ba were too scared to use their swords. On the other side Kang, Zhang, Yao, Li, Guo Shen and Zhi Jian threw the straw-headed gods into an assault on the Water Curtain Cave, with the dogs and eagles unleashed"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Curtain Cave, with the dogs and eagles unleashed and their bows and crossbows drawn. This attack put the four monkey generals to flight, and two or three thousand devils were captured. The monkeys threw away their spears, tore off their armour, abandoned their swords and halberds, and fled screaming. Some went up the mountain and some returned to the cave, like roosting birds frightened by an owl, or stars scattered across the sky. That is all we have to say about the sworn brothers’ victory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story goes on to tell how the True Lord Erlang and the Great Sage, having turned themselves into figures on the scale of Heaven and Earth, were locked in battle when the Great Sage was suddenly appalled to notice that the monkey fiends in his camp had scattered in terror. Putting off his magic appearance he broke away and fled, his cudgel in his hand. Seeing him go, the True Lord Erlang hurried after him with long strides.\n\n“Where are you going?” he asked. “If you surrender at once, your life will be spared.” The Great Sage, who had no heart left for the fight, was running as fast as he could. As he approached the mouth of the cave he came up against Marshals Kang, Zhang, Yao and Li, as well as Generals Guo Shen and Zhi Jian, blocking his way at the head of their armies."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where are you going, damned monkey?” they asked, and the Great Sage hastily squeezed his gold-banded cudgel till it was the size of an embroidery needle and hid it in his ear. Then he shook himself, turned into a sparrow, flew up into a tree, and perched on one of its branches.\n\nThe six sworn brothers looked for him very hard but could find him nowhere, so they all shouted in unison, “The monkey fiend has escaped, the monkey fiend has escaped.”\n\nAs they were shouting the True Lord Erlang arrived and asked them, “Brothers, where had you chased him to when he disappeared?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We had him surrounded here just now, but he vanished.” Erlang opened his phoenix eyes till they were quite round and looked about him. He saw that the Great Sage had changed himself into a sparrow and was perching on a branch; so he put off his magical appearance, threw down his divine trident, and took the pellet bow from his waist. Then he shook himself, changed into a kite, spread his wings, and swooped in to attack. As soon as the Great Sage saw this he took off and turned himself into a big cormorant, soaring up into the sky. Erlang saw him, and with a quick shake of his feathers and a twist of his body he transformed himself into a crane and pierced the clouds as he tried to catch him. The Great Sage landed on a mountain stream and, changing into a fish, plunged into the water. Erlang, who had pursued him to the bank of the stream, could see no trace of him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That macaque must have gone into the water and changed himself into some kind of fish or shrimp,” he thought. “I’ll transform myself again, then I’ll get him.” He turned into a fish-hawk and soared above the lower reaches of the stream and the first waves of the sea. He waited there for a time. Meanwhile the Great Sage, who was in the form of a fish, swam with the stream until he noticed a bird flying above him. It was quite like a blue kite, except that its feathers were not blue; it was quite like an egret, but it had no crest on its head; and it was quite like a stork, but its legs were not red.\n\n“That must be what Erlang turned himself into while waiting for me,” he thought, turned round quickly, and went away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The fish who turned round,” thought Erlang when he saw this, “is like a carp but its tail isn’t red; it’s like a mandarin fish, but I can’t see the pattern on its scales; it’s like a snakehead, but without a star on its head; and like a bream, but it has no needles on its gills. Why did it turn round the moment it saw me? It must be that monkey transformed.” He swooped down and snapped at the Great Sage with his beak. The Great Sage leapt out of the water, turned into a water-snake, swam to the bank, and slid into the grass. Failing to catch the fish in his beak, Erlang saw a snake jump out of the water and realized it was the Great Sage. He changed himself at once into a red-crested grey crane, and stretched out his long beak that was like a pair of pointed pincers to eat up the water-snake. The snake gave a jump and became a bustard standing stiffly on a smartweed-covered bank. When Erlang saw that he had turned himself into so low a creature—for the bustard is the lowest and lewdest of birds, not caring"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is the lowest and lewdest of birds, not caring whether it mates with phoenix, eagle or crow—he kept his distance, reverted to his own body, went away to fetch and load his pellet bow, and knocked him flying with a single shot."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage seized the chance as he rolled down the precipice to crouch there and turn himself into a temple to a local god. He opened his mouth wide to look like the entrance to the temple and turned his teeth into the doors; he made his tongue into a statue of a god and his eyes into windows and lattice. He could not tuck his tail away, so he stuck it up behind him as a flagpole. When Erlang came to the foot of the precipice he could not see the bustard he had shot over, and anxiously opening his phoenix eyes he looked carefully around and saw a temple with its flagpole at the back.\n\n“It must be that monkey over there,” he observed with a smile. “He’s trying to fool me again. I’ve seen temples before, but never one with the flagpole at the back. I’m sure it is that beast up to his tricks again. If he’d managed to lure me in, he’d have been able to get me with a single bite. Of course I won’t go in. I’ll smash his windows in with my fist, then I’ll kick his door down.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Vicious, really vicious,” thought the Great Sage with horror when he heard him say this. “Those doors are my teeth, and the windows are my eyes; and if he smashes my teeth and bashes in my eyes, what sort of a state will that leave me in?” With a tiger leap he disappeared into the sky.\n\nThe True Lord Erlang rushed around wildly, but he could only see his six sworn brothers, who crowded round him and asked, “Elder brother, did you catch the Great Sage?”\n\n“That monkey turned himself into a temple to fool me,” he replied with a laugh. “Just when I was going to smash his windows and kick in his door he gave a jump and vanished without a trace. Strange, very strange.” They were all astonished, and though they looked all around they could see no sign of him.\n\n“Brothers, you patrol this area while I go to look for him above,” said Erlang, and with a quick jump he was riding a cloud in mid-air."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he saw Heavenly King Li holding high the fiend-detecting mirror and standing with Nezha at the edge of a cloud, the True Lord asked, “Your Heavenly Majesty, have you seen that Monkey King?”\n\n“He hasn’t come up here—I’ve been keeping a lookout for him with this mirror,” the Heavenly King replied. The True Lord Erlang then told him how he had used transformations and magic to capture the monkey hordes.\n\n“He changed into a temple,” Erlang went on, “but got away just when I was going to hit him.” On hearing this, Heavenly King Li turned the fiend-detecting mirror in all four directions, then said with a laugh, “Hurry away, True Lord, hurry away. The monkey made himself invisible to get through the encirclement, and he’s gone to your place, Guanjiangkou.” Erlang took his divine trident and returned to Guanjiangkou in pursuit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage had already arrived there, changed himself into the likeness of the god Erlang with a shake of his body, put away his cloud, and gone into the temple. The demon judges did not realize who he really was, so they all kowtowed to welcome him. He took his seat in the middle of the temple, and inspected the offerings: the beef, mutton and pork presented by one Li Hu, the ex-voto promised by a Zhang Long, the letter from a Zhao Jia asking for a son, and one Qian Bing’s prayer for recovery from illness. As he was looking round it was announced that another Lord Erlang had arrived. All the demon judges hurried to look, and they were all astonished.\n\nThe True Lord Erlang asked, “Has a so-called Great Sage Equaling Heaven been here?”\n\n“We haven’t seen any Great Sages,” they replied, “only another god who’s looking around inside.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The True Lord rushed in through the gates, and as soon as the Great Sage saw him he reverted to his own appearance and said, “There’s no point in shouting, sir. This temple’s mine now.”\n\nThe True Lord raised his double-bladed trident and swung at the Monkey King’s head, but the Monkey King dodged the blow by magic, took his embroidery needle, shook it till it was as thick as a bowl, and rushed forward to meet the attack. Shouting and yelling, they fought their way out through the gates, and went on fighting through the mists and clouds all the way back to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. The Four Heavenly Kings and all their soldiers were so alarmed that they kept an even tighter guard. Marshals Kang and Zhang and the others came to meet the True Lord, and combined their efforts to surround the Handsome Monkey King. But of this no more for now."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After the Strong-arm Demon King had sent the True Lord Erlang and his six sworn brothers with their troops to capture the fiend, he had gone back to Heaven to report. He found the Jade Emperor, the Bodhisattva Guanyin, the Queen Mother and all his immortal ministers in conference.\n\n“Although Erlang has joined the fight, we have had no reports on it all day,” the Jade Emperor said.\n\nGuanyin put her hands together and replied, “May I suggest that Your Majesty go out through the Southern Gate of Heaven with Lord Lao Zi to see for yourself what is happening.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A good idea,” said the Emperor, and he went by chariot with Lao Zi, the Queen Mother, and all the immortal ministers to the Southern Gate of Heaven. Here they were met by a number of heavenly soldiers and strongmen. When the gates were opened and they looked into the distance they saw that the heavenly hosts were spread all around in a net; Heavenly King Li and Nezha were standing in mid-air with the fiend-detecting mirror, and Erlang was struggling with the Great Sage within the encircling ring.\n\nThe Bodhisattva addressed Lao Zi and asked, “What do you think of the god Erlang I recommended? He really does have divine powers. He’s just got that Great Sage cornered, and all he has to do now is to catch him. If I give him a little help now he will certainly be able to do it.”\n\n“What weapon would you use, Bodhisattva? How could you help him?” Lao Zi asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll drop that pure vase of willow twigs on the monkey’s head. Even if it doesn’t kill him it will knock him off balance and enable the Little Sage to catch him.”\n\n“That vase of yours is made of porcelain,” Lao Zi replied, “and if you hit the target that will be fine. But if it were to miss his head and smash into his iron club, it would be shattered. Just hold your hand while I give him a little help.”\n\n“What sort of weapon do you have?” the Bodhisattva asked, and Lord Lao Zi replied, “I’ve got one all right.” He pulled up his sleeve and took a bracelet off his right arm."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This weapon,” he said, “is made of tempered steel to which I have added the magic elixir. It preserves my miraculous essence, can transform itself, is proof against fire and water, and can snare anything. One of its names is Diamond Jade and the other is Diamond Noose. When I went out through the Han Pass some years ago to turn into a foreigner and become a Buddha, I have a great deal to thank it for. It’s the best protection at any time. Just watch while I throw it down and hit him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as he had finished speaking he threw it down from outside the heavenly gate, and it fell into the camp on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, hitting the Monkey King neatly on the head. The Monkey King was too preoccupied with fighting the seven sages to notice this weapon falling on him from heaven, and when it struck him on the forehead he lost his balance and stumbled, then picked himself up and started to run. The slim dog of the god Erlang caught him up and bit him in the calf, bringing him down again. As he lay on the ground he cursed at the dog.\n\n“You don’t bother your own master, damn you; why pick on me to bite?” He rolled over and tried unsuccessfully to get up, but the seven sages all held him down, roped him up, and put a sickle-shaped blade round his collar-bone to prevent him from making any more transformations."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lord Lao Zi then recovered his Diamond Jade and invited the Jade Emperor, Guanyin, the Queen Mother, and all the immortal ministers to return to the Hall of Miraculous Mist. Down below, Heavenly King Li and the four other Heavenly Kings assembled their troops and pulled up the stockade. They went over to congratulate the Little Sage and said, “It was all thanks to you, Little Sage.”\n\n“No, it was thanks to the great blessings of His Celestial Majesty and the might of all the gods—it was nothing I did,” replied the Little Sage.\n\n“No time to talk now, elder brother,” said the four marshals Kang, Zhang, Yao, and Li. “Let’s take this wretch up to Heaven to see the Jade Emperor and ask what is to be done with him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Worthy brothers,” Erlang replied, “you never received any heavenly commission, so it would not be right for you to see the Jade Emperor. The heavenly soldiers can escort him while I go up there with the Heavenly Kings to report back. You should comb this mountain with your troops, and when you’ve finished go back to Guanjiangkou. When I’ve asked for our rewards, I’ll come back and we can celebrate together.” The four marshals and the two generals accepted their orders, and the rest mounted their clouds and went to Heaven triumphantly singing victory songs. Before long they were outside the Hall of Universal Brightness. The heavenly teachers reported to the throne that the Four Great Heavenly Kings and the rest of them had captured the monkey devil, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and were now waiting to be summoned. The Jade Emperor then issued an edict ordering the Strong-arm Demon King and the heavenly soldiers to march him to the Demon-beheading Tower, where the wretch was to have his body chopped to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "where the wretch was to have his body chopped to mincemeat. Goodness!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The bully and cheat now meets with a bitter punishment,\n\nThe heroic spirit must now come to an end.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened to the Monkey King’s life, then listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Seven\n\nThe Great Sage Escapes from the Eight Trigrams Furnace\n\nThe Mind-Ape Is Fixed Beneath Five Elements Mountain\n\nWealth and honour, glory and fame,\n\nAre predetermined by fate:\n\nNo one should act against conscience to covet any of them.\n\nFar-going and deep\n\nAre the good results of true enlightenment and loyalty.\n\nHeaven punishes all wild and wicked deeds\n\nIf not at once then later on.\n\nAsk the Lord of the East the reason why\n\nDisasters now strike him.\n\nIt is because his ambition was high, his plans far-reaching,\n\nHe did not respect authority, and he smashed convention."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story goes on to tell how the Great Sage Equaling Heaven was escorted by the hosts of heavenly soldiers to the Demon-beheading Tower and tied to the Demon-subduing Pillar. They hacked at him with sabres, sliced at him with axes, lunged at him with spears and cut at him with swords, but they were unable to inflict a single wound on him. The Southern Dipper angrily ordered all the gods of the Department of Fire to set him alight and burn him up, but he would not ignite. He told the gods of the Department of Thunder to nail splinters of thunder into him, but however hard they tried they could not harm a hair of his body. The Strong-arm Demon King and the rest of them then reported this to the throne.\n\n“Your Majesty,” they said, “this Great Sage has learned somewhere or other how to protect himself by magic."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although your subjects have hacked at him with sabres, sliced at him with axes, struck at him with thunder and tried to burn him with fire, we have not been able to harm a hair of his body. What are we to do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How can we deal with a wretch like this?” the Jade Emperor asked, and the Lord Lao Zi replied to this in a memorial: “That monkey has eaten the peaches of immortality, drunk the imperial liquor, and stolen the pills of elixir. He swallowed those five gourds of pills of mine, fresh ones and mature ones alike. Now we have used the fire of samadhi on him, which has tempered his body and made it a diamond one that cannot be harmed. The best course would be to let me take him and put him in my Eight Trigrams Furnace, where I can refine out my elixir with the civil and martial fire and reduce him to ashes at the same time. The Jade Emperor then ordered the Six Dings and the Six Jias to untie him and hand him over to the Lord Lao Zi, who took him away in obedience to the imperial decree. At the same time the Jade Emperor summoned the Illustrious Sage Erlang to his presence and rewarded him with a hundred golden flowers, a hundred jars of imperial liquor, a hundred pills of elixir, rare jewels, lustrous pearls,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "pills of elixir, rare jewels, lustrous pearls, brocade, embroidery, and other gifts to share with his sworn brothers. The True Lord Erlang thanked him for his bounty and returned to Guanjiangkou."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he reached the Tushita Palace, Lord Lao Zi had the Great Sage untied, took the hook from his collar-bone, pushed him into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and ordered the priests in charge of it and the fire-boys to fan the fire up to refine him. Now this furnace was made up of the Eight Trigrams— Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Sun, Li, Kun, and Dui— so he squeezed himself into the “Palace of Sun,” as Sun was the wind, and where there was wind there could be no fire. All that happened was that the wind stirred up the smoke, which made both his eyes red and left him somewhat blind with the illness called “fire eyes with golden pupils.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Time soon passed, and without him realizing it the seven times seven, or forty-nine, days had passed, and Lord Lao Zi’s fire had reached the required temperature and burned for long enough. One day the furnace was opened for the elixir to be taken out. The Great Sage, who was shielding his eyes with both hands and wiping away his tears, heard a noise at the top of the furnace. He looked hard and saw daylight; and, unable to stand being in there a moment longer, leapt out of the furnace, kicked it over with a crash, and was off. In the ensuing chaos the fire-boys, the keepers of the furnace, the Dings and the Jias all tried to grab him, but he knocked them all down. He was like a white-browed tiger gone berserk, a single-horned dragon raving mad. Lord Lao Zi rushed up to seize him, but was thrown head over heels as the Great Sage freed himself. He took the As-You-Will cudgel from his ear, and shook it in the wind till it was thick as a bowl, and once more created total chaos in the Palace of Heaven, not"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "created total chaos in the Palace of Heaven, not caring in the least what he did. He laid about him to such effect that the Nine Bright Shiners shut their windows and doors, and not a sign was to be seen of the Four Heavenly Kings."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Marvellous monkey spirit! As the poem has it,\n\nHis primordial body matches an earlier heaven,\n\nCompletely natural throughout ten thousand ages;\n\nVast and passive, blended with the Great Monad;\n\nAlways immobile, known as the Prime Mystery.\n\nAfter so much refining in the furnace he is not lead or mercury;\n\nHaving lived long outside the ordinary he is a natural Immortal.\n\nHis changes are inexhaustible, and still he has more,\n\nSo say nothing about the Three Refuges or Five Abstentions.\n\nAnother poem says:\n\nA single point of magic light can fill the whole of space;\n\nLikewise that staff of his:\n\nLonger or shorter, depending on his needs,\n\nUpright or horizontal, it can shrink or grow.\n\nYet another poem runs:\n\nTo the ape’s immortal body is matched a human mind:\n\nThat the mind is an ape is deeply meaningful.\n\nIt was quite true that the Great Sage equaled Heaven:\n\nThe appointment as Protector of the Horse showed no discernment.\n\nHorse and ape together make mind and thought;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Horse and ape together make mind and thought;\n\nBind them tightly together, and do not seek elsewhere.\n\nWhen all phenomena are reduced to truth they follow a single pattern;\n\nLike the Tathagatha reaching nirvana under the two trees.\n\nThis time the Monkey King made no distinctions between high and humble as he laid about him to East and West with his iron club. Not a single god opposed him. He fought his way into the Hall of Universal Brightness outside the Hall of Miraculous Mist, where the Kingly Spirit Officer, the lieutenant of the Helpful Sage and True Lord, fortunately was on duty. When he saw the Great Sage charging around he took up his golden mace and went forward to resist him.\n\n“Where are you going, damned monkey?” he asked. “If you go wild you’ll have me to deal with.” The Great Sage was not in a position to argue with him, so he raised his cudgel to strike him. The Spirit Officer lifted his mace and advanced to meet him. It was a fine fight:\n\nGreat was the fame of the brave and loyal officer,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Evil the name of the rebel who bullied Heaven.\n\nThe low one and the good one were well matched;\n\nValiant heroes fighting each other.\n\nVicious the iron cudgel,\n\nQuick the golden mace.\n\nBoth were straight, merciless, and terrible.\n\nOne of them is a deity formed from the Great Monad’s thunder;\n\nThe other is the monkey spirit, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.\n\nWith golden mace or iron cudgel each is a master;\n\nBoth are weapons from the palaces of the gods.\n\nToday they show their might in the Hall of Miraculous Mist,\n\nA wonderful display of courage and skill.\n\nOne in his folly wanting to capture the Palace of the Dipper and the Bull,\n\nThe other exerting all his strength to support the world of the gods.\n\nThe fight is too hard to allow the use of magic,\n\nAs mace and cudgel struggle without result."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As mace and cudgel struggle without result.\n\nAs they fought together without either of them emerging as victor, the True Lord sent an officer with a message to the Thunder Palace ordering the thirty-six thunder generals to surround the Great Sage. Although they all fought with the utmost ferocity, the Great Sage was not in the least frightened, and parried and blocked to left and right with his As-You-Will cudgel, resisting his opponents in front and behind. Before long he found that the pressure was too great from the sabres, spears, swords, halberds, clubs, maces, claws-and-ropes, hammer, pole-axes, battle-axes, grabs, pennoned hooks, and moon-shaped bills of the thunder generals; so he shook himself and grew three heads and six arms. Then he shook his As-You-Will cudgel and changed it into three cudgels, and wielding the three cudgels in his six hands he flew round and round inside the encirclement like a spinning wheel. None of the thunder generals could get anywhere near him. Indeed,\n\nPerfectly round,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Perfectly round,\n\nGleaming bright,\n\nHow can men learn to live for ever?\n\nHe can enter fire without being burned,\n\nAnd go in the water but not be drowned.\n\nHe is as bright as a Mani pearl,\n\nSwords and spears cannot harm him.\n\nHe is capable of good,\n\nAnd capable of evil:\n\nWhen faced with the choice between good and evil he might do either.\n\nIf he is good he becomes a Buddha or an Immortal,\n\nIf bad, he grows fur and horns.\n\nWith his boundless transformations he wrecked the Heavenly palace,\n\nNor can thunder generals and divine troops take him.\n\nAlthough the gods had the Great Sage cornered, they were unable to get near him. The noise of the shouting and the fighting had already alarmed the Jade Emperor, who ordered the Miracle Official Youyi to go to the West with the Helpful Sage and True Lord and ask the Buddha to subdue him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When these two sages received the order they went to the wonderful land of the Miraculous Mountain, where they offered their greetings to the Four Vajrapanis and Eight Bodhisattvas before the Thunder Monastery and asked them to pass on their massage. The gods went to the foot of the lotus seat to inform the Tathagata, who invited the two sages to his presence. When the sages had performed the threefold obeisance to the Buddha they stood in attendance below the throne.\n\n“Why has the Jade Emperor troubled you two sages to come here?” asked the Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A monkey,” they reported, “who was born on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, has used his magic powers to unite all the monkeys and throw the world into confusion. The Jade Emperor sent down an edict of amnesty and appointed him Protector of the Horses, but this was not good enough for him, so he left Heaven again. When heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha were unsuccessful in their attempt to capture him the Jade Emperor sent down another amnesty with his appointment as a ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven’. At first this appointment was purely nominal, but later he was told to look after the Peach Orchard. But he stole the peaches and then went to the Jade Pool where he stole the delicacies and the liquor and wrecked the banquet. In his drunkenness he staggered into the Tushita Palace, stole Lord Lao Zi’s pills of immortality, and left Heaven again. The Jade Emperor sent a hundred thousand heavenly troops, but they were still unable to subdue him. Then Guanyin recommended the True Lord Erlang and his sworn"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "recommended the True Lord Erlang and his sworn brothers to go after the monkey, and he used many a transformation until he was finally able to capture the monkey after the Lord Lao Zi hit him with his Diamond Jade. The monkey was then taken to the imperial presence, and the order for his execution was given. But although he was hacked at with sabres, chopped at with axes, burned with fire, and struck with thunder, none of this did him any damage; so Lord Lao Zi requested permission to take him away and refine him with fire. But when the cauldron was opened after forty-nine days he jumped out of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, routed the heavenly troops, and went straight to the Hall of Universal Brightness in front of the Hall of Miraculous Mist. Here he has been stopped and engaged in fierce combat by the Kingly Spirit Officer, the lieutenant of the Helpful Sage and True Lord Erlang, thunder generals have been sent there to encircle him; but no one has been able to get close to him. In this crisis the Jade"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "able to get close to him. In this crisis the Jade Emperor makes a special appeal to you, the Tathagata, to save his throne.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this the Tathagata said to the assembled Bodhisattvas, “You stay here quietly in this dharma hall and behave yourselves in your seats of meditation while I go to deal with the demon and save the throne.”\n\nTelling the Venerable Ananda and the Venerable Kasyapa to accompany him, the Tathagata left the Thunder Monastery and went straight to the gate of the Hall of Miraculous Mist, where his ears were shaken by the sound of shouting as the thirty-six thunder generals surrounded the Great Sage. The Buddha issued a decree that ran: “Tell the thunder generals to stop fighting, open up their camp, and call on that Great Sage to come out, so that I may ask him what divine powers he has.”\n\nThe generals then withdrew, whereupon the Great Sage put away his magic appearance and came forward in his own body. He was in a raging temper as he asked, “Where are you from? You are a good man. You’ve got nerve, stopping the fighting and questioning me!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am the Venerable Sakyamuni from the Western Land of Perfect Bliss,” replied the Buddha with a smile. “I have heard of your wild and boorish behavior, and of your repeated rebellions against Heaven, and I would like to know where you were born, when you found the Way, and why you have been so ferocious.”\n\n“I am,” the Great Sage said,\n\n“A miracle-working Immortal born of Heaven and Earth,\n\nAn old ape from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit.\n\nMy home is in the Water Curtain Cave,\n\nI sought friends and teachers, and became aware of the Great Mystery.\n\n“I have practiced many a method for obtaining eternal life,\n\nInfinite are the transformations I have learned.\n\nThat is why I found the mortal world too cramped,\n\nAnd decided to live in the Jade Heaven.\n\n“None can reign forever in the Hall of Miraculous Mist;\n\nKings throughout history have had to pass on their power.\n\nThe strong should be honoured—he should give way to me:\n\nThis is the only reason I wage my heroic fight.”\n\nThe Buddha laughed mockingly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Buddha laughed mockingly.\n\n“You wretch! You are only a monkey spirit and you have the effrontery to want to grab the throne of the Jade Emperor. He has trained himself since childhood, and suffered hardship for one thousand, seven hundred and fifty kalpas. Each kalpa is 129,600 years, so you can work out for yourself how long it has taken him to be able to enjoy this great and infinite Way. But you are a beast who has only just become a man for the first time. How dare you talk so big? You’re not human, not even human! I’ll shorten your life-span. Accept my teaching at once and stop talking such nonsense! Otherwise you’ll be in for trouble and your life will very shortly be over; and that will be so much the worse for your original form too.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Although he has trained himself for a long time, ever since he was a child, he still has no right to occupy this place for ever,” the Great Sage said. “As the saying goes, ‘Emperors are made by turn; next year it may be me.’ If he can be persuaded to move out and make Heaven over to me, that’ll be fine. But if he doesn’t abdicate in my favour I’ll most certainly make things hot for him, and he’ll never know peace and quiet again.”\n\n“What have you got, besides immortality and the ability to transform yourself, that gives you the nerve to try to seize the Heavenly Palace?” the Buddha asked.\n\n“I can do many tricks indeed,” the Great Sage replied. “I can perform seventy-two transformations, and I can preserve my youth for ten thousand kalpas. I can ride a somersault cloud that takes me thirty-six thousand miles at a single jump. So why shouldn’t I sit on the throne of Heaven?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll have a wager with you then,” said the Buddha. “If you’re clever enough to get out of my right hand with a single somersault, you will be the winner, and there will be no more need for weapons or fighting: I shall invite the Jade Emperor to come and live in the West and abdicate the Heavenly Palace to you. But if you can’t get out of the palm of my hand you will have to go down to the world below as a devil and train yourself for several more kalpas before coming to argue about it again.”\n\nWhen he heard this offer the Great Sage smiled to himself and thought, “This Buddha is a complete idiot. I can cover thirty-six thousand miles with a somersault, so how could I fail to jump out of the palm of his hand, which is less than a foot across?”\n\nWith this in his mind he asked eagerly, “Do you guarantee that yourself?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, yes,” the Buddha replied, and he stretched out his right hand, which seemed to be about the size of a lotus leaf. Putting away his As-You-Will cudgel, the Great Sage summoned up all his divine powers, jumped into the palm of the Buddha’s hand, and said, “I’m off.” Watch him as he goes like a streak of light and disappears completely. The Buddha, who was watching him with his wise eyes, saw the Monkey King whirling forward like a windmill and not stopping until he saw five flesh-pink pillars topped by dark vapours."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This is the end of the road,” he said, “so now I’ll go back. The Buddha will be witness, and the Hall of Miraculous Mist will be mine.” Then he thought again, “Wait a moment. I’ll leave my mark here to prove my case when I talk to the Buddha.” He pulled out a hair, breathed on it with his magic breath, and shouted “Change.” It turned into a writing brush dipped in ink, and with it he wrote THE GREAT SAGE EQUALING HEAVEN WAS HERE in big letters on the middle pillar. When that was done he put the hair back on, and, not standing on his dignity, made a pool of monkey piss at the foot of the pillar. Then he turned his somersault round and went back to where he had started from.\n\n“I went, and now I’m back. Tell the Jade Emperor to hand the Heavenly Palace over to me,” he said, standing in the Buddha’s palm.\n\n“I’ve got you, you piss-spirit of a monkey,” roared the Buddha at him. “You never left the palm of my hand.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re wrong there,” the Great Sage replied. “I went to the farthest point of Heaven, where I saw five flesh-pink pillars topped by dark vapours. I left my mark there: do you dare come and see it with me?”\n\n“There’s no need to go. Just look down.” The Great Sage looked down with his fire eyes with golden pupils to see the words “The Great Sage Equaling Heaven Was Here” written on the middle finger of the Buddha’s right hand. The stink of monkey-piss rose from the fold at the bottom of the finger.\n\n“What a thing to happen,” exclaimed the Great Sage in astonishment. “I wrote this on one of the pillars supporting the sky, so how can it be on his finger now? He must have used divination to know what I was going to do. I don’t believe it. I refuse to believe it! I’ll go there and come back again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dear Great Sage hurriedly braced himself to jump, but the Buddha turned his hand over and pushed the Monkey King out through the Western Gate of Heaven. He turned his five fingers into a mountain chain belonging to the elements Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, renamed them the Five Elements Mountain, and gently held him down.\n\nAll the thunder gods and the disciples Ananda and Kasyapa put their hands together to praise the Buddha: “Wonderful, wonderful,\n\nAn egg learned to be a man,\n\nCultivated his conduct, and achieved the Way.\n\nHeaven had been undisturbed for the thousand kalpas,\n\nUntil one day the spirits and gods were scattered.\n\n“The rebel against Heaven, wanting high position,\n\nInsulted Immortals, stole the pills, and destroyed morality.\n\nToday his terrible sins are being punished,\n\nWho knows when he will be able to rise again?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Who knows when he will be able to rise again?”\n\nWhen he had eliminated the monkey fiend the Buddha told Ananda and Kasyapa to return with him to the Western paradise. At that moment Tian Peng and Tian You hurried out of the Hall of Miraculous Mist to say, “We beg the Tathagata to wait a moment as the Jade Emperor’s chariot is coming.”\n\nThe Buddha turned round and looked up, and an instant later he saw an eight-splendour imperial chariot and a nine-shining jeweled canopy appear to the sound of strange and exquisite music, and the chanting of countless sacred verses. Precious flowers were scattered and incense was burned.\n\nThe Jade Emperor went straight up to the Buddha and said, “We are deeply indebted to the great Buddha’s powers for wiping out the demon, and we hope that the Tathagata will spend a day here so that we may invite all the Immortals to a feast of thanksgiving.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Buddha did not dare refuse, so putting his hands together he replied, “This old monk only came here in obedience to Your Celestial Majesty’s command. What magic powers can I pretend to? This was all due to the wonderful good fortune of Your Celestial Majesty and the other gods. How could I possibly allow you to thank me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Jade Emperor then ordered all the gods of the Department of Thunder to split up and invite the Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors, the Five Ancients, the Six Superintendents, the Seven Main Stars, the Eight Points of the Compass, the Nine Bright Shiners, the Ten Chiefs, the Thousand Immortals, and the Ten Thousand Sages to a banquet to thank the Buddha for his mercy. Then he ordered the Four Great Heavenly Teachers and the Nine Heavenly Maidens to open the golden gates of the jade capital, and Palace of the Great Mystery, and the Tong Yang Jade Palace, invite the Tathagata to take his seat on the Throne of the Seven Precious Things, arrange the places for all the different groups of guests, and set out the dragon liver, phoenix bone-marrow, jade liquor, and magic peaches."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before long the Original Celestial Jade Pure One, the High Celestial Precious Pure One, the Heavenly Celestial Pure One of the Way, the True Lords of the Five Humors, the Star Lords of the Five Constellations, the Three Officers, the Four Sages, the Left Assistant, the Right Support, the Heavenly Kings, Nezha, and the whole of space responded to the invitations that had been sent out magically. Their standards and canopies came two by two as they brought shining pearls, rare jewels, fruit of longevity, and exotic flowers, and presented them to the Buddha with bows.\n\n“We thank the Tathagata for subduing the monkey fiend with his infinite powers. His Celestial Majesty has asked us all to come to his banquet to express our thanks. We beg the Tathagata to give this banquet a title.”\n\nThe Buddha accepted this commission and said, “Since you want a name for it, we could call it the ‘Banquet to Celebrate Peace in Heaven.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Splendid, ‘Banquet to Celebrate Peace in Heaven,’ splendid,” exclaimed all the Immortals with one voice, and then they all sat down in their places, put flowers in their hair, and played the lyre. It was indeed a splendid banquet, and here are some verses to prove it:\n\nThe Banquet to Celebrate Peace in Heaven far surpasses\n\nThe Banquet of Peaches that the monkey wrecked.\n\nRadiance shines from dragon flags and imperial chariots;\n\nAuspicious vapours float above streamers and symbols of office.\n\nMelodious the fairy music and mysterious songs;\n\nLoud sound the tones of phoenix flute and pipe of jade\n\nThe rarest of perfumes waft around the Immortals, assembled calm in the sky.\n\nTo congratulate the court on Pacifying the Universe."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Immortals were all enjoying the feast the Queen Mother and a group of fairies, immortal beauties, and houris, floated through the air as they danced towards the Buddha, and after paying her respects the Queen Mother said, “My Peach Banquet was ruined by that monkey fiend, and this Banquet to Celebrate Peace in Heaven is being given because the Tathagata has used his great powers to chain down the evil monkey. Having nothing else with which to express my gratitude, I have picked a number of peaches of immortality with my own pure hands as an offering.” They were\n\nHalf red, half green, sweet-smelling beauties\n\nGrowing every ten thousand years from immortal roots.\n\nThe peaches of Wulingyuan seem laughable:\n\nHow can they compare with those of Heaven?\n\nPurple-veined and tender, rare even in the sky,\n\nYellow-stoned, and matchless on earth for their sweetness.\n\nThey are able to adapt the body and make it live for ever;\n\nThose lucky enough to eat them are no ordinary beings."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Buddha put his hands together to thank the Queen Mother, who instructed the fairies and houris to sing and dance again, and their performance met with the praises of the whole assembly. Indeed:\n\nMisty heavenly incense filled the room;\n\nA chaos of heavenly petals and flowers.\n\nGreat is the splendour of the jade city and golden gates,\n\nPriceless the strange treasures and rare jewels.\n\nTwo by two, coeval with Heaven,\n\nPair by pair, outliving ten thousand kalpas:\n\nEven if land and sea changed places\n\nThey would not be astonished or alarmed.\n\nSoon after the Queen Mother had ordered the fairies and houris to sing and dance, and when wine cups and chopsticks were weaving to and fro, suddenly\n\nA strange scent reached their noses,\n\nStartling the stars and constellations in the hall.\n\nImmortals and the Buddha put down their cups,\n\nEach of them raising their heads to look.\n\nAn old man appeared in the middle of the Milky Way\n\nHolding a sacred mushroom.\n\nHis gourd contains ten-thousand-year elixir."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His gourd contains ten-thousand-year elixir.\n\nOn the sacred rolls his name is written Eternal Life.\n\nIn his cave Heaven and Earth are free.\n\nIn his bottle Sun and Moon were created.\n\nAs he wanders around the Four Seas in pure idleness\n\nTaking his ease in the Ten Continents, enjoying the bustle.\n\nWhen he went to Peach Banquets he often got drunk\n\nBut when he came round, the moon was as bright as ever.\n\nA long head, big ears and a short body,\n\nKnown as Longevity from the Southern Pole.\n\nThe Star of Longevity had arrived. When he had made his greetings to the Jade Emperor and the Buddha he made a speech of thanks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I heard that the monkey fiend had been taken by the Lord Lao Zi to his Tushita palace to be refined I thought that this was bound to restore peace,” he said, “and I never expected he would rebel again. Happily the demon was quelled by the Tathagata, and so when I heard that this feast was being given to thank him I came at once. As I have nothing else to offer I have brought with me purple magic mushrooms, jasper herbs, greenish jade lotus-root, and golden pills of immortality: these I humbly present.” The poem says\n\nOffering the jade louts-root and golden pills to Sakyamuni,\n\nTo give him as many years as the grains of sand of the Ganges.\n\nPeace and eternal joy decorate the Three Vehicles;\n\nProsperity and eternal life make the nine grades of immortals glorious.\n\nWithin the gate of No-Phenomena the true Law rules;\n\nAbove the Heaven of Nothingness is his immortal home.\n\nHeaven and Earth both call him their ancestor,\n\nHis golden body provides blessings and long life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Buddha happily accepted his thanks, and after the Star of Longevity had taken his place the wine-cups started to circulate once more. Then the Bare-foot Immortal appeared, kowtowed to the Jade Emperor, and thanked the Buddha.\n\n“I am deeply grateful to you for subduing the monkey fiend with your divine powers. As I have nothing else with which to express my respect, I offer you two magic pears and a number of fire-dates.”\n\nSweet are the Bare-foot Immortal’s pears and dates,\n\nAnd long will be the life of the Buddha to whom they are offered.\n\nThe lotus seat of the seven treasures is as firm as a mountain,\n\nHis thousand-golden-flower throne is as gorgeous as brocade.\n\nCoeval with Heaven and Earth—this is no lie;\n\nIt is true that his blessings are greater than a flood.\n\nHis Western Paradise of leisure and bliss\n\nTruly provides all the long life and blessings one could hope."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Buddha thanked him too, and telling Ananda and Kasyapa to collect together all the offerings he went over to the Jade Emperor to thank him for the banquet. When all the guests were thoroughly drunk the Miraculous Patrolling Officer reported that the Great Sage had poked his head out.\n\n“It doesn’t matter,” the Buddha said, producing from his sleeve a strip of paper on which were written the golden words Om mani padme hum. He gave this piece of paper to Ananda and told him to stick it on the summit of the mountains. The Venerable Ananda took it through the gates of Heaven and pasted it firmly to a square boulder on the top of the Five Elements Mountain. When this was done the mountain sank roots and joined up all its seams. The Monkey King was still able to breathe and he could still stick his hands out and move them. Ananda went back to Heaven and reported that he had pasted the paper in place."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Buddha then took his leave of the Jade Emperor and all the other deities. When he and his two disciples had gone out through the gates of Heaven his merciful heart moved him to chant a spell ordering a local tutelary god and the Revealers of the Truth of the Five Regions to live on the mountain and keep guard over him. When he was hungry they were to feed him iron pellets, and when he was thirsty they were to give him molten copper to drink. When the time of his punishment was over, someone would come and rescue him. Indeed:\n\nThe monkey fiend was bold enough to rebel against Heaven,\n\nBut was subdued by the Tathagata’s hand.\n\nHe endures the months and years, drinking molten copper for his thirst,\n\nAnd blunts his hunger on iron pellets, serving his time.\n\nSuffering the blows of Heaven, he undergoes torment,\n\nYet even in the bleakest time a happy fate awaits.\n\nIf some hero is ready to struggle for him,\n\nOne year he will go to the West in the service of the Buddha.\n\nAnother poem goes:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another poem goes:\n\nHis great power grew as he humbled the mighty,\n\nHe used his wicked talents to subdue tigers and dragons.\n\nHe stole the peaches and wine as he wandered round Heaven,\n\nWas graciously given office in the Jade Capital.\n\nWhen his wickedness went too far his body suffered,\n\nBut his roots of goodness were not severed, and his breath still rose.\n\nHe will escape from the hand of the Buddha,\n\nAnd wait till the Tang produces a saintly monk.\n\nIt you don’t know in what month of what year his sufferings ended, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Eight\n\nOur Buddha Creates the Scriptures and Passes on Perfect Bliss\n\nGuanyin Obeys a Decree and Goes to Chang’an\n\nIf you try to ask about the dhyana\n\nOr investigate the innumerable\n\nYou will waste your life and achieve nothing.\n\nPolishing bricks to make mirrors,\n\nOr piling up snow to turn it into grain—\n\nHowever many years have you wasted like that?\n\nA hair can contain an ocean,\n\nA mustard-seed can hold a mountain,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A mustard-seed can hold a mountain,\n\nAnd the golden Kasyapa only smiles.\n\nWhen you are awakened you will surpass the Ten Stages and the Three Vehicles,\n\nAnd stop the four kinds of birth and the six types of reincarnation.\n\nWho has ever heard, before the cliff of thoughts extinguished,\n\nUnder the tree that has no shadow,\n\nThe sound of the cuckoo in a spring dawn?\n\nThe path by the Cao Stream is dangerous,\n\nThe Vulture Peak is high in the clouds:\n\nHere the voice of the ancients was a mystery.\n\nOn a cliff ten thousand feet high\n\nFive-leaved lotuses bloom\n\nAs scent coils round the shutters of the old palace.\n\nAt that time\n\nYour knowledge smashes all the currents of thought;\n\nThe Dragon King and the Three Treasures can be seen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This lyric poem is set to the tune Su Wu Man. Our story goes on to how our Buddha, the Tathagata, left the Jade Emperor and went back to the Thunder Monastery, where he saw the three thousand Buddhas, five hundred Arhats, eight great Vajrapanis and countless Bodhisattvas standing under the pairs of sala trees at the foot of the Vulture Peak, all holding banners, canopies, jewels and magical flowers. The Tathagata brought his propitious cloud to a halt and addressed them thus:\n\n“With my deep insight\n\nI surveyed the Three Worlds.\n\nThe origin of nature\n\nIs ultimately emptiness,\n\nLike the great void,\n\nContaining nothing at all.\n\nThe subjection of this evil monkey\n\nWas a mystery beyond understanding.\n\nIt is called the beginning of life and death:\n\nSuch is the appearance of things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Such is the appearance of things.\n\nWhen he had spoken a sacred light filled the sky with forty-two rainbows that linked North and South together. All who saw them bowed, and a moment later the Buddha gathered together some felicitous cloud and climbed to the supreme Lotus Throne, where he seated himself in majesty.\n\nThen the three thousand Buddhas, the five hundred Arhats, the eight Vajrapanis and the four Bodhisattvas came forward to bow to him with their hands together and ask, “Who was it who wrecked the Heavenly Palace and ruined the Peach Banquet?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The wretch was a monkey fiend born on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit,” the Buddha replied, “whose towering crimes would beggar description. None of the heavenly generals were able to subdue him, and when Lord Lao Zi refined him with fire after Erlang had captured him, he was unharmed. When I went there he was in the middle of the thunder generals, giving a great display of his martial prowess and his spirit. I stopped the fighting and asked him what it was all about. He said that he had divine powers, was able to do transformations, and could ride a somersault cloud for thirty-six thousand miles at a single jump. I made a wager with him that he could not jump out of my hand, then grabbed him, turned my fingers into the Five Elements Mountain, and sealed him under it. The Jade Emperor opened wide the golden gates of the Jade Palace, and invited me to be the guest of honour at a Banquet to Celebrate Peace in Heaven he gave to thank me. After that I took my leave of him and came back here.” They were all"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "leave of him and came back here.” They were all delighted by the news and they congratulated him effusively, after which they withdrew group by group, each to go about his duties as all rejoiced in the divine truth. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Propitious vapours filled Paradise,\n\nRainbows surround the Venerable One.\n\nThe Western Paradise, known as the best,\n\nIs ruled by the dharma King of non-phenomenon.\n\nBlack apes are always offering fruit,\n\nDeer hold flowers in their mouths;\n\nBlue phoenixes dance,\n\nColoured birds call;\n\nSacred turtles offer long life,\n\nImmortal cranes present magic mushrooms.\n\nHere they peacefully enjoy the Pure Land of the Jetavana Park,\n\nThe infinite realms of the Dragon Palace.\n\nEvery day flowers bloom,\n\nFruit is always ripe.\n\nThrough practicing silence they return to the truth,\n\nAchieving reality by contemplation.\n\nThere is no birth nor death;\n\nThey neither wax nor wane.\n\nMists follow them as they come and go;\n\nUntouched by heat or cold, they do not notice the years."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One day, as the Buddha dwelt in the Thunder Monastery on the Vulture Peak, he called together all the other Buddhas, Arhats, guardian deities, Bodhisattvas, Vajrapanis, monks and nuns and said, “As we are beyond time, I don’t know how long it has been since the crafty ape was subdued and Heaven pacified, but by earthly reckoning it must be about five hundred years. As today is a fine early autumn day and I have a precious bowl filled with a hundred kinds of rare flowers and a thousand varieties of exotic fruit, what would you say to our having an Ullambana Feast?” They all put their hands together and performed the reverence of going round him three times in acceptance. The Buddha then ordered Ananda to hold the bowl of flowers and fruit while Kasyapa laid them out. The hosts were moved to gratitude, which they expressed in verse.\n\nThe poem on happiness went:\n\nThe Star of Happiness shines bright before the Venerable One;\n\nGifts of happiness spread wide and deep, ever richer."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fortune is boundless and lasts as long as the Earth;\n\nA happy fate has the luck to be linked with Heaven.\n\nFields of happiness are widely sown and flourish every year;\n\nThe sea of happiness is mighty and deep, never changing.\n\nHappiness fills Heaven and Earth, leaving legacies of happiness\n\nHappiness grows beyond measure, eternally complete.\n\nThe poem on official rank went:\n\nWith rank as high as a mountain, coloured phoenixes call;\n\nWith rank ever increasing, we praise the evening star.\n\nSalary raised to ten thousand bushels, and a healthy body;\n\nSalary raised to a thousand tons, and the world at peace.\n\nRank and salary equaling Heaven, and eternal too;\n\nRank and fame as great as the sea, and even clearer.\n\nRank and favour continuing for ever, greatly to be admired;\n\nRank and nobility without bounds, like ten thousand kingdoms.\n\nThe poem on longevity went:\n\nThe Star of Longevity shines towards the Buddha;\n\nThe glories of the land of longevity start from here."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fruits of longevity fill the bowls, glowing with good omen;\n\nLongevity’s flowers are newly plucked and placed on the lotus throne.\n\nPoems of longevity, pure and elegant, full of rare conceits,\n\nSongs of longevity sung with exquisite talent.\n\nLife as long as sun and moon,\n\nLife that will outlast both mountains and seas.\n\nWhen the Bodhisattvas had presented all the poems they asked the Buddha to expound the fundamentals to them. Then the Tathagata opened his excellent mouth and expounded the great Law and retribution. He spoke about the wonderful scriptures of the Three Vehicles and the theory of the Five Aggregates as contained in the Surangama-sutra; the deities and nagas gathered round, and flowers came raining down in profusion. Indeed:\n\nThe meditating heart shines like the moon in a thousand rivers;\n\nThe true nature embraces ten thousand miles of sky."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Buddha had finished his sermon he said to the host, “I have observed that the morality of the living creatures of the four continents varies. In the Eastern Continent of Superior Body they worship Heaven and Earth, their minds are livery and they are even-tempered. In the Northern Kuru Continent they are given to killing living things, but they only do it to feed themselves; they are stupid and lazy by nature, but they do not trample much on others. Our Western Continent of Cattle-gift has people who neither covet nor kill. They nourish the vital essence and submerge the spirit; and although they produce no saints of the highest order, they all live to a ripe old age. But in the Southern Jambu Continent they are greedy and lecherous and delight in the sufferings of others; they go in for a great deal of killing and quarrelling. That continent can with truth be called a vicious field of tongues and mouths, an evil sea of disputation. I now have Three Stores of True Scriptures with which they can be"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Stores of True Scriptures with which they can be persuaded to be good.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this, all the Bodhisattvas put their hands together in submission, then went forward to ask, “What Three Stores of True Scriptures does the Tathagata have?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have one store of the Vinaya, the law, which is about Heaven; one of Sastras, expositions which are concerned with Earth; and one of Sutras, or scriptures, which save ghosts. The Three Stores consist of fifteen thousand one hundred and forty-four scrolls in thirty-five classes. They are the scriptures for cultivating the truth, and the gate to real goodness. I want to send them to the Eastern lands because it is intolerable that the beings of that quarter should all be such stupid wretches who slander and defame the true word, do not understand the gist of my Law, and have lapsed from the orthodox Yogacara Sect. How am I to find one with the magic powers to go to the East, choose a worthy believer and bid him make the arduous crossing of a thousand mountain and ten thousand rivers in search of the scriptures until he finally comes to this abode of mine to receive them? When he does come they will be sent to the East for ever to convert all living beings, which will be a blessing as big as a mountain, a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "which will be a blessing as big as a mountain, a cause for congratulation as deep as the sea. Is anyone willing to go and find him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva Guanyin went up to the lotus throne, and after going round the Buddha three times by way of salutation she said, “Your untalented disciple wishes to go to the East to find a man to come and fetch the scriptures.” All present raised their heads to look at the Bodhisattva:\n\nHer understanding filling out the four virtues,\n\nWisdom filling her golden body.\n\nFrom her necklace hang pearls and jade,\n\nHer bracelet is made of jewels.\n\nHer hair is black clouds skillfully piled like coiling dragons;\n\nHer embroidered girdle lightly sways, a phoenix wing.\n\nSeagreen jade buttons,\n\nA gown of white silk gauze,\n\nBathed with sacred light;\n\nBrocade skirts,\n\nA girdle of gold,\n\nShielded by propitious vapours.\n\nEyebrows like crescent moons,\n\nEyes like a pair of stars.\n\nA jade face full of heavenly happiness,\n\nScarlet lips making a touch of red.\n\nHer pure bottle of sweet dew is ever full,\n\nThe willow twigs in it are always green.\n\nShe delivers from the eight disasters,\n\nSaves all living beings,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Saves all living beings,\n\nGreat is her compassion.\n\nShe stays on Mount Tai,\n\nLives in the Southern Sea,\n\nRescues the suffering when she bears their cries,\n\nNever failing to answer every call,\n\nInfinitely divine and miraculous.\n\nHer orchid heart admires the purple bamboo;\n\nHer orchid nature loves the fragrant creeper.\n\nShe is the merciful ruler of Potaraka Island,\n\nThe living Guanyin of the Tide Cave.\n\nThe Buddha was very pleased to see her.\n\n“No one but the venerable Guanyin, whose divine powers are so great, will do for this mission,” he said.\n\n“What instructions have you for your disciple as she goes to the East?” Guanyin asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You must watch the route all the way,” said the Buddha. “You may not go via the Milky Way, but if necessary you may have a little cloud or mist. As you cross mountains and rivers you must note the distances carefully to enable you to give full instructions to the man who will come to fetch the scriptures. But that true believer will, I’m afraid, have a difficult journey, so I shall give you five treasures for him.” The Buddha ordered Ananda and Kasyapa to bring out a brocade cassock and a nine-ringed monk’s staff.\n\n“Give this cassock and staff to him who will come to fetch the scriptures: they are for him to use. If he is determined to come here, he can avoid the Wheel of Reincarnation by wearing this cassock, and he will be free from evil if he carries this staff.” The Bodhisattva bowed and took them. The Buddha then produced three bands."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“These precious things are called ‘tight bands,’” he told the Bodhisattva as he handed them to her. “Although all three of them look the same, they have different uses. I also have three Band-Tightening Spells. If you meet any devils with great magic powers on your journey you should persuade them to reform and become the disciples of the pilgrim who will come to fetch the scriptures. If they do not do is they are told these bands should be put on their heads, where they will of themselves take root in the flesh. If the appropriate spell for each one is recited the victim’s eyes will bulge, his head will ache, and his forehead will split open. He will thus be certainly induced to adopt our religion.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he finished speaking the Bodhisattva bowed eagerly and withdrew. She told Huian the Novice to accompany her, and he took his iron staff weighing a thousand pounds with him so that he could as a demon-quelling strongman for the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva wrapped the cassock up in a bundle and gave it to him to carry. She then put the golden bands away safely and went down the Vulture Peak with the staff in her hand. This journey was to have consequences:\n\nThe Buddha’s disciple comes back to his original vow;\n\nThe Venerable Golden Cicada is dressed in sandalwood.\n\nWhen the Bodhisattva reached the foot of the mountain the Gold-headed Immortal of the Jade Truth Temple stopped her at the temple gate and invited her to take some tea. But she dared not stop for long, and so she said, “I have been given a sacred command by the Tathagata to go to the East and find a man who will come to fetch the scriptures.”\n\n“When will he arrive?” the Immortal asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When will he arrive?” the Immortal asked.\n\n“It is not definite,” the Bodhisattva replied, “but he will probably reach here in two or three years’ time.” She took her leave of the Immortal and as she traveled amid cloud and mist she estimated the distances. There are some verses to prove it:\n\nShe cared nothing of the journey of ten thousand miles to find him,\n\nBut worried about finding the right man.\n\nLooking for the man seemed to be very chancy,\n\nBut how can it be a mere coincidence?\n\nOne who teaches the Way for the wrong motives will distort it;\n\nHe who explains it without faith will preach in vain.\n\nWhoever will try and know it with his whole being,\n\nIs bound to have a future ahead of him.\n\nAs the teacher and her disciple were on their journey they suddenly noticed a thousand miles of weak water, which was the River of Flowing Sands."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciple,” said the Bodhisattva, “this will be hard to cross for the man who will come to fetch the scriptures, as he will be of impure bone and mortal flesh. How will he do it?”\n\n“Teacher, how wide does the river look to you?” asked Huian. The Bodhisattva stopped her cloud to investigate. She saw:\n\nJoining up with the deserts to the East,\n\nReaching the foreign kingdoms in the West,\n\nWuge in the South\n\nThe Tatars in the North.\n\nIt was about three hundred miles across,\n\nAnd three million miles long.\n\nAs the waters flowed it was like the earth turning over,\n\nThe waves were like rearing mountains.\n\nBroad and boundless,\n\nVast and mighty:\n\nFrom three miles’ distance the mighty flood is heard.\n\nImmortals’ rafts do not reach here,\n\nLotus leaves cannot float on it.\n\nThe sun slants through withered plants and bathes the crooked shore;\n\nBrown clouds block its light and darken the long bank.\n\nHow could merchants pass this way?\n\nHas a fisherman ever moored here?\n\nNo geese alight on the sandbanks,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "No geese alight on the sandbanks,\n\nBut apes cry on the distant shore.\n\nIts color comes from bountiful red smartweed,\n\nWhile delicate white duckweed drifts together.\n\nAs the Bodhisattva was surveying the scene she heard a splash and saw a hideous ogre leap out of the waves. He was\n\nNot really blue,\n\nNot really black,\n\nWith an evil face;\n\nNeither tall,\n\nNor short,\n\nBare legs and a muscular body.\n\nHis eyes flashed\n\nLike a pair of tortoise-shell lanterns;\n\nThe comers of his mouth were as sinister\n\nAs a butcher’s cauldron.\n\nProtruding fangs like swords,\n\nRed hair, matted and unkempt.\n\nHe roared like a clap of thunder,\n\nAnd ran across the waves with the speed of wind.\n\nThis ogre climbed up the bank with a pole in his hands to catch the Bodhisattva, but was stopped by Huian’s staff.\n\n“Don’t run away,” Huian shouted as the ogre advanced towards him. The battle that ensued between them was quite terrifying:\n\nMoksa with his iron club,\n\nUsing his divine powers to protect the Bodhisattva;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ogre with his demon-quelling pole\n\nDisplaying his valour for all be was worth.\n\nA pair of silver dragons dancing by the river;\n\nTwo holy monks in battle on the bank.\n\nThe one used his skill to control the River of Flowing Sands\n\nThe other had distinguished himself in protecting Guanyin.\n\nThe one could make the waves leap and roll,\n\nThe other could breathe out fogs and gales.\n\nWhen the waves leapt and rolled, Heaven and Earth were darkened;\n\nIn the fogs and gales, sun and moon were dimmed.\n\nThe demon-quelling pole\n\nWas like a white tiger coming down from the mountain;\n\nThe iron club\n\nWas like a crouching yellow dragon.\n\nWhen one goes into action\n\nIt beats the undergrowth to start the snakes;\n\nWhen the other lashes out,\n\nIt parts the pines to flush the sparrowhawks.\n\nThey fight till the sky goes dark\n\nAnd the stars twinkle.\n\nThen the mist rises,\n\nAnd earth and sky are dim.\n\nThe one has long been unrivalled in the Weak Waters;\n\nThe other has always been the hero of Vulture Peak."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the pair of them had fought several dozen rounds inconclusively the ogre blocked his opponent’s iron staff and asked, “Where are you from, monk, that you dare to take me on?”\n\n“I am Prince Moksa, the second son of the Pagoda-bearing Heavenly King Li,” the other replied. “I am also Huian the Novice. I am now protecting my teacher on her journey to the East to find the man who will fetch the scriptures. Which monster are you? How dare you stand in our way?” The ogre then realized who he was.\n\n“I remember,” he said, “you used to cultivate your conduct with Guanyin of the Southern Sea in the Purple Bamboo Grove. Why have you come here?”\n\n“Can’t you see my teacher standing there on the bank?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the ogre heard this he chanted “na-a-aw” several times to show his respect, withdrew his pole and let Moksa seize it. Then he bowed to Guanyin and said, “Forgive me, Bodhisattva, and listen to what I have to tell you. I am not a demon, but the Curtain Raising General who used to stand in attendance by the imperial chariot in the Hall of Miraculous Mist. Just because I accidentally smashed a crystal dish at a Peach Banquet the Jade Emperor had me given eight hundred strokes of the rod, exiled me to the lower world, and made me look like this. And on top of it all every seven days he sends a flying sword here to stab my chest over a hundred times before it goes back again. It’s agony. I get so unbearably cold and hungry that I have to emerge from the waves every two or three days to devour a traveler. I never thought that in my ignorance I would insult the merciful Bodhisattva today.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You were exiled here for a crime against Heaven, but now you are deepening your guilt by harming living beings. I am now going to the East on the Buddha’s orders to find the man who will fetch the scriptures. Why don’t you become one of us and ensure yourself good retribution in future by accompanying the pilgrim as a disciple and ascending to the Western Heaven to pay homage to the Buddha and seek the scriptures? I will see to it that the flying sword stops coming to pierce you, and when you are successful you will be forgiven your crimes and your old job will be given back to you. What do you think of that?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am willing to return to the truth,” the ogre replied, then went closer as he continued, “Bodhisattva, I have lost count of the number of people I have eaten here, and I have even devoured some pilgrims who were trying to fetch scriptures. I throw the heads of all my victims into the river, and they all sink to the bottom as not even goose-down will float on this water. But the skeletons of those nine pilgrims floated and would not sink. I was so impressed by this that I threaded them together with rope and play with them in my spare time. But I am afraid that the man who is to fetch the scriptures may not get this far, which would wreck my future.”\n\n“Of course he’ll get here,” the Bodhisattva replied. “You should hang those skeletons from your head and wait for him. They will come in useful.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case,” the ogre said, “I shall await your instructions.” The Bodhisattva then laid her hands on his head and administered the monastic rules to him, chose for him the surname Sha (“Sand”) and gave him the Buddhist name of Wujing (“Awakened to Purity”). Then he entered monkish life and took the Bodhisattva across the river. He washed his heart, cleansed his thoughts, and stopped killing living creatures. All he did now was to wait for the pilgrim who would come to fetch the scriptures.\n\nAfter leaving him the Bodhisattva and Huian hurried on towards the East. When they had been travelling for a long time they saw a high mountain veiled with an evil mist, and they were unable to climb it on foot. Just when they were intending to cross the mountain by cloud, a gale wind blew up and a monster suddenly appeared. He too was very menacing to behold:\n\nHis entrails hung from his mouth, rolled up and knotted;\n\nHis ears were like rush fans, his eyes shone gold.\n\nHis teeth were sharp as steel files,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His teeth were sharp as steel files,\n\nAnd when he opened his mouth it was like a brazier.\n\nHis golden helmet was tied firmly round his cheeks;\n\nHis armour, bound with a silken sash, was a python’s sloughed-off skin.\n\nIn his hands he held a nailed rake like a dragon’s claw,\n\nAt his waist hung a curved bow the shape of a half-moon.\n\nHis martial might overawed the Year Planet;\n\nHis overweening spirit threatened the heavenly gods.\n\nHe rushed upon them, and without a second thought smote at the Bodhisattva with his rake. Moksa the Novice parried his blow, and shouted at the top of his voice, “Remember your manners, damned monster, and watch out for my staff.”\n\n“Monk,” the other replied, “you don’t know how to keep yourself in one piece. Mind my rake!” At the foot of the mountain the pair of them rushed upon each other as they struggled for supremacy. It was a fine battle:\n\nThe fierce and murderous ogre;\n\nHuian, imposing and able.\n\nThe iron staff could pulverize the heart;\n\nThe rake struck at the face."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The rake struck at the face.\n\nThe dust thrown up darkened Heaven and Earth;\n\nThe flying sand and stones startled gods and ghouls.\n\nThe nine-toothed rake\n\nGleamed and flashed\n\nAs its pair of rings resounded;\n\nThe lone staff\n\nWas ominously black\n\nAs it whirled in its owner’s hands.\n\nOne was the heir of a Heavenly King,\n\nOne defended the Law on Potaraka Island.\n\nThe other was an evil fiend in a mountain cave.\n\nIn their battle for mastery,\n\nNone knew who the winner would be.\n\nJust when the fight was getting really good, Guanyin threw down a lotus flower from mid-air to separate the two weapons. The monster, shocked at the sight of it, asked, “Where are you from, monk? How dare you try to fool me with a ‘flower in front of the eyes?’”\n\n“I’ll get you, you stinking, flesh-eyed mortal,” replied Moksa. “I am a disciple of the Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea, and this lotus was thrown down by her. Don’t you know that?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“By the Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea do you mean Guanyin Who Eliminates the Three Calamities and Saves from the Eight Disasters?” the monster asked.\n\n“Who else could I mean?” retorted Moksa. The monster threw down his rake, bowed to him, and asked, “Where is the Bodhisattva, elder brother? May I trouble you to introduce me?” Moksa looked up and pointed.\n\n“There she is,” he said. The monster kowtowed to her and shouted in a shrill voice, “Forgive me, Bodhisattva, forgive me.” Guanyin brought her cloud down to earth, went over to him and asked, “Are you a wild boar become a devil or a pig turned monster? How dare you block my way?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m neither a wild boar nor a pig,” the monster replied. “I used to be Marshal Tian Peng in the Milky Way. Because I took some wine to seduce the moon maiden, the Jade Emperor sentenced me to two thousand hammer blows and exile in the mortal world. My spirit had to find a womb to occupy, but I lost my way and entered the womb of a sow. That’s why I look like this. I ate up my sow mother, drove all the other pigs away, and seized this mountain, where I keep myself by eating people. I never meant to offend you, Bodhisattva. Save me, save me, I beg you.”\n\n“What is this mountain called?” the Bodhisattva asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s called the Mount of Blessing, and the cave in it is called the Cloud Pathway Cave. Second Sister Luan, who used to live there, saw that I knew how to fight and asked me to be the head of her household as her husband, but she died within a year and all her property became mine. As the days lengthened into years I found that I had no way of supporting myself, so I had to eat people to keep myself going as I had done before. Forgive me my sins, I beg of you, Bodhisattva.”\n\n“There is an old saying,” the Bodhisattva replied, “that goes, ‘If you want to have a future, don’t do anything with no future in it?’ You broke the law in the upper world, and since then your vicious nature has not been reformed. You have further sinned by taking life, so this surely means that you will be doubly punished.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Future!” said the monster angrily. “According to you I should have lived on air! As the saying goes, ‘By the government’s law you’re beaten to death, and by the Buddha’s law you starve to death.’ Clear off! Clear off! If you don’t I’ll capture this pilgrim and eat this plump and tender old woman. I don’t give a hoot if it’s double sinning, triple sinning, or sinning a thousand or ten thousand times over.”\n\n”‘If a man wishes to be good, Heaven will certainly allow him to be,’” said the Bodhisattva. “If you are prepared to submit to the truth, there are of course, ways to feed yourself. There are the five kinds of food-grains, and they are sufficient to assuage hunger, so why eat people to keep alive?”\n\nWhen the monster heard these words it was as if he awoke from a dream, and he said to the Bodhisattva, “I would love to reform, but isn’t it true that ‘a sinner against Heaven has nowhere to pray to?’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m going to the East on the orders of the Buddha to find the man who will fetch the scriptures,” she replied. “You can be a disciple of his and make this journey to the Western Heaven; thus you will gain merit and atone for your crimes, and I will see to it that you are freed from disaster.”\n\n“I’ll go with him, I’ll go with him,” the monster said over and over again. The Bodhisattva then laid her hands on his head and he accepted the monastic rules. She gave him the surname Zhu (“Pig”) because of his appearance, and gave him the Buddhist name Zhu Wuneng (“Pig Awakened to Power”). She ordered him to adhere to the truth and eat only vegetarian food, cutting out the five pungent vegetables as well as the three forbidden things; wild goose, dog and fish. He was now to wait single-mindedly for the pilgrim who would come to fetch the scriptures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva and Moksa then took their leave of the Pig Awakened to Power and continued on their way by low-altitude cloud. As they were travelling along they heard a jade dragon call to them in mid-air.\n\n“Which dragon are you?” the Bodhisattva asked as she went up to him. “And why are you undergoing punishment here?”\n\n“I am the son of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the Western Sea. Because I burnt up the bright pearls in the palace, my father reported me to the court of Heaven as a rebel. The Jade Emperor had me hung up in mid-air and given three hundred strokes, and I am to be executed any day now. I beg you to save me, Bodhisattva.”\n\nWhen she heard his plea the Bodhisattva went in through the Southern Gates of Heaven with Moksa. Here they were met by the Heavenly Teachers Qiu and Zhang, who asked them, “Where are you going?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I would like an audience with the Jade Emperor.” The two Heavenly Teachers hurried in to announce her, and the Jade Emperor came out of his palace to receive her. The Bodhisattva went forward to greet him and said, “On my way to the East on the orders of the Buddha to find the man to fetch the scriptures, I met a wicked dragon suspended in mid-air.. I have come here especially to ask you to spare his life and give him to me so that I can teach him to serve the pilgrim with his legs.” On hearing this the Jade Emperor issued a decree pardoning him, and he sent a heavenly general to release him and give him to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva thanked him for his generosity and left. The young dragon kowtowed to show how grateful he was for having his life spared, and he obediently did what the Bodhisattva told him to. She took him to a deep ravine, where he was to wait until the pilgrim came. When that happened he was to turn into a white horse and achieve merit by going to the Western Heaven. On receiving his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "by going to the Western Heaven. On receiving his orders the young dragon hid himself."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva led Moksa the Novice across this mountain, and they hurried on towards the East. Before they had gone much further they suddenly saw ten thousand beams of golden light and a thousand wisps of propitious vapour.\n\n“Teacher,” said Moksa, “the place where all the light is coming from is the Five Elements Mountain, where the Tathagata’s restriction order is posted.”\n\n“This must be cause that Great Sage Equaling Heaven who wrecked the Peach Banquet and threw the Heavenly Palace into chaos is imprisoned there.”\n\n“That’s right,” Moksa replied, and teacher and pupil climbed the mountain together to look at the paper. On it were written the true words Om mani padme bum, and when the Bodhisattva saw them she sighed deeply and composed a poem that went:\n\n“Pity the evil monkey who did not obey the lord\n\nIn his arrogance he showed off his valour in the old days,\n\nIn his folly he wrecked the Peach Banquet,\n\nAnd he had the effrontery to sin in the Tushita Palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the army of a hundred thousand there was none to match him;\n\nHis might was felt above the ninefold heavens.\n\nBut now he has been caught by our Tathagata, the Buddha:\n\nWill he ever be able to unleash his talents and win more glory?”\n\nThe conversation between teacher and disciple had disturbed the Great Sage, who shouted from under the roots of the mountain, “Who’s that up there?” When she heard this the Bodhisattva hurried down the mountain to visit him. At the foot of the mountainside the local gods, the mountain gods and the heavenly generals who were guarding the Great Sage all bowed to the Bodhisattva in greeting and took her to the Great Sage. She saw that he was pressed down inside a stone box, so that he could speak but could not move his body."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Monkey,” the Bodhisattva said, “do you know who I am?” The Great Sage opened wide his fiery eyes with their golden pupils, nodded his head and shouted at the top of his voice, “Of course I recognize you. You, thank goodness, are the All-Compassionate. All-Merciful Deliverer from Suffering, the Bodhisattva Guanyin from Potaraka Island in the Southern Sea. You’re a very welcome visitor. Every day here seems like a year, and nobody I know has ever come to see me. Where have you come from?”\n\n“I have received a mandate from the Buddha to go to the East and find the man who will fetch the scriptures,” she replied, “and as I was passing this way I decided to come over and see you.”\n\n“The Buddha fooled me and crushed me under this mountain—I haven’t been able to stretch myself for five hundred years. I desperately hope that you will be obliging enough to rescue me, Bodhisattva.”\n\n“You wretch,” she replied, “you have such an appalling criminal record that I’m afraid you’d only make more trouble if I got you out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have already repented,” he said, “and hope that you will show me the road I should follow. I want to cultivate my conduct.” Indeed:\n\nWhen an idea is born in a man’s mind\n\nIt is known throughout Heaven and Earth.\n\nIf good and evil are not rewarded and punished\n\nThe world is bound to go to the bad.\n\nThe Bodhisattva was delighted to hear what he had to say.\n\n“The sacred scriptures say,” she replied, ‘“If one’s words are good, they will meet with a response from even a thousand miles away; if they are bad, they will be opposed from the same distance.’ If this is your state of mind, then wait while I go to the East to find the man who will fetch the scriptures; I’ll tell him to rescue you. You can be his disciple, observe and uphold the faith, enter our Buddha’s religion, and cultivate good retribution for yourself in the future. What do you say to that?”\n\n“I’ll go, I’ll go,” the Great Sage repeated over and over again.\n\n“As you have reformed,” she said, “I’ll give you a Buddhist name.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve already got a name. It’s Sun Wukong.” The Bodhisattva, very pleased, said, “I made two converts earlier, and their names both contained Wu (‘Awakened’). There’s no need to give you any further instructions, so I’ll be off.” The Great Sage, now aware of his own Buddha-nature, was converted to the Buddha’s religion; and the Bodhisattva devotedly continued her search for a saintly monk."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After leaving that place she and Huian carried straight on to the East, and before long they reached Chang’an, the capital of the Great Tang. Putting away their mists and clouds, teacher and pupil turned themselves into a pair of scabby itinerant monks and went inside the city of Chang’an. It was already dark, and beside the great market street they saw a shrine to a local tutelary god and went in. The local god was thrown into confusion at the sight of them, and the devil soldiers quaked with terror; they knew that she was a Bodhisattva, and kowtowed to her in greeting. The local god then scurried off to tell the City God, the Lord of the Alter, and the gods of all the other shrines in Chang’an. When they knew that the Bodhisattva had come they all went to report to her and said, “Bodhisattva, please forgive us for our crime in being late to welcome you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You mustn’t let a whisper of this get out,” she said. “I have come here on a decree from the Buddha to find someone to fetch the scriptures. I shall be borrowing your temple for a few days while I find this true monk, and then I shall go back.” All the gods returned to their own shrines, and they took the local god to stay in the temple of the City God. Teacher and disciple disguised their true appearances. If you don’t know whom they found to fetch the scriptures, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Nine\n\nChen Guangrui Comes to Grief on His Way to His Post\n\nThe Monk of the River Current Avenges His Parents"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story goes on to tell that Chang’an city in the great land of Shaanxi had been a place where emperors and kings had made their capitals for generation after generation. Ever since the Zhou, Qin and Han dynasties, the Three Prefectures had been as rich as brocade, and the eight rivers had flowed round its walls. It was indeed a famous country. At that time Emperor Taizong of the Great Tang was on the throne. He had changed the name of the reign-period to Zhenguan, and had been reigning for thirteen years. The year was ji si and the world was at peace; tribute was being sent in from the eight directions, and all within the four seas acknowledged themselves as subjects."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One day Taizong took his seat on the throne and assembled all his military and civilian officials. When they had finished making their greetings, the minister Wei Zheng came forward from the ranks of officials and memorialized, “As the world is now at peace and the eight directions are calm, an examination should be held in accordance with the practice of the ancients. Thus we could recruit wise scholars and select men of talent to help with our civilizing mission.”\n\n“The suggestion of our wise minister is right,” said the Emperor, and notices inviting worthy men to compete in the examinations were posted throughout the empire. All the Confucian scholars on the civil or military rolls in every prefecture, district and county who had distinguished themselves in the three-stage examinations for their understanding of literature were to go to Chang’an for a final test."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When this notice reached the district of Haizhou it was seen by a man called Chen E, whose courtesy name was Guangrui. He returned home and said to Madame Zhang, his mother, “The court has issued a yellow notice saying that the Chancellery will be opened for an examination to select men of wisdom and talent. Your child wants to go and take part. If I am given an official post it will bring me fame and make our family illustrious; my wife will be given a title, my sons will be given preferential treatment; and it will bring glory to our house. Such is my ambition; and I have come to tell you, mother, that I am going.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You are a scholar, my son,” his mother replied, “and it is right that ‘one who studies when young should travel when grown up’. But do take care on the journey to the examinations, and if you are given office, come back home as soon as you can.” Chen Guangrui then ordered his servants to get his luggage together, took his leave of his mother, and started off on his journey. When he reached Chang’an the examination grounds were open and he went in. Having been successful in this examination, he went to the palace for the three questions test. The Tang Emperor personally awarded him the first place, and he was paraded round the streets on horseback for three days."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It happened that just when the procession was passing the gateway of the minister Yin Kaishan, the minister’s unmarried daughter Wenqiao, whose other name was Man-tang-qiao (Beauty Throughout the Hall), was making decorations for the house and throwing an embroidered ball to see who her future husband would be. When Chen Guangrui passed below she saw at once that he was exceptionally handsome, and she knew that he had come first in the recent examinations. She was thoroughly taken with him, and when she dropped her embroidered ball it landed squarely on his black hat. To the sound of pipes and flutes a dozen or so maidservants and serving women hurried downstairs to take hold of the head of Chen Guangrui’s horse and invite him into the minister’s mansion to marry his daughter. The minister and his wife came into the main hall, and when they had called for a master of ceremonies they married their daughter to Guangrui. When bride and groom had bowed to Heaven, Earth and each other they both bowed to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Earth and each other they both bowed to the bride’s father and mother. The minister ordered a banquet, and there was a night of drinking and celebration. The bride and groom went hand in hand into the bridal chamber."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the third quarter of the fifth watch the next morning Emperor Taizong took his throne in the Golden Chariot Hall, and the civil and military officials came to court.\n\n“What office should Chen Guangrui who came top in the examinations be given?” the Emperor asked, and the minister Wei Zheng replied, “Your subject has gone through the list of the prefectures and commanderies, and found that the district of Jiangzhou needs a prefect. I beg Your Majesty to give him this office.” The Emperor therefore appointed him prefect of Jiangzhou and ordered him to pack his belongings and set off as he had to be there by a set date. Chen Guangrui thanked the Emperor for his grace and withdrew. He went back to the minister’s mansion and consulted his wife, then he took his leave of his parents-in-law and set off together with her for his post in Jiangzhou."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was late spring as they left Chang’an at the start of their journey. Warm breezes were coaxing the willows into green, and light rain was touching the blossoms with red. Chen Guangrui was able to call at his own home on the way, so he and his bride could pay their respects to his mother, Madame Zhang.\n\n“Congratulations, my son,” she said. “And you have brought a bride back with you too.”\n\n“Thanks to my mother’s blessings, your son was placed first in the examinations,” he replied, “and given a parade through the streets on His Majesty’s orders. As I was passing the gateway of minister Yin’s residence, I happened to be hit by an embroidered ball, and the minister was kind enough to give me his daughter’s hand. The court has appointed me prefect of Jiangzhou, so I have come to fetch you, mother, and take you with me to my post.” Madame Zhang was overjoyed, and she packed her luggage and traveled with them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One night, after they had been on the road for several days, they put up at the Liu the Second’s Ten Thousand Flowers Inn, where Madame Zhang was suddenly taken ill.\n\n“As I’m not feeling well,” she said to her son, “I’d better stay in this inn for a couple of days to get over it before going on.” Chen Guangrui accepted her suggestion. The next morning he saw a man selling a golden-coloured carp in front of the inn and brought it from him for a string of copper coins, intending to have it lightly fried for his mother. Then he noticed it blinking.\n\n“It’s said that if a fish or a snake blinks it is no ordinary creature,” he thought. He asked the fisherman where he had caught it.\n\n“In the Hongjiang River, five miles from the prefectural capital,” the fisherman replied. Chen Guangrui had the fish taken back to the Hongjiang River to be released there, then went back to the inn to tell his mother about what had happened."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It is good to release living things,” his mother said, “and I am very pleased.” Then Chen Guangrui said, “We have been at this inn for three days, and the time limit set for me is a tight one, so I must be on my way tomorrow morning. Are you well enough yet, mother?”\n\n“I’m still poorly,” his mother replied, “and it’s so hot to travel now that I’m afraid it might make me seriously ill. You had better take a couple of rooms for me and leave me some money; I’ll stay here for the time being. You two can go on ahead to your post. Come back to fetch me in the autumn when it’s cooler.” Having discussed it with his wife he rented a wing for her and gave her some money, then they took their leave of her and set off."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was a hard journey, setting off every day at dawn and not stopping till nightfall, and before they realized it they reached the ford over the Hongjiang Estuary. They saw two boatmen, Liu Hong and Li Biao, punt their ferry to the bank for them. This was the disaster, these were the enemies, that Chen Guangrui had been fated to meet ever since before he was born. He told his servant to put the luggage on board, while he and his wife climbed sedately into the boat. Liu Hong stared at Miss Yin, and saw that her face was like a full moon, her eyes like autumn waves, her tiny mouth like a cherry, and her waist as supple as a willow; her charms would have made fishes sink and wild geese fall from the sky, and her beauty put moon and flowers to shame. Evil thoughts surged up in him, and he conspired with Li Biao to punt the boat to a misty and deserted place and wait till the middle of the night, when they killed first the servant and then Chen Guangrui. They pushed both the corpses into the river and went away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the young lady saw her husband killed she tried to fling herself into the water, but Liu Hong put his arms round her and said, “If you come with me, you’ll be all right; but if you don’t, I’ll cut you in half.” Unable to think of any other way out, the young lady had to agree to stay with Liu Hong for the time being at least. The murderer took the boat across to the Southern bank and gave it to Li Biao. Then he dressed up in Chen Guangrui’s clothes and, armed with the dead man’s credentials, went with the young lady to take up his post in Jiangzhou.\n\nThe corpse of the murdered servant floated with the current, but Chen Guangrui’s body sank straight to the bottom and did not move. A patrolling yaksha demon stationed at the Hongjiang Estuary saw him and rushed straight back to the dragon palace to report. He arrived just as the dragon king was entering the throne-hall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Someone has murdered a learned gentleman at the Hongjiang Estuary, and thrown the body into the bed of the river,” he reported. The dragon king had the body brought in and laid in front of him. After examining it carefully he said, “This is the benefactor who saved my life: why has he been murdered? As the saying goes, ‘Always repay a kindness’. I must save his life today to repay him for the favour he did me in the past.” He wrote a memorandum and sent a yaksha with it to the city god and local god of Hongzhou asking for the scholar’s soul so that he could save his life. The city god and the local god told a junior devil to give Chen Guangrui’s soul to the yaksha, who took it back to the palace of crystal and reported to the dragon king.\n\n“What is your name, scholar?” asked the dragon king. “Where are you from? What brought you here, and why were you killed?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chen Guangrui bowed to him and replied, “My name is Chen E and my courtesy name is Guangrui. I come from Hongnong County in Haizhou Prefecture. I was given first place in the recent examinations, and was on my way with my wife to take up my post as prefect of Jiangzhou when we boarded a ferry at the bank of this river. The boatman Liu Hong lusted after my wife, so he killed me and threw me overboard. I beg you to save me, Your Majesty.”\n\n“So that’s how things stand,” said the dragon king. “I am the golden carp you released. You saved me then, so I must help you now that you are in trouble.” He had Guangrui’s body placed beside a wall and put a “Face Preserving Pearl” in its mouth to stop it from decomposing so that the soul could be returned to it in future for him to obtain his revenge. “As you are now a true soul, you shall stay in my palace for the time being as a commander,” the dragon king added. Chen Guangrui kowtowed in thanks, and the dragon king gave a banquet to welcome him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Miss Yin’s hatred for the villainous Liu Hong was such that she wished she could eat his flesh and spread his flayed hide on her bed, but as she was pregnant and the child had not yet been born she had to force herself to go with him. In the twinkling of an eye they reached Jiangzhou. The clerks and constables all turned out to welcome him, and the subordinate officials in the prefecture gave a banquet for him in the main hall of his office.\n\n“Now that I, your student, have come here, I shall be entirely dependent on the support of all you gentlemen,” said Liu Hong.\n\n“Your honour is a great genius,” the officials replied, “and you will naturally treat the people as your own children, thus cutting down litigation and making punishment unnecessary. We will all be able to rely on you—your excessive modesty is uncalled for.” When the banquet was over they all went away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Time flew by. One day, when Liu Hong was far away on official business, the young lady was in a summerhouse in the official residence sighing sadly as she thought of her mother-in-law and her husband. Suddenly she felt weak and her belly started to ache. She fell to the ground unconscious, and before she knew it she gave birth to a son. She heard a voice in her ear saying, “Man-tang-qiao, you must do as I tell you. I am the Lord of the Southern Pole Star, and I have come to give you this son on the orders of the Bodhisattva Guanyin. One day he will be extraordinarily famous. When the villainous Liu comes back he will certainly want to kill this boy, so you must look after him with great care. Your husband has been rescued by the dragon king; one day you will be reunited with him and your son, and your sufferings will be at an end. Remember my words. Wake up, wake up!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the young lady came to she remembered every word he had spoken, but as she wrapped the baby tight in swaddling clothes, she could not think what to do. When Liu Hong came back he wanted to drown the child the moment he saw him, but the young lady said, “It’s already dark: we can throw him in the river tomorrow.”\n\nFortunately Liu Hong had to go a long way away on urgent business the next day."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I wait till that villain returns my son will be killed,” thought the young lady, “so the best thing would be to abandon him in the river as soon as possible and let fate determine whether he is to live or do die. If Heaven is merciful someone will rescue the boy and bring him up, and we shall be reunited one day.” Then, worrying that she might not be able to recognize him, she bit open her finger and wrote a letter in blood giving a full account of his parentage and background. Then she bit off the little toe of the child’s left foot to be an identifying mark, wrapped him up in one of her own shifts, and carried him out of the official residence when nobody was looking. Luckily the residence was not far from the river bank. When she reached it she wept for a while and was just going to throw him in when she noticed a board floating beside the bank. The young lady bowed to Heaven in her gratitude and tied the child to the board with her sash, placing the blood letter next to his chest. Then she pushed him"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "letter next to his chest. Then she pushed him out into the stream to go where he would and returned to the yamen in tears."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The boy floated downstream on the plank until he came to a stop under the Jinshan Temple. The abbot of this temple was a monk called Faming who by cultivating the Truth and being awakened to the Way had found the secret of avoiding rebirth. As he was sitting at his meditation he heard a baby crying, and he hurried anxiously down to the riverside to look. He saw a baby lying on a board beside the bank, and got him out of the water as quickly as he could. When he read the letter written in blood that was on the baby’s chest he knew why he was there. He gave the child the milk-name Jiangliu, “River Current,” and arranged for him to be fostered. The letter in blood he put away in a very safe place. Time passed like an arrow, and the days and months moved as fast as a shuttle. When Jiangliu reached the age of seventeen the abbot told him to have his head tonsured and enter the religious life. Giving him the Buddhist name Xuanzang he laid his hands upon his head and instructed him to observe the monastic"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "head and instructed him to observe the monastic discipline. Xuanzang was determined to cultivate the Way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One day in late spring the whole community gathered under the shade of some pine trees to expound the scriptures, meditate and discuss the inner mysteries. A bibulous, meat-eating monk who had been confounded in a disputation by Xuanzang lost his temper and started to abuse him: “You animal, you don’t know your own surname or who your parents were. Don’t try any of your clever tricks here.” Stung by this abuse, Xuanzang went into the temple and knelt before his teacher with tears streaming from his eyes.\n\n“All men who are born between Heaven and Earth, and who are endowed with the Positive, the Negative, and the Five Elements—all are begotten by a father and reared by a mother,” he said. “How can there be any man alive who never had father and mother?” He begged over and over again to know his parents’ names."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you really wish to find out about your father and mother, come with me into my cell,” said the abbot, and they went there together. The abbot lifted down a little box from on top of a massive beam, opened it, took out a letter written in blood and a shift, and gave them to Xuanzang, who unfolded the letter and read it. At last he learned about his parents and the wrongs they had suffered.\n\nWhen he had read it he collapsed, weeping and crying out, “How can I be a man if I don’t avenge my father and mother? For seventeen years I haven’t known my own parents, but now I know that I have a mother. I would not be alive today, teacher, had you not rescued me and brought me up. Please allow me to go and see my mother, then I will put an incense-burner on my head and rebuild the temple to repay the great kindness you have shown me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you want to go and look for your mother you had better take the letter written in blood and the shift with you. If you go to the private residence of the prefect of Jiangzhou you will be able to see your mother.”\n\nXuanzang did as his teacher had said and went to Jiangzhou as a mendicant monk. It happened that Liu Hong was away on business, and as Heaven had arranged for mother and son to meet, Xuanzang went straight to the gateway of the residence to beg for alms. Miss Yin had dreamt the previous night of the moon being eclipsed and then coming back to its full roundness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have never heard from my mother-in-law,” she thought, “and my husband was murdered by that evil man. My son was abandoned on the river, and if he was rescued and brought up, he would be seventeen now. Who knows, perhaps Heaven is going to make us meet today.” As she was deep in her reflections she heard someone chanting scriptures and calling for alms in front of her home, so she thought she would go out and ask him where he had come from, and he replied, “I am a disciple of Abbot Faming of the Jinshan Temple.”\n\n“A disciple of Abbot Faming of the Jinshan Temple, are you?” she said. She asked him in and gave him a vegetarian meal while observing closely the way he moved and talked.\n\nHe seemed very much like her husband, so she sent the servants away and asked, “Tell me, young teacher, have you been a monk since childhood or did you become one later in life? What is your name? Do you have a mother and father?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I did not become a monk when I was a child nor when I was older,” he replied. “I must tell you that I bear a hatred as deep as the sea because of a terrible wrong. My father was murdered and my mother carried off by an evil man. The Abbot Faming, my teacher, told me to come and find my mother in the residence of the prefect of Jiangzhou.”\n\n“What is your mother’s name?” she asked.\n\n“My mother’s name is Yin Wenqiao,” he replied. “My father was called Chen Guangrui. My milk-name was Jiangliu, and my Buddhist name is Xuanzang.”\n\n“I am Yin Wenqiao,” she said, then added, “Have you any proof?” When he learned that she was his mother, Xuanzang fell to his knees and wept aloud.\n\n“Mother,” he said, “if you don’t believe me, then look at this evidence—the blood letter and the shift.” As soon as she saw that they were the real ones, she and her son embraced each other and wept.\n\nThen she said, “Go away at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then she said, “Go away at once.”\n\n“I can’t possibly leave you, mother, on the very day I’ve seen you after seventeen years of not even knowing who my parents were,” he said.\n\n“My child, you must go away as fast as you can,” she replied. “The evil Liu will certainly kill you if he comes back. Tomorrow I’ll pretend to be ill and say that I once made a vow to donate a hundred pairs of monks’ shoes. I’ll come to your temple to fulfil the vow, and I’ll talk to you then.” Xuanzang obediently bowed to her and left.\n\nNow that she had seen her son Miss Yin was both anxious and happy. One day she said that she was ill, and she lay in her bed refusing food and tea. When Liu Hong came back and asked what was the matter she said, “When I was young I once vowed that I would donate a hundred pairs of monks’ shoes. Five days ago I dreamt that a monk came with a sharp sword in his hand to demand the shoes, and since then I haven’t been feeling well.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s easily done,” said Liu Hong. “Why didn’t you mention it before?” He took his place in the official hall and gave instructions to yamen assistants Wang and Li that every household living in the city of Jiangzhou was to make a pair of monk’s shoes and hand them in within five days.\n\nWhen the common people had handed all the shoes in, Miss Yin said to Liu Hong, “Now that the shoes have been made, what temples are there here to which I can take them to fulfil my vow?”\n\n“In Jiangzhou we have the Jinshan Temple and the Jiaoshan Temple; you can go to whichever of them you prefer,” replied Liu Hong.\n\n“I’ve long heard that the Jinshan Temple is a good one, so I’ll go there,” she said. Liu Hong told the yamen assistants Wang and Li to arrange a boat. Miss Yin went aboard with a trusted servant, the boatman pushed off, and they headed for the Jinshan Temple."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On his return to the temple Xuanzang gave Abbot Faming a full account of what had happened. The abbot was delighted. The next day a maid arrived at the temple to say that her mistress was coining to repay a vow, and all the monks came out to welcome her. When Miss Yin came into the temple she prayed to the Bodhisattva, offered a rich meal to the monks with a donation of money to each of them, and told her maid to put the shoes and the summer socks into the offertory tray. She then went into the Buddha-hall and worshipped with great devotion. When she told him to, Abbot Faming went away to distribute the gifts to the monks. Xuanzang saw that all the other monks had gone and that there was nobody else in the Buddha-hall, so he went up to his mother and knelt down. She told him to take off his shoes and socks and saw that one toe was indeed missing from his left foot. The pair of them hugged each other and cried again, then they bowed to the abbot to thank him for his kindness in bringing the boy up."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m worried that the villain may get to know of your reunion,” said the abbot, “so you had better go back as quickly as you can to avoid trouble.”\n\n“My son,” said Miss Yin, “I shall give you a sandalwood bracelet. You must go to a place called the Ten Thousand Flowers Inn to the Northwest of Hongzhou, which is about five hundred miles from here, where we left Madame Zhang, your paternal grandmother. I shall also write you a letter that you must take to the house of the minister Yin Kaishan which lies to the left of the palace inside the capital city of the Tang Emperor. He is my father. Give him this letter and ask him to submit a memorial to the Tang Emperor asking him to send horse and foot to capture or kill that bandit. Then your father will be avenged and your mother will be rescued. I must stay no longer as I am afraid that evil man may be suspicious if I am late back.” She left the temple and went back in her boat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xuanzang returned to the temple in tears and told the abbot that he was leaving at once for Hongzhou. When he reached the Ten Thousand Flowers Inn he said to the innkeeper Liu the Second, “How is the mother of Prefect Chen of Jiangzhou who is staying in your inn?”\n\n“She used to stay here,” replied the innkeeper. “She went blind, and as she didn’t pay any rent for three or four years, she now lives in a ruined tile-kiln near the Southern gate and begs in the streets every day to keep herself alive. That official went away a very long time ago and she hasn’t heard from him to this day, though I don’t know why.” On learning this he asked the way to the ruined tile-kiln at the Southern gate and found his grandmother.\n\n“You sound like my son Chen Guangrui,” said his grandmother.\n\n“I’m not Chen Guangrui, I’m his son. My mother is Miss Yin Wenqiao.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why have your father and mother not come?” she asked; and he replied, “My father was murdered by a brigand and my mother was forced to become his wife. I have a letter here and a sandalwood bracelet from my mother.” His grandmother took the letter and the bracelet, and sobbed aloud. “My son came here for the sake of fame and glory. I thought that he had forgotten all feelings of decency and gratitude; it never occurred to me that he might have been murdered. What a blessing that Heaven in its mercy did not cut short my son’s line, so that I now have a grandson to come and find me.”\n\n“How did you go blind, granny?” asked Xuanzang.\n\n“I was always thinking of your father and longing for him to come back every day,” she said, “but as he never did I wept so much that! lost the sight of both my eyes.” Xuanzang fell to his knees and prayed to Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Although I am seventeen,” he said, “I have been unable to avenge my parents. Today I have come on my mother’s orders and found my grandmother; if Heaven is at all moved by my sincerity, may my granny’s eyes see again.” When he had prayed, he licked her eyes with the tip of his tongue. The licking soon opened them, and they could see once more.\n\nHis grandmother looked at the little monk with a mixture of joy and sadness and said, “You really are my grandson—you’re the very image of my son Guangrui.” Xuanzang took her out of the kiln and reinstalled her in Liu the Second’s inn, where he rented a room for her, gave her some money to live on, and told her that he would be back within a month.\n\nTaking his leave of his grandmother, he went straight on to the capital, where he found Minister Yin’s house in the Eastern Avenue of the imperial city. “I am a relation of the minister’s,” he said to the gate-keeper, “and I would like to see him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the gate-keeper reported this to the minister, he said, “I am no relation of any monk.” But his wife said, “I had a dream last night that our daughter Man-tang-qiao came home; perhaps he has a letter from our son-in-law.”\n\nThe minister had the young monk brought into the main hall, and when the monk saw the minister and his wife he wept and bowed to the floor before them, then took an envelope out of his bosom and handed it to the minister. The minister opened the letter and read it through, then wailed aloud.\n\n“What’s the matter, my lord?” asked his wife, and the minister replied, “This monk is our grandson. Our son-in-law Chen Guangrui was murdered by a brigand, who forced Man-tang-qiao to become his wife.” His wife too began to weep bitterly when she heard this news.\n\n“Try not to upset yourself, wife,” said the minister. “I shall ask our sovereign at court tomorrow morning to be allowed to lead an army myself. I shall certainly avenge our son-in-law.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The minister went to court the next day and wrote in a memorial to the Tang Emperor: “Your subject’s son-in-law, the top graduate Chen Guangrui, was murdered by the boatman Liu Hong while going with his family to take up his office in Jiangzhou, and my daughter was forced to become his wife. This Liu Hong has usurped office for many years by masquerading as my son-in-law. This constitutes treason. I beg Your Majesty to dispatch horse and foot at once to destroy this rebellious brigand.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Emperor was so angry when he read this that he ordered Minister Yin to set off at the head of sixty thousand men of the Imperial Guard. The minister left the court with the decree and went to the parade ground to muster the soldiers before setting out for Jiangzhou. By setting out at dawn every day and not stopping till night, they traveled as fast as a shooting star or a flying bird, and before they realized it they had reached Jiangzhou, where Minister Yin’s army camped on the Northern bank. That night he sent a messenger with a gold-inscribed tablet to summon the deputy prefect and district judge of Jiangzhou. Minister Tin explained the situation to them and told them to call out their troops to help him. They crossed the river together, and surrounded Liu Hong’s yamen before dawn. Liu Hong, who was still in his dreams, heard the sound of cannon and the beating of drums and gongs; when the soldiers rushed his residence he was helpless and soon captured. The minister ordered that Liu Hong and his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The minister ordered that Liu Hong and his gang should be tied up and taken to the execution ground, while the army was to encamp outside the city walls."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The minister went into the main hall of the yamen and asked his daughter to come out and see him. His daughter, who had been longing to go out, felt too ashamed to face her father and so was on the point of hanging herself.\n\nWhen Xuanzang learned of this he went as fast as he could to save her, fell on his knees, and said, “Your son and my grandfather have come here with an army to avenge my father. That brigand has been arrested, so there is no need at all for you to kill yourself. If you die mother, I won’t be able to stay alive.” The minister too came into the residence to talk her out of it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They say that a woman should only have one husband in her life,” she said to them. “I was bitterly grieved at the death of my husband at that brigand’s hands, and could not bear the disgrace of marrying his murderer; but as I was carrying my husband’s child I had to swallow the shame of staying alive. Now, thank goodness, my son has grown up and my father has brought an army to avenge my husband but how could I have the face to see you. The only way I can make up for it to my husband is to kill myself.”\n\n“My child,” said the minister, “this was not a case of abandoning morality for the sake of material gain. You acted under duress, and did nothing to be ashamed of.” Father and daughter then embraced each other and wept, while Xuanzang sobbed too. “There is no need for the two of you to be so distressed,” said the minister, wiping away his tears. “Today I have captured our enemy, that rebel, and now I must deal with him.” He got up and went to the execution ground."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As it happened, the assistant prefect of Jiangzhou had sent constables to arrest the other pirate, Li Biao, and they brought him in. The minister was very pleased, and he ordered that Liu Hong and Li Biao were to be put under a close guard. They were each given a hundred strokes of the heavy pole, and statements were taken from them about how and why they had committed the wicked murder of Chen Guangrui. Then Li Biao was nailed on a wooden donkey and pushed to the market-place, where he was sliced into a thousand pieces, after which his head was hung up on public display. Liu Hong was taken to the Hongjiang Estuary where he had murdered Chen Guangrui. The minister, his daughter and Xuanzang went to the riverside, where they made offerings and libations to the emptiness and cut out Liu Hong’s heart and liver while he was still alive to sacrifice to Chen Guangrui. They also burnt a funerary address."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The bitter lamentations of the three of them startled the underwater palace. A patrolling yaksha demon handed the funerary address to the dragon king. When he had read it, the dragon king sent Marshal Turtle to ask Chen Guangrui to come and see him.\n\n“Congratulations, sir, congratulations,” said the dragon king. “Your lady, your son and your father-in-law are all sacrificing to you on the bank. I shall now return your soul to you and give you an As-You-Will pearl, two rolling pearls, ten pieces of mermaid silk, and a belt of jade studded with pearls. Today you will be reunited with you wife, your son and your mother.” Chen Guangrui bowed to him over and over again to express his gratitude. The dragon king then told a yaksha to take Chen Guangrui’s body out to the estuary, where he was to return the soul to it; and the yaksha obediently went off."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When she had wailed for her husband and sacrificed to him, Miss Tin tried to jump into the water to drown herself, but with a desperate effort Xuanzang managed to keep hold of her. Just at this tense moment they saw a corpse floating towards the bank. Miss Yin, rushing forward to see who it was, recognized it as that of her husband and started a great wailing. Everyone else had now come up to look, and they saw Chen Guangrui open his fist and stretch his foot as his body gradually began to move. Suddenly he sat up, to their great astonishment. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was his wife, his father-in-law and the young monk all weeping beside him.\n\n“What are you all doing here?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What are you all doing here?” he asked.\n\n“After you were killed I gave birth to this son,” replied his wife, “and by a piece of good fortune he was brought up by the abbot of the Jinshan Temple. When he came to find me I sent him to see my father; and when my father knew what had happened he submitted a memorial at court and brought an army here to arrest your murderer, whose heart and liver we have just plucked from his living body to sacrifice to you. But how is it that your soul has been returned to you, husband?”\n\n“It is all because we bought and released that golden carp when we were staying at the Ten Thousand Flowers Inn: the carp, it turned out, was the local dragon king. When that treasonous murderer pushed me into the water I was rescued by the dragon king, who has given me back my soul and presented me with all the treasures I have on me. I never had any idea that you had borne this son, or that my father-in-law had avenged me. Our sorrows are now at an end. This is a very happy moment indeed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the other officials heard what had happened they all came to offer their congratulations, and the minister gave a banquet to thank all his subordinates. The army set off on its return journey that same day. When they reached the Ten Thousand Flowers Inn the minister ordered them to encamp while Guangrui and Xuanzang went to the inn to find the old lady. The night before she had dreamt of a withered tree blossoming again while magpies made a clamorous din behind the building.\n\n“Perhaps my grandson has come,” she thought, and while the words were still in her mind she saw Guangrui and his son at the gate of the inn."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Isn’t this my grandmother?” said the little monk; and the moment Guangrui saw his aged mother he kowtowed to her. Mother and son embraced in tears; then he told her all about what had happened. The innkeeper’s account was presented and settled, and then they set off for the capital. When they reached the minister’s residence, Guangrui, his wife, his mother and Xuanzang all went in to see the minister’s wife, who was overcome with joy and told the servants to lay on a large banquet to celebrate.\n\n“We can call today’s banquet a ‘reunion banquet,’” said the minister, and the whole household was indeed happy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Tang Emperor entered the throne hall early the next morning, Minister Yin stepped forward and submitted a memorial giving a detailed account of what had happened, and recommending Chen Guangrui as a man whose talents could be put to great use. The Tang Emperor approved the memorial and ordered that Chen Guangrui should be appointed a Scholar in order to take part in administration at court. As Xuanzang had decided to follow the contemplative life he was sent to cultivate his conduct in the Hongfu Temple. Later on Miss Yin finally ended her life in a quiet and honorable way, and Xuanzang went back to the Jinshan Temple to report to Abbot Faming. If you don’t know what happened afterwards, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Ten\n\nWith a Stupid Plan the Dragon King Breaks the Laws of Heaven\n\nMinister Wei Sends a Letter to an Officer of Hell"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We shall not discuss how Chen Guangrui performed his duties or Xuanzang cultivated his conduct; instead we shall talk about two wise men who lived beside the banks of the River Jing outside the city of Chang’an. One was an old fisherman called Zhang Shao and the other was a woodcutter called Li Ding. They were both advanced scholars who had never taken the official examination, lettered men of the mountains. One day, when Li Ding had sold his load of firewood and Zhang Shao had sold his basketful of carp in Chang’an city, they went into a tavern, drank till they were half tipsy, and strolled slowly home along the banks of the Jing, each holding a bottle in his hand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother Li,” said Zhang Shao, “it seems to me that people who struggle for fame kill themselves for it; those who compete for profit die for it; those who accept honors sleep with a tiger in their arms; and those who receive imperial favours walk around with snakes in their sleeves. Taking all in all, we are much better off living free among our clear waters and blue hills: we delight in our poverty and follow our destinies.”\n\n“You are right, Brother Zhang,” said Li Ding, “but your clear waters have nothing on my blue hills.”\n\n“Your blue hills are not a patch on my clear waters,” retorted Zhang Shao, “and here is a lyric to the tune of The Butterfly Loves the Flowers to prove it:\n\nThe skiff is tiny amid the misty expanse of waves;\n\nCalmly I lean against the single sail,\n\nListening to the voice of Xishi the beauty.\n\nMy thoughts and mind are cleared; I have no wealth or fame\n\nAs I toy with the waterweed and the rushes.\n\n“To count a few gulls makes the journey happy.\n\nIn the reedy bend, under the willow bank,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the reedy bend, under the willow bank,\n\nMy wife and children smile with me.\n\nThe moment I fall asleep, wind and waves are quiet;\n\nNo glory, no disgrace, and not a single worry.”\n\n“Your clear waters are no match for my blue hills,” said Li Ding, “and there is another lyric to the same tune to prove it. It goes:\n\nThe cloudy woods are covered with pine blossom.\n\nHush! Hear the oriole sing,\n\nAs if it played a pipe with its cunning tongue.\n\nWith touches of red and ample green the spring is warm;\n\nSuddenly the summer’s here as the seasons turn.\n\n“When autumn comes the look of things is changed;\n\nThe scented chrysanthemum\n\nIs enough for my pleasure.\n\nSoon the cruel winter plucks all off.\n\nI am free through four seasons, at nobody’s beck and call.”\n\n“You don’t enjoy the good things in your blue hills that I do on my clear waters,” replied the fisherman, “and I can prove it with another lyric to the tune of The Partridge Heaven:\n\nIn this magic land we live off the cloudy waters;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a sweep of the oar the boat becomes a home.\n\nWe cut open the live fish and fry the green turtle\n\nAs steam coils from the purple crab and the red shrimps bubble.\n\nGreen reed shoots,\n\nSprouts of water-lilies,\n\nBetter still, water chestnuts and the gorgon fruit,\n\nDelicate louts roots and seeds, tender celery,\n\nArrowhead, reed-hearts and bird-glory blossom.”\n\n“Your clear waters cannot compare with my blue hills when it comes to the good things they provide,” said the woodcutter, and I can cite another lyric to the tune The Partridge Heaven as evidence:\n\nMighty crags and towering peaks reach to the sky;\n\nA grass hut or a thatched cottage is my home.\n\nPickled chicken and duck are better than turtles or crabs,\n\nRoebuck, boar, venison, and hare beat fish and shrimps.\n\nThe leaves of the tree of heaven,\n\nYellow chinaberry sprouts,\n\nAnd, even better, bamboo shoots and wild tea,\n\nPurple plums and red peaches, ripe gages, and apricots,\n\nSweet pears, sharp jujubes, and osmanthus blossom.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your blue hills are really nothing on my clear waters,” replied the fisherman, “and there is another lyric to the tune Heavenly Immortal:\n\nIn my little boat I can stay where I like,\n\nHaving no fear of the many misty waves.\n\nDrop the hook, cast wide the net, to catch fresh fish:\n\nEven without fat or sauce,\n\nThey taste delicious\n\nAs the whole family eats its meal together.\n\n“When there are fish to spare I sell them in Chang’an market\n\nTo buy good liquor and get a little drunk.\n\nCovered with my grass cloak I sleep on the autumn river,\n\nSnoring soundly\n\nWithout a care,\n\nNot giving a damn for honour and glory.”\n\n“Your clear waters still aren’t as good as my blue mountains,” came back the woodcutter, “and I too have a Heavenly Immortal lyric to prove it:\n\nWhere I build a little thatched hut under the hill\n\nThe bamboo, orchid, plum, and pine are wonderful.\n\nAs I cross forests and mountains to look for dry firewood\n\nNobody asks awkward questions,\n\nAnd I can sell\n\nAs much or as little as the world wants."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As much or as little as the world wants.\n\nI spend the money on wine and I’m happy,\n\nContent with my earthenware bowl and china jug.\n\nWhen I’ve drunk myself blotto I lie in the shade of the pine.\n\nNo worries,\n\nNo books to balance;\n\nWhat do I care about success or failure?”\n\n“Brother Li,” said the fisherman, “you don’t make as easy a living in the hills as I do on the water, and I can prove it with a lyric to the tune The Moon on the West River:\n\nThe smartweed’s flowers are picked out by the moon\n\nWhile the tangled leaves of rushes sway in the wind.\n\nClear and distant the azure sky, empty the Chu river:\n\nStir up the water, and the stars dance.\n\nBig fish swim into the net in shoals;\n\nLittle ones swallow the hooks in swarms;\n\nBoiled or fried they taste wonderful—\n\nI laugh at the roaring river and lake.”\n\n“Brother Zhang,” replied the woodcutter, “the living I make in the hills is much easier than yours on the water, and I can prove it with another Moon on the West River lyric:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Withered and leafless rattan fills the paths,\n\nOld bamboo with broken tips covers the hillside.\n\nWhere vines and creepers tangle and climb\n\nI pull some off to tie my bundles.\n\nElms and willows hollow with decay,\n\nPines and cedars cracked by the wind—\n\nI stack them up against the winter cold,\n\nAnd whether they’re sold for wine or money is up to me.”\n\n“Although you don’t do too badly in your hills, your life is not as elegant as mine on the water,” said the fisherman, “as I can show with some lines to the tune The Immortal by the River.\n\nAs the tide turns my solitary boat departs;\n\nI sing in the night, resting from the oars.\n\nFrom under a straw cape the waning moon is peaceful.\n\nThe sleeping gulls are not disturbed\n\nAs the clouds part at the end of the sky.\n\nTired, I lie on the isle of rushes with nothing to do,\n\nAnd when the sun is high I’m lying there still.\n\nI arrange everything to suit myself:\n\nHow can the court official compare with my ease\n\nAs he waits in the cold for an audience at dawn?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your life on the water may be elegant, but it’s nothing compared with mine,” replied the woodcutter, “and I have some lines to the same tune to demonstrate the point:\n\nOn an autumn day I carry my axe along the greeny path\n\nBringing the load back in the cool of evening,\n\nPutting wild flowers in my hair, just to be different,\n\nI push aside the clouds to find my way home,\n\nAnd the moon is up when I tell them to open the door.\n\nRustic wife and innocent son greet me with smiles,\n\nAnd I recline on my bed of grass and wooden pillow.\n\nSteamed millet and pear are spread before me,\n\nWhile the new wine is warm in the pot: This is really civilized.”\n\n“All this is about our living and the ways we provide for ourselves,” said the fisherman. “I can prove to you that your leisure is nowhere near as good as mine with a poem that goes:\n\nIdly I watch the white cranes as they cross the sky;\n\nAs I Moor the boat at the river’s bank, a blue door gives me shade.\n\nLeaning on the sail I teach my son to twist a fishing line,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When rowing’s done I dry the nets out with my wife.\n\nA settled nature can really know the calm of the waves;\n\nA still body feels the lightness of the breeze.\n\nAlways to wear a green straw cape and a blue straw hat\n\nIs better than the purple robes of the court.”\n\n“Your leisure doesn’t come up to mine,” replied the woodcutter, “as this poem I shall now recite demonstrates:\n\nWith a lazy eye on the white clouds in the distance,\n\nI sit alone in a thatched but, then close the bamboo door.\n\nWhen there’s nothing to do I teach my son to read;\n\nSometimes a visitor comes and we play a game of chess.\n\nWhen I’m happy I take my stick and walk singing along the paths,\n\nOr carry my lute up the emerald hills.\n\nGrass shoes with hempen thongs, a cloak of coarsest cloth,\n\nA mind relaxed: better than wearing silk.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A mind relaxed: better than wearing silk.”\n\n“Li Ding,” said the other, “how truly it can be said of us that ‘by reciting some verses we become close friends: What need for golden winecups and a sandalwood table?’ But there is nothing remarkable in just reciting verses; what would you say if we made couplets in which we each contributed a line about our lives as fisherman and woodcutter?”\n\n“Brother Zhang,” said Li Ding, “that is an excellent suggestion. Please be the one to start.” Here are their couplets:\n\nMy boat is moored in the green waters amid the misty waves;\n\nMy home is in the wilds, deep in the mountains.\n\nHow well I like the swollen stream under the bridge in spring;\n\nMy delight is a mountain peak swathed in clouds at dawn.\n\nDragon-sized fresh carp cooked at any time;\n\nDry, rotten, firewood always keeps one warm.\n\nA full array of hooks and nets to support my old age;\n\nCarrying wood and making twine will keep me till I die.\n\nLying back in a tiny boat watching the flying geese;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Reclining beside the grassy path and hearing the wild swans call.\n\nI have no stall in the marketplace of tongues;\n\nI’ve left no trace in the sea of disputation.\n\nThe nets hung to dry beside the brook are like brocade;\n\nAn axe well honed on rock is sharper than a spear.\n\nUnder the shining autumn moon I often fish alone;\n\nI meet nobody on the solitary mountain in spring.\n\nI trade my surplus fish for wine and drink it with my wife;\n\nWhen I’ve wood to spare I buy a bottle and share it with my sons.\n\nSinging and musing to myself I’m as wild as I care to be;\n\nLong songs, long sighs, I can let myself be crazy.\n\nI invite my brothers and cousins and fellow boatmen;\n\nLeading my friends by the hand I meet the old man of the wilds.\n\nAs we play guess-fingers the cups fly fast;\n\nWhen we make riddles the goblets slowly circulate.\n\nSaute or boiled crab is a delight every morning;\n\nPlenty of fried duck and chicken cooked in ashes every day.\n\nAs my simple wife brews tea, my spirits are untrammelled;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While my mountain spouse cooks supper, my mind is at ease.\n\nAt the coming of dawn I wash my stick in the ripples;\n\nWhen the sun rises I carry firewood across the road.\n\nAfter the rain I put on my cloak to catch live carp;\n\nI wield my axe before the wind to fell a withered pine.\n\nI cover my tracks and hide from the world, acting the imbecile;\n\nI change my name and pretend to be deaf and dumb.\n\n“Brother Li,” said Zhang Shao. “I unfairly took the first lines just now, so now it’s your turn to compose the first lines while I follow you.” Thus they continued:\n\nThe man of the mountains acting mad under wind and moon;\n\nThe haughty and unwanted dotard of the river.\n\nWith his share of idleness, and able to be quite free;\n\nNo sound from his voice as he revels in his peace.\n\nOn moonlit nights he sleeps secure in a cottage of thatch;\n\nHe lightly covers himself at dusk with clothes of reed.\n\nHis passion spent, he befriends the pine and the plum;\n\nHe is happy to be the companion of cormorant and gull."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fame and profit count for nothing in his mind;\n\nHis ears have never heard the clash of arms.\n\nOne is always pouring out fresh rice-wine,\n\nThe other has wild vegetable soup with every meal.\n\nOne makes a living with two bundles of firewood;\n\nThe other supports himself with rod and line.\n\nOne idly tells his innocent son to sharpen the axe of steel;\n\nThe other quietly bids his slow-witted child to mend the nets.\n\nIn spring one likes to see the willows turning green;\n\nWhen the seasons change the other enjoys the rushes’ blue.\n\nAvoiding the summer heat, one trims the new bamboo;\n\nThe other gathers water-chestnuts on cool July evenings.\n\nWhen frost begins, plump chickens are killed each day;\n\nIn mid-autumn the crabs are at their best and always in the pot.\n\nWhen the sun rises in winter, the one is still asleep;\n\nThe other keeps cool in the dog days of summer.\n\nThroughout the year one does as he pleases in the hills;\n\nIn all four seasons the other is happy on the lake."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By gathering firewood you can become an Immortal;\n\nThere is nothing worldly about fishing.\n\nSweet smell the wild flowers growing outside my door;\n\nSmooth are the green waves lapping at my boat.\n\nA contented man never speaks of high honors;\n\nA settled nature is stronger than a city wall.\n\nHigher than a city wall for resisting enemy armies;\n\nMore illustrious than holding high office and listening to imperial decrees.\n\nThose who are happy with mountains and rivers are few indeed;\n\nThank Heaven, thank Earth, and thank the spirits.\n\nWhen the two of them had recited their verses and matched couplets they came to the place where their ways parted and bowed to each other to take their leave. “Brother Li,” said Zhang Shao, “look after yourself on your way home and keep a sharp look-out for tigers up in the hills. If you met with an accident then ‘an old friend would be missing on the road tomorrow.’” This made Li Ding angry."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You scoundrel,” he said, “I’m your friend; I’d die for you. How could you put such a curse on me? If I’m killed by a tiger, you’ll be capsized by a wave.”\n\n“I’ll never be capsized!” retorted Zhang Shao.\n\n”‘In nature there are unexpected storms and in life unpredictable vicissitudes,’” quoted Li Ding, “so how can you be sure you’ll never have an accident?”\n\n“Brother Zhang,” replied the fisherman, “despite what you just said, it’s your life that’s insecure, whereas my life is certain: I’m sure that I shan’t have an accident.”\n\n“Your life on the water is very dangerous and insecure,” said the woodcutter, “so how can you be so certain?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s something you don’t know,” said Zhang Shao. “Every day I give a golden carp to a fortune-teller on the West Gate Street in Chang’an, and he passes a slip into my sleeve telling me I’ll catch something every time provided I go to the right place. I went to buy a forecast from him today, and he told me that if I cast my nets to the East of the bend in the Jing River and lowered my lines on the Western bank, I would be bound to get a full load of fish and shrimps to take home. Tomorrow I shall go into town to sell them to buy wine, and we can continue our talk then, brother.” With this they parted.\n\nHow true it is that if you talk on the road there will be someone listening in the grass. A patrolling yaksha from the Jing River Palace overheard Zhang Shao’s remark about always catching fish and rushed straight back to the palace of crystal to make an urgent report of disaster to the dragon king."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What disaster?” asked the dragon king, and the yaksha replied, “Your subject was patrolling in the water by the river’s edge when I heard a fisherman and a woodcutter talking. Just when they were parting they sounded very dangerous. The fisherman said that there is a soothsayer on West Gate Street in Chang’an city whose predictions are very accurate. The fisherman gives him a golden carp every day, and he hands the fisherman a slip saying that he’ll catch fish at every attempt. If his calculations are so accurate, won’t all we water folk be wiped out? Shall we fortify the water palace, or shall we make some leaping waves to strengthen Your Majesty’s prestige?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dragon king seized his sword in a great rage, intending to go straight to Chang’an city and destroy this fortune-teller, but then his dragon sons and grandsons, shrimp officials, crab soldiers, shad generals, mandarin-fish ministers, and carp premier submitted a joint memorial that read: “We beg Your Majesty not to act in anger. As the saying goes, ‘words overheard are not to be trusted.’ If Your Majesty were to go now you would have to be accompanied by clouds and helped by rain; and if this frightens the common people of Chang’an, Heaven may take offence. Your Majesty is capable of making all sorts of transformations, and of appearing and vanishing unexpectedly; so you should change into a scholar for this visit to Chang’an. If you find that it is true, you will be able to punish him at your leisure; and if it turns out to be false, you will avoid killing an innocent man.” Taking their advice, the dragon king put aside his sword, and without raising clouds or rain he climbed out on the back, shook"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "clouds or rain he climbed out on the back, shook himself, and turned into a scholar dressed in white. He was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Handsome and noble,\n\nTowering into the clouds.\n\nHis step was stately\n\nAnd he observed the rules of conduct.\n\nIn his speech he showed his respect for Confucius and Mencius,\n\nHis manners were those of the Duke of Zhou and King Wen.\n\nHe wore a gown of jade-green silk,\n\nA cloth wrapped casually round his head.\n\nOnce on the road he strode straight to West Gate Street in Chang’an city, where he saw a crowd of people pushing and shouting. One of them was proclaiming grandiloquently, “He who was born under the Dragon will clash with the one who belongs to the Tiger. Although the cyclical characters are supposed to be in concordance, I’m afraid that the Year Planet may be offended by the Sun.” As soon as he heard this the dragon king knew that this was the place where fortunes were told, so he pushed through the crowds to look inside. He saw:\n\nFour walls covered with pearls,\n\nA room full of silken embroideries,\n\nIncense ever rising from a burner,\n\nClear water in a porcelain pot."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Clear water in a porcelain pot.\n\nOn either side were paintings by Wang Wei;\n\nHigh above the seat hung a picture of the Devil Valley Hermit.\n\nAn inkstone from Duanxi County,\n\n“Golden smoke” ink,\n\nOn which leant a large brush of finest hairs;\n\nA forest of fiery pearls,\n\nThe prediction of Guo Pu,\n\nAs he diligently compared them to the Tai Zheng Xin Jing.\n\nHe was deeply versed in the six lines of the diagrams,\n\nA great expert on the Eight Trigrams.\n\nHe understood the principles of Heaven and Earth,\n\nAnd saw into the feelings of gods and devils.\n\nHe knew all about the cyclical numbers,\n\nAnd had a clear picture of the constellations.\n\nHe saw the events of the future,\n\nThe events of the past,\n\nAs if in a mirror.\n\nWhich house would rise,\n\nWhich house would fall,\n\nHe could tell with divine perception.\n\nHe knew when good and bad was coming,\n\nCould predict death and survival.\n\nHis words hastened wind and rain;\n\nWhen he wielded his writing-brush, gods and devils trembled.\n\nHis name was written on a signboard:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His name was written on a signboard:\n\nMaster of Divination Yuan Shoucheng.\n\nWho was he? He was Yuan Shoucheng, the uncle of Yuan Tiangang the Imperial Astrologer. He was famous throughout the country, and the leading member of his profession in Chang’an. The dragon king went in to see him, and when they had greeted each other he asked the dragon king to sit down, while a servant brought tea.\n\n“What have you come to ask about, sir?” asked the soothsayer, and the dragon king replied, “I beg you to uncover the secrets of the sky for me.” The soothsayer passed him a slip of paper from his sleeve and said, “Clouds obscure the mountain peak, mist covers the tree tops. If there is to be rain, it will certainly come tomorrow.”\n\n“When will it rain tomorrow,” asked the dragon king, “and how many inches of rain will fall?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Tomorrow the clouds will gather at mid-morning; late in the morning there will be thunder; at noon it will start to rain; and in the early afternoon the rain will finish, after 3 feet 3.48 inches have fallen,” replied the soothsayer.\n\n“I trust that you are not fooling,” said the dragon king. “If it rains tomorrow at the time and to the depth you have predicted I shall pay you a fee of fifty pieces of gold. If it does not rain, or if it does not rain at the time and to the depth you say it will, then I’m telling you straight that I’ll smash up your shopfront, tear down your sign and run you out of Chang’an so that you won’t be able to deceive the people a moment longer.”\n\n“That is entirely up to you,” replied the other cheerfully. “We shall meet again tomorrow after the rain.”\n\nThe dragon king took his leave and went back to his watery palace from Chang’an. The greater and lesser water spirits greeted him with the question, “How did Your Majesty’s visit to the soothsayer go?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It was all right,” he replied, “but he was a smooth-tongued fortune-teller. When I asked him when it would rain, he said tomorrow. When I asked what time of day it would be and how much would fall, he said that at mid-morning the clouds would gather, late in the morning it would thunder, at noon it would start to rain, and early in the afternoon it would stop raining. He also said that 3 feet 3.48 inches of rain would fall. I made a wager with him that if his prediction turned out to be true, I’d give him fifty ounces of gold; but if he got it at all wrong, I’d smash up his shopfront id drive him out, so that he wouldn’t be able to deceive the public any longer. The watery tribe laughed and said, “Your Majesty is the General Superintendent of the Eight Rivers and the Great Dragon God of the Rain, so only you can know whether there will be rain. How dare he talk such nonsense? That fortune-teller is bound to lose, absolutely bound to.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just as all the dragon sons and grandsons were laughing and talking about this with the fish ministers and crab soldiers a shout was heard from the sky: “Dragon King of the Jing River, prepare to receive an Imperial Decree.” They all looked up and saw a warrior in golden clothes coming towards the watery palace with a decree from the Jade Emperor in his hands. This alarmed the dragon king, who straightened his clothes, stood up solemnly, burnt incense and received the decree. The gold-clad warrior returned to the sky. Giving thanks for the imperial grace the dragon king opened the letter and read:\n\n“We order the Superintendent of the Eight Rivers to travel with thunder and lightning and succor the city of Chang’an with rain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The time and the amount on the decree were exactly the same as those foretold by the soothsayer, which so startled the dragon king that he passed out. When he came round a moment later he said to the watery tribe, “How can there be a man of such powers in the mortal world? He is really someone who knows everything about Heaven and Earth—I’m bound to be beaten by him.”\n\n“Your Majesty should not worry,” submitted General Shad in a memorial. “There will be no difficulty about beating him. Your subject has a humble plan that I can guarantee will shut that scoundrel’s mouth.” When the dragon king asked what the plan was, the general replied, “Make it rain at the wrong time and not quite enough, so that his predictions are wrong, and then you will surely beat him. There will be nothing to stop you smashing his sign to smithereens and running him out of town.” The dragon king accepted his advice and stopped worrying."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next day he ordered Viscount Wind, Duke Thunder, the Cloud Youth and Mother Lightning to go to the sky above the city of Chang’an. He waited till late in the morning before spreading the clouds, unleashed the thunder at noon, started the rain in the early afternoon, and stopped it in the late afternoon, when only three feet and 0.4 inches had fallen. He had thus changed the times by two hours and reduced the amount of rain by .08 inches. After the rain he dismissed his generals and his hosts and put away his clouds; then he changed back into a white-clad scholar and charged into Yuan Shoucheng’s fortune-telling stall on West Gate Street. Without even asking for an explanation he smashed up Yuan’s sign, his brush, his inkstone, and everything else, while the fortune-teller remained calmly in his chair without moving."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dragon king brandished the door in the air, ready to hit him with it, and began to pour abuse on him: “You evil man, with all your reckless talk about blessings and disasters; you stinking deceiver of the masses. Your predictions are false, and you talk nonsense. You got the time and the amount of today’s rain quite wrong, but you still sit there so high and mighty. Get out at once if you want me to spare your life.” Yuan Shoucheng, who was as calm and unfrightened as ever, looked up to the sky with a mocking smile."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m not afraid,” he said, “I’m not afraid. I’ve committed no capital offence, but I fear that you have. You may be able to fool other people, but you can’t fool me. I know who you are. You’re no scholar; you’re the Dragon King of the River Jing. You flouted a decree of the Jade Emperor by changing the time of the rain and cutting down the amount, which is a crime against the laws of Heaven. I’m afraid that you’re for the executioner’s blade on the Dragon-slicing Scaffold. Are you going to keep up that abuse of me?”\n\nOn hearing this the dragon king trembled from fear and his hair stood on end. Dropping the door at once he straightened his clothes and made gestures of submission, kneeling to the soothsayer and saying, “Please do not be angry with me, sir; I was only joking. I never thought that it would be taken seriously. Whatever am I to do if I have broken the laws of Heaven? I beg you to save me, sir. If you don’t I shall haunt you after my death.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I can’t save you,” replied Yuan Shoucheng, “but I can suggest one way by which you may be able to save your skin.”\n\n“I beg you to tell me,” implored the dragon king.\n\n“Tomorrow afternoon at half past one you will have to go to the office of the official in charge of personnel, Wei Zheng, to be beheaded. If you want to stay alive you must report at once to the present Tang Emperor, Taizong, as Wei Zheng is a minister of his; and if you can get him to speak for you, you will be all right.” The dragon king took his leave of the soothsayer with tears in his eyes and went away. The sun was setting in the West, and the moon and stars were coming out.\n\nAs clouds settle round the mountains the crows fly back to roost,\n\nThe travelers on long journeys find inns for the night.\n\nThe returning geese sleep on a sandbank by the ford,\n\nAs the Milky Way appears.\n\nWhile the hours push on\n\nA lamp in the lonely village burns with barely a flame.\n\nPure is the monastery as the reed smoke curls in the breeze;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Men disappear in the butterfly dream.\n\nAs the moon sinks, flower shadows climb the rails,\n\nThe stars are a jumble of light.\n\nThe hours are called,\n\nThe night is already half way through.\n\nThe Dragon King of the River Jing did not return to his watery palace but stayed in the sky until the small hours of the morning, when he put away his cloud and his mist horn, and went straight to the gate of the Imperial Palace. At this very moment the Tang Emperor dreamt that he went out of the palace gate to stroll among the flowers in the moonlight. The dragon king at once took human form, went up to him and knelt and bowed before him, crying, “Save me, Your Majesty, save me.”\n\n“Who are you, that we should save you?” asked Taizong.\n\n“Your Majesty is a true dragon,” replied the dragon king, “and I am a wicked dragon. As I have offended against the laws of Heaven, I am due to be beheaded by Your Majesty’s illustrious minister Wei Zheng, the official in charge of personnel, so I have come to beg you to save me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you are supposed to be beheaded by Wei Zheng, we can save you, so set your mind at rest and go along now,” said the Tang Emperor. The dragon king, who was extremely happy, kowtowed in thanks and went away.\n\nTaizong remembered his dream when he woke up. It was now half past four in the morning, so Taizong held court before the assembled civil and military officials.\n\nMist wreathed the palace gates,\n\nIncense rose to the dragon towers.\n\nIn the shimmering light the silken screen moves,\n\nAs the clouds shake the imperial glory spreads.\n\nMonarch and subject as faithful as Yao and Shun,\n\nImposing music and ritual rivaling Zhou and Han.\n\nPages hold lanterns,\n\nPalace women hold fans,\n\nIn brilliant pairs.\n\nPheasant screens,\n\nUnicorn halls,\n\nShimmering everywhere.\n\nAs the call “Long Live the Emperor” goes up,\n\nThe Empress is wished a thousand autumns.\n\nWhen the Rod of Silence descends three times,\n\nThe uniformed officials bow to the emperor.\n\nThe brightly coloured palace flowers have a heavenly scent;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The delicate willows on the bank sing royal songs.\n\nPearl curtains,\n\nJade curtains,\n\nAre hung high from golden hooks;\n\nDragon and phoenix fans,\n\nLandscape fans,\n\nRest by the royal chariot.\n\nElegant are the civil officials,\n\nVigorous the generals.\n\nBy the Imperial Way high and low are divided;\n\nThey stand by rank beneath the palace steps.\n\nThe ministers with their purple corded seals ride three elephants.\n\nMay the Emperor live as long as Heaven and Earth!\n\nWhen the officials had all done homage they divided into their groups. The Tang Emperor looked at them one by one with his dragon and phoenix eyes. Among the civil officials he observed Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xu Shiji, Xu Jingzong, Wang Gui and others; and among the military officers he saw Ma Sanbao, Duan Zhixian, Yin Kaishan, Cheng Yaojin, Liu Hongji, Hu Jingde, and Qin Shubao among others. Every one of them was standing there solemnly and with dignity, but he could not see Minister Wei Zheng among them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He summoned Xu Shiji into the palace hall and said to him, “We had a strange dream last night in which a man came and bowed to us, claiming that he was the Dragon King of the River Jing. He had broken the laws of Heaven, and was due to be beheaded by the official in the personnel department, Wei Zheng. He begged us to save him, and we agreed. Why is it that the only official missing at court today is Wei Zheng?”\n\n“If this dream is true,” replied Xu Shiji, “Wei Zheng must be summoned to the palace, and Your Majesty must not let him out of doors. Once today is over the Dragon King will be saved.” The Tang Emperor was overjoyed and he sent a personal aide with a decree summoning Wei Zheng to court."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That night the minister Wei Zheng had been reading the stars in his residence and was just burning some precious incense when he heard a crane calling in the sky. It was a messenger from Heaven with a decree from the Jade Emperor ordering him to behead the Dragon King of the River Jing in a dream at half past one the following afternoon. The minister thanked Heaven for its grace, fasted and bathed himself, tried out the sword of his wisdom, and exercised his soul. This was why he did not go to court. When the imperial aide came with a summons he was frightened and nonplussed; but he did not dare to delay in obeying an order from his monarch, so he hurriedly tidied his clothes, tightened his belt, and went to the palace with the summons in his hands. He kowtowed to the Emperor and admitted his fault."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We forgive you,” said the Emperor. The officials had not yet withdrawn, so the Emperor now ordered the curtains to be lowered and dismissed them. The only one of them he kept behind was Wei Zheng, whom he ordered to mount the golden chariot and come to his private quarters with him, where they discussed the policies to bring peace and stability to the country.\n\nAt about noon he ordered the palace ladies to bring a large weiqi chess set and said, “We shall now have a game of chess.” The Imperial concubines brought in a chess board and set it on the Emperor’s table. Thanking the Tang Emperor for his grace, Wei Zheng started to play with him. As each moved in turn they built up their lines of battle. It was just as the Chess Classic says:\n\nThe Way of chess:\n\nThe best place is the middle of the board,\n\nThe worst is the side,\n\nAnd the comers are neither good nor bad.\n\nThis is the eternal law of chess.\n\nThe law says:\n\n“It is better to lose a piece\n\nThan to lose the initiative."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Than to lose the initiative.\n\nWhen you are struck on the left, look to the right,\n\nWhen attacked in the rear, keep an eye on your front.\n\nSometimes the leader is really behind,\n\nSometimes the laggard is really ahead.\n\nIf you have two ‘live’ areas do not let them be severed;\n\nIf you can survive as you are, do not link up.\n\nDo not spread yourself out too thinly,\n\nDo not crowd your pieces too closely.\n\nRather than being niggardly with your pieces,\n\nLose them and win the game.\n\nRather than moving for no reason,\n\nIt is better to strengthen your position.\n\nWhen he has many and you have few,\n\nConcentrate on survival;\n\nWhen you have many and he has few,\n\nExtend your positions.\n\nThe one who is good at winning does not have to struggle;\n\nThe one who draws up a good position does not have to fight;\n\nThe one who fights well does not lose;\n\nThe one who loses well is not thrown into confusion.\n\nOpen your game with conventional gambits,\n\nAnd end by winning with surprise attacks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And end by winning with surprise attacks.\n\nWhen the enemy strengthens himself for no apparent reason,\n\nHe is planning to attack and cut you off.\n\nWhen he abandons small areas and does not rescue them\n\nHis ambitions are great.\n\nThe man who places his pieces at random\n\nHas no plans;\n\nThe man who responds without thinking\n\nIs heading for defeat.\n\nThe Book of Songs says:\n\n“Be cautious and careful\n\nAs if you were walking on the edge of a precipice.’\n\nThis is what it means.”\n\nThere is a poem that goes:\n\nThe board is the Earth, the chessmen Heaven,\n\nThe colours, Positive and Negative,\n\nWhen you reach that subtle state when all the changes become clear,\n\nYou can laugh and brag about the chess-playing Immortals.\n\nAs sovereign and minister played their game of chess it was half past one. Although the game was not over, Wei Zheng slumped down beside the table and started to snore, fast asleep."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Worthy Minister,” said Taizong with a smile, “you have exhausted your mind in strengthening the country and tired yourself out building the empire; that is why you have fallen asleep without realizing it.” The Emperor said no more and let him sleep. Not long afterwards Wei Zheng woke up, prostrated himself on the floor, and said, “Your subject deserves ten thousand deaths. I fell asleep without knowing what I was doing, and I beg Your Majesty to forgive your subject’s criminal discourtesy to his sovereign.”\n\n“What criminal discourtesy have you committed?” the Emperor asked. “Rise, and take the Pieces off the board so that we may start again.” Wei Zheng thanked him for his grace, and was just taking the pieces in his hand when he heard shouting outside the palace gates. Qin Shubao, Xu Maogong and some others brought in a dragon’s head dripping with blood, threw it to the floor in front of the Emperor, and reported, “Your Majesty,\n\nSeas have gone shallow and rivers have run dry,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seas have gone shallow and rivers have run dry,\n\nBut such a sight as this was never seen by human eye.”\n\nThe Emperor and Wei Zheng rose to their feet and asked where it had come from.\n\n“This dragon’s head fell from a cloud at the crossroads at the end of the Thousand Yard Portico, and your humble subjects dared not fail to report it,” said Qin Shubao and Xu Maogong.\n\n“What does this mean?” the Tang Emperor asked Wei Zheng in astonishment.\n\n“Your subject beheaded it in a dream just now,” replied Wei Zheng, kowtowing.\n\n“But I never saw you move your hand or body when you were dozing,” said the shocked Emperor, “and you had no sword, so how could you have beheaded it?”\n\n“My lord,” replied Wei Zheng, “your subject\n\nWas bodily in your presence,\n\nBut far away in my dream.\n\nI was bodily in your presence reaching the end of a game.\n\nWhen I shut my eyes and felt drowsy;\n\nI went far away in my dream, riding a magic cloud,\n\nBursting with energy.\n\nThat dragon\n\nWas on the Dragon-slicing Scaffold"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That dragon\n\nWas on the Dragon-slicing Scaffold\n\nWhere he had been tied by the officers and soldiers of Heaven.\n\nThen your minister said,\n\n‘You have broken the laws of Heaven,\n\nAnd deserve the death penalty.\n\nI bear a heavenly mandate\n\nTo behead you.’\n\nWhen the dragon heard he was bitterly grieved;\n\nYour subject marshalled his spirits.\n\nWhen the dragon heard he was bitterly grieved,\n\nPulled in his claws, laid down his scales and gladly prepared to die.\n\nYour subject marshalled his spirits,\n\nHitched up his clothes, stepped forward and raised the blade.\n\nWith a snick the sword came down,\n\nAnd the dragon’s head fell into the void.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And the dragon’s head fell into the void.”\n\nEmperor Taizong’s feelings on hearing this were mixed. On the one hand he was happy, because he was proud of having so good a minister as Wei Zheng; for with a hero like that in his court he needed to have no worries about the safety of the empire. On the other hand he was distressed, because although he had promised in his dream to save the dragon, it had been executed. He had no choice but to pull himself together and order Qin Shubao to hang the dragon’s head up in the market place as a warning to the common people of Chang’an. He also rewarded Wei Zheng, and then all the officials dispersed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he returned to the palace that evening, the Emperor was depressed as he remembered how the dragon had wept so bitterly in his dream, begging to be saved. Yet the dragon had been unable to avoid its doom. After brooding over this for a long time he felt more and more exhausted and uneasy. In the second watch of the night he heard sobbing outside the palace gates, which made him more frightened than ever. As he lay in a fitful sleep, the dragon king of the River Jing reappeared, this time holding a head dripping with blood in his hands."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Emperor Taizong of the Tang,” he shouted, “give me back my life, give me back my life. Last night you were full of promises to save me, so why did you double-cross me yesterday and order Wei Zheng, the official in charge of personnel, to behead me? Come out, come out, and we shall go to the King of Hell’s place to have this out.” He pulled at the Emperor’s clothes and would not stop shouting. Taizong could find nothing to say, and struggled so hard to get away that he was pouring with sweat. Just at this most awkward moment he saw fragrant clouds and coloured mists to the South. A female Immortal came forward and waved a willow twig, at which the headless dragon went off to the Northwest, weeping pitifully. This Immortal was the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who had come to the East in obedience to the Buddha’s decree to find the man to fetch the scriptures. She was now staying in the temple of the tutelary god of Chang’an, and when she heard the devilish howling she came to chase away the wicked dragon. The dragon"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "came to chase away the wicked dragon. The dragon then went down to Hell to submit a full report."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Taizong woke up he shouted, “A ghost, a ghost!” The empresses of the three palaces, the imperial consorts and concubines of the six compounds, the attendants and the eunuchs were all so terrified by this that they lay awake trembling for the rest of the night. Before long it was half past four, and all the military and civil officials were waiting for the morning court outside the palace gates. When dawn came and the Emperor had still not come to court they were so frightened that they did not know what to do."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was not till the sun was high in the sky that a decree was brought out that read, “As our mind is not at ease all the officials are excused court.” Six or seven days quickly passed, and all the officials were so anxious that they wished they could rush to the palace gates to see the Emperor and ask after his health, but all that happened was that the Empress issued a decree summoning the royal doctors to the palace to administer medicine. Crowds of officials gathered at the palace gates waiting for news, and when the doctors came out a little later they asked what the matter was.\n\n“His Majesty’s pulse in not as it should be: it is both faint and fast. He murmurs deliriously about having seen a ghost. His pulse stops every ten beats. His five viscera lack all spirit, and I am afraid that the worst must be expected within seven days.” The officials went pale from shock."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Amid all the panic it was learned that Taizong had sent for Xu Maogong, the Duke Protector Qin Shubao, and Lord Yuchi Jingde. When the three lords received the decree they hurried to the lower story of the side palace. When they had bowed to him, a serious-faced Taizong spoke forcefully to them.\n\n“Illustrious ministers,” he said, “we started to command troops at the age of nineteen, and had many hard years of fighting from then on, conquering the North and the South, defending in the East, and wiping out our enemies in the West; but never once did we see anything sinister or evil. Yet now we are seeing ghosts.”\n\n“Your Majesty has founded an empire and slaughtered men beyond number, so why should you be scared of ghosts?” asked Lord Yuchi.\n\n“You don’t believe us,” the Emperor replied, “but outside our bedroom door at night bricks and tiles fly about and the ghosts and demons howl. It is really terrible. Daytime is passable, but the nights are unbearable.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, Your Majesty,” said Qin Shubao. “Tonight I and Yuchi Jingde shall guard the palace doors to see whether there are any ghosts or not.” Taizong agreed to his suggestion, and after thanking him for his kindness Xu Maogong and the other two generals withdrew. That evening the two of them put on their equipment and took up their positions outside the palace gates in full armour and helmet, with golden maces and battle-axes in their hands. Look how these splendid generals were dressed:\n\nOn their heads were golden helmets bright,\n\nOn their bodies was armour like dragon scales.\n\nMagic clouds glisten in front of their Heart-protecting Mirrors;\n\nTheir lion coats are tightly buckled.\n\nFresh are the colours of their embroidered belts.\n\nOne looks up to the sky with his phoenix eyes, and the stars tremble;\n\nThe other’s eyes flash lightning and dim the moonlight.\n\nThese true heroes and distinguished ministers\n\nWill be called gate-protectors for a thousand years\n\nAnd serve as door-gods for ten thousand ages."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And serve as door-gods for ten thousand ages.\n\nThe two generals stood beside the doors till deep into the night, and not a single demon did they see. That night Taizong slept peacefully in the palace and nothing happened. When morning came he called the two generals in and gave them rich rewards.\n\n“We had not been able to sleep for several days since we fell ill,” he said, “but last night was very peaceful, thanks to the awesome might of you two generals. Please go and rest now so that you can guard us again tonight.” The two generals thanked him and left. For the next two or three nights they stood guard and all was quiet; but the Emperor ate less and less as his illness took a turn for the worse. Not wishing to put the two generals to any more trouble, he summoned them to the palace with Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These were the instructions he gave them: “Although we have enjoyed peace for the last two days, we are unhappy about the night-long ordeals we have imposed on Generals Qin and Yuchi. We therefore wish to commission two skilled painters to make faithful portraits of the two generals to paste on the doors so that they may be saved trouble. What do you think?” In obedience to the imperial decree the officials chose two men who could draw a good likeness, and the two generals wore their armour as before while they were painted. Then the pictures were stuck on the doors, and there was no trouble that night."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next two or three days were peaceful too but then the Emperor heard bricks and tiles banging and crashing once again at the Hou Zai Gate. He summoned his officials at dawn and said, “There has, thank goodness, been no trouble at the front gates for several days now, but there were noises at the back gates last night that practically scared me to death.” Xu Maogong went forward and submitted this suggestion: “When there was trouble at the front gates Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao protected Your Majesty. Now there is trouble at the back gates Wei Zheng should be ordered to stand guard.”\n\nTaizong approved his suggestion, and ordered Wei Zheng to stand guard at the back gates that night. Wei Zheng received the edict, and that night he put on his best clothes, belted himself tightly, and took up his vigil outside the Hou Zai Gate. He was a true hero. He wore\n\nA black band of silk around his forehead,\n\nA brocade gown loosely belted with jade.\n\nHis hood and billowing sleeves caught the frost and dew,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And he looked more ferocious than the ghost-quellers Shenshu and Yul ti.\n\nOn his feet he wore black boots for motionless movement;\n\nIn his hand he wielded a keen-edged blade with great ferocity.\n\nHe looked around with glaring eyes:\n\nWhat evil spirit would have dared approach?\n\nNo devils were seen all night, but although nothing happened at the front or back gates the Emperor’s condition still deteriorated. One day the Empress Dowager issued an edict summoning the officials to discuss funeral arrangements. Taizong sent for Xu Maogong and gave him orders about affairs of state, instructing him to look after the heir to the throne in the way that Liu Bei, the ruler of Shu, had instructed Zhuge Liang. When he had finished speaking he was bathed and put into clean clothes. All he had to do now was to wait for the end. Then in rushed Wei Zheng, who grabbed hold of his dragon robes and said, “Do not worry, Your Majesty. I can ensure Your Majesty long life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The disease has reached my heart,” replied the Emperor, “and my life will end at any moment now, so how can you save it?”\n\n“Your subject has a letter here,” said Wei Zheng, “that I am offering to Your Majesty to take with you to the underworld and give to Cui Jue, the judge of Fengdu.”\n\n“Who is this Cui Jue?” asked the Emperor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He was one of the officers of Your Majesty’s exalted predecessor. From being magistrate of Cizhou he was promoted to be vice-president of the Ministry of Rites. When he was alive he and I were close friends. Now that he is dead he is in charge of the Registers of Birth and Death in the underworld as judge of Fengdu, and he often comes to see me in my dreams. If you take this letter with you on your journey and give it to him, he is bound to allow Your Majesty to come back out of consideration for your humble subject. I can guarantee that Your Majesty’s soul will return to the sunlight, and the dragon countenance will certainly return to the imperial capital.” Taizong took the letter and put it in his sleeve, then he shut his eyes in death. The empresses, consorts and imperial concubines of the three palaces and the six compounds, the palace servants, the heir to the throne, and the civil and military officials all grieved and dressed in mourning. The imperial coffin lay in state in the White Tiger Hall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you don’t know how Taizong came back to life, listen to the explanation in the next chapter.\n\n \n\nChapter Eleven\n\nAfter Touring the Underworld, Taizong Returns to Life.\n\nBy Presenting a Pumpkin Liu Quan Continues His Marriage\n\nA hundred years flow by like water;\n\nA lifetime’s career is no more than a bubble,\n\nThe face that yesterday was the color of peach-blossom\n\nToday is edged with snow.\n\nWhen the white ants’ line of battle collapses, all is illusion;\n\n“Repent, repent,” is the cuckoo’s urgent call.\n\nHe who does good in secret can always prolong his life;\n\nHeaven looks after the one who asks no pity."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Heaven looks after the one who asks no pity.\n\nTaizong was in a daze as his soul went straight to the Tower of Five Phoenixes, in front of which he saw the horsemen of the Imperial Guard who invited him out hunting with them. Taizong was glad to go and they went off into the distance; but after they had been going for some time he found himself walking alone in a wasteland: the horsemen had all disappeared. Just as he was discovering to his alarm that he could not find his way a man appeared not far away, shouting.\n\n“Great Tang Emperor, come here, come here.” On hearing this Taizong looked up and saw him:\n\nA black silk turban,\n\nA rhinoceros-horn belt.\n\nThe black silk turban has tabs blowing in the breeze;\n\nThe rhinoceros-horn belt has golden mountings.\n\nIn his hands an ivory tablet, glowing auspiciously;\n\nHis thin silk gown conceals his divine light.\n\nHe wears a pair of boots with whitened soles\n\nAs he climbs the clouds and grasps the mist,\n\nHolding to his chest the Registers of Life and Death,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Noting down the quick and the dead.\n\nHis tangled hair blows about his ears;\n\nHis whiskers dance and fly beside his cheeks.\n\nOnce he used to be a Tang minister\n\nBut now he judges cases for the King of Hell.\n\nWhen Taizong went up to him, he fell on his knees beside the path and said, “Your Majesty, please forgive your subject for his crime of failing to come far enough to meet you.”\n\n“Who are you?” asked the Emperor, “and why have you come to meet me?”\n\n“A fortnight ago your humble servant heard the Dragon King of the River Jing bringing a case against Your Majesty in the Senluo Palace because he was executed despite your promise to save him,” replied the other.\n\n“The King of Qinguang of the First Palace sent devil messengers with an urgent summons to Your Majesty to be present when the case is heard between the Three Orders: the Human Order, the Underworld Order and the Water Order. When I heard this I came here to meet Your Majesty. I arrived late, so I beg for forgiveness.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What is your name and position?” asked Taizong.\n\n“When your humble servant was alive I used to serve His Late Majesty. I was magistrate of Cizhou, and later made vice-president of the Ministry of Rites. My name is Cui Jue. I have now been given office in the underworld as the judge in charge of cases at Fengdu.” Taizong, greatly delighted to learn this, went up to him and supported him with his imperial hands as he said, “Sir, you have made a long and exhausting journey. Wei Zheng, our minister, gave us a letter for you; how lucky that we have met.” The judge thanked him and asked where the letter was. Taizong produced it from his sleeve and handed it over to Cui Jue, who received it with a bow. When he opened it he saw that it read as follows:\n\nYour Excellency, Metropolitan Judge, and Venerable Elder Brother Cui,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Remembering our former friendship; I still see and hear you as if you were alive; but many years have now flown by since I last received your pure instruction. On feast days I set out some vegetarian dishes as a sacrifice to you, but I have been unable to divine whether they are enjoyed by you. As I have the good fortune not to have been abandoned by you and you have appeared to me in dreams, I now know that my great elder brother has risen high. But, alas, there is a great gap between the worlds of darkness and of light, and we are unable to meet each other as we are each at different ends of the universe."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the Cultured Emperor Taizong has recently passed away of a sudden illness it seems likely that his case will be discussed by the Three Orders, so that he is bound to meet you, elder brother. I beseech you to remember the friendship of the days when you were alive and give His Majesty such assistance as will enable him to return to the sunlight. This would be a great favour, and I shall write again to thank you. I cannot go into all the details of the case here.\n\nYour younger brother kowtows to you.\n\nWith affection,\n\nWei Zheng."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With affection,\n\nWei Zheng.\n\nThe judge was very pleased when he had read the letter. “I know about how the official Wei of the personnel department beheaded the dragon in a dream the other day,” he said, “and this news filled me with great admiration. He has always looked after my sons and grandsons, and now that I have a letter from him, Your Majesty need have no worries. Your humble servant can undertake to escort Your Majesty back to the light, where you will once more ascend the throne.” Taizong thanked him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were talking a pair of servant boys in black appeared, carrying banners and a precious canopy. “An invitation from King Yama,” they shouted. Taizong and Judge Cui went along with them. A city wall appeared in front of them, and above its gates hung a large tablet on which was written DEVIL GATE OF THE WORLD OF DARKNESS in huge letters of gold. The two lictors waved their banners and led Taizong into the city and along its streets. Beside the road he saw his father and predecessor Li Yuan, as well as his dead brothers Jaincheng and Yuanji, who went up to him and said, “Shimin’s here, Shimin’s here,” using his personal name. They grabbed and hit him, demanding their lives back; and as Taizong could not avoid them they held him fast until Judge Cui ordered a blue-faced devil with terrible fangs to drive them away. Only then was Taizong able to escape from their clutches. After another mile or so he saw a green-tiled tower rising majestically before him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A myriad coloured veils of haze drifting about it,\n\nA thousand wisps of red mist dimly appearing.\n\nThe flying eaves had monsters at their ends,\n\nThe matching tiles of the five roofs were gleaming bright.\n\nRows of golden studs were driven into the doors,\n\nA length of whitest jade was placed across each threshold.\n\nWhen the windows faced the light they glowed like the dawn;\n\nRed lightning flashed from the lattice and the blinds.\n\nThe tower soared into the azure sky\n\nWhile porticos led to sumptuous courtyards.\n\nIncense from braziers shaped like beasts perfumed the royal robes;\n\nThe light from lanterns of purple gauze was thrown on palace fans.\n\nTo the left a row of ferocious bull-headed demons;\n\nTo the right were terrible horse-faced devils.\n\nThose who escorted the spirits of the dead had golden tablets;\n\nThose who summoned souls wore white sackcloth.\n\nThis place was called the assembly of the underworld,\n\nThe Palace of Yama, King of Hell."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Palace of Yama, King of Hell.\n\nAs Taizong gazed at it from the outside, jade ornaments could be heard tinkling as they swung from the belts of officials, and rare perfumes could be smelt. In front were two pairs of attendants holding lanterns, and behind them the ten generations of kings of the underworld came down the steps. The ten kings were the King of Qinguang, the King of Chujiang, King Songdi, King Wuguan, King Yama, King Impartial, King of Mount Tai, the Metropolitan King, the King of Biancheng, and the King of the Ever-turning Wheel. They came out of the Senluo Palace and bowed to Taizong in greeting. Taizong felt too humble to go forward.\n\n“Your Majesty is a monarch in the world of light, but we are only kings in the world of darkness. It is therefore only right that we should do this, so why this excessive modesty?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We have offended against Your Majesties,” replied Taizong, “so how can we venture to talk in terms of light and darkness, or men and ghosts?” After much yielding Taizong went into the Senluo Palace, and when they had finished bowing to each other they sat down as hosts and guest.\n\nA moment later the King of Qinguang clasped his hands together and said, “Why is it that the ghost dragon of the River Jing has brought a case against Your Majesty, saying that he was executed despite your promise to save him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I had a dream that an old dragon came to ask me to save him,” replied Taizong, “and I did in fact promise that he would come to no harm; but as it turned out his crime was a capital one, for which he was due to be beheaded by the minister in the personnel department, Wei Zheng. We summoned Wei Zheng to come and play chess in the palace, and I never knew that he had beheaded the dragon in a dream. This happened because that officer can come and go miraculously, and also because the dragon king had committed a crime for which he deserved to die. We were in no way to blame for his death.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Ten Kings heard his statement they bowed and replied, “Even before that dragon was born it was written in the registers of the Southern Pole Star that he was destined to die at the hands of a personnel minister, as we have long been aware. But because he has been arguing about the matter we had to send for Your Majesty. When the case has been argued between the three orders we shall send him to the Revolving Prayer-wheel for reincarnation. We hope that Your Majesty will forgive us for forcing you to attend.” Then they ordered the judge in charge of the Registers of Birth and Death to fetch them at once to see how long His Majesty was due to live. Judge Cui hurried to his office and took down the general register of the lengths of the reigns Heaven had allowed to the kings of all the countries of the earth. As he was looking through it he saw to his horror that Emperor Taizong of the Great Tang in the Southern Jambu Continent was due to die in year 13 of his reign. He hurriedly seized a large brush"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of his reign. He hurriedly seized a large brush soaked in ink, changed 13 into 33, then he handed the register up. The Ten Kings started at the beginning and read it through until they saw that Taizong was due to reign for thirty-three years."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How long has Your Majesty been on the throne?” asked the shocked kings of hell.\n\n“It is now thirteen years since my accession,” Taizong replied.\n\n“Then there is no need for Your Majesty to worry,” said King Yama. “You have twenty years of life ahead of you. Now that you have answered these charges satisfactorily, will you please return to the World of Light.” On hearing this Taizong bowed and thanked the Ten Kings, who then ordered judge Cui and marshal Zhu to return Taizong his soul. As he was leaving the Senluo Palace Taizong raised his hand in salutation and asked the Ten Kings about the prospects for all the members of his family in his palace.\n\n“Good,” they replied, “except that Your Majesty’s younger sister does not seem to be going to live much longer.” Taizong bowed once more to express his thanks.\n\n“When we return to the daylight we shall have nothing with which to show our gratitude except for fruit and melons.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We have gourds, Eastern melons and Western melons, or water-melons, here, but no pumpkins, no Southern melons,” said the Ten Kings.\n\n“When we return to the world of the living we shall send some,” replied Taizong, and with that they raised their clasped hands to each other, bowed, and parted.\n\nThe marshal, with a soul-guiding flag in his hand, led the way, and Judge Cui followed with Taizong as they left the office of darkness. Taizong looked up and saw that they were not going the same way as they had come.\n\n“Have we taken the wrong road?” he asked the judge, who replied, “No. In the underworld you can only go; you can never come back. We are now taking Your Majesty out through the Revolving Prayer-wheel; thus you will be able to tour the underworld on your way back to life.” Taizong had no choice but to follow them as they led the way.\n\nAfter a mile or two he saw a high mountain wrapped in dark clouds down to its foot, while a black mist blotted out the sky."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What’s that mountain over there, Mr. Cui?” he asked; and the judge replied, “That is the Dark Mountain of the underworld.”\n\n“However shall we cross it?” Taizong asked in terror.\n\n“Have no fears, Your Majesty; your subjects will lead the way,” answered the judge. Taizong followed them shivering and trembling, and when they had climbed the mountain he looked around him. He saw that it was\n\nJagged,\n\nPrecipitous,\n\nHigh as the Sichuan ranges,\n\nLofty as Lushan.\n\nIt is not a famous peak of the world of light,\n\nBut a crag of the underworld.\n\nOgres hidden in the clumps of thorns,\n\nEvil monsters lurk behind the cliffs.\n\nYour ears hear no calls of animals or birds,\n\nThe eyes can only see fiends.\n\nA dark wind howls,\n\nAs black fog spreads.\n\nThe dark wind that howls\n\nIs the smoke breathed from the mouths of magic soldiers;\n\nThe spreading black fog\n\nIs the vapour belched out by hidden trolls.\n\nWherever you look the prospect is appalling;\n\nAll you can see to left or right is unbridled evil.\n\nTo be sure, there are hills,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To be sure, there are hills,\n\nPeaks,\n\nRanges,\n\nCaves,\n\nAnd gullies.\n\nBut no grass grows on the hills,\n\nThere is no sky for the peaks to touch.\n\nNo travelers cross the ranges,\n\nThe caves hold no clouds,\n\nNo water runs in the gullies.\n\nBefore the cliffs there are only goblins,\n\nBelow the ranges are trolls.\n\nSavage ghosts shelter in the caves,\n\nEvil spirits hide in the gullies.\n\nAll around the mountain\n\nOx-headed and horse-faced demons howl and roar;\n\nHalf hidden from view,\n\nHungry ghosts and desperate spirits sob to each other.\n\nThe judge who claims men’s lives\n\nCannot wait to deliver the letter;\n\nThe marshal who chases souls,\n\nShouts and roars as he hastens along with his documents.\n\nThe swift-footed ones\n\nSwirl along like a tornado;\n\nThe catchers of souls\n\nStand as thick as clouds.\n\nThanks entirely to the protection of the judge, Taizong crossed the Dark Mountain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they continued on their way they went past very many courts, and from each of them piteous sounds assailed his ear, while the evil ghouls there struck terror into his heart.\n\n“What place is this?” asked Taizong.\n\n“It is the eighteen layers of hell that lie behind the Dark Mountain,” the judge replied.\n\n“What are the eighteen layers?” asked Taizong.\n\n“Listen and I will tell you,” the judge replied.\n\n“The Hanging-by-the-Sinews Hell, the Hell of Injustice, and the Hell of the Pit of Fire.\n\nLoneliness and desolation,\n\nMisery and suffering.\n\nAll those here committed the thousand lower sins,\n\nAnd were sent here for punishment after death.\n\nThe Fengdu Hell, the Tongue-extraction Hell, the Flaying Hell:\n\nHowling and wailing,\n\nTerrible anguish.\n\nThey offended against Heaven by not being loyal or filial;\n\nThey have Buddha-mouths but snake hearts, so fell down here.\n\nThe Grinding Hell, the Pounding Hell, the Hell of Drawing and Quartering.\n\nSkin and flesh ripped and torn,\n\nLips rubbed away till the teeth show."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lips rubbed away till the teeth show.\n\nIn the blindness of their hearts they did evil things;\n\nFor all their fine words they harmed others in secret.\n\nThe Ice Hell, the Skin-shedding Hell, the Disemboweling Hell.\n\nFilthy faces and matted hair,\n\nFrowning foreheads and sad eyes.\n\nThey all used false measures to cheat the foolish,\n\nThus piling up disasters for themselves.\n\nThe Oil-cauldron Hell, the Hell of Blackness, the Hell of the Mountain of Knives.\n\nShivering and trembling,\n\nIn terrible agony;\n\nBecause they used violence against the good\n\nThey cower and hunch their shoulders in their suffering.\n\nThe Hell of the Pool of Blood, the Avichi Hell, the Hell of the Steelyard Beam,\n\nWhere skin is pulled away from the bone,\n\nArms are broken and tendons cut.\n\nBecause they killed for gain,\n\nButchering living creatures,\n\nThey fell into these torments that will not end in a thousand years;\n\nThey will always lie here, never to escape.\n\nEvery one of them is tightly bound,\n\nKnotted and roped.\n\nRed-faced demons,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Knotted and roped.\n\nRed-faced demons,\n\nAnd black-faced demons,\n\nAre sent with their long halberds and short swords.\n\nOx-headed fiends.\n\nAnd horse-faced fiends,\n\nWith iron clubs and brazen hammers,\n\nBeat them till their wincing faces flow with blood,\n\nAs they call on Heaven and Earth and get no answer.\n\nLet no man alive have any illusions:\n\nThe devils carry out their orders and release nobody.\n\nGood and evil will always be rewarded:\n\nIt is only a question of time.”\n\nBefore they had gone much further a group of devil soldiers holding banners knelt down beside the road and said, “The Commissioners of the Bridges welcome you.” The Judge shouted to them that they were to rise and led Taizong across a golden bridge. Taizong saw that there was a silver bridge beside it over which some loyal, filial, worthy, just, and upright people were passing, led by banners. There was a third bridge on the other side with an icy wind roaring across it and waves of blood boiling below amid unbroken howls and wails."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What is that bridge called?” Taizong asked, and the Judge replied, “Your Majesty, that is called the Bridge of Punishment, and you must tell people about it when you return to the world of the living. Below the bridge there are\n\nA narrow, precipitous path\n\nOver a mighty, rushing river.\n\nIt is like a strip of cloth across the Yangtse,\n\nOr a fiery pit rising up to Heaven.\n\nThe icy vapours freeze one to the bone;\n\nNauseating stenches assail the nostrils.\n\nThere is no boat to ferry you\n\nAcross the crashing waves.\n\nAll who appear are sinful ghosts\n\nWith bare feet and matted hair.\n\nThe bridge is many miles long\n\nAnd only three fingers wide;\n\nThe drop is a hundred feet,\n\nThe waters are infinitely deeper.\n\nAbove there are no railings for support,\n\nWhile trolls snatch their victims from below.\n\nIn cangues and bonds\n\nThey are driven along the dangerous path by the River of Punishment.\n\nSee the ferocity of the divine generals by the bridge;\n\nWatch how the ghosts of the wicked suffer in the river."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the branching trees\n\nHang silken clothes in blue, red, yellow and purple;\n\nIn front of the precipice\n\nSquat lewd and shameless women who swore at their parents-in-law.\n\nCopper snakes and iron dogs feast on them at will,\n\nAs they constantly fall in the river, never to escape.\n\nThere is a poem that goes:\n\nAs ghosts wail and spirits howl\n\nThe waves of blood tower high.\n\nCountless ghouls with heads of bulls and horses\n\nGuard the bridge with great ferocity.\n\nThe commissioners of the bridges had gone away while he was speaking. Taizong’s heart was once more filled with horror, and he nodded his head and sighed silently in his distress, then followed the judge and the Marshal. Before long they crossed the evil River of Punishment and passed the terrors of the Bowl of Blood. Then they came to the City of the Unjustly Slain. Amid the hubbub, shouts of “Li Shimin’s here, Li Shimin’s here,” could be made out, to the terror of Taizong. He saw that his way was blocked by a crowd of maimed and headless spectres."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Give us back our lives,” they were all shouting, “give us back our lives.” The panic-stricken Taizong tried to hide, yelling, “Help, Judge Cui, help, help.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” the judge replied, “these are the ghosts of the kings and chieftains of the sixty-four groups of rebels and the seventy-two troops of bandits. They were all killed unjustly, and nobody has given them a home or looked after them. They cannot get themselves reborn as they have no money for the journey, so they are all uncared-for cold and hungry ghosts. If Your Majesty is able to give them some money I can save you.”\n\n“I came here empty-handed,” Taizong replied, “so where could I possibly get any money?”\n\n“Your Majesty,” the judge replied, “there is a man in the world of light who deposited a certain amount of money in the underworld. If Your Majesty is prepared to sign an I.O.U., I will endorse it, and we can borrow his store of money to distribute among these hungry ghosts; then we will be able to continue on our way,”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Who is this man?” asked Taizong.\n\n“He is a man of Kaifeng in Henan,” the judge replied, “and his name is Xiang Liang. He has thirteen hoards of gold and silver down here, and if Your Majesty borrows them, all you have to do is repay them when you return to the world of light.” Taizong was very pleased, and only too eager to borrow one. He signed an I.O.U. at once and gave it to the judge, then borrowed a store, which he gave to the marshal to hand out."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You are to share out this gold and silver and let your Lord of the Great Tang past,” said the judge. “As it is too early in his life, I am under orders from the ten kings to return his soul and tell him to hold a Great Mass when he is back in the world of light to enable all of you to be reborn, so don’t be making any more trouble.” When the ghosts heard what he had to say and were given the gold and silver they all withdrew, murmuring their obedient assent. The judge then told the marshal to wave his soul-leading flag, and Taizong was taken out of the City of the Unjustly Slain and floated along the highway to the daylight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After they had been going for a long time they reached the Wheel of the Six Paths of Being. Some people were soaring in the clouds, wearing cloaks of rosy mist. Others were being given office with golden insignia to hang from their waists. Monks and nuns, clergy and lay people, beasts of the field and birds of the air, ghosts and devils—all were pouring under the wheel and each was going along his allotted path.\n\n“What’s all this about?” asked the Tang Emperor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What’s all this about?” asked the Tang Emperor.\n\n“Your Majesty is a man of deep understanding,” the judge replied. “You must be sure to remember all this and tell the living about it. It is called the Wheel of the Six Paths of Being. Those who have done good deeds rise on the Path of the Immortals; those who have been loyal are reborn on the Path of Honour; those who have done their duty to their parents lead their next life on the Path of Happiness; those who have been just return to life on the Path of Man; those who have accumulated merit are reborn on the Path of Wealth; and the evildoers fall down into the Path of Devils.” On hearing this the Tang Emperor nodded and said with a sigh:\n\n“Excellent, truly excellent,\n\nThe virtuous come to no harm.\n\nThe good heart is always mindful,\n\nThe way of goodness always lies open.\n\n“Do not allow evil thoughts to arise;\n\nThus you will avoid all trouble.\n\nSay not that there is no retribution;\n\nWhether you become a god or a ghost is all determined."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The judge took Taizong straight to the Gate of Rebirth on the Path of Honour, bowed to him and said, “Your Majesty, this is the way out, where I shall have to take my leave and go back. Marshal Zhu will escort you for the next stage of your journey.”\n\n“I have made you come an awfully long way, sir,” said the Tang Emperor as he thanked him.\n\n“When Your Majesty returns to the world of the living you absolutely must hold a Great Mass to enable those forlorn ghosts to be reborn,” replied the judge. “Don’t on any account forget, as there can only be peace on Earth if there are no vengeance-seeking ghosts in the underworld. Every single wrong will have to be corrected. Teach all people to be good, and then you will be able to assure the continuity of your line and the eternal security of your empire.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Emperor agreed to each of his proposals and took leave of him, then went through the gates with Marshal Zhu. Seeing a fine horse standing ready and saddled inside the gates, the marshal asked Taizong to mount it with the help of his assistants. The horse was as swift as an arrow, and it was soon at the banks of the River Wei, where a pair of golden carp could be seen sporting in the water. Taizong, captivated at the sight, pulled in his horse’s reins and gazed at them.\n\n“Your Majesty,” the marshal said, “please keep moving. We have to enter the city early.” But all the Tang Emperor wanted to do was to look. As he would not move on the marshal grabbed him by the feet and shouted, “Get moving. What are you waiting for?” as he pushed him off his horse and into the River Wei with a splash. Taizong was now free of the underworld and back in the world of the living."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The civil and military officials of the Tang court, Xu Maogong, Qin Shubao, Yuchi Jingde, Duan Zhixian, Ma Sanbao, Cheng Yaojin, Gao Shilian, Li Shiji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xiao Yu, Fu Yi, Zhang Daoyuan, Zhang Shiheng, Wang Gui and the others, as well as the empresses, imperial consorts and concubines, and pages were all in the White Tiger Hall. They were discussing whether to issue an edict of mourning to inform the world so that the heir could be put on the throne.\n\nWei Zheng was saying, “Gentlemen, stop this discussion. We must not do that. If the country is alarmed, anything might happen. If we wait for another day our master is bound to come back to life.” Xu Jingzong stepped forward from the lower ranks and protested, “Minister Wei is talking nonsense. As the old saying goes, ‘split water can’t be picked up and the dead can’t come back to life.’ What business have you to be spreading confusion with these groundless claims?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Mr. Xu,” Wei Zheng replied, “I can say truthfully that I have been given instruction in the magic arts since childhood and my predictions are extremely accurate. I can assure you that I have saved His Majesty from death.”\n\nAs they were arguing they heard loud shouts of “You’re drowning me, you’re drowning me,” coming from the coffin. The civil officials and the generals were struck with terror; the empresses and consorts shivered. Every one of them had\n\nA face as yellow as a mulberry-leaf after autumn,\n\nA waist as weak as a willow sapling before spring.\n\nThe heir went weak at the knees,\n\nAs he stood in full mourning, unable to hold up his staff;\n\nThe attendants’ souls flew away:\n\nHow would it do for them to be wearing mourning hats and clothes?\n\nThe consorts and concubines collapsed,\n\nThe palace beauties had to lie down.\n\nWhen the consorts and concubines collapsed,\n\nIt was like a gale blowing down withered lotuses.\n\nWhen the palace beauties lay down\n\nIt was like a rainstorm beating young lotuses down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the ministers were terrified\n\nAnd their limbs went numb;\n\nThey shivered and shook,\n\nStruck dumb and stupid.\n\nThe White Tiger Hall was like a bridge collapsing,\n\nAnd the confusion round the coffin\n\nWas like a temple falling down.\n\nAll the palace women fled, as not one of them dared to approach the imperial coffin. Luckily the upright Xu Maogong, the trusty Wei Zheng, the brave Qin Shubao, and the ferocious Yuchi Jingde went forward to put their hands on the coffin and shouted, “What is it that worries Your Majesty and makes you speak to us? Tell us, and do not haunt us and scare the royal family.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“His Majesty is not haunting us,” Wei Zheng said. “His Majesty has come back to life. Bring tools at once.” They opened the coffin and found Taizong sitting up inside and still shouting, “You’re drowning me. Save me, someone.” Xu Maogong and the others helped him to his feet and said, “There is nothing to fear as you come round, Your Majesty. We are all here to protect you.” The Tang Emperor then opened his eyes and said, “We have been having an awful time: after escaping from the evil demons of the underworld, we were drowned.”\n\n“Relax, Your Majesty, there is nothing to fear. How could you have drowned?” the ministers said. “We were riding along the banks of the River Wei and watching to fishes playing when that deceitful Marshal Zhu pushed us off the horse and made us fall into the river, where we all but drowned.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty still has something of the ghost about you,” said Wei Zheng, and he ordered the Imperial Medical Academy to send medicinal potions to settle the spirit and calm the soul at once; he also sent for some thin gruel. After one or two doses of the medicine the Emperor returned to normal and regained full consciousness. The Tang Emperor had been dead for three days and nights before returning to rule the world of the living once more. There is a poem to prove it:\n\nSince ancient times there have been changes of power;\n\nDynasties have always waxed and waned.\n\nWhat deed of the kings of old could compare\n\nWith the Emperor of Tang returning to life?\n\nAs it was evening by then the ministers asked the Emperor to go to bed, and they all dispersed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next day they all took off their mourning garments and put colorful clothes back on. Wearing red robes and black hats, and with their golden seals of office hanging from purple ribbons at their waists, they stood outside the gates of the court awaiting the summons. As for Taizong, after taking the medicine to settle his spirit and calm his soul and drinking some thin gruel he was helped to his bedroom by his ministers. He slept soundly all night, building up his energies, and at dawn he rose. See how he was arrayed as he summoned up his authority:\n\nOn his head a hat that thrust into the sky;\n\nOn his body a dark yellow robe\n\nGirt with a belt of Lantian jade;\n\nOn his feet a pair of Shoes of Success.\n\nThe dignity of his bearing\n\nSurpasses all others at court.\n\nHis awesome majesty\n\nIs today restored.\n\nWhat a peaceful and wise Great Tang Emperor,\n\nThe king named Li who can die and rise again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king named Li who can die and rise again.\n\nThe Tang Emperor entered the throne hall, and when the two groups of civil and military officials had finished acclaiming him they divided into sections according to their ranks. When they heard the decree, “Let all those with business step forward from their sections and submit memorials, and let those with no business retire,” Xu Maogong, Wei Zheng, Wang Gui, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Yuan Tiangang, Li Chunfeng, Xu Jingzong and others stepped forward on the Eastern side; and on the Western side Yin Kaishan, Liu Hongji, Ma Sanbao, Duan Zhixian, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao, Yuchi Jingde, Xue Rengui and others stepped forward also.\n\nThey advanced together, bowed low before the white jade steps, and asked in a memorial, “Why did it take Your Majesty so long to awake from your dream the other day?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this Taizong replied, “The other day we took Wei Zheng’s letter and felt our soul leaving the palace. The horsemen of the Imperial Guard asked us to go hunting with them, and as we were going along the men and their horses all vanished. His Late Majesty and our dead brothers appeared and started to shout at us in a quarrelsome way. Things were getting very awkward when we saw a man in a black hat and gown who turned out to be the judge Cui Jue. When he had shouted at my dead brothers and driven them away we gave him Wei Zheng’s letter. As he was reading it some servants in black holding banners led us in and took us to the Senluo Palace, where the Ten Kings of Hell were all sitting. They said that the dragon of the River Jing had falsely accused us of deliberately killing him after we had promised to save him, so we gave them a full account of what we told you about before. They said that the case had now been settled between the three orders, and ordered that the Registers of Birth and Death be brought"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that the Registers of Birth and Death be brought at once so that they could see how long we were due to live. Judge Cui handed up the register, and they saw in it that we were due to reign for thirty-three years, which meant that we had another twenty years of life in front of us. They told Marshal Zhu and Judge Cui to escort us back. We took our leave of the Ten Kings and promised to send them some pumpkins and fruit as a mark of our thanks. After leaving the Senluo Palace we saw in the underworld how the disloyal, the unfilial, those who do not observe the rules of propriety, wasters of foodgrains, bullies, cheats, those who use false measures, adulterers, robbers, hypocrites, deceivers, debauchees, swindlers and the like undergo the agonies of being ground, burnt, pounded and sliced, and suffer the torments of being fried, boiled, hung in mid-air, and skinned. There were tens of thousands of them, far more than our eyes could take in. Then we went through the City of the Unjustly Slain where there were"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the City of the Unjustly Slain where there were countless ghosts of the wrongly killed, and all of them, the chieftains of the sixty-four groups of rebels and the spirits of the seventy-two bands of rebels, blocking our way. Luckily Judge Cui acted as our guarantor and lent us one of the hoards of gold and silver of a Mr. Xiang of Henan, with which we were able to buy them off and continue on our way. Judge Cui told us that when we returned to the world of the living we had an inescapable obligation to hold a Great Mass to enable all those forlorn ghosts to be reborn, and with these instructions he took his leave. When I came out under the Wheel of the Six Paths of Being Marshal Zhu invited us to mount a horse. This horse seemed to fly to the banks of the River Wei, where I saw a pair of fish sporting in the water. Just as we were enjoying this sight the marshal grabbed our legs and tipped us into the water, and with that we returned to life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the ministers had heard this they all congratulated him and they compiled a record of it; and all the prefectures and counties of the empire sent in memorials of felicitation."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taizong issued a decree of amnesty for all the convicted criminals in the empire and ordered inquiries into the cases of all those held in jail on serious charges. The inspectors submitted to the throne the names of more than four hundred criminals who had been sentenced by the Ministry of Punishments to beheading or strangulation, and Taizong gave them a stay of execution, allowing them to go home to see their families and give their property to their relations; on the same day the following year they were to report to the authorities for their sentences to be carried out. The criminals thanked him for his mercy and withdrew. He also issued a notice about charity for orphans and released three thousand women of all ages from the palace to be married to members of the army. From then on all was well within and without the palace. There is a poem to prove it:\n\nVast is the mercy of the great Tang Emperor;\n\nHe surpasses Yao and Shun in making the people prosper."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Four hundred condemned men all left their prisons,\n\nThree thousand mistreated women were released from the palace.\n\nAll the officials of the empire proclaim the monarch’s long life;\n\nThe ministers at court congratulate the Great Dragon.\n\nHeaven responds to the thoughts of the good heart,\n\nIts blessing will protect his seventeen successors.\n\nWhen he had released the women from the palace and let the condemned men out of prison he issued a notice that was posted throughout the empire. It read:\n\n“Great are Heaven and Earth;\n\nSun and Moon shine clearly.\n\nAlthough the universe is vast,\n\nEarth and sky have no room for evil plots.\n\nIf you use your wits and skill to cheat people,\n\nYou will get retribution in this life;\n\nIf you are good at giving and ask for little,\n\nYou are sure to find a reward before your future life.\n\nA thousand cunning plans\n\nCannot compare with living according to one’s lot;\n\nTen thousand kinds of robbers\n\nAre no match for those who live frugally and accept their fate."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you are good and merciful in thought and deed,\n\nWhat need is there to bother to read the scriptures?\n\nIf your mind is full of malice towards others,\n\nTo read the whole of the Buddha’s canon would be a waste of time.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From then on everyone in the country did good deeds. Another notice was issued calling for a worthy man to take pumpkins to the underworld, and at the same time Yuchi Jingde, the Duke of E, was sent to Kaifeng in Henan to visit Xiang Liang and pay him back a hoard of jewels and a hoard of gold and silver. Some days after the notice had been issued a worthy man called Liu Quan from Junzhou came forward to deliver the pumpkins. He came from a family worth ten thousand strings of cash. When his wife Li Cuilian had taken a gold pin from her hair to give as an offering to a monk at the gate, Liu Quan had cursed her for being a loose wife who would not stay in the women’s quarters. Li Cuilian, bitterly resenting this, had hanged herself, leaving a little boy and girl who had been crying night and day ever since. Liu Quan, unable to bear it any longer, wanted only to end his own life and abandon his family and his children. For this reason he had volunteered to deliver the pumpkins in death and came to the Tang"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the pumpkins in death and came to the Tang Emperor with the imperial notice in his hand. The Emperor ordered him to go to the Golden Pavilion, where he was to put a pair of pumpkins on his head and some gold in his sleeve and drink poison."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Liu Quan drank the poison and died. In an instant his soul appeared at the Devil Gate with the pumpkins on his head. The demon officer at the gate asked, “Who are you, and how did you come here?”\n\n“I have come on the orders of Emperor Taizong of the Great Tang to present some pumpkins to the Ten Kings of Hell.” The officer was only too pleased to let him in, and he went straight to the Senluo Palace, and when he was given audience with the Kings of Hell he presented the pumpkins to them and said, “I have brought these pumpkins a great distance in obedience to the decree of the Tang Emperor, who wishes to thank Your Majesties for their great mercy to him.”\n\n“How splendid of the Tang Emperor to be as good as his word,” exclaimed the ten delighted kings as they accepted the pumpkins. Then they asked him what he was called and where he was from."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am a commoner of the city of Junzhou,” he replied, “and my name is Liu Quan. As my wife Miss Li hanged herself and left a boy and a girl with nobody to look after them I wanted to abandon my family and children by giving my life for my country, so I brought this offering of pumpkins on behalf of my sovereign, who wanted to thank Your Majesties for your great mercy.” On hearing this the Ten Kings ordered a search for Liu Quan’s wife, Miss Li. The devil messengers soon brought her to the Senluo Palace, outside which Liu Quan was reunited with her. They thanked the Ten Kings for their kindness and told them about the harsh words that had been spoken. On consulting the Registers of Birth and Death, the kings found that they were fated to become Immortals, so they ordered demon officers to take them back at once. The demon officers, however, asked in a report, “As Li Cuilian has been dead for some time her body has perished, so what is her soul to be attached to?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Li Yuying, the sister of the Tang Emperor, is due to die a sudden death today,” said the Kings of Hell, “so we can borrow her body to put Li Cuilian’s soul back into.” On receiving this order the demon officers took Liu Quan and his wife out of the underworld to be brought back to life. If you don’t know how they returned to life, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Twelve\n\nThe Tang Emperor Keeps Faith and Holds a Great Mass\n\nGuanyin Appears to the Reincarnated Golden Cicada"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the devil officers left the underworld with Liu Quan and his wife,a dark and whirling wind blew them straight to the great capital Chang’an, where Liu Quan’s soul was sent to the Golden Pavilion and Li Cuilian’s to an inner courtyard of the palace, where Princess Yuying could be seen walking slowing beside some moss under the shade of some blossoming trees. Suddenly the devil officers struck her full in the chest and knocked her over; they snatched the soul from her living body and put Li Cuilian’s soul into the body in its place. With that they returned to the underworld."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the palace serving-women saw her drop dead they rushed to the throne hall to report to the three empresses that Her Royal Highness the Princess had dropped dead. The shocked empresses passed the news on to Taizong who sighed and said, “We can well believe it. When we asked the Ten Lords of Hell if young and old in our palace would all be well, they replied that they would all be well except that our younger sister was going to die suddenly. How true that was.”\n\nHe and everyone else in the palace went with great sorrow to look at her lying under the trees, only to see that she was breathing very lightly.\n\n“Don’t wail,” the Tang Emperor said, “don’t wail; it might alarm her.” Then he raised her head with his own hand and said, “Wake up, sister, wake up.”\n\nAll of a sudden the princess sat up and called out, “Don’t go so fast, husband. Wait for me.”\n\n“Sister, we’re waiting for you here,” said the Emperor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The princess lifted her head, opened her eyes, and looked at him. “Who are you?” she asked. “How dare you put your hands on us?”\n\n“It’s your august brother, royal sister,” replied Taizong."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve got nothing to do with august brothers and royal sisters,” said the princess. “My maiden name is Li, and my full name is Li Cuilian. My husband is Liu Quan, and we both come from Junzhou. When I gave a gold hairpin to a monk at the gate three months ago my husband said harsh words to me about leaving the women’s quarters and not behaving as a good wife should. It made me so angry and upset that I hanged myself from a beam with a white silk sash, leaving a boy and a girl who cried all night and all day. As my husband was commissioned by the Tang Emperor to go to he underworld to deliver some pumpkins, the Kings of Hell took pity on us and let the two of us come back to life. He went ahead, but I lagged behind. When I tried to catch him up I tripped. You are all quite shameless to be mauling me like this. I don’t even know your names.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We think that Her Royal Highness is delirious after passing out when she fell,” said Taizong to the palace women. He sent an order to the Medical Academy for some medicinal potions, and helped Yuying into the palace.\n\nWhen the Tang Emperor was back in his throne-hall, one of his aides came rushing in to report, “Your Majesty, Liu Quan, the man who delivered the pumpkins, is awaiting your summons outside the palace gates.” The startled Taizong immediately sent for Liu Quan, who prostrated himself before the vermilion steps of the throne.\n\n“What happened when you presented the pumpkins?” asked the Tang Emperor.\n\n“Your subject went straight to the Devil Gate with the pumpkins on my head. I was taken to the Senluo Palace where I saw the Ten Kings of Hell, to whom I presented the pumpkins, explaining how very grateful my emperor was. The Kings of Hell were very pleased. They bowed in Your Majesty’s honour and said, ‘How splendid of the Tang Emperor to be as good as his word.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What did you see in the underworld?” asked the Emperor.\n\n“I did not go very far there so I did not see much. But when the kings asked me where I was from and what I was called, I told them all about how I had volunteered to leave my family and my children to deliver the pumpkins because my wife had hanged herself. They immediately ordered demon officers to bring my wife, and we were reunited outside the Senluo Palace. Meanwhile they inspected the Registers of Births and Deaths and saw that my wife and I were both due to become Immortals, so they sent devil officers to bring us back. I went ahead with my wife following behind, and although I was fortunate enough to come back to life, I don’t know where her soul has been put.”\n\n“What did the Kings of Hell say to you about your wife?” asked the astonished Emperor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They didn’t say anything,” replied Liu Quan, “but I heard a demon officer say, ‘As Li Cuilian has been dead for some time her body has decomposed.’ To this the Kings of Hell said, ‘Li Yuying of the Tang house is due to die today, so we can borrow her body to put Li Cuilian’s soul back into.’ As I don’t know where this Tang house is or where she lives, I haven’t been able to go and look for her yet.”\n\nThe Tang Emperor, who was now very pleased, said to his officials, “When we were leaving the Kings of Hell, we asked them about our family. They said all its members would be well except for my sister. She collapsed and died under the shade of some blossoming trees, and when we hurried over to support her she came to, shouting ‘Don’t go so fast, husband. Wait for me.’ We thought at the time that she was just talking deliriously after passing out, but when we asked her to tell us more her story tallied precisely with Liu Quan’s.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If Her Royal Highness died suddenly and came to shortly afterwards talking like this, then it means that Liu Quan’s wife must have borrowed her body to come back to life,” said Wei Zheng. “Things like this do happen. The princess should be asked to come out so that we can hear what she says.”\n\n“We have just ordered the Imperial Medical Academy to send some medicine, so we don’t know whether it will be possible,” said the Tang Emperor, who then sent a consort into the palace to ask her to come out. The princess, meanwhile, was shouting wildly inside the palace, “I’m taking none of your medicine. This isn’t my home. My home is a simple tiled house, not like this jaundiced, yellow place with its flashy doors. Let me out, let me out.”\n\nFour of five women officials and two or three eunuchs appeared while she was shouting and helped her go straight to the throne hall, where the Tang Emperor asked, “Would you recognize your husband if you saw him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a thing to ask! We’ve been married since we were children, and I’ve given him a son and a daughter, so of course I’d recognize him.” The Emperor told his attendants to help her down and she went down from the throne hall. As soon as she saw Liu Quan in front of the white jade steps she seized hold of him.\n\n“Husband!” she exclaimed, “where did you go? Why didn’t you wait for me? I tripped over, and all these shameless people surrounded me and shouted at me. Wasn’t that shocking?” Although Liu Quan could hear that it was his wife talking, she looked like somebody else, so he did not dare to recognize her as his wife.\n\n“Indeed,” said the Emperor,\n\n“Sometimes mountains collapse and the earth yawns open,\n\nBut few men will shorten their lives to die for another.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he was a good and wise monarch he gave all of the princess’ dressing-cases, clothes and jewelry to Liu Quan as if they were a dowry, presented him with an edict freeing him from labor service for life, and told him to take the princess home with him. Husband and wife thanked him before the steps and returned home very happily. There is a poem to prove it:\n\nLife and death are pre-ordained;\n\nSome have many years, others few.\n\nWhen Liu Quan came back to the light after taking the pumpkins,\n\nLi Cuilian returned to life in a borrowed body.\n\nAfter leaving the Emperor the pair went straight back to the city of Junzhou, where they found that their household and their children were all well. There is no need to go into how the two of them publicized their virtue rewarded."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story turns to Lord Yuchi, who went to Kaifeng in Henan with a hoard of gold and silver for Xiang Liang, who made a living by selling water and dealing in black pots and earthenware vessels with his wife, whose maiden name was Zhang, at the gate of their house. When they made some money they were content to keep enough for their daily expenses, giving the rest as alms to monks or using it to buy paper ingots of gold and silver, which they assigned to various hoards in the underworld and burnt. That was why they were now to be so well rewarded. Although he was only a pious pauper in this world, he owned mountains of jade and gold in the other one. When Lord Yuchi brought them the gold and silver, Mr. and Mrs. Xiang were terrified out of their wits. Apart from his lordship there were also officials from the local government office, and horses and carriages were packed tight outside their humble cottage. The two of them fell to their knees dumbfounded and began to kowtow."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please rise,” said Lord Yuchi. “Although I am merely an imperial commissioner, I bring gold and silver from His Majesty to return to you.” Shivering and shaking Xiang Liang replied, “I’ve lent out no silver or gold, so how could I dare to accept this mysterious wealth?”\n\n“I know that your are a poor man,” said Lord Yuchi, “but you have given monks everything they need and bought paper ingots of gold and silver which you have assigned to the underworld and burnt, thus accumulating large sums of money down there. When His Majesty the Emperor Taizong was dead for three days before returning to life he borrowed one of your hoards of gold and silver down there, which he is now repaying to you in full. Please check it through so that I can go back and report that I have carried out my instructions.” Xiang Liang and his wife just went on bowing to Heaven and refused to take the gold and silver."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If humble folk like ourselves took all this gold and silver it’d soon be the death of us. Although we have burned some paper and assigned it to various stores, it was a secret. Anyhow, what proof is there that His Majesty—may he live for ten thousand years—borrowed gold and silver down there? We refuse to accept it.”\n\n“The Emperor said that Judge Cui was his guarantor when he borrowed your money, and this can be verified, so please accept it,” replied Lord Yuchi.\n\n“I would sooner die than do so,” said Xiang Liang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing how earnestly he refused Lord Yuchi had to send a man back with a detailed report to the throne. On reading this report that Xiang Liang had refused to accept the gold and silver, Taizong said, “He really is a pious old fellow.” He sent orders to Yuchi Jingde that he was to build a temple in his name, erect a shrine to him, and invite monks to do good deeds on his behalf: this would be as good as paying him back the gold and silver. On the day this decree reached him Yuchi Jingde turned towards the palace to thank the Emperor, and read it aloud for all to hear. Then he bought fifty mu of land at a place inside the city that would not be in the way from either the civil or the military point of view, and here work was begun on a monastery to be called The Imperially Founded Xiang Quo Monastery. To its left was erected a shrine to Mr. and Mrs. Xiang with an inscribed tablet that read “Built under the supervision of Lord Yuchi.” This is the present Great Xiang Guo Monastery."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he was informed that work had been completed Taizong was very pleased, and assembling the multitude of officials he issued a notice summoning monks to come and hold a Great Mass for the rebirth of those lonely souls in the underworld. As the notice traveled throughout the empire the local officials everywhere recommended holy and venerable monks to go to Chang’an for the service. By the end of the month many monks had arrived in Chang’an from all over the empire. The Emperor issued a decree ordering Fu Yi, the Deputy Annalist, to select some venerable monks to perform Buddhist ceremonies. On hearing this command Fu Yi sent up a memorial requesting a ban on the building of pagodas and saying that there was no Buddha. It read: By the Law of the West there are no distinctions between ruler and subject or between father and son; the Three Paths and the Six Roads are used to deceive the foolish; past sins are chased away to filch future blessings; and Sanskrit prayers are recited in attempts to avoid"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanskrit prayers are recited in attempts to avoid retribution. Now birth, death and the length of life are in fact decided by nature; and punishments, virtue, power and blessings come from the lord of men. But these days vulgar believers distort the truth and say that they all come from Buddha. In the time of the Five Emperors and Three Kings of antiquity this Buddha did not exist, yet rulers were enlightened, subjects were loyal, and prosperity lasted for many a long year. When foreign gods were first established in the time of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, sramanas from the West began to propagate their religion. This is in reality a foreign encroachment on China, and it does not merit belief."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he had heard this read to him Taizong tossed it to his other officials for debate. The minister Xiao Yu stepped forward from the ranks, kowtowed and said, “The Buddha’s law has flourished for several dynasties, and by spreading good and preventing evil it gives unseen help to the state; there is no reason why it would be abolished. Buddha was a sage. Those who deny sages are lawless. I request that he be severely punished.” Fu Yi argued with Xiao Yu, pointing out that correct behavior was derived from serving one’s parents and one’s sovereign, whereas the Buddha turned his back on his parents, resisting the Son of Heaven although he was but a commoner, and rebelling against his mother and father with the body that they gave him. Xiao Yu had not been born in an empty mulberry tree, but he honoured a religion that denied fathers; this indeed proved that he who had no sense of filial piety denied his father."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All Xiao Yu did was to put his hands together and say, “Hell must have been made for men such as him.” Taizong sent for the High Chamberlain Zhang Daoyuan and the Head of the Secretariat Zhang Shiheng to ask them how effectively Buddhist ritual obtained blessings.\n\n“The Buddha dwells in purity, benevolence and mercy,” the two officers replied, “and the True Result is Buddha-emptiness. Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty placed the Three Teachings in an order. The Chan Master Dahui wrote a poem in praise of the distant and mysterious. If the masses support monks, anything can happen. The Five Patriarchs came down to their mothers’ wombs, and Bodhidharma appeared. From remotest antiquity everyone has said that the Three Teachings are highly venerable and cannot be destroyed or abolished. We humbly beg Your Majesty to give us his perceptive ruling.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your submission makes sense,” said the delighted Taizong. “If anyone else makes further comments, he will be punished.” He then ordered Wei Zheng, Xiao Yu and Zhang Daoyuan to invite all the monks and select one of great virtue to be Master of Ceremonies. They all bowed to thank him and withdrew. From then on there was a new law: anyone who injured a monk or slandered the Buddha would lose his arm.\n\nThe next day the three court officials assembled all the monks at the altar among rivers and hills, and they went through them all one by one. From among them they chose a venerable and virtuous monk. Do you know who he was?\n\nFully versed in the basic mystery, his title was Golden Cicada;\n\nBut because he did not want to hear the Buddha preach\n\nHe transferred to the mortal world to suffer torment,\n\nWas born among the common mortals to fall into the net.\n\nFrom the moment he entered the womb he met with evil,\n\nBefore he left it he encountered a gang of villains.\n\nHis father was Top Graduate Chen from Haizhou,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His father was Top Graduate Chen from Haizhou,\n\nHis grandfather a senior imperial commander.\n\nHis birth offended the meteor that dropped into the water,\n\nHe drifted with the current and followed the waves.\n\nJinshan Island had a great destiny:\n\nThe abbot Qian’an brought him up.\n\nOnly at seventeen did he meet his mother,\n\nAnd go to the capital to find his grandfather.\n\nCommander Yin Kaishan, raising a great army,\n\nWiped out and punished the bandits at Hongzhou.\n\nGraduate Chen Guangrui escaped from the heavenly net,\n\nAnd father and son were happily reunited.\n\nAccepting the invitation he receives once more the monarch’s grace,\n\nAnd his fame is spread as he climbs the lofty tower.\n\nRefusing to take office he wants to be a monk,\n\nSo as sramana of the Hongfu Temple he learns about the Way,\n\nThe child of an ancient Buddha who used to be called Jiangliu,\n\nAnd took the dharma-name of Chen Xuanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And took the dharma-name of Chen Xuanzang.\n\nThat day the Reverend Xuanzang was chosen from among all the monks. He had been a monk from infancy, and ever since birth he had eaten vegetarian food and observed the prohibitions. His maternal grandfather was an imperial commander, Yin Kaishan. His father Chen Guangrui had come top in the Palace Examination and had been appointed a grand secretary in the Imperial Library. Xuanzang, however, had no interest in honour and glory, and his only joy was to cultivate Nirvana. Investigation revealed that his origins were good and his virtue great; of the thousand sutras and ten thousand holy books there was not a single one that he did not know; he could sing every Buddhist chant and knew all the religious music. The three officials took him to the imperial presence, where they danced and stirred up the dust. When they had bowed they reported, “Your subject Xiao Yu and the rest of us have chosen a venerable monk called Chen Xuanzang in obedience to the imperial decree.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing his name Taizong thought deeply for a long time and then asked, “Is that the Xuanzang who is the son of Grand Secretary Chen Guangrui?”\n\n“Your subject is he,” replied Xuanzang with a kowtow.\n\n“Then you were indeed well chosen,” said the Emperor with satisfaction. “You are indeed a monk of virtuous conduct of a mind devoted to meditation. I give you the offices of Left Controller of the Clergy, Right Controller of the Clergy, and Hierarch of the Empire.” Xuanzang kowtowed to express his thanks and accepted the appointments. The Emperor then gave him a multicolored golden cassock and a Vairocana miter, telling him to be sure he conscientiously continued to visit enlightened monks, and giving him the position at the top of the hierarchy. He gave him a decree in writing ordering him to go to the Huasheng Temple to pick a propitious day and hour on which to begin the recitations of the scriptures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xuanzang bowed, took the decree, and went to the Huasheng Temple where he assembled many monks, had meditation benches made, prepared for the mass, and chose the music. He selected a total of twelve hundred high and humble monks of enlightenment, who he divided into an upper, a middle and a lower hall. All the holy objects were neatly arranged before all the Buddhas. The third day of the ninth month of that year was chosen an auspicious day on which to start the seven times seven days of the Great Land and Water Mass. This was all reported to the throne, and at the appointed time Taizong, the high civil and military officials, and the royal family went to the service to burn incense and listen to the preaching. There is a poem to prove it that goes:\n\nAt the dragon assembly in the thirteenth year of Zhen Guan\n\nThe Emperor called a great meeting to talk about the scriptures.\n\nAt the assembly they began to expound the unfathomable law,\n\nWhile clouds glowed above the great shrine."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While clouds glowed above the great shrine.\n\nThe Emperor in his grace orders the building of a temple;\n\nThe Golden Cicada sheds his skin to edify the West.\n\nHe spreads the news that rewards for goodness save from ill,\n\nPreaching the doctrine of the three Buddhas of past and future.\n\nIn the year jisi, the thirteenth of Zhen Guan, on the day jiaxu, the third of the ninth month, the Hierarch Chen Xuanzang assembled twelve hundred venerable monks at the Huasheng Temple in the city of Chang’an for a chanting of all the holy scriptures. After morning court was over the Emperor left the throne hall in his dragon and phoenix chariot at the head of a host of civil and military officials and went to the temple to burn incense. What did the imperial chariot look like? Indeed\n\nPropitious vapours filled the sky\n\nThat shone with ten thousand beams of sacred light.\n\nA mellow breeze blew softly,\n\nThe sunlight was strangely beautiful.\n\nA thousand officials with jade at their belts walked in due order."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The banners of the five guards are drawn up on either side.\n\nHolding golden gourds,\n\nWielding battle-axes,\n\nThey stand in pairs;\n\nLamps of purple gauze,\n\nImperial censers,\n\nMake majestic clouds.\n\nDragons fly and phoenixes dance,\n\nOspreys and eagles soar.\n\nTrue is the enlightened Son of Heaven,\n\nGood are his just and loyal ministers.\n\nThis age of prosperity surpasses the time of Shun and Yu;\n\nThe eternal peace he has given outdoes that of Yao and Tang.\n\nUnder a parasol with curved handle\n\nThe dragon robe sweeps in,\n\nDazzling bright.\n\nInterlocking jade rings,\n\nColoured phoenix fans,\n\nShimmer with a magic glow.\n\nPearl crowns and belts of jade,\n\nGold seals on purple cords.\n\nA thousand regiments of soldiers protect the imperial chariot,\n\nTwo lines of generals carry the royal chair.\n\nBathed and reverent, the Emperor comes to worship the Buddha,\n\nSubmitting to the True Achievement as he joyfully burns incense."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the carriage of the Tang Emperor reached the temple, orders were given to stop the music as he descended from the vehicle and went at the head of his officials to bow to the Buddha and burn incense. When he had done this three times he looked up and saw what a magnificent assembly it was:\n\nDancing banners,\n\nFlying canopies.\n\nWhen the banners danced\n\nThe sky shook with the clouds of silk;\n\nWhen the canopies flew\n\nThe sun gleamed as the red lightning flashed.\n\nPerfect the image of the statue of the Honoured One,\n\nMighty the grandeur of the Arhats’ countenances.\n\nMagic flowers in a vase,\n\nCensers burning sandalwood and laka.\n\nAs the fairy flowers stand in vases\n\nTrees like brocade fill the temple with their brightness.\n\nAs the censers burn sandalwood and laka\n\nClouds of incense rise to the azure heaven.\n\nFresh fruit of the season is piled in vermilion dishes,\n\nExotic sweets are heaped on the silk-covered tables.\n\nSerried ranks of holy monks intone the surras\n\nTo save abandoned souls from suffering."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To save abandoned souls from suffering.\n\nTaizong and his civil and military officials all burned incense, bowed to the golden body of the Lord Buddha, and paid their respects to the Arhats. The Hierarch Chen Xuanzang then led all the monks to bow to the Emperor, and when this was over they divided into their groups and went to their meditation places while the Hierarch showed the Emperor the notice about the delivery of the lonely ghosts. It read:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Mysterious is the ultimate virtue, and the Sect of Meditation leads to Nirvana. The purity of the truth is all-knowing; it pervades the Three Regions of the universe. Through its countless changes it controls the Negative and Positive; unbounded are the embodiments of the eternal reality. In considering those forlorn ghosts one should be deeply distressed. At the sacred command of Taizong we have assembled some chosen monks for meditation and preaching. He has opened wide the gates of enlightenment and rowed far the boat of mercy, saving all the beings in the sea of suffering, and delivering those who had long been afflicted by the six ways of existence. They will be led back to the right road and revel in the great chaos; in action and in passivity they will be at one with primal simplicity. For this wonderful cause they are invited to see the purple gates of the pure capital, and through our assembly they will escape from the confines of Hell to climb to the World of Bliss and be free, wandering as they"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the World of Bliss and be free, wandering as they please in the Paradise of the West. As the poem goes:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A burner of incense of longevity,\n\nA few spells to achieve rebirth.\n\nThe infinite Law is proclaimed,\n\nThe boundless mercy of Heaven is shown.\n\nWhen sins are all washed away,\n\nThe neglected souls leave Hell.\n\nWe pray to protect our country;\n\nMay it stay at peace and be blessed.”\n\nWhen he had read this the Tang Emperor’s heart was filled with happiness and he said to the monks, “Hold firm to your sincerity and never allow yourselves a moment’s slackness in the service of the Buddha. Later on, when the Assembly is over, you will be blessed and we shall richly reward you. You shall certainly not have labored in vain.” The twelve hundred monks all kowtowed to thank him. When the three vegetarian meals for the day were over the Tang Emperor went back to the palace. He was invited to come back to the Grand Assembly to burn incense once more on the seventh day. As evening was now drawing in all the officials went away. It was a fine evening:\n\nA light glow suffused the boundless sky;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A light glow suffused the boundless sky;\n\nA few crows were late in finding their roosts.\n\nLamps were lit throughout the city as all fell still;\n\nIt was just the hour for the monks to enter the trance.\n\nWe will omit a description of the night or of how the monks intoned the scriptures when their master took his seat again the next morning.\n\nThe Bodhisattva Guanyin from Potaraka Island in the Southern Sea had been long in Chang’an, looking on the Buddha’s orders for the man to fetch the scriptures, but she had not yet found anyone really virtuous. Then she heard that Taizong was propagating the True Achievement and selecting venerable monks for a Grand Assembly, and when she saw that the Master of Ceremonies was the monk Jiangliu who was really a Buddha’s son came down from the realms of supreme bliss, an elder whom she herself had led into his earthly mother’s womb, she was very pleased. She took her disciple Moksa and the treasures that the Buddha had given her out on the street to offer them for sale."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Do you know what these treasures were? There was a precious brocade cassock and-a monastic staff with nine rings. She also had those three golden bands, but she put them away safely for future use; she was only selling the cassock and the staff.\n\nThere was a monk in Chang’an city too stupid to be chosen for the service but who nonetheless had some ill-gotten banknotes. When he saw the bald, scabby, barefoot figure wearing a tattered robe—the form the Bodhisattva had taken—offering the cassock of dazzling beauty for sale he went up and asked, “How much d’you want for that cassock, Scabby?”\n\n“The price of the cassock is five thousand ounces of silver and the staff two thousand,” replied the Bodhisattva. The stupid monk roared with laughter.\n\n“You must be a nutcase, Scabby, or else a dope. Those two lousy things wouldn’t be worth that much unless they gave you immortality and turned you into a Buddha. No deal. Take’em away.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not bothering to argue, the Bodhisattva walked on with Moksa. After they had been going for quite a long time they found themselves in front of the Donghua Gate of the palace, where the minister Xiao Yu happened to be returning home from morning court. Ignoring the crowd of lictors who were shouting to everyone to get out of the way, the Bodhisattva calmly went into the middle of the road with the cassock in her hands and headed straight for the minister. When the minister reined in his horse to look he saw the cassock gleaming richly and sent an attendant to ask its price.\n\n“I want five thousand ounces of silver for the cassock and two thousand for the staff,” said the Bodhisattva.\n\n“What’s so good about the cassock to make it worth that much?” asked Xiao Yu.\n\n“On the one hand it is good and on the other it isn’t,” replied the Bodhisattva. “On the one hand it has a price and on the other it hasn’t.”\n\n“What’s good about it and what isn’t?” asked the minister."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Whoever wears this cassock of mine will not sink into the mire, will not fall into Hell, will not be ensnared by evil and will not meet disaster from tiger or wolf: these are its good points. But as for a stupid monk who is greedy and debauched, who takes delight in the sufferings of others, does not eat vegetarian food, and breaks the monastic bans; or a common layman who harms the scriptures and slanders the Buddha—such people have great difficulty even in seeing this cassock of mine: that is its disadvantage.”\n\n“What did you mean by saying that it both has a price and hasn’t got one?” asked the minister, continuing his questions."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Anyone who doesn’t obey the Buddha’s Law or honour the Three Treasures but still insists on buying the cassock and the staff will have to pay seven thousand ounces for them: in that case they have a price. But if anyone who honors the Three Treasures, takes pleasure in goodness, and believes in our Buddha, wants to have them, then I’ll give him the cassock and staff as a gift. In that case they have no price.” Xiao Yu’s cheeks coloured, showing that he was a good man, and he dismounted to greet the Bodhisattva.\n\n“Elder of the Great Law,” he said, “forgive me. Our Great Tang Emperor is a true lover of goodness, and every one of the civil and military officials in his court acts piously. This cassock would be just right for the Hierarch, Master Chen Xuanzang, to wear in the Great Land and Water Mass that is now being conducted. You and I shall go into the palace to see His Majesty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva gladly followed him as he turned around and went straight in through the Donghua Gate. The eunuchs reported their arrival, and they were summoned to the throne hall. Xiao Yu led the two scabby monks in, and they stood beneath the steps of the throne.\n\n“What have you come to report, Xiao Yu?” the Emperor asked. Xiao Yu prostrated himself in front of the steps and replied, “When your subject went out through the Donghua Gate I met two monks who were selling a cassock and a staff. It occurred to me that this cassock would be suitable for Master Xuanzang to wear. So I have brought the monks for an audience with Your Majesty.” The delighted Taizong asked how much the cassock cost. Still standing beneath the steps, and not making any gestures of courtesy, the Bodhisattva and Moksa replied, “The cassock costs five thousand ounces of silver, and the staff two thousand.”\n\n“What advantages does the cassock have to make it worth so much?” the Emperor asked. To this the Bodhisattva replied:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This cassock\n\nHas a strand of dragon cape,\n\nTo save from being eaten by the Roc,\n\nAnd a thread of a stork jacket,\n\nTo deliver from mortality and lead to sainthood.\n\nWhen one sits\n\nTen thousand spirits come to pay homage;\n\nIn all your actions\n\nThe Seven Buddhas will be with you.\n\n“This cassock is made of silk reeled from giant ice-worms,\n\nTwisted into yarn by skilful craftsmen,\n\nWoven by fairy beauties,\n\nFinished by goddesses.\n\nThe strips of cloth are joined with embroidered seams,\n\nEach piece thick with brocade.\n\nThe openwork decoration has a flower pattern\n\nShimmering with color, shining with jeweled beauty.\n\nThe wearer of the cassock is wreathed in red mist,\n\nAnd when it is taken off, coloured clouds fly.\n\nIts primal light slipped out through the Three Gates of Heaven,\n\nThe magic vapour arose before the Five Sacred Peaks.\n\nIt is embroidered with layer upon layer of passion-flowers,\n\nAnd gleams with pearls that shine like stars.\n\nAt the four corners are night-shining pearls,\n\nSet at the top is an emerald."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Set at the top is an emerald.\n\nAlthough it does not completely illuminate the Original Body\n\nIt shines with the light of the Eight Treasures.\n\n“This cassock\n\nIs normally kept folded,\n\nAnd will only be worn by a sage.\n\nWhen kept folded,\n\nA rainbow shines through its thousand layers of wrapping;\n\nWhen it is worn by a sage,\n\nIt will astonish the heavenly spirits and scare all demons.\n\nOn top is an as-you-wish pearl,\n\nA Mani Pearl,\n\nA dust-repelling pearl,\n\nAnd a wind-calming pearl;\n\nThere is also red agate,\n\nPurple coral,\n\nNight-shining pearls,\n\nAnd relics of the Buddha.\n\nThey steal the white of the moon,\n\nRival the sun in redness.\n\nTheir magic essence fills the sky,\n\nTheir auspicious light honors the sage.\n\nTheir magic essence fills the sky,\n\nShining through the gates of Heaven;\n\nTheir auspicious light honors the sage,\n\nIlluminating the whole world.\n\nShining on mountains and rivers,\n\nThe essence frightens tigers and leopards;\n\nIlluminating oceans and islands,\n\nThe light startles fishes and dragons."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The light startles fishes and dragons.\n\nAt the side are two rows of gold-plated hooks,\n\nAt the neck are loops of whitest jade.”\n\nThere is a poem that goes:\n\n“Great are the Three Jewels, and honoured be the Way;\n\nThe Four Kinds of Life and Six Paths are all explained.\n\nWhoever knows and teaches the law of Man and Heaven,\n\nCan pass on the lamp of wisdom when he sees his original nature.\n\nIt protects the body and makes it a world of gold,\n\nLeaves body and mind pure as an ice-filled jar of jade.\n\nEver since Buddha made his cassock\n\nNo one will ever dare to end the priesthood.”\n\nWhen the Tang Emperor heard these words spoken in his throne hall he was filled with joy, and he asked another question: “Monk, what is so wonderful about your nine-ringed staff?”\n\n“This staff of mine,” the Bodhisattva replied, “is:\n\nA nine-ringed iron staff inlaid with copper,\n\nA nine-sectioned Immortal’s cane to preserve eternal youth.\n\nHeld in your hand it’s as light as a bone,\n\nAs you go down the mountain it brings white clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Fifth Patriarch took it through the gates of Heaven;\n\nWhen Lo Bu searched for his mother he used it to smash the gates of Earth.\n\nUntouched by the filth of mortal dust,\n\nIt gladly accompanies the godly monk as he climbs the jade mountain.”\n\nThe Tang Emperor then ordered that the cassock be unfolded. On examining it from top to bottom he saw that it was indeed a fine article.\n\n“Elder of the Great Law,” he said, “I tell you truthfully that I am now propagating the good word and widely sowing seeds of blessing. At this moment many monks are assembled at the Huasheng Monastery for recitation of the surras. Among them is one monk of outstanding virtue whose Buddha-name is Xuanzang, and we wish to buy those two treasures of yours to give him. So what is your price?”\n\nThe Bodhisattva and Moksa put their hands together, intoned the name of the Buddha, and bowed down. “If he really is a virtuous monk,” she said, “I shall give them to him, and I refuse to accept any money for them.” With that she turned and left."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Emperor immediately told Xiao Yu to stop her as he rose to his feet and called out, “You told us that you wanted five thousand ounces for the cassock and two thousand for the staff, but now that we have said we shall buy them, you refuse to take any money. Are you going to say that I abused my power to seize your things? We would never dream of it. We shall pay the price you asked, and will take no refusal.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Raising her hand the Bodhisattva said, “I made a vow that I would give them free to anyone who honoured the Three Treasures, delighted in goodness, and believed in our Buddha. Now I have seen that Your Majesty is a good and virtuous respecter of our Buddhist faith, and have heard that there is a monk of virtuous conduct who preaches the Great Law, it is only right that I should offer them to him; I don’t want any money for them. I am leaving the things here. Good-bye.” The Tang Emperor was very pleased with the monk’s sincerity, and ordered that a large vegetarian banquet be given to thank him in the Imperial Kitchen. This the Bodhisattva refused to accept and went airily off. There is no need to describe how she returned to her hide-out in the local god’s temple."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taizong arranged for a court to be held at midday and sent Wei Zheng with a decree summoning Xuanzang to attend. He found the monastic official assembling the monks as he climbed the rostrum for the chanting of surras and gathas. The moment he heard the decree he came down from the rostrum, tidied his clothes, and went with Wei Zheng to the imperial presence.\n\n“Up till now we have had nothing suitable with which to thank you, Your Grace, for your efforts in acquiring merit. This morning Xiao Yu met two monks who have vowed to give you a precious brocade cassock and a nine-ringed monk’s staff. We have therefore sent for you, Master, to come and receive them,” said the Emperor. Xuanzang kowtowed in thanks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you do not reject it, Your Grace, let us see what it looks like on you.” Xuanzang shook it open, draped it across his shoulders, took the staff in his hand, and stood respectfully before the steps of the throne. The monarch and all his ministers were overjoyed. He truly was a son of the Tathagata. Look at him:\n\nHow elegant his imposing features;\n\nHis Buddha-vestments fit as if they had been made for him.\n\nThe glow radiating from them fills Heaven and Earth,\n\nWhile the colours crystallize in the sky.\n\nRows of gleaming pearls above and below,\n\nLayers of golden threads joining front and back.\n\nA hood edged with brocade,\n\nEmbroidered with ten thousand strange designs.\n\nPatterns of the Eight Treasures hold the threads of the buttons,\n\nWhile the golden collar is fastened with catches of velvet.\n\nThe Buddha-Heavens are set out in order of eminence,\n\nWhile to left and right are the high and humble stars.\n\nGreat is the destiny of Xuanzang Master of the Law,\n\nWho is worthy to accept this gift at present."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Who is worthy to accept this gift at present.\n\nHe is just like a living Arhat,\n\nExcelling the Enlightened One of the West.\n\nOn the monkish staff the nine rings clink,\n\nAnd richly glows the Vairocana miter.\n\nHow true that be is a Buddha’s son;\n\nIt is no lie that he has surpassed enlightenment.\n\nAll the civil and military officials cried out with admiration, and the Emperor was delighted. Telling the Master of the Law to put the cassock on properly and take the staff, he granted him two bands of ceremonial attendants and had a host of officials see him out of the palace and walk with him to his monastery. It was just like the procession for a top graduate in the palace examination. Xuanzang bowed once more to thank the Emperor and then set out, striding majestically along the highway. All the travelling merchants, the shop-keepers, the fashionable young men, the professional scribes, the men and women, young and old, in the city of Chang’an fought to get a look at him and praise him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a splendid Master of the Law,” they said. “He’s an Arhat come down to earth, a living Bodhisattva come to see us mortals.” Xuanzang went straight to his monastery, where all the monks left their places of meditation to welcome him. When they saw the cassock he was wearing and the staff in his hand they all said that King Ksitigarbha had come, did homage to him, and stood in attendance to right and left. Ascending the main hall, Xuanzang burned incense and worshipped Buddha, and when he had given an account of the Emperor’s grade they all returned to their seats for meditation. Nobody noticed that the red wheel of the sun was now sinking in the West.\n\nAs the sun sinks, plants and trees are veiled in mist\n\nWhile the capital echoes to the bell and drum.\n\nAfter three chimes of the bell nobody moves:\n\nThe streets throughout the city are still.\n\nThe monastery gleams with the light of its lamps;\n\nThe village is lonely and silent.\n\nThe Chan monks enter the trance and repair damaged sutras."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A good way to purify oneself of evil and nourish the true nature.\n\nTime passed in the snap of a finger, and it was time for the special assembly on the seventh day, so Xuanzang wrote a memorial inviting the Tang Emperor to come and burn incense. His reputation for piety had now spread throughout the empire. Taizong therefore led a large number of civil and military officials and his empresses, consorts and their families to the monastery in a procession of carriages to the temple early that morning. Everyone in the city, whether young or old, humble or mighty, went to the temple to hear the preaching."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva said to Moksa, “Today is a special day of the Great Mass of Land and Water, which will go on from this first seventh day to the seventh seventh day, as is proper. You and I are going to mingle with the crowds for three reasons: to see the service, to see the Golden Cicada enjoying the blessing of wearing our treasure, and to hear what branch of the scriptures he preaches on.” The pair of them went to the temple. They were fated to meet their old acquaintance, just as the Wisdom returned to its own preaching place. When they went inside the monastery they saw that this great and heavenly dynasty surpassed any other in the world; while the Jetavana Monastery and Sravana were no match for this temple. Sacred music sounded clear above the shouting of Buddha names. When the Bodhisattva approached the preaching dais she saw in Xuanzang the likeness of the wise Golden Cicada. As the poem goes:\n\nPure in every image, free of every speck of dirt,\n\nThe great Xuanzang sat on his lofty dais."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The great Xuanzang sat on his lofty dais.\n\nThe lonely souls who have been delivered come in secret,\n\nWhile the well-born arrive to hear the law.\n\nGreat is his wisdom in choosing suitable methods;\n\nAll his life he has opened the doors of the scriptures.\n\nAs they watch him preach the infinite Law,\n\nThe ears of young and old alike are filled with joy.\n\nAs Guanyin went to the temple preaching hall\n\nShe met an old acquaintance who was no common mortal.\n\nHe spoke about every current matter,\n\nAnd mentioned the achievements of many a mortal era.\n\nThe clouds of the Dharma settle over every mountain,\n\nThe net of the teaching spreads right across the sky.\n\nIf one counts the number of pious thoughts among humans\n\nThey are as plentiful as raindrops on red blossom."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On his dais the Master of the Law read through the Sutra to Give Life and Deliver the Dead, discussed the Heavenly Charm to Protect the Country and preached on the Exhortation to Cultivate Merit. The Bodhisattva went up to the dais, hit it, and shouted out at the top of her voice, “Why are you only talking about the doctrine of the Little Vehicle, monk? Can you preach about the Great Vehicle?”\n\nOn hearing these questions a delighted Xuanzang leapt down from the preaching dais, bowed to the Bodhisattva, and said, “Venerable teacher, your disciple has sinned grievously in failing to recognize you. We monks who stand before you only preach the law of the Little Vehicle, and we know nothing of the doctrine of the Great Vehicle.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That doctrine of the Little Vehicle of yours will never bring the dead to rebirth; it’s only good enough for a vulgar sort of enlightenment. Now I have the Three Stores of the Buddha’s Law of the Great Vehicle that will raise the dead up to Heaven, deliver sufferers from their torments, and free souls from the eternal coming and going.”\n\nAs the Bodhisattva was talking, the Master of Incense, an official who patrolled the temple, made an urgent report to the Tang Emperor that just when the Master of the Law was in the middle of preaching the wonderful Law a pair of scabby itinerant monks had dragged him down and were engaging him in wild argument. The Emperor ordered them to be arrested and brought before him, and a crowd of men hustled the two of them into the rear hall of the monastery.\n\nWhen they saw Taizong they neither raised their hands in greeting nor bowed, but looked him in the eye and said, “What does Your Majesty want to ask us about.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Recognizing them, the Emperor asked, “Are you not the monk who gave us the cassock?”\n\n“That’s right,” replied the Bodhisattva.\n\n“If you came here to listen to the preaching you should be satisfied with getting something to eat,” said Taizong. “Why did you start ranting at the Master of the Law, disturbing the scripture hall and interfering with our service to the Buddha?”\n\n“That master of yours was only teaching the doctrine of the Little Vehicle, which will never send the dead up to Heaven,” replied the Bodhisattva. “I have the Three Stores of the Buddha’s Law of the Great Vehicle, which can save the dead, deliver from suffering, and ensure that the body will live for ever without coming to harm.” Showing no signs of anger, Taizong earnestly asked where the Buddha’s Law of the Great Vehicle was.\n\n“It is in the Thunder Monastery in the land of India in the West, where our Buddha lives,” the Bodhisattva replied, “and it can untie the knots of all injustice and save the innocent from disaster.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Can you remember it?” the Emperor asked, and the Bodhisattva answered “Yes.” Taizong then gave orders that this Master of the Law was to be taken to the dais and invited to preach.\n\nThe Bodhisattva and Moksa flew up to the dais, then soared into the sky on magic clouds. She appeared in her own form as the deliverer from suffering, holding a twig of willow in a vase, and Moksa stood beside her as Huian, holding a stick and bristling with energy. The Tang Emperor was so happy that he bowed to Heaven, while his civil and military officials all fell to their knees and burned incense. Everyone in the temple—monks, nuns, clerics, lay people, scholars, workmen and merchants—all bowed down and prayed, “Good Bodhisattva, good Bodhisattva.” There is a description of her appearance:\n\nThe sacred radiance shines around her,\n\nThe holy light protects her Dharma body.\n\nIn the glory of the highest Heaven\n\nAppears a female Immortal.\n\nThe Bodhisattva\n\nWore on her head\n\nMarvellous pearl tassels\n\nWith golden clasps,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Marvellous pearl tassels\n\nWith golden clasps,\n\nSet with turquoise,\n\nAnd gleaming golden.\n\nShe wore on her body\n\nA plain blue robe with flying phoenixes,\n\nPale-coloured,\n\nPatterned with running water,\n\nOn which curled golden dragons.\n\nBefore her breast hung\n\nA moon-bright,\n\nWind-dancing,\n\nPearl-encrusted,\n\nJade-set circlet full of fragrance.\n\nAround her waist was\n\nA skirt of embroidery and brocade from the Jade Pool\n\nMade from the silk of ice-silkworms,\n\nWith golden seams,\n\nThat rode on coloured clouds.\n\nBefore her went\n\nA white and yellow red-beaked parrot,\n\nTo fly across the Eastern Ocean,\n\nAnd all over the world\n\nIn gratitude and duty.\n\nThe vase she held gave grace and salvation,\n\nAnd in the vase was a sprig of\n\nWeeping willow to sweep away the fog,\n\nScattering water on the heavens,\n\nCleansing all evil.\n\nRings of jade looped over brocade buttons\n\nAnd her golden-lotus feet were concealed.\n\nShe was able to visit the three heavens,\n\nFor she was Guanyin, the rescuer from suffering."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For she was Guanyin, the rescuer from suffering.\n\nTaizong was so entranced that he forgot all about his empire; the ministers and generals were so captivated that they forgot all about court etiquette; and the masses all intoned, “Glory be to the Bodhisattva Guanyin.” Taizong ordered that a skilled painter was to make a true likeness of the Bodhisattva, and no sooner had the words left his mouth than the brilliant and enlightened portrayer of gods and Immortals, Wu Daozi, was chosen. He was the man who later did the pictures of distinguished ministers in the Cloud-piercing Pavilion. Wielding his miraculous brush, he painted a true likeness on the spot. The Bodhisattva’s magic cloud slowly faded into the distance, and a moment later the golden light could be seen no more. All that was visible was a note drifting down from the sky on which could be read the following brief address in verse:\n\n“Greetings to the lord of the Great Tang.\n\nIn the West are miraculous scriptures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the West are miraculous scriptures.\n\nAlthough the road is sixty thousand miles long,\n\nThe Great Vehicle will offer its help.\n\nWhen these scriptures are brought back to your country\n\nThey will save devils and deliver the masses.\n\nIf anyone is willing to go for them,\n\nHis reward will be a golden body.”\n\nWhen he had read these lines Taizong issued an order to the assembly of monks: “Suspend this service until we have sent someone to fetch the scriptures of the Great Vehicle, and then you shall once more strive sincerely to achieve good retribution.” The monks all obeyed his instructions. The Emperor then asked those present in the monastery, “Who is willing to accept our commission to go to the Western Heaven to visit the Buddha and fetch the scriptures?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before he had finished his question, the Master of the Law came forward, bowed low in greeting, and said, “Although I am lacking in ability, I would like to offer my humble efforts to fetch the true scriptures for Your Majesty and thus ensure the eternal security of your empire.” The Tang Emperor, who was overjoyed to hear this, went forward to raise him to his feet.\n\n“Master,” he said, “if you are prepared to exert your loyalty and wisdom to the full, not fearing the length of the journey or the rivers and mountains you will have to cross, I shall make you my own sworn brother.” Xuanzang kowtowed to thank him. As the Tang Emperor was indeed a man of wisdom and virtue he went to a place before the Buddha in the monastery where he bowed to Xuanzang four times, calling him “younger brother” and “holy monk.” Xuanzang thanked him effusively."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty,” he said, “I have no virtue or talent that fits me for the sacred honour of being treated as your kinsman. On this journey I shall give my all and go straight to the Western Heaven. If I fail to reach there or to obtain the true scriptures, then I shall not return to this country even in death, and shall fall for eternity into Hell.” He burned incense in front of the Buddha to mark this vow. The happy Emperor ordered his chariot to take him back to the palace; later on an auspicious day would be chosen on which Xuanzang would be given a passport and set out. With that he returned and everyone dispersed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xuanzang went back to the Hongfu Monastery, where the many monks and his few personal disciples had already heard that he was going to fetch the scriptures. They came to ask if it was true that he had vowed to go to the Western Heaven. On being told by Xuanzang that it was indeed true, his pupils said, “Teacher, we have heard that the journey to the Western Heaven is a long one, and that there are many tigers, leopards, fiends, and demons on the way. We are afraid that you may lose you life and never come back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have sworn a great vow that I shall fall into Hell for eternity if I do not get the true scriptures,” replied Xuanzang. “Besides, as I have been so favored by His Majesty, I shall have to show my loyalty to the utmost if I am to repay the country for his honour. But it will be a journey into the unknown, and there is no saying what my fate will be. My pupils,” he went on to say, “two or three years after I set out, or it may be as much as six or seven, that pine tree inside the monastery gate will turn to the East, which will mean that I am coming back. If it does not, you can be sure that I will not return.” All his disciples committed his words most carefully to memory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At court the next morning Taizong assembled his civil and military officials and wrote out the document Xuanzang would need to fetch the scriptures, stamping it with the imperial seal that gave the right to travel freely. When an imperial astrologer reported that this day was under an auspicious star for setting out on a long journey, the Tang Emperor was delighted. A eunuch official came in to report, “The Imperial Younger Brother, the Master of the Law, awaits a summons outside the palace doors.” Calling him into the throne hall, Taizang said, “Brother, today is a lucky one for starting on a journey, and here is the pass that will let you through the checkpoints. I am also giving you a golden bowl with which you may beg for food on your journey, in addition to choosing two experienced travelers to accompany you and presenting you with a horse to carry you on your long journey. You may now set out.” Xuanzang, who was very happy to hear this, thanked the Emperor and took the presents. He was now more eager"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and took the presents. He was now more eager than ever to be off. Taizong and a host of officials went by carriage to accompany him to the checkpoint. When they got there they found that the monks of the Hongfu Monastery and Xuanzang’s own disciples were waiting outside with his summer and winter clothing. As soon as he saw this the Tang Emperor ordered that it be packed and horses be provided, then told an official to pour out some wine. Raising his cup he asked, “Brother, what is your courtesy name?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As I am not of the world, I do not have one,” replied Xuanzang. “The Bodhisattva said yesterday that there are Three Stores (son zang) of scriptures in the Western Heaven. You, brother, should take a courtesy name from this. What about Sanzang?”\n\nThanking the Emperor for his kindness, he accepted the cup of wine with the words, “Your Majesty, liquor is the first of the things from which a monk must abstain, and so I have never drunk it.”\n\n“Today’s journey is exceptional,” Taizong replied, “and besides, this is a nonalcoholic wine, so you should drink this cup and let us feel that we have seen you off properly.” Unable to refuse any longer, Sanzang took the wine, and was on the point of drinking it when he saw Taizong bend down, take a pinch of dust in his fingers, and flick it into his cup. Seeing Sanzang’s incomprehension, Taizong laughed and said,\n\n“Dear brother, when will you return from this journey to the Western Heaven?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I shall be back in this country within three years,” Sanzang replied. “The days and years will be long, the mountains will be high, and the road will lead you far away,” said Taizong, “so you should drink this wine to show that you have more love for a pinch of dust from home than fir thousands of ounces of foreign gold.” Only then did Sanzang understand the significance of the pinch of dust, and thanking the Emperor once more he drained the cup, took his leave of him, and went out through the checkpoint. The Emperor went back to the palace.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened on the journey, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Thirteen\n\nHe Falls into the Tiger’s Den and Is Saved by the Planet Venus\n\nOn Double-Forked Peak Boqin Entertains the Priest\n\nThe Great Tang Emperor issued an edict\n\nSending Sanzang to learn the Dhyana teachings.\n\nWith firmness and patience he seeks the dragon’s lair,\n\nDetermined to carry on till he climbs the Vulture Peak."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On his long journey he will visit many a country;\n\nThousands of cloud-capped mountains lie before him.\n\nNow he leaves the Emperor and sets out for the West\n\nCleaving to the faith, and aware of the Great Void.\n\nIt has been told already how Sanzang was seen off at the checkpoint outside Chang’an by the Tang Emperor and a host of officials on the twelfth day of the ninth month in the thirteenth year of Zhen Guan. For two days his horse’s hoofs were never still, and he soon reached the Fa Men Monastery, where the abbot came out to meet him at the head of five hundred and more monks drawn up in two lines. Taking Sanzang inside, he greeted him, offered him tea, and then gave him a monastic meal. By the time the meal was over night had fallen.\n\nAs it approached the Milky Way,\n\nThe moon was free from any dust.\n\nThe wild goose called to the distant traveler,\n\nWhile washing-boards could be heard by neighbors.\n\nRoosting birds perch in the withered trees;\n\nThe dhyana monks chant Sanskrit music."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dhyana monks chant Sanskrit music.\n\nOn their seats with hassocks of rushes\n\nThey sit until the middle of the night.\n\nIn the lamplight the monks were discussing the true teachings of the Buddhist faith and the reasons for going to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. Some said that there would be wide rivers and high mountains to cross, some that there would be many a tiger and leopard along the way, some that the lofty ranges and cliffs would be hard to cross, and some that there would be evil demons and foul fiends difficult to subdue. Sanzang kept his lips sealed; he said nothing, only pointing to his heart and nodding occasionally.\n\nThe monks, unable to understand what he meant, put their hands together and asked, “Why do you point to your heart and nod your head, Master?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When the heart and mind live,” Sanzang replied, “every kind of evil lives; but when they are extinguished, evil is extinguished too. I made a great vow to the Buddha in the Huasheng Monastery that if I failed to achieve this mission it would not be for lack of trying. I am determined to reach the Western Heaven, where I may see the Buddha and ask for the scriptures, so that the Wheel of the Law may revolve, and our sage Emperor enjoy eternal security.”\n\nOn hearing his words the monks all expressed their admiration, saying as if with one voice, “What a loyal and brave Hierarch.” With praises still on their lips they invited the Master to go to bed and wished him a peaceful night’s sleep.\n\nBefore long the bamboo clappers were sounding for the setting moon, while the cocks greeted the dawn with their crowing. The monks all got up and prepared tea and breakfast. Sanzang put on his cassock and went to worship the Buddha in the main hall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your disciple Chen Sanzang,” he said, “is going to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures, but my fleshly eye is too dim to see the true image of the living Buddha. I now vow that whenever I come across a temple on my journey I shall burn incense; whenever I see a Buddha’s image I shall worship it; and whenever I pass a stupa I shall sweep it. My only wish is that Buddha in his mercy will soon appear to me in his golden body and give me the true scriptures to take back and propagate in the land of the East.” When he had prayed he went back to the abbot’s room for breakfast. After breakfast his two attendants saddled the horse and set off at a good pace. At the gate of the monastery Sanzang took his leave of the monks, who were so unwilling to be parted from him that they accompanied him for some three miles before turning back with tears in their eyes, while Sanzang carried on Westwards. It was autumn weather:\n\nLeafless the village trees, and fallen the reed flowers;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The red leaves had dropped from maple and willow.\n\nThe way was foggy and damp, and few were the friends that he met.\n\nBeautiful the yellow chrysanthemums,\n\nDelicate the mountain spurs;\n\nSad to see the lotus withered now the water was cold.\n\nWhite duckweed and red smartweed were turned to snow by the frost.\n\nSolitary ducks coming down from the clouds, dropping from the sky,\n\nWhere pale and wispy clouds were scudding.\n\nThe swallows had departed,\n\nThe migrant geese were here,\n\nAnd their honking shattered the night."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the master and his attendants had been travelling for several days they reached the city of Gongzhou, where all the local officials were waiting to greet them and take them into the city. After a night’s rest they set out again the next morning. They ate when they were hungry and drank when they were thirsty, travelling by day and stopping at night. Two or three days later they reached the garrison city of Hezhou, which was on the frontier of the Great Tang Empire. The garrison commander and the local Buddhist monks and priests had all heard that the Master of the Law, the Imperial Younger Brother, was going to the West on His Majesty’s orders to see the Buddha, so they were all very respectful. The Director of Monks took him into the city, provided him with all he needed, and invited him spend the night in the Fuyuan Monastery. All the monks of the monastery came to pay their respects to him, and when he had finished the meal they prepared for him he told his attendants to give the horse a good feed as"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "his attendants to give the horse a good feed as they would be setting out before dawn. As soon as the cocks started to crow he called for his attendants, thus disturbing the monks, who brought him tea and food. When he had eaten he crossed the frontier."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his impatience Sanzang had got up too soon. As it was late autumn the cocks had crowed very early, and it was still only about two in the morning. The three of them—four, including the horse—covered about a dozen miles through the frost, finding their way by the light of the moon, until they saw a large mountain in front of them. They had to push the undergrowth aside as they looked for their way, and the going was indescribably rough and difficult. Just when they were wondering whether they were lost, all three of them and the horse stumbled and fell into a pit.\n\nSanzang was thrown into a panic, and his attendants were trembling with fear, when to add their terror they heard roars coming from further inside and loud shouts of, “Get’em! Get’em!” With a ferocious blast of wind a crowd of fifty or sixty fiends fell upon them and dragged them out. When the shivering and shaking Master of the Law took a stealthy look he saw a thoroughly evil demon king sitting above them. Truly he was\n\nMighty of stature,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mighty of stature,\n\nFerocious of face.\n\nHis eyes flashed like lightning,\n\nHis thunderous voice shook the four quarters.\n\nProtruding, saw-edged teeth;\n\nBared fangs like chisels.\n\nHis body was clad in brocade,\n\nAnd his back was covered with its patterns.\n\nA beard of steel concealing his face,\n\nHooked claws sharp as frost:\n\nThe white-browed king of the Southern mountain,\n\nFeared by the Yellow Lord of the Eastern Sea.\n\nThe sight of him frightened Sanzang out of his wits and made his two attendants feel their bones turn to jelly and their muscles go numb. When the demon king roared out an order to tie them up the fiends bound them with rope. He was just on the point of devouring them when a great noise was heard outside and the arrival of Mountain Lord Bear and Hermit Ox was announced. Sanzang looked up and saw that one of them was a dark fellow. Can you imagine what he looked like?\n\nA hero of great courage,\n\nLight and strong in body,\n\nPowerful in crossing rivers,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Powerful in crossing rivers,\n\nShowing his awesome might as he runs through the woods.\n\nAlways blessed with lucky dreams,\n\nHe now revealed his unique valour.\n\nHe could uproot and snap a green tree,\n\nAnd when he left cold he could change the weather.\n\nClearly he shows his miraculous powers, For which he is known as the Mountain Lord.\n\nBehind him Sanzang saw a fat man. Do you know what he looked like?\n\nA hat with two towering horns,\n\nHis shoulders squarely set.\n\nHe liked to wear dull-coloured clothes,\n\nAnd his pace was always sluggish.\n\nHis male ancestors were called Bull;\n\nHis mother was known as Cow,\n\nAs he could work for farmers,\n\nHis name was Hermit Ox.\n\nWhen these two came swaggering in, the demon king rushed out to greet them. “General Yin,” said Mountain Lord Bear, “I must congratulate you: you’re always so successful.”\n\n“General Yin,” said Hermit Ox, “my felicitations on being ever-victorious.”\n\n“How have things been with you two gentlemen recently?” asked the demon king."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Much as usual,” replied Mountain Lord.\n\n“I get by,” answered the Hermit. These preliminaries over, the three of them sat down to laugh and joke together.\n\nSanzang’s two attendants meanwhile were howling pitifully in their bonds.\n\n“How did those three get here?” asked the dark fellow.\n\n“They delivered themselves to the front door,” the demon king replied.\n\n“Will you be serving them to your friends?” asked the Hermit with a smile.\n\n“I should be honoured to,” answered the demon king."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We won’t need them all,” remarked the Mountain Lord. “We could eat two and keep the third.” With a “na-a-aw” of obedience the demon king told his servants to cut open the two attendants, scoop their hearts out, and chop their bodies into mince. He presented the heads, hearts, and livers to his two guests, eating the limbs himself and dividing the rest of the flesh and bones among the fiends. All that could be heard was a crunching and a munching that sounded just like tigers devouring lambs, and in a few moments it had all been eaten up. Sanzang was almost dead with fright, yet this was only his first tribulation, coming so soon after leaving Chang’an."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his despair he noticed that the East was beginning to grow light, and when dawn broke the two monsters left, saying, “We have been handsomely entertained today, and we shall repay your hospitality in full another day.” With that they both rushed out. A moment later the red sun rose high in the sky, but Sanzang was too befuddled to know where he was. Just when all seemed lost, an old man appeared, walking towards him with the help of a stick. He came up to Sanzang, broke all his bonds with a wave of his hand, and revived him by blowing into his face. Sanzang fell to his knees and bowed low to him, saying, “Thank you, venerable ancient, for saving my humble life.”\n\nThe old man returned his bow and said, “Get up. Have you lost anything?”\n\n“My attendants have been eaten by monsters, and I don’t know where my baggage or my horse is,” replied Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man pointed with his stick and asked, “Isn’t that a horse with two baggage-rolls over there?” When Sanzang turned round he saw that his things had not been lost after all, which somewhat relieved his anxiety.\n\n“Venerable sir,” he asked, “What is this place, and how did you get here?”\n\n“This is the Double Forked Mountain, where tigers and leopards make their dens. How did you fall in here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I crossed the frontier at the garrison city of Hezhou at cockcrow, not realizing that I had got up too early,” replied Sanzang. “Just as we were making our way through frost and dew we suddenly fell into this pit. A dreadfully ferocious demon king appeared and had me and my attendants tied up. Then a dark fellow called Mountain Lord Bear and a fat one called Hermit Ox came in, and they addressed the demon king as General Yin. The three of them ate up my two attendants, and their party only ended at dawn. I cannot imagine why I should have been fated with the good fortune of you coming to rescue me, venerable sir.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Hermit is a wild bull spirit, the Mountain Lord is a bear spirit, and General Yin is a tiger spirit,” the old man replied. “The fiends who serve him are mountain spirits, tree devils, monsters, and wolves. The reason they did not eat you was because your fundamental nature is enlightened. Come with me and I’ll show you the way.” Overcome with gratitude, Sanzang put the packs on his horse and led it by the bridle as he followed the old man out of the pit and on to the main road. Tying the horse to a bush beside the road, he turned round to bow low to the old man and thank him, but the old man changed into a puff of wind and rose into the sky on the back of a red-crested white crane. All that could be seen was a piece of paper drifting down in the wind with four lines of verse written on it:\n\n“I am the Planet Venus of the Western Heaven,\n\nWho came to save your life.\n\nIn the journey ahead you will have divine disciples:\n\nDo not in your troubles feel angry with the scriptures.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he had read this Sanzang worshipped Heaven and said, “Many thanks, Planet, for delivering me from this danger.” This done, he continued on his difficult journey, feeling very lonely as he led his horse along. On this mountain there were\n\nCold rains and winds howling in the trees,\n\nStreams splashing noisily down gullies,\n\nFragrant wild flowers,\n\nScreens of rocks and boulders.\n\nDeer and ape made raucous howls,\n\nRoebuck and muntjac ran in herds.\n\nMany were the songs of birds.\n\nBut there was no trace of man.\n\nThe abbot\n\nWas trembling and uneasy;\n\nHis horse\n\nCould barely lift its hoofs."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His horse\n\nCould barely lift its hoofs.\n\nSanzang did not spare himself as he pressed ahead amid the mountain peaks. He had been going for many hours without seeing any sign of a human house; he was hungry and finding the going heavy. Just at this critical moment he saw in front of him a pair of ferocious tigers roaring, while two long snakes were coiled up behind him. To his left were venomous reptiles, and to his right were terrible monsters. Being by himself and unable to think of a way out, Sanzang prepared to abandon his mind and body and let Heaven do as it would. Besides, the horse’s back was now so tired and its legs so bent that it fell to its knees on the ground and collapsed. Sanzang could not move it, either by blows or by dragging at its bridle."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The poor Master of the Law, who had nowhere to shelter, was feeling thoroughly wretched, convinced that nothing could save him from death. But when his troubles were at their worst someone came to his rescue. Just when all seemed lost he saw the venomous reptiles and the evil monsters flee, while the tigers and the snakes hid themselves. Sanzang looked up and saw a man coming across the hillside with a steel trident in his hand and bow and arrows at his waist. Just look and see what a fine chap he was:\n\nOn his head\n\nA leopard skin hat with artemisia patterns:\n\nOn his body\n\nA coat of woollen cloth.\n\nRound his waist was tied a lion belt,\n\nOn his feet a pair of deerskin boots.\n\nHis eyes were as round as an evil spirit’s;\n\nHis curly beard was like the evil god of the moon’s.\n\nFrom his waist hung a bow with poisoned arrows,\n\nAnd in his hand was a steel-tipped trident.\n\nThe thunder of his voice would make a wild beast tremble,\n\nAnd his ferocity terrified the pheasants."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And his ferocity terrified the pheasants.\n\nSeeing him approach, Sanzang knelt down beside the path, put his hands together, and shouted at the top of his voice, “Spare me, bandit king, spare me.” The man went over to him, put down his trident, and raised him to his feet.\n\n“Don’t be frightened, venerable monk,” he said, “I’m not a bad man; I’m a hunter who lives in these mountains. My name is Liu Boqin and I am known as the warden of the mountain. I came along here because I wanted a couple of animals for the pot. I never expected to meet you here—I must have offended you.”\n\n“I am a monk sent by the Emperor of the Great Tang to visit the Buddha in the Western Heaven and ask for the scriptures,” Sanzang replied. “I had just got here when I found myself completely surrounded by wolves, tigers, snakes and other creatures, which meant that I could go no further. Then suddenly you appeared, High Warden, and saved my life. Thank you very much indeed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Those of us who live here,” replied Liu Boqin, “can only support ourselves by killing tigers and wolves, and catching snakes and other reptiles, which is why all those animals fled in terror from me. As you are from the Tang Empire, we are compatriots. This is still the territory of the Great Tang, and I am a Tang citizen. Both of us depend on the Emperor’s lands and rivers for our food and drink, and we are fellow-countrymen, so there is nothing to fear. You must come with me to my hut, and your horse can rest. I’ll take you on your way tomorrow.” Sanzang, who was delighted to hear this, thanked him and went along behind him, leading the horse."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they had crossed the mountainside they heard a sound like the howling of a wind. “Sit down here and don’t move, venerable monk,” said Boqin. “That noise like a wind means that a mountain cat is coming. Just wait a moment while I catch it, then I can take it home to feed you with.” This news so terrified Sanzang that he dared not move. The high warden was striding forward, brandishing his trident, to meet the animal, when a striped tiger appeared in front of him. At the sight of Liu Boqin the animal turned to flee, but the high warden let out a thunderclap of a shout: “Where d’you think you’re going, wretch?” When the tiger realized that Liu Boqin was in hot pursuit, it turned and charged him, baring its claws. The high warden raised his trident to meet his opponent. At the sight of all this Sanzang collapsed on the grass, paralyzed with fear; never had he seen anything so terrifying in all his born days. The tiger and the high warden fought a magnificent battle under the mountain:\n\nBursting with anger,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bursting with anger,\n\nMad with rage.\n\nBursting with anger,\n\nThe warden bristled, immensely strong.\n\nMad with rage,\n\nThe striped tiger snorted out red dust as it showed its might.\n\nOne bared its teeth and brandished its claws,\n\nThe other twisted and turned.\n\nThe trident thrust against the heavens and blotted out the sun;\n\nThe patterned tail stirred up mist and clouds.\n\nOne made wild stabs at the chest,\n\nThe other struck at the head.\n\nTo avoid the blows was to win a new life;\n\nA hit was an appointment with the King of Hell.\n\nAll that could be heard was the tiger bellowing\n\nAnd the high warden shouting.\n\nWhen the tiger bellowed,\n\nMountains and rivers split open, to the terror of birds and beasts.\n\nAt the high warden’s shouts,\n\nThe sky was parted and the stars revealed.\n\nThe tiger’s golden eyes were bulging with fury,\n\nThe hunter’s valiant heart was full of wrath.\n\nHow admirable was high warden Liu of the mountain,\n\nHow splendid the lord of the beasts of the land.\n\nAs man and tiger fought for victory"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As man and tiger fought for victory\n\nWhoever weakened would lose his life.\n\nAfter the pair of them had been fighting for about two hours the tiger’s claws began to slacken as it grew tired, and just then the high warden smote him full in the chest with his trident. Its points pierced the animal’s liver and heart, a pitiful sight. Within an instant the ground was covered with its blood as the hunter dragged it along the path by its ears. What a man! Without panting, and with his expression unchanged, he said to Sanzang, “What a piece of luck. This mountain cat will be enough! to feed you for a whole day.” Sanzang was full of praise for him.\n\n“High Warden, you really are a mountain god.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“High Warden, you really are a mountain god.”\n\n“It was nothing,” said Liu Boqin, “so please don’t exaggerate. This is all the result of your blessings. Come on, let’s skin it and boil up some of its meat as soon as we can so as to get you fed.” Holding his trident in one hand and dragging the tiger with the other he led the way, while Sanzang followed, leading his horse. As they wound their way across the mountain, a cottage suddenly came into view. In front of its gate there were:\n\nAncient trees reaching to the sky,\n\nWild creepers covering the path.\n\nCool were the wind and dust in the valleys,\n\nStrange vapours coiled around the cliffs.\n\nThe scent of wild flowers was all along the path,\n\nDeep, deep the green of the bamboos.\n\nA thatched gatehouse,\n\nA fenced yard,\n\nBoth pretty as a picture.\n\nA stone bridge,\n\nWhitewashed mud walls:\n\nCharming austerity.\n\nThe loneliness of autumn,\n\nAiry isolation.\n\nYellow leaves lay fallen beside the path,\n\nWhite clouds drifted above the peaks.\n\nMountain birds sang in the woods"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mountain birds sang in the woods\n\nWhile a puppy barked outside the gate.\n\nWhen he reached the gate, the high warden Liu Boqin threw down the tiger and shouted, “Where are you, lads?” Three or four servants of strange and repulsive appearance came out, and with much pulling and tugging they carried the tiger in. Boqin told them to skin it at once and prepare it to offer to their guest, then turned round to welcome Sanzang in. When they had formally greeted each other Sanzang bowed to Boqin to thank him for taking pity on him and saving his life.\n\n“Why bother to thank me? We’re fellow countrymen.” When Sanzang had been offered a seat and served with tea, an old woman came out to greet him followed by a young one. Liu Boqin explained that they were his mother and his wife.\n\n“Madam, please take the highest seat while I bow to you,” said Sanzang.\n\n“You are a guest from afar, venerable monk, so let us each preserve our dignity and neither bow to the other,” the old woman replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Mother,” said Liu Boqin, “he has been sent by His Majesty the Tang Emperor to go to the Western Heaven to see the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. I met him on the mountain, and I thought that as we were fellow-countrymen I should invite him home to rest before I take him on his way tomorrow.” The old woman was delighted.\n\n“Good, good,” she said. “But it would be even better to ask him to stay longer. Tomorrow is the anniversary of your father’s passing away, and I would like to trouble the venerable monk to say some prayers and read a sutra for him; you could take him on his way the day after.” Although this Boqin was a tiger-killer and the high warden of the mountain, he was a dutiful son, and when he heard this suggestion he made ready paper and incense and asked Sanzang to stay."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While they talked they had not noticed the evening drawing in. The servants set out a table and stools, then brought in several dishes of tender tiger-meat, which they placed steaming hot on the table. Liu Boqin asked Sanzang to help himself while he served the rice. Putting his hands together in front of his chest, Sanzang replied, “This is wonderful, but I must tell you frankly that I have been a monk ever since I left my mother’s womb, so I am quite unable to eat meat.” Boqin thought for a while before replying, “Venerable monk, our family has not eaten vegetarian food for generations. When we cut bamboo shoots, pick fungus, gather wild vegetables for drying, or make bean-curd we always cook them in the fat of roebuck, deer, tiger or leopard, so even they aren’t really vegetarian; and our two cooking pots are steeped in fat, so what are we to do? I’m afraid it was wrong of me to ask you here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s no need to worry,” Sanzang answered. “Please go ahead and eat. I’d go without food for four or five days, or even starve, rather than break the monastic rule about vegetarian food.”\n\n“But we can’t have you starving to death,” protested Liu Boqin.\n\n“Thanks to your great kindness, High Warden, I was saved from the packs of tigers and wolves. Even if I were to starve to death, it would be better than providing a meal for tigers.”\n\nLiu Boqin’s mother, who had been listening to their conversation, said, “Don’t talk nonsense, son. I’ve got some vegetarian things that we can offer to him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where did you get them from?” Liu Boqin asked, to which mother replied, “Never you mind how, but I’ve got them.” She told her daughter-in-law to take down the little cooking-pot, burn the fat out of it, scrub it and wash it several times over, then put it back on the stove. Then they half filled it with boiling water that they threw away. Next she poured boiling water on mountain-elm leaves to make tea, boiled up some millet, and cooked some dried vegetables. This was then all put into two bowls and set on the table. Then the old woman said to Sanzang, “Please eat, venerable monk. This is completely pure tea and food that I and my daughter-in-law have prepared.” Sanzang thanked them and sat down in the seat of honour. Another place was laid for Liu Boqin, where were set out bowls and dishes full of the meat of tiger, roebuck, snake, fox, and hare, as well as dried venison, all cooked without salt or sauce, which he was going to eat while Sanzang had his vegetarian meal. He had just sat down and was on the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "meal. He had just sat down and was on the point of picking up his chopsticks when he noticed Sanzang put his hands together to recite some scripture, which so alarmed him that instead of picking up his chopsticks he stood beside him. When Sanzang had recited a few lines he urged Boqin to eat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Are you a short-sutra monk then?” Boqin asked.\n\n“That wasn’t a sutra, it was a grace before eating.”\n\n“You get up to all sorts of tricks. Fancy reciting sutras at mealtimes,” was Boqin’s comment."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the meal was over and the dishes had been cleared away, Liu Boqin invited Sanzang out into the gathering darkness for a stroll at the back. They went along an alley and came to a thatched hut. On pushing the door open and going in Sanzang saw bows and crossbows hanging on the walls and quivers filled with arrows. From the beams were slung two gory and stinking tiger-skins, and at the foot of the wall were stood many spears, swords, tridents and clubs. In the middle were two seats. Liu Boqin urged Sanzang to sit down, but Sanzang could not bear to stay there long among the horrifying filth, and so he went outside. Going further to the back they came to a large garden full of clumps of yellow chrysanthemums and red maple-trees. Then with a whinnying noise about a dozen plump deer and a large herd of roebuck ran out; they were docile and unfrightened on seeing humans.\n\n“Were those roebuck and deer raised by you?” asked Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” replied Boqin. “When you Chang’an people have some money you buy valuables, and when you have land you accumulate grain; but we hunters can only keep a few wild animals for a rainy day.” Dusk had fallen unnoticed as the two of them talked, and now they went back to the house to sleep."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Early the next morning the whole family, young and old, got up and prepared vegetarian food for the monk, and then they asked him to start reciting sutras. Sanzang washed his hands, went to the family shrine of the high warden, burned incense there, and worshipped, then beat his “wooden fish” as he recited first a prayer to purify his mouth, then a holy spell to purify his body and mind, and finally the Sutra to Deliver the Dead. When he had finished, Boqin asked him to write out a letter of introduction for the dead man and also recite the Diamond Sutra and the Guanyin Sutra. Sanzang recited them in a loud, clear voice and then ate lunch, after which he read out the several chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the Amitabha Sutra, as well as one chapter of the Peacock Sutra and told the story of the cleansing of the bhikshu. By now it was dark, and when they had burned all kinds of incense, paper money, and paper horses for all the gods, and the letter of introduction for the dead man, the service was over and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "for the dead man, the service was over and everyone went to bed and slept soundly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The soul of Boqin’s father, now delivered from being a drowned ghost, came to the house that night and appeared in a dream to everyone in the family.\n\n“I suffered long in the underworld, unable to find deliverance,” he said, “but now that the saintly monk has wiped out my sins by reading some scriptures. King Yama has had me sent back to the rich land of China to be reborn in an important family. You must reward him generously, and no half measures. Now I’m going.” Indeed:\n\nGreat is the significance of the majestic Law,\n\nThat saves the dead from suffering and the morass."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they all awoke from their dreams, the sun had already risen in the East. Boqin’s wife said, “Warden, your father came to me in a dream last night. He said that he had suffered long in the underworld, and couldn’t find deliverance. Now that the saintly monk has wiped out his sins by reading some scriptures, King Yama has had him sent back to the rich land of China to be reborn in an important family. He told us to thank him generously, and no half measures. When he’d said this he went out through the door and drifted away. He didn’t answer when I called, and I couldn’t make him stay. Then I woke up and realized that it was a dream.”\n\n“I had a dream just like yours,” replied Liu Boqin. “Let’s go and tell mother about it.” As they were on the point of doing this they heard his mother shout, “Come here, Boqin my son. There’s something I want to tell you.” The two of them went in to her to find the old woman sitting on the bed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My child, I had a happy dream last night. Your father came home and said that thanks to his salvation by the venerable monk, his sins have been wiped out and he has gone to be reborn in an important family in the rich land of China.” Husband and wife laughed for joy and her son said, “I and my wife both had this dream, and we were just coming to tell you when you called to us. So now it turns out that you it too.” They told everyone in the house to get up to thank Sanzang and get his horse loaded and ready. They all bowed to him and he said, “Many thanks, venerable monk, for recommending my father for delivery from his sufferings and for rebirth. We can never repay this debt of gratitude.”\n\n“What powers have I that you should thank me?” replied Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Boqin told him about what the three of them had been told in their dreams, and Sanzang was happy too. Then they gave him his breakfast and an ounce of silver as an expression of their thanks, but he would not take a single penny of it, although the whole family begged and beseeched him to do so.\n\n“If in your mercy you could escort me for the next stage of my journey I would be deeply touched,” he said. All that Boqin, his mother, and his wife could do then was to prepare some scones of coarse wheaten flour as his provisions, and make sure that Boqin escorted him a long way. Sanzang gladly accepted the food. On his mother’s orders the high warden told two or three servants to bring hunting gear as they set off together along the road. They saw no end of wild mountain scenery."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they had been travelling for some time they saw a mountain in front of them, a high and precipitous one that towered right up to the azure sky. Before long they had reached its base. The high warden climbed it as if he were walking on level ground, and when they were half-way over it he turned round, stood beside the path and said, “Venerable monk, I must ask you to take yourself on from here. I have to go back.” On hearing this Sanzang tumbled out of his saddle to say, “Please, please, take me another stage, High Warden.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t seem to know that this is called Double Boundary Mountain,” said the high warden. The Eastern part belongs to our Great Tang, but the Western parts is Tatar territory. The tigers and wolves on that side are not subject to my control, which is why I can’t cross the boundary. You mast go on by yourself. The monk was so alarmed to hear this that he waved his arms around and grabbed hold of the hunter’s clothes and sleeves, weeping and refusing to let him go. When at last Sanzang was bowing repeatedly to the hunter to take his leave, a shout like thunder came from under the mountain: “My master’s come, my master’s come.” Sanzang stood frozen with fear at the sound of it, and Boqin had to hold him up. If you don’t know who it was who shouted, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Fourteen\n\nThe Mind-Ape Returns to Truth\n\nThe Six Bandits Disappear Without Trace\n\nBuddha is the mind, the mind is Buddha,\n\nMind and Buddha have always needed things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mind and Buddha have always needed things.\n\nWhen you know that there are no things and no mind\n\nThen you are a Buddha with a true mind and a Dharma body.\n\nA Dharma-bodied Buddha has no form;\n\nA single divine light contains the ten thousand images.\n\nThe bodiless body is the true body.\n\nThe imageless image is the real image.\n\nIt is not material, not empty, and not non-empty;\n\nIt does not come or go, nor does it return.\n\nIt is not different nor the same, it neither is nor isn’t.\n\nIt can’t be thrown away or caught, nor seen or heard.\n\nThe inner and outer divine light are everywhere the same;\n\nA Buddha-kingdom can be found in a grain of sand.\n\nA grain of sand can hold a thousand worlds;\n\nIn a single body and mind, all dharmas are the same.\n\nFor wisdom, the secret of no-mind is essential,\n\nTo be unsullied and unobstructed is to be pure of karma.\n\nWhen you do no good and do no evil,\n\nYou become a Kasyapa Buddha.\n\nThe terror-stricken Liu Boqin and Sanzang then heard another shout of “My master’s come.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That must be the old monkey who lives in a stone cell under this mountain shouting,” said the servants.\n\n“Yes, yes,” said the high warden.\n\n“What old monkey?” asked Sanzang, and the high warden replied, “This mountain used to be called Five Elements Mountain, and its name was only changed to Double Boundary Mountain when our Great Tang Emperor fought his Western campaign to pacify the country. I once heard an old man say that in the days when Wang Mang usurped the Han throne, Heaven sent down this mountain and crushed a monkey under it. This monkey doesn’t mind heat or cold and neither eats nor drinks. He’s guarded by a local tutelary god who gives him iron pellets when he’s hungry and molten copper when he’s thirsty. Although he’s been there since ancient times, he hasn’t died of cold or hunger. It must have been him shouting; there’s nothing for you to be afraid of, venerable sir. Let’s go down and have a look.” Sanzang had to follow him, leading his horse down the mountain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A mile or two later they saw that there really was a monkey poking out his head out of a stone cell, and making desperate gestures with his outstretched hands as he shouted, “Master, why didn’t you come before? Thank goodness you’re here, thank goodness. If you get me out of here I guarantee that you’ll reach the Western Heaven.”\n\nDo you know what the venerable monk saw when he went forward for a closer look?\n\nA pointed mouth and sunken cheeks,\n\nFiery eyes with golden pupils.\n\nHis head was thick with moss,\n\nAnd climbing figs grew from his ears.\n\nBy his temples grew little hair but a lot of grass,\n\nUnder his chin there was sedge instead of a beard.\n\nDirt between his eyebrows,\n\nAnd mud on his nose\n\nMade him an utter mess;\n\nOn his coarse fingers\n\nAnd thick palms\n\nWas filth in plenty.\n\nHe was so happy that he rolled his eyes\n\nAnd made pleasant noises.\n\nAlthough his tongue was nimble,\n\nHe couldn’t move his body.\n\nHe was the Great Sage of five hundred years ago,\n\nWho today could not escape the net of Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Who today could not escape the net of Heaven.\n\nHigh warden Liu showed great courage in going up to him, pulling away the grass that was growing beside his temples and the sedge under his chin, and asking, “What have you got to say?”\n\n“I’ve got nothing to say,” the monkey replied. “You just tell that monk to come over here while I ask him a question.”\n\n“What question do you want to ask me?” said Sanzang.\n\n“Are you the fellow sent to the Western Heaven by the Emperor of the East to fetch the scriptures?” asked the monkey.\n\n“Yes, I am,” Sanzang replied. “Why do you ask?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, I am,” Sanzang replied. “Why do you ask?”\n\n“I am the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who wrecked the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago. The Lord Buddha put me under this mountain for my criminal insubordination. Some time ago the Bodhisattva Guanyin went to the East on the Buddha’s orders to find someone who could fetch the scriptures. When I asked her to save me she told me that I was to give up evil-doing, return to the Buddha’s Law, and do all I could to protect the traveler when he went to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and fetch the scriptures; she said that there’ll something in it for me when that’s done. Ever since then I’ve been waiting day and night with eager anticipation for you to come and save me, Master. I swear to protect you on your way to fetch the scriptures and to be your disciple.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang, delighted to hear this, said, “Although you now have these splendid intentions and wish to become a monk thanks to the teaching of the Bodhisattva, I’ve no axe or chisel, so how am I to get you out?”\n\n“There’s no need for axes or chisels. As long as you’re willing to save me, I can get myself out,” the monkey replied.\n\n“I’m willing to save you,” Sanzang said, “but how are you going to get out?”\n\n“On the top of this mountain there is a detention order by the Tathagata Buddha written in letters of gold. If you climb the mountain and tear it off, I’ll be straight out.” Accepting his suggestion, Sanzang turned round to ask Liu Boqin if he would go up the mountain with him.\n\n“I don’t know whether he’s telling the truth or not,” said Boqin, at which the monkey shouted at the top of his voice, “It’s true. I wouldn’t dare lie about that.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So Liu Boqin told his servants to lead the horse while he helped Sanzang up the mountain. By hanging on to creepers they managed to reach the summit, where they saw a myriad beams of golden light and a thousand wisps of propitious vapour coming from a large, square rock on which was pasted a paper seal bearing the golden words Om mani padme hum. Sanzang went up and knelt down before the rock, then read the golden words and bowed his head to the ground a number of times.\n\nHe looked to the West and prayed, “I am the believer Chen Xuanzang sent on imperial orders to fetch the scriptures. If I am fated to have a disciple, may I be able to tear off the golden words and release the divine monkey to come with me to the Vulture Peak. If I am not fated to have a disciple, and this monkey is an evil monster who has deceived me and will do me no good, then may I be unable to remove it.” When he had prayed he bowed again, after which he went up and gently tore the paper seal off."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A scented wind blew in his face and carried the paper up into the sky as a voice called, “I am the Great Sage’s guard. Now that his sufferings are over I am going back to see the Tathagata and hand in this seal.”\n\nThe startled Sanzang, Liu Boqin, and the rest of them all bowed to Heaven, then went down the mountain to the stone cell, where they said to the monkey, “The restriction order has been torn off, so you can come out.”\n\nThe delighted monkey said, “Master, please stand well clear so that I don’t give you a fright when I come out.”\n\nOn hearing this Liu Boqin took Sanzang and the rest of them to the East, and when they had covered some two or three miles they heard the monkey shout, “Further, further!” So Sanzang went much further until he was off the mountain. Then there was a great noise as the mountain split open."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were all shaking with terror, the monkey appeared kneeling stark naked in front of Sanzang’s horse and saying, “Master, I’m out.” He bowed four times to Sanzang, then jumped up, addressed Liu Boqin with a respectful noise, and said, “Thank you, elder brother, for escorting my master, and thank you too for weeding the grass off my face.” He then picked up the luggage and put it on the horse’s back. At the sight of him the horse felt so weak and trembling that it could not stay on its feet. Because the monkey had once been the Protector of the Horses and looked after the dragon steeds of Heaven, and mortal horses were terrified at the very sight of him.\n\nSeeing that his intentions were indeed good and that he really was now a Buddhist, Sanzang asked him what was his surname.\n\n“My surname’s Sun,” replied the Monkey King.\n\n“I’ll give you a Buddhist name that I can call you by,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s no need to trouble yourself,” said the Monkey King, “I’ve already got one: Sun Wukong—Monkey Awakened to Emptiness.”\n\n“That’s just right for our sect,” exclaimed the monk. “As you look so much like a young novice, I’ll give you another name and call you Brother Monkey. Is that all right?”\n\n“Yes, yes, yes,” said Sun Wukong, and from then on he was also called Brother Monkey, or Sun the Novice.\n\nWhen he saw that Brother Monkey was determined to go, the high warden turned to Sanzang, chanted a noise of respect and said, “It’s splendid that you have got so good a disciple, venerable sir. He’ll certainly make the journey. I must now take my leave.”\n\nSanzang bowed to him in thanks, saying, “I have brought you a long way, and am deeply indebted to you. When you return home please convey my respects to your venerable mother and your wife; I caused them a lot of trouble, and hope that I shall be able to come and thank them on my return.” Boqin returned his bow, and with that they parted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Brother Monkey asked Sanzang to mount the horse while he ambled ahead, stark naked, carrying the luggage on his back. Before long they were over the Double Boundary Mountain.\n\nSuddenly a ferocious tiger rushed at them, roaring and lashing about with its tail. Sanzang on his horse was terrified. Brother Monkey, who was standing beside the path, put down the luggage and said happily, “Don’t be scared, master, it’s just bringing me my clothes.” He pulled a needle out of his ear and shook it in the wind, turning it into an iron cudgel as thick as a bowl.\n\n“I haven’t used this little treasure in over five hundred years,” he said, holding it in his hand. “Today I’m bringing it out to get myself some clothes to wear.”\n\nJust watch as he rushes at the tiger, shouting, “Where d’you think you’re going, wretch?” The tiger crouched in the dust, not daring to move, as the cudgel smashed into its head."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thousands of drops of red brain and many a pearly piece of tooth flew everywhere, so terrifying Sanzang that he fell out of the saddle, biting on his finger and crying, “Heavens, the high warden had to fight for ages before killing the striped tiger the other day, but this Sun Wukong has smashed a tiger to pull with a single blow. He really is a tough’s tough.”\n\n“Sit down for a moment, master, while I strip the clothes off him to wear on the journey,” said Brother Monkey as he dragged the tiger over.\n\n“But he hasn’t got any clothes,” Sanzang protested.\n\n“Don’t bother yourself about it, I know how to cope.” The splendid Monkey King pulled a hair from his body, breathed some magic breath on it, and said “Change!,” on which it turned into a pointed knife shaped like a cow’s ear. Cutting into the skin on the tiger’s belly, he took it all off in a single stroke, chopped off the head and claws, then held up the square hide to get an idea of its size."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s on the big side,” he said, “so I could make two kilts out of it,” and with these words he took his knife and cut it in two. One piece he put away, and the other he wrapped round his waist to cover the lower half of his body and tied firmly with a creeper he pulled down from beside the path.\n\n“Let’s go on, master, let’s go on,” he said. “The sewing can wait till we reach a house where we can borrow a needle and thread.” He pinched his iron cudgel to make it as small as a needle again, put it back in his ear, took the luggage on his back, and asked Sanzang to mount the horse.\n\nAs the two of them went along the venerable monk asked from the horse’s back, “Wukong, why has the iron cudgel you used to kill the tiger disappeared?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you don’t know, master,” replied Brother Monkey with a laugh, “is that I got it from the dragon palace of the Eastern Sea, and that it’s called the Magic Iron to Hold the Bed of the Milky Way in Place or ‘As-You-Will Gold-Banded Cudgel’. When I raised my great rebellion against the Heavenly Palace in the old days it served me well. It can change into anything and be whatever size I want it to be. Just now I turned it into an embroidery needle and put it away in my ear. I only take it out when I need it.”\n\nConcealing his delight at hearing this, Sanzang went on to ask, “Why didn’t that tiger move when it saw you? Why on earth did it let you hit it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I can tell you in all truthfulness, master, that not just tigers but even dragons have to be on their best behavior when they meet me. I know a few tricks for putting them in their place and have the power to make rivers run backwards and stir up the seas. I can tell what things are really like from appearances alone, and sort out the truth behind what is said. When I want to make myself big I measure myself against the universe, and when I shrink I can be held on a downy hair. There’s no limit to the transformations I can perform, and nobody can tell when I’m going to vanish or when I’m going to reappear. There was nothing wonderful about skinning that tiger. Wait till I show you a thing or two.” This took a great load off Sanzang’s mind, and he whipped his horse on. As master and disciple went along their way talking together, the sun was sinking in the West, and they saw:\n\nIn the fiery glow of the setting sun\n\nThe clouds return to ends of the sky and the sea."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The birds on a thousand mountains chirrup and call,\n\nFlying in flocks to the woods for the night.\n\nThe wild beasts go two by two;\n\nAll species return to their dens.\n\nA crescent moon breaks through the dusk,\n\nAs countless points of starlight shimmer.\n\n“You must hurry up, master, as it’s late,” said Monkey. “There must be a house in that clump of trees over there, so let’s get there as soon as possible to settle down for the night.” Sanzang whipped on his horse and galloped to the house, where he dismounted.\n\nBrother Monkey put down the luggage, went up to the gate, and shouted, “Open up, open up.” An old man came out, leaning on a bamboo stick, and the gate creaked as he opened it. At the sight of Monkey’s ugly face and the tiger-skin wrapped around him, which made him look like the god of thunder, the old man was so terrified that his legs turned to jelly and his body went numb.\n\n“A devil.... A devil,” he muttered deliriously."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A devil.... A devil,” he muttered deliriously.\n\nSanzang went up to support him, saying, “Don’t be afraid, aged benefactor. He’s no devil, he’s my disciple.” When the old man looked up and saw Sanzang’s pure face he felt steady on his feet at once, and he asked what monastery Sanzang was from, and why had he brought that evil-looking creature to his house.\n\n“I come from the Tang Court,” said Sanzang, “and I am going to the Western Heaven to visit the Buddha and ask for the scriptures. As we were passing this way at nightfall we came to your mansion, good benefactor, to ask for a night’s lodging. We shall be off before dawn tomorrow. I very much hope that you will be able to help us.”\n\n“You may be a Tang man,” the old fellow replied, “but that ugly brute certainly isn’t.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve got no eyes in your head, you silly old man,” shrieked Brother Monkey. “He’s my master and I’m his disciple. I’m no Tang man or Spike man, I’m the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Some of the people who live in this house must know me, and I’ve seen you before.”\n\n“Where’ve you seen me?” the old man asked.\n\n“Didn’t you gather firewood in front of my face and pick wild vegetables from my cheeks when you were a child?” said Sun Wukong.\n\n“Rubbish,” retorted the old man.\n\n“Where did you live and where did I live when I was supposed to gather firewood and wild vegetables in front of your face?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s you who’s talking rubbish, my child,” replied Sun Wukong. “You don’t know who I am, but I’m the Great Sage from the stone cell under the Double Boundary Mountain. Take another look and see if you can recognize me now.” The old man at last realized who he was and said, “I suppose you do look a bit like him, but however did you get out?” Sun Wukong told him the whole story of how the Bodhisattva had converted him and told him to wait till the Tang Priest came to take off the seal and release him. The old man went down on his knees and bowed his head, inviting the Tang Priest inside and calling his wife and children to come and meet him; they were all very happy when they heard what had happened.\n\nWhen they had drunk tea he asked Sun Wukong, “How old are you, Great Sage?”\n\n“How old are you, then?” said Sun Wukong.\n\n“In my senile way I have reached a hundred and thirty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Then you could be my remote descendant,” said Brother Monkey. “I can’t remember when I was born, but I spent over five hundred years under that mountain.”\n\n“True, true,” remarked the old man, “I remember my grandfather saying that this mountain fell from heaven to crush a magical monkey, and you weren’t able to get out before now. When I saw you in my childhood, grass grew on your head and there was mud on your face, so I wasn’t afraid of you. But now that the mud and grass have gone you look thinner, and the tiger-skin round your waist makes you as near a devil as makes no difference.”\n\nThis conversation made everyone roar with laughter, and as he was a kind old man he had a vegetarian meal set out. When the meal was over Sanzang asked him his surname.\n\n“Chen,” the old man replied. On hearing this, Sanzang raised his hands in greeting and said, “Venerable benefactor, you are of the same clan as myself.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” protested Brother Monkey, “You’re called Tang, aren’t you, so how can you belong to the same clan as him?”\n\n“My secular surname is Chen, and I am from Juxian Village, Hongnong Prefecture, Haizhou, in the Tang Empire. My Buddhist name is Chen Xuanzang. But as our Great Tang Emperor Taizong called me his younger brother and gave me the surname Tang, I am known as the Tang Priest.” The old fellow was delighted to hear that they shared a surname.\n\n“Chen, old fellow,” said Monkey, “I’m afraid this will be putting your family out, but I haven’t washed for over five hundred years, so could you go and boil up some water for me and my master to have a bath before we set out again? Thank you.” The old man gave instructions for water to be boiled and a tub brought, and he lit the lamp.\n\nWhen master and disciple had bathed they sat down by the lamp, and Brother Monkey asked once more, “Old Chen, there’s another thing I’d like to ask you: could you lend me a needle and thread?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, of course,” the old man replied, sending his wife to fetch them and then handing them to Monkey. Monkey’s sharp eyes had observed his master take off a short white cotton tunic, which he did not put on again, so Monkey grabbed it and put it on himself. Then he took off his tiger skin, joined it up with a pleat, wrapped it round his waist again, tied it with a creeper, went up to his master, and asked, “How would you say these clothes compared with what I was wearing before?”\n\n“Splendid, splendid,” replied Sanzang, “it makes you look quite like a real monk. If you don’t mind cast-offs,” he added, “you can go on wearing that tunic.” Sun Wukong chanted a “na-a-aw” of obedience and thanked him, then went off to find some hay for the horse. When all the jobs were finished, master and disciple went to bed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Early the next morning Sun Wukong woke up and asked his master to set out. Sanzang dressed and told Monkey to pack the bedding and the rest of the luggage. They were just on the point of leaving when the old man appeared. He had prepared hot water for washing as well as breakfast. After breakfast they set out, Sanzang riding the horse and Brother Monkey leading. They ate when they were hungry and drank when they were thirsty, travelling by day and resting by night. Thus they went on until they realized it was early winter.\n\nWhen the frost destroys the red leaves the woods are sparse;\n\nOn the ridge only pine and cypress flourish.\n\nThe unopened plum buds exhale a dark perfume,\n\nWarming the short days,\n\nA touch of spring.\n\nWhen the chrysanthemum and lotus is finished, the wild tea blossoms.\n\nBy the cold bridge and the ancient trees the birds quarrel for branches.\n\nIn the twisting gully the waters of the spring run low,\n\nPale snow clouds drift across the sky.\n\nThe North wind blows strong,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The North wind blows strong,\n\nTugging at your-sleeves:\n\nWho can bear the cold towards evening?\n\nWhen master and disciple had been travelling for a long time they heard a whistle from beside the path, and six men rushed out with spears, swords, cutlasses, and strongbows.\n\n“Where do you think you’re going, monk?” they roared. “If you give us your horse and luggage we’ll spare your life.” Sanzang fell from his horse, scared out of his wits and unable to utter a word. Brother Monkey helped him to his feet and said, “Don’t worry, master, it’s nothing serious. They’re come to bring us some clothes and our travelling expenses.”\n\n“Are you deaf, Wukong?” the other asked. “They told us to give them our horse and luggage, so how can you ask them for clothes and money?”\n\n“You look after the clothes, the luggage and the horse while I go and have a bash at them. We’ll see what happens.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A good hand is no match for two fists,” said Sanzang, “and a pair of fists is no match for four hands. They are six big men against little you, all by yourself. You can’t possibly have the nerve to fight them.”\n\nThe brave Brother Monkey did not stop to argue. Instead he stepped forward, folded his arms across his chest, bowed to the six bandits and said, “Why are you gentlemen obstructing our way?”\n\n“We are mighty robber kings, benevolent lords of the mountain. We have been very famous for a long time, although you don’t seem to have heard of us. If you abandon your things at once, we’ll let you go on your way; but if there’s even a hint of a ‘no’ from you, we’ll turn your flesh into mincemeat and your bones into powder.”\n\n“I too am a hereditary robber king, and have ruled a mountain for many years, but I’ve never heard of you gentlemen.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Since you don’t know our names, I’ll tell them to you: Eye-seeing Happiness, Ear-hearing Anger, Nose-smelling Love, Tongue-tasting Thought, Mind-born Desire, and Body-based Sorrow.” Sun Wukong laughed at them. “You’re just a bunch of small-time crooks. You can’t see that I’m your lord and master although I’m a monk, and you have the effrontery to get in our way. Bring out all the jewels you’ve stolen, and the seven of us can share them out equally. I’ll let you off with that.”\n\nThis made the bandits happy, angry, loving, thoughtful, desirous, and sorrowful respectively, and they all charged him, yelling, “You’ve got a nerve, monk. You’ve got nothing to put in the kitty, but you want to share our stuff.” Waving their spears and swords they rushed him, hacking wildly at his face. Seventy or eighty blows crashed down on him, but he simply stood in the middle of them, ignoring everything.\n\n“What a monk!” the bandits said. “He’s a real tough nut.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I think we’ve seen enough of that,” said Brother Monkey with a smile. “Your hands must be tired after all that bashing. Now it’s my turn to bring out my needle for a bit of fun.”\n\n“This monk must have been an acupuncturist,” said the bandits. “There’s nothing wrong with us. Why is he talking about needles?”\n\nTaking the embroidery needle from his ear, Brother Monkey shook it in the wind, at which it became an iron cudgel as thick as a ricebowl. With this in his hand he said, “Stick around while I try my cudgel out.” The terrified bandits tried to flee in all directions, but Monkey raced after them, caught them all up, and killed every one of them. Then he stripped the clothes off them, took their money, and went back with his face wreathed in smiles.\n\n“Let’s go, master; I’ve wiped those bandits out,” he said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Even though they were highwaymen, you’re really asking for trouble,” Sanzang replied. “Even if they had been arrested and handed over to the authorities, they wouldn’t have been sentenced to death. You may know a few tricks, but it would be better if you’d simply driven them away. Why did you have to kill them all? Even taking a man’s life by accident is enough to stop someone from becoming a monk. A person who enters the religious life\n\nSpares the ants when he sweeps the floor,\n\nCovers the lamps to save the moth.\n\nWhat business did you have to slaughter the lot of them, without caring which of them were the guilty and which were innocent? You haven’t a shred of compassion or goodness in you. This time it happened in the wilds, where nobody will be able to trace the crime. Say someone offended you in a city and you turned murderous there. Say you killed and wounded people when you went berserk with that club of yours. I myself would be involved even though I’m quite innocent.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But if I hadn’t killed them, they’d have killed you, master,” protested Sun Wukong.\n\n“I am a man of religion, and I would rather die than commit murder,” said Sanzang. “If I’d died, there’d only have been me dead, but you killed six of them, which was an absolute outrage. If the case were taken to court, you couldn’t talk your way out of this even if the judge were your own father.”\n\n“To tell you the truth, master, I don’t know how many people I killed when I was the monster who ruled the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit,” said Sun Wukong, “but if I’d acted your way I’d never have become the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.”\n\n“It was precisely because you acted with such tyrannical cruelty among mortals and committed the most desperate crimes against Heaven that you got into trouble five hundred years ago,” retorted Sanzang. “But now you have entered the faith, you’ll never reach the Western Heaven and never become a monk if you don’t give up your taste for murder. You’re too evil, too evil.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, who had never let himself be put upon, flared up at Sanzang’s endless nagging.\n\n“If you say that I’ll never become a monk and won’t ever reach the Western Heaven, then stop going on at me like that. I’m going back.”\n\nBefore Sanzang could reply, Monkey leapt up in a fury, shouting, “I’m off.” Sanzang looked up quickly, but he was already out of sight. All that could be heard was a whistling sound coming from the East. Left on his own, the Priest nodded and sighed to himself with great sadness and indignation.\n\n“The incorrigible wretch,” he reflected. “Fancy disappearing and going back home like that just because I gave him a bit of a telling-off. So that’s that. I must be fated to have no disciples or followers. I couldn’t find him now even if I wanted to, and he wouldn’t answer if I called him. I must be on my way.” So he had to strive with all his might to reach the West, looking after himself with nobody to help."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang had no choice but to gather up the luggage and tie it on the horse. He did not ride now. Instead, holding his monastic staff in one hand and leading the horse by the reins with the other, he made his lonely way to the West. Before he had been travelling for long he saw an old woman on the mountain path in front of him. She was holding an embroidered robe, and a patterned hat was resting upon it. As she came towards him he hurriedly pulled the horse to the side of the path to make room for her to pass.\n\n“Where are you from, venerable monk,” the old woman asked, “travelling all alone and by yourself?”\n\n“I have been sent by the great King of the East to go to the West to visit the Buddha and ask him for the True Scriptures,” he replied.\n\n“The Buddha of the West lives in the Great Thunder Monastery in the land of India, thirty-six thousand miles away from here. You’ll never get there, just you and your horse, without a companion or disciple.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I did have a disciple, but his nature was so evil that he would not accept a little reproof I administered to him and disappeared into the blue,” said Sanzang.\n\n“I have here an embroidered tunic and a hat inset with golden patterns that used to be my son’s,” the woman said, “but he died after being a monk for only three days. I’ve just been to his monastery to mourn him and say farewell to his master, and I was taking this tunic and this hat home to remember the boy by. But as you have a disciple, venerable monk, I’ll give them to you.”\n\n“Thank you very much for your great generosity, but as my disciple has already gone, I couldn’t accept them.”\n\n“Where has he gone?”\n\n“All I heard was a whistling sound as he went back to the East.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My home isn’t far to the East from here,” she said, “so I expect he’s gone there. I’ve also got a spell called True Words to Calm the Mind, or the Band-tightening Spell. You must learn it in secret, and be sure to keep it to yourself. Never leak it to anyone. I’ll go and catch up with him and send him back to you, and you can give him that tunic and hat to wear. If he’s disobedient again, all you have to do is recite the spell quietly. That will stop him committing any more murders or running away again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang bowed low to thank her, at which she changed into a beam of golden light and returned to the East. He realized in his heart that it must have been the Bodhisattva Guanyin who had given him the spell, so he took a pinch of earth as if he were burning incense and bowed in worship to the East most reverently. Then he put the tunic and hat in his pack, sat down beside the path, and recited the True Words to Calm the Mind over and over again until he knew them thoroughly, and had committed them to his memory.\n\nLet us turn to Sun Wukong, who after leaving his master went straight back to the Eastern Ocean on his somersault cloud. Putting his cloud away, he parted the waters and went straight to the undersea palace of crystal. His approach had alarmed the dragon king, who came out to welcome him and took him into the palace, where they sat down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they had exchanged courtesies the dragon king said, “I’m sorry that I failed to come and congratulate you on the end of your sufferings, Great Sage. I take it that you are returning to your old cave to put your immortal mountain back in order.”\n\n“That’s what I wanted to do,” Monkey replied. “But I’ve become a monk instead.”\n\n“A monk? How?” the dragon king asked.\n\n“The Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea converted me. She taught me to work for a good reward later by going to the West with the Tang Priest from the East, visiting the Buddha, and becoming a monk. And my name has been changed to Brother Monkey.”\n\n“Congratulations, congratulations,” said the dragon king. “You’ve turned over a new leaf and decided to be good. But in that case why have you come back to the East instead of going West?” Monkey laughed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Because that Tang Priest doesn’t understand human nature. He started nagging away at me about a few small-time highwaymen I killed, and said that everything about me was wrong. You know how I can’t stand people going on at me, so I left him to come home to my mountain. I looked in on you first to ask for a cup of tea.”\n\n“Delighted to oblige,” said the dragon king, and his dragon sons and grandsons came in with some fragrant tea which they presented to Monkey.\n\nWhen he had drunk his tea, Monkey looked round and saw a picture called, “Presenting the Shoe at the Yi Bridge” hanging on the wall behind him.\n\n“What’s that a view of?” asked Monkey.\n\n“You wouldn’t know about it because it happened after your time,” the dragon king replied. “It’s called ‘Presenting the Shoe Three Times at the Yi Bridge.’”\n\n“What’s all that about?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Immortal is Lord Yellow Stone, and the boy is Zhang Liang, who lived in Han times,” the dragon king replied. “Lord Yellow Stone was sitting on the bridge when suddenly he dropped one of his shoes under it and told Zhang Liang to fetch it for him. The boy Zhang Liang did so at once, and knelt down to present it to him. Lord Yellow Stone did this three times, and because Zhang Liang never showed a trace of arrogance or disrespect, Lord Yellow Stone was touched by his diligence. One night he gave Zhang Liang some heavenly books and told him to support the Han cause. Later he won victories hundreds of miles away through his calculations within the walls of his tent. When peace came he resigned his office and went back to roam on his mountain with Master Red Pine and achieve the Way of Immortality through enlightenment. Great Sage, if you don’t protect the Tang Priest with all your might, and if you reject his instruction, then you might as well stop trying to win yourself a good later reward, because it"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to win yourself a good later reward, because it will mean you’re only an evil Immoral after all.” Monkey hummed and hawed, but said nothing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Great Sage,” said the dragon king, “you must make your mind up. Don’t ruin your future for the sake of any easy life now.”\n\n“Enough said. I’ll go back and look after him,” replied Sun Wukong. The dragon king was delighted.\n\n“In that case I shan’t keep you. I ask you in your mercy not to leave your master waiting for long.” Being thus pressed to go, Monkey left the sea palace, mounted his cloud, and took leave of the dragon king.\n\nOn his way he met the Bodhisattva Guanyin. “What are you doing here, Sun Wukong?” she asked. “Why did you reject the Tang Priest’s teaching and stop protecting him?” Brother Monkey frantically bowed to her from his cloud and replied, “As you had predicted, Bodhisattva, a monk came from the Tang Empire who took off the seal, rescued me, and made me his disciple. I ran away from him because he thought I was wicked and incorrigible, but now I’m going back to protect him.”\n\n“Hurry up then, and don’t have any more wicked thoughts.” With that they each went their separate ways."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A moment later Monkey saw the Tang Priest sitting gloomily beside the path. He went up to him and said, “Why aren’t you travelling, master? What are you still here for?” Sanzang looked up.\n\n“Where have you been?” he asked. “I couldn’t move without you, so I had to sit here and wait till you came back.”\n\n“I went to visit the Old Dragon King of the Eastern Sea to ask him for some tea,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Disciple, a religious man shouldn’t tell lies. How can you say that you went to drink tea at the dragon king’s place when you haven’t been gone two hours?”\n\n“I can tell you quite truthfully,” replied Monkey with a smile, “that with my somersault cloud I can cover thirty-six thousand miles in a single bound. That’s how I got there and back.”\n\n“When I spoke to you a little severely you resented it and went off in a huff,” said Sanzang. “It was all right for a clever person like you—you begged yourself some tea. But I couldn’t go, and had to stay here hungry. You ought to be sorry for me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you’re hungry, master, I’ll go and beg you some food,” suggested Monkey.\n\n“No need,” his master replied, “there are still some dry provisions in my bundle that the high warden’s mother gave me. Take that bowl and fetch some water. When we’ve eaten some of it we can be on our way.”\n\nOpening the bundle, Brother Monkey found some scones made of coarse flour, which he took out and gave to his master. He also noticed the dazzling brocade tunic and the hat with inlaid golden patterns.\n\n“Did you bring this tunic and hat with you from the East?” he asked. Sanzang had to make something up on the spot.\n\n“I used to wear them when I was young. With that hat on you can recite scriptures without ever having been taught them, and if you wear that tunic you can perform the rituals without any practice.”\n\n“Dear master, please let me wear them,” Monkey pleaded."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I don’t know whether they’ll fit you, but if you can get them on, you can wear them.” Monkey took off the old white tunic, put the brocade one on instead, and found that it was a perfect fit. Then he put the hat on his head. As soon as he had the hat on, Sanzang stopped eating and silently recited the Band-tightening Spell."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My head aches, my head aches,” cried Brother Monkey, but his master went on and recited the spell several times more. Monkey, now rolling in agony, tore the hat to shreds, and Sanzang stopped reciting the spell for fear he would break the golden band. The moment the spell stopped the pain finished. Reaching up to feel his head, Monkey found something like a golden wire clamped so tightly around it that he could not wrench or snap it off. It had already taken root there. He took the needle out of his ear, forced it inside the band, and pulled wildly at it. Sanzang, again frightened that he would snap it, started to recite the spell once more. The pain was so bad this time that Monkey stood on his head, turned somersaults, and went red in the face and ears. His eyes were popping and his body went numb. Seeing the state he was in, Sanzang had to stop, and the pain stopped again too.\n\n“Master,” said Monkey, “What a curse you put on me to give me a headache like that.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I didn’t put a curse on you, I recited the Band-tightening Spell,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“Say it again and see what happens,” said Monkey, and when Sanzang did as he asked, Monkey’s head ached again. “Stop, stop,” he shouted, “the moment you started reciting it my head ached. Why did you do it?”\n\n“Will you accept my instruction now?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Yes,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Will you misbehave again in future?”\n\n“I certainly won’t,” said Monkey.\n\nAlthough he had made this verbal promise, he was still nurturing evil thoughts, and he shook his needle in the wind till it was as thick as a ricebowl. He turned on the Tang Priest, and was on the point of finishing him off when the terrified Sanzang recited the spell two or three more times.\n\nThe monkey dropped his cudgel and fell to the ground, unable to raise his arm, “Master,” he shouted, “I’ve seen the light. Stop saying the spell, please stop.”\n\n“How could you have the perfidy to try to kill me?” asked Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’d never have dared,” said Brother Monkey, adding, “who taught you that spell, master?”\n\n“An old lady I met just now,” replied Sanzang. Monkey exploded with rage.\n\n“Tell me no more,” he said, “I’m sure and certain the old woman was that Guanyin. How could she do this to me? Just you wait. I’m going to the Southern Sea to kill her.”\n\n“As she taught me this spell,” Sanzang replied, “she’s bound to know it herself. If you go after her and she recites it, that will be the end of you.” Seeing the force of his argument, Monkey changed his mind and gave up the idea of going. He knelt down and pleaded pitifully, “Master, she’s used this to force me to go with you to the West. I shan’t go to make trouble for her, and you must recite scriptures instead of saying that spell all the time. I promise to protect you, and I shall always be true to this vow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case you’d better help me back on the horse,” Sanzang replied. Monkey, who had been plunged into despair, summoned up his spirits, tightened the belt round his brocade tunic, got the horse ready, gathered up the luggage, and hurried off towards the West. If you want to know what other stories there are about the journey, then listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Fifteen\n\nOn the Coiled Snake Mountain the Gods Give Secret Help\n\nIn the Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge the Thought-Horse Is Reined in\n\nMonkey looked after the Tang Priest as they headed West. They had been travelling for several days in the twelfth month of the year, with its freezing North winds and biting cold. Their path wound along overhanging precipices and steep cliffs, and they crossed range after range of dangerous mountains. One day Sanzang heard the sound of water as he rode along, and he turned around to shout, “Monkey, where’s that sound of water coming from?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As I remember, this place is called Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge in the Coiled Snake Mountain. It must be the water in the gorge.” Before he had finished speaking, the horse reached the edge of the gorge. Sanzang reined in and looked. He saw:\n\nA thin cold stream piercing the clouds,\n\nDeep, clear waves shining red in the sun.\n\nThe sound shakes the night rain and is heard in the quiet valley,\n\nIts color throws up a morning haze that obscures the sky.\n\nA thousand fathoms of flying waves spit jade;\n\nThe torrent’s roar howls in the fresh wind.\n\nThe current leads to the misty waves of the sea;\n\nThe egret and the cormorant never meet by a fisherman."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As master and disciple watched they heard a noise in the gorge as a dragon emerged from the waves, leapt up the cliff, and grabbed at Sanzang. In his alarm Monkey dropped the luggage, lifted Sanzang off his horse, turned, and fled. The dragon, unable to catch him up, swallowed the white horse, saddle and all, at a single gulp, then disappeared once more beneath the surface of the water. Monkey made his master sit down on a high peak and went back to fetch the horse and the luggage. When he found that the horse had gone and only the luggage was left, he carried the luggage up to his master and put it down before him.\n\n“Master,” he said, “that damned dragon has disappeared without a trace. It gave our horse such a fright that it ran away.”\n\n“However are we going to find the horse, disciple?”\n\n“Don’t worry, don’t worry, wait here while I go and look for it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He leapt into the sky, whistling. Putting up his hand to shade his fiery eyes with their golden pupils, he looked all around below him, but saw no sign of the horse. He put his cloud away and reported, “Master, that horse of ours must have been eaten by the dragon—I can’t see it anywhere.”\n\n“Disciple,” Sanzang protested, “how could that wretched creature have a mouth big enough to swallow a horse that size, saddle and all? I think the horse must have slipped its bridle in a panic and run into that valley. Go and have a more careful look.”\n\n“You don’t know about my powers,” Monkey replied. “These eyes of mine can see what’s happening three hundred miles away, and within that range I can even spot a dragonfly spreading its wings. There’s no way I could miss a big horse like that.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But we’ll never get across those thousands of mountains and rivers.” As he spoke, his tears fell like rain. The sight of him crying was too much for Brother Monkey, who flared up and shouted, “Stop being such an imbecile, master. Sit there and wait while I find that wretch and make him give us back our horse.”\n\n“You mustn’t go,” said Sanzang, grabbing hold of him. “I’m frightened that he’ll come creeping out again and kill me this time. Then I’ll be dead as well as the horse, and that would be terrible.”\n\nThis made Monkey angrier than ever, and he roared with a shout like thunder, “You’re hopeless, absolutely hopeless. You want a horse to ride but you won’t let me go. This way you’ll be sitting there looking at the luggage for the rest of your life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he was yelling ferociously in a flaming temper, a voice was heard in the sky that said, “Don’t be angry, Great Sage; stop crying, younger brother of the Tang Emperor. We are gods sent by the Bodhisattva Guanyin to give hidden protection to the pilgrim who is fetching the scriptures.”\n\nAt these words Sanzang immediately bowed, but Monkey said, “Tell me your names, you lot.”\n\n“We are the Six Dings, the Six Jias, the Revealers of the Truth of the Five Regions, the Four Duty Gods, and the Eighteen Protectors of the Faith; we shall take it in turns to be in attendance every day.”\n\n“Who starts today?”\n\n“The Dings and Jias, the Four Duty Gods, and the Protectors of the Faith will take turns. Of the Revealers of the Five Regions, the Gold-headed Revealer will always be with you by day and by night.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well then,” said Monkey, “all those of you who are not on duty may withdraw. The Six Ding Heavenly Generals, the Duty God of the Day, and the Revealers of the Truth will stay here to protect my master, while I shall go to find that evil dragon in the gorge and make him give our horse back.” The gods all did as they were told, and Sanzang, now greatly relieved, sat on the cliff and gave Monkey detailed instructions.\n\n“There’s no need for you to worry,” said the splendid Monkey King as he tightened the belt round his brocade tunic, folded up his tiger-skin kilt, grasped his cudgel, went to the edge of the gorge, and stood amid clouds and mist above the water. “Give us back our horse, mud loach, give us back our horse,” he shouted.\n\nNow when the dragon had eaten Sanzang’s white horse it lay low in the stream, hiding its miraculous powers and nourishing its vital nature. When it heard someone shouting and cursing it and demanding the horse back, it was unable to hold back its temper."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Leaping up through the waves it asked, “How dare you make so free with your insults?”\n\nThe moment he saw it, Monkey roared, “Don’t go! Give us back our horse!” and swung his cudgel at the dragon’s head. Baring its fangs and waving its claws, the dragon went for him. It was a noble battle that the pair of them fought beside the ravine.\n\nThe dragon stretched its sharp claws,\n\nThe monkey raised his gold-banded cudgel.\n\nThe beard of one hung in threads of white jade,\n\nThe other’s eyes flashed like golden lamps.\n\nThe pearls in the dragon’s beard gave off a coloured mist,\n\nThe iron club in the other’s hands danced like a whirlwind.\n\nOne was a wicked son who had wronged his parents;\n\nThe father, the evil spirit who had worsted heavenly generals.\n\nBoth had been through trouble and suffering,\n\nAnd now they were to use their abilities to win merit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Coming and going, fighting and resting, wheeling and turning, they battled on for a very long time until the dragon’s strength was exhausted and his muscles numb. Unable to resist any longer, it turned around, dived into the water, and lay low at the bottom of the stream. It pretended to be deaf as the Monkey King cursed and railed at it, and did not emerge again.\n\nMonkey could do nothing, so he had to report to Sanzang, “Master, I swore at that ogre till it came out, and after fighting me for ages it fled in terror. It’s now in the water and won’t come out again.”\n\n“Are you sure that it really ate our horse?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“What a thing to say,” said Monkey, “If it hadn’t eaten the horse, it wouldn’t have dared to say a word or fight against me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When you killed that tiger the other day you said you had ways of making dragons and tigers submit to you, so how comes it that you couldn’t beat this one today?” Monkey had never been able to stand provocation, so when Sanzang mocked him this time he showed something of his divine might.\n\n“Say no more, say no more. I’ll have another go at it and then we’ll see who comes out on top.”\n\nThe Monkey King leapt to the edge of the ravine, and used a magical way of throwing rivers and seas into turmoil to make the clear waters at the bottom of the Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge as turbulent as the waves of the Yellow River in spate. The evil dragon’s peace was disturbed as he lurked in the depths of the waters, and he thought, “How true it is that blessings never come in pairs and troubles never come singly. Although I’ve been accepting my fate here for less than a year since I escaped the death penalty for breaking the laws of Heaven, I would have to run into this murderous devil.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt, and unable to bear the humiliation a moment longer he jumped out of the stream cursing, “Where are you from, you bloody devil, coming here to push me around?”\n\n“Never you mind where I’m from,” Monkey replied. “I’ll only spare your life if you give back that horse.”\n\n“That horse of yours is in my stomach, and I can’t sick it up again, can I? I’m not giving it back, so what about it?”\n\n“If you won’t give it back, then take this! I’m only killing you to make you pay for the horse’s life.” The two of them began another bitter struggle under the mountain, and before many rounds were up the little dragon could hold out no longer. With a shake of his body he turned himself into a water-snake and slithered into the undergrowth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Monkey King chased it with his cudgel in his hands, but when he pushed the grass aside to find the snake the three gods inside his body exploded, and smoke poured from his seven orifices. He uttered the magic word om, thus calling out the local tutelary god and the god of the mountain, who both knelt before him and reported their arrival.\n\n“Put out your ankles,” Monkey said, “while I give you five strokes each of my cudgel to work off my temper.” The two gods kowtowed and pleaded pitifully, “We beg the Great Sage to allow us petty gods to report.”\n\n“What have you got to say?” Monkey asked.\n\n“We didn’t know when you emerged after your long sufferings, Great Sage,” they said, “which is why we didn’t come to meet you. We beg to be forgiven.”\n\n“In that case,” Monkey said, “I won’t beat you, but I’ll ask you this instead: where does that devil dragon in the Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge come from, and why did he grab my master’s white horse and eat it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Great Sage, you never had a master,” said the two gods, “and you were a supreme Immortal with an undisturbed essence who would not submit to Heaven or Earth, so how does this master’s horse come in?”\n\n“You two don’t know that either,” Monkey replied. “Because of that business of offending against Heaven, I had to suffer for five hundred years. Now I’ve been converted by the Bodhisattva Guanyin, and she’s sent a priest who’s come from the Tang Empire to rescue me. She told me to become his disciple and go to the Western Heaven to visit the Buddha and ask for the scriptures. As we were passing this way we lost my master’s white horse.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Ah, so that’s what’s happening,” the gods said. “There never used to be any evil creatures in the stream, which ran wide and deep with water so pure that crows and magpies never dared to fly across it. This was because they would mistake their own reflections in it for other birds of their own kind and often go plummeting into the water. That’s why it’s called Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge. Last year, when the Bodhisattva Guanyin was on her way to find a man to fetch the scriptures, she rescued a jade dragon and sent it to wait here for the pilgrim without getting up to any trouble. But when it’s hungry it comes up on the bank to catch a few birds or a roedeer to eat. We can’t imagine how it could be so ignorant as to clash with the Great Sage.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The first time he and I crossed swords we whirled around for a few rounds,” Brother Monkey replied. “The second time I swore at him but he wouldn’t come out, so I stirred up his stream with a spell to throw rivers and seas into turmoil, after which he came out and wanted to have another go at me. He didn’t realize how heavy my cudgel was, and he couldn’t parry it, so he changed himself into a water snake and slithered into the undergrowth. I chased him and searched for him, but he’s vanished without a trace.”\n\n“Great Sage, you may not be aware that there are thousands of interconnected tunnels in this ravine, which is why the waters here run so deep. There is also a tunnel entrance round here that he could have slipped into. There’s no need for you to be angry, Great Sage, or to search for it. If you want to catch the creature, all you have to do is to ask Guanyin to come here, and it will naturally submit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On receiving this suggestion Monkey told the local deity and the mountain god to come with him to see Sanzang and tell him all about what had happened previously. “If you go to ask the Bodhisattva to come here, when will you ever be back?” he asked, adding, “I’m terribly cold and hungry.”\n\nBefore the words were out of his mouth they heard the voice of the Gold-headed Revealer shouting from the sky, “Great Sage, there’s no need for you to move. I’ll go and ask the Bodhisattva to come here.” Monkey, who was delighted, replied, “This is putting you to great trouble, but please be as quick as you can.” The Revealer then shot off on his cloud to the Southern Sea. Monkey told the mountain god and the local deity to protect his master, and sent the Duty God of the Day to find some vegetarian food, while he himself patrolled the edge of the ravine."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The moment the Gold-headed Revealer mounted his cloud he reached the Southern Sea. Putting away his propitious glow, he went straight to the Purple Bamboo Grove on the island of Potaraka, where he asked the Golden Armour Devas and Moksa to get him an audience with the Bodhisattva.\n\n“What have you come for?” the Bodhisattva asked.\n\n“The Tang Priest,” the Revealer replied, “has lost his horse in the Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge, and the Great Sage Sun Wukong is desperate, because they can neither go forward nor back. When the Great Sage asked the local deity he was told that the evil dragon you sent to the ravine, Bodhisattva, had swallowed it, so he has sent me to ask you to subdue this dragon and make it give back the horse.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That wretched creature was the son of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the Western Sea, whom his father reported for disobedience when he burned the palace jewels. The heavenly court condemned him to death for it, but I went myself to see the Jade Emperor and asked him to send the dragon down to serve the Tang Priest as a beast of burden. Whatever made it actually eat the Tang Priest’s horse? I’d better go and look into it.” The Bodhisattva descended from her lotus throne, left her magic cave, and crossed the Southern Sea, travelling on propitious light with the Revealer. There is a poem about it that goes:\n\nHoney is in the Buddha’s words that fill Three Stores of scripture,\n\nThe Bodhisattva’s goodness is longer than the Great Wall.\n\nThe wonderful words of the Mahayana fill Heaven and Earth,\n\nThe truth of the prajna rescues ghosts and souls.\n\nIt even made the Golden Cicada shed his cocoon once more,\n\nAnd ordered Xuanzang to continue cultivating his conduct."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Because the road was difficult at the Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge,\n\nThe dragon’s son returned to the truth and changed into a horse.\n\nThe Bodhisattva and the Revealer reached the Coiled Snake Mountain before long, and stopping their cloud in mid-air they looked down and saw Brother Monkey cursing and shouting at the edge of the ravine. When the Bodhisattva told him to call Monkey over, the Revealer brought his cloud to land at the edge of the ravine. Instead of going to see Sanzang first, he said to Monkey, “The Bodhisattva’s here.”\n\nMonkey leapt straight into the air on his cloud and shouted at her at the top of his voice, “Teacher of the Seven Buddhas, merciful head of our religion, why did you think up this way of hurting me?”\n\n“I’ll get you, you outrageous baboon, you red-bottomed ape,” she replied. “I was at my wit’s end two or three times over how to fetch that pilgrim, and I told him to save your life. But far from coming to thank me for saving you, you now have the effrontery to bawl at me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve been very good to me, I must say,” retorted Monkey. “If you’d let me out to roam around enjoying myself as I pleased, that would have been fine. I was all right when you met me above the sea the other day, spoke a few unkind words, and told me to do all I could to help the Tang Priest. But why did you give him that hat he tricked me into wearing to torture me with? Why did you make this band grow into my head? Why did you teach him that Band-tightening Spell? Why did you make that old monk recite it over and over again so that my head ached and ached? You must be wanting to do me in.” The Bodhisattva smiled.\n\n“You monkey. You don’t obey the commands of the faith, and you won’t accept the true reward, so if you weren’t under control like this you might rebel against Heaven again or get up to any kind of evil. If you got yourself into trouble as you did before, who would look after you? Without this monstrous head, you’d never be willing to enter our Yogacatin faith.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well then,” Monkey replied, “let’s call this object my monstrous head. But why did you send that criminal and evil dragon to become a monster here and eat my master’s horse? Letting evil creatures out to run amuck like that is a bad deed.”\n\n“I personally asked the Jade Emperor to put the dragon here as a mount for the pilgrim,” said the Bodhisattva. “Do you think an ordinary horse would be able to cross the thousands of mountains and rivers to reach the Buddha-land on the Vulture Peak? Only a dragon horse will be able to do it.”\n\n“But he’s so afraid of me that he’s skulking down there and won’t come out, so what’s to be done?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva told the Revealer to go to the edge of the ravine and shout, “Come out, Prince Jade Dragon, son of the Dragon King Ao Run, to see the Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea,” after which the offspring would emerge. The Revealer went to the edge of the gorge and shouted this twice, immediately the young dragon leapt up through the waves, took human form, stepped on a cloud, and greeted the Bodhisattva in mid-air.\n\n“In my gratitude to you, Bodhisattva, for saving my life, I have been waiting here for a long time, but I have had no news yet of the pilgrim who is going to fetch the scriptures.” The Bodhisattva pointed to Brother Monkey and said, “Isn’t he the pilgrim’s great disciple?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s my enemy,” the young dragon replied when he looked at him. “I ate his horse yesterday because I was starving, so he used some powers of his to fight me till I returned exhausted and terrified, then swore at me so that I had to shut myself in, too frightened to come out. He never said a word about anyone fetching scriptures.”\n\n“You never asked me my name, so how could I have told you?” Monkey retorted.\n\n“I asked you ‘Where are you from, you bloody devil?’ and you yelled, ‘Never mind where I’m from, and give me back that horse.’ You never so much as breathed the word ‘Tang.’”\n\n“You monkey, you are so proud of your own strength that you never have a good word for anyone else,” said the Bodhisattva.\n\n“There will be others who join you later on your journey, and when they ask you any questions, the first thing you must mention is fetching the scriptures. If you do that, you’ll have their help without any trouble at all.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was happy to accept instruction from her. The Bodhisattva then went forward, broke off some of the pearls from the dragon’s head, soaked the end of her willow twig in the sweet dew in her bottle, sprinkled it on the dragon’s body, and breathed on it with magic breath, shouted, and the dragon turned into the exact likeness of the original horse.\n\n“You must concentrate on wiping out your past sins,” she told him, “and when you have succeeded, you will rise above ordinary dragons and be given back your golden body as a reward.” The young dragon took the bit between his teeth, and her words to heart. The Bodhisattva told Sun Wukong to take him to see Sanzang as she was returning to the Southern Sea. Monkey clung to her, refusing to let her go."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m not going,” he said, “I’m not going. If the journey to the West is as tough as this, I can’t possibly keep this mortal priest safe, and if there are many such more trials and tribulations, I’ll have enough trouble keeping alive myself. How can I ever achieve any reward? I’m not going, I’m not going.”\n\n“In the old days, before you had learned to be a human being,” the Bodhisattva replied, “you were prepared to work for your awakening with all your power. But now that you have been delivered from a Heaven-sent calamity, you have grown lazy. What’s the matter with you? In our faith, to achieve nirvana you must believe in good rewards. If you meet with injury or suffering in future, you have only to call on Heaven and Earth for them to respond; and if you get into a really hopeless situation I shall come to rescue you myself. Come over here as I have another power to give you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva plucked three leaves from her willow twig, put them on the back of Brother Monkey’s head, and shouted “Change,” on which they turned into three life-saving hairs. “When the time comes and nobody else will help you,” she said, “they will turn into whatever is needed to save you from disaster.”\n\nAfter hearing all these fine words, Monkey finally took his leave of the All-merciful Bodhisattva, who went back to Potaraka amidst scented breezes and coloured mists.\n\nMonkey brought his cloud down to land, and led the dragon horse by the mane to see Sanzang. “Master,” he said, “we’ve got our horse.” Sanzang cheered up the moment he saw it.\n\n“Why is it sturdier than it was before?” he asked. “Where did you find it?”\n\n“Master, you must have been dreaming. The Golden-headed Revealer asked the Bodhisattva to come here, and she turned the dragon in the gorge into our white horse. The coloring is the same, but it hasn’t got a saddle or a bridle, which is why I had to drag it here.” Sanzang was astounded."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where’s the Bodhisattva? I must go and worship her,” he said.\n\n“She’s back in the Southern Sea by now, so don’t bother,” Monkey replied. Sanzang took a pinch of earth as if he were burning incense, knelt down, and bowed to the South. When he had finished he got up and helped Monkey put their things together for the journey. Monkey dismissed the mountain god and the local deity, gave orders to the Revealer and the Duty Gods, and invited his master to mount the horse.\n\n“I couldn’t possibly ride it—it’s got no saddle or bridle,” his master replied, “but we can sort this out when we’ve found a boat to ferry us across the stream.”\n\n“Master, you seem to have no common sense at all. Where will a boat be found in these wild mountains? This horse has lived here for a long time and is bound to know about the currents, so you can ride him and use him as your boat.” Sanzang had no choice but to do as Monkey suggested and ride the horse bareback to the edge of the stream while Monkey carried the luggage."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "An aged fisherman appeared upstream, punting a raft along with the current. As soon as he saw him, Monkey waved his hand and shouted, “Come here, fisherman, come here. We’re from the East, and we’re going to fetch the scriptures. My master is having some trouble crossing the river, so come and ferry him over.”\n\nThe fisherman punted towards them with all speed, while Monkey asked Sanzang to dismount and helped him on board the raft. Then he led the horse on and loaded the luggage, after which the fisherman pushed off and started punting with the speed of an arrow. Before they realized it they had crossed the Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge and were on the Western bank.\n\nWhen Sanzang told Brother Monkey to open the bundle and find a few Great Tang coins and notes to give the fisherman, the old man pushed his raft off from the shore with the words, “I don’t want your money, I don’t want your money,” and drifted off into mid-stream. Sanzang was most upset, but could do nothing except put his hands together and thank him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s no need to thank him, master,” Monkey said. “Can’t you see who he is? He’s the water god of this stream, and I should be giving him a beating for not coming to welcome me. He should consider himself lucky to get off the beating—how could he possibly expect money too?” His master, who was only half-convinced, mounted the saddleless horse once more and followed Monkey to join the main path, and then they hurried on towards the West. Indeed:\n\nThe great truth landed on the opposite bank,\n\nThe sincere heart and complete nature climbed Vulture Peak.\n\nAs disciple and master went forward together, the sun slipped down in the West and evening drew in.\n\nPale and ragged clouds,\n\nThe moon dim over the mountains,\n\nAs the cold frost fills the heavens,\n\nAnd the wind’s howl cuts through the body.\n\nWith the lone bird gone, the grey island seems vast;\n\nWhere the sunset glows, the distant mountains are low.\n\nIn the sparse forests a thousand trees moan,\n\nOn the deserted peak a lonely ape screams."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the deserted peak a lonely ape screams.\n\nThe path is long, and bears no footprints,\n\nAs the boat sails thousands of miles into the night.\n\nAs Sanzang was gazing into the distance from the back of his horse, he noticed a farm-house beside the path. “Monkey,” he said, “let’s spend the night in the house ahead of us and go on in the morning.”\n\nMonkey looked up and replied, “Master, it’s not a farm-house.”\n\n“Why not?”\n\n“A farm-house wouldn’t have all those decorative fishes and animals on the roof. It must be a temple or a nunnery.”\n\nAs they were talking they reached the gate, and when Sanzang dismounted he saw the words TEMPLE OF THE WARD ALTAR written large above the gate and went inside."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here an old man with a rosary of pearls hanging round his neck came out to meet them with his hands held together and the words, “Please sit down, master.” Sanzang quickly returned his courtesies and entered the main building to pay his respects to the divine image. The old man told a servant to bring tea, and when that had been drunk Sanzang asked the old man why the temple was dedicated to the ward altar.\n\n“This place is in the territory of the Western land of Kami,” the old man replied, “and behind the temple lives the devout farm family which built it. ‘Ward’ means the ward of a village, and the altar is the altar of the local tutelary deity. At the time of the spring ploughing, the summer weeding, the autumn harvest, and the storing away in winter they all bring meat, flowers, and fruit to sacrifice to the altar. They do this to ensure good fortune throughout the four seasons, a rich crop of the five grains, and good health for the six kinds of livestock.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this Sanzang nodded and said in approval, “How true it is that ‘Go three miles from home, and you’re in another land.’ We have nothing as good as this in our country.” The old man then asked him where his home was.\n\n“I come from the land of the Great Tang in the East,” Sanzang replied, “and I have imperial orders to go to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and ask for the scriptures. As our journey brought us this way and it is almost night, we have come to this holy temple to ask for a night’s lodging. We shall set off at dawn.” The old man, who was very pleased to hear this, apologized profusely for having failed in his hospitality and told the servant to prepare a meal. When Sanzang had eaten he thanked the old man.\n\nMonkey’s sharp eyes had noticed a clothes-line under the eaves of the building. He went over, tore it down, and hobbled the horse with it. “Where did you steal that horse from?” the old man asked with a smile."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Monkey replied. “We’re holy monks going to visit the Buddha, so how could we possibly steal a horse.”\n\n“If you didn’t steal it,” the old man continued, the smile still on his lips, “then why do you have to break my clothes-line because it’s got no saddle, bridle or reins?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang apologized for Monkey and said to him, “You’re too impatient, you naughty monkey. You could have asked the old gentleman for a piece of rope to tether the horse with. There was no need to snap his clothes-line. Please don’t be suspicious, sir,” Sanzang went on, addressing the old man. “This horse isn’t stolen, I can assure you. When we reached the Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge yesterday I was riding a white horse complete with saddle and bridle. We did not know that there was an evil dragon in the stream who had become a spirit, and this dragon swallowed my horse saddle, bridle and all, in a single gulp. Luckily this disciple of mine has certain powers, and he brought the Bodhisattva Guanyin to the side of the gorge, where she caught the dragon and changed it into a white horse, exactly like the original one, to carry me to the Western Heaven to visit the Buddha. It’s been less than a day from when we crossed that stream to when we reached your holy shrine, sir, and we haven’t yet saddle or bridle for it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please don’t be angry, Father. I was only joking,” the old man replied. “I never thought your respected disciple would take it seriously. When I was young I had a bit of money, and I was fond of riding a good horse, but many years of troubles and bereavement have taken the fire out of me, and I’ve come to this miserable end as a sacristan looking after the incense. Luckily the benefactor who owns the farm behind here provides me with the necessities of life. As it happens, I still have a saddle and bridle—I was so fond of them in the old days that I have never been able to bring myself to sell them, poor as I am. Now that I have heard, venerable master, how the Bodhisattva saved the divine dragon and changed it into a horse to carry you, I feel that I must help too, so I shall bring that saddle and bridle out tomorrow for you to ride on. I beg you to be gracious enough to accept them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang thanked him effusively. The servant boy had by now produced the evening meal, and when it was over they spread out their bedding, lamp in hand, and all went to sleep.\n\nWhen Monkey got up the next morning he said, “Master, that old sacristan promised us the saddle and bridle last night. You must insist and not let him off.” Before the words were out of his mouth, the old man appeared with the saddle and bridle in his hands, as well as saddle-cloth, saddle-pad, reins, muzzle and all the other trappings for a horse. Nothing was missing.\n\nAs he put it all down in front of the verandah he said, “Master, I humbly offer this saddle and bridle.” When Sanzang saw them he accepted them with delight. Then he told Monkey to put them on the horse to see if they fitted him. Monkey went over and picked them up to look at them one by one: they were all fine pieces. There are some verses to prove it that go\n\nThe well-carved saddle shines with silver stars\n\nThe jeweled stirrups gleam with golden light."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The jeweled stirrups gleam with golden light.\n\nSeveral layers of saddle-pads are made from wool,\n\nThe lead-rope is plaited from purple silk.\n\nThe reins are inlaid with flashing flowers,\n\nThe blinkers have dancing animals outlined in gold.\n\nThe bit is made of tempered steel,\n\nAnd woollen tassels hang from either end.\n\nMonkey, who was secretly very pleased, put the saddle and bridle on the horse and found that they fitted as if they had been made to measure. Sanzang knelt and bowed to the old man in thanks, at which the old man rushed forward and said, “No, no, how could I allow you to thank me?” The old man did not try to keep them a moment longer, and bade Sanzang mount the horse. When he was out of the gate Sanzang climbed into the saddle, while Monkey carried the luggage. The old man then produced a whip from his sleeve and offered it to Sanzang as he stood beside the road. Its handle was of rattan bound with leather, and its thong of tiger sinew bound at the end with silk."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Holy monk,” he said, “I would also like to give you this as you leave.” As Sanzang took it sitting on horseback, he thanked the old man for his generosity.\n\nAs Sanzang was on the point of clasping his hands together to take his leave of him, the old man disappeared, and on turning round to look at the temple, the monk could see nothing but a stretch of empty land. He heard a voice saying in the sky, “Holy monk, we have been very abrupt with you. We are the mountain god and the local deity of Potaraka Island, and we were sent by the Bodhisattva Guanyin to give you the saddle and bridle. You two are now to make for the West as fast as you can, and not to slacken your pace for a moment.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang tumbled out of the saddle in a panic, and worshipped the heavens, saying, “My eyes of flesh and my mortal body prevented me from recognizing you, noble gods; forgive me, I beg you. Please convey my gratitude to the Bodhisattva for her mercy.” Look at him, kowtowing to the sky more often than you could count. The Great Sage Sun Wukong, the Handsome Monkey King, was standing by the path overcome with laughter and beside himself with amusement. He went over and tugged at the Tang Priest.\n\n“Master,” he said, “get up. They’re already much too far away to hear your prayers or see your kowtows, so why ever are you doing that?”\n\n“Disciple,” Sanzang replied, “what do you mean by standing beside the path sneering at me and not even making a single bow while I’ve done all those kowtows?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t know anything,” Monkey retorted. “A deceitful pair like that deserve a thrashing. I let them off out of respect for the Bodhisattva. That’s quite enough: they couldn’t expect me to bow to them too, could they? I’ve been a tough guy since I was a kid, and I don’t bow to anyone. Even when I meet the Jade Emperor or the Supreme Lord Lao Zi I just chant a ‘na-a-aw’ and that’s all.”\n\n“You inhuman beast,” said Sanzang, “stop talking such nonsense. Get moving, and don’t hold us up a moment longer.” With that Sanzang rose to his feet and they set off to the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next two months’ journey was peaceful, and they only met Luoluos, Huihuis, wolves, monsters, tigers, and leopards. The time passed quickly, and it was now early spring. They saw mountains and forests clad in emerald brocade as plants and trees put out shoots of green; and when all the plum blossom had fallen, the willows started coming into leaf. Master and disciple traveled along enjoying the beauties of spring, and they saw that the sun was setting in the West. Sanzang reined in his horse to look into the distance, and in the fold of a mountain he dimly discerned towers and halls.\n\n“Wukong,” he said, “can you see if there’s anywhere we can go there?” Monkey looked and said, “It must be a temple or a monastery. Let’s get there quickly and spend the night there.” Sanzang willingly agreed, and giving his dragon horse a free rein he galloped towards it. If you don’t know what sort of place it was that they were going to, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Sixteen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter Sixteen\n\nThe Monks of the Guanyin Monastery Plot to Take the Treasure\n\nThe Monster of the Black Wind Mountain Steals the Cassock\n\nThe master whipped on his horse and hurried straight to the temple gate with his disciple to have a look. They saw that it was indeed a monastery:\n\nHall upon hall,\n\nCloister after cloister.\n\nBeyond the triple gates\n\nCountless coloured clouds are massed;\n\nBefore the Hall of Five Blessings\n\nCoil a thousand wisps of red mist.\n\nTwo rows of pine and bamboo,\n\nA forest of locust and cypress trees.\n\nThe two rows of pine and bamboo\n\nAre ageless in their elegant purity;\n\nThe forest of locust and cypress trees\n\nHas color and beauty.\n\nSee how high the drum and bell towers are,\n\nHow tall the pagoda.\n\nIn peaceful mediation the monks make firm their natures,\n\nAs birds sing in the trees outside.\n\nPeace beyond mortal dust is the only true peace;\n\nEmptiness with the Way is the real emptiness.\n\nAs the poem goes,\n\nA supreme Jetavana hidden in a green valley,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A supreme Jetavana hidden in a green valley,\n\nA monastery set in scenery unbeaten in the world.\n\nSuch pure lands are rare on earth;\n\nOn most of the famous mountains dwell monks.\n\nSanzang dismounted, Monkey laid down his burden, and they were just on the point of going in when a crowd of monks came out. This is how they were dressed:\n\nOn their heads they wore hats pinned on the left,\n\nOn their bodies were clothes of purity.\n\nCopper rings hung from their ears,\n\nAnd silken belts were tied around their waists.\n\nSlowly they walked on sandals of straw,\n\nAs they held wooden clappers in their hands.\n\nWith their mouths they were always chanting\n\nTheir devotion to the Wisdom.\n\nWhen Sanzang saw them he stood respectfully beside the gate and greeted them. A monk hastily returned his greeting and apologized for not noticing them before.\n\n“Where are you from?” he asked, “please come to the abbot’s rooms and have some tea.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have been sent from the East on an imperial mission to worship the Buddha in the Thunder Monastery and ask for the scriptures,” Sanzang replied, “and as it is almost night we would like to ask for a night’s lodging now that we are here.”\n\n“Come inside and sit down, come inside and sit down,” the monk said. When Sanzang told Monkey to lead the horse over, the monk was frightened at the sudden sight of him and asked, “What’s that thing leading the horse?”\n\n“Keep your voice down,” Sanzang urged, “keep your voice down. He has a quick temper, and if he hears you referring to him as ‘that thing,’ he’ll be furious. He’s my disciple.”\n\nThe monk shuddered and bit his finger as he remarked, “Fancy taking a monstrously ugly creature like that for a disciple.”\n\n“He may not look it,” Sanzang replied, “but ugly as he is, he has his uses.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monk had no choice but to go through the monastery gate with Sanzang and Monkey, and inside they saw the words CHAN MONASTERY OF GUANYIN written in large letters on the main hall. Sanzang was delighted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have often been the grateful beneficiary of the Bodhisattva’s divine mercy,” he exclaimed, “but I have not yet been able to kowtow to her in thanks. To worship her in this monastery will be just as good as seeing her in person.” On hearing this, the monk, ordering a lay brother to open the doors, invited Sanzang to go in and worship. Monkey tethered the horse, put the luggage down, and went up into the hall with Sanzang, who prostrated himself and put his head on the floor before the golden statue. When the monk went to beat the drum, Monkey started striking the bell. Sanzang lay before the image, praying with all his heart, and when he had finished the monk stopped beating the drum. Monkey, however, was so engrossed in striking the bell, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, that he went on for a very long time.\n\n“He’s finished his devotions,” a lay brother said, “so what are you still beating the bell for?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey threw down the bell hammer and said with a grin, “You’re ignorant, aren’t you? ‘Whoever is a monk for a day strikes the bell for a day’: that’s me.” By then all the monks in the monastery, senior and junior, as well as the abbot and his assistant, had been so startled by the wild noises from the bell that they all came crowding out to ask what savage was making such a din with the bell and drum. Monkey jumped out and cursed them: “Your grandfather Sun Wukong was having some fun.”\n\nAll the monks collapsed with shock at the sight of him and said as they knelt on the ground, “Lord Thunder God, Lord Thunder God.”\n\n“The Thunder God is my great grandson,” Monkey replied. “Get up, get up, you’ve nothing to fear. I’m a lord from the land of the Great Tang empire in the East.” The monks all bowed to him, and could not feel easy until Sanzang appeared."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please come and drink tea in my rooms,” said the abbot of the monastery. The horse was unloaded and led off, while they went round the main hall to a room at the back where they sat down according to their seniority.\n\nThe abbot gave them tea and arranged for food to be brought, and after the meal it was still early. As Sanzang was expressing his thanks, two servant boys appeared behind them supporting an aged monk. This is what he looked like:\n\nA Vairocana miter on his head\n\nTopped with a gleaming cat’s-eye jewel.\n\nOn his body a gown of brocade,\n\nEdged with gold-mounted kingfisher feathers.\n\nA pair of monkish shoes studded with the Eight Treasures,\n\nA walking stick inlaid with Clouds and stars.\n\nA face covered with wrinkles,\n\nLike the Old Goddess of Mount Li;\n\nA pair of purblind eyes,\n\nLike the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea.\n\nHis mouth can’t keep out the wind as his teeth have gone;\n\nHis back is bent because his muscles are stiff."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His back is bent because his muscles are stiff.\n\n“The Patriarch has come,” the monks all said. Sanzang bowed low to him in greeting and said, “Your disciple pays his respects, venerable abbot.” The aged monk returned his greeting and they both sat down.\n\n“The youngsters have just told me that gentlemen have come from the Tang Empire in the East,” he said, “so I have come out to see you.”\n\n“Please forgive us for blundering into your monastery so rudely,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“Don’t put it like that,” the aged monk said, going on to ask, “How long a journey is it from the Eastern lands to here?”\n\n“It was over sixteen hundred miles from Chang’an to the Double Boundary Mountain, where I took on this disciple,” Sanzang replied. “We traveled on together through the land of Kami, and as that took two months we must have covered getting on for another two thousand miles before reaching here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Over three thousand miles,” said the aged monk. “I have spent a life of piety and have never been outside the monastery gates, so you could really say that I have been ‘looking at heaven from the bottom of a well,’ and call mine a wasted life.”\n\n“How great is your age, venerable abbot?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“In my stupid way I have lived to be two hundred and seventy,” the old monk replied.\n\n“Then you’re my ten-thousandth-great grandson,” put in Monkey.\n\n“Talk properly,” said Sanzang, glaring at him, “Don’t be so disrespectful and rude.”\n\n“How old are you, sir?” the aged monk asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How old are you, sir?” the aged monk asked.\n\n“I don’t venture to mention it,” Monkey replied. The aged monk then thought that he must have been raving, so he put the matter out of his mind, said no more about it, and ordered tea to be brought for them. A young page brought in three cloisonne teacups on a jade tray the color of mutton fat, and another carried in a white alloy teapot from which he poured out three cups of fragrant tea. It had a better color than pomegranate blossom, and its aroma was finer than cassia. When Sanzang saw all this he was full of praise.\n\n“What splendid things,” he said, “what splendid things. Wonderful tea in wonderful vessels.”\n\n“They’re not worth looking at,” the old monk replied. “After all, sir, you come from a superior and heavenly court, and have seen many rare things in your wide travels; so how can you give such exaggerated praise to things like that? What treasures did you bring with you from your superior country that I could have a look at?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m afraid our Eastern land has no great treasures, and even if it did, I would have been unable to bring them on so long a journey.”\n\n“Master,” put in Monkey, who was sitting beside him, “isn’t that cassock I saw in our bundle the other day a treasure? Why don’t I take it out for him to see?” When the monks heard him mention the cassock, they smiled sinister smiles.\n\n“What are you smiling at?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What are you smiling at?” Monkey asked.\n\n“We thought it was very funny when you said that a cassock was a treasure,” the abbot of the monastery replied. “A priest of my rank has two or three dozen, and our Patriarch, who has been a monk here for two hundred and fifty or sixty years, has seven or eight hundred.” He ordered them to be brought out and displayed. The old monk, who was also in on the game, told the lay brothers to open the store-rooms, while friars carried twelve chests out into the courtyard, and unlocked them. Then they set up clothes frames, put rope all around, shook the cassocks open one by one, and hung them up for Sanzang to see. Indeed, the whole building was full of brocade, and the four walls covered with silk.\n\nMonkey examined them one by one and saw that some were made of brocade and some were embroidered with gold.\n\n“Enough, enough, enough,” he said. “Put them away, put them away. I’ll bring ours out for you to take a look at.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang drew Monkey aside and whispered to him, “Disciple, never try to compete with other people’s wealth, you and I are alone in this foreign land, and I’m afraid that there may be trouble.”\n\n“What trouble can come from letting him look at the cassock?” Monkey asked.\n\n“You don’t understand,” Sanzang replied. “The ancients used to say, ‘Don’t let greedy and treacherous men see rare or amusing things.’ If he lays his eyes on it, his mind will be disturbed, and if his mind is disturbed, he’s bound to start scheming. If you were cautious, you would only have let him see it if he’d insisted; but as it is, this is no trifling matter, and may well be the end of us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” said Brother Monkey, “I’ll look after everything.” Watch as without another word of argument he rushes off and opens the bundle, which is already giving off a radiant glow. It still had two layers of oiled paper round it, and when he removed it to take out the cassock and shake it open the hall was bathed in red light and clouds of coloured vapours filled the courtyard. When the monks saw it their hearts were filled with delight and their mouths with praise. It really was a fine cassock.\n\nHung with pearls of unrivalled quality,\n\nStudded with Buddhist treasures infinitely rare.\n\nAbove and below a dragon beard sparkles,\n\nOn grass-cloth edged with brocade.\n\nIf it is worn, all demons are extinguished;\n\nWhen donned it sends all monsters down to hell.\n\nIt was made by the hands of heavenly Immortals,\n\nAnd none but a true monk should dare put it on."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And none but a true monk should dare put it on.\n\nWhen the aged monk saw how rare a treasure it was, his heart was indeed disturbed. He went up to Sanzang and knelt before him. “My fate is indeed a wretched one,” he lamented, tears pouring down his cheeks. Sanzang helped him to his feet again and asked, “Why do you say that, venerable patriarch?”\n\n“You have unfolded this treasure of yours, sir,” the aged monk replied, “when it is already evening, so that my eyes are too dim to see it clearly. That is why I say my fate is wretched.”\n\n“Send for a candle and take another look,” Sanzang suggested.\n\n“My lord, your precious cassock is already shining brightly, so I don’t think I would see more distinctly even if a candle were lit,” replied the aged monk.\n\n“How would you like to look at it then?” asked Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If, sir, you were in your mercy to set aside your fears and let me take it to my room to examine it closely during the night, I will return it to you in the morning to take to the West. What do you say to that?” This request startled Sanzang, who grumbled at Brother Monkey, “It’s all your fault, all your fault.”\n\n“He’s nothing to be frightened of.” Monkey replied with a grin. “I’ll pack it up and tell him to take it away to look at. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be responsible.”\n\nAs there was nothing he could do to stop him, Sanzang handed the cassock to the old monk with the words, “I’ll let you take it, but you must give it back to me tomorrow morning in the condition it’s in now. I won’t have you getting it at all dirty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old monk gleefully told a page to take the cassock to his room, and instructed the other monks to sweep out the front meditation hall, move two rattan beds in, spread out the bedding on them, and invite the two gentlemen to spend the night there; he also arranged for them to be given breakfast and seen off the next morning. Then everyone went off to bed. Sanzang and his disciple shut the doors of the meditation hall and went to sleep.\n\nAfter the old monk had tricked them into giving him the cassock, he held it under the lamp in the back room as he wept and wailed over it. This so alarmed the monks that none of them dared go to sleep before he did. The young page, not knowing what to do, went to tell the other monks, “Grandad’s still crying although it’s getting on for eleven.” Two junior monks, who were among the old man’s favorites, went over to ask him why he was crying."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m crying because my accursed fate won’t allow me to see the Tang Priest’s treasure,” he said; to which they replied, “Grandad, in your old age you have succeeded. His cassock is laid before you, and all you have to do is open your eyes and look. There’s no need for tears.”\n\n“But I can’t look at it for long,” the aged monk answered. “I’m two hundred and seventy this year, and I’ve collected all those hundreds of cassocks for nothing. However am I to get hold of that one of his? However am I to become like the Tang priest?”\n\n“Master, you’ve got it all wrong,” the junior monks said. “The Tang Priest is a pilgrim far from home. You should be satisfied with your great seniority and wealth; why ever would you want to be a pilgrim like him?”\n\n“Although I live at home and enjoy my declining years, I’ve got no cassock like his to wear,” the aged monk replied. “If I could wear it for a day, I would close my eyes in peace. I’d be as happy as if I were a monk in my next life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What nonsense,” the junior monks said. “If you want to wear his cassock, there’ll be no problem about that. We’ll keep him for another day tomorrow, and you can wear it for another day. Or we can keep him for ten days and you can wear it for ten days. So why get so upset about it?”\n\n“Even if we kept him for a year,” the old monk replied, “I’d only be able to wear it for a year, which wouldn’t bring me any glory. I’ll still have to give it to him when he went: I can’t keep him here for ever.”\n\nAs they were talking a young monk called Broad Wisdom spoke out. “Grandad,” he said, “if you want it for a long time, that’s easy to arrange too.”\n\n“What brilliant idea have you got, child?” the aged monk asked, cheering up."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That Tang Priest and his disciple were so exhausted after their journey that they are both asleep by now,” Broad Wisdom replied. If we arm some strong monks with swords and spears to break into the meditation hall and kill them, they can be buried in the back garden, and nobody but us will be any the wiser. This way we get their white horse and their luggage as well as the cassock, which will become an heirloom of the monastery. We would be doing this for posterity.” The old monk was very pleased with this suggestion, and he wiped the tears from his eyes as he said, “Very good, very good, a marvellous plan.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Another young monk called Broad Plans, a fellow-student of Broad Wisdom’s, came froward and said, “This plan’s no good. If we are to kill them, we’ll have to keep a sharp eye on them. That old pale-faced one looks easy enough, but the hairy-faced one could be tricky; and if by any chance we fail to kill him, we’ll be in deep trouble. I have a way that doesn’t involve using weapons, but I don’t know what you’ll think of it.”\n\n“What do you suggest, my child?” the aged monk asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In my humble opinion,” he replied, “we should assemble the head monks of all the cells, senior and junior, and get everyone to put a bundle of firewood outside the meditation hall. When it’s set alight, those two will have no escape, and will be burnt to death together with their horse. Even if the people who live around this mountain see the blaze, they’ll think that those two burnt down the mediation hall by carelessly starting a fire. This way they’ll both be burnt to death and nobody will know how it happened. Then the cassock will become our monastery’s treasure for ever.” All the monks present were pleased with this suggestion, exclaiming, “Great, great, great; an even better plan.” The head of every cell was told to bring firewood, a scheme that was to bring death to the venerable and aged monk, and reduce the Guanyin Monastery to ashes. Now there were seventy or eighty cells in the monastery, and over two hundred junior and senior monks. They shifted firewood all night, piled it up all round the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "firewood all night, piled it up all round the meditation hall so that there was no way out, and prepared to set it alight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although Sanzang and he had gone to bed, the magical Monkey’s spirit remained alert and his eyes half open even when he was asleep. His suspicions were aroused by the sound of people moving around outside and the rustling of firewood in the breeze. “Why can I hear footsteps in the still of the night?” he wondered. “Perhaps bandits are planning to murder us.” He leaped out of bed, and was on the point of opening the door to take a look when he remembered that this might disturb his master, so instead he used his miraculous powers to turn himself into a bee with a shake of his body.\n\nSweet his mouth and venomous his tail,\n\nSlender his waist and light his body.\n\nHe flew like an arrow, threading through willows and flowers,\n\nSeeking their nectar like a shooting star.\n\nA tiny body that could bear great weights,\n\nCarried on the breeze by his frail and buzzing wings.\n\nThus did he emerge from under the rafters,\n\nGoing out to take a look."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Going out to take a look.\n\nHe saw that the monks had piled firewood and straw all around the meditation hall and were setting it alight. Smiling to himself he thought, “So my master was right. This is their idea. They want to kill us and keep our cassock. I wish I could lay into them with my cudgel. If only I wasn’t forbidden to use it, I could kill the lot of them; but the master would only be angry with me for murdering them. Too bad. I’ll just have to take my chances as they come, and finish them off.”\n\nThe splendid Monkey leapt in through the Southern Gate of Heaven with a single somersault, startling the heavenly warriors Pang, Liu, Gou and Bi into bowing, and Ma, Zhao, Wen and Guan into bending low as they all said, “Oh no, oh no! The fellow who turned Heaven upside down is here again.”\n\n“There’s no need to stand on courtesy or be alarmed, gentlemen,” said Monkey with a wave of his hand, “I’ve come to find the Broad-Visioned Heavenly King.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before the words were out of his mouth the Heavenly King was there and greeting Monkey with, “Haven’t seen you for ages. I heard the other day that the Bodhisattva Guanyin came to see the Jade Emperor to borrow the four Duty Gods, the Six Dings and Jias and the Revealers of the Truth to look after the Tang Priest on his pilgrimage to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. They were also saying that you were his disciple, so how is it that you have the spare time to come here?”\n\n“Let’s cut the cackle,” said Monkey. “The Tang priest has run into some villains who have started a fire to burn him to death. It’s very urgent, which is why I’ve come to ask you for the loan of your Anti-fire Cover to save him with. Fetch it at once; I’ll bring it straight back.”\n\n“You’ve got it all wrong,” the Heavenly King replied. “If villains are trying to burn him, you should rescue him with water. What do you need my Anti-fire Cover for?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t understand,” Monkey continued. “If I try to save him with water, he may still be hurt even if he isn’t burnt up. I can only keep him free from injury if you lend me that cover; and with that it doesn’t matter how much burning they do. Buck up, buck up! It may be too late already. Don’t mess up what I’ve got to do down there.”\n\n“You monkey,” said the Heavenly King with a laugh, “You’re as wicked as ever, thinking only of yourself and never of others.”\n\n“Hurry up, hurry up,” Monkey pleaded. “You’ll ruin everything if you go on nattering.” The Heavenly King, no longer able to refuse, handed the cover to Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taking the cover, Monkey pressed down on his cloud and went straight to the roof of the meditation hall, where he spread the cover over the Tang Priest, the dragon horse, and the luggage. Then he went to sit on top of the aged monk’s room to protect the cassock. As he watched them starting the fire he kept on reciting a spell and blew some magic breath towards the Southwest, at which a wind arose and fanned the flames up into a wild and roaring blaze. What a fire!\n\nSpreading black smoke,\n\nLeaping red flames;\n\nThe spreading black smoke blotted out all the stars in the sky,\n\nThe leaping red flames made the earth glow red for hundreds of miles.\n\nWhen it started\n\nIt was a gleaming golden snake;\n\nLater on\n\nIt was a spirited horse.\n\nThe Three Spirits of the South showed their might,\n\nThe Fire God Huilu wielded his magic power,\n\nThe bone-dry kindling burned ferociously,\n\nAs when the Emperor Suiren drilled wood to start a fire.\n\nFlames leapt up from the boiling oil before the doors,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Brighter than when Lord Lao Zi opens his furnace.\n\nAs the cruel fire spreads,\n\nWhat can stop this willful murder?\n\nInstead of dealing with the disaster\n\nThey abetted it.\n\nAs the wind fanned the fire.\n\nThe flames flew many miles high;\n\nAs the fire grew in the might of the wind,\n\nSparks burst through the Nine Heavens.\n\nCracking and banging,\n\nLike firecrackers at the end of the year;\n\nPopping and bursting,\n\nLike cannon-fire in battle.\n\nNone of the Buddha statues could escape the blaze,\n\nAnd the guardian gods in the Eastern court had nowhere to hide.\n\nIt was fiercer that the fire-attack at Red Cliff,\n\nOr the burning of the Epang Palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Or the burning of the Epang Palace.\n\nA single spark can start a prairie fire. In a few moments the raging wind had blown the fire up into an inferno, and the whole Guanyin Monastery was red. Look at the monks as they move away boxes and baskets, grabbing tables and carrying cooking-pots on their heads. The whole monastery was full of the sound of shouting and weeping. Brother Monkey protected the abbot’s rooms at the back, and the Anti-fire Cover covered the meditation hall in front; everywhere else the fire raged, its red flames reflected in the sky and its dazzling brightness shining through the wall.\n\nWhen the fire broke out, all the animals and devils of the mountain were disturbed. Seven miles due South of the Guanyin Monastery was the Black Wind Mountain, on which there was a Black Wind Cave. In this cave a monster awoke and sat up. Seeing light streaming in through his window, he thought it must be dawn, but when he got up to take a better look he saw a fire blazing to the North."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Blimey,” the monster exclaimed with astonishment, “those careless monks must have set the Guanyin Monastery on fire. I’d better go and help them.” The good monster leapt off on a cloud and went down below the smoke and flames that reached up to the sky. The front halls were all empty, and the fire was burning bright in the cloisters on either side. He rushed forward with long strides and was just calling for water when he noticed that the rooms at the back were not burning as there was someone on the roof keeping the wind away. The moment he realized this and rushed in to look, he saw a magic glow and propitious vapours coming from a black felt bundle on the table. On opening it he found it contained a brocade cassock that was a rare treasure of the Buddhist religion. His mind disturbed by the sight of this valuable object, he forgot about putting out the fire or calling for water and grabbed the cassock, which he made off with in the general confusion. Then he went straight back to his cave by cloud."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fire blazed on till dawn before burning itself out. The undraped monks howled and wailed as they searched through the ashes for bronze and iron, and picked over the cinders to find gold and silver. Some of them fixed up thatched shelters in what remained of the frames of the buildings, and others were rigging up pots to cook food at the bases of the exposed walls. We will not describe the weeping, the shouting and the confused hubbub.\n\nBrother Monkey grabbed the Anti-fire Cover, took it back to the Southern Gate of Heaven with a single somersault, and returned it to the Broad-visioned Heavenly King with thanks. “Great Sage,” said the Heavenly King as he accepted it. “You are as good as your word. I was so worried that if you didn’t give me back my treasure, I’d never be able to find you and get it off you. Thank goodness you’ve returned it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Am I the sort of bloke who’d cheat someone to his face?” asked Monkey. “After all, ‘If you return a thing properly when you borrow it, it’ll be easier to borrow it next time.’”\n\n“As we haven’t met for so long, why don’t you come into the palace for a while?” said the Heavenly King.\n\n“I’m no longer the man to ‘sit on the bench till it rots, talking about the universe,’” Monkey replied. “I’m too busy now that I have to look after the Tang Monk. Please excuse me.” Leaving with all speed, he went down on his cloud, and saw that the sun was rising as he went straight to the meditation hall, where he shook himself, turned into a bee, and flew in. On reverting to his true form he saw that his master was still sound asleep.\n\n“Master, get up, it’s dawn,” he called."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master, get up, it’s dawn,” he called.\n\nSanzang woke up, rolled over, and said, “Yes, so it is.” When he had dressed he opened the doors, went outside, and saw the walls reddened and in ruins, and the halls and towers gone. “Goodness,” he exclaimed in great astonishment, “why have the buildings all disappeared? Why is there nothing but reddened walls?”\n\n“You’re still asleep,” Monkey replied. “There was a fire last night.”\n\n“Why didn’t I know about it?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“I was protecting the meditation hall, and as I could see you were asleep, master, I didn’t disturb you,” Monkey replied.\n\n“If you were able to protect the meditation hall, why didn’t you put out the fire in the other buildings?” Sanzang asked. Monkey laughed.\n\n“I’ll tell you, master. What you predicted actually happened. They fancied that cassock of ours and planned to burn us to death. If I hadn’t noticed, we’d be bones and ashes by now.”\n\n“Did they start the fire?” asked Sanzang who was horrified to learn this.\n\n“Who else?” replied Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Who else?” replied Monkey.\n\n“Are you sure that you didn’t cook this up because they were rude to you?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“I’m not such a rascal as to do a thing like that,” said Monkey. “Honestly and truly, they started it. Of course, when I saw how vicious they were I didn’t help put the blaze out. I helped them with a slight breeze instead.”\n\n“Heavens! Heavens! When a fire starts you should bring water, not wind.”\n\n“You must know the old saying—‘If people didn’t harm tigers, tigers wouldn’t hurt people.’ If they hadn’t started a fire, I wouldn’t have caused a wind.”\n\n“Where’s the cassock? Don’t say that it’s been burnt too.”\n\n“It’s all right; it hasn’t been burnt. The abbots’ cell where it was kept didn’t catch fire.”\n\n“I don’t care what you say. If it’s come to any harm, I’ll recite that spell till it kills you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t do that,” pleaded Monkey desperately, “I promise to bring that cassock back to you. Wait while I fetch it for you, and then we’ll be on our way.” With Sanzang leading the horse, and Monkey carrying the luggage, they went out of the meditation hall and straight to the abbot’s lodgings at the back.\n\nWhen the grief-stricken monks of the monastery suddenly saw master and disciple emerge with horse and luggage from the meditation hall they were terrified out of their wits, and screamed, “Their avenging ghosts have come to demand our lives.”\n\n“What do you mean, avenging ghosts coming to demand your lives?” Monkey shouted. “Give us back our cassock at once.”\n\nThe monks all fell to their knees and kowtowed, saying, “Masters, wrongs are always avenged, and debts always have to be paid. If you want lives, it’s nothing to do with us; It was the old monk and Broad Plans who cooked up the plot to kill you. Please don’t punish us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey snorted with anger and roared, “I’ll get you, you damned animals. Who asked for anyone’s life? Just bring out that cassock and we’ll be on our way.”\n\nTwo brave men from among the monks said, “Masters, you were burnt to death in the meditation hall, and now you come back to ask for the cassock. Are you men or ghosts?”\n\n“You cattle,” sneered Monkey, “there wasn’t any fire. Go and look at the meditation hall and then we’ll see what you have to say.” The monks rose to their feet, and when they went forward to look, they saw that there was not even the slightest trace of scorching on the door and the window-frames. The monks, now struck with fear, realized that Sanzang was a divine priest, and Monkey a guardian god."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They all kowtowed to the pair of them and said, “Our eyes are blind. We failed to recognize saints sent down from Heaven. Your cassock is in the abbot’s rooms at the back.” Sanzang went past a number of ruined walls and buildings, sighing endlessly, and saw that the abbot’s rooms at the back had indeed not been burnt. The monks all rushed in shouting. “Grandad, the Tang priest is a saint, and instead of being burnt to death he’s wrecked our home. Bring the cassock out at once and give it back to him.”\n\nNow the old monk had been unable to find the cassock, which coming on top of the destruction of the monastery had him distraught with worry. When the monks asked him for it, he was unable to reply. Seeing no way out of his quandary, he bent his head down and dashed it against the wall. He smashed his skull open and expired as his blood poured all over the floor. There are some verses about it:\n\nAlas that the aged monk in his folly\n\nLived so long a life for nothing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lived so long a life for nothing.\n\nHe wanted the cassock as an heirloom for the monastery.\n\nForgetting that what is Buddha’s is not as mortal things.\n\nAs he took the changeable for the eternal,\n\nHis sorry end was quite inevitable.\n\nWhat use were Broad Wisdom and Broad Plans?\n\nTo harm others for gain always fails.\n\nThe other monks began to howl in desperation, “Our Patriarch has dashed his brains out, and we can’t find the cassock, so whatever shall we do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I think you’ve hidden it somewhere,” Monkey said. “Come out, all of you, and bring me all the registers. I’m going to check that you’re all here.” The senior and junior abbots brought the two registers in which all the monks, novices, pages, and servants were registered. There were a total of two hundred and thirty names in them. Asking his master to sit in the place of honour, Monkey called out and marked off each of the names, making the monks open up their clothes for his inspection. When he had checked each one carefully there was no sign of the cassock. Then he searched carefully through all the boxes and baskets that had been saved from the flames, but again he could find no trace of it. Sanzang, now absolutely furious with Brother Monkey, started to recite the spell as he sat up high."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey fell to the ground in great agony, clutching his head and pleading, “Stop, stop, I swear to return the cassock to you.” The monks, trembling at the sight, begged him to stop, and only then did he shut his mouth and desist.\n\nMonkey leapt to his feet, took his iron cudgel from behind his ear, and was going to hit the monks when Sanzang shouted, “You ape, aren’t you afraid of another headache? Are you going to misbehave again? Don’t move your hand or hurt anyone. I want you to question them again instead.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monks all kowtowed to him and entreated him most pitifully to spare their lives. “We’ve honestly not seen it. It’s all that dead old bastard’s fault. After he saw your cassock yesterday evening he cried till late into the night, not even wanting to look at it as he worked out a plan by which it could belong to the monastery for ever. He wanted to burn you to death, masters, but when the fire started, a gale wind blew up, and we were all busy trying to put the blaze out and move away what stuff we could. We don’t know where the cassock went.”\n\nMonkey went into the abbot’s quarters at the back in a great rage and carried out the corpse of the old monk who had killed himself. When he stripped the body he found no treasures on it, so he dug up the floor of his room to a depth of three feet, again without finding a sign of the cassock. Monkey thought for a moment and then asked, “Are there any monsters turned spirits around here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you hadn’t asked, sir, I’d never have imagined you wanted to know,” the abbot replied. “There is a mountain due South of here called the Black Wind Mountain, and in the Black Wind Cave-on it there lives a Great Black King. That old dead bastard of ours was always discussing the Way with him. There aren’t any other evil spirits apart from him.”\n\n“How far is the mountain from here?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Only about seven miles,” the abbot replied. “It’s the mountain you can see over there.”\n\nMonkey smiled and said to Sanzang. “Don’t worry, master, there’s no need to ask any more questions. No doubt about it: it must have been stolen by that black monster.”\n\n“But his place is seven miles from here, so how can you be sure it was him?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You didn’t see the fire last night,” Brother Monkey retorted. “The flames were leaping up hundreds of miles high, and the glow penetrated the triple heavens. You could have seen it seventy miles away, let alone seven. I’m convinced that he saw the glare and took the chance to slip over here quietly. When he saw that our cassock was a treasure, he must have stolen it in the confusion. Just wait while I go and find him.”\n\n“If you go, who’s going to protect me?” asked Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, gods are watching over you in secret, and in the visible sphere I’ll make these monks serve you.” With that he called the community together and said, “I want some of you to go and bury that old ghost, and some of you to serve my master and look after our white horse.” The monks all assented obediently, and Monkey continued, “I won’t have you agreeing glibly now but not waiting on them when I’ve gone. Those of you who look after my master must do so with pleasant expressions on your faces, and those who feed the horse must make sure he gets the right amount of hay and water. If there’s the slightest mistake, I’ll hit you like this.” He pulled out his cudgel, and smashed a fire-baked brick wall to smithereens; the shock from this shook down seven or eight more walls. At the sight of this the monks’ bones turned to jelly, and they knelt down and kowtowed to him with tears pouring down their cheeks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, master, you can go—we’ll look after him. We promise not to show any disrespect.” The splendid Monkey then went straight to the Black Wind Mountain with a leap of his somersault cloud to look for the cassock.\n\nThe Golden Cicada left the capital in search of the truth,\n\nLeaning on his staff as he went to the distant West.\n\nAlong his route were tigers, leopards and wolves;\n\nFew were the artisans, merchants, or scholars he met.\n\nIn a foreign land be encountered a stupid and covetous monk,\n\nAnd depended entirely on the mighty Great Sage Equaling Heaven.\n\nWhen fire and wind destroyed the monastery,\n\nA black bear came one night to steal the silken cassock.\n\nIf you don’t know whether the cassock was found on this journey or how things turned out, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Seventeen\n\nBrother Monkey Makes Trouble on the Black Wind Mountain\n\nGuanyin Subdues the Bear Spirit"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Guanyin Subdues the Bear Spirit\n\nAs Monkey leapt up with a somersault, the senior and junior monks, the novices, the page-boys, and the servants of the monastery all bowed low to the sky and said, “Master, you must be a cloud-riding Immortal come down from Heaven. No wonder that fire can’t burn you. Damn that stupid old skinflint of ours: he destroyed himself with his own scheming.”\n\n“Please rise, gentlemen,” replied Sanzang, “there’s no need to hate him. If my disciple finds the cassock our troubles will all come to an end; but if he doesn’t find it, he has rather a nasty temper and I’m afraid that none of you will escape with your lives.” When they heard this warning, the monks’ hearts were in their mouths, and they implored Heaven to let him find the cassock and spare their lives.\n\nOnce in mid-air, the Great Sage Sun Wukong reached at the Black Wind Mountain with one twist of his waist. Stopping his cloud while he took a careful look around, he saw that it was indeed a fine mountain. It was a spring day:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The myriad valleys’ streams compete,\n\nA thousand precipices vie in beauty.\n\nWhere the birds call, no man is;\n\nWhen the blossoms fall, the trees are still fragrant.\n\nAfter the rain, the sky and the lowering cliff are moist;\n\nAs the pines bend in the wind, they spread an emerald screen.\n\nThe mountain herbs grow,\n\nThe wild flowers blossom,\n\nHanging over beetling crags;\n\nThe wild fig thrives\n\nAnd fine trees flourish\n\nOn craggy range and flat-topped hill.\n\nYou meet no hermits,\n\nAnd can find no wood-cutters.\n\nBeside the stream a pair of cranes drink,\n\nAnd wild apes gambol on the rocks.\n\nPeaks like mussel-shells, gleaming black,\n\nLofty and green as they shine through the mist."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lofty and green as they shine through the mist.\n\nAs Monkey was looking at the mountain scenery he heard voices from in front of the grassy slope. He slipped off to conceal himself under the rock-face and take a discreet look. He saw three fiends sitting on the ground. At the head was a dark fellow, to his left was a Taoist, and to his right a white-robed scholar, and they were all talking about lofty and broad matters: about refining cinnabar and mercury with tripods and cauldrons; and about the white snow, mercury, the yellow sprout, lead, and other esoteric teachings.\n\nIn the middle of this the dark fellow said, “As it’s my birthday tomorrow, I hope you two gentlemen will do me the honour of coming along.”\n\n“We celebrate your birthday every year, Your Majesty,” the white-robed scholar replied, “so of course we shall come this year.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I came by a treasure last night,” the dark fellow went on, “a brocade cassock for a Buddha, and it’s a wonderful thing. I’m going to give a big banquet for it the day after tomorrow and I’m inviting all you mountain officials to come and congratulate me, which is why I’m calling it a ‘Buddha’s Robe Banquet.’”\n\n“Wonderful, wonderful,” the Taoist exclaimed with a smile. “Tomorrow I’ll come to congratulate you on your birthday, and the day after I’ll come again for the banquet.”\n\nAs soon as Monkey heard him mention the Buddha’s robe he was sure it was their treasure, and unable to hold back his anger he leapt out from the cliff brandishing his gold-banded cudgel with both hands and shouting,\n\n“I’ll get you, you gang of devils. You stole our cassock, and now you think you’re going to have a ‘Buddha’s Robe Banquet’. Give it back to me at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t move,” he barked, swinging the cudgel and bringing it down towards the monster’s head. The dark fellow turned into a wind to flee in terror, and the Taoist rode off on a cloud; so Monkey was only able to slay the white-robed scholar with a blow from the club. When he dragged the body over to look at it, he saw that it was a white-patterned snake spirit. In his anger he picked the corpse up and tore it to pieces, then went into the recesses of the mountain in search of the dark fellow. Rounding a sharp pinnacle and traversing a dizzy precipice, he saw a cave palace in the cliff:\n\nThick, misty clouds,\n\nDense with cypress and pine.\n\nThe thick and misty clouds fill the gates with color;\n\nThe dense stands of cypress and pine surround the door with green.\n\nFor a bridge there is a dried-out log,\n\nAnd wild fig coils around the mountain peaks.\n\nBirds carry red petals to the cloud-filled valley;\n\nDeer tread on scented bushes as they climb the stone tower.\n\nBefore the gates the season brings out flowers,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before the gates the season brings out flowers,\n\nAs the wind wafts their fragrance.\n\nAround the willows on the dike the golden orioles wheel;\n\nButterflies flit among the peach-trees on the bank.\n\nThis ordinary scene can yet compete\n\nWith lesser views in Fairyland.\n\nWhen he reached the gates Monkey saw that they were very strongly fastened, and above them was a stone tablet inscribed with the words Black Wind Cave of the Black Wind Mountain in large letters. He brandished his cudgel and shouted, “Open up!” at which the junior devil who was on the gates opened them and asked, “Who are you, and how dare you come and attack our Immortals’ cave?”\n\n“You damned cur,” Monkey railed at him. “How dare you call a place like this an ‘Immortals’ cave’? What right have you to use the word ‘Immortal’? Go in and tell that dark fellow of yours that if he gives back my cassock at once, I’ll spare your lives.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The junior devil rushed in and reported, “The ‘Buddha’s Robe Banquet’ is off, Your Majesty. There’s hairy-faced thunder god outside the gates who’s demanding the cassock.”\n\nThe dark fellow, who had barely had time to shut the gates and had not even sat down properly since Brother Monkey chased him, away from the grassy slope, thought on hearing this news, “This wretch has come from I don’t know where, and now he has the effrontery to come yelling at my gates.” He called for his armour, tightened his belt, and strode out of the gates with a black-tasseled spear in his hands. Monkey appeared outside the gates holding his iron cudgel and glaring wide-eyed at that ferocious-looking monster.\n\nHis bowl-shaped iron helmet shone like fire;\n\nHis black bronze armour gleamed.\n\nA black silk gown with billowing sleeves,\n\nA dark green silken sash with fringes.\n\nIn his hands a spear with black tassels,\n\nOn his feet a pair of dark leather boots.\n\nLightning flashed from his golden pupils;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lightning flashed from his golden pupils;\n\nHe was indeed the Black Wind King of the mountains.\n\n“This wretch looks as though he’s been a brick-burner or a coal-digger,” Monkey thought as he smiled to himself. “He’s so black he must be the local soot-painter.”\n\n“What gives you the nerve to act so big round here, monk, and what the hell are you?” shouted the monster at the top of his voice.\n\nMonkey rushed him with his cudgel and roared, “Cut the cackle, and give me back the cassock at once, kid.”\n\n“What monastery d’you come from? Where did you lose the cassock? Why come and ask for it here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My cassock was in the rear abbot’s lodgings at the Guanyin Monastery due North of here. When the monastery caught fire you made the most of the confusion to do a bit of looting and brought it back here, you wretch, and now you’re planning to hold a ‘Buddha’s Robe Banquet’. Don’t try to brazen it out. Give it back at once, and I’ll spare your life, but if even a hint of a ‘no’ gets past your teeth I’ll push the Black Wind Mountain over, trample your cave flat, and flatten every one of you fiends into noodles.”\n\nThe monster laughed evilly and replied, “You’ve got a nerve. You were the one who started the fire last night. You were sitting on the roof of the abbot’s lodgings and calling up a wind to make it worse. What’s it to you if I did take a cassock? Where are you from? Who are you? You must have a lot of tricks up your sleeve if you have the nerve to talk so big.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You can’t recognize your own grandfather.” Brother Monkey replied. “I, your grandfather, am the disciple of His Highness the Patriarch Sanzang, the younger brother of the Emperor of the Great Tang. My name is Brother Sun Wukong. If you want to know about my tricks, just give me the word. I’ll slaughter you here and now, and send your souls flying.”\n\n“I’ve never heard of these tricks of yours, so you’d better tell me about them.”\n\n“Stand still and listen to me, my child,” Monkey replied, and went on to say:\n\n“Great have been my magic powers since childhood;\n\nChanging with the wind, I show my might.\n\nNourishing my nature and cultivating the truth,\n\nI have lived out the days and months,\n\nSaving my life by jumping beyond the cycle of rebirth.\n\nOnce I searched sincerely for the Way\n\nClimbing the Spirit Terrace Mountain to pick medicinal herbs.\n\nOn that mountain lives an ancient Immortal\n\nOne hundred and eight thousand years old.\n\nI took him as my master,\n\nHoping that he would show me a road to immortality."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He said that the elixir is in one’s own body—\n\nIt is a waste of effort to seek it outside.\n\nI learned a great spell of immortality.\n\nI could scarcely have survived without it.\n\nTurning my gaze inwards, I sat and calmed my mind,\n\nWhile the sun and moon in my body intermingled.\n\nIgnoring the affairs of the world, I made my desires few,\n\nWhen senses, body, and mind were purified, my body was firm.\n\nReversing the years and returning to youth is then easily done;\n\nThe road to immortality and sagehood was not long.\n\nIn three years I acquired a magic body,\n\nThat did not suffer like a common one.\n\nI wandered around the Ten Continents and Three Islands,\n\nThe corners of the sea and the edge of the sky.\n\nI was due to live over three hundred years\n\nBut could not yet fly up to the Nine Heavens.\n\nI got a real treasure for subduing sea dragons:\n\nAn iron cudgel banded with gold.\n\nOn the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit\n\nI was supreme commander;\n\nIn the Water Curtain Cave\n\nI assembled the fiendish hosts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I assembled the fiendish hosts.\n\nThe Great Jade Emperor sent me a decree\n\nConferring high rank and the title ‘Equaling Heaven’.\n\nMore than once I wrecked the Hall of Miraculous Mist,\n\nAnd stole the Queen Mother’s peaches several times.\n\nA hundred thousand heavenly soldiers in serried ranks\n\nCame with spears and swords to put me down.\n\nI sent the heavenly kings back up there in defeat,\n\nMade Nazha flee in pain at the head of his men.\n\nThe True Lord Erlang, skilled at transformations,\n\nLao Zi, Guanyin and the Jade Emperor\n\nWatched me being subdued from the Southern Gate of Heaven.\n\nAs he was given some help by Lord Lao Zi,\n\nErlang captured me and took to Heaven.\n\nI was tied to the Demon-subduing Pillar,\n\nAnd divine soldiers were ordered to cut off my head.\n\nThough hacked with swords and pounded with hammers\n\nI remained unharmed.\n\nSo then I was struck with thunder and burned with fire.\n\nAs I really do have magic powers,\n\nI was not in the slightest bit afraid.\n\nThey took me to Lao Zi’s furnace to be refined."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They took me to Lao Zi’s furnace to be refined.\n\nThe Six Dings roasted me slowly with divine fire.\n\nWhen the time was up and the furnace opened, out I jumped,\n\nAnd rushed round Heaven, my cudgel in my hand.\n\nNo one could stop me making trouble everywhere,\n\nAnd I caused chaos in the thirty-three Heavens.\n\nThen our Tathagata Buddha used his Dharma power\n\nAnd dropped the Five Elements Mountain on my back.\n\nThere I was crushed for full five hundred years,\n\nUntil Sanzang came from the land of Tang.\n\nNow I have reformed and am going to the West\n\nTo climb the Thunder Peak and see the Buddha.\n\nEnquire throughout the Four Seas, Heaven and Earth:\n\nYou’ll find that I’m the greatest monster ever.\n\nOn hearing this the fiend laughed and said, “So you’re the Protector of the Horses who wrecked Heaven, are you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, who got angrier at being addressed by this title than at anything else, was furious. “You vicious monster. You steal the cassock and refuse to give it back, and on top of that you insult your lord and master. Just hold it, and see how you like my club.” The dark fellow dodged the blow and then riposted with his spear. The pair of them fought a fine battle.\n\nAn As-You-Will cudgel,\n\nA black-tasseled spear,\n\nAnd two men showing their toughness at the mouth of a cave.\n\nOne stabs at heart and face,\n\nThe other tries for arm and head.\n\nThis one strikes cunning sideswipes with a club,\n\nThat one brandishes his spear in three swift movements.\n\nThe white tiger climbs the mountain to sink in his claws;\n\nThe yellow dragon lying on the road turns round fast.\n\nSnorting out coloured mists,\n\nDisgorging rays of light,\n\nThe two immortal fiends are hard to choose between:\n\nOne is the Sage Equaling Heaven who has cultivated the truth;\n\nThe other is the Great Black King become a spirit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On this battlefield in the mountains\n\nThe pair of them fight for the cassock.\n\nThe fiend fought some ten inconclusive rounds with Monkey, and as the sun was now rising steadily towards the zenith, the dark fellow raised his halberd to block the iron cudgel and said, “Brother Monkey, let’s lay down our arms. I’ll come back and fight you again after I’ve eaten.”\n\n“You accursed beast,” Monkey replied, “how can you call yourself a real man? If you were, you wouldn’t be needing to eat after only half a day. I never even tasted water once in those five hundred years I spent under the mountain, but I wasn’t hungry. Stop making excuses, and don’t go. I’ll let you have your meal if you give me back my cassock.” The fiend waved his halberd in a feint, withdrew into the cave, and shut the doors fast behind him. Summoning his junior goblins, he ordered that a banquet be spread and wrote invitations asking all the devil kings of the mountain to come to the celebratory feast."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey charged the gates but was unable to force them open, so he had to go back to the Guanyin Monastery, where the monks had buried the old patriarch and were now all in attendance on the Tang Priest in the abbot’s quarters. Breakfast was over, and lunch was being brought in. Just as they were bringing soup and more hot water, Monkey descended from the sky. The monks all bowed low and took him into the abbot’s room to see\n\nSanzang.\n\n“Ah, you’re back, Wukong,” he said. “What about the cassock?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve found the answer. We misjudged these monks. It was in fact stolen by a fiend from the Black Wind Mountain. I went to have a quiet look for him and found him sitting in front of grassy slope talking to a white-gowned scholar and an old Taoist. He’s a self-confessed monster, and he said with his own mouth that he was inviting all the evil spirits to come and celebrate his birthday tomorrow, and that as he had come by a brocade Buddha’s robe last night he wanted to celebrate that too, so he was going to give a great feast that he called an ‘Assembly for the Celebration and Admiration of the Buddha’s Robe’. I rushed him and took a swipe at him with my club, but the dark fellow turned into a puff of wind and fled. The Taoist disappeared too, and I was only able to kill the white-clad scholar, who was a white snake turned spirit. I went to the mouth of his cave as fast as I could and told him to come out and fight me. He admitted that he had carried it off. We fought for half a day without either of us"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We fought for half a day without either of us winning, and then the monster went back to his cave for lunch and shut the stone gates behind him. He was too scared to come out again, so I came back to give you this news, master. Now we know where the cassock is, there’s no need to worry that he won’t give it back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this, the monks put their hands together or kowtowed as they invoked Amitabha Buddha and exclaimed, “He’s found where it is—we’re saved.”\n\n“Don’t be so happy about it,” Monkey warned, “I haven’t got it yet, and my master hasn’t left your monastery yet. You’ll have to wait till I’ve recovered the cassock and my master has been seen off properly from here before you can consider yourselves safe. And if there is the slightest mistake, remember that I’m a very quick-tempered boss. Have you given my master the best food and tea? Have you given my horse the best fodder?”\n\n“Yes, yes, yes,” the monks hastened to assure him. “We haven’t been remiss in any way while looking after his Reverence.”\n\n“While you were away all morning I’ve drunk tea three times and eaten twice, and they have not been at all offhand with me,” Sanzang explained. “You’d better go back and do everything possible to recover that cassock.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be in such a hurry,” Monkey replied. “I know where it is, and I guarantee that I’ll capture this wretch and return the cassock to you. There’s no need to worry.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he was talking the senior abbot came in, set out the vegetarian meal, and invited Lord Monkey to eat. After swallowing a few mouthfuls Monkey mounted his magic cloud once more and went off on his hunt. On his way he saw a junior goblin going along the main path with a rosewood box under his left arm. Guessing that there must be some kind of letter in the box Monkey raised his cudgel and brought it down on his head. The blow did not just kill the goblin: it left him looking like a hamburger. Throwing his remains aside, Brother Monkey wrenched open the box and saw that it contained an invitation: Your pupil Bear presents his humble greetings to Your Excellency, the Supreme and Venerable One of the Golden Pool: I am deeply grateful for the magnificent kindness that I have so frequently received from you. When I saw the fire last night I failed to put it out, but I am sure that your divine intelligence will have suffered no harm from it. As your pupil has been lucky enough to obtain a Buddha’s robe, I am"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "been lucky enough to obtain a Buddha’s robe, I am giving a banquet, to which I hope you will come to appreciate the robe. I would be profoundly grateful if you would honour me with your presence at the appointed time. Written two days beforehand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On reading this, Monkey roared with laughter and said, “That crooked old monk. He thoroughly deserved to be killed. He’d been ganging up with evil spirits, had he? It’s odd that he should have lived to be two hundred and seventy. I suppose that evil spirit must have taught him a few tricks about controlling his vital essence, which was why he lived so long. I can remember what he looked like, so I think I’ll make myself look like him and go into that cave. This way I can see where he’s put that cassock, and if I’m lucky I’ll be able to get back and save a lot of trouble.\n\nThe splendid Great Sage recited a spell, faced the wind, and made himself look just like the old monk. He hid his cudgel, walked straight to the entrance of the cave, and shouted, “Open up.”\n\nThe junior goblin opened up, and as soon as he saw him he rushed back to report, “Your Majesty, the Elder of the Golden Pool is here.” The monster was astounded."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve only just sent a youngster with an invitation for him, and the message can’t have reached him yet. How could he possibly have got here so fast? The youngster can’t even have met him. Obviously Brother Monkey has sent him here to ask for the cassock. Steward, hide that cassock somewhere where he won’t see it.”\n\nAs he came to the front gates Monkey saw that the courtyard was green with bamboo and cypress, while peach and plum trees vied in beauty amid blossoming shrubs and fragrant orchids. It was a cave paradise. He also saw a couplet inscribed on the gates that read:\n\nIn peaceful retirement deep in the hills, one is free of vulgar worries;\n\nDwelling quietly in a magic cave, happy in divine simplicity."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This wretch has escaped from the dirt and dust of the world,” thought Monkey, “and is a fiend who understands life.” Going through the gates he went further inside and passed through a triple gate. Here were carved and painted beams, light windows and coloured doors. He saw that the dark fellow was wearing a dark green silken tunic over which was slung a black patterned silk cloak; on his head was a soft black hat, and on his feet a pair of dusky deerskin boots.\n\nWhen he saw Monkey approaching he straightened his clothes and came down the steps to greet him with the words, “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you for days, Golden Pool. Please take a seat.” Monkey returned his courtesies, and when they had finished greeting each other they sat down and drank tea. Then the evil spirit bowed and said, “I sent you a note just now asking you to come over the day after tomorrow. Why is it that you’ve come to see me today, old friend?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was on my way here to visit you when I happened to see your message that you were giving a ‘Buddha’s Robe Banquet,’ so I hurried over to ask you to let me have a look.”\n\n“You’ve misunderstood, old friend,” replied the evil monster with a smile. “It’s the Tang Priest’s cassock, and as he’s been staying at your place you must have seen it there. Why come here to see it?”\n\n“When I borrowed it,” Monkey said, “it was too late at night for me to be able to look at it. Since then, to my great surprise, it has been taken by Your Majesty. On top of that, the monastery has been burnt down and I have lost everything I own. That disciple of the Tang Priest’s is quite a bold fellow, but he could not find it anywhere. I have come here to look at it as Your Majesty has had the great good fortune to recover it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were talking, a junior goblin came in from patrolling the mountain to announce, “Your Majesty, a terrible thing’s happened. Brother Monkey has killed the lieutenant who is taking the invitation by the main path, and taken the chance of making himself look like the Elder of the Golden Pool to come here and trick the Buddha’s robe out of you.”\n\n“I wondered why the elder came today,” the monster thought, “and why he came so soon, and now I see that it’s really him.” He leapt to his feet, grabbed his halberd, and thrust at Monkey. Monkey pulled the cudgel from his ear in a flash, reverted to his true form, parried the halberd’s blade, jumped out from the main room into the courtyard, and fought his way back out through the front gates. This terrified all the fiends in the cave, scaring the wits out of young and old alike. The fine combat on the mountain that ensued was even better than the previous one.\n\nThe courageous Monkey King was now a monk,\n\nThe cunning dark fellow had hidden the Buddha’s robe."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At matching words they were both masters;\n\nIn making the most of chances there was nothing between them.\n\nThe cassock could not be seen, whatever one wished;\n\nA hidden treasure is a true wonder.\n\nWhen the junior demon on mountain patrol announced a disaster,\n\nThe old fiend in his fury showed his might.\n\nMonkey transformed himself and fought his way out of the cave,\n\nAs halberd and cudgel strove to decide the issue.\n\nThe club blocked the lengthy halberd with resounding clangs;\n\nThe halberd gleamed as it parried the iron club.\n\nSun Wukong’s transformations were rare on earth;\n\nFew could rival the foul fiend’s magic.\n\nOne wanted to take the robe to bring himself long life;\n\nOne had to have the cassock to return with honour.\n\nThis bitter struggle was not to be broken up;\n\nEven a Living Buddha could not have resolved it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Even a Living Buddha could not have resolved it.\n\nFrom the mouth of the cave the pair of them fought to the top of the mountain, and from the top of the mountain they battled their way beyond the clouds. They breathed out wind and mist, set sand and stones flying, and struggled till the red sun set in the West, but the contest was still undecided. Then the monster said, “Stop for the moment, Monkey. It’s too late to go on fighting tonight. Go away, go away. Come back tomorrow, and we’ll see which of us is to live and which to die.”\n\n“Don’t go, my child,” Monkey shouted back. “If you want to fight, fight properly. Don’t use the time of day as an excuse to get out of it.” With that he struck wildly at the dark fellow, who changed himself into a puff of wind, went back to his cave, and fastened the stone gates tightly shut."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey could think of no alternative to going back to the Guanyin Monastery. Bringing his cloud down, he called to his master, who had been waiting for him anxiously until he appeared suddenly before his eyes. Sanzang was very glad, until seeing that there was no cassock in Monkey’s hands his happiness turned to fear. “Why haven’t you got the cassock this time either?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Brother Monkey produced the invitation from his sleeve, and as he handed it to Sanzang he said, “Master, that fiend was friends with that dead crook. He sent a junior goblin with this invitation asking him to go to a ‘Buddha’s Robe Banquet’. I killed the goblin, made myself look like the old monk, went into the cave, and tricked a cup of tea out of them. I asked him to let me see the cassock, but he wouldn’t bring it out. Then as we were sitting there a mountain patrolman of some sort gave the game away, so he started to fight me. We fought till just now, and neither of us was on top, when he saw that it was late, shot back to his cave and shut the stone doors behind him. This meant that I had to come back for the moment.”\n\n“How do your tricks compare with his?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“I’m not much better than him,” Monkey replied, “and I can only keep my end up.” Sanzang read the invitation and handed it to the prelate.\n\n“Can it be that your Patriarch was an evil spirit?” he said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The prelate fell to knees as fast as he could and said, “My lord, he was human. But because that Great Black King was cultivating the ways of humanity he often came to our temple to discuss the scriptures with our Patriarch, and taught him some of the arts of nourishing the divine and controlling the vital essence. That was why they were on friendly terms.”\n\n“None of these monks have anything satanic about them,” Monkey said. “They all have their heads in the air and their feet on the ground, and are taller and fatter than I am. They’re not evil spirits. Do you see where it says ‘Your pupil Bear’ on the invitation? He must be a black bear who has become a spirit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this Sanzang said, “There’s an old saying that ‘Bears and baboons are alike’. If they are all animals, how can they become spirits?” Monkey laughed and replied, “I’m an animal too, but I became the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. I’m just the same as him. All the creatures on heaven and earth that have nine openings to their bodies can cultivate their conduct and become Immortals.”\n\n“Just now you said his abilities were the same as yours, so how are you going to beat him and get the cassock back?” Sanzang went on to ask. “Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Monkey replied, “I can manage.” As they were talking, the monks brought their evening meal and invited them to eat. The Sanzang asked for a lamp and went to bed in the front meditation hall as before. The monks all slept under thatched shelters rigged up against the walls, leaving the abbot’s quarters at the back for the senior and junior prelate. It was a peaceful night.\n\nThe Milky Way was clear,\n\nThe jade firmament free of dust."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The jade firmament free of dust.\n\nThe sky was full of coruscating stars,\n\nA single wave wiped out the traces.\n\nStilled were all sounds,\n\nAnd the birds were silent on a thousand hills.\n\nThe fisherman’s light beside the bank was out,\n\nThe Buddha-lamp in the pagoda dimmed.\n\nLast night the abbot’s bell and drum had sounded;\n\nThis evening the air was filled with weeping.\n\nThis night he spent asleep in the monastery. Sanzang, however, could not sleep for thinking about the cassock. He turned over, and seeing that the sky was growing light outside the window, got straight out of bed and said, “Monkey, it’s light, go and get the cassock.” Brother Monkey bounded out of bed, and in an instant a host of monks was in attendance, offering hot water.\n\n“Look after my master properly,” he said. “I’m off.”\n\nSanzang got out of bed and seized hold of him. “Where are you going?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve been thinking,” said Monkey, “that this whole business is the Bodhisattva Guanyin’s fault. Although this is her monastery and she receives the worship of all these monks, she allows that evil spirit to live in the neighbourhood. I’m going to the Southern Sea to find her and ask her to come here herself to make that evil spirit give us back the cassock.”\n\n“When will you come back?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“After you’ve finished breakfast at the earliest, and by midday at latest, I’ll have done the job. Those monks had better look after you well. I’m off now.”\n\nNo sooner were the words out of his mouth than he had disappeared without a trace and reached the Southern Sea. Stopping his cloud to take a look, he saw:\n\nA vast expanse of ocean,\n\nWaters stretching till they joined the sky.\n\nPropitious light filled the firmament,\n\nAuspicious vapours shone over mountains and rivers.\n\nA thousand snow-capped breakers roared at the azure vault,\n\nA myriad misty waves reared at the sky.\n\nWater flew in all directions,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Water flew in all directions,\n\nTorrents poured everywhere.\n\nAs the water flew in all directions it echoed like thunder;\n\nAs the torrents poured everywhere they crashed and roared.\n\nLet us leave the sea,\n\nAnd consider what lay in it:\n\nA precious mountain in many a misty color—\n\nRed, yellow, purple, black, green, and blue.\n\nThen did he see the beautiful land of Guanyin,\n\nPotaraka Island in the Southern Sea.\n\nWhat a wonderful place to go—\n\nTowering peaks\n\nCutting through the sky,\n\nWith a thousand kinds of exotic flowers below them,\n\nAnd every type of magical herb.\n\nThe wind shook priceless trees,\n\nThe sun shone on golden lotus.\n\nGuanyin’s palace was roofed with glazed tiles,\n\nThe gates of the Tide Cave were set with tortoise shell.\n\nIn the shade of green willows parrots talked,\n\nWhile peacocks called amid purple bamboo.\n\nOn the marbled stone\n\nThe protecting gods are majestically severe; .\n\nBefore the agate strand\n\nStands the mighty Moksa."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Stands the mighty Moksa.\n\nNot pausing to take in the whole of this exotic scene, Monkey brought his cloud straight down to land under the bamboo grove. A number of devas were already there to meet him, and they said, “The Bodhisattva told us some time ago that you had been converted, Great Sage, and praised you very warmly. But if you are now protecting the Tang Priest, how have you found the time to come here?”\n\n“Because something has happened while I’ve been escorting him on his journey. Please go and tell the Bodhisattva that I’d like an audience with her.” When the devas went into the cave to report this, Guanyin summoned him inside. Monkey did as he was told and bowed to her beneath the lotus throne.\n\n“What have you come for?” the Bodhisattva asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What have you come for?” the Bodhisattva asked.\n\n“My master’s journey has brought him to a monastery of yours,” Monkey replied, “and I find that although you accept incense from its monks, you allow a black bear spirit to live in the neighbourhood, and have let him steal my master’s cassock. I’ve tried to take it off him a number of times but got nowhere, so now I’ve come to ask you to demand it from him.”\n\n“What nonsense, you ape,” the Bodhisattva retorted. “Even if a bear spirit has stolen your cassock, what business have you to ask me to go and demand it for you? It all happened because you wanted to show it off, you big-headed and evil baboon, in front of petty-minded people. On top of that, in your wickedness you called up the wind to spread the fire that burnt down my monastery. And now you have the nerve to try your tricks here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These words from the Bodhisattva made Monkey realize that she knew all about the past and the future, so he hastily bowed down in reverence and pleaded, “Bodhisattva, forgive your disciple his sins, everything you say is true. All the same, my master will recite that spell again because that monster won’t give back the cassock, and I couldn’t bear the agonizing headache. That’s why I came to bother you, Bodhisattva. I beg you in your mercy to help me catch that evil spirit, get the cassock back, and carry on towards the West.”\n\n“That monster’s magical powers are certainly no weaker than yours,” the Bodhisattva said. “Very well then, out of consideration for the Tang Priest I’ll go there with you.” Monkey thanked her and bowed again, asked her to come out, and rode on the same magic cloud as her. In next to no time they reached the Black Wind Mountain, where they landed the cloud and headed for the cave on foot."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were on their way, a Taoist priest appeared on the mountain slope. He was carrying a glass salver on which were two pills of the elixir of immortality. Monkey was immediately suspicious of him, so he struck straight at his head with the iron cudgel, sending blood splattering out from brain and chest.\n\n“Are you still as wild as this, you ape?” the shocked Bodhisattva asked. “He didn’t steal your cassock, you didn’t even know him, and he was no enemy of yours. Why kill him?”\n\n“You may not know him, Bodhisattva,” Monkey replied, “but he was a friend of the Black Bear Spirit. Yesterday they and a white-clad scholar were sitting talking in front of the grassy mountainside. Today is the Black Spirit’s birthday, and tomorrow he was coming to the ‘Buddha’s Robe Banquet’. That’s why I recognized him. I’m sure that he was coming to greet that monster on his birthday.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If that’s the way it is, very well then,” said the Bodhisattva. Monkey then went to lift up the Taoist to take a look at him, and he saw that he had been a grey wolf. There was an inscription under the glass salver that lay beside him. It read, “Made by Master Emptiness-reached” .\n\nBrother Monkey laughed and sand, “What luck, what luck. This helps me and will save you trouble too, Bodhisattva. This monster has confessed of his own free will, and the other monster there can be finished off today.”\n\n“What do you mean?” the Bodhisattva asked.\n\n“I have a saying,” he replied, “that goes ‘beat him at his own game’. Are you willing to let me do things my way?”\n\n“Tell me about it,” the Bodhisattva said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Tell me about it,” the Bodhisattva said.\n\n“The two pills of immortality you see on that salver will be the present we take to visit him with,” said Monkey, “and the words inscribed underneath—‘Made by Master Emptiness-reached’—are the bait we’ll set for him. If you do as I say, I have a plan for you that does not call for force or fighting. The fiend will collapse before our eyes, and the cassock will appear. If you won’t let me have my way, then you go West, I’ll go East, we can say good-bye to the Buddha’s robe, and Sanzang will be up the creek.”\n\n“You’ve got a cheek, you ape,” replied the Bodhisattva with a smile.\n\n“No, no, I really have got a plan,” Monkey protested.\n\n“Tell me about it then,” said Guanyin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Tell me about it then,” said Guanyin.\n\n“You know it says on the salver, ‘Made by Master Emptiness-reached,’ Well, Master Emptiness-reached must be his name. Bodhisattva, if you’re prepared to let me have my way, then change yourself into that Taoist. I shall eat one of those pills and then change myself into a pill, though I’ll be a bit on the big side. You are to take the tray with the two pills on it and go to wish the fiend many happy returns. Give him the bigger of the pills, and when he’s swallowed me, I’ll take over inside him. If he doesn’t hand the cassock over then, I’ll weave a substitute out of his guts.”\n\nThe Bodhisattva could only nod her agreement.\n\n“What about it then?” said the laughing Monkey, and at this the Bodhisattva in her great mercy used her unbounded divine power and her infinite capacity for transformation to control her will with her heart and her body with her will—in an instant she turned into Master Emptiness-reached.\n\nThe wind of immortality blew around his gown,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The wind of immortality blew around his gown,\n\nAs he hovered, about to rise to emptiness.\n\nHis dark features were as ancient as a cypress,\n\nHis elegant expression unmatched in time.\n\nGoing and yet staying nowhere,\n\nSimilar but unique.\n\nIn the last resort all comes down to a single law,\n\nFrom which he is only separated by an evil body.\n\n“Great, great,” exclaimed Brother Monkey at the sight. “Are you a Bodhisattva disguised as an evil spirit, or a Bodhisattva who really is an evil spirit?”\n\n“Monkey,” she replied with a laugh, “evil spirit and Bodhisattva are all the same in the last analysis—they both belong to non-being.” Suddenly enlightened by this, Monkey curled up and turned himself into a pill of immortality:\n\nRolling across the plate but not unstable,\n\nRound and bright without any corners.\n\nThe double three was compounded by Ge Hong,\n\nThe double six was worked out by Shao Weng.\n\nPebbles of golden flame,\n\nPearls that shone in the daylight.\n\nOn the outside were lead and mercury,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the outside were lead and mercury,\n\nBut I cannot reveal the formula.\n\nThe pill he changed himself into was indeed a little larger than the other one. The Bodhisattva noted this and went with the glass salver to the entrance of the fiend’s cave. Here she saw\n\nTowering crags and lofty precipices,\n\nWhere clouds grow on the peaks;\n\nBlue cypresses and green pines\n\nWhere the wind soughs in the forest.\n\nOn towering crags and lofty precipices\n\nThe devils come and go, and few men live.\n\nThe blue cypresses and green pines\n\nInspire Immortals to cultivate the hidden Way.\n\nThe mountains have gullies,\n\nThe gullies have springs,\n\nWhose gurgling waters sing like a guitar,\n\nRefreshing the ear.\n\nDeer on its banks,\n\nCranes in the woods,\n\nWhere the reticent Immortal’s pipe is casually played\n\nTo delight the heart.\n\nHere an evil spirit can attain enlightenment,\n\nAnd the boundless vow of the Buddha extends its mercy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Bodhisattva saw this she thought, “If the beast has chosen this cave, there must be some hope for him.” And from then on she felt compassion for him.\n\nWhen she reached the entrance of the cave, the junior goblins at the gates greeted her with the words, “Welcome, Immortal Elder Emptiness-reached.” As some of them ran in to announce her, the monster came out of the gates to meet her and say, “Master Emptiness-reached, how good of you to put yourself to this trouble. This is an honour for me.”\n\n“Allow me to present you with this magic pill that, I venture to say, will confer immortality on you,” the Bodhisattva replied. When the two of them had finished exchanging greetings they sat down, and the monster started to talk about the events of the previous day. The Bodhisattva quickly changed the subject by passing the salver to him and saying, “Please accept this token of my regard for you.” She observed which was the bigger one and handed it to him with the words, “I wish Your Majesty eternal life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monster handed the other pill to her and said, “I hope, Master Emptiness-reached, that you will share it with me.” When they had finished declining politely, the fiend picked up the pill and was on the point of swallowing it when it went rolling into his mouth. Then Monkey resumed his true form and struck up some acrobatic postures, at which the fiend fell to the ground. The Bodhisattva too resumed her true form and asked the monster for the Buddha’s cassock. As Monkey had now emerged through the monster’s nostrils, she was worried that the evil spirit might misbehave again, so she threw a band over his head. He rose to his feet, ready to run them through with his spear, but Monkey and the Bodhisattva were already up in mid-air, where she began to recite the spell. As the monster’s head began to ache, he dropped the spear and writhed in agony on the ground. The Handsome Monkey King collapsed with laughter in the sky, while the Black Bear Spirit rolled in torment on the earth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Beast, will you return to the truth now?” asked the Bodhisattva.\n\n“I swear to, I swear to, if only you spare my life,” the monster repeated over and over again.\n\nMonkey wanted to finish him off with no more ado, but the Bodhisattva stopped him at once: “Don’t kill him—I’ve got a use for him.”\n\n“What’s the point in keeping that beast alive instead of killing him?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I’ve got nobody to look after the back of my Potaraka Island,” she replied, “so I shall take him back with me to be an island-guarding deity.”\n\n“You certainly are the all-merciful deliverer who doesn’t allow a single soul to perish,” said Monkey with a laugh. “If I knew a spell like that one of yours, I’d say it a thousand times over and finish off all the black bears I could find.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although the bear spirit had come round and the spell had stopped, he was still in great pain as he knelt on the ground and begged pitifully, “Spare my life and I promise I’ll return to the truth.” The Bodhisattva descended in a ray of light, placed her hands on his head, and administered the monastic discipline to him; then she told him to take up his spear and accompany her. The black bear’s evil intentions ceased from that day on, and his unbounded perversity came to an end.\n\n“Sun Wukong,” ordered the Bodhisattva, “go back now. Serve the Tang Priest well, don’t be lazy, and don’t start trouble.”\n\n“I’m very grateful to you for coming so far, Bodhisattva, and I must see you home,” Monkey said. “That will not be necessary,” she replied. Monkey took the cassock kowtowed to her, and departed. The Bodhisattva took Bear back to the sea, and there is a poem to prove it:\n\nA magic glow shines round the golden image,\n\nThe thousand rays of glorious light.\n\nShe saves all men, giving of her pity,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She saves all men, giving of her pity,\n\nSurveying the whole universe and revealing the golden lotus.\n\nMany shall now preach the scriptures’ meaning,\n\nNor shall there be any flaw therein.\n\nSubduing a demon and bringing him to truth, she returns to the sea;\n\nThe religion of Emptiness has recovered the brocade cassock.\n\nIf you don’t know how things developed, listen to the explanation in the next chapter.\n\n \n\n \n\nChapter Eighteen\n\nThe Tang Priest Is Rescued in the Guanyin Temple\n\nThe Great Sage Removes a Monster from Gao Village"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taking his leave of the Bodhisattva, Monkey brought his cloud in to land, hung the cassock on a nanmu tree, pulled out his cudgel, charged into the Black Wind Cave, and found not a single goblin inside. This was because the appearance of the Bodhisattva in her true form had so terrified them that they had fled in all directions. Evil thoughts welled up in Brother Monkey, and after piling dry firewood all around the multi-storied gate he set it alight, turning the Black Wind Cave into a Red Wind Cave. Then he went back to the North on a beam of magic light.\n\nSanzang, who had been anxiously waiting for him, was beginning to wonder why he had not come back. Had the Bodhisattva not come when asked to, or had Monkey just made up a story to escape? As he was being racked by these desperate thoughts, a shimmering cloud appeared in mid-air and Monkey came down and knelt before him.\n\n“Master, here’s the cassock,” he announced, to Sanzang’s great joy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the monks of the temple were delighted too, and they exclaimed, “Wonderful, wonderful, our lives are safe at last.”\n\n“Monkey,” said Sanzang as he took the cassock from him, “when you set out this morning you reckoned that it would only take the length of a meal, or until midday at longest. Why have you only come back now, at sunset?” When Monkey gave him a full account of how he had asked the Bodhisattva to transform herself to subdue the monster, Sanzang set up an incense table and bowed low to the South. That done, he said, “Disciple, now that we have the Buddha’s robe, pack our luggage as quickly as you can.”\n\n“Not so fast, not so fast,” Monkey replied. “It’s already evening, too late to hit the road. Let’s set out tomorrow morning.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monks all knelt and said, “Lord Monkey is right. For one thing it’s too late, and for another we made a vow. Now that all is well and the treasure has been recovered, we would like to carry out that vow and invite Your Lordships to share in the thanksgiving meal. Tomorrow morning we’ll see you off on your way West.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” urged Monkey. The monks then emptied their bags and produced everything that was left of what they had saved from the fire to make an offering of food. Then they burnt some paper to bring blessings and recited some sutras to ward off disaster. The ceremonies were finished that evening.\n\nThe next morning the horse was curried and the luggage packed, and then they set out. The monks escorted them a long distance before turning back, after which Monkey led the way. It was now early spring.\n\nThe grass cushions the horse’s hooves,\n\nNew leaves emerge from the willow’s golden threads.\n\nApricot vies for beauty with peach;\n\nThe wild fig round the path is full of life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The wild fig round the path is full of life.\n\nOn sun-warmed sandbanks sleep mandarin ducks;\n\nIn the flower-scented gully the butterflies are quiet.\n\nAfter autumn, winter, and half of spring,\n\nWho knows when the journey will end as they find the true word?\n\nOne evening, after they had been travelling along a desolate path for six or seven days, master and disciple saw a distant village. “Monkey,” said Sanzang, “do you see the village not far over there? Let’s go and ask them to put us up for the night; we can set off again tomorrow morning.”\n\n“Wait till I’ve made sure it’s all right before deciding.” Monkey replied, gazing at the village as his master pulled on the silken rein. He saw\n\nClose-planted bamboo fences,\n\nMany a thatched roof.\n\nOutside the gates soar lofty trees;\n\nHouses are mirrored in the waters under a bridge.\n\nGreen grow the willows beside the road,\n\nFragrant bloom the flowers in the gardens.\n\nAs sun sets in the West\n\nBirds sing in the wooded hills.\n\nThe smoke of evening rises from the stoves"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The smoke of evening rises from the stoves\n\nAlong the paths roam sheep and cattle.\n\nWell-fed chickens and pigs sleep under the eaves,\n\nWhile the drunk old man sings his song next door.\n\nWhen he had surveyed the scene, Brother Monkey said, “Go ahead, master. It’s definitely a good village. We can spend the night there.” Sanzang urged his horse forward, and in a few moments they were at the beginning of the main street. A young man appeared wearing a silken turban, a blue jacket, a pair of trousers tied at the ankles, and a pair of straw sandals. He was carrying an umbrella in his hand and a pack on his back. He was a fine sight as he walked briskly down the street. Monkey grabbed him and asked, “Where are you going? I want to ask you something—where is this?”\n\nThe fellow, who was trying to break loose, shouted, “Why ask me? I’m not the only person in the village.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be angry, kind sir,” replied Monkey, all smiles. “To help others is to help yourself. What harm can it do to tell me what the place is called? We might be able to bring your troubles to an end, you know.” Struggle as he might, the fellow could not break loose, which made him leap around with fury.\n\n“Damn it, damn it,” he shouted, “I get more bullying from the old man than I can stand, and now I’ve got to run into you, baldy. You’ve got it in for me too.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you’re good for anything, get out of my grip,” Monkey said. “Do that and I’ll let you go.” The young man twisted and turned, but he could not break free—it was as if he were held in a pair of pliers. In his temper he threw down his umbrella and his bundle, and tore at Monkey with both hands, trying to get hold of him. Monkey was holding the luggage in one hand, and with the other he was keeping the young man under control, and no matter how hard the fellow tried he could not get a grip on him. Monkey, however, was now holding him more firmly than ever, and was bursting with fury.\n\n“Monkey,” Sanzang said, “here comes someone else you can ask. Why keep such a tight grip on him? Let him go.”\n\n“You don’t understand, master,” replied Monkey with a smile. “It would be no fun to ask anyone else. I have to ask him if there’s to be anything to be got out of this.” Seeing that Monkey would not let him go, the fellow started to talk."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This is Old Gao Village in the country of Stubet, and it’s called that because practically everyone here has the surname Gao. Now let me go.”\n\n“From your get-up, you’re going on a long journey,” Monkey went on. “Tell me where you’re going and what you’re up to, then I’ll let you go.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The poor fellow had no option but to tell Monkey the truth. “I’m Gao Cai from the family of Squire Gao. His youngest daughter is twenty and not yet married, but three years ago an evil spirit came and took her. He’s been staying with us for three years, and the old man isn’t at all pleased. There’s no future in having a girl marry an evil spirit, he says. It’s ruining our family, and we don’t get a family of in-laws to visit. He’s always wanted to get rid of the evil spirit, but he refuses to go. Now he’s shut the girl up in the back building for the best part of a year, and he won’t let any of the family see her. My old man gave me two ounces of silver and sent me to find a priest to capture the monster. I’ve been on the go for ages now, and asked three or four of them, but they were all hopeless monks or pimples of Taoists—none of them could control him. The old man’s just been swearing at me as an utter idiot, given me five more ounces of silver as travelling expenses, and told me to find a good priest"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "expenses, and told me to find a good priest who’ll deal with the monster. Then I was grabbed by you, you evil star, and that’s made me later than ever. No wonder I shouted at you: I’m pushed around at home and pushed around when I go out. I never thought you’d be such a good wrestler that I wouldn’t be able to break out of your clinch. Let me go now—I’ve told you everything.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re in luck—we’re in the business,” Monkey replied. “This is quite convenient; you needn’t go any further or spend any of your money. We’re not hopeless monks or pimples of Taoists. We’ve got some real magic powers, and we know how to deal with evil spirits. This’ll do both of us a bit of good. Go back and tell the head of your household that my master is a saintly monk, and the younger brother of the Emperor of the East, who has sent him to visit the Buddha in the Western Heaven and seek the scriptures. We are very good at controlling devils and capturing monsters.”\n\n“Don’t lie to me,” the young man replied. “I’ve had enough of being pushed around. If you’re tricking me, you haven’t really got any special powers, and you can’t capture that fiend, you’ll only be getting me into more trouble than ever.”\n\n“I swear I’m not fooling you,” answered Monkey. “Show us the way to your front door.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The young man saw that there was nothing for it but to pick up his bundle and umbrella, turn round, and take the two of them to his gate, where he said to them, “Reverend gentlemen, would you mind sitting here on the verandah for a moment while I go in and tell the master?” Only then did Monkey let go of him, put down the carrying-pole, take the horse’s reins, and stand beside his master, who sat down by the gate."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The young man went in through the gate and straight to the main hall, where he happened to meet Squire Gao. “Well, you savage, who have you come back instead of going to find someone?” Squire Gao demanded. Putting down his bundle and umbrella, the young man replied, “I must report to you, sir, that I had just got to the end of the street when I met a couple of monks. One was on horseback, and the other had a carrying-pole on his shoulder. He grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go, and asked me where I was going. I refused to tell him several times, but he had me locked in a grip I couldn’t get out of, so I had to tell him all about the mission you gave me, sir. He was absolutely delighted when he heard about it, and wanted to catch that monster for us.”\n\n“Where are they from?” Squire Gao asked. “He says that his master is a saintly monk, the younger brother of the Emperor of the East, who has sent him to visit the Buddha in the Western Heaven and seek the scriptures,” the young man replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But even if they’re monks from far away, they may not really be capable of anything. Where are they now?”\n\n“Waiting outside the gate.”\n\nThe old man quickly put on his best clothes and went out with the youngster to greet them, addressing them as “Venerable Elders.” Sanzang turned hurriedly round when he heard this, and found them standing before him. The older man was wearing a black silk turban, an onion-white robe of Sichuan brocade, a pair of calf-skin boots the color of unpolished rice, and a belt of black silk.\n\nHe came forward and said with a smile, “Greetings, Venerable Elders,” as he bowed, holding his hands together. Sanzang returned his bow, but Monkey stood there immobile. At the sight of Brother Monkey’s ugly face the old man decided not to bow to him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why won’t you pay your respects to me?” Monkey asked, at which the old man, somewhat frightened, said to the young man, “You’ll be the death of me, you little wretch. We’ve already got one hideous monster at home as a son-in-law we can’t get rid of, so why ever did you have to bring this thunder god here to ruin us?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Gao, old chap, you’ve been living all these years for nothing—you’ve still got no sense. It’s completely wrong to judge people by their faces. I may be no beauty, but I’m quite clever. I’ll grab that evil spirit for you, catch that demon, seize your son-in-law, and give you back your daughter. I’ll be doing you a good turn, so there’s no need to fuss about my looks.” The old man, now shaking with fear, pulled himself together and asked them in. Monkey took the horse’s bridle, told the young man to carry the luggage, and went in with Sanzang. In his usual devil-may-care way he tethered the horse to one of the pillars of an open-air pavilion, pulled up a gleaming lacquered armchair, and told his master to sit down. Then he brought over a chair for himself and sat beside him.\n\n“The younger venerable elder has already made himself at home,” Squire Gao remarked.\n\n“I’d feel at home here if you entertained us for six months,” Brother Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they were all seated the old man said, “The boy told me a moment ago that you were from the East.”\n\n“That’s right,” Sanzang replied. “The court has sent me to worship the Buddha in the Western Heaven and ask for the scriptures. As we are passing this way on our journey, we would like to spend the night here before continuing on our way tomorrow morning.”\n\n“If you two gentlemen just want to spend the night here, why all the talk about catching monsters?”\n\n“As we’ll be spending the night here,” Monkey put in, “we though it would be fun to catch a few monsters while we’re about it. May I ask how many there are in your residence?”\n\n“Good heavens,” the old man exclaimed, “however many do you want? We’ve only got this monster of a son-in-law, and he’s ruined our lives.”\n\n“Tell me all about this monster from the beginning,” Monkey said. “I must know about his magic powers if I’m to capture him for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This village has never had any trouble from ghosts, demons or evil spirits before. It was my misfortune to have no son, and three daughters, of whom the eldest is called Fragrant Orchid, the second Jade Orchid, and the third Blue Orchid. The other two were betrothed to men from the village when they were children and have been married off. I wanted the third to marry a man who would live here to support-me in my old age, look after the household, and do jobs about the place. About three years ago a good-looking young fellow turned up who said that his name was Zhu and he came from the Mountain of Blessing. He told me that he had no parents or brothers, and wanted to marry and live with his in-laws. As he had no family commitments I offered him my daughter’s hand, old fool that I am, and from the moment he became a member of our family he worked very hard. He ploughed and hoed without using oxen or tools; and he didn’t need a scythe or a stick to harvest the crops. As day followed day, there was nothing"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the crops. As day followed day, there was nothing wrong with him, except that he started to look different.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How?” Monkey asked.\n\n“At first he was a plump, dark chap, but later on he became a long-nosed, big-eared idiot with thick black hairs running down from the back of his head and a great, thick body. His face is just like a pig’s. His appetite is enormous, too. He needs several bushels of grain at every main meal, and over a hundred griddle-cakes for breakfast. Luckily he is a vegetarian. If he ate meat and wine he would have ruined us in six months.”\n\n“He has to eat so much because he works so hard,” Sanzang commented.\n\n“But that’s not the main thing.” Squire Gao continued. “He can also summon up a wind, make clouds and mist come and go, and send pebbles and sand flying. He’s terrified our neighbors, who don’t feel safe living here any longer! He’s shut my daughter away in the building at the back, and nobody’s seen her for six months. We don’t even know if she’s still alive. That is how we know he’s an evil monster, and why we want a priest to come and get rid of him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No difficulty there,” Monkey replied. “Don’t worry, old chap, I guarantee that I’ll get him tonight, make him write out a document divorcing your daughter, and bring her back to you. What do you say to that?”\n\n“Because I thought there’d be no harm in offering him my daughter, I’ve ruined my reputation and estranged all my relations,” Squire Gao replied. “If you can catch him, why bother with a divorce document? Wipe him out for me, if you please.”\n\n“Easy, easy,” said Monkey. “I’ll get him tonight.”\n\nThe old man was delighted. He had a table and chairs set out and wiped clean, and a vegetarian meal brought in. When the meal was over and he was about to go to bed, the old man asked, “What weapons and how many men will you need? I’ll get everything ready in good time.”\n\n“I have a weapon,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have a weapon,” Monkey replied.\n\n“You two gentlemen only have your monastic staves—how will you be able to kill the fiend with them?” the old man asked. Monkey produced the embroidery needle from his ear, held it between his fingers, and shook it in the wind. It turned into the gold-banded cudgel as thick as a rice-bowl. Monkey turned to Squire Gao and asked, “How does this cudgel compare with the weapons you have in here? Will it do to kill the monster?”\n\n“So you have the weapon,” the old man went on, “but what about the men?”\n\n“I can do it single-handed.” Monkey replied, “though I would like a few respectable old gentlemen to come in and keep my master company while I’m away from him. When I’ve captured the monster they can witness his confession before I wipe him out for you.” The old man thereupon sent his servants to ask a few old friends over, and before long they had all arrived. When the introductions were over Monkey said, “Master, you sit here and don’t worry. I’m off.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just watch Monkey as with his cudgel in his hand he takes hold of the old man and says, “Take me to the building at the back. I want to see where this evil spirit lives.” Squire Gao led him to the door of the back building, and Monkey told him to bring the key at once. “Look here,” the old man answered, “if a key would have done the trick, I wouldn’t have had to ask for your services.”\n\n“Can’t you tell at your age when someone’s joking?” Monkey asked. “I was only teasing. You shouldn’t have taken me seriously.” He felt the lock and found that molten copper had been poured into it, so he struck it a vicious blow with his cudgel and shattered it. Pushing the doors open, he saw that it was pitch-black inside. “Call your daughter’s name, Old Gao, to see whether she’s in here,” he said.\n\nThe old man summoned up his courage and called her name, and the daughter, recognizing her father’s voice, answered feebly, “Dad, I’m in here.” With a roll of his golden pupils Monkey peered into the darkness to take"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a closer look at her. Do you know what she was like?\n\nHer cloudy hair was tangled and unkempt,\n\nHer face was filthy and unwashed.\n\nHer orchid heart was as pure as ever,\n\nBut her beauty lay in ruins.\n\nThere was no blood or life in her cherry lips,\n\nAnd her limbs were crooked and bent.\n\nA sad frown on her forehead,\n\nHer eyebrows pale;\n\nWeak and frightened,\n\nOnly daring to whisper.\n\nWhen she came out and saw her father, she grabbed hold of him, put her hand round his head, and wept. “Don’t cry,” Monkey said, “don’t cry. Where has the monster gone?”\n\n“I don’t know. These days he’s been setting out at dawn and only coming back in the middle of the night. There’s always so much cloud and mist that I can’t tell where he goes. He knows that my father wants to exorcise him, so he’s always on the alert. That’s why he comes back late and leaves at dawn.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Of course he would,” Monkey remarked, adding, “old fellow, take the girl to the front building. You two can have a good long talk; I’m going to wait for the monster here. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t turn up; but if he does, I’ll wipe him out for you.” The old man happily took his daughter to the front building.\n\nMonkey then used some of his magic powers to turn himself into the likeness of the girl with a shake of his body. Then he sat down in the room to wait for the evil spirit. Before long there was a marvellous wind that sent stones and dust flying:\n\nAt first it was a gentle breeze,\n\nThat gradually became a tremendous gale.\n\nWhen it was a gentle breeze, it filled Heaven and Earth;\n\nWhen it grew, nothing could withstand it.\n\nIt stripped off flowers and snapped willows like stalks of hemp,\n\nUprooting forests as if it were picking vegetables.\n\nIt threw rivers and seas into turmoil, to the fury of gods and devils,\n\nSplitting rocks and mountains as Heaven and Earth watched in horror."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The flower-eating deer lost their way,\n\nThe fruit-plucking monkeys did not know where they were.\n\nSeven-storied iron pagodas fell on the Buddha’s head,\n\nThe streamers in the temple fell on the jeweled canopy.\n\nGolden beams and pillars of jade were shaken from their roots,\n\nTiles flew from the roof like swallows.\n\nAs the boatman raised his oar he made a vow,\n\nQuickly sacrificing a pig and a goat as he pushed off.\n\nThe guardian god of the city ward abandoned his shrine,\n\nThe Dragon Kings of the Four Seas bowed to Heaven.\n\nThe yaksha demons’ boats were wrecked on the coast,\n\nAnd half the length of the Great Wall was blown down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As this gale wind passed, an evil spirit appeared in mid-air. He was certainly ugly with his dark face, stubbly hair, long nose, and big ears. He wore a cotton tunic that was somewhere between black and blue, and round his waist was a patterned cotton cloth. “So that’s what he’s like,” thought Monkey with a secret smile, and without greeting him or asking him anything he lay down on the bed, breathing heavily and pretending to be ill. Not knowing who this really was, the monster came straight in, put his arms around him and was going to kiss him.\n\nMonkey laughed to himself again as he thought, “So he really wants to screw me.” Then he thrust his hand up under the monster’s long nose to throw him off balance. The monster fell off the bed.\n\nAs the monster pulled himself up he leaned on the edge of the bed and said, “Darling, why are you so angry with me today? Is it because I’m late?”\n\n“I’m not angry,” Monkey replied, “not angry at all.”\n\n“If you’re not angry with me, why did you make me fall over?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You should have been more thoughtful and not tried hugging me and kissing me. I’m not feeling very well today. If I’d been my usual self I’d have been waiting for you at the door. Take your clothes off and come to bed.” Not realizing what he was up to, the monster undressed. Monkey jumped out of bed and sat on the pot as the monster went back to bed and groped around without finding the girl.\n\n“Where’ve you gone, darling?” he asked. “Take your clothes off and come to bed.”\n\n“Go to sleep,” Monkey replied, “I’m taking a shit.” The monster did as he was told. Monkey sighed and said, “What terrible luck.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What are you so fed up about?” the monster asked. “What do you mean by ‘terrible luck’? I may have eaten some food and drunk some tea since marrying you, but I haven’t been idle either. I’ve swept for your family and dug ditches, I’ve shifted bricks and tiles, I’ve built walls for you, I’ve ploughed and weeded your fields, I’ve sown your wheat, and I’ve transplanted your rice. I’ve made your family’s fortune. These days you dress in brocade and have golden pins in your hair. You have fruit and flowers in all four seasons, and vegetables for the pot throughout the year. But despite this you’re still not satisfied, groaning and moaning like that and complaining about your ‘terrible luck.’”\n\n“I didn’t mean that,” Monkey replied. “Today I could hear my parents through the wall. They were smashing up bricks and tiles and pretending to curse and beat me.”\n\n“Why should they want to do that?” the monster asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They said that since we married and you became their resident son-in-law, all respectability has gone by the board. They were complaining about having such an ugly fellow as you around, and about never meeting any brother-in-law or other relations of yours. Besides, with all that wind and cloud whenever you come in or go out, they wonder who on earth you can be and what you are called. You’re ruining their reputation, and disgracing the family. That’s why they were so angry that they went through the motions of beating and cursing me.”\n\n“I may be a bit of an eyesore,” the monster said, “but if you want me to be a good-looker I can fix that without any difficulty. When I first came I had a word with your father, and he agreed to the marriage of his own free will. Why is he talking like this now?” My home is the Cloud Pathway Cave on the Mount of Blessing. My surname, Zhu, is like my face—piggy—and my correct name is Zhu Ganglie, Iron-Haired pig. You tell them all that if they ask you again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s an honest monster,” thought Monkey with delight. “If he came out with all this without being tortured. Now I know who he is and where he’s from, I’m sure I can catch him.”\n\n“He’s sent for a priest to come and catch you,” Monkey said aloud.\n\n“Come to bed, come to bed, and forget about him,” the monster said with a laugh. “I can do as many transformations as the Plough, and I have my nine-pronged rake too, so what have I to fear from priests, monks or Taoists? Even if your old man were holy enough to summon the Demon-destroying Patriarch down from the Ninth Heaven, he’s an old friend of mine and wouldn’t do anything to harm me.”\n\n“My father said that he’d asked that fellow by the name of Sun, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made such trouble up in the Heavenly Palace some five hundred years ago, to come and capture you.”\n\nThe monster was somewhat taken aback on hearing this name, and said, “In that case I’m off. We’re through.”\n\n“You can’t just go like that,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You can’t just go like that,” said Monkey.\n\n“You wouldn’t know,” the monster replied, “but that Protector of the Horses who made such trouble in the Heavenly Palace is quite a fighter. I might not be able to beat him, and that would spoil my good name.” With these words he pulled on his clothes, opened the door, and was just going out when Monkey grabbed him, gave his own face a rub, and changed back into his real form."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where d’you think you’re going, my fine monster?” he roared, adding, “take a look and see who I am.” The monster turned round and saw Monkey’s protruding teeth, pinched face, fiery eyes with golden pupil, bald head and hairy face. At the sight of this thunder god incarnate his hands were numbed and his legs paralyzed; then with a great tearing sound he broke free, ripping his clothes, and escaped in the form of a hurricane. Monkey rushed after him, grabbed his iron cudgel, and took a swipe at the wind. The monster then changed into ten thousand sparks and went straight back to his mountain. Monkey mounted his cloud and went after him shouting, “Where d’you think you’re going? If you go up to Heaven, I’ll chase you as far as the Dipper and Bull Palace, and if you go into the Earth, I’ll pursue you as far as the Hell of the Unjustly Slain.”\n\nGoodness! If you don’t know how far he chased the monster, or who won in the end, listen to the explanation in the next chapter.\n\n \n\nChapter Nineteen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter Nineteen\n\nIn the Cloud Pathway Cave Sun Wukong Wins over Zhu Bajie\n\nOn Pagoda Mountain Xuanzang Receives the Heart Sutra\n\nThe monster shot forward as a stream of sparks, with the Great Sage behind him on his coloured cloud. As he was racing along, Monkey saw a tall mountain appear in front of them. Here the monster put himself together again by reassembling the sparks, rushed into a cave, and came out with a nine-pronged rake in his hand to do battle.\n\n“Wretch,” shouted Monkey, “where are you from? How do you know my name, you evil demon? What powers have you got? Tell me honestly, and I’ll spare your life.”\n\n“You don’t know what I can do,” the monster replied. “Come a little nearer and stand still while I tell you:\n\nI was born stupid,\n\nAn idler and a slacker.\n\nI never nourished my nature or cultivated the truth,\n\nBut spent my time in primal ignorance.\n\nThen I happened to meet a true Immortal,\n\nWho sat down with me and chatted about the weather,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Advised me to reform and not to sink among mortals,\n\nFor taking life was a heinous sin.\n\nOne day, when my life came to an end,\n\nIt would be too late to regret the punishments in store.\n\nHis words moved me to seek reform,\n\nAnd my heart longed for miraculous spells.\n\nI was lucky enough to have him as my teacher;\n\nHe showed me the gates of Heaven and Earth.\n\nHe taught me the Nine Changes and the Great Return of Cinnabar,\n\nAs we worked by night and day with never a break.\n\nIt reached up to the Mud Ball Palace in my head,\n\nAnd down to the Bubbling Spring in my feet.\n\nThe circulating magic liquid reached the Flowery Pool under my tongue,\n\nAnd the Cinnabar Field in my abdomen was given extra warmth.\n\nThe Babe, lead, and the Girl, mercury, were married,\n\nAnd combining together, they divided into sun and moon.\n\nThe Dragon and the Tiger were harmonized,\n\nThe Sacred Tortoise drank the Golden Crow’s blood.\n\nThe Three Flowers gathered at the top and returned to the root."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Five Essences faced the Origin and flowed in all directions.\n\nWhen their work was done, I could fly,\n\nAnd the Immortals of Heaven came in pairs to greet me.\n\nColoured clouds grew beneath my feet,\n\nAs I faced Heavenly Palace gates with a body light and strong.\n\nThe Jade Emperor gave a banquet for all the Immortals,\n\nAnd all lined up according to their grades.\n\nI was made Field Marshal in charge of the Milky Way,\n\nCommanding all the sailors on that river in the sky.\n\nWhen the Queen Mother gave a Peach Banquet,\n\nShe invited many guests to the Jade Pool.\n\nAs drunkenness clouded my mind that day,\n\nI lurched and staggered around.\n\nAs I charged in drunken pride into the Cool Broad Palace\n\nI was greeted by an exquisite immortal maiden.\n\nAt the sight of her beauty my soul was captivated,\n\nAnd I could not repress my mortal passions of old.\n\nLosing all sense of rank and dignity,\n\nI seized the beauty and asked her to sleep with me.\n\nThree times, four times she refused,\n\nDodging and trying to hide in her distress."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dodging and trying to hide in her distress.\n\nGreat was the courage of my lust, and I roared like thunder,\n\nAll but shaking down the gates of heaven.\n\nThe Miraculous Inspecting Officer reported to the Jade Emperor,\n\nAnd from that day I was doomed.\n\nThe Cool Broad Palace was closely surrounded.\n\nI could neither advance nor retreat: escape was impossible.\n\nThen I was arrested by the gods,\n\nBut as I was still drunk I was not scared.\n\nI was marched to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to see the Jade Emperor,\n\nAnd, after questioning, sentenced to death.\n\nLuckily the Great White Planet\n\nStepped forward, bowed low, and interceded.\n\nMy sentence was commuted to two thousand strokes of the heavy rod,\n\nWhich tore my flesh and all but smashed my bones.\n\nI was released alive and expelled from Heaven,\n\nSo I tried to make a living on the Mount of Blessing.\n\nFor my sins I was reborn from the wrong womb,\n\nAnd now I am known as Iron-haired Pig.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And now I am known as Iron-haired Pig.”\n\n“So you are an earthly reincarnation of Marshal Tian Peng,” said Brother Monkey when he heard this. “No wonder you knew my name.”\n\n“Ha,” the monster snorted angrily. “Your insane rebellion caused trouble for very many of us, Protector of the Horses. Have you come here to throw your weight around again? I’ll teach you some manners. Take this!” Monkey was in no mood to spare him after this, and he struck at the monster’s head with his cudgel. The pair of them fought a magnificent midnight battle on that mountainside:\n\nMonkey’s golden pupils flashed with lightning;\n\nThe monster’s glaring eyes sparked silver.\n\nOne disgorged coloured mist,\n\nThe other breathed out red clouds.\n\nThe red clouds lit up the night;\n\nThe coloured mists illuminated the darkness.\n\nA gold-banded cudgel,\n\nA nine-toothed rake,\n\nAnd two splendid heroes.\n\nOne a Great Sage down among the mortals,\n\nThe other a marshal banished from Heaven.\n\nOne had been stripped of his honors and become a monster,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other had been saved when he took service with a priest.\n\nWhen the rake attacked, it was like a dragon stretching its claws;\n\nThe cudgel blocked it as nimbly as a phoenix flying through flowers.\n\nPig said,\n\n“In wrecking my marriage your crime is as great as parricide.”\n\nMonkey replied,\n\n“You deserve to be arrested for raping that young girl.”\n\nAmid these exchanges\n\nAnd wild shouts,\n\nThe cudgel and the rake crossed and clashed.\n\nThey fought each other till the day began to dawn,\n\nAnd the monster’s arms were tired right out."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And the monster’s arms were tired right out.\n\nThey fought from the second watch of the night until the sky began to grow light in the East. The monster, no longer able to resist his enemy, broke away and fled, turning himself into a hurricane again. He went straight back to his cave, shut the gates behind him, and did not come out. Monkey saw a stone tablet outside the cave on which was inscribed CLOUD PATHWAY CAVE. The monster did not come out again and it was now broad daylight, so Monkey thought that as his master might be waiting for him he had better go back to see him. He could come back later to catch the monster. He gave his cloud a kick and was back in Old Gao Village in an instant.\n\nSanzang, meanwhile, had been talking all night with the elders about things ancient and modern, and had not slept a wink. Just as he was beginning to think that Brother Monkey would not come back, Monkey appeared in the courtyard, put away his iron club, straightened his clothes, and entered the main room."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master, I’m here,” he announced, giving the old men such a surprise that they all fell to their knees and thanked him for his efforts.\n\n“You’ve been out all night, Monkey,” Sanzang said. “Where did you catch that evil spirit?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s no common or garden ghost, master,” Monkey replied, “and he isn’t an ordinary wild animal turned monster. He is Marshal Tian Peng, who was exiled to the mortal world. As he was placed in the wrong womb he has a face like a wild boar, but he’s still kept his original divine nature. He says that he takes his name from his looks and is called Zhu Ganglie, Iron-haired Pig. I was going to kill him in the building at the back, but he turned into a hurricane and fled. When I struck at this wind, he changed into sparks, went straight back to his cave, came out with a nine-pronged rake, and fought me all night. He broke off the engagement in terror as the dawn broke and shut himself in his cave. I was going to smash down the gates and have it out with him, but then it occurred to me that you might be worried after waiting for me so long, so I came back to put you in the picture first.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After Monkey had made his report, Squire Gao came up and knelt before him saying, “Venerable sir, I’m afraid that although you’ve chased him away, he’ll come back after you’ve gone; so this is no real solution. Please, I beg of you, catch him for me and exterminate him to prevent trouble later. I promise you that I shall not be remiss if you do this for me, and there will, of course, be rich rewards. I shall write a deed, witnessed by my relations and friends, giving you half of my property and my land. Please, please eradicate this evil weed and save the honour of the family.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve got no sense of what’s proper, old man,” replied Monkey with a grin. “He told me that although he may have put away a lot of your rice and tea, he’s also done you a lot of good. You’ve piled up a lot of wealth in the past few years, all thanks to his efforts. He says he hasn’t been eating your food in idleness, and wants to know why you’re trying to have him exorcised. He maintains that he is a heavenly Immortal come down to earth who has been working for your family and has never harmed your daughter. I would say that he is a very fitting son-in-law for you, who does your family’s name no harm. You really ought to keep him.”\n\n“Venerable sir,” the old man replied, “he may never have done anything wicked, but it does our reputation no good to have a son-in-law like him. Whether he does anything or not, people say that the Gaos have asked a monster to marry into the family, and I simply can’t bear to hear a thing like that.”\n\n“Go and have it out with him, and then we’ll see what to do,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll try a trick on him this time,” Monkey replied. “I guarantee to bring him back this time for you to look at. But don’t be angry with him.”\n\n“Old Gao,” he continued, addressing the old man, “look after my master well. I’m off.”\n\nBy the time the words were out of his mouth, he had disappeared. He leapt up the mountain and smashed the gates of the cave to splinters with a single blow of his cudgel, shouting, “Come out and fight Monkey, you chaff-guzzling moron.” The monster, who had been snoring inside, heard the gates being smashed and the insulting “chaff-guzzling moron,” and went wild with fury.\n\nSeizing his rake and summoning up his spirit, he rushed out and shrieked, “You shameless Protector of the Horses. What have I ever done to you to make you smash down my gates? You’d better take a look at the statute book: there’s the death penalty for breaking and entering.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You fool,” laughed Monkey, “I’ve got a very good justification for smashing your gates—you abducted a girl by force, without matchmakers or witnesses, and without giving proper presents or observing the right ceremonies. You’re a fine one to talk about who deserves to have his head cut off.”\n\n“Stop talking such nonsense and see how this rake of mine strikes you,” the monster replied.\n\nBlocking the blow with his cudgel, Monkey retorted, “Is that the rake you used when you were tilling the fields and growing vegetables for the Gaos as their hired hand? What’s so wonderful about it that I should be afraid of you?”\n\n“You don’t realize that it’s no ordinary weapon,” the monster replied. “You’d better listen while I tell you about it:\n\nThis was refined from divine ice-iron,\n\nPolished till it gleamed dazzling white,\n\nHammered by Lord Lao Zi himself,\n\nWhile Ying Huo fed the fire with coal-dust.\n\nThe Five Emperors of the Five Regions applied their minds to it,\n\nThe Six Dings and Six jias went to great efforts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They made nine teeth of jade,\n\nCast a pair of golden rings to hang beneath them,\n\nDecorated the body with the Six Bright Shiners and the Five planets,\n\nDesigned it in accordance with the Four Seasons and the Eight Divisions.\n\nThe length of top and bottom match Heaven and Earth.\n\nPositive and Negative were to left and right, dividing the sun and moon.\n\nThe Six Divine Generals of the Oracular Lines are there, following the Heavenly Code;\n\nThe constellations of the Eight Trigrams are set out in order.\n\nIt was named the Supremely Precious Gold-imbued Rake,\n\nAnd served to guard the gates of the Jade Emperor’s palace.\n\nAs I had become a great Immortal,\n\nI now enjoyed eternal life,\n\nAnd was commissioned as Marshal Tian Peng,\n\nWith this rake to mark my imperial office.\n\nWhen I raise it, fire and light stream forth;\n\nWhen I lower it, a snowy blizzard blows.\n\nIt terrifies the Heavenly Generals,\n\nAnd makes the King of Hell too quake with fear.\n\nThere is no other weapon matching it on Earth,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There is no other weapon matching it on Earth,\n\nNor iron to rival it throughout the world.\n\nIt changes into anything I like,\n\nAnd leaps about whenever I say the spell.\n\nFor many a year I’ve carried it around,\n\nKeeping it with me every single day.\n\nI will not put it down even to eat,\n\nNor do I when I sleep at night.\n\nI took it with me to the Peach Banquet,\n\nAnd carried it into the celestial court.\n\nWhen I sinned my sin in drunken pride,\n\nI used it to force compliance with my evil will.\n\nWhen Heaven sent me down to the mortal dust,\n\nI committed all kinds of wickedness down here.\n\nI used to devour people in this cave,\n\nUntil I fell in love and married in Gao Village.\n\nThis rake has plunged beneath the sea to stir up dragons,\n\nAnd climbed high mountains to smash up tigers’ dens.\n\nNo other blade is worth a mention\n\nBesides my rake, the sharpest weapon ever.\n\nTo win a fight with it requires no effort;\n\nOf course it always brings me glory.\n\nEven if you have an iron brain in a brazen head and a body of steel,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This rake will scatter your souls and send your spirit flying.”\n\nMonkey put his cudgel away and replied, “Stop shooting your mouth off, you idiot. I’m now sticking my head out for you to hit. Let’s see you scatter my souls and send my spirits flying.” The monster raised his rake and brought it down with all his might, but although flames leapt forth, it did not even scratch Monkey’s scalp.\n\nThe monster’s arms and legs turned to jelly with fright as he exclaimed, “What a head, what a head.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t know,” Monkey replied. “When I was captured by the Little Sage for wrecking the Heavenly Palace, stealing the pills of immortality and the heavenly peaches, and filching the imperial wine, I was marched to a place outside the Dipper and Bull Palace, where all the gods of Heaven hacked at me with axes, hit me with maces, cut at me with swords, stabbed at me with daggers, tried to burn me with lightning, and pounded me with thunder; but none of it hurt me in the slightest. Then I was taken off by the Great High Lord Lao and put in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, where I was refined with divine fire, so that my eyes are now fiery, my pupils golden, my head brazen, and my shoulders of iron. If you don’t believe me, try a few more blows to see whether you can hurt me or not.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I remember you, you baboon,” the monster replied. “When you made trouble in Heaven, you lived in the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the land of Aolai in the Continent of Divine Victory. I haven’t heard of you for a very long time. What brings you here, and why are you bullying me in front of my own gates? Surely my father-in-law didn’t go all that way to ask you to come here?”\n\n“No,” said Monkey, “he didn’t. I have turned away from evil and been converted to good. I have given up Taoism and become a Buddhist. I am protecting the Patriarch Sanzang, the younger brother of the Great Tang Emperor, on his journey to the Western Heaven to visit the Buddha and ask for the scriptures. We happened to ask for a night’s lodging when we came to Gao Village, and in the course of our conversation Old Gao asked me to rescue his daughter and capture you, you chaff-guzzling moron.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monster dropped his rake to the ground, chanted a respectful “na-a-aw,” and said, “Where’s this pilgrim? Please take me to meet him.”\n\n“What do you want to see him for?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Guanyin converted me and told me to obey the monastic rules and eat vegetarian food here till I could go with that pilgrim, the one who’s going to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and ask for the scriptures. I’ll be able to make up for my sins through this good deed, and win a good reward. I’ve been waiting for him for years, but there’s been no news of him till now. If you’re a disciple of his, why didn’t you say something about fetching the scriptures before, instead of making this vicious attack on me in my own home?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This had better not be a trick to soften me up and make me let you get away,” said Monkey. “If you really want to protect the Tang Priest and you aren’t trying to kid me, then you’d better make a vow to Heaven, and I’ll take you to meet my master.” The monster fell to his knees with a thud, and kowtowed to the sky so often that he looked like a rice pestle.\n\n“Amitabha Buddha,” he cried out, “if I’m not completely sincere, cut me up into ten thousand bits for breaking the laws of Heaven.”\n\nAfter hearing him swear this oath, Monkey said, “Very well then, now light a brand and burn this place of yours out. If you do that, I’ll take you.” The monster piled up some reeds and brambles, lit a brand, and set the Cloud Pathway Cave on fire; it burned as well as a brick kiln that has got out of control. “I’ve no second thoughts,” he said, “so please take me to see him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Give me that rake of yours,” Monkey ordered, and the monster obediently handed it over. Monkey then plucked out a hair, blew on it with magic breath, and shouted, “Change!” It turned into three lengths of hempen rope, with which he bound the monster’s hands behind his back; the monster docilely put his hands there and let Monkey tie him up. Then Monkey seized him by the ear and led him off with the words, “Quick march.”\n\n“Take it easy,” the monster pleaded. “You’re pulling so hard you’re hurting my ear.”\n\n“Can’t be done,” Monkey replied. “Can’t show you any favours. As the old saying has it, ‘even a good pig must be handled roughly.’ Wait until you’ve seen my master. If you really are sincere, you’ll be released then.” The two of them went back through cloud and mist to Gao Village, and there is a poem to prove it:\n\nThe Golden Vajra is stronger than Wood,\n\nThe Mind Ape could bring the Wooden Dragon to submission.\n\nWhen Metal obeyed and Wood was tamed they were at one;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Wood was loving and Metal kind they worked together.\n\nOne host and one guest with nothing to keep them apart,\n\nWith the three in harmony they had a mysterious power.\n\nNature and feelings both rejoiced as they joined in the Supreme Principle;\n\nThey both promised without reservation to go to the West.\n\nIn a moment they were back at the village. Holding the monster’s rake in one hand and twisting his ear with the other, he said, “Do you know who that is sitting up straight in the main hall? It’s my master.”\n\nWhen Old Gao and all his friends and relations saw Monkey coming, tugging the bound monster by his ear, they all came into the courtyard and said happily, “Venerable sir, this is the son-in-law all right.” The monster went forward, fell to his knees, and kowtowed to Sanzang with his hands behind his back."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” he shouted, “Your disciple failed to welcome you. Had I known, master, that you were staying in my father-in-law’s house, I’d have come to greet you and do homage, and I’d have been saved all this agony.”\n\n“How did you make him submit and come to pay homage?” Sanzang asked Monkey.\n\nMonkey then let the monster go, hit him with the handle of the rake, and yelled, “Tell him, fool.” The monster then told Sanzang all about how he had been converted by the Bodhisattva."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang was so pleased that he asked Squire Gao for an incense table to be brought, which was done at once. Sanzang then washed his hands, burnt incense, bowed low to the South, and said, “Thanks be to the Bodhisattva for her divine grace.” The elders also burnt incense and bowed low in worship. When this was done, Sanzang took the seat of honour in the hall and told Monkey to untie the monster. Monkey shook himself to take his hairs back, and the ropes untied themselves. The monster bowed to Sanzang once more and vowed to go to the West with him. Then he bowed to Monkey as his elder brother because he had joined first, addressing him as “elder brother” from then on. “If you wish to earn a good reward by going with me as my disciple, I’ll give you a Buddhist name to call you by.”\n\n“Master,” he replied, “When the Bodhisattva laid her hands upon my head and told me to obey the prohibitions, she gave me a Buddhist name—Zhu Wuneng, Pig Awakened to Power.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wonderful, wonderful,” said Brother Monkey with a smile, “I’m called Wukong, Awakened to Emptiness, and you’re called Awakened to Power. That makes us members of the same sect in the Buddhist faith.”\n\n“Master,” said Pig, “I have been instructed by the Bodhisattva and I never eat the five stinking foods and the three forbidden meats—wild goose, dog, and snakehead. I’ve eaten vegetarian food in my father-in-law’s house and never touched the stinking foods; but now that I have met you, master, I’m freed from these restrictions.”\n\n“You are not,” Sanzang replied. “You are not to eat the five stinking foods and the three forbidden meats, and I’m giving you another name: Eight Prohibitions, or Bajie.”\n\n“I shall obey my master’s command,” the moron happily replied, and from then on he was known as Zhu Bajie, or Eight Prohibitions Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Squire Gao was happier than ever to see that he had turned from evil to good, and he ordered his servants to set out banquet with which to thank the Tang Priest. Pig went over to Squire Gao, tugged at his coat, and said, “Sir, may my wife come out and pay her respects to these two gentlemen?”\n\n“Brother,” said Monkey with a laugh. “You’ve entered the church now and become a monk. Don’t ever talk about a wife again. Only Taoist priests can have families—we Buddhist monks never marry. Let’s all sit down and eat a vegetarian meal, then we can set off early tomorrow morning on our journey to the West.” Squire Gao had the table and chairs set out and asked Sanzang take the seat of honour. Monkey and Pig sat on his left and right, and all the relations sat below them. Squire Gao opened a pot of wine, from which he filled a cup and poured a libation to Heaven and Earth before handing it to Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Frankly, sir,” Sanzang said, “I have been a vegetarian from the womb, and have not consumed strong-flavoured food since my earliest childhood.”\n\n“Venerable master, I know that you are a vegetarian,” Squire Gao replied, “which is why I haven’t pressed any meat or strong-flavoured food upon you. But this wine is made from vegetable matter, so a cup of it will do no harm.”\n\n“I don’t drink either,” Sanzang explained, “as alcohol is the first of the prohibitions of the priesthood.”\n\n“Master,” pig hastily interjected, “I may be a vegetarian, but I haven’t given up liquor.”\n\n“And although I haven’t strong head for the stuff and can’t finish a whole jar of it, I haven’t given it up either,” Monkey added.\n\n“In that case you two had better drink some; but don’t get drunk and ruin everything,” said Sanzang. The pair of them then took the first cup, after which everyone sat down again as the vegetarian dishes were brought in. Words could not describe the flowing cups, the well-filled dishes, and the splendid food."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When master and disciples had eaten, Squire Gao brought pieces of gold and silver to the weight of two hundred ounces on a red lacquer tray and offered them to the three pilgrims to help with the expenses of their journey. Then he produced three brocade-collared gowns that could serve as overcoats. “We are mendicant monks,” said Sanzang, “Who beg for our food in the villages and other places through which we pass, so we could not possibly accept gold, silver, or cloth.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then marched up and grabbed a handful of the money. Then he addressed the young man Gao Cai. “Yesterday,” he said, “I troubled you to lead my master here, and today he has recruited another disciple, but we have been unable to show our gratitude. So take these pieces of gold and silver as your fee for guiding us, and buy yourself a pair of straw sandals. If you have any more evil spirits in future, and you help us again, we’ll be able to show even more appreciation.” The young man Gao Cai took the gold and silver, then kowtowed to express his thanks.\n\n“If you won’t take gold or silver,” Squire Gao said, “please be good enough to accept these rough clothes as a mark of our gratitude.”\n\n“If we monks accepted a single thread, we would have to atone for it for a thousand ages,” replied Sanzang. “It will suffice if we take the pancakes and fruit that we haven’t eaten with us as provisions for the journey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master, elder brother,” said Pig, who was standing beside them, “it’s all right for you two to refuse them, but I was a son-in-law in this family for several years, and I deserves three bushels of grain to take with me. On yes, father-in-law, my tunic was torn by elder brother yesterday and my shoes have split, so please give me a black brocade cassock and a good pair of new shoes.” Old Squire Gao, who could scarcely refuse this request, gave him the new shoes and a tunic in exchange for his old ones.\n\nPig swaggered over to Old Gao, chanted a “na-a-aw” of respect, and said, “Please inform my mother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, my brothers-in-law, and my uncles that I have become a monk today, and ask them to excuse me for not saying good-bye to them in person. Father-in-law, look after my wife well. If we don’t get the scriptures, I’ll go back to lay life and work for you as a son-in-law again.”\n\n“Moron,” shouted Monkey, “stop talking nonsense.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m doing nothing of the sort,” Pig replied, “I am thinking that if things go wrong I’d be wasting my time as a monk, and my wife’s marriage would have been ruined, both for nothing.”\n\n“Enough of your idle chatter,” said Sanzang, “let’s be on our way at once.” Their luggage was hung from a carrying-pole on pig’s shoulders. When the white horse was saddled, Sanzang mounted it, and Monkey led the way with his iron cudgel over his shoulder. Thus the three of them left Squire Gao, his relations, and his friends, and headed West. There is a pome to prove it that goes:\n\nThe trees tower above the misty earth\n\nAs the Tang disciples of Buddha toil and suffer.\n\nWhen hungry, they beg their food from a thousand homes;\n\nWhen cold they wear cloaks with a thousand patches.\n\nDo not allow the Thought-horse to run wild,\n\nAnd don’t let the stubborn Mind-ape howl at will.\n\nWith passions stilled and one’s nature firm, all destinies are in harmony;\n\nWhen the full moon of contemplation is reached, you will be pure."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After travelling peacefully Westwards for a month, the three of them left the territory of Stubet and saw a mountain soaring up above their heads. Sanzang stopped whipping his horse on, reined him in, and said, “Monkey, Monkey, that’s a high mountain in front of us, so please go and reconnoiter it.”\n\n“No need,” said Pig. “It’s called Pagoda Mountain, and there’s a Rook’s Nest Hermit who cultivates his conduct on it. I’ve met him.”\n\n“What does he do?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“He has some powers,” Pig replied. “He once invited me to cultivate my conduct with him, but I didn’t go.” As master and disciples talked they were soon on the mountain. It was a splendid mountain at that:\n\nSouth of it were blue pines and verdant locust trees,\n\nTo the North were green willows and red peach-blossom.\n\nCawing noisily,\n\nThe wild birds talked to each other;\n\nSoaring gracefully,\n\nThe cranes flew together.\n\nRich in fragrance\n\nWere the thousands of different flowers;\n\nSoftly dark\n\nWere the endless kinds of herbs."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Softly dark\n\nWere the endless kinds of herbs.\n\nIn the gullies were bubbling green streams,\n\nThe crags were wreathed in auspicious cloud.\n\nIt was indeed a scene of rare and elegant beauty.\n\nLonely, where no man came or went.\n\nAs the master surveyed the scene from his horse he noticed a grass hut in front of a fragrant locust tree. To the left of it were David’s-deer with flowers in their mouths, and to the right were monkeys holding offerings of fruit, while phoenixes of many colours wheeled around the top of the tree, in which cranes and golden pheasants had gathered. Pig pointed and said, “That’s the Rook’s Nest Hermit.” Sanzang gave his horse the rein, whipped it on, and went straight to the foot of the tree.\n\nWhen the hermit saw the three of them coming he jumped down from his bird’s nest. Sanzang dismounted and bowed to him, and only then the hermit reply, helping him up, “Please arise, holy priest. I’m sorry I did not welcome you properly.”\n\n“Greetings, venerable hermit,” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Greetings, venerable hermit,” said Pig.\n\n“Aren’t you the Iron-haired Pig from the Mount of Blessing? How have you had the great good fortune of travelling with a holy monk?”\n\n“Last year,” replied Pig, “I was converted by the Bodhisattva Guanyin, and I swore that I’d go with him as his disciple.”\n\n“Wonderful, wonderful,” exclaimed the delighted hermit, who then pointed at Monkey and asked, “Who is this gentleman?”\n\n“Old hermit,” said Monkey, “how is it that you know him but didn’t recognize me?”\n\n“Please excuse my ignorance,” the hermit replied.\n\n“He is Sun Wukong, the senior of my disciples,” explained Sanzang.\n\n“I apologize for my discourtesy,” said the hermit.\n\nSanzang bowed again and asked him the way to the Great Thunder Monastery in the Western Heaven. “Far away,” the other replied, “far away. The journey is a long one and there are many tigers and leopards along the way. It will be difficult.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How far is it?” asked Sanzang with great interest. “Although the journey is a long one,” the hermit replied, “you are bound to get there in the end. But there will be evil influences that you’ll find hard to dispel. I have a Heart Sutra, a total of 270 words in 54 sentences, and if you recite it when you encounter evil influences you will come to no harm.” Sanzang prostrated himself on the ground and begged the hermit to tell him it, and the hermit recited it to him. It went: When the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was meditating on the profound prajna-paramita, he perceived that all the five aggregates are void and empty, and he was thereupon freed from all sufferings and calamities."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sariputra, matter is not different from voidness and voidness is not different from matter: matter is voidness and voidness is matter. Such is also the case with sensation, perception, discrimination and consciousness. Sariputra, all these things are void in nature, having neither beginning nor end, being neither pure nor impure, and having neither increase nor decrease. Therefore, in voidness there is not matter, no sensation, no perception, no discrimination and no consciousness; there is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body and no mind; there is no sight, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch and no mental process; there is no category of eye nor is there a category of consciousness; no ignorance nor the cessation of ignorance; no old age and death, nor the cessation of old age and death; there is no suffering, no causes of suffering, no cessation of suffering, and no way leading go the cessation of suffering; and there is no wisdom, nor anything to be gained. As nothing is to be gained, a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to be gained. As nothing is to be gained, a Bodhisattva depending on prajna-paramita becomes free in his mind, and as he is free in his mind he has no fear and is rid of dreamlike thoughts of unreality and enjoys ultimate Nirvana. By m e a n o f p r a j n a - p a r a m i t a , a l l B u d d h a s o f t h e p a s t , t h e p r e s e n t a n d t h e f u t u r e r e a l i z e anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Therefore, we know prajna-paramita is a great, divine spell, a great enlightening spell, a supreme spell, and a spell without a parallel, that can do away with all sufferings without fail. Thus we recite the Prajna-paramita Spell and say: Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi, svaha!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the Patriarch from the Tang had already the origins of enlightenment inside himself, he was able to remember the Heart Sutra after only one hearing, and it has been passed on down to this very day. This sutra is the kernel of the cultivation of the truth, and it is the gateway to becoming a Buddha. When the hermit had recited it, he started to rise up to his crow’s nest by cloud, but Sanzang tugged at him and said that he wanted to know about the way to the Western Heaven. To this the hermit replied with a smile:\n\n“The journey will not be difficult,\n\nIf you try to follow my instructions.\n\nThere will be a thousand mountains, a thousand deep rivers.\n\nMany evil miasmas, and many a devil.\n\nIf you reach the edge of the sky\n\nDo not worry or be afraid.\n\nIf you come to Precipitous Cliff\n\nWalk with your feet placed sideways.\n\nBe careful in the Black Pine Forest,\n\nWhere many an evil fox may block your path.\n\nThe capital cities will be full of spirits,\n\nAnd demon kings will live in the mountains."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And demon kings will live in the mountains.\n\nTigers will sit in the music rooms,\n\nWolves will be in charge of the accounts.\n\nLions and elephants will all be kings,\n\nWith tigers and leopards for ministers.\n\nA wild boar will carry your luggage,\n\nA water monster will lead the way.\n\nA very old stone monkey\n\nHas no cause to be angry.\n\nAsk those friends of yours—\n\nThey know the way to the West.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They know the way to the West.”\n\nMonkey smiled bitterly and said, “Let’s go. No need to ask him; you can ask me.” Sanzang did not understand what he meant. The hermit changed himself into a beam of golden light and went up to his nest, while the venerable Sanzang bowed to him in gratitude. Monkey, now furiously angry, raised his iron cudgel and was just going up to wreck the place when ten thousand lotus flowers appeared, protected by a thousand miraculous mists. Brother Monkey, you are strong enough to stir up the ocean or turn a river upside-down; but don’t even dream of touching a twig of that nest! When Sanzang saw what he was going to do, he grabbed hold of him and said, “Wukong, what do you mean by trying to wreck this Bodhisattva’s nest?”\n\n“He insulted us two disciples,” Monkey replied.\n\n“He did not insult you,” said Sanzang. “He was talking about the way to the Western Heaven.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t be able to understand,” Monkey said. “When he said, ‘A wild boar will carry your luggage,’ he was insulting Pig; and ‘A very old stone monkey’ was an insult to me. You didn’t get his meaning, of course.”\n\n“Don’t be angry,” said Pig. “That hermit knows about the past and the future as well. We don’t yet know whether his talk about a water monster leading the way will come true or not. Let him off.”\n\nMonkey saw the lotus blossoms and the miraculous mists draw in round the nest, and could but ask his master to mount the horse and go down the mountain to the West. On this journey,\n\nAlthough they knew blessings rare on earth,\n\nThere was many a demon and disaster in the hill.\n\nIf you don’t know what lay in store for them, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Twenty\n\nThe Tang Priest Meets Trouble on the Yellow Wind Ridge\n\nPig Wins Mastery Halfway up the Mountain\n\nThe Dharma is born in the mind,\n\nAnd in turn is destroyed by the mind.\n\nWho do life and death come from?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Who do life and death come from?\n\nDecide for yourself.\n\nIf it is all from your own mind,\n\nWhy do you need others to tell you?\n\nAll you need to do is work hard,\n\nSqueezing blood out of iron.\n\nThread a silken rope through your nose.\n\nAnd fasten yourself to emptiness.\n\nTie it to the tree of non-action,\n\nTo prevent it from collapsing.\n\nDon’t acknowledge bandits as your sons,\n\nOr you will forget the Dharma and the mind.\n\nDo not allow yourself to be deceived by others—\n\nSmash them first with a punch.\n\nWhen the mind appears it is non-existent,\n\nWhen the Dharma appears, it ceases.\n\nWhen the boy and the ox both disappear,\n\nThe blue sky is absolutely clear.\n\nAll is as round as an autumn moon,\n\nAnd this and that can no longer be distinguished.\n\nThis gatha refers to how the Patriarch Xuanzang came to awareness and understanding of the Heart Sutra and thus opened the gate. As that venerable elder recited it constantly, a ray of miraculous light penetrated through to him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Eating and sleeping in the open, the three of them traveled on, and before long the heat of summer was upon them.\n\nThe blossoms were over, the butterflies’ passion spent.\n\nHigh in the trees the cicadas screeched.\n\nWild silkworms spun cocoons amid the pomegranate blossom,\n\nAs lotus flowers opened in the pool.\n\nAs they were travelling along one evening they saw a cottage beside the road. “Look,” said Sanzang, “the sun is setting behind the Western hills, hiding its mirror of fire, and the moon is rising from the Eastern sea to show its wheel of ice. How lucky that there is a family living by our path. Let’s spend the night here and set off again tomorrow morning.”\n\n“Well said,” put in Pig. “I’m a bit hungry, and if we begged some food from that house I’d have more strength for carrying the luggage.”\n\n“Homesick ghost,” remarked Brother Monkey, “you’ve only been away from home for a few days, but you’re already regretting that you came.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Elder brother,” Pig replied, “I can’t live on wind and mist like you. You couldn’t realize how the hunger’s been gnawing at my stomach all these days I’ve been following our master.”\n\n“Pig,” said Sanzang, “if your heart is still at home, you are not intended for a religious life, and you’d better go back.”\n\nThe oafish Pig fell to his knees and pleaded, “Master, please don’t pay any attention to what my elder brother says: it’s an insult. He says I wish I hadn’t come, but in fact I’ve had no regrets at all. I may be stupid, but I’m straight. I just said that I was hungry and want to beg for some food, and he starts calling me a homesick ghost. But the Bodhisattva told me about the prohibitions, and you have been so kind to me; so I really do want to serve you on your journey to the West. I’ll never have any regrets, I swear I won’t. This is what they call ‘cultivating conduct the hard way’. What right have you to say I shouldn’t be a monk?”\n\n“Very well then,” said Sanzang, “up you get.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well then,” said Sanzang, “up you get.”\n\nThe idiot leapt up, and picked up the carrying-pole, chattering incessantly. Then he pressed grimly on. Before long they reached the roadside house, where Sanzang dismounted as Monkey took the bridle and Pig put down his burden. They all stood in a green shade. Sanzang took his nine-ringed monastic staff, straightened his rattan hat, and hurried to the gates, where he saw an old man lying back on a bamboo bed mumbling Buddhist scriptures to himself.\n\nNot wanting to shout loudly, Sanzang said in a quiet voice, “Greetings, benefactor.”\n\nThe old man sprang to his feet, straightened his clothes, and came out through the gate to return his greeting. “Excuse my discourtesy, venerable sir,” he said, going on to ask, “Where are you from, and why have you come to my humble abode?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am a monk from the Great Tang in the East,” Sanzang replied, “and I bear an imperial command to worship the Buddha in the Thunder Monastery and ask for the scriptures. As we find ourselves in this district at nightfall, I would be enormously obliged if you could allow us to spend the night in your mansion.”\n\n“You’ll never get there,” said the old man with a wave of his hand and a shake of his head. “It’s impossible to get scriptures from the Western Heaven. If you want scriptures you’d better go to the Eastern Heaven.” Sanzang said nothing as he asked himself why the old man was telling them to go East when the Bodhisattva had instructed them to go West. How could the scriptures be obtained in the East, he asked himself. In his embarrassment he was at loss for words, so he made no reply."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, who was rough by his very nature, could not stand for this, so he went up to the old man and shouted, “Old fellow, you may be very ancient but you’re a complete fool. We holy men from far away come to ask for lodging, but all you can do is to try to put us off. If your house is too poky and there isn’t room for us to sleep in it, we’ll sit under the trees all night and won’t trouble you any further.” The old man grabbed hold of Sanzang and said, “Master, you didn’t warn me that you had a disciple with such a twisted face and no chin to speak of, looking like a thunder god with his red eyes. You shouldn’t let a demon of sickness like him alarm and offend a person of my age.”\n\n“You’re completely lacking in judgement, old man,” Monkey said with a laugh. “Those pretty boys may look good but, as they say, they don’t taste good. I may be little but I’m tough, and it’s all muscle under my skin.”\n\n“I suppose you must have some powers,” the old man remarked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Without wishing to boast,” Monkey replied, “I can get by.”\n\n“Where is your home,” the old man asked, “and why did you shave your head and become a monk?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My ancestral home is the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the land of Aolai which lies across the sea to the East of the Eastern Continent of Superior Body. I learned how to be an evil monster from childhood, and my name was Wukong, or Awakened to Emptiness. I used my abilities to make myself the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, but as I declined heavenly office and raised a great rebellion against the Heavenly Palace, I brought a disaster down on my own head. My sufferings are now over. I’ve turned to the Buddhist faith and am seeking a good reward for the future by escorting His Tang Excellency, my master, on his journey to the Western Heaven to visit the Buddha. I’m not afraid of high mountains with precipitous paths, or of broad rivers with huge waves. I can catch monsters and subdue demons, capture tigers or dragons, walk in the sky, or burrow into the earth. As long as your mansion has a few broken bricks and tiles, a singing pot and an open door, I’ll be able to rest here"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "pot and an open door, I’ll be able to rest here contented.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After hearing this speech, the old man said with a chuckle, “So you’re a monk with the gift of the gab who suddenly switched destinies.”\n\n“You’re the gabber, my child,” retorted Monkey. “I’m too tired after the strain of the journey with my master to be able to talk.”\n\n“It’s as well you are,” the old man replied, “or you’d be talking me to death. If you have all these powers you’ll be able to reach the West. How many of you are there? Please come into my cottage for the night.”\n\n“Thank you very much for not losing your temper with him,” Sanzang said. “There are three of us.”\n\n“Where is the third?” the old man asked.\n\n“Your eyes are very dim, old man,” said Monkey, pointing as he continued, “Can’t you see him standing in the shade there?”\n\nWhen the old man, whose eyes were indeed dim, looked carefully and saw Pig’s face he was so terrified that he ran into the house shouting, “Shut the gates, shut the gates, there’s a monster here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey ran after him and grabbed him. “Don’t be afraid, old fellow,” he said, “he’s not an evil monster, he’s a fellow-disciple of mine.”\n\n“Very well then,” replied the old man, who was trembling all over, “but what a hideous creature to be a monk.”\n\nAs the old man was talking to the three monks in front of the gates, two young men appeared at the Southern end of the farm bringing an old woman and three or four children back from transplanting rice-seedlings, for which reason their clothes were tucked up and their feet were bare.\n\nWhen they saw the white horse and the carrying pole with luggage and heard the shouting at the gates of their home, they did not know what was up, so they rushed forward and asked, “What are you doing?” Pig turned round, flapped his ears, and thrust his snout at them, at which they all collapsed in terror or fled."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the confusion Sanzang kept calling out, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, we are good men, we are monks going to fetch the scriptures.” The old man then came out again, and helped the old woman to her feet.\n\n“Up you get, wife,” he said, “there’s no call for panic. This holy father is from the Tang court, and although his disciples are a bit ugly, their hearts are in the right place. Please take the youngsters inside.” The old woman clung to the old man while the two young men took the children inside.\n\nAs he sat on a bamboo chair in the gatehouse, Sanzang said indignantly, “Disciples, the pair of you are ugly to look at, and your language is too coarse. You gave that whole family a terrible fright, and got me into trouble.”\n\n“I tell you truthfully, master,” Pig replied, “that I’ve grown better-looking since I’ve been following you. When I lived in Gao Village I looked so awful that I often used to scare twenty or thirty people to death by making a face and waggling my ears.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t exaggerate, stupid,” said Monkey with a smile, “and tidy that ugly mug of yours up a bit.”\n\n“What nonsense you’re talking, Monkey,” said Sanzang. “He was born that way, so how can you expect him to tidy his face up?”\n\n“He could stick his rake of a snout into his chest, and not bring it out; and he could lay those fan-shaped ears down behind his head and not waggle them. That would tidy his appearance up.” Pig then tucked his snout away and laid his ears back, and stood beside Sanzang with his head bowed. Brother Monkey took the luggage inside and tethered the white horse to a post."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man came out again with a young man who was carrying a tray with three cups of tea on it, and when it had been drunk he gave instructions for a vegetarian meal to be prepared. The young man then brought out an old, dented, and unlacquered table, as well as a pair of benches with chipped tops and broken legs, which he put in a cool spot before asking the three of them to sit down. Sanzang then asked the old man his surname, and was told, “Your humble servant’s surname is Wang.”\n\n“How many descendants have you?”\n\n“Two sons and three grandchildren.”\n\n“Congratulations, congratulations,” said Sanzang; then he asked the old man how old he was.\n\n“I have lived in my stupidity to sixty-one.”\n\n“Splendid, splendid, you have begun a new cycle,” said Sanzang. “Benefactor,” he continued, “why did you say at first that it would be impossible to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There is no problem about actually getting the scriptures,” the old man replied, “it’s just that the journey will be very difficult. Only some twelve miles to the West of here is a mountain called the three-hundred mile Yellow Wind Ridge, and it’s full of evil monsters. That’s why I said it would be impossible to get the scriptures. But as this younger gentleman says he has so many magic powers, you will be able to get there.”\n\n“Certainly, certainly,” said Monkey. “With me, my master and my fellow-disciple, no devils, however fierce, will dare to provoke us.”\n\nAs he spoke the youth came in with food, which he put on the table with the words, “Please eat.” Sanzang put his hands together and started to recite the grace. By then Pig had already swallowed a bowlful, and the moron finished three more before the short prayer was over.\n\n“What a chaff-guzzler,” said Monkey. “We do seem to have run into a hungry ghost.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Old Wang, however, found the speed at which Pig ate very amusing, and said, “This reverend gentleman must be very hungry. Give him more rice at once.” The stupid creature indeed had a large stomach. Look at him, keeping his head down as he devours at least a dozen bowls. Sanzang and Monkey had not been able to finish two bowls, but the idiot would not stop and was still eating. “As this is far from being haute cuisine, I cannot press you too hard, but please take another mouthful.”\n\n“We have eaten enough,” said Sanzang and Monkey; but Pig said, “What are you going on about, old fellow? Who’s been telling your fortune? Is that why you’re going on about quizzing? Anyhow, as long as there’s rice, give me some more.” In a single meal the idiot ate all the rice in the house, and still said that he was only half-full. Then the table was cleared away, bamboo beds were set out for them in the gatehouse, and they went to sleep."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At dawn the next morning Monkey went to saddle the horse while Pig packed the luggage. Old Wang told his wife to prepare some pastries and hot water for then, after which the three of them thanked him and said good-bye. “If anything goes wrong on your journey,” the old man said, “you must come to our place.”\n\n“Don’t be so discouraging, old fellow,” said Monkey. “We’re dedicated, and there’s no turning back for us.”\n\nWith that they whipped the horse, picked up the carrying-pole, and headed West.\n\nAlas! On their journey there was no good path to the West, and there were undoubtedly demons and great disasters in store for them. Before they had been going for half a day, they reached the mountain. It was most precipitous. Sanzang rode as far as the edge of a cliff, then dismounted to have a look.\n\nHigh was the mountain,\n\nCraggy the ridge;\n\nSteep the cliffs,\n\nDeep the valleys.\n\nSprings could be heard,\n\nAnd sweet smelt the flowers.\n\nWas that mountain high?\n\nIts summit touched the azure heavens."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Its summit touched the azure heavens.\n\nWere the gorges deep?\n\nAt their bottom you could see the Underworld.\n\nIn front of the mountain\n\nWere rolling white clouds,\n\nAnd towering crags.\n\nThere were no end of myriad-fathom, soul-snatching cliffs,\n\nIn which were twisting caves for dragons,\n\nCaves full of stalactites dripping with water.\n\nHe saw deer with branching antlers,\n\nAnd river-deer gazing with fixed stare,\n\nCoiled, red-scaled pythons,\n\nAnd mischievous, white-faced apes.\n\nAt evening tigers climbed the hills to find their dens;\n\nDragons emerged from the waves at dawn,\n\nTo enter their caves with thunderous roars.\n\nBirds flying in the grass\n\nRose in a flurry;\n\nBeasts walking in the woods\n\nHurried helter-skelter.\n\nSuddenly a pack of wolves ran past,\n\nMaking the heart pound hard with fear.\n\nThis is a place where caves are linked with caves,\n\nAnd mountains stand with mountains.\n\nThe green of the peak made it like ten thousand feet of jade,\n\nAs a myriad clouds were piled above it like a cover of bluish gauze."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While Sanzang urged his silvery steed slowly forward, Monkey strolled ahead on his cloud and Pig ambled along with the carrying-pole. As they looked at the mountain they heard a whirlwind blowing up, and Sanzang was alarmed.\n\n“Wukong,” he said, “there’s a whirlwind coming.”\n\n“What’s there to be afraid of about a wind?” said Monkey. “It’s only weather, after all, and nothing to be scared of.”\n\n“But this is a very evil wind, not like a natural wind at all,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“How can you tell?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Just look at it,” said Sanzang:\n\n“Mighty and majestic it howls and roars,\n\nComing out of the distant heavens.\n\nAs it crosses the ridge the trees moan,\n\nThe trunks bend when it enters the wood.\n\n“The willow on the bank is shaken to its roots,\n\nAnd flowers and leaves go swirling round the garden.\n\nOn the fishing boats gathering in nets, they pull hard on the cables;\n\nShips lower their sails, and all cast anchor.\n\n“The traveler loses his way in mid-journey,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The traveler loses his way in mid-journey,\n\nThe woodcutter in the hills cannot carry his load.\n\nThe monkeys scatter in the orchards of fairy fruit,\n\nThe deer flee from the clumps of rare flowers.\n\n“Locust trees and cedars collapse before the cliff,\n\nWhile pine and bamboo in the valley are stripped of leaves.\n\nThere are stinging blasts of dirt and sand,\n\nAnd waves boil on rivers and seas.”\n\nPig went up to Monkey and grabbed hold of him. “Brother,” he said, “this is a terrific storm. Let’s take shelter.”\n\n“You’re useless, brother,” replied Monkey with a mocking laugh. “If a big wind makes you want to hide, what are you going to do when you meet an evil spirit?”\n\n“Elder brother, have you never heard the saying, ‘Avoid a pretty girl as you would an enemy, avoid a wind as you would an arrow?’” Pig replied. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t take shelter.”\n\n“Stop talking, will you, while I get a hold on that wind and take a sniff at it,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re talking through your hat again,” said Pig with a grin. “As if you could get a hold on a wind. Besides, even if you did, your hand would go through it.”\n\n“What you don’t know, brother, is that I have a magic way of catching winds,” Monkey replied. Letting the head of the wind pass, the splendid Monkey grabbed the tail and sniffed at it. It had rather a foul stench. “It certainly isn’t a good wind,” he remarked. “It smells like either a tiger wind or a monster wind. There’s definitely something suspicious about it.”\n\nBefore the words were out of his mouth, a ferocious striped tiger leapt out at the foot of the slope, slashing with its tail and rushing towards them. Sanzang was so scared that he could no longer keep his seat in his carved saddle, but fell headfirst off his white horse and lay sprawled in a witless heap beside the path."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig threw down the luggage, grabbed his rake and, not letting Monkey move forward, roared, “Animal, where d’you think you’re going?” He went straight after it and smote it on the head. The tiger stood up on its hind legs, and with a swing of its front left claws ripped at its own chest. There was a tearing noise as its skin all came off, and then the creature stood beside the path. Just see how hideous was:\n\nA gory, skinned body,\n\nRound, red legs and feet.\n\nFiery, matted hair,\n\nAnd straight, bristling eyebrows.\n\nFour sinister steely white fangs,\n\nA pair of glittering golden eyes.\n\nWith soaring spirits it gave a mighty roar,\n\nA mighty and majestic shout.\n\n“Not so fast,” it yelled, “not so fast. I am none other than the Commander of the Vanguard for the Great Yellow Wind King. I bear His Majesty’s strictest command to patrol the mountain and catch a few common mortals as tidbits for him to nibble with his wine. Where are you from, monk, and how dare you wound me with that weapon of yours?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll get you, you beast,” replied Pig abusively. “You don’t seem to realize that I’m not just any old passing traveler: I’m a disciple of Sanzang, the younger brother of the Tang Emperor of the East, who has been sent by the Emperor to visit the Buddha in the Western Heaven and ask for the scriptures. If you clear off, stop blocking our path, and don’t frighten my master any more, I’ll spare your life. But if you go on raging about like that, there’ll be no mercy for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not bothering to argue, the evil spirit rushed at Pig, feinted, and clawed at his face. Pig dodged nimbly and swung his rake at the monster, who turned and fled as he was unarmed. With Pig at his heels he made for the bottom of the slope and produced two bronze swords from the tangled undergrowth there; then, brandishing them, he turned to face Pig. The two of them battled away at the foot of the hill, lunging and hitting at each other. Monkey, who was helping the Tang Priest to sit up, said, “Don’t be afraid, master. You sit here while I help Pig to defeat that monster, then we can be on our way.” Sanzang, who had managed to sit up, was shaking all over and intoning the Heart Sutra. Monkey grabbed his cudgel and shouted, “Get it.” Pig made a tremendous effort, and the monster fled from the scene of battle. “Don’t let him get away,” yelled Monkey, “you must catch it.” The pair of them chased the monster down the mountain, waving the rake and the cudgel. The monster was so hard-pressed that it did a “golden"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "monster was so hard-pressed that it did a “golden cicada shedding its skin” trick. It reverted to its real form—a ferocious tiger—with a somersault, but Monkey and Pig would still not let it get away, and were hot on its heels, determined to destroy it. When the monster saw how close they were, it ripped at its chest and tore off its skin again, then laid it over a rock that was shaped like a crouching tiger. Then it abandoned its real body, turned into a hurricane, and went straight back to the path, where it noticed Sanzang reciting the Heart Sutra. Sanzang was grabbed by the monster and carried away on the wind. Poor Sanzang:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Monk of the River was fated to suffer much;\n\nIn the faith of Nirvana it is hard to win merit.\n\nCarrying the Tang Priest to the mouth of the cave, the monster stilled the hurricane and said to the gatekeepers, “Report to His Majesty at once that the Tiger of the Vanguard has caught a monk and is awaiting further instructions outside the gates.” He was then admitted on the orders of the chieftain. With his two bronze swords stuck in his belt and holding the Tang Priest in both hands, he went forward and genuflected before the chieftain. “Your Majesty,” he said, “your humble underling was patrolling the mountain as ordered when suddenly I met a monk. He is the Patriarch Sanzang, the younger brother of His Majesty the Great Tang Emperor, and he was going to the West to visit the Buddha and ask for the scriptures. I have captured him and now offer him as a dish for your table.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The chieftain was astonished at the news. “I’ve heard tell of the Patriarch Sanzang, the holy priest sent by the Great Tang Emperor to fetch the scriptures. He has a disciple called Brother Monkey whose magical powers are tremendous and whose cunning is considerable. However did you manage to catch him?”\n\n“He has two disciples. The first one to come at me was a fellow with a long nose and big ears who wields a nine-pronged rake, and the second one has a gold-banded iron cudgel and fiery eyes with golden pupils. When the pair of them were after me and about to attack, I used a ‘golden cicada shedding its skin’ trick to make my getaway, then I caught this monk to offer to Your Majesty as a snack.”\n\n“He’s not to be eaten yet,” the chieftain said.\n\n“You must be off your food, Your Majesty, if you won’t eat what’s put before you,” said the Tiger of the Vanguard."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t get my point,” the chieftain replied. “It’s not eating him that worries me, but the thought that those two disciples of his may come here to make trouble, which would be dangerous. Tie him to the wind-settling stake in the garden at the back, and leave him there for a few days till we’re sure his disciples won’t be coming to make trouble for us. This way he’ll be nice and clean, and we can do what we like with him without any arguments. Whether we have him boiled, steamed, fried or scrambled, we can eat him at our leisure.”\n\n“Your Majesty’s plans are most far-sighted, and you are quite right,” said the Tiger of the Vanguard, who then ordered his underlings to take Sanzang away.\n\nSeven or eight of them crowded forward to tie up Sanzang and take him away; they were like hawks seizing bramblings as they bound him tightly. Then did the unfortunate Monk of the River long for Brother Monkey; the holy priest in his troubles wished Pig would come."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciples,” he called out, “I don’t know on what mountain you are catching monsters, or where you’re subduing evil spirits, but I’ve met with disaster and been captured by a demon. Alas, when will I ever see you again? If you come soon, you can save my life, but if you are too long about it I will be finished.” His tears poured down like rain as he moaned and sighed.\n\nAs Monkey and Pig chased the tiger down the mountain side they saw that it had reached the bottom and was crouching at the foot of the cliff. Monkey raised his cudgel and brought it down as hard as he could, thus hurting his own hands. Pig took another swipe at the beast with his rake, which made its prongs splay apart. The Tiger turned out to be only a tiger skin spread over a rock shaped like crouching tiger.\n\n“This is terrible,” said Monkey, “he’s tricked us.”\n\n“How?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How?” Pig asked.\n\n“The trick is called ‘the golden cicada shedding its skin’. He put his tiger-skin over this rock and got away. We’d better go back and see that our master comes to no harm.” The two of them rushed back to find that Sanzang had disappeared. “Whatever shall we do?” cried Monkey in a voice as loud as thunder. “It’s caught our master.”\n\nPig led the horse over and said through his tears, “Heaven help us. Wherever shall we look for him?”\n\n“Don’t cry,” said Monkey, raising his head, “don’t cry. If you cry you’ll dampen our spirits. I’m convinced he must be somewhere on this mountain. We must start searching for him.”\n\nThe two of them hurried deep into the mountain, going through passes and crossing ridges, and after they had been going for a long time they saw a cave palace at the foot of a rock-face. They stopped to gaze at it, and saw an awe-inspiring sight:\n\nScreened by many a jagged peak,\n\nWith ancient paths winding around;\n\nGreen pines merged with bluish bamboo;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Green pines merged with bluish bamboo;\n\nThe softness of willows and wutong trees.\n\nOdd boulders stood in pairs before the cliff,\n\nWhile birds made couples hidden in the woods.\n\nThe water in the gully splashed against the rock-wall,\n\nAs the spring waters trickled over the sandbank.\n\nUnder the billowing clouds,\n\nRare herbs grew lush.\n\nFox spirits and crafty hares darted around;\n\nHorned deer and river-deer fought for mastery.\n\nAncient creepers hung across the rocks,\n\nAnd a thousand-year cypress was suspended in a chasm.\n\nIn pinnacled majesty it vied with Mount Hua;\n\nThe flowers and birdsong rivaled Tiantai Peak.\n\n“Worthy brother,” said Monkey, “put our baggage in the wind-storing cave, let the horse out to pasture, and lie low while I go to the gates of that place and fight it out with them. I must catch that evil spirit before I can rescue our master.”\n\n“There’s no need to give me instructions,” Pig replied. “Go at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey straightened his tunic, tightened his tiger-skin kilt, and went straight to the gate with his cudgel in his hands. Above the gate he saw YELLOW WIND CAVE OF THE YELLOW WIND RIDGE written in large letters. Taking a firm stance and brandishing the club he shouted, “Evil monsters, send my master out if you don’t want this den of yours turned upside-down and your home trampled flat.”\n\nWhen the junior fiends heard this they were terrified, and they ran trembling inside to announce, “Your Majesty, a disaster.”\n\n“What is it?” asked the Yellow Wind Monster who was sitting inside.\n\n“There’s a thunder-voiced, hairy-faced monk outside with a great thick iron cudgel in his hands, and he wants his master back,” they said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The alarmed chieftain sent for the Tiger of the Vanguard and said to him, “When I sent you to patrol the mountain you were only supposed to catch mountain oxen, wild boar, deer, and goats. Why on earth did you bring that Tang Priest here? It’s provoked his disciple into coming to make trouble. What are we to do?”\n\n“There is no need for Your Majesty to worry,” the Tiger replied. “Your incompetent underling will take fifty junior officers out with me and bring back that Brother Monkey as a second course for the meal.”\n\n“Apart from the higher and lower ranking commanders, we have about six hundred junior officers here,” said the chieftain. “Take as many of them as you like with you. If you catch that Monkey, we can dine off the priest at our leisure, and I promise to make you my sworn brother. But I’m afraid that you won’t be able to get him, and that he’ll kill you. If that happens, don’t blame me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Rest assured,” the tiger monster said, “rest assured. I’ll soon be back with him.” Mustering fifty strong and spirited young fiends, he charged out of the gates with drums rolling and banners waving; his two bronze swords were tied to his body. “Where are you from, ape monk?” he shrieked at the top of his voice. “What do you mean by all this yelling and shouting?”\n\n“You skinned beast,” Monkey retorted, “you played that trick of skinning yourself to capture my master, and you have the nerve to ask me what I’m doing! Bring my master out at once and I’ll spare your life.”\n\n“Yes, I captured your master,” the monster replied, “and he’s going to be served up at His Majesty’s dinner table. If you have any sense, go away. Otherwise I’ll catch you too, and you’ll be served up with him. As I’ve got one of you, I’ll let the other off.” Monkey was now furious, and he gnashed his steely teeth as his fiery eyes opened wide in a terrible glare."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What powers have you,” he roared, brandishing his iron cudgel, “to give you the nerve to talk so big? Hold it a moment, and take this.” The tiger put his hands on his swords, and a terrible fight ensued as each of them showed off his powers.\n\nThe monster was like a goose egg,\n\nMonkey was an egg-shaped stone.\n\nTrying to ward off Monkey with bronze swords\n\nWas like throwing eggs at a stone.\n\nHow can a crow or jackdaw fight a phoenix?\n\nWhat chance has a pigeon against a hawk?\n\nThe monster snorted out winds that covered the mountain with dust,\n\nBut Monkey breathed a fog that blotted out the sun.\n\nAfter fighting it out for many a round,\n\nThe Vanguard was exhausted, his strength all gone.\n\nHe turned away, defeated, to flee for his life,\n\nOnly to have Monkey harry him to death."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only to have Monkey harry him to death.\n\nWhen he could defend himself no longer, the monster turned to flee. As he had talked so boastfully in front of his chieftain he dared not return to the cave, so he tried to escape up the mountain side. Monkey, who had no intention of letting him go, chased him as fast as he could, waving his cudgel, roaring, and howling. He chased him as far as the hollow where the wind was stored, where Pig could be seen pasturing the horse. As soon as Pig heard the shouting he turned to look, and when he saw Monkey pursuing the defeated tiger monster he let go of the horse, raised his rake, and struck the tiger diagonally across the head. The poor monster, who thought he had made his way out of the silken net, never realized that he had been caught by a fish-trapper. Pig’s rake made nine holes from which the blood gushed, and the brains all spurted out. There is a pome to prove it that goes:\n\nConverted to the true faith several years before,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He avoided meat and was awakened to emptiness.\n\nDetermined with all his heart to defend Sanzang\n\nHe won this merit early in his religious life.\n\nPlanting his foot in the middle of the monster’s back, Pig swung the rake with both hands and smote him again. When Monkey saw this he was delighted, and he said, “That’s the way, brother. He led a few dozen petty fiends out to do battle with me, but I beat him. Instead of running back to the cave he came this way, as if he wanted to die. If you hadn’t been here to meet him, he’d have got away again.”\n\n“Was he the one who made a gale and carried off our master?” Pig asked.\n\n“The very one,” Monkey replied. “Did you ask him where our master is?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He took our master into the cave and wanted to give him to his chieftain to eat with his rice. This made me so angry that I fought him all the way to here, where you finished him off. The credit for this must go to you, brother. You’d better go on looking after the horse and our things while I drag that monster’s body over to the cave and challenge them to another fight. We must capture the chief monster if we’re to rescue our master.”\n\n“You’re right,” said Pig, “so off you go. If you beat that chief monster, mind you chase him this way for me to corner and kill.” Splendid Monkey went straight to the mouth of the cave with his cudgel in one hand and the dead tiger in the other. Indeed:\n\nWhen the patriarch was in danger from evil monsters,\n\nEmotion and Nature combined to subdue the demons.\n\nIf you don’t know whether he defeated the evil monsters and saved Sanzang, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Twenty-One\n\nThe Protectors of the Faith Build a Farm for the Great Sage"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lingji from Sumeru Pacifies the Wind Devil\n\nThe fifty petty devils fled routed into the cave, their banners and drums smashed, to report, “Your Majesty, the Tiger of the Vanguard is no match for the hairy-faced monk, who chased him down the mountain.” The old fiend was very angry at the news, and he sat silent with his head bowed as he thought over what to do.\n\nThen the petty demons from the gate came in to announce, “Your Majesty, the hairy-faced monk has killed the Tiger of the Vanguard and dragged his body to the gates, where he’s insulting us to provoke us to fight.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old fiend was angrier than ever when he heard this, and he said, “This wretch doesn’t know what he’s doing, killing my Commander of the Vanguard although I haven’t eaten his master. Hateful beast. Bring my armour. I’ve heard of this Brother Monkey, and now I think I’ll go out to have a look at this nine-headed, eight-tailed monk. I’ll capture him to avenge my Tiger of the Vanguard.” The junior devils brought the armour as fast as they could, and when the old fiend had put it all on properly, he took his steel trident and led his devilish host out of the cave. He was full of martial dignity as he came out, and you can see how he was equipped:\n\nHis golden helmet shone in the sun,\n\nAnd light was reflected from his golden armour.\n\nA pheasant’s tail floated above his helmet,\n\nAnd the thin silk robe over his armour was pale goose-yellow.\n\nThe belt that girded his armour was dragon-brilliant;\n\nHis shining breastplate dazzled the eye.\n\nHis deerskin boots\n\nWere the color of locust-tree blossom;\n\nHis brocade kilt"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His brocade kilt\n\nWas patterned with willow leaves.\n\nWith a sharp steel trident in his hand,\n\nHe was no less awesome than the Little Sage Erlang.\n\nAs he came out of his cave the old fiend shouted at the top of his voice, “Are you Brother Monkey?”\n\nMonkey, who was jumping up and down on the tiger monster’s corpse and brandishing his cudgel, replied, “Your grandfather, Monkey, is here. Send my master out.” The evil spirit looked carefully at Monkey and saw that he had a miserable little body and a pinched face, and did not even stand four feet tall.\n\n“Poor little thing,” he said with a laugh. “I’d imagined that you were some sort of invincible hero, but now I see what a little sick devil you really are, all skin and bone.”\n\nMonkey smiled back and said, “You’ve no eyes in your head, my child. I may be tiny, but if you hit me on the head with the handle of your trident, I’ll grow another six feet.”\n\n“Make your head hard then,” the monster replied, “here it comes.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage did not flinch as the monster hit him, then with a bend of his waist he grew six feet taller, making himself ten feet tall altogether, to the astonishment of the monster, who put his trident down and shouted, “Brother Monkey, why do you come and do these defensive transformations at my gate? Stop fooling around, and come over here so we can compare tricks.”\n\n“My child,” Monkey replied, “as the saying goes, ‘If you have any warm feelings, don’t raise your hand in anger; and if you raise your hand in anger, put all feelings aside.’ I have a very heavy hand, and I’m afraid that you may not be able to stand my cudgel.” No longer wishing to talk, the monster whirled his trident round and lunged at Monkey’s chest. With unrushed expertise Monkey did a “Black Dragon Pawing the Ground” movement to parry the trident with his cudgel before striking at the monster’s head. There followed a fine duel between the pair of them at the mouth of the Yellow Wind Gave:\n\nThe demon king was furious,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demon king was furious,\n\nThe Great Sage showed his might.\n\nThe furious demon king\n\nWanted to catch Monkey in revenge for his Vanguard Commander;\n\nThe mighty Great Sage\n\nIntended to capture the evil spirit and rescue his master.\n\nWhen the trident came the cudgel parried,\n\nWhen the cudgel struck the trident blocked.\n\nOne was supreme commander of the mountain,\n\nThe other was the Handsome Monkey King, Protector of the Law.\n\nAt first they fought in the dust,\n\nBut then they rose into mid-air.\n\nThe steel-tipped trident\n\nWas bright-pointed and deadly sharp;\n\nThe As-You-Will cudgel\n\nWas black and banded with gold.\n\nWhoever was run through would go to the Underworld;\n\nIf either was hit he would surely meet King Yama.\n\nAll depended on a fast hand and a quick eye;\n\nStrength and vigor were essential.\n\nEach was mindless of life or death,\n\nWho would survive, and who would be killed?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Who would survive, and who would be killed?\n\nAfter some thirty rounds of combat between the old fiend and the Great Sage the issue was still not settled. As Monkey wanted to win glory he used an “extra body” trick: plucking a hair out, he chewed it into little bits, blew them all out, and shouted, “Change!” They turned into well over a hundred Monkeys, all dressed like him and wielding iron cudgels. They surrounded the monster in mid-air, and in his fright he countered with a trick of his own. He turned his head sharply to the Southeast opened his mouth three times, and blew. A yellow hurricane suddenly arose. It was really terrible.\n\nAs it howled and moaned all was changed;\n\nWithout sign or shadow the yellow dust whirled,\n\nWhistling through forests, toppling mountains, and uprooting trees,\n\nPicking up dust to blot out the tumbling ridge.\n\nThe Yellow River’s waters were all in turmoil,\n\nWhile the Yangtse’s waves were blown backwards.\n\nThe Polar palace was rocked in the sky,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Polar palace was rocked in the sky,\n\nThe Senluo Palace in the Underworld was all but blown down.\n\nHeaven was filled with the shouting of Arhats,\n\nThe Eight Great Vajrapanis were all yelling wildly.\n\nManjusri’s black-coated lion fled,\n\nSamantabhadra’s white elephant was nowhere to be found.\n\nThe True Martial Emperor’s tortoise and snake were missing,\n\nZi Tong’s mule was blown away by its saddle-cloth.\n\nTravelling merchants called on Heaven,\n\nBoatmen made vows to the gods as they sought safety.\n\nLives were washed away in the torrent,\n\nFortune or death was decided by the waters.\n\nThe cave palace on the magic mountain was murky dark,\n\nAnd Penglai, island of joy, was wrapped in gloom.\n\nLao Zi could hardly manage to look after his furnace,\n\nThe Star of Longevity put away his fan of dragon’s beard grass.\n\nThe Queen Mother, on her way to a Peach Banquet,\n\nHad the pendants at her waist blown in a tangle.\n\nErlang could not find his city of Guanzhou;\n\nNezha could scarcely draw his sword from its scabbard."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Heavenly King Li lost sight of the pagoda in his hand,\n\nLu Ban the carpenter dropped his gold-tipped awl.\n\nThree stories of the pagoda at Thunder Monastery fell,\n\nAnd the stone bridge at Zhaozhou collapsed.\n\nThe red wheel of the sun sent out no light,\n\nAnd all the stars in the sky were dimmed.\n\nThe birds of the Southern hills were carried to the North,\n\nThe waters of the East lake flowed to the West.\n\nHusband was parted from wife,\n\nMother snatched from child.\n\nThe dragon king searched the seas for his yakshas,\n\nThe thunder god hunted everywhere for his lightning.\n\nThe Ten Kings of hell looked for the judge,\n\nWhile the bull-headed demons searched for the horse-faced.\n\nThis hurricane overturned Potaraka Island,\n\nRolling up all of Guanyin’s scriptures.\n\nThe white lotus went flying beyond the seas,\n\nAnd the twelve courts of the Bodhisattva were all blown down.\n\nPan Gu, who had seen all winds since creation,\n\nHad never seen one as fine as this,\n\nHowl, howl—\n\nAs mountains and seas trembled,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Howl, howl—\n\nAs mountains and seas trembled,\n\nHeaven and Earth were all but blasted asunder.\n\nThe hurricane that the monster had summoned up made all the little Monkeys that the Great Sage had produced from his hair whirl round in mid-air like so many spinning-wheels, and, far from being able to use their cudgels, they could not even control their own bodies. At this critical moment Monkey shook his hair and put it back on his body, then advanced to give battle with his iron cudgel held high. The monster blew another yellow hurricane at him, and it was so strong that Monkey had to shut his fiery eyes with their golden pupils tight. Opening them was out of the question. Unable to use his iron cudgel, he had to flee from the scene of battle, at which the monster put his wind away and went back to his cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig saw the great yellow hurricane blow up and cast Heaven and Earth into darkness, he held on to the horse and kept a grip on the carrying pole while he crouched in the hollow on the mountain side, not daring to open his eyes or raise his head as he invoked the Buddha and made all sorts of vows to him. He did not know whether Monkey had won or lost, or whether their master was still alive. As he worried about all this the wind died down and the sky became clear again. He raised his head to look towards the entrance of the cave, but he could neither see any weapons nor hear any gongs or drums. The idiot did not want to get any nearer to those gates, and there was nobody else to look after the horse and the baggage, so he was stuck there, not knowing what to do, and feeling miserable. His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Monkey shouting to the West of him. Pig half rose to his feet to welcome him and said, “That was quite a wind, elder brother. Where’ve you been?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That was terrible,” said Monkey, “Never in my life have I known such a hurricane. That old fiend came out to fight me with a steel trident, and after we’d been at it for thirty rounds I used my extra body trick to surround him. This made him so worried that he deliberately summoned up the wind. It was really vicious—it blew so hard I couldn’t stand my ground, so I had to put my tricks away and clear out. What a wind, what a wind! I can call up wind or rain, but I’ve never produced anything as vicious as his.”\n\n“Can that evil monster fight well?” Pig asked.\n\n“He’s not bad at all,” Monkey replied, “and he has a very neat way with this trident. We were evenly matched, apart from that foul wind, which makes him unbeatable.”\n\n“Then how are we going to rescue our master?” Pig asked.\n\n“His rescue will have to wait,” Monkey replied. “I wonder if there’s an oculist near here to treat my eyes.”\n\n“What’s happened to them?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What’s happened to them?” Pig asked.\n\n“When that monster blew his wind at me,” said Monkey, “it made my eyes very sore, and they keep on watering.”\n\n“We’re halfway up a mountain, and night’s falling,” said Pig. “Never mind about an oculist, there’s nowhere for us to shelter for the night.”\n\n“There’s no problem about shelter,” Monkey replied. “I don’t think that evil spirit will dare to do our master any harm, so let’s find the main path and look for a house to stay in tonight. We can come back here at first light to subdue that fiend.”\n\n“Very well, very well,” Pig replied.\n\nLeading the horse and carrying the baggage, they came out of the hollow and went along the path. The dusk was gradually deepening when they heard dogs barking under a hill to the South of the path. They stopped to look and saw a farmhouse with a lamp shining brightly in its window. The pair of them stopped bothering to look for the path and cut straight through the grass to the gate. They saw\n\nDark magic fungus,\n\nGreeny white rocks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dark magic fungus,\n\nGreeny white rocks.\n\nThe magic fungus was dark among the many herbs,\n\nThe white rocks were green with moss.\n\nSome tiny fireflies made dots of light\n\nAgainst the dense ranks of the forest trees.\n\nHeavy was the fragrance of the orchid,\n\nAnd the tender bamboo had been newly cut.\n\nA pure spring flowed along a winding bed,\n\nAn ancient cypress hung over a cliff.\n\nNo travelers came to this remote spot,\n\nAnd only wild flowers bloomed before the gate.\n\nAs they did not want to march straight in, the two of them shouted, “Open up, open up.”\n\nAn old man came out at the head of several farm hands carrying forks, rakes and brooms. “Who are you,” he asked, “who are you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We are the disciples of the holy priest of the Great Tang in the East,” replied Monkey with a bow. “We were crossing these mountains on our way to the West to visit the Buddha and ask for the scriptures when the Great King of the Yellow Wind snatched our master away. We haven’t been able to rescue him yet, but as it is getting dark we have come to beg for a night’s lodging in your mansion, and we hope very much that you will help us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man returned his bow and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t welcome you properly. This is a place where we see a lot of clouds but very few people, and when I heard you shouting at the gate I feared it might be fox-spirits, tigers, bandits from the mountains, or something of the sort. I am afraid that I have stupidly offended you: I did not realize it would be two reverend gentlemen. Please come in.” Taking the horse and the luggage with them they went inside, tethered the animal, put down the carrying pole, bowed to the old man, and sat down. A servant came in with tea, and when they had drunk it some bowls of sesame meal were produced. After they had eaten, the old man had beds prepared for them and suggested that they went to bed. “We don’t need to sleep yet,” Monkey replied, adding, “may I ask you, kind sir, if eye ointment is sold anywhere around here?”\n\n“Do you have a chronic eye complaint, reverend sir?” the old man asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I can tell you truthfully, sir,” Monkey replied, “that we religious men have never been ill before, and I’ve never had trouble with my eyes before.”\n\n“Then why are you asking for ointment?” the old man asked.\n\n“We were trying to rescue our master on the Yellow Wind Ridge today,” Monkey explained, “when that monster started blowing his wind at me, which made my eyes ache. They’re streaming with tears now, which is why I want to find some eye ointment.”\n\n“A fine story,” the old man commented. “How could you tell such lies, a reverend gentleman, and so young a one at that? The Great King of the Yellow Wind’s hurricane is really terrible. It can’t be compared with spring winds, autumn winds, pine and bamboo winds, or North, South, East and West winds.”\n\n“It must be a brain-snatching wind,” interrupted Pig, “or a goat’s ear wind, or a hemp wind, or a head-twisting wind.”\n\n“No, no,” the old man said, “it’s called a Divine Samadhi Wind.”\n\n“What’s it like?” Monkey asked.\n\n“It can darken Heaven and Earth,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It can darken Heaven and Earth,\n\nMake gods and devils gloomy,\n\nSplit rocks open and bring cliffs down,\n\nAnd it doesn’t stop till you’re dead,”\n\nthe old man replied. “If you’d encountered that wind, you couldn’t possibly have survived. Only a god or an Immortal would be able to survive such a wind.”\n\n“Quite right,” Monkey replied, “quite right. Although we’re not gods or Immortals ourselves, I regard them as my juniors, and this life of mine is extremely hard to snuff out—all the wind could do was to make my eyes very sore.”\n\n“If what you say is true,” the old man said, “you must really be somebody. Although there is nowhere that sells eye ointment here, I sometimes suffer from watering eyes myself when I’m in the wind, and I once met an unusual person who gave me a prescription for ‘Three Flower Nine Seed Ointment’. This cures all inflammations of the eye.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey bowed his head, chanted a respectful “na-a-aw,” and said, “Please put a little on my eyes for me to try.” The old man consented, went inside, and brought out a tiny agate bottle. Removing the stopper, he dipped a jade hairpin inside and put a tiny amount in Monkey’s eyes, then told him not to open them. He could go to sleep without worrying, and in the morning he would be cured. When he had finished applying it he put the stopper back the bottle and gave it to a servant to put away inside. Pig opened their bundles, spread out their bedding, and told Monkey to go to bed.\n\nMonkey groped about so wildly with his eyes shut that Pig laughed at him and said, “Would you like a blind man’s stick, sir?”\n\n“Chaff-guzzling moron,” Monkey retorted, “do you want to make a blind man of me?” The idiot chuckled himself quietly to sleep, but Monkey sat thinking on the bed until midnight before he dozed off."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At about five the next morning, just before the break of day, Brother Monkey rubbed his face, opened his eyes and said, “It certainly is good ointment—I can see far, and more clearly than ever.” He turned round to look behind him, and to his astonishment there was no house, windows, or doors; all that could be seen were some ancient locust trees and tall willows. The pair of them were sleeping on cushions of green sedge.\n\n“What are you shouting for?” asked Pig as he woke up.\n\n“Open your eyes and look,” replied Monkey. The idiot raised his head, and when he saw that there was nobody there, he leapt up in a panic with the words, “Where’s our horse?”\n\n“Over there, tied to a tree,” said Monkey.\n\n“What about the luggage?”\n\n“There, beside your head.”\n\n“The wretches,” said Pig, “moving way in the middle of the night. Damn it, we must have been almost dead asleep. However did they dismantle the house without us hearing a thing?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Idiot,” said Monkey with a snigger, “don’t go shouting all over the place. Can you see what that piece of paper on the tree over there is?” Pig went over, tore it down, and saw that there were four lines of verse on it:\n\n“This farm was not inhabited by mortals;\n\nThe Revealers of the Truth produced the house by magic.\n\nI gave you good medicine to cure your eyes:\n\nSubdue demons with all your heart, and never hesitate.”\n\n“So those tough gods came to play their tricks, although I haven’t called the roll since they changed the dragon into a horse,” said Monkey.\n\n“Don’t show off, brother,” said Pig. “How could they possibly answer to your roll-call?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t realize,” Monkey replied, “that the Protectors of the Faith, the Six Dings, the Six Jias, the Revealers of the Truth of the Five Regions and the Four Duty Gods have all been ordered by the Bodhisattva to give secret protection to our master. They reported their names to me then, but as I’ve had you with me recently I haven’t needed them again, which is why I haven’t called the roll.”\n\n“Brother,” Pig replied, “if they have been ordered to protect our master in secret, then of course they can’t appear in their true forms. That was why they produced the magic farm. You mustn’t be angry with them. Yesterday they gave you eye ointment and fed us—they did all they could. Don’t be angry with them. Let’s go and rescue the master instead.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How right you are,” said Monkey. “It’s not far from here to the Yellow Wind Cave, so there’s no need for you to move. You’d better stay in the wood and look after the horse and the luggage while I go to the cave to see what I can find out about where our master is before fighting the monster again.”\n\n“Yes,” said Pig, “find out for sure whether he’s alive or dead. If the master’s dead, we’d better each go our own way, and if he’s alive we’ll do everything we can to save him.”\n\n“Stop talking such nonsense,” replied Monkey. “I’m off.”\n\nWith a single jump he arrived at the entrance to the cave, where the gates were still locked as everyone was asleep. Monkey did not call on them to open the gates as he did not want to alarm the monsters. Instead he said a spell, made a magic movement with his hand, shook himself, and turned into a neat little mosquito. There are some lines about it that go:\n\nIts troublesome little body has a sharp bite,\n\nIts faint buzz echoes like thunder."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Its faint buzz echoes like thunder.\n\nClever at getting through the curtains round the bed,\n\nIt particularly loves the summer’s warm weather.\n\nIt fears only smoke and fly-swatters,\n\nAnd loves the brilliance of the lamp.\n\nLight and tiny, it flies straight in,\n\nEntering the evil spirit’s cave.\n\nSeeing that the lowly demon on the gate was fast asleep and snoring, Monkey bit him on the face, at which the creature woke up and said, “My lord! What an enormous mosquito! It’s raised a huge lump with a single bite.” Then he opened his eyes and announced, “It’s light.” The two gates creaked open, and Monkey flew inside with a buzz to see the old demon giving orders that a very close watch was to be kept at all the gates, and all the weapons are to be assembled at such-and-such a spot.\n\n“I’m afraid that yesterday’s wind may not have killed Brother Monkey,” he was saying, “and I think he’s bound to come back today. When he does, I’ll finish him off.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he heard this, Monkey flew across to the back of the hall where he saw a door that was tightly closed. He slipped through the crack between the two leaves of the door and found himself in a large empty garden, on one side of which was the wind-settling stake with the Tang Priest tied to it. The tears were pouring down Sanzang’s face as he wondered where Monkey and Pig were. Monkey stopped flying as he stung his shaven pate and called, “Master.”\n\n“Monkey,” said Sanzang, recognizing his voice, “do you want to get me killed? Where are you calling me from?”\n\n“I’m on your head, master. Don’t be anxious or worried. We are sure to catch that evil spirit and save your life.”\n\n“How long will it be till you catch that evil spirit, disciple?”\n\n“Pig has already killed the tiger monster who captured you,” Monkey replied, “but that old fiend has a terrible way with a hurricane. All the same, I’m certain that I can catch him today, so don’t worry and stop crying. I’m off now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With those words he buzzed away to the front hall, where he saw the old monster sitting on his throne and reviewing his captains. A junior evil spirit suddenly rushed in with a command flag in his hands and announced, “I had just gone out to patrol the mountain, Your Majesty, when I saw a monk with a long snout and big ears sitting in the woods. If I hadn’t run as fast as I could, he’d have caught me. But I didn’t see that hairy-faced monk.”\n\n“If Brother Monkey wasn’t there,” the old fiend said, “he must have been killed by the wind, and he won’t be going off to get soldiers to rescue his master.”\n\n“If the wind killed him, Your Majesty,” the other devils said, “we are in luck. But if he wasn’t killed and went to fetch divine soldiers instead, what’s to be done?”\n\n“What’s so frightening about divine soldiers?” the old fiend said. “None of them can put down my wind except the Bodhisattva Lingji, so there’s no need to fear the rest of them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this as he sat on a roof-beam, he was beside himself with delight. Flying straight out, he reverted to his real form and went back to the wood, calling, “Brother.”\n\n“Where have you been?” Pig asked. “I chased an evil spirit with a command flag away just now.”\n\n“Good for you,” said Monkey with a smile, “good for you. I changed myself into a mosquito and went into the cave to see our master. He was tied to a wind-settling stake in there and crying. I told him not to cry, flew up to a roof-beam, and had a good listen. I saw the one with the command flag come puffing and panting in to report that you’d chased him away and that he hadn’t seen me. The old fined was making some wild guesses. First he said that I had been killed by his wind, then he said I’d gone to ask for the help of divine soldiers. It’s wonderful—he gave the fellow’s name away.”\n\n“Whose name?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Whose name?” Pig asked.\n\n“He said that no divine soldier could suppress his wind except the Bodhisattva Lingji,” Monkey continued, adding, “but I don’t know where the Bodhisattva Lingji lives.”\n\nAs they were wondering what to do, an old man came along the road. Look at him:\n\nHe was strong enough not to need a stick,\n\nBut his beard was like ice and his flowing hair snowy.\n\nAlthough his gold-flecked sparkling eyes seemed somewhat dim,\n\nHis aged bones and muscles had not lost their strength.\n\nSlowly he walked, back bent, and head bowed down,\n\nBut his broad brow and rosy cheeks were those of a boy.\n\nIf you gave him a name from his looks,\n\nThe Star of Longevity had come out of his cave.\n\nWhen Pig saw him he said with delight, “Brother, you know the saying, ‘If you want to know the way down the mountain, ask a regular traveler.’ Why don’t you ask him?” The Great Sage put his iron cudgel away, unhitched his clothes, and went up to the old man. “Greetings, grandfather,” he said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Half replying to him and half not, the old man returned his bow and asked, “Where are you from, monk, and what are you doing in this desolate spot?”\n\n“We are holy monks going to fetch the scriptures,” Monkey replied. “Yesterday we lost our master here, and we would like to ask you, sir, where the Bodhisattva Lingji lives.”\n\n“Lingji lives a thousand miles due South of here,” the old man said, “on a mountain called Little Mount Sumeru. There is a holy place there which is the monastery where he preaches the scriptures. Are you going to fetch scriptures from him.”\n\n“No,” Monkey replied, “we’re going not to fetch scriptures from him, but to trouble him over something else. How does one get there?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man pointed South and said, “That twisting path will take you.” Thus tricking the Great Sage into turning round to look, the old man turned into a puff of wind and disappeared from sight. All that could be seen of him was a piece of paper he had left beside the road. On it there were four lines of verse that read:\n\n“I report to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven,\n\nThat I am Long Life Li.\n\nOn Sumeru Mountain there is a Flying Dragon Staff,\n\nThe weapon the Buddha once gave to Lingji.”\n\nBrother Monkey took the note turned, and set off. “What lousy luck we’ve been having for the last few days, brother,” said Pig. “For the last couple of days we’ve been seeing ghosts even in broad daylight. Who was that old man who turned into a wind?” Monkey handed the piece of paper to him, and when he had read it he said, “Who is this Long Life Li?”\n\n“He’s the Great White Planet of the West,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig immediately bowed low and said, “My benefactor, my benefactor. If he hadn’t put in a memorial to the Jade Emperor, I don’t know what would have become of me.”\n\n“So you’re capable of feeling gratitude,” said Monkey. “Meanwhile, you’re to hide deep in these woods without showing yourself, and keep a close watch on the baggage and the horse while I go to Mount Sumeru to ask the Bodhisattva to come.”\n\n“Understood,” said Pig, “understood. You go as fast as you can. I’ve learned the tortoise’s trick, and can pull my head in when necessary.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage Monkey leapt into the air and headed South on his somersault cloud at tremendous speed. He could cover a thousand miles with a nod of his head, and do eight hundred stages with a twist of his waist. It was only an instant before he saw a high mountain surrounded by auspicious clouds and a propitious aura. In a valley on the mountain there was a monastery from which the distant sounds of bells and stone chimes could be heard, and a haze of incense smoke hung above it. Monkey went straight to the gate, where he saw a lay brother with prayer beads round his neck who was invoking the Buddha.\n\n“Greetings, lay brother,” said Monkey, clasping his hands in salutation.\n\nThe lay brother bowed to him in reply and said, “Where are you from, sir?”\n\n“Is this where the Bodhisattva Lingji preaches the scriptures?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes, this is the place,” the lay brother replied. “Have you a message for him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I would like you to tell him that I am Brother Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, a disciple of the Patriarch Sanzang, the younger brother of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang in the East, and there is a matter about which I should like to see the Bodhisattva.”\n\n“That’s far too many words for me to remember, sir,” said the lay brother with a smile.\n\n“Then tell him that the Tang Priest’s disciple Sun Wukong is here,” Monkey replied. The lay brother did as he asked and went into the preaching hall to pass on the message. The Bodhisattva put on his cassock, burnt some incense, and prepared to receive him. As the Great Sage went through the gate and looked inside he saw:\n\nA hall full of brocade,\n\nA room of awe-inspiring majesty.\n\nAll the monks were chanting the Lotus Sutra\n\nWhile the aged head priest lightly struck the golden chime.\n\nThe offerings made to the Buddha\n\nWere magic fruit and magic flowers;\n\nSet out on tables\n\nWere meatless delicacies.\n\nDazzling candles"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Were meatless delicacies.\n\nDazzling candles\n\nSent golden flames up to the rainbow,\n\nFrom fragrant incense\n\nJade smoke rose to the translucent mist.\n\nWith the sermon over and the mind at peace, a trance was entered.\n\nWhite clouds coiled around the tops of the pine trees.\n\nWhen the sword of wisdom is sheathed, the demon is beheaded;\n\nGreat are the powers of the prajna-paramita.\n\nThe Bodhisattva straightened his clothes and came out to meet Monkey, who climbed the steps into the hall and sat in the guest’s seat. When the orders were given for tea to be brought, Monkey said, “I won’t trouble you to give me tea. My master is in trouble on the Yellow Wind Mountain, and I have come to ask you, Bodhisattva, to use your great powers to subdue the demon and rescue my master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have been ordered by the Tathagata Buddha to guard over the Yellow Wind Monster,” the Bodhisattva replied. “The Tathagata gave me a Wind-settling Pill and a Flying Dragon Staff. When I captured that monster before, the Tathagata spared his life and exiled him to live in seclusion on this mountain, where he is not allowed to kill or do any other evil. I never imagined that he would want to murder your master today. I must hold myself responsible for this as I have failed to carry out my orders.” The Bodhisattva wanted to keep Monkey for a meal and a talk, but in response to Monkey’s urgent pleading he took his Flying Dragon Staff and rode off with the Great Sage by cloud."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A moment later they reached the Yellow Wind Mountain, and the Bodhisattva said, “Great Sage, as this evil monster is a bit scared of me, I’d better stay here inside the cloud while you go down and challenge him to come out and fight. Once you’ve lured him out, I can use my divine power.” Doing as he suggested, Monkey brought his cloud down to land; and without more ado he smashed down the gates of the cave with his iron cudgel.\n\n“Fiendish monster,” he shouted, “give my master back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The junior fiends on the gate all rushed back to report this, and the old monster said, “That damned ape really has a cheek—instead of behaving himself properly, he comes to smash my gates down. This time I’ll use a magic wind that will certainly blow him to death.” Putting on his armour and taking his trident as before, he went out through the gate, and the moment he saw Monkey, he thrust straight at his chest with his trident, not uttering a single word. Monkey sidestepped to dodge it and hit back at the monster’s face with his cudgel. When only a few rounds had been fought, the monster turned to the Southeast and was just going to open his mouth and blow out a wind when the Bodhisattva Lingji appeared in mid-air and dropped the Flying Dragon Staff on him. While the monster recited all sorts of spells, an eight-clawed golden dragon grabbed him with two of its claws and smashed him several times against a rock-face. At this the monster reverted to his real form—a brown marten."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey rushed at it and had raised his cudgel to kill it when the Bodhisattva stopped him and said, “Don’t kill it, Great Sage. I must take it back to see the Tathagata. He used to be a marten who had obtained the Way underneath the Vulture Peak, and once he stole some of the pure oil from a crystal lamp. When the lamp went out he was so afraid of being caught by a Vajrapani that he ran away and became a spirit monster here. The Tathagata decided that as this was not a capital offence I should be sent to keep guard over him; but if he took life or committed any other evil deeds he was to be taken to the Vulture Peak. As he has now offended you, Great Sage, and captured the Tang Priest with the intention of murdering him, I must take him to see the Tathagata to be sentenced for his crime before this business can be regarded as cleared up.”\n\nPig, meanwhile, who had been wondering about Monkey as he waited in the wood, heard a shout from the mountainside, “Pig, bring the luggage and the horse out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Recognizing the voice as Monkey’s, the idiot rushed out of the wood with the things and asked Monkey, “How did it go?”\n\n“I asked the Bodhisattva Lingji to come, and he used his Flying Dragon Staff to capture the evil spirit, who turned out to have been the spirit of a brown-coated marten and was taken off to the Vulture Peak by the Bodhisattva to see the Buddha. We two had better go into the cave to rescue our master.” The idiot was very pleased to hear the news."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The pair of them charged into the cave and killed all the evil hares, fox-fiends, roebuck, and deer inside with the iron club and the rake. Then they went into the garden at the back to rescue their master. When he was outside he asked, “How did you two capture that evil spirit? How did you manage to rescue me?” Monkey told him all about how Lingji had subdued the fined, and Sanzang expressed his gratitude at great length while the two prepared a meal from the meatless food that there was in the cave. Then they left the cave and looked for the main path West once more.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened later, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\nThe Protectors of the Faith Build a Farm for the Great Sage\n\nLingji from Sumeru Pacifies the Wind Devil"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lingji from Sumeru Pacifies the Wind Devil\n\nThe fifty petty devils fled routed into the cave, their banners and drums smashed, to report, “Your Majesty, the Tiger of the Vanguard is no match for the hairy-faced monk, who chased him down the mountain.” The old fiend was very angry at the news, and he sat silent with his head bowed as he thought over what to do.\n\nThen the petty demons from the gate came in to announce, “Your Majesty, the hairy-faced monk has killed the Tiger of the Vanguard and dragged his body to the gates, where he’s insulting us to provoke us to fight.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old fiend was angrier than ever when he heard this, and he said, “This wretch doesn’t know what he’s doing, killing my Commander of the Vanguard although I haven’t eaten his master. Hateful beast. Bring my armour. I’ve heard of this Brother Monkey, and now I think I’ll go out to have a look at this nine-headed, eight-tailed monk. I’ll capture him to avenge my Tiger of the Vanguard.” The junior devils brought the armour as fast as they could, and when the old fiend had put it all on properly, he took his steel trident and led his devilish host out of the cave. He was full of martial dignity as he came out, and you can see how he was equipped:\n\nHis golden helmet shone in the sun,\n\nAnd light was reflected from his golden armour.\n\nA pheasant’s tail floated above his helmet,\n\nAnd the thin silk robe over his armour was pale goose-yellow.\n\nThe belt that girded his armour was dragon-brilliant;\n\nHis shining breastplate dazzled the eye.\n\nHis deerskin boots\n\nWere the color of locust-tree blossom;\n\nHis brocade kilt"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His brocade kilt\n\nWas patterned with willow leaves.\n\nWith a sharp steel trident in his hand,\n\nHe was no less awesome than the Little Sage Erlang.\n\nAs he came out of his cave the old fiend shouted at the top of his voice, “Are you Brother Monkey?”\n\nMonkey, who was jumping up and down on the tiger monster’s corpse and brandishing his cudgel, replied, “Your grandfather, Monkey, is here. Send my master out.” The evil spirit looked carefully at Monkey and saw that he had a miserable little body and a pinched face, and did not even stand four feet tall.\n\n“Poor little thing,” he said with a laugh. “I’d imagined that you were some sort of invincible hero, but now I see what a little sick devil you really are, all skin and bone.”\n\nMonkey smiled back and said, “You’ve no eyes in your head, my child. I may be tiny, but if you hit me on the head with the handle of your trident, I’ll grow another six feet.”\n\n“Make your head hard then,” the monster replied, “here it comes.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage did not flinch as the monster hit him, then with a bend of his waist he grew six feet taller, making himself ten feet tall altogether, to the astonishment of the monster, who put his trident down and shouted, “Brother Monkey, why do you come and do these defensive transformations at my gate? Stop fooling around, and come over here so we can compare tricks.”\n\n“My child,” Monkey replied, “as the saying goes, ‘If you have any warm feelings, don’t raise your hand in anger; and if you raise your hand in anger, put all feelings aside.’ I have a very heavy hand, and I’m afraid that you may not be able to stand my cudgel.” No longer wishing to talk, the monster whirled his trident round and lunged at Monkey’s chest. With unrushed expertise Monkey did a “Black Dragon Pawing the Ground” movement to parry the trident with his cudgel before striking at the monster’s head. There followed a fine duel between the pair of them at the mouth of the Yellow Wind Gave:\n\nThe demon king was furious,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demon king was furious,\n\nThe Great Sage showed his might.\n\nThe furious demon king\n\nWanted to catch Monkey in revenge for his Vanguard Commander;\n\nThe mighty Great Sage\n\nIntended to capture the evil spirit and rescue his master.\n\nWhen the trident came the cudgel parried,\n\nWhen the cudgel struck the trident blocked.\n\nOne was supreme commander of the mountain,\n\nThe other was the Handsome Monkey King, Protector of the Law.\n\nAt first they fought in the dust,\n\nBut then they rose into mid-air.\n\nThe steel-tipped trident\n\nWas bright-pointed and deadly sharp;\n\nThe As-You-Will cudgel\n\nWas black and banded with gold.\n\nWhoever was run through would go to the Underworld;\n\nIf either was hit he would surely meet King Yama.\n\nAll depended on a fast hand and a quick eye;\n\nStrength and vigor were essential.\n\nEach was mindless of life or death,\n\nWho would survive, and who would be killed?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Who would survive, and who would be killed?\n\nAfter some thirty rounds of combat between the old fiend and the Great Sage the issue was still not settled. As Monkey wanted to win glory he used an “extra body” trick: plucking a hair out, he chewed it into little bits, blew them all out, and shouted, “Change!” They turned into well over a hundred Monkeys, all dressed like him and wielding iron cudgels. They surrounded the monster in mid-air, and in his fright he countered with a trick of his own. He turned his head sharply to the Southeast opened his mouth three times, and blew. A yellow hurricane suddenly arose. It was really terrible.\n\nAs it howled and moaned all was changed;\n\nWithout sign or shadow the yellow dust whirled,\n\nWhistling through forests, toppling mountains, and uprooting trees,\n\nPicking up dust to blot out the tumbling ridge.\n\nThe Yellow River’s waters were all in turmoil,\n\nWhile the Yangtse’s waves were blown backwards.\n\nThe Polar palace was rocked in the sky,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Polar palace was rocked in the sky,\n\nThe Senluo Palace in the Underworld was all but blown down.\n\nHeaven was filled with the shouting of Arhats,\n\nThe Eight Great Vajrapanis were all yelling wildly.\n\nManjusri’s black-coated lion fled,\n\nSamantabhadra’s white elephant was nowhere to be found.\n\nThe True Martial Emperor’s tortoise and snake were missing,\n\nZi Tong’s mule was blown away by its saddle-cloth.\n\nTravelling merchants called on Heaven,\n\nBoatmen made vows to the gods as they sought safety.\n\nLives were washed away in the torrent,\n\nFortune or death was decided by the waters.\n\nThe cave palace on the magic mountain was murky dark,\n\nAnd Penglai, island of joy, was wrapped in gloom.\n\nLao Zi could hardly manage to look after his furnace,\n\nThe Star of Longevity put away his fan of dragon’s beard grass.\n\nThe Queen Mother, on her way to a Peach Banquet,\n\nHad the pendants at her waist blown in a tangle.\n\nErlang could not find his city of Guanzhou;\n\nNezha could scarcely draw his sword from its scabbard."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Heavenly King Li lost sight of the pagoda in his hand,\n\nLu Ban the carpenter dropped his gold-tipped awl.\n\nThree stories of the pagoda at Thunder Monastery fell,\n\nAnd the stone bridge at Zhaozhou collapsed.\n\nThe red wheel of the sun sent out no light,\n\nAnd all the stars in the sky were dimmed.\n\nThe birds of the Southern hills were carried to the North,\n\nThe waters of the East lake flowed to the West.\n\nHusband was parted from wife,\n\nMother snatched from child.\n\nThe dragon king searched the seas for his yakshas,\n\nThe thunder god hunted everywhere for his lightning.\n\nThe Ten Kings of hell looked for the judge,\n\nWhile the bull-headed demons searched for the horse-faced.\n\nThis hurricane overturned Potaraka Island,\n\nRolling up all of Guanyin’s scriptures.\n\nThe white lotus went flying beyond the seas,\n\nAnd the twelve courts of the Bodhisattva were all blown down.\n\nPan Gu, who had seen all winds since creation,\n\nHad never seen one as fine as this,\n\nHowl, howl—\n\nAs mountains and seas trembled,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Howl, howl—\n\nAs mountains and seas trembled,\n\nHeaven and Earth were all but blasted asunder.\n\nThe hurricane that the monster had summoned up made all the little Monkeys that the Great Sage had produced from his hair whirl round in mid-air like so many spinning-wheels, and, far from being able to use their cudgels, they could not even control their own bodies. At this critical moment Monkey shook his hair and put it back on his body, then advanced to give battle with his iron cudgel held high. The monster blew another yellow hurricane at him, and it was so strong that Monkey had to shut his fiery eyes with their golden pupils tight. Opening them was out of the question. Unable to use his iron cudgel, he had to flee from the scene of battle, at which the monster put his wind away and went back to his cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig saw the great yellow hurricane blow up and cast Heaven and Earth into darkness, he held on to the horse and kept a grip on the carrying pole while he crouched in the hollow on the mountain side, not daring to open his eyes or raise his head as he invoked the Buddha and made all sorts of vows to him. He did not know whether Monkey had won or lost, or whether their master was still alive. As he worried about all this the wind died down and the sky became clear again. He raised his head to look towards the entrance of the cave, but he could neither see any weapons nor hear any gongs or drums. The idiot did not want to get any nearer to those gates, and there was nobody else to look after the horse and the baggage, so he was stuck there, not knowing what to do, and feeling miserable. His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Monkey shouting to the West of him. Pig half rose to his feet to welcome him and said, “That was quite a wind, elder brother. Where’ve you been?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That was terrible,” said Monkey, “Never in my life have I known such a hurricane. That old fiend came out to fight me with a steel trident, and after we’d been at it for thirty rounds I used my extra body trick to surround him. This made him so worried that he deliberately summoned up the wind. It was really vicious—it blew so hard I couldn’t stand my ground, so I had to put my tricks away and clear out. What a wind, what a wind! I can call up wind or rain, but I’ve never produced anything as vicious as his.”\n\n“Can that evil monster fight well?” Pig asked.\n\n“He’s not bad at all,” Monkey replied, “and he has a very neat way with this trident. We were evenly matched, apart from that foul wind, which makes him unbeatable.”\n\n“Then how are we going to rescue our master?” Pig asked.\n\n“His rescue will have to wait,” Monkey replied. “I wonder if there’s an oculist near here to treat my eyes.”\n\n“What’s happened to them?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What’s happened to them?” Pig asked.\n\n“When that monster blew his wind at me,” said Monkey, “it made my eyes very sore, and they keep on watering.”\n\n“We’re halfway up a mountain, and night’s falling,” said Pig. “Never mind about an oculist, there’s nowhere for us to shelter for the night.”\n\n“There’s no problem about shelter,” Monkey replied. “I don’t think that evil spirit will dare to do our master any harm, so let’s find the main path and look for a house to stay in tonight. We can come back here at first light to subdue that fiend.”\n\n“Very well, very well,” Pig replied.\n\nLeading the horse and carrying the baggage, they came out of the hollow and went along the path. The dusk was gradually deepening when they heard dogs barking under a hill to the South of the path. They stopped to look and saw a farmhouse with a lamp shining brightly in its window. The pair of them stopped bothering to look for the path and cut straight through the grass to the gate. They saw\n\nDark magic fungus,\n\nGreeny white rocks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dark magic fungus,\n\nGreeny white rocks.\n\nThe magic fungus was dark among the many herbs,\n\nThe white rocks were green with moss.\n\nSome tiny fireflies made dots of light\n\nAgainst the dense ranks of the forest trees.\n\nHeavy was the fragrance of the orchid,\n\nAnd the tender bamboo had been newly cut.\n\nA pure spring flowed along a winding bed,\n\nAn ancient cypress hung over a cliff.\n\nNo travelers came to this remote spot,\n\nAnd only wild flowers bloomed before the gate.\n\nAs they did not want to march straight in, the two of them shouted, “Open up, open up.”\n\nAn old man came out at the head of several farm hands carrying forks, rakes and brooms. “Who are you,” he asked, “who are you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We are the disciples of the holy priest of the Great Tang in the East,” replied Monkey with a bow. “We were crossing these mountains on our way to the West to visit the Buddha and ask for the scriptures when the Great King of the Yellow Wind snatched our master away. We haven’t been able to rescue him yet, but as it is getting dark we have come to beg for a night’s lodging in your mansion, and we hope very much that you will help us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man returned his bow and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t welcome you properly. This is a place where we see a lot of clouds but very few people, and when I heard you shouting at the gate I feared it might be fox-spirits, tigers, bandits from the mountains, or something of the sort. I am afraid that I have stupidly offended you: I did not realize it would be two reverend gentlemen. Please come in.” Taking the horse and the luggage with them they went inside, tethered the animal, put down the carrying pole, bowed to the old man, and sat down. A servant came in with tea, and when they had drunk it some bowls of sesame meal were produced. After they had eaten, the old man had beds prepared for them and suggested that they went to bed. “We don’t need to sleep yet,” Monkey replied, adding, “may I ask you, kind sir, if eye ointment is sold anywhere around here?”\n\n“Do you have a chronic eye complaint, reverend sir?” the old man asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I can tell you truthfully, sir,” Monkey replied, “that we religious men have never been ill before, and I’ve never had trouble with my eyes before.”\n\n“Then why are you asking for ointment?” the old man asked.\n\n“We were trying to rescue our master on the Yellow Wind Ridge today,” Monkey explained, “when that monster started blowing his wind at me, which made my eyes ache. They’re streaming with tears now, which is why I want to find some eye ointment.”\n\n“A fine story,” the old man commented. “How could you tell such lies, a reverend gentleman, and so young a one at that? The Great King of the Yellow Wind’s hurricane is really terrible. It can’t be compared with spring winds, autumn winds, pine and bamboo winds, or North, South, East and West winds.”\n\n“It must be a brain-snatching wind,” interrupted Pig, “or a goat’s ear wind, or a hemp wind, or a head-twisting wind.”\n\n“No, no,” the old man said, “it’s called a Divine Samadhi Wind.”\n\n“What’s it like?” Monkey asked.\n\n“It can darken Heaven and Earth,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It can darken Heaven and Earth,\n\nMake gods and devils gloomy,\n\nSplit rocks open and bring cliffs down,\n\nAnd it doesn’t stop till you’re dead,”\n\nthe old man replied. “If you’d encountered that wind, you couldn’t possibly have survived. Only a god or an Immortal would be able to survive such a wind.”\n\n“Quite right,” Monkey replied, “quite right. Although we’re not gods or Immortals ourselves, I regard them as my juniors, and this life of mine is extremely hard to snuff out—all the wind could do was to make my eyes very sore.”\n\n“If what you say is true,” the old man said, “you must really be somebody. Although there is nowhere that sells eye ointment here, I sometimes suffer from watering eyes myself when I’m in the wind, and I once met an unusual person who gave me a prescription for ‘Three Flower Nine Seed Ointment’. This cures all inflammations of the eye.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey bowed his head, chanted a respectful “na-a-aw,” and said, “Please put a little on my eyes for me to try.” The old man consented, went inside, and brought out a tiny agate bottle. Removing the stopper, he dipped a jade hairpin inside and put a tiny amount in Monkey’s eyes, then told him not to open them. He could go to sleep without worrying, and in the morning he would be cured. When he had finished applying it he put the stopper back the bottle and gave it to a servant to put away inside. Pig opened their bundles, spread out their bedding, and told Monkey to go to bed.\n\nMonkey groped about so wildly with his eyes shut that Pig laughed at him and said, “Would you like a blind man’s stick, sir?”\n\n“Chaff-guzzling moron,” Monkey retorted, “do you want to make a blind man of me?” The idiot chuckled himself quietly to sleep, but Monkey sat thinking on the bed until midnight before he dozed off."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At about five the next morning, just before the break of day, Brother Monkey rubbed his face, opened his eyes and said, “It certainly is good ointment—I can see far, and more clearly than ever.” He turned round to look behind him, and to his astonishment there was no house, windows, or doors; all that could be seen were some ancient locust trees and tall willows. The pair of them were sleeping on cushions of green sedge.\n\n“What are you shouting for?” asked Pig as he woke up.\n\n“Open your eyes and look,” replied Monkey. The idiot raised his head, and when he saw that there was nobody there, he leapt up in a panic with the words, “Where’s our horse?”\n\n“Over there, tied to a tree,” said Monkey.\n\n“What about the luggage?”\n\n“There, beside your head.”\n\n“The wretches,” said Pig, “moving way in the middle of the night. Damn it, we must have been almost dead asleep. However did they dismantle the house without us hearing a thing?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Idiot,” said Monkey with a snigger, “don’t go shouting all over the place. Can you see what that piece of paper on the tree over there is?” Pig went over, tore it down, and saw that there were four lines of verse on it:\n\n“This farm was not inhabited by mortals;\n\nThe Revealers of the Truth produced the house by magic.\n\nI gave you good medicine to cure your eyes:\n\nSubdue demons with all your heart, and never hesitate.”\n\n“So those tough gods came to play their tricks, although I haven’t called the roll since they changed the dragon into a horse,” said Monkey.\n\n“Don’t show off, brother,” said Pig. “How could they possibly answer to your roll-call?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t realize,” Monkey replied, “that the Protectors of the Faith, the Six Dings, the Six Jias, the Revealers of the Truth of the Five Regions and the Four Duty Gods have all been ordered by the Bodhisattva to give secret protection to our master. They reported their names to me then, but as I’ve had you with me recently I haven’t needed them again, which is why I haven’t called the roll.”\n\n“Brother,” Pig replied, “if they have been ordered to protect our master in secret, then of course they can’t appear in their true forms. That was why they produced the magic farm. You mustn’t be angry with them. Yesterday they gave you eye ointment and fed us—they did all they could. Don’t be angry with them. Let’s go and rescue the master instead.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How right you are,” said Monkey. “It’s not far from here to the Yellow Wind Cave, so there’s no need for you to move. You’d better stay in the wood and look after the horse and the luggage while I go to the cave to see what I can find out about where our master is before fighting the monster again.”\n\n“Yes,” said Pig, “find out for sure whether he’s alive or dead. If the master’s dead, we’d better each go our own way, and if he’s alive we’ll do everything we can to save him.”\n\n“Stop talking such nonsense,” replied Monkey. “I’m off.”\n\nWith a single jump he arrived at the entrance to the cave, where the gates were still locked as everyone was asleep. Monkey did not call on them to open the gates as he did not want to alarm the monsters. Instead he said a spell, made a magic movement with his hand, shook himself, and turned into a neat little mosquito. There are some lines about it that go:\n\nIts troublesome little body has a sharp bite,\n\nIts faint buzz echoes like thunder."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Its faint buzz echoes like thunder.\n\nClever at getting through the curtains round the bed,\n\nIt particularly loves the summer’s warm weather.\n\nIt fears only smoke and fly-swatters,\n\nAnd loves the brilliance of the lamp.\n\nLight and tiny, it flies straight in,\n\nEntering the evil spirit’s cave.\n\nSeeing that the lowly demon on the gate was fast asleep and snoring, Monkey bit him on the face, at which the creature woke up and said, “My lord! What an enormous mosquito! It’s raised a huge lump with a single bite.” Then he opened his eyes and announced, “It’s light.” The two gates creaked open, and Monkey flew inside with a buzz to see the old demon giving orders that a very close watch was to be kept at all the gates, and all the weapons are to be assembled at such-and-such a spot.\n\n“I’m afraid that yesterday’s wind may not have killed Brother Monkey,” he was saying, “and I think he’s bound to come back today. When he does, I’ll finish him off.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he heard this, Monkey flew across to the back of the hall where he saw a door that was tightly closed. He slipped through the crack between the two leaves of the door and found himself in a large empty garden, on one side of which was the wind-settling stake with the Tang Priest tied to it. The tears were pouring down Sanzang’s face as he wondered where Monkey and Pig were. Monkey stopped flying as he stung his shaven pate and called, “Master.”\n\n“Monkey,” said Sanzang, recognizing his voice, “do you want to get me killed? Where are you calling me from?”\n\n“I’m on your head, master. Don’t be anxious or worried. We are sure to catch that evil spirit and save your life.”\n\n“How long will it be till you catch that evil spirit, disciple?”\n\n“Pig has already killed the tiger monster who captured you,” Monkey replied, “but that old fiend has a terrible way with a hurricane. All the same, I’m certain that I can catch him today, so don’t worry and stop crying. I’m off now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With those words he buzzed away to the front hall, where he saw the old monster sitting on his throne and reviewing his captains. A junior evil spirit suddenly rushed in with a command flag in his hands and announced, “I had just gone out to patrol the mountain, Your Majesty, when I saw a monk with a long snout and big ears sitting in the woods. If I hadn’t run as fast as I could, he’d have caught me. But I didn’t see that hairy-faced monk.”\n\n“If Brother Monkey wasn’t there,” the old fiend said, “he must have been killed by the wind, and he won’t be going off to get soldiers to rescue his master.”\n\n“If the wind killed him, Your Majesty,” the other devils said, “we are in luck. But if he wasn’t killed and went to fetch divine soldiers instead, what’s to be done?”\n\n“What’s so frightening about divine soldiers?” the old fiend said. “None of them can put down my wind except the Bodhisattva Lingji, so there’s no need to fear the rest of them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this as he sat on a roof-beam, he was beside himself with delight. Flying straight out, he reverted to his real form and went back to the wood, calling, “Brother.”\n\n“Where have you been?” Pig asked. “I chased an evil spirit with a command flag away just now.”\n\n“Good for you,” said Monkey with a smile, “good for you. I changed myself into a mosquito and went into the cave to see our master. He was tied to a wind-settling stake in there and crying. I told him not to cry, flew up to a roof-beam, and had a good listen. I saw the one with the command flag come puffing and panting in to report that you’d chased him away and that he hadn’t seen me. The old fined was making some wild guesses. First he said that I had been killed by his wind, then he said I’d gone to ask for the help of divine soldiers. It’s wonderful—he gave the fellow’s name away.”\n\n“Whose name?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Whose name?” Pig asked.\n\n“He said that no divine soldier could suppress his wind except the Bodhisattva Lingji,” Monkey continued, adding, “but I don’t know where the Bodhisattva Lingji lives.”\n\nAs they were wondering what to do, an old man came along the road. Look at him:\n\nHe was strong enough not to need a stick,\n\nBut his beard was like ice and his flowing hair snowy.\n\nAlthough his gold-flecked sparkling eyes seemed somewhat dim,\n\nHis aged bones and muscles had not lost their strength.\n\nSlowly he walked, back bent, and head bowed down,\n\nBut his broad brow and rosy cheeks were those of a boy.\n\nIf you gave him a name from his looks,\n\nThe Star of Longevity had come out of his cave.\n\nWhen Pig saw him he said with delight, “Brother, you know the saying, ‘If you want to know the way down the mountain, ask a regular traveler.’ Why don’t you ask him?” The Great Sage put his iron cudgel away, unhitched his clothes, and went up to the old man. “Greetings, grandfather,” he said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Half replying to him and half not, the old man returned his bow and asked, “Where are you from, monk, and what are you doing in this desolate spot?”\n\n“We are holy monks going to fetch the scriptures,” Monkey replied. “Yesterday we lost our master here, and we would like to ask you, sir, where the Bodhisattva Lingji lives.”\n\n“Lingji lives a thousand miles due South of here,” the old man said, “on a mountain called Little Mount Sumeru. There is a holy place there which is the monastery where he preaches the scriptures. Are you going to fetch scriptures from him.”\n\n“No,” Monkey replied, “we’re going not to fetch scriptures from him, but to trouble him over something else. How does one get there?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man pointed South and said, “That twisting path will take you.” Thus tricking the Great Sage into turning round to look, the old man turned into a puff of wind and disappeared from sight. All that could be seen of him was a piece of paper he had left beside the road. On it there were four lines of verse that read:\n\n“I report to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven,\n\nThat I am Long Life Li.\n\nOn Sumeru Mountain there is a Flying Dragon Staff,\n\nThe weapon the Buddha once gave to Lingji.”\n\nBrother Monkey took the note turned, and set off. “What lousy luck we’ve been having for the last few days, brother,” said Pig. “For the last couple of days we’ve been seeing ghosts even in broad daylight. Who was that old man who turned into a wind?” Monkey handed the piece of paper to him, and when he had read it he said, “Who is this Long Life Li?”\n\n“He’s the Great White Planet of the West,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig immediately bowed low and said, “My benefactor, my benefactor. If he hadn’t put in a memorial to the Jade Emperor, I don’t know what would have become of me.”\n\n“So you’re capable of feeling gratitude,” said Monkey. “Meanwhile, you’re to hide deep in these woods without showing yourself, and keep a close watch on the baggage and the horse while I go to Mount Sumeru to ask the Bodhisattva to come.”\n\n“Understood,” said Pig, “understood. You go as fast as you can. I’ve learned the tortoise’s trick, and can pull my head in when necessary.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage Monkey leapt into the air and headed South on his somersault cloud at tremendous speed. He could cover a thousand miles with a nod of his head, and do eight hundred stages with a twist of his waist. It was only an instant before he saw a high mountain surrounded by auspicious clouds and a propitious aura. In a valley on the mountain there was a monastery from which the distant sounds of bells and stone chimes could be heard, and a haze of incense smoke hung above it. Monkey went straight to the gate, where he saw a lay brother with prayer beads round his neck who was invoking the Buddha.\n\n“Greetings, lay brother,” said Monkey, clasping his hands in salutation.\n\nThe lay brother bowed to him in reply and said, “Where are you from, sir?”\n\n“Is this where the Bodhisattva Lingji preaches the scriptures?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes, this is the place,” the lay brother replied. “Have you a message for him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I would like you to tell him that I am Brother Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, a disciple of the Patriarch Sanzang, the younger brother of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang in the East, and there is a matter about which I should like to see the Bodhisattva.”\n\n“That’s far too many words for me to remember, sir,” said the lay brother with a smile.\n\n“Then tell him that the Tang Priest’s disciple Sun Wukong is here,” Monkey replied. The lay brother did as he asked and went into the preaching hall to pass on the message. The Bodhisattva put on his cassock, burnt some incense, and prepared to receive him. As the Great Sage went through the gate and looked inside he saw:\n\nA hall full of brocade,\n\nA room of awe-inspiring majesty.\n\nAll the monks were chanting the Lotus Sutra\n\nWhile the aged head priest lightly struck the golden chime.\n\nThe offerings made to the Buddha\n\nWere magic fruit and magic flowers;\n\nSet out on tables\n\nWere meatless delicacies.\n\nDazzling candles"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Were meatless delicacies.\n\nDazzling candles\n\nSent golden flames up to the rainbow,\n\nFrom fragrant incense\n\nJade smoke rose to the translucent mist.\n\nWith the sermon over and the mind at peace, a trance was entered.\n\nWhite clouds coiled around the tops of the pine trees.\n\nWhen the sword of wisdom is sheathed, the demon is beheaded;\n\nGreat are the powers of the prajna-paramita.\n\nThe Bodhisattva straightened his clothes and came out to meet Monkey, who climbed the steps into the hall and sat in the guest’s seat. When the orders were given for tea to be brought, Monkey said, “I won’t trouble you to give me tea. My master is in trouble on the Yellow Wind Mountain, and I have come to ask you, Bodhisattva, to use your great powers to subdue the demon and rescue my master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have been ordered by the Tathagata Buddha to guard over the Yellow Wind Monster,” the Bodhisattva replied. “The Tathagata gave me a Wind-settling Pill and a Flying Dragon Staff. When I captured that monster before, the Tathagata spared his life and exiled him to live in seclusion on this mountain, where he is not allowed to kill or do any other evil. I never imagined that he would want to murder your master today. I must hold myself responsible for this as I have failed to carry out my orders.” The Bodhisattva wanted to keep Monkey for a meal and a talk, but in response to Monkey’s urgent pleading he took his Flying Dragon Staff and rode off with the Great Sage by cloud."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A moment later they reached the Yellow Wind Mountain, and the Bodhisattva said, “Great Sage, as this evil monster is a bit scared of me, I’d better stay here inside the cloud while you go down and challenge him to come out and fight. Once you’ve lured him out, I can use my divine power.” Doing as he suggested, Monkey brought his cloud down to land; and without more ado he smashed down the gates of the cave with his iron cudgel.\n\n“Fiendish monster,” he shouted, “give my master back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The junior fiends on the gate all rushed back to report this, and the old monster said, “That damned ape really has a cheek—instead of behaving himself properly, he comes to smash my gates down. This time I’ll use a magic wind that will certainly blow him to death.” Putting on his armour and taking his trident as before, he went out through the gate, and the moment he saw Monkey, he thrust straight at his chest with his trident, not uttering a single word. Monkey sidestepped to dodge it and hit back at the monster’s face with his cudgel. When only a few rounds had been fought, the monster turned to the Southeast and was just going to open his mouth and blow out a wind when the Bodhisattva Lingji appeared in mid-air and dropped the Flying Dragon Staff on him. While the monster recited all sorts of spells, an eight-clawed golden dragon grabbed him with two of its claws and smashed him several times against a rock-face. At this the monster reverted to his real form—a brown marten."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey rushed at it and had raised his cudgel to kill it when the Bodhisattva stopped him and said, “Don’t kill it, Great Sage. I must take it back to see the Tathagata. He used to be a marten who had obtained the Way underneath the Vulture Peak, and once he stole some of the pure oil from a crystal lamp. When the lamp went out he was so afraid of being caught by a Vajrapani that he ran away and became a spirit monster here. The Tathagata decided that as this was not a capital offence I should be sent to keep guard over him; but if he took life or committed any other evil deeds he was to be taken to the Vulture Peak. As he has now offended you, Great Sage, and captured the Tang Priest with the intention of murdering him, I must take him to see the Tathagata to be sentenced for his crime before this business can be regarded as cleared up.”\n\nPig, meanwhile, who had been wondering about Monkey as he waited in the wood, heard a shout from the mountainside, “Pig, bring the luggage and the horse out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Recognizing the voice as Monkey’s, the idiot rushed out of the wood with the things and asked Monkey, “How did it go?”\n\n“I asked the Bodhisattva Lingji to come, and he used his Flying Dragon Staff to capture the evil spirit, who turned out to have been the spirit of a brown-coated marten and was taken off to the Vulture Peak by the Bodhisattva to see the Buddha. We two had better go into the cave to rescue our master.” The idiot was very pleased to hear the news."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The pair of them charged into the cave and killed all the evil hares, fox-fiends, roebuck, and deer inside with the iron club and the rake. Then they went into the garden at the back to rescue their master. When he was outside he asked, “How did you two capture that evil spirit? How did you manage to rescue me?” Monkey told him all about how Lingji had subdued the fined, and Sanzang expressed his gratitude at great length while the two prepared a meal from the meatless food that there was in the cave. Then they left the cave and looked for the main path West once more.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened later, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n \n\nChapter Twenty-Two\n\nPig Fights a Great Battle in the Flowing Sands River\n\nMoksa Obeys the Dharma and Wins Friar Sand Over"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Moksa Obeys the Dharma and Wins Friar Sand Over\n\nThe story tells how the Tang Priest and his two disciples escaped from their troubles and pressed forward. Before long they had crossed the Yellow Wind Ridge and were heading West across a plain. The time passed rapidly, and summer gave way to autumn. Cold cicadas sang in moulting willow trees, and the Great Fire Star sank below the Western horizon. As they were travelling one day they saw the mighty waves of a great river, boiling and raging. “Disciple,” called out Sanzang from his horse, “do you see that broad river in front of us? Why are there no boats on it, and how are we going to get across?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Those are really terrible waves,” said Pig when he saw the river, “and there aren’t any boats to ferry us over.” Monkey sprang into the sky, shaded his eyes with his hand, and looked. “Master,” he said with horror, “we’re in big trouble here. I can cross a river like this with a twist of my waist, but I’m afraid you’ll never be able to cross it in ten thousand years.”\n\n“How wide is it, then?” Sanzang asked. “I can’t see the other bank from here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“About three hundred miles,” Monkey replied. “How can you be so sure of the distance, brother?” Pig asked. “These eyes of mine can see what’s happening three hundred and fifty miles away in daytime,” Monkey replied. “When I took a look from up in the air just now I couldn’t make out the length of the river, but I could see that it was a good three hundred and fifty miles wide.” Depressed and worried, Sanzang reined in his horse and noticed a stone tablet beside the river. The three of them went to look at it, and they saw the words FLOWING SANDS RIVER inscribed on it in the ancient curly style. On the base of the tablet were four lines in the standard script:\n\n“Three hundred miles of flowing sands,\n\nThree thousand fathoms of weak water,\n\nOn which a goose feather will not float,\n\nAnd the flower of a reed will sink.”\n\nAs the three of them were looking at this tablet they heard the waves make a roar like a collapsing mountain as a most hideous evil spirit emerged from the water:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A head of matted hair, as red as fire,\n\nA pair of staring eyes, gleaming like lamps.\n\nAn indigo face, neither black nor green,\n\nA dragon’s voice like drums or thunder.\n\nOn his body a cloak of yellow goose-down,\n\nTied at the waist with white creeper.\n\nNine skulls hung around his neck,\n\nAnd in his hands was an enormous staff.\n\nThe monster came to the bank in a whirlwind and rushed straight at the Tang Priest. Monkey picked Sanzang up at once, turned, and made off up the high bank. Pig dropped his carrying-pole, grabbed his rake, and struck at the evil spirit, who parried the blow with his staff. Each of them showed his prowess on the banks of the Flowing Sands River, and it was a fine battle:\n\nThe nine-pronged rake,\n\nAnd the ogre-quelling staff:\n\nTwo men fighting on the banks of the river.\n\nOne was the great commander Tian Peng\n\nThe other the banished Curtain-lifting General.\n\nThey used to meet in the Hall of Miraculous Mist,\n\nBut now they were locked in ferocious combat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But now they were locked in ferocious combat.\n\nThe rake had dug deep into clawed dragons,\n\nThe staff had defeated tusked elephants.\n\nWhen either was held defensively, it was rock-solid;\n\nIn attack they cut into the wind.\n\nWhile one clawed at head and face,\n\nThe other never panicked or left an opening.\n\nOne was the man-eating monster of the Flowing Sands River,\n\nThe other was a believer, a general cultivating his conduct.\n\nThe pair of them battled on for twenty rounds, but neither emerged as the victor. The Great Sage, who was holding on to the horse and looking after the luggage after carrying the Tang Priest to safety, became worked up into such a fury at the sight of Pig and the monster fighting that he ground his teeth and clenched his fists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he could hold himself back no longer, he pulled out his cudgel and said, “Master, you sit here and don’t be afraid. I’m going to play with him.” Ignoring Sanzang’s pleas for him to stay, he whistled, jumped down to the side of the river, and found that the fight between Pig and the ogre was at its height. Brother Monkey swung his cudgel and aimed it at the ogre’s head, but the ogre made a lightning turn and plunged straight into the river. Pig was hopping mad.\n\n“Nobody asked you to come, elder brother,” he said. “That ogre was tiring and he could hardly fend my rake off. With few more rounds I would have captured him, but you gave him such a fright that he ran away, damn it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said Monkey with a smile, “I must tell you frankly that the sight of you fighting so beautifully gave me an uncontrollable itch. I haven’t used my cudgel for a whole month since we came down the mountain after dealing with the Yellow Wind Monster—I just had to join in the fun. How was I to know that the monster wouldn’t want to play and was going to run away?”\n\nThe two of them then clasped hands and went back talking and laughing to see Sanzang, who asked, “Did you catch the ogre?”\n\n“No,” Monkey said, “he couldn’t take any more and dived back into the water.”\n\n“He has lived here for a long time, disciple,” Sanzang said, “and must know the shallows and deeps here. We must have a water expert to lead us across this vast expanse of weak water that has no boats.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” said Monkey, “as the saying goes, ‘What’s near cinnabar goes red, and what’s next to ink turns black.’ As that ogre lives here he must be a water expert, so if we catch him we shouldn’t kill him—we should make him take you across, master, before finishing him off.”\n\n“There’s no time to lose, brother,” said Pig. “You go and catch him while I look after the master.”\n\n“This is something I can’t talk big about,” said Monkey with a smile. “I’m not all that good at underwater stuff. Even to walk underwater I have to make a magic hand movement and recite a water-repelling spell before I can move. The only other way I can get about there is by turning myself into a fish, a shrimp, a crab or a turtle. I can manage any strange and wonderful magic on a mountain or in the clouds that you can do, but when it comes to underwater business, I’m useless.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I was the commander of the Milky Way, the heavenly river, in the old days,” said Pig, “I had a force of eighty thousand sailors, so I know a bit about water. But I’m afraid that he might have generations of clansmen down there, and that would be too much for me. And if they got me, we’d be in a real mess.”\n\n“You go into the water and start a fight with him there,” said Monkey. “Don’t fight hard, and don’t win. You must lose and lure him out, then I can finish him off for you.”\n\n“Very well then, I’ll be off,” said Pig. After stripping off his brocade tunic and removing his shoes he swung his rake in both hands and made his way into the water, where the tricks he had learned years back enabled him to go through the waves to the river-bed, across which he advanced."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ogre had now recovered his breath after his earlier defeat, and when he heard someone pushing the waters aside he leapt to his feet to look. Seeing that it was Pig brandishing his rake, the monster raised his staff and shouted at him, “Where do you think you’re going, monk? Watch out, and take this.”\n\nPig warded off the blow with his rake and replied. “Who are you, evil spirit, and why are you blocking the way?”\n\n“You may not realize who I am,” the monster replied, “but I’m no fiend, demon, ghost or monster, and I don’t lack a name either.”\n\n“If you’re not a fiend, a demon, or a monster, then why do you live here taking life? Tell me your name truthfully and I’ll spare you life.”\n\n“I,” the monster replied,\n\n“Have had a divine essence since childhood,\n\nAnd have wandered all over heaven and earth.\n\nI have won glory among the heroes of the world,\n\nAnd brave knights have taken me as their model.\n\nI traveled at will over countries and continents,\n\nGoing where I liked in lakes and seas,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Going where I liked in lakes and seas,\n\nTo study the Way I went to the edge of the heavens,\n\nAnd I roamed the wastes in search of teachers.\n\nIn those days I had a cassock and an alms-bowl,\n\nAnd I kept my mind and spirit well controlled.\n\nI traveled the earth by cloud some dozen times,\n\nVisiting everywhere on a hundred journeys.\n\nThe Immortal I finally managed to find\n\nLed me along the great and shining Way.\n\nFirst I gathered mercury and lead,\n\nThen I let go of the Mother of Wood and Metal’s Father.\n\nThe kidney-water behind my brow entered my mouth,\n\nAnd the liver-fire in my windpipes entered my heart.\n\nWith three thousand accomplishment won,\n\nI bowed to the heavenly countenance;\n\nPiously I worshipped him in his glory.\n\nThe Great Jade Emperor then promoted me\n\nTo be the General Who Lifts the Curtain.\n\nI was honoured within the Southern Gate of Heaven,\n\nSupreme before the Hall of Miraculous Mist.\n\nAt my waist was hung the tiger tally,\n\nIn my hand I held my demon-quelling staff."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In my hand I held my demon-quelling staff.\n\nMy golden helmet shone like sunlight,\n\nOn my body gleamed a suit of armour.\n\nI led the escort for the Emperor’s carriage,\n\nAlways took precedence when he entered or left court.\n\nBut then the Queen Mother gathered the peaches\n\nAnd invited all the generals to feast at the Jade Pool.\n\nI carelessly smashed some jade and crystal,\n\nTo the horror of all of the heavenly gods.\n\nThe Jade Emperor in his terrible fury\n\nPut his hands together and fumed to the vice-premier.\n\nMy hat and armour were removed, and I was stripped of office,\n\nThen marched to the place of execution.\n\nThen, to my good fortune, the great Bare-foot Immortal\n\nStepped forward to ask for my reprieve.\n\nDeath was commuted; I was allowed to live\n\nIn exile on the East bank of the Flowing Sands River.\n\nWhen well-fed I sleep in the river waters;\n\nWhen hungry I burst through the waves in search of food.\n\nIf a woodcutter meets me his life is finished—\n\nNo fisherman sees me and survives."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "No fisherman sees me and survives.\n\nIn one way and another I’ve eaten many a man,\n\nCloaked as I am in an aura of death.\n\nAs you’ve dared to come to make trouble at my gates\n\nMy belly has something to look forward to today.\n\nNo matter if you’re coarse and don’t taste good,\n\nWhen I’ve caught you I can cut you up for salted mince.”\n\nPig was extremely angry to hear this, and he replied, “You’re completely blind, wretch. I can catch bubbles in my fingers, so how dare you say that I’m so coarse you’ll cut me up for salted mince? So you take me to be a very well-cured side of ham! Don’t be impudent—take a dose of this rake.” When the monster saw the rake coming at him he did a “phoenix nod” to avoid it. The two of them fought their way up to the surface of the water, where each of them trod on the waves as they struggled in a combat that was even fiercer than their previous one.\n\nThe Curtain-lifting General,\n\nAnd Marshal Tian Peng;\n\nEach gave a splendid show of magic powers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Each gave a splendid show of magic powers.\n\nThe ogre-quelling staff wheels around the head,\n\nThe nine-pronged rake is swift in the hand.\n\nAs they leap on the waves, they shake hills and rivers,\n\nDarkening the world as they push the waters aside,\n\nAs terrible as the Disaster Star striking banners and pendants,\n\nAs frightening as lifting the canopy off the Death Star.\n\nOne was the loyal defender of the Tang Priest,\n\nThe other, a criminal, was an ogre of the waters.\n\nWhere the rake struck it left nine scars;\n\nWhen the staff smote, all the souls were scattered.\n\nCheerfully fighting for all they were worth,\n\nThey put all their hearts into the combat.\n\nAlthough he is only a pilgrim fetching scriptures\n\nHis unrestrained anger bursts against the sky.\n\nSuch was the chaos that the fishes lost their scales,\n\nWhile the soft shells of terrapins were crushed;\n\nRed prawns and purple crabs all lost their lives,\n\nAnd all the gods of the water palace prayed to heaven.\n\nThe only sound was the thunder of crashing waves;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun and moon were dark, to the horror of earth and sky.\n\nThey battled on for four hours, but the issue was still undecided. It was as if a brass pan was fighting an iron brush, or a jade chime was competing with a golden bell."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage, who was standing beside the Tang Priest to guard him, watched the fight on the water with longing, unable to do anything. Then Pig feinted with his rake, pretended to be beaten, and made for the Eastern bank with the ogre rushing after him. When he had almost reached the bank, Monkey could hold himself back no longer. Abandoning his master, he sprang down to the river’s edge with his cudgel in his hand and took a swing at the ogre’s head. Not daring to face him, the monster went straight back into the river. “Protector of the Horses,” Pig shouted, “you impatient ape. You should have taken it a bit more slowly and waited till I’d drawn him up to high ground, and then cut him off from the river-bank. Then he wouldn’t have been able to go back and we’d have caught him. But now he’s gone back in, he’ll never come out again.”\n\n“Don’t shout, idiot,” Monkey said with a smile, “don’t shout. Let’s go back and see our master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig reached the top of the bank with Monkey, Sanzang bowed to him and said, “You’ve had a tough time, disciple.”\n\n“I wouldn’t say that,” Pig replied. “But if we’d captured that evil spirit and made him take you across the river, that would have been the perfect solution.”\n\n“How did your battle with the evil spirit go?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“He’s as good as me,” Pig replied. “When I pretended to be beaten in the fight he chased me to the river’s edge; but then he saw elder brother waving his cudgel, so he ran away.”\n\n“So what are we going to do?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Relax, master,” said Monkey, “there’s no need to worry. It’s getting late, so you’d better sit on the bank while I go and beg some food. When you’ve eaten that you can go to sleep, and we can decide what to do tomorrow morning.”\n\n“Good idea,” said Pig. “Be as quick as you can.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Good idea,” said Pig. “Be as quick as you can.”\n\nMonkey leapt up on his cloud, went due North to a house where he begged some food, and came back to give it to his master. Seeing him come back so soon, Sanzang said to him, “Monkey, let’s go to the house where you begged this food and ask them how to cross this river. That would be better than having to fight this ogre.”\n\n“But that house is a long way away,” laughed Monkey. “It’s about two thousand miles from here. What would be the point in asking them about this river? They wouldn’t know anything about it.”\n\n“You’re telling tall stories again,” Pig said. “If it’s two thousand miles away, how did you get there and back so fast?”\n\n“You wouldn’t know, of course,” Brother Monkey replied, “that my somersault cloud can cover thirty-six thousand miles with a single bound. To do a mere two-thousand-mile return journey takes only a couple of nods and a bow—there’s nothing to it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If it’s so easy, brother,” said Pig, “you should carry the master on your back, take him across with just a couple of nods and a bow, and save us all the trouble of fighting the monster.”\n\n“You can ride clouds, can’t you?” said Monkey. “Why don’t you carry the master across?”\n\n“The master’s mortal flesh and bones are heavier than Mount Tai,” said Pig, “So although I can ride clouds I could never lift him. Nothing but your somersault will do the trick.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My somersault is the same as cloud-riding.” Monkey said, “except that it takes you further. I’m no more able to carry him than you are. As the old saying goes, ‘Mount Tai is as easy to move as a mustard seed, but a mortal cannot be dragged away from the earthly dust.’ When that other poisonous monster of a fiend made a magic wind I could only move the master by dragging and tugging him along the ground. Of course. I can do tricks like that, and all those other ones like making myself invisible or shrinking land. But although our master cannot escape from the sea of suffering he wants to go to a foreign land, so he finds every inch of the way heavy going. All we can do is escort him and see that he comes to no harm. We can’t undergo all that suffering on his behalf, nor can we fetch the scriptures for him. Even if we went ahead to see the Buddha, he wouldn’t give the scriptures to you or me. After all, if we could get them that easily, we’d have nothing to do.” The idiot accepted everything Monkey said, then"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot accepted everything Monkey said, then they ate some plain rice without any vegetables, after which the three of them went to sleep on the Eastern bank of the Flowing Sands River."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Monkey,” said Sanzang the next morning, “what are we going to do about it today?”\n\n“There’s nothing for it but to send Pig back under the water,” Monkey replied. “You’re making me go underwater because you want to stay dry, brother,” Pig protested. “I won’t be impatient this time,” Monkey said. “I’ll let you lure him out onto the bank and then I’ll cut him off from the river. That way we’ll be bound to catch him.”\n\nDear Pig rubbed his face, summoned up his energy, took his rake in both hands, went down to the river, and parted the waters as he went back to the monster’s lair once more. The ogre, who had only just woken up, turned to see what was happening the moment he heard the waters being pushed apart. Observing that a rake-wielding Pig was upon him, he sprang to his feet to stop him, shouting, “Not so fast, not so fast. Take this.” Pig blocked the blow from the staff with his rake and said, “What do you mean by telling your ancestor to ‘take this’ from that mourner’s staff of yours?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You know nothing, you wretch,” the monster replied, continuing:\n\n“Great is the fame of this staff of mine,\n\nMade from a Sala tree on the moon.\n\nWu Gang cut down a branch of it,\n\nFor Lu Ban to work with his unrivalled skill.\n\nA strip of gold goes right through its heart,\n\nAnd it is set with countless pearls.\n\nIt is a precious staff, fine for subduing fiends;\n\nIt could quell all demons when it guarded the Heavenly Palace.\n\nWhen I was commissioned as High General\n\nThe Jade Emperor gave it me to use.\n\nIt can be any length I wish,\n\nThick or thin, responding to my will.\n\nIt protected the Emperor at Peach Banquets,\n\nAttended at court in the upper world.\n\nWhen I was at the palace, it met all the sages,\n\nWhen I lifted the curtain, it greeted the Immortals.\n\nI nurtured it and made it a divine weapon—\n\nThis is no ordinary earthly arm.\n\nWhen I was sent down from Heaven in exile\n\nI roamed at will throughout the world.\n\nI do not need to boast about this staff,\n\nUnmatched by any spear or saber in the world."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Unmatched by any spear or saber in the world.\n\nLook at that rusty rake of yours,\n\nOnly good for farming or growing vegetables.”\n\n“I’ll give you the beating you deserve, damn you,” said Pig. “Never mind about vegetable-growing—one swipe from it and you’ll have nowhere left to put ointment, because your blood will be pouring out from nine holes. Even if it doesn’t kill you, you’ll have tetanus for the rest of your days.” The ogre dropped his defensive posture and fought with Pig from the river-bed to the surface of the water. This battle was fiercer than the earlier ones:\n\nThe precious staff whirled,\n\nThe deadly rake struck,\n\nAnd no word passed between the two foes.\n\nBecause the Mother of Wood conquered the Medicine Measure\n\nThe pair of them had to fight each other twice.\n\nWith no victory,\n\nAnd no defeat,\n\nThe waves were overturned and knew no peace.\n\nHow could the one hold back his anger?\n\nHow could the other bear his humiliation?\n\nAs the staff parried the rake’s blows, they showed their prowess;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Each was most vicious as the Flowing Sands River rolled.\n\nTowering rage,\n\nStrenuous efforts,\n\nAll because Sanzang wanted to go West.\n\nThe rake was thoroughly murderous,\n\nThe staff was wielded with experience.\n\nPig grabbed his enemy, trying to drag him ashore,\n\nWhile the other in torn tried to pull Pig under water.\n\nThe thunderous noise disturbed fish and dragons;\n\nGods and ghosts lay low as the sky was darkened.\n\nThe battle went on for thirty rounds, but neither emerged victorious. Pig feigned defeat once again, and fled trailing his rake behind him. The ogre charged through the waves after him as far as the bank, when Pig shouted at him, “I’ll get you, you damned ogre. Come up on this higher ground where we can fight with dry land under our feet.”\n\n“You’re trying to lure me up there, damn you,” the monster replied, “for your mate to come and get me. Come back and fight in the water.” The fiend, who had more sense than to go up the bank again, stood at the river’s edge, shouting it out with Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey saw that the monster was not coming up on the bank he seethed with frustration at not being able to catch him. “Master,” he said, “you sit here while I do a ‘Hungry Eagle Falling on Its Prey’ on him.” He somersaulted into mid-air, then plummeted down to catch the ogre, who heard the noise of a wind as he was yelling at Pig, turned immediately, and saw Monkey descending from the clouds. He put his staff away, plunged into the water with a splash, and was seen no more. “Brother,” said Monkey to Pig as he landed on the bank, “the monster’s made a smooth getaway. Whatever are we to do if he won’t come on to the bank again?”\n\n“It’s impossible,” said Pig, “We’ll never be able to beat him. Even if I put everything I’ve got into it, I can only hold my own against him.”\n\n“Let’s go and see the master,” Monkey said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Let’s go and see the master,” Monkey said.\n\nThe two of them climbed the bank and told the Tang Priest about the difficulty of capturing the ogre. “It’s so hard,” said Sanzang, tears streaming down his cheeks. “However are we going to cross?”\n\n“No need to worry, master,” said Monkey. “The monster is lurking deep down on the river-bed, where it’s very hard to move around. You stay here and look after the master, Pig, and don’t fight with the ogre again. I’m going to the Southern Sea.”\n\n“What for?” Pig asked. “This whole business of fetching the scriptures was started by the Bodhisattva Guanyin, and it was she who converted us. Now we are stuck here at the Flowing Sands River nobody but she can sort this one out. With her help we’ll be in a stronger position to fight that monster.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Pig, “and when you’re there, please thank her for converting me.”\n\n“If you’re going to ask the Bodhisattva to come,” Sanzang said, “don’t waste a moment, and be back as quickly as possible.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then somersaulted off on his cloud towards the Southern Sea, and before an hour was up he saw Potaraka Island. An instant later he landed outside the Purple Bamboo Grove, where the twenty-four devas came forward to greet him with the words, “Why have you come, Great Sage?”\n\n“Because my master is in trouble,” Monkey replied, “I have come for an audience with the Bodhisattva.” The deva on duty that day asked Monkey to sit down while he went in to report, whereupon he went into the Tide Cave to announce that Sun Wukong was seeking an audience on business. The Bodhisattva was leaning on a balcony looking at the blossoms in the Precious Lotus Pool with the Dragon Princess Peng Zhu when she heard the news. She went back in her cloudy majesty, opening the door and summoning Monkey to her presence. The Great Sage greeted her with grave reverence.\n\n“Why aren’t you looking after the Tang Priest,” she asked, “and why have you come to see me.?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My master won a new disciple at Gao Village, Bodhisattva,” Brother Monkey reported. “He’s called Zhu Bajie and also has the Buddhist name Wuneng thanks to you. We have now reached the Flowing Sands River after crossing the Yellow Wind Ridge, but it’s a thousand miles of Ruo River and my master cannot cross it. On top of this there’s an evil monster in the river who’s a great fighter, and although our Pig had three great battles with him on the surface of the water, he couldn’t beat the ogre, who is still blocking our way and preventing my master from crossing. This is why I’ve come to see you and ask you in your mercy to help him across.”\n\n“You have revealed your conceit once again, you ape,” said the Bodhisattva. “Why didn’t you tell the monster that you were protecting the Tang Priest?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We wanted to catch him,” Monkey replied, “and make him take our master across the river. As I’m not up to much in the water, Pig was the only one who could find the ogre’s den and did all the talking. I expect he never mentioned fetching the scriptures.”\n\n“The ogre of the Flowing Sands River is the mortal incarnation of the Great Curtain-lifting General,” said Guanyin, “and is a believer whom I converted myself and instructed to protect those who would be coming to fetch the scriptures. If you had told him that you had come from the East to fetch the scriptures, so far from fighting you, he would certainly have joined you.”\n\n“But the craven monster is now skulking in the river, too frightened to come out,” Monkey said, “so how are we to make him join us, and how is my master to cross the weak water?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva sent for her disciple Huian and produced a red bottle-gourd from her sleeve. “Take this gourd,” she said, “and go with Sun Wukong to the Flowing Sands River. Shout ‘Wujing’—‘Awakened to Purity’—and he’ll come out. First take him to submit to the Tang Priest, and then make him thread his nine skulls on a string like the Sacred Palaces. If he puts this gourd in the middle of them, it will make a dharma boat to ferry the Tang Priest across the river.” In obedience to the Bodhisattva’s command, Huian and the Great Sage took the gourd with them from the Tide Cave and the Purple Bamboo Grove. There are some lines to describe it:\n\nThe Five Elements were combined with the heavenly Immortal,\n\nRecognizing their master of the old days.\n\nThey have been sufficiently refined to achieve great things;\n\nWhen true and false are distinguished, origins are seen.\n\nWhen Metal joins Nature, like joins like;\n\nWhen Wood seeks the Passions, both are lost.\n\nWhen the two Earths achieve nirvana,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the two Earths achieve nirvana,\n\nFire and Water will combine, and worldly dust be no more.\n\nA little later the pair of them brought their clouds down to land on the bank of the Flowing Sands River. Recognizing Huian as Moksa the Novice, Pig led his master forward to meet him. When Moksa had exchanged courtesies with Sanzang, he greeted Pig.\n\nThen Pig said, “Thanks to Your Holiness’s instruction, I was able to meet the Bodhisattva, and since then I have obeyed the Buddhist law and had the pleasure of becoming a monk. As I have been travelling since then, I’ve been too busy to go and thank you. Please forgive me.”\n\n“Don’t be so longwinded,” said Monkey. “Let’s go and call to that wretch.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Call to whom?” asked Sanzang. “I saw the Bodhisattva,” said Monkey, “and told her what had happened. She said that the ogre of the Flowing Sands River is the mortal incarnation of the Great Curtain-lifting General, who was thrown down to this river as a monster because of a crime he had committed in Heaven. He has been converted by the Bodhisattva and has vowed to go to the Western Heaven with you. If we’d told him we were going to fetch the scriptures, there would have been none of this bitter fighting. The Bodhisattva has now sent Moksa to give this gourd to that fellow to make a dharma boat that will ferry you across.” Sanzang bowed in reverence to the Bodhisattva many times when he heard it, and also bowed to Moksa with the words, “Please do this as quickly as you can, Your Holiness.” Moksa then went by cloud and stood over the river with the gourd in his hands."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wujing, Wujing,” he shouted at the top of his voice, “the pilgrims who are going to fetch the scriptures have been here for a long time. Why haven’t you submitted to them?”\n\nThe ogre, who had gone back to the river-bed for fear of the Monkey King, was resting in his den when he heard his Buddhist name being called and realized that this was a message from the Bodhisattva Guanyin. On hearing that the pilgrims were there, his fears of being attacked melted away, and he pushed his head up through the waves to see that it was Moksa the Novice. Look at him as he bows to Moksa, his face wreathed in smiles. “I’m sorry I did not welcome you properly, Your Holiness,” he said. “Where is the Bodhisattva?”\n\n“She didn’t come,” Moksa replied. “She sent me to tell you to be the Tang Priest’s disciple. You are to take the nine skulls you wear round your neck, arrange them with this gourd in the pattern of the Nine Sacred Palaces, and make a dharma boat to ferry him across this weak water.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where is the pilgrim?” Wujing asked.\n\n“There he is, sitting on the bank,” said Moksa, pointing at Sanzang.\n\nWujing then noticed Pig and said, “I don’t know where that bloody creature is from, but he fought with me for two whole days and never said a word about fetching scriptures. And as for this one,” he added, noticing Monkey, “he’s that one’s accomplice and a real terror. I’m not going with them.”\n\n“That one is Zhu Bajie, and this one is Brother Monkey. They are both disciples of the Tang Priest who have been converted by the Bodhisattva, so you have nothing to fear from them. Let me present you to the Tang Priest.” Wujing put away his staff, straightened his yellow brocade tunic, jumped ashore, knelt before the Tang Priest, and said, “Master, your disciple’s eyes have no pupils in them—I beg you to forgive me for attacking your followers instead of recognizing who they were.”\n\n“You pustule,” said Pig, “why did you fight me instead of submitting? What did you mean by it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You can’t blame him, brother,” said Monkey. “We didn’t tell him our names or even mention fetching the scriptures.”\n\n“Do you believe in our teachings with all your heart?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“I was converted by the Bodhisattva,” Wujing replied, “and she gave me this river’s name as a surname and called me by the Buddhist name of Sha Wujing, or Sand Awakened to Purity, so of course I must follow you, master.”\n\n“In that case,” said Sanzang, “bring the razor over, Monkey, and cut his hair off.” The Great Sage obediently shaved the monster’s head, who then bowed to Sanzang, Monkey, and Pig with appropriate degrees of reverence. When Sanzang saw him do this just like a real monk he gave him another name—Friar Sand.\n\n“Now that you have entered the faith,” said Moksa, “there’s no need to waste time talking. Make that dharma boat at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Friar Sand took the skulls from round his neck without delay and tied them into the pattern of the Nine Palaces with the Bodhisattva’s gourd in the middle. Then he asked Sanzang to board it, and Sanzang found when he sat on it that it was as stable as a small dinghy. Pig and Friar San supported him to left and right, while Monkey led the dragon horse through the clouds behind him, and Moksa stood above him on guard. Sanzang thus made a calm and windless crossing of the weak water of the Flowing Sands River. He moved with the speed of an arrow, and it was not long before he climbed ashore on the other side. He was neither wet nor muddy, and his hands and feet were completely dry. Thus it was that master and disciples trod on dry land again without any trouble. Moksa then landed his cloud, and took back the gourd. The nine skulls changed into nine gusts of wind and disappeared. Sanzang bowed to Moksa to thank him and worshipped the Bodhisattva, after which\n\nMoksa returned to the Eastern Ocean,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Moksa returned to the Eastern Ocean,\n\nWhile Sanzang remounted and headed West.\n\nIf you don’t know when they won their reward and fetched the scriptures, listen to the explanation in the next chapter.\n\n\n\nChapter Twenty-Three\n\nSanzang Does Not Forget the Basic\n\nThe Four Holy Ones Have Their Piety Tested\n\nLong is the road as they travel West;\n\nIn the rustling autumn breeze the frost-killed flowers fall.\n\nThe cunning ape is firmly chained—do not untie him;\n\nThe wicked horse is tightly reined—don’t whip him on.\n\nThe Mother of Wood and Father of Metal were originally combined;\n\nBetween the Yellow Mother and the Red Babe there was no difference.\n\nWhen the iron pill is bitten open, truth is revealed;\n\nThe Prajna-paramita has reached that person."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Prajna-paramita has reached that person.\n\nAlthough this book is about the journey to fetch the scriptures, it never leaves the subject of how the individual strives for the basic. The four of them, having understood the truth, shaken off the chains of the mortal world, and leapt away from the flowing sands of the sea of nature, headed along the main road West free of all impediment. They crossed blue mountains and green rivers, and saw no end of wild flowers. The time flew by, and before long it was autumn. They saw:\n\nHills covered with red maple leaves,\n\nYellow chrysanthemums braving the evening breeze,\n\nAging cicadas singing with less vigor,\n\nAutumn crickets longing for the days of plenty.\n\nThe lotus was losing its green silken leaves,\n\nThe fragrant orange tree was massed with golden globes.\n\nLines of wild geese, alas,\n\nSpread out like dots across the distant sky."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Spread out like dots across the distant sky.\n\nAs they were travelling along one day, evening drew in, and Sanzang said, “Where are we going to sleep, disciples, now that it’s getting late?”\n\n“That’s not the right thing to say, master,” said Monkey. “We monks are supposed to eat the wind and drink the rain, and sleep under the moon and in the frost. Our home is wherever we are. So why ask where we’re going to sleep?”\n\n“You may think that you’ve had an easy journey,” said Pig, “but you don’t give a damn about other people being tired. Ever since we crossed the Flowing Sands River we’ve been going over mountain ranges, and this heavy load has fairly worn me out. We’ve got to find a house where we can beg some tea and food and have a good rest—it’s only fair.”\n\n“It sounds to me, idiot, as though you’re having regrets,” said Monkey. “I’m afraid you can’t have such an easy life now as you did back in Gao Village. If you want to be a monk, you have to suffer—it’s the only way of being a true disciple.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How heavy do you think this load is?” Pig asked.\n\n“I haven’t carried it since you and Friar Sand joined us, so how should I know?” Monkey replied.\n\n“Just add it up,” said Pig. “There are\n\nFour bundles wrapped in yellow bamboo mats,\n\nEight ropes of assorted lengths.\n\nThen, to keep out rain and damp,\n\nThree or four layers of felt around it\n\nThe carrying-pole is terrible slippery\n\nWith nails at either end.\n\nThen there’s a bronze and iron nine-ringed staff\n\nAnd a cape made of bamboo and creeper.\n\nWith all this luggage to carry day after day of course I find the going heavy. While you’re allowed to be the master’s disciple, I’m treated as a hired hand.”\n\n“Who do you think you’re talking to, idiot?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I’m talking to you, elder brother,” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m talking to you, elder brother,” said Pig.\n\n“You shouldn’t be complaining about this to me,” Monkey replied. “My job is to look after the master’s safety, while you and Friar Sand look after the horse and the luggage. And if there’s any slacking from you, you’ll feel a heavy stick about you ankles.”\n\n“Don’t threaten me with a beating, brother,” said Pig, “that would be bullying. I know that you’re too high and mighty to carry the luggage, but the master’s horse is a big, sturdy animal to be carrying only one old monk. I’d be very happy if it could carry a few pieces of luggage.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do you think he’s a horse?” Monkey asked. “He’s no ordinary horse. He was the son of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the Western Sea, and his name is Prince Dragon-horse. Because he burnt the palace pearls his father reported on him as an offender against the Heavenly Code. Luckily for him, his life saved by the Bodhisattva Guanyin, and he waited a long time for the master in the Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge. He was honoured by another visit from the Bodhisattva, who took off his scales and horns, removed the pearls from under his neck, and turned him into this horse, which has sworn to carry the master to the Western Heaven to visit the Buddha.\n\nThis is a matter of him winning merit for himself, so you’d better leave him alone.”\n\n“Is he really a dragon?” asked Friar Sand when he heard this.\n\n“Yes,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” Monkey replied.\n\n“I’ve heard an old saying,” Pig remarked, “that dragons can breathe out clouds, make the dust and sand fly, pull mountain ranges up by their roots, and turn oceans upside down. How is it that he’s moving so slowly now?”\n\n“If you want to see him go fast,” Monkey replied, “I’ll make him go fast for you.” The splendid Great Sage gripped his iron cudgel, and countless luminous clouds sprang from it. When the horse saw him grab the cudgel he thought he was going to be hit with it, and in his terror he shot off at the speed of lightning. Sanzang was too weak to rein him in as the equine dashed up the mountainside for all his evil nature was worth before he slackened his pace. When Sanzang began to get his breath back, he looked up and saw some fine houses in the shade of a bamboo grove:\n\nCypresses were bending over the gates\n\nOf the houses near the blue mountain.\n\nThere were several spreading pines\n\nAnd some molded bamboo.\n\nWild chrysanthemum outside the fence, beautiful in the frost;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The orchid by the bridge reflected red in the water.\n\nA whitewashed, plastered wall\n\nSurrounded it.\n\nHandsome was the lofty hall,\n\nPeaceful the main building.\n\nThere was no sign of oxen or sheep, or chickens, or dogs;\n\nIt seemed to be the slack season after harvest.\n\nSanzang stopped the horse to take a longer look, and then he saw Monkey and the others arrive. “You didn’t fall off the horse, master?” asked Monkey.\n\n“You gave this horse a terrible fright, you filthy ape,” Sanzang said, “but I kept my seat.”\n\n“Don’t tell me off, master,” said Monkey, putting on a smile. “It was only because Pig said the horse was going too slowly that I made him speed up a bit.”\n\nThe blockhead Pig, who had been running quite fast after the horse, was puffing and panting as he mumbled, “Enough of this. When you’re bent double you can’t relax. Although I’m carrying a load so heavy I can’t pick it up, you make me go running after the horse.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “do you see the farm over there? Let’s ask if we can spend the night there.” Monkey immediately looked up, saw that the sky above it was full of clouds of blessing, and knew that the farm had been miraculously produced by the Buddha or some Immortals.\n\nNot daring to give away the secrets of Heaven, however, he only said, “Splendid, splendid, let’s ask if we can lodge there.” Dismounting from his horse, Sanzang saw a gate-house with pillars like elephants’ trunks and beams that had been painted and carved.\n\nFriar Sand put down the carrying-pole and Pig said as he held the horse, “This is a very wealthy house.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was on the point of going in when Sanzang said, “No, we men of religion should avoid incurring suspicion. You mustn’t go charging in. We should wait till somebody comes out and then ask politely for lodging.” Pig tethered the horse at the sloping base of the wall while Sanzang sat on a stone stool, and Friar Sand and Monkey sat beside the steps. When nobody appeared for a long time Monkey jumped up impatiently and went through the gate to have a look. He saw a large hall facing South whose tall windows were shaded with bamboo curtains. Over the doorway dividing the inner and outer parts of the house was a horizontal landscape painting symbolizing long life and blessings, and on the gold-painted columns flanking the door was pasted a pair of scrolls reading:\n\n“The tender willow leaves sway in the evening by the bridge;\n\nWhen the plum-blossom looks like snowflakes it is spring in the courtyard."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the middle of the room was an incense table whose black lacquer had been polished, an ancient animal-shaped bronze incense-burner standing on it, and six chairs. Pictures of the four seasons were hung on the walls at either end of the hall.\n\nAs Monkey was peeping inside he heard footsteps from behind the door at the back. A woman, neither old nor young, came out, and asked in a charming voice, “Who has forced his way into this widow’s house of mine?”\n\nThe Great Sage hastened to greet her respectfully and say, “I am a humble monk from the Great Tang in the East, under imperial orders to go to the West to worship the Buddha and ask for the scriptures. There are four of us altogether, and since our journey has brought us this way as evening is drawing in, we have come to your mansion, divine patroness, to beg for a night’s lodging.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She returned his greeting with a smile and said, “Where are the other three gentlemen, venerable sir?” at which Monkey shouted, “Master, come in.” Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand then came in, bringing the horse and the luggage with them. As the woman came out of the hall to welcome them, Pig stole a glance at her with greedy eyes.\n\nShe wore a green silk gown,\n\nAnd over it a pale red jacket;\n\nA skirt of yellow brocade,\n\nBelow which showed thick-soled shoes.\n\nHer fashionable coiffure was veiled in black,\n\nWhich suited her graying locks, coiled like a dragon;\n\nPalace-style ivory combs shone with red and green,\n\nAnd two golden pins adorned her hair.\n\nHer half-grey tresses soared like a phoenix in flight,\n\nTwo rows of pearls hung from her ear-rings.\n\nFree of powder and paint, her beauty was natural;\n\nShe was as attractive as a younger girl."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She was as attractive as a younger girl.\n\nWhen she saw the three others she was more pleased than ever, and she invited them into the main room. When all the introductions had been made, she asked them to sit down and have some tea. A servant girl with her hair in plaits came in through the door leading to the back of the house; she was carrying a golden tray on which were set white jade cups of steaming hot tea as well as exotic fruits that smelt delicious. Her sleeves were wide, and with her fingers as slender as bamboo shoots in spring she handed each of them a jade bowl and bowed. When the tea had been drunk, the mistress ordered a meatless meal to be prepared.\n\n“What is your name, venerable Bodhisattva?” asked Sanzang, spreading out his hands. “And what is this place called?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This is the Western Continent of Cattle-gift, or Godaniya,” she replied. “My maiden name is Jia and my husband’s name was Mo. In my childhood I had the misfortune of losing both my parents, and I married to continue the ancestral enterprise. Our family is worth ten thousand strings of cash, and we own fifteen thousand acres of good arable land. We were not fated to be given sons, and we only had three daughters. The year before last I suffered the great misfortune of losing my husband. I have remained a widow, and this year I have come out of mourning. There are no other relations to inherit the family estate besides myself and my daughters. I would like to remarry, but not at the price of abandoning the estate. Now that you have come here, venerable sir, with your three disciples, I think it should be you. I and my three daughters want to marry while staying at home, and you four gentlemen would suit us nicely. I wonder if you would be prepared to consent.” Sanzang sat there pretending to be deaf and dumb,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang sat there pretending to be deaf and dumb, with his eyes shut and his mind kept calm. He made no reply."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We have over four thousand acres each of irrigated land, dry land, and orchards on hillsides,” she continued, “as well as over a thousand head of oxen and water buffalo, herds of mules and horses, and more pigs and sheep than you could count. There are sixty or seventy farm buildings and barns. We have more grain in the house than we could eat in eight or nine years, and more than enough silk to clothe us for a decade—to say nothing of more gold and silver than you could spend in a lifetime. You’ll be even better off than those ancients who ‘stored spring behind brocade curtains’ and kept girls whose ‘hair was heavy with golden pins’. If you and your disciples are prepared to change your minds and live in this house as our husbands, you can enjoy wealth and ease. Wouldn’t that be better than a difficult journey to the West?” Sanzang sat there silent, as if he were an imbecile."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was born at the hour you of the third day of the third month of the year dinghai, “ she continued. “My late husband was three years older than me, and I am now forty-four. My eldest daughter, Zhenzhen, is nineteen; my second, Aiai is seventeen; and Lianlian, the youngest, is fifteen. None of them have been betrothed. Although I am rather ugly myself, the girls are all quite good-looking, and they have all the feminine accomplishments. As my late husband had no sons, he gave them a boy’s education, teaching them to read the Confucian classics from an early age and training them to recite poems and make couplets. Although they live in this mountain farmhouse you couldn’t consider them boorish, and I think that they would be good partners for all you reverend gentlemen. If you are willing to broaden your outlook and let your hair grow, you could be head of the family and wear silks and brocades. Wouldn’t that be far better than your earthenware begging-bowl, rough clothes, straw sandals, and rain-hats?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang sat in the place of honour as still as a child terrified by thunder or a toad soaked in a rainstorm. He seemed to be in a trance as he leant back with his eyes turned up towards the sky. Pig, however, felt an itch in his mind that was hard to scratch when he heard about all this wealth and beauty. He fidgeted on his chair as if needles were being stuck into his backside, and finally could bear it no longer.\n\nHe went up to his master, tugged at his clothes, and said, “Master, why are you paying no attention to what the lady is saying? You really ought to take some notice.” Sanzang glared at him angrily, made a furious noise, and shouted at him to go away.\n\n“Evil beast,” he said, “We are men of religion. It’s disgraceful to allow yourself to be moved by the thought of wealth, honour or sex.”\n\n“Poor, poor things,” said the woman with a smile. “What good can there be in being men of religion?”\n\n“What good can there be in being of the world, Bodhisattva?” Sanzang replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please sit down, reverend sir, while I tell you about the advantages of being in the world,” she said. “There is a poem to describe them that goes:\n\nIn spring we cut out linked diamond patterns and wear new silk;\n\nIn summer we change to light gauze and admire the lotus;\n\nIn autumn comes meat and delicious rice-wine,\n\nIn winter the house is warm, and our faces are red with drink.\n\nWe have all that’s needed in the four seasons,\n\nThe treasures and delicacies of the whole year.\n\nBrocade clothes, silken sheets and a wedding night\n\nAre better than plodding along and worshipping Maitreya.”\n\n“Bodhisattva,” said Sanzang, “it is, of course, very good to enjoy wealth and honour with plenty of food and clothes and a family. But what you don’t realize is that the religious life has advantages, which are described in this poem:\n\nIt is no light matter to decide to enter religion:\n\nYou have to demolish the love and gratitude you felt before.\n\nExternals are created no longer, and your mouth is tightly shut."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Negative and positive exist within your body.\n\nWhen all has been achieved, you face the golden gates;\n\nSee your nature, clarify your mind, and return home.\n\nThis is better than staying in the world to be greedy for blood and food\n\nWhile your stinking flesh grows aged and decrepit.”\n\n“You insolent monk,” the woman said in great anger. “If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve come a long, long way from the East. I’d drive you out of my house. I invite you four with all sincerity to marry us and enjoy our wealth, and you repay my kindness with insults. If you have accepted the prohibitions and made your vows, you could at least let me have one of your underlings as a son-in-law. Why are you being such a stickler for the rules?”\n\nAs she had lost her temper, Sanzang had to soothe her, so he said, “Monkey, you stay here.”\n\n“I’ve never been able to do that sort of thing,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Why not let Pig stay?”\n\n“Stop teasing, elder brother,” Pig said. “We should all decide what’s the best thing to do.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If neither of you will stay, I must ask Friar Sand to stay,” said Sanzang; but Friar Sand replied, “What a thing to say, master. I was converted by the Bodhisattva, agreed to obey the prohibitions, and waited till you came, and since taking me as your disciple you’ve taught me more. I haven’t been with you for two months yet, and I’ve had no time to win any merit at all. How could I possibly want wealth and position? I want to go to the Western Heaven even if it costs me my life, and I’m certainly not going to frustrate my hopes by doing that.” In the face of their refusals the woman turned round, went out through the door leading to the back of the house, and slammed it behind her, leaving master and disciples outside with neither food nor tea. Nobody else came out to see them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s not the way to handle things, master,” grumbled an angry Pig. “You should have been more flexible and given her some noncommittal answer, then you’d have got some food out of her. That way we’d have eaten well tonight, but would still have been able to refuse to marry them in the morning. We’re going to have a lousy night with nothing to eat if that inside door is shut and nobody comes out to us.”\n\n“Brother Pig, you should stay here and marry one of the girls,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“Lay off me,” Pig replied. “We must decide what’s the best thing to do.”\n\n“Why bother?” said Monkey. “If you want to marry one of them, you’ll make our master and the woman in-laws, and you can be a husband living with his in-laws. A family as rich as this is bound to give a good dowry, as well as a feast for relations which will do us all a bit of good. So it’s in all our interests for you to return to worldly life here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It sounds all right,” said Pig, “but it would mean going back to the world after leaving it, and marrying again after ending another marriage.”\n\n“Did you have a wife before, then?” asked Friar Sand.\n\n“So you still don’t know,” said Monkey, “that he used to be the son-in-law of Squire Gao in Gao Village in the land of Stubet. After I defeated him and the Bodhisattva converted him and made him promise to observe the prohibitions, we managed to force him to become a monk. So he left his wife and joined our master for the journey to the Buddha in the West. I think that now he’s been away from her for so long he’s remembering all that business again. When he heard this woman’s offer, it revived his old ideas. Blockhead,” he continued, addressing Pig, “marry into this family as a son-in-law. I won’t report on you provided you bow to me a few times.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nonsense, Nonsense,” said Pig. “You’ve all been thinking the same thoughts, but you pick on me to make an exhibition of. It’s always said that ‘a monk among pretty women is a hungry ghost,’ and that goes for all of us. But by acting so high and mighty you’ve ruined our chances of doing well here. We haven’t cast our eyes on so much as a cup of tea, and there isn’t even anyone to light the lamps for us. We may be able to stick it out for a night, but that horse will have to carry our master again tomorrow, and if he gets nothing to eat all night he’ll collapse. You lot sit here while I take him out for a feed.” He untied the animal and dragged it out in a great hurry, at which Monkey said, “Friar Sand, you sit here with the master while I follow him and see where he pastures that horse.”\n\n“If you want to keep an eye on him, you may do so,” Sanzang said, “but don’t play any tricks on him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I understand,” said Monkey, and as he went out of the room he shook himself, turned into a red dragonfly, flew out of the main gate, and caught up with Pig.\n\nInstead of letting the horse eat what grass there was, the blockhead chivied and dragged it round to the back door of the house, where he saw the woman and her three daughters admiring some chrysanthemums. When they saw Pig coming, the three girls rushed inside, while their mother remained standing in front of him.\n\n“Where are you going, reverend sir?” she asked. The idiot dropped the horse’s bridle, greeted her respectfully, and said, “I’m pasturing the horse, mother.”\n\n“That master of yours is too prim and proper,” she said. “Wouldn’t you rather marry here than go on plodding West as a travelling monk?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They’re under orders from the Tang Emperor,” Pig replied with a grin, “and are too scared of disobeying him to do a thing like this. When they put the pressure on me in the hall just now I was in a very awkward spot. I hope you don’t mind about my long snout and big ears.”\n\n“I don’t mind,” she said, “as long as we can have a man about the house, though my girls might not find you very attractive.”\n\n“Tell your girls not to be so particular about a husband,” said Pig. “That Tang Priest may be very handsome, but he’s completely useless. Although I’m as ugly as they come, I have something to say for myself.”\n\n“What would that be?” she asked. His reply was:\n\n“I may be not much to look at,\n\nBut I certainly get things done.\n\nFifteen thousand acres\n\nI can plough without an ox.\n\nJust by using my rake\n\nI plant crops that come up well.\n\nI can summon rain in a drought,\n\nCall up a wind when there’s none.\n\nIf you find your house too small,\n\nI can add two more stories, or three."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I can add two more stories, or three.\n\nIf the ground needs sweeping, I’ll sweep it;\n\nIf the ditches are blocked, I’ll make them run.\n\nI can do all sorts of household jobs.\n\nAnd perform miscellaneous duties in the home.”\n\n“Very well then,” she said, “if you can manage the work about the place you’d better go and talk it over with your master. If there are no problems, then you can marry one of the girls.”\n\n“There’s no need to talk it over with him,” Pig said. “He’s not my father or mother, and it’s entirely up to me whether I do it or not.”\n\n“Very well then,” she said, “Wait while I tell the girls.” With that she went in and shut the door behind her. Pig still did not let the horse graze but dragged it round towards the front of the house.\n\nUnbeknown to him, Monkey, who knew all about what had happened, flew back, changed back into his own form, and said to the Tang Priest, “Master, Pig is leading the horse back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If he hadn’t led it, it might have got excited and run away,” Sanzang said, at which Monkey burst out laughing and told him all about what had taken place between Pig and the woman. Sanzang did not know whether to believe him or not. A moment later the blockhead led the horse in and tethered it.\n\n“Have you grazed the horse?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“I couldn’t find any grass that was good enough,” said Pig, “so I couldn’t graze it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You may not have been able to graze the horse,” said Monkey, “but you managed do some horse-trading.” This jibe made the idiot realize that the cat was out of the bag, so he hung his head and did not say a word. There was a creak as a side door opened and the woman and her three daughters—Zhenzhen, Aiai and Lianlian—came in with a pair of lamps glowing red and two portable incense burners from which sweet-smelling smoke curled up as the jade ornaments at their waists tinkled. The three girls greeted the pilgrims, standing in a row in the middle of the room and bowing. They were undoubtedly beauties:\n\nAll had moth-eyebrows glistening blue,\n\nPale and spring-like faces.\n\nSeductive beauties who could tumble kingdoms,\n\nDisturbing men’s hearts with their quiet charm.\n\nElegant were their ornaments of golden flowers;\n\nTheir embroidered sashes floated above the worldly dust.\n\nTheir half-smile was a bursting cherry;\n\nTheir breath was perfumed as they walked with slow steps."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Their hair was covered with pearls and jade.\n\nTrembling under countless jeweled ornaments;\n\nTheir whole bodies were fragrant,\n\nCovered with delicate flowers of gold.\n\nWhy mention the beauty of the woman of Chu,\n\nOr the charms of Xi Zi?\n\nThey really were like fairies from the Ninth Heaven,\n\nOr the Lady of the Moon coming out of her palace.\n\nWhile Sanzang put his hands together and bowed his head the Great Sage pretended not to notice and Friar Sand turned away. But Pig gazed at them with a fixed stare, his mind seething with lewd thoughts as his lust overwhelmed him.\n\n“Thank you, divine angels, for coming to see us,” he said, fidgeting, “but could you ask the girls to go, please, mother?” The three girls went out through the door, leaving a pair of gauze-shielded lanterns behind them.\n\n“Will you four reverend gentlemen please decide which of you is to marry one of the girls?” the woman said.\n\n“We’ve already made up our minds that Mr. Pig is to be your son-in-law,” Friar Sand replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t pick on me, brother,” said Pig, “we should discuss this together.”\n\n“No need to,” said Monkey. “You’ve already fixed everything up at the back door and called her ‘mother,’ so there’s nothing to discuss. Our master can represent the groom’s family, this lady is the bride’s family, I can be best man, and Friar Sand can be the matchmaker. There’s no need to bother with the usual exchange of letters, and today is a most auspicious one full of heavenly grace, so bow to the master and go in to be her son-in-law.”\n\n“Impossible,” said Pig, “impossible. I couldn’t do a thing like that.”\n\n“Stop trying to cover up, blockhead,” said Monkey. “You’ve already called her ‘mother’ umpteen times: there’s nothing impossible about it at all. Hurry up and fulfil your promise so that we can have some wedding wine, which will be one good thing about it.” Seizing Pig with one hand and grabbing the woman with the other he said, “As the bride’s mother, you should take your son-in-law inside.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot Pig hesitated, wanting to go in, and the woman said to the servants, “Bring table and chairs and give these three relatives of ours a meatless supper. I’m taking our son-in-law inside.” Then she told the cooks to prepare a banquet for their friends and relations the following morning. The servants did as they were told, and the other three pilgrims ate their supper, spread their bedding, and went to sleep in their places.\n\nPig followed his mother-in-law inside, and as he lost count of the number of rooms he went through, constantly tripping over the thresholds. “Don’t go so fast, mother,” he said, “and please guide me as I don’t know the way.”\n\n“These are all granaries, storehouses, and milling rooms,” she said. “We haven’t reached the kitchens yet.”\n\n“What an enormous house,” said Pig, as he went round many a corner, tripping and bumping into things, until he reached the inner apartments of the house."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your brother said that today was a very auspicious day,” the woman said, “which is why I’ve brought you inside. But as we’re doing things in such a rush, I haven’t had time to call in a fortune-teller or arrange a proper ceremony with the scattering of fruit. You must just bow eight times, and that will have to do.”\n\n“A good idea, mother,” said Pig. “You sit in the seat of honour and I’ll bow to you a few times—that can be the wedding ceremony and thanking the bride’s family rolled into one, which will save trouble.”\n\n“Very well then,” said the woman with a laugh. “You are a most capable and practical son-in-law. I’ll sit here while you bow to me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the room glittering with silver candles the blockhead bowed to her, then asked which of the girls would be married to him. “That’s the problem,” his mother-in-law said. “If I give you the eldest, the second one will be upset; and if I give you the second one, I’m afraid the third one will be; and if I give you the third, the eldest will be—so I haven’t decided yet.”\n\n“If there’s any danger of them quarrelling,” said Pig, “then give me all of them, to save the family from being troubled with arguments and squabbles.”\n\n“What a suggestion,” his mother-in-law exclaimed. “You’re certainly not having all my daughters to yourself.”\n\n“Don’t be silly, mother. What’s unusual about three or four wives? Even if there were several more of them, I’d take them on with a smile. When I was young I learned the art of ‘protracted warfare,’ and I can guarantee to keep every one of them happy.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No, no,” the woman said. “I have a handkerchief here. Tie it round your head to cover your face, and we can let Heaven decide which one you’ll marry. I’ll tell the girls to walk in front of you while you stretch your arms out. The one you catch, will be yours.” The blockhead obediently tied the handkerchief round his head, and there is a verse to prove it:\n\nThe fool, not knowing his own fate,\n\nWas wounded by the sword of sex as he harmed himself in secret\n\nThere have always been proper wedding rites,\n\nBut today the groom blindfolded himself.\n\nWhen he had tied the handkerchief on firmly, the idiot said, “Mother, please ask the girls to come out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Zhenzhen, Aiai, Lianlian,” she called, “come out to see which of you Heaven will marry to my new son-in-law.” He heard the tinkling of jade ornaments and smelt rare perfumes as if fairies were there, so he reached out to grab one. He groped about to his left and his right, but without success. There were so many girls running about, and he had no chance of catching one. When he stretched East he only put his arms round a pillar, and when he stretched West he felt only the wall. As he rushed from one end of the room to the other he felt so dizzy that he lost his balance and kept tripping over. He stumbled into the door when he went forward, and collided with the brick wall when he went back, bumping, crashing and falling over till his snout was swollen and his head blue with bruises. Finally he sat on the floor and said as he gasped for breath, “Mother, your daughters are so slippery I can’t catch a single one of them. Whatever shall I do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They’re not slippery,” she said, taking off the handkerchief, “they’re all too shy to marry you.”\n\n“If they won’t marry me,” Pig said, “then you marry me.”\n\n“What a son-in-law!” she said. “He doesn’t care whether they’re young or old—he even wants his own mother-in-law. Now each of these clever girls of mine has made a brocade shirt sewn with pearls. I’ll tell whichever girl it is whose shirt you put on to marry you.”\n\n“Great, great, great,” said Pig. “Bring out all three shirts for me to try on, and if I can get them all on, I’ll marry them all.” The woman went back inside, and brought out only one shirt, which she handed to Pig. The idiot took off his own black cloth tunic and pulled on the shirt, but before he could tie the belt at the waist he fell to the ground with a thump and found himself tightly bound with many ropes. He was in great pain, and the women had all disappeared."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Sanzang, Monkey, and Friar Sand woke up, the East was already lightening, and as they opened their eyes and looked around them they saw none of the lofty buildings that had been there. There were no carved and painted beams or rafters either: they had all been sleeping in a grove of pine and cypress. Sanzang called for Monkey in terror, and Friar Sand said, “Elder brother, we’re done for, done for—they were demons.”\n\n“What do you mean?” asked Monkey, who understood what had happened, with a trace of a smile. “Look where we’ve been sleeping,” said Sanzang. “We’re very comfortable here under the pine trees,” said Monkey, “but I wonder where that idiot is being punished.”\n\n“Who’s being punished?” asked Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Who’s being punished?” asked Sanzang.\n\n“The woman and the girls last night were some Bodhisattvas or other appearing to us in disguise,” replied Monkey with a grin, “and I suppose they went away in the middle of the night. I’m afraid Pig is being punished.” On hearing this, Sanzang put his hands together and worshipped, and then they saw a piece of paper hanging from a cypress tree and fluttering in the breeze. Friar Sand hurried over to fetch it and show it to their master, who saw that there were eight lines of verse on it:\n\n“The Old Woman of Mount Li had no yearning for the world,\n\nBut the Bodhisattva Guanyin persuaded her to come.\n\nSamantabhadra and Manjusri were both present\n\nDisguised as pretty girls among the trees.\n\nThe holy monk were too virtuous to return to lay life,\n\nBut the unreligious Pig was worse than worldly.\n\nFrom now on he must calm his mind and reform—\n\nIf he misbehaves again, the journey will be hard.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As Sanzang, Monkey, and Friar Sand read out these lines they heard loud shouts from the depths of the wood: “Master, they’re tied me up and left me to die. I’ll never do it again if you save me.”\n\n“Is that Pig shouting, Friar Sand?” asked Sanzang, and Friar Sand said, “Yes.”\n\n“Although that blockhead is obstinately stupid in mind and nature,” said Sanzang, “he is an honest fellow. Besides, he is very strong and can carry the luggage—and we should also remember that the Bodhisattva saved him and told him to come with us. I don’t think he’ll have the nerve to do it again.” Friar Sand then rolled up the bedding and arranged the luggage, while Monkey untied the horse and led it along as he guided the Tang Priest into the wood to investigate. Indeed:\n\nIn the pursuit of righteousness you must be careful,\n\nAnd sweep away desires in your return to the truth.\n\nIf you don’t know whether the blockhead survived or not, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Twenty-Four"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter Twenty-Four\n\nOn the Mountain of Infinite Longevity a Great Immortal Entertains an Old Friend\n\nIn the Wuzhuang Temple Monkey Steals Manfruit\n\nThe three of them went into the wood and saw the idiot tied up under a tree, yelling and howling in unbearable pain. Monkey went over to him and said with a laugh, “What a son-in-law! So late, and you still haven’t got up to thank your mother-in-law or come to tell the good news to the master. Why are you still playing around here? Where’s your mother-in-law? Where’s your wife? You make a fine, strapped-up, well-beaten son-in-law!”\n\nThe blockhead, burning with humiliation at being thus mocked, gritted his teeth to stop himself howling in his agony. Friar Sand was overcome with pity when he saw him, and putting down the luggage he went over and untied him. The idiot kowtowed to him in gratitude. He was suffering terrible remorse. There is a poem to the tune The Moon in the West River to prove it:\n\nSex is a sword that wounds the body;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sex is a sword that wounds the body;\n\nWhoever lusts for it will suffer.\n\nA pretty girl of sixteen\n\nIs far more dangerous than a yaksha demon.\n\nThere is only one Origin,\n\nAnd there are no extra profits to staff in the sack.\n\nBetter store all your capital away,\n\nGuard it well, and don’t squander it.\n\nPig used a pinch of earth to represent burning incense and bowed in worship to Heaven.\n\n“Did you recognize the Bodhisattva?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I was lying here in a faint and my eyes were seeing stars, so I couldn’t tell who it was.” Monkey handed him the piece of paper, and when he saw the divine message, Pig was more ashamed than ever.\n\n“You’re very lucky,” said Friar Sand with a laugh, “you’ve got four Bodhisattvas as your relations now.”\n\n“Please don’t talk about it,” said Pig. “I really don’t deserve to be human. I’ll never misbehave again in future, and I even if the effort breaks my bones, I’ll rub my shoulder and carry our master’s luggage to the West.”\n\n“That’s more like it,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s more like it,” said Sanzang.\n\nMonkey then led his master along the main road. After they had been going for a long time, walking and resting, they saw a high mountain blocking their way. “Disciples,” said Sanzang as he reined in the horse and stopped giving it the whip, “we must be very careful on that mountain. I’m afraid there may be fiends and demons on it who will attack us.”\n\n“With us three followers,” said Monkey, “you needn’t fear demons.” Sanzang, his worries ended, pressed forward. The mountain was certainly a fine one:\n\nThe mountain was very high\n\nAnd craggy was its majesty.\n\nIts roots joined the Kunlun range,\n\nIts summit touched the Milky Way.\n\nWhite crane came to perch in its locust and cypress trees,\n\nDark apes hung upside-down from its creepers.\n\nWhen the sun shone bright on its forests,\n\nIt was enveloped in red haze;\n\nWhen winds sprang from dark valleys,\n\nColoured clouds scudded across the sky.\n\nHidden birds called in the green bamboo,\n\nPheasants fought among the wild flowers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pheasants fought among the wild flowers.\n\nThousand-year peaks,\n\nFive-blessing peaks,\n\nLotus peaks,\n\nMajestically reflecting a delicate light;\n\nTen thousand year rocks,\n\nTiger-tooth rocks,\n\nThree Heavens rocks,\n\nWreathed in subtle and auspicious vapours.\n\nLuxuriant grass in front of the cliff,\n\nThe scent of plum blossom on the ridge.\n\nDense grew the jungle of thorns,\n\nPure and pale were the orchids.\n\nDeep in the woods the birds gathered round the phoenix;\n\nIn an ancient cave a unicorn was chief of the animals.\n\nA delightful stream in a gully\n\nTwisted and turned as it wandered around;\n\nEndless peaks\n\nCoiled about in layer upon layer.\n\nThen there were the green locust trees,\n\nMottled bamboo,\n\nAnd bluish pines,\n\nThat had been competing in splendour for a thousand years.\n\nWhite plum blossom,\n\nRed peach,\n\nAnd emerald willows\n\nWere brilliant as they vied in beauty during spring.\n\nDragons called and tigers roared,\n\nCranes danced and apes howled.\n\nDeer emerged from the flowers,\n\nPheasants sang to the sun."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pheasants sang to the sun.\n\nThis was a land of blessing, an Immortals’ mountain,\n\nJust like Penglai or Langyuan.\n\nFlowers opened and withered on the mountain top,\n\nClouds came and went above the peaks along the ridge.\n\n“Disciples,” said Sanzang with delight as he sat on his horse, “I’ve crossed many mountains on my journey West, and they were all steep and rocky, but none of them could be compared to the extraordinarily beautiful scenery here. If this isn’t far from the Thunder Monastery, we had better put ourselves in a solemn and reverent mood to meet the Buddha.”\n\n“It’s early days yet,” said Monkey with a laugh. “That’s not an easy place to get to.”\n\n“How far are we from Thunder Monastery, elder brother?” asked Friar Sand.\n\n“Thirty-six thousand miles,” Monkey replied, “and we haven’t covered a tenth of it.”\n\n“How many years will it take us to get there?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You two younger brothers of mine could manage it in ten days or so, and I could go there fifty times over in a single day and still be back before sunset. But for our master it doesn’t bear thinking about.”\n\n“Tell me, Monkey! how long will it take?” asked Sanzang.\n\n“If you went from childhood to old age,” said Monkey, “and from old age back to childhood again, and you did it a thousand times over, you’d still find it hard to get there. But if you see your true nature, are determined to be sincere, and always remember to turn your head back to enlightenment, then you will have reached\n\nVulture Peak.”\n\n“Even if this isn’t the Thunder Monastery,” said Friar Sand, “good people must live amid such fine scenery as this.”\n\n“Quite right,” said Monkey, “there couldn’t be any evil creatures here. This must be the home of holy monks or Immortals. Let’s look around here and take our time over it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This mountain was called the Mountain of Infinite Longevity, and there was a Taoist temple on it called the Wuzhuang Temple. In this temple lived an Immortal whose Taoist name was Zhen Yuan Zi. He was also known as Conjoint Lord of the Age. The temple had a rare treasure, a miraculous tree that had been formed when primeval chaos was first being divided, before the separation of Heaven and Earth. In the four great continents of the world, only the Western Continent of Cattle-gift’s Wuzhuang Temple had this treasure that was known as “Grass-returning Cinnabar” or “manfruit.” It took three thousand years to blossom, three thousand years to form the fruit, and another three thousand years for the fruit to ripen, so that very nearly ten thousand years had to pass before the fruit could be eaten. Only thirty fruit were formed each ten thousand years, and they were shaped just like a newborn baby, complete with limbs and sense organs. Anyone whose destiny permitted him to smell one would live for three hundred and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "him to smell one would live for three hundred and sixty years, and if you ate one you would live for forty-seven thousand years."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That day the Great Immortal Zhen Yuan had received an invitation from the Original Celestial Jade Pure One inviting him to the Miluo Palace in the Heaven of Supreme Purity to hear a lecture on the Product of Undifferentiated Unity. The Immortals who had studied under this great Immortal were too numerous to count, and he now had forty-eight disciples who had all attained to the full truth of the Way. That day, the Great Immortal took forty-six of them with him to hear the lecture in the upper world, leaving the two youngest, Pure Wind and Bright Moon, to look after the temple. Pure Wind was 1,320 years old, and Bright Moon had just turned 1,200."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Immortal gave his instructions to the two boys: “As I must obey the summons of the Original Celestial Jade Pure One and go to the Miluo Palace to hear a lecture, you two will have to look after the temple carefully. An old friend of mine will be coming this way before long, and you must entertain him very well indeed. You can pick two manfruits for him as a token of our old friendship.”\n\n“Who is this old friend of yours, master?” the boys asked. “Please tell us who he is so that we can entertain him properly.”\n\n“He is a priest sent by the Tang Emperor in the East,” the Great Immortal replied, “and he is known as Sanzang. He is the monk going to worship the Buddha and ask for the scriptures in the Western Heaven.”\n\n“Confucius said, ‘Don’t have anything to do with people of a different way,’” replied the boys with smiles. “Ours is the esoteric sect of the Great Monad, so why ever are you friends with that Buddhist monk?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You are not aware,” the Great Immortal replied, “that he is a reincarnation of the Golden Cicada, the second disciple of the Tathagata Buddha, that ancient sage of the West. I made his acquaintance at an Ullambana assembly where he gave me tea with his own hands. As this disciple of the Buddha paid me such an honour, I regard him as an old friend.”\n\nWhen the two Immortal boys heard this, they accepted their master’s orders. Just as he was on the point of setting out, the Great Immortal gave them some more instructions: “There are a limited number of those manfruits. You must only give two, and not one more.”\n\n“When the garden was opened we all shared two,” said the boys, “and there are twenty-eight now left on the tree. We won’t use more than two.”\n\n“Although the Tang Priest is an old friend of mine,” said the Great Immortal, “you must be on your guard against his ruffian followers, and you mustn’t let them know about the manfruit.” The Great Immortal then flew up to Heaven with the rest of his disciples."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Priest and his three followers, meanwhile, were enjoying themselves strolling on the mountain when they noticed some tall buildings rising above a bamboo grove. “What do you think that is?” Sanzang asked Monkey, who replied, “It’s either a Taoist temple or a Buddhist one. Let’s go over and find out.” It did not take them long to reach the gate, and they saw\n\nA cool pine-covered slope,\n\nA tranquil path through the bamboo.\n\nWhite cranes brought floating clouds,\n\nMonkeys and apes offered fruit.\n\nBefore the gate was a wide pool, and the shadows of the trees were long;\n\nIn the cracks of the rocks grew moss.\n\nMany a purple hall was massed together;\n\nA red aura enveloped the lofty towers.\n\nIt certainly was a blessed place,\n\nA cloud cave on Penglai.\n\nIn its pure emptiness little happened;\n\nIts stillness gave birth to thoughts of the Way.\n\nGreen birds often brought letters from the Queen Mother;\n\nPurple pheasants carried the classics of Lord Lao Zi.\n\nThere was a majestic air of the Way and its Power—"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was indeed a divine Immortal’s home.\n\nSanzang dismounted and saw that there was a stone tablet outside the gate on which was inscribed in large letters:\n\nBLESSED LAND OF THE MOUNTAIN OF INFINITE LONGEVITY\n\nCAVE HEAVEN OF THE WUZHUANG TEMPLE\n\n“You were right,” said Sanzang, “it is a Taoist temple.”\n\n“Good people must live in this temple,” said Friar Sand, “set as it is in such fresh, light scenery. Let’s go in and have a look round. When we go back to the East at the end of our journey, this will be one of the finest sights we’ll have seen.”\n\n“Well spoken,” said Monkey, and they all went in. On the next gate was pasted the couplet:\n\n“Residence of Divine Immortals Who Never Grow Old;\n\nHome of Taoists as Ancient as Heaven.”\n\n“This Taoist tries to intimidate people by talking big,” said Monkey with a laugh. “When I wrecked the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago I never saw anything like that over the gate of the Supreme Lord Lao Zi.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Never mind him,” said Pig. “Let’s go in. This Taoist may well be quite a decent bloke.”\n\nAs they went through the second gate they saw two boys come scurrying out. This is what they looked like:\n\nPure bones, lively spirits, pretty faces,\n\nAnd hair tied in childish tufts.\n\nTheir Taoist robes naturally wreathed in mist,\n\nThe sleeves of their feather clothes were floating in the wind.\n\nTheir jade belts were tied with dragon-head knots,\n\nTheir grass sandals lightly fastened with silk.\n\nIn their elegance they were unlike common mortals—\n\nThe Taoist boys Pure Wind and Bright Moon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Taoist boys Pure Wind and Bright Moon.\n\nThe two boys bowed and came out to greet them. “We are sorry we did not welcome you properly, venerable master,” they said. “Please sit down.” Sanzang was delighted, and he accompanied the two boys up to the main hall of the temple, which faced South. There was a patterned lattice window that let through the light on top of the door that the boys pushed open. They asked the Tang Priest to come in, and he saw two huge words executed in many colours hanging on the wall—Heaven and Earth. There was an incense table of red carved lacquer on which stood a pair of golden censers and a supply of incense."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang went over to the table and put a pinch of incense in the censers with his left hand while performing triple reverences. Then he turned round to the boys and said, “This temple is a home of Immortals in the Western Continent, so why don’t you worship the Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors, and all the ministers of Heaven? Why do you burn incense to the two words ‘Heaven’ and ‘Earth?’”\n\n“To be frank with you, venerable teacher,” the boys replied with smiles, “it’s quite right to worship the top word, ‘Heaven,’ but the bottom one, ‘Earth,’ gets no incense from us. Our teacher only put them up to ingratiate himself.”\n\n“How does he ingratiate himself?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“The Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors are our teacher’s friends,” the boys replied, “the Nine Bright Shiners are his juniors, and the Constellations are his underlings.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he collapsed with laughter, and Pig asked him, “What are you laughing at?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They say that I get up to no good, but these Taoist boys really tell whoppers.”\n\n“Where is your teacher?” Sanzang asked them.\n\n“He had an invitation from the Original Celestial Jade Pure One and has gone to the Palace in the Heaven of Supreme Purity to hear a lecture on the Product of Undifferentiated Unity, so he’s not at home.”\n\nAt this Monkey could not help roaring, “Stinking Taoist boys, you don’t know who you’re talking to. You play your dirty tricks in front of our faces and pretend to be oh-so-innocent. What Heavenly Immortal of the Great Monad lives in the Miluo Palace? Who invited your cow’s hoof of a master to a lecture?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang was worried that now he had lost his temper the boys would answer back and spark off a disastrous fight, so he said, “Don’t quarrel with them, Wukong. We’ll be going in a minute, so we obviously need have nothing to do with them. Besides, as the saying goes, ‘egrets don’t eat egret flesh’. Their master isn’t here anyway, so there would be no point in wrecking the place. Go and graze the horse outside the gate. Friar Sand, you look after the luggage, and tell Pig to take some rice from our bundles and use their kitchen to make our meal. When we go we shall give them a few coppers for the firewood. All do as I’ve told you and leave me here to rest. When we have eaten we shall be on our way again.” The three of them went off to do their jobs."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bright Moon and Pure Wind were meanwhile quietly praising Sanzang to each other: “What a splendid monk. He is indeed the beloved sage of the West in mortal form, and his true nature is not at all befuddled. The master told us to entertain him and give him some manfruit as a token of their old friendship, and he also warned us to be on our guard against those hooligans of his. They have murderous-looking faces and coarse natures. Thank goodness he sent them away, because if they were still with him, we wouldn’t be able to give him the manfruit.”\n\n“We don’t yet know whether this monk is our master’s old friend or not,” said Pure Wind. “We’d better ask him to make sure.” The two of them then went over to Sanzang and said, “May we ask you, venerable master, whether you are the Sanzang of the Great Tang who is going to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures?”\n\n“Yes, I am,” said Sanzang, returning their bows. “How did you know who I was?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Our master told us before he went,” they replied, “to go out to meet you long before you got here, but as you came faster than we expected we failed to do so. Please sit down, teacher, while we fetch you some tea.”\n\n“I am honoured,” said Sanzang. Bright Moon hurried out and came back with a cup of fragrant tea for him.\n\nWhen Sanzang had drunk the tea, Pure Wind said to Bright Moon, “We must do as our teacher told us and fetch the fruit.”\n\nThe two boys left Sanzang and went to their room, where one of them picked up a golden rod and the other a red dish, on which he put many a silk handkerchief as cushioning. They went into the manfruit orchard, where Pure Wind climbed the tree and tapped the fruit with the golden rod while Bright Moon waited below to catch them in the dish."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They only took a few moments to knock down and catch a couple, which they took to the front hall to offer to Sanzang with the words, “This temple of ours is on a remote and desolate mountain, master Sanzang, and there is no local delicacy we can offer you except these two pieces of fruit. We hope they will quench your thirst.”\n\nAt the sight of the manfruit the monk recoiled some three feet, shaking with horror. “Goodness me!” he exclaimed. “How could you be so reduced to starvation in this year of plenty as to eat human flesh? And how could I possibly quench my thirst with a newborn baby?”\n\n“This monk has developed eyes of flesh and a mortal body in the battlefield of mouths and tongues and the sea of disputation,” thought Pure Wind, “and he can’t recognize the treasures of this home of Immortals.”\n\n“Venerable master,” said Bright Moon, “this is what is called ‘manfruit,’ and there is no reason why you should not eat one.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nonsense, nonsense,” said Sanzang. “They were conceived by their fathers and mothers and had to go through no end of suffering before they were born. How can you treat them as fruit when they haven’t been alive for three days yet?”\n\n“They really and truly grew on a tree,” said Pure Wind.\n\n“Stuff and rubbish,” Sanzang replied. “Babies don’t grow on trees. Take them away, you inhuman beasts.”\n\nAs he refused absolutely to eat them, the two boys had to take the dish away and go back to their room. This fruit was rather difficult to handle, and did not keep for long without becoming hard and inedible, so the boys sat on their beds and ate one each."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Oh dear! What a thing to happen! There was only a wall separating their room from the kitchen, where their whispering could be clearly heard. Pig was in there cooking the rice when he heard them talk as they fetched the golden rod and the red dish. Later he heard them saying that the Tang Priest had not recognized the manfruit, which was why they took them back to their room to eat.\n\n“I’d love to try one, but I don’t know how,” thought Pig, unable to prevent his mouth from watering. Too stupid to do anything about it himself, he had to wait until he could talk it over with Brother Monkey. He had now lost all interest in stoking the stove as he stood in front of it, constantly poking his head outside the kitchen to look for Monkey. Before long Monkey appeared leading the horse, which he tethered to a locust tree. As he came round to the back, the blockhead waved frantically to him and said, “Come here, come here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey turned round, came to the kitchen door, and said, “What are you yelling for, idiot? Not enough food for you? Let the old monk eat his fill, then we two can go to the next big house that lies ahead and beg for some more.”\n\n“Come in,” said Pig, “it’s not that. Do you know that there’s a treasure in this temple?”\n\n“What treasure?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I can’t describe it because you’ve never seen it,” said Pig, “and if I gave it to you, you wouldn’t know what it was.”\n\n“Don’t try to make a fool of me, idiot,” said Monkey. “When I studied the Way of Immortality five hundred years ago I traveled on my cloud to the comers of the ocean and the edge of the sky. I’ve seen everything.”\n\n“Have you seen manfruit then?” Pig asked.\n\n“No, I haven’t,” said Monkey with astonishment. “But I’ve heard that manfruit is Grass-returning Cinnabar, and that anyone who eats it lives to a great old age. Where can we get some?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Here,” said Pig. “Those boys gave two to our master, but that old monk didn’t know what they were and thought they were newborn babies. He wouldn’t eat them. Those boys are disgraceful—instead of giving them to us as they should have done they sneaked off into their room and had one each, gobble, gobble, gobble—I was drooling. I wish I knew how I could try one. Surely you’ve got some dodge for getting into the orchard and pinching a few for us to taste. You have, haven’t you?”\n\n“Easy,” said Monkey. “I’ll go in and pick some.”\n\nAs he rushed out Pig grabbed him and said, “I heard them saying in their room that they needed a golden rod to knock them down with. You must do this very carefully—nobody must know about it.”\n\n“I know, I know,” replied Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I know, I know,” replied Monkey.\n\nThe Great Sage made himself invisible and slipped into the boys’ room, only to find that after eating the fruit they had gone to the front hall, where they were talking to Sanzang. Monkey looked all around the room for the golden rod until he saw a two-foot length of gold hanging from the window lattice. It was about as thick as a finger. At the bottom was a lump like a bulb of garlic, and at the top was a hole through which was fastened a green silk tassel. “So this must be what they call the golden rod,” he thought as he took it down. He left the room and pushed open a pair of gates at the back. Goodness! He saw a garden\n\nWith red, jeweled balconies\n\nAnd a twisting artificial hill.\n\nRare flowers try to outshine the sun,\n\nThe bamboo attempts to be bluer than the sky.\n\nOutside the Floating Cup Pavilion\n\nA curve of willows hangs like mist;\n\nBefore the Platform to Admire the Moon\n\nClumps of lofty pines make splashes of indigo.\n\nBright, bright red,\n\nThe pomegranate thicket;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bright, bright red,\n\nThe pomegranate thicket;\n\nDeep, deep green,\n\nThe cushions of grass.\n\nRichly blue\n\nWere the jade-coloured orchids;\n\nRushing and powerful\n\nThe water in the stream.\n\nCrimson cassia blazed beside golden wells and wutong trees.\n\nBrocade-rich locust trees flanked red balconies and steps.\n\nThere was peach blossom in pink and white,\n\nYellow and fragrant chrysanthemums that have seen nine autumns.\n\nTrellises of raspberries\n\nFlourish by the peony pavilion;\n\nBanks of hibiscus\n\nLead to beds of tree-peonies.\n\nThere is no end of noble bamboos that have held out against frost.\n\nOr lordly pines that defy the snows.\n\nThen there are nests of cranes and houses for deer,\n\nSquare ponds and round pools,\n\nSpring water like fragments of jade,\n\nGolden heaps of flowers.\n\nThe North wind bursts the white plum blossom open.\n\nWhen spring comes, it touches the crab-apple with red.\n\nIt can be rightly called the most splendid view on Earth,\n\nThe finest garden in the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The finest garden in the West.\n\nBefore Monkey had time to take all of this in he saw another gate. When he pushed it open he saw\n\nVegetables for each of the four seasons—\n\nSpinach, celery, beetroot, ginger, and kelp,\n\nBamboo shoots, sweet potato, melons, oblong gourd and wild rice stem,\n\nOnions, garlic, coriander, scallion and shallots,\n\nLettuce, artemisia, and bitter alisma,\n\nGourds and aubergines that must be planted,\n\nRutabaga, turnips, docks,\n\nRed amaranth, green cabbage, and purple mustard-plant."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So they’re Taoists who grow their own food,” thought Monkey, smiling to himself. When he had crossed the vegetable garden he saw yet another gate, and when he opened it there was a huge tree in front of him with fragrant branches and shade-giving green leaves shaped rather like those of plantains. The tree was about a thousand feet high, and its trunk was some seventy or eighty feet round. Monkey leant against it and looked up, and on a branch that was pointing South he saw a manfruit, which really did look just like a newborn child. The stem came from its bottom, and as it hung from the branch its hands and feet waved wildly around and it shook its head. Monkey was thoroughly delighted, and he thought in admiration, “What a splendid thing—a real rarity, a real rarity.” And with that thought he went shooting up the tree."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now there is nothing that monkeys are better at than climbing trees to steal fruit, and one blow from the golden rod sent the manfruit tumbling down. He jumped down to fetch it, but it was nowhere to be seen. He searched the grass all around, but could find not a trace of it. “That’s odd,” he thought, “very odd indeed. It must be able to use its feet—but even then it won’t be able to get past the wall. No, I’ve got it. The local deity of this garden has hidden it away to stop me stealing it.”\n\nHe made some finger magic and uttered the sacred sound “Om ,” which forced the garden deity to come forward, bow and say, “You summoned me, Great Sage. What are your orders?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Surely you know,” Monkey said, “that I am the most famous criminal on earth. When I stole the sacred peaches, the imperial wine, and the elixir of immortality some years ago, nobody dared to try and take a cut. How comes it that when I take some fruit today you pinch my very first one? This fruit grows on a tree, and the birds of the air must have their share of it, so what harm will be done if I eat one? Why did you snatch it the moment it fell down?”\n\n“Great Sage,” the deity replied, “don’t be angry with me. These treasures belong to the Immortals of the Earth, and I am a ghost Immortal, so I would never dare take one. I’ve never even had the good fortune to smell one.”\n\n“If you didn’t take it, why did it disappear the moment I knocked it down from the tree?” Monkey asked.\n\n“You may know that these treasures give eternal life, Great Sage,” the deity replied, “but you don’t know about their origin.”\n\n“Where do they come from, then?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where do they come from, then?” Monkey asked.\n\n“These treasures,” the deity replied, “take three thousand years to blossom, another three thousand to form, and three thousand more to ripen. In almost ten thousand years only thirty grow. Anyone lucky enough to smell one will live for three hundred and sixty years, and if you eat one you will live to be forty-seven thousand. These fruit fear only the Five Elements.”\n\n“What do you mean, ‘fear only the Five Elements?’” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If they meet metal,” the deity said, “they fall; if they meet wood they rot; if they meet water they dissolve; if they meet fire they are burnt; and if they meet earth they go into it. If you tap them you have to use a golden rod, otherwise they won’t drop; and when you knock them down you must catch them in a bowl padded with silk handkerchiefs. If they come in contact with wooden utensils they rot, and even if you eat one it won’t make you live any longer. When you eat them you must do so off porcelain, and they should be cooked in clear water. If they come in contact with fire they become charred and useless, and they go into any earth they touch. When you knocked one to the ground just now it went straight in, and as the earth here will now live for forty-seven thousand years you wouldn’t be able to make any impression on it even with a steel drill: it’s much harder than wrought iron. But if a man eats one he wins long life. Try hitting the ground if you don’t believe me.” Monkey raised his gold-ringed"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "don’t believe me.” Monkey raised his gold-ringed cudgel and brought it down on the ground. There was a loud noise as the cudgel sprang back. The ground was unmarked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So you’re right,” said Monkey, “you’re right. This cudgel of mine can smash rocks to powder and even leave its mark on wrought iron, but this time it did no damage at all. This means that I was wrong to blame you. You may go back now.” At this the local deity went back to his shrine.\n\nThe Great Sage now had a plan. He climbed the tree and then held the rod in one hand while he undid the lapel of his cloth tunic and made it into a kind of pouch. He pushed the leaves and branches aside and knocked down three manfruits, which he caught in his tunic. He jumped out of the tree and went straight to the kitchen, where a smiling Pig asked him if he had got any. “This is the stuff, isn’t it?” said Monkey. “I was able to get some. We mustn’t leave Friar Sand in the dark, so give him a shout.”\n\n“Come here, Friar Sand,” Pig called, waving his hand. Friar Sand put the luggage down, hurried into the kitchen, and asked, “Why did you call me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do you know what these are?” Monkey asked, opening his tunic. “Manfruits,” said Friar Sand as soon as he saw them. “Good,” said Monkey, “you know what they are. Where have you eaten them?”\n\n“I’ve never eaten them,” Friar Sand replied, “but when I was the Curtain-lifting General in the old days I used to escort the imperial carriage to the Peach Banquets, and I saw some that Immortals from over the seas brought as birthday presents for the Queen Mother. I’ve certainly seen them, but I’ve never tasted one. Please give me a bit to try.”\n\n“No need to ask,” said Monkey. “We’re having one each.”\n\nSo each of them had one manfruit to eat. Pig had both an enormous appetite and an enormous mouth, and had, moreover, been suffering pangs of hunger ever since hearing the Taoist boys eating. So the moment he saw the fruit he grabbed one, opened his mouth, and gulped it down whole; then he put on an innocent expression and shamelessly asked the other two what they were eating. “Manfruit,” Friar Sand replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What does it taste like?” Pig asked.\n\n“Ignore him, Friar Sand,” said Monkey. “He’s already eaten his, and he’s no business to ask you.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “I ate mine too fast. I didn’t nibble it delicately and taste the flavour like you two. I don’t even know if it had a stone or not as I gulped it straight down. You should finish what you’ve started: you’ve whetted my appetite, so you ought to get me another to eat slowly.”\n\n“You’re never satisfied,” Monkey replied. “These things aren’t like rice or flour—you can’t go stuffing yourself full of them. Only thirty grow in every ten thousand years, so we can think ourselves very lucky indeed to have a whole one each. Come off it, Pig, you’ve had enough.” He got up, slipped into the Taoist boys’ room with the golden rod, and put it back without letting himself be seen through the window. He paid no more attention to Pig, who went on grumbling."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before long the Taoist boys were back in their room, and they heard Pig moaning, “I didn’t enjoy my manfruit; I wish I could have another.” Pure Wind’s suspicion were aroused, and he said to Bright Moon, “Did you hear that long-snouted monk saying he wished he could have another manfruit? Our master told us when he went that we were to be careful of those gangsters and not let them steal our treasures.”\n\n“This is terrible, terrible,” said Bright Moon. “What’s the golden rod doing on the floor? We’d better go into the garden and take a look around.” The two of them hurried out and found the garden gates open.\n\n“We shut this gate,” said Pure Wind, “so why is it open?” They rushed round the flower garden, found the vegetable garden gate open too, and tore into the manfruit garden. They leant on the tree and looked up into it to count the fruit, but however often they added the number up, it always came to twenty-two."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Can you do arithmetic?” Bright Moon asked, and Pure Wind replied, “Yes. Tell me the figures.”\n\n“There were originally thirty manfruits,” said Bright Moon. “When our master opened the garden two were divided up and eaten, which left twenty-eight. Just now we knocked two down to give the Tang Priest, which left twenty-six. But there are only twenty-two now, which means that we’re four short. It goes without saying that those bad men must have stolen them. Let’s go and tell that Tang Priest what we think of him.”\n\nThe two of them went from the garden to the front hall, where they pointed at Sanzang and poured the most filthy and stinking abuse on him, calling him “baldy” this and “baldy” that. It was more than Sanzang could stand, so he said, “What are you making all this fuss about, Immortal boys? Please stop. I wouldn’t mind you being a bit offhand with me, but you can’t talk in this outrageous way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Are you deaf?” Pure Wind asked. “We’re not talking a foreign language, and you can understand us perfectly well. You’ve stolen our manfruit, and you’ve no right to forbid us to mention it.”\n\n“What does manfruit look like?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“It’s what we offered you just now and you said looked like babies.”\n\n“Amitabha Buddha!” Sanzang exclaimed. “I shook with terror at the very sight of them—I couldn’t possibly steal one. Even if I were being racked by the most terrible greed, I could never commit the crime of eating one of those. What do you mean by making so unjust an accusation?”\n\n“Although you didn’t eat any,” said Pure Wind, “those underlings of yours stole and ate some.”\n\n“Even if they did, you shouldn’t shout like that. Wait till I’ve questioned them. If they stole some, I’ll see that they make it up to you.”\n\n“Make it up?” said Bright Moon. “They are things that money can’t buy.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Well then,” said Sanzang, “if money won’t buy them, ‘decent behavior is worth a thousand pieces of gold,’ as the saying goes. I’ll make them apologize to you, and that will be that. Besides, we still don’t know whether they did it.”\n\n“Of course they did,” retorted Bright Moon. “They’re still quarrelling in there because they were divided unfairly.”\n\n“Come here, disciples,” called Sanzang.\n\n“We’ve had it,” said Friar Sand when he heard Sanzang calling. “The game’s up. Our master is calling us and the young Taoists are swearing and cursing. The cat must be out of the bag.”\n\n“How disgraceful,” said Monkey, “all that fuss about some food. But if we confess it, they’ll say it was stealing food; the best thing is not to admit it at all.”\n\n“Quite right, quite right, we’ll cover it up,” said Pig, and three of them went from the kitchen to the hall.\n\nIf you don’t know how they denied it, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Twenty-Five\n\nThe Immortal Zhen Yuan Captures the Pilgrim Priest"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey Makes Havoc in the Wuzhuang Temple\n\n“The meal is cooked,” the three disciples said as they entered the hall, “what did you call us for?”\n\n“I’m not asking about the meal, disciples,” said Sanzang. “This temple has things called manfruit or something that look like babies. Which of you stole and ate some?”\n\n“I don’t know anything about it, honest I don’t—I never saw any,” said Pig.\n\n“That grinning one did it,” said Pure Wind, “that grinning one.”\n\n“I’ve had a smile on my face all my life,” shouted Monkey. “Are you going to stop me smiling just because you can’t find some fruit or other?”\n\n“Don’t lose your temper, disciple,” said Sanzang. “As men of religion we should control our tongues and not eat food that befuddles our minds. If you ate their fruit you should apologize to them, instead of trying to brazen it out like this.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that his master was talking sense, Brother Monkey began to tell the truth. “I didn’t start it, master,” he said. “Pig heard the Taoist boys eating something called manfruit next door to him and wanted to try one himself. He made me go and get three so that we three disciples could have one each. But now they’ve been eaten, there’s no point in waiting around here.”\n\n“How can these priests deny that they are criminals when they’ve stolen four of our manfruits?” said Bright Moon.\n\n“Amitabha Buddha,” exclaimed Pig, “if he pinched four of them why did he only share out three? He must have done the dirty on us.” He continued to shout wildly in this vein."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now that they knew that the fruit really had been stolen, the two boys started to abuse them even more foully. The Great Sage ground his teeth of steel in his fury, glaring with his fiery eyes and tightening his grip on his iron cudgel. “Damn those Taoist boys,” he thought when he could restrain himself no longer. “If they’d hit us we could have taken it, but now they’re insulting us to our faces like this, I’ll finish their tree off, then none of them can have any more fruit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Monkey. He pulled a hair out from the back of his head, breathed a magic breath on it, said “Change,” and turned it into an imitation Monkey who stayed with the Tang Priest, Pig and Friar Sand to endure the cursing and swearing of the Taoist boys, while the real Monkey used his divine powers to leap out of the hall by cloud. He went straight to the garden and struck the manfruit tree with his gold-banded cudgel. Then he used his supernatural strength that could move mountains to push the tree over with a single shove. The leaves fell, the branches splayed out, and the roots came out of the ground. The Taoists would have no more of their “Grass-returning Cinnabar.” After pushing the tree over Monkey searched through the branches for manfruit, but he could not find a single one. These treasures dropped at the touch of metal, and as Monkey’s cudgel was ringed with gold, while being made of iron, another of the five metals, one tap from it brought them all tumbling down, and when they hit the ground"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "all tumbling down, and when they hit the ground they went straight in, leaving none on the tree. “Great, great, great,” he said, “that’ll make them all cool down.” He put the iron cudgel away, went back to the front of the temple, shook the magic hair, and put it back on his head. The others did not see what was happening as they had eyes of mortal flesh."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A long time later, when the two Taoist boys felt that they had railed at them for long enough, Pure Wind said to Bright Moon, “These monks will take anything we say. We’ve sworn at them as if we were swearing at chickens, but they haven’t admitted anything. I don’t think they can have stolen any, after all. The tree is so tall and the foliage is so dense that we may well have miscounted, and if we have, we shouldn’t be cursing them so wildly. Let’s go and check the number again.” Bright Moon agreed, and the pair of them went back to the garden. When they saw that the tree was down with its branches bent out, the leaves fallen, and the fruit gone, they were horror-struck. Pure Wind’s knees turned soft and he collapsed, while Bright Moon trembled and shook. Both of them passed out, and there is a verse to describe them:\n\nWhen Sanzang came to the Mountain of Infinite Longevity,\n\nMonkey finished the Grass-returning Cinnabar.\n\nThe branches were splayed out, the leaves fallen, and the tree down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bright Moon and Pure Wind’s hearts both turned to ice.\n\nThe two of them lay in the dirt mumbling deliriously and saying, “What are we to do, what are we to do? The elixir of our Wuzhuang Temple has been destroyed and our community of Immortals is finished. Whatever are we going to say to the master when he comes back?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop moaning, brother,” said Bright Moon. “We must tidy ourselves up and not let those monks know anything’s wrong. That hairy-faced sod who looks like a thunder god must have done it. He must have used magic to destroy our treasure. But it’s useless to argue with him as he’ll deny everything, and if we start a quarrel with him and fighting breaks out, we two haven’t a chance against the four of them. We’ll have to fool them and say that no fruit is missing. We’ll pretend we counted wrong before, and apologize to them. Their rice is cooked, and we can give them a few side dishes to eat with it. The moment they’ve each got a bowl of food you and I will stand on either side of the door, slam it shut, and lock it. After that we can lock all the gates, then they won’t be able to get away. When our master comes back he can decide what to do with them. That old monk is a friend of his, so our master may want to forgive him as a favour. And if he doesn’t feel forgiving, we’ve got the criminals under arrest and may"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "we’ve got the criminals under arrest and may possibly not get into trouble ourselves.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Absolutely right,” said Pure Wind.\n\nThe two of them pulled themselves together, forced themselves to look happy, and went back to the front hall. “Master,” they said, bowing low to Sanzang, “we were extremely rude to you just now. Please forgive us.”\n\n“What do you mean?” asked Sanzang.\n\n“The fruit is all there,” they replied. “We couldn’t see it all before as the tree is so tall and the foliage so thick but when we checked just now the number was right.”\n\n“You’re too young to know what you’re doing,” said Pig, taking the chance to put the boot in. “Why did you swear and curse at us, and try to frame us up? You bastards.”\n\nMonkey, who understood what the boys were up to, said nothing and thought, “Lies, lies. The fruit is all finished. Why ever are they saying this? Can it be that they know how to bring the tree back to life?”\n\n“Very well then,” Sanzang was saying meanwhile, “bring our rice in and we’ll be off after eating it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig went off to fill their bowls and Friar Sand arranged a table and chairs. The two boys hurried out and fetched some side dishes—salted squash, salted eggplant, turnips in wine-lees, pickle bean, salted lettuce, and mustard plant, some seven or eight plates in all. These they gave to the pilgrims to eat with their rice, and then they waited on them with a pot of good tea and two cups. As soon as the four pilgrims had their ricebowls in their hands, the boys, who were on either side of the doorway, slammed the doors to and locked them with a double-sprung bronze lock.\n\n“You shouldn’t do that, boys,” said Pig with a smile. “Even if the people round here are a bit rough there’s no need to shut the doors while we eat.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Bright Moon, “we’ll open them after lunch.” Pure Wind, however, was abusive."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll get you, you greedy, bald-headed food-thief,” he said. “You ate our immortal fruit and deserve to be punished for the crime of stealing food from fields and gardens. On top of that you’ve pushed our tree over and ruined our temple’s source of immortality. How dare you argue with us? Your only chance of reaching the Western Heaven and seeing the Buddha is to be reborn and be rocked in the cradle again.” When Sanzang heard this he dropped his ricebowl, feeling as if a boulder was weighing down his heart. The two boys went and locked the main and the inner gates of the temple, then came back to the main hall to abuse them with filthy language and call them criminals and bandits till evening, when they went off to eat. The two of them returned to their rooms after supper."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re always causing trouble, you ape,” grumbled Sanzang at Monkey. “You stole their fruit, so you should have let them lose their temper and swear at you, then that would have been the end of it. Why on earth did you push their tree over? If they took this to court you wouldn’t be able to get off even if your own father were on the bench.”\n\n“Don’t make such a row, master,” said Monkey. “Those boys have gone to bed, and when they’re asleep we can do a midnight flit.”\n\n“But all the gates have been locked,” said Friar Sand, “and they’ve been shut very firmly, so how can we possibly get away?”\n\n“Don’t let it bother you,” said Monkey, “I have a way.”\n\n“We weren’t worried that you wouldn’t have a way,” said Pig. “You can turn yourself into an insect and fly out through the holes in the window lattice. But you’ll be leaving poor old us, who can’t turn ourselves into something else, to stay here and carry the can for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If he does a trick like that and doesn’t take us with him I’ll recite that old sutra—he won’t get away scot-free then.”\n\nPig was both pleased and worried to hear this. “What do you mean, master?” he said. “I know that the Buddha’s teachings include a Lankavatara Sutra, a lotus Sutra, a Peacock Sutra, an Avalokit esvara Sutra, and a Diamond Sutra, but I never heard of any Old Sutra.”\n\n“What you don’t know, brother,” said Monkey, “is that the Bodhisattva Guanyin gave this band I have round my head to our master. He tricked me into wearing it, and now it’s virtually rooted there and I can’t take it off. The spell or sutra for tightening this band is what he meant by the ‘old surra’. If he says it, my head aches. It’s a way he has of making me suffer. Please don’t recite it, master. I won’t abandon you. I guarantee that we’ll all get out.\n\nIt was now dark, and the moon had risen in the East. “It’s quiet now,” said Monkey, “and the moon is bright. This is the time to go.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop fooling about, brother,” said Pig. “The gates are all locked, so where can we possibly go?”\n\n“Watch this trick,” said Monkey, and gripping his cudgel in his hand he pointed at the doors and applied unlocking magic to them. There was a clanking sound, and the locks fell from all the doors and gates, which\n\nhe pushed them open.\n\n“Not half clever,” said Pig. “A locksmith with his skeleton keys couldn’t have done it anything like as fast.”\n\n“Nothing difficult about opening these doors,” said Monkey. “I can open the Southern Gates of Heaven just by pointing at them.” Then he asked his master to go out and mount the horse. Pig shouldered the luggage, Friar Sand led the horse, and they headed West. “You carry on,” Monkey said, “while I go back to make sure that those two boys will stay asleep for a month.”\n\n“Mind you don’t kill them, disciple,” said Sanzang, “or you’ll be on a charge of murder in the pursuit of theft as well.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m aware of that,” replied Monkey and went back into the temple. Standing outside the door of the room where the boys were sleeping, he took a couple of sleep insects from his belt. These were what he had used when he fooled the Heavenly King Virudhaka at the Eastern Gate of Heaven, and now he threw them in through a gap in the window lattice. They landed straight on the boys’ faces, and made them fall into a deeper sleep from which they would not wake up for a long time. Then he streaked back by cloud and caught up with Sanzang. They headed West along the main road.\n\nThat night the horse never stopped, and they kept on till dawn. “You’ll be the death of me, you ape,” said Sanzang. “Because of your greed I’ve had to stay awake all night.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop grumbling,” said Monkey. “Now that it’s light you can rest in the forest beside the road and build your strength up before we move on.” Sanzang obediently dismounted and sat down on the roots of a pine tree, using it as a makeshift meditation platform. Friar Sand put down the luggage and took a nap, while Pig pillowed his head on a rock and went to sleep. Monkey, the Great Sage, had his own ideas and amused himself leaping from tree to tree.\n\nAfter the lecture in the palace of the Original Celestial Jade Pure One the Great Immortal Zhen Yuan led his junior Immortals down from the Tushita Heaven through the jade sky on auspicious clouds, and in a moment they were back at the gates of the Wuzhuang Temple. The gates, he saw, were wide open, and the ground was clean."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So Pure Wind and Bright Moon aren’t so useless after all,” he said. “Usually they’re still in bed when the sun is high in the sky. But now, with us away, they got up early, opened the gates, and swept the grounds.” All the junior Immortals were delighted. Yet when they went into the hall of worship there was no incense burning and nobody to be seen.\n\nWhere were Bright Moon and Pure Wind, they wondered. “They probably thought that with us not here they could steal some stuff and clear out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What an outrageous idea,” said the Great Immortal. “As if men cultivating immortality could do anything so evil! I think they must have forgotten to shut the gates before they went to sleep last night and not have woken up yet.” When the Immortals went to look in their room they found the doors closed and heard the boys snoring. They hammered on the doors and shouted for all they were worth, but the boys did not wake up. They forced the doors open and pulled the boys from their beds: the boys still did not wake up. “Fine Immortal boys you are,” said the Great Immortal with a smile. “When you become an Immortal your divine spirit should be so full that you do not want to sleep. Why are they so tired? They must have been bewitched. Fetch some water at once.” A boy hastily handed him half a bowl of water. He intoned a spell, took a mouthful of the water, and spurted it on their faces. This broke the enchantment. The two of them woke up, opened their eyes, rubbed their faces, looked around them, and saw the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "their faces, looked around them, and saw the Great Immortal as well as all their Immortal brothers. Pure Wind bowed and Bright Moon kowtowed in their confusion, saying, “Master, that old friend of yours, the priest from the East…a gang of bandits… murderous, murderous....”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be afraid,” said the Great Immortal with a smile. “Calm down and tell us all about it.”\n\n“Master,” said Pure Wind, “the Tang Priest from the East did come. It was quite soon after you had left. There were four monks and a horse—five of them altogether. We did as you had ordered us and picked two manfruits to offer him, but the venerable gentleman was too vulgar and stupid to know what our treasures were. He said that they were newborn babies and refused to eat any, so we ate one each. Little did we imagine that one of his three disciples called Brother Sun Wukong, or Monkey, would steal four manfruits for them to eat. We spoke to him very reasonably, but he denied it and secretly used his magic. It’s terrible....” At this point the two boys could no longer hold back the tears that now streamed down their cheeks. “Did the monk strike you?” asked the immortals. “No,” said Bright Moon, “he only felled our manfruit tree.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Immortal did not lose his temper when he heard their story, “Don’t cry,” he said, “don’t cry. What you don’t realize is that Monkey is an Immortal of the Supreme Monad, and that he played tremendous havoc in the Heavenly Palace. He has vast magic powers. But he has knocked our tree over. Could you recognize those monks?”\n\n“I could recognize all of them,” replied Pure Wind.\n\n“In that case come with me,” said the Great Immortal. “The rest of you are to prepare the instruments of torture and be ready to flog them when we come back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other Immortals did as they were told while the Great Immortal, Bright Moon and Pure Wind pursued Sanzang on a beam of auspicious light. It took them but an instant to cover three hundred miles. The Great Immortal stood on the edge of the clouds and gazed to the West, but he did not see Sanzang; then he turned round to look East and saw that he had left Sanzang over two hundred and fifty miles behind. Even riding all night that venerable gentleman had covered only forty miles, which was why the Great Immortal’s cloud had overshot him by a great distance.\n\n“Master,” said one of the Immortal boys, “there’s the Tang Priest, sitting under a tree by the side of the road.”\n\n“Yes, I’d seen him myself,” the Great Immortal replied. “You two go back and get some ropes ready, and I’ll catch him myself.” Pure Wind and Bright Moon went back.\n\nThe Great Immortal landed his cloud, shook himself, and turned into and itinerant Taoist. Do you know what he looked like?\n\nHe wore a patchwork gown,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He wore a patchwork gown,\n\nTied with Lu Dongbin sash,\n\nWaving a fly-whisk in his hand\n\nHe tapped a musical drum.\n\nThe grass sandals on his feet had three ears,\n\nHis head was wrapped in a sun turban.\n\nAs the wind filled his sleeves\n\nHe sang The Moon Is High.\n\n“Greetings, venerable sir,” he called, raising his hands. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t notice you before,” replied Sanzang hastily.\n\n“Where are you from?” the Great Immortal asked. “And why are you in meditation during your journey?”\n\n“I have been sent by the Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” Sanzang said, “and I’m taking a rest along the way.”\n\n“You must have crossed my desolate mountain if you have come from the East.”\n\n“May I ask, Immortal sir, which mountain is yours?”\n\n“My humble abode is the Wuzhuang Temple on the Mountain of Infinite Longevity.”\n\n“We didn’t come that way,” said Monkey, who realized what was happening. “We’ve only just started out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Immortal pointed at him and laughed. “I’ll show you, you damned ape. Who do you think you’re fooling? I know that you knocked our manfruit tree down and came here during the night. You had better confess: you won’t get away with concealing anything. Stay where you are, and give me back that tree at once.” Monkey flared up at this, and with no further discussion he struck at the Great Immortal’s head with his cudgel. The Great Immortal twisted away from the blow and went straight up into the sky on a beam of light, closely pursued by Monkey on a cloud. In mid-air the Great Immortal reverted to his true appearance, and this is what he looked like:\n\nA golden crown on his head,\n\nA No-worries cloak of crane’s down on his body.\n\nA pair of turned-up sandals on his feet,\n\nAnd round his waist a belt of silk.\n\nHis body was like a child’s,\n\nHis face was that of a beautiful woman.\n\nA wispy beard floated down from his chin,\n\nAnd the hair on his temples was crow-black.\n\nHe met Monkey unarmed"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He met Monkey unarmed\n\nWith only a jade-handled whisk in his hands.\n\nMonkey struck wildly at him with his club, only to be parried to left and right by the Great Immortal’s whisk. After two or three rounds the Great Immortal did a “Wrapping Heaven and Earth in His Sleeve” trick, waving his sleeve gently in the breeze as he stood amid the clouds, then sweeping it across the ground and gathering up the four pilgrims and their horse in it.\n\n“Hell,” said Pig, “We’re all caught in a bag.”\n\n“It isn’t a bag, you idiot,” said Monkey, “he’s caught us all in his sleeve.”\n\n“It doesn’t matter, anyhow,” said Pig. “I can make a hole in it with a single blow of my rake that we can all get through. Then we’ll be able to drop out when he relaxes his grip on us.” But however desperately he struck at the fabric he could make no impression on it: although it was soft when held in the hand it was harder than iron when hit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Immortal turned his cloud round, went straight back to the Wuzhuang Temple, landed, sat down, and told his disciples to fetch rope. Then, with all the junior Immortals in attendance, he took the Tang Priest out of his sleeve as if he were a puppet and had him tied to one of the pillars of the main hall. After that he took the other three out and tied each of them to a pillar. The horse was taken out, tethered, and fed in the courtyard, and their luggage he threw under the covered walk.\n\n“Disciples,” he said, “these priests are men of religion, so we cannot use swords, spears or axes on them. You’d better fetch a leather whip and give them a flogging for me—that will make me feel better about the manfruit.” The disciples immediately produced a whip—not an oxhide, sheepskin, deerskin or calfskin whip, but a seven-starred dragon-skin one—and were told to soak it in water. A brawny young Immortal was told to take a firm grip on it. “Master,” he said, “which of them stall I flog first?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sanzang is guilty of gross disrespect,” the Great Immortal replied, “flog him first.”\n\n“That old priest of ours couldn’t stand a flogging,” thought Monkey when he heard this, “and if he died under the lash the fault would be mine.” Finding the thought of this unbearable, he spoke up and said, “You’re wrong, sir. I stole the fruit, I ate the fruit, and I pushed the tree over. Why flog him first when you ought to be flogging me?”\n\n“That damn monkey has a point,” said the Great Immortal with a smile, “so you’d better flog him first.”\n\n“How many strokes?” the junior Immortal asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How many strokes?” the junior Immortal asked.\n\n“Give him thirty,” the Great Immortal replied, “to match the number of fruits.” The junior Immortal whirled the lash and started to bring it down. Monkey, frightened that the Immortal would have great magical powers, opened his eyes wide and looked carefully to see where he was going to be hit, and it turned out to be on his legs. He twisted at the waist, shouted “Change!” turned them into a pair of wrought-iron legs, and watched the blows fall. The junior Immortal gave him thirty lashes, one after the other, until it was almost noon.\n\n“Sanzang must be flogged too,” the Great Immortal commanded, “for training his wicked disciple so slackly and letting him run wild.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The junior Immortal whirled the lash again and was going to strike Sanzang when Monkey said, “Sir, you’re making another mistake. When I stole the fruit, my master knew nothing about it—he was talking to those two boys of yours in the main hall of the temple. This plot was hatched by us three disciples. Anyhow, even if he were guilty of slackness in training me, I’m his disciple and should take the flogging for him. Flog me again.”\n\n“That damn monkey may be cunning and vicious, but he does have some sense of his obligations to his master. Very well then, flog him again.” The junior Immortal gave him another thirty strokes. Monkey looked down and watched his legs being flogged till they shone like mirrors but still he felt no pain.\n\nIt was now drawing towards evening, and the Great Immortal said, “Put the lash to soak. We can continue that flogging tomorrow.” The junior Immortal took the lash away to be soaked while everyone retired to their quarters, and after supper they all went to bed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It was because you three got me into this trouble that I was brought here to be punished,” moaned the venerable Sanzang to his three disciples as tears streamed down from his eyes. “Is that how you ought to treat me?”\n\n“Don’t grumble,” Monkey replied. “I was the one to be flogged first, and you haven’t felt the lash, so what have you got to groan about?”\n\n“I may not have been flogged,” Sanzang replied, “but it’s agony being tied up like this.”\n\n“We’re tied up too to keep you company,” said Friar Sand. “Will you all stop shouting?” said Monkey, “then we can be on our way again when we’ve taken a rest.”\n\n“You’re showing off again, elder brother,” said Pig. “They’ve tied us up with hempen ropes and spurted water on them, so we’re tightly bound. This isn’t like the time we were shut in the hall of the temple and you unlocked the doors to let us out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m not boasting,” said Monkey. “I don’t give a damn about their three hempen ropes sprayed with water. Even if they were coconut cables as thick as a ricebowl they would only be an autumn breeze.” Apart from him speaking, all was now silence. Splendid Monkey made himself smaller, slipped out of his bonds, and said, “Let’s go, master.”\n\n“Save us too, elder brother,” pleaded a worried Friar Sand. “Shut up, shut up,” Monkey replied, then freed Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand, straightened his tunic, tightened his belt, saddled the horse, collected their luggage from under the eaves, and went out through the temple gates with the others. “Go and cut down four of the willow-trees by that cliff,” he told Pig, who asked, “Whatever do you want them for?”\n\n“I’ve got a use for them,” Monkey replied. “Bring them here immediately.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot Pig, who certainly had brute strength, went and felled each of them with a single bite, and came back holding them all in his arms. Monkey stripped off their tops and branches and told his two fellow-disciples to take the trunks back in and tie them up with the ropes as they themselves had been tied up. Then Monkey recited a spell, bit the tip of his tongue open, and spat blood over the trees. At his shout of “Change!” one of the trees turned into Sanzang, one turned into Monkey, and the other two became Friar Sand and Pig. They were all perfect likenesses; when questioned they would reply, and when called by their names they responded. The three disciples then hurried back to their master, and once more they traveled all night without stopping as they fled from the Wuzhuang Temple."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By the time it was dawn the venerable Sanzang was swaying to and fro as he dozed in the saddle. “Master,” called Monkey when he noticed, “you’re hopeless. You’re a man of religion—how can you be finding it so exhausting? I can do without sleep for a thousand nights not feeling a bit tired. You’d better dismount and spare yourself the humiliation of being laughed at by a passer-by. Take a rest in one of the places under this hill where the wind is stored and the vapours gather before we go any further.”\n\nWe shall leave them resting beside the path to tell how the Great Immortal got up at dawn, ate his meatless breakfast, and went to the hall. “Today Tang Sanzang is to be whipped,” he announced as he sent for the lash. The junior whirled it around and said to the Tang Priest, “I’m going to flog you.”\n\n“Flog away,” the willow tree replied.\n\nWhen he had given it thirty resounding lashes he whirled the whip around once more and said to Pig, “Now I’m going to flog you.”\n\n“Flog away,” the willow tree replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Flog away,” the willow tree replied.\n\nWhen he came to flog Friar Sand, he too told him to go ahead. But when he came to flog Monkey, the real Monkey on the road shuddered and said, “Oh, no!”\n\n“What do you mean?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“When I turned the four willow trees into the four of us I thought that as he had me flogged twice yesterday he wouldn’t flog me again today, but now he’s lashing the magic body, my real body is feeling the pain. I’m putting an end to this magic.” With that he hastily recited an incantation to break the spell.\n\nLook at the terror of the Taoist boys as they throw down their leather whips and report, “Master, at first we were flogging the Priest from the Great Tang, but all we are flogging now are willow trunks. The Great Immortal laughed bitterly on hearing this and was full of admiration."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother Monkey really is a splendid Monkey King. I had heard that when he turned the Heavenly Palace upside-down, he could not even be caught with a Heaven and Earth Net, and now I see it must be true. I wouldn’t mind your escaping, but why did you leave four willows tied up here to impersonate you? He shall be shown no mercy. After him!” As the words “After him” left his mouth, the Great Immortal sprang up on a cloud and looked West to see the monks carrying their bundles and spurring their horse as they went on their way. Bringing his cloud down he shouted, “Where are you going, Monkey? Give me back my manfruit tree.”\n\n“We’re done for,” exclaimed Pig, “our enemy’s come back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Put all your piety away for now, master,” said Monkey, “while we finish him off once and for all with a bit of evil; then we’ll be able to escape.” The Tang Priest shivered and shook on hearing this, and before he could answer, the three disciples rushed forward, Friar Sand wielding his staff, Pig with his rake held high, and the Great Sage Monkey brandishing his iron cudgel. They surrounded the Great Immortal in mid-air and struck wildly at him. There are some verses about this terrible fight:\n\nMonkey did not know that the Immortal Zhen Yuan,\n\nThe Conjoint Lord of the Age, had even deeper powers.\n\nWhile the three magic weapons fiercely whirled,\n\nHis deer-tail fly-whisk gently waved.\n\nParrying to left and right, he moved to and fro,\n\nBlocking blows from front and back he let them rush around.\n\nWhen night gave way to dawn they still were locked in combat.\n\nIf they tarried here they would never reach the Western Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three of them went for him with their magic weapons, but the Great Immortal kept them at bay with his fly-whisk. After about an hour he opened wide his sleeve and caught up master, disciples, horse, and baggage in it once more. Then he turned his cloud around and went back to his temple, where all the Immortals greeted him. After taking his seat in the hall he took them out of his sleeve one by one. He had the Tang Priest tied to a stunted locust tree at the foot of the steps, with Pig and Friar Sand tied to trees next to him. Monkey was tied up upside-down, which made him think that he was going to be tortured and interrogated. When Monkey was tightly bound, the Great Immortal sent for ten long turban-cloths.\n\n“What a kind gentleman, Pig,” said Monkey, “he’s sent for some cloth to make sleeves for us—with a bit less he could have made us cassocks.” The junior Immortals fetched home-woven cloth, and on being told by the Great Immortal to wrap up Pig and Friar Sand with it, they came forward to do so."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Excellent,” said Monkey, “excellent—you’re being encoffined alive.” Within a few moments the three of them were wrapped up, and lacquer was then sent for. The Immortals quickly fetched some lacquer that they had tapped and dried themselves, with which they painted the three bandaged bodies all over except for the heads.\n\n“Never mind about our heads, sir,” said Pig, “but please leave us a hole at the bottom to shit through.”\n\nThe Great Immortal then sent for a huge cauldron, at which Monkey said with a laugh, “You’re in luck, Pig. I think they must have brought the cauldron out to cook us some rice in.”\n\n“Fine,” said Pig, “I hope they give us some rice first—we’ll make much better-looking ghosts if we die with our bellies full.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Immortals carried out the large cauldron and put it under the steps, and the Great Immortal called for dry wood to be stacked up round it and set ablaze. “Ladle it full of pure oil,” he commanded, “and when it is hot enough to bubble, deep-fry Monkey in it to pay me back for my manfruit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was secretly delighted to hear this. “This is just what I want,” He thought. “I haven’t had a bath for ages, and my skin’s getting rather itchy. I’d thoroughly appreciate a hot bath.” Very soon the oil was bubbling and Monkey was having reservations: he was afraid that the Immortal’s magic might be hard for him to fathom, and that at first he might be unable to use his limbs in the cauldron. Hastily looking around him, he saw that there was a sundial to the East of the dais and a stone lion to the West. Monkey rolled towards it with a spring, bit off the end of his tongue, spurted blood all over the stone lion, and shouted “Change,” at which it turned into his own image, tied up in a bundle like himself. Then he extracted his spirit and went up into the clouds, from where he looked down at the Taoists.\n\nIt was just at this moment that the junior Immortals reported, “The oil’s boiling hard.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Carry Monkey down to it,” the Great Immortal ordered, but when four of them tried to pick him up they could not. Eight then tried and failed, and four more made no difference. “This earth-infatuated ape is immovable,” they said. “He may be small, but he’s very solid.” Twelve junior Immortals were then told to pick him up with the aid of carrying-poles, and when they threw him in there was a loud crash as drops of oil splashed about, raising blisters all over the junior Immortals’ faces. “There’s a hole in the cauldron—it’s started leaking,” the scalded Immortals cried, but before the words were out of their mouths the oil had all run out through the broken bottom of the cauldron. They realized that they had thrown a stone lion into it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Damn that ape for his insolence,” said the Great Immortal in a terrible rage. “How dare he play his tricks in my presence! I don’t mind so much about your getting away, but how dare you wreck my cauldron? It’s useless trying to catch him, and even if you could it would be like grinding mercury out of sand, or trying to hold a shadow or the wind. Forget about him, let him go. Untie Tang Sanzang instead and fetch another pot. We can fry him to avenge the destruction of the tree.” The junior Immortals set to and began to tear off Sanzang’s lacquered bandages."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey could hear all this clearly from mid-air. “The master will be done for,” he thought. “If he goes into that cauldron it’ll kill him. Then he’ll be cooked, and after four or five fryings he’ll be eaten as a really tender piece of monk. I must go back down and save him.” The splendid Great Sage brought his cloud down to land, clasped his hands in front of him, and said, “Don’t spoil the lacquered bands, and don’t fry my master. Put me in the cauldron of oil instead.”\n\n“I’ll get you, you baboon,” raged the Great Immortal in astonishment. “Why did you use one of your tricks to smash my cooking pot?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You must expect to be smashed up if you meet me—and what business is it of mine anyhow? I was going to accept your kind offer of some hot oil, but I was desperate for a shit and a piss, and if I’d done them in your cauldron, I’d have spoilt your oil and your food wouldn’t have tasted right. Now I’ve done my stuff I’m ready for the cauldron. Please fry me instead of my master.” The Great Immortal laughed coldly, came out of the hall, and seized him.\n\nIf you don’t know how the story goes or how he escaped, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Twenty-Six\n\nSun Wukong Looks for the Formula in the Three Islands\n\nGuanyin Revives the Tree with a Spring of Sweet Water\n\nAs the poem goes,\n\nWhen living in the world you must be forbearing;\n\nPatience is essential when training oneself.\n\nAlthough it’s often said that violence is good business,\n\nThink before you act, and never bully or be angry.\n\nTrue gentlemen who never strive are famed for ever;\n\nThe virtue-loving sages are renowned to this day."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Strong men always meet stronger than themselves,\n\nAnd end up as failures who are in the wrong.\n\nThe Great Immortal Zhen Yuan held Monkey in his hand and said, “I’ve heard about your powers and your fame, but this time you have gone too far. Even if you manage to remove yourself, you won’t escape my clutches. You and I shall argue it out as far as the Western Heaven, and even if you see that Buddha of yours, you’ll still have to give me back my manfruit tree first. Don’t try any of your magic now.”\n\n“What a small-minded bloke you are, sir,” Monkey replied with a laugh. “If you want your tree brought back to life, there’s no problem. If you’d told me earlier we could have been spared all this quarrelling.”\n\n“If you hadn’t made trouble I’d have forgiven you,” said the Great Immortal.\n\n“Would you agree to release my master if I gave you back the tree alive?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If your magic is strong enough to revive the tree,” the Great Immortal replied, “I shall bow to you eight times and take you as my brother.”\n\n“That’s easy then,” said Monkey. “Release them and I guarantee to give you back your tree alive.”\n\nTrusting him not to escape, the Great Immortal ordered that Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand be set free. “Master,” said Friar Sand, “I wonder what sort of trick Monkey is up to.”\n\n“I’ll tell you what sort of trick,” retorted Pig. “A pleading for favour trick. The tree’s dead and can’t possibly be revived. Finding a cure for the tree is an excuse for going off by himself without giving a damn for you or me.”\n\n“He wouldn’t dare abandon us,” said Sanzang. “Let’s ask him where he’s going to find a doctor for it. Monkey,” he continued, “why did you fool the Immortal elder into untying us?”\n\n“Every word I said was true,” Monkey replied. “I wasn’t leading him on.”\n\n“Where will you go to find a cure?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where will you go to find a cure?”\n\n“There’s an old saying that ‘cures come from over the sea’. I’ll go to the Eastern Sea and travel round the Three Islands and Ten Continents visiting the venerable Immortals and sages to find a formula for bringing the dead back to life. I promise that I’ll cure that tree.”\n\n“When will you come back?”\n\n“I’ll only need three days.”\n\n“In that case I’ll give you three days. If you are back within that time, that will be all right, but if you are late I shall recite that spell.”\n\n“I’ll do as you say,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll do as you say,” said Monkey.\n\nHe immediately straightened up his tiger-skin kilt, went out through the door, and said to the Great Immortal, “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll soon be back. Mind you look after my master well. Give him tea three times a day and six meals, and don’t leave any out. If you do, I’ll settle that score when I come back, and I’ll start by holing the bottoms of all your pans. If his clothes get dirty, wash them for him. I won’t stand for it if he looks sallow, and if he loses weight you’ll never see the back of me.”\n\n“Go away, go away,” the Great Immortal replied. “I certainly won’t let him go hungry.”\n\nThe splendid Monkey King left the Wuzhuang Temple with a bound of his somersault cloud and headed for the Eastern Sea. He went through the air as fast as a flash of lightning or a shooting star, and he was soon in the blessed land of Penglai. As he landed his cloud he looked around him and saw that it was indeed a wonderful place. A poem about it goes:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A great and sacred land where the Immortal sages\n\nStill the waves as they come and go.\n\nThe shade of the jasper throne cools the heart of the sky;\n\nThe radiance of the great gate-pillars shimmers high above the sea.\n\nHidden in the coloured mists are flutes of jade;\n\nThe moon and the stars shine on the golden leviathan.\n\nThe Queen Mother of the Western Pool often comes here\n\nTo give her peaches to the Three Immortals.\n\nGazing at the enchanted land that spread out before him, Brother Monkey entered Penglai. As he was walking along, he noticed three old men sitting round a chess table under the shade of a pine tree outside a cloud-wreathed cave. The one watching the game was the Star of Longevity, and the players were the Star of Blessings and the Star of Office.\n\n“Greetings, respected younger brothers,” Monkey called to them, and when they saw him they swept the pieces away, returned his salutation, and said, “Why have you come here, Great Sage?”\n\n“To see you,” he replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“To see you,” he replied.\n\n“I’ve heard,” said the Star of Longevity, “that you have given up the Way for the sake of the Buddha, and have thrown aside your life to protect the Tang Priest on his journey to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. How can you spare the time from your endless crossings of waters and mountains just to see us?”\n\n“To tell you the truth,” said Monkey, “I was on my way to the West until a spot of bother held us up. I wonder if you could do me a small favour.”\n\n“Where did this happen?” asked the Star of Blessings, “what has been holding you up? Please tell us and we’ll deal with it.”\n\n“We’ve been held up because we went via the Wuzhuang Temple on the Mountain of Infinite Longevity,” said Monkey.\n\n“But the Wuzhuang Temple is the palace of the Great Immortal Zhen Yuan,” exclaimed the three Immortals with alarm, “don’t say that you’ve stolen some of his manfruit!”\n\n“What if I had stolen and eaten some?” asked Monkey with a grin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You ignorant ape,” the three Immortals replied. “A mere whiff of that fruit makes a man live to be three hundred and sixty, and anyone who eats one will live forty-seven thousand years. They are called ‘Grass-returning Cinnabar of Ten Thousand Longevities,’ and our Way hasn’t a patch on them. Manfruit makes you as immortal as Heaven with the greatest of ease, while it takes us goodness knows how long to nourish our essence, refine the spirit, preserve our soul, harmonize water and fire, capture the kan to fill out the li. How can you possibly ask whether it would matter? There is no other miraculous tree like it on earth.”\n\n“Miraculous tree,” scoffed Monkey, “miraculous tree! I’ve put an end to that miraculous tree.”\n\n“What? Put an end to it?” the three Immortals asked, struck with horror."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I was in his temple the other day,” Monkey said, “the Great Immortal wasn’t at home. There were only a couple of boys who received my master and gave him two manfruits. My master didn’t know what they were and said that they were newborn babies; he refused to eat them. The boys took them away and ate them themselves instead of offering them to the rest of us, so I went and pinched three, one for each of us disciples. Those disrespectful boys swore and cursed at us no end, which made me so angry that I knocked their tree over with a single blow. All the fruit disappeared, the leaves fell, the roots came out, and the branches were smashed up. The tree was dead. To our surprise the two boys locked us in, but I opened the lock and we escaped. When the Great Immortal came home the next day, he came after us and found us. Our conversation didn’t go too smoothly and we started to fight him, but he dodged us, spread his sleeve out, and caught us all up in it. After being tied up then flogged and interrogated"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After being tied up then flogged and interrogated for a day, we escaped again, but he caught up with us and captured us again. Although he had not an inch of steel on him, he fought us off with his whisk, and even with our three weapons we couldn’t touch him. He caught us the same way as before. He had my master and two brothers wrapped up in bandages and lacquered, and was going to throw me into a cauldron of oil, but I used a trick to take my body away and escape, smashing that pan of his. Now that he has realized he can’t catch me and keep me he’s getting a bit scared of me, and I had a good talk with him. I told him that if he released my master and my brothers I’d guarantee to cure the tree and bring it back to life, which would satisfy both parties. As it occurred to me that ‘cures come from over the sea,’ I came here specially to visit you three brothers of mine. If you have any cures that will bring a tree back to life, please tell me one so that I can get the Tang Priest out of trouble as quickly as"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "get the Tang Priest out of trouble as quickly as possible.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You ape,” the Three Stars said gloomily when they heard this. “You don’t know who you’re up against. That Master Zhen Yuan is the Patriarch of the Immortals of the earth, and we are the chiefs of the divine Immortals. Although you have become a heavenly Immortal, you are still only one of the irregulars of the Great Monad, not one of the elite. You’ll never be able to escape his clutches. If you’d killed some animal, bird, insect or reptile, Great Sage, we could have given you some pills made from sticky millet to bring it back to life, but that manfruit tree is a magic one and can’t possibly be revived. There’s no cure, none at all.” When he heard that there was no cure, Monkey’s brows locked in a frown, and his forehead was creased in a thousand wrinkles.\n\n“Great Sage,” said the Star of Blessing, “even though we have no cure here, there may be one somewhere else. Why be so worried?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If there were anywhere else for me to go,” Monkey replied, “it would be easy. It wouldn’t even matter if I had to go to the furthest corner of the ocean, or to the cliff at the end of the sky, or if I had to penetrate the Thirty-sixth Heaven. But the trouble is that the Tang Patriarch is very strict and has given me a time-limit of three days. If I’m not back in three days he’ll recite the Band-tightening Spell.”\n\n“Splendid, splendid,” laughed the three stars. “If you weren’t restricted by that spell you’d go up to Heaven again.”\n\n“Calm down, Great Sage,” said the Star of Longevity, “there’s no need to worry. Although that Great Immortal is senior to us he is a friend of ours, and as we haven’t visited him for a long time and would like to do you a favour we’ll go and see him. We’ll explain things for you and tell that Tang monk not to recite the Band-tightening Spell. We won’t go away until you come back, however long you take, even if it’s a lot longer that three to five days.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Thank you very much,” said Monkey. “May I ask you to set out now as I’m off?” With that he took his leave.\n\nThe Three Stars went off on beams of auspicious light to the Wuzhuang Temple, where all present heard cranes calling in the sky as the three of them arrived.\n\nThe void was bathed in blessed glow,\n\nThe Milky Way heavy with fragrance.\n\nA thousand wisps of coloured mist enveloped the feather-clad ones;\n\nA single cloud supported the immortal feet.\n\nGreen and red phoenixes circled and soared,\n\nAs the aroma in their sleeves wafted over the earth.\n\nThese dragons leant on their staffs and smiled,\n\nAnd jade-white beards waved before their chests.\n\nTheir youthful faces were untroubled by sorrow,\n\nTheir majestic bodies were rich with blessing.\n\nThey carried star-chips to count their age,\n\nAnd at their waists hung gourds and talismans.\n\nTheir life is infinitely long,\n\nAnd they live on the Ten Continents and Three Islands.\n\nThey often come to bring blessings to mortals,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They often come to bring blessings to mortals,\n\nSpreading good things a hundred-fold among humans.\n\nThe glory and blessings of the universe\n\nCome now as happiness unlimited.\n\nAs these three elders visit the Great Immortal on auspicious light,\n\nThere is no end to good fortune and peace.\n\n“Master,” the immortal youths rushed to report when they saw them, “the Three Stars from the sea are here.” The Great Immortal Zhen Yuan, who was talking with the Tang Priest, came down the steps to welcome them when he heard this.\n\nWhen Pig saw the Star of Longevity he went up and tugged at his clothes. “I haven’t seen you for ages, you meat-headed old fellow,” he said with a grin. “You’re getting very free and easy, turning up without a hat.” With these words he thrust his own clerical hat on the star’s head, clapped his hands, and roared with laughter. “Great, great. You’ve been ‘capped and promoted’ all right.” Flinging the hat down, the Star of Longevity cursed him for a disrespectful moron."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m no moron,” said Pig, but you’re all slaves.”\n\n“You’re most certainly a moron,” the Star of Blessing replied, “so how dare you call us slaves?”\n\n“If you aren’t slaves then,” Pig retorted, “why do people always ask you to ‘bring us long life,’ ‘bring us blessings,’ and ‘bring us a good job?’”\n\nSanzang shouted at Pig to go away, then quickly tidied himself up and bowed to the Three Stars. The Three Stars greeted the Great Immortal as befitted members of a younger generation, after which they all sat down. “We have not seen your illustrious countenance for a long time,” the Star of Office said, “which shows our great lack of respect. The reason we come to see you now is because the Great Sage Monkey has made trouble in your immortal temple.”\n\n“Has Monkey been to Penglai?” the Great Immortal asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” replied the Star of Longevity. “He came to our place to ask for a formula to restore the elixir tree that he killed. As we have no cure for it, he has had to go elsewhere in search of it. We are afraid that if he exceeds the three-day time-limit the holy priest has imposed, the Band-tightening Spell may be said. We have come in the first place to pay our respects and in the second to ask for an extension of the limit.”\n\n“I won’t recite it, I promise,” answered Sanzang as soon as he heard this.\n\nAs they were talking Pig came rushing in again to grab hold of the Star of Blessing and demand some fruit from him. He started to feel in the star’s sleeves and rummage round his waist, pulling his clothes apart as he searched everywhere.\n\n“What sort of behavior is that?” asked Sanzang with a smile."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m not misbehaving,” said Pig. “This is what’s meant by the saying, ‘blessings wherever you look.’” Sanzang shouted at him to go away again. The idiot withdrew slowly, glaring at the Star of Blessing with unwavering hatred in his eyes.\n\n“I wasn’t angry with you, you moron,” said the star, “so why do you hate me so?”\n\n“I don’t hate you,” said Pig. “This is what they call ‘turning the head and seeing blessing.’” As the idiot was going out he saw a young boy came in with four tea ladles, looking for bowls in the abbot’s cell in which to put fruit and serve tea. Pig seized one of the ladles, ran to the main hall of the temple, snatched up a hand-bell, and started striking it wildly. He was enjoying himself enormously when the Great Immortal said, “This monk gets more and more disrespectful.”\n\n“I’m not being disrespectful,” Pig replied. “I’m ‘ringing in happiness for the four seasons.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While Pig was having his jokes and making trouble, Monkey had bounded away from Penglai by auspicious cloud and come to the magic mountain Fangzhang. This was a really wonderful place. As the poem goes,\n\nThe towering Fangzhang is another heaven,\n\nWhere gods and Immortals meet in the Palace of the Great Unity.\n\nThe purple throne illuminates the road to the Three Pure Ones,\n\nThe scent of flowers and trees drifts among the clouds.\n\nMany a golden phoenix comes to rejoice around its flowery portals;\n\nWhat makes the fields of magical mushrooms glisten like jade?\n\nPale peaches and purple plums are newly ripened,\n\nReady to give even longer life to the Immortals.\n\nBut as Monkey brought his cloud down he was in no mood to enjoy the view. As he was walking along he smelt a fragrance in the wind, heard the cry of the black stork, and saw an Immortal:\n\nThe sky was filled with radiant light,\n\nAs multicolored clouds shone and glowed.\n\nRed phoenixes looked brighter than the flowers in their beaks;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sweetly sang green ones as they danced in flight.\n\nHis blessings were as great as the Eastern Sea, his age that of a mountain;\n\nYet his face was a child’s and his body was strong.\n\nIn a bottle he kept his pills of eternal youth,\n\nAnd a charm for everlasting life hung from his waist.\n\nHe had often sent blessings down to mankind,\n\nSeveral times saving mortals from difficulties.\n\nHe once gave longer life to Emperor Wu,\n\nAnd always went to the Peach Banquets at the Jade Pool.\n\nHe taught all monks to cast off worldly fates;\n\nHis explanations of the great Way were clear as lightning.\n\nHe had crossed the seas to pay his respects,\n\nAnd had seen the Buddha on the Vulture Peak.\n\nHis title was Lord Emperor of Eastern Glory,\n\nThe highest-ranked Immortal of the mists and clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Brother Monkey saw him he hailed him with the words, “I salute you, Lord Emperor.” The Lord Emperor hastened to return his greeting and say, “I should have welcomed you properly, Great Sage. May I ask you home for some tea?” He led Monkey by the hand to his palace of cowrie-shells, where there was no end of jasper pools and jade towers. They were sitting waiting for their tea when a boy appeared from behind\n\nan emerald screen. This is how he looked:\n\nA Taoist robe that sparkled with color hung from his body,\n\nAnd light gleamed from the silken sash round his waist.\n\nOn his head he wore a turban with the sign of the stars of the Dipper,\n\nAnd the grass sandals on his feet had climbed all the magical mountains.\n\nHe was refining his True Being, shuffling off his shell,\n\nAnd when he had finished he would reach unbounded bliss.\n\nHis understanding had broken through to the origins,\n\nAnd his master knew that he was free from mistakes.\n\nAvoiding fame and enjoying the present he had won long life"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And did not care about the passing of time.\n\nHe had been along the crooked portico, climbed to the precious hall,\n\nAnd three times received the peaches of Heaven.\n\nClouds of incense appeared to rise from behind the emerald screen;\n\nThis young Immortal was Dongfang Shuo himself.\n\n“So you’re here, you young thief,” said Monkey with a smile when he saw him. “There are no peaches for you to steal here in the Lord Emperor’s palace.”\n\nDongfang Shuo greeted him respectfully and replied, “What have you come for, you old thief? My master doesn’t keep any pills of immortality here for you to pinch.”\n\n“Stop talking nonsense, Manqian,” the Lord Emperor shouted, “and bring some tea.” Manqian was Dongfang Shuo’s Taoist name. He hurried inside and brought out two cups of tea.\n\nWhen the two of them had drunk it, Monkey said, “I came here to ask you to do something for me. I wonder if you’d be prepared to.”\n\n“What is it?” the Lord Emperor asked. “Do tell me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have been escorting the Tang Priest on his journey to the West,” Monkey replied, “and our route took us via the Wuzhuang Temple on the Mountain of Infinite Longevity. The youths there were so ill-mannered that I lost my temper and knocked their manfruit tree over. We’ve been held up for a while as a result, and the Tang Priest cannot get away, which is why I have come to ask you, sir, to give me a formula that will cure it. I do hope that you will be good enough to agree.”\n\n“You thoughtless ape,” the Lord Emperor replied, “you make trouble wherever you go. Master Zhen Yuan of the Wuzhunang Temple has the sacred title Conjoint Lord of the Age, and he is the Patriarch of the Immortals of the Earth. Why ever did you clash with him? That manfruit tree of his is Grass-returning Cinnabar. It was criminal enough of you to steal some of the fruit, and knocking the tree over makes it impossible for him ever to make it up with you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“True,” said Monkey. “When we escaped he caught up with us and swept us into his sleeve as if we were so many sweat-rags, which made me furious. However, he had to let me go and look for a formula that would cure it, which is why I’ve come to ask your help.”\n\n“I have a nine-phased returning pill of the Great Monad, but it can only bring animate objects back to life, not trees. Trees are lives compounded of the Wood and Earth elements and nurtured by Heaven and Earth. If it were an ordinary mortal tree I could bring it back to life, but the Mountain of Infinite Longevity is the blessed land of a former heaven, the Wuzhuang Temple is the Cave Paradise of the Western Continent of Cattle-gift, and the manfruit tree is the life-root from the time when Heaven and Earth were separated. How could it possibly be revived? I have no formula, none at all.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case I must take my leave,” replied Monkey, and when the Lord Emperor tried to detain him with a cup of jade nectar he said, “This is too urgent to allow me to stay.” He rode his cloud back to the island of Yingzhou, another wonderful place, as this poem shows:\n\nTrees of pearls glowed with a purple haze;\n\nThe Yingzhou palaces led straight to the heavens.\n\nBlue hills, green rivers, and the beauty of exquisite flowers;\n\nJade mountains as hard as iron.\n\nPheasants called at the sunrise over the sea,\n\nLong-lived phoenixes breathe in the red clouds.\n\nPeople, do not look so hard at the scenery in your jar:\n\nBeyond the world of phenomena is an eternal spring.\n\nOn reaching Yingzhou he saw a number of white-haired Immortals with the faces of children playing chess and drinking under a pearl tree at the foot of a cinnabar cliff. They were laughing and singing. As the poem says, there were\n\nLight-filled auspicious clouds,\n\nPerfume floating in a blessed haze.\n\nBrilliant phoenixes singing at the mouth of a cave,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Black cranes dancing on a mountain top.\n\nPale green lotus-root and peaches helped their wine down,\n\nPears and fiery red dates gave them a thousand years of life.\n\nNeither of them had ever heard an imperial edict,\n\nBut each was entered on the list of Immortals.\n\nThey drifted and floated with the waves,\n\nFree and easy in unsullied elegance.\n\nThe passage of the days could not affect them;\n\nTheir freedom was guaranteed by Heaven and Earth.\n\nBlack apes come in pairs,\n\nLooking most charming as they present fruit;\n\nWhite deer, bowing two by two,\n\nThoughtfully offer flowers.\n\nThese old men were certainly living a free and happy life. “How about letting me play with you?” Monkey shouted at the top of his voice, and when the Immortals saw him they hurried over to welcome him. There is a poem to prove it that goes:\n\nWhen the magic root of the manfruit tree was broken;\n\nThe Great Sage visited the Immortals in search of a cure.\n\nWinding their way through the vermilion mist, the Nine Ancients"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Came out of the precious forest to greet him.\n\nMonkey, who knew the Nine Ancients, said with a smile, “You nine brothers seem to be doing very nicely.”\n\n“If you had stayed on straight and narrow in the old days, Great sage,” they replied, “and not wrecked the Heavenly Palace you would be doing even better that we are. Now we hear that you have reformed and are going West to visit the Buddha. How did you manage the time off to come here?” Monkey told them how he was searching for a formula to cure the tree.\n\n“What a terrible thing to do,” they exclaimed in horror, “what a terrible thing. We honestly have no cure at all.”\n\n“In that case I must take my leave of you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case I must take my leave of you.”\n\nThe Nine Ancients tried to detain him with jasper wine and jade lotus-root, but Monkey refused to sit down, and stayed on his feet while he drank only one cup of wine and ate only one piece of lotus-root. Then he hurried away from Yingzhou and back to the Great Eastern Ocean. When he saw that Potaraka was not far away, he brought his cloud down to land on the Potara Crag, where he saw the Bodhisattva Guanyin expounding the scriptures and preaching the Buddha’s Law to all the great gods of heaven, Moksa, and the dragon maiden in the Purple Bamboo Grove. A poem about it goes:\n\nThick the mists round the lofty city of the sea’s mistress,\n\nAnd no end to the greater marvels to be seen.\n\nThe Shaolin Temple really has the true flavor,\n\nWith the scent of flowers and fruit and the trees all red."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva saw Monkey arrive and ordered the Great Guardian God of the Mountain to go and welcome him. The god emerged from the bamboo grove and shouted, “Where are you going, Monkey?”\n\n“You bear monster,” Monkey shouted back, “how dare you address me as ‘Monkey’? If I hadn’t spared your life that time you’d have been just a demon’s corpse on the Black Wind Mountain. Now you’ve joined the Bodhisattva, accepted enlightenment, and come to live on this blessed island where you hear the Law being taught all the time. Shouldn’t you address me as ‘sir?’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was indeed thanks to Monkey that the black bear had been enlightened and was now guarding the Bodhisattva’s Potaraka as one of the great gods of heaven, so all he could do was to force a smile and say, “The ancients said, Great Sage, that a gentleman does not bear grudges. Why should you care about what you’re called? Anyhow, the Bodhisattva has sent me to welcome you.” Monkey then became grave and serious as he went into the Purple Bamboo Grove with the Great God and did obeisance to the Bodhisattva.\n\n“How far has the Tang Priest got, Monkey?” she asked.\n\n“He has reached the Mountain of Infinite Longevity in the Western Continent of Cattle-gift,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Have you met the Great Immortal Zhen Yuan who lives in the Wuzhuang Temple on that mountain?” she asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As your disciple didn’t meet the Great Immortal Zhen Yuan when I was in the Wuzhuang Temple,” replied Monkey, bowing down to the ground, “I destroyed his manfruit tree and offended him. As a result my master is in a very difficult position and can make no progress.”\n\n“You wretched ape,” said the Bodhisattva angrily now that she knew about it, “you have no conscience at all. That manfruit tree of his is the life-root from the time when Heaven and Earth were separated, and Master Zhen Yuan is the Patriarch of the Earth’s Immortals, which means even I have to show him a certain respect. Why ever did you harm his tree?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey bowed once more and said, “I really didn’t know. He was away that day and there were only two immortal youths to look after us. When Pig heard that they had this fruit he wanted to try one, so I stole three for him and we had one each. They swore at us no end when they found out, so I lost my temper and knocked the tree over. When he came back the next day he chased us and caught us all up in his sleeve. We were tied up and flogged for a whole day. We got away that night but he caught up with us and put us in his sleeve again. All our escape attempts failed, so I promised him I’d put the tree right. I’ve been searching for a formula all over the seas and been to all three islands of Immortals, but the gods and Immortals are all useless, which is why I decided to come and worship you, Bodhisattva, and tell you all about it. I beg you in your mercy to grant me a formula so that I can save the Tang Priest and have him on his way West again as soon as possible."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why didn’t you come and see me earlier instead of searching the islands for it?” the Bodhisattva asked.\n\n“I’m in luck,” thought Monkey with delight when he heard this, “I’m in luck. The Bodhisattva must have a formula.” He went up to her and pleaded for it again.\n\n“The ‘sweet dew’ in this pure vase of mine,” she said, “is an excellent cure for magic trees and plants.”\n\n“Has it ever been tried out?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes,” she said. “How?” he asked.\n\n“Some years ago Lord Lao Zi beat me at gambling,” she replied, “and took my willow sprig away with him. He put it in his elixir-refining furnace and burnt it to a cinder before sending it back to me. I put it back in the vase, and a day and a night later it was as green and leafy as ever.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m really in luck,” said Monkey, “really in luck. If it can bring a cinder back to life, something that has only been pushed over should be easy.” The Bodhisattva instructed her subjects to look after the grove as she was going away for a while. Then she took up her vase, and her white parrot went in front singing while Monkey followed behind. As the poem goes,\n\nThe jade-haired golden one is hard to describe to mortals;\n\nShe truly is a compassionate deliverer.\n\nAlthough in aeons past she had known the spotless Buddha,\n\nNow she had acquired a human form.\n\nAfter several lives in the sea of suffering she had purified the waves,\n\nAnd in her heart there was no speck of dust.\n\nThe sweet dew that had long undergone the miraculous Law\n\nWas bound to give the magic tree eternal life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Was bound to give the magic tree eternal life.\n\nThe Great Immortal and the Three Stars were still in lofty conversation when they saw Monkey bring his cloud down and heard him shout, “The Bodhisattva’s here. Come and welcome her at once.” The Three Stars and Master Zheng Yuan hurried out with Sanzang and his disciples to greet her. On bringing her cloud to a stop, she first talked with Master Zhen Yuan and then greeted the Three Stars, after which she climbed to her seat. Monkey then led the Tang Priest, Pig, and Friar Sand out to do obeisance before the steps, and all the Immortals in the temple came to bow to her as well.\n\n“There’s no need to dither about, Great Immortal,” said Monkey. “Get an incense table ready at once and ask the Bodhisattva to cure that whatever-it-is tree of yours.” The Great Immortal Zhen Yuan bowed to the Bodhisattva and thanked her:\n\n“How could I be so bold as to trouble the Bodhisattva with my affairs?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Tang Priest is my disciple, and Monkey has offended you, so it is only right that I should make up for the loss of your priceless tree.”\n\n“In that case there is no need for you to refuse,” said the Three Stars. “May we invite you, Bodhisattva, to come into our orchard and take a look?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage had an incense table set up and the orchard swept, then he asked the Bodhisattva to lead the way. The Three Stars followed behind. Sanzang, his disciples, and all the Immortals of the temple went into the orchard to look, and they saw the tree lying on the ground with the earth torn open, its roots laid bare, its leaves fallen and its branches withered. “Put your hand out, Monkey,” said the Bodhisattva, and Brother Monkey stretched out his left hand. The Bodhisattva dipped her willow spray into the sweet dew in her vase, then used it to write a spell to revive the dead on the palm of Monkey’s hand. She told him to place it on the roots of the tree until he saw water coming out. Monkey clenched his fist and tucked it under the roots; before long a spring of clear water began to form a pool."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That water must not be sullied by vessels made of any of the Five Elements, so you will have to scoop it out with a jade ladle. If you prop the tree up and pour the water on it from the very top, its bark and trunk will knit together, its leaves will sprout again, the branches will be green once more, and the fruit will reappear.”\n\n“Fetch a jade ladle this moment, young Taoists,” said Monkey. “We poor monks have no jade ladle in our destitute temple. We only have jade tea-bowls and wine-cups. Would they do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As long as they are jade and can scoop out water they will do,” the Bodhisattva replied. “Bring them out and try.” The Great Immortal then told some boys to fetch the twenty or thirty teabowls and the forty or fifty wine-cups and ladle the clear water out from under the roots. Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand put their shoulders under the tree, raised it upright, and banked it up with earth. Then they presented the sweet spring water cup by cup to the Bodhisattva, who sprinkled it lightly on the tree with her spray of willow and recited an incantation. When a little later the water had all been sprinkled on the tree the leaves really did become as dense and green as ever, and there were twenty-three manfruits growing there.\n\nPure Wind and Bright Moon, the two immortal boys, said, “When the fruit disappeared the other day there were only twenty-two of them; so why is there an extra one now that it has come back to life?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "”‘Time shows the truth about a man,’” Monkey replied. “I only stole three that day. The other one fell on the ground, and the local deity told me that this treasure always entered earth when it touched it. Pig accused me of taking it as a bit of extra for myself and blackened my reputation, but at long last the truth has come out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The reason why I did not use vessels made from the Five Elements was because I knew that this kind of fruit is allergic to them,” said the Bodhisattva. The Great Immortal, now extremely happy, had the golden rod fetched at once and knocked down ten of the fruits. He invited the Bodhisattva and the Three Stars to come to the main hall of the temple to take part a Manfruit Feast to thank them for their labors. All the junior Immortals arranged tables, chairs, and cinnabar bowls, The Bodhisattva was asked to take the seat of honour with the Three Stars on her left, the Tang Priest on her right, and Master Zhen Yuan facing her as the host. They ate one fruit each, and there are some lines about it:\n\nIn the ancient earthly paradise on the Mountain of Infinite Longevity\n\nThe manfruit ripens once in nine thousand years.\n\nWhen the magic roots were bared and the branches dead,\n\nThe sweet dew brought leaves and fruit back to life.\n\nThe happy meeting of the Three Stars was predestined;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was fated that the four monks would encounter one another.\n\nNow that they have eaten the manfruit at this feast,\n\nThey will all enjoy everlasting youth.\n\nThe Bodhisattva and the Three Stars ate one each, as did the Tang Priest, who realized at last that this was an Immortal’s treasure, and Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand. Master Zhen Yuan had one to keep them company and the Immortals of the temple divided the last one between them. Monkey thanked the Bodhisattva, who went back to Potaraka, and saw the Three Stars off on their journey home to the island of Penglai.\n\nMaster Zhen Yuan set out some non-alcoholic wine and made Monkey his sworn brother. This was a case of “if you don’t fight you can’t make friends,” and their two households were now united. That night Sanzang and his disciples went to bed feeling very happy. That venerable priest had now\n\nBeen lucky enough to eat the Grass-returning Cinnabar,\n\nGaining long life, and resistance to fiends and monsters."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Listen to the next installment to hear how they took their leave the next day.\n\n\n\nChapter Twenty-Seven\n\nThe Corpse Fiend Thrice Tricks Tang Sanzang\n\nThe Holy Monk Angrily Dismisses the Handsome Monkey King\n\nAt dawn the next day Sanzang and his three disciples packed their things before setting off. Now that Master Zhen Yuan had made Monkey his sworn brother and was finding him so congenial, he did not want to let him go, so he entertained him for another five or six days. Sanzang had really become a new man, and was livelier and healthier now that he had eaten the Grass-returning Cinnabar. His determination to fetch the scriptures was too strong to let him waste any more time, so there was nothing for it but to be on their way.\n\nSoon after they had set out again, master and disciples saw a high mountain in front of them. “I’m afraid that the mountain ahead may be too steep for the horse,” Sanzang said, “so we must think this over carefully.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, master,” said Monkey, “we know how to cope.” He went ahead of the horse with his cudgel over his shoulder and cleared a path up to the top of the cliff. He saw no end of\n\nRow upon row of craggy peaks,\n\nTwisting beds of torrents.\n\nTigers and wolves were running in packs,\n\nDeer and muntjac moving in herds.\n\nCountless river-deer darted around.\n\nAnd the mountains was covered with fox and hare.\n\nThousand-food pythons,\n\nTen-thousand-fathom snakes;\n\nThe great pythons puffed out murky clouds,\n\nThe enormous snakes breathed monstrous winds.\n\nBrambles and thorns spread beside the paths,\n\nPines and cedars stood elegant on the ridge.\n\nThere were wild fig-trees wherever the eye could see,\n\nAnd sweet-scented flowers as far as the horizon.\n\nThe mountain’s shadow fell North of the ocean,\n\nThe clouds parted South of the handle of the Dipper.\n\nThe towering cliffs were as ancient as the primal Essence,\n\nThe majestic crags cold in the sunlight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The majestic crags cold in the sunlight.\n\nSanzang was immediately terrified, so Monkey resorted to some of his tricks. He whirled his iron cudgel and roared, at which all the wolves, snakes, tigers and leopards fled. They then started up the mountain, and as they were crossing a high ridge Sanzang said to Monkey, “Monkey, I’ve been hungry all day, so would you please go and beg some food for us somewhere.”\n\n“You aren’t very bright, master,” Monkey replied with a grin. “We’re on a mountain with no village or inn for many miles around. Even if we had money there would be nowhere to buy food, so where am I to go and beg for it?” Sanzang felt cross, so he laid into Monkey. “You ape,” he said, “don’t you remember how you were crushed by the Buddha in a stone cell under the Double Boundary Mountain, where you could talk but not walk? It was I who saved your life, administered the monastic vows to you, and made you my disciple. How dare you be such a slacker? Why aren’t you prepared to make an effort?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I always make an effort,” said Monkey. “I’m never lazy.”\n\n“If you’re such a hard worker, go and beg some food for us. I can’t manage on an empty stomach. Besides, with the noxious vapors on this mountain we’ll never reach the Thunder Monastery,”\n\n“Please don’t be angry, master, and stop talking. I know your obstinate character—if I’m too disobedient you’ll say that spell. You’d better dismount and sit here while I find somebody and beg for some food.”\n\nMonkey leapt up into the clouds with a single jump, and shading his eyes with his hand he looked around. Unfortunately he could see nothing in any direction except emptiness. There was no village or house or any other sign of human habitation among the countless trees. After looking for a long time he made out a high mountain away to the South. On its Southern slopes was a bright red patch."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey brought his cloud down and said, “Master, there’s something to eat.” Sanzang asked him what it was. “There’s no house around here where we could ask for food,” Monkey replied, “but there’s a patch of red on a mountain to the South that I’m sure must be ripe wild peaches. I’ll go and pick some—they’ll fill you up.”\n\n“A monk who has peaches to eat is a lucky man,” said Sanzang. Monkey picked up his bowl and leapt off on a beam of light. Just watch as he flashes off in a somersault, a whistling gust of cold air. Within a moment he was picking peaches on the Southern mountain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There is a saying that goes, “If the mountain is high it’s bound to have fiends; if the ridge is steep spirits will live there.” This mountain did indeed have an evil spirit who was startled by Monkey’s appearance. It strode through the clouds on a negative wind, and on seeing the venerable Sanzang on the ground below thought happily, “What luck, what luck. At home they’ve been talking for years about a Tang Monk from the East who’s going to fetch the ‘Great Vehicle’; he’s a reincarnation of Golden Cicada, and has an Original Body that has been purified through ten lives. Anyone who eats a piece of his flesh will live for ever. And today, at last, he’s here.” The evil spirit went forward to seize him, but the sight of the two great generals to Sanzang’s left and right made it frightened to close in on him. Who, it wondered, were they? They were in fact Pig and Friar Sand, and for all that their powers were nothing extraordinary, Pig was really Marshal Tian Peng while Friar Sand was the Great Curtain-lifting"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "while Friar Sand was the Great Curtain-lifting General. It was because their former awe-inspiring qualities had not yet been dissipated that the fiend did not close in. “I’ll try a trick on them and see what happens,” the spirit said to itself."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid evil spirit stopped its negative wind in a hollow and changed itself into a girl with a face as round as the moon and as pretty as a flower. Her brow was clear and her eyes beautiful; her teeth were white and her lips red. In her left hand she held a blue earthenware pot and in her right a green porcelain jar. She headed East towards the Tang Priest.\n\nThe holy monk rested his horse on the mountain,\n\nAnd suddenly noticed a pretty girl approaching.\n\nThe green sleeves over her jade fingers lightly billowed;\n\nGolden lotus feet peeped under her trailing skirt.\n\nThe beads of sweat on her powdered face were dew on a flower,\n\nHer dusty brow was a willow in a mist.\n\nCarefully and closely he watched her\n\nAs she came right up to him.\n\n“Pig, Friar Sand,” said Sanzang when he saw her, “don’t you see somebody coming although Monkey said that this was a desolate and uninhabited place?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You and Friar Sand stay sitting here while I go and take a look.” The blockhead laid down his rake, straightened his tunic, put on the airs of a gentleman, and stared at the girl as he greeted her. Although he had not been sure from a distance, he could now see clearly that the girl had\n\nBones of jade under skin as pure as ice,\n\nA creamy bosom revealed by her neckline.\n\nHer willow eyebrows were black and glossy,\n\nAnd silver stars shone from her almond eyes.\n\nShe was as graceful as the moon,\n\nAs pure as the heavens.\n\nHer body was like a swallow in a willow-tree,\n\nHer voice like an oriole singing in the wood.\n\nShe was wild apple-blossom enmeshing the sun,\n\nAn opening peony full of the spring.\n\nWhen the idiot Pig saw how beautiful she was his earthly desires were aroused, and he could not hold back the reckless words that came to his lips. “Where are you going, Bodhisattva,” he said, “and what’s that you’re holding?” Although she was obviously an evil fiend he could not realize it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Venerable sir,” the girl replied at once, “this blue pot is full of tasty rice, and the green jar contains fried wheat-balls. I’ve come here specially to fulfil a vow to feed monks.” Pig was thoroughly delighted to hear this. He came tumbling back at breakneck speed and said to Sanzang,\n\n“Master, ‘Heaven rewards the good’. When you sent my elder brother off begging because you felt hungry, that ape went fooling around somewhere picking peaches. Besides, too many peaches turn your stomach and give you the runs. Don’t you see that this girl is coming to feed us monks?”\n\n“You stupid idiot,” replied Sanzang, who was not convinced, “we haven’t met a single decent person in this direction, so where could anyone come from to feed monks?”\n\n“What’s she then, master?” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What’s she then, master?” said Pig.\n\nWhen Sanzang saw her he sprang to his feet, put his hands together in front of his chest, and said, “Bodhisattva, where is your home? Who are you? What vow brings you here to feed monks?” Although she was obviously an evil spirit, the venerable Sanzang could not see it either. On being asked about her background by Sanzang, the evil spirit immediately produced a fine-sounding story with which to fool him.\n\n“This mountain, which snakes and wild animals won’t go near, is called White Tiger Ridge,” she said. “Our home lies due West from here at the foot of it. My mother and father live there, and they are devout people who read the scriptures and feed monks from far and near. As they had no son, they asked Heaven to bless them. When I was born they wanted to marry me off to a good family, but then they decided to find me a husband who would live in our home to look after them in their old age and see them properly buried.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Bodhisattva, what you say can’t be right,” replied Sanzang. “The Analects say, ‘When father and mother are alive, do not go on long journeys; if you have to go out, have a definite aim.’ As your parents are at home and have found you a husband, you should let him fulfil your vow for you. Why ever are you walking in the mountains all by yourself, without even a servant? This is no way for a lady to behave.”\n\nThe girl smiled and produced a smooth reply at once: “My husband is hoeing with some of our retainers in a hollow in the North of the mountain, reverend sir, and I am taking them this food I’ve cooked. As it’s July and all the crops are ripening nobody can be spared to run errands, and my parents are old, so I’m taking it there myself. Now that I have met you three monks from so far away, I would like to give you this food as my parents are so pious. I hope you won’t refuse our paltry offering.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s very good of you,” said Sanzang, “but one of my disciples has gone to pick some fruit and will be back soon, so we couldn’t eat any of your food. Besides, if we ate your food your husband might be angry with you when he found out, and we would get into trouble too.”\n\nAs the Tang Priest was refusing to eat the food, the girl put on her most charming expression and said, “My parents’ charity to monks is nothing compared to my husband’s, master. He is a religious man whose lifelong pleasure has been repairing bridges, mending roads, looking after the aged, and helping the poor. When he hears that I have given you this food, he’ll love me more warmly than ever.” Sanzang still declined to eat it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig was beside himself. Twisting his lips into a pout, he muttered indignantly, “Of all the monks on earth there can’t be another as soft in the head as our master. He won’t eat ready-cooked food when there are only three of us to share it between. He’s waiting for that ape to come back, and then we’ll have to split it four ways.” Without allowing any more discussion he tipped the pot towards his mouth and was just about to eat.\n\nAt just this moment Brother Monkey was somersaulting back with his bowl full of the peaches he had picked on the Southern mountain. When he saw with the golden pupils in his fiery eyes that the girl was an evil spirit, he put the bowl down, lifted his cudgel, and was going to hit her on the head when the horrified Sanzang held him back and said, “Who do you think you’re going to hit?”\n\n“That girl in front of you is no good,” he replied. “She’s an evil spirit trying to make a fool of you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In the old days you had a very sharp eye, you ape,” Sanzang said, “but this is nonsense. This veritable Bodhisattva is feeding us with the best of motives, so how can you call her an evil spirit?”\n\n“You wouldn’t be able to tell, master,” said Monkey with a grin. “When I was an evil monster in the Water Curtain Cave I used to do that if I wanted a meal of human flesh. I would turn myself into gold and silver, or a country mansion, or liquor, or a pretty girl. Whoever was fool enough to be besotted with one of these would fall in love with me, and I would lure them into the cave, where I did what I wanted with them. Sometimes I ate them steamed and sometimes boiled, and what I couldn’t finish I used to dry in the sun against a rainy day. If I’d been slower getting here, master, you’d have fallen into her snare and she’d have finished you off.” The Tang Priest refused to believe him and maintained that she was a good person."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I know you, master,” said Monkey. “Her pretty face must have made you feel randy. If that’s the way you feel, tell Pig to fell a few trees and send Friar Sand look off to for some grass. I’ll be the carpenter, and we’ll build you a hut here that you and the girl can use as your bridal chamber. We can all go our own ways. Wouldn’t marriage be a worthwhile way of living? Why bother plodding on to fetch some scriptures or other?” Sanzang, who had always been such a soft and virtuous man, was unable to take this. He was so embarrassed that he blushed from his shaven pate to his ears.\n\nWhile Sanzang was feeling so embarrassed, Monkey flared up again and struck at the evil spirit’s face. The fiend, who knew a trick or two, used a magic way of abandoning its body: when it saw Monkey’s cudgel coming it braced itself and fled, leaving a false corpse lying dead on the ground."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang shook with terror and said to himself, “That monkey is utterly outrageous. Despite all my good advice he will kill people for no reason at all.”\n\n“Don’t be angry, master,” said Monkey. “Come and see what’s in her pot.” Friar Sand helped Sanzang over to look, and he saw that far from containing tasty rice it was full of centipedes with long tails. The jar had held not wheat-balls but frogs and toads, which were now jumping around on the ground. Sanzang was now beginning to believe Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was not enough, however, to prevent a furious Pig from deliberately making trouble by saying, “Master, that girl was a local countrywoman who happened to meet us while she was taking some food to the fields. There’s no reason to think that she was an evil spirit. My elder brother was trying his club out on her, and he killed her by mistake. He’s deliberately trying to trick us by magicking the food into those things because he’s afraid you’ll recite the Band-tightening spell. He’s fooled you into not saying it.”\n\nThis brought the blindness back on Sanzang, who believed these trouble-making remarks and made the magic with his hand as he recited the spell. “My head’s aching, my head’s aching,” Monkey said. “Stop, please stop. Tell me off if you like.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve nothing to say to you,” replied Sanzang. “A man of religion should always help others, and his thoughts should always be virtuous. When sweeping the floor you must be careful not to kill any ants, and to spare the moth you should put gauze round your lamp. Why do you keep murdering people? If you are going to kill innocent people like that there is no point in your going to fetch the scriptures. Go back!”\n\n“Where am I to go back to?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I won’t have you as my disciple any longer,” said Sanzang.\n\n“If you won’t have me as your disciple,” Monkey said, “I’m afraid you may never reach the Western Heaven.”\n\n“My destiny is in Heaven’s hands,” replied Sanzang. “If some evil spirit is fated to cook me, he will; and there’s no way of getting out of it. But if I’m not to be eaten, will you be able to extend my life? Be off with you at once.”\n\n“I’ll go if I must,” said Monkey, “but I’ll never have repaid your kindness to me.”\n\n“What kindness have I ever done you?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey knelt down and kowtowed. “When I wrecked the Heavenly Palace,” he said, “I put myself in a very dangerous position, and the Buddha crashed me under the Double Boundary Mountain. Luckily the Bodhisattva Guanyin administered the vows to me, and you, master, released me, so if I don’t go with you to the Western Heaven I’ll look like a ‘scoundrel who doesn’t return a kindness, with a name that will be cursed for ever.’”\n\nAs Sanzang was a compassionate and holy monk this desperate plea from Monkey persuaded him to relent. “In view of what you say I’ll let you off this time, but don’t behave so disgracefully again. If you are ever as wicked as that again I shall recite that spell twenty times over.”\n\n“Make it thirty if you like,” replied Monkey. “I shan’t hit anyone else.” With that he helped Sanzang mount the horse and offered him some of the peaches he had picked. After eating a few the Tang Priest felt less hungry for the time being."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit rose up into the air when it had saved itself from being killed by Monkey’s cudgel. Gnashing its teeth in the clouds, it thought of Monkey with silent hatred: “Now I know that those magical powers of his that I’ve been hearing about for years are real. The Tang Priest didn’t realize who I was and would have eaten the food. If he’d so much as leant forward to smell it I could have seized him, and he would have been mine. But that Monkey turned up, wrecked my plan, and almost killed me with his club. If I spare that monk now I’ll have gone to all that trouble for nothing, so I’ll have another go at tricking him.”\n\nThe splendid evil spirit landed its negative cloud, shook itself, and changed into an old woman in her eighties who was weeping as she hobbled along leaning on a bamboo stick with a crooked handle.\n\n“This is terrible, master,” exclaimed Pig with horror at the sight of her. “Her mother’s come to look for her.”\n\n“For whom?” asked the Tang Priest."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“For whom?” asked the Tang Priest.\n\n“It must be her daughter that my elder brother killed,” said Pig. “This must be the girl’s mother looking for her.”\n\n“Don’t talk nonsense,” said Monkey. “That girl was eighteen and this old woman is eighty. How could she possibly have had a child when she was over sixty? She must be a fake. Let me go and take a look.” The splendid Monkey hurried over to examine her and saw that the monster had\n\nTurned into an old woman\n\nWith temples as white as frozen snow.\n\nSlowly she stumbled along the road,\n\nMaking her way in fear and trembling.\n\nHer body was weak and emaciated,\n\nHer face like a withered leaf of cabbage.\n\nHer cheekbone was twisted upwards,\n\nWhile the ends of her lips went down.\n\nHow can old age compare with youth?\n\nHer face was as creased as a pleated bag."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Her face was as creased as a pleated bag.\n\nRealizing that she was an evil spirit, Monkey did not wait to argue about it, but raised his cudgel and struck at her head. Seeing the blow coining, the spirit braced itself again and extracted its true essence once more. The false corpse sprawled dead beside the path. Sanzang was so horrified that he fell off the horse and lay beside the path, reciting the Band-tightening Spell twenty times over. Poor Monkey’s head was squeezed so hard that it looked like a narrow-waisted gourd. The pain was unbearable, and he rolled over towards his master to plead, “Stop, master. Say whatever you like.”\n\n“I have nothing to say,” Sanzang replied. “If a monk does good he will not fall into hell. Despite all my preaching you still commit murder. How can you? No sooner have you killed one person than you kill another. It’s an outrage.”\n\n“She was an evil spirit,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“She was an evil spirit,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Nonsense, you ape,” said the Tang Priest, “as if there could be so many monsters! You haven’t the least intention of reforming, and you are a deliberate murderer. Be off with you.”\n\n“Are you sending me away again, master?” Monkey asked. “I’ll go if I must, but there’s one thing I won’t agree to.”\n\n“What,” Sanzang asked, “would that be?”\n\n“Master,” Pig put in, “he wants the baggage divided between you and him. He’s been a monk with you for several years, and hasn’t succeeded in winning a good reward. You can’t let him go away empty-handed. Better give him a worn-out tunic and a tattered hat from the bundle.”\n\nThis made Monkey jump with fury. “I’ll get you, you long-snouted moron,” he said. “I’ve been a true Buddhist with no trace of covetousness or greed. I certainly don’t want a share of the baggage.”\n\n“If you’re neither covetous nor greedy,” said Sanzang, “why won’t you go away?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“To be quite honest with you, master,” he replied, “when I lived in the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and knew all the great heroes, I won the submission of seventy-two other demon kings and had forty-seven thousand minor demons under me. I used to wear a crown of purple gold and a yellow robe with a belt of the finest jade. I had cloud-treading shoes on my feet and held an As-You-Will gold-banded cudgel in my hands. I really was somebody then. But when I attained enlightenment and repented, I shaved my head and took to the Buddhist faith as your disciple. I couldn’t face my old friends if I went back with this golden band round my head. So if you don’t want me any longer, master, please say the Band-loosening Spell and I’ll take it off and give it back to you. I’ll gladly agree to you putting it round someone else’s head. As I’ve been your disciple for so long, surely you can show me this kindness.” Sanzang was deeply shocked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Monkey,” he said, “the Bodhisattva secretly taught me the Band-tightening Spell, but not a band-loosening one.”\n\n“In that case you’ll have to let me come with you,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Get up then,” said Sanzang, feeling that he had no option, “I’ll let you off again just this once. But you must never commit another murder.”\n\n“I never will,” said Monkey, “never again.” He helped his master mount the horse and led the way forward."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit, who had not been killed the second time Monkey hit it either, was full of admiration as it floated in mid-air. “What a splendid Monkey King,” it thought, “and what sharp eyes. He saw who I was through both my transformations. Those monks are travelling fast, and once they’re over the mountain and fifteen miles to the West they’ll be out of my territory. And other fiends and monsters who catch them will be laughing till their mouths split, and I’ll be heartbroken with sorrow. I’ll have to have another go at tricking them.” The excellent evil spirit brought its negative wind down to the mountainside and with one shake turned itself into an old man.\n\nHis hair was as white as Ancient Peng’s,\n\nHis temples as hoary as the Star of Longevity.\n\nJade rang in his ears,\n\nAnd his eyes swam with golden stars.\n\nHe leant on a dragon-headed stick,\n\nAnd wore a cloak of crane feathers.\n\nIn his hands he fingered prayer-beads\n\nWhile reciting Buddhist sutras."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While reciting Buddhist sutras.\n\nWhen Sanzang saw him from the back of his horse he said with great delight, “Amitabha Buddha! The West is indeed a blessed land. That old man is forcing himself to recite scriptures although he can hardly walk.”\n\n“Master,” said Pig, “don’t be so nice about him. He’s going to give us trouble.”\n\n“What do you mean?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“My elder brother has killed the daughter and the old woman, and this is the old man coming to look for them. If we fall into his hands you’ll have to pay with your life. It’ll be the death penalty for you, and I’ll get a long sentence for being your accomplice. Friar Sand will be exiled for giving the orders. That elder brother will disappear by magic, and we three will have to carry the can.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t talk such nonsense, you moron,” said Monkey. “You’re terrifying the master. Wait while I go and have another look.” Hiding the cudgel about his person he went up to the monster and said, “Where are you going, venerable sir? And why are you reciting scriptures as you walk along?”\n\nThe monster, failing to recognize his opponent, thought that the Great Sage Monkey was merely a passer-by and said, “Holy sir, my family has lived here for generations, and all my life I have done good deeds, fed monks, read the scriptures, and repeated the Buddha’s name. As fate has it I have no son, only a daughter, and she lives at home with her husband. She went off to the fields with food early this morning, and I’m afraid she may have been eaten by a tiger. My wife went out to look for her, and she hasn’t come back either. I’ve no idea what’s happened to them, so I’ve come to search for them. If they have died, I shall just have to gather their bones and take them back for a decent burial.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m a master of disguise,” replied Monkey with a grin, “so don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes. You can’t fool me. I know that you’re an evil spirit.” The monster was speechless with fright. Monkey brandished his cudgel and thought, “If I don’t kill him he’ll make a getaway; but if I do, my master will say that spell.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yet if I don’t kill him,” he went on to reflect, “I’ll take a lot of thought and effort to rescue the master when this monster seizes some other chance to carry him off. The best thing is to kill him. If I kill him with the cudgel the master will say the spell, but then ‘even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat her own cubs’. I’ll be able to get round my master with my smooth tongue and some well chosen words.” The splendid Great Sage uttered a spell and called out to the local deities and the gods of the mountains, “This evil spirit has tried to trick my master three times, and I’m now going to kill it. I want you to be witnesses in the air around me. Don’t leave!” Hearing this command, the gods all had to obey and watch from the clouds. The Great Sage raised his cudgel and struck down the monster. Now, at last, it was dead.\n\nThe Tang Priest was shaking with terror on the back of his horse, unable to speak."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig stood beside him and said with a laugh, “That Monkey’s marvellous, isn’t he! He’s gone mad. He’s killed three people in a few hours’ journey.”\n\nThe Tang Priest was just going to say the spell when Monkey threw himself in front of his horse and called out, “Don’t say it, master, don’t say it. Come and have a look at it.” It was now just a pile of dusty bones.\n\n“He’s only just been killed, Wukong,” Sanzang said in astonishment, “so why has he turned into a skeleton?”\n\n“It was a demon corpse with magic powers that used to deceive people and destroy them. Now that I’ve killed it, it’s reverted to its original form. The writing on her backbone says that she’s called ‘Lady White Bone.’” Sanzang was convinced, but Pig had to make trouble again.\n\n“Master,” he said, “he’s afraid that you’ll say those words because he killed him with a vicious blow from his cudgel, and so he’s made him look like this to fool you.” The Tang Priest, who really was gullible, now believed Pig, and he started to recite the spell."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, unable to stop the pain, knelt beside the path and cried, “Stop, stop. Say whatever it is you have to say,”\n\n“Baboon,” said Sanzang, “I have nothing more to say to you. If a monk acts rightly he will grow daily but invisibly, like grass in a garden during the spring, whereas an evildoer will be imperceptibly worn away day by day like a stone. You have killed three people, one after the other, in this wild and desolate place, and there is nobody here to find you out or bring a case against you. But if you go to a city or some other crowded place and start laying about you with that murderous cudgel, we’ll be in big trouble and there will be no escape for us. Go back!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re wrong to hold it against me, master,” Monkey replied, “as that wretch was obviously an evil monster set on murdering you. But so far from being grateful that I’ve saved you by killing it, you would have to believe that idiot’s tittle-tattle and keep sending me away. As the saying goes, you should never have to do anything more that three times. I’d be a low and shameless creature if I didn’t go now. I’ll go, I’ll go all right, but who will you have left to look after you?”\n\n“Damned ape,” Sanzang replied, “you get ruder and ruder. You seem to think that you’re the only one. What about Pig and Friar Sand? Aren’t they people?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing him say that Pig and Friar Sand were suitable people too, Monkey was very hurt. “That’s a terrible thing to hear, master,” he said. “When you left Chang’an, Liu Boqin helped you on your way, and when you reached the Double Boundary Mountain you saved me and I took you as my master. I’ve gone into ancient caves and deep forests capturing monsters and demons. I won Pig and Friar Sand over, and I’ve had a very hard time of it. But today you’ve turned stupid and you’re sending me back. ‘When the birds have all been shot the bow is put away, and when the rabbits are all killed the hounds are stewed.’ Oh well! If only you hadn’t got that Band-tightening Spell.”\n\n“I won’t recite it again,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I won’t recite it again,” said Sanzang.\n\n“You shouldn’t say that,” replied Monkey. “If you’re ever beset by evil monsters from whom you can’t escape, and if Pig and Friar Sand can’t save you, then think of me. If it’s unbearable, say the spell. My head will ache even if I’m many tens of thousands of miles away. But if I do come back to you, never say it again.”\n\nThe Tang Priest grew angrier and angrier as Monkey talked on, and tumbling off his horse he told Friar Sand to take paper and brush from the pack. Then he fetched some water from a stream, rubbed the inkstick on a stone, wrote out a letter of dismissal, and handed it to Monkey.\n\n“Here it is in writing,” he said. “I don’t want you as my disciple a moment longer. If I ever see you again may I fall into the Avichi Hell.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey quickly took the document and said, “There’s no need to swear an oath, master. I’m off.” He folded the paper up and put it in his sleeve, then tried once more to mollify Sanzang. “Master,” he said, “I’ve spent some time with you, and I’ve also been taught by the Bodhisattva. Now I’m being fired in the middle of the journey, when I’ve achieved nothing. Please sit down and accept my homage, then I won’t feel so bad about going.”\n\nThe Tang Priest turned away and would not look at him, muttering, “I am a good monk, and I won’t accept the respects of bad people like you.” Seeing that Sanzang was refusing to face him, the Great Sage used magic to give himself extra bodies. He blew a magic breath on three hairs plucked from the back of his head and shouted, “Change!” They turned into three more Monkeys, making a total of four with the real one, and surrounding the master on all four sides they kowtowed to him. Unable to avoid them by dodging to left or right, Sanzang had to accept their respects."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage jumped up, shook himself, put the hairs back, and gave Friar Sand these instructions: “You are a good man, my brother, so mind you stop Pig from talking nonsense and be very careful on the journey. If at any time evil spirits capture our master, you tell them that I’m his senior disciple. The hairy devils of the West have heard of my powers and won’t dare to harm him.”\n\n“I am a good monk,” said the Tang Priest, “and I’d never mention the name of a person as bad as you. Go back.” As his master refused over and over again to change his mind Monkey had nothing for it but to go. Look at him:\n\nHolding back his tears he bowed good-bye to his master,\n\nThen sadly but with care he gave instructions to Friar Sand.\n\nHis head pushed the hillside grass apart,\n\nHis feet kicked the creepers up in the air.\n\nHeaven and earth spun round like a wheel;\n\nAt flying over mountains and seas none could beat him.\n\nWithin an instant no sign of him could be seen;\n\nHe retraced his whole journey in a flash."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He retraced his whole journey in a flash.\n\nHolding back his anger, Monkey left his master and went straight back to the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit on his somersault cloud. He was feeling lonely and miserable when he heard the sound of water. When he looked around from where he was in midair, he realized that it was the waves of the Eastern Sea. The sight of it reminded him of the Tang Priest, and he could not stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. He stopped his cloud and stayed there a long time before going. If you don’t know what happened when he went, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Twenty-Eight\n\nOn the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit the Devils Rise\n\nSanzang Meets a Monster in the Black Pine Forest\n\nThe Great Sage was gazing at the Eastern Ocean, sighing sadly at being driven away by the Tang Priest. “I haven’t been this way for five hundred years,” he said. As he looked at the sea,\n\nVast were the misty waters,\n\nBoundless the mighty waves."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Boundless the mighty waves.\n\nThe vast and misty waters stretched to the Milky Way;\n\nThe boundless and mighty waves were linked to the earth’s arteries.\n\nThe tides came surging,\n\nThe waters swirled around.\n\nThe surging tides\n\nRoared like the thunder in spring;\n\nThe swirling waters\n\nHowled like a summer hurricane.\n\nThe blessed ancients riding on dragons\n\nSurely must have frowned as they came and went;\n\nImmortal youths flying on cranes\n\nCertainly felt anxious as they passed above.\n\nThere were no villages near the coast,\n\nAnd scarcely a fishing boat beside the sea.\n\nThe waves’ crests were like immemorial snows;\n\nThe wind made autumn in July.\n\nWild beasts roamed at will,\n\nShore birds bobbed in the waves.\n\nThere was no fisherman in sight,\n\nAnd the only sound was the screaming of the gulls.\n\nThough the fish were happy at the bottom of the sea,\n\nAnxiety gripped the wild geese overhead."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Anxiety gripped the wild geese overhead.\n\nWith a spring Monkey leapt over the Eastern Ocean and was soon back at the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. As he brought his cloud down and gazed around him, he saw that all the vegetation on the mountain had gone and the mists had disappeared completely. The peaks had collapsed and the woods were shriveled and dead. Do you know why? It was because when Monkey was taken to the upper world after wrecking the Heavenly Palace, the god Erlang and the Seven Brothers of Meishan had burnt it all down. This made the Great Sage even more miserable than ever. There is a poem in the ancient style about the ruined landscape of the mountain:\n\nI came back to the immortal mountain in tears;\n\nOn seeing it, my sorrow is doubled.\n\nI used to think that it was safe from harm,\n\nBut now I know that it has been destroyed.\n\nIf only Erlang had not defeated me;\n\nCurse you for bullying me like that.\n\nI shall dig up the graves of your ancestors,\n\nAnd not stop at destroying their tombs."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And not stop at destroying their tombs.\n\nGone, gone, the mists that filled the sky;\n\nScattered the winds and clouds that covered the earth.\n\nOn the Eastern ridge the tiger’s roar is silent.\n\nThe ape’s howl no more on the Western mountain.\n\nNo sign of hare or fox in the Northern valley;\n\nNo shadow of a deer in the Southern ravine.\n\nThe blue rock was burnt to a thousand cinders,\n\nThe jade-green sands are now just mud.\n\nThe lofty pines outside the cave all lean askew;\n\nFew are the cypresses before the cliff.\n\nCedar, fir, locust, chestnut, juniper, and sandalwood—all are burnt.\n\nPeach, apricot, plum, pear, and jujube—gone every one.\n\nHow are the silkworms to be fed without oak and mulberry?\n\nThe birds cannot nest with no willow or bamboo.\n\nThe crags and boulders have been turned to dust,\n\nThe springs have dried up, and weeds grow in the stream-beds.\n\nThe earth is black in front of the cliff, and no orchids grow.\n\nCreepers crawl in the brown mud by the path.\n\nWhere did the birds of yesterday fly?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Where did the birds of yesterday fly?\n\nTo what other mountain did the animals go?\n\nLeopards and pythons dislike this ruined spot;\n\nCranes and snakes avoid the desolation.\n\nMy criminal thoughts of those days past\n\nBrought on the disaster of today.\n\nThe Great Sage, deep in gloom, heard a sound from a thorny hollow in front of a grassy slope as seven or eight little monkeys leapt out, rushed up to him, and surrounded him kowtowing. “Great Sage,” they shouted, “have you come home today?”\n\n“Why aren’t you playing?” the Handsome Monkey King asked them. “Why were you all hiding? I was here for ages without seeing a sign of you. Why?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tears poured from the eyes of the other monkeys as they told him, “Ever since you were taken up to Heaven as a prisoner, Great Sage, the hunters have given us a terrible time. What with their powerful bows and crossbows, their brown falcons and evil hounds, their nets, loops, hooks, and spears, we are all too afraid for our lives to come out and play. We have to hide deep in our caves and keep away from our usual dens. When we’re hungry we filch some grass from the hillside, and we drink the fresh spring water from the stream. We’ve only just heard you, Great Sage, Your Majesty, and come out to greet you. Please, please help us.”\n\nThe Great Sage felt more depressed than ever on hearing this, and he went on to ask, “How many of you are there left on this mountain?”\n\n“Only about a thousand of all ages.”\n\n“In the old days,” said the Great Sage, “I had forty-seven thousand fiends. Where have they all gone now?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“After you went away the god Erlang set fire to the mountain and most of us were killed in the blaze. Some of us squatted at the bottom of wells, or hid in gullies, or took cover under the iron bridge, and escaped with our lives. When the fire burnt itself out and the smoke cleared we came out to find that there were no more plants or fruit to feed us, making life almost impossible, so half of the survivors went away. The rest of us have been having a very lean time on this mountain, and half of those left have been caught by hunters in the past two years.”\n\n“What do they do that for?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What do they do that for?” Monkey asked.\n\n“We hate the very name ‘hunters,’” the other monkeys replied. “They shoot us with arrows, spear us, poison us, and beat us to death. They take us away to skin us and cut the flesh from our bones before boiling us in soy sauce, steaming us with vinegar, frying us in oil, or stir-cooking us with salt. Then they eat us to help their rice down. Those of us who are caught in nets or loops are taken away alive and made to dance in a ring, act, do somersaults, jump around, play drums and gongs in the street, and make fools of themselves in every possible way.”\n\n“Who’s in charge in the cave?” asked Monkey, now thoroughly angry.\n\n“Marshals Ma and Liu and Generals Ben and Ba,” they replied, “are still in command.”\n\n“Then tell them that I’m here,” said Monkey.\n\nThe junior fiends rushed in to report, “His Majesty the Great Sage has come home.” As soon as they heard this Ma, Liu, Ben and Ba rushed out to kowtow and welcome him into the cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage sat in the middle of it, with his fiendish hosts prostrating themselves before him and asking, “Why have you come back to your mountain instead of going to the West, Your Majesty? We heard recently that you had come back to life and were escorting the Tang Priest to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven.”\n\n“What you don’t know, my little ones,” said Monkey, “is that Sanzang can’t tell a good man when he sees one. I captured monsters and demons for him all along the way, and I used every one of my magical powers to kill evil spirits for him. But he called me a murderer and wouldn’t have me as his disciple any longer. He sent me back here and gave me a letter of dismissal to certify that he’ll never employ me again.”\n\nAll the monkeys clapped their hands for joy. “What luck,” they said, “what luck. Now you’re home again after being some kind of monk or other, you can be our leader for the next few years.”\n\n“Lay on some coconut toddy at once to welcome His Majesty back,” someone ordered."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” said the Great Sage, “don’t let’s drink. How often do the hunters come to our mountain?”\n\n“Great Sage,” replied Marshals Ma and Liu, “they come here in all seasons and harass us for days on end.”\n\n“Then why haven’t they come today?” Monkey asked.\n\n“They’ll be here soon enough,” replied the marshals.\n\n“Little ones,” Monkey ordered, “you are all to go out, gather those broken cinders that were burnt brittle in the fire, and pile them up. I want twenty to thirty or fifty to sixty in a pile. I have a use for them.” Like a swarm of bees the little monkeys rushed around making piles all over the place. When Monkey saw them he said, “Go and hide in the cave, little ones, while I do some magic.”\n\nWhen the Great Sage went up to the mountain peak to look around he saw over a thousand men with horses approaching from the South. They were beating drums and gongs, and they all had falcons, hounds, swords or spears. Examining them closely the Monkey King saw that they were most menacing—fine lads and brave ones:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With fox skins over their shoulders,\n\nAnd brocade covering their chests.\n\nTheir quivers were full of wolf-fanged arrows,\n\nAnd carved bows hung by their legs.\n\nThe men were like tigers that comb the hills,\n\nThe horses like ravine-leaping dragons.\n\nThey came in hordes, leading their hounds,\n\nAnd their arms were packed with falcons.\n\nIn thornwood baskets they carried muskets,\n\nAnd powerful eagles were fastened to their belts.\n\nThey had sticky poles by the hundred\n\nAnd hare forks by the thousand.\n\nBull-headed fiends blocked the paths with nets,\n\nDemon kings were handling knotted ropes.\n\nAs they all roared their ferocious cries\n\nThey swarmed over the hill like the stars in the sky.\n\nThe Great Sage was furious at the sight of them spreading all over his mountain. He made a spell with his fist, muttered the words that went with it, breathed in a mouthful of air from the quarter that the winds came from, and puffed it out again. It was now a hurricane, a splendid hurricane,\n\nPicking up the dust and earth,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Picking up the dust and earth,\n\nBlowing down trees and whole forests.\n\nWaves reared up as high as mountains,\n\nAs they beat in thousands upon the shore.\n\nHeaven and Earth were thrown into gloom,\n\nSun and moon cast into darkness.\n\nOne gust shook the pines with a tiger’s roar,\n\nHowling like a dragon as it rushed through the bamboos.\n\nHeaven belched angrily through all its orifices,\n\nAs flying dirt and stones brought injury and death.\n\nThe hurricane that the Great Sage had called up made the piles of broken stone whirl wildly around, and the thousand men with their horses were reduced to a pathetic state.\n\nThe aconite was smashed to pieces by the stones,\n\nWhile the flying dirt injured all the sea horses.\n\nGinseng and cassia were in panic by the ridge,\n\nAnd blood stained the cinnabar ground.\n\nThe aconite was stranded away from home,\n\nThe betel-nut could not return to its own town.\n\nCorpses lay scattered like powder on the mountainside\n\nLeaving the red lady waiting anxiously at home.\n\nAs another poem says,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As another poem says,\n\nWith men and horses all dead, they could not go back—\n\nGhosts and lonely spirits in terrible confusion.\n\nAlas that the martial and heroic generals\n\nShould bleed in the sand for trusting fools.\n\nBringing his cloud down, the Great Sage clapped his hands and laughed aloud. “What luck,” he said, “what luck. Ever since I submitted to the Tang Priest and became a monk, he was always telling me ‘if you do good for a thousand days you still won’t have done enough, but if you do ill for one day that will be too much.’ How true it was. I killed a few evil spirits when I was with him and he regarded me as a murderer; and now I’ve come home I’ve wiped out all these hunters.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Come out, little ones,” he shouted, and now that the hurricane was over and the Great Sage had called them, the monkeys came bounding out one after the other. “Go and strip the clothes off the dead hunters at the foot of the Southern mountain,” he said, “bring them back here, and wash the bloodstains out. Then you can wear them to keep warm. Push all the corpses into the pool that’s ten thousand fathoms deep, and when you’ve dragged all the dead horses here, strip off their hides to make into boots, and pickle their flesh—it’ll feed us for a long time. I’ll give you all those bows, arrows, spears and swords for you to practice your military skills with. And bring me back all those many coloured flags and banners for us to use.” The monkeys all accepted his orders."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage had the banners unstitched and washed, then put them all together as one multicolored banner which bore the legend, Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Restorer of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, Recreator of the Water Curtain Cave. They hung the banner from a pole outside the cave, and for days on end he invited demons and held gatherings of the wild beasts. He accumulated provisions, and the word “monk”\n\nwas never mentioned. As he was so generous and his powers so great he was able to go and borrow some sweet magic waters from the dragon kings of the four seas with which to bathe the mountain and make it green again. In front of it he planted elms and willows, and behind it pines and cedars; he also put in peaches, greengages, jujubes, and plums. Thus he led a happy and carefree life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Let us return to the Tang Priest, who had trusted the word of crafty Nature and dismissed the Mind Ape. He climbed into his saddle, and with Pig leading the way and Friar Sand carrying the luggage they carried on Westwards. After crossing the White Tiger Ridge they saw a range of forested hills of which it could truthfully be said that creepers climbed and twisted among the bluish cypresses and green pines.\n\n“Disciples,” said Sanzang, “this rough mountain path is very hard going, and we must be careful in the dense pine forests ahead as I’m afraid there may be evil spirits and monsters.” At this the idiot Pig summoned up his spirits and, telling Friar Sand to guide the horse, cleared a path with his rake along which he led the Tang Priest into the forest. As they were going along, the venerable Sanzang reined in his horse and said to Pig, “I’m really starving today. Is there anywhere you could find some food for me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please dismount, master,” Pig replied, “and wait here while I go and find some.” Sanzang dismounted, while Friar Sand put down his load, took out his begging bowl, and handed it to Pig. “I’m off,” said Pig, and when asked by Sanzang where he was going he replied, “Don’t let that bother you. I’ll beg you some food even if it’s like cutting through ice to get fire, or even if it means squeezing oil out of snow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He traveled West about four miles from the pine forest without meeting anybody. It was indeed a lonely place inhabited only by wolves and tigers. The idiot found the going heavy, and he muttered to himself, “When Monkey was with us the old priest could have anything he wanted, but now I have to do it all. How true it is that ‘you have to keep house to realize how expensive rice and firewood are, and raise sons to understand parental love’. There’s nowhere at all to beg on this road.” By now he felt sleepy after all this walking and he thought, “If I go back now and tell the old monk that there’s nowhere I can beg food, he may not believe I’ve come this far. I’d better hang around here for another hour or two before reporting back. Oh well, I may as well take a snooze in that grass.” With that the idiot pillowed his head in the grass and went to sleep. He had only meant to take forty winks and then get up again, not realizing that he was so exhausted by the journey that he would be sound asleep as soon as his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that he would be sound asleep as soon as his head was down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Let us leave Pig asleep there and return to Sanzang in the forest. As he was feeling anxious and unsettled he said to Friar Sand, “It’s late now. Why isn’t Pig back from begging for food?”\n\n“Master,” said Friar Sand, “you still don’t understand him. He’s found out that many of these Westerners give food to monks, and with his big belly he won’t be bothering about you. He won’t be back till he’s eaten his fill.”\n\n“True,” said Sanzang. “If he’s greedily stuffing himself somewhere far away we needn’t concern ourselves with him. It’s getting late and this is no place to spend the night. We must find somewhere to stay.”\n\n“There’s no rush, master,” said Friar Sand. “You sit and wait here while I go and find him.”\n\n“Very well,” said Sanzang, “very well. Never mind about the food. It’s somewhere for the night that matters.” Clasping his precious staff, Friar Sand went off through the pine forest in search of Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang felt thoroughly tired and miserable as he sat alone in the forest, so he summoned up his spirits, leapt to his feet, hid all the luggage in a cache, tethered the horse to a tree, took off his reed hat, and drove his staff into the ground. Then he straightened out his black robes and took a leisurely stroll among the trees to cheer himself up. As he looked at all the wild flowers he did not hear the calls of the birds returning to their nests. The grass was deep and the forest paths were narrow, and in his distraction he lost his way. He had started out to cheer himself up and also to find Pig and Friar Sand; what he did not realize was that they had headed due West while he, after wandering in all directions, was going South. He came out of the forest and looked up to see a dazzling golden light. On closer examination he saw that it was the golden roof of a pagoda whose gleaming in the setting sun. “What a sad destiny my disciples have,” he thought. “When I left the land of the East, I vowed that I"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I left the land of the East, I vowed that I would burn incense in every temple I passed, would worship every Buddha statue I saw, and sweep up every pagoda I encountered. Isn’t that a golden pagoda gleaming over there? Why didn’t we go that way? There’s bound to be a monastery at the foot of the pagoda, and the monastery must surely contain monks. Let me have a look. The luggage and the white horse can come to no harm in that uninhabited spot. If there is some suitable place we can all spend the night here when my disciples come back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Alas! The venerable Sanzang was once more the victim of delusion. He strode over to the pagoda, and what he saw was\n\nA cliff ten thousand fathoms high,\n\nA lofty mountain reaching to the firmament.\n\nIts roots sunk deep into the earth,\n\nIts peak thrust up into the sky.\n\nOn either side were trees by the thousand,\n\nWhile creepers stretched many miles around.\n\nThe wind made shadows as it bent the tips of the flowers;\n\nThe moon had no root where the waters flowed under the clouds.\n\nA fallen tree spanned a deep ravine,\n\nWithered creepers were knotted round the gleaming peak.\n\nUnder the stone bridge,\n\nRan the water from a spring;\n\nOn the sacred altar\n\nThe ever-burning lamp was as bright as chalk.\n\nFrom a distance it looked like the Three Islands of Paradise;\n\nClose to, it resembled the blessed land of Penglai.\n\nFragrant pine and purple bamboo grew round the mountain brooks,\n\nMagpies, monkeys, crows, and apes roamed the lofty ridge.\n\nOutside the door of a cave\n\nAnimals came and went in orderly groups."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Animals came and went in orderly groups.\n\nAmong the trees\n\nFlocks of birds were briefly seen.\n\nLuxuriant grew the green and scented herbs,\n\nAs the wild flowers bloomed in all their glory.\n\nThis was clearly an evil place\n\nThat the deluded priest approached,\n\nSanzang stepped out and was soon at the gate of the pagoda. Seeing a curtain of speckled bamboo hanging inside, he lifted it up and went in. He raised his head and saw an evil monster sleeping on a stone bed. Do you know what he looked like?\n\nA dark blue face,\n\nWhite fangs,\n\nA huge gaping mouth.\n\nOn either side of it were matted hairs\n\nAll stained with fat and grease.\n\nThe purple tufts of his beard and moustache\n\nMade one think of splayed-out lichee shoots.\n\nHis nose was as hooked as a parrot’s beak\n\nHis eyes as dim as stars in the dawn.\n\nHis two fists\n\nWere the size of a monk’s begging bowl;\n\nHis indigo-blue feet\n\nWere like a pair of logs.\n\nThe pale yellow robe that was flung across him\n\nWas grander than a brocade cassock.\n\nThe sword in his hand"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sword in his hand\n\nGleamed and flashed;\n\nThe rock on which he slept\n\nWas exquisite, smooth and flawless.\n\nAs a little fiend he had marshaled ant formations,\n\nWhen a senior demon he had sat in the wasps’ headquarters.\n\nAt the sight of his awe-inspiring might\n\nAll would shout out,\n\nCalling him master.\n\nHe had created three men drinking in the moonlight,\n\nAnd had magicked out of the wind cups of refreshing tea.\n\nConsider his tremendous supernatural powers—\n\nIn the wink of an eyelid\n\nHe could be at the ends of the earth.\n\nIn wild forests he could sing like a bird;\n\nDeep in the bush he would stay with snakes and tigers.\n\nWhen an Immortal farms the land it bears white jade;\n\nWhen a Taoist master tends the fire he produces elixir.\n\nAlthough this little cave-mouth\n\nDid not lead to the Avichi Hell,\n\nYet this ferocious monster\n\nWas a bull-headed demon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Was a bull-headed demon.\n\nSanzang was so terrified at the sight of him that he shrank back, his whole body numb with terror. No sooner had he turned to go than the monster, whose powers really were tremendous, opened a fiendish eye with a golden pupil and shouted, “Who is that outside the door, little ones?”\n\nA junior devil poked his head out to look, saw a shaven-headed priest, and ran in to report, “A monk, Your Majesty. He has a large face and a round head, and his ears hang down to his shoulders. His flesh looks most tender and his skin extremely delicate. He’s a very promising monk.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monster cackled and said, “This is what they call ‘a fly landing on a snake’s head, or food and clothing presenting themselves to you’. Go and catch him for me, lads, and bring him back here. I’ll reward you well.” The junior demons rushed out after Sanzang like a swarm of bees; and Sanzang, in his alarm, started to run so fast he seemed to fly. But he was so terrified that his legs were soon like numb jelly, and on top of this the path was very uneven and it was twilight in the deep forest. He could not move fast enough, and the junior demons picked him up and carried him back.\n\nA dragon in shallows falls victim to shrimps;\n\nA tiger on the plain can be put upon by dogs.\n\nAlthough good deeds always run into trouble,\n\nThe Tang Priest on his Westward journey has been most unlucky."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The junior devils carried the Tang Priest as far as the bamboo curtain and put him down outside it as they announced with great delight, “We’ve brought the monk back, Your Majesty.” The old demon stole a look and saw that Sanzang, who was holding his head high with dignity, must be a fine monk.\n\n“So fine a monk,” he thought, “must be a superior person, so I mustn’t treat him as a nobody. If I don’t overawe him he won’t submit to me.” Like a fox pretending to be as awe-inspiring as a tiger, he made his red whiskers bristle, his bloody hair stand on end, and his eyeballs bulge in a glare. “Bring that monk in,” he roared.\n\n“Yes sir,” the other fiends shouted in chorus, pushing Sanzang inside. As the saying goes, “You have to bow your head under low eaves,” and Sanzang was obliged to put his hands together and greet him.\n\n“Where do you live, monk?” the monster asked. “Where have you come from, and where are you going? Tell me at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am a priest from the Tang country, and I am going to the West on the command of His Majesty the Tang Emperor to ask for holy scriptures. As I was passing your distinguished mountain, I came over to visit the holy men of this pagoda. I did not realize that I would disturb Your Excellency, and I beg you to forgive me. When I return East with the scriptures from the West I shall see to it that your fame will be eternally celebrated.”\n\n“I thought you must be someone from a superior country,” said the fiend, bellowing with laughter, “and as that’s who you are, I’m going to eat you up. It was splendid of you to come, splendid—otherwise we might have let you slip. You were fated to be the food in my mouth, so of course you came rushing here. We’ll never let you go; and you’ll never escape.” Then he ordered the junior demons to tie him up. They rushed upon him and bound him tight to a soul-fixing stake."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Holding his sword in his hands, the old fiend asked, “How many of you are there altogether? You wouldn’t have the guts to go to the Western Heaven all by yourself.” Eyeing the sword in his hand, Sanzang had to answer truthfully.\n\n“I have two disciples, Your Majesty,” he said, “called Pig and Friar Sand. They have both gone begging for food outside the pine forest. Apart from them there is a load of baggage and a white horse that I left in the wood.”\n\n“More luck!” said the fiend. “Two disciples as well makes three of you, four counting the horse, which is enough for a meal.”\n\n“We’ll go and get ‘em,” the junior fiends said.\n\n“No,” the old monster said, “don’t go. Lock the front gate. As they’ve gone begging for food they’ll have to find their master for him to eat it, and when they can’t find him they’re bound to come searching for him here. As the saying goes, ‘it’s easiest to do business at home.’ Just wait and we’ll catch them all in good time.” The junior demons shut the front gate."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We will leave the unlucky Sanzang and return to Friar Sand, who was now three or four miles outside the forest in his search for Pig but had not yet seen any village. As he stood on a hillock looking around him, he heard a voice in the undergrowth; and sweeping the tall grass aside with his staff, he discovered the idiot talking in his sleep. Pig woke up when Friar Sand twisted his ear. “You idiot,” said Friar Sand, “who said you could sleep here instead of begging for food as our master told you?”\n\nPig, waking up with a start, asked, “What’s the time, brother?”\n\n“Get up at once,” replied Friar Sand. “The master told us two to find somewhere to stay whether we can beg any food or not.”\n\nHolding his begging bowl and his rake, the drowsy Pig headed straight back with Friar Sand, and when they looked for their master in the wood they could not see him. “It’s all because you didn’t come back from begging for food, you idiot,” said Friar Sand indignantly. “Master must have been carried off by an evil spirit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t talk nonsense, brother,” replied a grinning Pig. “This forest is a very proper sort of place and couldn’t possibly have any evil spirits in it. I expect the old monk got bored sitting here and went off somewhere to look around. Let’s go and find him.” They took the horse’s bridle, picked up the shoulder-pole with the luggage, collected Sanzang’s hat and staff, and left the pine wood in search of their master.\n\nBut Sanzang was not fated to die this time. When the two had been looking for him without success for a while, they saw a shimmering golden light due South of them. “Blessed indeed are the blessed, brother;” said Pig. “Look where the master must be staying. That light is coming from a pagoda, and they would be bound to look after him well. I expect they’ve laid on a meal and are making him stay to eat it. Let’s get a move on and have some of it ourselves.”\n\n“It certainly can’t be anything sinister,” replied Friar Sand. “We must go and have a look.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the pair of them arrived at the gates they found them closed. Above the gates they saw a horizontal tablet of white jade on which were carved the words MOON WATERS CAVE, BOWL MOUNTAIN.\n\n“Brother,” said Friar Sand, “this is no temple. It’s an evil spirit’s cave. If our master is in there we’ll never see him.”\n\n“Never fear,” replied Pig. “Tether the horse and mind the luggage while I ask for news of him.” With that the idiot raised his rake and shouted at the top of his voice. “Open up, open up.” The junior devil who was on gate duty opened the gates, and at the sight of the pair of them he rushed inside to report, “Your Majesty, we’re in business.”\n\n“What sort of business?” the old monster asked.\n\n“There are two monks outside the gates,” the junior demon replied. “One has a long snout and big ears and the other looks down on his luck, and they are shouting at us to open up.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That means Pig and Friar Sand have come looking for him,” said the old monster. “Ha! They were bound to. What brought them here? They look stupid, but I’d better treat them with respect.” He called for his armor to be put on him, and when the junior demons had brought it and fastened it on, he took his sword in his hand and marched straight out of the cave.\n\nWhen Pig and Friar Sand, who were waiting outside, saw the ferocious demon come out this is what he looked like:\n\nA blue face, a red beard, and scarlet hair blowing free;\n\nGolden armor dazzling bright.\n\nAround his waist was a belt of cowries,\n\nAnd his armor was strapped to his chest with cloud-walking cords.\n\nAs he stood before the mountain the wind roared;\n\nMighty were the waves when he roamed across the seas.\n\nA pair of indigo, muscled hands\n\nHeld a soul-chasing, life-snatching sword.\n\nIf you want to know this creature’s name,\n\nAddress him as Yellow Robe."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Address him as Yellow Robe.\n\nAs the old monster Yellow Robe came out through the gates he asked, “Where are you monks from, and why are you yelling at my gates?”\n\n“Don’t you recognize me, son?” said Pig. “I’m your father. I’ve been sent by the Great Tang on a mission to the Western Heaven. My master is Sanzang, the Emperor’s younger brother. If he’s here, send him out at once and save me the trouble of having to smash my way in with this rake.”\n\n“Yes indeed,” laughed the monster, “there is a Tang Priest in my place. I haven’t showed him any discourtesy, and I’ve laid on a meal of human flesh dumplings for him. Why don’t you two come in and have some?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot would have gone in quite trustingly if Friar Sand had not held him back and said, “He’s luring you in, brother. Besides, when have you ever eaten human flesh?” The idiot saw the light as last, and he struck at the evil monster’s face with his rake. The monster sidestepped and parried with his steel sword. They both showed their magic powers as they leapt up on clouds to continue the fight in mid-air. Friar Sand abandoned the baggage and the white horse and rushed to Pig’s aid. It was a fine battle up in the clouds between the two wolfish monks and the evil monster:\n\nWhen the staff was raised it was met by the sword;\n\nThe same sword parried the rake’s blow.\n\nOne devil general displaying his prowess,\n\nA pair of monkish gods revealing their transformations.\n\nThe nine-pronged rake was quite magnificent;\n\nThe demon-submitting staff was truly terrifying.\n\nThey came from before and behind, from left and right,\n\nBut Yellow Robe was calm and unafraid."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But Yellow Robe was calm and unafraid.\n\nSee how his blade of tempered steel shines like silver;\n\nGreat indeed were his magical powers.\n\nTheir fighting filled the sky\n\nWith mists and clouds;\n\nAmid the mountains\n\nCliffs crashed and fell.\n\nOne was fighting for fame\n\nSo how could he stop?\n\nThe others, fighting for their master,\n\nWere completely unafraid.\n\nThe three of them fought dozens of rounds in mid-air without issue. They were all fighting for their very lives, and nothing could have kept them apart.\n\nIf you don’t know how they saved the Tang Priest, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Twenty-Nine\n\nSanzang, Delivered, Crosses a Border\n\nA Grateful Pig Tours Mountains and Forests\n\nA poem says\n\nIf wild thoughts are not firmly suppressed\n\nThere is no point in seeking for the Truth;\n\nIf you wish to cultivate your nature before the Buddha,\n\nWhy stay halfway between awakening and confusion?\n\nOnce awakened you can achieve the Right in an instant;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The confused will drift for ten thousand aeons.\n\nIf you can invoke the Buddha and cultivate the Truth,\n\nSins countless as the Ganges sands can be wiped out.\n\nPig and Friar Sand had fought thirty inconclusive rounds with the monster. Do you know why they were inconclusive? As far as skill went not even twenty monks, let alone two, would have been a match for that evil I spirit. Yet because the Tang Priest was not fated to die he was being secretly protected by Dharma-guarding deities. There were also the Six 9” Dings, the Six Jias, the Revealers of the Truth of the Five Regions, the Four Duty Gods, and the Eighteen Defenders of the Faith helping Pig and Friar Sand in mid-air."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We must leave the three of them locked in struggle and return to Sanzang sobbing his heart out in the cave and speculating about his disciples. “I wonder if you have met a benefactor in a village somewhere, Pig,” he thought, tears streaming down his face, “and have been overcome by your greed for the offerings. Wherever are you looking for him, Friar Sand? Will you find him? Little do you know of my sufferings at the hands of this fiend I have run into. When will I see you again and be delivered from my troubles so that we can hurry to the Vulture Peak?” As he fretted and wailed he saw a woman come out from the innermost part of the cave. “Venerable father,” she said, leaning on the soul-fixing stake, “where have you come from? Why has he tied you here?” When Sanzang heard this he sneaked a quick look at her through his tears and observed that she was about thirty. “Don’t ask me that, Bodhisattva,” he said, “I was fated to die: I walked into your home. Eat me if you must, but don’t ask me why.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I don’t eat people,” she replied. “My home is over a hundred miles West of here in the city called Elephantia. I’m the third daughter of the king, and my childhood name was Prettier-than-a-flower. Thirteen years ago, on the fifteenth night of the eighth month, that evil monster came and snatched me away in a whirlwind while we were out enjoying the full moon. I have been his wife all these thirteen years and borne him sons and daughters, but I’ve never been able to send any message home. I miss my parents, and I can never see them. Where did you come from to be caught by him?”\n\n“I was sent to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures,” replied Sanzang. “I never realized when I set out for a stroll that I would stumble into this. Now he’s going to capture my two disciples and steam us all together, then eat us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, venerable sir,” said the princess with a smile. “As you are going to fetch scriptures I can save you. Elephantia lies on the main route to the West, and if you will take this letter to my parents for me, I’ll make him spare your life.”\n\n“If you save my wretched life, Bodhisattva,” said Sanzang with a bow, “I promise to be your messenger.”\n\nThe princess hurried back inside, wrote a letter to her family, sealed it, released Sanzang from the stake, and handed him the letter. “Bodhisattva,” he said, taking the letter now that he was free, “I am very grateful to you for saving my life. When I reach your country I shall give this to the King. My only worry is that after all these years your parents may not believe that the letter is from you, and what would I do then? I couldn’t have them thinking that I was trying to deceive them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s no problem. My father has only us three daughters and no sons. If they see this letter they’ll feel that they’re seeing me.” Tucking the letter securely into his sleeve, he took his leave of the princess, and was on the point of going out when she pulled him back and said, “You won’t be able to get out through the front gate. All those big and little monsters are outside the gates waving banners, shouting war-cries, and beating drums and gongs to help the monster king in his battle with your two disciples. You’d better go out the back way. If the monster king catches you he’ll interrogate you under torture, and if the junior fiends grab you they’ll kill you without a qualm. I’ll go to see him and talk him over. If he’s prepared to let you go, your disciples can ask his permission for all three of you to go together.” Sanzang kowtowed and, as she had told him, left her, slipped out through the back door, and hid among the thorns rather than travel alone."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The princess, who had thought out a clever plan, hurried out through the front gates and made her way through the hosts of demons great and small to hear the furious clash of arms. Pig and Friar Sand were still fighting with the monster in mid-air. “Lord Yellow Robe,” she shouted at the top of her voice, and as soon as he heard her the demon king left Pig and Friar Sand, landed his cloud, and grasping his steel sword, took his wife by the arm.\n\n“What is it, wife?” he asked.\n\n“I was lying in bed asleep just now, husband,” she replied, “and I dreamt that I saw a god in golden armor.”\n\n“What sort of god in golden armor?” he asked. “Why did he come here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I was a child in the palace,” she said, “I made a secret vow that if I married a good husband I would climb holy mountains, visit Immortals, and give alms to monks. I have now been happily married to you for thirteen years without ever mentioning the vow before, and the god in golden armor came to make me fulfil it. His shouting made me wake up, and then I realized it was a dream. I tidied myself up and came straight to tell you about it. To my surprise I found a monk tied to the stake. I beg you, lord and master, to respect my vow and spare that monk in your mercy. This will count as feeding monks and will fulfil my vow. Will you do this?”\n\n“What a fusser you are, wife,” he replied. “Nothing to it. If I want to eat people I can easily catch a few more. If that’s how things stand, let the monk go.”\n\n“Please may he be released through the back door, husband?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a thing to bother me with. Let him go, and I don’t care whether it’s by the front way or the back way.” The monster then grasped his sword once more and shouted, “Come here, Pig. I’m not afraid of you, but I’m not fighting you any longer. For my wife’s sake I’ve spared your master, so hurry round and find him at the back door and carry on West. If you set foot in my territory again I won’t let you off a second time.”\n\nThis news made Pig and Friar Sand feel as if they had been let out through the gates of Hell. They scurried away with the horse and the baggage, and going round to the other end of the Moon Waters Cave they called “Master” outside the back entrance. Sanzang recognized their voices and called back from among the thorn bushes. Friar Sand made his way through the undergrowth, helped his master out, and hurriedly helped him mount the horse.\n\nWhen he was threatened by the terrible blue-faced monster\n\nHe was lucky to meet the devout princess.\n\nEscaping from the golden hook, the turtle"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Escaping from the golden hook, the turtle\n\nSwam off through the waves with a flick of his tail.\n\nWith Pig leading and Friar Sand bringing up the rear, they left the pine forest and traveled along the main track. The two disciples grumbled and complained, while Sanzang tried to conciliate them. Every evening they would find lodgings, and they would be up again at cock-crow. They covered stage after stage of their journey, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter, and before they realized it they had done ninety-nine miles. Suddenly they looked up and there was a fine city in front of them. This was Elephantia, and it was a splendid place:\n\nDistant clouds,\n\nA long road;\n\nAlthough this was a distant land,\n\nThe scenery was as fine as home.\n\nAuspicious mists enshrouded the city;\n\nFresh breezes were blowing under the clear moon.\n\nTowering mountains, seen from afar,\n\nWere spread out like a picture.\n\nRivers flowed rippling,\n\nLike streams of crushed jasper.\n\nThere were fields upon fields of farmland"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There were fields upon fields of farmland\n\nWhere new crops sprouted close together.\n\nA handful of fishermen worked three stretches of water,\n\nA wood-gatherer carried twigs from a couple of hills.\n\nThe outer wall\n\nAnd the inner wall of the city,\n\nWere rock-solid.\n\nThe houses\n\nAnd homes\n\nVied in elegance.\n\nNine-storied pavilions were like palaces,\n\nHigh towers like imperial columns.\n\nThere was a Hall of the Great Ultimate,\n\nA Flowery Canopied Hall,\n\nA Hall of Incense,\n\nA Hall of Literary Perusal,\n\nA Hall of Government Proclaimed,\n\nA Hall of Splendor Extended,\n\nAll with steps of jade and gold\n\nWhere civil and military officers stood in their ranks.\n\nThere was also a Great Brightness Palace,\n\nA Palace of Shining Radiance,\n\nA Palace of Eternal Joy,\n\nA Palace of Illustrious Purity,\n\nA Palace of Established Enlightenment,\n\nA Palace of Inexhaustible Glory.\n\nIn every palace were gongs, drums, pipes and flutes,\n\nLamenting the sorrows of spring and the harem’s woes.\n\nThen there were imperial parks"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then there were imperial parks\n\nWhere dew bathed the flowers’ tender petals;\n\nAnd royal canals\n\nWhere willows bent their slender waists in the wind.\n\nOn the highways\n\nWere belted gentlemen in official hats,\n\nAttired in all their splendor\n\nAs they rode in five-horsed chariots;\n\nIn remote corners\n\nWere archers with bows and arrows\n\nWhose shots split the clouds apart\n\nAnd skewered pairs of hawks.\n\nWhat with the willow-lined streets,\n\nAnd the houses full of music,\n\nThis spring scene rivaled the Luoyang Bridge.\n\nThe pilgrim who was seeking the sutras\n\nWas torn with nostalgia for the Great Tang;\n\nThe disciples accompanying their master\n\nIn a rest-house found happiness in their dream.\n\nGazing at the view of Elephantia the master and his two disciples dealt with the luggage and the horse and settled down in a rest-house."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Priest went on foot to the palace gates, where he said to the High Custodian of the gate, “I beg you to report that there is a monk from the Tang Court who has come for a personal audience with His Majesty and has a letter of credentials.”\n\nA eunuch messenger hurried to the white jade steps and announced, “Your Majesty, a distinguished priest from the Tang Court has come for an audience as he has a letter of credentials to deliver.” The king was delighted to hear that he was from the mighty land of Tang and was himself a venerable and holy monk, so he gave his approval at once with the words, “Call him in.”\n\nSanzang was summoned to the golden steps, where he danced in obeisance and called out the correct greeting. On either side the many civil and military officers all sighed with admiration and said, “What impressive music and ritual this gentleman from that distinguished country has.”\n\n“Venerable sir, why have you come to my country?” the king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am a Buddhist from the land of Tang,” Sanzang replied, “and I am going to the Western Heaven on the Emperor’s orders to fetch the scriptures. I am carrying a letter of credentials, and now that I have arrived in Your Majesty’s country it seems proper to hand it to you. Not knowing whether to advance or retreat, I must apologize for disturbing the Dragon Countenance.”\n\n“If you have Tang credentials,” the king replied, “bring them here for me to see.” Sanzang handed the letter up respectfully with both hands and unfolded it on the king’s table. It read: From the Tang Emperor of the Great Tang Kingdom, who reigns by order of Heaven, in the Southern Continent of Jambudvipa."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Despite our feeble virtues we have succeeded to the throne, and in worshipping the gods and ruling the people we are as careful morning and night as if we were on the edge of a precipice or treading on thin ice. Because we failed to save the Dragon King of the Jing River, punishment was visited on our august self; our souls were rushed to the underworld and we became a guest in the land of death. As our lifespan was not yet over, the Lord of Darkness sent us back to the world of the living. We held a Great Assembly of monks and built a holy altar where the souls of the dead could be brought over to the other side. To our great gratitude the Bodhisattva Guanyin, the deliverer from suffering, appeared in person and told us that there is a Buddha in the West who has scriptures that will save the lost and bring lonely souls who have nobody to help them over to the other side. We have therefore especially commissioned the Patriarch Xuanzang to make the long journey across countless mountains to seek for the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "across countless mountains to seek for the scriptures and psalms. Should he come to any countries in the West we hope that on seeing this letter they will allow him to go on his way and not impede this predestined good deed. This is addressed to whom it may concern. Given by His Imperial Majesty on an auspicious day in the autumn of the thirteenth year of Then Guan of the Great Tang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he had read this letter, which bore nine imperial seals, the king sealed it with his great seal and handed it back to Sanzang, who thanked him as he took it. “Not only did I have a letter of credentials to present,” he reported, “I have also brought a family letter to deliver to Your Majesty.” The king was delighted and asked what it was. “I happened to meet Your Majesty’s third princess, who was carried off by the Yellow-Robed Monster of the Moon Waters Cave in the Bowl Mountain, and she gave me this letter to deliver to you.” Tears poured from the king’s eyes at the news, and he said, “It is thirteen years since I saw her last, and I don’t know how many military and civil officers I can have dismissed or degraded, and how many of the ladies-in-waiting, serving maids, and eunuchs I have had beaten to death since then. I imagined that she had wandered out of the palace and lost her way, and I looked for her everywhere. Even when all the ordinary citizens were interrogated I could find no news of her"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "were interrogated I could find no news of her whereabouts. I never thought that an evil monster could have carried her off. Hearing this all of a sudden makes me weep for sorrow.” Sanzang produced the letter from his sleeve and handed it to the king, who on seeing the words, “All is well” on the outside felt so weak in his hands that he could not open it. He ordered a Grand Scholar from the Academy of Letters to climb the steps of the throne and read it aloud. As the Grand Scholar climbed the steps of the throne, the civil and military officials in front of the throne room and the empresses, royal consorts, and palace ladies behind it all listened intently. The Grand Scholar opened it and read aloud: Your unworthy daughter Prettier-than-a-flower kowtows one hundred times to His Most Excellent Majesty the King her father in the Dragon and Phoenix Palace, to her Majesty the Queen her mother outside the Palace of Shining Radiance, and to all the noble ministers and generals of the court; it is my pleasure to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and generals of the court; it is my pleasure to send news to you and thank you for the infinite trouble you have taken on my behalf. But I am unable to devote myself to cheering Your Majesty and carry out my filial duties to the full."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thirteen years ago, on the festive fifteenth night of the eighth month, when banquets were being given in all the palaces in accordance with Your Majesty’s benevolent command, we were enjoying the moonlight and the clear stars. In the middle of our rejoicing a sudden gust of fragrant wind blew up, and from it emerged a demon king with golden pupils, a blue face, and green hair, who seized your daughter and carried her away on a magic cloud to a desolate mountain far from human habitation. There was no way I could stop him forcing me to be his wife, and I have had to endure this for thirteen years. I have borne him two fiendish sons, and they are both complete monsters. I would not have written to you and sullied you with the news of my uncivilized and disgraceful experiences, but I was afraid that after my death nobody would know what had happened to me. Just as I was missing my parents and angry about my fate, a Tang monk also happened to be captured by the monster, so with tears in my eyes I am boldly"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the monster, so with tears in my eyes I am boldly writing this letter and sending it to you as a token of my feelings. I beg you, Majesty, to take pity on me and send a general to the Moon Waters Cave in Bowl Mountain to capture the Yellow-robed Monster, rescue me, and take me back to the palace, this would make me profoundly grateful. Please excuse the hasty and disrespectful tone of this letter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With more kowtows,\n\nYour disobedient daughter,\n\nPrettier-than-a-flower.\n\nWhen the Grand Scholar had read it through, the king wept aloud, the ladies of the palace were all in tears, and the officials were all saddened. Everyone was miserable.\n\nAfter weeping for a long time the king asked the civil and military officials which of them would lead troops to capture the monster and rescue Princess Prettier-than-a-flower for him. He asked them all several times, but nobody would accept, the generals looked as though they were carved out of wood, and the officials might have been molded from clay."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was highly agitated, and floods of tears were pouring down his face when the civil and military officials all prostrated themselves before him and said, “Please don’t be so disturbed, Your Majesty. The princess has been lost for thirteen years now without anything being heard of her, so we cannot yet know whether she really met this Tang priest and sent a letter by him. Besides, we are all mere mortals, and the military manuals and books of strategy we have studied only cover the deployment of soldiers in battle, making encampments, and what else is necessary to protect the country from the disaster of invasion. That evil spirit travels by cloud and mist, and we would never even be able to catch sight of him, let alone capture him and rescue the Princess. Now that Easterner who is going to fetch scriptures is a holy priest from a great country. This monk must have demon-subduing powers as his ‘high qualities overawe the dragons and tigers, and his great virtues give him power over devils and gods.’"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "virtues give him power over devils and gods.’ “As the old saying goes, ‘The man who comes to argue about rights and wrongs is usually the wrongdoer himself.’ Far and away the best plan would be to ask this venerable gentleman to subdue the fiend and rescue the princess.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you have any supernatural skills, venerable sir,” the king said, turning at once to Sanzang, “then use your dharma powers to capture this evil monster and bring my daughter back to the palace. If you do that there will be no need to travel to the West and visit the Buddha. You can let your hair grow and I will make you my brother. We shall sit together on the dragon throne and share my wealth and honour. What about it?”\n\n“My only humble skill,” Sanzang hastened to reply, “lies in invoking the Buddha’s name, and I really cannot subdue fiends.”\n\n“If you can’t subdue fiends,” the king retorted, “how can you have the courage to go to visit the Buddha in the Western Heaven?”\n\nSanzang now told him about the two disciples as he could not keep them a secret any longer. “Your Majesty,” he said, “I could scarcely have come this far by myself. I have two disciples, both skilled at finding ways across mountains and at bridging rivers, who have escorted me here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You have behaved disgracefully, monk,” said the king angrily. “As you have disciples, you should have brought them with you to see me. Even if we could have offered them no presents they would have liked, they would at least have been given a meal.”\n\n“My disciples are so hideous,” Sanzang replied, “that I dared not bring them to court for fear of offending Your Majesty’s dignity.”\n\n“What a monkish thing to say,” observed the king with a smile. “You don’t really think I would be afraid of them, do you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Oh, no,” said Sanzang. “The surname of the older one is Pig; his personal names are Wuneng, Awakened to Power, and Bajie, Eight Prohibitions. He has a long snout, vicious fangs, bristles of steel and ears as big as fans. He is so heftily built that he makes a breeze as he walks. The surname of the second disciple is Sand, and his Buddhist name is Monk Awakened to Purity. He is twelve feet tall, and his arms are four feet thick. His face is the color of indigo, and his mouth is like a bowl of blood. His eyes burn and flash, and his teeth are like rows of nails. It was because they both look so terrible that I did not dare bring them with me.”\n\n“Even after you have told me about them,” said the king, “I know that I have nothing to fear. Have them summoned here.” With that a messenger with a golden tablet was sent to the rest-house to invite them to the palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On receiving the invitation the idiot said to Friar Sand, “Brother, do you still think he shouldn’t have delivered the letter? Now you can see the advantages of delivering it. I reckon that when the master delivered it, the king must have thought that the person who brought such a message could not be treated rudely and so laid on a banquet for him. As our master has such a weak appetite he must have remembered us and mentioned our names. This is why the messenger was sent here. After a meal we’ll be able to make a good start tomorrow.”\n\n“This must have been in our destiny,” said Friar Sand. “Let’s go.” Entrusting their baggage and the horse to the manager of the hostel they accompanied the messenger to court; they kept their weapons with them. When they reached the white jade steps they stood below them and chanted a “na-a-aw” of respect then stood there without moving. Every one of the civil and military officials was horrified."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Apart from being hideous,” they said to each other, “they are far too coarse and vulgar. Why are they standing bolt upright after a mere ‘na-a-aw’ instead of prostrating themselves before His Majesty? Shocking, quite shocking.”\n\nOverhearing this, pig said, “Please don’t make rude comments on us, gentlemen. This is the way we look, and although we seem ugly at first sight, after a while we become quite bearable.”\n\nThe king, who had been quite frightened at the sight of their brutishness, trembled so violently on hearing the idiot Pig talking that he lost his balance and fell off his dragon throne. Fortunately the gentlemen-in-waiting were on hand to help him up again.\n\nThis threw Sanzang into such a panic that he fell to his knees and kowtowed without stopping, saying, “Your Majesty, I deserve to die ten thousand deaths, ten thousand deaths. I said that my disciples were too hideous for me to dare to bring them to court for fear of harming your dragon dignity, and now I have given Your Majesty this fright.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king walked shakily over to him, raised him to his feet, and said, “Thank goodness you warned me about them beforehand, venerable sir. Otherwise I would undoubtedly have died of shock at the sight of them.” When the king had taken some time to calm himself down he asked Pig and Friar Sand which of the two of them was better at subduing fiends.\n\n“I am,” said the shameless idiot.\n\n“How do you do it, pray?” the king asked.\n\n“I am Marshal Tian Peng,” Pig replied, “and I was exiled to this mortal world for offending against part of the Heavenly Code. Happily I have now returned to the truth and become a monk. I am the best fiend-subduer of all of us who have come here from the East.”\n\n“If you are a heavenly general turned mortal,” said the king, “you must be good at transformations.”\n\n“I wouldn’t say that much,” Pig replied, “but I can do one or two.”\n\n“Show me one,” said the king.\n\n“Tell me what you want me to turn into,” said Pig. “Turn into a giant, then,” said the king."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig, who could do thirty-six transformations, now showed off his powers before the steps of the throne. Clenching his fist and reciting the words of the spell he shouted “Grow!” bowed forward, and grew eighty or ninety feet tall. He looked like one of the paper gods carried at the head of funeral processions. The civil and military officials trembled with fright; monarch and subjects alike gazed at him in stupefaction.\n\nThen the General Guarding the Palace said, “You have certainly grown very tall, venerable sir. How much taller could you grow before you had to stop?”\n\n“It depends on the wind,” replied the idiot, talking in his idiotic way. “I can manage quite well in an East or a West wind, and if a South wind blows up I can make a big dent in the sky.”\n\n“Then give your magic powers a rest,” said the king, more frightened than ever. “We are sure you can do that.” Pig contracted himself to his real size and stood in attendance at the foot of the steps once more."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What weapon will you use to fight the monster on this mission?” the king asked. Pig pulled his rake from his belt and said, “This rake.”\n\n“But that would disgrace us,” said the king with a smile. “Here we have steel whips, maces, claws on chains, war-hammers, cutlasses, halberds, pole-axes, battle-axes, swords, bills, spears, and battle-scythes. Choose one that suits you—that rake doesn’t count as a real weapon.”\n\n“What Your Majesty doesn’t realize,” Pig replied, “is that although it’s crude I’ve carried it around with me since I was a child. I depended on it completely when I commanded eighty thousand sailors and marines as marshal of the Milky Way, the Heavenly River. Down in this world as my master’s escort I’ve used it to smash the dens of tigers and wolves in the mountains and to turn the nests of dragons and leviathans upside-down in rivers.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was thoroughly delighted and convinced on hearing this, so he ordered nine of his Royal Consorts to fetch a bottle of his own royal wine with which to send the venerable Pig off; then he filled a goblet and presented it to Pig with the words, “May this cup of wine, venerable father, express my gratitude for the service you are going to render. When you capture the evil monster and bring back my daughter you will be rewarded with a state banquet and a thousand pieces of gold.” For all his coarseness the idiot accepted it with style.\n\n“Master,” he said to Sanzang after chanting a “na-a-aw” of respect, “you should drink this wine first, but His Majesty gave it to me and I dare not disobey him. Please allow me to drink first as it will brace my spirits for the capture of the monster.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He drained the cup in one gulp, refilled it, and handed it to Sanzang, who said, “As I cannot touch alcohol you two must drink it for me.” Friar Sand came over and took it. Clouds now sprouted under Pig’s feet and he shot up into mid-air.\n\n“Venerable Pig,” exclaimed the king, “you can walk on clouds too!”\n\nWhen Pig had gone Friar Sand drained his cup of wine at one draft too and said, “When the Yellow-robed Monster captured you, master, the pair of us were only just a match for him in combat. I’m afraid that my elder brother won’t be able to beat him by himself.”\n\n“Yes,” Sanzang replied. “You’d better go and help him.”\n\nWhen Friar Sand too sprang up into the air on a cloud and went off, the anxious king grabbed hold of Sanzang and said, “Stay here with me, venerable sir. Don’t you go flying off on a cloud too.”\n\n“I, alas, cannot take a single step by cloud.” We leave the two of them talking to each other in the palace.\n\n“I’m here, brother,” said Friar Sand as he caught Pig up."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why?” Pig asked. “The master told me to come and lend you a hand,” replied Friar Sand.\n\n“Good, it’s as well you’ve come. We two’ll do our damndest and capture this fiend. Even though it won’t be anything very big, it’ll at least make us famous in this country.”\n\nOn shimmering clouds they left the country,\n\nDeparting from the capital in a blaze of magic light.\n\nOn the king’s command they came to the mountain cave\n\nTo fight hard side by side to capture the evil spirit.\n\nBefore long they reached the mouth of the cave and landed their cloud. Pig brought his rake down with all his might on the door of the cave and made a hole the size of a bucket in it. The junior demons guarding it were so frightened that they opened up the gates; at the sight of the pair of them they rushed inside to report, “Bad news, Your Majesty. The long-snouted monk with big ears and the other one with a horrible face have come back and smashed down our doors.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Pig and Friar Sand again?” exclaimed the monster in astonishment. “How dare they come and break down my door after I’ve spared their master’s life?”\n\n“Perhaps they’ve come to fetch something they left behind,” suggested a junior demon.\n\n“Nonsense,” snorted the monster. “Would they break the gate down if they’d just left something behind?” He hastily tied on his armor, took his steel sword, went outside and asked, “Monks, what do you mean by smashing down my door? I spared your master, didn’t I?”\n\n“Will you do a decent thing, wretched ogre?” said Pig.\n\n“What?” asked the old monster."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What?” asked the old monster.\n\n“You forced the Third Princess of the land of Elephantia to come to your cave,” said Pig, “and you’ve made her stay here for thirteen years. You should send her back now. We’ve come here to capture you on the king’s orders, so you’d better hurry in and tie yourself up if you don’t want me to hit you.” The old fiend was now furious. Just watch him as he gnashes his fangs of steel, glares so hard that his eyes become round with fury, raises his sword, and hacks at Pig’s head. Pig avoided the blow and struck back at the monster’s face with his rake, after which Friar Sand rushed forward to join in the fight with his staff. This battle on the mountain was not the same as the earlier one:\n\nSaying the wrong things can make men angry;\n\nWicked intentions and hurt feelings give birth to wrath.\n\nThe great steel sword of the demon king\n\nSliced down at the head;\n\nPig’s nine-toothed rake\n\nWent for the face.\n\nAs Friar Sand let fly with his staff"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As Friar Sand let fly with his staff\n\nThe demon king parried with his magic weapon.\n\nOne wild ogre,\n\nTwo holy monks,\n\nMoving to and fro with the greatest of calm.\n\nOne says,\n\n“You deserve to die for your crime against the country.”\n\nThe other replies,\n\n“Interfering fellow, trying to put the world to rights.”\n\n“By seizing the princess you have insulted the state,” said the one.\n\n“Just mind your own business,” said the other.\n\nIt was all because of the letter,\n\nThat the monks and the monster were now in combat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they had fought eight or nine bouts on the mountain side Pig was beginning to tire; his strength was flagging and he could only raise his rake with difficulty. Do you know why they could not hold out against the monster this time? In the first battle all the guardian gods had been helping Pig and Friar Sand as Sanzang was in the cave, so that they had then been a match for the ogre. This time the guardian gods were all looking after Sanzang in Elephantia, which was why Pig and Friar Sand could not hold out against the fiend.\n\n“You come forward and fight him, Friar Sand,” said the idiot, “while I go off for a shit.” Then with no further thought for Friar Sand he streaked off into the undergrowth of grass, wild figs, thorns and creepers, diving straight in and not bothering about the scratches on his face. Then he fell into a doze, too frightened to come\n\nout again. He kept an ear cocked for the sound of clashing weapons."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing Pig flee, the monster charged at Friar Sand, who could do nothing to stop the ogre from seizing him and carrying him into the cave. The junior fiends tied him up hand and foot. If you don’t know what became of him, listen to the explanation in the next chapter.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty\n\nAn Evil Monster Harms the True Law\n\nThe Mind-Horse Remembers the Heart-Ape\n\nNow that he had tied up Friar Sand, the monster did not kill him, hit him, or even swear at him. Instead he raised his sword and thought, “Coming from so great a country the Tang priest must have a sense of propriety—he can’t have sent his disciples to capture me after I spared his life. Hmm. That wife of mine must have sent some kind of letter to her country and let the secret out. Just wait till I question her.” The monster became so furious that he was ready to kill her.\n\nThe unwitting princess, who had just finished making herself up, came out to see the ogre knitting his brows and gnashing his teeth in anger."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What is bothering you, my lord?” she asked with a smile. The monster snorted and started to insult her.\n\n“You low bitch,” he said, “you haven’t a shred of human decency. You never made the slightest complaint when I first brought you here. You wear clothes of brocade and a crown of gold, and I go out to find anything you need. You live in luxury all four seasons of the year, and we’ve always been very close to each other. So why do you think only of your mother and father? Why do you have no wifely feelings?”\n\nThis so frightened the princess that she fell to her knees and said, “What makes you start talking as if you are going to get rid of me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m not sure whether I’m getting rid of you or you’re getting rid of me,” the monster replied. “I captured that Tang Priest and brought him here to eat, but you released him without asking me first. You must have secretly written a letter and asked him to deliver it for you. There’s no other explanation for why these two monks should have made an attack on this place and be demanding your return. It’s all your fault, isn’t it?”\n\n“Don’t blame me for this, my lord,” she replied. “I never wrote such a letter.”\n\n“Liar,” he said. “I’ve captured one of my enemies to prove it.”\n\n“Who?” she asked.\n\n“Friar Sand, the Tang Priest’s second disciple.” Nobody likes to accept their death, even at their last gasp, so she could only try to keep up the pretence."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please don’t lose your temper, my lord,” she said. “Let’s go and ask him about it. If there really was a letter I’ll gladly let you kill me; but if there wasn’t, you’d be killing your slave unjustly.” With no further argument the monster grabbed her by her bejeweled hair with his fist the size of a basket and threw her to the floor in front of him. Then he seized his sword to question Friar Sand.\n\n“Friar Sand,” he roared, “When you two had the impertinence to make your attack was it because the king of her country sent you here after getting a letter from her?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the bound Friar Sand saw the evil spirit throw the princess to the ground in his fury then take hold of his sword to kill her, he thought, “It’s obvious she must have sent a letter. But she did us a very great favour by sparing our master. If I tell him about it, he’ll kill her. No, that would be a terrible thing to do after what she did for us. Besides, I haven’t done any good deeds all the time I have been with our master, so as a prisoner here I can pay back my master’s goodness to me with my life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His mind made up, he shouted, “Behave yourself, evil monster. She sent no letter, so don’t you mistreat her or murder her. I’ll tell you why we came to demand the princess. When my master was your prisoner in this cave he saw what the princess looked like. Later on when he presented his credentials to the King of Elephantia, the king showed him her picture and asked him if he’d seen her on his journey. The king had this picture of her painted long ago, and made enquiries about her all over the place. My master told the king about her, and when he heard this news of his daughter the king gave us some of his imperial wine and sent us to bring her back to the palace. This is the truth. There was no letter. If you want to kill anybody, kill me, and don’t be so wicked as to slaughter an innocent woman.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Impressed by Friar Sand’s noble words, the monster put aside his sword and took the princess in his arms, saying, “Please forgive me for being so boorishly rude.” Then he put her hair up again for her, and turning tender again, urged her to go inside with him. He asked her to take the seat of honour and apologized to her. In her female fickleness the princess was prompted by his excess of courtesy to think of an idea.\n\n“My lord,” she said, “could you have Friar Sand’s bonds loosened a little for the sake of our love?” The old fiend ordered his underlings to untie Friar Sand and lock him up there instead.\n\nOn being untied and locked up, Friar Sand got up and thought, “The ancients said that a good turn to someone else is a good turn to yourself. If I hadn’t helped her out, she wouldn’t have had me untied.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old fiend then had a banquet laid on to calm his wife and make it up to her. When he had drunk himself fairly tipsy he put on a new robe and girded a sword to his waist. Then he fondled the princess and said, “You stay at home and drink, wife. Look after our two sons and don’t let Friar Sang get away. While the Tang Priest is in Elephantia I’m going to get to know my relations.”\n\n“What relations?” she asked.\n\n“Your father,” he replied. “I’m his son-in-law and he’s my father-in-law, so why shouldn’t we get acquainted?”\n\n“You mustn’t go,” was her reply.\n\n“Why not?” he asked.\n\n“My father,” she answered, “didn’t win his country by force of arms; it was handed down to him by his ancestors. He came to the throne as a child and has never been far from the palace gates, so he’s never seen a tough guy like you. You are a bit on the hideous side with that face of yours, and it would be very bad if a visit from you terrified him. You’d do better not to go and meet him.”\n\n“Then I’ll make myself handsome,” he said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Then I’ll make myself handsome,” he said.\n\n“Try it and show me,” said the princess.\n\nThe splendid fiend shook himself, and in the middle of the banquet he changed himself into a handsome man.\n\nElegant he was, and tall.\n\nHe spoke like a high official,\n\nHis movements were those of a youth.\n\nHe was as brilliant as the poet Cao Zhi,\n\nHandsome as Pan An to whom the women threw fruit.\n\nOn his head was a hat with magpie feathers,\n\nTo which the black clouds submitted;\n\nHe wore a robe of jade-coloured silk\n\nWith wide and billowing sleeves.\n\nOn his feet were black boots with patterned tops,\n\nAnd at his waist hung a gleaming sword.\n\nHe was a most imposing man,\n\nTall, elegant and handsome.\n\nThe princess was thoroughly delighted at the sight of him. “Isn’t this a good transformation?” he asked her with a smile."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wonderful,” she replied, “wonderful. When you go to court like that the king will be bound to accept you as his son-in-law and make his civil and military officials give you a banquet, so if you have anything to drink you must be very careful not to show your real face—it wouldn’t do to let the secret out.”\n\n“You don’t need to tell me that,” he said, “I understand perfectly well myself.”\n\nHe sprang away on his cloud and was soon in Elephantia, where he landed and walked to the palace gates. “Please report,” he said to the High Custodian of the gate, “that His Majesty’s third son-in-law has come for an audience.”\n\nA eunuch messenger went to the steps of the throne and reported, “Your Majesty’s third son-in-law has come for an audience and is waiting for your summons outside the palace gates.” When the king, who was talking with Sanzang, heard the words “third son-in-law” he said to the assembled officials, “I only have two sons-in-law—there can’t be a third.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It must be that the monster has come,” the officials replied.\n\n“Then should I send for him?” the king asked.\n\n“Your Majesty,” said Sanzang in alarm, “he is an evil spirit, so we mortals can do nothing about him. He knows about the past and the future and rides on the clouds. He will come whether you send for him or not, so it would be better to send for him and avoid arguments.”\n\nThe king accepted the proposal and sent for him. The fiend came to the bottom of the steps and performed the usual ritual of dancing and chanting. His handsome looks prevented any of the officials from realizing that he was a demon; instead they took him in their mortal blindness for a good man. At the sight of his imposing figure the king thought that he would be a pillar and the savior of the state. “Son-in-law,” he asked him, “where do you live? Where are you from? When did you marry the princess? Why haven’t you come to see me before?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I come,” the monster replied, knocking his head on the ground, “from the Moon Waters Cave in Bowl Mountain.”\n\n“How far is that from here?” asked the king.\n\n“Not far,” he replied, “only a hundred miles.”\n\n“If it’s a hundred miles away,” said the king, “how did the princess get there to marry you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monster gave a cunning and deceptive answer. “My lord,” he said, “I have been riding and shooting since childhood, and I support myself by hunting. Thirteen years ago as I was out hunting one day with falcons, hounds, and a few score retainers when I saw a ferocious striped tiger carrying a girl on its back down the mountainside. I fitted an arrow to my bow and shot the tiger, then took the girl home and revived her with hot water, which saved her life. When I asked her where she was from she never mentioned the word ‘princess’—had she said that she was Your Majesty’s daughter, I would never have had the effrontery to marry her without your permission. I would have come to your golden palace and asked for some appointment in which I might have distinguished myself. As she said she was the daughter of ordinary folk I kept her in my home. With her beauty and my ability we fell in love, and we have been married all these years. When we were married I wanted to kill the tiger and serve him up at a banquet"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to kill the tiger and serve him up at a banquet for all my relations, but she asked me not to. There was a verse that explained why I should not:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "”‘Thanks to Heaven and Earth we are becoming man and wife;\n\nWe will marry without matchmaker or witnesses.\n\nA red thread must have united us in a former life,\n\nSo let us make the tiger our matchmaker.’\n\n“When she said that I untied the tiger and spared its life. The wounded beast swished its tail and was off. Little did I realize that after escaping with its life it would have spent the past years making itself into a spirit whose sole intention is to deceive and kill people. I believe that there was once a group of pilgrims going to fetch scriptures who said that they were priests from the Great Tang. The tiger must have killed their leader, taken his credentials, and made himself look like the pilgrim. He is now in this palace trying to deceive Your Majesty. That man sitting on an embroidered cushion is in fact the very tiger who carried the princess off thirteen years ago. He is no pilgrim.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The feeble-minded king, who in his mortal blindness could not recognize the evil spirit, believed that his tissue of lies were the truth and said, “Noble son-in-law, how can you tell that this monk is the tiger who carried the princess off?”\n\n“Living in the mountains,” he replied, “I eat tiger, dress in tiger, sleep amid tigers, and move among tigers. Of course I can tell.”\n\n“Even if you can tell,” said the king, “turn him back into his real form to show me.”\n\n“If I may borrow half a saucer of water,” answered the fiend, “I will turn him back into his real form.” The king sent an officer to fetch some water for his son-in-law. The monster put the water in his hand, leapt forward, and did an Eye-deceiving Body-fixing Spell. He recited the words of the spell, spurted a mouthful of water over the Tang Priest, and shouted “Change!” Sanzang’s real body was hidden away on top of the hall, and he was turned into a striped tiger. To the king’s mortal eyes the tiger had:\n\nA white brow and a rounded head,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A white brow and a rounded head,\n\nA patterned body and eyes of lightning.\n\nFour legs,\n\nStraight and tall;\n\nTwenty claws,\n\nHooked and sharp.\n\nJagged fangs ringed his mouth,\n\nPointed ears grew from his brow.\n\nFierce and powerful, formed like a giant cat,\n\nWild and virile as a brown bull-calf.\n\nHis bristling whiskers shone like silver,\n\nAcrid breath came from his spike tongue.\n\nHe was indeed a savage tiger\n\nWhose majesty dominated the palace hall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Whose majesty dominated the palace hall.\n\nOne look at him sent the king’s souls flying from his body, and all the officials fled in terror except for a handful of gallant generals. They charged the tiger at the head of a group of officers, hacking wildly with every kind of weapon. If the Tang Priest had not been fated to survive, even twenty of him would have been chopped to mince. Luckily for him the Six Dings, the Six Jias, the Revealers of the Truth, the Duty Gods, and the Protectors of the Faith were all protecting him in mid-air and preventing him from being wounded by any of the weapons. After a turmoil that continued until evening they finally caught the tiger, chained it, and put it in an iron cage in the room where officials waited for audience."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king then ordered his household department to lay on a large banquet to thank his son-in-law for saving his daughter from being killed by the monk. That evening, when the court had been dismissed, the monster went to the Hall of Silvery Peace. Eighteen Palace Beauties and Junior Concubines had been selected, and they made music, sang and danced, urging the fiend to drink and be merry. The ogre sat alone in the seat of honour, and to left and right of him were all these voluptuous women. When he had been drinking until the second watch of the night he became too intoxicated to restrain his savagery and longer. He jumped up, bellowed with laughter, and turned back into his real self. A murderous impulse came upon him, and stretching out his hand as big as a basket he seized a girl who was playing a lute, dragged her towards him, and took a bite from her head. The seventeen other palace women fled in panic and hid themselves.\n\nThe Palace Beauties were terrified,\n\nThe Junior Concubines were panic-stricken."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Junior Concubines were panic-stricken.\n\nThe terrified Palace Beauties\n\nWere like lotuses beaten by the rain at night;\n\nThe panic-stricken Concubines\n\nWere like peonies swaying in the spring breezes.\n\nSmashing their lutes, they fled for their lives,\n\nTrampling on zithers as they ran away.\n\nAs they went out through the doors they knew not where they went;\n\nIn their flight from the hall they rushed everywhere,\n\nDamaging their faces of jade\n\nAnd bumping their pretty heads.\n\nEvery one of them fled for her life;\n\nAll of them ran away to safety.\n\nThe women who had fled did not dare to shout as they did not want to disturb the king in the middle of the night, so they all hid trembling under the eaves of walls, where we shall leave them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monster, still in his seat of honour, thought for a moment then drank another bowl of wine, dragged the woman towards him, and took two more gory mouthfuls of her. While he was enjoying himself inside the palace the news was being spread outside that the Tang Priest was really a tiger spirit. The rumour spread like wildfire, and it soon reached the government hostel. Nobody else was there but the white horse, who was eating fodder from a trough. This horse had once been a young dragon prince from the Western Sea who as a punishment for offending against the Heavenly Code had lost his horns and scales and been turned into a white horse to carry Sanzang to the West to fetch the scriptures.\n\nWhen he heard it being said that the Tang Priest was a tiger spirit he thought, “My master is clearly a good man. That evil spirit must have changed him into a tiger to harm him, whatever shall I do? Monkey’s been gone for ages, and there’s no news of the other two.” By the middle of the night he could wait no longer."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He jumped up and said, “If I don’t rescue the Tang Priest I’ll win no merit at all.” He could restrain himself no longer, so he snapped his halter, shook his bridle and girths loose, and changed himself back into a dragon. Then he went straight up on a black cloud to the Ninth Heaven. There is a poem to prove it that goes:\n\nOn his journey West to worship the Buddha\n\nSanzang met an evil demon.\n\nNow that he had been changed into a tiger\n\nThe white horse came to his rescue, trailing its halter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From up in the air the dragon saw the bright lights in the Hall of Silvery Peace, where eight wax candles were burning on eight great candlesticks. Bringing his cloud down for a closer look he saw the monster sitting by himself in the seat of honour and drinking as he ate human flesh. “Hopeless beast,” thought the dragon with a grin, “giving his game away like that. He’s broken the counterpoise of his steelyard—he has exposed himself! A man-eater can’t be a good fellow. Now I know what has happened to our master: he’s met this foul ogre. I’ll try to fool him. If it comes off there’s still time to rescue our master.”\n\nWith a shake the splendid dragon king turned himself into a slim and seductive Palace Beauty. Hurrying inside he greeted the ogre and said, “If you spare my life, Your Highness, I’ll hold your cup for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Pour me out more wine,” he said. The young dragon took the pot and used a Water-controlling Spell to fill his cup so full that the wine stood several inches higher than the rim without spilling.\n\nThe monster, who did not know this piece of magic, was delighted with the trick; and when the dragon asked, “Shall I fill it higher still?” he replied, “Yes, yes.” The dragon lifted the pot and poured and poured. The wine rose till it towered as tall as a thirteen-storied pagoda, and still hardly any spilled over. The ogre opened his mouth wide and swallowed the lot, then pulled the dead girl towards him and took another bite.\n\n“Can you sing?” he asked, and the dragon replied, “Yes, in a way.” He sang a short song and handed the ogre another cup of wine."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Can you dance?” the ogre asked. “Yes, in a way,” he replied, “but I can’t dance well empty-handed.” The ogre pushed his robe aside, brought out the sword he wore at his waist, unsheathed it, and handed it to the dragon, who took it and did a sword dance in front of the banqueting table.\n\nAs the monster gazed pop-eyed the dragon stopped dancing and hacked at his face. The ogre side-stepped and immediately seized a cast-iron lantern, that must have weighed a good hundredweight with its stand, with which to parry the sword. As the pair of them came out of the Hall of Silvery Peace, the dragon reverted to his true form and went up into mid-air on a cloud to continue the fight. It was a really vicious combat:\n\nOne was a monster born and bred on Bowl Mountain;\n\nThe other was an exiled dragon from the Western Sea.\n\nOne shone as if he were breathing out lightning;\n\nThe other’s vigor seemed to burst through the clouds.\n\nOne was like a white-tusked elephant in a crowd;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One was like a white-tusked elephant in a crowd;\n\nThe other was a golden-clawed wildcat leaping down to earth.\n\nOne was a pillar of jade, towering to heaven,\n\nThe other was one of the ocean’s golden beams.\n\nThe silver dragon danced,\n\nThe yellow monster soared,\n\nAs the blade cut tirelessly to left and right,\n\nAnd the lantern flashed to and fro without a pause.\n\nThe old monster was as strong as ever, after eight or nine rounds of their battle in the clouds the young dragon was tiring and unable to keep up the fight, so he hurled his sword at the monster. The ogre used a magic trick to catch it, went for the helpless dragon, throwing the lantern at him and hitting him on the hind leg. The dragon brought his cloud straight down to earth, where the canal in the palace saved his life: once he had dived in, the ogre could not find him. Instead he went back to the Hall of Silvery Peace, clutching the sword and the candlestick. There he drank himself to sleep."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dragon hid at the bottom of the canal for an hour, by which time all was quiet. Gritting his teeth against the pain from his leg, he leapt out of the water and went back to the hostel on a black cloud, where he turned himself back into a horse and bent over the trough once more. The poor animal was covered with sweat, and his leg was scarred.\n\nThe Thought-horse and the Mind-ape had scattered,\n\nThe Lord of Metal and the Mother of Wood were dispersed.\n\nThe Yellow Wife was damaged, her powers divided,\n\nThe Way was finished, and how could it be saved?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Way was finished, and how could it be saved?\n\nWe will leave Sanzang in danger and the dragon in defeat to return to Pig who had been hiding in the undergrowth ever since he abandoned Friar Sand. He had made himself a pigsty there, and slept through to the middle of the night. When he woke up he could not remember where he was. He rubbed his eyes, pulled himself together, and cocked up his ear. In these wild mountains no dogs barked and no cocks crowed. From the position of the stars he worked out that it was around midnight, and thought, “I must go back and rescue Friar Sand. It’s all too true that ‘You cannot make thread with a single strand, or clap with a single had,’ No, no. I’d better go back to the city, see the master, and report on this to the king. He can give me some more brave soldiers to help me rescue Friar Sand.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot went back to the city on his cloud as fast as he could, and in an instant he was back at the hostel. It was a still, moonlit night, and he could not find his master in either wing of the building. There was only the white horse asleep there, his body covered in sweat, and with a greenish wound the size of a dish on his hind leg.\n\n“This is double trouble,” thought Pig in horror. “Why is this wretch covered with sweat and injured on his leg? He hasn’t been anywhere. Some crooks must have carried off the master and wounded the horse.”\n\nSeeing Pig, the horse suddenly called out, “Elder brother.” Pig collapsed from shock, got up again, and was about to flee when the horse took his clothes between his teeth and said, “Brother, don’t be afraid of me.”\n\n“Why ever have you started to talk today?” asked Pig, who was shaking all over. “Something terrible must have happened to make you do it.”\n\n“Do you know that our master is in danger?” the horse asked.\n\n“No,” Pig replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t,” said the horse. “When you and Friar Sand were showing off in front of the king you thought you’d be able to catch the monster and be rewarded for it. Little did you imagine that his powers would be too much for you. You should be ashamed of the way you’ve come back by yourself without even having any news to report. That monster turned himself into a handsome scholar, came to the palace, and made the king accept him as his son-in-law. He changed our master into a tiger, who was captured by the officials and put in a cage in the court waiting room. The news made me feel as if my heart were being sliced to pieces. It was already two days since you two went, and for all I knew you might have been killed, so I had to turn back into a dragon and try to rescue our master. When I reached the court I couldn’t find him, though I saw the monster outside the Hall of Silvery Peace. I changed into a Palace Beauty to trick him. He made me do a sword dance for him, and when I had him fascinated I took a cut"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "him, and when I had him fascinated I took a cut at him. He dodged the blow, picked up a giant lantern in both hands, and soon had me on the run. I flung my sword at him, but he caught it, and wounded me on the hind leg by throwing the lantern at me. I escaped with my life by hiding in the palace canal. The scar is where he hit me with the candlestick.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Is this all true?” asked Pig.\n\n“Don’t think I’m trying to fool you,” said the dragon.\n\n“What are we to do?” said Pig. “Can you move?”\n\n“What if I can?” said the dragon.\n\n“If you can move,” said Pig, “then make your way back to the sea: I’ll take the luggage back to Gao Village and be a married man again.” The dragon’s reaction to this was to bite hard on Pig’s tunic and not let him go. Tears rolled down his face as he said, “Please don’t give up, elder brother.”\n\n“What else can I do but give up?” said Pig. “Friar Sand has been captured by him, and I can’t beat him, so what can we do but break up now?”\n\nThe dragon thought for a moment before replying, still in tears, “Don’t even talk about breaking up, brother. All you need do to rescue the master is to ask someone to come here.”\n\n“Who?” asked Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Who?” asked Pig.\n\n“Take a cloud back to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit as fast as you can, and ask our eldest brother Monkey to come here. With his tremendous ability to beat demons he ought to be able to rescue the master and avenge your defeat.”\n\n“Can’t we ask someone else?” said Pig. “He hasn’t been on the best of terms with me since he killed the White Bone Spirit on White Tiger Ridge. He’s angry with me for encouraging the master to say the Band-tightening Spell. I only meant it as a joke—how was I to know the old monk would really say it and drive him away? Goodness knows how furious he is with me. He definitely won’t come. I’m no match for him with my tongue, and if he’s disrespectful enough to hit me a few times with that murderous great cudgel of his, it’ll be the death of me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Of course he won’t hit you,” said the dragon. “He’s a kind and decent Monkey King. When you see him don’t tell him that the master’s in trouble. Just say, ‘The master’s missing you.’ Once you’ve lured him here and he sees the situation he won’t possibly be angry. He’s bound to want to fight the monster. I guarantee that he’ll capture the monster and save our master.”\n\n“Oh well,” said Pig, “oh well. As you’re so determined I’ll have to go, or else I’ll look half-hearted. If Monkey’s prepared to come, I’ll come back with him; but if he isn’t, then don’t expect me—I won’t be back.”\n\n“Go,” said the dragon. “I promise he’ll come.”\n\nThe idiot picked up his rake, straightened his tunic, leapt up on a cloud, and headed East. Sanzang was fated to live. Pig had a following wind, so he stuck up his ears for sails and was at the Eastern Ocean in no time. He landed his cloud. Without his noticing it the sun rose as he made his way into the mountains."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he was going along he suddenly heard voices. He looked carefully and saw Monkey in a mountain hollow with hordes of demons. He was perched on a rock, and in front of him over twelve hundred monkeys were drawn up in ranks and chanting, “Long live His Majesty the Great Sage.”\n\n“He’s doing very nicely,” thought Pig, “very nicely indeed. No wonder he wanted to come home instead of staying a monk. He has it really nice here, with a big place like this and all those little monkeys at his beck and call. If I’d had a mountain like this I’d never have become a monk. But what am I to do now I’m here? I must go and see him.” As he was rather overawed, Pig did not dare walk boldly over to see him. Instead he made his way round a grassy cliff, slipped in among the twelve hundred monkeys, and started to kowtow with them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Little did he expect that the sharp-eyed Monkey would see him from his high throne and say, “There’s a foreigner bowing all wrong among the ranks. Where’s he from? Bring him here.” The words were hardly out of his mouth before some junior monkeys swarmed round him, shoved him forward, and threw him to the ground. “Where are you from, foreigner?” asked Monkey.\n\n“If I may be permitted to argue,” replied Pig, his head bowed, “I’m no foreigner, I’m an old friend of yours.”\n\n“All my monkey hordes look exactly the same,” replied the Great Sage, “but from the look of your stupid face you must be an evil demon from somewhere else. Never mind though. If, as an outsider, you want to join my ranks you must first hand in a curriculum vitae and tell us your name before we can put you on the books. If I don’t take you on, you’ve no business to be bowing to me like a madman.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig put his arms round his head, which he still kept low, and replied, “I’m sorry. It’s an ugly mug. But you and I were brothers for several years; you can’t pretend not to recognize me and say that I’m a foreigner.”\n\n“Raise your head,” said Monkey.\n\nThe idiot did so and said, “Look, even if you won’t recognize the rest of me, you’ll remember my face.”\n\n“Pig!” said Monkey with a smile. When Pig heard this he leapt to his feet and said, “Yes, yes. I’m Pig,” thinking that Monkey would be easier to deal with now he had recognized him.\n\n“Why have you come here instead of going to fetch the scriptures with the Tang Priest?” Monkey asked. “Have you offended the master and been sent back too? Show me your letter of dismissal.”\n\n“I haven’t offended him,” Pig replied. “He hasn’t given me a letter of dismissal, or driven me away.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Then why have you come here?” asked Monkey. “The master sent me here to ask you back as he’s missing you,” answered Pig. “He hasn’t asked me back,” said Monkey, “and he doesn’t miss me. He swore an oath by Heaven and wrote a letter of dismissal, so he couldn’t possibly miss me or have sent you all this way to ask me back. It certainly wouldn’t be right for me to go.”\n\n“He’s really missing you,” said Pig, lying desperately, “he really is.”\n\n“Why?” asked Monkey.\n\n“He called out ‘disciple’ when he was riding along. I didn’t hear, and Friar Sand is deaf, so he started missing you and saying that we two were hopeless. He said that you were intelligent and clever, and that you always answered whenever he called. This made him miss you so badly that he sent me over here specially to ask you to come back. Please, please come back with me. You’ll save him from disappointment and me from a long, wasted journey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey jumped down from his rock, lifted Pig to his feet, and said, “Dear brother, it’s been good of you to come so far. Won’t you come and take a look round with me?”\n\n“It’s been a long journey,” replied Pig, “and I’m afraid that the master would miss me, so I’d better not.”\n\n“Now that you’re here,” said Monkey, “you really should have a look at my mountain.” Not wanting to insist too hard, the idiot went off with him.\n\nThe two of them walked hand in hand with the monkey horde following behind as they climbed to the summit of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. It was a beautiful mountain. In the few days since he had been back, Monkey had made it as neat as it ever had been.\n\nIt was as green as flakes of malachite,\n\nSo high it touched the clouds.\n\nAll around it tigers crouched and dragons coiled,\n\nAmid the calls of apes and cranes.\n\nIn the morning the peak was covered with cloud,\n\nThe evening sun would set between the trees.\n\nThe streams splashed like a tinkle of jade,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The streams splashed like a tinkle of jade,\n\nWaterfalls tumbled with the sound of lutes.\n\nIn the front of the mountain were cliffs and rock-faces\n\nAt the back were luxuriant plants and trees.\n\nAbove it reached to the Jade Girl’s washing bowl,\n\nBelow it jointed the watershed of the River of Heaven.\n\nIn its combination of Earth and Heaven it rivaled the Penglai paradise;\n\nIts blend of pure and solid made it a true cave palace.\n\nIt defied a painter’s brush and colours;\n\nEven a master could not have drawn it.\n\nIntricate were the strange-shaped boulders,\n\nAdorning the mountain peak.\n\nIn the sun’s shadow shimmered a purple light;\n\nA magical glow shone red throughout the sea of clouds.\n\nCave-heavens and paradises do exist on Earth,\n\nWhere the whole mountainside is covered with fresh trees and new blossoms.\n\nAs Pig gazed at it he said with delight, “What a wonderful place, brother. It’s the finest mountain in the world.”\n\n“Could you get by here?” asked Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Could you get by here?” asked Monkey.\n\n“What a question,” said Pig with a grin. “This mountain of yours is an earthly paradise, so how could you talk about ‘getting by?’”\n\nThe two talked and joked for a while then went back down. They saw some young monkeys kneeling beside the path and holding huge, purple grapes, fragrant dates and pears, deep golden loquats, and rich, red tree-strawberries.\n\n“Please take some breakfast, Your Majesty,” they said.\n\n“Brother Pig,” replied Monkey with a smile, “Your big appetite won’t be satisfied with fruit. Never mind though—if you don’t think it too poor you can eat a little as a snack.”\n\n“Although I do have a big appetite,” said Pig, “I always eat the local food. Bring me a few to taste.”\n\nAs the pair of them ate the fruit the sun was rising, which made the idiot worry that he might be too late to save the Tang Priest. “Brother,” he said, trying to hurry Monkey up, “the master is waiting for us. He wants us back as soon as possible.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Come and look round the Water Curtain Cave,” was Monkey’s reply.\n\n“It’s very good of you to offer,” said Pig, “but I mustn’t keep the master waiting, so I’m afraid I can’t visit the cave.”\n\n“Then I won’t waste your time,” said Monkey. “Goodbye.”\n\n“Aren’t you coming?” Pig asked.\n\n“Where to?” Monkey replied. “There’s nobody to interfere with me here and I’m free to do just as I like. Why should I stop having fun and be a monk? I’m not going. You can go and tell the Tang Priest that as he’s driven me away he can just I forget about me.” The idiot did not dare press Monkey harder in case he lost his temper and hit him a couple of blows with his cudgel. All he could do was mumble a farewell and be on his way.\n\nAs Monkey watched him go he detailed two stealthy young monkeys to follow him and listen to anything he said. The idiot had gone hardly a mile down the mountainside when he turned round, pointed towards Monkey, and started to abuse him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That ape,” he said, “he’d rather be a monster than a monk. The baboon. I asked him in all good faith and he turned me down. Well, if you won’t come, that’s that.” Every few paces he cursed him some more. The two young monkeys rushed back to report, “Your Majesty, that Pig is a disgrace. He’s walking along cursing you.”\n\n“Arrest him,” shouted Monkey in a fury. The monkey hordes went after Pig, caught him, turned him upside-down, grabbed his bristles, pulled his ears, tugged his tail, twisted his hair, and thus brought him back.\n\nIf you don’t know how he was dealt with or whether he survived, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty-One\n\nPig Moves the Monkey King Through\n\nHis Goodness Sun the Novice Subdues the Ogre Through Cunning\n\nThey swore to become brothers,\n\nAnd the dharma brought them back to their true nature.\n\nWhen metal and Wood were tamed, the True Result could be achieved;\n\nThe Mind-Ape and the Mother of Wood combined to make the elixir."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Together they would climb to the World of Bliss,\n\nAnd share the same branch of the faith.\n\nThe scriptures are the way of self-cultivation,\n\nTo which the Buddha has given his own divinity.\n\nThe brothers made up a triple alliance,\n\nWith devilish powers to cope with the Five Elements.\n\nSweeping aside the six forms of existence,\n\nThey head for the Thunder Monastery.\n\nAs he was being dragged and carried back by the crowd of monkeys, Pig’s tunic was shreds. “I’m done for,” he grumbled to himself, “done for. He’ll kill me now.”\n\nBefore long he was back at the mount of the cave, where Monkey, sitting on top of a rock-face, said to him angrily, “You chaff-guzzling idiot. I let you go, so why swear at me?”\n\n“I never did, elder brother,” said Pig on his knees, “May I bite off my tongue if ever I did. All I said was that as you weren’t coming I’d have to go and tell the master. I’d never have dared to swear at you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You can’t fool me,” Monkey replied. “If I prick my left ear up I can hear what they’re saying in the Thirty-third Heaven, and if I point my right ear down I can know what the Ten Kings of Hell and their judges are discussing. Of course I could hear you swearing at me as you walked along.”\n\n“Now I see,” said Pig. “With that devilish head of yours you must have changed yourself into something or other to listen to what I said.”\n\n“Little ones,” shouted Monkey, “bring some heavy rods. Give him twelve on the face, then twelve on the back. After that I’ll finish him off with my iron cudgel.”\n\n“Elder brother,” pleaded Pig, kowtowing desperately, “I beg you to spare me for our master’s sake.”\n\n“That good and kind master? Never!” said Monkey.\n\n“If he won’t do,” begged Pig, “then spare me for the Bodhisattva’s sake.” The mention of the Bodhisattva made Monkey relent slightly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Now you’ve said that I won’t have you flogged,” he replied. “But you must tell me straight and without lying where the Tang Priest is in trouble—which is presumably why he sent you to try and trick me.”\n\n“He isn’t in trouble,” Pig protested, “he’s honestly missing you.”\n\n“You really deserve a beating,” said Monkey, “for still trying to hood-wink me, you moron. Although I’ve been back in the Water Curtain Cave, I’ve stayed with the pilgrim in my mind. The master must have been in trouble at every step he has taken. Tell me about it at once if you don’t want that flogging.”\n\nPig kowtowed again and said, “Yes, I did try to trick you into coming back. I didn’t realize that you would see through it so easily. Please spare me a flogging and let me go, then I’ll tell you.”\n\n“Very well then,” replied Monkey, “get up and tell me.” The junior monkeys untied his hands. He leapt to his feet and began looking around wildly. “What are you looking at?” asked Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m looking at that wide empty path for me to run away along,” said Pig.\n\n“That wouldn’t get you anywhere,” Monkey said. “Even if I gave you three days’ start I’d still be able to catch you up. Start talking. If you make me lose my temper, that’ll be the end of you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll tell you the truth,” said Pig. “After you came back here Friar Sand and I escorted the master. When we saw a dark pine forest the master dismounted and told me to beg for some food., When I’d gone a very long way without finding anyone I was so tired that I took a snooze in the grass; I didn’t realize that the master would send Friar Sand after me. You know how impatient the master is; be went off for a stroll by himself, and when he came out of the wood he saw a gleaming golden pagoda. He took it for a monastery, but an evil spirit called the Yellow-robed Monster who lived there captured him. When I and Friar Sand came back to find him, all we saw was the white horse and the baggage. The master had gone. We searched for him as far as the entrance to the cave and fought the monster. Luckily the master found someone to save him in the cave. She was the third daughter of the king of Elephantia and she’d been carried off by the monster. She gave the master a letter to deliver to her family and persuaded"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a letter to deliver to her family and persuaded the ogre to let him go. When we reached the capital and delivered the letter the king asked our master to subdue the monster and bring the princess home. I ask you, brother, could the master catch a monster? We two went off to fight him, but his powers were too much for us: he captured Friar Sand and made me run away. I hid in the undergrowth. The monster turned himself into a handsome scholar and went to court, where he introduced himself to the king and turned the master into a tiger. The white horse changed himself back into a dragon in the middle of the night and went to look for the master. He didn’t find him, but he did see the monster drinking in the Hall of Silvery Peace, so he turned himself into a Palace Beauty. He poured wine and did a sword dance for the ogre in the hope of finding a chance to cut him down, but the ogre wounded his hind leg with a lantern, it was the white horse who sent me here to fetch you. ‘Our eldest brother is a good and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to fetch you. ‘Our eldest brother is a good and honorable gentleman,’ he said, ‘and gentlemen don’t bear grudges. He’s sure to come and rescue the master.’ Please, please remember that ‘if a man has been your teacher for a day, you should treat him as your father for the rest of his life’. I beg you to save him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Idiot,” said Monkey, “I told you over and over again before leaving that if any evil monsters captured the master you were to tell them I am his senior disciple. Why didn’t you mention me?” Pig reflected that to a warrior a challenge was more effective than an invitation and said, “It would have been fine if we hadn’t used your name. It was only when I mentioned you that he went wild.”\n\n“What did you say?” asked Monkey.\n\n“I said, ‘Behave yourself, kind monster, and don’t harm our master. I have an elder brother called Brother Monkey who is an expert demon-subduer with tremendous magic powers. If he comes he’ll kill you, and you won’t even get a funeral.’ This made the ogre angrier than ever, and he said, ‘I’m not scared of Monkey. If he comes here I’ll skin him, tear his sinews out, gnaw his bones, and eat his heart. Although monkeys are on the skinny side, I can mince his flesh up and deep-fry it.’” This so enraged Monkey that he leapt around in a fury, tugging at his ear and scratching his cheek."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Did he have the gall to say that about me?” he asked.\n\n“Calm down, brother,” said Pig. “I specially remembered all his insults so as to tell you.”\n\n“Up you get,” said Monkey, “I didn’t have to go before, but now he’s insulted me I must capture him. Let’s be off. When I wrecked the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago all the generals of Heaven bowed low at the sight of me and called me ‘Great Sage’. How dare that fiend have the nerve to insult me behind my back! I’m going to catch him and tear his corpse to shreds to make him pay for it. When I’ve done that I’ll come back here.”\n\n“Quite right,” said Pig. “When you’ve captured the monster and got your own back on him, it’ll be up to you whether you come on with us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage jumped down from the cliff, rushed into the cave, and took off all his devil clothes. He put on an embroidered tunic, tied on his tigerskin kilt, seized his iron cudgel, and came out again. His panic-stricken monkey subjects tried to stop him, saying, “Where are you going, Your Majesty, Great Sage? Wouldn’t it be fun to rule us for a few more years?”\n\n“What are you saying, little ones?” replied Monkey. “I have to protect the Tang Priest. Everyone in Heaven and Earth knows that I am the Tang Priest’s disciple. He didn’t really drive me away. He just wanted me to take a trip home and have a little relaxation. Now I’ve got to attend to this. You must all take good care of our household. Plant willow and pine cuttings at the right season, and don’t let things go to pieces. I must escort the Tang Priest while he fetches the scriptures and returns to the East. When my mission is over I’ll come back to this happy life with you here.” The monkeys all accepted his orders."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taking Pig’s hand, Monkey mounted a cloud and left the cave. When they had crossed the Eastern Sea he stooped at the Western shore and said, “You carry on at your own speed while I take a bath in the sea.”\n\n“We’re in a terrible hurry,” said Pig. “You can’t take a bath now?”\n\n“You wouldn’t understand,” Monkey replied. “While I was at home I developed rather a devil-stink, and I’m afraid that with his passion for cleanliness the master would object.” Only then did Pig realize that Monkey really was being sincere and single-minded.\n\nAfter Monkey’s dip they were back on their clouds and heading West again. When they saw the gleam of the golden pagoda Pig pointed at it and said, “That’s where the Yellow-robed Monster lives. Friar Sand is still there.”\n\n“You wait for me up here,” said Monkey, “while I take a look around the entrance before fighting the evil spirit.”\n\n“No need,” said Pig, “as he’s not at home.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No need,” said Pig, “as he’s not at home.”\n\n“I know,” said Monkey. The splendid Monkey King landed his gleaming cloud and looked around outside the entrance. All he could see was two children, one of about ten and the other of eight or nine, hitting a feather-stuffed ball with curved sticks. Without bothering to find-out whose children they were, Monkey rushed up at them as they played, grabbed them by the tufts of hair that grew on the top of their heads, and flew off with them. The sobs and curses of the terrified boys alarmed the junior devils of the Moon Waters Cave, who rushed in to tell the princess that someone, they did not know who, had carried her sons off. These boys, you see, were the children of the princess and the ogre.\n\nThe princess ran out of the cave to see Monkey holding her sons on the top of a cliff and about to hurl them over."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Hey, you, I’ve never done you any harm,” she screamed desperately, “so why are you kidnapping my sons? Their father won’t let you get away with it if anything happens to them, and he’s a killer.”\n\n“Don’t you know who I am?” said Monkey. “I’m Monkey, the senior disciple of the Tang Priest. If you release my brother Friar Sand from your cave, I’ll give you your sons back. You’ll be getting a good bargain—two for one.” The princess hurried back into the cave, told the junior demons who were on the door to get out of her way, and untied Friar Sand with her own hands.\n\n“Don’t let me go, lady,” said Friar Sand, “or I’ll be letting you in for trouble with that monster when he comes back and asks about me.”\n\n“Venerable sir,” the princess replied, “what you said about the letter saved my life, so I was going to let you go anyhow, and now your elder brother Monkey has come here and told me to release you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the word “Monkey” Friar Sand felt as though the oil of enlightenment had been poured on his head and the sweet dew had enriched his heart. His face was all happiness and his chest filled with spring. He looked more like someone who had found a piece of gold or jade than someone who had just been told that a friend had arrived. He brushed his clothes down with his hands, went out, bowed to Monkey and said, “Brother, you’ve dropped right out of the blue. I beg you to save my life!”\n\n“Did you say one word to help me, Brother Sand, when the master said the Band-tightening Spell?” asked Monkey with a grin. “Talk, talk, talk. If you want to rescue your master you should be heading West instead of squatting here.”\n\n“Please don’t bring that up,” said Friar Sand. “A gentleman doesn’t bear a grudge. We’ve been beaten, and we’ve lost the right to talk about courage. Please rescue me.”\n\n“Come up here,” Monkey replied, and Friar Sand sprang up on the cliff with a bound."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig saw from up in the air that Friar Sand had come out of the cave, he brought his cloud down and said, “Forgive me, forgive me, Brother Sand.”\n\n“Where have you come from?” asked Friar Sand on seeing him.\n\n“After I was beaten yesterday,” said Pig, “I went back to the capital last night and met the white horse, who told me that the master was in trouble. The monster has magicked him into a tiger. The horse and I talked it over and we decided to ask our eldest brother back.”\n\n“Stop chattering, idiot,” said Monkey. “Each of you take one of these children to the city. Use them to provoke the monster into coming back here to fight me.”\n\n“How are we to do that?” asked Friar Sand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How are we to do that?” asked Friar Sand.\n\n“You two ride your clouds, stop above the palace,” said Monkey, “harden your hearts, and drop the children on the palace steps. When you’re asked, say they’re the sons of the Yellow-robed Monster, and that you two brought them there. The ogre is bound to come back when he hears that, which will save me the trouble of going into town to fight him. If we fought in the city, the fogs and dust storms we stirred up would alarm the court, the officials and the common people.”\n\n“Whatever you do, brother,” said Pig with a laugh, “you try to trick us.”\n\n“How am I tricking you?” asked Monkey.\n\n“These two kids have already been scared out of their wits,” Pig replied. “They’ve cried themselves hoarse, and they’re going to be killed at any moment. Do you think the monster will let us get away after we’ve smashed them to mince? He’ll want our necks. You’re still crooked, aren’t you? He won’t even see you, so it’s obvious you’re tricking us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If he goes for you,” said Monkey, “fight your way back here, where there’s plenty of room for me to have it out with him.”\n\n“That’s right,” said Friar Sand, “what our eldest brother says is quite right. Let’s go.” The pair of them were an awe-inspiring sight as they went off, carrying the two boys.\n\nMonkey then jumped down from the cliff to the ground in front of the pagoda’s gates, where the princess said to him, “You faithless monk. You said you’d give me back my children if I released your brother. Now I’ve let him go, but you still have the boys. What have you come back for?”\n\n“Don’t be angry, princess,” said Monkey, forcing a smile. “As you’ve been here so long, we’ve taken your sons to meet their grandfather.”\n\n“Don’t try any nonsense, monk,” said the princess. “My husband Yellow Robe is no ordinary man. If you’ve frightened those children, you’d better clam them down.”\n\n“Princess,” said Monkey with a smile, “do you know what the worst crime on earth you can commit is?”\n\n“Yes,” she replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” she replied.\n\n“You’re a mere woman, so you don’t understand anything,” said Monkey.\n\n“I was educated by my parents in the palace ever since I was a child,” she said, “and I remember what the ancient book said: ‘There are three thousand crimes, and the greatest is unfilial behavior.’”\n\n“But you’re unfilial,” replied Monkey. ‘“My father begot me, my mother raised me. Alas for my parents. What an effort it was to bring me up.’ Filial piety is the basis of all conduct and the root of all goodness, so why did you marry an evil spirit and forget your parents? Surely this is the crime of unfilial behavior.” At this the princess’ face went red as she was overcome with shame."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you say, sir, is so right,” she said. “Of course I haven’t forgotten my parents. But the monster forced me to come here, and he is so strict that I can hardly move a step. Besides, it’s a long journey and nobody could deliver a message. I was going to kill myself until I thought that my parents would never discover that I hadn’t run away deliberately. So I had nothing for it but to drag out my wretched life. I must be the wickedest person on earth.” As she spoke the tears gushed out like the waters of a spring.\n\n“Don’t take on so, princess,” said Monkey. “Pig has told me how you saved my master’s life and wrote a letter, which showed you hadn’t forgotten your parents. I promise that I’ll catch the monster, take you back to see your father, and find you a good husband. Then you can look after your parents for the rest of their lives. What do you say to that?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please don’t get yourself killed, monk,” she said. “Your two fine brothers couldn’t beat Yellow Robe, so how can you talk about such a thing, you skinny little wretch, all gristle and no bone? You’re like a crab, the way your bones all stick out. You don’t have any magic powers, so don’t talk about capturing ogres.”\n\n“What a poor judge of people you are,” laughed Monkey. “As the saying goes, ‘A bubble of piss is big but light, and a steelyard weight can counterbalance a ton.’ Those two are big but useless. Their bulk slows them down in the wind as they walk, they cost the earth to clothe, they are hollow inside, like fire in a stove, they are weak and they give no return for all that they eat. I may be small, but I’m very good value.”\n\n“Have you really got magic powers?” the princess asked.\n\n“You’ve never seen such magic as I have,” he replied. “I have no rival when it comes to subduing monsters and demons.”\n\n“Are you sure you won’t let me down?” said the princess.\n\n“Yes,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” said Monkey.\n\n“As you’re so good at putting down demons, how are you going to catch this one?”\n\n“Hide yourself away and keep out of my sight,” said Monkey. “Otherwise I may not be able to deal with him properly when he comes back. I’m afraid you may feel more friendly towards him and want to keep him.”\n\n“Of course I won’t want to keep him,” she protested. “I’ve only stayed here under duress.”\n\n“You’ve been his wife for thirteen years,” said Monkey, “so you must have some affection for him. When I meet him it won’t be for a child’s game. I shall have to kill him with my cudgel and my fists before you can be taken back to court.”\n\nThe princess did as she had been told and went off to hide in a quiet place. As her marriage was fated to end she had met the Great Sage. Now that the princess was out of the way the Monkey King turned himself with a shake of his body into the very image of the princess and went back into the cave to wait for the ogre."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig and Friar Sand took the children to the city of Elephantia and hurled them down on the palace steps, where the wretched boys were smashed to mincemeat; their blood splashed out and their bones were pulverized. The panic-stricken courtiers announced that a terrible thing had happened—two people had been thrown down from the sky. “The children are the sons of the Yellow-robed Monster,” shouted Pig at the top of his voice, “and they were brought here by Pig and Friar Sand.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monster, who was still asleep in the Hall of Silvery Peace, heard someone calling his name as he was dreaming, turned over, and looked up to see Pig and Friar Sand shouting from the clouds. “I’m not bothered about Pig,” he thought, “but Friar Sand was tied up at home. However did he escape? Could my wife have let him go? How did he get to catch my sons? Perhaps this is a trick Pig is using to catch me because I won’t come out and fight with him. If I’m taken in by this I’ll have to fight him, and I’m still the worse for wear after all that wine. One blow from his rake would finish off my prestige. I can see through that plan. I’ll go home and see whether they are my sons before arguing with them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Without taking leave of the king, the monster went back across the forested mountains to his cave to find out what had happened. By now the palace knew he was an evil spirit. The seventeen other women who had fled for their lives when he ate the Palace Beauty had told the king all about it early the next morning, and his unannounced departure made it even clearer that he was an ogre. The king told the officials to look after the false tiger.\n\nWhen Monkey saw the monster coming back to the cave he thought of a way to trick him. He blinked till the tears came down like rain, started to wail for the children, and jumped and beat his breast as if in grief, filling the cave with the sound of his sobbing. The monster failed to recognize who Monkey really was and put his arms round him. “What makes you so miserable, wife?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Husband,” said Monkey, weeping as he concocted his devilish lies, “How true it is that ‘A man without a wife has no one to look after his property; a woman who loses her husband is bound to fall’. Why didn’t you come back yesterday after going to the city to meet your father-in-law? Pig came and seized Friar Sand this morning, and then they grabbed our sons and refused to spare them despite all my pleas. They said they were taking them to the palace to meet their grandfather, but I haven’t seen them all day. I don’t know what’s become of them, and you were away. I’ve been so miserable at losing them that I can’t stop crying.” The monster was furious.\n\n“My sons?” he asked.\n\n“Yes,” Monkey replied, “Pig carried them off.”\n\nThe monster, now jumping with rage, said, “Right, that’s it. He’s killed my sons. He’ll die for this. I’ll make that monk pay for it with his life. Don’t cry, wife. How are you feeling now? Let me make you better.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s nothing wrong with me,” said Monkey, “except that I’ve cried so much my heart aches.”\n\n“Never mind,” the monster replied. “Come over here. I’ve got a treasure here that you just have to rub on your pain to stop it hurting. But be very careful with it and don’t flick it with your thumb, because if you do you’ll be able to see my real body.”\n\nMonkey was secretly delighted. “What a well-behaved fiend,” he thought, “giving that away without even being tortured. When he gives me the treasure I’ll flick it to see what kind of monster he really is.” The ogre then led him to a remote and secluded part of the cave and spat out a treasure about the size of a hen’s egg. It was magic pill skillfully fashioned from a piece of a conglomeration of internal secretion. “What a splendid thing,” Monkey thought. “Goodness knows how many times it had to be worked, refined and mated before becoming such a magic relic. Today it was fated to meet me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ape took it, rubbed it over his pretended pain, and was just going to flick it with his thumb when the monster took fright and tried to grab it from him. The crafty Monkey popped it into his mouth and swallowed it. The monster clenched his fist and hit at him, but Monkey parried the blow, rubbed his face, and reverted to his real form with a shout of, “Behave yourself, ogre. Take a look and see who I am.”\n\n“Wife,” said the shocked monster, “however did you get that terrible face?”\n\n“I’ll get you, you damned fiend,” said Monkey. “I’m not your wife. Can’t you even recognize your own grandfather?” The monster, now beginning to see the light, said, “You do look a bit familiar.”\n\n“Take another look,” said Monkey, “I won’t hit you.”\n\n“I know you by sight,” the monster said, “but I can’t remember your name. Who are you? Where are you from? Where have you hidden my wife? Why did you swindle me out of my treasure? This is a disgusting way to behave.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As you don’t know who I am,” said Monkey, “let me tell you that I am Sun Wukong, Brother Monkey, the Tang Priest’s senior disciple. I’m your ancestor by a clear five hundred years.”\n\n“Nonsense,” the ogre replied, “nonsense. I know that the Tang Priest only had two disciples when I captured him. They were called Pig and Friar Sand. Nobody mentioned anyone by the name of Monkey. You must be a fiend from somewhere or other who has come to trick me.”\n\n“I didn’t come here with the other two,” said Monkey, “because my master is a kind and merciful man who sent me back home for killing too many evil spirits. You ought to know your ancestor’s name.”\n\n“What sort of man are you?” asked the monster, “how can you have the face to come back after your master has sent you away?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t understand, you damned monster,” said Monkey, “that when a man has been your teacher for a single day, you should treat him as your father for the rest of his life, and that father and son should never let the sun set on a quarrel. You’ve harmed my master, so of course I’ve come to rescue him. Even if I could ignore that, it’s quite outrageous that you insulted me behind my back.”\n\n“I never insulted you,” said the monster.\n\n“Pig told me you did,” replied Monkey.\n\n“You shouldn’t believe that sharp-tongued old gossip,” said the monster.\n\n“Let’s stop beating about the bush,” said Monkey. “You’ve treated me very shabbily for a guest from far away. You may not have any wine or fine delicacies to feed me but you do have a head, so stretch it out and let me hit it with my cudgel—that’ll do instead of tea.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The mention of hitting made the monster bellow with laughter. “You’ve got it all wrong this time, Monkey,” he said. “You shouldn’t have come in if you wanted to fight me. I have a thousand devils of all sizes in here. Even if you were covered with arms you’d never be able to fight your way out.”\n\n“Nonsense,” replied Monkey. “Never mind one thousand—if you had thousands or tens of thousands of them I’d only need to see them clearly for my every blow to strike home. I’ll wipe the lot of you out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monster at once ordered all the fiends and ogres in and around the cave to muster with their weapons and put a close blockade on all the doors. Monkey was delighted to see them, and wielding his cudgel with both hands he shouted “Change!” and suddenly had six arms and three heads. Then he shook his gold-banded cudgel and turned it into three gold-banded cudgels. He went into action with his six arms and three cudgels. He was a tiger in a sheepfold, a hawk in a chicken run. The poor little demons had their heads smashed to pulp, while their blood flowed like water. He rushed to and fro as if there was nobody else there until only the old ogre was left.\n\nHe followed Monkey outside and said “Insolent ape. How dare you come here and bully us?”\n\nMonkey turned, beckoned to him and said, “Come here, come here. Let me win the credit for killing you.”\n\nThe monster struck at the head with his sword, and Monkey riposted to the face with his cudgel. They fought it out amid the mists on the mountain top."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mighty was the magic of the Great Sage,\n\nAwful the monster’s power.\n\nOne of them wielded an iron cudgel;\n\nThe other, a sword of tempered steel.\n\nWhen the sword was raised it shone with a bright aura;\n\nThe parrying cudgel was wreathed in cloud.\n\nThey leapt to and fro protecting their heads,\n\nTurning and somersaulting over and over.\n\nOne of them changed his face with every breeze,\n\nThe other stood still and shook his body.\n\nOne glared with fiery eyes as he stretched out his simian arm,\n\nThe other’s golden pupils flashed as he twisted his tigerish waist.\n\nThey were locked in mortal combat\n\nAs sword and cudgel struck without mercy.\n\nThe Monkey King wielded his iron club according to the martial classic,\n\nAnd the monster’s swordplay followed the ancient manuals.\n\nOne was a demon king experienced in the black arts,\n\nThe other used magical powers to protect the Tang Priest.\n\nThe ferocious Monkey King became fiercer than ever,\n\nThe heroic monster grew an even greater hero.\n\nThey fought in space, ignoring death,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They fought in space, ignoring death,\n\nAll because the Tang Priest went to see the Buddha.\n\nThey had fought fifty or sixty rounds without issue when Monkey thought, “That bloody monster’s sword is as good as my cudgel. I’ll pretend to give him an opening and see if he can tell it’s a trick.” The Monkey King raised his cudgel and did a “Reaching Up to a Tall Horse” movement. The monster, not realizing that this was a trick, and imagining that he saw a real opening, took a tremendous swipe at Monkey with his sword. Monkey at once did a high swing to avoid the blow, then struck at the monster’s head with a “Stealing a Peach from under the Leaves” movement and knocked him so hard he vanished without a trace. Monkey put his cudgel away and looked for him but without success."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wow,” exclaimed Monkey in astonishment, “I didn’t just hit him—I knocked him out of existence. But if I really killed him there ought at least to be some blood and pus, and there’s no sign of any. Perhaps he got away.” He leapt up on a cloud to look around, but nothing was moving. “My eyes can see anything at a glance,” he thought, “so how can he have got away so mysteriously? Now I see. He said he seemed to recognize me, so he can’t be an ordinary monster. He must be some spirit from Heaven.”\n\nThis was too much for Monkey, who lost his temper and somersaulted up to the Southern Gate of Heaven with his cudgel in his hands. The startled Heavenly Generals Pang, Liu, Gou, Bi, Zhang, Tao, Deng, and Xin bowed low on either side of the gateway, not daring to block his way. They let him fight his way through the gates and straight on to the Hall of Universal Brightness, where the four great Heavenly Teachers Zhang, Ge, Xu and Qiu asked, “What have you come for, Great Sage?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As I was escorting the Tang Priest to Elephantia an evil monster abducted a princess and harmed the master. I had to fight him, and in the middle of our battle he disappeared. I thought that he couldn’t be an ordinary monster and was probably a spirit from Heaven, so I’ve come to check up if any wicked deities have left their posts.” On hearing this the Heavenly Teachers went and reported it to the Jade Emperor in the Hall of Miraculous Mist. He ordered an investigation. They found that nobody was missing among the Nine Bright Shiners, the Gods of the Twelve Branches, the five Dippers of North, South, East, West and Centre, the hosts of the Milky Way, the Five Peaks, the Four Rivers, and all the other gods of Heaven. Then they investigated outside the Palace of the Dipper and the Bull, and found that one of the Twenty-eight Constellations, the Strider, was missing.\n\n“Strider, the Wooden Wolf, has gone down to Earth,” they reported to the throne."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How long has he been away from Heaven?” the Jade Emperor asked.\n\n“He has missed four roll-calls,” they replied, “and with one roll-call every three days that makes thirteen days.”\n\n“Thirteen days in Heaven would be thirteen years down on Earth,” said the Emperor, and he ordered the Strider’s fellow stars to go down and bring him back to Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On receiving this edict the twenty-seven other constellations went out through the gates of Heaven and startled the Strider as each chanted his own spell. Do you know where he had been hiding? He had been one of the heavenly generals who was beaten when Monkey had sacked the Heavenly Palace, and he had lain low in a mountain stream that masked his demonic cloud and kept him out of sight. Only when he heard the other constellations shouting their spells did he dare to emerge from the water and go back to Heaven with them. The Great Sage was blocking the gates of Heaven and would have killed him but for the pleas of the other constellations, who saved him and escorted him to see the Jade Emperor. The monster now produced his golden tablet of office from his belt and kowtowed on the floor of the palace, admitting his guilt.\n\n“Strider the Wooden Wolf,” said the Jade Emperor, “why did you go off by yourself instead of being content with the infinite beauty of Heaven?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I deserve to die, Your Majesty,” the Strider replied. “That daughter of the king of Elephantia was no ordinary mortal. She was a Jade Maiden in the Hall of Incense who wanted to have an affair with me. As we did not want to defile the Heavenly Palace she decided to become a mortal first and was reborn in a king’s palace. Then I became an evil monster and occupied a mountain in order not to let her down. I carried her off to my cave, and we were man and wife for thirteen years. ‘Every bite and every sip is preordained,’ as the saying goes, and now the Great Sage has succeeded in bringing me here.” The Jade Emperor withdrew his tablet of office and degraded him to be a menial helping Lord Lao Zi stoke his fires in the Tushita Palace. If he did well he would be restored to his previous post; if not, his sentence would be made heavier. Monkey was delighted to see how the Jade Emperor dealt with him, and chanting a “na-a-aw” of respect he said to the assembled gods, “Gentlemen, I’m off.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That monkey is as ill-mannered as ever,” chuckled the Heavenly Teachers, “just chanting a ‘na-a-aw’ and going without thanking Your Majesty for your celestial kindness in catching the monster for him.”\n\n“We can consider ourselves fortunate,” said the Jade Emperor, “if he leaves without disturbing the peace of Heaven.”\n\nThe Great Sage brought his shining cloud straight down to the Moon Waters Cave on Bowl Mountain, found the princess, and told her off for becoming a mortal and marrying a fiend. As he was doing this he heard Pig and Friar Sand shouting in mid-air, “Leave us a few demons to polish off, brother.”\n\n“I’ve already wiped them out,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Doesn’t matter,” said Friar Sand. “Let’s take the princess back to the palace. Don’t stare at her, Pig. We’d better do some distance-shortening magic.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The princess heard a rush of wind in her ears, and in a moment she was back in the city. The three disciples took her to the throne hall, where she bowed to her royal parents and met her sisters again. All the officials came to bow to greet her. Then she reported, “We are indebted to the infinite powers of the venerable Monkey for the defeat of the Yellow-robed Monster and my rescue.”\n\n“What type of monster was he?” the king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What type of monster was he?” the king asked.\n\n“Your Majesty’s son-in-law,” Monkey replied, “is the Strider constellation from Heaven, and your daughter was a Jade Maiden who held the incense until she decided to become a mortal and came down to this world. This marriage was predestined. When I went up to the Heavenly Palace and submitted a memorial to him, the Jade Emperor found that the monster had missed four roll-calls and had been away from Heaven for thirteen days, which is thirteen years down here on earth. The Emperor sent his fellow stars down to fetch him, then banished him to the Tushita Heaven, where he is to redeem his sins. That’s how I rescued your daughter and brought her here.” The king thanked Monkey and told him to go and see his master."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three disciples left the throne hall and went with all the courtiers to the antechamber, where the iron cage was carried in and the false tiger unchained. Monkey was the only one who could see that he was human; all the others thought he was really a tiger. As Sanzang was under the demon’s spell he could not move, and although he was clear in his mind, he was unable to open his mouth or his eyes.\n\n“What a fine monk you are, master,” said Monkey, “getting yourself into this revolting shape. You accused me of being a murderer and sent me home for it, but you wouldn’t be such an awful sight if your heart had been set on goodness.”\n\n“Save him, brother, don’t tell him off,” said Pig.\n\n“It was you who put him up to it all,” said Monkey. “You were his favorite disciple. Why didn’t you save him instead of sending for me? Besides, I told you that I’d go back when I’d defeated the monster and avenged that insult.” Friar Sand went over and knelt down before him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As the old saying goes,” he pleaded, “‘If you won’t do it for the monk’s sake, do it for the Buddha’s sake.’ I beg you to save him now that you’re here. I wouldn’t have gone all that way to ask you to come if we’d been able to save him ourselves.”\n\n“I couldn’t bear not to save him,” replied Monkey, raising Friar Sand to his feet. “Bring me some water.” Pig flew back to the hostel, fetched the horse and luggage, took the golden begging bowl from it, half-filled it with water, and handed it to Monkey. Monkey took the water in his hand, said the words of a spell, and spurted it at the tiger’s head. The evil magic was dissolved, and the tiger-aura was dispersed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang was seen in his true form once more. Once he had gathered himself together and opened his eyes he saw Monkey, took hold of him, and said, “Monkey, where have you come from?” Friar Sand, who was standing in attendance, told him all about how Monkey had been asked back, defeated the monster, rescued the princess, dispersed the tiger-aura, and come back to the palace. “Worthy disciple,” said Sanzang, full of gratitude, “thank you, thank you. When we return to the East from our journey to the West I shall report to the Tang Emperor that you have won the greatest distinction.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t mention it,” said a smiling Monkey, “don’t mention it. The best way you can show your gratitude is by not saying that spell.” When the king heard about all this he thanked the four of them and gave a great vegetarian banquet for them in the Eastern wing. After this expression of the king’s kindness master and disciples took their leave of him and set out for the West. The king and his courtiers came a long way to see them off, after which\n\nThe monarch returned to the palace to rule his country,\n\nThe monk went on to Thunder Monastery to see the Buddha.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened next or when they reached the Western Heaven, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty-Two\n\nOn Flat-Top Mountain the Duty God Delivers aMessage\n\nIn Lotus Flower Cave Pig Runs into Trouble"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In Lotus Flower Cave Pig Runs into Trouble\n\nThe story tells how after Monkey had rejoined the Tang Priest the four of them headed West, united in their shared determination. The king of Elephantia had escorted them beyond his capital to thank them for bringing back his daughter. From there they traveled on, eating when hungry and drinking when thirsty, moving by day and resting at night. By now it was spring.\n\nA light breeze ruffled the silky green catkins of willows,\n\nAnd the view was splendid.\n\nThe season encouraged the birds to sing;\n\nThe flowers bloomed in the warm sun,\n\nMaking the whole world fragrant.\n\nA pair of swallows came to the tree in the courtyard;\n\nNow was the time to enjoy the spring.\n\nAmid the world’s red dust and the city’s streets,\n\nLight silks were worn to the sound of lute and pipe,\n\nAs flower vied and the cup was passed around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As flower vied and the cup was passed around.\n\nMaster and disciples were enjoying their journey when they saw a mountain blocking their way. “Be careful, disciples,” said the Tang Priest. “I’m worried that tigers and wolves may prevent us from crossing that high mountain ahead.”\n\n“As a man of religion,” said Monkey, “you shouldn’t say that sort of thing. Don’t you remember what the Heart Sutra the Rook’s Nest Hermit taught you says—‘If one relies on the prajna-paramita, he is free in his mind, he has no fear, is rid of dreamlike thoughts of unreality and enjoys ultimate Nirvana.’ All you have to do is\n\n‘Wipe the dust off your mind,\n\nWash out the dirt from your ear.\n\nWithout the most terrible suffering\n\nYou cannot be a great man.’\n\nThere’s no need to be so glum. With me here you’ll come to no harm even if the sky falls down, so why be scared of wolves and tigers?” The Tang Priest reined in his horse and replied:\n\n“When I left Chang’an on imperial orders,\n\nI was determined to worship the Buddha in the West,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Where his golden image shines in the sacred land,\n\nAnd the jade hair gleams in the pagoda.”\n\n“I shall search the nameless rivers of the world,\n\nAnd climb all unknown mountain ranges.\n\nI long to cross the mighty, misty waves;\n\nBut when, O when, will I find my rest?”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he chuckled and said, “You’ll have no difficulty in that. When you’ve completed your mission all your destinies will be over and all your dharmas will be empty, so of course you’ll be able to rest then.” This cheered up Sanzang, who gave his dragon-horse the rein and urged it forward. As they climbed the mountain they found it truly craggy and precipitous.\n\nTowering peaks,\n\nTapering pinnacles.\n\nDown in the deep and winding stream,\n\nBeside the solitary cliff.\n\nDown in the deep and winding stream,\n\nYou can hear the serpents playing and splashing in the water;\n\nBeside the solitary cliff,\n\nAmid the trees on the precipice, tigers whisk their tails.\n\nLook up,\n\nAnd the blue sky is high above the peaks;\n\nTurn round,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Turn round,\n\nAnd the heavens join the deeps in the valley.\n\nClimbing it\n\nIs like ascending a ladder;\n\nDescending\n\nIs like going into a pit.\n\nThis is indeed a weird and craggy ridge,\n\nA wall of tapering cliffs.\n\nOn the craggy ridge,\n\nThe medicine-gatherer moves in fear;\n\nOn the sheer rock-face\n\nThe firewood-collector cannot take a step.\n\nWild goats and horses all run free\n\nAnd many are the hares and mountain oxen.\n\nThe mountain is so high it blots out sun and stars;\n\nOne often meets evil monsters and gray wolves.\n\nThe path is hard to follow and difficult for the horse:\n\nHow will they ever see the Buddha at the Thunder Monastery?\n\nAs Sanzang reined in his horse to look at the mountain he saw that they had reached a most difficult spot. There was a wood-gatherer standing on the green, grassy slope, and this was what he looked like:\n\nOn his head a battered blue felt hat,\n\nOn his body a black woolen tunic.\n\nThe battered felt hat\n\nThat kept off sun and cloud was a strange sight;\n\nIn his black woolen tunic"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his black woolen tunic\n\nHe was amazingly happy and carefree.\n\nThe steel axe in his hand had been sharpened till it shone;\n\nHe cut dry wood and made it into bundles.\n\nSpring hung from his carrying-pole,\n\nAnd he was happy throughout the four seasons.\n\nHis appearance was relaxed,\n\nAnd his mind free from anxiety.\n\nHe had accepted his lot throughout his life;\n\nFame and disgrace never bothered him on this mountain.\n\nThe wood-gatherer\n\nWas cutting down dead wood upon the slope\n\nWhen he saw the monk approaching from the East.\n\nGiving his axe a rest, he came out of the tress,\n\nAnd, climbing fast, soon scaled the rock-face.\n\n“Stop here for a moment on your journey West,” he shouted. “I must warn you that there is a pack of vicious ogres and fierce wolves on this mountain. They eat travelers from the East who are heading West.”\n\nThe news terrified Sanzang out of his wits. Trembling in the saddle, he turned round sharply and called for his disciples."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Did you hear what the woodman said?” he asked. “There are ogres and wolves on this mountain. Do any of you dare ask him for more details?”\n\n“Don’t worry, Master,” said Monkey, “I’ll find out from him.”\n\nBrother Monkey hurried up the mountain, and addressing the woodman as “Elder Brother” he asked all about it. “Why have you come here, venerable sir?” asked the woodman, returning his greeting.\n\n“To tell you the truth, elder brother,” said Monkey, “We have come from the East and are heading West to fetch the scriptures. That’s my master on the horse. He’s a bit timid, so when you told him about the ogres and wolves he sent me to ask you about them. How long have they been here? Are they experts or just beginners? Please tell me about them. Then I can make the gods of the mountain and the local deities march them off.”\n\nAt this the woodman threw back his head and roared with laughter. “You really are a mad monk,” he said.\n\n“I’m not mad,” replied Monkey, “I’m talking sense.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you’re talking sense,” said the woodman, “then how can you say you’ll have them marched off?”\n\n“You must be related to them,” said Monkey, “putting on those airs and blocking our way to talk that nonsense to us. If you’re not related to them you’re either a neighbour or a friend of theirs.”\n\n“This is too much, mad monk,” said the woodcutter with another laugh. “The warning I’ve come specially to give you is meant well. I tell you to be on your guard all the time as you travel along, but you’re holding me responsible for all those demons. Never mind whether I happen to know what these demons do. How could you possibly have them marched off even if I did know. Where would you send them?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If they were sky monsters,” replied Monkey, “I’d send them to the Jade Emperor, and if they were earth monsters I’d send them to the Earth Palace. Western ones would go to die Buddha and Eastern ones to the Sage. I’d send Northerners to the True Martial God of the North and Southerners to the Fire God. Dragon spirits would go to the Lord of the Seas and demons to King Yama. They all have somewhere to go. I know the people in all those places, so I’d only need to write out an order for the monsters to be sent there at the double the very same night.”\n\n“You mad monk,” said the woodcutter with a mocking laugh, “you may have traveled in the clouds and learned a little magic, but even if you can expel evil spirits and bind demons you’ve never come up against such vicious fiends.”\n\n“What’s so vicious about them?” asked Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What’s so vicious about them?” asked Monkey.\n\n“This mountain is about two hundred miles across,” said the woodcutter, “and it’s called Flat-top Mountain. There is a cave in it called the Lotus Flower Cave where two devil chieftains live. They are so determined to capture monks that they’ve drawn pictures of them and found out the name of the man they want to eat—the Tang Priest. You’ll be all right provided you come from anywhere but Tang. But if you’re from there, don’t carry on.”\n\n“The land of Tang,” replied Monkey, “is precisely where we’re from.”\n\n“Then they’ll eat you,” said the woodcutter.\n\n“We’re in luck,” said Monkey, “we’re in luck. The only thing is that I don’t know how they’re going to eat us.”\n\n“How do you want them to eat you?” the woodcutter asked.\n\n“If they eat my head first,” said Monkey, “that will be fine. But if they start with my feet, I’ll suffer.”\n\n“What difference does it make whether they start with your head or feet?” the woodcutter asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You have no experience of it,” said Monkey. “If they start with my head, they’ll have it off with one bite and I’ll be dead. Whether they fry me, saute me, or stew me I won’t feel the slightest pain. But if they start from my feet they can chew my ankles, crunch up my legs, and eat their way up to my waist with me still alive and in agony. It would be going through torment in small installments. That’s why I’d suffer.”\n\n“They’ve been there for a long time, monk,” said the woodcutter, “and the moment they get you they’ll tie you up, pop you in the steamer, and eat you whole.”\n\n“Even better,” said Monkey with a grin, “even better. That won’t be at all painful; it’ll just be a bit hot and close.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This is nothing to joke about, monk,” said the woodcutter. “Those monsters have five treasures that they carry about with them, and their magic powers are enormous. Even if you’re one of the jade pillars of the heavens or one of the golden beams that support the sea you may well have to pass out in order to get the Tang Priest through.”\n\n“How often?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Three or four times,” replied the woodcutter.\n\n“That’s nothing,” said Monkey, “nothing at all. We all pass out seven or eight hundred times a year, so it will be easy to pass out three or four times more and then we’ll be able to get through.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fearless Great Sage, whose one thought was to protect the Tang Priest, left the woodcutter and hurried back. When he reached the horse standing on the mountainside he said, “It’s nothing much, Master. It’s true that there are a few evil spirits here, but the local people only worry about them because they are timid. With me here there’s no need for you to be afraid of them, so let’s be on our way again.” Sanzang was relieved to hear this, and he followed Monkey’s lead.\n\nAs they traveled along they realized that woodcutter had disappeared some time back. “Why can’t we see the woodcutter who gave us the message?” asked Sanzang.\n\n“What lousy luck,” said Pig. “We would have to meet a ghost in broad daylight.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He must have gone into the forest to look for some more firewood,” said Monkey. “I’ll take a look.” Opening wide his fiery eyes with their golden pupils, the splendid Great Sage searched the mountain, but no sign of the woodcutter was to be seen. Then he looked up into the clouds and saw the Duty God of the Day there. He sprang up there himself and cursed him for a hairy devil several times before saying, “Why didn’t you tell me straight instead of transforming yourself and putting on that act for me?”\n\nThe Duty God bowed to him anxiously and said, “Please forgive me for being so late with the warning. Those monsters really have enormous magic powers and can perform all kinds of transformations. You’ll need all your skill and cunning to protect your master. You won’t possibly reach the Western Heaven if you are at all slack.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey dismissed the Duty God. He was feeling worried as he landed his cloud and went up the mountainside until he found Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand pressing ahead. “If I tell the master straight what the Duty God said,” he thought, “the master won’t be able to face up to it and will start crying. But if I don’t tell him and keep him in the dark he won’t know how things stand, and it’ll be a great nuisance for me if he gets captured by monsters. I’d better go and see Pig. I can send him ahead to fight the monster. If he wins, that will be something to his credit. If he can’t do it and gets captured by the monster, I can go and rescue him, which will give me a chance to show what I can do and make myself famous.” As he made these calculations he wondered whether Pig would try to slip out of it and be protected by Sanzang. He decided he would have to force him into doing it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage resorted to a trick. He rubbed his eyes till they watered, then went up to the master. When Pig saw him he said to Friar Sand, “Put your carrying-pole down and unpack the luggage. We two will split it.”\n\n“What do you mean, split it?” asked Friar Sand.\n\n“Divide it,” said Pig. “You can go back to the River of Flowing Sands to be a monster, and I’ll go back to Gao Village to see my wife. We can sell the white horse to buy the wood for the coffin the master will be needing when he grows old. Then we can break up instead of going on to the Western Heaven.”\n\nWhen Sanzang heard this he said, “How can you talk such nonsense in the middle of the journey?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Who’s talking nonsense? I’ll say it again,” said Pig. “Can’t you see that Monkey’s coming back in tears? He’s a real tough guy who isn’t afraid of going down into the earth or up into the sky, or of being cut, burnt, or even being boiled in oil, so if he comes along deep in gloom and with the tears streaming down his face there must be monsters and wolves on this craggy mountain that softies like us could never get past.”\n\n“Stop that nonsense,” said Sanzang. “I’ll ask him what he has to say. Tell me straight,” he said to Monkey, “what is bothering you. Why are you crying? Are you trying to frighten us?”\n\n“The person who gave us the message just now,” replied Monkey, “was the Duty God of the Day. He said that the evil spirits here are so ferocious that it will be hard to get through; besides, we’ll never be able to make our way across these steep mountains. Let’s go another day.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Trembling with fear at this news, Sanzang tugged at Monkey’s tigerskin kilt and said, “Why these thoughts of turning back when we’ve already done half the journey?”\n\n“It’s not that I’m wavering,” said Monkey, “but we’d be no match for so many monsters. ‘A lump of iron in the furnace can only make a few nails.’”\n\n“You are right,” said Sanzang, “it would be very difficult by yourself. As the military classic says, ‘few are no match for many’. But I also have Pig and Friar Sand for you to deploy as your subordinates. Make a joint effort to clear the path and take me over the mountain. Then you will receive your just reward.”\n\nAs Brother Monkey’s little show had only wrung these words out of his master, he wiped away his tears and said, “Pig will have to do two things I tell him to if you’re to have even one chance in three of crossing the mountain as you want to, Master. If he won’t do these two things for me you’ll have no hope at all.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” Pig said, “if we can’t cross the mountain, let’s disband. Leave me out of this.”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “ask your brother what he wants you to do.”\n\n“What do you want me to do, brother?” the idiot asked.\n\n“Look after the master and patrol the mountains,” Monkey replied.\n\n“But looking after the master means staying put,” said Pig, “and patrolling means moving. You can’t ask me to stay put for a bit then move for a bit. I can’t do both at once.”\n\n“I’m not asking you to do them both,” said Monkey, “I just want you to do one of them.”\n\n“That’s much easier,” said Pig with a smile, “though I don’t know what you mean by looking after the master or by patrolling the mountains. Tell me what you want, then I can do the one that suits me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Looking after the master,” said Monkey, “means that if he wants to go for a stroll you must support him, and if he wants to eat you must beg some food for him. If he’s hungry you’ll be beaten. If he looks at all sallow you’ll be beaten. If he’s any thinner you’ll be beaten.”\n\n“That’s very difficult,” said Pig with alarm. “There’s nothing to looking after him or holding him up—even carrying him would be easy enough. But if he sends me to beg for food in a village the people on this path to the West won’t realize that I’m a monk going to fetch the scriptures. They’ll think that I’m a growing wild boar come down from the mountains. A crowd of men with forks, rakes and brooms will surround me, capture me, slaughter me, and salt me down for the New Year celebrations. That would be the end of me, wouldn’t it?”\n\n“Then you can patrol the mountains,” said Brother Monkey.\n\n“What would that involve?” asked Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What would that involve?” asked Pig.\n\n“You would have to go into these mountains,” said Monkey, “to find out how many monsters there are, and all about the mountains, and what the monsters’ caves are like, so that we can go across it.”\n\n“Nothing to it,” replied Pig. “I’ll patrol the mountains.” The idiot hitched up his tunic, grasped his rake, and proudly struck deep into the mountains. His spirits were high as he hurried along the path.\n\nMonkey could not hold back an unkind laugh. “Wretched ape,” said Sanzang, “you haven’t a shred of affection for your brothers, only jealousy. You trick him into patrolling the mountain with your cunning words, and then you laugh at him.”\n\n“I’m not laughing at him,” said Monkey. “My laugh means something. Just you see—he won’t patrol the mountains or dare to visit any monsters. He’ll hide up somewhere for a while then make up some story to fool us with.”\n\n“How do you know so much about him?” asked Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s what I reckon he’ll do,” replied Monkey “and if you don’t believe me I’ll go and take a look at him. I can help him subdue any demons and find out at the same time how sincere is his wish to see the Buddha.”\n\n“Very good,” said Sanzang, “very good. But don’t you go making a fool of him.” Monkey assented, and as he hurried up the mountainside he turned himself into the tiniest of insects with a shake of his body. He now looked very neat and small:\n\nOn his delicate wings he could lightly dance in the breeze;\n\nHis slim waist was as fine as a needle.\n\nAs he darted through the reeds or passed under flowers\n\nHe was faster than a shooting star.\n\nBright were his eyes,\n\nDelicate his voice.\n\nOf all insects he was the smallest,\n\nSlim and elegant, but deeply clever.\n\nIf he were resting in the woods on a day off,\n\nYou would never see him,\n\nAnd a thousand eyes could never find him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And a thousand eyes could never find him.\n\nHe flew off, soon caught up with Pig, and perched on a bristle behind his ear; but Pig walked on, unaware that he was carrying a passenger. After two or three miles Pig dropped his rake, turned back to look at the Tang Priest, and began to curse at him, gesticulating widely.\n\n“Soft-headed old monk,” he said, “vicious Monkey, and weak-minded Friar Sand. They’re all enjoying themselves back there while they fool me into walking off here. We’re all going to fetch the scriptures and we all want our reward, so why should I be the one to reconnoiter these mountains? Hm! If they know there are monsters around we should hide up for a while. But that’s not even half good enough for them. They have to send me off by myself to find them. What lousy luck. I’ll go and have a sleep somewhere. When I go back I can give him some kind of vague answer and say I’ve reconnoitered the mountains. That’ll pay them back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Feeling pleased with himself for the moment Pig grasped his rake and set off. When he saw a reddish grassy slope in a mountain hollow he went straight to it, made himself a bed with the help of his rake, and lay down to sleep, saying as he stretched himself out, “This is the life. Not even Monkey can be as comfortable as I am.” Monkey, of course, had heard every word form behind his ear, and he could not resist the temptation to fly round and tease him. He shook himself and turned into a woodpecker.\n\nHis sharp iron beak was coloured red,\n\nHis green-blue feathers were glistening bright.\n\nHis steel claws were as sharp as nails,\n\nAnd when hungry he broke the forest silence.\n\nDry and rotten timber was what he loved;\n\nHe hated lone and sturdy old trees.\n\nHis round eyes and flicking tail made him a lively creature,\n\nAnd pleasant was the sound of his tapping."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And pleasant was the sound of his tapping.\n\nThis bird was neither too big nor too small, and would have weighed only two or three ounces. Its beak was copper-red, its legs were iron-black, and it came flying down with a swish of its wings.\n\nWhen it pecked at the lip of Pig, who was sleeping with his head down, the idiot scrambled to his feet and shouted, “A monster, a monster! It jabbed me with its spear. My mouth’s hurting terribly.” As he felt it with his hand he made the blood flow.\n\n“Dammit,” he said, “nothing especially good has happened to me, so what’s this lucky red doing on my lips?” At the sight of his bloody hand he started to look wildly about himself, muttering on the while, and when he saw nothing he said, “There’s no monster here, so how did I get jabbed?” Then he looked up and saw a woodpecker flying above him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The wretch,” he said, gnashing his teeth, “it’s bad enough being put upon by Monkey, but now you’re getting at me. I suppose you didn’t realize I was human and thought my snout was a black, rotten old tree full of insects. You pecked me to find yourself some. I’ll have to tuck my snout into my clothes.” With that the idiot went back to sleep.\n\nMonkey flew down again and pecked him behind the ear, at which the idiot leapt up again and said, “This damned bird is really going for me. It must have a nest full of eggs or chicks here and be attacking me to stop me taking it. Very well then, I won’t sleep here.” He picked up his rake and left the red grassy slope to continue on his way.\n\nMonkey, beside himself with delight, thought, “Even with his eyes wide open the blockhead can’t recognize one of his own people.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a shake the splendid Great Sage turned himself back into a tiny insect and perched himself behind Pig’s ear. Another mile or so deeper into the mountains there were three square granite boulders the size of tables in a hollow. Pig put down his rake and chanted a “re-e-er” to them.\n\n“The idiot,” grinned Monkey to himself, “those boulders aren’t human. They can’t talk or return his greeting. He’s wasting his time being polite to them.” In fact the idiot was pretending that they were Sanzang, Friar Sand and Monkey, and practicing his speech to them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I go back,” he said, “if the master asks me about monsters, I’ll say that there are some here. When he asks what sort of mountain this is he’ll think I’m talking nonsense if I say it’s made of mud or earth or tin or copper or flour or paper or simply painted. I’ll say it’s a mountain made of rock, and if he asks about the caves I’ll say there is a stone cave. What about the gates? I’ll say they’re iron-plated and studded. When he asks how deep the cave is I’ll say it has three sections, one behind another. If he really interrogates me and wants to know how many studs there are in the gates I’ll say I was too excited to notice. Now I’ve got my story off pat I’ll be able to make a fool of Monkey.”\n\nHis story now concocted, he headed back along the path, dragging his rake behind him, little knowing that Monkey had heard everything behind his ear and flown off ahead when he started back. Monkey resumed his real form to see his master, who said, “Ah, here you are. Why hasn’t Pig come back?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s still cooking up his story,” said Monkey, “he’ll be here soon.”\n\n“How could that stupid fool, whose ears cover his eyes, ever make up a story?” said Sanzang. “You must be the one who is lying.”\n\n“You’re covering up for him, master,” replied Monkey. “I heard it all from his own mouth.” He told Sanzang how Pig had been sleeping in the grass when he was woken up with a woodpeckers’ peck, how he had expressed his homage to the boulders, and how he had concocted a story about the mountains being made of rock with a stone cave that had iron-plated gates and monsters living in it. It was not long before the idiot approached. He was going through his story again, his head bowed low, to make sure that he did not forget it when Monkey shouted, “Hey, idiot, what are you reciting?”\n\nPig pricked up his ears, looked around, and said, “I’m back.”\n\nHe fell to his knees and was picked up by Sanzang, who said, “You look exhausted, disciple.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am,” replied Pig. “With all that walking and climbing I’m completely whacked.”\n\n“Are there monsters?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Yes,” said Pig, “there certainly are. There’s a whole pile of them.”\n\n“What sort of send-off did they give you?”\n\n“They called me Ancestor Pig and Grandfather Pig, gave me noodle soup and vegetarian dishes, talked to me, and sent me back over the mountain with drums and banners,” Pig replied.\n\n“This must be some dream you had while you were asleep in the grass,” said Monkey, so frightening the idiot that he shrank two inches.\n\n“Lord Monkey,” he said, “however did you know I had a sleep?”\n\nMonkey went up to him, grabbed hold of him, and said, “Come here, I’ve something to ask you.”\n\n“Ask me if you must,” said the idiot, now shaking with fright, “but why do you have to grab me like that?”\n\n“What sort of mountain was it?” asked Monkey.\n\n“A mountain of rock,” replied Pig.\n\n“What sort of cave?”\n\n“Stone.”\n\n“What sort of gates?”\n\n“Iron-plated.”\n\n“How deep?”\n\n“There were three sections.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How deep?”\n\n“There were three sections.”\n\n“No need to say more,” said Monkey, “I remember the rest. I’ll say it all for you to make sure that the master believes it.”\n\n“Cheek!” said Pig. “You’ve not been there, so you can’t possibly know what to say for me.”\n\n”‘If he wants to know how many studs there are in the gates I’ll say I was too excited to notice.’ Isn’t that right?” said Monkey. The panic-stricken idiot fell to his knees again as Monkey continued, “You chanted homage to those boulders and talked to them as if they were us three, didn’t you? Then you said, ‘Now I’ve got this story off pat I’ll be able to make a fool of Monkey,’ didn’t you?”\n\n“Brother,” pleaded the idiot, now kowtowing desperately, “you couldn’t have heard all that while I was patrolling the mountains.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll get you, you chaff-guzzling moron,” said Monkey, “sleeping when you’d been told to patrol the mountains. If the woodpecker hadn’t pecked you awake you’d still be asleep now. When you’d been woken up you concocted this pack of lies that might have ruined our whole journey. Stretch your ankle out and I’ll give you five strokes of my cudgel to teach you a lesson.”\n\n“A mere touch from that murderous cudgel,” said Pig, “would break my skin, and the feel of it would crack my sinews. Five blows would kill me.”\n\n“If you didn’t want to be beaten,” said Monkey, “why did you lie?”\n\n“I only did it once,” said Pig, “and I’ll never do it again.”\n\n“As it was only once I’ll give you three.”\n\n“My lord,” said Pig, “half a blow would be the death of me.” The idiot’s only recourse was to cling to Sanzang and beg him to put in a good word for him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When Monkey told me you were concocting lies,” said Sanzang, “I did not believe him, yet now you clearly deserve a beating. But as there are so few of you to serve me as we cross these mountains, you had better let him off, Monkey, until we are on the other side.”\n\n“As the old saw goes,” said Monkey, “‘to obey parental instructions is great filial piety.’ As the master tells me not to beat you I’ll let you off. Go and reconnoiter again. I’ll show you no mercy if you lie or mess things up this time.”\n\nThe idiot rose to his feet and went off again. As he hurried along the path he suspected at every step that Monkey was following in some form or other, so he thought everything he saw might be Monkey. When after two or three miles a tiger came bounding up from the mountainside he raised his rake and said, “Come to see whether I’m lying, brother? This time I’m not.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Further along a strong mountain wind blew a dead tree down and sent it tumbling towards him, at which he stamped, beat his chest and said, “What a way to treat me, brother. I said I wouldn’t lie, but you go and turn yourself into a tree to attack me.”\n\nA little later he saw a white-necked crow cawing in front of him. “You’re shameless, brother,” he said, “shameless. I meant it when I said I wouldn’t lie, so why’ve you turned into a crow? Come to listen to me?” In fact Monkey was not following him this time, and Pig’s crazed suspicions that Monkey was there wherever he went were the product of his own imagination. We will leave the idiot with his frights for the time being.\n\nIn this Flat-top Mountain there was a Lotus Flower Cave where there dwelt two fiends, the Senior King Gold Horn and the Junior King Silver Horn. Gold Horn sat in his chair of office and said to Silver Horn, “It’s a long time since we patrolled the mountain.”\n\n“A fortnight,” replied Silver Horn."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A fortnight,” replied Silver Horn.\n\n“You should make a patrol today,” said Gold Horn.\n\n“Why today?” asked Silver Horn.\n\n“You can’t have heard the news,” said Gold Horn, “that the Tang Priest, the younger brother of the Tang Emperor in the East, has been sent to worship the Buddha in the West. He has three followers called Sun the Novice, Pig and Friar Sand, so with their horse there are five of them in all. Find them and bring them to me.”\n\n“If we want to eat some humans,” said Silver Horn, “we can catch a few anywhere. Why not let this monk go wherever he’s going?”\n\n“You don’t realize,” replied Gold Horn, “that when I left Heaven a few years back I heard that the Tang Priest was a mortal incarnation of the Venerable Golden Cicada, and a holy man who had pursued goodness for ten lives and lost not a drop of his original essence. Anyone who eats his flesh will live forever.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you can live for ever by eating his flesh,” said Silver Horn, “we won’t have to bother with meditation, winning merit, refinish elixirs, or matching the male and female. All we need do is eat him. I’m off to fetch him.”\n\n“You’re too impatient, brother,” said Gold Horn. “Don’t be in such a hurry. It would be wrong to rush out and catch some monk who isn’t the Tang Priest. I remember what he looks like and I once drew pictures of him and his disciples. Take them with you and check any monks you meet against them.” He went on to tell him all their names, and when Silver Horn had their pictures and knew their names he went out of the cave, mustered thirty underlings, and left to patrol the mountain.\n\nPig’s luck was out. He walked straight into the gang of monsters who blocked his way and said, “Who are you? Where are you from?” The idiot looked up, lifted his ears from over his eyes, and saw to his horror that they were evil ogres."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I say I’m a pilgrim,” he thought, “they’ll catch me. I’ll say I’m just a traveler.” The junior demon reported to the king that he was a traveler. Among the thirty junior demons there were some who had recognized him and some who had not, and one of these who had recognized him remembered Silver Horn being given his instructions.\n\nHe said, “This monk looks like Pig in the picture, Your Majesty.”\n\nSilver Horn had the picture hung up, which made Pig think with horror, “No wonder I’m in such low spirits these days—they’ve got my spirit here.”\n\nAs the junior devils held it up with their spears, Silver Horn pointed at it and said, “The one on the white horse is the Tang Priest, and the hairy-faced one is Sun the Novice.”\n\n“City god,” thought Pig, “you can leave me out. I’ll offer you the triple sacrifice and 24 cups of pure wine…”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He muttered prayers as the devil continued, “The tall dark one is Friar Sand, and that’s Pig with a long snout and big ears.” At the mention of himself Pig tucked his snout into his clothes.\n\n“Bring your snout out, monk,” said the monster.\n\n“I was born like this,” said Pig, “so I can’t bring it out.” The monster ordered the junior devils to pull it out with hooks, at which Pig hastily thrust it out and said, “I just feel shy about it. Here it is. Look at it if you must, but don’t hook it.”\n\nRecognizing Pig, the monster raised his sword and hacked at him. Pig parried him with his rake and said, “Behave yourself, my lad, and take this.”\n\n“You took your vows quite late,” said the monster with a smile.\n\n“Clever boy,” replied Pig, “but how did you know?”\n\n“From the way you handle that rake,” the monster said, “you used it to level up the ground in a vegetable garden. You must have stolen it.”\n\n“You don’t know this rake, my boy,” said Pig. “It’s not the sort used in ground-leveling:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Its teeth are like a dragon’s claws,\n\nFlecked with gold in tigerish shapes.\n\nAgainst a foe it blows a freezing wind,\n\nAnd in a battle it shoots out flame.\n\nIt brushes away obstacles in the Tang Priest’s path,\n\nCapturing devils on the way to the Western Heaven.\n\nWhen whirled, its vapors obscure the sun and moon,\n\nAnd its black clouds darken the stars.\n\nWhen it flattens Mount Tai the tigers tremble;\n\nDragons are frightened when it overturns the ocean.\n\nEven if you have some tricks, you monster,\n\nOne blow from this rake will leave nine bloody holes.”\n\nThis made the monster more determined that ever, and with his Seven-starred Sword he battled thorough twenty inconclusive rounds with Pig on the mountain. Pig fought back with deadly fury, and at the sight of him pricking up his ears, spewing out saliva, and waving his rake with grunts and shouts, the frightened demon turned round to bring all his underlings into the battle beside him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Had he been fighting only the one enemy, Pig would have done fine, but when all the little devils rushed him he lost control, could no longer put up any resistance, and fled in defeat. As he was not paying attention to the uneven path he tripped over a creeper and fell over. He was just picking himself up and starting off again when a junior demon who was lying there tugged at his ankle and brought him tumbling down like a dog eating muck. A crowd of demons seized him and carried him back to the cave, holding him by the bristles, ears, legs and tail. Indeed:\n\nA single demon is hard enough to destroy;\n\nCountless disasters can barely be averted.\n\nIf you don’t know whether Pig lived or not, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty-Three\n\nHeterodoxy Confuses the True Nature\n\nThe Primal Deity Helps the Original Heart\n\nTaking Pig into the cave the monster said, “Here’s one, brother.”\n\n“Let me have a look at him,” said the older demon with delight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Isn’t this the one?” asked the younger demon.\n\n“No,” the other replied, “you’ve caught the wrong one. He’s useless.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” said Pig, taking his chance, “I’m just a useless monk, so let me go. I’m scarcely human.”\n\n“No, don’t let him go, brother,” said the younger monster. “He may be no use himself, but he’s with the Tang Priest. Pig’s his name. We can soak him in the drinking-water pool at the back till his bristles come out, salt him and dry him to eat with our wine some rain day.”\n\n“Dammit,” said Pig, “I would have to run into a devil who’s a salt-pork peddler.” The junior demons carried Pig inside and threw him into the pool.\n\nSanzang meanwhile was sitting on the slope feeling uneasy. His ears were hot and his eyes twitched. “Wukong,” he said, “Pig’s been a long time patrolling the mountain. Why isn’t he back?”\n\n“Don’t you understand his mentality yet, Master?” said Monkey.\n\n“What mentality?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What mentality?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“If there were monsters in the mountains he’d be completely helpless,” said Monkey. “He’d make a tremendous fuss and come rushing back to tell me. I don’t think that there can be any monsters. I expect he found the path easy and went straight ahead.”\n\n“If he has gone ahead,” said Sanzang, “where shall we meet him? This is a vast wilderness. It won’t be like finding him in a city or a market-place.”\n\n“Mount your horse and stop worrying,” said Monkey. “That lazy idiot won’t be walking fast, so you only have to make your horse get a move on. We’re bound to catch him up and continue our journey together.” The Tang Priest mounted his horse as asked, and Monkey led the way into the mountains as Friar Sand carried the baggage.\n\n“Brother,” said Gold Horn the senior demon king to Silver Horn the junior demon king, “as you’ve captured Pig we can be sure that the Tang Priest is here. Make another search and don’t get the wrong one this time.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Right away,” said Silver Horn, who immediately mustered fifty junior demons and set out on patrol.\n\nAs they went along they saw an auspicious cloud drifting and circling around. “The Tang Priest is here,” said the junior demon king.\n\n“Where?” the other demons asked.\n\n“An auspicious cloud always shines above a good man’s head and an evil effluence rises over a bad man,” said Silver Horn. “The Tang Priest is an incarnation of the Venerable Golden Cicada. He’s a holy man who has cultivated his conduct for ten lives. That’s why he has that auspicious cloud.”\n\nWhen the others still could not see it the junior demon king pointed again and said, “There it is.” Sanzang shuddered thrice in the saddle, once each time the demon pointed.\n\n“Why did I shudder, disciples?” he asked uneasily.\n\n“Probably it’s indigestion,” said Friar Sand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Probably it’s indigestion,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“Nonsense,” said Monkey, “it must be because these steep mountains make the master feel nervous. Don’t be frightened. You’ll feel better when I’ve cleared the path with my cudgel.” Monkey then ran through all the routines in the military manuals as he swung his cudgel up and down and all around in front of his master’s horse. The Tang Priest watched as he displayed divine powers unmatched on earth.\n\nAt the sight of Monkey hacking his way forward the demon almost died of terror; his souls went flying as he watched from the mountain top. “Well,” he found himself saying, “now I know that all I’ve been hearing about Sun the Novice for years is absolutely true.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” said the junior demons, coming up to him, “you’re boosting your enemy and making yourself small. Why? Who is it who’s so terrific?”\n\n“With Monkey’s magic powers we’ll never be able to eat the Tang Priest,” said Silver Horn."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you’re not up to it,” said the junior demons, “we’ll send some of us to ask the senior king to send all the troops in our cave into battle. If we all work together they can’t possibly get away.”\n\n“You’ve never seen that iron cudgel,” said the junior king. “He’s more than a match for a whole army, so with only four or five hundred of us we wouldn’t have a hope against that cudgel of his.”\n\n“In that case,” said the other demons, “we’ll never be able to eat the Tang Priest. There was no point in capturing Pig. Let’s free him.”\n\n“We were right to capture him and shouldn’t let him go,” said the junior king. “We may not be able to eat the Tang Priest yet but sooner or later we will.”\n\n“How many years will that take?” the others asked.\n\n“It won’t be a matter of years,” replied the junior king. “In my opinion we must catch him by cunning, not by being vicious. Try to grab him by force and we won’t get so much as a smell of him. But if we make friends with him by kindness we’ll be able to get him by trickery.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please find a place for us in your plan, Your Majesty,” said the little demons.\n\n“Go back to the camp,” the junior demon king told them, “but don’t let on to His Senior Majesty. If he gets alarmed and gives the game away our plan will be ruined. I can catch the Tang Priest through magical transformations.” As the other demons went away he leapt down the mountainside to the path, shook himself and changed into a aged Taoist. This is what he looked like:\n\nA gleaming star-hat,\n\nUnkempt white hair.\n\nAn embroidered belt round a cloak of feathers,\n\nCloud sandals tied with yellow coir.\n\nClear of spirit and bright-eyed as an immortal,\n\nStrong and light like one who will live for ever.\n\nHe could be compared to the Taoist Riding a Buffalo,\n\nBut is more like the Master of the White Scroll.\n\nThis false image could be a real one;\n\nHis deception appears to be the truth.\n\nThere he was, beside the path, pretending to be a Taoist who had broken his leg. His feet were covered in blood. “Help help,” he shouted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just as Sanzang was happily walking along, supported by the Great Sage Monkey and Friar Sand, he heard a shout of “Help me, Father.”\n\n“Well I never,” said Sanzang. “Who could that be shouting in these wild and uninhabited mountains? It must be someone who’s been frightened by tigers, leopards or wolves.” Reining in his horse he called, “Who’s that in trouble? Come out.” The demon crawled out from the undergrowth and kowtowed noisily for all he was worth before the Tang Priest, who was most upset to see that he was a Taoist and of such advanced years at that. He dismounted rapidly and helped the old man to his feet, begging him to rise.\n\n“It’s agony,” said the demon, “agony.”\n\nWhen the Tang Priest released his hold and looked down he saw that blood was pouring from the old man’s foot. “Where have you come from, sir,” asked a shocked Sanzang. “and how did you injure your foot?”\n\n“West of this mountain, Father,” lied the demon, “there is a pure and quiet Taoist temple. I am a priest there.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What were you doing, wandering around here instead of looking after the incense and reciting the scriptures and the law in your temple?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“The other day a benefactor of ours from South of the mountain invited all us priests to perform a service for his natal star and spread blessings for him. I was about halfway there with my disciple—we were late—when a ferocious and strongly patterned tiger carried my disciple off. As I staggered along shaking with terror and not knowing where to go I lost my balance on a scree and injured my foot. I can’t find my way back. Thank heavens I have met you today, Father. I beg you in your great mercy to save me. If we find our way back to the temple, I’d even sell myself into slavery to repay your kindness.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sir,” replied Sanzang, completely taken in, “you and I share a common destiny. I an a Buddhist priest and you are a Taoist. Although we wear different robes, we cultivate our conduct according to the same principles. Were I to fail to save you I would not be a true monk. But help you though I would, you can’t walk.”\n\n“I can’t even stand, let alone walk,” replied the demon.\n\n“Never mind, never mind,” said Sanzang. “I can walk, so you can ride my horse for a while and give it back when we reach your temple.”\n\n“You are very generous and I am most grateful,” said the demon, “but I have hurt my thigh and couldn’t ride.”\n\n“Indeed,” said Sanzang, who then instructed Friar Sand to put the luggage on the horse and carry the Taoist over his shoulders. Friar Sand assented.\n\nThe monster turned round at once and looked closely at Friar Sand. “Father,” he said, “I got such a scare from that tiger, but this terrible-looking monk frightens me even more. I’d be too afraid to let him carry me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wukong, you carry him,” said Sanzang.\n\n“Certainly, certainly,” replied Monkey. The demon recognized him and docilely allowed himself to be carried by him, saying no more.\n\n“That old Taoist doesn’t know what he’s doing,” chuckled Friar Sand. “Fancy refusing to let me carry you and wanting Monkey to instead. If it wasn’t for our master he’d smash you against a sharp boulder and break all your sinews.”\n\nAs Monkey carried the demon on his shoulders he muttered to himself with some amusement, “Wretched demon, how dare you try to provoke me? Do you think I’m a mere child? Your devilish nonsense may be good enough to hoodwink the Tang Priest but it won’t fool me. I can see that you are a local mountain demon. I reckon you want to eat my master. He’s no ordinary person—he’s not for you to eat. Besides, if you want to eat him you’ll have to give a good half to me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing Monkey’s mutterings the monster replied, “Father, I’m a Taoist monk from a decent family who was unlucky enough to meet that tiger today. I’m no evil spirit.”\n\n“If you were afraid of the tiger why didn’t you recite the Great Bear Scripture?” Monkey asked.\n\nSanzang, hearing Monkey’s grumbling just as he was mounting the horse, chastised him: “Insolent ape. ‘Better to save a human life than to build a seven-storied pagoda.’ If you’re carrying him, just get on with it. Stop talking about ‘Great Bear Scriptures’ or ‘Little Bear Scriptures.’”\n\n“You’re in luck, damn you,” said Monkey. “Merciful and pious my master may be, but he’s a bit rough under his kindly manner. He’ll be angry if I don’t carry you with me. I’ll do it if I must, but there’s something I want to tell you first: warn me if you want a piss or a shit. If you do it down my back the stench will be more than I can stand. Besides, there’s nobody to wash my clothes if they get dirty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To which the demon replied, “Of course. I’m old enough to understand that.” At last Monkey hauled the demon up on his back and hastened Westwards with the Tang Priest and Friar Sand. When the going became very uneven in the mountains Monkey walked slowly and carefully, letting the Tang Priest get ahead.\n\nBefore they had gone a couple of miles the Master and Friar Sand dropped out of Monkey’s sight into a hollow on the mountainside. “The Master doesn’t have any sense of how things should be done despite his great age,” he grumbled to himself. “On this long journey I’d feel overloaded even if I were empty-handed. I wish I’d smashed this evil monster. I would have to carry him. Even he’s not a monster but a good man he ought to die at his age. Why should I carry him? I’ll fling him down and kill him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demon realized that the Great Sage was deciding to kill him so he used his power to shift mountains and made mountain-moving sea-overturning magic on Monkey’s back. He recited the words of the spell, bringing Mount Sumeru flying through the air to come crashing down on Monkey’s head. The Great Sage twisted his head to one side in a flash, and the mountain landed on his left shoulder.\n\n“Tell me, son,” said Monkey, “what magic have you used to make yourself so heavy? You’re crushing me. I don’t mind the weight, but ‘a badly-balanced carrying-pole is much harder to manage than a well-balanced one.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A mountain’s not enough to crush him,” thought the demon, and he recited another spell to bring Mount Emei hurtling down through the air on Monkey’s head. Monkey turned aside again, so that the mountain landed on his right shoulder. Just watch him as, with the two mountains on his shoulders, he hurries like a shooting star after his master. The monster broke into a cold sweat all over when he saw that Monkey could carry mountains. Then he pulled himself together recited another spell, and brought Mount Tai down from the sky on Monkey’s head. By now the Great Sage was so weak with exhaustion that this mountain landing on his head pinned him down: his three corpse-spirits exploded, and blood spurted from his seven orifices."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he had crushed Monkey with his magical powers the splendid evil spirit mounted a fast wind and caught up with Sanzang. The monster reached down from his cloud and made a grab for the Tang Priest as he rode his horse. Friar Sand threw down the luggage in horror and rushed forward wielding his demon-subduing staff to stop him. The evil demon raised his Seven-star Sword to face Friar Sand. It was a\n\nfierce battle:\n\nA sword of seven stars,\n\nA demon-quelling staff,\n\nFlash and gleam with golden light.\n\nThe one has glaring eyes, a black demon of death;\n\nThe iron-faced other is indeed a General of the Curtain.\n\nBefore the mountain the demon displays his powers,\n\nDetermined to capture Tang Sanzang.\n\nHis foe fights hard to save the worthy priest,\n\nReady to die before he lets him go.\n\nBoth belch fogs that Bide the heavenly palace,\n\nAnd kick up clouds of dust to blot out stars.\n\nThe red sun pales before their battle,\n\nHeaven and earth are thrown into confusion.\n\nBut after nine clashes yielding no result"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But after nine clashes yielding no result\n\nFriar Sand, alas, is suddenly defeated.\n\nThe ferocious demon wielded his sword like a shooting star as he fought till Friar Sand was exhausted. Friar Sand turned to flee, but the monster parried his staff and brought a great hand wheeling round to grab him. Tucking the friar under his left arm, the demon pulled Sanzang from his horse with his right hand, hooked their luggage with his toes, opened his mouth to get his teeth into the horse’s mane, and used his magic to levitate them and carry them in a puff of wind back to the Lotus Flower Cave.\n\n“Elder brother,” he yelled, “I’ve got all the monks.”\n\nThe older monster was delighted. “Bring them here; I want to see them,” he said.\n\n“These are the ones, aren’t they?” said the younger.\n\n“Brother,” sighed the older monster, “you’ve got the wrong ones again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But you told me to get the Tang Priest,” said the younger. “This is the Tang Priest all right,” said the older monster, “but you still haven’t caught that very powerful Sun the Novice. We can’t eat the Tang Priest before we get him. Until we’ve got him we must on no account touch any of his people. That Monkey King has enormous magical powers and can turn himself into all sorts of things. There’s no way he’ll let us eat his master. If he comes to our door looking for a fight you can forget all about a quiet life.”\n\n“Elder brother,” said the younger monster with a laugh, “you’re overrating him. From the way you’re going on about how marvellous he is anyone would think that there were none like him on earth and few enough in the heavens. As I see it he’s nothing special: he hasn’t any powers.”\n\n“Did you catch him?” the elder demon asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Did you catch him?” the elder demon asked.\n\n“He can’t move an inch,” the other replied. “He’s crushed under three mountains I dropped on him. It was only when I’d done that to him I collected the Tang Priest, Friar Sand, the horse and the baggage and brought them all here.”\n\nThe news filled the old monster’s heart with pleasure. “What luck! What luck! Now you’ve dealt with that wretched Sun the Tang Priest is as good as food in our mouths.” Saying this the older monster ordered the young devils, “Bring wine at once, and give the Junior King a drink to celebrate his success.”\n\n“No, I won’t have a drink,” said the younger demon. “Tell the little devils to pull Pig out of the water and hang him up.” Pig was then hung up in the Eastern wing of the cave, Friar Sand in the West, and Tang Priest in the middle. The white horse was sent off to the stables, and the luggage was stored away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You have great powers, my brother,” said the older monster with a laugh. “You’ve caught the three monks twice. But even though you’ve crushed him under a mountain you’ll need some magic to get that Sun into our cooking pot. That’ll be the day.”\n\n“Please sit down, elder brother,” said the younger monster. “I can get Monkey without lifting a finger. I just need to send two little devils with a couple of treasures to bring him back in.”\n\n“What treasures?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What treasures?”\n\n“My gold and red gourd and your vase of mutton-fat jade.” The older monster fetched the two treasures, handed them to him, and asked which two little devils were to be sent. “Send Dexterous Ghost and Skillful Beast,” replied the younger monster. He then instructed them, “Take the two treasures straight to the top of a high mountain, put them there upside-down and call out to Sun. If he responds he’ll go straight inside. You must immediately paste this label on: ‘Supreme Lord Lao: to be dealt with urgently in accordance with the Statutes and Ordinances.’ Within three and a half hours he’ll just be pus.” The two little devils kowtowed and went off with treasures to catch Monkey.\n\nAs he lay crushed under the three mountains the Great Sage thought in his distress of the holy priest Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” he wailed, “I remember how you removed the paper sealing me under the Double Boundary Mountain, delivered me from terrible agony, and brought me into the Buddhist faith. The Bodhisattva ordered me to stay with you and improve myself, sharing you fate, your appearance, and your knowledge. I never thought I’d have this demon trouble here and be crushed by mountains again. Oh dear, oh dear. If you die it serves you right. But I do feel sorry about Friar Sand, Pig, and the little dragon who was turned into a horse. Indeed:\n\nA tall tree invites the wind;\n\nThe wind then shakes the tree.\n\nWhoever strives for fame\n\nBy fame destroyed is he.”\n\nThen he sighed and the tears flowed like rain.\n\nAll this had alarmed the mountain spirits, the local gods and the Protectors of the four quarters and the center. “Whose mountains are these?” asked the Gold-headed Protector.\n\n“Ours,” said the local gods.\n\n“And who is it pinned under your mountains?”\n\n“We don’t know,” said the local gods."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We don’t know,” said the local gods.\n\n“You lot wouldn’t,” said the Protector.\n\n“It’s Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made havoc in the palaces of Heaven five hundred years ago. Now he’s found religion and become the Tang Priest’s disciple. Why ever did you let that demon use your mountains to crush him? You’ve had it now. He’ll not spare you if ever he gets free. Even if he decides to let you off lightly it’ll be exile for the local gods and hard labor for the mountain spirits. And I’ll get a severe reprimand.”\n\n“We didn’t know, really we didn’t,” said the gods and spirits, now terrified. “When the chief demon recited the mountain-moving spell we just moved them here. We never knew it was the Great Sage Sun.”\n\n“Don’t be afraid,” said the Protector. “The Legal Code says that you cannot be punished for what you are unaware of. We’ll have to work out a plan to let him out in such a way that he won’t kill us all.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It would be very unfair of him to kill us if we set him free,” said the local gods.\n\n“There’s something else you don’t know,” said the Protector. “He has a truly lethal As-You-Will gold-banded cudgel. If he hits you with that you’ve dead, and just a touch of it will wound. A tap will shatter your sinews, and a graze from it rip your skin to shreds.”\n\nThe terrified local gods and mountain spirits then conferred with the Protectors, approached the gates of the three mountains, and called, “Great Sage, the mountain spirits, local gods and Protectors from the four quarters and the center have come to see you.”\n\nSplendid Monkey. He was like a tiger who though skinny was as always full of spirit. “So what?” he called in a loud, clear voice.\n\n“We have a communication for the Great Sage,” replied the local gods. “If we remove the mountains and set you free, Great Sage, will you forgive us humble spirits for our discourtesy?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Move these mountains,” said Monkey, “and I won’t hit you.” Then he shouted, “Get up.” It was just like the authorities giving an order: the deities all said the magic words and the mountains went back to where they had come from. Monkey was free. He jumped up, shook the dirt off his body, tightened his kilt, pulled out his cudgel from behind his ear, and said to the local gods and mountain spirits, “All hold out your feet. I’m going to give you two strokes each to work off my bad temper.”\n\n“But you promised just a moment ago, Great Sage,” said the deities in horror, “to forgive us. How can you go back on your word and hit us?”\n\n“My dear local gods and mountain spirits,” said Monkey, “you’re more afraid of that monster than of me.”\n\n“But that demon has great and powerful magic arts! When he says his true spells he forces us to take it in turns to be on duty in his cave every day.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was shocked to hear them talk about being on duty. He looked up to the skies and shouted, “Heaven, Heaven, when the primal chaos was first differentiated and heaven divided from earth I was born on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. I visited many a wise teacher and learned the secrets of eternal life. I could change as swiftly as the winds, subdued tigers and dragons, and made great havoc in the palaces of Heaven. But never did I bully mountain spirits and local gods or make them run my errands. What a disgrace, when these evil monsters have the effrontery to treat mountain spirits and local gods as their slaves, and make them take turns to serve them. Heaven! If you created me, why ever did you create them?”\n\nJust as the Great Sage was in the middle of his complaint a rosy light began to shine in the mountain hollow. “Mountain spirits, local gods,” asked Monkey, “you serve in the cave, so what is it that’s shining?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The monsters’ treasures,” replied the local gods, “some of the demons must have brought them to catch you out with.”\n\n“Just what I need to play a little trick on them,” said Monkey: “Tell me, who comes to see them in the cave?”\n\n“What they’re interested in is refining elixirs of immortality, and their best friends are Taoist masters of the Quanzhen School,” replied the local gods.\n\n“No wonder he turned himself into an old Taoist priest to trick my master,” said Monkey. “Very well then, I’ll let you off for now. Back you go. I’ll get them myself.” The spirits all rose into the air and made off.\n\nThe Great Sage shook himself and turned himself into an old Taoist master. Do you know what he made himself like?\n\nHis hair drawn into two tufts,\n\nA motley robe of a hundred patches.\n\nHe tapped a fisherman’s drum,\n\nA Lord Lu sash around his waist.\n\nHe leaned beside the path,\n\nAwaiting the little devils.\n\nSoon the devils arrived\n\nTo be prey for the Monkey King’s tricks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To be prey for the Monkey King’s tricks.\n\nIt was not long before the two little devils arrived. Monkey thrust his gold-banded cudgel out and tripped up the two demons, who were taken right off guard. It was only as they picked themselves up that they saw Monkey. “You villain. If our Great King weren’t such an admirer of the likes of you we’d soon sort you out.”\n\n“What do you mean, sort me out?” asked Monkey with a forced smile. “We’re all Taoists—one big happy family.”\n\n“Why are you lying here, and why did you trip us up?” asked the devils.\n\n“A little fall is a way for you boys to show your respect on meeting a Taoist elder like me,” said Monkey.\n\n“Our Great King only demands a few ounces of silver when people first meet him,” said the little devils, “so why do you expect us to fall over for you? That’s not the custom here. You must be from somewhere else.”\n\n“Indeed I am,” said Monkey. “I’m from Mount Penglai.”\n\n“But that’s an island in the sea where immortals live,” said the devils."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I’m not an immortal,” said Monkey, “I don’t know who is.” By now the devils’ anger had given way to delight.\n\n“Venerable immortal,” they said, “venerable immortal, please don’t take offence at our rudeness. It was only because our common mortal eyes failed to recognize you.”\n\n“I don’t hold it against you,” said Monkey. “As the saying goes, ‘An immortal body does not tread the common ground.’ You couldn’t be expected to know. I’ve come to your mountain today to bring over a virtuous man who has become an immortal and completed the Way. Anyone want to come with me?”\n\n“I’ll go with you, Master,” said Dexterous Ghost.\n\n“Me too,” said Skilful Beast.\n\n“Where have you two gentlemen come from?” asked Monkey, as if he did not know already.\n\n“From the Lotus Flower Cave,” they said. “Where are you going?”\n\n“We are under orders from our Great King to capture Sun the Novice,” the devils replied.\n\n“Who?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Sun the Novice,” they repeated."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sun the Novice,” they repeated.\n\n“The Sun the Novice who’s going with the Tang Priest to fetch the scriptures?” asked Monkey.\n\n“Yes, that one,” the devils replied. “Do you know him?”\n\n“That ape’s outrageous,” said Monkey. “I know him, and I’m very angry with him too. Let me come along with you and help you catch him.”\n\n“Thank you, Master,” they replied, “but we won’t be needing your help. Our Junior King used his magic arts to bring three mountains here to crush him. Now he can’t move an inch. We two have been sent here with treasures to pack him into.”\n\n“What treasures?” asked Monkey.\n\n“I’ve got the red gourd,” said Dexterous Ghost, “and he’s got the jade vase.”\n\n“How are you going to fit him into them?” asked Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’ll set them upside down,” said the little devils, “and call to him. If he responds we’ll put him inside and stick on a label saying: ‘Supreme Lord Lao: to be dealt with urgently in accordance with the Statutes and Ordinances.’ Three and a half hours later he’ll be just so much pus.” This news shocked Monkey, who remarked to himself what a deadly plot this was.\n\n“The Duty God of the Day told me that there were five treasures altogether,” he thought. “These are two of them. I wonder what the other three are.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Gentlemen,” he said aloud, “would you let me have a look at your treasures?” Not realizing that this was a trick the two little devils produced them from their sleeves and offered them respectfully with both hands to Money. He was delighted, though he did now show it. “Splendid things,” he thought, “splendid. I just have to flick my tail in the air and go whizzing off with a jump. They’ve given them to me.” Then he had second thoughts: “No, that’s no good. Stealing them would be easy enough, but it would destroy my reputation. It’d be daylight robbery.” So he handed them back with the words, “But you haven’t seen my treasure yet.”\n\n“What is it?” the devils asked. “Would you let us common mortals see it? It’d bring us luck.”\n\nThe splendid Monkey put his hand down, pulled a hair from his tail, made a spell, and called “Change!” It turned into a big gold and red gourd one foot seven inches long that he produced from his waist. “Would you like to see my gourd?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Skillful Beast took it, looked at it, and said, “It’s a very big gourd, Master, shapely, and very fine to look at, but it’s useless.”\n\n“What do you mean, useless?” asked Monkey.\n\n“Each of our treasures can contain a thousand people,” the devils replied.\n\n“What’s so special about being able to contain people?” said Monkey. “Mine can hold the sky itself.”\n\n“The sky?” asked the devils.\n\n“Yes, it really can,” Monkey replied.\n\n“You must be lying,” said the little devils. “We could only believe that if we saw you do it. There’s no way we’re going to believe you otherwise.”\n\n“If the sky annoys me,” said Monkey, “I pack it in here seven or eight times a month; but if it doesn’t annoy me I might leave it alone for half a year.”\n\n“Let’s see if he’ll swap his sky-holding treasure with us,” said Skilful Beast to the other demon.\n\n“But he’d never swap his sky-holder for our one that can only hold people,” replied Dexterous Ghost. “If he won’t swap we can throw our vase in too,” said Skilful Beast."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Concealing his delight, Monkey thought, “A gourd for a gourd and the vase too is two for one: I’ll certainly agree to that.” So he went up to Skilful Beast, clutched him, and asked, “Will you swap them if it can hold the sky?”\n\n“Yes, we’ll swap them as long as it can hold the sky,” said the devil, “and I’ll be your son if we don’t.”\n\n“Very well then,” said Monkey, “I’ll put the sky in it to show you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage bowed his head to make the spell and say the words of it. He called on the Patroller of the Day, the Patroller of the Night together with the Protector of the Four Quarters and the Centre: “Report on my behalf to the Jade Emperor that I have now found the true faith and am escorting the Tang Priest to the Western Heaven to fetch the Scriptures. We are now hold up on a high mountain and my master is in dire distress. I want to trick the devils into swapping their treasures with me, so I most humbly beg that I be lent the sky to put away for an hour. This will enable me to succeed. If there’s so much as a hint of a refusal then I’ll be coming up to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to give battle.”\n\nThe Patroller of the Day went straight in through the Southern Gate of Heaven to the Hall of Miraculous Mist, where he reported everything to the Jade Emperor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Outrageous ape,” said the Jade Emperor. “This is insolence. Previously it was Bodhisattva Guanyin who persuaded us to release him to escort the Tang Priest. We sent the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre and the Four Duty Gods to take it in turns to protect him. Now he wants to put the sky away. It can’t be done.”\n\nAs soon as he had said that the sky could not be put away Prince Nezha stepped forward from the officials at court and submitted a memorial: “Your Majesty, it is possible to contain the sky.”\n\n“How?” the Jade Emperor asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How?” the Jade Emperor asked.\n\n“When the primal chaos was first differentiated,” Prince Nezha replied, “the light and pure became the sky, and the heavy and dirty became the earth. The sky is a ball of pure vapor that holds up the palaces of Heaven, and by rights it should be impossible to contain it. But now that Sun the Novice is escorting the Tang Priest to fetch the Scriptures from the Western Heaven this will be a source of blessings as great as Mount Tai, a good deed as profound as the ocean. Today we ought to help him succeed.”\n\n“How would you help him?” the Jade Emperor asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I beg for the issue of an Imperial Edict to the Northern Gate of Heaven asking the True Martial God to lend us his Black Vulture Banner to spread outside the Southern Gate and block out the sun, moon and starts. Down there they will be unable to see each other and not even able to tell back from white. That will fool the devils into thinking that the sky has been packed into the gourd, and enable Sun the Novice to succeed.” The Jade Emperor ordered that this suggestion be implemented. Bearing the imperial command Prince Nezha went to see the True Martial God at the Northern Gate of Heaven and tell him what had happened. The True Martial God handed the prince the banner.\n\nBy now a patroller had hurried down to whisper in the Great Sage’s ear, “Prince Nezha is coming to help you.” Monkey looked up to see swirling clouds of good omen, a sure sign of the presence of a god, then turned to the little devils and said, “We’ll put the sky away then.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Put it away if you like,” said the little devils, “but why all this playing for time?”\n\n“I was just saying the spell and calling up the magic powers,” said Monkey. The little devils gazed wide-eyed, wondering how he was going to put the sky away. Monkey threw his imitation gourd up into the air. It was only a hair really, so you can imagine how light it was. As the winds round the mountain peak caught it, it floated in the air for an hour before landing. Meanwhile Prince Nezha was noisily spreading the Black Vulture Banner out at the Southern Gate of Heaven, obscuring the sun, the moon and the stars. Indeed:\n\nHeaven and earth were dyed as black as ink;\n\nThe cosmos into darkness then did sink.\n\nThe two little devils were terrified. “When we were talking a moment ago,” they said, “it was midday. How could it be dusk now?”\n\n“When the sky is put away,” said Monkey, “distinctions of time disappear. Of course it’s murky.”\n\n“But why’s it so dark now?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But why’s it so dark now?”\n\n“The sun and the moon and the stars have all been put inside, so there’s no light outside. It’s bound to be dark.”\n\n“Master,” said the little devils, “where is your voice coming from?”\n\n“I’m just in front of you, aren’t I?” said Monkey. The little devils stretched their hands out and felt him.\n\n“We can hear you but we still can’t see you. Where are we, Master?”\n\n“Don’t fidget,” said Monkey, hoodwinking them, “you’re on the coast of the Bohai Sea. One slip and you’d fall for seven or eight days before hitting the bottom.”\n\nThe little devils were panic-struck. “Enough, enough. Let the sky out again. Now we know how it’s put away. If you go on a moment too long and we fall into the sea we’ll never get home.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Monkey. As they were both convinced he said another spell that had an impact on Prince Nezha, who rolled the banner up again, revealing the noonday sun once more. “Fantastic,” exclaimed the little devils in delight, “fantastic. If we don’t do a swap for this treasure we won’t be looking after our family’s interest.”\n\nDexterous Ghost handed over the gourd and Skilful Beast produced the vase. When they gave them both to Monkey he gave them his imitation gourd. The exchange had now been made, but Monkey wanted it to be final, so he plucked a hair from under his navel, blew a magic breath on it, and turned it into a copper coin. “Boys,” he said, “take this coin and buy a sheet of paper.”\n\n“Why?” they asked.\n\n“We’ll write a legal contract for the exchange of your two man-holding treasures for my sky-holder,” said Monkey. “We each need a written agreement to prevent later regrets with the passage of time.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But there’s no brush or ink here to write a contract with,” said the two little devils. “Let’s swear an oath instead.”\n\n“What sort of oath?” asked Monkey. “\n\nWe exchange our two man-holding treasures for your sky-holder,” said the devils, “and if we ever have any regrets may we be struck with pestilence in all four seasons.”\n\n“I certainly won’t have any regrets,” chuckled Monkey. “If I do, may I too be struck with pestilence in all four seasons.” Having sworn his oath he leapt up, his tail in the air, and landed in front of the Southern Gate of Heaven, where he thanked Prince Nezha for helping him with the banner. The prince reported back to the palace and returned the banner to the True Martial God, leaving Monkey standing amid the stars and clouds, gazing at the little devils.\n\nIf you don’t know how things turned out, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty-Four\n\nThe Demon King’s Cunning Causes the Mind-Ape Trouble\n\nThe Great Sage Wins the Treasures Through Improvisation"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With the imitation gourd in their hands the two little devils were quarrelling over who should examine it when they looked up and saw that Monkey had disappeared. “Brother,” said Skilful Beast, “even immortals tell lies sometimes. He said that when we’d swapped the treasures he would make us into immortals. How come he’s vanished without a word?”\n\n“We got ourselves a very good bargain,” said Dexterous Ghost, “and he would not dare disappear. Pass the gourd over—I want to put the sky in it and try it out.” He tossed the gourd into the air, but it came crashing down again, to the distress of Skilful Beast, who asked, “Why won’t it take in the sky? Could it be that it was Sun the Novice disguised as an immortal, and that he swapped an imitation gourd for our real one?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nonsense,” said Dexterous Ghost. “Sun the Novice is crushed under those three mountains. How could he possibly have got out? Pass the gourd over. I’ll say the words of the spell he made and we’ll put the sky inside.” He too then threw the gourd up into the air, saying, “If there’s so much as a hint of a refusal I’ll be coming up to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to give battle.” The gourd hit the ground before he could even finish saying the spell.\n\n“The sky hasn’t gone in,” they both said, “it must surely be a fake.”\n\nUp in the sky the Great Sage Sun Wukong could hear every word they said and see all that was happening while they made this commotion. For fear that they would go on too long and let the news out where it mattered he shook himself and put the hair that had been turned into a gourd back on his body, leaving both the little devils completely empty-handed.\n\n“Give me the gourd, brother,” said Dexterous Ghost.\n\n“You give it me,” said Skilful Beast. “Heavens! It’s disappeared!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They both started to search wildly on the ground and in the grass, putting their hands in their sleeves and in their tunics, but it was nowhere to be found.\n\n“Whatever shall we do,” said the two horror-struck little devils, “whatever shall we do? His Supreme Majesty gave them to us to catch Sun the Novice with. Now we haven’t caught him and the treasures have disappeared. We can’t report this to him or he’ll have us beaten to death. Whatever are we going to do?”\n\n“Let’s run away,” said Skilful Beast.\n\n“Where to?” asked Dexterous Ghost.\n\n“Anywhere,” said Skilful Beast, “because if we go back and say that we’ve lost the treasures that’ll obviously be the end of us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” said Dexterous Ghost, “don’t let’s run away. Let’s go back. Both their majesties are usually very fond of you, and I’ll put in a word for you. If they are prepared to make allowances they’ll spare your life. Even if we can’t talk them out of having us beaten to death, at least they’ll do it there, and we won’t be caught between two stools. Let’s go back.” Having made their minds up the two little demons set out back to their own mountain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, watching them heading back from where he was up in the sky, shook himself and turned into a fly that flew down and followed them. Where, you may wonder, did he put his treasures now that he was a fly? Had he left them on the path or hidden them in the grass someone might have found them and taken them, and all his efforts would have been for nothing. So he kept them on his person. But a fly is only the size of a bean: how could he find room for them? Because those two treasures of his, like his gold-banded cudgel, were As-You-Will Buddha treasures that grow or shrink with you. That was why he could keep them on. He went buzzing along after the devils. Before long he was inside the cave, where the two demon kings were sitting and drinking.\n\nThe two little devils went up to them and knelt down. Monkey perched on the doorframe, listening. “Your Majesties,” said the little devils.\n\n“So you’re back,” said the Junior Demon King, putting down his cup.\n\n“Yes,” said the little devils."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” said the little devils.\n\n“Have you got Sun the Novice?” was the next question. The two little devils banged their heads on the ground, not daring to reply. The old devils asked again, and still they dared not answer, but just kept banging their heads on the ground."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only when they had been asked this several more times did they prostrate themselves and say, “Forgive us. We deserve to die a thousand times. Forgive us. We were taking the treasures into the mountains when we met an immortal from Mount Penglai. He asked us where we were going and we told him we were off to catch Sun the Novice. When the immortal heard about the Sun the Novice he said he was angry with him too, and wanted to come along and help. We never asked him to, but we told him all about how we were going to put Sun into the treasure. The immortal had a gourd too that the whole sky could be put into. Because we were greedy to do our family a good turn we swapped our man-holder for his sky-holder. At first we offered a gourd for a gourd, but then Skilful Beast threw the vase in for good measure. But his immortal’s treasure was not for the mortal likes of us. We were trying it out when gourd and immortal both disappeared. We beg you to spare us the deaths we deserve.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the Senior Demon King thundered, “Damn it, damn it. It was Sun the Novice disguised as an immortal to trick them out of you. That monkey has enormous magic powers and has knows people everywhere. What hairy little god let him out to con our treasures out of us?”\n\n“Please calm yourself, brother,” said the Junior Demon King.\n\n“That ape is the bloody limit. With all those powers it should have been enough for him to escape. Why did he have to trick us out of our treasures? If I don’t have the powers to catch him then I’ll never be a monster on the road West again.”\n\n“How are you going to get him?” asked the Senior King.\n\n“We had five treasures,” said the Junior King, “so even after losing two we have three left with which we can and must capture him.”\n\n“What three treasures?” asked the Senior King."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What three treasures?” asked the Senior King.\n\n“The Seven-star Sword and the Plantain Fan that I carry with me,” the Junior King replied, “and the Dazzling Golden Cord that’s kept at our old mother’s place in the Crushed Dragon Cave in Crushed Dragon Mountain. We should now send a couple of little devils to invite our mother to a meal of the Tang Priest’s flesh and ask her to bring the Dazzling Golden Cord to catch Sun the Novice with.”\n\n“Which ones should we send?” asked the Senior King.\n\n“Not rubbish like those two,” replied the Junior King, who then shouted at Dexterous Ghost and Skilful Beast to get up.\n\n“What luck,” they said. “We weren’t beaten and we weren’t sworn at—we’ve been let off.”\n\n“Send for my regular attendants Mountain Tiger and Ocean Dragon,” ordered the Junior King. The two of them knelt before him while he gave them his instructions. “You must be very cautious.”\n\n“We’ll be cautious,” they replied.\n\n“And careful.”\n\n“We’ll be careful,” they replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’ll be careful,” they replied.\n\n“Do you know the way to our mother’s home?” he asked.\n\n“We do,” they replied.\n\n“In that case go as soon as you can. When you get to the old lady’s place bow to her very respectfully, then invite her to a meal of the Tang Priest’s flesh and ask her to bring the Dazzling Golden Cord with her to catch Sun the Novice.”\n\nThe two demons obediently hurried off, unaware that Monkey had heard every single word. He spread his wings and flew till he caught up with Mountain Tiger and settled on him. After about a mile he was going to kill the pair of them when he reflected, “Killing them would be no problem, but I don’t know where the old lady keeps her Dazzling Golden Cord. I’d better question them before killing them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Monkey! He flew buzzing away from the two little devils and let them get a good hundred paces ahead. He then changed himself with a shake into another little devil with a fox-skin cap and a tigerskin kilt worn upside-down, who hurried after them and called, “Wait a moment, travelers.”\n\nOcean Dragon looked back and asked, “Where are you from?”\n\n“My dear brother,” Monkey replied, “don’t you even recognize members of your own household?”\n\n“You’re not one of us,” said the little devils.\n\n“What do you mean?” said Monkey. “Take another look and see if you can recognize me.”\n\n“You’re a stranger,” they replied, “and we’ve never met.”\n\n“That’s right,” Monkey said, “you’ve never met me. I’m one of the outside staff.”\n\n“Well then,” the little devils replied, “we would never have met you, sir. Where are you going?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“His Majesty told me,” Monkey said, “that he’d sent you two gentlemen to invite the old lady to a meal of the Tang Priest’s flesh. You were to ask her to bring the Dazzling Golden Cord along to catch Sun the Novice. He’s worried that you two would dawdle and misbehave yourselves and mess things up, so he sent me along too to hurry you up.” As he knew all the details the two little devils were not at all suspicious: they believed that Monkey really was one of them. They rushed along in a great hurry for about three miles.\n\n“This is too fast,” said Monkey. “How far have we gone?”\n\n“About five miles,” said the little devils.\n\n“And how much further is there to go?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“And how much further is there to go?”\n\n“Just to the black wood over there,” said Ocean Dragon, pointing it out. Monkey looked up to see a dark stretch of woodland not far away. The old demon must live somewhere nearby, he thought; so he stopped to let the little devils get ahead of him, pulled out his cudgel, rushed after them; and took a swipe at their legs. Unfortunately he hit them so hard that he turned the two little devils into mincemeat.\n\nHe hid himself deep in the undergrowth beside the path, pulled out one of his hairs, blew on it, said “Change!” and turned it into Mountain Tiger. He turned himself into Ocean Dragon. Then the two imitation devils headed for the Crushed Dragon Cave to deliver the invitation to the old lady. Indeed:\n\nGreat are the powers of the seventy-two transformations;\n\nGreatest of all is the art of improvisation."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Greatest of all is the art of improvisation.\n\nWith four or five bounds both of him was in the wood. He searched until he saw a pair of stone doors standing ajar. Not daring to charge in, he shouted, “Open the doors.”\n\nThe little she-devil on the doors was so startled that she opened one of them wide. “Where are you from?” she asked.\n\n“We’ve been sent from the Lotus Flower Cave on Flat-top Mountain with an invitation for the old lady,” said Monkey, and the little she-devil invited both of him in. When he reached the inner doors he peeped round them and saw an old woman sitting in the middle of the cave. Do you know what she looked like?\n\nA map of snow white hair,\n\nStar-shining bright.\n\nA ruddy, wrinkled countenance,\n\nFew teeth, and a majestic manner.\n\nShe looked like a chrysanthemum amid the frost,\n\nWith a face the color of old pine-trees after rain.\n\nA white silk scarf was wrapped around her head,\n\nAnd jewels studded her golden ear-rings."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And jewels studded her golden ear-rings.\n\nWhen Sun the Great Sage saw her he did not go in, but covered his face with his hands and started to sob outside the inner doors. Do you know why he was crying? Could it be because he was afraid of her? But even if he had been afraid, crying would have been no use. Besides, he had tricked them out of their treasures and killed the little demons, so what did he have to cry about? He had never shed a single tear the time when he had been put inside nine cauldrons and deep-fried in oil for eight or nine days on end."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was only the thought of the Tang Priest’s suffering in his quest for the scriptures that upset him so badly that he wept as he reflected thus: “I’ve used my powers to turn into a little demon and come with an invitation for this she-devil. It wouldn’t do for me to stay upright when I talk to her: I’ll have to kowtow to her. In my life I’ve only kowtowed to three people: Lord Buddha in the Western Heaven, Bodhisattva Guanyin in the Southern Ocean, and the Master—I kowtowed to him four times when he delivered me from the Double Boundary Mountain, and for him I’d wear out the six blades of my lungs and liver and the three hairs and seven apertures of my heart. But is it really worth banging my head on the ground before this she-devil for a roll of scripture? If I don’t, I’ll give the game away. This is terrible. I suppose it’s only because the master is in trouble that I’ll humiliate myself like this.” As he had no choice he rushed in, knelt down, and announced that he was kowtowing to the old lady."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Get up, my child,” said the she-devil. Monkey was delighted that his announcement had worked. “Where are you from?” the old devil asked.\n\n“I have been sent at the command of the two kings of the Lotus Flower Cave in Flat-top Mountain to invite you, Ma’am, to a meal of the Tang Priest’s flesh. They also ask you to bring your Dazzling Golden Cord to capture Sun the Novice with.” The old devil was very pleased indeed.\n\n“What good, dutiful boys,” she said, sending for her carrying-chair.\n\n“Good lord,” said Monkey to himself, “fancy a demon being carried in a chair.” Two she-devils came up from behind with a chair made of fragrant rattan. They set it down outside the doors, then lifted the green gauze curtain. The old devil left the cave and got into the chair. Some young she-devils followed her with comb-boxes, mirrors and stands, towels and a scent box."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What are all you here for? I’m going to visit my own sons, and there’ll be no shortage of people to look after me there. I won’t need you lot to fuss over me and natter. Go back in, shut the doors, and look after the place.” All the little demons apart from the two chair-porters did indeed go back in. “What are you two messengers called?” asked the old she-devil.\n\n“He’s called Mountain Tiger,” Monkey quickly replied, “and I’m Ocean Dragon.”\n\n“You two take the lead and clear the way for me,” said the old she-devil.\n\n“Stinking luck,” thought Monkey. “No scriptures yet, on top of which I’ve got to be her slave.” As there could be no question of refusing he had to lead the way, chanting loudly, “Lift the chair!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he had covered a couple of miles or thereabouts he sat down on the edge of a precipice. When the chair-porters caught him up he suggested, “What about a little rest? Your shoulders must be aching under the weight.” Not realizing that this was a trick the little devils put the chair down. Standing behind it Monkey pulled a hair from his chest and turned it into a sesame bun that he ate as he held it.\n\n“What are you eating, sir?” the chair-porters asked.\n\n“It’s a bit awkward to explain,” replied Monkey. “We came a very long way to invite Her Highness, but as I’ve been given no food I’m hungry. When I’ve eaten some of these dry rations I brought with me we can be on our way.”\n\n“Give us a bit,” the porters pleaded.\n\n“Come over here, then,” said Monkey. “There’s no need to be too careful within the family.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Unaware of what was up, the little devils crowded round Monkey for a share of his dry rations, whereupon he produced his cudgel. The one he hit on the head was smashed to pulp when trying to ward the blow off; the other, who was only grazed, survived to groan aloud. Hearing these groans the old demon poked her head out from the chair to take a look. Monkey leapt round to the front of the chair and brought his cudgel down on her head, denting her skull and making blood and brains spurt out. Dragging her out of the chair for a good look he found she was really a nine-tailed vixen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Vicious brute,” he said, “fancy you having yourself called ‘Your Highness’. If you’re a ‘your highness’ then you ought to address me as Supreme Ancestral Lord.” The splendid Monkey King then found her Dazzling Golden Cord, and gloated as he tucked it up his sleeve, “Those lousy demons may have their magical powers, but three of their treasure are mine now.” He then pulled out two more hairs that he turned into doubles of Mountain Tiger and Ocean Dragon, as well as two more that he turned into the chair-porters. He then made himself look like the old lady, sat in the chair, and had it carried straight back the way he had come.\n\nIt was not long before they were at the entrance to the Lotus Flower Cave and the two hairs turned chair-porters were clamoring for the doors to be opened. The little devil on the doors asked whether Mountain Tiger and Ocean Dragon were back.\n\n“Yes,” replied the hairs.\n\n“Did you persuade Her Highness to come?”\n\n“Can’t you see her in the chair?” asked the hairs, pointing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wait a moment while I report inside,” said the little devil, who went in to announce, “Your Majesties, Her Highness is here.” At this the two demon kings had a table of incense-sticks set out to greet her. Monkey was quietly delighted to hear all this.\n\n“What luck,” he thought. “It’s my turn to do it in style now. I had to kowtow with the invitation to the old she-devil when I turned myself into a little devil. Now that I’ve turned myself into her I’m their mother, and they’ll have to kowtow four times to me. It may not mean much, but at least I’ll be a couple of kowtows up.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage got out of the carrying chair, straightened his clothes, and put the four hairs back on his body. The little devil on the doors carried the empty chair inside, and Monkey walked slowly in behind him, imitating the old she-devil’s affected wiggles. As he went straight in devils big and small knelt in greeting. A drum and fife band started to play, and clouds of incense rose from the Boshan burners. On reaching the main hall he sat down, facing regally South, while the two demon kings kowtowed to him with the words, “Mother, your children kowtow to you.”\n\n“Get up, my children,” said Monkey.\n\nPig, still hanging from a roof-beam, began to roar with laughter. “You’re a fine one, brother,” said Friar Sand, “laughing while hung up.”\n\n“I know what I’m doing,” said Pig.\n\n“And what are you doing?” asked Friar Sand.\n\n“I was afraid that when the old woman came we’d be cooked and eaten. But it’s not her: it’s the old story.”\n\n“What old story?” asked Friar Sand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What old story?” asked Friar Sand.\n\n“The Protector of the Horses is here,” said Pig.\n\n“How can you tell?” asked Friar Sand. “When she leant forward and said, ‘Get up, my children,’ a monkey’s tail stuck out behind her. I can see better than you because I’m hung up higher.”\n\n“Stop talking,” said Friar Sand. “Let’s listen to what they say.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Pig.\n\n“Well, boys, why have you asked me here?” asked Monkey as he sat between the two demon kings.\n\n“Mother,” they replied, “we’ve been most discourteous to you for many days and not done our duty by you. But this morning we captured the Tang Priest from the East, and we wouldn’t dream of eating him by ourselves. So we invited you over to present him to you live. We’ll cook him and offer him to you to eat: he’ll prolong your life.”\n\n“I won’t eat the Tang Priest’s flesh, dear boys,” Monkey replied, “but they do say that Pig’s ears are delicious. Could you cut them off and have them prepared? They’d go down well with a drink.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A pox on you,” exclaimed Pig in panic when he heard. “So you’re here to cut my ears off. What I’ll have to say won’t make pleasant listening.”\n\nOh dear! Because the idiot’s remarks gave the game away the Monkey King’s cover was blown. In burst a crowd of little demons, mountain rangers and doorkeepers to report, “Disaster, Your Majesties. Sun the Novice has killed the old lady and disguised himself as her.”\n\nThe moment the demon kings heard this there was no time for arguments: the Seven-star Sword was brought out, and it cut straight at Monkey’s face. The splendid Great Sage moved in a flash: the cave was full of red light, and he was gone. A trick like that really was fun: he could concentrate himself into solid form, or disperse into vapor. The Senior Demon King was out of his wits with terror, while all the other devils hit their fingers and shook their heads."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said the senior king, “let’s give the Tang Priest, Friar Sand, Pig, the white horse and all their baggage back to Sun the Novice and end the quarrel between us.”\n\n“What a thing to say,” replied the Junior King. “Goodness only knows how much trouble we went to in our plan to capture all those monks. But now you’re so intimidated by Sun the Novice’s amazing transformations that you want to give everything back to him. You really are a coward. No man would act like that. You sit down and stop being so terrified. I’ve heard you tell of his tremendous magical powers, but I’ve never tried my skill against his although we did meet. Bring me my armor. I’m going to find him and fight three rounds with him. If he can’t beat me in those three rounds then the Tang Priest will be ours to eat; and if I can’t beat him we’ll give him back the Tang Priest.”\n\n“You’re right, brother,” said the older demon, who then ordered that the armor be brought out. This was done."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Junior Demon King was fully accoutered he took his sword in his hand and went outside calling, “Sun the Novice, where have you gone?” The Great Sage, who was now up in the clouds, turned round to look as soon as he heard his name called and saw that it was the Junior Demon King. This was how he was dressed:\n\nThe phoenix-helmet on his head outdid the winter snow;\n\nHis battle armor shone with the glint of steel.\n\nThe girdle at his waist was woven from dragon sinews;\n\nSoft leather boots had folds like plum blossom.\n\nA face like a living True Lord of Guankou,\n\nA countenance no different from the Mighty Miracle God.\n\nThe Seven-star Sword was brandished in his fist;\n\nGreat was his wrath that rose to the clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Great was his wrath that rose to the clouds.\n\n“Sun the Novice,” roared the Junior King, “give back our treasures and our mother and we will free your Tang Priest to go to fetch the scriptures.” The Great Sage could not restrain himself from abusing him: “You revolting demon, you don’t know what you’re up against in me. Give me back my master, my brothers, the white horse and our baggage, and throw in some travelling expenses for our journey West too. If so much as the hint of a ‘no’ slips out between your teeth you’d better start making your own rope to save me the trouble of doing it myself.”\n\nOn hearing this the Junior Demon King sent a cloud shooting up and sprang into mid-air, swinging his sword round to cut through Monkey, who struck at his face with his iron cudgel. The fight between them in the sky was magnificent:\n\nWell-matched chess-players,\n\nA general against a worthy foe.\n\nA well-matched chess-player must show his mettle;\n\nOnly against a worthy foe can a general win glory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When these divine warriors clashed\n\nIt was like tigers fighting in the Southern hills,\n\nOr dragons struggling in the Northern seas.\n\nWhere dragons struggle\n\nTheir scales glisten.\n\nWhen tigers fight\n\nClaws and teeth wreak havoc.\n\nThe claws and teeth wreak havoc, falling like silver hooks;\n\nThe scales as they glisten are iron leaves.\n\nThe one twists and turns,\n\nPerforming a thousand maneuvers;\n\nThe other moves to and fro,\n\nNever relaxing for an instant.\n\nThe gold-banded cudgel\n\nComes within inches of the skull;\n\nThe Seven-star Sword\n\nStrives for a thrust to the heart.\n\nThe one strikes fear into the stars;\n\nThe other’s wrath is more terrible than lightning."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The two of them fought thirty rounds, but neither came out on top. Monkey was delighted, though without showing it. “So this vicious devil is a match for my iron cudgel. As I’ve already got his three treasures I’m only wasting my time slogging it out with him like this. It’d be much better to pop him into the gourd or the vase. But that’s no good,” he reflected further. “As the saying goes, ‘a possession is at its owner’s disposal.’ If they don’t do what I tell them, everything will be ruined. I’ll have to lasso him with the Dazzling Golden Cord.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Using one hand to parry the magic sword with his cudgel, the splendid Great Sage raised the rope in the other and sent it whistling through the air to lasso the demon king. Now the king had a Rope-tightening Spell and a Rope-loosening Spell. When he lassoed others he would say the tightening spell, and nobody would be able to get free, and if he lassoed his own people he would say the loosening spell, and no one would be hurt. Recognizing this rope as one of his own family’s treasures he said the loosening spell, at which the noose slid open. He got free and threw the rope back at Monkey, catching him. Before the Great Sage could apply some slimming magic to escape the demon had recited the tightening spell. Monkey was held fast, unable to free himself; he was locked tight by a gold ring at his neck. The demon jerked at the rope and pulled him over, then struck seven or eight blows at his head with the magic sword. This did not even redden Monkey’s scalp."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If your head’s that hard, you ape, I’ll not hack at you any more,” the demon said. “I’ll take you back to kill later. Give me my two treasures back at once.”\n\n“I haven’t got any treasures of yours,” Monkey replied, “so why ask me?” The demon king searched him very carefully, found the gourd and the vase, and dragged him back into the cave by the rope.\n\n“Brother, I’ve got him,” he announced.\n\n“Who?” the Senior King asked.\n\n“Sun the Novice,” replied the Junior King. “Come and see.”\n\nWhen the Senior King saw that it was Monkey his face was wreathed in smiles. “It’s him,” he said, “it’s him. Tie him to a pillar with a very long rope and we’ll have some fun with him.” And indeed Monkey was tied up\n\nwhile the two demon kings went into the back hall for a drink.\n\nMonkey’s fidgeting at the foot of the pillar disturbed Pig. As he hung from his beam the idiot mocked Monkey: “So you didn’t manage to eat those ears.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Fool,” said Monkey, “do you like hanging up there? If I get out I guarantee that I’ll rescue you all.”\n\n“You’re shameless,” said Pig, “quite shameless. You can’t escape yourself, and you want to rescue others. I’ve had enough. Let’s all die with the master, then at least we’ll be able to ask the way for him in the Underworld.”\n\n“Stop talking such nonsense,” said Monkey, “and watch me get out.”\n\n“How?” Pig asked. While the Great Sage told Pig he was keeping a sharp eye on the two demon kings, who were feasting inside while little demons brought them dishes of food and jugs of wine. The two of them were staggering all over the place, and security was very relaxed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that there was nobody in front of him Monkey used his magic powers to slide his cudgel out. He blew on it and said “Change!” turning it into a pure steel file. Tugging at the ring at his neck he filed it apart with four or five strokes of the file, then removed the file, freed himself, plucked out a hair, turned it into a replica of himself, and left it tied up there. Then in a flash he changed into a little devil and stood beside it.\n\nUp by the roof-beam Pig started to shout, “This is terrible, terrible. The one tied up is a fake. The genuine article is hanging up here.”\n\nThe Senior Demon King put his wine cup down to ask, “Why is Pig yelling?” Monkey, now in the guise of a little devil, came forward to report, “Pig was inciting Sun the Novice to transform himself and escape. Sun refused to do so, and so Pig is yelling.”\n\n“Who said that Pig was well-behaved?” asked the Junior King. “Now we know just how cunning he is. He must be hit twenty times on the snout.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey fetched a rod to hit him with, Pig said, “Don’t hit me hard, because if you do I’ll start shouting again. I know who you are.”\n\n“It’s only for your sakes that I’m making all these transformations,” replied Monkey. “Why ever did you have to give the game away? None of the demons in the cave knew who I was. It would have to be you who found out.”\n\n“You may have altered your face,” Pig replied, “but you can’t change your backside. You have a patch of red on either cheek down there, don’t you? That’s how I know it’s you.” Monkey went through to the inner quarters, slipped into the kitchens, rubbed the underneath of a pan, smeared the soot on both his buttocks, and went back to the front part of the cave.\n\n“Where’s that monkey been messing around?” mocked Pig when he saw him. “His bum’s all black.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was still standing in front of them, trying to steal their treasures. Being extremely wise he entered the main hall, tugged at the old demon’s leg, and said, “Your Majesty, Sun the Novice is fidgeting around where he’s tied to the pillar, trying to wear his way through the golden rope. It would be best to change it for a thicker one.”\n\n“You’re right,” said the Senior Demon King, taking off the belt of lion-hide he wore at his waist and handing it to Monkey, who used it to tie up the imitation Monkey. The golden rope he tucked loop by loop into his sleeve before plucking out a hair, blowing on it with magic breath, and turning it into a copy of the Dazzling Golden Cord, which he respectfully returned to the demon with both hands. The demon was too preoccupied with his drinking to look at it carefully as he accepted it. Thus it was that the Great Sage used his power of improvisation and turned a hair into the Dazzling Golden Cord."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now that he had this treasure he bounded out of the cave as fast as he could, turned back into himself, and shouted, “You devils.”\n\n“Who are you, yelling like that?” the devils on the doors asked.\n\n“Go inside at once and announce to your lousy demon kings that the Novice Sun is here.” When the little devils passed on the message the Senior King was greatly shocked.\n\n“We’ve captured Sun the Novice, so how can there be another Novice Sun?”\n\n“He’s nothing to be frightened of,” said the Junior King. “We have all our treasures back. I’ll fetch the gourd and put him inside it.”\n\n“Do be careful, brother,” said the Senior King.\n\nThe Junior King went outside carrying the gourd to see someone just like Sun the Novice except that he was a little shorter. “Where are you from?” he asked.\n\n“I’m Sun the Novice’s brother,” Monkey replied. “I’ve heard that you’ve captured him, which is why I’m here to have it out with you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, I have got him,” said the Junior Demon King. “He’s tied up in the cave. As you’re here you must want a fight, and I’m willing to cross swords with you. But do you have the guts to answer if I call your name?”\n\n“If you call my name a thousand times,” said Monkey, “I’ll answer ten thousand times.”\n\nThe demon leapt into mid-air with his treasure, which he held upside-down as he called out, “Novice Sun.” Monkey did not dare reply.\n\n“If I reply,” he thought, “he’ll have me inside.”\n\n“Why don’t you answer me?” the demon asked.\n\n“I can’t hear you,” replied Monkey, “I’m a bit deaf. Shout louder.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Novice Sun,” the demon shouted again. Down below Monkey pinched his own fingers as he thought things out: “My real name is Sun the Novice. Novice Sun is only a false name I’ve made up. With my real name I could be put in the gourd, but I reckon that with a false name I can’t be.” Unable to restrain himself any longer he replied this time. With a roaring of wind he was sucked into the gourd and the label was put on it. As it happened it made no difference to that treasure whether a name was real or false: any response was enough to get you put inside."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage found it pitch-black inside the gourd. When he tried to raise his head he could not move it at all, so tightly was he squeezed in it. He now began to feel very anxious. “The two little devils I met on the mountain,” he thought, “told me that any one put in the gourd or the vase turns to pus in three and a half hours. Perhaps that’s going to happen to me.” Then he started on another line of thought: “No problem. I won’t turn into pus. When I made havoc in the Palace of Heaven five hundred years ago Lord Lao Zi put me in his Eight Trigram Furnace and fired me for forty-nine days, and this gave me a heart and liver of gold, lungs of silver, a brazen head, an iron back, eyes of fire and golden pupils. I couldn’t possibly be turned to pus in three and a half hours. I’ll let him take me inside and see what he does.”\n\nTaking Monkey inside, the Junior Demon King said, “I’ve got him, brother.”\n\n“Who?” the Senior King asked.\n\n“I’ve got the Novice Sun packed in my gourd,” the Junior King replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do sit down, dear brother,” said the Senior King, “and don’t move. We must shake the gourd till we hear him sloshing around inside before taking the label off.” Hearing this, Monkey wondered, “How could they shake my body till they heard it sloshing around? They wouldn’t hear anything unless I’d turned runny. I’ll take a piss, then if they shake me and hear is sloshing around they’re bound to take the label and the lid off, and I’ll be able to get the hell out of here. No, that won’t do. Piss would sound right but it would get my tunic filthy. When he shakes the gourd I’ll have my mouth full of saliva that I can swish around noisily to fool him into opening up. Then I’ll be off.” The Great Sage got ready, but the demons were too thirsty for their wine to shake the gourd. So he thought of a way to trick them into shaking it.\n\n“Heavens,” he shouted, “my knuckles have turned to pus.” But the demons still did not shake it. Then he shouted, “Mother, my waist has gone now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the Senior Demon King said, “If he’s turned to pus as far as the waist he’s finished. Take the label off and let’s have a look.”\n\nWhen the Great Sage heard this he plucked out another hair, told it to change, and turned it into half of his own body, which he left in the bottom of the gourd. He turned himself into a tiny insect that perched near the mouth of the gourd. As soon as the Junior Demon King took the paper cover off he flew out, did a roll, and turned into Ocean Dragon, the little devil who had gone with the invitation to the old lady. In this guise he stood beside the path while the Senior King removed the stopper from the gourd, craned his neck, and saw the half body still moving. Not realizing that it was a fake he called out in panic, “Shut it again, brother, shut it. He hasn’t rotted down yet.” The Junior King put the cover back on. The Great Sage was discreetly delighted that they did not realize where he actually was."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Senior Demon King took the gourd, filled a cup to the brim with liquor, and offered it with both hands to the Junior King, saying, “Please accept this drink from me.”\n\n“Elder brother,” replied the Junior King, “I’ve drunk a great deal. I can’t accept another.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the Senior King said, “Your capture of the Tang Priest, Pig and Friar Sand was nothing special; but I insist on offering you some drinks to congratulate you on your achievement in tying up Sun the Novice and putting the Novice Sun into your gourd.” As his elder brother was showing him so much honour and respect the Junior King would have to accept the cup. But he was still holding the magic gourd, and it would have been rude to accept the cup in one hand. So he passed the gourd to Ocean Dragon to allow himself to receive the cup with both hands, unaware that Ocean Dragon was Monkey in disguise. Just watch Monkey respectfully holding the gourd as he stands in attendance. When the Junior King had drunk the liquor he wanted to return the courtesy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No need,” said the Senior King, “I’ll drink one with you.” They were both being very modest. Monkey held the gourd and fixed his gaze on the two of them as they lost count of how many drinks they were giving each other. He slipped the gourd up his sleeve, pulled out a hair, and turned it into an exact facsimile of the gourd that he offered to the kings. After giving each other so many drinks the two kings did not check its authenticity but simply took their treasure, went to their places, sat down, and carried on drinking. The Great Sage got away. He was very pleased at having captured the treasures.\n\n“In spite of these demon kings’ magic powers, the gourd is now mine,” he thought.\n\nIf you don’t know what he had to do to save his master and destroy the demons, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty-Five\n\nThe Power of Heterodoxy Oppresses the True Nature\n\nThe Mind-Ape Wins the Treasures and Beats the Demons\n\nLucid the true nature; the Way explains itself;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lucid the true nature; the Way explains itself;\n\nWith one turn one jumps out of the net.\n\nTo learn transformations is very hard indeed;\n\nTo become immortal is no common deed.\n\nPure yields to foul and foul to pure as fate’s wheel turns:\n\nBreak through the kalpas and travel freely.\n\nWander at will through countless billion years,\n\nA spot of sacred light ever shining in the void.\n\nThis poem is an apt but indirect description of how wonderful the Great Sage’s powers were. Now that he had won the demons’ treasure and had it tucked into his sleeve he thought with delight, “The damned demon went to such a lot of trouble to capture me, but it was, as they say, like trying to fish the moon out of water. But for me to try to capture you would be like melting ice on a fire.”\n\nConcealing the gourd about him he slipped outside, reverted to his own form, and shouted at the top of his voice, “Open up, you devils.”\n\n“Who do you think you are, shouting like that?” asked the devils who were there."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Tell your damned demon kings at once that Novice the Sun is here,” he replied.\n\nThe demons rushed in to report, “Your Majesties, there’s a Novice the Sun or something at the doors.” The Senior King was shocked.\n\n“This is terrible, brother,” he said. “We’ve stirred up a whole nest of them. Sun the Novice is tied up with the Dazzling Golden Cord, and the Novice Sun is inside the gourd, so how can there be a Novice the Sun as well? They must all be brothers and all have come.”\n\n“Don’t worry, brother,” the Junior King replied. “I can put a thousand people into my gourd, and at present I’ve only got the Novice Sun inside. No need to be afraid of Novice the Sun or whoever. I’m going out to take a look and put him inside too.”\n\n“Do be careful,” said the Senior Demon King.\n\nWatch as the Junior King goes out through the doors with his gourd, as heroic and impressive as the previous time.\n\n“Where are you from?” he shouted at the top of his voice, “and how dare you rant and roar here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t you know who I am?” Monkey said.\n\n“My home is on the Mount of Flowers and Fruit;\n\nLong have we lived in Water Curtain Cave.\n\nFor making havoc in the Heavenly Palace\n\nFor ages did I rest from war and strife.\n\nSince my delivery from woe,\n\nI’ve left the Way and now I serve a monk.\n\nAs a believer I go to Thunder Shrine\n\nTo seek the Scriptures and come back to Truth.\n\nNow that I’ve met with you damned fiends,\n\nAll of my magic powers I’ve had to use.\n\nGive back to us the priest who’s come from Tang,\n\nTo travel West and visit the Lord Buddha.\n\nThe rival sides have fought for long enough:\n\nLet all of us now live in peace together.\n\nDon’t make old Monkey lose his fiery temper,\n\nFor if he does he’ll surely wipe you out”\n\n“Come here,” said the demon. “I won’t hit you. I’ll just call your name. Will you answer?”\n\n“If you call my name,” said Monkey, “I’ll reply. But will you answer if I call your name?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I call you,” said the demon, “I have a miraculous gourd that people can be packed into. But if you call me, what have you got?”\n\n“I’ve got a gourd too,” Monkey replied.\n\n“If you have, then show me,” said the demon.\n\nMonkey then produced the gourd from his sleeve and said, “Look, damned demon.” He flourished it then put it back in his sleeve in case the demon tried to snatch it.\n\nThe sight was a great shock to the demon. “Where did he get his gourd?” he wondered. “Why is it just like mine? Even gourds from the same vine are different sizes and shapes. But that one is identical.” He then shouted angrily at Monkey, “Novice the Sun, where did you get your gourd?”\n\nAs Monkey really did not know where it was from he answered with another question: “Where did you get yours?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not realizing that this was a trick Monkey had learned from experience, the demon told the true story from the beginning: “When Chaos was first divided and heaven separated from earth there was this Lord Lao Zi who took the name of the Goddess Nuwa to smelt a stone to mend the heavens and save the Continent of Jambu. When he put in the missing part of the Heavenly Palace he noticed a magic vine at the foot of Mount Kunlun on which this gold and red gourd was growing. It has been handed down from Lord Lao Zi to the present day.”\n\nHearing this, Monkey carried on in the same vein: “That’s where my gourd came from too.”\n\n“How can you tell?” the demon king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How can you tell?” the demon king asked.\n\n“When the pure and the coarse were first divided,” the Great Sage replied, “heaven was incomplete in the Northwest corner, and part of the earth was missing to the Southeast. So the Great Taoist Patriarch turned himself into Nuwa to mend the sky. As he passed Mount Kunlun there was a magic vine with two gourds growing on it. The one I’ve got is the male one, and yours is the female one.”\n\n“Never mind about the sex,” said the demon. “It’s only a real treasure if it can hold people inside.”\n\n“Quite right,” said Monkey. “You try to put me inside first.”\n\nThe overjoyed demon sprang into mid-air with a bound, held out his gourd, and called, “Novice the Sun.” Without hesitation the Great Sage replied eight or nine times, but he was not sucked inside. The monster came down, stamping his feet, pounding his chest, and exclaiming, “Heavens! Who said that the world never changes? This treasure’s scared of its old man! The female one hasn’t the nerve to pack the male inside.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Put your gourd away now,” said Monkey. “It’s my turn to call your name.” With a fast somersault he leapt up, turned his gourd upside-down with its mouth facing the demon, and called, “Great King Silver Horn.” The demon could not keep quiet; he had to answer, and he went whistling into the gourd. Monkey then attached a label reading: To the Great Lord Lao: to be dealt with urgently in accordance with the Statutes and Ordinances.\n\n“Well, my boy,” he thought with pleasure, “today you’ve tried something new.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He landed his cloud, still carrying the gourd. His only thought was to rescue his master as he headed for the Lotus Flower Cave. The mountain path was most uneven, and he was besides bow-legged, so as he lurched along the gourd was shaken, making a continuous sloshing sound. Do you know why this was? The Great Sage’s body had been so thoroughly tempered that he could not be putrefied in a hurry. The monster, on the other hand, though able to ride the clouds only had certain magical powers. His body was still essentially that of an ordinary mortal, which putrefied as soon as it went into the gourd."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not believing that the demon had already turned to pus, Monkey joked, “I don’t know whether that’s piss or saliva, my lord, but I’ve played that game too. I won’t take the cover off for another seven or eight days, by when you’ll have turned to liquid. What’s the hurry? What’s so urgent? When I think how easily I escaped you deserve to be out of sight for a thousand years.” As he was carrying the gourd and talking like this he was back at the doors of the cave before he realized it. He shook the gourd, and it kept making that noise.\n\n“It’s like a fortune-telling tube that you shake a stick out of,” he thought. “I’ll do one and see when the Master will be coming out.” Watch him as he shakes and shakes it, repeating over and over again the spell, “King Wen’s Book of Changes, Confucius the Sage, Lady of the Peach Blossom, Master Ghostvalley.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they saw him the little devils in the cave said, “Disaster, Your Majesty. Novice the Sun has put his Junior Majesty in the gourd and is shaking it.” The news sent all the Senior King’s souls flying and turned his bones and sinews soft.\n\nHe collapsed, howling aloud, “You and I sneaked out of the world above to be reborn among mortals, brother. Our hope was to share glory for ever as rulers of this cave. We never dreamt that this monk would kill you and part us.” All the devils in the cave wept and wailed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sound of all this howling was too much for Pig hanging from his beam. “Stop howling, demon,” he could not help himself shouting, “and listen to me. Sun the Novice who came first, the Novice Sun who came next, and Novice the Sun who came last all have the same name shuffled around, and they are all my fellow disciple. He can do seventy-two transformations. He got in here by changing, stole your treasure and put your brother inside it. Now that he’s dead there’s no need for all this misery. Have your cooking pots scrubbed clean and cook some gill mushrooms and button mushrooms, tea shoots, bamboo shoots, beancurd, gluten, tree-fungus, and vegetables. Then you can invite my master, my fellow-disciple and me down to say a Life Sutra for your brother.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I thought Pig was well-behaved,” roared the demon king in fury, “but he most certainly is not, mocking me like that.” He then called on the little devils, “Stop wailing, and let Pig down. Cook him till he’s nice and tender, and when I’ve had made a good meal of him I’ll go out and take my revenge on Sun the Novice.”\n\n“Wonderful,” grumbled Friar Sand at Pig. “I told you to keep your mouth shut. Your reward for blabbing will be to be cooked first.”\n\nThe idiot was quite frightened by now. A little devil standing beside him said, “Your Majesty, Pig will be hard to cook.”\n\n“Thank heavens,” said Pig. “Is this brother winning himself some merit? It’s true I wouldn’t cook well.”\n\nThen another little devil said, “He’ll cook if he’s skinned first.”\n\n“Yes,” said Pig in desperation, “I’ll cook. My skin and bones may be coarse, but they’ll boil tender. I’m done for! I’m done for.”\n\nBefore Pig had finished shouting a little devil came in from outside to report that Novice the Sun was there again and being very abusive."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Damn him. He thinks we’re completely useless,” exclaimed the Senior Demon King with horror. “Hang Pig up again,” he told the little demons, “and check what treasures we have left.”\n\n“We still have three in the cave,” reported the steward devil.\n\n“Which three?” the demon king asked. “The Seven-star Sword, the Plantain Fan, and the Pure Vase,” replied the steward.\n\n“The vase is useless,” said the demon king. “All you used to need to do was to call someone’s name and get a reply for them to be put inside. But now Sun the Novice has learned the words of the spell and put my brother in it. We won’t need that—leave it here. Fetch me the sword and the fan at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The steward immediately fetched them for the old demon, who tucked the fan inside the back of his collar and took the sword in his hand. Then he mustered all three hundred or more of his devils and drilled them in the use of spear, staff, rope and sword. The Senior Demon King then put on his helmet and breast plate, over which he threw a cloak of fiery red silk. The demons fell into battle formation, ready to capture the Great Sage Sun. The Great Sage meanwhile, now aware that the Junior Demon King had rotted down inside the gourd, tied it up very tight and fastened it to his belt, then prepared to fight, his gold-banded cudgel in his hand. The old demon, his red battle-flag unfurled behind him, leapt out through the doors of the cave. This was how he was dressed:\n\nDazzling bright the tassels on his helmet,\n\nBrilliantly coloured the belt at his waist.\n\nThe armor he wore was made of dragon scales,\n\nCovered with a cloak of burning fire.\n\nLightning flashed from his glaring eyes,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lightning flashed from his glaring eyes,\n\nSmoke curled up from his bristles of steel.\n\nLightly he lifted the Seven-star Sword,\n\nHis shoulders covered by the Plantain Fan.\n\nHe moved like clouds drifting from an island,\n\nSounded like thunderbolts shaking the mountains.\n\nHis mighty prowess would oppress Heaven’s warriors\n\nAs he wrathfully led his devils from the cave.\n\nHe ordered the little devils into battle positions at once, then started hurling abuse: “Thoroughly ill-mannered ape. You’ve murdered my brother and ruined our fraternal love. You’re utterly loathsome.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Detestable monster,” replied Monkey in kind. “You hang on to your devilish life for all you’re worth, but how do you expect me to stand for my master, my fellow-disciples and horse all being hung up in your cave for no good reason at all? It’s intolerable. Hand them over to me this moment and throw in some generous travelling expenses. Then I’ll cheerfully be on my way and spare your rotten life.” With no more ado the demon lifted his sword and struck at Monkey’s head, while Monkey raised his iron cudgel to meet him. It was a fine battle they fought outside the gates. Indeed!\n\nThe Gold-Banded Cudgel and the Seven-star Sword,\n\nFlashing like lightning as they meet.\n\nThe chill wind from them makes one cold,\n\nWhile mighty banks of cloud blot out the ridges.\n\nOne, moved by brotherly love,\n\nWould do no act of kindness;\n\nThe other, out to save the pilgrim,\n\nShowed no touch of mercy.\n\nThe two sides seethed with equal hatred,\n\nEach of them sharing the same loathing.\n\nThey fought so hard that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They fought so hard that\n\nHeaven and earth were thrown into darkness,\n\nGods and demons were terrified,\n\nThe sun went pale in the dense smoke,\n\nDragons and tigers trembled.\n\nOne gnashed his teeth, as if filing nails of jade;\n\nThe other’s glaring eyes burned with golden fire.\n\nMoving to and fro they showed off their valour,\n\nIn an endless play of sword and cudgel."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In an endless play of sword and cudgel.\n\nWhen the old demon had fought twenty rounds with Monkey and neither had emerged the victor he waved the scabbard of his sword and called all his little devils forward. Over three hundred of them all rushed up and surrounded Monkey. The splendid Great Sage, quite unperturbed, used his cudgel to strike and parry to either side, before and behind. The little devils all had great skill, and they fought their way ever closer to him, tying him up as if in a tangle of silk floss as they tugged at his waist and legs. They would not retreat. The Great Sage was so alarmed by this that he used extra-corporeal magic. Plucking a bunch of hairs from under his left ribs he chewed thew to pieces that he blew out with the shout, “Change!” Every piece turned into another Monkey. Just watch as the biggest ones wield cudgels, the short ones use their fists, and the tiniest ones, with no other way of attacking grabbed knuckles and sank their teeth into muscles."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The little devils were put to rout. “Your Majesty,” they yelled, “it’s going all wrong. We’re in terrible trouble. The whole mountain and everywhere else is swarming with Sun the Novices.” Now that his little devils had been thrown back by the extra-corporeal magic the demon king was hard-pressed; rush around as he might, there was to escape for him.\n\nIn his alarm the demon took his precious sword in his left hand and reached behind his neck with right hand to bring out the Plantain Fan. Then he turned towards the fire-gods of the Southeast and the Constellation Ligong he waved the fan. At once flames shot out of the ground, for such was the power of that treasure. The monster was truly ruthless. He waved the fan seven or eight times, setting great fires burning heaven and earth. It was a fine blaze:\n\nNot a heavenly fire,\n\nNor a fire in a furnace,\n\nNor a fire on the mountain,\n\nNor a fire under the pot.\n\nBut the miraculous fire that comes from the Five Elements.\n\nThe fan is no ordinary object,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fan is no ordinary object,\n\nNor was it fashioned by human skill:\n\nIt is a treasure made when Chaos was first parted.\n\nThe fire caused by this fan\n\nShines and dazzles\n\nLike red silk lightning;\n\nBurns and blazes\n\nLike crimson gauze sunsets.\n\nNot a wisp of smoke,\n\nOnly a mountain covered in flame,\n\nTurning the pines on its ridges into trees of fire,\n\nAnd the cypresses by its crags into lanterns.\n\nThe beasts in their dens, fearful for their lives,\n\nRush hither and thither;\n\nThe birds in the woods, to save their feathers,\n\nFly far and high.\n\nThe magic fire that roars up to the sky,\n\nDestroys the rocks, dries up the streams, and makes all red.\n\nThe Great Sage trembled with fear at the sight of this evil fire. “This is terrible,” he said. “It may do me no harm, but I can’t save those hairs of mine. If they are caught by the fire they’ll burn the way hair does.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So he shook himself and took the hair back on his body, leaving just one behind as a facsimile of himself. Then, to avoid disaster by fire, his real self somersaulted upwards, reciting a spell to ward off the fire, and escaped from the inferno. He went straight back to the Lotus Flower Cave in the hope of rescuing his master. He rushed to the cave doors, brought his cloud down to land, and found over a hundred little devils there with smashed heads, broken legs, and open wounds. They had all been wounded by his magical other selves and were now standing there howling in agony. At the sight of them the Great Sage could not restrain his evil and murderous nature; he laid into them, swinging his iron cudgel. The poor devils, who were the fruit of so much hard work to acquire human form, became so many pieces of worn and hairy hide once more."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having wiped out all the little devils the Great Sage stormed into the cave to free his master. Seeing more dazzling flames inside he was struck by a thought that filled him with panic: “That’s done it. The fire’s come in through the back door. There’s no way I’ll be able to rescue the Master.” Terrified though he was, he looked more carefully and saw that it was not flames but a golden glow. Pulling himself together he looked inside and saw that the light came from a vase in “mutton-fat” jade."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a beauty,” he thought with glee. “That’s the vase that shone on the mountain when those two little devils were carrying it. I took it off them, then the demon king found it when he searched me later. Now I see that it shines when they keep it here too.” Watch him as he takes such pleasure in stealing the vase that instead of rescuing his master he gets out of the cave as fast as he can. He was just outside when the demon king appeared from the South, brandishing his magic sword and the fan. Before the Great Sage could take evasive action the demon raised the sword and hacked at his face. But the Great Sage immediately soared into the air on a somersault cloud and disappeared without trace.\n\nBack at the cave mouth the demon king was so distressed by the sight of the corpses of his spirits all over the place that he threw back his head and groaned, and could not help wailing loudly at the pain of it. This is proved by a poem that goes:\n\nWicked the ape, and stubborn the evil horse,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wicked the ape, and stubborn the evil horse,\n\nThat had their souls reborn in mortal form.\n\nBecause in their folly they left the halls of Heaven\n\nThey forgot themselves and landed in these hills.\n\nWoeful the swan that loses the flock;\n\nTearful the demon soldiers whose race is destroyed.\n\nWhen will their sin be done and their bonds released\n\nSo that they may return to their heavenly home?\n\nOvercome with remorse, the Senior Demon King sobbed at every step as he went into the cave. Although all the objects and furniture were still in the cave it was silent and deserted. It made him even more lonely and depressed. He sat alone in the cave, slumped on the stone table, the sword leaning against it, and the fan behind his neck again. Thus he drifted into sleep. Indeed:\n\nHappiness braces the spirit;\n\nSorrow just sends you to sleep."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story goes on to tell how the Great Sage Sun turned his somersault cloud round and brought it to a stop in front of the mountain. As he wanted to rescue his master he fastened the vase securely at his waist and went back to the cave to reconnoiter. The doors were wide open, and the silence was unbroken, so he crept stealthily inside to find the old demon slumped against the stone table, fast asleep. The Plantain Fan stick out from his clothes at his shoulder, half covering the back of his head, and the Seven-star Sword was still leaning against the table. Monkey made his way forward very quietly, pulled the fan out, then turned and whooshed out. This was because the fan had rubbed against the monster’s hair, waking him up. As soon as he looked up and saw that Monkey had stolen the fan he grabbed for his sword and went after him. By now Monkey was already outside the doors, the fan safely tucked in his belt and his iron cudgel in his hands as he met the monster’s onslaught. It was a splendid fight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The angry demon king,\n\nBeside himself with fury,\n\nAngry enough to swallow Monkey whole.\n\nUnable to let off his rage,\n\nViciously he cursed the ape;\n\n“You’re always trying to fool with me.\n\nYou’ve killed so many of my people,\n\nAnd you’ve taken away my treasures.\n\nThere’ll be no mercy in this fight:\n\nWe’ll see who’s to survive.”\n\nThe Great Sage yelled back at the demon:\n\n“You haven’t a lick of sense.\n\nFor a beginner like you to fight against me\n\nWould be like trying to smash a rock with eggs.”\n\nThe sword was met by the iron cudgel\n\nAs both sides fought without giving quarter.\n\nIn clash after clash they struggled for mastery,\n\nTurning and twisting to show their skill in arms.\n\nTo rescue the pilgrim priest,\n\nAnd visit the Buddha on Vulture Peak,\n\nMetal and Fire would not yield to each other,\n\nAnd the chaos of the elements destroyed their friendship.\n\nAs they showed their martial prowess and magic powers,\n\nThey sent stones and sand flying with their display of skill.\n\nAs they fought the sun was slowly setting;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they fought the sun was slowly setting;\n\nThe frightened demon was the first to quit.\n\nAfter thirty or forty rounds of fighting against Monkey, by when the day was almost over, the demon king could hold out no longer and he broke away, defeated. He made off to the Southwest, heading for the Crushed Dragon Cave.\n\nMonkey then brought his cloud down to land and rushed straight back into the Lotus Flower Cave, where he freed the Tang Priest, Pig, and Friar Sand. The three of them thanked Monkey for delivering them from dire peril, then asked where the demons had gone.\n\nTo this Monkey replied, “The Junior Demon King is inside the gourd, and I reckon he must have dissolved by now. I’ve just beaten the Senior King, and he’s gone back to the Crushed Dragon Cave. As for the little devils from the cave, I killed half of them with my magical extra bodies, then wiped out the wounded survivors of the rout who came back here. That’s how I was able to get in here to rescue you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Priest thanked him no end: “I’m so grateful to you for your great efforts, disciple.”\n\n“You’re telling me it was a great effort,” laughed Monkey. “You lot only had to put up with the pain of being hung up, but I wasn’t allowed to stand still for a moment. I was more rushed than a postal courier with an urgent message, having to charge around all over the place without stopping. I was only able to put the demons down because I stole their treasures.”\n\n“Show us the gourd, brother,” said Pig.\n\n“I think he must have dissolved by now.” Monkey took the vase from his belt and then produced the Dazzling Golden Cord and the fan before bringing the gourd out in his hands."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t look inside,” he said, “don’t. When he put me in there I tricked him into taking the lid off and letting me get away by swilling saliva round in my mouth. We absolutely mustn’t take the lid off in case he plays a trick on us and escapes too.” In their happiness master and disciples found the rice, noodles and vegetables in the cave, cleaned up the stove and cooking pots, and made themselves a vegetarian meal. When they were full they went to sleep in the cave. Nothing worth recounting happened that night, and before long the new day dawned.\n\nThe Senior Demon King meanwhile had gone straight to the Crushed Dragon Mountain, where he called together all the she-devils and told them how his mother had been murdered, his brother put in the gourd, the devil soldiers all killed and the treasures stolen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the she-devils all wept. After they had been wailing for a long time he said, “Try not to upset yourselves. I still have my Seven-star Sword, and I’m going to parade all you women soldiers behind the Crushed Dragon Mountain, where I’ll borrow some troops from my relatives. My mind is made up: I’ll capture Sun the Novice and have my revenge on him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The words were not out of his mouth before a little devil from outside the doors reported, “Your Majesty, your lord uncle from the other side of the mountains is here with soldiers.” At this news the Senior Demon King quickly put on white mourning garments and went out to greet him in person. This lord uncle was King Septimus Fox, the younger brother of the demon king’s mother, and he had heard from devils of his who were out patrolling the mountains how Monkey had killed his sister then impersonated her to steal his nephew’s treasures and was fighting him in the battle of Flat-top Mountain that same day. Septimus Fox was bringing over two hundred of his own devil troops to help in the battle when he called for news at his sister’s place on the way. As soon as he stepped inside and saw the demon king in mourning for his mother the two of them started to weep aloud. After weeping for some time the demon king bowed to him and told him what had happened. In his anger Septimus told the demon king to change out"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "anger Septimus told the demon king to change out of his mourning clothes, pick up his sword, call the roll of women soldiers and join forces with him. They then set off on winds and clouds towards the Northeast."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage had just told Friar Sand to get the breakfast ready as they would set off straight after eating it when he heard the sound of a wind. Going outside to look he saw a host of demon soldiers approaching from the Southwest. This alarmed him, so he ran back in a hurry and shouted to Pig, “Brother, that evil spirit is back again with reinforcements.”\n\nSanzang went pale with fright at the news. “Disciple,” he asked, “what can this mean?”\n\n“Don’t worry,” chuckled Monkey, “don’t worry. Fetch me all their treasures.” The Great Sage then tucked the gourd and the vase in his belt, put the Dazzling Golden Cord in his sleeve, stuck the Plantain Fan behind his shoulder, and whirled the iron cudgel around with both his hands. Friar Sand he ordered to stay put inside the cave guarding the master, while he asked Pig to come outside with his rake to meet the enemy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the demons’ line of battle was drawn up King Septimus Fox took command. He had a jade face and long whiskers, a brow of steel and ears like swords. His helmet was of refined gold, he wore chainmail armor and he held a heaven-square halberd.\n\n“I’ll get you, you bold and impudent ape,” he shouted. “How dare you treat people so badly? You’ve stolen the treasures, wounded my relations, killed the demon soldiers, and to top it all occupied their cave palace. All of you stretch your heads out to be executed while I avenge my sister’s family.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You hairy crowd, you misery-makers,” replied Monkey, “you can’t realize what powers I have. Don’t go—take this from my cudgel.” The monster twisted round to avoid the blow, then struck back at his head with the heaven-square halberd. The two of them fought three or four rounds on the mountain-top until the monster was too weak to continue. He fled from the field, followed by Monkey until he was blocked by the Senior Demon King. When these two had fought three more rounds Septimus Fox came back into the attack. Seeing this from where he was at the edge of the battle Pig brandished his nine-toothed rake to stop him. The battle went on undecided for a long time with each fighter blocked by another until the demon king called up all the demon troops to surround Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang meanwhile was sitting in the cave hearing the shouts and the shaking of the ground. He told Friar Sand to go outside and see whether or not his brother was winning. Friar Sand raised his demon-quelling staff and charged out with a roar, putting the devilish horde to flight. Seeing that things were going badly, Septimus turned to flee, only to be caught a blow on the back from Pig’s rake as Pig came after him. At this nine jets of blood gushed out of him, and the poor spirit’s true being carried on ahead of him. When Pig grabbed him and tore off his clothes he saw that Septimus was in fact a fox spirit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the sight of his uncle being wounded the demon king broke away from Monkey and raised his sword to strike at Pig, who parried with his rake. While the two of them were fighting it out Friar Sand came up and struck at the demon king with his staff. This was more than the demon could cope with, so he set off on his wind and cloud, fleeing South with Pig and Friar Sand close on his heels. Seeing this the Great Sage at once went soaring up into the sky on his cloud. He brought out the vase to catch the old demon in.\n\n“King Golden Horn,” he shouted, and the old demon, imagining that one of his defeated little devils was calling, turned to reply. Into the vase he whistled, and Monkey put on a label reading: To the Great Lord Lao: to be dealt with urgently in accordance with the Statutes and Ordinances.\n\nThe Seven-star Sword fell to the ground, and it too was now Monkey’s. “You’ve got the sword, brother,” said Pig as he came towards him, “but where’s the evil spirit?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s done for,” laughed Monkey. “I’ve got him in this vase.” Like Pig, Friar Sand was delighted when he heard.\n\nNow that all the evil spirits had been wiped out the disciples went back into the cave to tell the good news to Sanzang: “The mountain has been cleaned up and the demons no longer exist. Please mount, Master, and we’ll be on our way.” Sanzang was beside himself with joy. Master and disciples ate their breakfast, got their baggage and horse ready, and hurried on their way West.\n\nAs they were walking along a blind man suddenly appeared beside the path, went up to them, and seized Sanzang’s horse.\n\n“Where are you going, monk?” he asked. “Give me back my treasures.”\n\n“That’s done it,” said Pig with horror. “It’s the old demon here to demand his treasures back.”\n\nWhen Monkey looked carefully and saw that it was the Supreme Lord Lao Zi he rushed up to him, greeted him and asked, “Where are you going, old fellow?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder at once rose up to his throne in the realm of jade, drew himself upright amid the nine mists and called, “Sun the Novice, give me back my treasures.” The Great Sage rose into the air and asked. “What treasures?”\n\n“I use the gourd to keep cinnabar and the vase to hold water,” replied the Lord Lao. “The precious sword I use for refining demons, the fan for fanning my fire, and the cord for tying round my gown. One of those two demons was a servant boy who looked after my golden furnace, and the other a servant who looked after my silver furnace. They stole my treasures and came down to the mortal world. I could not find them anywhere. You have done a very good deed in capturing them.”\n\n“You’re very rude indeed, old fellow,” said the Great Sage. “You deserve to be charged with laxity for allowing members of your household to become evil spirits.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t blame the wrong person,” said Lord Lao. “It was nothing to do with me. It was the Bodhisattva from the sea who asked me for the loan of them three times, and sent them here to be turned into monsters to test whether your master and his disciples truly wanted to go to the West.”\n\nOn hearing this the Great Sage thought, “That Bodhisattva is a terrible old liar. When she delivered me and told me to protect the Tang Priest on his journey to the West to fetch the scriptures I said that the journey would be tough and difficult. She promised to come and help me whenever things were really desperate. But so far from helping she’s sent evil spirits to play me up and give me a hard time. The liar. She deserves to be an old maid all her life. If the old fellow hadn’t come here himself I most certainly would not have given them back to him. But now that you’ve told me all this you’d better have them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Lord Lao had his five treasures back he took the stoppers out of the gourd and the vase and tipped out two wisps of immortal vapor. As he pointed at them they turned into his two servants of the gold and silver furnace who waited on him on either side. Then a myriad rays of coloured light appeared and they floated back to the Tushita Palace and drifted straight on up to the Daluo Heaven.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened afterwards, or how the Great Sage Sun protected the Tang Priest, or when they reached the Western Heaven, listen to the explanations in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty-Six\n\nWhen the Mind-Ape Stands Correct All Evil Causes Submit\n\nWhen the Side-Gate Is Smashed the Moon Appears in Its Brightness"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how Sun the Novice brought his cloud down to land and told the master and his fellow-disciples all about the Bodhisattva borrowing the two servant lads and Lord Lao recovering his treasures. Sanzang expressed his thanks at great length, then with great determination and pious sincerity prepared to head West for all he was worth. As he climbed into the saddle, Pig shouldered the luggage, Friar Sand held the horse’s bridle, and Monkey cleared a path straight ahead down the mountainside with his iron cudgel. We can give no full account of how they slept in the rain, dined off the wind, were wrapped in frost and exposed to the dew. When they had been travelling for a long time they found the way forward blocked by another mountain.\n\n“Disciples,” shouted Sanzang from the back of his horse, “just look at how high and craggy that mountain is. You must be very careful and on your guard; I’m afraid that monsters may attack us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop your wild imaginings, Master,” replied Monkey, “and calm yourself. Of course nothing will happen.”\n\n“But why is the journey to the Western Heaven so hard, disciple?” asked Sanzang. “As I recall I have been through four or five years of springs, summers, autumns and winters since leaving the city of Chang’an. Why\n\nhaven’t I got there yet?”\n\nThe question made Monkey chuckle: “It’s early yet. We’re not even out of the front door.”\n\n“Stop lying, brother,” said Pig. “There’s no such front door on earth.”\n\n“But we’re still wandering around in the hall,” said Monkey.\n\n“Don’t try to intimidate us by talking so big,” said Friar Sand. “There couldn’t possibly be a hall as large as this: there’s nowhere you could buy roof-beams big enough.”\n\n“If you look at it my way, brother,” said Monkey, “the blue sky is the roof tiles, the sun and the moon are the windows, and the Four Mountains and Five Peaks are the pillars and beams. Heaven and earth are just like a big hall.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s enough of that,” said Pig. “Why don’t we just stroll around for a while then go back?”\n\n“Don’t talk nonsense,” said Monkey. “Keep going with me.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage shouldered his iron cudgel, calmed the Tang Priest down, and cleared their way forward through the mountains. As the master gazed at it from his horse he saw that it was a splendid mountain view. Indeed:\n\nThe towering peak touches the Dipper’s handle;\n\nThe tops of the trees seem to reach the clouds.\n\nFrom banked-up mists of blue\n\nComes the cry of the ape in the valley-mouth;\n\nDeep in the turquoise shadows\n\nCranes call among the pines.\n\nAs the wind howls mountain sprites appear in the gullies,\n\nPlaying tricks on the wood-cutters;\n\nCrafty foxes sit on the edge of rock-faces,\n\nTo the terror of hunters.\n\nA splendid mountain,\n\nIts every face towering and sheer.\n\nStrange-shaped pines spread their bright green canopies;\n\nFrom withered old trees hang vines of wisteria.\n\nAs spring waters fly through the air"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As spring waters fly through the air\n\nThe cold breeze cuts through and chills.\n\nWhere the crag towers aloft\n\nA pure wind strikes the eye and startles the dreaming soul.\n\nSometimes the roar of the tiger is heard,\n\nAnd often the songs of the mountain birds.\n\nHerds of deer and muntjac make their way through the brambles,\n\nLeaping and jumping;\n\nRiver-deer and roebucks look for their food,\n\nRushing and scurrying.\n\nStanding on the grassy slope,\n\nNo traveler can one see;\n\nWalking deep in the hollows,\n\nAll around are jackals and wolves.\n\nThis is no place for a Buddha’s self-cultivation,\n\nBut a haunt of birds and beasts.\n\nThe master trembled as he advanced deep into these mountains, his heart gripped with terror. Reining in his horse, he called out,\n\n“After I grew in wisdom and took my vows,\n\nHis Majesty escorted me from the capital.\n\nOn my journey I met three wayward ones\n\nTo help me along as I rode in the saddle.\n\nOver Hillside and gully I seek the scriptures,\n\nClimbing many mountains to worship the Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Climbing many mountains to worship the Buddha.\n\nGuarding myself as if behind a fence,\n\nWhen will I return to visit the royal palace?”\n\nMonkey’s reaction to hearing this was to say with a mocking laugh, “Don’t worry, Master, and don’t be so anxious. Just take it easy and carry on. Besides, you’re bound to succeed because you’re such a trier.” Master and disciples strode forward, enjoying the mountain scenery. Before they realized it the sun had sunk in the West. Indeed:\n\nFrom the ten-mile pavilion no travelers leave,\n\nIn the ninefold heavens the stars appear,\n\nOn the eight streams the boats are all in harbor,\n\nIn seven thousand cities the gates have been shut.\n\nFrom the six palaces and five departments the officials have gone;\n\nOn the four seas and three rivers the fishing lines rest.\n\nIn the two towers the drum and bell sound;\n\nOne bright moon fills the earth and sky."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One bright moon fills the earth and sky.\n\nLooking into the distance the venerable elder saw many lines of towers and great halls, one behind another. “Disciples,” said Sanzang, “it’s getting late now. Luckily there are those towers and halls nearby. I think they must belong to a Buddhist or Taoist monastery or convent. Let’s spend the night there and be on our way again in the morning.”\n\n“You’re right, Master,” said Monkey, “but be patient. Wait till I’ve had a look to see whether it’s a good or an evil place.” The Great Sage leapt up into the air and examined it very closely. It was indeed a Buddhist monastery. He could see\n\nA tiled wall plastered with red,\n\nGolden studs on both the gates.\n\nLine behind line of towers, amid the hills,\n\nHall upon hall concealed within the mountains.\n\nThe Building of Ten Thousand Buddhas faces the Tathagata Hall,\n\nThe Sunshine Terrace opposite the Hero Gate.\n\nThe seven-storied pagoda gathers night mists,\n\nThe three Buddha statues show their glory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three Buddha statues show their glory.\n\nThe Manjusri Tower next to the monks’ dormitory,\n\nThe Maitreya Pavilion beside the Hall of Mercy.\n\nOutside the Mountain Tower the green lights dance,\n\nPurple clouds rise from the Void-pacing Hall.\n\nThe green of the pines joins the green of the bamboo,\n\nAll is purity in the abbot’s meditation hall.\n\nIn quiet elegance the music is performed,\n\nAnd all the streams rejoice as they return.\n\nIn the place of meditation dhyana monks teach;\n\nMany instruments play in the music room.\n\nOn the Terrace of Wonder the epiphyllum flower falls,\n\nBefore the preaching hall the palm of scripture grows.\n\nThe place of the Three Treasures is shaded by the woods;\n\nThe mountains guard the Indian prince’s palace.\n\nAlong the walls the burning lamps shine bright;\n\nThe air is thick with smoke from incense sticks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The air is thick with smoke from incense sticks.\n\nBringing his cloud down to land, Sun the Great Sage reported to Sanzang, “Master, it’s a Buddhist monastery, and it will be a good place to spend the night. Let’s go there.” The venerable elder let his horse go forward again, and they went straight on till they were outside the monastery gate. “Master,” asked Monkey, “what monastery is this?”\n\n“It’s most unreasonable to ask that,” Sanzang replied, “when my horse has only this moment stopped and I haven’t even had the time to take my foot out of the stirrup.”\n\n“But you’ve been a monk since childhood, venerable sir,” said Monkey. “You were taught Confucian books before you studied the sutras and the dharma. You’re very widely educated and on top of that you’ve been shown great kindness by the Tang Emperor. So how come you can’t read those great big letters over the gate?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You stupid macaque,” cursed the venerable elder, “you don’t know what you’re talking about. I was urging my horse Westwards and had the sun in my eyes. Besides, the letters are hidden by the dust. That’s why I didn’t see them.” At this Monkey bowed, made himself over twenty feet tall, wiped the dust away with his hand, and invited his master to read them. There were five words written large: IMPERIALLY FOUNDED PRECIOUS WOOD MONASTERY. Monkey resumed his normal size and asked the master which of them was to go into the monastery to ask for lodging.\n\n“I will,” said Sanzang. “You are all so ugly, coarsely spoken, abrasive and overbearing that you might give the monks here such a fright that they refused to shelter us. That would be no good.”\n\n“In that case, Master,” replied Monkey, “enough said. Please go in.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang laid down his monastic staff, removed his cape, neatened up his clothes, put his hands together and went in through the monastery gates. Behind red lacquered railings on either side two vajrapani guardian gods sat on high. These statues were both majestic and hideous:\n\nOne’s iron face and steel whiskers seemed to be alive,\n\nThe other’s scorched brow and bulging eyes were exquisitely carved.\n\nOn the left were fists knobbly like pig iron,\n\nTo the right were hands as rough as copper ore.\n\nTheir golden chainmail gleamed in the light,\n\nHelmet and embroidered sash floated in the breeze.\n\nMany worship the Buddha in the West;\n\nRed glows the incense in stone tripods."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Sanzang saw these statues he nodded, sighed and said, “If we had people in the East who could make big statues like these to burn incense to and worship I’d never have needed to go to the Western Heaven.” With more sighs he went through the inner gates of the monastery, where could be seen statues of Four Heavenly Kings, Dhrtarastra, Vaisravana, Virudhaka and Yirupaksa, set to the East, North, South and West to ensure the proper amounts of wind and rain. Once inside the inner gates he saw four lofty pines, each with a spreading canopy shaped like a parasol. He suddenly looked up to see the main Buddha hall. Placing his hands together in homage he prostrated himself before the images, then rose, walked round the platform on which the Buddha statues sat, and went out by the back door. He saw that at the back of the Buddha statues was one of the Bodhisattva Guanyin saving all beings in the Southern Sea. The craftsmanship was superb: there were figures of shrimps, fish, crabs, and turtles with heads and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "shrimps, fish, crabs, and turtles with heads and tails emerging from the composition as they leapt and played in the ocean waves."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder nodded several more times, and sighed over and over again, “Oh dear! If all the creatures of scale and shell worship the Buddha, why is it that man alone will not live virtuously?”\n\nAs he sighed a monk came out through the innermost gate. Seeing Sanzang’s remarkable and distinguished appearance he hurried up to him, greeted him courteously, and said, “Where are you from, reverend sir?”\n\n“I have been sent by His Majesty the Tang Emperor,” Sanzang replied, “to worship the Buddha in the Western Heaven and fetch the scriptures. As we have reached your illustrious monastery at evening I request that we be allowed to spend the night here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Reverend Sir,” said the monk, “please don’t be angry with, me, but it’s not for me to decide. I’m just a lay brother who sweeps and strikes the bell and does menial duties. We have a reverend abbot inside who is in charge here and I’ll have to report to him. If he allows you to stay I’ll come out again with an invitation, but if he doesn’t then I’m afraid I won’t be able to waste any more of your time.”\n\n“Thank you for your trouble,” said Sanzang.\n\nThe lay brother hurried inside to report to the abbot, who was also the superintendent of ecclesiastical affairs, “There’s someone outside, sir.” The abbot rose, dressed himself in his miter and his vestments, and quickly opened the doors to let him in.\n\n“Where is he?” he asked the lay brother.\n\n“Can’t you see him over there, behind the main hall?” the lay brother replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang, who was leaning against the gateway, was bareheaded and wearing a monastic habit made of twenty-five strips of cloth and a pair of dirty, water-stained Bodhidharma sandals. At the sight of him the abbot said to the lay brother, “You need a lot more floggings yet, brother. Don’t you realize that I hold high office in this monastery and only receive the gentry who come from town to burn incense here? How could you be so empty-headed as to ask me to receive a monk like that? Just look at his face. You can see he isn’t honest. He’s probably a wandering mendicant monk asking for lodging here because it’s late. Our lodgings are not to be disturbed by the likes of him. He can spend the night squatting under the eaves. Why tell me about him?” With that he turned and walked away.\n\nSanzang, who heard all this, had tears running down his face. “Alas,” he said, “alas. How true it is that ‘a man away from home is dirt.’ I have been a monk since I was a boy. I have never\n\n‘Absolved the dead when eating meat"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "‘Absolved the dead when eating meat\n\nOr thought of doing harm,\n\nOr read the Sutras angrily,\n\nOr reflected without calm.\n\nNor have I\n\nThrown roof tiles, or heaved a brick\n\nTo harm a temple building,\n\nOr ever scraped from arhat’s face\n\nThe very precious gilding.\n\nOh dear! Goodness only knows in what existence I did such harm to Heaven and Earth that I should always be meeting evil people in this one. Even if you will not give us a night’s lodging, monk, why did you have to say such disgraceful things, and tell us to squat under the front eaves? It’s a good thing you said nothing like that to Wukong. If you had he would have come in here and smashed your feet with his iron cudgel.”\n\n“Oh well, never mind,” thought Sanzang. “As the saying goes, manners maketh man. I’ll go in, ask him and see what he decides.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Master walked in through the gate to the abbot’s lodgings, where he saw the abbot sitting with his outer clothes off and seething with fury. Sanzang did not know from the pile of paper on his table whether he was reading scripture or writing out Buddhist pardons for somebody.\n\nNot venturing to go any further in, Sanzang stood in the courtyard, bowed, and called aloud, “My lord abbot, your disciple pays his respects.”\n\nThe monk, apparently very irritated that he had come in, barely acknowledged his greeting and asked, “Where are you from?”\n\nTo this Sanzang replied, “I have been sent by His Majesty the Great Tang Emperor to worship the living Buddha in the Western Heaven and fetch the scriptures. It was because I have reached your illustrious monastery at nightfall that I have come to ask for lodging. I’ll leave before first light tomorrow. I beg, venerable abbot, that you will show me kindness.”\n\nOnly then did the abbot make a slight bow and ask, “Are you Tang Sanzang?”\n\n“Yes, I am.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, I am.”\n\n“If you are going to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures, how is that you don’t know the way?”\n\n“I’ve never been here before,” said Sanzang.\n\n“About a mile and a half to the West is Ten Mile Inn,” said the abbot, “where they sell food and you can put up for the night. It would not be convenient for you monks from far away to stay here.”\n\n“There is a saying, abbot,” replied Sanzang, “that ‘Buddhist and Taoist monasteries and convents are all rest-houses for us monks; the sight of the temple gate is worth a big helping of rice.’ You can’t refuse us. What do you mean by it?”\n\n“You wandering monks,” roared the abbot in fury, “you’ve all got the gift of the gab, haven’t you?”\n\n“Why do you say that?” asked Sanzang, to which the abbot replied, “There’s an old saying that goes,\n\nWhen the tiger came to town,\n\nEvery household shut its door.\n\nAlthough he’d bitten no one yet,\n\nTiger’s name was bad before.”\n\n“What do you mean, ‘Tiger’s name was bad before?’” asked Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Some years ago,” the other replied, “a group of itinerant monks came and sat down at our gates. Seeing how wretched they were—their clothes all torn, barefoot and bareheaded—I was sorry for them being so ragged. So I asked them into my quarters, gave them the best places to sit, provided them with a meal, lent each of them an old habit, and let them stay for a few days. Little did I imagine that the free food and the free clothing would put all thought of leaving out of their minds. They stayed for seven or eight years. Staying wasn’t so bad, but it was all the terrible things they did.”\n\n“What terrible things?” asked Sanzang. “Listen while I tell you,” replied the abbot,\n\n“When idle or bored they threw bricks around,\n\nOr tore out the studs from the monastery walls.\n\nOn cold days they burnt all the window-frames up,\n\nSlept outside in summer on dismantled doors.\n\n“They ripped up the banners to make themselves foot-cloths,\n\nTraded our incense and ivory for turnips,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Traded our incense and ivory for turnips,\n\nStole oil from the lamp that never goes out,\n\nAnd gambled away all our cauldrons and dishes.”\n\n“Oh dear,” thought Sanzang on hearing this, “I’m not a spineless monk like them.” He was on the point of tears, but then thought that the abbot might mock him, so he discreetly dried them with his clothes, held back his sobs, and hurried out to see his three disciples.\n\nAt the sigh of his master’s angry expression Monkey asked him, “Master, did the monks in there beat you up?”\n\n“No,” replied Sanzang.\n\n“They must have,” said Monkey, “or why else did I hear sobbing? Did they tell you off?”\n\n“No,” said Sanzang. “They did not tell me off.”\n\n“If they didn’t beat you or reproach you, why look so upset?” asked Monkey. “Don’t tell me it’s because you’re homesick.”\n\n“This is not a good place,” said the Tang Priest.\n\n“They must be Taoists here,” said Monkey with a grin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You only get Taoists in a Taoist temple,” retorted Sanzang angrily. “In a Buddhist monastery there are Buddhist monks.”\n\n“You’re hopeless,” said Monkey. “If they’re Buddhist monks they’re like us. As the saying goes, ‘All in the Buddhist community are friends.’ You sit here while I take a look around.”\n\nThe splendid Monkey touched the gold band round his head, tightened his kilt, went straight into the main shrine-hall, pointed at the three Buddha statues and said, “You may only be imitations made of gilded clay, but you must have some feeling inside. I’m here this evening to ask for a night’s lodging because I’m escorting the holy Tang Priest to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures in the Western Heaven. Announce us this instant. If you don’t put us up for the night I’ll smash you gilded bodies with one crack of this cudgel and show you up for the dirt that you really are.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While Monkey was indulging in this bad temper and bluster a lay brother responsible for burning the evening incense had lit several sticks and was putting them into the burner in front of the Buddhas. An angry shout from Monkey gave him such a fright that he fell over. Picking himself up he saw Monkey’s face, at which he collapsed again, then rolled and staggered to the abbot’s cell, where he reported, “Reverend sir, there’s a monk outside.”\n\n“You lay brothers really need more flogging,” said the abbot. “I’ve already said they can squat under the eaves, so why report again? Next time it will be twenty strokes.”\n\n“But, reverend sir,” said the lay brother, “this is a different monk. He looks thoroughly vicious, and he’s got no backbone either.”\n\n“What’s he like?” the abbot asked.\n\n“Round eyes, pointed ears, hair all over his cheeks, and a face as ugly as a thunder god,” said the lay brother. “He’s got a cudgel in his hand and he’s gnashing his teeth in fury. He must be looking for someone to kill.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll go out and see him,” said the abbot. No sooner had he opened his door than Monkey charged in. He really was ugly: an irregular, knobbly face, a pair of yellow eyes, a bulging forehead, and teeth jutting out. He was like a crab, with flesh on the inside and bone on the outside. The old monk was so frightened that he fastened the doors of his quarters.\n\nMonkey, who was right behind him, smashed through the doors and said, “Hurry up and sweep out a thousand nice clean rooms for me. I want to go to sleep.”\n\nThe abbot, hiding in his room, said to the lay brother, “It’s not his fault he’s so ugly. He’s just talking big to make up for that face. There are only three hundred rooms in the whole monastery, even counting my lodgings, the Buddha Hall, the drum and bell towers and the cloisters, but he’s asking for a thousand to sleep in. We can’t possibly get them.”\n\n“Reverend sir,” said the lay brother, “I’m terrified. You had better answer him, however you will.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Venerable sir,” called the abbot, shaking with fear, “you ask for lodging, but our little monastery would be most inconvenient, so we won’t be able to entertain you. Please spend the night somewhere else.”\n\nMonkey made his cudgel as thick as a rice-bowl and stood it on its end in the courtyard outside the abbot’s cell. “If it would be inconvenient, monk,” he said, “you’d better move out.”\n\n“But I’ve lived here since I was a boy,” the abbot said, “my master’s master passed the monastery on to my master, who passed it on to my generation, and we’ll hand it on in turn to our successors and our successors’ successors. Goodness only knows what he’s up to, charging in here and trying to move us out.”\n\n“No problem at all, reverend sir,” said the lay brother. “We can go. He’s already brought his pole into the yard.”\n\n“Stop talking nonsense,” said the abbot. “There are four of five hundred of us monks, old and young, so where could we go? If we went there would be nowhere for us to stay.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If there’s nowhere you can move to,” said Monkey, who had heard the conversation, “you’ll have to send someone out to take me on in a quarterstaff fight.”\n\n“Go out and fight him for me,” the abbot ordered the lay brother.\n\n“Reverend Sir,” the lay brother protested, “you can’t ask me to fight with a staff against a caber that size.”\n\n“You must,” the abbot replied, adding, “‘An army is built up for many years to be used in a single morning.’”\n\n“Never mind him hitting you with that caber,” said the lay brother, “it would squash you flat if it just fell on you.”\n\n“And even if it didn’t fall on you and squash you,” said the abbot, “with it standing out there in the yard you might be walking around at night, forget it was there, and give yourself a dent in the head just by bumping into it.”\n\n“Now you realize how heavy it is, reverend sir, how can you expect me to go out and fight him with my staff?” said the lay brother. This was how the monks quarreled among themselves."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” said Monkey, hearing all this, “you’re no match for me. But if I were to kill just one of you with this cudgel my master would be angry with me for committing murder again. I’d better find something else to hit as a demonstration for you.” Looking and seeing a stone lion outside the doors to the abbot’s room, he raised his cudgel and smashed it to smithereens with a single resounding blow. When the abbot saw this through the window the fright turned his bones and muscles to jelly. He dived under the bed.\n\nThe lay brother climbed into the cooking-stove and kept saying, “Sir, sir, that cudgel’s too heavy, I’m no match for you. I beg you, I beg you.”\n\n“I won’t hit you, monk,” said Monkey. “I’ve just got a question for you: how many monks are there in the monastery?”\n\n“We have two hundred and eighty-five cells all told,” replied the abbot, shaking with fear, “and five hundred monks holding official ordination licenses.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I want you to draw those five hundred monks up on parade,” said Monkey, “get them dressed in long habits, and receive my master. Then I won’t hit you.”\n\n“If you won’t hit me, sir,” said the abbot, “I’d gladly carry him in.”\n\n“Hurry up then,” said Monkey.\n\n“I don’t care if the fright breaks your gallbladder, or even if it breaks your heart,” said the abbot to the lay brother. “Go out and tell them all to come here and welcome His Grace the Tang Priest.”\n\nThe lay brother had no choice but to take his life in his hands. Not daring to go through the front door, he squirmed out through a gap in the back wall and went straight to the main hall, where he struck the drum that was to the East and the bell that was to the West. The sound of the two together startled all the monks young and old in the dormitories on both sides.\n\nThey came to the main hall and asked, “Why are the drum and bell sounding now? It’s too early.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Go and change at once,” said the lay brother, “then get yourselves into your groups under the senior monk and go outside the main gates to welcome His Grace from the land of Tang.” All the monks then went out through the gates in a most orderly procession to greet him. Some wore full cassocks, and some tunics; those who had neither wore a kind of sleeveless smock, and the poorest of all who had no proper garment draped the two ends of their loin-cloths over their shoulders.\n\n“Monks, what’s that you’re wearing?” demanded Monkey.\n\n“Sir, don’t hit us,” they said, seeing his ugly and evil face, “let us explain. This is cloth we beg for in town. We don’t have any tailors here, so these are paupers’ wrappers we make ourselves.”\n\nMonkey laughed inside at this, then escorted them all out through the gates to kneel down. The abbot kowtowed and called out, “Your Grace of Tang, please take a seat in my lodgings.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing all this, Pig said, “Master, you’re completely useless. When you went in you were all tears and pouting so much you could have hung a bottle from your lips. How come that only Monkey knows tow to make them welcome us with kowtows?”\n\n“Ill-mannered idiot,” said Sanzang. “As the saying goes, even a devil’s afraid of an ugly mug.” Sanzang was most uncomfortable at the sight of them all kowtowing and bowing, so he stepped forward and invited them all to rise. They all kowtowed again and said, “Your Grace, if you would ask your disciple to show some mercy and not hit us with that caber we’ll gladly kneel here for a month.”\n\n“You must not hit them, Wukong,” said the Tang Priest.\n\n“I haven’t hit them,” said Monkey. “If I had, I’d have wiped the lot of them out.” Only then did all the monks rise to their feet. Leading the horse, shouldering the shoulder-poles with the luggage, carrying the Tang Priest, giving Pig a piggyback, and supporting Friar Sand they all went in through the main gates to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "abbot’s lodgings at the back, where they took their seats in due order.\n\nThe monks all started kowtowing again. “Please rise, lord abbot,” Sanzang said. “There is no need for any more kowtows, which are oppressive for a poor monk like me. We are both followers of the Buddhist faith.”\n\n“Your Grace is an Imperial Commissioner,” the abbot replied, “and I failed to greet you properly. You came to our wretched monastery, but when I met you my mortal eyes did not recognize your illustrious status. May I venture to ask, Your Grace, whether you are eating a vegetarian or a meat diet on your journey? We would like to prepare a meal.”\n\n“Vegetarian food,” replied Sanzang.\n\n“And I imagine that these reverend gentlemen,” said the abbot, “like to eat meat.”\n\n“No,” said Monkey. “We are vegetarians, and have been all our lives.”\n\n“Good Heavens,” exclaimed the abbot, “can even creatures like these be vegetarians?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then a very bold monk came forward to ask, “Sirs, as you eat vegetarian food, how much rice should we cook for you?”\n\n“Mean little monks,” said Pig, “why ask? Cook us a bushel.” The monks then moved as fast as they could to clean the stoves and the cauldrons and serve food and tea in all the cells. The lamps were hung high and tables and chairs brought to entertain the Tan Priest.\n\nWhen master and disciples had eaten their supper the monks cleared the things away. Sanzang thanked the abbot: “Lord abbot, we have put your illustrious monastery to great trouble.”\n\n“No, no,” the abbot protested, “we have entertained you very poorly.”\n\n“May my disciples and I spend the night here?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Don’t worry, Your Grace,” the abbot replied, “we will arrange things.” Then he called out, “Are there any lay brothers on duty over there?”\n\n“Yes, reverend sir,” a lay brother replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, reverend sir,” a lay brother replied.\n\n“Then send a couple of them to see to the fodder for His Grace’s horse,” the abbot instructed, “and have some sweep out and clean up the front meditation hall. Put beds in there for these venerable gentlemen to sleep in.” The lay brothers did as they had been told and arranged everything, then invited the Tang Priest to go to bed. Master and disciples led the horse and carried their baggage out of the abbot’s quarters to the meditation hall. Looking in through the doors they saw the lamp burning brightly and four rattan beds set up at the ends of the room. Monkey told the lay brother who was looking after the fodder to carry it inside, lay it in the meditation hall, and tie up the white horse; the lay brothers were then all dismissed. Sanzang sat in the middle, right under the lamp, while the five hundred monks stood in their two divisions waiting upon him, not daring to leave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You may now leave, gentlemen,” said Sanzang, bowing to them from his chair, “as we would like to go to sleep.” But the monks dared not withdraw.\n\nThe abbot stepped forward and said to them, “Help Their Graces to bed, then leave.”\n\n“You have done that already,” said Sanzang, “so you may all now go.” Only then did they disperse.\n\nOn going outside to relieve himself the Tang Priest saw the moon shining in the sky. He called his disciples, Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand, who came out to stand in attendance. He was moved by the brightness and purity of the moon as it shone from high in the jade firmament, making all in heaven and on earth clearly visible. He recited a long poem in the ancient style in the moonlight with a nostalgic feeling. It went:\n\nA white soul hangs, a mirror in the sky,\n\nReflected whole in the mountain stream.\n\nPure light fills the towers of jade,\n\nCool air swirls round the silver bowls.\n\nThe same pure light shines on a thousand miles;\n\nThis is the clearest night of the year."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is the clearest night of the year.\n\nIt rises from the sea like a frosty disk,\n\nHang in the heavens as a wheel of ice.\n\nSad the lonely traveler by the inn’s cold window;\n\nThe old man goes to sleep in the village pub.\n\nIn the Han garden one is shocked by graying hair;\n\nIn the Qin tower the lady prepares herself for bed.\n\nYu Liang’s lines on the moon are recorded by history;\n\nYuan Hong lay sleepless under the moon in a river boat.\n\nThe light that floats in the cup is cold and weak;\n\nThe purity shining in the court is strong and full of magic.\n\nAt every window are chanted poems to the snow,\n\nIn every courtyard the icy crescent is described.\n\nTonight we share quiet pleasure in the cloister;\n\nWhen shall we ever all go home together?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having heard the poem, Monkey went up to him and said, “Master, you only know about the moon’s beauty, and you’re homesick too. You don’t know what the moon’s really about. It’s like the carpenter’s line and compasses—it keeps the heavenly bodies in order. On the thirtieth of every month the metal element of its male soul has all gone, and the water element of its female soul fills the whole disk. That is why it goes black and has no light. That’s what is called the end of the old moon. This is the time, between the last day of the old moon and the first of the new, when it mates with the sun. The light makes it conceive. By the third day the first male light is seen, and on the eight day the second male light. When the moon’s male and female souls each have half of it, the moon is divided as if by a string. That is why it is called the first quarter. On the fifteenth night, tonight, all three male lights are complete, and the moon is round. This is called the full moon. On the sixteenth the first female"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the full moon. On the sixteenth the first female principle is born, followed on the twenty-second by the second. At this stage the two souls are matched again and the moon is again divided as if by a string. This is what is called the third quarter. By the thirtieth the three female principles are complete, and it is the last day of the old moon. This is what is meant by ‘prenatal absorption and refinement’. If we are all able gently to raise the ‘double eight’ and achieve it in nine by nine days, it will be easy to see the Buddha and easy to go home again too. As the poem goes:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After the first quarter and before the third,\n\nMedicines taste bland, with all pneuma signs complete.\n\nWhen it is gathered and refined in the furnace,\n\nThe achievement of the will is the Western Heaven.”\n\nOn learning this the venerable elder was instantly enlightened and he fully comprehended the truth, and as he thanked Monkey his heart was filled with happiness. Friar Sand laughed as he stood beside them. “What my brother says is true, as far as it goes,” he commented. “In the first quarter the male is dominant, and after the third quarter the female. When male and female are half and half the metal element obtains water. But what he did not say was this:\n\nFire and water support each other, each with its own fate;\n\nAll depend on the Earth Mother to combine them naturally.\n\nThe three meet together, without competing;\n\nWater is in the Yangtze River, and the moon on the sky.”\n\nHearing this removed another obstruction from the venerable elder’s mind. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When reason fathoms one mystery, a thousand are made clear;\n\nThe theory that breaks through non-life leads to immortality.\n\nWhereupon Pig went up to his master, tugged at his clothes, and said, “Pay no attention to all that nonsense, Master. We’re missing our sleep. As for that moon, well:\n\nSoon after it’s defective the moon fills up again,\n\nJust as at birth I too was incomplete.\n\nThey complain my belly’s too big when I eat,\n\nAnd say that I drool when I’m holding a bowl.\n\nThey are all neat and blessed by cultivation;\n\nI was born stupid and have a baser fate.\n\nYou’ll achieve the Three Ways of existence by fetching the scriptures,\n\nAnd go straight up to the Western Heaven with a wag of your tail and your head.”\n\n“That will do,” said Sanzang. “Disciples, you’ve had a hard journey, so go to bed. I have to read this sutra first.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You must be wrong, Master,” said Monkey. “You became a monk when you were very young and know all the surras of your childhood by heart. Now you are going to the Western Heaven on the orders of the Tang Emperor to fetch the true scriptures of the Great Vehicle, but you haven’t succeeded yet. You haven’t seen the Buddha or got the scriptures. So what sutra will you read?”\n\n“Ever since leaving Chang’an,” Sanzang replied, “I have been travelling in such a rush every day that I have forgotten the scriptures of my youth. As I have some free time tonight I shall relearn them.”\n\n“In that case we’ll turn in first,” said Monkey. Each of the three of them went to sleep on his rattan bed while their master closed the door of the meditation hall, turned up the silver lamp, and opened out the scroll of scripture, which he silently read. Indeed:\n\nWhen the first drum sounds in the tower the people are all silent.\n\nIn the fishing boat by the bank the fires have been put out."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you don’t know how the venerable elder left the temple, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty-Seven\n\nThe Royal Ghost Visits the Tang Priest at Night\n\nWukong’s Magic Transformation Lures the Boy\n\nSanzang sat in the meditation hall of the Precious Wood Monastery reading the Litany of Emperor Wu of Liang and the Peacock Sutra until the third watch, when he finally put the scriptures back into their bags. Just when he was about to go to bed he heard a rushing noise and the whistling of a fiendish wind. Fearing that it would blow out his lamp, the venerable elder shielded the lamp with his sleeve as quickly as he could. To his consternation the lamp kept going on and off. By now he was so tired that he pillowed his head on the reading desk and took a nap. Although he had closed his eyes and was dozing, his mind stayed wide awake as he listened to the howling of the devil wind outside the window. It was a splendid wind. Indeed, there were\n\nSoughs and whistles,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Soughs and whistles,\n\nMuch scudding away.\n\nIt soughs and whistles, carrying the fallen leaves,\n\nBlows the clouds scudding away.\n\nAll the stars in the sky go dark,\n\nAnd the earth is covered with flying dust.\n\nSometimes fierce,\n\nSometimes gentle.\n\nWhen it blows gentle, pine and bamboo sound clear;\n\nWhen it blows fierce, the lakes have turbid waves.\n\nThe mountain birds grieve, unable to reach their perches;\n\nThe fish jump restlessly in the ocean.\n\nDoors and windows blow off the halls,\n\nSpirits and demons glare in the side-rooms.\n\nAll the vases in the Buddha hall crash to the ground;\n\nThe glass lamp is shaken loose and the flame blows out.\n\nIncense-ash scatters as the burner tilts,\n\nThe candles flare when their stand leans over.\n\nAll the banners and hangings are torn,\n\nAs bell and drum towers are shaken to their roots."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the wind died down for a while, the elder in his dozy state heard a muffled call of “Master” from outside the meditation hall. He looked up, and in his dream he saw a man standing there soaking wet who was weeping and saying “Master” over and over again.\n\nSanzang bowed towards him from his seat and said, “You must be a fiend, or a goblin, or an evil spirit or a monster trying to trick me in the middle of the night. But I’m not one given to desire or anger. I’m an upright monk on a pilgrimage to the West at the command of the Tang Emperor of the East to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. I have three disciples who are all demon-quelling, monster-exterminating heroes. If they see you they will smash your body and bones to bits and pulverize you. But I am full of great compassion and will do what is expedient for you. Make yourself scarce this moment and never come into my meditation hall again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The person stayed there and replied, “Master, I’m not a demon or a ghost or a fiend or an evil spirit.”\n\n“If you’re none of these,” retorted Sanzang, “what are you doing here in the middle of the night?”\n\n“Take a good look at me, Master,” he said. When Sanzang took a really careful look he saw to his surprise that\n\nOn his head he wore a heaven-touching hat,\n\nAnd round his waist a belt of blue-green jade.\n\nDragons and phoenixes danced on his ochre robe;\n\nHis no-worry shoes were embroidered with clouds.\n\nThe white jade scepter he held was arrayed with constellations.\n\nHis face was like the eternal Emperor of Mount Tai,\n\nHis form like Wenchang, god of officialdom.\n\nAt the sight of him Sanzang turned pale with shock. He bowed at once and called out at the top of his voice, “Which monarch are you, Your Majesty? Please be seated.” He hurried over to support the monarch, only to find he was holding on to thin air. He looked again and saw that the man was still there."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty,” said Sanzang, “which king are you? What country do you rule? I suppose that you must have fled here in the middle of the night because your country is in chaos or because you are being put upon by malicious ministers. Tell me your story.”\n\nOnly then did the man tell what had happened, the tears streaming down his cheeks and his forehead creased with frowns. “Father,” he said, “I live only some fifteen miles to the West of here, in the walled city where my dynasty was founded.”\n\n“What is it called?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“I’m telling you the truth, Father,” he replied. “When I established my regime I changed the name of the state to Wuji.”\n\n“But why is Your Majesty in this terrible distress?” Sanzang continued.\n\n“Father,” the other said, “there was a drought here five years ago so bad that no vegetation grew and the people were dying of starvation. It was appalling.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing this Sanzang nodded and said with a smile, “Your Majesty, there’s an old saying that Heaven favours a well-governed country. I expect that you were not merciful towards your subjects. Even if there is a famine you have no business to flee from your city. Go back, open up your granaries, and give the people relief. Repent of your past sins and be good from now on. Pardon all those who have been wrongly condemned. Heaven’s heart will of itself be moved in harmony, and wind and rains will come as they should.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But our granaries were empty,” the other said. “We had no money or grain left. The salaries of the officials and the military were in default, and we were eating no meat with our royal meals. We followed the example of Yu the Great when he brought the waters under control, sharing weal and woe with our subjects, taking baths to purify ourself, fasting, burning incense and praying day and night. This went on for three years, but the drought continued to be so bad that the rivers and wells dried up. Just when the crisis was desperate a Quanzhen Taoist wizard came from the Zhongnan Mountains. He could summon wind and rain, and turn stones to gold with a touch. First he went to see our civil and military officials, and then he came to see us. We invited him to come to the altar to pray, and he got results. Wherever he pointed his magic wand there would be a torrential downpour. We thought that three feet of rain would be sufficient, but he said that it would not be enough to restore fertility after so long a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "be enough to restore fertility after so long a time and gave an extra two inches of rain. Seeing how generous he was we kowtowed to him and took him as our sworn brother.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Then Your Majesty is extremely fortunate,” said Sanzang.\n\n“In what way?” the other asked.\n\n“If that Quanzhen wizard has the powers to make it rain whenever you like and you can get him to turn things to gold at will, then what is so terrible that you have to flee here from your city?”\n\n“We only ate at the same table and slept in the same room for two years. Then one spring day when the red apricot and the peach tree were in blossom all the gentlemen, ladies and princes went out to enjoy the beauty of the season. After the civil and military officials had returned to their offices and the royal spouses and concubines gone back to their quarters we were strolling hand-in-hand with the wizard in the palace garden."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When we reached the eight-sided well with a glazed-tile top he threw something into the well—we don’t know what it was—that made it shine with golden light. Luring us to the edge of the well to look at this treasure he had the murderous notion of pushing us in with a splash and placing a flagstone over the top of the well. He piled earth over this then put in a plantain on top of it. So we have already been dead for three years, alas. We are the ghost of one who was wickedly murdered by being pushed down a well.”\n\nOn learning that he was a ghost the Tang Priest felt weak all over, and his hairs stood on end. But he had to bring himself to continue his questioning. “Your Majesty, what you say is all wrong. If you have been dead for three years, why didn’t the civil and military officials or your queens go looking for you when they attended court for audiences with Your Majesty?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Father,” the ghost replied, “his powers are ones rarely seen in the world. As soon as he had killed us he shook himself and turned into an identical likeness of us. Now he is the master of our country, the secret thief of our territory. Our civil and military officials, the four hundred courtiers, the three queens and the consorts and concubines of the six compounds all now belong to him.”\n\n“You are a coward, Your Majesty,” said Sanzang.\n\n“How are we a coward?” the ghost asked.\n\n“Your Majesty,” said Sanzang, “even if the monster has the magic powers to turn into your double and steal your kingdom, undetected by your civil and military officials or by your queens and consorts, so that only you know the truth and you are dead, why have you not brought a case against him in the Underworld court of King Yama? There you could lodge a complaint and complain of the wrongs you have suffered.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But his magic powers are so extensive and he is so well in with all the relevant officials,” replied the ghost. “He’s always drinking with the city god, and he’s connected with all the dragon kings. The Heaven-equaling God of Mount Tai is a friend of his, and all the Ten Kings of the Underworld are his sworn brothers. We have nowhere to turn if we want to bring a case against him.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” said Sanzang, “if you are powerless to bring a case against him in the Underworld then why come to the world of the living?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Father,” the other replied, “as a ghost of a man unjustly killed I would never have dared call upon you. Outside the monastery gates are the Heavenly Kings who Protect the Law, the Six Dings and the Six Jias, the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre, the Four Duty Gods, and the Eighteen Guardians of the Faith, all with their horses saddled up. It was only a magic wind created by the Patroller of the Night that brought me here. He said that my three years of suffering were due to end and sent me to pay my respects to you, Father. He told me that your senior disciple is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and that he is a very powerful killer of monsters and subduer of demons. I am here tonight to plead with you and beg you to come to my country, capture the evil monster, and expose his wickedness. We will be deeply grateful and repay you, Master, for your great kindness.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” said Sanzang, “Have you come to ask that my disciple should go to rid you of this fiend?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, that’s right,” the other replied.\n\n“That disciple of mine is good for little else,” said Sanzang, “but subduing demons and capturing monsters is right up his alley. The only thing is, Your Majesty, that even if he’s given the job he may not be able to carry it out.”\n\n“Why not?” the ghost asked.\n\n“Well,” said Sanzang, “That fiend must have stupendous magical powers if he can make himself so much like you that all the civil and military officials at court are happy with him and every one of the consorts and concubines in your harem is fond of him. Even though my disciple has some magic powers he should most certainly not resort to arms lightly. If he is captured and charged with high treason we will be thrown into jail. Then everything will be ruined.”\n\n“But I still have someone I can trust at court,” the ghost said.\n\n“That’s splendid,” said Sanzang, “quite splendid. No doubt it’s a prince or a high official who was sent off to command a garrison somewhere.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” replied the ghost, “it’s my son the crown prince who lives in my own palace.”\n\n“But surely the crown prince must have been banished by that fiend.”\n\n“No, he hasn’t been,” the ghost replied. “He spends his time in the throne hall and the Tower of Five Phoenixes studying with learned scholars or sitting beside that wizard on the throne. For the last three years the crown prince has been banned from the queen’s palace and prevented from seeing Her Majesty.”\n\n“Why?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“It has all been planned by that fiend,” said the ghost. “If the prince and his mother were to meet and start talking about things the truth would get out. He can only keep that throne if the two of them don’t meet.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your troubles, like mine, must have been sent from Heaven,” said Sanzang. “My father was murdered by pirates, one of whom seized my mother. Three months later I was born. I escaped with my life on the river and was rescued by my benefactor, the abbot of the Jinshan Monastery, who brought me up. I remember what it was like to be an orphan child, so I feel very sorry for a crown prince who has lost both his parents. But even though you still have your crown prince in the palace, how ever will I be able to see him?”\n\n“What would stop you?” the ghost asked.\n\n“If he is under such close control from the fiends,” Sanzang replied, “that he can’t even see his own mother, how will a mere monk like myself get to see him?”\n\n“He will be going out tomorrow,” said the ghost.\n\n“Why?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“After tomorrow’s dawn audience,” said the ghost, “he will lead three thousand people riding out of the city with falcons and hounds to go hunting. You will certainly be able to see him. When you do, tell him everything that I have told you and he’ll trust you.”\n\n“But he is only a mortal,” replied Sanzang. “The fiend has him fooled in the palace, and he calls the fiend father several times a day. Why should he believe anything I say?”\n\n“In case he doesn’t I’ll give you something that will be visible proof,” said the ghost.\n\n“What?” asked Sanzang.\n\nThe ghost set down the gold-bordered white jade scepter he was holding and said, “This will be proof.”\n\n“Why?” asked Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why?” asked Sanzang.\n\n“When the wizard made himself look just like me,” the ghost replied, “there was one treasure he failed to copy. After he went back to the palace he said that the wizard has stolen it, and for the last three years it has been missing. If the crown prince sees it he will be reminded of me and I shall be able to take my revenge.”\n\n“Very well then,” said Sanzang, “I shall keep it and send my disciple to sort things out for you. Will you wait for the crown prince there?”\n\n“I dare not stay there myself,” said the ghost. “I shall have to ask the Patroller of the Night to send another magic wind to blow me into the palace harem to appear in a dream to my first queen to tell her to co-operate with our son, with you, Father, and with your disciples.”\n\nSanzang nodded and agreed. “Off you go then.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang nodded and agreed. “Off you go then.”\n\nThe ghost of the murdered monarch kowtowed to take his leave. Sanzang was just stepping forward to see the ghost out when he tripped and went sprawling, giving himself such a fright that he woke up. So it had all been a dream. In the dim lamplight he called, “Disciples!” with alarm.\n\n“What’s he going on about ‘trifles, trifles’ for?” muttered Pig as he woke up. “How happy I used to be in the old days. I was a real tough guy. I lived on nothing but human flesh and I always ate my fill of it. You would have to be a monk and make us protect you on your journey. You told me I’d be a monk, but now you treat me more like your slave. I have to carry your baggage and lead your horse all day, and empty your chamber-pot and lie at the foot of your bed to warm your feet by night. You never let me get any sleep. Why are you calling for me now?”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “I had a strange dream when I dozed off with my head on the table just now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Monkey, springing to his feet, “dreams come from the imagination. You get frightened of demons before you’ve even started to climb a mountain. You worry if you will ever reach the Thunder Monastery as it’s so far away; and you miss Chang’an and wonder when you’ll ever get back there. That’s why you’re so full of anxieties and dreams. Now I’m sincere and single-minded about going to the West to see the Buddha: no dreams ever come to me.”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “this dream of mine was no dream of home. No sooner had I closed my eyes than a great wind blew up and a king appeared outside the doors of the meditation hall. He said he was the monarch of the land of Wuji. He was soaking wet and in floods of tears.” Sanzang was just about to tell Brother Monkey all about the dream and everything he had been told in it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No need to tell me any more,” said Monkey. “He came to see you in a dream and was evidently bringing me some business. No doubt some fiend has usurped his throne. I’ll have it out with the fiend. I’m sure I’ll succeed the moment my cudgel hits him.”\n\n“But he told me that the fiend has tremendous magic powers,” warned Sanzang.\n\n“Tremendous, my eye!” said Monkey. “As soon as he realizes that I’ve arrived he’ll regret having nowhere to flee to.”\n\n“I remember that the king also left me a treasure as proof,” said Sanzang.\n\n“Don’t talk such nonsense,” replied Pig. “If you had a dream, that was that. Why all this chitchat?”\n\n”‘Don’t trust what seems to be straighter than straight, and beware that kindness is not really unkindness,’” put in Friar Sand. “Let’s strike a light, open the doors, and see what we can see.”\n\nSo Brother Monkey opened the doors, and when they all looked outside they saw by the light of the moon and the stars that a gold-bordered white jade scepter was indeed lying by the side of the steps."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What’s this, brother?” asked Pig as he went over and picked it up.\n\n“It’s a treasure called a jade scepter that a monarch holds in his hands,” said Monkey, “and it makes me believe, Master, that the story’s true. I’ll take full responsibility for capturing the fiend tomorrow. But there are three favours I’ll want you to do me.”\n\n“This is great,” said Pig, “really great. First you have a dream, then you have to tell him about it. He tricks people at every turn. Now he’s asking you for three favours.”\n\nGoing back inside, Sanzang asked, “What three favours?”\n\n“Tomorrow I want you to suffer on my behalf, be put upon, and catch a fever,” said Monkey.\n\n“Any one of them would be bad enough,” smirked Pig. “I couldn’t possibly take on all three.” Being an intelligent elder, the Tang Priest asked his disciple to explain why he wanted these three things done.\n\n“There’ll be no need for explanations,” said Monkey. “Let me first give you a couple of things.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage plucked out a hair, blew a magic breath on it, called “Change!” and turned it into a box of red and gold lacquer into which he placed the white jade scepter. “Master,” he said, “at dawn tomorrow you must put on your golden cassock and sit in the main hall of the monastery reciting scriptures with the box in your hands while I go and give that city the once-over. If he really is an evil spirit I’ll kill him, and that will be one more good deed to my credit. If he isn’t, then we won’t get ourselves into trouble.”\n\n“Excellent, excellent,” said Sanzang.\n\n“If the prince doesn’t ride out of the city, that will be that,” said Monkey, “and if he does leave the city as your dream predicted I’ll definitely bring him here to see you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If he does come to see me, what shall I say to him?” asked Sanzang. “I’ll give you a tip-off just before he comes,” said Monkey. “I want you to open the lid of that box a little while I turn myself into a tiny monk two inches high, then take me into your hands with the scepter. When the prince comes into the monastery he’s bound to worship the Buddhas. No matter how much he prostrates himself you are to pay no attention to him whatsoever. At the sight of you sitting there without moving he’ll certainly have you arrested. Let him arrest you. Let him have you beaten, tied up or even killed if he likes.”\n\n“Goodness!” exclaimed Sanzang. “With all his military authority he might really have me killed, and that would be terrible.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No problem,” said Monkey. “I’ll be there. If things get sticky I’ll look after you. If he questions you, tell him that you are the imperially commissioned monk sent from the East to go to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha, fetch the scriptures and offer some treasures. When he asks you what treasures, tell him about the golden cassock and say, ‘This is my third-grade treasure. I also have very fine treasures of the first and second grade.’ When he asks you about them tell him that in this box you have a treasure that knows everything that has happened or will happen for five hundred years in the past, five hundred years in the present era, and another five hundred years after that—fifteen hundred years in all. Then let me out of the box and I’ll tell the prince everything that you were told in your dream. If he believes me I’ll go to capture the fiend. That will avenge his father and do our reputation a lot of good. But if he still doesn’t believe you, show him the white jade scepter. My only worry"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "show him the white jade scepter. My only worry is that he may be too young to remember it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang was delighted with Brother Monkey’s suggestions. “Disciple,” he said, “this is a superb plan. When I talk about my three treasures I can call one of them the golden cassock and another the white jade scepter. But what shall I call the one you turn yourself into?”\n\n“Call it the King-maker,” said Monkey. Sanzang committed his instructions to memory. There was no way that the master and his disciples were going to sleep that night as they waited for the dawn. They only wished that by giving a nod they could make the sun rise, and blow away all the stars in the sky with a puff of breath."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before long the Eastern sky did grow lighter. Monkey gave his parting instructions to Pig and Friar Sand: “You mustn’t disturb the monks or go rushing wildly about the place. As soon as we’ve succeeded in our mission we’ll continue on the journey with you.” No sooner had he taken his leave of them than he leapt up into mid-air with a whistling somersault. As he gazed due West with his fiery eyes he did indeed see the city. You may wish to ask how this was possible. We were told before that the city was only some fifteen miles away, so he would have been able to see it from that great height.\n\nBrother Monkey went for a close look and saw thick clouds of demoniacal fog hanging over it, as well as an abundance of evil winds and vapors of injustice. Up in the air Monkey sighed and said,\n\n“Auspicious light would shine all around\n\nIf a true monarch now sat on the throne.\n\nBut black vapors hang over the gates of the palace\n\nNow that a fiend has made it his own.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now that a fiend has made it his own.”\n\nAs he was sighing Monkey heard the clear report of a cannon. The Eastern gate of the city opened, and out poured a column of people and horses. It was indeed an impressive hunting party:\n\nLeaving the Forbidden City at dawn,\n\nThey fan out into the bush,\n\nTheir coloured flags bright in the sun,\n\nWhite horses galloping into the wind.\n\nAlligator-skin drums pound\n\nAs fencing spears clash together.\n\nFerocious the corps of falconers,\n\nMartial the masters of the bounds.\n\nCannons shake the heavens,\n\nWhile sticky-poles gleam red in the sun.\n\nEach man carries a crossbow;\n\nEveryone has a bow at his waist.\n\nThe nets are spread at the foot of the hills,\n\nAnd snares are set along the paths.\n\nWith a noise more frightening than thunder\n\nA thousand horsemen surround a bear.\n\nThe cunning hare cannot save itself,\n\nAnd the crafty river-deer is at its wit’s end.\n\nThe foxes are fated to meet their doom,\n\nAnd death now faces the roebuck.\n\nThe mountain pheasant cannot fly away,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The mountain pheasant cannot fly away,\n\nNor can its cousin on the plain escape.\n\nThey have taken over the mountains to catch wild beasts,\n\nAnd are destroying the forests to shoot the flying birds.\n\nAfter they all left the city they ambled through the Eastern outskirts and before long they were on high ground some six miles away where there was a military encampment. There was a very short general wearing a helmet, a breast plate, a sash round his waist, and eighteen metal plates. He held a blue-edged sword and sat astride a yellow charger. At his waist hung a ready-strung bow. Indeed:\n\nHe was the image of a monarch,\n\nWith an emperor’s noble visage.\n\nHis manners were not those of a petty man;\n\nHe moved like a true dragon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He moved like a true dragon.\n\nAs Brother Monkey looked down from mid-air he was delighted. “It goes without saying that he must be the crown prince. I think I’ll play a trick on him.” The splendid Great Sage brought his cloud down to land and charged straight through the soldiers till he was before the crown prince’s horse. Then he shook himself and turned himself into a white hare that started to run around frantically in front of the prince’s horse, to the delight of the prince when he spotted it. Fastening an arrow to his bow, he drew it and hit the hare with his first shot."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now the Great Sage had deliberately made the prince hit him, and with the quickness of his hand and eye he caught the arrowhead, dropped its feathers on the ground beside him, and started to run. Seeing his arrow hit the jade rabbit, the crown prince gave his horse its head and galloped ahead of the field in pursuit. He did not notice that when his horse galloped fast Monkey went like the wind, and that when the horse slowed down Monkey slowed down too, keeping only a little distance ahead. Watch as he leads the prince for mile after mile until he has lured him to the entrance of the Precious Wood Monastery. Here Monkey turned back into himself. The hare was no longer to be seen. There was only an arrow stuck into the lintel. Monkey rushed inside and told the Tang Priest, “He’s here, Master, he’s here.” Then with another transformation he turned himself into a tiny monk only two inches tall and squeezed into the red box."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having chased the jade here as far as the monastery entrance the prince was most surprised when it disappeared and all that could be seen was an arrow fletched with vulture feathers stuck in the lintel.\n\n“That’s odd,” he exclaimed, “very odd indeed. I’m quite sure that I hit the jade here. It can’t have disappeared, leaving only my arrow here. I suppose that over the years the here must have become a spirit.” Pulling his arrow out he saw the words ROYALLY FOUNDED PRECIOUS WOOD MONASTERY written large over the entrance.\n\n“I remember,” he said to himself. “Some years ago when my father was in the palace’s throne hall he sent officials with gifts of money and silk for the monks here to build a Buddha hall with Buddha statues. I didn’t expect to come here today; but, as they say,\n\nTo hear the monk’s words when you pass a shrine\n\nIs half a day’s rest from the vanity of life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Is half a day’s rest from the vanity of life.”\n\nThe crown prince dismounted and was just on the point of going inside when his personal guards and the three thousand horsemen galloped up in a great crowd, all pushing and shoving to get into the monastery. Deeply alarmed, the monks all came out to kowtow in greeting and lead the prince into the monastery’s main hall, where he worshipped the statues of Buddhas. When he raised his head to look around before taking a stroll along the cloisters to see the sights he noticed a monk sitting right in the middle of the hall. “What effrontery!” he exclaimed. “I, the crown prince, have come to visit this monastery in person today, and although the monks did not have to travel to meet me as they were not notified by royal decree, this monk should at least have got up when I arrived with all my army. How dare he carry on sitting there?” He then\n\nordered that the monk be arrested."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "ordered that the monk be arrested.\n\nAt the word “arrest” the officers standing to either side of the prince all seized Sanzang at once and got ropes ready to tie him up with. Monkey was now silently praying in his box: “Heavenly Kings who protect the dharma, Six Dings and Six Jias, I have a plan to subdue a demon, but this prince doesn’t know what he’s doing, and he’s going to have my master tied up. You must protect him at once. If you allow him to be tied up you’ll all be in trouble.” None of them dared disobey the Great Sage’s secret instructions, and they did indeed protect Sanzang. The officers could not even touch Sanzang’s shaven pate; it was as if he were surrounded by a wall, and they could get nowhere near him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where are you from, and how dare you insult me with this self-protection magic?” asked the crown prince. Sanzang went up to him, greeted him respectfully, and said, “I have no self-protection magic. I am the Tang Priest from the East going to worship the Buddha, fetch scrip-tares and offer treasures in the Thunder Monastery.”\n\n“Your Eastern lands may be in the central plains,” replied the prince, “but they are extraordinarily poor. What treasures could you possibly have? Tell me.”\n\n“The cassock I am wearing,” said Sanzang, “is the third-grade treasure. I also have treasures of the first and second grade that are much better things.”\n\n“But that cassock only half covers you,” objected the prince. “It can’t possibly be worth enough to deserve being called a treasure.”\n\n“The cassock may not cover both shoulders,” replied Sanzang, “but there is a poem about it that goes:\n\nOf course a monk’s habit leaves one shoulder bare,\n\nBut it covers a true Buddha free from worldly dust."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was the True Achievement of thousands of needles;\n\nNine Pearls and Eight Treasures formed its spirit.\n\nFairies and holy women sewed it reverently\n\nAs a gift to a dhyana monk to purify his body.\n\nFailure to greet Your Highness may be overlooked,\n\nBut what use is a man who avenges not his father?”\n\nHearing this put the crown prince into a fury. “You’re talking nonsense, you impudent monk,” he shouted. “You can use your gift of the gab to overpraise your tatty little garment if you like. But you’ll have to tell me what wrongs to my father I’ve failed to avenge.”\n\nSanzang took a step forward, joined his hands in front of his chest, and said, “Your Royal Highness, how many great kindnesses does a man receive on earth?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Four,” the prince replied. “What are they?” Sanzang asked. “There is the kindness that heaven and earth show by covering and supporting him,” said the prince. “There is the kindness of the sun and moon in giving him light. There is the kindness of his monarch in giving him land and water. And there is the kindness of his parents who rear him.”\n\n“Your Highness is mistaken,” said Sanzang with a smile. “People are only covered and supported by heaven and earth, lit by sun and moon, and provided with land and water by their monarchs. They are not brought up by fathers and mothers.”\n\n“Monk,” roared the prince in anger, “you shaven-headed food-scrounging tramp, you rebel, where would people come from if they did not have parents to rear them?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That is something, Your Highness,” said Sanzang, “that I do not know. But I have in this box here a treasure called the King-maker who knows everything that has happened or will happen for five hundred years long ago, five hundred years in the present era, and five hundred years in the future after that, making fifteen hundred years in all. He will be able to tell us all about not knowing the kindness of being reared by parents. He has made me wait here for a very long time.”\n\n“Bring him out and let me see him,” said the crown prince. As Sanzang opened the lid of the box Brother Monkey jumped out and started rushing around on both sides of it. “A tiny speck of a man like that couldn’t possibly know anything,” said the prince."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as Monkey heard this objection to his size he used his magic powers to stretch himself till he was three feet four or five inches tall, to the amazement of the soldiers, who said, “If he went on growing at that rate it would only be a day or two before he smashed through the sky.”\n\nOnce Brother Monkey was back to his original size he stopped growing. Only then did the prince address him: “King-maker, this old monk says that you know all the good and evil things of the past and the future. Do you use tortoise-shell or milfoil for your divinations? Or do you do it by interpreting sentences from books.”\n\n“I don’t use anything,” said Monkey. “All I need is my three inches of tongue to know everything about everything.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re talking nonsense again,” said the prince. “Even since the olden days the Book of Changes has been the best book for predicting the good and bad things that will happen in the world. It tells you what to avoid. That’s why predictions can be made with tortoise-shell or yarrow. Why should I believe a word you say? You’ll be making unfounded predictions of blessings and disasters to stir up trouble.”\n\n“Be patient, Your Highness,” said Monkey, “until you’ve heard what I have to say. You are the eldest son of the monarch of Wuji. Five years ago there was a disastrous drought in your country that caused your people terrible suffering. The king your father and his ministers prayed devoutly for rain, but not a drop fell until a Taoist wizard came from the Zhongnan Mountains who could summon up winds and rain and turn stone into gold. Because the monarch was too fond of the wizard he took the wizard as his sworn brother. Is this all true so far?”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said the crown prince, “go on.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, yes,” said the crown prince, “go on.”\n\n“When the wizard disappeared three years later who was then on the throne?”\n\n“You’re quite right that there was a wizard,” said the prince, “and that His Majesty my father took him as his sworn brother. They slept in the same room and ate from the same table. Three years ago they were enjoying the beauty of the palace gardens when he used a gust of magic wind to seize my father’s gold-bordered white jade scepter and carry it back with him to the Zhongnan Mountains. My father still misses him. Without him my father has no interest in any relaxation, and the palace gardens have been completely shut for the last three years. If the king isn’t my father I’d like to know who else he could be.”\n\nMonkey smiled, and kept on smiling without answering when the prince asked more questions. “Damn you,” said the furious prince, “what do you mean by just grinning at me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have a great deal more to say,” Brother Monkey finally replied, “but this is hardly the place to talk with so many people around.” Realizing that there must be something behind this remark the prince dismissed his soldiers with a wave of his sleeve. The officers in attendance passed the order on at once, sending the three thousand soldiers and their horses to pitch camp outside the monastery gates. Now that there was nobody else in the hall of the monastery the prince took the best seat. The venerable elder stood beside the prince with Monkey standing next to him. All the monks of the monastery withdrew.\n\nMonkey then stopped smiling as he stepped forward and said. “Your Highness, it was in fact your very own parent that was carried away by the wind, and it is the rain-making wizard who now sits on the throne.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nonsense,” said the prince, “nonsense. Ever since the wizard went away my father has kept the weather well regulated, the country strong and the people contented. But you say that he isn’t my father. As I’m of such tender years I’ll spare you; but if His Majesty my father heard you uttering such treason he’d have you arrested and hacked into ten thousand pieces.” He then shouted at Monkey to go away.\n\n“What did I say?” Monkey asked the Tang Priest. “I said he won’t believe me. Oh, well. The only thing I can do now is to give him that treasure in the hope of obtaining a passport so that we can carry on towards the Western Heaven.” Sanzang handed the red box to Monkey, who took it, shook himself, made it disappear—it was, after all, one of his own hairs transformed—and put it back on his body. He then presented the white jade scepter with both hands to the prince."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A splendid monk you are, I must say,” exclaimed the crown prince on seeing it. “Five years ago you came here as a Quanzhen wizard to trick my family out of its treasure, and now you’ve come back as a Buddhist monk to present it to me.”\n\n“Arrest him,” the prince shouted, and as the order was passed on Sanzang pointed to Monkey in his terror and panic and said, “You wretched Protector of the Horses. All you can do is cause gratuitous trouble in which you get me involved.” Monkey rushed forward to stop him.\n\n“Shut up,” he said, “or you’ll give the game away. I’m not called King-maker. I have a real name.”\n\n“Come here,” shouted the angry crown prince. “I want your real name so that I can hand you over to the legal authorities for sentence.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am this elder’s senior disciple,” said Monkey. “My name is Sun Wukong. As I’m going with my master on his way to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven, we took shelter here last night. My master was reading sutras late last night, and he had a dream in the third watch. In this dream His Majesty your father told my master that the wizard had murdered him by pushing him into the eight-sided well with glazed tiles in the palace gardens. The wizard then turned himself into such a good likeness of your father that none of the officials at court could tell the difference. You were too young to know any better and banned from the harem. The garden was closed. This was because he was afraid that the truth would get out. His Majesty your father came last night specially to ask me to put the fiend down. I was worried in case the present king wasn’t really an evil spirit, but when I took a look from up in the air I saw that he definitely is. I was just going to grab him when you rode out of the city to go"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to grab him when you rode out of the city to go hunting. The jade hare you hit with your arrow was me. I led you to this monastery to meet my master. Every word I have told you is the truth. You can recognize that white jade scepter; so why don’t you bow in gratitude to the father who reared you and avenge him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At these words the crown prince was deeply distressed, and he said to himself in his grief, “Perhaps I shouldn’t believe what he says, but it does seem to be rather convincing. But if I do believe him, however can I face my father in the palace?” He was indeed\n\nCaught upon the horns of a dilemma,\n\nWondering what on earth he ought to do.\n\nSeeing that he was unable to make up his mind, Monkey went up to him and said, “No need for all these doubts, Your Highness. Why don’t you ride back to the capital and ask Her Majesty the queen how the love between her and your father is compared with three years ago. That’s the only question that will prove that I’m telling the truth.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That changed the prince’s mind for him. “That’s it,” he said, “I’ll ask my mother.” He sprang to his feet, put the scepter in his sleeve and was just about to go when Monkey tugged at his clothes and said, “If all your men and horses go back it’ll give the game away and make it much harder for me to succeed. You must ride back alone and not draw attention to yourself or make a fuss. Don’t go in through the main gate; use one of the back gates instead. And when you enter the women’s quarters in the palace to see your mother, don’t shout or make a lot of noise. You must keep your voice down and talk very quietly. That fiend probably has tremendous magical powers, and once the cat is out of the bag your mum’s life won’t be worth tuppence.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The crown prince accepted these instructions with great respect, then went outside the monastery gates to give these orders to his officers: “Stay encamped here and do not move. I have some business to attend to. Wait till I come back and then we shall all return to the capital together.” Watch him:\n\nGiving his orders to the army to encamp,\n\nHe rides back to the city as if on wings.\n\nIf you don’t know what was said when he met the queen, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty-Eight\n\nQuestioning His Mother, the Boy Sorts Right from Wrong\n\nWhen Metal and Wood Join in the Mystery, Truth and Falsehood Are Clear\n\nIf you speak only of the causation arising from birth,\n\nYou can be present at the Buddha’s assembly.\n\nThe Buddha of the dusty world thinks only peaceful thoughts;\n\nPeople of all quarters watch while the spirit is subdued.\n\nIf you wish to know who is the true monarch,\n\nYou must ask the mother who bore you.\n\nYou have never yet seen another world;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "You have never yet seen another world;\n\nAt every step a new flower appears.\n\nSoon after taking his leave of the Great Sage, the crown prince of Wuji was back in the city. As instructed, he did not make for the main palace gates or announce his arrival, but went straight to a back gate that was kept by some eunuchs. Not daring to stop him, they let him in. The splendid prince rode his horse straight to the foot of the Brocade Fragrance Pavilion, in which sat the queen attended by some dozens of consorts and concubines holding fans. The queen was in tears, leaning against a carved balustrade. Do you know why? It was because she half remembered but had half forgotten a dream she had had in the small hours of the morning. Now she was deep in thought.\n\nThe prince dismounted, knelt at the foot of the pavilion and called, “Mother.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The queen forced herself to look cheerful and called to him, “What a pleasure to see you, my child, what a pleasure. I’ve been worried about you for two or three years. Despite all my requests to His Majesty your father in the hall of audience I haven’t been able to see you. How ever were you able to get leave to see me today? I’m so, so happy. But why do you sound so sad, child? Your father is getting on now. One day the dragon will have to return to the jade-green sea and the phoenix to the crimson clouds. Then the throne will be yours. So why be so miserable?”\n\nTo this the prince replied with a kowtow, “Mother, who is it who now occupies the throne? Who is it who uses the royal ‘we?’”\n\n“The boy’s gone mad,” exclaimed the queen. “It’s your father who’s king. Why do you ask?”\n\n“I beg you, Mother,” said the prince, kowtowing again, “to forgive your son’s crime so that I may ask once more. If you can’t pardon me, I can’t ask.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There can’t be criminal proceedings between mother and son,” the queen said. “You’re forgiven. Now, hurry up and ask.”\n\n“Mother,” said the prince, “I want to ask you whether there is any difference in the affection between you and my father now compared with three years ago.”\n\nThe moment the queen heard this her souls went flying and she rushed down to the foot of the pavilion to hug the prince close to her. “Child,” she said as tears flowed from her eyes, “why do you come to the harem after we’ve been kept apart for such a long time to ask me this?”\n\n“Mother,” said the prince in great anger, “tell me at once what you have to say or you will ruin everything.”\n\nThe queen ordered her attendants to withdraw, then said in a low and tearful voice, “If you hadn’t asked me about it I would have taken the secret to the grave with me. Now that you have asked, listen while I tell you:\n\nHe used to be so passionate and tender,\n\nBut three years later on he’s turned to frost.\n\nIf I whisper to him warmly on the pillow"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If I whisper to him warmly on the pillow\n\nHe pleads old age and says the urge is lost.”\n\nAt this the crown prince broke away from his mother’s embrace and remounted his horse. “What’s up, child?” the queen asked, holding on to him. “Why are you off before we’ve even finished our conversation?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The prince then knelt before her and said, “I hardly dare tell you, Mother. When I went out hunting this morning with the falcons and hounds His Majesty kindly lent me I happened to meet a holy monk who was on his way to fetch the scriptures. His senior disciple is Sun the Novice, or Brother Sun. He is very good at exorcising demons. It appears that His Majesty my father is dead in the eight-sided well with glazed tiles in the palace gardens, and that the wizard turned himself into my father’s double in order to usurp the throne. In the middle of last night my father came to him in a dream. He asked the priest to come here to capture the fiend. I came to ask you that question because I couldn’t quite bring myself to believe them. From what you have just told me, Mother, I’m now sure he is an evil spirit.”\n\n“You shouldn’t believe what strangers tell you, my son,” said the queen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I wouldn’t have believed him at all,” replied the crown prince, “except that His Majesty my father left proof with him.” When the queen asked what it was, the prince produced the gold-bordered white jade scepter from his sleeve and handed it to her. The queen saw it and recognized it as the king’s treasure. She could not hold back her tears.\n\n“My lord,” she cried out, “why did you never come to me in the three years since you died? Why did you appear to the holy monk and then to the prince first?”\n\n“What do you mean, Mother?” the prince asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What do you mean, Mother?” the prince asked.\n\n“My child,” said the queen, “I too had a dream in the small hours of the morning. I saw your father standing soaking wet in front of me. He told me himself that he had been killed and that his ghost had called on the Tang Priest to ask him to capture the impostor on the throne and rescue him. I can remember him saying all this, but only very vaguely. I was just wondering about it when you came, asked that question, and showed me the scepter. I’ll keep it, and you go and ask that holy monk to be as quick as possible. Then the evil mists can be swept away, truth can be separated from falsehood, and you can repay His Majesty your father for his\n\nkindness in raising you.”\n\nThe prince quickly remounted and went out through the back gate of the palace to get away from the city. Indeed:\n\nWith tears in his eyes he took leave of his mother;\n\nBowed down with grief he returned to Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bowed down with grief he returned to Sanzang.\n\nHe was soon out of the city and back at the gate of the Precious Wood Monastery, where he dismounted amid the greetings of the whole army. It was now almost sunset. The crown prince ordered that the soldiers were to make no unnecessary movements. He then went back into the monastery, neatened up his clothes, and went to pay his respects to Brother Monkey just as he was swaggering out of the main hall.\n\nThe prince fell to his knees and said, “Master, I’m back.”\n\nMonkey went over to him to raise him to his feet and said, “Please get up. Who did you question when you went into town?”\n\n“I questioned my mother,” the crown prince replied, going on to tell him everything that had happened.\n\nMonkey grinned slightly as he said, “If he’s that cold he must be a transformation of something icy. Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I’ll wipe him out for you. The only trouble is that it’s a bit late to do anything today. Go back now and wait till I come to see you tomorrow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The prince knelt down again, kowtowed and said, “Let me stay here to be at your beck and call till I go in with you tomorrow.”\n\n“No,” said Monkey, “that would be no good. If we two went into town together the fiend would have his suspicions. He wouldn’t think that I’d just met you by chance. He’d say that you’d asked me to come, and then be angry with you.”\n\n“But—he’s going to be angry with me anyhow if I go back to the city now,” replied the prince.\n\n“Why?” asked Monkey.\n\n“Because I’ll have no way to face him when I go back without having caught a single thing after taking out so many men, horses, falcons and hounds on his orders this morning,” said the prince. “If he punishes me for incompetence I’ll be thrown into jail and you’ll have nobody to help you when you go into town tomorrow. And in this whole force there isn’t a single friend of mine.”\n\n“No problem,” said Monkey. “If you’d told me earlier I’d have a good bag ready for you now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Great Sage. Watch him as he shows off his powers in front of the prince, leaping up into the clouds with a single bound, making the magic with his fingers, and saying the esoteric words, “Om ram Pure Dharma World.”\n\nHe made the mountain gods and local deities of the place bow to him in mid-air and say, “Great Sage, what orders do you have for us humble deities?”\n\nTo this Brother Monkey replied, “I’ve escorted the Tang Priest this far and now I want to capture a demon. The trouble is that the crown prince has caught nothing on his hunt, so he doesn’t dare return to the palace. I’d like to ask a favour of you all. Will you fetch some river-deer, antelopes, deer, hares, other birds and beasts to send him back with?” None of the mountain gods or local deities dared not to accept this order.\n\nWhen they asked how many of each were wanted the Great Sage replied, “It doesn’t matter. Just get some.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The gods then mustered their invisible soldiers and made a magical animal-gathering wind blow. They caught hundreds and thousands of pheasants, deer, antelopes, river-deer, foxes, badgers, raccoon dogs, hares, tigers, leopards and wolves, which they presented to Monkey.\n\n“I don’t want them,” he said. “I’d like you to hamstring them and set them out on both sides of the fifteen miles of the road back so that the hunters can take them to the capital without having to use their falcons or hounds. That will redound to your credit.” The gods did as they were told, put their magic wind away, and set the prey out beside the road."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then did Brother Monkey bring his cloud down to land and say to the prince, “You may go back now, Your Highness. Your bag is set out by the road for you to collect.” After the mid-air display of Monkey’s amazing powers the prince was utterly convinced that this had happened, so he could but kowtow and take his leave. He then went out of the monastery and ordered the soldiers back to the city. There were indeed no end of wild animals by the road that the soldiers could catch with their bare hands, not needing the falcons or dogs. They all cheered the prince and said that this was due to his very good luck, not realizing that it was Monkey’s magical achievement. Just listen to the triumphant songs as they swarm back to the capital."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, meanwhile, was guarding Sanzang. Seeing how well the two of them were getting on with the prince, the monks of the monastery had to treat them with great respect. They provided them with vegetarian meals and looked after the Tang Priest, who was still resting in the meditation hall. For nearly a whole watch, or about two hours, Monkey was too troubled to sleep.\n\nHe jumped up, went over to the Tang priest’s bed and called, “Master.”\n\nSanzang was still awake too, but he pretended to be asleep because he knew that Monkey was someone who caused alarms and trouble. So Monkey rubbed Sanzang’s shaven pate and shouted wildly, “Why are you asleep, Master?”\n\n“Wicked creature,” said the Tang Priest angrily, “what are you shouting for at this time of night when you ought to be asleep?”\n\n“But Master,” said Monkey, “there’s something I want to talk about with you.”\n\n“What?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“I can’t sleep,” Brother Monkey replied, “because when I was boasting to the crown prince yesterday about how my magical powers were higher than mountains and deeper than the sea I said that I could catch that fiend as easily as taking something out of a bag. I’d only have to stretch out my hand to grab him. Thinking about it I realize it would be difficult.”\n\n“If it is difficult,” said the Tang Priest, “then give up the idea of catching the monster.”\n\n“He’s certainly got to be caught,” said Monkey, “but it isn’t right.”\n\n“You’re talking nonsense, ape,” said the Tang Priest. “The fiend has usurped a throne. What do you mean by ‘it isn’t right?’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All you know about is reciting sutras, worshipping the Buddha, sitting in contemplation and seeking religious instruction,” said Monkey. “You’ve never seen the Legal Code. As the saying goes, ‘You can’t arrest someone for theft without the loot as evidence.’ That fiend has been king for three years now without giving the game away. He sleeps with the consorts and concubines in the harem and shares the pleasures of the civil and military officials at court. I have the power to catch him all right; but it’ll be hard to make the charges against him stick.”\n\n“What do you mean by that?” asked the Tang Priest.\n\n“Even if he normally kept his mouth as shut as an unopened gourd,” said Monkey, “he’ll brazen it out with you and say, ‘I’m the monarch of Wuji. What crime have I committed against Heaven that you should come to arrest me?’ What written documentation have you got to back up your case against him?”\n\n“How would you cope?” asked Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How would you cope?” asked Sanzang.\n\n“My plan’s already made,” said Brother Monkey with a laugh. “The only thing is that it affects Your Reverence and your favoritism.”\n\n“How do I show favoritism?” the Tang Priest asked.\n\n“Because Pig is so stupid he’s rather a pet of yours.”\n\n“What do you mean by that?” the Tang Priest asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Well, if he’s not your favorite, be a bit bolder today and agree to stay here with Friar Sand while Pig and I go ahead to the capital of Wuji, find the palace gardens, open up the glazed-tile well, fish out the remains of the dead king, and wrap them up in a carrying-cloth. Then when we go into town tomorrow never mind about the travel documents—as soon as I see the fiend I’ll have my cudgel out to kill him. If he tries to argue, show him the remains and the clothes and say, ‘This is the man you murdered.’ Then bring the crown prince in to mourn his father and the queen to identify the remains of her husband. Let all the civil and military officials see their true lord, and then Pig and I will set to. That’s the only way we’ll be able to win a contested lawsuit afterwards.”\n\nOn hearing this the Tang Priest concealed his delight and said, “But Pig might not be willing to go.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There you are,” said Monkey, “I said you showed favoritism. How do you know he won’t want to go? It’s just like the way you refused to respond for a whole hour when I kept trying to wake you. My three inches of tongue could make Pig come with me even if he were a Pig-and-a-half.”\n\n“Very well,” said Sanzang, “call him if you like.”\n\nMonkey then took his leave of the master, went straight to Pig’s bed, and called his name. The idiot was lying with his head hanging down, snoring heavily after his exhausting journey. Mere calling was not going to wake him. Monkey grabbed him by his ears and his bristles, pulled him up, and shouted “Pig!” again. The idiot was\n\nstill fast asleep.\n\nWhen Monkey called him again Pig said, “Go to sleep, and stop fooling around. We’ve got to be on our way again tomorrow.”\n\n“I’m not fooling,” said Monkey. “There’s a piece of business for us two to do.”\n\n“What sort of business?” Pig asked.\n\n“Didn’t you hear the prince telling us?” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I didn’t even see him,” said Pig, “let alone hear him say anything.”\n\n“The prince told me that the fiend has a treasure that makes him a match for ten thousand men in a fight,” said Monkey. “When we go into town we’ll have to fight him, and if he has that treasure he’ll beat us. That would be terrible. I reckon that if the other side is stronger than you the best thing to do is to strike first. Wouldn’t be best if the two of us went and stole his treasure?”\n\n“You’re trying to trick me into thieving, brother,” said Pig. “I’ll come in on this bit of business, and I’ll be very useful to you too, but first I want to get something clear with you. When we’ve stolen the treasure and captured the demon I won’t stand for any mean, small-minded sharing out of the treasure. I want the lot.”\n\n“Why?” Monkey asked. “I haven’t got your gift of the gab. I can’t wheedle food out of people. I’m clumsy and rough-spoken, and I can’t recite sutras. When I’m really on my uppers I can always swap it for food.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All I’m interested in is fame,” said Monkey. “I don’t care about treasures. You can have it if you like.” The idiot was so happy to be promised the treasure that he rolled himself out of bed, dressed, and set out with Monkey. It was a case of\n\nClear wine makes the cheeks go red;\n\nGold turns everybody’s head.\n\nThe two of them opened the door very quietly, left Sanzang and took an auspicious cloud straight to the city.\n\nThey were soon there, and as they brought their cloud down to land they heard the drum on the tower being beaten twice. “It’s the second watch, brother,” said Monkey.\n\n“Just right,” said Pig, “just right. Everybody’s fast asleep.” The two of them avoided the main gate and went round to the back gate of the palace, where clappers and bells were being sounded. “Brother,” said Monkey, “it sounds as though there’s an alarm at both front and back gates. How are we going to get in?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Who ever heard of burglars going in through the gates?” said Pig. “Let’s go over the wall so that nobody sees us.” Monkey accepted his suggestion, and with a bound he was on top of the inner wall. Pig jumped up too, then the pair of them crept inside and tried to find their way to the palace gardens."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they walked along they saw a gate-tower in front of them with triple eaves and white ornaments. On it were two huge words, gleaming bright: ROYAL GARDENS. Going up to it for a closer look Brother Monkey saw that layer after layer of sealing paper had been pasted over the gates, and the locks on them had rusted hard. He then told Pig to get moving. The idiot raised his iron rake and brought it down with all his might on the gates, smashing them to splinters. Monkey was just going to step inside when he was seized with an irresistible urge to leap about and shout, to the horror of Pig who went up to him, grabbed him and said, “You’ll be the death of me, brother. Who ever heard of burglars yelling like that? You’ll wake them up and get us arrested and handed over to for trial. Then it’ll be either a death sentence or being sent home as convicts.”\n\n“Brother,” said Monkey, “do you know why I’m so upset? Just look!\n\nCarved and painted balustrades all in a mess,\n\nPrecious pavilions leaning awry."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Precious pavilions leaning awry.\n\nThe sedge and nutweed on the bank are buried.\n\nThe peonies and raspberries have been ruined.\n\nGone is the fragrance of rose and jasmine;\n\nTree peony and wild lily flower in vain.\n\nHibiscus and rose of Sharon are overgrown,\n\nAnd all the precious flowers choked.\n\nThe hillocks built from strange-shaped rocks have collapsed;\n\nThe fish are dead in the dried-up ponds.\n\nDry as tinder the pine and bamboo;\n\nMugwort and wormwood carpet the paths.\n\nBroken the branches of peach and osmanthus,\n\nTwisted the trunks of pomegranate and kerria.\n\nMoss grows on the zigzag way to the bridge:\n\nA desolate garden scene.”\n\n“What are you getting so upset about?” Pig asked. “Let’s get on with our bit of business.” Despite his distress Monkey remembered how in his dream the Tang Priest had been told that the well was under a plantain. As he went further he did indeed see a plantain that was most luxuriant, unlike all the other flowers and trees. Indeed:\n\nIt was a divine shoot"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was a divine shoot\n\nBorn with an empty nature.\n\nPapery strips came from every branch,\n\nAnd all the leaves wrapped up fragrance.\n\nA thousand fine stands of emerald green,\n\nA touch of red at the heart.\n\nIt grieved in the cold of autumn rain;\n\nIt withered with fear of the autumn winds.\n\nIt was grown through the efforts of the gardener,\n\nRaised through the Creator’s work.\n\nWonderful its value as writing paper,\n\nMarvellous its use for dripping water.\n\nWould that phoenix feathers could have compared;\n\nA phoenix tail was no match for its leaves.\n\nWhen the ample dew dripped gently\n\nThe tree was lightly wreathed in mist.\n\nIts green shade covered the window,\n\nIts jade shadow fell on the frame.\n\nThe wild goose could not perch in its fronds,\n\nNor the charger be tethered to its trunk.\n\nOn a frosty day it looked withered;\n\nIt was dim in the moonlight.\n\nIt could only refresh one in summer’s heat\n\nAnd offer some shelter from the blazing sun.\n\nIt lacked the beauty of peach or plum,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It lacked the beauty of peach or plum,\n\nStanding lonely to the East of the whitewashed wall.\n\n“Set to, Pig,” said Monkey. “The treasure’s buried under the plantain.” The idiot raised his rake in both hands and sent the tree crashing down. Then he rooted in with his snout to a depth of three or four feet, revealing a stone cover.\n\n“We’re in luck, brother,” exclaimed the idiot with delight. “There really is a treasure here under this stone cover. I wonder whether it’s inside a jar or a box.”\n\n“Lift the cover and we’ll see,” said Monkey. With another root of his snout the idiot prized it open. There was a glow of multicolored light, and a bright, white vapor.\n\n“We’re in luck, we’re in luck,” chortled Pig. “The treasure’s shining.”\n\nGoing nearer for a closer look they saw that it was in fact the starlight and the moonlight reflected by the water in a well.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “you ought to think ahead.”\n\n“What do you mean, think ahead?” asked Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What do you mean, think ahead?” asked Monkey.\n\n“This is a well,” said Pig. “If you’d told me back in the monastery that the treasure was hidden in a well I’d have brought a couple of the luggage ropes along with me and we could have worked out a way of letting me down the well. But how am I going to go down there to fetch the thing empty-handed?”\n\n“Are you willing to go down?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I would if I could,” said Pig, “but there’s no rope.”\n\n“Take that garment off—I know what to do,” said Monkey with a grin.\n\n“I’ve got nothing good enough to be called a garment,” said Pig. “The only thing I could take off is this tunic.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage brought out his gold-tipped cudgel, pulled it at both ends, and said, “Grow!” It grew seventy or eighty feet long. “You hold one end, Pig, and I’ll lower you in,” said Monkey.\n\n“Let me down till I reach the water, brother, and then stop,” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Understood,” said Monkey. As the idiot clung to the tip of the cudgel Monkey lightly lifted him up and lowered him into the well. Before long Pig had reached the water. As soon as Monkey heard him call out that he was there, Monkey thrust the cudgel down, making the idiot let go of it and tumble in with a splash.\n\n“Heavens, I’m being murdered,” Pig mumbled in the water. “I told you not to let me go when I got to the water, but you pushed me in.”\n\nMonkey pulled his cudgel out and asked with a laugh, “Can you find the treasure, brother?”\n\n“What treasure?” said Pig. “There’s only a wellful of water.”\n\n“The treasure’s at the bottom,” said Monkey, “so go down and have a feel around.” The idiot, who really was a good swimmer, did a surface dive and plunged down. Wow! The well was extremely deep, so he thrust himself even further down, and was suddenly gazing in astonishment at an ornamental arch on which were written the word WATER CRYSTAL PALACE."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s enough of this,” said Pig with horror. “I’ve taken the wrong turning. I must have blundered into the sea. There are water crystal palaces in the sea, but there couldn’t possibly be one in a well.” What Pig did not realize was that this was the water crystal palace of the Dragon King of the Well.\n\nAs Pig was talking to himself a patrolling yaksha opened the gates and shot straight back inside again at the sight of him to report, “A disaster, Your Majesty. A monk with big ears and a long snout has just fallen into the well. He’s dripping wet and stark naked. He’s still alive and is talking for all he’s worth.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The news was a great shock to the Dragon King of the Well, who thought, “This must be Marshal Tian Peng. Yesterday evening the Patroller of the Night came with an edict ordering me to send the soul of the king of Wuji to visit the Tang Priest and ask that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven be sent to capture the fiend. I suppose that the Great Sage and the Marshal must be here now. I must be very polite to them and go straight out to welcome them.”\n\nThe dragon king neatened up his clothes and went out through the gates at the head of his watery tribe. “Please come in and take a seat, Marshal Tian Peng,” he called at the top of his voice.\n\nThis made Pig feel a great deal happier. “So it’s an old friend,” he thought. Without any further thought the idiot went straight into the water crystal palace. He really had no sense of proper behavior, and sat, stark naked as he was, in the place of honour."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Marshal,” said the dragon king, “I hear that you have been given a new life, been converted to the Buddhist faith, and are escorting the Tang Priest on his journey West to fetch the scriptures. What bring you here?”\n\n“It’s just as you say. My senior fellow-disciple Monkey sends his respects and has told me to come here to ask you for some kind of treasure.”\n\n“Oh dear,” said the dragon king, “we don’t have any treasure here. I’m no match for the dragon kings of the Yangtse, Yellow, Huai or Ji rivers, who can fly around, do transformations, and get treasure that way. I’ve been stuck here for ages, and not been able to broaden my horizons for many a long month, so how could I possibly get any treasures?”\n\n“Stop trying to fob me off,” said Pig. “Bring out whatever you’ve got.”\n\n“It’s true I do have one treasure,” admitted the dragon king, “but I can’t move it. Perhaps you would like to come and see it for yourself, Marshal.”\n\n“Splendid, splendid, splendid,” said Pig. “I really must have a look.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot followed as the dragon king led the way. As they left the halls of the water crystal palace they saw a body six feet long lying in an open corridor. “There’s the treasure,” said the dragon king, pointing to it. When Pig took a closer look he saw to his astonishment that it was the body of a king stretched ramrod-straight and wearing a heaven-touching crown, a robe of yellow ochre, no-worry shoes and a belt of Lantain jade.\n\n“This is no good at all,” chuckled Pig, “no good at all. Can’t call that a treasure. I remember that when I was an ogre in the mountains I often used to make a meal out of things like that. Never mind how many of them I’ve seen—I’ve eaten a lot. There’s no way you could call that a treasure.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There are some things you don’t know, Marshal,” said the dragon king. “It’s the body of the king of Wuji. When he fell into the well I put a face-preserving pearl on him and he has not decomposed. If you were to carry the body up to see the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and if it could be brought back to life, then you’d get anything you asked for, never mind just treasures.”\n\n“If what you say is right and I carry him up for you, tell me how much you’ll pay me for arranging his funeral,” Pig said.\n\n“Honestly, I don’t have any money,” the dragon king replied.\n\n“So you like making people work for nothing, do you?” said Pig. “No money, no carriage.”\n\n“If you won’t, then please be on your way,” replied the dragon king. Pig left with two hefty yakshas who carried the body outside the palace gates, where they put it down and removed the water-repelling pearl."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At once there was a watery noise. Pig turned straight back to look, but the water crystal palace had disappeared. After feeling the king’s corpse he floundered around until he was weak from exhaustion, then surfaced and took hold of the wall of the well. “Brother,” he yelled, “lower the cudgel and rescue me.”\n\n“Got a treasure?” asked Monkey.\n\n“No way,” said Pig. “All I found under the water was the Dragon King of the Well who wanted me to carry a corpse up. When I refused he saw me out and the water crystal palace disappeared. I could only grasp that corpse. I was in such a panic that I went weak all over and I can’t move it. Brother, for goodness’ sake rescue me.”\n\n“But that is the treasure,” said Monkey. “Why didn’t you bring it up?”\n\n“I knew he’d been dead for ages,” said Pig, “so what would have been the point?”\n\n“If you won’t bring it up I’m going back,” said Monkey.\n\n“Where to?” Pig asked.\n\n“Back to the monastery and our master to go to bed,” replied Monkey.\n\n“Can’t I come?” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Can’t I come?” said Pig.\n\n“You’re welcome if you can climb out, but if you can’t, tough luck,” said Monkey. This threw Pig into a panic as he could not climb out.\n\n“Just think,” he called, “a city wall is hard enough to climb. This well narrows towards the top. It’s got round, overhanging walls, all overgrown with very slippery moss because nobody’s drawn water from it for years. How d’you expect me to climb it? Brother, don’t forget we’re good friends. I’m going down to get it.”\n\n“Good,” said Monkey. “Bring it up quick and we’ll go back to bed.” The idiot then did another surface dive and plunged straight down. He groped around till he found the body, dragged it over and carried it up till he\n\nsurfaced again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "surfaced again.\n\n“I’ve brought it up, brother,” Pig called as he supported himself at the side of the well. When Monkey took a good look and saw that Pig really had brought the body up he lowered the gold-banded cudgel back into the well. Pig was so angry that he opened his mouth and bit on the cudgel while Monkey gently lifted him out.\n\nPig put the corpse down, retrieved his own clothes, and put them back on. Monkey examined the king’s face and saw that it was exactly as it had been in life. “Brother,” he said, “he’s been dead three years. Why is his face so well preserved?”\n\n“You wouldn’t know about that,” said Pig. “The Dragon King of the Well told me that he’d used a face-preserving pearl to stop the body from decomposing.”\n\n“What luck,” said Monkey, “what luck. He hasn’t had his revenge yet, and we’re going to succeed. Put him over your shoulder, brother.”\n\n“Where shall I take him?” Pig asked.\n\n“Take him to see the master,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Take him to see the master,” Monkey replied.\n\n“What a way to treat me,” grumbled Pig, “what a way. I was fast asleep when that baboon used his slippery tongue to fool me with that talk of a bit of business. Now I’ve done it for him I’ve got to carry this dead body. All this dirty water is dripping down on me and making my tunic filthy. There’s nobody to wash it for me. The patches on the shoulders will get damp on overcast days. I won’t possibly be able to wear it.”\n\n“You carry him to the monastery,” said Monkey, “and I’ll give you something else to wear instead.”\n\n“You’re shameless,” said Pig. “You have well-nigh nothing to wear yourself and you talk of giving me something else.”\n\n“If you’re going to moan like this then don’t carry it,” said Monkey.\n\n“I won’t then,” said Pig.\n\n“Then put your ankles out for twenty strokes of the cudgel,” said Monkey.\n\n“But, brother, your cudgel hits very hard,” protested Pig in panic. “Twenty strokes and I’ll be like this king.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you don’t want a beating then get on with carrying him,” said Monkey. As he really was afraid of a beating Pig dragged the body over, put it across his shoulder and walked out of the palace gardens with an ill grace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage made magic with his hands, said a spell, and blew towards the direction of the wind trigram. At once a tremendous gust of wind plucked Pig out of the palace grounds and over the city wall and moat. The wind then fell, dropping the pair of them on the ground to continue on their way more slowly. The idiot, who was still feeling very hard done by and wanted to get his own back on Monkey, said to himself, “That ape put one over on me, and when we get back to the monastery I’m going to get my own back on him. I’ll tell the master that Monkey can bring the body back to life. When he fails the master will say the Band-tightening Spell and all the brains will be squeezed out of that ape’s head. That’s the only way I’ll be satisfied. No, that’s no good,” he went on to think as he walked along. “If I ask him to revive the body that’ll be too easy for him. He’ll only have to call on the King of Hell and ask for the king’s soul back. The best way will be to ban him from going to the Underworld."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "will be to ban him from going to the Underworld. He’ll have to bring the king back to life in the world of the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "living.”\n\nWhile he was still thinking these thoughts he arrived back at the monastery gates. He went straight in, flung the corpse to the ground right in front of the doors to the meditation hall, and shouted, “Master, come and see a freak.” The Tang Priest, unable to sleep, was talking to Friar Sand about how Monkey had tricked Pig into going and how long they’d been gone when he heard Pig’s shout. The Tang Priest got straight out of bed and said, “See what?”\n\n“Brother Monkey’s grandpa, and I’ve had to carry him back,” said Pig.\n\n“You dreg-guzzling idiot,” said Monkey. “I’ve got no grandpa.”\n\n“Well, brother,” replied Pig, “if he isn’t your grandpa, why did you make me carry him? It was damned hard work.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Sanzang and Friar Sand opened the doors to look they saw that the king’s face was quite unchanged from what it had been in life. “Your Majesty,” said the Tang Priest sorrowfully, “who knows in what earlier life you earned the wizard’s hatred? That must be why when you met in this one he murdered you and snatched you from your wives and children unbeknown to any of the civilian or military officials. What a pity it was that in their ignorance your wives and children should never have burnt incense and offered tea to your spirit.” He broke into sobs and his tears poured down like rain.\n\n“What’s his death to you?” asked Pig, laughing at Sanzang. “He’s not your father or grandfather, so why weep for him?”\n\n“Disciple,” sighed Sanzang, “compassion is the fundamental quality of a monk, and helping others is a monk’s way. How can you be so hard-hearted?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m not hard-hearted,” said Pig. “Monkey told me that he could bring this body back to life. Otherwise I wouldn’t have carried it here.” The venerable elder, as easily swayed as ever, was taken in by the idiot.\n\n“Wukong,” he called, “if you have the power to bring this king back to life, it would be a case of saving a single human life being better than building a seven-storied pagoda. For us it would be even better than worshipping the Buddha on Thunder Peak.”\n\n“Don’t believe that idiot’s nonsense, Master,” said Monkey. “By the time people have been dead for three weeks, then five weeks, and finally for seven hundred days, they’ve paid for all their sins in this life and go off to be reborn. He’s been dead for three years now. He’s beyond saving.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the Tang Priest said, “Oh well, forget it.” Pig was still burning with a sense of injustice. “Master,” he said, “don’t be taken in by him. He’s talking rubbish. You just recite your spell and I guarantee he’ll bring the king back to life for you.” The Tang Priest did indeed say the Band-tightening Spell, which squeezed Monkey so badly that his eyes bulged and his head ached.\n\nIf you don’t know how the king was revived, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Thirty-Nine\n\nA Pill of Red Cinnabar Is Brought from Heaven\n\nAfter Three Years the Monarch Is Revived\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage Sun, his head aching unbearably, pleaded with his master: “Stop, stop, I’ll bring him back to life.” When Sanzang asked how, Monkey replied, “The only way is to go to the Underworld, find out which of the kings down there has his soul, and ask for it back to revive him with.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t trust Monkey, Master,” said Pig. “He told me earlier there’d be no need to go to the Underworld because he could get him brought back to life in the world of the living. He thought that would be a good way of showing off his powers.”\n\nThe venerable elder, taken in once again by this breath of evil, started reciting the Band-tightening Spell, which threw Monkey into such a desperate state that he accepted the condition gladly: “I’ll cure him within the world of the living, I really will.”\n\n“Don’t stop,” said Pig, “carry on saying the spell.”\n\n“You stupid, evil beast,” railed Monkey, “inciting the master to say that spell.” Pig was falling about with laughter.\n\n“Brother, brother, you thought you could put one over on me, but you never imagined I’d put one over on you.”\n\n“Stop, Master, stop,” pleaded Monkey. “I’ll bring him back to life without leaving the world of the living.”\n\n“And how are you going to do that?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“With a single somersault of my cloud I can rush in through the Southern Gate of Heaven,” said Monkey. “I won’t go to the Palace of the Dipper and the Bull or to the Hall of Miraculous Mist, but straight up to the Tushita Palace in the Lihen Heaven above the Thirty-third Heaven to see the Supreme Lord Lao Zi. I’ll ask him for one of his Nine-cycle Soul-returning Pills and that, I guarantee, will bring him back to life.”\n\n“Off you go then,” said Sanzang, delighted to hear this, “and be as quick as you can.”\n\n“It’s the third watch now; it’ll be after dawn by the time I get back,” said Brother Monkey. “But it’s an awful shame to see that king lying there dead and cold. There ought to be a mourner watching over him and weeping.”\n\n“Don’t tell me,” said Pig, “that ape wants me to be the mourner.”\n\n“You most certainly will be,” said Monkey. “If you don’t weep for him I won’t be able to bring him back to life.”\n\n“You go, brother,” said Pig, “and leave the crying to me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s more than one way of crying,” said Monkey. “Just yelling with your mouth is what they call wailing. Squeezing some tears out is weeping. What we need is sobbing and tears together, and sobbing as though your heart is broken, for really proper weeping and wailing.”\n\n“Shall I give you a demonstration?” asked Pig. He tore a strip of paper from somewhere, twisted it into a spill, and pushed it up his nose twice, which made him sneeze several times. Just watch as the tears come streaming down and his nose runs as he starts to wail. He sobbed and sobbed uncontrollably, talking all sorts of\n\nnonsense as if someone really had just died."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nonsense as if someone really had just died.\n\nIt was so distressing a performance that the Tang Priest started to cry, so upset was he. “That’s just the sort of grief I want,” laughed Monkey, “and you’re not to stop crying. It was you who tricked the master into sending me off, you idiot, and I’ll hear if you stop wailing. Carry on like this and you’ll be fine; but if you stop for even a few moments I’ll give you twenty blows of my cudgel on your ankles.”\n\n“Off you go,” laughed Pig. “Once I get crying like this I can keep it up for a couple of days.” Hearing all this fuss and bother, Friar Sand fetched some incense sticks and lit them as an offering.\n\n“Very good,” said Monkey. “As you are all being so respectful I’ll be able to do my best.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus the Great Sage left his master and two fellow-disciples in the middle of the night and shot up on a somersault cloud. He went in through the Southern Gate of Heaven, and was as good as his word: he did not go to the Hall of Miraculous Mist or the Palace of the Dipper and the Bull, but took his shining cloud straight up to the Tushita Palace in the Lihen Heaven. No sooner was he inside than he saw the Supreme Lord Lao Zi sitting in his elixir laboratory where immortal boys were using a plantain-leaf fan to fan the furnace where elixir was refined.\n\nWhen the Supreme Lord saw that Monkey was there he told the boys who were looking after the elixir, “Be very careful: the elixir thief is back.”\n\nMonkey paid his respects with a smile: “How dreary of you, old man. No need to be on your guard against me. I don’t do things like that any more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Ape,” said Lord Lao Zi, “you stole a lot of my magic pills five hundred years ago when you made havoc in Heaven. The Little Sage Erlang captured you and brought you up here to be refined for forty-nine days in my elixir furnace. Goodness only knows how much charcoal we used up. Since you’ve been lucky enough to escape and be converted to Buddhism, you’ve been escorting the Tang Priest on his journey to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. When you subdued those monsters on Flat-top Mountain the other day you were very wicked; you refused to give me back my treasures. What are you here for now?”\n\n“I really wasn’t being late with them,” protested Monkey. “When the time came I gave you back your five treasures. What are you being so suspicious of me for?”\n\n“Why have you come sneaking into my palace when you ought to be on your journey?” Lord Lao Zi asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Since last I saw you,” said Monkey, “we’ve come to a country further West called Wuji, where an evil spirit disguised as a Taoist called up wind and rain, murdered the king, and turned himself into the king’s double. Now he’s sitting in the palace. Last night my master was reading sutras in the Precious Wood Monastery when he was visited by the king’s ghost, who begged me to subdue the fiend for him and sort right from wrong. I didn’t know whether to believe this, so I went with my fellow-disciple Pig into the palace gardens that night. We smashed our way in and found where he was buried in an eight-sided well with glazed-tile walls. We fished up his body, and it was in perfect condition. When we went back to the monastery to see my master he ordered me in his compassion to bring the king back to life. He won’t let me go to the Underworld to ask for his soul back: I’ve got to find a way of saving him in the world of the living. The reason I’ve come to pay my respects to you is because there’s no other place"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "respects to you is because there’s no other place I can get him revived. I beg you, great Patriarch, in your mercy to lend me a thousand of your Nine-cycle Soul-returning Pills to save him with.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What outrageous nonsense, you ape,” said Lord Lao Zi. “A thousand? Two thousand? Do you want to make a meal of them? They’re not just pellets of dirt. Clear off! I’ve none left.”\n\n“What about a hundred or thereabouts?” asked Monkey.\n\n“Not even that,” said Lord Lao Zi. “Ten or so?” asked Monkey. “Stop pestering me, you wretched ape,” said Lord Lao Zi. “None at all. Clear off!”\n\n“If you really haven’t got any,” said Monkey with a laugh, “I’ll have to ask for help elsewhere.”\n\n“Get out! Get out! Get out!” roared Lord Lao Zi, at which Monkey turned away and went.\n\nIt then suddenly occurred to Lord Lao Zi that Monkey was so wicked that even after he had announced his departure and gone, he might slip back and steal some. So he sent some immortal boys to call Monkey back. “You’re so light-fingered, you monkey,” he said, “that I’d better give you a Soul-returning Pill.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Since you know my powers, old man,” said Brother Monkey, “bring out all your golden elixir and split it forty-sixty with me. You can consider yourself lucky. I might have taken the lot of them, like scooping up water in a leather sieve.” The patriarch produced the gourd and turned it upside-down. A solitary golden pill fell out. “It’s the only one I have,” said Lord Lao Zi, handing it to Monkey. “Take it. I’m giving it to you to revive the king with and you can take the credit for it.”\n\n“Just a moment,” thought Monkey as he accepted it. “Let me taste it. He might be trying to fool me with a fake.” He popped it into his mouth, to the consternation of the patriarch, who grabbed him by the skullcap with one hand and seized his fist with the other. “Damned ape,” roared Lord Lao Zi, “if you’ve swallowed that I’ll have had you killed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a face,” laughed Monkey. “How petty you look. I wouldn’t want to eat your pill. It’s not worth tuppence, and it’s nothing like it’s cracked up to be. Here it is.” Monkey had a pouch under his chin in which he had been keeping the pill.\n\nLord Lao Zi felt it, then said, “Clear off, and never come back here to pester me again.” The Great Sage then thanked the patriarch and left the Tushita Palace.\n\nWatch him as he leaves the jade gates in a thousand beams of light and comes down to earth amid ten thousand auspicious clouds. In an instant he was out through the Southern Gate of Heaven and back to the land in the East, where the sun was now rising. He brought his cloud straight down to land outside the gate of the Precious Wood Monastery, where Pig could still be heard wailing. He approached and called, “Master.”\n\n“You’re back, Wukong,” said Sanzang with delight. “Have you got the pill?”\n\n“Yes,” said Monkey.\n\n“Of course he would,” said Pig, “even if he had to steal it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said Monkey, “you can go away now. We don’t need you to do that any more. Dry your tears or go and weep somewhere else.” Monkey then asked Friar Sand to fetch him some water. Friar Sand hurried to the well at the back where there was a convenient bucket and fetched Monkey half a bowlful of water. Monkey took the water, spat the pill out, and placed it between the king’s lips. Then he prized the body’s teeth apart with both hands and spurted the pill with a mouthful of clean water down into the king’s stomach. For the next hour wild noises could be heard from the stomach, but still the body could not move. “Master,” said Monkey, “not even fetching my golden elixir is going to save him. Are you really going to torture me to death?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Of course he will come back to life,” said Sanzang. “How else could a body so long dead swallow the water? This shows the miraculous power of the golden elixir. Once the golden elixir is in the stomach, the stomach starts singing; and when the stomach sings the blood-pulses move in harmony with it. The only thing is that the vital breath has been cut off and cannot extend itself. Iron would rust if it had been in a well for three years—how do you expect a human body to react? Now that his own vital breath has gone someone has to give him a mouthful of air.” Pig stepped forward to do this, only to be grabbed by Sanzang, who said, “You won’t do. Get Wukong to come.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Why did the master insist on this? It was because Pig had been a vicious man-eater since childhood, which meant that his breath was impure; whereas Monkey had cultivated his conduct since he was young and lived off the fruits of pine, cypress and peach trees, which gave him pure breath. So the Great Sage stepped forward, made a terrible thunder-god face, put his mouth to the king’s lips, and blew in. The breath went down the kings mouth, through the High Tower, round the Bright Hall and straight to the Cinnabar Field, then flowed back from the Bubbling Springs to the Mud-pill Palace. With a noisy rush of air the king’s vital breath came together and his spirit refunded.\n\nHe sat up flexed his hands and feet, and called out, “Master.” Then he knelt in the dust and said, “I remember visiting you last night as a ghost, but I never expected to return to the world of the living today.”\n\nSanzang hastened to raise him to his feet and said, “Your Majesty, it was none of my doing. You should thank my disciple.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a thing to say, Master,” laughed Monkey. “As the saying goes, ‘A house can’t have two masters.’ It’s quite right that you should accept his thanks.”\n\nSanzang, still uncomfortable about accepting this courtesy, helped the king to his feet and took him into the meditation hall. Here the king bowed in greeting to Pig, Monkey and Friar Sand before taking his seat. By now the monks of the monastery had prepared breakfast, and they were going to bring it in when they saw the dripping wet king to their general alarm and suspicion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey leap out to say, “Don’t worry, monks. This is the king of Wuji, your true sovereign. Three years ago he was murdered by a demon, and I brought him back to life last night. Today we’ll be going to the capital to sort right from wrong. If you have any food, bring it in. We’ll eat and then we’ll be on our way.” The monks then brought in hot water for the king to wash with and a change of clothes. They took off the king’s yellow ochre robe and gave him two of the abbot’s cloth habits, with a yellow silk cord to tie around the waist instead of the belt of Lantian jade. They slipped off his no-worry shoes and put a pair of old monastic sandals on his feet instead. Then they all ate breakfast and the horse was saddled up.\n\n“How heavy’s the luggage, Pig?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I’ve been carrying it for so long that I don’t know any more,” Pig replied.\n\n“Divide the stuff into two loads,” said Monkey, “and give one to the king to carry. We must be in town early to get on with the job.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m in luck,” said Pig. “It took me one heck of an effort to carry him here, but now that he’s alive again he’s doing my work for me.”\n\nThe idiot asked the monastery for a carrying-pole and divided the luggage unfairly. He put all the light things into his load and the heavier ones into the king’s. “Your Majesty,” laughed Monkey, “don’t you feel hard done by, dressed like that and having to walk with us carrying a load?” The monarch fell straight to his knees and replied, “Master, you’re the father and mother who have given me a second life. Never mind carrying the baggage—I’d be your groom to serve you on your journey to the Western Heaven.”\n\n“No need for you to go there,” said Sanzang. “We are bound to by fate. You’ll just have to carry the stuff the fifteen miles into town. Once we’ve captured the fiend you must go back to ruling again and we’ll go on to fetch our scriptures.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig’s comment on this was, “That means he’ll only carry it for those fifteen miles, and I’ll have to continue as the permanent porter.”\n\n“That’s enough of that nonsense, brother,” said Monkey. “Hurry out and lead the way.” Pig then led the way forward with the king while Friar Sand helped the master mount and Monkey brought up the rear. The five hundred monks of the monastery drew themselves up in an orderly procession to see them off to the accompaniment of music. “There’s no need for you to come any further to see us on our way,” said Monkey with a smile. “It would be disastrous if any official heard about it and news of what we are going to do leaked out. Please please go straight back. I’d just like you to get His Majesty’s clothes clean and tidy then send them into the capital this evening or tomorrow morning. I’ll see to it that you’re properly rewarded.” The monks obediently returned, and Monkey hastened his pace to catch up with his master as they pressed ahead. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the West there was a magic spell to yield the truth;\n\nMetal and Wood together refined the spirit.\n\nThe Mother of Cinnabar had a mysterious dream,\n\nThe boy grieved over the useless body.\n\nThe true ruler had to be found at the bottom of a well,\n\nAnd a visit to Lord Lao Zi in Heaven was required.\n\nRealizing that matter is void, he regained his nature;\n\nThe Buddha indeed saves those who are so predestined.\n\nIt took master and disciples less than a morning to make their journey, and they were soon near the city. “Wukong,” said Sanzang, “I think that must be the capital of Wuji ahead of us.”\n\n“You’re right,” said Monkey. “Let’s get there soon and do our job.” As they entered the city they saw that the people in the streets were well dressed and that there was an air of busy prosperity. The phoenix pavilions and dragon towers of the palace looked most magnificent, and there is a poem to prove it:\n\nThese palaces resemble those of a great state;\n\nThe singing and dancing here are like in Tang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The singing and dancing here are like in Tang.\n\nFlowers face precious fans, and red clouds sail above;\n\nRobes shine emerald in the sun.\n\nThe peacock gates open on clouds of incense,\n\nColoured flags fly over the curtains of pearl.\n\nTruly an admirable picture of prosperity:\n\nThe officials stand silent with nothing to report.\n\nSanzang dismounted and said, “Disciple, I think we should go to the palace and submit our travel document so as to avoid trouble from petty officials.”\n\n“You’re right,” said Monkey. “My brothers and I will all go in together. It’ll be much easier to manage if there are several of us.”\n\n“If you all go in,” said Sanzang, “don’t talk rough. Pay your respects to him as a subject would to his sovereign before you say anything.”\n\n“Does that mean kowtowing?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes,” said Sanzang, “the full obeisance with five bows and three kowtows.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re useless, Master,” laughed Brother Monkey. “It would be really stupid to do obeisance to him. You’d better let me go in first and sort things out. I’ll see what he has to say before deciding how to reply. If I bow, you all bow; and if I squat, you all squat.”\n\nWatch as the trouble-making Monkey King leads them to the palace gates and says to the official on duty there, “We are pilgrims sent by the Great Tang Emperor in the East to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. Today we have come to present our credentials and I would trouble you, distinguished sir, to pass them on for us. In this way you will not hinder our excellent achievement.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The gate officer then went in through the Southern gates of the palace, knelt on the steps, and reported, “There are five monks outside the gates who say that they are pilgrims sent by the Great Tang to worship the Buddha and fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven. They are now here to present their credentials, and rather than intrude uninvited they are awaiting they royal summons outside the gates.”\n\nThe fiend-monarch sent for them at once. As he went in through the palace gates with the Tang Priest, the king who had been brought back to life could not hold back his tears, which flowed down his cheeks. “How awful it is,” he thought, “that my kingdom, which is as strong as bronze and iron, has been secretly stolen from me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t upset yourself, Your Majesty,” said Monkey, “or you’ll give the game away. My cudgel is dancing in my ear and it’s absolutely bound to succeed. I guarantee that I’ll kill the fiend and sweep away all his filth. The kingdom will soon be yours again.” The king dared not disobey, so wiping away his tears with his clothes he took his life in his hands and followed them as they went into the main audience hall of the palace.\n\nNext were to be seen the civil and military officials and the four hundred courtiers, all towering over them in majestic silence. Monkey led the Tang Priest to stand unmoving at the foot of the white jade steps. The officials below the steps all trembled with fear.\n\n“What a stupid monk,” they said. “Fancy seeing our king without even bowing to him or saying anything polite. He hasn’t even made a respectful chant. What brazen effrontery.”\n\nBefore the words were out of their mouths the fiend-king asked, “Where is that monk from?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this Monkey boldly replied, “He is a pilgrim sent by imperial command from the land of Great Tang in the East of the Southern Jambu Continent to go to the Thunder Monastery in India in the West in order to worship the living Buddha and fetch the true scriptures. Now that he is here he does not wish to pass through your country without reporting his presence, which is why he has come today to submit his credentials.”\n\nHearing this, the fiend-king thought angrily, “What’s so special about your Eastern land? I don’t pay tribute to your court or have any dealings with your monarch. So how dare you be so rude and not bow to me?”\n\n“We in the East have long had a Heavenly dynasty,” said Monkey with a smile, “and been regarded as a superior country, while yours is just an inferior frontier state. As the old saying has it,\n\nThe emperor of a greater land\n\nIs the father and the superior,\n\nThe ruler of a lesser state\n\nIs the son and the inferior."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Is the son and the inferior.\n\nYou didn’t even come out to meet us. How dare you complain about us not bowing!”\n\nIn a raging fury the fiend-king ordered his civil and military officials, “Arrest that uncouth monk.” At the word “Arrest” the officials all rushed at Monkey, who gave a shout, pointed at them, and told them to keep back. By pointing at them he made magic that immobilized them. None of the officials could now move. Indeed:\n\nThe colonels before the steps became wooden figurines;\n\nThe generals in the hall were statues of clay.\n\nSeeing that all his civil and military officials had been turned to statues, the fiend-king leapt down from his dragon throne and was just about to seize Monkey, who thought gleefully, “Just what I want. Even if his head is made of iron, one touch of my cudgel will be enough to make a hole in it.” But as the fiend started to move a rescuer came forward from beside him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Do you know who it was? It was the crown prince of Wuji, who rushed forward to grab the fiend’s court robes, kneel before him, and say, “Please don’t be angry, Your Majesty.”\n\n“Why, my boy?” asked the fiend."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Let me tell you, father. Three years ago I heard tell that a holy monk had been sent by the Tang Emperor to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. I never thought that he would be here in our country today. Your Majesty has a fiery temper, and I’m afraid that you will have the monk beheaded, and that the Great Tang Emperor will be furious when he eventually hears the news. Since making himself ruler the Tang Emperor Li Shimin has unified the country, but he isn’t satisfied yet. He has sent military expeditions overseas already. If he learns, sir, that you have killed this holy priest who is his sworn brother he’s bound to raise an army to wage war on you. Our forces are much too weak to cope, but by then it will be too late for regrets. If Your Majesty will accept your son’s suggestion you should have the four monks arrested and thoroughly questioned. Hold them on the charge of not paying obeisance to the royal presence; sentence can be passed later.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All these suggestion to hold the fiend back were made because the crown prince was worried that the fiend would harm the Tang Priest. He did not realize that Monkey had deliberately done things in that way in order to get a crack at the fiend.\n\nThe fiend accepted the prince’s advice, stood before his throne, and roared, “Monk, when did you leave the East? Why did the Tang monarch send you to fetch scriptures?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey stood proud as he replied, “My master is the Tang Emperor’s sworn brother, and his title is Sanzang. The Tang Emperor has a minister called Wei Zheng who beheaded the old dragon of the Jing River in a dream because Heaven ordered him to. When the Tang Emperor came back to life after dreaming that he had toured the Underworld, he held a Great Water and Land Mass to save the souls of all those who had been unjustly slain. Because my master preached on the scriptures with such broad compassion the Bodhisattva Guanyin instructed him to travel West. My master made a solemn vow volunteering gladly to do this in order to express his full loyalty to his country, and was given a letter of credence by the Tang Emperor. This was three days before the full moon in the ninth month of the thirteenth year of the reign-period Tien Guan. After leaving the lands of the East he came to the Double-boundary Mountain, where he took me to be his senior disciple; my name is Sun Wukong, Sun the Novice, or Brother Monkey. Then"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wukong, Sun the Novice, or Brother Monkey. Then he came to Gao Village in the Land of Stubet, where he took his second disciple, called Zhu Bajie, Zhu Wuneng, or Pig. At the Flowing Sands River he took his third disciple, Sha Wujing, or Friar Sand. Then the day before yesterday he took on a lay brother at the Precious Wood Monastery to be our porter.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing all this the fiend, who had no way of searching the Tang Priest, or of using a crafty approach to questioning Monkey, glared angrily and said, “When you left the East you were travelling alone. Of the four followers you picked up the three regular monks are no problem. But I won’t stand for your taking that lay brother. I’m sure the fellow was kidnapped. What’s he called? Does he have an official ordination license? Bring him forward to make a statement.”\n\nAt this the real king began to tremble as the asked, “Master, what shall I say?”\n\n“Don’t be afraid,” said Monkey, giving him a pinch. “I’ll speak for you.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage hurried forward and yelled to the fiend at the top of his voice, “Your Majesty, this old lay brother is dumb, and a bit deaf too. But when he was young he once went to the Western Heaven, so he knows the way. I’m very familiar with his background, so I beg Your Majesty in your mercy to allow me to speak on his behalf.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Unless you want to be punished you’d better make a full and frank statement at once,” said the fiend.\n\nTo this Monkey said,\n\n“The brother now confessing is getting on in years,\n\nStruck both deaf and dumb, and bankrupt too.\n\nLong have his family lived in this region\n\nTill five years ago catastrophe struck.\n\nNo rain fell, and the people suffered drought;\n\nMonarch and commoners all kept and fast.\n\nIncense was burned amid their prayers to Heaven,\n\nBut for hundreds of miles no clouds could be seen.\n\nWhen all of the people were in agonies of hunger,\n\nA wizard from Zhongshan suddenly arrived.\n\nHe showed his great powers to bring the wind and rain,\n\nThen secretly murdered the ruler of the country,\n\nPushed him down the well in the palace’s garden,\n\nTook the throne himself in the king’s own likeness.\n\nLuckily I came and did a great good deed,\n\nRaising the dead and restoring him to life.\n\nThen he volunteered to act as our porter\n\nAnd go to the West together with us monks.\n\nThe false king is really a very evil wizard;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The false king is really a very evil wizard;\n\nThe lay brother is in fact the true king in disguise.”\n\nHearing this as he sat in his palace’s throne hall, the fiend was so frightened that his heart leapt like a little deer, and his face flushed. He drew away at once and was just about to flee, but he was unarmed. He turned round to see that one of the officers of the palace guard who had a sword at his waist was standing stock-still\n\nlike an idiot because Monkey’s magic had immobilized him.\n\nThe fiend grabbed the sword and rose into the air on a cloud, to the thunderous fury of Friar Sand and loud complaints from Pig about Monkey’s impatience: “If you’d taken it a bit more gently you could have calmed him down and got him. If he gets away on his cloud now, where ever will you find him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop that awful din, brothers,” laughed Monkey. “Let’s ask the prince to come down and pay his respects to his father, and invite the queen and the consorts to bow to their husband.” He then recited the words to lift the immobilizing spell, and said, “When the officials come to, tell them all to come and pay homage to their sovereign. Then it will be known who is the real king. Tell everyone what has happened so that the truth can be known. I’m off to find the demon.” The splendid Great Sage then gave Pig and Friar Sand his parting instructions: “Look after them all—king and ministers, father and son, queen and consorts, and our master.” By the time he had finished speaking he had already disappeared.\n\nHe was already up in the ninth layer of cloud, looking all around for the fiend. He saw that the wretch had got away with his life and was fleeing back to the East. Monkey was soon close behind him and shouting, “Where do you think you’re going, monster? Monkey’s after you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fiend turned to look, raised his sword, and shouted, “You scoundrel, Monkey. It was none of your business that I was sitting on someone else’s throne. Why did you have to come here righting wrongs and giving my secret away?”\n\n“I’ll get you, you cheeky monster,” chuckled Monkey. “Don’t imagine you’ll ever be a king again. As you knew who I was you should have made yourself scarce instead of giving my master a bad time. What sort of confession were you trying to extort from him? The one you got just now? If you won’t go, tough guy, try a taste of my cudgel.” The fiend dodged the blow then struck back at Monkey’s face with his sword. Once the two of them were in action it was a splendid fight. Indeed:\n\nFierce was the Monkey king, and strong the demon monarch,\n\nAs cudgel parried sword while they fought against each other.\n\nFor one whole day the Three Worlds are in cloud\n\nJust because a monarch recovered his throne.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just because a monarch recovered his throne.”\n\nAfter a few rounds the fiend realized that he was no match for Monkey and fled back to the city by the way he had come. He rushed through the two lines of civil and military officials before the white jade steps, turned himself into the likeness of the Tang Priest with a shake of his body, and stood holding his hands together before the steps of the throne hall.\n\nWhen the Great Sage caught the monster up and had raised his cudgel to strike him down the monster said, “Disciple, it’s me, don’t hit me.” Monkey then raised his cudgel to strike the real Tang Priest, who also said, “Disciple, it’s me, don’t hit me.” Both Tang Priests were so alike as to be indistinguishable."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I kill the Tang Priest who is really the demon in disguise, that will be a great achievement,” thought Monkey. “But if I killed my real master that would be terrible.” So he had to stay his hand while he asked Pig and Friar Sand, “Which one is the fiend and which is our master? Point the fiend out to me and I’ll kill him.”\n\n“You made such a noise when you were fighting up there,” said Pig, “that I blinked, and when I opened my eyes again there were two masters. I don’t know which is the real one.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as he heard this Monkey made magic with his hands, said the words of the spell, and called on all the devas who guard the dharma, the Six Dings, the Six Jias, the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre, the Four Duty Gods, and the Eighteen Guardians of the Faith, as well as the local deities and mountain gods: “I’m here to subdue a demon, but the demon has turned himself into my master. They’re so alike I can’t tell them apart. As you have secret understanding, please invite my master to enter the throne hall so that I can capture the fiend.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now the fiend was good at cloud-jumping, and the moment he heard what Monkey was saying he got out by leaping on the roof of the throne hall, so that when Monkey raised his cudgel he struck at the Tang Priest. Oh dear! Had he not called in those gods he would have beaten twenty Tang Priests to pulp there and then. Luckily the gods blocked his cudgel and said, “Great Sage, the fiend is a cloud-jumper. He’s got up on the roof.” But as soon as Monkey went up on the roof after him the fiend jumped down again, grabbed hold of the real Tang Priest, and got the two of them muddled up again in the crowds. They were once again indistinguishable.\n\nMonkey was most upset, and on hearing Pig’s mocking laughter from beside him he burst into a fury: “What’s wrong with you, cretin? You’ll have to be at the beck and call of two masters now, so why are you looking so pleased?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Call me stupid if you like, brother,” laughed Pig, “but you’re even sillier than me. If you can’t tell which is the master, don’t waste your effort trying. If you can bear the headache, ask our master to say the spell. Friar Sand and I will each stand by one of them and listen. The one who doesn’t know the words will be the fiend. What’s the problem?”\n\n“Good for you, brother,” said Monkey. “Only three people know the words of that spell. They came from the heart of Lord Buddha and were taught to the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who passed them on to our master. Nobody else knows them. Very well then. Say the spell, Master.” The Tang Priest then really did begin to recite it. The fiend, who could not possibly have known the words, could only mumble some gibberish.\n\n“This one here who’s mumbling is the fiend,” said Pig. Letting go of the monster and raising his rake to strike him with, the fiend leapt up into the air and flew away on a cloud."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a great shout the splendid Pig mounted another cloud and went after him. Friar Sand too was so excited that he abandoned the Tang Priest and brandished his own staff for battle. Only then did the Tang Priest stop saying the spell. The Great Sage Monkey grabbed his cudgel and joined in the aerial chase despite his headache. In this fight three ferocious monks had one wretched fiend surrounded. As the fiend was held in check by Pig’s rake and Friar Sand’s staff, Monkey laughed and said, “I can’t go straight up to him and hit him head-on because he’s so scared of me that he’d run away. I’ll go up higher, turn myself upside-down, and hit him that way.”\n\nThe Great Sage then sprang up in auspicious light to the ninth layer of cloud, and was just about to deliver his blow when a multicolored cloud appeared to the Northwest and a voice shouted loudly, “Don’t hit him, Sun Wukong.” Monkey turned round to see that this was the Bodhisattva Manjusri checked his blow at once, and did obeisance."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where are you going, Bodhisattva?” he asked.\n\n“I’m here to collect that fiend for you,” Manjusri replied. Monkey thanked him for his trouble. Manjusri produced the demon-revealing mirror from his sleeve to reveal the fiend’s true form, then Monkey called Pig and Friar Sand to come to greet the Bodhisattva. When they all looked in the mirror they saw that the monster was quite appallingly ugly:\n\nEyes like glazed dishes,\n\nA head like a steel cauldron.\n\nHis whole body blue as indigo in summer,\n\nHis claws as white as autumn frosts.\n\nTwo floppy ears,\n\nA tail as long as a broom.\n\nBlue hairs bristling with courage,\n\nRed eyes shining with gold.\n\nFlat teeth like jade flagstones,\n\nRound whiskers sticking out like spears.\n\nWhen his true image is shown in the mirror\n\nHe is Manjusri’s Lion King.\n\n“Bodhisattva,” said Monkey, “he’s the blue-haired lion from under your throne. Why did he run away here to be an evil spirit, and why didn’t you subdue him before?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wukong,” replied the Bodhisattva, “he didn’t run away. He was sent here by the Lord Buddha.”\n\n“How could the Lord Buddha possibly have sent this beast here to become a spirit and usurp a throne? I could have done with some of his edicts to help me to put up with the misery of escorting the Tang Priest.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There are some things you don’t know,” said Manjusri. “That king of Wuji was a benevolent man and used to feast monks. The Lord Buddha sent me here to bring him to the West, where he might become a golden arhat. Because I could not appear to him in my real form I turned into an ordinary monk and asked him for some vegetarian food. When he was unable to answer some questions I asked he took me for an evildoer, had me tied up, and immersed me in the palace moat for three days. Luckily the Six Jias saved me with their golden bodies and took me back to the West, where I reported to the Tathagata Buddha. It was he who ordered that the king be pushed into the well and soaked for three years as punishment for my three-day soaking. ‘Every mouthful we eat or drink is predestined.’ By coming here you have now won a great merit.”\n\n“You may have repaid your private grudge, like repaying every mouthful, but goodness only knows how many people that monster murdered,” replied Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He never killed anyone,” the Bodhisattva replied. “In the three years since his arrival the winds and rains have come at the right time, the state has been strong and the people have known peace. He did nobody any harm.”\n\n“Even if all that is granted,” said Monkey, “he’s been sleeping with the queen and the consorts in the harem. Surely this has sullied them and been an affront to morality.”\n\n“He has not sullied them at all,” the Bodhisattva replied. “He’s a gelded lion.”\n\nHearing this Pig went up to the creature and had a feel. “This evil spirit’s got a bad reputation he doesn’t deserve,” he chuckled, “like a teetotaler with a red nose.”\n\n“In that case,” said Monkey, “take him with you. If you hadn’t come, Bodhisattva, I’d never have spared his life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva then said a spell and shouted, “Return to the Truth, beast. What are you waiting for?” Only then did the fiend-king return to his original form, Manjusri placed a lotus-blossom over the monster to tame him, sat on his back, and left Monkey amid golden light. Ah!\n\nManjusri returned to Wutai Mountain\n\nTo hear the scriptures taught beneath the lotus throne.\n\nIf you don’t know how the Tang Priest and his disciples left the city, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty\n\nThe Boy Fools with Transformations, Disturbing the Dhyana Heart\n\nApe and Horse Return with a Knife; the Mother of Wood Is Empty\n\nThe story goes on to tell how the Great Sage Monkey and his two fellow-disciples landed their clouds and went straight into the palace. Here monarch, ministers, queen and prince bowed to them in thanks, a group at a time, and Monkey told everyone the story of how Manjusri had recovered the demon. They all knelt and bowed to the ground repeatedly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Amid all the congratulations the gatekeeper came to report, “My lord, there are four more monks at the gates.” This news threw Pig into a panic.\n\n“Brother,” he said, “has the fiend used his magic to make a false Manjusri to fool us? Perhaps he’s turned into a monk now for another battle of wits with us.”\n\n“Nonsense,” said Monkey, ordering that they be summoned inside.\n\nThe civil and military officials passed on the order and the monks were sent in. Monkey saw that they were monks from the Precious Wood Monastery bringing the king’s crown, jade belt, yellow ochre robe and no-worry shoes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Splendid,” said Monkey with delight, “splendid.” He then asked the lay brothers to step forward, and made the king take off his monastic headcloth and put on his crown, remove his cotton habit and don his robe of yellow ochre, replace his silk belt with the jade belt, and kick off his monastic sandals for his no-worry shoes. Monkey then told the crown prince to fetch the white jade scepter for his father to hold, and invited the king to enter the throne-hall to rule once more."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the old saying has it, “The court cannot be without a monarch for a single day.” The king refused to sit on the throne, but knelt in the middle of the steps weeping and saying, “Now that you have brought me back to life after I was dead for three years, Master, I can’t possibly go on acting as king. Please ask your master to be king. It will be enough for me to take my wives and children to live as a commoner outside the city.” Sanzang absolutely refused to take the throne, his heart being utterly set on worshipping the Buddha and fetching the scriptures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king then offered the throne to Monkey, who said with a laugh, “I tell you frankly, gentlemen, if I’d wanted to be a king I could have been the king of every country on earth. But we’re all used to being monks now—it’s an easy life. If I were a king I’d have to grow my hair and I wouldn’t be able to sleep at dusk or when the drum is beaten for the fifth watch. Whenever there was a report from the frontier I’d be worried, and I’d be distressed and helpless at reports of famine and disaster. I’d never get used to it. No, you go back to being a king, and I’ll carry on and win merit as a monk.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "No matter how hard the king tried to refuse he finally had to enter the throne-hall, sit facing South on the throne, and call himself king. He issued a general amnesty, sent the monks of the Precious Wood Monastery back with rich presents, and opened up the Eastern hall of the palace to give a banquet for the Tang Priest. He also sent for painters to paint portraits of the Tang patriarch and his three disciples to hang in the throne hall.\n\nNow that they had restored the country to peace the master and his disciples did not want to stay long; they were eager to take their leave of the king and carry on towards the West. The king, his queen and consorts, the crown prince and the ministers presented the country’s greatest treasures as well as gold, silver, silk and satin to the patriarch as tokens of their thanks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang accepted none of these gifts but only the return of his passport and urged Monkey and the other two to saddle the horse up and be on their way as soon as possible. The king was most upset. He ordered the state carriage brought out and invited the Tang Priest to ride in it. The two groups of civil and military officials led the way, while the king, his queen and consorts, and the crown prince pushed the wheels of the carriage. Only when they had passed through the outer walls of the city did Sanzang get down from the dragon carriage to take his leave of them all.\n\n“Master,” said the king, “please visit our country on your way back after collecting the scriptures in the Western Heaven.”\n\n“I hear and obey,” replied Sanzang. The king then returned with his ministers, weeping. The Tang Priest and his three disciples made their way along a twisting road, single-minded in their determination to worship at the Vulture Peak. By now autumn was just giving way to winter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bare stand the woods as frost carves out red leaves;\n\nAmple the yellow millet ripened after rain.\n\nSun-warmed plum trees blossom in the dawn;\n\nCold sounds the bamboo shaken by the wind.\n\nMaster and disciples had now left the kingdom of Wuji. Resting at night and travelling by day, they had been going for the best part of a month when they saw a mountain in front of them that touched the sky and blotted out the sun. Sanzang was alarmed. Reining in the horse he called urgently for Monkey, who asked, “What are your orders, Master?”\n\n“Do you see that big mountain in front of us?” said Sanzang. “It’s so sheer that I’m sure there must be evil creatures lurking on it to catch us, so be on your guard.”\n\n“Just keep going and don’t worry,” said Monkey with a laugh. “I’ll protect you.” With that the venerable elder relaxed and spurred his horse on. When they reached the craggy mountain they saw that it was indeed precipitous:\n\nIs it high?\n\nIt touches the azure firmament.\n\nIt is deep?\n\nIts chasms open down to hell."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is deep?\n\nIts chasms open down to hell.\n\nBefore the mountain white clouds always billow.\n\nSwirling black mists,\n\nRed-blossoming plums, emerald bamboo,\n\nGreen cypresses and bluish pines.\n\nBehind the mountain is a lofty soul-gripping pillar,\n\nConcealing the fantastic caves of monsters.\n\nSprings flow from the caves with cheerful voice,\n\nAnd down ravines that twist and wind.\n\nApes swing from the sky to offer fruit;\n\nStags carry many-branching antlers,\n\nWhile river deer shyly watch the strangers.\n\nAt duck the tigers climb to seek their dens;\n\nDragons emerge at dawn from out of the waters.\n\nA sudden mighty roar at a cave’s mouth\n\nSends birds noisily aloft with fright.\n\nSee how the woodland beasts skulk off.\n\nAt the sight of all these birds and beasts\n\nThe human heart beats hard in terror.\n\nSpacious as halls are the caves,\n\nAll lined up along the peaks;\n\nThe granite rocks are coloured like pieces of jade;\n\nMist covers all as if with greenish gauze."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mist covers all as if with greenish gauze.\n\nMaster and disciples were already frightened enough when a red cloud emerged from a fold in the mountain and rose straight up into the sky, where it formed a ball of fire. Monkey was horrified. As he went to take a closer look he pushed the master’s leg to get him off the horse and said, “Brothers, stay here. An evil spirit’s coming.” In their alarm Pig grabbed his iron rake and Friar Sand his staff as they stood guard on either side of the Tang Priest."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here the story divides into two. The red light was indeed from an evil spirit who had heard tell some years earlier that a Tang Priest from the East, a reincarnation of the Venerable Golden Cicada and a holy man who had cultivated his conduct through ten successive lives, was going to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. Anyone who ate a piece of his flesh would live as long as heaven and earth. The evil spirit had been longing day in and day out for him to arrive, and now he was here. As the evil spirit looked at them from mid-air he saw the three disciples ready for action as they guarded the Tang Priest on his horse. The spirit was full of admiration."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Now there’s a monk for you,” he said to himself. “I can just make out a fat, white-faced monk riding a horse. That must be the holy Tang Priest. But why is he surrounded by those three hideous monks? They’ve all clenched their fists, their sleeves are rolled up, and they’re armed. They look as if they’re ready for a fight. I wonder if any of them is sharp-eyed enough to see what I am? Looking the way that I do I haven’t a hope of eating the Tang Priest’s flesh.”\n\nAfter he had been arguing it over for some time he said to himself, “If I try swooping down to grab him I won’t get anywhere near him. I’ll only get him if I trick him through cunning. Once I’ve hoodwinked him I can think of some crafty scheme that’s bound to catch him. So I’ll go down and try a few games with him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid evil monster then dispersed his red light and brought his cloud down to land on the mountainside, where he turned himself with a shake of his body into a naughty boy of six, stark naked, tied hand and foot to the top of a pine tree, and shouting, “Help, help!”\n\nWhen the Great Sage Monkey looked up again and saw that the red cloud and the fire had completely disappeared he told the master to remount and be on his way again.\n\n“But you said an evil spirit was here; I don’t dare move,” replied Sanzang.\n\n“Just now I saw a red cloud rise up from the ground,” said Monkey, “and turn into a ball of fire in mid-air. It was certainly an evil spirit. As the fire and the cloud have now gone I think it must just have been passing by and wasn’t going to do us any harm. Let’s go.”\n\n“You make it sound all very convincing,” said Pig, “but who ever heard of an evil spirit that just passed by?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t know,” replied Monkey. “If the demon king of some mountain cave has invited the spirits from all the other caves in the mountains to a banquet, then the spirits from all around would be heading there. They’d be much more interested in the feast than in doing anyone any harm. That must have been a passing spirit.”\n\nSanzang was only half-convinced, but he remounted and continued along the path up the mountain. On his way he heard a shout of “Help!” and said to his disciple with shock, “Disciple, what’s that cheer in the middle of these mountains?”\n\n“You just keep going, Master,” said Monkey, coming up to him. “Stop worrying about chairs, whether they’re carried by people or mules, or whether they’re open-topped or litters. Even if there were a chair here there’d be nobody to carry it for you.”\n\n“I’m not talking about chairs for carrying but about cheers,” said Sanzang. “I know,” said Monkey, “but it’s no concern of yours. You just keep going.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang did as he was told and whipped his horse forward. About a quarter of a mile later he heard another shout of “Help!”\n\n“Disciple,” he said, “that’s no goblin or demon shouting. If it were there’d be no echo. Listen to those shouts, one after another. I’m sure it’s someone in trouble. We must go to the rescue.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Monkey, “let’s have a bit less of that compassion until we’ve crossed the mountain. Then you can be as compassionate as you like. This is an evil place. You must have heard how things can become spirits just as creepers attach themselves to trees. Most of them are no trouble, but there’s one kind of python that’s developed its powers for so long that it’s become a spirit. It’s got an amazing knowledge of the names people had as children. If you don’t reply when it calls your name out from the undergrowth or from a mountain hollow you’ll be fine; but if you answer a single word it’ll grab your soul and will surely come and kill you the next night. Move! If you get away you can thank you lucky stars, as the saying goes. Whatever you do, ignore it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder still had no choice but to obey and whip his horse on. “I don’t know where that damned monster is,” thought Monkey. “He just keeps on shouting. I’ll have to use separating magic to keep him and the master apart.” The splendid Great Sage then called Friar Sand to him and said, “Lead the horse on slowly while I take a piss.” Watch Monkey as he lets the Tang Priest get several paces ahead, says a spell to move mountains and make land shrink, and points behind him with his cudgel. Once master and disciples were over the peak they would have left this demon behind. He then hurried to catch up with the Tang Priest and press on up the mountain. But Sanzang heard another cry of “Help!” from the other side of the mountain.\n\n“Disciple,” he said, “that poor person is very unlucky to have missed us. We’ve passed him now. Can’t you hear him shouting on the other side of the mountain?”\n\n“If he’s around he must still be on this side,” said Pig. “It’s just that the wind has changed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Never you mind about whether the wind has changed or not,” said Monkey. “Keep moving.” From then on they all stopped talking and wished they could step over the mountain with a single stride.\n\nThe story switches back to the evil spirit, whose three or four shouts had found no response. “I’ve been waiting for the Tang Priest here,” he thought, “and I saw that he was only about a mile away. I wonder why he’s still not here after all this time. He must have taken a short cut.” He then braced himself, slipped out of his bonds, and went up into the air again in his red light to take another look. He did not notice when the Great Sage looked up at him, recognized him as an evil spirit, and pushed the Tang Priest by his foot off the horse once more. “Brothers,” said Monkey, “be very careful. The evil spirit’s coming back.” Again Pig and Friar Sand placed themselves on either side of the Tang Priest to protect him with their rake and staff."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The spirit was full of praise for all this as he noticed it from mid-air: “What fine monks! I saw the fat, white-faced one on the horse before: why have the other three hidden him? I’d better take a closer look to find out. I’ll have to get rid of the sharp-eyed one first before I can catch the Tang Priest. Otherwise I’ll have\n\nWasted my worry without any gain,\n\nBeen to that trouble, and yet all in vain.”\n\nOnce more he brought the cloud down, made the same transformation that he had the previous time, and waited at the top of a pine tree. This time he was only a few hundred yards away from them.\n\nWhen the Great Sage Sun looked up yet again and saw that the red cloud had dispersed he once more asked the master to remount and press on. “But you told me the evil spirit was back,” said Sanzang, “so why do you want me to keep going?”\n\n“It was another passing one, and it won’t dare try to harm us,” Monkey replied. At this the venerable elder lost his temper."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Damned monkey. You keep trying to make a fool of me. When there really are evil monsters you say there’s no problem, but in a quiet, peaceful place like this you keep giving me terrible frights by shouting about evil spirits. If I were to fall and injure myself I would certainly not forgive you. It’s outrageous.”\n\n“Don’t be cross with me, Master,” said Monkey. “Even if you did hurt a hand or a foot in a fall it could be cured easy enough. But if an evil spirit got you I wouldn’t know where to look for you.” Sanzang, who was by now in a raging fury, was only dissuaded from saying the Band-tightening Spell by Friar Sand’s entreaties. Yet again he remounted to carry on with his journey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He was not even settled in the saddle when he heard another call of “Help, master!” He looked up to see a little boy hanging naked in a tree. Reining in his horse he started to abuse Monkey again: “You damned scoundrel, ape. There’s not a shred of kindness in you. All you can think of is wickedness and murder. I told you it was a human voice, but you kept yelling over and over again that it was a monster. Can’t you see the boy in the tree?” As the master was so angry Monkey sneaked a glance at him and saw what sort of expression he was wearing. Then he bowed his head and made no reply, firstly because there was nothing he could do, and secondly because he was afraid that the master might say the spell."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Tang Priest reached the foot of the tree he pointed at the boy with his riding crop and asked, “Who are your parents? Why are you hanging up there? Tell me and I will save you.” Oh dear! He was truly an evil spirit to make himself look like that, but the master only had mortal, fleshly eyes and could not see what he was."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit put on even more of an act on hearing these question. “Master,” he called, tears pouring down, “I live in the village by Withered Pine Ravine to the West of the mountain. My grandfather was known as Millionaire Hong because he had such a huge fortune. He died a long time ago and left everything to my father. Nowadays we throw our money around and we’re not nearly as rich any more. That’s why my father’s called Hundred Thousand Hong. All he likes doing is making friends with all the big shots around and lending his gold and silver out at interest. But they were crooks who swindled him out of the lot, and he lost both capital and interest. My father swore never to lend out another penny. Then the people who borrowed from him became so desperate with poverty that they formed a gang. They attacked us in broad daylight with fire and weapons, stole all our goods, and killed my father. Because my mother is so beautiful they carried her off to be the bandit chief’s woman. She couldn’t bear to leave"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "bandit chief’s woman. She couldn’t bear to leave me behind, so she hid me in her clothes and went weeping and trembling with the bandits. When they got to this mountain the bandits wanted to kill me. They only spared me from the sword because of my mother’s desperate pleas. Instead they tied me to this tree to die of cold and hunger. I don’t know where the bandits have taken my mother. I’ve been hanging up here for three days and nights, and you’re the first people to come past. I must have earned merit in a previous life to have met you in this one, Master. If in your great compassion you can rescue me and take me home I’d gladly sell myself into slavery in order to repay you. I won’t forget what you’ve done for me even when I’m buried.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taking all this for the truth, Sanzang told Pig to undo the ropes and bring the boy down. The idiot, not realizing who he was, was just about to start doing it. This was more than Monkey could bear.\n\n“Damned beast,” he shouted, “there’s someone here who can see what you are. Cut out all that nonsense, and stop trying to fool us. If all your family’s goods have been stolen, your father has been murdered and your mother kidnapped, then who are we going to hand you to after we rescue you? What sort of reward will you give us? It doesn’t hang together. It’s a pack of lies.”\n\nThis frightened the evil spirit, who realized now that Monkey was an able opponent and was keeping an eye on him. So he trembled and wept as he continued, “Although I’ve lost both my parents and all my family’s goods I’ve still got all our land and my other relations.”\n\n“What relations?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What relations?” Monkey asked.\n\n“My other grandfather lives to the South of the mountain,” the evil spirit replied, “and my aunt’s home is North of the ridge. Li the Fourth from the head of the ravine is married to my aunt, and Hong the Third in the woods is a distant uncle. I’ve also got cousins living around the village. If the venerable master will save me and take me back to the village and my relations I’ll tell them all about the venerable master’s kindness in rescuing me. I’ll mortgage or sell some land, and reward you richly.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this Pig blocked Monkey’s way and said, “Brother, you can’t interrogate a little boy like that. He told you that the bandits only took his moveable goods—how could they have possibly taken his houses and land? If he tells his relations all about it the most we’ll eat will be an acre and a half’s worth, no matter how big our appetites are. Let’s save him.” All the idiot could think about was his stomach. He did not care at all whether he was acting wisely as he cut through the ropes with his monk’s knife and let the demon down from the tree. The demon then kept kowtowing and weeping copiously in front of the Tang Priest’s horse. The tenderhearted priest said, “Come up on the horse, boy, and I’ll carry you with me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said the boy, “my hands and feet are numb after hanging by them for so long, and my back is hurting too. Besides, we villagers don’t know how to ride.” The Tang Priest then told Pig to carry the evil spirit, who stole a quick look at Pig and said, “Master, my skin is so tender after being frozen that I couldn’t bear to have this gentleman carrying me. His long snout, big ears and the bristles on the back of his head would stick into me something terrible.”\n\n“Friar Sand,” said the Tang Priest, “you carry him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The boy then took a glance at Friar Sand and said, “Master, when the bandits raided our house they gave me a terrible fright. They were all made up like actors, wore false beards, and carried sticks and swords. The sight of that evil-looking reverend gentleman scares the wits out of me. I wouldn’t dare let him carry me.” The Tang Priest then told Monkey to carry the boy, to which Monkey agreed with a chuckle. The monster concealed his delight as he docilely let Monkey carry him. Monkey pulled him over to the side of the path and tried him for weight.\n\nThe boy was only about three pounds ten ounces heavy. “Damn you, you demon,” said Monkey, “you die today. How dare you try your tricks on me! I know that you’re one of those.”\n\n“I’m the son of a good family who’s had the bad luck to meet with disaster,” protested the demon. “What do you mean by calling me ‘one of those?’”\n\n“If you’re the son of a good family,” said Monkey, “then why are your bones so light?”\n\n“I have very small bones,” said the demon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have very small bones,” said the demon.\n\n“How old are you?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Six this year,” the demon replied.\n\n“You still ought to put on at least a pound a year,” said Monkey with a smile. “You should weigh at least six pounds: how come you’re less than four?”\n\n“I wasn’t breastfed as a baby,” said the demon.\n\n“Very well then,” said Monkey, “I’ll carry you. But mind you warn me if you need to piss or shit.” Sanzang then pressed ahead with Pig and Friar Sand while Monkey brought up the rear with the demon on his back. They carried on towards the West, as this poem proves:\n\nHigh fiendish dangers face high virtue;\n\nThe stillness of meditation gives rise to evil spirits.\n\nWhen the Heart Lord is upright and takes the middle way,\n\nWood’s mother foolishly treads the wrong path.\n\nThe Thought-horse silently nurses desires,\n\nThe Yellow Wife wordlessly worries and grieves.\n\nWhen the stranger prospers he rejoices in vain;\n\nFrom just this place must one vanish."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From just this place must one vanish.\n\nAs the Great Sage Monkey carried the evil spirit he felt very resentful of the Tang Priest for not realizing how hard the going was for him. “It would be bad enough to cross these high mountains empty-handed, but he has to make me carry someone else too. Even if this wretch is a good boy and not an evil spirit, he’s lost his parents and I don’t know who I should take him to. Best thing would be to dash him to the ground and finish him off.”\n\nThe demon knew what Monkey was thinking, so he drew in four deep breaths from all around then blew them out again on Monkey’s back, which made Monkey feel he weighed a thousand pounds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re using extra-weight magic to weigh me down, my lad,” laughed Monkey. This made the monster afraid that Monkey was going to kill him, so he got his spirit out of his body and sprang up into the ninth layer of cloud. Now that Monkey was finding the load on his back even heavier he grabbed the boy and smashed him so hard against a rock by the path that the boy’s body looked like minced pork. Then, just to make sure that the boy would give no more trouble, Monkey tore off all four of his limbs and ripped them into little pieces that he scattered on both sides of the path."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the demon, who was watching from mid-air, could hold back his fiery temper no longer. “This ape of a monk is thoroughly vicious,” he said. “Evil spirit wanting to kill your master I may be, but I’ve not yet laid my hands on him. How could you butcher me so atrociously? If I hadn’t anticipated and got my spirit out you’d have slaughtered me in cold blood. I’m going to catch the Tang Priest here and now. If I delay any longer, he will become too clever.”\n\nThe splendid evil spirit then conjured up a whirlwind in mid-air. It was a terrible one that sent stones and dust flying. What a splendid wind:\n\nThe bowling whirlwind carried a stench over clouds and water;\n\nThe sun and moon were blacked out by its pall.\n\nThe trees along the ridge were soon uprooted;\n\nThe flowering plums were flattened, trunks and all.\n\nSand-blinded travelers could barely walk along;\n\nThe paths were blocked by many a crashing rock.\n\nIts swirling mass made all the earth seem dark;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Its swirling mass made all the earth seem dark;\n\nThe mountain creatures screamed and howled from shock.\n\nIt blew so hard that Sanzang could barely stay on his horse, Pig could not look straight ahead, and Friar Sand had to bend and cover his face. Realizing that this was a devil’s wind, the Great Sage rushed forward to catch them up, but the demon had already scooped the Tang Priest up in his wind. Sanzang had disappeared without a trace. Nobody could tell where he had been taken or where to start looking for him.\n\nBefore long the wind fell and the sun was shining again. Monkey went up and saw that the white dragon horse was trembling and neighing. The luggage had been thrown into the path, Pig was hiding under a crag and whimpering, and Friar Sand was squatting howling on the mountainside.\n\n“Pig!” shouted Monkey, and recognizing his voice the idiot looked up to see that the storm was over.\n\nHe climbed to his feet, grabbed hold of Monkey, and said, “What a wind.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Friar Sand came forward too and said, “That was a twister, brother. But where’s the master?”\n\n“The wind blew so hard,” said Pig, “that we all had to hide our heads, close our eyes and take cover. The master lay down on the horse’s back.”\n\n“But where’s he gone now?” Monkey asked.\n\n“He must have been blown away by the wind as if he were made of rushes,” replied Friar Sand.\n\n“Well, brothers, we might as well split up here and now,” said Monkey.\n\n“Yes,” said Pig, “the sooner the better. It would be a very good idea if we all went our separate ways. This journey to the Western Heaven is endless. We’ll never get there.” Hearing them saying this made Friar Sand shudder and turn numb."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brothers, what terrible things to say,” he said. “We all committed crimes in our earlier lives and were converted by the Bodhisattva Guanyin who administered the vows to us and gave us our Buddhist names. We all adopted the Buddhist faith and volunteered to protect the Tang Priest on his journey to the West to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. This is how we are going to atone for our crimes. If we give up here and talk about going our separate ways we’ll fail to do the good deeds the Bodhisattva asked of us and we’ll disgrace ourselves. People will jeer at us and say that we’ve got no staying power.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re right, brother,” said Monkey. “But why wouldn’t the master do as he was told? My fiery eyes and golden pupils can tell good from evil. The whirlwind just now was caused by the boy who was hanging in the tree. I could see he was an evil spirit, but neither of you nor the master could. He thought the boy was the son of a good family and made me carry him. Just when I’d decided to get rid of him he used his magic to make himself heavier and weigh me right down, so I smashed him to bits. I reckon he must have used his powers to escape from his body, call up the whirlwind and carry the master off. If only the master hadn’t always ignored my advice. That’s why I was so discouraged and said that we ought to split up. I accept your sincere advice, brother, but I don’t know what to do. What do you suggest, Pig?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What I said just now was nonsense,” said Pig. “I was talking off the top of my head. Of course we shouldn’t split up. Brother, we’ll just have to do as Friar Sand says, find the monster and save our master.”\n\n“Yes, brother,” said Monkey cheerfully, his anger now gone, “let’s all pull together. Get the baggage and the horse ready, and we’ll go up the mountain to find the demon and save our master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three of them pulled themselves up the mountainside and across ravines with the help of creepers, covering about twenty miles without finding any trace of the demon. The mountain was completely without birds and beasts, but there was many a tall pine. By now Monkey was really anxious, so he sprang up on a craggy peak, shouted, “Change!” and gave himself three heads and six arms, so that he looked just as he had when he made havoc in Heaven. Then he shook his gold-banded cudgel so that there were three of that too. With much whacking and thwacking he lashed out wildly to the East and to the West, clearing paths both ways.\n\n“This is terrible, brother,” said Pig to Friar Sand. “Monkey’ll never find the master this way—he’s just in a furious temper.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey’s lashing about flushed out a whole crowd of poverty-stricken local gods dressed in rags and tatters, with no seats to their breeches or legs to their trousers. They all knelt on the mountain slope and said, “Great Sage, we mountain gods and local deities pay our respects.”\n\n“Why are there so many of you?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Great Sage,” they replied, kowtowing, “this mountain is known as Mount Hao. It measures two hundred miles around. As there is a mountain god and a local deity every three miles or so that makes thirty mountain gods and thirty local deities. We heard yesterday that you were coming, Great Sage, but we have been late greeting you because we could not all assemble quickly enough. That is why the Great Sage has been so angry. We beg him to forgive us.”\n\n“I’ll let you off this time,” said Monkey, “but I’ve got something to ask you: how many evil spirits are there on this mountain?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Just one, lord and master,” they replied, “but he’s really beggared us. We get hardly any incense or paper offerings burnt for us now, and no food or blood at all. We have to go hungry and naked. How many evil spirits could we possibly support?”\n\n“Which side of the mountain does he live on?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Neither,” they said. “In the middle of the mountain there’s a ravine called the Withered Pine Ravine, and beside it there’s a cave called the Fire-cloud Cave. In the cave lives a demon king who has tremendous magic powers. He’s always capturing us mountain gods and local deities to tend his kitchen fire and watch his door, or to make us carry bells and shout to clear the way for him at night. And the little devils expect us to make regular payments to them too.”\n\n“You are all gods from the spirit world, so where can you get money from?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We haven’t any,” the gods replied, “we have to muster all of us spirits morning and evening to catch a few deer, and if we haven’t anything to offer, they’ll come to tear down our shrines and take off our own clothes. He’s made life impossible for us. We beg and beseech you to rid us of this monster and save all the spirits of these mountains.”\n\n“As he controls you and you are always going to his cave you must know where he’s from and what he’s called,” said Brother Monkey.\n\n“When we tell you we’re sure you will have heard of him, Great Sage,” they replied. “He’s the son of the Bull Demon King by Raksasi. He cultivated his conduct for three hundred years in the Fiery Mountains and developed True Samadhi Fire. His powers are tremendous. The Bull Demon King sent him here to hold this mountain. His name is Red Boy, and his title is Boy Sage King.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was good news for Monkey, who dismissed the local deities and mountain gods, resumed his original form, and jumped down from the peak. “Relax, brothers,” he said to Pig and Friar Sand, “no need to worry any more. The master won’t possibly be killed. The evil spirit is a relation of mine.”\n\n“Stop lying, brother,” said Pig. “This is the Western Continent of Cattle-gift, and you come from the Eastern Continent of Superior Body. They’re a very long way apart, with thousands of mountains and rivers between them, to say nothing of a couple of oceans. So how could he possibly be a relation of yours?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The crowd that turned up just now were the local deities and mountain gods from round here. When I asked them for some background on the demon they told me he is Red Boy, the son of the Bull Demon King by Raksasi, and he’s also known as the Boy Sage King. When I made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago I visited all the famous mountains and people of distinction in the world. The Bull Demon King took me as his seventh sworn younger brother. There were six demon kings altogether, and the only reason why I was prepared to call the Bull Demon King my elder brother was because I was a bit smaller than him. So as this devil is the Bull Demon King’s son and I know his father, I’m his uncle. That means he couldn’t possibly harm my master. I must be off straight away.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But, brother,” said Pig with a laugh, “three years without paying a visit and relations are no longer relations, as the saying goes. You haven’t seen him for five or six hundred years. You haven’t even had a drink together or invited him over on holidays. There’s no way he’ll still treat you as a relation.”\n\n“What a way to judge people,” said Brother Monkey. “As another saying goes,\n\nEvery piece of duckweed floats down to the sea;\n\nPeople will always meet each other somewhere.\n\nEven if he doesn’t regard me as a relation any more, at any rate he won’t harm the master. I don’t expect him to treat me to a slap-up meal, but he’s bound to give me the Tang Priest back in one piece.” The three brother-disciples, their minds once more turned to pious thoughts, led the white horse loaded with the luggage along the path."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Without caring whether it was day or night they had covered some forty miles when they saw a pine woods through which a stream flowed in a twisting ravine. The water was green and pure, and at the head of the ravine was a stone bridge leading to a cave. “Brother,” said Monkey, “I’m sure the evil spirit must live in that rock-face over there. Let’s have a council of war to decide who looks after the luggage and the horse and who comes with me to subdue the demon.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “I’m no good at hanging around. I’ll come with you.”\n\n“Fine,” said Monkey, continuing, “Friar Sand, hide the horse and the luggage deep in the woods and guard them carefully while we two go there to look for the master.” Friar Sand did as he was told, while Monkey and Pig went fully armed to the cave. Indeed:\n\nThe vicious fire of a raw child won;\n\nMind-ape and Mother of Wood both helped.\n\nIf you don’t know whether things turned out for good or for ill, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty-One"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter Fourty-One\n\nThe Mind-Ape Is Defeated by Fire\n\nThe Mother of Wood Is Captured by a Demon\n\nGood and evil are quickly forgotten,\n\nFlowering and fading are of no concern.\n\nWhen perception is half-revealed it may sink or swim;\n\nFollow fate and take your food and drink when they come.\n\nDivine peace is still and solitary;\n\nStupidity is open to devilish attack.\n\nThe Five Elements smash the woods of contemplation;\n\nWhen the wind blows it is bound to be cold.\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage Monkey took his leave of Friar Sand and led Pig with him as he sprang across the Withered Pine Creek and headed straight for the demon’s crag. There was indeed a cave in it, and it was no ordinary sight.\n\nWhen returning along one’s old route in mysterious silence,\n\nThe call of the crane is heard in the wind and moonlight.\n\nWhite clouds bathe the river in brightness;\n\nThe waters under the bridge make one think of immortals.\n\nApes and birds cry out amid exotic plants;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Apes and birds cry out amid exotic plants;\n\nCreepers cover the steps; magic mushrooms flourish.\n\nDark green floats among crags as mists disperse;\n\nTurquoise touches the pines when a phoenix alights.\n\nThe distant line of peaks looks just like a screen;\n\nIn the folds of the mountain an immortal’s cave is formed.\n\nIn this branch of the Kunlun Range are dragons born;\n\nOnly those fated to do so can enjoy this beauty."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only those fated to do so can enjoy this beauty.\n\nAs they approached the gate they saw a stone tablet on which was carved in big letters, FIRE-WIND CAVE, WITHERED PINE RAVINE, MOUNT HAO. To the other side a crowd of little demons were sparring with sword and spear, leaping through the air, and generally enjoying themselves. “Little ones,” shouted Monkey at the top of his voice, “tell your ruler at once that if he brings my master the Tang Priest out I’ll spare all your lives, but that if so much as a hint of a ‘no’ comes out between his teeth I’ll turn your mountain upside-down and trample your cave flat.” Hearing this, the little demons all scurried back into the cave, shut the doors, and went in to report, “Trouble, Your Majesty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monster had carried Sanzang into the cave, stripped him, tied his hands and feet together, and sent little devils to fetch clean water to wash him with. He was going to put Sanzang into a steaming tray to cook, but when the alarm was raised he forgot about washing Sanzang, rushed into the main hall, and asked, “What trouble?”\n\n“There’s a monk with a hairy face as ugly as a thunder-god. He’s got another monk with a long snout and big ears. He’s demanding their master, who’s called the Tang Priest or something, and he says that if there’s so much as a hint of a ‘no’ he’ll turn the mountain upside-down and trample the cave flat.”\n\n“They must be Sun the Novice and Pig,” said the demon king with a cruel laugh. “They were bound to come looking for their master. But I carried their master fifty miles from the middle of the mountains to here. How did they find their way here?” The monster then told his carters to push the carts out, and the little devils responsible did so, opening up the front gates."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said Pig when he saw them, “I think they’re so scared of us that they’ve brought their carts out and are going to move away.”\n\n“No,” said Monkey. “Look—they’re leaving them there.” The little devils set the carts out in the order of the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire and earth—checked them over, and went back inside to report.\n\n“Ready?” the demon king asked.\n\n“Ready,” they replied.\n\n“Fetch my spear,” said the demon king, and two of the little devils from the armory carried in an eighteen-foot long fire-tipped spear that they handed to their king. The king tried out a few swings and thrusts with the spear. He wore no helmet or armor, just a battle-kilt of embroidered brocade around his waist, as he went out barefoot through the gates. When Monkey and Pig looked up at him they saw that the monster had:\n\nA face as pale as if powdered,\n\nLips as red as from lipstick.\n\nHair in two tufts looking darker than indigo,\n\nA clear-cut brow like a crescent moon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A clear-cut brow like a crescent moon.\n\nHis kilt was embroidered with phoenix and dragon,\n\nHe looked like Nezha, but a little plumper.\n\nIn his hands he wielded an awe-inspiring spear,\n\nAs he came out through the gates, protected by his aura.\n\nWhen he roared it echoed like thunder,\n\nAnd the glare of his eyes flashed like lightning.\n\nIf you would know this demon’s true name,\n\nHe was the Red Boy of undying renown.\n\nThe Red Boy came out shouting, “Who’s making that row?”\n\nMonkey went closer, smiled and said, “Don’t put on such an act, dear nephew. At the top of that pine tree this morning you were a skinny, jaundiced little baby, and you fooled my master. I carried you in all kindness, but you made a whirlwind and took my master off. Now you’re putting on this big show, but I know who you are. Bring my master out at once if you don’t want me to forget our kinship and turn nasty. I wouldn’t like your respected father to think of me as a disgraceful bully.” These words threw the demon into, a fury."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Vicious ape,” he roared, “you’re no relation of mine. You’re talking a load of nonsense. You’ve got no reason to claim that I’m your nephew.”\n\n“You wouldn’t know about it, lad,” said Monkey. “When your respected father and I were sworn brothers you hadn’t even been thought of.”\n\n“Rubbish, you baboon,” said the demon. “Think where you come from and where I come from. How could you ever have been my father’s sworn brother?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’d know nothing about it,” said Monkey. “I’m Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago. Before that I roamed all over the seas and the sky and visited all of the four continents. In those days I was a great admirer of true heroes. Your respected father, the Bull Demon King, had the tide of Great Sage Matching Heaven. He took me as his seventh brother, and I let him be the eldest brother. There were also the Salamander Demon King, the Great Sage Overturning the Sea, who was our second brother. The Roc Demon King was the Great Sage Throwing Heaven into Confusion and third brother. Fourth brother was the Camel King, the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains. The Macaque King, our fifth brother, was the Great Sage Who Travels with the Wind; and the sixth brother was the Lion King—his title was Great Sage Who Drives the Gods Away. As I was the smallest I was the seventh brother, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. When we brothers were having a fine old time back in those"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "were having a fine old time back in those days you hadn’t even been born.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demon, refusing to believe a word of this, raised his fire-tipped spear to thrust at Monkey. With the unhurried ease of a true expert Monkey avoided the spear-thrust, swung his iron cudgel, and insulted him: “You don’t know when you’re out-classed, you little demon. Take this!”\n\nThe evil spirit also moved out of the way and said, “Times have changed and you’ve been left behind, vicious ape. Take this!” There was no more talk of their kinship as the pair of them showed their magic powers in great anger. They leapt into mid-air, and it was a fine duel:\n\nMonkey was very famous,\n\nThe demon king was powerful.\n\nOne held a gold-banded cudgel before him,\n\nThe other thrust with a fire-tipped spear.\n\nThe fogs they breathed out darkened the three worlds;\n\nThey snorted out clouds that covered the four quarters.\n\nIt was a day of terror and of murderous shouts,\n\nWhen sun, moon and stars could not be seen.\n\nIn speech neither yielded an inch;\n\nBoth were unreasonable by nature.\n\nOne was a discourteous bully,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One was a discourteous bully,\n\nThe other forgot the obligations of kinship.\n\nThe parrying cudgel made one mightier;\n\nThe thrusting spear showed the other’s savagery.\n\nOne was a true Great Sage from Primal Chaos,\n\nThe other was the page Sudhana.\n\nThe pair of them strove for supremacy,\n\nAll because the Tang Priest would worship the Buddha.\n\nWhile the evil spirit fought twenty rounds with Monkey without result Pig could see clearly from the sidelines that although the demon had not been defeated he was only holding Monkey at bay and had no hope of making an attack on him. And although Monkey had not yet beaten the demon, he was wielding his cudgel with such consummate skill that he kept striking at the demon’s head without ever missing his aim."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This is no good,” thought Pig. “Monkey’s a slippery customer, and if he shows the monster an opening and gets the demon to charge, Monkey’ll finish him off with one blow of his cudgel and there’ll be no glory for me.” Watch Pig as he summons up his spirit, raises the nine-pronged rake, and brings it down from mid-air towards the demon’s head. This gave the demon so bad a fright that he fled in defeat.\n\n“After him,” shouted Monkey, “after him.”\n\nThe pair of them chased him to the mouth of the cave, where the demon stood on the middle one of the five little carts, brandishing his fire-tipped spear with one hand, and clenching the other into a fist with which he punched himself twice on the nose. “Shameless thing,” laughed Pig, “punching yourself on the nose to make it bleed, then wiping the blood all over your face. Are you going to bring a lawsuit against us?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But when the demon hit his nose twice he also said a spell and breathed out fire, while he snorted thick clouds of smoke from his nose. In the wink of an eye flames were everywhere. Fire poured from the five carts. After the demon had blown a few more times a great fire was leaping up to the sky, blotting out the Fire-cloud Cave. Heaven and earth were both engulfed in the blaze. “Brother,” said Pig in horror, “this is terrible. Once in that fire that would be the end of you. I’d be baked, and he’d only need to add a few spices to make a meal of me. Let’s get out of here.” At that he fled back across the ravine, ignoring Monkey.\n\nMonkey’s magical powers really were very great. Making a fire avoidance spell with his fingers he plunged into the flames in pursuit of the demon. Seeing Monkey coming after him the demon breathed out yet more fire, which was even worse than ever. That fire\n\nFiercely blazing filled the sky,\n\nCovered the earth with a terrible red,\n\nFlew up and down like a fire-wheel,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Flew up and down like a fire-wheel,\n\nDanced East and West like sparks.\n\nThis was not the fire of the Firemaker rubbing wood,\n\nOr of Lao Zi heating his elixir furnace,\n\nNot a heavenly fire,\n\nOr a prairie fire,\n\nBut the True Samadhi Fire the demon had refined.\n\nThe five carts combined the Five Elements,\n\nAnd the fire was formed from their transformations.\n\nThe wood of the liver can make the heart fire blaze;\n\nThe fire of the heart can settle the spleen’s earth.\n\nSpleen’s earth gives rise to metal, which turns to water,\n\nAnd water gives birth to wood, completing the magic cycle.\n\nTo fire are due all births and transformations;\n\nIt makes all things to flourish throughout space.\n\nThe evil spirit had long learned to breathe Samadhi Fire;\n\nHe was for ever the first lord of the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He was for ever the first lord of the West.\n\nMonkey could not find the monster amid the raging flames, or even see the way to the mouth of the cave, so he sprang back out of the fire. The demon, who could see all this clearly from the entrance to the cave, put his fire-making equipment away when he knew Monkey had gone, led his devilish horde back inside the cave, and shut the stone doors. He felt he had won a victory, so he told his underlings to lay on a banquet. There was music and much rejoicing, of which we will not speak.\n\nInstead we return to Monkey, who had leapt back across the Withered Pine Ravine and brought his cloud down to land where he could hear Pig and Friar Sand talking loudly and clearly among the pines.\n\nHe went up to them and shouted at Pig, “You’re no man, you cretin. You were so scared of the demon’s fire that you ditched me and fled for your life. But I’ve long had a trick or two up my sleeve.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” laughed Pig, “that monster was quite right when he said that you’re not up to it any more. As the old saying goes,\n\nOnly the man who can meet today’s need\n\nMay be acclaimed as a hero Indeed:\n\nThat demon was no relation of yours, but you tried to force him to take you for one; and when it came to a fight he set off all that terrible fire. Instead of running away are you going to get stuck into another fight with him?”\n\n“How do the monster’s fighting powers compare with mine?” Monkey asked.\n\n“He’s no match for you,” said Pig.\n\n“What’s he like with his spear?”\n\n“No good either,” replied Pig. “When I saw that he was barely holding out I took a swipe at him to help you. He wouldn’t play and ran away. Then he cheated and set that fire going.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You shouldn’t have come,” said Monkey. “It would be best if I had a few more rounds with him and caught him a crafty one with my cudgel!” The two of them then fell to discussing the demon’s skill and his terrible fire while Friar Sand leaned against a pine trunk, grinning broadly.\n\n“What are you grinning at, brother,” asked Monkey when he noticed. “Don’t tell me you’ve got some power with which to capture the demon and defeat his magic fire. If you had, you’d be helping all of us. As the saying goes, ‘many hands make light work.’ If you can capture the demon and rescue the master you’ll have something very fine to your credit.”\n\n“I’ve got no magic powers,” said Friar Sand, “and I can’t subdue demons. I was just smiling at the way you two were getting so desperate.”\n\n“What do you mean?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What do you mean?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The demon’s no match for either you in magic or at fighting,” said Friar Sand. “The only reason you can’t beat him is because of his fire. If you took my advice you could catch him easily by using the principle of the elements overcoming each other.”\n\nAt this Monkey chuckled aloud and said, “You’re right. We were so desperate we forgot about that. On the principle of the elements overcoming each other we’ll have to beat fire with water. The question is, where do we get the water to put that fire out and rescue the master?”\n\n“Yes,” said Friar Sand, “and we mustn’t waste any time.”\n\n“You two stay here,” said Monkey, “but don’t get into a fight with him. I’ll go and borrow some dragon soldiers from the Eastern Ocean to bring water to douse the devil fire.”\n\n“Off you go, brother,” said Pig, “and don’t worry. We know what to do.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage took his cloud far away. In a moment he was at the Eastern Ocean, but he had no interest in admiring the seascape as he parted the waves with water-repelling magic. As he was going through the water he met a patrolling yaksha, who hurried back into the water-crystal palace to report to the Senior Dragon King Ao Guang. Ao Guang came out to welcome Monkey at the head of his dragon sons and grandsons and his shrimp and crab soldiers. The dragon king invited Monkey to come in and sit down. When the courtesies were over the king offered Monkey some tea."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please don’t bother,” said Monkey. “But there is something else I’ve come to trouble you with. My master the Tang Priest has been captured on his way to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. He’s been caught by an evil spirit called the Red Boy, the Boy Sage King, from the Fire-cloud Cave by Withered Pine Ravine on Mount Hao. I went into the cave to look for my master and fight the demon, but the demon started a great fire. It was too much for me. I thought that as water overcomes fire I’d come here to ask you for some water. Could you make a torrential downpour for me that would put the fire out and save the Tang Priest?”\n\n“You’ve come to the wrong place,” said the dragon king. “I’m not the person to ask for rain.”\n\n“But you’re the dragon king of the four oceans,” said Monkey, “the lord of rain. If I don’t ask you who else should I ask?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am in charge of rain,” replied the dragon king, “but I can’t do anything without authorization. I must have permission from the Jade Emperor as to where and when and how many inches of rain I should pour down, and I’ve to get a lot of official signatures before I can ask the help of Grandpa Thunder, Mother Lightning, Uncle Wind and the Cloud Boys. As the saying goes, dragons can’t travel without cloud.”\n\n“But I don’t need wind, clouds, thunder or lightning,” said Monkey. “All I want is some rain to put the fire out.”\n\n“You may not need wind, clouds, thunder or lightning, Great Sage,” said the dragon king, “but I can’t help you alone. What would you say if I asked my younger brothers too?”\n\n“Where are they?” Monkey asked. “Ao Qin is Dragon King of the Southern Sea, Ao Run is Dragon King of the Northern Sea, and Ao Shun is Dragon King of the Western Sea.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’d be easier to go up to Heaven and ask the Jade Emperor for an edict than to trek round all three seas,” replied Monkey with a laugh. “No need for you to go, Great Sage,” said the dragon king. “If I beat my iron drum and bronze bell they’ll be here this instant.”\n\n“Please sound them at once, Senior Dragon King,” said Monkey.\n\nA moment later the three other dragon kings came crowding in. “Elder brother,” they asked, “what orders do you have for us?”\n\n“The Great Sage Monkey is here to borrow some rain to help him subdue a demon,” said the Senior Dragon King. After the greetings were over Monkey explained why he needed water. The dragons were all delighted to comply. They mustered the following:\n\nThe brave Shark as the vanguard,\n\nWith big-mouthed Hemibagrus to the fore;\n\nMarshal Carp who plunges through the waves,\n\nCommander Bream who spews out mists.\n\nColonel Mackerel to patrol the East,\n\nMajor Culler to advance to the West.\n\nThe Cavalryman Red Eye gallops to the South,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Cavalryman Red Eye gallops to the South,\n\nWhile General Black-shell breaks through in the North.\n\nBrigadier Croaker commands the central force;\n\nEvery unit is a crack force of heroes.\n\nA master of strategy is Chief of Staff Turtle;\n\nLord Tortoise excels in subtle predictions.\n\nPrime Minister Alligator is full of wisdom,\n\nGarrison Commander Terrapin has great ability.\n\nAdvancing sideways, crab soldiers wield their swords,\n\nWhile leaping shrimp amazons draw their bows.\n\nSecretary Catfish looks after the paperwork,\n\nAnd calls the rolls of the dragon army.\n\nThere is a poem about this that goes:\n\nThe four ocean dragons were glad to give their help\n\nWhen Monkey the Sage to seek assistance came.\n\nAs the priest Sanzang was in trouble on his journey\n\nThey all carried water to put out the flame."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They all carried water to put out the flame.\n\nMonkey was soon back at the Withered Pine Ravine on Mount Hao with his dragon army. “Worthy brothers of the Ao clan,” he said, “I have brought you a long way. This is where the demon lives. Will you please stay up here in mid-air and not show your faces while I have it out with him. If I can beat him, I won’t need to trouble you gentlemen to capture him for me. If he beats me, there’ll be no need for you gentlemen to join in the fray. The only thing I’d like you to do is all to spurt out rain together when I call if he starts his fire.” The dragon kings did as they had been told.\n\nMonkey then brought his cloud down to land in the pine wood, saw Pig and Friar Sand, and called to them. “You were quick,” said Pig. “Did you get the dragon king to come?”\n\n“They’re all here,” Brother Monkey replied. “You’d both better be very careful not to let the baggage get wet if it rains hard. I’m off to fight the demon.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Off you go, and don’t worry,” said Friar Sand. “We can cope.”\n\nMonkey leapt across the ravine to the cave entrance and shouted, “Open up!” The little devils ran back in to report, “Sun the Novice is here again.”\n\nThe Red Boy looked up with a smile and said, “The monkey thinks no fire can burn him, because none ever has. That’s why he’s here again. But this time we won’t let him off: we’ll burn him to cinders.” He sprang up, grasped his spear, and ordered the little demons to wheel the fire carts out. Then he went out in front of the gates and asked Monkey, “Why are you here again?”\n\n“Give me back my master,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Keep up with the times, ape,” said the demon. “He may be a master to you, but to me he’s something to eat with my drinks. You might as well forget about him.” These words threw Monkey into a fury. He raised his gold-banded cudgel and struck at the monster’s head. The demon quickly parried the blow with his fire-tipped spear. This fight was not like the one before:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A furious evil demon,\n\nAn enraged Monkey King.\n\nOne set on saving the pilgrim priest,\n\nWhom the other intended to devour.\n\nWhen the heart changes kinship disappears;\n\nNo concessions are made in the absence of feeling.\n\nOne would gladly have skinned his foe alive;\n\nThe other wanted his enemy pickled in sauce.\n\nSuch heroism,\n\nWhat ferocity!\n\nSpear parried cudgel in the struggle for mastery;\n\nCudgel blocked spear in the battle to win.\n\nAfter twenty rounds of combat\n\nBoth sides were on equal terms.\n\nWhen the demon king had fought twenty rounds with Monkey and could see that neither of them was going to win he feinted, pulled back, clenched his fist, punched himself twice on the nose, and started breathing out fire again. Flames roared from the carts in front of the entrance, and his mouth and eyes were full of the blaze. Monkey looked back to shout, “Where are you, dragon kings?” The dragon king brothers then led their watery hosts in spurting rain on the demon’s fire. It was a splendid rainstorm,\n\nMighty,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mighty,\n\nHeavy.\n\nMighty as stars falling from the heavens,\n\nHeavy like waves crashing on the shore.\n\nAt first the drops are the size of fists,\n\nThen each is a bowl of water upturned.\n\nFlowing across the land, making duck’s necks green;\n\nWashing the mountainside to show it deep blue.\n\nThe waters in the ravine are a thousand fathoms of jade,\n\nThe spring stream swells to a myriad strands of silver.\n\nSoon the crossroads is flooded,\n\nAnd the meandering river flows straight.\n\nThe dragons help the Tang Priest in his trouble,\n\nMaking the Heavenly River overflow."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But heavy though it was, the downpour could not stop the demon’s fire. Dragon king’s private rain can only put out ordinary fires, not this demon’s Samadhi Fire. The rain was like oil poured on the flames: the more there was, the fiercer the blaze. “I’ll make a hand-spell and plunge into the fire,” said Monkey, who went after the demon, swinging his cudgel. Seeing Monkey coming, the demon blew a cloud of smoke straight into his face. Turn away though he did, Monkey’s eyes smarted terribly, and he could not stop the tears from pouring down. Although not bothered by fire, the Great Sage was vulnerable to smoke. Back at the time when he had made havoc in Heaven and been refined by Lord Lao Zi in the Eight Trigram Furnace he had saved himself from being burnt up by staying in the part of the furnace controlled by the Wind Trigram Xun. But the wind had blown smoke at him, and he had been so thoroughly cooked that his eyes turned fiery and his pupils golden. That was why he was still vulnerable to smoke. When the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "why he was still vulnerable to smoke. When the demon blew another cloud of smoke at him it was more than he could bear, and so he made off on his cloud. The demon king then had the fire-raising equipment put away and went back into the cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The flames and the smoke had made the Great Sage unbearably hot, so he plunged straight into the stream to put out the flames, not realizing that the shock of the cold water would make the fire attack his heart, driving his three souls out of him. Alas,\n\nWhen breathing stopped, cold went his mouth and tongue;\n\nAll his souls scattered and his life was done.\n\nIn their horror the dragon kings of the four seas who were watching from mid-air stopped making rain and shouted, “Marshal Tian Peng, Curtain-raising General, stop hiding in the woods. Go and find your brother.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing their divine shouts Pig and Friar Sand immediately untied the horse, put the luggage-pole on their shoulders, and rushed out of the wood. They searched for Monkey along the stream, not caring about getting wet and muddy. Upstream they could see someone being carried by the rushing torrent and tossed around in the waves. The moment Friar Sand spotted this he leapt fully clothed into the water and hauled him to the bank. It was the body of the Great Sage. Alas! He was curled up, unable to stretch any of his limbs and as cold as ice all over. “Poor brother,” said Friar Sand. “You who were once going to be immortal are now had your life cut short as a traveler.”\n\n“Stop crying, brother,” laughed Pig. “The ape’s just shamming dead to give us a fright. Feel his chest and see if it’s still warm.”\n\n“He’s cold all over,” said Friar Sand, “with only a touch of warmth. How are we going to revive him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He knows how to do seventy-two transformations,” said Pig, “and that means seventy-two lives. You grab his feet and I’ll manipulate him. So Friar Sand pulled at Monkey’s feet while Pig supported his head. They straightened him out, stood him up, then made him sit cross-legged. Pig warmed Monkey up by rubbing vigorously with the palms of his hands, covered his seven orifices, and gave him a dhyana massage. The shock of the cold water had blocked the breath in Monkey’s abdomen, leaving him unable to speak. Thanks to Pig’s massage and rubbing, the breath in Monkey’s body soon flowed through the Three Passes again, circulated in his Bright Hall, and came out through his orifices with a shout of “Master.”\n\n“Brother,” said Friar Sand, “you live for the master, and his name is on your lips even when you’re dying. Wake up. We’re here.”\n\nMonkey opened his eyes and asked, “Brothers, are you here? I’ve lost.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You passed out just now,” said Pig with a laugh, “and if I hadn’t saved you you’d have been done for. You owe me some thanks.”\n\nOnly then did Monkey get to his feet, look up and say, “Where are you, Ao brothers?”\n\n“We humble dragons are in attendance up here,” the dragon kings of the four oceans replied from mid-air.\n\n“I’ve given you the trouble of this long journey for nothing,” said Monkey. “Would you like to go back now? I’ll come to thank you another day.” We will say no more about the dragon kings as they led their watery tribes home in majesty.\n\nFriar Sand helped Monkey back into the woods, where they both sat down. Before long Monkey had recovered and was breathing normally as the tears poured down his cheeks. “Master,” he cried,\n\n“I remember when you left Great Tang,\n\nAnd saved me from my torture in the cliff.\n\nDemons have plagued you at each mount and stream;\n\nYour heart was torn by countless pains and woes.\n\nSometimes you have eaten well and sometimes not;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sometimes you have eaten well and sometimes not;\n\nYou’ve spent your nights in forests or in farms.\n\nYour heart was always set on the Achievement;\n\nWho knows what agonies you suffer now?”\n\n“Don’t upset yourself so, brother,” said Friar Sand. “We’ll work out a plan to get reinforcements and rescue the master.”\n\n“Where from?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Long ago, when the Bodhisattva ordered us to protect the Tang Priest, she promised us that if we called on Heaven or earth for help there would always be a response,” replied Friar Sand. “Where shall we turn now?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I remember that when I made havoc in Heaven,” said Monkey, “the Heavenly soldiers were no match for me. That evil spirit has tremendous magic. Only someone with more powers than I have will be able to subdue him. As the gods of Heaven and earth are useless the only way to catch the monster will be by going to ask the Bodhisattva Guanyin for her help. But I can’t ride my somersault cloud: my skin is much too sore and my body is aching. How are we going to get her help?”\n\n“Tell me what to say,” said Pig, “and I’ll go to ask her.”\n\n“All right,” said Monkey with a laugh, “you go. If the Bodhisattva receives you, you mustn’t look her in the face. Keep your head down and bow to her respectfully. When she asks you, tell her what this place and the demon are called, then ask her to save the master. If she agrees to come she’ll certainly capture the demon.” Pig set off South on his cloud."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Back in the cave the demon was saying with delight, “Sun the Novice is beaten, my little ones. I may not have killed him this time, but at any rate he passed out for a long time.” He sighed, then added, “The only thing is that he might send for reinforcements. Open up, and I’ll go out to see who he’s sending for.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demons opened the gates for the evil spirit to spring out and look around from mid-air. Seeing Pig heading South the spirit reckoned that he must definitely be going to ask the Bodhisattva Guanyin to come as there was nowhere else to the South where he might be going. The demon brought his cloud down quickly and said to his followers, “Little ones, fetch my leather bag. The string at the mouth may not be any good now as I haven’t used it for ages, so please put a new string in it and leave it outside the inner gates. I’ll lure Pig back here and pop him in the bag. Then we can steam him nice and tender as a reward for all of you.” The little demons fetched their king’s As-You-Will leather bag, replaced the string in it, and put it inside the main gates."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the demon king had lived there so long he was very familiar with the district, and knew which ways to the Southern Sea were quicker and which were longer. Riding his cloud by the quick route he overtook Pig and turned himself into an imitation Guanyin to sit on a crag and wait for him.\n\nWhen the idiot suddenly saw Guanyin as he was hurtling along on his cloud he had no way of telling that this was a false one: it was a case of seeing the image and taking it for a Buddha. The idiot stopped his cloud, bowed down, and said, “Bodhisattva, your disciple Zhu Wuneng kowtows to you.”\n\n“Why have you come to see me instead of escorting the Tang Priest to fetch the scriptures?” the Bodhisattva asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was travelling with master,” Pig replied, “when an evil spirit called the Red Boy carried my master off to the Fire-cloud Cave by Withered Pine Ravine on Mount Hao. Monkey and us two went to find the demon and fight him. Because he can make fire we couldn’t beat him the first time. The second time we asked the dragon kings to help out with rain, but even that couldn’t put it out. The flames have hurt Monkey so badly that he can’t move, which is why he’s sent me to ask for your help, Bodhisattva. I beg you in your mercy to save the master.”\n\n“The lord of the Fire-cloud Cave is no killer,” said the evil spirit. “You must have offended him.”\n\n“I never offended him,” said Pig. “It was my brother Monkey who did. The demon turned himself into a little boy hanging at the top of a tree to tempt my master. My master is so kind-hearted that he told me to untie the boy and made Monkey carry him. It was Monkey who smashed him to bits and made him carry the master off in a wind.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Get up,” said the evil spirit, “and come with me to the cave to see its lord. I shall ask him to be kind to you. You will just have to kowtow as an apology and ask for your master back.”\n\n“Bodhisattva,” said Pig, “I’ll kowtow to him if I can get the master back that way.”\n\n“Come with me,” said the demon king. Knowing no better, the idiot followed the demon back to the Fire-cloud Cave by the way he had come instead of going on to the Southern Sea. They were back at the entrance in an instant.\n\n“Do not worry,” said the evil spirit as he went in, “he is an old acquaintance of mine. Come in.” As soon as the idiot raised his foot to go inside the demons all captured him with a great shout, knocked him over, and pushed him into the bag. Then the cord at the mouth was drawn tight and Pig was hung up from a rafter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit resumed his true form, took his seat in the midst of the demons, and said, “Pig, what powers do you think you have? How do you have the nerve to promise to protect the Tang Priest on his way to fetch the scriptures, or to ask the Bodhisattva here to subdue me? Take a good look. Can’t you see I’m the Sage Boy King? Now I’ve got you I’m going to hang you up for four or five days, steam you, and give you as a treat to the little devils to nibble with their drinks.”\n\nHearing this, Pig started cursing inside the bag: “Damn you, monster. It’s disgraceful behavior. You may have used all your tricks and devices to be able to eat me, but I guarantee I’ll give every one of you the head-swelling plague.” The idiot kept on cursing and yelling, but we will say no more of him.\n\nMonkey meanwhile had felt a stinking wind rush past him as he sat with Friar Sand. “That’s bad,” he said with a sneeze. “That’s a thoroughly ill wind. I’m afraid Pig’s got lost.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But wouldn’t he ask the way if he got lost?” asked Friar Sand.\n\n“He must have run into the demon,” said Monkey.\n\n“But wouldn’t he have come rushing back here if he’d met a demon?” said Friar Sand.\n\n“Can’t be sure,” said Monkey. “You sit here and look after the things while I go over the ravine and see what’s going on.”\n\n“Let me go,” said Friar Sand. “Your back is still aching and he might fight you again.”\n\n“You’d be useless,” said Monkey. “It’ll have to be me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Monkey gritted his teeth against the pain, took his cudgel in his hand, crossed the ravine, and shouted “Vicious monster!” at the mouth of the cave. The little devil at the gate rushed inside to report that Sun the Novice was yelling at the gates again. The demon king ordered Monkey’s capture. With a great battle-cry a crowd of demons armed with swords and spears opened the gates and shouted, “Get him.” Monkey was indeed too exhausted to fight them. He squeezed himself against the side of the path, shouted, “Change,” and turned himself into a bundle wrapped in a gold-embroidered cloth. As soon as they saw it the little devils picked it up and took it inside. “Your Majesty,” they reported, “Monkey’s a coward. As soon as we shouted ‘Get him’ he was so scared he dropped his bundle and ran.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There won’t be anything in there that’s worth anything,” smirked the demon king. “Probably just some worn-out monks’ habits and old hats. Get them in, and wash and tear them up to use as rags.” One of the little demons took the bundle right inside the cave, not realizing it was really Monkey. “Splendid,” thought Monkey, “they’re carrying the bundle in.” The evil spirit dropped it inside the doors without paying any attention to it.\n\nSplendid Monkey could work transformations within transformations and deceits within deceits. Pulling out one of his hairs he blew on it with magic breath and made it look just like the first bundle. He then turned himself into a fly that perched on the pivot of the door. He could hear Pig grumbling away rather indistinctly, like a hog with swine-fever. When Monkey buzzed over to look for him he found Pig hanging up in the leather sack. Monkey landed on the sack, where he could hear Pig cursing and swearing at the demon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How dare you pretend to be the Bodhisattva Guanyin and trick me into coming here! Then you hang me up and say you’re going to eat me. One day soon my elder brother\n\nWill use his superlative Great Sage powers\n\nAnd have all you demons caught in a shake.\n\nHe’ll open this bag and let me get out\n\nTo give you all thousands of thumps with my rake.”\n\nMonkey was delighted to hear this. “The idiot may be a bit stuffy in there, but he’s not running down his colours. I’ll get that demon and have my revenge on him.”\n\nJust as Monkey was working out how to rescue Pig he heard the demon king shouting, “Where are the six warriors?” Six of the little devils who were his friends had been given the title of Warrior. Each one had his own name. They were Mist in the Clouds, Clouds in the Mist, Fire-fast, Windspeedy, Heater and Cooker. The six warriors stepped forward and knelt down. “Do you know where the Old King lives?” the demon asked.\n\n“Yes,” the warriors replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” the warriors replied.\n\n“Go tonight to invite His Majesty the Old King here. Tell him that I’ve caught a Tang Priest who I’m going to cook for him, and that this will make him live for another thousand ages.” The six monsters slouched around as they went out with their orders. Monkey flew down from the bag with a buzz and followed the six demons as they left the cave.\n\nIf you don’t know how the Old King was invited there, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty-Two\n\nThe Great Sage Reverently Visits the Southern Sea\n\nGuanyin in Her Mercy Binds the Red Boy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Guanyin in Her Mercy Binds the Red Boy\n\nThe story tells how the six warriors left the cave and headed Southwest. Monkey thought, “They are going to invite the Old King to eat our master. I’m sure he must be the Bull Demon King. In the old days we got on very well and were the best of friends, but now I’ve gone straight and he’s still an evil monster. Although it’s a long time since I last saw him, I remember what he looks like. I think I’ll turn myself into a Bull Demon King, try to fool them, and see how it goes.” Splendid Monkey gave the six little demons the slip, spread his wings, flew about a dozen miles ahead of them, shook himself, and turned into a Bull Demon King. He pulled out some hairs, shouted, “Change,” and turned them into little devils with dogs, falcons, bows and crossbows as if they were a hunting party in the mountain valley. He then waited for the six warriors."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the six warriors were making their way sloppily along they suddenly noticed that the Bull Demon King was sitting in their midst. Heater and Cooker fell to their knees in a panic and said, “Your Majesty, you’re here already.”\n\nMist in the Clouds, Clouds in the Mist, Fire-fast and Wind-speedy were also all common mortals with fleshly eyes, unable to tell the true from the false, and they too fell to their knees, kowtowed and said, “Your Majesty, we’ve been sent by the Sage Boy King of the Fire-cloud Cave to invite Your Senior Majesty to a meal of Tang Priest meat that will lengthen your life by a thousand ages.”\n\n“Get up, children,” said Monkey, “and come back to my cave with me while I change.”\n\n“There will be no need for all that trouble, Your Majesty,” said the little devils, still kowtowing. “You needn’t go back. It’s a long way, and I’m sure that our king would be angry with us if you did. Please come with us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What good children,” said Monkey. “Very well then, lead the way. I’m coming with you.” The six little devils pulled themselves together and shouted to clear the way for the Great Sage, who was following them.\n\nThey were soon back at the cave. Wind-fast and Fire-speedy rushed in to report, “Your Majesty, His Senior Majesty is here.”\n\n“You’re capable lads to be back so soon,” said the demon king with delight. He then ordered all his commanders to parade his forces with their banners and drums to greet the Old King. All the demon in the cave obediently went out on parade. Monkey threw out his chest and acted very haughtily, braced himself, took back all the hairs he had turned into falconers and huntsmen, then strode straight in through the gates and took the central seat facing South as a monarch.\n\nThe Red Boy knelt and kowtowed to him, saying, “Your Majesty, your son pays obeisance.”\n\n“No need for that,” said Monkey. After making four sets of kowtows the demon king stood below his father."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What have you asked me here for, boy?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Your stupid son,” said the demon with a bow, “caught someone yesterday—a priest from the Great Tang in the East. I’ve often heard tell that he is someone who has cultivated his conduct for ten lives, and that if you eat a piece of his flesh you’ll live as long as an immortal from Penglai or Yingzhou. I did not dare to eat him by myself, which is why I asked Your Majesty to share the Tang Priest’s flesh and extend your life by a thousand ages.”\n\nAt this Monkey looked shocked and asked, “Which Tang Priest, my boy?”\n\n“The one going to fetch scriptures in the Western Heaven,” the demon king replied.\n\n“But isn’t he the master of Sun the Novice?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes,” said the demon king."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” said the demon king.\n\nMonkey waved his hand, shook his head and said, “Don’t start trouble with him. Pick a fight with anyone else you like, but not with him. My dear boy, don’t you know what sort of person he is? That ape has vast magic powers and can do all sorts of transformations. When he made havoc in Heaven the Jade Emperor sent a hundred thousand Heavenly soldiers to spread out Heaven-and-earth nets, but they could not catch him. How could you have the nerve to eat his master? Send the priest out his moment, and don’t start trouble with that monkey. If he heard that you’d eaten his master he wouldn’t even need to fight you. He’d just have to poke a hole in the mountainside with that gold-banded cudgel of his to bring the whole mountain tumbling down. Then where would you be able to live, my boy, and who would there be to support me in my old age?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What things to say, Your Majesty,” said the demon king. “You’re bolstering him and making me look small. That Monkey and a couple of his fellow disciples were crossing my mountains when I did a transformation and carried his master off. He and Pig traced me to the gates here and talked some nonsense about kinship. I got into such a raging fury that we fought a few rounds. That was all there was to it. He wasn’t anything very special. Then Pig came charging in so I breathed out my True Samadhi Fire and routed him. Monkey was so desperate that he went to ask the dragon kings of the four seas for rain, but they couldn’t put out my True Samadhi Fire. I burnt him so badly that he passed out, then sent Pig off in a great hurry to ask the Bodhisattva Guanyin of the Southern Seas to come. I turned myself into a Guanyin and tricked Pig into coming here: he’s now hanging up in the As-You-Will bag, and I’m going to steam him as a treat for all the underlings. That Monkey was back shouting at our gates again this"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was back shouting at our gates again this morning. I ordered his arrest, and it threw him into such a panic that he dropped his bundle and fled. It was only then that I invited Your Majesty over to see what the Tang Priest looked like in life before we have him steamed for you to eat and become immortal.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My dear boy,” laughed Monkey, “you’re only aware of how you beat him with your True Samadhi Fire. What you forget is that he can do seventy-two transformations.”\n\n“No matter what he turns himself into I can always spot him,” said the demon king, “and I’m sure he won’t dare try another attack here.”\n\n“My son,” said Monkey, “you may be able to recognize him sometimes, but he won’t turn into something big like a wolf, an orangutan or an elephant. If he did he wouldn’t be able to get inside the cave. You’d find it hard to recognize him if he turned into something small.”\n\n“No matter how small he made himself we have four or five little devils on every door. He’ll never be able to get in.”\n\n“You don’t realize that he can turn himself into a fly, or a mosquito, or a flea, or a bee, or a butterfly, or the tiniest of insects. He could even make himself look just like me. You wouldn’t possibly be able to tell.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry,” said the demon king. “Even if he had guts of iron and a bronze heart he’d never dare come anywhere near here.”\n\n“In that case, dear son,” said Monkey, “what powers do you have that make you more than a match for him, so that you could invite me here today to eat the flesh of the Tang Priest? All the same, I don’t think I’ll have any today.”\n\n“Why not?” the demon king said.\n\n“I’m getting old,” said Monkey, “and your mother keeps nagging at me to do some good works. The only good deed I’m interested in is eating vegetarian food.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” said the demon king, “is this permanent or just for a month?”\n\n“Neither,” said Monkey. “It’s called ‘thunder vegetarianism’. You do it for four days each month.”\n\n“Which four?” the demon asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Which four?” the demon asked.\n\n“The three days each month with Xin in their names, and the sixth day too. Today is the day Xin You, so that means I ought to be on vegetarian food. Besides, You days are not good for having visitors. But tomorrow I could be back to scrub, wash and steam him myself, and enjoy him with you, my boy.”\n\nThis all made the demon king think, “My father usually lives on human flesh, and he’s already lived to be over a thousand. How come he’s now thinking about a vegetarian diet? When you consider all the evil things he’s done, three or four days of vegetarian food a month could never make up for them. There’s something wrong here. It’s very suspicious.” He withdrew and went out through the inner gates, sent for the six warriors, and asked them, “Where was His Senior Majesty when you gave him that invitation?”\n\n“Halfway here,” the little devils replied.\n\n“I thought you were quick,” said the demon king. “Didn’t you go to his place?”\n\n“No,” said the little devils, “we didn’t.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” said the little devils, “we didn’t.”\n\n“This is bad,” said the demon king. “I’ve been fooled. It’s not His Senior Majesty.”\n\nThe little devils all knelt before him and asked, “Your Majesty, can’t you recognize your own father?”\n\n“He looks and moves just like my father,” said the demon king, “but what he says doesn’t fit. I’m afraid I’ve been taken in and beaten by one of his transformations. I want you all to be very careful. The swordsmen among you must draw your swords, the spearmen sharpen your spears, and those of you who can use staves and ropes get ready to do so. I’m going to question him again and watch what he says. If he really is His Senior Majesty then it doesn’t matter whether we have the feast today, tomorrow or in a month’s time. But if what he says is wrong, then the moment I give a hum you’re all to attack at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the little devils had all been given their orders the demon king turned on his heels, went back inside and bowed to Monkey, who said, “No need for all that formality within the family, my boy. Don’t bow. Just say whatever it is you have to say.”\n\nThe demon king prostrated himself before Monkey and replied, “Your foolish son actually invited you for two reasons. One was to present you with Tang Priest meat, and the other was to ask you something. When I was out for a spin on my auspicious light the other day I went right up to the ninth level of clouds and bumped into the Taoist Master Zhang Daoling.”\n\n“Do you mean Zhang Daoling the Taoist pope?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes,” the demon king replied. “What did he say to you?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Seeing that your son is complete in all his organs and that the spacing between my forehead, nose and chin is auspiciously even,” the demon king replied, “he asked me the hour, day, month and year of my birth. Your child is too young to remember all that properly. Master Zhang is a brilliant astrologer, and he offered to cast my horoscope. That is what I wanted to inquire about, Your Majesty, so that I can ask him to cast my horoscope next time I meet him.”\n\nThis made Monkey chuckle to himself: “What a magnificent demon. I’ve captured quite a few since I became a Buddhist and started escorting the Tang Priest on this journey, but none of them was as sharp as this one. He’s asking me all trivial family details, and I’ll just have to fake up my answers. How could I possibly know when he was born?” The splendid Monkey King was extremely crafty."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He continued to sit in majesty in the central position, showing not a trace of fear as he replied with his face wreathed in smiles, “Please get up, dear boy. I’m getting so old now that nothing goes the way I want it to any more. I can’t remember just now exactly when you were born. I’ll ask your mother when I go home tomorrow.”\n\n“But Your Majesty is always reeling off the details of my birth-time,” the demon king said, “and telling me I’ll live as long as Heaven. You can’t have forgotten now. It’s outrageous. You’re a fake.” He then hummed the signal and all the demons rushed on Monkey and stabbed at him with their swords and spears.\n\nThe Great Sage parried their thrusts with his cudgel, went back to looking like himself again, and said to the evil spirit, “You’re the outrageous one, dear boy. It can’t possibly be right for a son to attack his own father.” The demon king was so overwhelmed with shame that he dared not return Monkey’s look. Brother Monkey then turned into a golden glow and left the cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty, Sun the Novice has gone,” the little devils reported.\n\n“Oh well, that’s that,” said the demon king. “Good riddance. He beat me this time. Shut the gates and say nothing to him. Let’s clean, cook and eat the Tang Priest.”\n\nLaughing aloud as he brandished his cudgel, Monkey went back across the ravine. Hearing this, Friar Sand hurried out of the woods to say to him, “Brother, you’ve been ages. Why are you laughing? I hope it’s because you’ve rescued the master.”\n\n“No, brother,” Monkey replied. “But although I haven’t rescued him yet, I won this time.”\n\n“How?” Friar Sand asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“The fiend disguised himself as Guanyin to lure Pig back here and hang him up in a leather bag. I was just trying to work out how to rescue Pig when the demon sent his six so-called warriors to invite the Old King to a meal of the master’s flesh. I reckoned that the Old King was bound to be the Bull Demon King, so I turned myself into his double, went inside, and took the place of honour. He called me ‘Your Majesty’ and ‘father,’ and I replied; and when he kowtowed I sat up straight. It was lovely. I really did win.”\n\n“But while you’ve been scoring easy points the master’s life is in terrible danger,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“Don’t worry about it,” said Monkey. “I’m off to ask the Bodhisattva here.”\n\n“But your back’s still aching,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“Now it isn’t,” said Monkey. “As the old saying goes, when things go well they raise the spirits. Look after the horse and the luggage. I’m off.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve made such an enemy of him,” said Friar Sand, “that I’m scared he’ll murder the master. Be as quick as you can.”\n\n“I’ll be quick,” said Monkey. “I’ll be back in the time it takes to eat a meal.”\n\nEven as he was still speaking, the splendid Great Sage left Friar Sand and set off on the somersault cloud that took him straight towards the Southern Ocean. He had been flying for less than an hour when Potaraka Island came into view. He landed his cloud in an instant and went straight to Raka Crag, where the twenty-four devas asked him as he walked solemnly towards them, “Great Sage, where are you going?”\n\nAfter Monkey had exchanged courtesies with them he replied, “I would like to see the Bodhisattva.”\n\n“Please wait for a moment while we report to her,” the devas said. Hariti and the other devas went to the entrance of the Tide Cave to report, “Bodhisattva, Sun Wukong has come for an audience.” The Bodhisattva\n\nasked for him to be brought in."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "asked for him to be brought in.\n\nThe Great Sage tidied his clothes and obediently walked inside at a respectful pace. When he saw the Bodhisattva he prostrated himself before her. “Wukong,” she said, “why are you here instead of taking Master Golden Cicada to the West to fetch the scriptures?”\n\n“Bodhisattva,” Monkey replied, “your disciple humbly reports that while escorting the Tang Priest on his journey he has reached the Fire-cloud Cave in the Withered Pine Ravine on Mount Hao. An evil spirit called the Red Boy whose title is Sage Boy King has snatched my master. I and Pig found our way to his gates and fought him, but he started a True Samadhi Fire. This makes it impossible for us to beat him and rescue the master. I hurried to the Eastern Sea and asked the dragon kings of the four seas to make rain, but it couldn’t control the flames, and I was badly hurt by the smoke, which all but killed me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why did you send for the dragon kings and not for me,” the Bodhisattva asked, “if he has True Samadhi Fire and such great powers?”\n\n“I wanted to come,” Monkey replied, “but I’d been so badly affected by the smoke that I couldn’t ride a cloud. I sent Pig to come and ask you for help instead.”\n\n“But he has not been here,” the Bodhisattva replied.\n\n“That’s just it,” said Monkey. “Before Pig reached this island the evil spirit turned himself into your double, Bodhisattva, lured him into the cave, and has now hung him up in a leather bag ready to be steamed and eaten.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Bodhisattva heard this she said in a furious rage, “How dare that vicious demon turn himself into my double!” With a roar of anger she flung her precious pure vase into the sea. Monkey was so horrified that his hair stood on end. He rose to his feet, stood below the Bodhisattva’s throne, and said, “If the Bodhisattva does not control her temper I’ll be blamed for talking out of turn and ruining her conduct. This is terrible. You’ve thrown your vase away. Had I known you could have done me a big favour and given it to me.”\n\nBefore the words were all out of his mouth the waves of the sea started to dance and the vase emerged from them. It was being carried on the back of a monster. When Brother Monkey took a good look at the monster he saw what it was like:\n\nWhere he comes from he is known as Mud-carrier,\n\nShining in splendor alone beneath the sea,\n\nKnowing Heaven and earth from his ancient obscurity,\n\nAnd the ways of ghosts and gods from his peaceful hiding-place."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When concealed he withdraws his head and his tail,\n\nBut his legs can make him swim as fast as flying.\n\nOn him King Wen drew trigram and Zeng Yuan cast omens;\n\nHe always was offered at the court of Fu Xi.\n\nAll beauty is revealed by this primal dragon,\n\nCalling up the breakers and making the waves.\n\nThreads of gold sew his carapace together,\n\nAnd brindling gives the color to the tortoise-shell.\n\nIts back carries the Eight Trigram Ninefold Palace;\n\nScattered splendor flecks his coat of green.\n\nThe dragon king admires him for his courage when alive;\n\nHe carries the tablet of Lord Buddha after death.\n\nIf you want to know what this creature is called,\n\nHe is the wicked tortoise who causes wind and waves.\n\nCarrying the vase on his back, the tortoise crawled ashore, and made twenty-four nods to the Bodhisattva that counted as twenty-four kowtows. Seeing this Monkey laughed to himself as he said, “He must be the vase-keeper. I suppose they ask him for the vase whenever it’s lost.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What is that you are saying, Wukong?”\n\n“Nothing,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Fetch the vase,” the Bodhisattva ordered. Monkey went over to pick it up, but he had no more chance of moving it than a dragonfly has of shifting a stone pillar by even a fraction of an inch. Monkey went back to the Bodhisattva, knelt before her, and said, “Bodhisattva, your disciple cannot move it.”\n\n“All you can do, you ape, is talk,” said the Bodhisattva. “If you can’t even move a vase how can you hope to subdue demons?”\n\n“To be honest, Bodhisattva, I would normally be able to move it, but today I just can’t. I think that being beaten by the evil spirit must have weakened me.”\n\n“It is usually an empty vase,” said the Bodhisattva, “but when I threw it into the sea it went round the Three Rivers, the Five Lakes, the Eight Seas, the Four Streams, and all the brooks, springs, pools and caves to borrow a whole seaful of water. You are nowhere near strong enough to lift a sea up. That is why you can’t move it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Indeed,” said Brother Monkey, his hands clasped before him, “your disciple didn’t know that.”\n\nThe Bodhisattva then stepped forward, gently lifted the vase with her right hand, and placed it on the palm of her left hand. The tortoise nodded to the Bodhisattva again and slipped back into the sea. “So you keep a\n\ndomestic cretin to look after your vase,” observed Monkey.\n\n“Wukong,” said the Bodhisattva, seating herself, “the sweet dew in this flask of mine, unlike the dragon kings’ private rain, can extinguish Samadhi Fire. I was going to let you take it, but you cannot move it. Then I thought of asking the Naga Maiden to go with you, but you have not got a kind heart and you are an inveterate deceiver. My Naga Maiden is very lovely, and the vase is precious; if you were to steal either of them I would be much too busy to go looking for you. So you will have to leave something as security.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How sad,” said Monkey, “that you should be so suspicious, Bodhisattva. I’ve never done anything like that since I was converted to the faith. What would you like me to leave as security? You yourself presented me with the brocade tunic I’m wearing. My tiger-skin kilt isn’t worth tuppence, and I need this iron cudgel for self-defense. All that’s left is the band round my head. It’s gold, but you used magic to make it grow into my skull so that is can’t be taken off. If you want security I’d like you to take that. Say a band-loosening spell and take it off. If that won’t do, what else is there?”\n\n“You are a cool customer,” said the Bodhisattva. “I do not want your clothes, your cudgel or your band. Just pluck out one of the life-saving hairs from the back of your head and give me that as your security.”\n\n“But you gave it to me, Your Reverence,” protested Monkey. “Besides, If I pulled one out it would break up the set, and they’d not be able to save my life any more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Ape,” said the Bodhisattva angrily, “you refuse to pull out one little hair. I do not feel at all like parting with my Maiden.”\n\n“Bodhisattva,” pleaded Monkey, “you are being too suspicious. As they say, ‘if you won’t do it for the monk’s sake do it for the Buddha’s sake. Whatever you do, please, please save my master.” The Bodhisattva\n\nStepped down with joy from her lotus seat,\n\nWent amid incense to the crag by cloud.\n\nBecause the holy monk faced mortal peril\n\nShe would deliver him and catch the fiend.\n\nMonkey was absolutely delighted. He invited the Bodhisattva to leave the Tide Cave where the devas were drawn up in line on Pota Cliff. “Let us cross the sea, Wukong,” the Bodhisattva said.\n\n“After you, Bodhisattva,” said Monkey with a bow. “No, after you,” replied the Bodhisattva."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I would not dare to show off in front of the Bodhisattva,” said Monkey, kowtowing. “Were I to ride my somersault cloud, Bodhisattva, I fear I might be somewhat exposed, and you’d accuse me of disrespect.” At this the Bodhisattva sent the Naga Maiden to cut a lotus petal from the lotus pool and take it to the water beneath the cliff. “Stand on that petal,” the Bodhisattva said to Brother Monkey, “and I will take you across the sea.”\n\n“But that petal is much too light and thin to take my weight,” said Monkey. “If I fall into the sea my tigerskin kilt will get soaked, and the saltpeter that keeps it soft will be washed out. Then I won’t be able to wear it in cold weather.”\n\n“Get on and see,” shouted the Bodhisattva. Not daring to make any more excuses, Monkey obediently jumped on it. Although it looked so flimsy it was considerably bigger than a sea-going boat once he was aboard.\n\n“It can carry me, Bodhisattva,” he exclaimed with delight.\n\n“Then over the sea with you,” replied the Bodhisattva."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But there’s no pole, oars, mast or sail,” said Monkey, “so how can I get over?”\n\n“You will not need them,” said the Bodhisattva, and with a single breath she blew the boat right across to the opposite shore of the Southern Sea of Suffering.\n\nOnce his feet were on dry land Monkey smiled and said, “That Bodhisattva really showed off her magic powers by blowing me right across the sea with no trouble at all.”\n\nInstructing all the devas to guard her immortal realm, the Bodhisattva told the Naga Maiden to close the gates of the cave, left the Pota Cliff by auspicious cloud and went over to call, “Where are you, Huian?” Huian was Moksa, the second son of Heavenly King Li, the Pagoda-carrier; he was the disciple whom the Bodhisattva personally taught, and he never left her side. His full title was Huian the Novice, Protector of the Dharma."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Huian placed his hands together and stood awaiting the Bodhisattva’s orders. “Go straight up to Heaven,” she said, “call on His Majesty your father, and ask him to lend me his Pole Star swords.”\n\n“How many will you need, Mistress?” Huian asked.\n\n“The whole set,” she replied.\n\nHuian then went obediently straight up on his cloud, in through the Southern Gate of Heaven, and into the Cloud-tower Palace, where he kowtowed to his father.\n\n“Where have you come from?” Heavenly King Li asked after greeting him.\n\n“My mistress has been asked by Sun Wukong to subdue a demon,” Huian—or Moksa—replied. “She has sent me to visit you and ask for the loan of your set of Pole Star swords.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Heavenly King then sent Nezha to fetch the thirty-six swords, which he gave to Moksa. “Brother,” said Moksa to Nezha, “would you please pay my respects to our mother. I’m on a very urgent job, and I’ll come to kowtow to her when I bring the swords back.” Taking his leave in a great hurry he brought his auspicious light straight down to the Southern Sea, where he presented the swords to the Bodhisattva.\n\nThe Bodhisattva took the swords, threw them into the air, said a spell, and turned them into a thousand-petal lotus throne, on which she took her seat. Monkey grinned to himself and said, “That Bodhisattva is a real skinflint. She has a lotus throne of many colours in her lotus pool already, but she’s too mean to sit on that. She would have to send him off to borrow someone else’s instead.”\n\n“Wukong,” said the Bodhisattva, “be quiet and come with me.” They then both left the coast by cloud. The white parrot flew ahead, while the Great Sage and Huian stood behind her."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Within moments they saw a mountain-top. “That’s Mount Hao,” said Monkey. “It’s about a hundred and fifty miles from here to the demon’s place.” The Bodhisattva then ordered him to lower the auspicious cloud. She said the magic word “Om” above the summit, whereupon many a god and ghost—all the local spirits of the mountain—emerged from all around the mountain and gathered to kowtow to the Bodhisattva’s lotus throne.\n\n“Do not be afraid,” she said. “I am here to capture this demon king. I want this whole area swept completely clean, with not a living creature left behind within a hundred miles of here. All the baby animals in their dens and fledglings in holes in the trees must be put on the top of this high crag for safety.” Obediently the demons withdrew, and soon they were all back. “Now that the place is clean, you may all return to your shrines,” said the Bodhisattva. She then turned her vase of purity upside-down, letting the water roar out with a noise like thunder. Indeed, it"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Flowed down from the peak,\n\nSmashed through the rocks.\n\nFlowed down from the peak with the force of the sea,\n\nSmashed through the rocks like a mighty ocean.\n\nBlack spray rose to the watery heavens,\n\nGreat waves coldly reflected the sun.\n\nJade waves smashed through crags,\n\nWhile the sea was covered with golden lotuses.\n\nGuanyin displayed her demon-quelling magic,\n\nProducing a fixing dhyana from her sleeve.\n\nShe made the mountain a Potaraka Island,\n\nJust like the one in the Southern Sea\n\nTall grew the rushes, and the epiphyllum tender,\n\nFlowers were everywhere, and the pattra looked fresh.\n\nParrots perched in the purple bamboos,\n\nAnd quails were calling amid the verdant pines.\n\nEndless lines of waves as far as the eye could see,\n\nAnd all that could be heard was the wind on the waters.\n\nThe Great Sage Monkey was full of silent admiration: “What great mercy and compassion. If I had that magic power I’d just have tipped the vase over, and to hell with the birds, beasts, reptiles and insects.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stretch your hand out, Wukong,” said the Bodhisattva. Monkey at once neatened his clothes and put out his left hand. The Bodhisattva drew out her sprig of willow, moistened it in the sweet dew, and wrote “Confusion” on his palm. “Make a fist,” she old him, “and go to challenge the demon to battle. Let him beat you, then draw him back here. I have a Dharma power with which to subdue him.”\n\nMonkey obediently took his cloud straight back to the cave entrance. Brandishing his cudgel with one hand and clenching the other into a fist, he shouted, “Open up, evil spirits.” The little devils scampered back inside to report, “Sun the Novice is here again.”\n\n“Shut the doors tight and ignore him,” said the demon king.\n\n“What a fine son you are,” shouted Monkey, “driving your own father out of doors and refusing to open the doors to him.”\n\n“Sun the Novice is being very abusive,” the little devils came back in to report."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Ignore him,” said the demon king. When the doors were still shut after he had called twice, Monkey grew very angry. He raised his iron cudgel and smashed a hole in them.\n\nThis threw the little devils into such a panic that they ran tumbling and stumbling in to say, “Sun the Novice has broken the doors down.”\n\nHearing that the outer doors had been broken down after all the earlier reports the demon king now leapt up and sprang outside brandishing his spear and flinging insults back at Monkey: “You ape, you have no sense at all. I let you off lightly, but you don’t know when enough is enough. You’re trying to bully me again. I’ll make you pay for the crime of smashing down my doors.”\n\n“What about your crime in driving your own father away?” retorted Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his humiliation and anger the demon king thrust his spear at Brother Monkey’s chest. Monkey parried this with his cudgel and hit back. Once they started they fought four or five rounds in which Monkey, one hand holding the cudgel and the other clenched in a fist, gave ground. “I’m going back to get the Tang Priest scrubbed and cleaned,” said the demon.\n\n“You be careful, my boy,” said Monkey. “Heaven can see what you’re doing. You come here.” This stung the demon king into an even greater fury. Running after Monkey he caught him up and took another thrust at him with his spear. Monkey swung back with his cudgel, and after a few more rounds ran away in defeat again. The demon king started to taunt him once more: “Last time you were good for twenty or thirty rounds. But now you’re running away each time we fight. What’s wrong with you?”\n\n“My dear boy,” grinned Monkey, “your father’s afraid you’ll start that fire again.”\n\n“I won’t,” said the demon, “now, come here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I won’t,” said the demon, “now, come here.”\n\n“If you’re not going to start a fire,” said Monkey, “let’s move away from here. A tough guy doesn’t attack people in front of his own door.” Not realizing that this was a trick, the evil spirit raised his spear and ran after him. Monkey trailed his cudgel and opened his other hand. The demon king then fell into confusion and chased Monkey for all he was worth. The quarry moved like a shooting star, and the pursuer like a bolt that\n\nhad just been shot from a crossbow.\n\nBefore long Monkey saw the Bodhisattva. “Evil spirit,” he said to the demon, “I’m scared of you. Please spare me. I’m going to where the Bodhisattva Guanyin of the Southern Sea lives. You go home now.” The demon king was not going to believe this, so he gritted his teeth and continued the pursuit. With a shake of his body Monkey hid himself in the Bodhisattva’s divine radiance."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that Monkey had disappeared, the evil spirit went up to the Bodhisattva, glared at her, and asked, “Are you reinforcements sent for by Monkey?” The Bodhisattva did not answer.\n\nThe demon king then twirled his spear and roared, “Hey! Are you reinforcements sent for by Monkey?” The Bodhisattva again did not answer.\n\nThe demon king then thrust his spear straight at the Bodhisattva’s heart, at which she turned into a beam of golden light and rose straight up to the highest heavens. Monkey went up with her and complained, “Bodhisattva, you’ve tricked me again. Why did you act deaf and dumb and say nothing when that demon kept asking you? One thrust from his spear and you ran away. You’ve even ditched your lotus throne.”\n\n“Keep quiet,” the Bodhisattva said, “and see what he does next.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey and Moksa stood next to each other up there watching while the demon said with a derisive jeer, “Insolent ape, you didn’t know who you were up against. You didn’t realize what sort of person I am. You fought me and lost several times, and then you sent for that putrid Bodhisattva. One thrust from my spear and she’s disappeared. She’s even left her lotus throne behind. Well, I’m going to sit on it now.” The evil spirit then sat cross-legged in the middle of the throne, imitating the Bodhisattva.\n\n“That’s just marvellous,” said Monkey. “Now you’ve given your lotus throne away.”\n\n“What are you saying now, Wukong?” the Bodhisattva asked.\n\n“What am I saying?” Monkey replied. “I’m saying you’ve given your lotus throne away. That fiend has just sat himself down on it. Would you care to get it back?”\n\n“But I want him to sit on it,” the Bodhisattva said. “He’s so small he’ll sit on it much more safely than you did,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Stop talking,” said the Bodhisattva, “and watch the power of the Dharma.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She pointed downwards with her sprig of willow and called. “Turn back.” The colours and auspicious glow of the lotus sea all disappeared, leaving the demon king sitting on the points of swords. “Drive the swords in by hitting their handles with the demon-quelling pestle,” she ordered Moksa.\n\nMoksa then took his cloud straight down and struck over a thousand times with the demon-quelling pestle as if he were ramming down earth to build a wall. The demon was now pouring with blood from his open wounds as the points of two swords both came out through his thighs. Watch the demon as he grits his teeth against the agony. Throwing his spear down he pulled furiously at the swords.\n\n“Bodhisattva,” exclaimed Monkey, “that monster’s not afraid of pain. He’s trying to pull the swords out.”\n\nSeeing this she called to Moksa, “Don’t kill him.” She then pointed her sprig of willow down once more, said the magic word “Om,” and turned all Pole Star swords into halberds with inverted barbs like wolf’s teeth that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "could not be pulled out. This finally made the demon desperate.\n\nTrying to bend the sword-points he pleaded in his agony, “Bodhisattva, your disciple was blind. I failed to recognize your great Dharma powers. I beg you in your mercy to spare my life. I shall never do evil again, and I vow to become a Buddhist and observe the rules of conduct.”\n\nOn hearing this the Bodhisattva went down on her golden light with Moksa, Monkey and the white parrot till she was in front of the evil spirit. “Will you really accept my rules of conduct?”\n\nThe demon king nodded and said amid tears, “I will accept the rules if you spare my life.”\n\n“Will you join my faith?” the Bodhisattva asked.\n\n“If you spare my life I swear I will,” said the demon king.\n\n“In that case,” said the Bodhisattva, “I shall lay my hands on your head and administer the vows.” From her sleeve she produced a golden razor, with a few strokes of which she shaved the demon’s head into a Mount Tai tonsure, leaving him with a topknot and with three little tufts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Poor evil spirit,” laughed Monkey. “Now you can’t tell whether he’s a boy or a girl. Goodness knows what he’s meant to be.”\n\n“As you have accepted my rules of conduct,” said the Bodhisattva to the demon, “I will not mistreat you. I shall call you Page Sudhana. Do you accept?” The demon bowed in assent, wanting only to have his life spared. The Bodhisattva then pointed at him and called, “Withdraw!” With a crashing sound the Pole Star swords all fell into the dust. The boy was now unharmed.\n\n“Huian,” said the Bodhisattva, “will you take the swords back to the Heavenly Palace and return them to His Majesty your father? You need not come back to meet me: wait with all the devas on the Pota Crag.” As instructed, Moksa took the swords back to Heaven then returned to the Southern Sea."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now the boy’s savage nature had not yet been tamed. When he realized that the pain in his legs had gone, that his backside was no longer wounded, and that he had three little tufts of hair on his head he ran over to grab his spear and said to the Bodhisattva, “You don’t have any real Dharma powers that can put me down. It was all just an illusion. I refuse to accept your rules. Take this!”\n\nHe jabbed at her face with his spear, making Monkey so angry that he struck at the boy with his cudgel. “Don’t hit him,” the Bodhisattva called out."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have a way of punishing him.” From her sleeve she produced a gold band and continued, “This treasure is one of the three bands—a golden one, tightening one, and a prohibition one—that the Tathagata Buddha gave me when I went to the East to find the pilgrim who would fetch the scriptures. You are wearing the tightening band. The prohibition band was used to subdue the great god guarding the mountain. I have not been able to bring myself to give the golden one away before, but as this demon is being so outrageous he shall have it.”\n\nThe splendid Bodhisattva then waved the band in the wind, shouted “Change!” and turned it into five band that she threw at the boy with the command “Fix!” One went over his head, two on his hands, and two on his feet. “Stand clear, Wukong,” the Bodhisattva ordered, “while I say the Gold-band Spell.”\n\n“Bodhisattva,” pleaded Monkey in panic, “I asked you here to subdue the demon, so why ever are you putting a curse on me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But this will not be the Band-tightening Spell that affects you,” the Bodhisattva explained. “It will be the Gold-band Spell that works on the boy.” Monkey felt easier in his mind as he stood beside the Bodhisattva and listened to her saying the spell. She made magic with her hands and recited the words silently several times over. The evil spirit twisted and tugged at his ears and cheeks, stamped his feet and rolled around. Indeed,\n\nOne phrase unites all the words without number;\n\nBoundless and deep is the strength of the Dharma.\n\nIf you don’t know how the boy was finally converted, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty-Three\n\nAt the Black River a Monster Carries Off the Priest\n\nThe Dragon Prince of the West Captures an Alligator"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tell how the Bodhisattva recited the spell several times before stopping. Only then did the evil spirit’s agony cease. When he recovered, stood up and looked at himself he found that he had gold bands rounds his neck, hands and feet. They were painfully tight, and try as he would he could not move them at all. The treasures had already taken root in his flesh, and the more he rubbed them the more they hurt.\n\n“There, there, little darling,” mocked Monkey. “The Bodhisattva’s put a lucky amulet ring round your neck to make sure you grow up safely.”\n\nThis jibe infuriated the boy, who grabbed his spear once more and started lunging wildly at Monkey. Monkey nimbly avoided it and went behind the Bodhisattva, yelling, “Say the spell, say the spell.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva moistened her willow sprig with sweet dew, and flicked the ambrosial liquid at him with a call of “Together!” The boy dropped his spear and put his hands together in front of his chest, unable to pull them apart. The “Guanyin twist” that some people still have today is what he had. Only when he could not pick up his spear because his hands were inseparably joined did the boy appreciate the deep mystery of the power of the Dharma. He could do no other than lower his head in a kowtow.\n\nThe Bodhisattva then recited another true spell and turned her vase over to take back the whole seaful of water. Not half a drop was left behind. “Wukong,” she said to Monkey, “this demon has now surrendered. The only thing is that he still has some wild ideas. He will-only accept the Dharma after he has gone from here to Potaraka Island making a kowtow at every step of the journey. You must go straight back to the cave to rescue your master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As your disciple has put you to the trouble of this long journey,” said Monkey with a kowtow, “I should see you some of your way back.”\n\n“No need,” said the Bodhisattva. “I am worried for your master’s life.” Brother Monkey then kowtowed to take his leave of her joyfully. The evil spirit was now converted to the True Achievement by Guanyin, who became his fifty-third religious teacher.\n\nThe story now turns from how the Bodhisattva won a page boy through her wisdom to Friar Sand, who had long been sitting in the woods waiting for Monkey. When Monkey did not come back he tied the luggage on the back of the horse, and leading it by its bridle with one hand and holding his demon-quelling staff in the other he went out of the pine woods to take a look to the South. Seeing Monkey returning in a very good mood, Friar Sand went up to him and said, “Brother, why has it taken you so long to get back from asking the Bodhisattva to come? I’ve been half dead from worry.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You must have been asleep and dreaming,” said Monkey. “I’ve already brought her here and she has subdued the demon.” Monkey then told him all about the Bodhisattva’s Dharma power. “Let’s go and rescue the master,” said Friar Sand with delight.\n\nThe two of them then leapt across the ravine and rushed to the doors, where they tethered the horse. Then they charged in together, their weapons at the ready, and wiped out the devils. They let the leather bag down to release Pig, who thanked Monkey and asked, “Where’s that evil spirit, brother? Just let me have a go at him with my rake; I want to get my own back.”\n\n“Let’s find the master,” said Monkey.\n\nThe three of them went right to the back of the cave, where they found their master tied up stark naked and weeping in the rear courtyard. Friar Sand untied him while Monkey fetched his clothes to dress him. The three of them then knelt before him and said, “Master, you have suffered terribly.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang thanked them and said, “Dear disciples, I have put you to great trouble. How was the demon subdued?” Monkey then told him how the Bodhisattva had been asked to come and had taken the boy as her page. (This is what people refer to nowadays when they talk about the page boy submitting to the Bodhisattva, and respecting her as his fifty-third teacher after visiting the Buddha on three occasions.) Monkey told Friar Sand to collect all the valuables in the cave then find some rice to prepare a vegetarian meal for the master. The venerable elder owed his life entirely to the Great Sage Sun; and it was on the Handsome Monkey Spirit that he depended to fetch the scriptures. Master and disciples then left the cave. The horse was saddled up, and once they found the main trail they headed West with wholehearted determination.\n\nOne day when they had been travelling for over a month Sanzang heard the sound of a river. “Disciple,” said Sanzang in great alarm, “what river is that?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re much too much of a worrier, old Master,” laughed Monkey “ever to become a priest. Why should you alone among the four of us hear water? Have you forgotten your Heart Sutra?” “I was taught the fifty-four sentences and 270 words of that sutra on Pagoda Mountain by the Rook’s Nest Hermit in person,” replied Sanzang. “I learned them by ear and I constantly repeat them to myself. Which sentence of it have I forgotten?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Brother Monkey, “you’ve forgotten the sentence, ‘There is no sight, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch and no mental process.’ We men of religion should not look on beauty, hear music, smell sweet fragrances, or taste good flavors. We should not even notice whether we are hot or cold, and our minds should be free from delusion. This is the way to repel the Six Bandits that attack eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. Because of your mission to fetch the scriptures you are constantly worrying. You are afraid of evil monsters because you cling to your body. When you ask for vegetarian food your tongue is moved. If you enjoy a pleasant aroma it stimulates your nose. Sounds startle your ears. By looking at things you fasten your eyes on them. If you will keep on inviting the Six Bandits in over and over again how can you ever expect to reach the Western Heaven and see the Buddha?”\n\nAt this Sanzang fell into deep and silent thought for a while, then said, “Disciple,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When many years ago from my emperor I was parted,\n\nOn endless days and nights of travelling I started.\n\nIn the mists upon the mountains my grass sandal were worn through;\n\nMany ridges have I climbed in my rain-hat of bamboo.\n\nHow often have I sighed when the gibbons call at night?\n\nI cannot bear to listen to birds chirping in the moonlight.\n\nWhen will I achieve the three Samadhis, I implore,\n\nAnd obtain the Tathagata’s most wonderful Law?”\n\nWhen he had heard this Monkey could not help clapping his hands and laughing aloud. “Master,” he said, “you’re suffering terribly from homesickness. If you really want to achieve the three Samadhis it isn’t all difficult. As the saying goes, ‘At the right time the achievement completes itself.’”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, looking back to him, “if we keep on coming up against such terrible demons we’ll never succeed in a thousand years.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother Pig,” said Friar Sand, “you’re as coarse-tongued as I am. Stop irritating Monkey: he might lose his temper. Just keep on carrying your load and one day we’ll finally succeed.”\n\nThey walked on as they talked, and the horse’s hoofs never rested until they came to a great black river stretching as far as the eye could see. When the four of them stood on the bank to take a close look they saw\n\nWave upon turbid wave,\n\nEddies and muddy whirls.\n\nWave upon turbid wave churns up the dark waters,\n\nEddies and muddy whirls looking like grease.\n\nFrom close up it does not reflect the human image;\n\nFor far around not a tree can be seen.\n\nRolling ink,\n\nSeething ash.\n\nBubbles that rise are charcoal;\n\nThe flying foam is like shoveled coal-dust.\n\nCattle and sheep will not drink,\n\nMagpie and crow avoid it.\n\nCattle and sheep will not drink its blackness;\n\nMagpie and crow avoid its vast expanse.\n\nOnly the reeds by the bank grow as they should,\n\nWhile the flowers and grass by the sandbank flourish green."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The world is full of rivers and lakes,\n\nAnd many are its streams and marshes and springs,\n\nBut of all the places that people have seen in life,\n\nThe Black River of the West is not among them.\n\n“Disciples,” asked Sanzang as he dismounted, “why is this river so dark and turbid?”\n\n“Someone’s washed out an indigo dyeing-vat in it,” said Pig. “No,” said Friar Sand, “somebody’s been cleaning their inkstone in it.”\n\n“Stop making silly guesses, you two,” said Monkey, “and let’s work out how we’re going to get the master across.”\n\n“I’d have no problem crossing that river,” said Pig. “I could ride a cloud or swim and be over it before you’d had time to eat a meal.”\n\n“And I could be across in an instant on a cloud or by walking on the water,” said Friar Sand. “It’s easy enough for us,” said Monkey, “but the problem is the master.”\n\n“Disciples,” said Sanzang, “how wide is this river?”\n\n“Three or four miles,” said Pig.\n\n“You three decide which of you will carry me across,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Pig can carry you,” said Monkey.\n\n“It’d be hard,” said Pig. “If I tried carrying him by cloud we wouldn’t get three feet above the ground. As the saying goes, mortals are heavier than mountains. And if I tried to swim with him on my back we’d both drown.”\n\nAs they were talking on the bank a man appeared upstream rowing a little boat. “Disciples,” said Sanzang with delight, “here’s a boat. Let’s ask the boatman to take us across.”\n\n“Boatman,” shouted Friar Sand, “ferry us over.”\n\n“This isn’t a ferry,” replied the man on the boat, “and I couldn’t possibly ferry you over.” “‘Helpfulness first, in Heaven and earth,’” said Friar Sand. “You may not be a ferryman, but we don’t keep coming to pester you. We are Buddhists from the East sent by the emperor to fetch the scriptures. If you could have a little consideration and ferry us over we’d show you our gratitude.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the boatman brought his craft over to the bank and said as he rested on his oars, “Masters, this boat’s too small to take all of you over.” When Sanzang took a closer look he saw that the boat was carved from a single log with only enough room for two hollowed out in the middle.\n\n“What shall we do?” Sanzang asked. “This boat can take us over in two trips,” said Friar Sand. At this Pig tried what he thought would be a clever way of saving himself some trouble and getting himself well in with the master. “Friar Sand,” he said, “you and Brother Monkey look after the luggage and the horse while I take the master over first. Then the man can come back for the horse. Brother Monkey can jump over the river.”\n\n“Good idea,” nodded Monkey.\n\nWhile the idiot supported the Tang Priest, the boatman pushed off and rowed straight into the main stream. Once they reached the middle there was a great roar as huge waves blotted out the heavens, and a terrible storm blew up. What a wind!"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The skies were filled with angry clouds;\n\nTowering black waves were whipped up in the river.\n\nThe flying sand from the river’s banks was blotting out the sun;\n\nAll around the trees went down with cries that rose to heaven.\n\nThe churned-up rivers and seas struck terror into dragons,\n\nWhile trees and flowers perished in the dust.\n\nThe blows were like the crash of thunder;\n\nThe mighty gusts all roared like hungry tigers.\n\nCrabs, fish and prawns lay down to pray to heaven,\n\nWhile birds and beasts were driven from their nests.\n\nDisaster struck all boatmen on the lakes;\n\nNo human life was safe upon the seas.\n\nThe fisherman by the stream could barely hold his spear;\n\nThe river boatman could not punt his ferry.\n\nHouses collapsed as bricks and tiles flew;\n\nIn the universal terror Mount Tai was shaken."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the universal terror Mount Tai was shaken.\n\nThis wind was the work of the boatman, who was in fact a monster from the Black River. Watch as the Tang Priest and Pig plunge into the waters, boat and all. They disappeared without a trace, and nobody knew where they had been carried off to.\n\nOn the river bank Friar Sand and Monkey were desperate. “What are we to do?” they said. “The master keeps running into disaster. Now he’s in trouble here at the Black River after escaping from the last demon and having a peaceful stretch of his journey.”\n\n“Perhaps the boat capsized,” said Friar Sand, “let’s look for him further downstream.”\n\n“No,” said Monkey, “it can’t be that. If the boat had capsized Pig can swim and he’d certainly have saved the master and raised him above the water. I noticed there was something a bit wrong about the boatman just now, and I’m sure that he caused the wind and has taken the master down under the water.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why didn’t you say so before?” asked Friar Sand. “Look after the horse and the luggage while I go to look for him in the water.”\n\n“But the water doesn’t look right either,” said Monkey. “I don’t think you’ll be able to.”\n\n“It’s nothing compared to the water in my Shifting Sands River,” said Friar Sand, “I can do it.”\n\nThe splendid monk took off his tunic, tied strips of cloth round his wrists and feet, and plunged into the waves with a great splash as he whirled his demon-quelling staff. As he strode through the waters he heard voices, so he drew aside to steal a look. He saw a pavilion, over the doors of which was written large PALACE OF THE GOD OF THE BLACK RIVER IN THE HENGYANG VALLEY.\n\nHe could hear a monster saying to himself as he sat there, “It’s been hard work getting him, but this priest is a holy man who has cultivated his conduct for ten lives. One piece of his flesh is enough to make you immortal. I’ve waited for him long enough, and now my ambition has been fulfilled.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then he issued his orders: “Little ones, fetch the metal steamer at once, cook those two monks whole, then write an invitation and deliver it to my second uncle asking him over to eat them as a birthday feast.”\n\nThis was too much for Friar Sand’s temper. He beat on the doors with his staff, yelling abusively, “Damned monsters, give me back my master the Tang Priest and my brother Pig this minute!” This gave the demons inside the doors such a fright that they ran in to report, “Disaster!”\n\n“What disaster?” the old monster asked.\n\n“There’s a very sinister-looking monk outside beating at the outer doors and yelling for them.”\n\nAt this the monster sent for his armor, which the little demons brought in. When it was all properly tied on he went outside, holding his flail of steel pieces joined together by bamboo-shaped links. He was a vicious sight.\n\nRound eyes gleamed fiery red in a square-cut face;\n\nHis blood-red lips were curled round an enormous mouth.\n\nThe whiskers of his beard were strands of wire;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The whiskers of his beard were strands of wire;\n\nThe matted hair at his temples was cinnabar red.\n\nHe looked like the sinister Year Lord in his might,\n\nWith the angry face of furious thunder god.\n\nThe iron armor he wore was burnished with flowers,\n\nAnd many a jewel was set in his golden helm.\n\nHolding the flail of bamboo-shaped steel in his hand,\n\nHe stirred up a gale around him as he walked.\n\nAt birth he had been a creature of the waters,\n\nBut he left his native stream and turned to evil.\n\nIf you would like to know the true name of this spirit,\n\nHe used to be called the Little Alligator.\n\n“Who’s that beating at my doors?” the demon roared.\n\n“I’ll get you, you ignorant damned devil,” said Friar Sand. “Deceitful monster, disguising a yourself as a boatman and rowing over to snatch my master. Give him back at once and I’ll spare your life.” The demon roared with laughter at this."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Monk, you’re throwing your life away,” said the monster. “Your master’s mine now, and I’m going to steam him for a feast. Come here and see if you can beat me. If you can hold out for three rounds I’ll give you your master back; but if you can’t I’ll cook you with him and you can forget all about going to the Western Heaven.”\n\nFriar Sand was now in a towering rage, and he swung at the monster’s head with his staff, which the monster parried with his flail. The pair of them had a fine underwater battle:\n\nThe demon-quelling staff and the bamboo-link flail;\n\nTwo angry contenders fighting for mastery.\n\nThe millennial monster of the Black River,\n\nAnd a former immortal from the Hall of Miraculous Mist.\n\nOne was greedy for Sanzang’s flesh,\n\nThe other longed to save the Tang Priest’s life.\n\nAs they fought beneath the waters\n\nThere was no way they both could succeed.\n\nFrightened shrimps and fishes shook their heads and hid;\n\nCrabs and turtles withdrew into their shells."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Crabs and turtles withdrew into their shells.\n\nThen with a roll of drums the water palace demons\n\nJoined in the fight and yelled before the gates.\n\nThe splendid monk, the true Friar Sand,\n\nStood all alone and let them see his might.\n\nAs they plunged through the waves no victor emerged;\n\nFlail and staff were evenly matched.\n\nAll this was because the Tang Priest wanted\n\nTo visit the Buddha and fetch the scriptures.\n\nWhen they had fought thirty rounds without result Friar Sand thought, “This monster is as good a fighter as I am. I’m not going to be able to beat him. I’ll have to lure him out for Monkey to kill.” Friar Sand then pretended to drop his guard and took to his heels trailing his staff behind him.\n\nBut instead of chasing him the evil monster said, “Off you go then. I won’t fight you any more. I’m going to write invitations for my guests.”\n\nFriar Sand emerged from the waves snorting with fury. “Brother,” he said when he saw Monkey, “that monster’s outrageous.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You were down a long time,” said Monkey. “Is there an evil spirit? Did you find the master?”\n\n“There’s a pavilion down there,” said Friar Sand, “with ‘Palace of the God of the Black River in the Hengyang Valley’ written over it. I hid there and listened to him talking. He told his underlings to wash the metal steamer ready to cook the master and Brother Pig and sent them to invite his uncle for a birthday feast. It made me so angry that I started beating at his doors. The monster came out with his flail of pieces of bamboo-shaped steel and fought me for ages. We must have gone thirty rounds without either of us coming out on top. I pretended to be beaten to lure him out here so that you could help me, but he was too clever to come after me. He went back in to write invitations, so I came out.”\n\n“What sort of evil being is he?” Monkey asked.\n\n“He looks a bit like a big soft-shelled turtle,” said Friar Sand. “If he’s not one of those he’s an alligator.”\n\n“I wonder who his uncle is,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I wonder who his uncle is,” said Monkey.\n\nBefore the words were out of his mouth an old man emerged from a bend in the river, knelt at a great distance from them, and said, “The God of the Black River kowtows to the Great Sage.”\n\n“Weren’t you the evil spirit who rowed the boat?” said Monkey. “Trying to fool us again, are you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man wept and kowtowed as he replied, “I’m no monster, Great Sage. I’m the real god of this river. The evil spirit came here from the Western Ocean on a flood tide during the fifth month last year. He fought me, and as I’m so old I was no match for him, so he seized my Palace of the God of the Black River in the Hengyang Valley, and killed many of my watery tribe. I had to go to the sea to bring a case against him. But the Dragon King of the Western Sea is his uncle, so of course he threw my case out and told me to turn my palace over to the monster. I tried submitting a protest to Heaven, but I was too humble a river god to obtain an audience with the Jade Emperor. Now that you are here, Great Sage, I’ve come to pay my respects and submit to you. I beg you to avenge me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“From what you say the Dragon King of the Western Sea is in the wrong too,” said Brother Monkey. “Now that the monster has captured my master and my fellow-disciple, announced that he’s going to steam them and invited his uncle, I’ve got to capture him. It’s a good thing you came to tell me. Very well then, river god, you keep an eye on things with Friar Sand here while I go to the sea to arrest that dragon and make him capture the monster.”\n\n“I’m very grateful, Great Sage,” said the river god.\n\nMonkey went by somersault cloud straight to the Western Ocean, where he landed, made water-repelling magic with his hands, and parted the waves. He saw a black fish spirit who was carrying a golden invitation box shoot upstream like an arrow. Monkey met him head-on and smashed his skull open with a single blow of his iron cudgel, sending the poor spirit’s brains flying and splitting his cheeks apart, and with a loud noise it emerged from the water. Monkey opened the box and found in it an invitation that read:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Your Excellency Second Uncle Ao,\n\nYour nephew Tuo Jie bows in greeting and is deeply grateful for your kind regards. Today I have captured two priests from the East who are great rarities. Not daring to consume them myself, and remembering that your birthday is imminent, I have arranged a simple banquet to wish you eternal life. I beg that you honour me with your illustrious presence.\n\n“That fellow has given me all the evidence I need for my case,” chuckled Monkey, tucking the invitation in his sleeve and carrying on his way. By then a yaksha patrolling the sea had noticed Monkey and rushed straight back to the crystal palace to report to the dragon king, “Lord Monkey, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, is here.”\n\nThe dragon king Ao Shun led his watery tribe from the palace to welcome Monkey: “Great Sage, won’t you come into my humble palace for a while and take a cup of tea?”\n\n“I’ve never had a single cup of your tea,” said Monkey, “but you’ve drunk my wine before now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the dragon king replied with a smile, “Great Sage, you have always been a faithful follower of the Buddha and have never touched meat or alcohol. You’ve never invited me to drinks.”\n\n“You may never have been over for drinks, but you’re already in trouble for being a boozer,” said Monkey.\n\n“How am I in trouble?” asked Ao Shun with horror. Monkey produced the invitation and handed it to the dragon king."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the sight of this the dragon king was scared out of his wits. He fell to his knees in panic, kowtowed and said, “Forgive me, Great Sage. That awful boy is my younger sister’s ninth son. My brother-in-law, her husband, sent the wrong amount of wind and cut down on the rain. A heavenly edict was sent to the human prime minister Wei Zheng, who beheaded him in a dream. I brought my sister here because she had nowhere else to live and bring the boy up. Two years ago a disease killed her, and as the boy was then homeless I sent him to nourish his nature and cultivate the truth in the Black River. I never imagined he’d commit such terrible sins, and now I’ll send people to arrest him.”\n\n“How many fine sons did your sister have?” asked Monkey. “Are they all monsters?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nine,” the dragon king replied. “The other eight have turned out well. The eldest is the Little Yellow Dragon, and he lives in the Huai River. The second is the Little Black Dragon who lives in the River Ji. The third is the Blue-backed Dragon who occupies the Yangtse. The Red-whiskered Dragon is the fourth son, and he holds the Yellow River. The fifth is the Vain-effort Dragon who looks after the bell for the Lord Buddha. Guardian Dragon is the sixth, and he sits guarding the roof of the Heavenly Palace. Respectful Dragon is the seventh; he holds up the winged column at the Jade Emperor’s court. The eighth is Clam Dragon who lives with my eldest brother on Mount Tai. The youngest, Alligator Dragon, has had no particular duties since he is still young. He was only sent to the Black River to nourish his nature last year. He hasn’t yet won himself any fame or been transferred and given a job elsewhere. I never expected that he would disobey me by offending you, Great Sage.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he laughed and said, “How many husbands has your sister had?”\n\n“Only one,” Ao Shun replied, “the Dragon King of the Jing River. After his execution she lived here as a widow until she died of an illness the year before last.”\n\n“How could one husband and one wife have had so many little bastards?” Monkey asked.\n\n“It’s as the saying goes, there are nine kinds of dragons born, and each one is different,” Ao Shun replied.\n\n“I lost my patience just now,” said Monkey. “With this invitation as evidence I was going to submit a complaint to the Heavenly Court and charge you with conspiring with a monster to kidnap. But from what you tell me the wretch refused to follow your advice, so I’ll let you off this time, partly out of respect for your elder brother and partly because that wretch is too young to know any better. Besides, you didn’t know what was happening. But you must send someone at once to arrest him and rescue my master. Then we’ll decide what to do.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ao Shun then told his son Mo’ang, “Take five hundred of our strongest prawn and fish soldiers to arrest and charge Alligator immediately. At the same time arrange a banquet as an apology to the Great Sage.”\n\n“There’s no need to worry so, Your Majesty,” said Monkey. “I’ve already told you I’ll let you off, so why bother with the banquet? But I would like to go with your son as my master has been wronged and my fellow-disciples are waiting for me.”\n\nThe dragon king tried hard to make him stay, but without success. Then a dragon maiden came in with tea, a cup of which Monkey drank standing up before taking his leave of the old dragon and leaving the Western Sea with Mo’ang and his troops. Soon they were back at the Black River, where Monkey said, “Catch the demon, Your Royal Highness, while I wait on the bank.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, Great Sage,” said Mo’ang. “I’ll arrest him show him to you, Great Sage, to sentence and punish, and return your master to you. Only then will I take him back to the ocean and see my father.”\n\nMonkey took leave of him cheerfully, recited the water-repelling spell and made it with his hands, sprang out of the waves, and made straight for the East bank, where Friar Sand and the river god said, “When you went it was by air, so why have you come back from under the water?” Monkey told them all about how he had killed the fish spirit, taken the invitation, charged the dragon king, and brought soldiers back with the dragon prince. Friar Sand was very pleased, and they all stood on the bank waiting.\n\nPrince Mo’ang sent a herald to the gates of the underwater palace to announce to the evil spirit, “Prince Mo’ang, son of the Old Dragon King of the Western Sea, is here.” This news aroused the suspicions of the evil spirit as he sat inside."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I sent a black fish spirit with an invitation to my uncle some time ago,” he thought, “and I haven’t had any answer yet. Why is my cousin here instead?”\n\nAs he was thinking, a little demon came in from a river patrol to report, “Your Majesty, there’s a detachment of troops camped in the river West of the palace. Their banner says ‘Young Marshal Mo’ang, Crown Prince and Son of the Dragon King of the Western Sea.’”\n\n“That cousin of mine is outrageous,” said the monster. “Presumably my uncle couldn’t come and sent him to the feast instead, but he didn’t have to bring an army with him. Hmm. There must be something up.”\n\n“Little ones,” he said, “get my armor and my steel flail ready in case things turn rough while I go out to greet him and see what’s happening.” On hearing the orders all the devils rubbed their hands and got ready.\n\nWhen the alligator came out he saw a whole force of sea soldiers camped there on the right:\n\nEmbroidered sashes and flying banners,\n\nColoured halberds brighter than the dawn,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Coloured halberds brighter than the dawn,\n\nFine swords coldly gleaming,\n\nSpears with many a handsome tassel,\n\nBows drawn back like the moon,\n\nArrows like teeth of wolves,\n\nDazzling broadswords,\n\nGrit-hard maces.\n\nThere were whales, turtles, and clams,\n\nCrabs, tortoises, fish and prawns,\n\nAll drawn up by size,\n\nTheir weapons as dense-packed as a field of hemp.\n\nUnless ordered by a superior officer\n\nNone would dare advance upon them.\n\nWhen the alligator demon saw them he went straight to the gates of their camp and shouted at the top of his voice, “Cousin, I’m waiting for you here with an invitation.”\n\nA conch patrolling the camp went straight to the commander’s tent to report, “Your Royal Highness, Alligator Dragon is outside with an invitation.”\n\nThe prince felt the helmet on his head, tightened the jeweled belt round his waist, picked up a three-edged mace, and hurried out of the camp. “What invitation do you have for me?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Alligator Dragon bowed and replied, “This morning I sent your father an invitation. No doubt he did not think it worth coming and sent you instead. But why did you have to bring an army with you? Why have you encamped here armed to the teeth?”\n\n“What did you invite my father to?” the crown prince asked.\n\n“Since I have been living here as a result of his kindness I have not seen his illustrious countenance for a long time or done my duty by him,” the alligator replied. “Yesterday I caught a priest from the East who has, they say, cultivated his conduct for ten lives in succession. If you eat his body you can live much longer. I wanted to invite uncle to have a look at the priest before I cook him in the steamer as a birthday treat.”\n\n“Complete and utter fool,” yelled the crown prince. “Do you know who that priest is?”\n\n“He’s a priest from the Tang who’s going to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven,” the demon replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All you know is that he’s a Tang priest,” said the crown prince. “What you don’t realize is what powerful disciples he has.”\n\n“He’s got one long-snouted one called Pig who I’ve captured already and I’m going to steam with the Tang Priest,” the alligator demon replied. “There’s another disciple called Friar Sand, a dusky fellow with a sinister face who fights with the quarterstaff. He came to my gates yesterday demanding his master. I came out at the head of my river troops and it didn’t take me long to see him off with my steel flail. I don’t see what’s so powerful about him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You still haven’t got the message,” the dragon prince replied. “His senior disciple is the Golden Immortal of the Supreme Ultimate, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago. He’s now escorting the Tang Priest on his way to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures in the Western Heaven. He was converted by the compassionate and merciful Bodhisattva Guanyin of Potaraka, who changed his name to Sun Wukong the Novice. Why ever did you have to bring this catastrophe on yourself? He came across a messenger of yours in our ocean, took the invitation, and went straight into our crystal palace to make things very awkward for my father and myself. He has us on a charge of conspiring with evil spirits to kidnap. You’d better bring the Tang Priest and Pig straight to the bank, hand them back to the Great Sage Monkey, and join me in making apologies to him if you want to keep alive. If you even hint at a ‘no’ you can forget about remaining here in one piece.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This threw the alligator monster into a terrible rage. “My own cousin taking their side!” he exclaimed. “You’d have me hand the Tang Priest over, but nothing comes that easy in this world. Just because you’re scared of him it doesn’t mean that I am. If he’s really got such powers and he has the guts to go three rounds with me in front of my palace gates I’ll give him his master back. If he’s no match for me I’ll capture him too and cook him with the others. And this time there’ll be no guests or relations; I’ll fasten the doors, my little ones will sing and dance for me, and I’ll sit in the place of honour and have a fine old time bloody well eating them myself.”\n\n“Damned devil,” the crown prince swore back at him, “you’re a disgrace. Even if you’re not going to regard the Great Sage Monkey as a worthy foe will you dare to fight me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A tough guy is afraid of nobody,” the demon replied. He then called for his armor, at which a host of little devils came forward with his armor and his steel flail. The two of them were now glaring at each other and each wanted to play the hero. The orders were given, the drums rolled, and a fight ensued that was much harder than the one with Friar Sand. What could be seen were:\n\nDazzling banners,\n\nGleaming halberds.\n\nThe encampment was quickly broken up,\n\nWhile the gates of the palace were opened wide.\n\nPrince Mo’ang wielded his golden mace;\n\nThat alligator parried with his flail.\n\nFierce were the river soldiers as the cannon roared;\n\nWild were the ocean warriors as the gong was beaten.\n\nShrimp fought with shrimp,\n\nAnd crab with crab.\n\nWhales and giant turtles swallowed red carp;\n\nBream and carp set mollusks running.\n\nThe shark and mullet put the mackerel to flight;\n\nThe mussels all panicked when oysters captured clams.\n\nThe swordfish barbs were hard as iron rods;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The swordfish barbs were hard as iron rods;\n\nThe barracudas needles were sharper than spears.\n\nSturgeons chased the white eel;\n\nPerch and herring seized the back pomfret.\n\nThe river was full of battling demons,\n\nWhile both side’s dragon warriors contended.\n\nThe long melee stirred up the waves,\n\nAnd Crown Prince Mo’ang was better than a vajrapani,\n\nAs he roared and struck at the head with his mace,\n\nCapturing the alligator who caused the trouble.\n\nThe prince pretended to drop his guard with his three-bladed mace. Not realizing that this was a trick, the evil spirit rushed him, whereupon the crown prince skillfully first struck him a blow with the mace on the right arm that made him stumble, caught up with him, then struck at his feet and set him sprawling."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ocean soldiers rushed up, seized Alligator, tied both hands behind his back, put an iron chain through his collar bone, hauled him up on the bank, and took him to Monkey, where the prince reported, “Great Sage, I have arrested the alligator demon and am handing him over to you for judgement.”\n\n“You disobedient wretch,” said Monkey when he and Friar Sand saw the demon, “your uncle sent you to live here, build up your nature, and look after yourself. Once you had made your name he was going to transfer you to duties somewhere else. Why did you have to seize the river god’s home and become a bully? Why did you use deception to capture my master and my brother? I was going to hit you, but this cudgel of mine hits so hard that a mere touch of it would finish you off. Where have you put my master?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Great Sage,” replied the demon, kowtowing ceaselessly, “this humble alligator had never heard of your mighty name. But now I have been arrested by my cousin for my disobedience to him and for my flagrant offences against right. I am endlessly grateful to you, Great Sage, for sparing my life. Your master is still tied up in the water palace. If you would take off the chain and untie my hands I will return to the river and bring him back to you.”\n\n“Great Sage,” said Prince Mo’ang who was standing beside them, “he is a vicious and deceitful beast. If you were to release him he might have evil ideas.”\n\n“I know where his place is,” said Friar Sand. “I’ll find the master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He and the river god then leapt into the river and went straight to the doors of the water palace, which were wide open and not guarded by a single soldier. Inside the pavilion they saw the Tang Priest and Pig tied up stark naked. Friar Sand quickly untied the master while the river god released Pig. Next they each carried one up to the surface of the water and then to the bank.\n\nSeeing the evil spirit roped and in chains there Pig raised his rake to strike him and said abusively, “Evil beast, take this from me.”\n\nMonkey held him back, saying, “Spare his life, brother, out of consideration for Ao Shun and his son.”\n\nMo’ang then bowed and said, “Great Sage, I must not stay here any longer. As I have rescued your master I shall now take this wretch to see my father. You have spared him the death penalty, but my father will not let him off other kinds of punishment. When he has been sentenced he will be sent back to apologize to you again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well then,” said Monkey, “take him away. Give my respects to your father and tell him that I’ll be back to thank him in person another time.” The prince then plunged into the water with his prisoner and took his ocean troops straight back to be Western Sea.\n\nThe God of the Black River then thanked Brother Monkey for the recovery of his water palace. “Disciple,” said the Tang Priest, “we’re still on the Eastern bank. How are we going to get across this river?”\n\n“Don’t worry about that, my lord,” said the river god. “Please mount your horse and I will lead you across the river.” The master then rode his horse while Pig led it, Friar Sand carried the luggage, and Monkey supported Sanzang. The river god did water-stopping magic to hold the waters back. In an instant a broad road opened up where the waters had withdrawn; master and disciples crossed to the West bank, climbed it, thanked the river god, and continued on their way. Indeed:\n\nTo visit the West the priest they did save;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To visit the West the priest they did save;\n\nWhen the river was crossed there was never a wave.\n\nIf you don’t know how they visited the Buddha and obtained the scriptures, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty-Four\n\nThe Primal Movement of the Dharma Body encounters a Cart\n\nEvil in the Heart's Centre Crossesthe Backbone Pass\n\nThere is a poem that goes:\n\nThey travel West escaping dangers to seek the scriptures;\n\nNor can they stop at all the famous mountains.\n\nThey press on night and day, starting crows and hares;\n\nThe seasons turn amid falling blossom and bird-song.\n\nIn the dust under one’s eyes are three thousand worlds;\n\nFour hundred prefectures rest on the head of a staff.\n\nSleeping in dew and dining on wind they climb the purple slope;\n\nNever knowing when they will be able to start back."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how after the dragon prince had subdued the demon and the God of the Black River had divided the waters, master and disciples crossed the Black River and took the main trail West. They faced wind and snow, and traveled under the moon and the stars. After they had been going for a long time it was early spring again.\n\nThe sun returns;\n\nAll comes back to life.\n\nThe sun returns;\n\nBeauty fills the sky like an opened scroll.\n\nAll comes hack to life,\n\nAs flowers cover the earth with embroidered cushions.\n\nA few snowflakes of plum blossom remain,\n\nWhile the wheat spreads like a sea of cloud.\n\nIn the gentle thaw the mountain spring now flows,\n\nThe new shoots grow and cover the burnt-out stubble.\n\nTai Hao governs the East,\n\nThe Wood God rules the dawn.\n\nAbove the fragrance and the warming breeze\n\nThe clouds disperse and the sun shines anew.\n\nWillows spread their green beside the path,\n\nEnriching rain brings spring to all that lives."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Enriching rain brings spring to all that lives.\n\nMaster and disciples were ambling along enjoying the view when all of a sudden they heard a mighty shout like a war-cry from a thousand throats. Sanzang was terrified. He reined in his horse, unable to take another step forward. “Wukong,” he said, looking back at him, “where is that noise from?”\n\n“It sounded like an earthquake or a landslide,” said Pig.\n\n“Or thunder,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“Or people shouting and horses neighing,” said Sanzang.\n\n“You’re all wrong,” laughed Monkey. “Just wait a moment while I go and take a look.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Monkey. With one bound he was on a cloud and up in the air looking all around. In the distance he could make out a walled city, and when he went close he could see that it had a haze of auspicious light over it with no sign of any evil emanations. “It’s a good place,” he sighed to himself, “but why was there that terrible noise? I can’t see war banners or spears there, and there’s no sound of cannon. So why was there a noise like shouting and neighing?”\n\nJust as he was debating all this with himself he noticed a big crowd of Buddhist monks on a sandbank outside the city gates, pulling a cart. The noise that had startle Sanzang was them all shouting. “King Powerful Bodhisattva.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he slowly lowered his cloud for a better look he saw that the cart was loaded with kiln bricks, tiles, wood and adobe bricks. Above the sandbank was a high ridge, along the top of which ran a narrow track between two great gates. Below the gates the paths all went straight down the steep sides of the ridge: the cart could not possibly be pulled up there. Although the weather was so mild and pleasant the monks were all dressed in rags and looked thoroughly poverty-stricken.\n\n“I suppose they must be building a monastery,” thought Monkey, “and are having to do the work themselves because it’s harvest-time here and they can’t hire any labor.” He was still not sure when he saw two young Taoist priests come swaggering out through the city gates. Just see how they were dressed:\n\nStar crowns on their heads,\n\nBrocade and embroidered clothes.\n\nThe star crowns on their heads shine bright,\n\nThe brocade and embroidered clothes float like sunset clouds.\n\nOn their feet are cloud-treading shoes,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On their feet are cloud-treading shoes,\n\nRound their waists are silken belts.\n\nHandsome and clever faces, round as the moon;\n\nBodies as elegant as the immortals in Heaven.\n\nThe approach of the Taoists made the Buddhist monks all shake with fear as they redoubled their efforts and pulled harder than ever at the cart.\n\n“Ah!” thought Monkey as he realized what was up. “The monks must be scared of the Taoists. Why else would they be pulling so hard? I’ve heard people tell of a place on the way to the West where they believe in Taoism and persecute Buddhist monks. This must be it. I was going to report back to the master, but he’ll be angry with me if I don’t discover what it’s all about. He’ll say that a clever chap like me ought to be able to find out the truth. I’ll go down and ask what’s happening so I can tell the master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But whom was he to ask? The splendid Great Sage shook himself and turned into the likeness of a wandering Quanzhen Taoist with a food basket over his left arm as he beat on a bamboo drum and sang Taoist songs. Monkey walked towards the city gates and bowed in greeting to the two Taoists, saying, “Humble greetings, elders in the Way.”\n\n“Where are you from, sir?” the Taoists asked, returning his greeting.\n\n“I wander and roam from the corners of the sea to the edge of the sky,” Monkey replied. “I am here today to beg from some pious household. Could you two elders tell me which streets and which alleys in this city love the Way and its followers? I would like to beg for some food.”\n\n“What a depressing way to talk, sir,” said one of the Taoist priests with a laugh.\n\n“What’s so depressing about it?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Isn’t it depressing that you want to beg for food?” asked the priest.\n\n“But we men of religion have to live by begging,” said Brother Monkey. If we don’t, we can’t buy our food.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Taoist priest laughed again and replied, “You’re a stranger here and you don’t know about our city. Here it’s not just the civil and military officials, the rich and the elderly who love the Way and its followers. Young and old, men and women alike, everyone offers us food when they see us. But all that is hardly worth mentioning. By far the most important thing is that His Majesty the king is a devout lover of the Way and its followers.”\n\n“I’m young,” said Monkey, “and I’m a stranger from far away. I didn’t know that. Could I trouble you two elders to do a fellow-believer a favour? Tell me more about what this place is called and how the king shows his love for the Way and its worthies.”\n\n“This country is called Tarrycart,” the Taoist priest replied, “and His Majesty is close to us.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he said with a chuckle, “Can it be that a Taoist priest is monarch?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” he replied. “For twenty years there was a drought here, and not a drop of rain fell. Nothing could grow. Everyone—king, ministers, commoners, the high and the humble—all bathed, burnt incense and prayed to Heaven for rain. When they were in really desperate straits three immortals were sent from Heaven to save all living beings.”\n\n“Which three?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Our masters,” the Taoist priest replied.\n\n“May I ask their titles?” Monkey asked. “Our senior master is the Great Immortal Tiger Power,” the Taoist replied, “our second master is the Great Immortal Deer Power, and the third master is the Great Immortal Antelope Power.”\n\n“What sort of magic can your three masters perform?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They can summon up wind and rain with a flick of the hand,” the Taoist said, “and change water into oil or stone into gold as easily as turning around. Their magic arts enable them to control the creation of heaven and earth, or to alter the positions of the stars. Our king and his ministers treat them with great respect and they are now relations of ours.”\n\n“Your king is very fortunate,” said Monkey. “As the saying goes, magic moves ruler and minister alike. If your masters have those powers and the king treats them as his relations they must have been very good to him. Oh dear! I don’t suppose that a poor Taoist like myself is fated to meet your venerable masters.”\n\n“No, problem about meeting them,” said the Taoist. “We two are his favorite disciples. Besides, our masters are such lovers of the Way and its followers that they only need to hear the word ‘Way’ to come right outside to welcome a visitor. For us to take you in there would be as easy as blowing away ashes.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey chanted a deep and respectful “re-e-er” and then said, “I would be very grateful for an introduction. Let’s go in.”\n\n“Wait a moment,” said the Taoist. “You sit here while we finish the jobs we have to do, then we’ll go in together.”\n\n“Priests ought to be completely free and unconstrained,” said Monkey. “What jobs do you have to do?”\n\nThe Taoist pointed toward the Buddhist monks on the sandbank and said, “They’re working for us, and we have to call the roll to make sure they don’t start slacking.”\n\n“You elders have got it wrong,” said Monkey with a smile. “We Buddhist and Taoist monks are all men of religion. They shouldn’t be working for us and answering roll-calls.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t know that when we were all praying for ram the year the Buddhists were on one side praying to Buddha while we were on the other side praying to the Great Bear. We both asked the court for grain, but the Buddhists turned out to be useless. They got no results by reciting their sutras and didn’t help in the least. It was our masters who came along, called up wind and rain, and saved the people from their distress. The king was so angry with those useless Buddhists that he had their monasteries torn down and their Buddha-statues smashed. He revoked their ordination licenses and refused to let them go home. Instead he gave them to us to work for us as slaves. They do all our cooking and cleaning and they look after our gates. Because our residence out here hasn’t been finished yet we’ve made the Buddhists drag the bricks, tiles and timber here to do the building for us. We two have been sent here to keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t start slacking.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he held on to them and said through his tears, “I said I wasn’t fated to meet your masters and I was right.”\n\n“Why won’t you meet them?” the Taoist asked.\n\n“I have come here on my wanderings for two reasons,” said Monkey. “One is to make a living, and the other is to find a relation.”\n\n“What relation?” the Taoist asked.\n\n“I have an uncle,” Monkey replied, “who left home to have his head shaved and become a Buddhist monk when he was very young. During a famine years ago he went away to beg. He hasn’t been back since, and I’m looking for him out of a sense of duty to our forebears. I expect he’s been detained here and can’t escape, but there’s no way of knowing. If I could just have a look for him and see him I’d be able to go into town with you after that.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No problem,” said the Taoist. “We’ll sit here while you go down to the sand and check them over for us. Just make sure there are five hundred of them. See if your uncle is among them. If he is, we’ll release him as you’re a fellow Taoist. Then we can go into town together.”\n\nMonkey was very grateful indeed. He bowed to them with his hands raised and headed straight for the sandbank, playing his bamboo drum. Once he was through the two sets of gates and had gone down the ridge the monks all knelt and kowtowed to him.\n\n“Master,” one of the monks said, “we’re not slacking. Every one of the five hundred of us is here and all pulling that cart.”\n\nAt this Monkey smiled to himself and thought with a grin he did not show, “Those Taoists have got them so scared that they’re even frightened of an imitation Taoist like me. If I were a real Taoist they’d die of fright.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then Monkey said aloud with a wave of his hands, “Don’t kneel, and don’t be afraid. I’m not the supervisor. I’m here to look for a relation.” Once they heard him talk about looking for a relation, the monks all crowded round, craning forward, coughing and making other noises in their eagerness to be picked out.\n\n“Who’s his relation?” they all wondered. Monkey looked them all over for a while then started chuckling aloud.\n\n“My lord,” the monk said, “if you can’t find your relation among us, what is there to laugh about?”\n\n“Do you know why I’m laughing?” Monkey asked. “It’s because all you monks are failures. You were born under unlucky stars. Your parents were only prepared to let you become monks because you brought them bad luck or because you were destined to have no sisters. Why ever are you working for Taoists like slaves instead of honoring the Three Treasures, respecting the Buddha’s Dharma, reading sutras and performing ceremonies of repentance?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You put us to shame, my lord,” the monk replied. “You must be a stranger here, sir, who doesn’t understand the situation.”\n\n“Indeed I am,” Monkey replied, “and indeed I don’t.”\n\n“Our king,” said the Buddhist monk in tears, “is prejudiced and unreasonable. He only likes the followers of Lao Zi, and he hates us Buddhists.”\n\n“Why?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Because three immortals came here to call up wind and rain,” the monk replied. “They ruined everything for us and won the king’s confidence. He has destroyed our monasteries, revoked our ordination licenses, and refused to let us return to our homes. And the form of forced labor he imposed on us was to give us to the immortals to work for them. It’s unbearably hard. When you come here, wandering Taoist, you will only have to call on the king to be richly rewarded. But any Buddhist monk who comes, whether from around here or from far away, is arrested and put to work for the immortals.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I suppose the Taoists must use some magic powers to worm their way into the king’s confidence,” said Monkey. “Calling up winds and rain is small-time magic used by unorthodox sects, and hardly enough to win a king’s heart.”\n\n“They can refine mercury from cinnabar, sit in meditation, turn water into oil, and change stones into gold,” the monk replied. “They have now built a Temple of the Three Pure Ones where they read scriptures and perform ceremonies to heaven and earth night and day to obtain eternal life for His Majesty. That is why the king’s heart has been moved.”\n\n“So it’s like that, is it?” said Monkey. “You may all go now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But, my lord, we can’t get away,” the monk replied. “The immortals persuaded the king to have pictures of monks painted, and these have been sent to be displayed in every ward and by every river. Tarrycart is a big country, but in every city, prefecture, county town, village, hamlet, inn and market-place there hangs a picture of Buddhist monks with this notice on it in the king’s own handwriting: Any official who captures a monk will be promoted three grades. Any commoner not holding office who captures a monk will receive a reward of fifty ounces of silver.\n\nThat’s why we can’t escape. It’s not just us Buddhist monks. Anyone who’s had a short haircut or who’s bald or whose hair is thinning finds it hard not to get arrested. Agents and policemen are everywhere. There’s no way we can possibly escape. We have no choice: we can only suffer here.”\n\n“In that case you’d all better die,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My lord,” said the Buddhist monk, “many of us have already. There were over two thousand of us altogether, both us local monks and those arrested from elsewhere. Six or seven hundred of us have died and about the same number have killed themselves because they could not bear the pain, the searing heat, the bitter cold, or the local conditions. We five hundred are the only survivors.”\n\n“How have you managed to stay alive?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The rope broke when we tried to hang ourselves, or it did not even hurt when we tried to slit our own throats, or we floated and did not drown when we jumped into the river, or the poison we took didn’t harm us.”\n\n“You’re all very lucky then,” said Monkey. “Heaven has given each of you perpetual life.”\n\n“Sir,” said the monk, “you’ve left one word out. It’s a perpetual life sentence. For our three meals every day all we get is a thin gruel of brown rice. At night we have to sleep on the sandbank in the open. Luckily spirits come to protect us when we close our eyes.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I expect you see ghosts because you’re so exhausted,” said Monkey.\n\n“No,” said the Buddhist monk. “They’re the Six Dings, the Six Jias, and the Guardians of the Faith. But they can only protect us at night, except when they come to save the life of any of us who is on the point of death.”\n\n“That’s very wrong of the spirits,” said Brother Monkey. “They shouldn’t be protecting you like that. They should let you die and be reborn in the Western Heaven as soon as possible.”\n\n“They come to us in our dreams,” said the monk, “and give us advice like, ‘Don’t try to die. Hole out till a holy priest comes from the East, and arhat who will go to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. He has a disciple of immense magical powers, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. He has a good and loyal heart, he rights wrongs, he saves those in distress and he helps widows and orphans. Wait till he shows his divine powers, wipes out the Taoist priests, and restores our Dhyana faith to its proper respect.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This pleased Monkey, though he did not show it as he thought,\n\n“Whoever said that Monkey had no powers to his name?\n\nBefore I even got here gods and spirits spread my fame.”\n\nHe then hurried off, taking his leave of the monks and beating his bamboo drum as he headed for the city gates to see the Taoist priests again. “Which of them is your respected uncle?” they asked.\n\n“All five hundred of them are my relations,” Monkey replied.\n\n“How can you possibly have so many?” they asked again.\n\n“A hundred were my neighbors who lived to the left of us,” Monkey replied, “and another hundred lived to the right. A hundred are my father’s kin, and a hundred are related to my mother. The last hundred are my own friends and acquaintances. If you are willing to release them all, I’ll go into the city with you; but if you won’t, I won’t.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You must be off your head, talking such nonsense,” the Taoist priests replied. “All those Buddhist monks were presented to us by His Majesty. Even if we released just one or two of them we’d have to cover up by handing in sick notes for them to our masters then filling out death certificates. We couldn’t possibly release the whole lot of them. It would be outrageous, quite outrageous. We’d have no servants and the king would be very angry with us. The ward head is always sending officials to check up, and sometimes the king even comes to count them himself. We couldn’t possibly let them go.”\n\n“You couldn’t?” said Monkey.\n\n“No,” the priests replied. By the time he had asked this and been given the same answer three times he was in a terrible rage. He produced his iron cudgel from his ear, created a spell with his hands, made it as thick as a rice bowl, swung it, and brought it down on the Taoists’ faces. The poor Taoists\n\nFell to the ground with their blood gushing out and their heads split open,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wounds that were gaping wide, brains scattered everywhere, both necks broken.\n\nWhen the Buddhist monks faraway on the strand saw Monkey kill the two Taoists they abandoned their cart and came running over saying, “This is awful, this is awful. You’ve killed the king’s relations.”\n\n“Who are the king’s relations?” Monkey asked.\n\nThe monks fenced him in with their earth-moving baskets and said, “Their masters don’t have to greet the king when they enter the throne hall or take leave of him when they go. The king addresses them as ‘Elder Brother Teacher’. Why did you have to come here to get us into this terrible trouble. It was nothing to do with you that their disciples came to supervise the work. What’s to become of us now that they’ve been killed? We’ll have to take you into town to report their deaths.”\n\n“Do stop that yelling, gentlemen,” said Monkey with a smile. “I’m not really a wandering Quanzhen Taoist. I’m here to rescue you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But by killing them you’ve only made things worse for us,” they said. “How can you say you’re here to rescue us?”\n\n“I’m Sun Wukong the Novice,” Monkey replied, “the disciple of the holy priest from the Great Tang, and I’ve come here specially to save you.”\n\n“No, you’re not,” the monk said. “We know what that great lord looks like.”\n\n“But how could you?” Monkey asked. “You’ve never met him.”\n\n“We’ve seen an old man in a dream who told us he was the Great White Planet. He told us what Sun the Novice, or Monkey, looks like so that we wouldn’t confuse him with anyone else.”\n\n“How did the Planet describe him to you?” Monkey asked him.\n\nTo this the Buddhist monk replied, “He told us that the Great Sage has\n\nA brow that seems split open, two flashing of eyes of gold,\n\nA head that’s round, a hairy face, and sunken cheeks, we’re told.\n\nOut of a pointed muzzle sharp little teeth protrude;\n\nHe looks much like a thunder god, and his Conduct’s very crude.\n\nHe wields a cudgel of iron with ends banded in gold"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With which he smashed the Heavenly gates as a rebel in times of old.\n\nNow he has seen the light of the faith he’s escorting his master,\n\nAnd saves whoever he can from death and disaster.”\n\nMonkey was both angry and pleased to hear this. He was pleased that his fame had been spread, but thought angrily, “That old rascal, telling these ordinary mortals what I really look like.”\n\nThen he found himself speaking aloud and saying, “Gentlemen, you’re quite right that I’m not Sun the Novice. I’m only a servant of his who’s come here to fool around and practice making trouble. But Sun the Novice is coming—look over there!” He pointed East, tricking all the monks into turning away while he resumed his true appearance.\n\nOnly then did they realize who he really was, and fell to the ground to kowtow and say, “My lord, because we have only mortal eyes we failed to recognize you in your disguise. We beg you to go into the city, subdue evil, and save and avenge us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Come with me then,” said Monkey, and the monks followed him closely.\n\nThe Great Sage went straight to the sandbank and used magic to make the cart go through the two gates and along the ridge then lift itself right up and smash itself to smithereens. The bricks, tiles and timber all went tumbling down the slope. “Scatter,” he told the monks, “and keep away from me until I’ve seen the king and wiped out those Taoists tomorrow.”\n\n“But, my lord,” the Buddhist monk said, “we dare not go far. We’re frightened of being arrested by officials and brought back here to be flogged and punished in other ways. It would only make things worse for us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case I’ll give you some magical protection,” said Monkey. The splendid Great Sage then pulled out a handful of hairs and chewed them into little pieces, one of which he gave to each of the monks. “Keep it inside the nail of your third finger, bunch you fingers together, and just keep walking,” he told them. “Nothing will happen unless somebody tries to arrest you. If anyone does, clench your fist and shout, ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven.’ Then I’ll come and protect you.”\n\n“But, my lord,” the monk said, “what if you’re far away and out of sight? What if you don’t come when we call? Whatever shall we do?”\n\n“Don’t worry yourselves,” said Monkey. “I’ll keep you completely safe even if I’m thousands of miles away.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One of the bolder spirits among the monks clenched his fist and said “Great Sage Equaling Heaven” under his breath. A figure like a thunder god holding an iron cudgel appeared before him, so terrifying that not even a huge army would not have dared to approach him. Then over a hundred of the monks called out, and over a hundred Great Sages appeared to protect them.\n\n“Truly a miracle, my lord,” the monks all said, kowtowing.\n\nMonkey then told them to say “Quiet” for their protectors to disappear again. They then all said “Quiet,” and the pieces of hair were once more tucked behind their fingernails. Only then were the monks all happy to disperse and make their escapes.\n\n“Don’t go too far,” said Brother Monkey, “and keep your ears open for news of me. If a notice is issued recalling Buddhist monks, come to the city and return my hair.” The five hundred monks then scattered in all directions; some went away and some stayed where they were."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story switches back to Sanzang, who gave up waiting beside the track for Monkey to report back and told Pig to lead the horse Westward. They met monks hurrying away, and when they were close to the city wall they found Monkey with a dozen or so monks who had not yet gone. “Wukong,” said Sanzang, reining in his horse, “why did it take you so long to get back from investigating that noise?” Monkey led the dozen or so monks in performing obeisances before Sanzang’s horse and then told him everything that happened. Sanzang was horrified: “What are we to do if that’s the way it is?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please don’t worry, my lord,” said the dozen or so monks. “His Honour the Great Sage Monkey is a god down from Heaven whose divine powers are tremendous. He will most certainly be able to protect you. We are monks from the Deep Wisdom Monastery, a royal foundation in the city. Because our monastery was founded by the great-grandfather of the present king and there is a statue of him there, the monastery has not been demolished, although all the others in the city, big and small alike, have been torn down. We would like to invite you to come straight into town to stay in our humble monastery. The Great Sage Monkey is bound to find some way of coping at court tomorrow morning.”\n\n“You are right,” said Monkey. “Very well then, let us go into the city without further delay.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder then dismounted and went on foot to the city gate. The sun was setting in the West as they crossed the drawbridge and went in through the triple gates. People in the streets turned away when they saw the monks of the Deep Wisdom Monastery leading a horse and carrying luggage. When they reached the monastery gates the travelers saw a large sign over them reading DEEP WISDOM MONASTERY: FOUNDED BY ROYAL COMMAND.\n\nThe monks pushed the gates open and led them through the Hall of the Vajrapanis before opening the doors of the main hall of the monastery. Sanzang covered himself with his cassock and worshipped the Buddha before\n\nentering.\n\n“Steward!” the monks called, and an old monk came out who kowtowed to Monkey the moment he saw him.\n\n“My lord, are you really here?” he said.\n\n“Do you know which lord I am, bowing like that?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I can see that you are Lord Sun, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven,” the old monk replied. “We see you in our dreams every night; the Great White Planet is always coming in them to tell us that we will only be saved when you arrive. Now that I have beheld your distinguished countenance I know that it is the same as in our dreams. I am glad you are here so soon, my lord. Had you been a day or two later we would all have become ghosts by then.”\n\n“Please get up,” said Monkey. “Things will be sorted out tomorrow.” The monks then laid on a vegetarian meal for the master and his disciples and tidied up the abbot’s lodgings for them to stay in. They settled down for the night."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A little before midnight Monkey, who had too much on his mind to go to sleep, heard music outside, got up quietly, dressed, and sprang into the air to look around. To the South he saw lamps and candles burning bright, and when he brought his cloud lower for a close look he saw that in the Temple of the Three Pure Ones the Taoists were performing a star ritual. What he saw was\n\nThe high hall of the sanctum,\n\nThe true holy shrine.\n\nThe high hall of the sanctum\n\nWas as majestic as Penghu’s magic isle;\n\nThe true holy shrine\n\nWas mysteriously pure like the Huale Temple.\n\nOn either side the Taoist priests played pan-pipes\n\nWhile the celebrant in the center held a tablet of jade.\n\nThey explained The Elimination of Disaster\n\nAnd preached on The Way and its Power.\n\nWhen the dust-raising dance was over the talismans were issued;\n\nAfter making divine petition all lay down in respect.\n\nWhen the water had been blessed and the spirits summoned,\n\nThe fluttering flames of the candles rose up to the sky."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Pole Star was located and the Dipper paced out,\n\nClouds of fragrant incense filled the void.\n\nFresh food was offered on the votive tables,\n\nAnd a rich repast of meatless food laid out.\n\nIn front of the hall hung a pair of yellow brocade vertical scrolls on which were embroidered these words:\n\nMay winds and rains come as they should;\n\nWe pray for the boundless power of the Heavenly Honoured Ones.\n\nMay rivers and seas be pure and peaceful;\n\nWe beg for many a year of life for His Majesty.\n\nMonkey saw three old Taoists wearing their religious robes; he took them to be the Great Immortals Tiger Power, Deer Power and Antelope Power. Standing below them to either side were a crowd of seven or eight hundred Taoists holding drums, bells, incense and divine petitions. Monkey was delighted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I had meant to go down and fool around with them by myself,” he thought, “but one strand of silk can’t make a thread, and one hand can’t clap. I think I’ll go back and do Friar Sand and Pig a good turn by letting them join in the game with me.”\n\nMonkey then landed his auspicious cloud and went straight into the abbot’s lodgings, where he found Pig and Friar Sand sleeping top to toe. Monkey first called Friar Sand, who woke up and said, “Aren’t you asleep yet, brother?”\n\n“Get up,” said Monkey. “We’re going to have a good feed.”\n\n“Whatever sort of good feed can I have in the middle of the night when my throat’s dried out and my eyes are all bleary?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“There’s the Temple of the Three Pure Ones in this city where the Taoist priests are holding a service,” Brother Monkey replied. “The Hall of the Three Pure Ones is full of offerings: steamed buns as big as a bucket, cakes that must weight fifty or sixty pounds apiece, any amount of rice, and fresh fruit too. Let’s go and have some.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The talk of all this good food was enough to wake Pig up. “Won’t you take me too, brother?” he asked.\n\n“If you want a feed,” said Monkey, “keep your voice down and don’t wake the master. Come with me.”\n\nThe two of them dressed, slipped outside, and leapt up by cloud with Monkey. As soon as the idiot saw the lights he wanted to attack, but Monkey held him back and said, “Steady on. We’ll go down when they’ve all gone.”\n\n“But their recitations are only just warming up,” said Pig. “They won’t want to go.”\n\n“I’ll do some magic that will send them packing,” said Monkey.\n\nThe splendid Great Sage said the words and made the hand movements of a spell, drew in a breath from the quarter of the wind, and blew a gale so terrible that as it tore into the Hall of the Three Pure Ones it knocked down all the vases, candlesticks, and offerings on the walls and put out all the lamps. The Taoists all shook with terror."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You had better go, disciples,” said the Great Immortal Tiger Power. “This divine wind has blown out all the lamps and the incense, so you should all go back to bed. Get up early tomorrow morning and recite some more scriptures to make the numbers up.” The Taoists then did indeed all withdraw.\n\nMonkey then led Pig and Friar Sand to land their clouds, and they charged straight into the Hall of the Three Pure Ones. The idiot grabbed some food, not caring whether it was cooked or raw, and was just about to eat it when Monkey raised his iron cudgel to hit him. Pig pulled back his hand and said, “You’re going to hit me before I’ve even tasted anything.”\n\n“Don’t act so low,” said Monkey. “You must pay your respects and sit down before eating.”\n\n“You’re shameless,” said Pig. “You steal food and expect me to pay my respects too. What would I have had to do if we’d been properly invited?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do you know who the three Bodhisattvas sitting up there are?” Monkey asked. “Can’t you recognize the Three Pure Ones themselves?” asked Pig. “How could you possibly think they are Bodhisattvas?”\n\n“What about those Three Pure Ones?” Monkey asked. “Oh well,” said Pig, “the one in the middle is the Original Celestial Pure One, the one on the left is the Precious Pure One, and the one on the right is the Supreme Lord Lao Zi.”\n\n“We’ve got to make ourselves look like them before we can eat in safety,” said Monkey. The delicious smells of the offerings were making the idiot desperate with hunger, so he climbed on the pedestal of the statue and knocked Lord Lao Zi off it with one shove of his snout.\n\n“You’ve sat here for long enough, old man,” he said. “It’s my turn now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig turned himself into the Supreme Lord Lao Zi, Monkey turned himself into the Original Celestial Pure One, and Friar Sand into the Precious Pure One. When the statues had all been pushed over and the three of them were sitting up there Pig grabbed a big steamed bun.\n\n“Not so fast,” said Monkey.\n\n“But brother,” protested Pig, “we’ve already made ourselves look like them. What are we waiting for?”\n\n“Brother,” said Monkey, “eating is much less important than not giving ourselves away. If one of the Taoists got up early to hit the bell or sweep the floor and tripped over a piece of one of the statues we’ve knocked over the news would be out. You’d better hide them.”\n\n“But where?” asked Pig. “I’m a stranger here and I don’t know my way around.”\n\n“When we came in,” said Monkey, “there was a little pair of double doors to the right with an awful stench coming out of them. It must be the place where the five kinds of grain prepare for reincarnation. Put them in there.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot really did have some brute strength. When he leapt down he put the three statues over his shoulders and carried them out. On kicking those doors open he found that it was in fact a big lavatory.\n\n“That Protector of the Horses certainly knows how to talk,” he said with a laugh. “He even made up a fancy Taoist name for the shithouse—‘the place where the five kinds of grain prepare for reincarnation.’” Before tipping in the three statues he was carrying he mumbled a prayer:\n\n“Three Pure Ones, Three Pure Ones, hear my prayer. We have come here from afar to wipe out evil spirits. We wish to enjoy your offerings but there was nowhere we could sit. So we’ve had to borrow your pedestals for a while. You have been sitting there long enough, and now you can go into the cesspit. Normally you have no end of things to eat, and you are pure Taoists. But today you’ll have to taste some filth and be stinking Heavenly Honoured Ones.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His prayer said, he threw them in with a great splash that covered half his tunic with evil-smelling liquid. When he went hack into the hall Monkey asked him, “Did you hide them properly?”\n\n“I hid them well enough,” the idiot replied, “but I splashed some of that filthy water on my clothes. I hope the stench doesn’t make you feel sick.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Never mind,” laughed Monkey, “come and eat now. But you’ll have to clean up before we go outside.” The idiot turned himself back into Lord Lao Zi and the three of them sat down to eat their fill. First they ate the steamed bread, and then they went on to the assorted cold dishes, the rice, the pastries, the buns, the biscuits, the pancakes, the doughnuts, and the steamed pies. They ate whatever they felt like, not caring whether it was hot or cold. Now Monkey was not much of a one for cooked food, so he just ate some fruit to keep the other two company. They cleaned everything up like shooting stars chasing the moon or a wind sweeping the clouds away. When there was nothing else left to eat they did not go, but stayed there chatting and entertaining themselves while they digested the meal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What a thing to have done! There was a young Taoist priest who had just gone to bed in his dormitory by the Eastern cloister when he suddenly got up. “I left my handbell in the hall,” he thought, “and if I lose it my master will be angry with me tomorrow.”\n\n“You go to sleep,” he said to other priest who shared his bed, “while I go to look for it.” He was in such a hurry that he did not put his underclothes back on but just pulled on his tunic and went straight to the main hall to look for his bell. He groped all around till he found it and was about to turn and leave when to his consternation he heard the sound of breathing. As he fled in alarm he tripped on a lichee stone and crashed to the ground, smashing his bell to pieces with a tremendous clang. Pig could not help roaring with laughter at this, which terrified the young Taoist out of his wits.\n\nHe staggered to the abbots lodgings, knocked on the doors and said, “Masters, disaster.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three senior Taoist were not yet in bed, so they opened the doors and asked, “What disaster?”\n\n“I’d lost my bell,” said the young Taoist, shivering and shaking, “and was looking for it in the hall when I heard a loud laugh that all but scared me to death.”\n\n“Fetch lanterns,” said the senior Taoists on hearing this, “and see what evil creature it is.” This order was passed on to the priests, young and old, in both cloisters, who all got up, lit lamps, and went to the main hall to look.\n\nIf you don’t know what they found, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty-Five\n\nIn the Hall of the Three Pure Ones the Great Sage Leaves His Name\n\nIn the Kingdom of Tarrycart the Monkey King Shows His Powers"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how the Great Sage Monkey pinched Friar Sand with his left hand and Pig with his right. The two of them realized what was happening and sat there on high, their heads bowed in silence, while the Taoists lit their lamps and shone them all around as they searched. The three of them looked just as if they really were made of clay covered with gold leaf.\n\n“If no evildoers have been here,” said the Great Immortal Tiger Power, “how have the offerings all been eaten?”\n\n“It looks as though people have eaten them,” said the Great Immortal Deer Power. “The fruit with skins has all been peeled and the stones have all been spat out of the stone fruit. But why can’t we see anybody?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There is no need to be so suspicious, brother,” said the Great Immortal Antelope Power. “I think that the Heavenly Honoured Ones must have been moved by our reverence and respect in reciting scriptures and making readings day and night, and by the name of His Majesty. Evidently the Three Pure Lords came down to the mortal world to enjoy these offerings. I suggest that we should worship the Heavenly Honoured Ones before they fly away on their cranes. We should beg them for some holy water and golden elixir pills that we can present to His Majesty and thereby win credit for giving him immortality.”\n\n“A good idea,” said Tiger Power. “Let there be music and recitation, my disciples,” he ordered, “and bring me my ceremonial robes so that I may pace out the Dipper dance and pray for immortality for His Majesty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The young Taoists did as they were told and were soon neatly drawn up in two groups. At the sound of a stone chime they all began to recite in unison the True Classic of the Way and Its Power of the Yellow Court. Throwing his religious cloak over his shoulders, Tiger Power took his jade tablet in his hands, performed the ritual dance raising the dust before the statues, prostrated himself in respect, and submitted the following memorial to the Pure Ones:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In fear and trembling I bow my head in submission. We your subjects promote the faith and long for your pure emptiness. We are suppressing the low vulgarity of Buddhist monks and gaining respect for the brilliance of the Way. A holy temple has been built by command of His Majesty the King. Many an offering has been set out, and the dragon banners hang high; candles burn all night, and incense smokes throughout the day. We worship with complete sincerity, respect and devotion. Now that you have honoured us with your presence we beseech you before you go away in your immortal chariots to grant us tablets of golden elixir and holy water that we may present to His Majesty to bring him life as long as the Southern Hills.”\n\nPig felt most uncomfortable at all this, and he murmured under his breath to Monkey, “We shouldn’t have stayed to be prayed to after eating the stuff. How are we going to answer their prayers?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey gave him another pinch, opened his mouth, and called out, “Cease your worship, young immortals. We have just come from a Peach Banquet, so we did not bring any golden elixir or holy water today. We will present you with some another day.”\n\nWhen the priests young and old heard the statue speaking they all twitched at their clothes and trembled as they said, “My lord, a living Heavenly Honoured One has come down to earth. Don’t let him go. Whatever you do get him to give us a recipe for eternal life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tiger Power then stepped forward, bowed again, and said, “Raising the dust while kowtowing in the sincerity of my heart, your humble servant dutifully worships the Three Pure Ones. Since coming to this country we have promoted the Way and suppressed the Buddhist clergy. His Majesty adores the Way and respectfully wishes to prolong his years, which is why we held this great service to heaven and recited scriptures all night. We are most fortunate that you Heavenly Honoured Ones have not disdained from descending in your holy chariots and have appeared in person. We beg you in your mercy to grant us the great boon of a little holy water to lengthen the lives of your disciples.”\n\n“They must be desperate to get it, praying for it again,” muttered Friar Sand under his breath to Monkey, giving him a pinch.\n\n“Then let’s give them some,” said Monkey.\n\n“But where will we get it?” mumbled Pig.\n\n“Watch me,” said Monkey. “When I get some, you’ll have some too.” The Taoists had by now finished playing their music."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Young immortals,” said Brother Monkey, “there is no need to prostrate yourselves. I did not originally want to leave any holy water with you in case it destroyed your offspring of immortality, but there would be no difficulty at all about giving you some.”\n\nWhen the Taoists heard this they all prostrated themselves, kowtowed and said, “We beg and implore the Heavenly Honoured One to grant your disciples some in recognition of the respectful devotion. We have widely taught the Way and its power and won the respect of the king for our sect of mystery.”\n\n“Very well then,” said Monkey, “fetch a vessel.” The Taoists all once again kowtowed in thanks: Tiger Power, who liked to show off, carried in a great earthen jar that he placed in the hall. Deer Power put an earthenware dish on the table for offerings, and Antelope Power took the flowers out of a vase and put it between the other two containers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Withdraw from the hall, all of you,” ordered Monkey, “and screen us off. The secrets of Heaven must not be revealed. Then we can give you some holy water.” The priests then all prostrated themselves below the steps outside the hall and shut the doors.\n\nMonkey then stood up, lifted his tiger-skin kilt, and filled the vase with stinking piss, to the delight of Pig, who said, “In all the years we’ve been brothers we’ve never done this before. I’ve just eaten, and you ask me to do such a thing.” The idiot then lifted his clothes and noisily filled the earthenware dish. The sound was like that of a torrent pouring down a mountainside. Friar Sand half filled the earthen jar.\n\nThen they all straightened their clothes, sat down again, and said, “Come and receive the holy water, young immortals.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Taoist elders then pushed the screens aside and kowtowed in worship and gratitude. When the jar was carried out and put together with the vase and the dish they called, “Disciples, fetch me a cup to try some.” The younger Taoists fetched a teacup and handed it to the elders. The elder filled the cup, drained it, and made a show of wiping his mouth and smacking his lips.\n\n“Is it good, brother?” asked Deer Power.\n\nPursing his lips together, the most senior of the elders said, “Not very. Tastes a bit off.”\n\n“Let me have a taste,” said Antelope Power. When he had drunk a mouthful he said, “Tastes rather like pig’s urine.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this from where he was sitting up there he realized that his plans had been foiled. “I’m going to play a trick just for the hell of it for them to remember me by.” Then he shouted:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Oh, Way, Oh Way, what nonsense you imagine. What Three Pure Ones would ever descend to earth? Let me tell you our real names. We are Buddhist monks from the Great Tang, travelling West on imperial orders. Having nothing else to do this pleasant evening we decided to come down to your temple halls. We had eaten the offerings and were sitting here chatting when you started kowtowing to us and worshipping us. How did you expect us to reply. What you’ve been drinking there isn’t holy water—it’s our piss.”\n\nHearing this the Taoist priests shut the doors and started throwing rakes, brooms, tiles and stones wildly into the hall. Splendid Brother Monkey tucked Friar Sand under his left arm and Pig under his right, rushed out through the door and rode his cloud straight back to the abbot’s lodgings in the Deep Wisdom Monastery. The three of them went back to bed without disturbing their master."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was soon the third quarter of the fifth watch, when the king held his dawn court audience, at which the civil and military officials and the four hundred courtiers were all assembled under the crimson light of the silken lanterns and amid clouds of smoke from the incense burners.\n\nAt just this time the Tang Priest woke up and called, “Disciples, come with me when I go to show my passport and obtain an exit permit.” Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand got out of bed and into their clothes quickly, then stood waiting in attendance on the master.\n\n“Master,” Monkey reported, “the king here trusts those Taoist priests. He promotes the Way and persecutes Buddhist monks. I’m afraid that if you say the wrong thing he’ll refuse you an exit permit. We had better escort you to the palace.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Priest was delighted with this suggestion. He put on his brocade cassock, Monkey took the passport, Pig carried the begging bowl and Friar Sand the monastic staff. The luggage and the horse were entrusted to the care of the monks of the Deep Wisdom Monastery. They went straight to the Tower of Five Phoenixes at the palace gate, where they bowed to the eunuch on duty and told him their names. They said that they were monks from Great Tang in the East on their way to fetch the scriptures who had come to show their papers and obtain an exit permit, and they asked him to pass the message on."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The officer of the gate went straight to the throne hall where he prostrated himself by the steps and reported, “There are four monks outside awaiting Your Majesty’s command by the Tower of Five Phoenixes. They say they are from the Great Tang in the East and going to fetch scriptures.” To this the king replied, “Do they have to come looking for their deaths here? Can’t they do it anywhere else? Why didn’t the police capture them and bring them here under arrest?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king’s tutor slipped forward to submit this memorial: “Great Tang in the East is in the Southern Continent of Jambu. It is known as the great land of China. It is over three thousand miles from here, and the way is beset with many a demon. These monks must have some magic powers if they dared to travel West. I beg You Majesty to receive these monks who have come from the far country of China, inspect their travel papers, and let them proceed. Then you will be preserving good relations with China.” The king approved this suggestion. The Tang Priest and his disciples were summoned to the throne hall, where they stood in a row before the steps and submitted their travel document to the king."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king had just opened the document and started reading it when the eunuch gate officer came in to report again, “The three Teachers of the Nation are here.” This threw the king into such a fluster that he put the paper away, hurried down from the throne, told his attendants to fetch embroidered stools, and went out to meet the Taoist masters.\n\nSanzang and his disciples turned round to look and saw the three Great Immortals come majestically in, followed by a pair of page boys with their hair in bunches. They walked straight in while the civil and military officers all bowed low, not daring to look up.\n\nAs they entered the throne hall they did not deign to bow to the king, who asked them, “Teachers of the Nation, why have you honoured us with your presence although we have not yet invited you?”\n\n“I have something to report,” the most senior of the Taoists replied. “Where are those four Buddhist monks from?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They have been sent from Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” the king replied, “and they are here to obtain an exit permit.” The three Taoists clapped their hands with delight at this news.\n\n“We thought they had already gone, but they are still here.”\n\n“What do you mean, Teachers?” the king asked in astonishment. “They have only just come to report their names. I was on the point of handing them over to you to use as you will when my tutor made a very sensible suggestion. Out of consideration for the great distance they have come and also to preserve good relations with the land of China I sent for them a moment ago and was just examining their papers when you three Teachers raised this question. Have they offended or harmed you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the Taoist replied with a smile, “What Your Majesty does not yet know is that they arrived yesterday, killed two of our disciples outside the East Gate, released the five hundred captive Buddhist monks, smashed our cart, broke into our temple at night, destroyed the statues of the Three Pure Ones, and stole their offerings. We were so deceived by them that we though they were Heavenly Honoured Ones come down to earth and asked them for holy water and elixir pills to present to Your Majesty in the hope of securing eternal life for you. We never expected them to make fools of us by giving us urine. We each drank a mouthful to taste, but when we tried to capture them they escaped. If they are still here now it’s a case of meeting your enemy on a narrow road.” All this made the king so angry that he ordered the execution of the four monks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage Monkey put his hands together and began to yell at the top of his voice, “Please hold back your thunderous wrath for a moment, Your Majesty, and allow us Buddhist monks to make our submission.”\n\n“You have offended the Teachers of the Nation,” the king replied, “and what they say is always right.”\n\n“He accuses me of coming here yesterday and killing two of his disciples,” said Monkey. “What witnesses does he have? Even if we admitted the killing you need only execute two of us monks to pay for their lives and you could release the other two to fetch the scriptures. He doesn’t have any witnesses either for his accusations that I smashed their cart and freed the captive monks. Even if I had done, that wouldn’t be a capital offence. To punish one more of us would be enough. When he says I destroyed the statues of the Three Pure Ones and made havoc in the Taoist temple he’s deliberately trying to frame and murder me.”\n\n“Why?” the king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why?” the king asked.\n\n“We are all from the East,” Monkey replied, “and have only just arrived here. We don’t even know our way round the streets, so how could we possibly know what happened in his temple in the middle of the night? If we had given them some piss they should have arrested us on the spot. They shouldn’t make up these terrible accusations now. There are any number of people in the world who give false names. He could not possibly tell that it was me. I hope Your Majesty will turn your wrath aside and have these charges properly investigated.” The king had been wild with fury before, but now that he had heard what Monkey had to say he could not make up his mind.\n\nAs the king was wondering what to do the eunuch gate officer came in once more to report, “Your Majesty, there is a crowd of village elders outside the gates awaiting your summons.”\n\n“What do they want?” the king asked, and ordered them to be sent in."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thirty or forty of them were brought before the throne hall, where they kowtowed to the king and said, “Your Majesty, there has been no rain this spring and we fear a drought this summer. We have come here to submit a request to Your Majesty that you invite the Teachers of the Nation to pray for timely rain that will save the common people.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You may withdraw,” said the king. “There will be rain.” The elders thanked him for his mercy and withdrew. “Tang monks,” said the king, “do you know why we honour the Way and persecute Buddhist monks? When the Buddhist monks of this country prayed for rain some years ago they did not get a single drop. It was fortunate that Heaven sent down to us the Teachers of the Nation to bring help and deliverance. You have come from afar and offended the Teachers of the Nation, and you thoroughly deserve to be punished for it. If I spare you for the time being, will you enter a rainmaking competition with the Teachers of the Nation? If you can bring about a good fall of rain that saves the common people we shall pardon your crimes, return your paper, and let you go. If you fail you will all be taken to the place of execution and publicly executed.”\n\n“We humble monks know how to pray for things,” said Monkey with a smile."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing this, the king ordered that the altars be swept clean and sent for his carriage as he was going to watch the ritual from the Tower of Five Phoenixes. The officials then moved him in his carriage to the tower, where he was soon seated. The Tang Priest stood at the foot of the tower with Monkey, Friar Sand and Pig, while the three Taoist masters sat with the king in the tower. Before long an official galloped in to report, “Everything is ready at the altar. Will the Teacher of the Nation please come to the altar?”\n\nThe Great Immortal Tiger Power bowed to take his leave of the king and descended from the tower. Brother Monkey blocked his way and said, “Where are you going, sir?”\n\n“To the altar to pray for rain,” the immortal replied.\n\n“You’re being too arrogant,” said Monkey. “Why don’t you show some courtesy to us monks from far away? Oh well, ‘a mighty dragon can’t crush a snake in its lair.’ You go first, but you’ll have to explain to His Majesty.”\n\n“Explain what?” the Great Immortal asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Explain what?” the Great Immortal asked.\n\n“If we both pray for rain at the altar,” Monkey replied, “how will we know whether it’s your rain or mine? It’ll be hard to tell who should get the credit.” When the king heard this up on his tower he was discreetly delighted as he said, “That little monk talks sense.”\n\nFriar Sand too hid a smile as he thought, “The king doesn’t realize that Monkey hasn’t even started showing how much sense he has in him.”\n\n“No explanations will be needed,” said the immortal. “Of course His Majesty will know whose the rain is.”\n\n“I’m sure he will,” said Monkey, “but we monks from far away have never met you before. If later on both sides made false claims that would be terrible. We must have it all sorted out before we start.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I go to the altar,” said the Great Immortal, “this magic wand of mine will give the signal. When it first sounds, the wind will come. The second time the clouds will rise. The third time it will bring thunder and lightning. The fourth time it will rain. The fifth time the clouds will break up and the rain will finish.”\n\n“Splendid,” said Monkey with a laugh. “I’ve never seen anything like that. Please go ahead.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Immortal then strode straight to the gates of the altar compound followed by Sanzang and his disciples. They looked up to see a raised terrace over thirty feet high. To the left and right of it were planted banners bearing the sign of the twenty-eight zodiacal constellations, and clouds of fragrant smoke rose from an incense-burner on a table set at the highest point on the altar. At each end of the table was a candle-holder with candles burning brightly. Beside the incense-burner was a golden tablet inscribed with the titles of the gods of thunder, and below the burner were five great vats all filled with clean water. Sprigs of willow floated on them, and on the willow was an iron plaque bearing the talisman of the Commander of Thunder. To the left and right of these were five stout posts on which were written the names of the five barbarian thunder heralds. By each post stood two Taoist priests ready to strike them with iron hammers. Behind the terrace many Taoist priests were writing things out,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "many Taoist priests were writing things out, and in the middle of them was a stove for burning paper and some model figures representing the messengers who carried the charms and the local gods who supported the Taoist teachings."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Immortal walked straight into the altar enclosure and without any show of modesty went straight up the altar mound and took his place. A young Taoist at his side handed him several yellow pieces of paper that had spells written on them and a precious sword. Holding the sword the Great Immortal recited a spell and burnt a spell on a candle. Two or three of the young Taoists standing below the altar mound passed him a model figure holding a spell and a written document, both of which he also lit and burnt. Then there was a loud report from the wand, and up in the sky the signs of a wind blowing up could be seen.\n\n“This is bad,” muttered Pig. “The Taoist really has got some powers. He just had to sound his wand once to make the wind blow.”\n\n“Keep quiet, brothers,” said Monkey, “and don’t say anything else to me. Look after the master while I get busy.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage then plucked out one of his hairs, blew on it with magic breath, called “Change!” and turned it into an imitation Monkey who stood by the Tang Priest while his true self escaped, rose up into the air and shouted, “Who’s in charge of the wind?” This threw Granny Wind into such a fluster that she held her cloth bag closed while Young Master Xun tied the string round the mouth. They both came forward and bowed to him.\n\n“I’m protecting the holy priest from Tang on his journey to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures,” Monkey said. “We’re now having a rainmaking competition with an evil Taoist in the country of Tarrycart. Why are you helping him instead of me? If you put your wind away I’ll let you off, but if there’s even enough wind to move a whisker in that Taoist’s beard I’ll give you twenty strokes each with my iron cudgel.”\n\n“We wouldn’t dare help him,” said Granny Wind, and the wind then stopped."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his impatience Pig started to yell wildly, “Give up, give up. You’ve sounded your wand and there’s not a breath of wind. Come down now and let us go up.”\n\nOnce again the Taoist took his magic wand, burnt spells, and made a report with the wand. The sky filled with clouds.\n\n“Who’s spreading the clouds out?” the Great Sage asked up overhead. Boy Cloudpusher and Young Lord Mistspreader bowed to him. Once again Monkey explained what had happened; Cloudpusher and Mistspreader put the clouds away, and the sun shone brightly once more in a clear sky.\n\n“This teacher has been fooling the king and hoodwinking the common people,” laughed Pig. “He doesn’t really have any powers at all. His wand has sounded for the second time, and there’s not a cloud to be seen.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By now the Taoist was getting anxious. Leaning on his sword he let down his hair, said the words of a spell, and cracked his magic wand for the third time. From the Southern Gate of Heaven the Heavenly Lord Deng led Grandfather Thunder and Mother Lightning to bow to Monkey in mid-air. Monkey told them what had happened and asked, “Why are you being so dutiful? What sort of orders are they you’re obeying?”\n\n“That Taoist really does know the Five Laws of Thunder,” the Heavenly Lord Deng replied. “He issued the right document, burned the summons, and alarmed the Jade Emperor, who issued an edict to the offices of the Universal Honoured One of the Ninth Heaven Who Responds to the Primal with the Sound of Thunder. We are going on imperial orders to help Grandfather Thunder and Mother Lightning make rain.”\n\n“In that case you’d better stay where you are and let me sort things out,” said Monkey; and indeed the thunder did not sound, nor did the lightning flash."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Taoist was becoming more anxious than ever. He lit more incense-sticks, burnt charms, said incantations, and sounded his wand once more. The dragon kings of the four seas all gathered in mid-air. “Where are you going, Ao Guang?” Monkey asked. The four dragon kings Ao Guang, Ao Shun, Ao Qin and Ao Run came up and bowed to him.\n\nHe told them what had happened then said, “When I troubled you the other day you didn’t succeed. I hope you will help me again today.”\n\n“We hear and obey,” replied the dragon kings.\n\nMonkey then thanked Ao Shun: “I am very grateful to your son for capturing the monster and saving my master the other day.”\n\n“That wretch is being kept in chains in the sea,” the dragon king Ao Shun replied. “I have not ventured to deal with him on my own initiative, and I would like to ask you, Great Sage, to decide on his sentence.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Deal with him however you think fit,” replied Monkey. “Now I would like you to do me a good turn. That Taoist has now sounded his wand four times, so it’s my turn to perform now. As I don’t know how to use charms, burn talismans, or sound a magic wand I’ll have to ask you gentlemen to help me out.”\n\n“We would not dare disobey a command from the Great Sage,” Heavenly Lord Deng replied. “But we can only act when proper orders are given. Otherwise the thunder and the rain will happen at the wrong times, and the Great Sage will lose his credibility.”\n\n“I’ll give the signs with my cudgel,” said Monkey, to the horror of Grandfather Thunder, who protested, “But my lord, none of us can take your cudgel.”\n\n“No,” said Monkey, “I won’t be hitting you with it. When I point up with it the first time I want wind.”\n\n“We’ll let the wind out,” promised Granny Wind and Young Master Xun.\n\n“The second time I point up I want clouds.”\n\n“We’ll spread out the clouds,” said Cloudpusher and Mistspreader."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The third time I point up with the cudgel I want thunder and lightning.”\n\n“We shall obey, we shall obey,” said Grandfather Thunder and Mother Lightning.\n\n“The fourth time I point up with the cudgel I want rain.”\n\n“Your orders will be carried out,” the dragon kings replied.\n\n“And the fifth time I point up with the cudgel I want the sun shining in a clear sky. I won’t have any disobedience or mistakes.”\n\nHaving given his orders Monkey brought his cloud down, shook his hair, and put it back on his body. None of those with mortal, fleshly eyes could see what had happened. Monkey then called out in a loud voice, “Please finish now, teacher. You have sounded your magic wand four times without producing any wind, clouds, thunder or rain. It’s my turn now.” The Taoist could stay at the altar no longer; he had to come down and allow Monkey to take his place while he went with a long face to climb the tower to see the king. “Wait while I go up with him and hear what he has to say,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He heard the king asking, “Why was there no wind or rain when you sounded your magic wand four times? We are listening most carefully.”\n\n“The dragons are all out today,” the Taoist replied.\n\n“Your Majesty,” yelled Monkey, “today the dragons are all in. It was just that the Teacher of the Nation’s magic didn’t work and he couldn’t get them to come. Just watch how we Buddhist monks can make them come.”\n\n“Climb to the altar then,” said the king. “We shall remain here and await rain.”\n\nAs soon as he received this command Brother Monkey hurried to the altar compound, tugged at the Tang Priest’s clothes, and said, “Master, please climb the altar mound.”\n\n“But I do not know how to pray for rain, disciple,” said Sanzang.\n\n“He’s trying to murder you,” said Pig. “If there’s still no rain they’ll bring firewood along and send you up in flames.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You may not know how to pray for rain,” said Monkey, “but you’re good at reciting scriptures. I’ll help you.” Only then did the venerable elder start to climb to the altar. When he reached the top he sat down with great dignity, settled his nature, brought his spirit under control, and quietly recited the Prajna-paramita Heart Sutra. As he sat there an official messenger galloped up to him to ask, “Monk, why aren’t you sounding a magic wand or burning charms and summonses?”\n\n“He doesn’t need to,” Monkey shouted back. “We pray in stillness and silence.” The official returned to the king to report this reply."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard that his master had finished reciting the sutra he produced his cudgel from his ear, waved it in the breeze to make it about twelve feet long and as thick as a ricebowl, and pointed it towards the sky. As soon as Granny Wind saw it she opened her leather bag while Young Master Xun untied the rope round its mouth. There was then the howling of a wind that tore off tiles and sent bricks flying throughout the city. It was evidently a splendid wind, not at all like ordinary ones:\n\nWillow were broken and flowers hurt,\n\nTrees blown down in devastated woods.\n\nThe walls collapsed in halls of nine stories;\n\nBeams and columns were shaken in the Five Phoenix Tower.\n\nIn the sky the red sun turned dark,\n\nAnd the yellow dust of the earth began to fly.\n\nThe officers before the reviewing stand were scared;\n\nTerror struck the civil officials in their hall.\n\nThe beauties of the harem had their hair blown untidy;\n\nThe royal consorts’ coiffures were all ruined.\n\nTassels fell from the coronets of nobles;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tassels fell from the coronets of nobles;\n\nThe black silk hat of the premier took wing.\n\nThe king was too terrified to speak,\n\nThe eunuchs could not hand in their reports.\n\nSenior officials stood in disorder,\n\nHigh-level functionaries broke ranks.\n\nColoured pavilions and turquoise screens were ruined;\n\nGreen windows and crimson doors were wrecked.\n\nBricks and tiles flew from the throne hall;\n\nIn the Brocade Cloud Chamber doors leaned and partition were smashed.\n\nVicious indeed was this terrible gale,\n\nMaking hard for the king to see his sons,\n\nAnd driving the people from streets and markets:\n\nEvery household firmly shut its doors.\n\nJust as this gale was at its height Brother Monkey gave another display of his divine powers as he pointed his gold-banded cudgel up into the sky for the second time. What could then be seen was:\n\nThe Boy Cloudpusher,\n\nYoung Lord Mistspreader.\n\nThe Boy Cloudpusher showed his divine magic,\n\nMaking great rocklike heaps that hung down from the sky;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Young Lord Mistspreader used his powers .\n\nTo cover the earth with thick, dense fog.\n\nAll was dark in the three markets;\n\nBlack were the six main streets of the city.\n\nLeaving the sea together with the wind,\n\nThey appeared with the rain in the Kunlun Mountains,\n\nFilled heaven and earth in an instant,\n\nImmediately covered the mortal world.\n\nAll was reduced to obscurity\n\nAnd the doors of the Five Phoenix Tower disappeared.\n\nIn an instant there was dense fog and thick clouds everywhere. Monkey then pointed his gold-banded cudgel into the air a third time, with alarming results:\n\nGrandfather Thunder was angry,\n\nMother Lightning was furious.\n\nGrandfather Thunder was angry\n\nAs he rode backwards on his fire beast down from Heaven;\n\nMother Lightning was furious\n\nAs she left her Dipper Palace lashing out with her golden snake.\n\nThe thunder crashed and roared,\n\nShaking the Iron Fork Mountain;\n\nBrilliant flashes of red silk\n\nFlew from the Eastern Ocean.\n\nThe noise rumbled like carts;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The noise rumbled like carts;\n\nThe flashes were like rice plants gleaming in the wind.\n\nThe spirit of all living shoots revived,\n\nMany a sleeping insect came to life.\n\nIt terrified monarch and subject alike;\n\nThe sound made merchants nervously active.\n\nThe thunder roared with the noise of an earthquake or a landslide, so frightening the people in the city that they all burnt incense and imitation money. “Deng,” shouted Monkey familiarly, “make sure that you kill me a few more corrupt officials who twist the laws and disobedient sons who do not do their duty to their parents as an example to the people.” The thunder became louder than ever, and Monkey pointed his cudgel upwards for\n\nthe fourth time.\n\nThe dragons gave their orders\n\nAnd ram filled Heaven and earth,\n\nAs if the river in the sky was filling the heavenly gulf,\n\nAnd as fast as clouds passing over the ocean’s gates.\n\nIt pattered on the roof of the tower,\n\nSplashed against the windows.\n\nNow that the river in the sky had flooded,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now that the river in the sky had flooded,\n\nWhite waves rolled along the streets.\n\nThey moved around like a dish being picked up,\n\nSplashed like water being tipped from a bowl.\n\nThe lonely farm’s houses were almost covered by the flood,\n\nWhich was nearly as high as the bridge across the river.\n\nThe mulberry fields indeed were turning into sea,\n\nAnd dry land was under water in an instant.\n\nThis was the help the dragons gave,\n\nAs they lifted the Yangtse and poured the water down.\n\nThe rain started at about eight in the morning and lasted till around noon, by when all the streets inside and outside the capital of Tarrycart were running with water. The king then issued a command: “Enough rain has fallen now. If there is any more the growing crops will be drowned and it will be a disaster.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The officer on duty at the foot of the Tower of Five Phoenixes whipped his horse and rode through the rain to say, “Holy monk, that is enough rain.” Hearing this, Monkey pointed his gold-banded cudgel towards the sky again, and at once the thunder stopped, the wind fell, the rain ceased and the clouds scattered.\n\nThe king was delighted, and all the civil and military officials said in admiration, “What a marvellous monk. How true it is that however good you are at something there’s always somebody better. Our Teachers of the Nation are very effective at making rain, but when they ask for fine weather the drizzle goes on for hours before clearing up. However can this monk make the skies clear the moment he gives the word, so that the sun shines bright on the instant and there isn’t a cloud to be seen for miles around?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king ordered that his carriage be taken back to the court, where he would return the Tang Priest’s passport with an exit permit and allow him to go. Just when he was placing the royal seal on the document the three Taoists came in to stop him, saying, “Your Majesty, that rain was caused not by the monk but by our efforts.”\n\n“But you told me earlier that it did not rain because the dragon kings were not at home,” said the king. “When the Buddhist monk went up to the altar and prayed in stillness and silence the rain came. How can you possibly try to take the credit from him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I went to the altar, burnt the charms and summonses and sounded my magic wand,” the Great Immortal Tiger Power said, “the dragon kings would not have dared stay away. No doubt they had been called elsewhere, which was why the authorities in charge of wind, cloud, thunder and rain were all out. When they heard my order they hurried here, which happened to be just when I was coming down from the altar and he was going up to it. It was a coincidence that it rained then. Essentially it was I who summoned the dragons and made it rain. The credit can’t possibly go to him.” In his confusion the king took this suggestion seriously and was once again unable to make up his mind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey took a step forward, put his hands together in front of his chest, and said, “Your Majesty, these heterodox magic tricks achieved nothing; the credit is neither his nor mine. But the dragon kings of the four seas are still in the sky here. I haven’t sent them away, and they wouldn’t dare leave on their own initiative. If the Teacher of the Nation can make the dragon kings appear he can take the credit.”\n\nThis delighted the king, who said, “In the twenty-three years we have been on the throne we have never seen what a live dragon looks like. You must both display your magic powers. Whoever can make them come, be he Taoist or Buddhist, will have the credit; and whoever fails will be punished.”\n\nOf course that Taoists did not have the power. In the presence of the Great Sage the dragon kings would not have dared show their faces in response to a call from the Taoists. “We cannot do it,” said the Taoists. “You summon them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage looked up to the sky and yelled at the top of his voice, “Where are you, Ao Guang? You and your brothers must show yourselves to me in your true forms.” On hearing this summons the dragon kings soon appeared in their true forms; writhing through the mist and clouds in the sky they danced through the air to the throne hall. This was what could be seen:\n\nFlying transformations,\n\nCoiling through the clouds.\n\nTheir jade claws hung like white hooks,\n\nTheir silver scales danced with the brightness of mirrors.\n\nVigor was in every strand of their floating white beards;\n\nAnd their horns rose proud and full of purity.\n\nLofty were their foreheads,\n\nBright shone their round, round eyes.\n\nNone can predict their appearance;\n\nTheir flight is beyond appraisal.\n\nBut when the rain was prayed for, it fell,\n\nAnd the skies cleared as soon as requested.\n\nThese were holy and magical dragons,\n\nSurrounding the palace with numinous radiance."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Surrounding the palace with numinous radiance.\n\nThe king burnt incense in his palace hall and the ministers bowed low in worship before the steps. “Now that your noble selves have granted us your presence we need detain you no longer,” said the king. “We shall have a thanksgiving mass said another day.”\n\n“All you gods may now go too,” said Monkey. “The king will have a thanksgiving mass said another day.” The dragon kings went straight back to their oceans, and the gods all returned to Heaven. Indeed:\n\nGreat and boundless is the wonderful Dharma;\n\nFalse faiths are smashed when its truth is revealed.\n\nIf you don’t know how evil was eliminated, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty-Six\n\nFalse Faith Oppresses the True Dharma\n\nThe Sage Mind-Ape Eliminates Evil"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Sage Mind-Ape Eliminates Evil\n\nThe story tells how when the king saw that Monkey had the power to summon dragons and order gods about he put his seal on the passports and handed them to the Tang Priest, whom he allowed to continue on his journey West. The three Taoist masters were so terrified that they prostrated themselves in the Hall of Golden Bells and submitted a memorial to the king, who came down from his dragon throne, helped them to their feet with his own hand, and said, “Why are you performing this obeisance to me today?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty,” the Taoists replied, “we came here to help the country, protect the state and look after the people. We have toiled here for twenty years but now these Buddhist monks have put themselves ahead of us and ruined our reputation with a magic trick. Are you not insulting us by letting them off their death sentences just because of some rain? We implore you to keep their papers and allow us three brothers to challenge them to another competition. What do you think?”\n\nThe king of Tarrycart really was muddle-headed: when he heard advice from the East he inclined to the East, and when he was advised from the West he inclined to the West. “What sort of competition with them do you propose, Teachers of the Nation?” he asked.\n\n“We would like to compete with them in sitting in meditation,” said the Great Immortal Tiger Power."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Teacher of the Nation must have made a mistake,” the king replied. “That monk comes from a sect that practices dhyana meditation. He must have mastered the art of meditation before his emperor sent him to fetch scriptures. Why would you want to compete with him at that?”\n\n“The way we sit in meditation,” the Great Immortal replied, “is not the ordinary way. It has a special name: ‘revealing one’s holiness on a cloud ladder’”\n\n“What does that mean?” the king asked.\n\n“A hundred tables are needed,” said the Great Immortal. “Fifty of them are piled one on top of each other to make the meditation platform. Once must mount it not by using one’s hands or a ladder, but by riding a cloud to take one’s seat on it and sit motionless for the agreed number of hours.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Realizing that this was rather difficult he asked this question: “Monks, the Teacher of the Nation would like to compete with you in a way of sitting in meditation called ‘revealing one’s holiness on a cloud ladder’. Can any of you do that?” When Monkey heard this he kept silent and did not reply.\n\n“Brother,” asked Pig, “why aren’t you saying anything?”\n\n“I’ll be honest with you,” Monkey replied. “I can manage all sorts of tricks like kicking the sky into a well, stirring up the sea, turning rivers upside down, lifting mountains, chasing the moon away, and moving stars and constellations around. I’m not afraid of having my head chopped off, my brains sliced up, my entrails laid open, my heart cut out and being shifted about in other ways like that. But when it comes to sitting in meditation I’m beaten. I’m not a sitter by nature. Even if you chained me to an iron column I’d want to wriggle up and down. I’d never want to sit still.”\n\nThen Sanzang cut in with, “I can sit in meditation.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s splendid,” said Monkey with delight, “splendid. But how long can you do it for?”\n\n“When I was young,” Sanzang replied, “a monk of the Chan sect who came to my monastery taught the way of fastening one’s being to the root, settling the nature, and fixing the spirit while on the boundary of life and death. I can sit for two or three years.”\n\n“If you’re going to sit there for two or three years, Master,” said Monkey, “we can give up the idea of going to fetch the scriptures. You won’t need to sit there for more than a few hours before coming down.”\n\n“But I can’t get up there, disciple,” Sanzang protested.\n\n“Go forward and accept the challenge,” said Monkey. “I’ll get you up there.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder put his hands together in front of his chest and said, “This humble monk can sit in meditation.” The king then ordered that the meditation platforms be built. The state had the resources to tear down mountains, and in less than an hour the two meditation platforms had been built, one to each side of the throne hall.\n\nThe Great Immortal Tiger Power then went down from the hall, stood in the middle of the steps, sprang into the air and went straight up on a cloud to the Western platform and set down. Monkey plucked out one of his hairs and turned it into a double of himself that stood below with Pig and Friar Sand while he made his real self into a coloured auspicious cloud that lifted the Tang Priest up through the air to take his seat on the Eastern platform.\n\nThen he put the cloud away, turned into the tiniest of insects, flow into Pig’s ear, and said, “Brother, keep a very close eye on the master and don’t talk to my double.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I understand, I understand,” replied the idiot with a grin.\n\nThe Great Immortal Deer Power had been sitting on his embroidered cushion for a very long time watching the two of them sitting on their high platforms without either emerging as the winner. He decided to help his elder brother, so he plucked a hair from the back of his head, rolled it into a ball, and flicked it straight at the Tang Priest’s head, where it turned into a huge bedbug that started biting the venerable elder. Sanzang first itched and then was in pain. When sitting in meditation movements of the hand are forbidden; if he moved his hand he would lose. The agony was soon unbearable, and he pulled his head down to scratch it against his collar.\n\n“This is bad,” said Monkey. “The master’s being driven mad by epilepsy.”\n\n“No,” said Friar Sand, “it’s a migraine.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” said Friar Sand, “it’s a migraine.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he said, “Our master is sincere and a gentleman. If he says he can sit in meditation he most certainly can. Gentlemen don’t lie. You two shut up while I go up there for a look.” The splendid Monkey then flew with a buzz straight up to the Tang Priest’s head, where he saw a bedbug the size of a bean biting the master. He immediately picked it off him then scratched and rubbed his head for him, so that the venerable elder did not itch or ache any more and sat up straight again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Monks have bald heads,” thought Brother Monkey, “and not even a louse could settle on one, let alone a bedbug. I think it must have been a trick by those Taoists to get the master killed. Hunh! Well, they haven’t won yet, despite their cheating. I’ll try a trick on them.” Monkey then flew up and landed on the head of one of the ceramic animals on the roof of the palace hall. He shook himself and turned into a poisonous centipede seven inches long that went straight for the Taoist and stung him in the nose. The Taoist could sit still no longer, and tumbling head over heels he fell off the platform and would probably have died had not the senior and junior officials saved him. The horrified king sent the royal tutor to take the Taoist to the Hall of Literary Splendor to comb his hair and clean himself up; meanwhile Monkey went up on his auspicious cloud to carry his victorious master down to before the steps of the throne hall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king ordered that Sanzang be allowed to leave the country, but the Great Immortal Deer Power made this submission: “Your Majesty, my elder brother has long suffered from rheumatism. The heavenly wind in that high place brought on a new attack of his illness, which was why the Buddhist monk won. Please keep him here so that I can compete with him at guessing objects through wooden boards?”\n\n“What is guessing objects through wooden boards?” the king asked.\n\n“This humble Taoist has the power of knowing what is on the other side of a board,” Deer Power replied, “and I would like to see whether that Buddhist monk can too. If he is better at guessing than I am, let him go. But if he is not then I hope Your Majesty will decide what crime he is guilty of, avenge us brothers, and not allow our twenty years of protecting the country to be sullied.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was so utterly muddle-headed that he accepted this malicious suggestion and ordered that a red lacquered chest be carried by the eunuchs of the royal household into the harem, where his queen was told to put one of her treasures inside. The chest was carried out and set in front of the steps of the throne hall a few moments later. “Your two faiths must each compete with your magical powers in guessing what treasure is in the chest,” he told the Buddhist and the Taoist.\n\n“Disciple,” asked Sanzang, “how can I tell what is inside?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey put his cloud away, turned himself back into the smallest of insects, landed on Sanzang’s face and said, “Don’t worry, master. I’ll go and take a look.” The splendid Great Sage flew over to the chest, crawled under its legs, and saw a crack between the boards through which he squeezed inside. Here he saw a red lacquer tray in which was placed a set of court robes: a mountain, river and state jacket and a heaven, earth and land skirt. He picked them up, shook and crumpled them, bit the tip of his tongue, sprayed a mouthful of blood over them, called “Change!” and turned them into a worn-out cloak into which he pissed before crawling out through the crack between the boards. He then flew back to the Tang Priest’s ear and said, “Master, say that it’s a worn-out cloak.”\n\n“But he told me to guess what treasure is inside,” said the Tang Priest. “What sort of treasure is an old cloak?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Never mind about that,” said Monkey. “Just make that guess.” The Tang Priest stepped forward and was just about to state his guess when Deer Power said, “I shall make the first guess. The chest contains a mountain, river and state jacket and a heaven, earth and land skirt.”\n\n“No,” said the Tang Priest, “it does not. The chest contains a rotten cloak.”\n\n“That monk is being outrageous,” said the king. “He has the effrontery to suggest that our country has no treasures by guessing that it contains a tattered old cloak. Execute him!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The two groups of guards officers were just about to fall upon the Tang Priest when he called out desperately, “Your Majesty, spare me for a moment while the chest is opened for you to look inside. If there really is a treasure there I shall accept my punishment; but if there is not you would be doing me an injustice.” The king then ordered that the chest be opened, and when the officials in attendance on him opened it and lifted out the red tray he saw that there really was a putrid old cloak on it.\n\n“Who put that there?” asked the king in a great fury.\n\nThe queen then slipped forward from behind the dragon throne to say, “My lord, I put the mountain, river and state jacket and the heaven, earth and land skirt inside myself. I don’t know how they can have turned into that.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You may retire, good wife,” said the king. “I believe you. All the things used in the harem are of the finest silks and gauzes. We would never have anything like that.” He then ordered that the chest be carried up to him so that he could put a treasure inside it himself for another test.\n\nThe king then went into the harem, picked a peach as big as a bowl from the magic peach tree in the palace gardens, placed it in the chest and had it carried down for the two of them to guess what it was.\n\n“Disciple,” said the Tang Priest, “I have to guess again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry,” said Monkey, “I’ll take another look.” Once more he buzzed over, went in through the same crack, and saw a peach that was just to his liking. He turned back into himself and ate the peach clean up as he sat in the chest, nibbling every single piece of it, including the damaged parts of the skin, and leaving the stone there when he turned back into the tiniest of insects and flew back to land on Sanzang’s ear. “Master,” he said, “guess that it’s a peach stone.”\n\n“Don’t make a fool of me, disciple,” said Sanzang. “If I hadn’t spoken up fast just now I would have been executed. This time I must guess that it is something precious, and there is nothing precious about a peach stone.”\n\n“Don’t be afraid,” said Monkey. “All that matters is winning.”\n\nBefore Sanzang could speak the Great Immortal Antelope Power said, “I shall make the first guess. It is a magic peach.”\n\n“It is not a peach, only a peach stone,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But we put the peach in there ourself,” said the king. “It could not possibly be only a stone. The Third Teacher of the Nation is right.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” put in Sanzang, “open the chest up and look.”\n\nOnce more the officials in attendance carried the chest up to be opened, lifted out the dish, and revealed only a stone with no skin or flesh, a sight that shocked the king.\n\n“Teachers of the Nation,” he said, “stop competing with him and let him go. We put the magic peach in there with our own hands. If there is only a stone there now, who can have eaten it? He must have gods or demons helping him in secret.”\n\nWhen Pig heard this he said to Friar Sand with a touch of a sarcastic grin, “The king doesn’t realize that Monkey is an expert when it comes to eating peaches.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he was saying this the Great Immortal Tiger Power came back into the throne hall after combing his hair and washing himself in the Hall of Literary Splendor. “Your Majesty,” he said, “this monk has the art of shifting and changing things. Have the chest brought up here. I will break his magic and have another divination contest with him.”\n\n“What do you want to guess now?” the king asked.\n\n“Magic can change only things, not people,” said Tiger Power. “Hide this boy Taoist in the chest, and I guarantee that the monk will not be able to change him.” The boy got inside, the lid was put on, and the chest carried down.\n\n“Guess what treasure is inside it this third time, monk,” the king said.\n\n“Again!” exclaimed Sanzang, to which Monkey replied, “Wait while I take another look.” Once more he buzzed over and squeezed inside, this time to find a little boy inside."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Monkey knew what to do. How true it is that few in the world can do improvised transformations, and hardly any as skillfully as he. He shook himself, turned into the exact image of the old Taoist, went into the chest and said “Disciple.”\n\n“Where have you come from, master?” the boy asked him.\n\n“I came by disappearing magic,” Monkey replied.\n\n“What instructions do you have for me?” the boy asked.\n\n“The Buddhist monk saw you getting into the chest,” said Monkey, “and if he says that there’s a young Taoist in here we’ll have lost. I’ve come here to work out a plan with you. We’ll shave your head and guess that you’re a Buddhist monk.”\n\n“Do whatever you decide, master,” said the boy, “as long as we win. If we lose to him again our reputation will be ruined and the king will have no more respect for us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You are right,” said Monkey. “Come here, my boy, and if we win I’ll reward you richly.” He then turned his gold-banded cudgel into a razor, put his arms firmly round the boy, and said, “Put up with the pain, there’s a good boy, and don’t make a sound while I shave your head.” In an instant he had shaved off the boy’s hair, which he stuffed into a ball and hid in a corner of the chest. Then he put the razor away and stroked the boy’s shaven pate saying, “Your head looks like a Buddhist monk’s now, my boy, but your clothes are wrong. Take them off and I’ll transform them for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The boy took off his greenish-white cloud-patterned crane cloak with embroidered brocade hems. Monkey blew on it with a magic breath, called “Change!” and turned it into a brown Buddhist monk’s habit for the boy to put on. Monkey pulled out two more hairs and turned them into a wooden fish that he gave to the boy saying, “Listen carefully, disciple. Whatever happens don’t come out when you hear a call of ‘Taoist boy’. But when you hear someone say ‘Buddhist monk,’ lift the lid of the chest with your head, strike the wooden fish, and come out reciting a Buddhist surra. Do that and we will win.”\n\n“But I can only recite the Classic of the Three Officials, the Classic of the Dipper, and the Classic of Elimination of Disaster,” said the boy, “I don’t know any Buddhist scriptures.”\n\n“Can you recite the name of a Buddha?” asked Monkey. “Anyone can recite ‘Amitabha Buddha,’” the boy replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’ll have to do then,” said Monkey. “Recite the Buddha’s name and save me the trouble of having to teach you a sutra. Remember what I’ve told you as I’m going now.” Monkey then turned back into the tiniest of insects, squeezed out, flew back to beside the Tang Priest’s ear, and said, “Master, say that there’s a Buddhist monk inside.”\n\n“This time we are certain to win,” replied Sanzang.\n\n“How can you be so sure?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The sutras teach us that there are three treasures,” said Sanzang, “the Buddha, the Dharma and the Clergy; so a monk must count as a treasure.”\n\nAs Sanzang was saying this the Great Immortal Tiger Power said, “Your Majesty, this third time there is a Taoist boy inside.” Tiger Power called and called but the boy would not come out. Sanzang then put his hands together and said, “There is a monk inside.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s a monk inside the chest,” shouted Pig at the top of his voice, at which the boy raised the lid of the chest with his head and stepped out, beating his wooden fish and repeating the name of the Buddha. The civil and military officials were so delighted that they all cheered; while the terrified Taoists were at a loss for words.\n\n“This monk is being helped by gods and demons,” said the king. “How else could he have got into the chest as a Taoist boy and stepped out as a Buddhist monk? Even if a barber had got in with him he could only have shaved his head; but he’s wearing a well-fitting habit and repeating the Buddha’s name too. Teachers of the Nation, you must let those monks go.”\n\nTo this the Great Immortal Tiger Power replied, “Your Majesty, this is a case of a chess-player meeting his match, or a general coming up against a master strategist. We would like to try the martial arts we learned as boys in the Zhongnan Mountains against him.”\n\n“What martial arts?” the king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What martial arts?” the king asked.\n\n“We three brothers all have some divine powers,” Tiger Power replied. “We can put our head back on when they have been cut off; open up our chests, cut out our hearts, and make ourselves whole again; and take a bath in boiling oil.”\n\n“But those are all certain death,” exclaimed the king in horror. “We have these powers,” said Tiger Power, “which is why I can give you a clear undertaking that we will not give up until we have been allowed a tournament with him.”\n\nMonkey had just turned himself back into the tiniest of insects and gone over to investigate when he heard all this. Reverting to his real form he roared with laughter and said, “What luck, what marvellous luck. Business has brought itself to my front door.”\n\n“But those are all ways of getting yourself killed,” said Pig. “How can you talk about business coming to your front door?”\n\n“You still don’t know my powers,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You still don’t know my powers,” said Monkey.\n\n“But all the transformations you can do are more than enough,” said Pig. “You can’t have powers like that too.”\n\nTo this Monkey said,\n\n“Cut off my head and I’ll still go on talking,\n\nLop off my arms and I’ll sock you another.\n\nChop off my legs and I’ll carry on walking,\n\nCarve up my guts and I’ll put them together.\n\n“When anyone makes a meat dumpling\n\nI take it and down it in one.\n\nTo bath in hot oil is really quite nice,\n\nA warm tub that makes all the dirt gone.”\n\nWhen Pig and Friar Sand heard this they roared with laughter. Monkey then stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, this humble monk can be beheaded.”\n\n“What do you mean, you can be beheaded?” the king asked.\n\n“When I was cultivating my conduct in the monastery many years ago,” Monkey replied, “a dhyana monk who came there taught me a method of being beheaded. I don’t know if it’s any good, and I’d like to try it out today.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That monk is too young to have any sense,” said the king with a smile. “Having your head cut off isn’t something that you can try out for I fun. Your head is the chief of the Six Positives, and when it’s cut off you’re dead.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” said the Great Immortal Tiger Power, “this is just the way I want him to act so that we can get our revenge on him.” Believing him, the foolish monarch ordered that a place for public execution be prepared.\n\nAs soon as the order was given, three thousand men of the royal guard were drawn up outside the palace gates. “The monk shall be beheaded first,” said the king. Monkey cheerfully agreed: “I’ll go first, I’ll go first.”\n\nThen he put his hands together and shouted, “Teacher of the Nation, I hope you’ll forgive my effrontery in going first.” Monkey then turned round and went outside.\n\n“Be careful, disciple,” said Sanzang, catching hold of him as he passed, “this is no place for fooling about.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What’s there to be afraid of?” said Monkey. “Stop holding me; let me go.”\n\nThe Great Sage went straight to the execution ground, where the executioners grabbed him and tied him up so that he was like a ball. When he was placed high on the earthen mound a shout of “Behead him!” was heard, and his head was cut off as the sword whistled down. The executioners then kicked it and sent it rolling thirty or forty paces away like a ripe watermelon. No blood came from Monkey’s throat as a shout of “Come here, head” rose from his stomach.\n\nThe Great Immortal Tiger Power was so appalled by this display of magical skill that he said a spell and ordered the local deity, “Hold on to that head. When I’ve beaten this monk I shall request His Majesty to rebuild your little shrine as a big temple and replace your clay statue with a gold one.” Now the local deity was under Tiger Power’s control because Tiger Power had the five-thunder magic, so he held Monkey’s head down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Come here, head,” Monkey called again, but his head was no more able to move than if it had taken root there. Monkey was now feeling anxious, so he made a spell with his hands, burst out of the ropes that were binding him, and shouted, “Grow!” In a flash another head grew on his neck, so terrifying the executioners and the soldiers of the guard army that they all shivered and shook.\n\nThe officer supervising the executions rushed into the palace to report, “Your Majesty, when the little monk’s head was cut off he grew another one.”\n\n“So that’s another trick our brother can do,” said Pig to Friar Sand with a mocking laugh.\n\n“As he can do seventy-two transformations,” said Friar Sand, “he has seventy-two heads.”\n\nBefore he had finished saying this Monkey came back and called, “Master!”\n\n“Was it painful, disciple?” asked a greatly relieved Sanzang.\n\n“No, it wasn’t painful,” said Monkey, “it was fun.”\n\n“Brother,” asked Pig, “do you need sword-wound ointment?”\n\n“Feel if there is a scar,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Feel if there is a scar,” said Monkey.\n\nThe idiot put out his hand and said with a smile of wide-eyed astonishment, “Fantastic. It’s completely whole—there’s not even a scar.”\n\nWhile the brother-disciples were congratulating each other they heard the king calling on them to take their passport and saying, “We grant you a full pardon. Go at once.”\n\n“We accept the passport, but we insist that the Teacher of the Nation must be beheaded too to see what happens,” said Monkey.\n\n“Senior Teacher of the Nation,” said the king, “that monk’s not going to let you off. You promised to beat him, and don’t give me another fright this time.” Tiger Power then had to take his turn to go to be tied up like a ball by the executioners and have his head cut off with a flash of the blade and sent rolling over thirty paces when it was kicked away.\n\nNo blood came from his throat either, and he too called out, “Come here, head.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey instantly pulled out a hair, blew a magic breath on it, said, “Change!” and turned it into a brown dog that ran across the execution ground, picking the Taoist’s head up with its teeth and dropping it into the palace moat.\n\nThe Taoist shouted three times but did not get his head to come back. As he did not have Monkey’s art of growing a new one the red blood started to gush noisily from his neck.\n\nNo use were his powers to call up wind and rain;\n\nHe could not compete with the true immortal again.\n\nA moment later his body collapsed into the dust, and everyone could see that he was really a headless yellow-haired tiger The officer supervising the executions then came to report, “Your Majesty, the Senior Teacher of the Nation has had his head cut off and cannot grow a new one. He is lying dead in the dust and is now a headless yellow-haired tiger.” This announcement made the king turn pale with shock. He stared at the other two Taoist masters, his eyes not moving."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Deer Power then rose to his feet and said, “My elder brother’s life is now over, but he was no tiger. That monk in his wickedness must have used some deception magic to turn my elder brother into a beast. I will never forgive him for this, and am resolved to compete with him in opening the stomach and cutting out the heart.”\n\nWhen the king heard this he pulled himself together and said, “Little monk, the Second Teacher of the Nation wants another competition with you.”\n\n“I hadn’t had a cooked meal for ages,” said Monkey, “until the other day I was given a meal at a vegetarian’s house on our journey West. I ate rather a lot of steamed bread, and my stomach has been aching recently. I think I must have worms, so I’d be glad to borrow Your Majesty’s sword, cut my stomach open, take out my innards, and give my spleen and my stomach a good clean-out before going to the Western Heaven.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the king heard this he said, “Take him to the place of execution.” A whole crowd of people fell upon Monkey, took hold of him, and began dragging him there. Monkey pulled his hands free and said, “No need to grab hold of me. I can walk there myself. There’s just one condition: my hands mustn’t be tied up as I will need them to wash my innards.” The king then ordered that his hands be left free.\n\nMonkey walked with a swagger straight to the execution ground, where he leant against the stake, undid his clothes, and exposed his stomach. The executioners tied ropes round his neck and his legs, then made a quick cut in his stomach with a knife shaped like a cow’s ear. This made a hole into which Monkey thrust both his hands to open it further as he brought out his entrails. He spent a long time checking them over carefully before putting them all back inside. Then he bent over again, pinched the skin of his stomach together, breathed a magic breath on it, called out, “Grow!” and made it join up again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was so shocked that he gave Monkey the passport with his own hands, saying, “Here is your passport. Please don’t let me delay you holy monks on your journey West any longer.”\n\n“Never mind the passport,” said Monkey, “but what about asking the Second Teacher of the Nation to be cut open?”\n\n“This is nothing to do with me,” the king said to Deer Power.\n\n“You wanted a match with him, and now you must go ahead.”\n\n“Don’t worry,” said Deer Power. “I cannot possibly lose to him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Watch him as he swaggers like the Great Sage Monkey to the execution ground to be tied up by the executioners and have his stomach cut open with a whistle of the cow’s-ear knife. He too took out his entrails and sorted them out with his own hands. Monkey meanwhile pulled out one of his hairs, blew on it with a magic breath, shouted, “Change!” and turned it into a hungry eagle that spread its wings, stretched out its claws, swooped down, grabbed the Taoist’s internal organs, heart, liver and all, and flew off nobody knew where to devour them. The Taoist was\n\nLeft as an empty, eviscerated ghost,\n\nWith no entrails or stomach as he wanders around lost.\n\nThe executioners kicked the wooden stake down and dragged the body over to look at it. To their surprise they found it was that of a white-haired deer."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The officer supervising the executions came to make another shocked report: “The Second Teacher of the Nation has met with disaster. He died when his stomach was cut open and a hungry eagle carried off all his entrails and internal organs in its claws. He turns out to have been a white-haired deer.”\n\n“How could he have been a deer?” asked the king in terror. To this the Great Immortal Antelope Power submitted the following reply: “How could my elder brother possibly look like an animal after his death? This is all the result of that monk using magic to ruin us. Let me avenge my elder brother.”\n\n“What magic arts do you have at which you might beat him?” the king asked. “I will compete with him at bathing in boiling oil,” Antelope Power replied. The king then ordered that a great cauldron be brought out and filled with sesame oil for the two of them to have their competition."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m most grateful for your consideration,” said Monkey. “I haven’t had a bath for a very long time, and these last couple of days my skin has begun to itch. I need a good, hot soak.”\n\nThe officials in attendance on the king then set the cauldron of oil in position, built up a pile of dry firewood, set it burning fiercely, and heated the oil till it boiled and bubbled. Monkey was told to go in first. He put his hands together in front of his chest and said, “Is it to be a gentle bath or a rough one?” When the king asked him what they were, Monkey replied, “For a gentle bath you keep your clothes on, stretch your hands wide out, do a roll and come up again without getting your clothes at all dirty. If there is even a spot of oil on them you have lost. For a rough bath you need a clothes rack and a wash towel. You take your clothes off, jump in and somersault or do dragonfly-stands as you play around and wash yourself.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do you want to compete with him at gentle baths or rough ones?” the king asked Antelope Power. “If it is gentle baths,” said Antelope Power, “he might have treated his clothes with some drug that will keep the oil off. Let it be rough baths then.” Monkey then stepped forward and said, “Excuse my impertinence in always going first.” Watch him while he takes off his tunic and tigerskin kilt, jumps into the cauldron, and dives through the waves, enjoying himself as much as if he were swimming in water.\n\nAt the sight of this Pig bit his finger and said to Friar Sand, “We’ve underestimated that Monkey. I usually say nasty things about him as if he just liked fooling about. I never realized he had powers like this.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey saw the two of them whispering his praises to each other, he thought suspiciously, “The idiot’s mocking me again. How true it is that the clever have to do all the work and the clumsy stay idle. Here’s me leaping around like this while he’s standing there at his ease. Right, then. I’ll get him tied up in knots and give him a real scare.” In the middle of washing himself he made a great splash and plunged down to the bottom of the cauldron where he turned himself into a jujube stone. He did not come up again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The officer supervising the executions went up to the king and reported, “Your Majesty, the little monk has been fried to death in the boiling oil.” The king in his delight ordered that the bones be fished out for him to see. The executioners fetched an iron strainer on a long handle with which they fished around in the cauldron, but its mesh was so coarse that Monkey, who was now as small as a nail, kept slipping through the holes in it and they could not fish him out. They then reported that the monk was so small and his bones so soft that they had been fried right away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Arrest the three monks,” the king ordered. The guard officers in attendance grabbed Pig first as he looked dangerous, pushed him down, and tied him up with his hands behind his back. Sanzang was so terrified that he shouted, “Your Majesty, grand this poor monk a couple of hours’ reprieve. My disciple achieved countless good deeds after he was converted. Today he has died in the cauldron of boiling oil because he offended Your Majesty. Those who die first become gods, and I am not greedy to stay alive. Indeed, those in authority in the world look after the world’s people. If Your Majesty tell me to die, your subject will not dare disobey. I only ask you in your mercy to grant me a bowl of cold gruel and three paper horses that I can place in front of the cauldron. I would like to burn the paper as a mark of my feeling for my disciple, and I will then be ready to go to my execution.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well,” said the King. “What a fine sense of honour these Chinese have.” He then ordered that some gruel and yellow paper be given to the Tang Priest, which was done.\n\nSanzang told Friar Sand to come with him as the two of them went to the foot of the steps while several guard officers dragged Pig by his ears to the cauldron. Sanzang said this invocation before the cauldron: “Disciple Sun Wukong,\n\nSince being ordained and then joining our order\n\nYou cared for and guarded me travelling West.\n\nWe hoped to complete our great journey together.\n\nWho would have thought you would here to go rest?\n\nYour life’s only aim was collecting the scriptures,\n\nAnd even when dead on the Buddha you ponder.\n\nNow far, far away you true spirit is waiting;\n\nAs a ghost will you climb to the temple of Thunder.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Pig when he heard this, “there’s no need for an invocation like that. Friar Sand, fetch me some gruel and I’ll make an invocation.” Then the idiot said, snorting with anger as he lay tied up on the ground,\n\n“Trouble-making monkey,\n\nIgnorant Protector of the Horses.\n\nThe monkey deserved to die,\n\nThe Protector had to fry.\n\nThe Monkey found it too hot,\n\nThe Protector’s had his lot.”\n\nWhen Monkey at the bottom of the cauldron heard the idiot abusing him like that he could not restrain himself from turning back into himself, standing up in the cauldron, and saying, “Dreg-guzzling moron! Who do you think you’re swearing at?”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang on seeing him, “you gave me a terrible fright.”\n\n“Big Brother’s used to shamming dead,” said Friar Sand. The civil and military officials were thrown into such a panic that they went forward to report to the king."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty, the monk did not die. He has just stood up in the cauldron.” The officer supervising the executions was afraid that he would be in trouble for having earlier made a false report to the king, so he submitted a new one: “The monk did die, but as this is an ill-omened day he has come back as a ghost to haunt us.”\n\nThis made Monkey so angry that he sprang out of the cauldron, wiped the oil off himself, put on his clothes, pulled out his cudgel, and hit the supervisor of the executions so hard that his head turned to a meatball. “A ghost, indeed,” he said, giving the officers such a fright that they untied Pig, fell to their knees, and pleaded, “Forgive us, forgive us.” As the king came down from his dragon throne Monkey went into the hall, seized hold of him, and said, “Don’t go, Your Majesty. Make the Third Teacher of the Nation get into the cauldron of oil now.”\n\n“Third Teacher of the Nation,” said the king with much trembling, “you must get into the cauldron at once to save my life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t let the monk hit me.” Antelope Power then went down from the throne hall and like Monkey took off his clothes, jumped into the oil, and went through the motions of washing himself.\n\nMonkey let the king go, went up to the cauldron, and told those tending the fire to add more fuel. Then he put out his hand to feel and found to his astonishment that the bubbling oil was icy cold.\n\n“It was boiling hot when I had my bath,” he thought, “but it’s cold for his. I’m sure that one of the dragon kings must be protecting him.” He leap straight up into midair, said the magic word “Om,” and summoned the Dragon King of the Northern Ocean.\n\n“I’ll get you, you horned worm, you loach with scales on,” said Monkey. “How dare you help the Taoist by protecting the bottom of the cauldron as a cold dragon and letting him beat me in this display of divine powers!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dragon king was so frightened that he kept making respectful noises as he replied, “I’d never have dared help him. There is more to this than you realize, Great Sage. That evil beast has strenuously cultivated his conduct, shaken off his original shell, and has only really kept his five-thunder magic. In all other respects he has taken the path of heresy and could never return to the true Way. This is the ‘Great Opening-up’ that he learned on Lesser Mount Mao. The other two have already had their powers defeated by you, Great Sage, and reverted to their true appearances. The cold dragon this one uses is one that he created for himself, but it is only a trick with which to fool common mortals: it could not deceive you, Great Sage. I shall now take that cold dragon under my control, and guarantee that his skin and bones will now be fried to a crisp.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Hurry up about it if you don’t want a beating,” said Monkey, at which the dragon king changed into a fierce gust of wind that seized the cold dragon and carried it off to the sea.\n\nMonkey now came down to earth and stood beside Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand in front of the throne hall watching the Taoist struggling without success to climb out of the boiling oil. Then the Taoist slipped back into the cauldron, and in an instant his bones came apart as his skin was fried crisp and his flesh cooked tender.\n\nThe official supervising the executions came in again to report, “Your Majesty, the Third Teacher of the Nation has been deep-fried to death.” The tears gushed from the king’s eyes as he struck the table by the throne and cried aloud,\n\n“Hard is the gaining of life and hard is its end;\n\nElixir never refine without true instruction.\n\nVainly the spirits are raced and water-spells made;\n\nPills that can make you immortal are only a fiction.\n\nNirvana can never be won by a mind in disorder;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nirvana can never be won by a mind in disorder;\n\nCunning is useless when all it can cause is destruction.\n\nHad I been warned that all could so easily fail,\n\nI’d have kept to the diet and chosen a life of inaction.”\n\nIndeed:\n\nThere was no use in the golden touch and in making elixir;\n\nCalling up wind and summoning rain all ended in failure.\n\nIf you do not know how the master and his disciples continued, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty-Seven\n\nThe Holy Monk Is Stopped by the River of Heaven at Night\n\nMetal and Wood in Their Mercy Rescue a Child"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Metal and Wood in Their Mercy Rescue a Child\n\nThe king collapsed on his throne in tears and cried till nightfall. Then Monkey stepped forward and called out, “Don’t be so silly. Look at those Taoists’ bodies. One was a tiger and the other was a deer. Antelope Power was an antelope. If you don’t believe me, have his bones fished out and take a look at them. Is that a human skeleton? They were all mountain beasts who became spirits and came here to destroy you. The only reason they had not struck yet was because your life force is still strong; but in another couple of years when your life force was weaker they would have murdered you and your whole kingdom would have been theirs. You are very lucky that we came here in time to destroy their evil and save your life. What are you crying for? Give us our passport at once and let us go.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This finally brought the king to his senses, and then the civil and military officials reported together, “The first two who died were indeed a white deer and a yellow tiger; and the cauldron contains the bones of an antelope. The holy monk must be believed.”\n\n“If that is the case I must thank the holy monk,” said the king, who then said to his tutor, “it is late now, so please take the holy monks to the Deep Wisdom Monastery. Tomorrow morning the Eastern hall of the palace shall be opened up and the royal kitchens shall lay on a vegetarian banquet as a mark of our thanks.” They were then taken to the monastery, where they slept that night."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shortly before dawn the next morning the king held an audience at which he ordered the officials to issue a notice to be posted at the four gates of the city and on every road recalling Buddhist monks. While the banquet was being set out the king went in his carriage to the gates of the Deep Wisdom Monastery to invite the Tang Priest and his disciples to the banquet in the Eastern hall of the palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Buddhist monks who had escaped learned of the notice they all returned in delight to the city to find the Great Sage Monkey, return his hairs, and thank him. When the banquet was over the king returned Sanzang the passport and escorted him out through the gates of the palace with his queen, consorts and concubines and the civil and military officials, The Buddhist monks could be seen kneeling beside the road and calling out, “Great Sage Equaling Heaven, we are the monks your lordship saved on the sandbank. Now that we have heard that you lordship has destroyed those evil beings and saved us, and His Majesty has issued a notice recalling us monks, we have come to return your hairs and kowtow in gratitude.”\n\n“How many of you are there here?” Monkey asked.\n\n“All five hundred: we are not one short.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All five hundred: we are not one short.”\n\nMonkey then shook himself and took the hairs back before saying to king, subjects, monks and lay people alike, “It was I who released these monks, it was I who took the cart through the two gates and along the ridge before smashing it, and it was I who killed those evil Taoists. Now that the evil has been destroyed you will realize that there is a Way in the Buddha’s faith. From now on you must have no more foolish beliefs. I hope that you will combine the three teachings by honoring both the Buddhist clergy and the Way of Taoism, and by also educating men of talent in the Confucian tradition. I can guarantee that this will make you kingdom secure for ever.” The king accepted this advice and expressed his gratitude at great length as he accompanied the Tang Priest out of the city.\n\nBecause they were seriously seeking the scriptures,\n\nThey strove to maintain their brightness of spirit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Setting out at dawn and not stopping till nightfall, they drank when thirsty and ate when hungry. Before they realized it spring and summer were over and it was autumn again. Late one day the Tang Priest reined in his horse and asked, “Where shall we spend the night, disciples?”\n\n“Master,” said Monkey, “a man of religion shouldn’t talk like a layman.”\n\n“What is the difference in the way they talk?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“At a time like this,” said Monkey, “a layman would be fast asleep in a warm bed wrapped up in a quilt with his child in his arms and a wife to keep his feet warm. We monks can’t expect anything like that. We have only the moon and the stars to cover us with. We dine on the wind and sleep in the dew. We travel when we can find a way and only stop when there’s no way forward.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said Pig, “you only know half of the story. The trail is very steep now and I can barely manage my heavy load. We’ve got to find somewhere where I can get a good night’s sleep and build myself up to carry my load tomorrow. Otherwise I’m going to collapse from exhaustion.”\n\n“Let’s go a little further in the moonlight,” said Monkey. “When we reach a house we can stay there.” Master and disciples had no choice but to carry on with Monkey.\n\nThey had not been going for long when they heard the sound of waves. “That’s done it,” said Pig. “We’ve come to the end of the road.”\n\n“There’s a river in our way,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“How are we going to get across?” asked the Tang Priest.\n\n“Let me test it for depth,” said Pig.\n\n“Don’t talk nonsense, Wuneng,” said Sanzang. “How could you test the water for depth?”\n\n“Find a pebble the size of a goose egg and throw it in,” Pig replied. “If it makes a big splash the water’s shallow; and if it goes down with bubbles the water’s deep.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Test it then,” said Monkey. The idiot then picked up a stone and threw it into the water; they heard the bubbles rising as the stone sunk.\n\n“It’s deep, too deep,” he said, “we’ll never get across.”\n\n“You have tested for depth,” said the Tang Priest, “but we don’t know how wide it is.”\n\n“I can’t tell that,” said Pig.\n\n“Let me have a look,” said Monkey. The splendid Great Sage sprang up into mid-air on his cloud and took a good look. What he saw was:\n\nThe light of the moon immersed in the vastness,\n\nThe floating reflection of the limitless sky.\n\nThe magical stream has swallowed Mount Hua;\n\nHundreds of rivers flow into its waters.\n\nWaves in their thousands rise and then fall,\n\nTowering breakers crash without number.\n\nNo fisherman burns his fire by the shore;\n\nThe herons are all now asleep on the sand.\n\nIt is as turbid and huge as the ocean,\n\nAnd there is no end to its water in sight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And there is no end to its water in sight.\n\nMonkey brought his cloud quickly down, put it away, and reported, “It’s wide, Master, very wide. We’ll never get across it. My fiery eyes with their golden pupils can see there hundred miles by day and distinguish good from evil too. By night they can see a hundred to a hundred and fifty miles. If even I can’t see the other bank goodness only knows how wide it is.”\n\nSanzang was speechless with shock, then he sobbed, “What are we to do, disciples?”\n\n“Don’t cry, Master,” said Friar Sand. “There’s someone standing by the river over there.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I expect it’s a fisherman working his nets,” said Monkey. “I’ll go and ask him.” Monkey took his iron cudgel in his hand and was before the man in two or three bounds, only to discover that it was in fact a stone tablet on which was inscribed in an ancient script three words in large letters and nine words in two rows of little ones underneath. The three words written large were RIVER OF HEAVEN, and the words in small writing were “250 miles across; few travelers have ever been here.”\n\n“Master,” called Monkey, “come and take a look.”\n\nWhen Sanzang read this he said through his tears, “Disciple, when I left Chang’an all those years ago I thought that the Western Heaven would be easy to get to. I never knew that so many evil monsters would block my way, or that there would be such enormous mountains and rivers to cross.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Listen, Master,” said Pig. “Where is that sound of drums and cymbals coming from? It must be people holding a religious feast. Let’s go and get some of the food to eat and find out where there is a boat that will ferry us across tomorrow.” When Sanzang listened as he sat on the horse he could hear that it really was the sound of drums and cymbals.\n\n“Those aren’t Taoist instruments,” he said. “It must be some Buddhist monks performing a ceremony. Let’s go there.” Monkey led the horse as they headed towards the music. There was no track to follow as they climbed and then lost height again and crossed sand banks until a village of some four or five hundred households came into sight. It was a fine settlement:\n\nProtected by hills, beside the main road,\n\nOn the bank of the river, and watered by a stream.\n\nAll the wicket gates were shut;\n\nEvery household’s bamboo fence was closed.\n\nClear were the dreams of the egrets on the strand,\n\nSilent the song of the birds by the willows.\n\nNo sound came from the flute,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "No sound came from the flute,\n\nNothing was heard of the chopping-board’s rhythm.\n\nThe moon was rocked in stalks of knotweed;\n\nThe leaves of the rushes trembled in the wind.\n\nBeside the fields the dogs barked through the fence;\n\nThe fisherman slept in his boat moored by the ford.\n\nFew were the lights amid the stillness,\n\nAnd the moon hung like a mirror in the sky,\n\nA smell of duckweed wafted over\n\nCarried by the wind from the Western bank.\n\nWhen Sanzang dismounted he saw a house at the end of the road outside of which hung a silken banner. Inside it was bright with candles and lanterns, and there were clouds of incense."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wukong,” said Sanzang, “this is much better than a mountain hollow or the bank of a stream. Under the eaves we will be able to relax and sleep soundly, protected from the chilly dew. You all keep out of the way while I go to the gates of the believer’s house that is giving the religious feast to ask for shelter. If they invite me in I shall call you over. But don’t start playing it up if they don’t invite me in. If you show your ugly faces you might give them a terrible fright and cause trouble, and then we would have nowhere to stay.”\n\n“You’re right,” said Monkey. “You go ahead, Master, while we wait here.”\n\nThe venerable elder then took off his rain hat, straightened his habit, took his monastic staff in his hand and went bareheaded to the gates, which were ajar. Not venturing to walk in uninvited, Sanzang stood there for a while until a very old man with prayer-beads round his neck who was repeating the name of Amitabha Buddha came out to shut the gate."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang at once put his hands together before his chest and said, “I salute you, benefactor.” The old man returned his greeting then said, “You’re too late, monk.”\n\n“What do you mean?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“You’re too late to get anything,” the old man said. “If you had been here earlier we were giving each monk a good meal, three pints of polished rice, a piece of white cloth, and ten copper cash. Why have you only come now?”\n\n“Benefactor,” Sanzang replied, “I am not here to collect offerings.”\n\n“If you’re not here for offerings, what are you here for then?” the old man asked.\n\n“I have been sent by the Emperor of the Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” Sanzang replied. “It was already late when I reached this village, and I have come here to beg for a night’s shelter because I heard the drums and cymbals. I will be on my way at dawn.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man shook his hand at him as he replied, “Monk, men of religion should not tell lies. Great Tang in the East is 18,000 miles from here. How could you have come from there by yourself?”\n\n“You are quite right, benefactor,” said Sanzang. “I have only been able to reach here because I have three disciples who protect me. They clear paths across mountains and build bridges across rivers.”\n\n“If you have these disciples,” the old man said, “why aren’t they with you? But do come in. We have room for you to stay here.”\n\nSanzang then looked back and called, “Come here, disciples.”\n\nAs Monkey was impatient by nature, Pig coarse, and Friar Sand impetuous, the moment they heard their master calling they grabbed the horse’s bridle and the luggage and ran in, hell-bent for leather. The sight of them gave the old man such a shock that he collapsed, muttering, “Demons, demons.”\n\n“Please don’t be afraid, benefactor,” said Sanzang. “They’re not demons, they are my disciples.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But how could so handsome a master have such hideous disciples?” asked the old man, still shivering and shaking.\n\n“They may not be much to look at,” said Sanzang, “but they certainly know how to subdue dragons and tigers and capture monsters and demons.” The old man was not entirely convinced as he helped the Tang Priest inside.\n\nThe three ferocious disciples rushed to the main hall, tied the horse up outside and put the baggage down. Several monks were reciting sutras inside. Covering his long snout with his hands, Pig shouted, “What’s that sutra you’re reciting, monks?” The monks looked up when they heard his question.\n\nThey looked at the stranger and saw a long snout,\n\nAs well as a pair of big ears that stuck out.\n\nHis body was rough and his shoulders were broad;\n\nWhen he opened his muzzle, like thunder he roared.\n\nBut as for our Monkey and good Friar Sand,\n\nTheir faces were more than a person could stand.\n\nThe monks saying their sutras within the main hall"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Were terribly frightened and scared one and all.\n\nThe teacher continued the text to recite,\n\nUntil the head monk said they should stop for the night.\n\nThey paid no more heed to the chimes and the bell,\n\nAnd the Buddha’s own images from their hands fell.\n\nThey all blew at once to put out every light,\n\nAnd tried in their terror to scatter in flight.\n\nThey crawl on the ground as they stumble and fall,\n\nAnd all of them trip getting out of that hall.\n\nOne old monk’s head with another one clashes\n\nJust like the collapse of piled-up calabashes.\n\nWhat once was a pure and a most holy rite\n\nWas all now reduced to a comical sight.\n\nThe sight of the monks stumbling and crawling about made the three disciples clap their hands and laugh aloud, at which the monks were more terrified than ever. Colliding with each other’s heads they all fled for their lives and disappeared. By the time Sanzang helped the old man into the hall the lights had all been put out and the three of them were still chuckling away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Damned creatures,” said Sanzang, “you are all thoroughly evil, despite my daily teaching and advice. As the ancients said,\n\nOnly the saintly can become good without instruction;\n\nOnly the worthy can become good after instruction;\n\nOnly idiots will not become good even with instruction.\n\nThe disgraceful scene you’ve just made is one of the lowest and most stupid things I could possibly imagine. You charge in through the gates without any respect, make our elderly benefactor collapse in fright, send all the monks fleeing for their lives, and completely ruin their service. I shall have to take the blame for all of this.” None of them could find a word to say in their defense.\n\nOnly then did the old man believe that they really were Sanzang’s disciples, turn back, and say, “It’s nothing, sir, nothing. The lamps have just been put out and the flowers scattered as the service is ending anyhow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If it’s over,” said Pig, “bring out the food and wine for the completion feast. We need a meal before we go to bed.” The old man called for oil lamps to be lit. The servants could not understand why.\n\n“There are lots of incense sticks and candles where they’re saying surras in the main hall, so why does he want oil lamps lit?”\n\nWhen some servants came out to look they found everything in darkness, so they lit torches and lanterns and rushed in together. When they looked inside and suddenly saw Pig and Friar Sand they dropped their torches in terror and fled, shutting the doors behind them, and fleeing to the inner part of the house with shout of “Demons, demons!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey picked up a torch, lit some lamps and candles, and pulled up an armchair for the Tang Priest to sit in while the disciples sat on either side of him. As they were sitting there talking they heard a door leading from the inner part of the house being opened. Another old man came in leaning on a stick and asking, “What evil spirits are you, coming to this pious household in the middle of the night?”\n\nThe first old man, who was sitting in front of them, rose and went to meet him behind the screen saying, “Stop shouting, elder brother. These aren’t demons. This is an arhat sent from Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures. His disciples may look evil but really they are very good.” Only then did the old man put his stick down and bow in greeting to the four of them, after which he too sat down in front of them and called for tea and vegetarian food. He shouted several times, but the servants were still quaking with terror and too frightened to come in."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was more than Pig could put up with. “Old man,” he said, “you have an awful lot of servants. What have they all gone off to do?”\n\n“I have sent them to fetch food to offer to you gentlemen,” the old man replied.\n\n“How many of them will be serving the food?” asked Pig.\n\n“Eight,” said the old man.\n\n“Who will they be waiting on?” asked Pig.\n\n“You four gentlemen,” the old man replied.\n\n“Our master, the one with the white face, only needs one person to wait on him,” said Pig. “The one with hair cheeks whose mouth looks like a thunder god only needs two. That vicious-looking creature needs eight, and I must have twenty.”\n\n“From what you say must be rather a big eater,” the old man remarked.\n\n“You’re about right,” said Pig.\n\n“We have enough servants,” the old man said, and by bringing together servants of all ages he produced thirty or forty of them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the monks talked to the old man the servants lost their fear and set a table in front of the Tang Priest, inviting him to take the place of honour. They then put three more tables on both sides of him, at which they asked the three disciples to sit, and another in front of these for the two old men. On the tables were neatly arranged some fruit, vegetables, pasta, rice, refreshments and pea-noodle soup. Sanzang raised his chopsticks and started to say a grace over the food, but the idiot, who was impatient and hungry to boot, did not wait for him to finish before grabbing a red lacquered wooden bowl of white rice that he scooped up and gulped down in a single mouthful.\n\n“Sir,” said the servant standing beside him, “you didn’t think very carefully. If you are going to keep food in your sleeves shouldn’t you take steamed bread instead of rice that will get your clothes duty?”\n\n“I didn’t put it in my sleeve,” chuckled Pig, “I ate it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But you didn’t even open your mouth,” they said, “so how could you have eaten it?”\n\n“Who is lying then?” said Pig. “I definitely ate it. If you don’t believe me I’ll eat another to show you.” The servants carried the rice over, filled a bowlful, and passed it to Pig, who had it down his throat in a flash.\n\n“Sir,” said the astonished servants, “you must have a throat built of whetstones, it’s so smooth and slippery.” Pig had downed five or six bowls before the master could finish the short grace; only then did he pick up his chopsticks and start eating with them. The idiot grabbed whatever he could and bolted it, not caring whether it was rice or pasta, fruit or refreshments.\n\n“More food, more food,” he shouted, until it gradually began to run out, “Brother,” said Monkey, “don’t eat so much. Make do with being half full. Anyhow, it’s better than starving in a mountain hollow.”\n\n“What a horrible face you’re making,” said Pig. “As the saying goes,\n\nThe monk at a banquet who can’t eat his fill"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monk at a banquet who can’t eat his fill\n\nWould rather be buried alive on the hill.”\n\n“Clear the things away and pay no more attention to him,” said Monkey.\n\n“We will be frank with you, reverend sirs,” said the two old men with bows. “We would have no problem in feeding a hundred or more reverend gentlemen with big bellies like him in the daytime, but it is late now and the remains of the maigre-feast have been put away. We only cooked a bushel of noodles, five bushels of rice and a few tables of vegetarian food to feed our neighbors and the clergy at the end of the service. We never imagined that you reverend gentlemen would turn up and put the monks to flight. We have not even been able to offer any food to our relations and neighbors as we have given it all to you. If you are still hungry we can have some more cooked.”\n\n“Yes,” said Pig, “cook some more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” said Pig, “cook some more.”\n\nAfter this exchange the tables and other things used for the banquet were tidied away. Sanzang bowed to his hosts to thank them for the meal, then asked them their surname. “We are called Chen,” they replied.\n\n“Then you are kinsmen of mine,” said Sanzang, putting his hands together in front of his chest.\n\n“Is your surname Chen as Well?” the old men asked.\n\n“Yes,” Sanzang replied, “Chen was my surname before I became a monk. May I ask why you were holding that religious feast just now?”\n\n“Why brother to ask, Master?” said Pig with a laugh. “Anyone could tell you that it’s bound to have been a feast for the new crops, or for safety, or for the end of funeral ceremonies.”\n\n“No, it was not,” the old men said.\n\n“Then what was it for?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“It was a feast to prepare for death,” the old men replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t know who you’re talking to,” said Pig, falling about with laughter. “We could build a bridge out of lies. We’re kings of deception. Don’t try to fool us. As monks we know all about maigre-feasts. There are only preparatory maigre-feasts for transferring money to the underworld and for fulfilling vows. Nobody’s died here, so why have a funeral feast?”\n\n“This idiot’s learning a bit of sense,” chuckled Monkey to himself.\n\n“Old man,” he said aloud, “what you said must be wrong. How can you have a feast to prepare for death?”\n\nAt this the two old men bowed and replied, “And if you were going to fetch the scriptures why did you come here instead of taking the main route?”\n\n“We were on the main route,” replied Monkey, “but a river was in our way and we weren’t able to cross it. We came to your distinguished residence to ask for a night’s shelter because we heard the drums and cymbals.”\n\n“What did you see by the side of the river?” one of the old men asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nothing but a stone tablet on which was written ‘River of Heaven’ above and ‘250 miles across; few travelers have ever been here’ underneath,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Less than half a mile along the bank from the stone tablet is the Temple of the Great King of Miraculous Response,” the old man said. “Did you not see it?”\n\n“No,” Monkey replied. “Would you old gentlemen tell me why he’s called ‘Miraculous Response?’”\n\nThe two old men burst into tears as they replied, “My lord, as for the Great King,\n\nBecause he responded a temple we built;\n\nHis miracles greatly the common folk helped.\n\nHe sends timely rain to the farms all about;\n\nHis clouds give their moisture to keep us from drought.”\n\n“But if he sends timely rain and clouds he’s being kind to you,” said Brother Monkey, “so why are you so upset and miserable?” At this the old man stamped on the ground, beat his chest and wailed, “Master,\n\nGreat is our gratitude, greater our anger:\n\nAlthough he is kind he is also a danger."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although he is kind he is also a danger.\n\nHe is not one of the gods true and right—\n\nTo eat boys and girls is his evil delight.”\n\n“He likes eating boys and girls?” Brother Monkey exclaimed.\n\n“Yes,” replied the old man.\n\n“I suppose it’s your family’s turn now,” said Monkey.\n\n“Yes, this year it is our turn,” the old man said. “There are a hundred households living here. This place is called Chen Village, and it is in Yuanhui County of the Kingdom of Tarrycart. There is a sacrifice to the Great King every year at which a boy, a girl, pigs, sheep, oxen and wine have to be offered. If he gets his meal he gives us wind and rain at the right time; but if there is no sacrifice he sends disaster.”\n\n“How many sons are there in your household?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man beat his breast and said, “Alas, alas, we die of shame when you speak of sons. This is my brother, Chen Qing, who is fifty-seven. I am Chen Cheng and am sixty-two. We have both found great difficulty in having children. As I had no son my friends and relations persuaded me to take a concubine when I was nearly fifty. I had no option but to find one and we had a daughter. She is just seven this year, and we call her Pan of Gold.”\n\n“That’s a very grand name,” said Pig. “But why Pan of Gold?”\n\n“Because we were childless we built bridges, repaired roads, contributed to putting up monasteries and pagodas, gave donations and fed monks. We kept an account of all this, and what with three ounces spent here and five spent there it added up to thirty pounds of gold by the time the girl was born. Thirty pounds is a pan of gold, and hence the name.”\n\n“What about sons?” Monkey asked.\n\n“My brother has a son who was also by a concubine. He is six this year, and we call him Chen Guan-given.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why did you call him that?” Monkey asked. “In our family we worship Lord Guan Yu, and we called him Guan-given as it was from the statue of Lord Guan that we begged and obtained this son. My brother and I are 120 between us if you add our ages together, and these are our only two offspring. We never imagined that it would fall to us to provide the sacrificial offerings this year, and this is a duty we cannot escape. It is because as fathers we cannot bear to part from our children that we held this service to bring about rebirth, this maigre-feast to prepare for death.”\n\nThis brought the tears pouring down Sanzang’s cheeks as he replied, “This is what the ancients mean when they said,\n\nLong before the ripe ones the green plums always fall;\n\nThe harshness of heaven hits the childless worst of all.”\n\nMonkey smiled at this and said, “Let me ask some more questions. Tell me, sir, how much property does your family have?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Quite a lot,” the younger old man replied. “About seven hundred acres of paddy fields, a thousand acres of dry fields, eighty or ninety fields of hay, two or three hundred water-buffalo and oxen, twenty or thirty donkeys and horses, and goodness only knows how many pigs, sheep, chickens and geese. We have more old grain piled up at home than we can eat, and more clothes than we can wear. That is the extent of our family’s property.”\n\n“It’s a pity you’re so stingy with all your wealth,” said Monkey.\n\n“How can you accuse us of being stingy?” the old man asked.\n\n“If you’re so rich,” said Monkey, “why give your own children to be sacrificed? You could buy a boy for fifty ounces and a girl for a hundred. With all the other expenses together it shouldn’t cost you more than two hundred ounces of silver to keep your own children. Wouldn’t that be better?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the younger old man replied through his tears, “My lord, you don’t realize that the Great King is miraculously responsive, and that he often calls on this household.”\n\n“If he comes here have you seen what he looks like and how tall he is?” asked Brother Monkey.\n\n“We don’t see him,” the younger old man replied, “we just know that the Great King is coming when we smell a fragrant wind. Then we burn huge amounts of incense and all of us, young and old alike, prostrate ourselves in the direction of the wind. He knows every trifling detail about our household—even about our spoons and the bowls we use—and remembers all our dates of birth. He will only accept our own son and daughter. Never mind two or three hundred ounces of silver: we could not buy identical-looking children of exactly the same age for tens of thousands of ounces.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So it’s like that,” said Monkey. “Very well then, bring your son out for me to take a look at him.” Chen Qing hurried to the inner part of the house, brought Guan-given back with him into the hall, and set the boy down in front of the lamp. Not realizing the mortal danger he was in the little boy leapt about, filled his sleeves with fruit, ate and played around. Monkey looked at him, said a spell silently, shook himself, and made himself look just like Guan-given. Then the two boys started to jump and dance in front of the lamp, giving the two old men such a shock that they fell to their knees.\n\n“That was a terrible thing for him to do, venerable sirs,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But the gentleman was talking to us a moment ago,” said the old man. “How can he have turned into the exact likeness of my son? When you call them they respond and move together. This shock has shortened our lives. Please return to your normal appearance!” Monkey rubbed his face and was himself once more. “What powers you have, my lord,” said the old man, still on his knees.\n\n“Was I like your son?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes, just like him,” the old man replied. “Same face, same voice, same clothes, same height.”\n\n“You didn’t look carefully enough,” said Monkey. “Get some scales and weigh me to see if I’m the same weight as him.”\n\n“Yes, yes, the same weight,” the old man said.\n\n“Would I do for the sacrifice like that?” asked Monkey.\n\n“Perfect,” said the old man, “just perfect. You would be accepted.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I shall take the child’s place and keep him alive for your family to have descendants to burn incense to you,” said Monkey. “I shall be offered to the Great King instead.” At this Chen Qing kowtowed as he knelt there, saying, “My lord, if in your mercy you were to take his place I will give His Reverence the Tang Priest a thousand ounces of silver towards the cost of his journey to the Western Heaven.”\n\n“Aren’t you going to reward me?” asked Monkey.\n\n“But if you are sacrificed in the boy’s place it will be the end of you,” said the old man.\n\n“What do you mean?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The Great King will eat you,” the old man replied.\n\n“He’d dare to eat me?” said Monkey.\n\n“The only reason he might not eat you would be if he thought you would taste too high,” the old man said.\n\n“Let Heaven do as it will,” said Monkey. “If I’m eaten up it’ll be because I’m fated to have a short life; and if I’m not eaten it’ll be because I’m lucky. Take me to the sacrifice.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While Chen Qing kowtowed, expressed his thanks, and presented them with five hundred ounces of silver Chen Cheng neither kowtowed nor thanked Monkey, but leant against the doorway sobbing. As soon as Brother Monkey noticed this he went up to him, took hold of his clothes, and said, “Old man, is it because you can’t bear to lose your daughter that you’re not giving me anything or thanking me?”\n\nOnly then did Chen Cheng fall to his knees and reply, “Yes, I cannot bear to lose her. It is enough that in your great kindness you are saving my nephew by taking his place. But I have no son. She is my only child and she would weep for me bitterly after my death. I cannot bear to lose her.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Then you’d better go along at once and cook five bushels of rice and some good vegetarian dishes for that long-snouted venerable gentleman to eat. Then I’ll make him turn into the likeness of your daughter and the two of us will be able to take part in the sacrifice. We’ll see if we can do a meritorious deed and save your children’s lives.”\n\nThese words came as a great shock to Pig, who said, “Brother, if you turn yourself into a spirit and leave me to die you’ll be dragging me into disaster.”\n\n“Brother,” said Monkey, “as the saying goes, a chicken doesn’t eat what it doesn’t earn. We came in here and were given an ample meal, but you had to complain that you were still hungry. Why aren’t you willing to help them in their crisis?”\n\n“But, brother,” protested Pig, “I can’t do transformations.”\n\n“You can do thirty-six transformations,” said Monkey. “How can you possibly deny that?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wuneng,” Sanzang said to Pig, “what your brother says is absolutely correct, and he has made the right decision. As the saying goes, to save a human life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda. If you do this you will be thanking our hosts for their generous hospitality and accumulating good karma for yourself. Besides, it will be fun for you and your brother on this cool night when you have nothing else to do.”\n\n“What are you saying, Master?” said Pig. “I can only change into a hill, a tree, a rock, a scabby elephant, a water-buffalo or a big, fat man. It’d be pretty hard for me to turn into a little girl.”\n\n“Pay no attention to him,” said Monkey to Chen Cheng, “but bring your daughter out for me to see.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chen Cheng then hurried inside and came back into the hall with Pan of Gold in his arms; and everyone in the household, young and old, wives and concubines, members of the family and other relations, all came in to kowtow and beg Monkey to save the child’s life. Round her hair the little girl was wearing a patterned turquoise headband from which hung ornaments representing the eight precious things. Her jacket was of red and yellow shot ramie, and over is she wore a cape in green imperial satin with a checked collar. Her skirt was of scarlet flowered silk, her shoes were of pink ramie and shaped like frogs’ heads, and her trousers were of raw silk with gold thread. She was holding a piece of fruit in her hand and eating it.\n\n“There’s the girl,” said Monkey. “Make yourself like her at once. We’re off to the sacrifice.”\n\n“But she’s much too small and delicate for me to turn into, brother,” said Pig.\n\n“Hurry up if you don’t want me to hit you,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t hit me,” pleaded Pig in desperation. “I’ll see if I can make the change.”\n\nThe idiot then said the words of a spell, shook his head several times, called “Change!” and really did make his head look like the little girl’s. The only troubles was that his belly was still much too fat and disproportionately big.\n\n“Change some more,” said Monkey with a laugh.\n\n“Hit me then,” said Pig. “I can’t change any more, and that’s that.”\n\n“But you can’t have a little girl’s head on a monk’s body,” said Monkey. “You won’t do at all like that—you’re neither a man nor a girl. Do the Dipper star-steps.” Monkey then blew on him with magic breath and in fact did change his body to make it look like the little girl’s."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Will you two old gentlemen please take the young master and the young lady inside and make no mistake about who they are,” said Monkey. “My brother and I will be trying to dodge the monster and fooling around, and we may come in here, so that it will be hard to tell us from the real children. Have some fruit ready for them to eat and don’t let them cry, in case the Great King notices and our secret gets out. Now we’re off to see if we can fool him.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage then told Friar Sand to look after the Tang Priest while Pig and he changed into Chen Guan-given and Pan of Gold. When the two of them were ready Monkey asked, “How are the victims presented? Tied up in a bundle, or with their hands roped together? Are they steamed or chopped up into little bits?”\n\n“Brother,” pleaded Pig, “don’t do me down. I haven’t got those magic powers.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We would never dare to,” said the old men. “We would just like you two gentlemen each to sit in a red lacquer dish that would be put on a table. You would then be carried into the temple on the tables by a pair of youngsters.”\n\n“Fine, fine,” said Monkey. “Bring the dishes in here for us to try out.” The old men sent for the two red dishes, in which Monkey and Pig sat while four young men carried them for a few steps in the courtyard before setting them down again in the hall. “Pig,” said Monkey with delight, “being carried around on dishes like this makes us like abbots sitting in the seats of honour.”\n\n“I wouldn’t be at all scared of being carried in and out of here till dawn,” said Pig, “but being carried into the temple to be eaten is no joke.”\n\n“Just watch me,” said Brother Monkey, “and run away when he eats me.”\n\n“How do you know who he’ll eat first?” said Pig. “If he eats the boy first I’ll be able to get away; but what shall I do if he eats the girl first?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this one of the old men said, “During the sacrifices in other years some of the bolder of us have slipped into the back of the temple or hidden under the tables on which the offerings were made. They have seen that he eats the boy first and the girl afterwards.”\n\n“Thank goodness,” said Pig, “thank goodness.”\n\nWhile the two brother-disciples were talking they heard a mighty noise of gongs and drums and a blaze of lights outside as the villagers opened the front gates and poured in, shouting, “Bring out the boy and the girl.” The four young men then carried Monkey and Pig out to the sobs and wails of the old men.\n\nIf you do not know whether they lost their lives or not, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty-Eight\n\nA Devilish Blizzard Makes the Snow Whirl\n\nThe Monk Who Seeks to Worship Buddha Walks on Ice"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how the believers in Chen Village noisily carried Monkey and Pig with pork, mutton, beef and wine straight to the Temple of Miraculous Response, where they set them all out with the young boy and girl in the most prominent place. Monkey looked around and saw that the offertory tables were covered with fragrant flowers and wax candles. In front of him was a tablet on which were inscribed in letters of gold, GREAT KING OF MIRACULOUS RESPONSE. There were no statues of any other gods. When the believers had set everything out properly they all kowtowed and made this prayer:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Great King, our lord, at this hour of this day of this month of this year Chen Cheng, the master of the sacrifice, and all the other faithful of different ages beg to offer in accordance with annual custom the little boy Chen Guan-given, the little girl Pan of Gold, pork, mutton, beef and wine for the delectation of the Great King. We beg you to give us the right amounts of wind and rain and to grant a good harvest for all our crops.” After praying they burnt paper horses and all went home.\n\nWhen they had all gone Pig said to Monkey, “Let’s go home.”\n\n“Where’s your home?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Let’s go back to old Chen’s place for a sleep,” Pig replied.\n\n“You’re talking nonsense again, idiot,” said Monkey. “You’ve made them a promise and now you’ve got to fulfil their wish.”\n\n“You’re the idiot, not me, despite what you’ve always saying,” replied Pig. “Why don’t we just take him for a ride. You can’t be serious about us being sacrificed for them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Always finish what you begin,” said Monkey. “We’ll only be able to tidy this business up if we stay here till the Great King comes to eat us up. Otherwise we’ll make him cause disasters, which would be terrible.”\n\nAs they were talking they heard the howling of a wind outside. “This is terrible,” said Pig. “What made the wind come?” “\n\nShut up,” said Monkey, “while I cope.” A moment later an evil creature came in through the temple doors. Look at him:\n\nGold armor, golden helmet, shining bright;\n\nRed clouds enfold the jade belt at his waist.\n\nHis eyes were gleaming like the stars at night,\n\nHis teeth resembled those on a pair of saws.\n\nUnder his feet wafted sunset clouds;\n\nWarm and scented were the mists all around.\n\nCold blew the negative winds as he walked;\n\nHeavy lay the air of death where he stood.\n\nHe was just like an officer guarding an emperor,\n\nOr a god at the gateway protecting a monastery.\n\nThe monster stood blocking the entrance to the temple and asked, “Who is making the sacrifice this year?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Thank you for asking,” Monkey replied. “This year the village heads are the family of Chen Cheng and Chen Qing.” This reply struck the monster as very odd.\n\n“That boy has a lot of courage,” he thought, “and he’s a good talker too. Usually the children who are offered say nothing the first time I ask them a question and are frightened out of their wits the second time. Before I’ve even grabbed them in my hand they are already dead. So why’s this boy today so good at answering?”\n\nInstead of seizing him the monster asked another question: “What is your name, boy?”\n\n“My name is Chen Guan-given, and the girl is called Pan of Gold.”\n\n“According to the old custom of this sacrifice I should eat you first,” said the monster.\n\n“I have no objection,” said Brother Monkey. “Enjoy your meal.”\n\nHearing this the monster was once more afraid to grab Monkey, so instead he blocked the doorway and shouted, “I’ll have none of your answering back. Usually I eat the boy first, but this year I shall start with the girl.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Better to follow the old custom,” said Pig in a panic. “Don’t break with tradition.”\n\nWithout any more discussion the monster made a grab for Pig, who leapt down, turned back into himself, and struck at the monster’s hand with his rake. The monster pulled his hand back and fled. All that could be heard was a mighty clang. “I’ve smashed his armor,” exclaimed Pig.\n\nMonkey, who had resumed his own true form as well, looked, saw two fish scales the size of an ice dish, and gave a shout of “After him!”\n\nThe two of them sprang up into the air, where the monster, who had come unarmed to his feast, asked them from a cloud, “Where are you from, monks, and why have you come here to bully me, spoil my offerings, and ruin my reputation?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you don’t realize, damned monster,” Monkey replied, “is that we are disciples of the holy priest Sanzang from Great Tang in the East who has been sent by his emperor to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. We were spending last night at the Chen household when were told that an evil spirit pretending to be Miraculous Response demands the sacrifice of a boy and a girl every year. In our mercy we decided to save life and capture you, damned monster. You’d better make a full and true confession at once. How long have you been here calling yourself ‘Great King,’ and at two a year how many little boys and girls have you eaten? Given me a full account and return them to me if you want your life spared.” At that the monster fled, avoiding another blow that Pig struck at him with his rake. He turned into a wild wind and went straight into the River of Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No need to chase him,” said Monkey. “I’m sure the monster’s a river creature. We’ll have to work out a way of catching him and getting the master across the river tomorrow.” Pig accepted this suggestion and went straight back to the temple, from where he carried the offerings of pork, mutton and wine, tables and all, back to the Chen house. The Tang Priest, Friar Sand and the Chen brothers were waiting for news in the hall when they saw Monkey and Pig burst in and put all the pork, mutton and other offerings in the courtyard.\n\n“What happened in the sacrifice, Wukong?” Sanzang asked Monkey, who related how he had told the monster who he was and chased him into the river, to the immense delight of the two old gentlemen, who ordered that the side rooms were to be swept out and furnished with beds. Here the master and his disciples were invited to spend the night."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having escaped with his life back to the river the monster sat brooding silently in his palace while his river clansmen asked him, “Why are you so upset this year, Your Majesty? Usually you are very happy when you come back from eating your sacrifice.”\n\n“In ordinary years I bring you back some left-overs after the sacrifice,” said the monster, “but I did not even have anything to eat myself today. My luck was out. I met enemies who all but killed me.”\n\n“Who, Your Majesty?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Who, Your Majesty?”\n\n“Disciples of a holy priest from Great Tang in the East who is going to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. They had turned themselves into a boy and a girl and were sitting in my temple. When they turned back into themselves they almost killed me. I’ve long heard people tell of Tang Sanzang, a holy man who has cultivated his conduct for ten lifetimes: one piece of his flesh will make you immortal. But I never expected he would have disciples such as those. He’s ruined my reputation and stopped them worshipping me any more. I wish I could capture that Tang Priest, but I don’t think I can.”\n\nFrom among the watery tribe there slipped forward a female mandarin fish in patterned clothes. She advanced with small, respectful steps towards the monster, bowing frequently as she said, “Your Majesty, there will be no problem about catching the Tang Priest. But if you do capture him will you reward me with a feast?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you have a plan we shall combine our efforts to catch the Tang Priest,” the monster said. “I shall take you as my sworn sister, and we shall eat his flesh together.”\n\nThe mandarin fish bowed in thanks then said, “I have long known that Your Majesty has the powers to call up wind and rain, or to throw rivers and sea into turmoil. But can you make it snow?”\n\n“Yes,” the monster replied. “As you can make it snow,” the mandarin fish continued, “can you also cause cold and make ice?”\n\n“I’m even better at that,” the monster said. The fish then clapped her hands with delight and said, “In that case it will be very, very easy.”\n\n“Will you tell me this very easy way of succeeding?” the monster asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty must lose no time,” the fish replied. “It’s now the third watch, about midnight. You must make magic to cause a cold wind and a heavy fall of snow at once. The River of Heaven must be frozen solid. Those of us who are good at transformations will make ourselves look like people and appear at the end of the track with packs on our backs, carrying umbrellas and luggage poles and pushing carts. We shall walk across the ice in an endless stream. That Tang Priest is so impatient to fetch the scriptures that when he sees all those people walking along he’s bound to want to cross the ice himself. All Your Majesty needs to do is to sit quietly in the middle of the river until you hear his footsteps, then crack the ice apart so that he and his disciples all fall into the water. They’ll all be caught in one package.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Marvellous, marvellous,” exclaimed the monster, who was utterly delighted at the suggestion. He left his watery palace and went up into the sky, where he caused winds and snow, and made it so cold that the river froze.\n\nThe Tang Priest and his three disciples slept in the Chen house. Shortly before dawn they all began to feel very cold in their bedding. Pig was shivering, unable to get back to sleep, so he called, “Brother, it’s cold.”\n\n“Idiot,” said Monkey, “you’ve got no sense of how to behave. Monks are not affected by summer or winter. You shouldn’t mind the cold.”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “it really is cold. Look:\n\nDouble quilts now give no warmth,\n\nHands put in sleeves find only ice.\n\nStrands of frost grow from withered leaves,\n\nFrozen bells hang from frozen pines.\n\nThe cold is so intense the earth splits open;\n\nThe water in the pond is a solid block.\n\nNo old man can be seen in the fisherman’s boat;\n\nNo monk is to be met with in the mountain temple.\n\nThe woodman wishes he could gather more fuel;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The woodman wishes he could gather more fuel;\n\nThe prince is glad to pile more charcoal on the flames.\n\nTravelers’ beards are turned to iron;\n\nThe poet’s brush is water-chestnut hard.\n\nEven a fur jacket now seems too thin;\n\nA marten coat feels much too light.\n\nThe monk on his hassock is frozen rigid;\n\nBehind the paper screen the traveler is scared.\n\nEven in many a layer of bedding\n\nOne shivers and shakes from top to toe.\n\nAs neither master nor disciples could sleep they rose and dressed. When they opened the door to look outside they saw to their astonishment a vast expanse of white. It was snowing. “No wonder we were so cold,” said Monkey, “if it’s been snowing so heavily.” When the four of them looked they saw that it was a splendid fall:\n\nDark masses of cloud,\n\nChilling, dreary mists.\n\nUnder dark masses of cloud\n\nThe North wind howls cold;\n\nThrough chilling, dreary mists\n\nA heavy snowfall blankets the ground.\n\nIndeed:\n\nThe six-sided snowflakes\n\nAre flying jewels;\n\nIn the great forest"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Are flying jewels;\n\nIn the great forest\n\nJade hangs from every tree.\n\nFirst like flour, then like salt.\n\nThe white parrot loses its whiteness,\n\nThe crane’s feathers no longer stand out.\n\nIt adds to the waters of a thousand rivers,\n\nOutdoes the plum-trees in the Southeast.\n\nAs if three million dragons of jade were defeated,\n\nThe sky is filled with fragments of armor and scales.\n\nHere you will not find Dongguo’s soleless sandals,\n\nThe bed where Yuan An froze to death,\n\nThe place where Sun Kang studied in the snow’s reflected light,\n\nThe boat that Wang Ziyou took one snowy night,\n\nWang Gong’s cloak,\n\nOr the rug that Su Wu had to eat.\n\nAll you will see are village houses set like inlaid silver,\n\nThree thousand miles of jade-like river and hills.\n\nWhat splendid snow,\n\nSprinkling the bridge with willow catkins,\n\nCovering the cottage with pear blossom.\n\nWhen the bridge is sprinkled with willow catkins,\n\nThe fisherman beside it dons his cape of straw;\n\nWhen the cottage is covered with pear blossom"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the cottage is covered with pear blossom\n\nThe old man inside bums his firewood.\n\nThe traveler is hard put to it to buy a drink;\n\nThe slave cannot find the plum blossom for which be is sent.\n\nThe heavy fall of snow takes off the butterfly’s wings,\n\nThe howling blizzard strips the goose of its feathers.\n\nRolling drifts are blown by the winds;\n\nLayer upon layer hides the road.\n\nFreezing gusts come through the curtains,\n\nA chilly wind blows into the bed.\n\nThis is Heaven’s promise of a good harvest,\n\nGood news that is cause for celebration.\n\nThe snow was falling in abundance like fragments of jade or cotton wool. When master and disciples had sighed in admiration of it for a long time the two old Chen brothers told two servants to sweep a way through the snow and two more to bring the monks hot water with which to wash their faces. A little later boiling hot tea, cheesecakes and a charcoal stove were all carried out to the side room, where master and disciple sat around them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Venerable benefactor,” the Tang Priest asked, “could you tell me if you distinguish between the seasons of the year here?”\n\n“This may be a remote place,” said the old man, “and our customs and people may be different from those in your distinguished land, but our crops and animals grow under the same sky, so of course we distinguish between the four seasons.”\n\n“In that case why is there such heavy snow today, and why is it so cold?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Although it has been August,” the old man replied, “the frost last night marked the beginning of September. We generally have frost and snow here in September.”\n\n“That is different from the East,” said Sanzang. “We have frost and snow in the winter.”\n\nAs they were talking servants came in with tables and invited them to take some porridge. By the time they had finished eating the snow was heavier than ever and before long it lay two feet deep. Sanzang began to weep with anxiety."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please don’t worry so,” said old Mr. Chen, “and don’t be upset because the snow is deep. We have plenty of grain here, enough to feed you venerable gentlemen for half a lifetime.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You do not know why I am suffering, benefactor,” Sanzang replied. “When all those years ago His Majesty the Tang Emperor graciously commanded me to make this journey and escorted me in person by carriage to the frontier pass he offered me a parting meal with his own hands, asking me when I would be back. I did not realize how many difficult mountains and rivers would lie in my way, so I casually replied that I could be back with the scriptures in three years. It is now already seven or eight years since I left and I have yet to gaze on the face of the Buddha. I am worried that I have exceeded His Majesty’s time limit and afraid of all the evil monsters and other vicious creatures ahead. Today I have had the good fortune to stay in your great mansion, and last night my disciples were able to thank you by doing you a small favour. I was hoping to ask for a boat to ferry us across the river, never expecting that Heaven would send this heavy fall of snow. Now the roads are blocked and I do not know when I shall"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "roads are blocked and I do not know when I shall complete my mission and return home.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do not worry, sir,” said old Mr. Chen. “Most of the time for your journey has already passed. You will only have to wait here a few days for the skies to clear and the ice to melt, then we will spend everything we have to see you across the river.”\n\nA servant then came in to invite them to breakfast, which they ate in the main hall, followed not long afterwards by lunch. Sanzang felt embarrassed by all this lavish hospitality, so he said repeatedly, “As you are being so kind as to let us stay we must insist on eating more ordinary fare.”\n\n“Venerable sir,” Mr. Chen replied, “we are so grateful for having the children saved from the sacrifice that we could not thank you enough even if we gave you banquets every day.”\n\nAfter this the snow stopped and people began to move around. Seeing how unhappy Sanzang was, old Mr. Chen had the garden swept and a fire made in a brazier, then invited them to the snow-cave to cheer themselves up by enjoying the snow view."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a silly idea,” laughed Pig. “Spring is the time for enjoying gardens. It’s much too cold in all this snow, and anyhow there’s nothing to be seen now.”\n\n“You don’t know anything, you idiot,” said Monkey. “Snowscapes are very peaceful and elegant. It will be a pleasure to see them and it will make the master feel better too.”\n\n“That’s right, that’s right,” said old Mr. Chen. The visitors were then taken into the garden and this is what they saw:\n\nAlthough it was autumn\n\nThe scenery was winter’s.\n\nJade stamens formed on the hoary pine,\n\nSilvery flowers hung from the dying willow.\n\nPowder was piled on the lichen by the steps,\n\nJeweled shoots sprang from the bamboo at the window.\n\nThe craggy mountain tops,\n\nThe fishpond.\n\nOn the craggy mountain tops\n\nThe sharp and pointed peaks were like jade bamboo.\n\nIn the fishpond\n\nThe clear and living water now was ice,\n\nGone was the beauty of the lotus by the bank;\n\nThe rose of Sharon’s delicate fronds hung low.\n\nThe autumn begonia\n\nWas weighed right down;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The autumn begonia\n\nWas weighed right down;\n\nThe winter plum\n\nWas just putting out new growth.\n\nThe Peony Pavilion,\n\nThe Pomegranate Pavilion,\n\nThe Osmanthus Pavilion,\n\nAll piled deep in goose-down;\n\nThe Place for Forgetting Cares,\n\nThe Place for Entertaining Visitors,\n\nThe Place for Recreation,\n\nAll covered as if with butterflies’ wings.\n\nThe yellow chrysanthemums by the fence were woven of jade and gold;\n\nA few maples were dappled white and red.\n\nMany a courtyard was too cold to enter:\n\nThe sight of the snow-cave made one feel like ice.\n\nHere was set a brazier of bronze,\n\nWith heads of animals and legs like elephants,\n\nWhere a toasting-hot fire of charcoal burnt,\n\nAnd some lacquered armchairs\n\nWith cushions of tigerskin\n\nAnd screens of paper set all around for warmth.\n\nOn the walls were hung ancient paintings by famous artists, showing:\n\nThe Seven Worthies going out through the pass,\n\nA solitary fisherman on a cold river,\n\nAmid a landscape of snowy peaks and mountains.\n\nSu Wu eating his rug,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Su Wu eating his rug,\n\nBreaking off plum branches to meet the envoys,\n\nAnd writing in the cold of a frozen forest.\n\nThere was no end of\n\nHouses near a river pavilion where fish can be bought,\n\nMountain tracks buried in snow where no wine is on sale.\n\nWere it big enough to live in\n\nWho would need to go to magical Penghu?\n\nAfter they had admired the scenery for a long time they sat down in the snow-cave and told the elderly neighbors about their mission to fetch the scriptures. When they had drunk the fragrant tea old Mr. Chen said, “Venerable gentlemen, may I offer you some wine?”\n\n“As a monk I do not drink,” replied Sanzang, “but my disciples may drink a few cups.” The old man was delighted.\n\n“Bring vegetarian food,” he ordered, “and warm some wine to keep the cold out of these gentlemen.” Servants then carried out tables that were set round the brazier. They all drank several cups with the two elderly neighbors, then everything was tidied away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By now it was getting late, and the visitors were invited back into the hall for an evening meal. They could hear passers-by in the street saying, “Oh! It’s cold today. The River of Heaven is frozen solid.”\n\n“That’s terrible,” said Sanzang to Brother Monkey. “The river’s frozen.”\n\n“In a sudden cold snap like this I think that only the shallow water near the bank can have frozen,” said old Mr. Chen. Then another passer-by said, “The whole 250 miles of it are frozen as smooth as a mirror, and some people are setting out across it from where the road ends.” Hearing that people were walking across, Sanzang wanted to go out and take a look. “Do not be in such a hurry, venerable sir,” said old Mr. Chen. “It’s late now. Wait till morning.” He then said good-bye to the two elderly neighbors, and after supper the visitors slept in the side room once more."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig rose at dawn and said, “Brother, it was even colder last night. I think the river really must have frozen solid.” Sanzang went to the door, bowed low to Heaven, and prayed, “All you gods who protect the teachings, on my journey West I have faithfully worshipped the Buddha and crossed many a river and mountain with great suffering and never a word of complaint. I am deeply grateful for Heaven’s help in bringing me this far, and I also give most humble thanks that the river has now frozen. When I bring the scriptures back I shall report all this to the Tang Emperor and reward you sincerely.” When he had finished his prayer he told Friar Sand to saddle the horse so that they could cross the river while it was frozen. “Please do not be in such a hurry,” said old Mr. Chen. “Stay here a few more days until the ice has melted and I shall arrange for a boat to carry you across.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I don’t know whether we should go or stay,” said Friar Sand. “You can’t rely on what people say, and you can only believe what you see with your own eyes. I’ll saddle the horse and you can take a look for yourself.”\n\n“A good suggestion,” said old Mr. Chen. “Servants,” he ordered, “saddle six of our horses, but not the Tang Priest’s horse.”\n\nThen with six young pages in attendance they went in line to the bank of the river to look. Indeed:\n\nThe snow is piled up like mountains,\n\nWhen the clouds disappear the dawn is bright.\n\nA thousand pinnacles soar above the ice-locked pass;\n\nFrozen rivers and lakes are completely smooth.\n\nThe North wind chills to the bone,\n\nThe slippery ice is bitterly cold.\n\nThe fish stay by the plants in the pond,\n\nThe wild birds linger in the stubble.\n\nBeyond the frontier fingers are lost to frostbite;\n\nThe boatman on the river breaks his teeth with shivering.\n\nSnakes’ stomachs split,\n\nBirds’ legs break:\n\nThe ice forms mountains thousands of feet high."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ice forms mountains thousands of feet high.\n\nThe flowing silver stops in ten thousand valleys;\n\nCold is the river’s liquid jade.\n\nThe East produces frozen silkworms,\n\nAnd mice make their holes in the Northern ice.\n\nWang Xiang lay on the ice to melt it\n\nAnd caught a carp for his mother to eat.\n\nWhen the Emperor Guangwu crossed the river\n\nA bridge of ice formed overnight for him.\n\nMany are the layers of ice on the pond,\n\nAnd the deep pool is frozen solid.\n\nThere are no more waves on the mighty River of Heaven;\n\nThe gleaming ice stretches out as hard as a road.\n\nWhen Sanzang and his party reached the bank of the river they reined in their horses to look and saw that there really were people setting out from where the road reached the bank. “Benefactor,” asked Sanzang, “where are those people going to across the ice?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“On the other side of the river,” said old Mr. Chen, “is the Womanland of Western Liang. Those people are all traders. What costs a hundred cash on this side can be worth ten thousand over there and vice versa, and it’s because such big profits can be made for such a small expenditure that people risk their lives to go there. Normally they form groups of five to a dozen or so and sail across, but now that the river has frozen over they are prepared to walk over at mortal peril.”\n\n“Fame and profit are what make the world go round,” said Sanzang. “They are risking their lives for profit, and my disciples loyally obey orders for the sake of fame: there’s not much to choose between them.” He then told Monkey to go back to their benefactors’ house, pack the luggage, and bridle and saddle the horse so that they could head West while the ice held. Monkey agreed with a chuckle."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Friar Sand, “there’s a saying that goes, ‘For a thousand days you need a thousand pints of rice.’ Now that we are staying at the Chen house why don’t we wait here a few days longer till the skies have cleared and the ice melted then get a boat to take us across? Rushing like this will only lead to trouble.”\n\n“Wujing,” Sanzang replied, “how can you be so stupid? If it were March and the weather were warming up every day we could wait for it to thaw. But now it is September and it is getting cooler very day, so it would be absurd to wait for the thaw. It would set our journey a long time back.”\n\n“Stop all that idle chatter,” said Pig, jumping down from his horse. “I’m going to find out how thick the ice is.”\n\n“You idiot,” said Monkey, “you could test the depth of the water the other evening by throwing a stone into it, but you could never do that now that the ice is so thick.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you don’t understand, brother,” said Pig, “is that I can hit it with my rake. If I smash through it, it’s too thin for us to walk on; but if I don’t move it at all that’ll show it’s thick enough for us to cross.”\n\n“What you say is right,” observed Sanzang. The idiot hitched up his clothes, strode to the edge of the river, raised his rake with both hands, and brought it down with all his might. There was a hollow thump as nine white scars appeared on the ice. His hand had been painfully jarred.\n\n“We can go,” said the idiot with a grin, “we can go. It’s frozen solid right down to the bottom.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The news delighted Sanzang, who took them all back to the Chen house and told them to prepare to travel. Seeing that repeated pleas were not going to make their visitors stay the two old men gave them some dry cooked grain, buns and steamed bread. The whole household kowtowed to the monks in respect then carried out a tray of silver and gold pieces and knelt before them. “We are so grateful to you gentlemen for saving the lives of our children that we would like to offer you this towards the cost of a meal on the journey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang shook his head and waved his hand as he refused to accept it. “I am a monk,” he said, “and what would I want with money? I would never be able to produce it on the journey. We have to beg for what we eat. The food you have given us will be plenty.” When the old men repeatedly implored them to accept it Monkey took just under half an ounce of it between his fingers that he handed to Sanzang with the words, “Master, accept this offering so as not to be ungrateful to the two old gentlemen.”\n\nOnly then did they take their leave. Once the horse’s hoofs slipped on the ice at the edge of the river, so that Sanzang almost fell of.\n\n“It’s hard going, Master,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“Wait,” said Pig. “Ask old Mr. Chen for some rice straw.”\n\n“What for?” Brother Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What for?” Brother Monkey asked.\n\n“You wouldn’t know,” said Pig. “If you wrap rice straw round the horse’s hoofs it won’t slip and the master won’t fall off.” When old Mr. Chen heard this from the bank he at once sent someone back to fetch a bundle of rice straw from the house, then invited Sanzang to dismount while Pig wrapped the straw round the horse’s hoofs, after which they set out across the ice.\n\nWhen they had taken their leave of the old Chen brothers and gone a mile or so from the bank Pig handed the nine-ringed monastic staff to Sanzang.\n\n“Master,” he said, “hold this staff sticking out sideways as you ride.”\n\n“You idiot,” said Monkey, “you’re trying another dirty trick. You’re meant to be carrying the staff, so why are you giving it to the master to carry?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve never walked across ice,” said Pig, “so you wouldn’t know that there are always crevasses. Step on one and you’ll go in. If you don’t have something like a carrying-pole sticking out sideways then you’ll fall into the water and have no more chance of climbing out that if you were in a big pot with a lid on it. You’ve got to have a prop like this to be safe.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This idiot must have years of experience of walking on ice,” thought Monkey, smiling to himself, and they took Pig’s advice: the venerable elder held his monastic staff sideways, Monkey his iron cudgel, Friar Sand his demon-quelling staff and Pig, who had the luggage on a carrying-pole over his shoulder, held his rake sideways at waist height. Thus master and disciples pressed ahead without worry until nightfall, when they ate some of their dry rations. Not daring to delay, they hurried on over the ice that glistened and reflected the light of the moon and the stars across its white expanses. The horse never rested for a moment nor did master and disciples close their eyes as they kept going all night. They ate some more dry rations at dawn and pressed on towards the West.\n\nAs they were walking they heard a loud creaking noise from under the ice which so frightened the white horse that it almost fell over. “Disciples,” asked Sanzang with horror, “what was that noise?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The river has frozen so solid that it’s made the earth rumble,” said Pig. “Or perhaps the river’s frozen right to the bottom here in the middle.” Half reassured but still half terrified, Sanzang whipped the horse forward and they carried on.\n\nSince coming back to his watery palace the evil monster had been waiting under the ice with all his spirits for a long time. As soon as he heard the horse’s hoofs he used his magic to make the ice burst noisily open, giving Monkey such a fright that he sprang up into mid-air. The other three and the white horse sank into the water, where the evil monster captured Sanzang and took him back to his underwater palace with all his spirits.\n\n“Where is my sister the mandarin fish?” he shouted stridently, at which she came forward, did obeisance, and said, “Your Majesty, I am not worthy to be your sister.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How can you say such a thing, good sister?” the monster replied. “Once a word is spoken a four-horse chariot can’t bring it back. I said that if I caught the Tang Priest by following your plan I would take you as my sworn sister. Today your plan has proved itself to have been a superb one and the Tang Priest has been caught. I could not possibly go back on my word. Little ones,” he ordered his underlings, “bring a table, whet a sharp knife, open this monk up, cut out his heart, skin him, and slice up his flesh. I also want music played while I share him with my sister and we both obtain eternal life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty,” said the mandarin fish, “don’t eat him yet. His disciples may make trouble if they come here searching for him. It would be better to wait a couple of days until we know those damned wretches won’t come looking for him before we cut him up. Then Your Majesty will sit in the place of honour while we, your kinsfolk, play music, sing and dance around you and wait on you; and you will be able to take your pleasure at your ease. Wouldn’t that be best?” The monster accepted the suggestion and had Sanzang stored away in a six-foot-long stone chest behind the palace.\n\nPig and Friar Sand meanwhile recovered the luggage in the river, loaded it on the back of the white horse, and swam up through the waves as they parted the waters. When Monkey saw them from up in the air he asked, “Where’s the master?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s not the Tang Priest now,” said Pig. “He’s the Drowned Priest. We can’t find him anywhere, so let’s go back ashore and decide what to do.” Now Pig was a mortal incarnation of Marshal Tian Peng who had once commanded eighty thousand sailors on the Heavenly River in the sky, Friar Sand had come from the Flowing Sands River, and the white horse was the grandson of the Dragon King of the Western Ocean, so they were all good swimmers. With the Great Sage showing them the way from mid-air they were soon back at the Eastern bank, where they dried and brushed the horse and wrung out their clothes.\n\nMonkey then landed his cloud, and they went back together to the Chen household, where a messenger had already reported that only three of the four venerable gentlemen who were going to fetch the scriptures were now returning. The two aged brothers hurried outside to meet them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Gentlemen,” they said, seeing their wet clothes, “we tried so hard to persuade you to stay longer, and look what has come of your refusal. Where is the venerable Tang Priest?”\n\n“He isn’t the Tang Priest any more,” said Pig. “He’s the Drowned Priest.”\n\n“Alas, alas,” said the aged brothers, bursting into tears. “We said that you should wait until the snow had melted and we could send you all across in a boat, but he refused to agree, and now he’s dead.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Old men,” said Monkey, “don’t upset yourselves over your friend. I can assure you that the master will not die. I’m certain that the Great King of Miraculous Response has captured him by magic. So stop worrying, have our clothes washed and starched, our passport dried out, and the white horse fed. My brothers and I will find the damned creature, rescue the master, and wipe this evil monster out. Then he’ll give you village no more trouble and you will, I hope, have a safe and peaceful future.” Old Mr. Chen, greatly encouraged to hear this, ordered a vegetarian meal to be provided.\n\nThe three brothers ate their fill, handed the horse and the luggage over to the care of the Chen household, got their weapons ready, and hurried off to find their master and catch the monster. Indeed:\n\nThe true nature was harmed by treading on the ice;\n\nHow could they be complete without the Cinnabar?\n\nIf you do not know how they rescued the Tang Priest listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fourty-Nine"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter Fourty-Nine\n\nSanzang’s Great Misfortune Is to Fall into the River\n\nGuanyin’s Fish Basket Saves the Tang Priest\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage Monkey took his leave of the old Chen brothers, went with Pig and Friar Sand to the bank of the river, and told the two of them to decide which of them would go into the water first. “Brother,” said Pig, “you should go first; neither of us two has very special powers.”\n\n“To be frank with you, brother,” replied Monkey. “I wouldn’t need any help from either of you in dealing with mountain spirits, but I can’t cope in the water. If I go into rivers or seas I have to make hand spells to keep the water away, or else change into something like a fish or a crab. But if I’m making a hand spell I can’t get a good swing with my cudgel, use my powers, or kill evil spirits. I asked you two to go in because I’ve long known that you’re both good swimmers.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said Friar Sand, “I’ll go, but I don’t know what we’ll find at the bottom of the river. I think we should all go. You should turn yourself into something or else let me carry you through the water to find the monster’s den. You go first and discover what’s been happening. If the master hasn’t been hurt and is still there we can do our best to attack the monster. But if the monster has used magic on the master and he’s has been drowned or eaten there will be no point in searching too hard; we’d better find something else to do instead.”\n\n“You’re right, brother,” said Monkey. “Which of you will carry me?”\n\n“Pig was secretly delighted at this question. “Goodness only knows how many times that ape has put one over on me,” he thought. “As he can’t swim I’ll carry him and put one over on him this time.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” he said, chuckling, “I’ll carry you.” Realizing that Pig was up to something Monkey decided to beat him at his own game and replied, “Very well, you’re stronger than Friar Sand.” Pig then took Monkey on his back.\n\nFriar Sand parted a way through the waters of the River of Heaven for the brother-disciples. When they had covered thirty or forty miles on the riverbed the idiot made a grab for Monkey, who pulled out one of his hairs and turned it into a double of himself that he put on Pig’s back, while changing his real self into a pig louse that clung firmly to the idiot’s ear. Pig suddenly stumbled as he walked along, threw Monkey forward and made him fall. Now as the double was only a hair transformed it floated up and disappeared.\n\n“Brother,” said Friar Sand to Pig, “what are you doing? Why have you fallen over in the mud instead of walking along properly? And even if you have to do that, where have you dropped Monkey?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He couldn’t stop himself falling,” Pig replied, “and he’s vanished. Never mind whether he’s alive or dead. We two will go and find the master.”\n\n“No,” said Friar Sand, “we need him. He’s no swimmer but he’s cleverer than us. If he not coming I won’t go with you.” Monkey could restrain himself no longer.\n\n“Pig!” he shouted at the top of his voice from inside the ear. “I’m here.”\n\nWhen Friar Sand heard this he said with a laugh, “That’s done it. You’re the one that’s had it, you idiot. You had a nerve, trying to put one over on him. What are we going to do now? We can hear him but he’s disappeared.”\n\nPig knelt in the mud and started to kowtow desperately, saying, “I did wrong, brother, I did wrong. When we’ve rescued the master I’ll apologize to you properly on shore. Where did you talk to us from? You scared me to death. Please, please turn back into yourself. I’ll carry you, and I promise not to knock you about any more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve been carrying me all the time,” said Monkey. “I won’t play any tricks on you. Now, get going, and fast.” The idiot staggered to his feet still mumbling apologies and pressed on with Friar Sand.\n\nAfter another thirty or forty miles they looked up to see a tall building on which was written in large letters RESIDENCE OF THE RIVER TURTLE. “This must be where the monster lives,” said Friar Sand. “We two can’t go up to the doors and challenge him to battle without finding out how things stand.”\n\n“Wujing,” said Brother Monkey to Friar Sand, “is there water inside and outside the door?”\n\n“No,” said Friar Sand. “In that case you two hide near here while I take a look round,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage climbed out of Pig’s ear, shook himself, turned into a female shrimp with long legs, and reached the doors with two or three jumps. When he took a good look around he saw the monster sitting up above the door with all his watery tribe drawn up around him and the female mandarin fish sitting at his side. They were all discussing how to eat the Tang Priest. Monkey looked carefully around but could see the master nowhere. Then he noticed another female shrimp coming over and standing in the portico to the West. Monkey leapt forward and called, “Sister-in-law, where is this Tang Priest that His Majesty and everyone else are talking about eating?”\n\n“His Majesty caught him yesterday when he made all that snow and ice,” the female shrimp replied. “He’s now in a stone chest behind the palace. If his disciples don’t come here to make trouble we’ll have music and feast on him tomorrow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he kept up his act for a little longer then went straight round to the back of the palace where he found a stone chest just like a stone pig-trough in a sty or a stone coffin. He measured it, found that it was six feet long, lay on it and listened. He could hear Sanzang sobbing inside. Monkey said nothing but put his ear against the lid, listened more carefully, and could make out Sanzang gnashing his teeth and saying amid moans,\n\n“If only my fate had not always been so bad:\n\nDisasters in rivers all my life have I had.\n\nSoon after I was born I was floated on the water,\n\nAnd now that have I drowned never I will not see Lord Buddha.\n\nNot so long ago the Black River made me weep,\n\nAnd now the breaking ice has consigned me to the deep.\n\nI wonder if at any time my followers will come\n\nTo let me fetch the scriptures and complete my journey home.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey could not restrain himself from calling to him, “Master, don’t be so upset about troubles by water. As the Classic of Water Disaster has it, ‘Earth is the mother of the Five Elements, and water is their origin. Without earth there can be no life, and without water there can be no growth.’ I’m here.”\n\n“Save me, disciple,” said Sanzang, hearing Monkey’s voice.\n\n“Don’t worry,” said Monkey, “I promise we’ll save you when we’ve captured the monster.”\n\n“Act fast,” said Sanzang. “If I’m here for another day I’ll die of suffocation.”\n\n“No problem,” said Monkey, “no problem. I’m off.” He turned, sprang out through the main doors, turned back into himself, and called for Pig.\n\n“What’s happening?” asked the idiot and Friar Sand as they came up to him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The monster caught the master with that trick,” Monkey replied. “He’s unhurt, but the monster has put him inside a stone chest. You two challenge the monster to battle at once while I get out of the water. Capture him if you can, and if you can’t then pretend to be beaten and lure him out of the water for me to kill.”\n\n“Out you go, brother, and don’t worry,” said Friar Sand. “We’ll find out what the monster’s really like.” Monkey then made a water-averting spell with his hands, shot up through the waves, and stood on the bank to wait.\n\nWatch while Pig charges at the doors in a murderous mood yelling, “Damned monster, give us our master back.”\n\nThe little devils inside the doors rushed back in panic to report, “Your Majesty, there are people outside asking for their master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It must be those bloody monks here,” said the monster. “Fetch my armor and weapons at once.” The little devils ran to fetch them, and when the monster was in his armor and holding his weapons in his hand he ordered that the doors be opened. As he came out Pig and Friar Sand, who were standing one to each side, could see how he was dressed and equipped. He was a fine monster. Just look:\n\nOn his head a gleaming helmet of gold,\n\nOn his body golden armor that made a rainbow.\n\nHis belt was studded thick with pearls and jade;\n\nThe strange boots on his feet were of smoky yellow leather.\n\nHis nose was as high as a mountain ridge,\n\nHis brow as majestically broad as a dragon’s.\n\nFierce and round were his eyes that flashed,\n\nSpikes of steel were his sharp, neat teeth.\n\nHis short, matted hair seemed to be ablaze,\n\nAnd his long whiskers bristled like golden spikes.\n\nIn his mouth he was chewing a tender reed\n\nWhile he wielded a nine-knobbed mace of copper.\n\nThe noise when the doors were opened wide"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The noise when the doors were opened wide\n\nRivaled the crashing of thunder in spring.\n\nFew such could be seen in the world of mortals:\n\nThe Great King truly deserves his title.\n\nThe evil spirit came outside accompanied by a hundred or more of his little devils, who brandished their swords and spears as they formed themselves up into two companies. “Where are you from, monks,” he asked Pig, “and why are you making this horrible noise here?”\n\n“You got away before, but I’ll get you now, damned monster,” Pig shouted back. “Stop pretending you don’t know who I am—we’ve had words already. I’m a disciple of the holy priest from the Great Tang who’s going to worship the Buddha and collect the scriptures in the Western Heaven. You and your little tricks, calling yourself the Great King of Miraculous Response, and eating boys and girls in Chen Village. Can’t you recognize me? I was the Chen family’s little girl, Pan of Gold.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Monk,” said the monster, “you’re a disgrace. You deserve to be punished for fraudulent impersonation if you turned yourself into that girl. You wounded the back of my hand although I never ate you. I let you off that time, so why have you come to my front door looking for me?”\n\n“What do you mean, let me off?” said Pig. “You made that cold wind and the snow, froze the river, and are going to kill the master. As soon as you give him back there’ll be no more trouble, but if you so much as start to say no you’ll get it from this rake of mine, and it’ll show you no mercy.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit’s response to this was a mocking laugh. “That’s fancy talk, monk,” he said, “but it’s a load of nonsense, except that I did make the cold, the snow and the ice and I have captured your master. You may think you can get him back by coming here and shouting, but this time things are different. Last time I was unarmed as I was going to a banquet, which was why you took me by surprise and wounded me. This time I’ll fight three rounds with you if you don’t make yourself scarce. If you’re a match for me I’ll give you back your master, but if you’re not, you’ll be eaten too.”\n\n“What a good little boy,” said Pig. “Just what I expected to hear from you. Watch out for my rake!”\n\n“So you only became a monk in middle life,” said the monster.\n\n“You really do have some miraculous responsiveness, my boy,” Pig replied. “How did you know that?”\n\n“If you fight with a rake that must mean you used to be a hired hand in a vegetable garden and stole it,” said the monster."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My boy,” said Pig, “this isn’t a farming rake. Just look at it:\n\nIts mighty prongs are like dragon claws\n\nSet with gold in the from of serpents.\n\nIn battle with a foe it makes cold winds\n\nTill it gives off flames in a longer fight.\n\nIt kills off demons for the holy priest\n\nSubduing evil spirits on the journey West.\n\nWhen it stirs up clouds it bolts out sun and moon,\n\nMaking the colours of sunset brightly shine.\n\nIt could knock down Mount Tai, to the terror of the tigers,\n\nTurn the oceans upside down, alarming all the dragons.\n\nI could spare you for the sake of your mighty powers,\n\nBut if I struck you with the rake it would make nine holes.”\n\nRefusing to believe this the monster raised his copper mace and struck at Pig’s head. Pig parried the blow with his rake and said, “Damn you, you’re just an evil creature turned spirit in middle life.”\n\n“How can you tell that?” the monster asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How can you tell that?” the monster asked.\n\n“As you fight with a mace I think you must have worked as a furnace-man for a silversmith, got your hands on that hammer, and stolen it,” Pig replied.\n\n“It’s no silversmith’s hammer,” the monster said. “Look at it:\n\nIts nine knobs all are like the buds of flowers\n\nGrowing on a sprig of an evergreen plant.\n\nThis never was a product of the earthly world,\n\nFor it came from the gardens of immortal beings.\n\nIts green and purple fruit matured by the Jade Pool;\n\nIts pure fragrance was formed beside the Nephrite Pond.\n\nBecause I worked and tempered it with diligence and skill\n\nIt now is hard as steel and miraculously sharp.\n\nSpears, swords and halberds are not its worthy rivals;\n\nBattleaxe and partisan do not dare approach.\n\nNo matter how sharp are the prongs of your rake,\n\nIf they touch my hammer they’ll bend and they’ll break.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This conversation between the two of them was too much for Friar Sand, who came forward and said, “Monster, stop all that empty talk. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Wait there and see how you like my staff.”\n\nThe monster parried it with his mace and replied, “You’re another one who became a monk in middle life.”\n\n“How can you tell?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“From the look of you you must have been a miller before,” the monster replied.\n\n“What makes you think that?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“Why would you fight with a noodle-making pole if you weren’t a miller?” the monster asked.\n\n“You evil thing,” said Friar Sand, “What you can’t see is that\n\nFew are the weapons like this one in the world\n\nWhich is why you do not know what this staff of mine is called.\n\nIt grew in a shadeless part of the moon,\n\nWas shaped from the trunk of a Sala-tree.\n\nThe jewels set around it shine with many colours,\n\nAnd solid is the blessing that is packed inside.\n\nOnce it was present at the Jade Emperor’s banquets"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now it protects the priest from the Tang.\n\nOn this road to the West it is utterly unknown,\n\nBut great is its fame in the palaces of Heaven.\n\nIt is known as the precious demon-quelling staff,\n\nAnd with a single blow it could pulverize your brow.”\n\nThe evil spirit allowed no more arguments and the three of them now became deadly foes. They fought a fine battle under the water:\n\nMace, staff and rake,\n\nWuneng and Wujing against the monster.\n\nOne was Marshal Tian Peng come to earth,\n\nOne a great general down from Heaven.\n\nBoth showed their prowess in attacking the water monster,\n\nWho put up a good fight against the heavenly monks.\n\nThey had the good fortune to complete the great Way,\n\nOvercoming each other in an endless sequence.\n\nEarth defeated water;\n\nWhen water was dried out the river-bed showed.\n\nWater gave birth to wood,\n\nWhich blossomed when it was growing well.\n\nDhyana and meditation were all the same;\n\nRefining cinnabar and alchemy submitted to the Three Schools,\n\nEarth was the mother,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Earth was the mother,\n\nYielding sprouts of metal,\n\nAnd metal yielded the liquid that gave birth to the babe.\n\nWater was the root\n\nThat nurtured wood’s flourishing,\n\nWhich rivaled in its glory the glow of sunset.\n\nBecause the elements were crowded together\n\nThey all turned hostile and started to fight.:\n\nSee how bright are the nine knobs on the mace\n\nWhile the staff is decorated with many-coloured silks.\n\nThe rake crushed positive and negative,\n\nDivided the Nine Bright Shiners,\n\nAnd swung in a tangle without any order.\n\nThey were ready to die to save the Tang Priest,\n\nPrepared to give their lives for Sakyamuni Buddha.\n\nThey kept the mace of copper busy without respite\n\nParrying the blows of the staff and the rake."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Parrying the blows of the staff and the rake.\n\nWhen the three of them had been fighting under the water for four full hours without either side emerging as victor Pig realized that they were not going to beat the monster and gave Friar Sand a nod. Pretending that they were beaten, the two of them turned and fled, trailing their weapons behind them.\n\n“Hold your ground here, little ones,” said the monster to his underlings, “while I go after those wretches. When I catch those damned monks I’ll bring them back for you all to eat.” Watch him as he emerges above the water in pursuit of the two of them like the wind driving fallen leaves or a rainstorm beating down withered blossoms.\n\nMonkey meanwhile had been standing on the bank watching the water with unwavering eyes. Suddenly he saw the waves thrown into turmoil as with a great roar Pig leapt ashore.\n\n“He’s coming,” he said, “he’s coming.”\n\nNext Friar Sand reached the bank saying, “He’s coming, he’s coming.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then came the monster after them shouting, “Where’ve you gone?”\n\nNo sooner had his head come into view than Monkey struck with his cudgel, shouting, “Take that!” The evil spirit swerved to avoid it then parried with his copped mace. While the one stirred up the waves in the river the other showed his prowess on the shore. Before three rounds of the fight had been fought the monster, unable to keep up his resistance, did a feint and plunged back into the water, whereupon the wind fell and the waves subsided.\n\n“Thank you, brothers,” said Monkey, going back up the high bank.\n\n“Brother,” said Friar Sand, “you may not think that monster is up to much on the shore, but he’s a real terror underwater. Pig and I attacking together were only as good as him alone. How are we going to deal with him and rescue the master?”\n\n“We’ve no time to lose,” said Monkey. “He may kill the master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll trick him into coming out,” said Pig. “You wait up in the air and say nothing at all. When you reckon his head is above the water, hit him a good hard one on the forehead from upside-down. Even if that doesn’t kill him his head will ache and he’ll feel faint. When I catch him one with my rake that’ll settle his score.”\n\n“Good idea,” said Monkey, “good idea. That’s what they call a coordinated attack, and it will do the trick.” The two of them went back into the water.\n\nThe evil monster fled to his palace in defeat, where the other demons greeted him and the mandarin fish asked, “Where did Your Majesty chase those two monks to?”\n\n“They have an accomplice,” the monster replied. “When they jumped ashore he swung an iron cudgel at me. I dodged it and fought back. Goodness only know how heavy that cudgel is: I couldn’t keep it off me with my mace. He sent me back here beaten in less than three rounds.”\n\n“Can you remember what their accomplice looks like, Your Majesty?” the mandarin fish asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s a monk with a hairy face that looks like a thunder god’s,” the monster replied, “pointed ears, a broken nose, and fiery eyes with golden pupils.” At this the mandarin fish shuddered.\n\n“Thank goodness Your Majesty could see how good a fighter he was and ran away,” she said. “You would never have survived another three rounds. I know who that monk is.”\n\n“Who is he then?” the monster asked.\n\n“When I was in the Eastern Ocean many years ago I once heard the old dragon king talk of his fame. He’s the Handsome Monkey King, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made himself into a golden Immortal of the Supreme Monad and made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago. Now he has submitted to the Buddha’s teachings, changed his name to Sun Wukong the Novice, and is protecting the Tang Priest on his journey to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. He has enormous divine powers and can do all sorts of transformations. Your Majesty, you must not provoke him or have any more fights with him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before these remarks were out of her mouth the little devils from by the door came back to report, “Your Majesty, those two monks are back here challenging you to battle again.”\n\n“Good sister,” said the monster, “you are very wise. I won’t go out, but I’ll see what happens.” He sent this urgent order: “Little ones, shut the doors firmly. As they say,\n\nYou can stand outside and roar,\n\nBut we won’t unlock the door.\n\nThey can hang around for a couple of days, and when they can’t take any more and go away we’ll feast on the Tang Priest at our ease.”\n\nThe little demons piled up rocks and made a clay cement to seal the doors firmly shut. When the repeated shouts of Pig and Friar Sand failed to bring the monster out the idiot lost his patience and started to smash the doors with his rake, but they were so firmly barricaded that even though he broke up the doors themselves with seven or eight blows there were still so many layers of clay and rocks behind them that he had no hope of getting through."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said Friar Sand when he saw this, “that demon is so scared that he’s barricaded his doors and won’t come out. We’d better go back to the shore and discuss it with Monkey.” Pig agreed and they returned to the Eastern bank.\n\nWhen Monkey, who was waiting up in the mist and clouds with his cudgel in his hand, saw the two of them emerge with no demon after them he landed his cloud on the bank to meet them. “Brothers,” he asked, “why haven’t you brought him up with you?”\n\n“The monster has barricaded his doors and won’t show himself,” said Friar Sand. “When Brother Pig smashed his doors down he saw that the doorway was strongly blocked up with clay and rocks, and as we can’t fight him we’ve come back to discuss with you some other way of saving the master.”\n\n“It sounds hopeless,” said Monkey. “You two patrol the bank and don’t let the monster escape while I’m away.”\n\n“Where are you going, brother?” asked Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where are you going, brother?” asked Pig.\n\n“I’m going to Potaraka to call on the Bodhisattva,” Monkey replied, “and find out about the monster’s name and background. When I’ve found his ancestral home and captured his relations and neighbors I’ll come back\n\nto get him and rescue the master.”\n\n“But doing all that will be too much trouble and take far too long,” laughed Pig. “I assure you it won’t take any time or trouble,” replied Brother Monkey. “I’ll soon be back.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage set off from the river bank at high speed on his auspicious cloud and headed for the Southern Sea. Within an hour Potaraka Island was in view, and he landed the cloud on Pota Cliff, where the twenty-four devas, the guardian god of the island, Moksa the Novice, the boy Sudhana, and the Naga Maiden Pengzhu all came forward to bow in greeting and ask, “Why have you come, Great Sage?”\n\n“There is something about which I would like to see the Bodhisattva,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Bodhisattva left her cave this morning to go to her bamboo grove,” the devas replied. “She allowed nobody to accompany her, but as she knew that you would be coming today she told us to wait here to greet you. Since you will not be able to see her at once would you please sit under the Turquoise Cliff until the Bodhisattva comes out and decides what to do.”\n\nBrother Monkey did as they suggested, but before he had sat down the page Sudhana came up to him and said with a bow, “Great Sage Sun, thanks to you earlier kindness the Bodhisattva deigned to keep me. I never leave her side, and am always at the foot of her lotus throne. She has been very good to me.” Monkey, who knew that he had previously been the Red Boy, laughed as he said, “You were so confused by evil then that you only realize I’m a good person now you’ve been converted.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he had been waiting for a long time but the Bodhisattva had still not appeared Monkey said anxiously. “Will you please report that I’m here? Time’s being lost, and I’m worried that my master may be killed.”\n\n“We would not dare,” the devas replied. “The Bodhisattva told us to wait till she came herself.” Monkey, who was much too impatient to wait a moment longer, rushed inside.\n\nThe Handsome Monkey King\n\nWas impatient and very snide.\n\nThe devas could not hold him back,\n\nWhen he wanted to go inside.\n\nHe strode deep into the grove,\n\nEyes wide as he peered around.\n\nHe saw the Saviour sitting on\n\nBamboo leaves on the ground.\n\nShe was not washed or combed,\n\nAnd her face was free of care.\n\nThere were no tassels to hold in place\n\nThe silken strands of her hair.\n\nShe did not wear her plain blue robe,\n\nBut only a clinging vest,\n\nA skirt of brocade round her waist,\n\nAnd both arms left undressed.\n\nThere was no shawl for her shoulders;\n\nOn her foot she wore no shoe.\n\nHer jade hand held a knife of steel"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Her jade hand held a knife of steel\n\nWith which she peeled bamboo.\n\nWhen Monkey saw her he could not restrain himself from shouting, “Bodhisattva, your disciple Sun Wukong offers his pious respects.”\n\n“Wait outside,” said the Bodhisattva.\n\n“Bodhisattva,” Monkey replied, “my master is in trouble and I have come to inquire respectfully about the background of the evil monster in the River of Heaven.”\n\n“Get out,” said the Bodhisattva, “and wait till I come out.”\n\nNot daring to push his demands any harder, Monkey had to leave the bamboo grove and say to all the devas, “The Bodhisattva seems to be spring cleaning. Why is she cutting strips of bamboo in the grove, and not properly dressed, instead of sitting on her lotus throne?”\n\n“We don’t know,” said the devas. “She left the cave and went into the grove this morning before dressing, telling us to receive you here. It must be something to do with you, Great Sage.” Monkey could do nothing but wait."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before long the Bodhisattva emerged from the grove carrying a basket made from purple bamboo. “Wukong,” she said, “you and I are going to rescue the Tang Priest.”\n\nMonkey fell to his knees and replied, “Your disciple has the temerity to suggest that you should dress and take your seat on your lotus throne.”\n\n“There will be no need to dress; I shall go as I am,” the Bodhisattva replied, after which she dismissed the devas and set off on an auspicious cloud. Monkey could only follow."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In a moment they were on the banks of the River of Heaven. When Pig and Friar Sand saw them they said to each other, “That brother of ours is too impatient. Goodness only knows what sort of row he must have made in the Southern Sea to make the Bodhisattva come rushing here before she was even properly dressed.” Before these words were out of their mouths Guanyin reached the bank, and the two of them bowed low to her saying, “Bodhisattva, we shouldn’t have done it, we were wrong, forgive us.” The Bodhisattva undid the silken sash around her waistcoat, tied one end to the basket, and rose on a coloured cloud."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Holding the other end of the sash she threw the basket into the river then pulled it up through the current, reciting, “Die if you go, live if you stay, die if you go, live if you stay.” When she had said this seven times she raised the basket again, and this time it contained a glistening goldfish, blinking its eyes and moving its scales. “Wukong,” said the Bodhisattva, “go down into the water and rescue your master.”\n\n“How can I?” Monkey said. “The monster hasn’t been caught yet.”\n\n“Isn’t that him in the basket?” the Bodhisattva asked.\n\nPig and Friar Sand then bowed low and asked, “How could that fish have had such great powers?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It originally was a goldfish that I raised in my lotus pool,” the Bodhisattva replied. “Every day it would swim up to listen to sutras, and it trained itself to have magic powers. The nine-knobbed copper mace was an unopened lotus bud that it tempered and made into a weapon. One day, I do not know when, a high tide reached the pool and carried it here. When I was leaning on the balustrade looking at the lotuses this morning I noticed that the wretch had not come to pay his respects, so I examined my fingers and the palms of my hands and worked out that it must have become a spirit and be planning to kill your master. That was why I did not wait to dress before using my divine powers to weave a bamboo basket in which to catch him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case,” said Monkey, “could you stay here a moment longer? We would like to let the faithful in Chen Village gaze upon your golden countenance, Bodhisattva. This would be a great kindness, and it would also teach common folk to believe and make offerings by showing them how that demon was subdued.”\n\n“Very well,” said the Bodhisattva. “Call them here.”\n\nPig and Friar Sand then ran to the village shouting, “Come and see the living Bodhisattva Guanyin, come and see the living Bodhisattva Guanyin.” All the villagers, young and old, men and women, rushed to the edge of the river and fell to their knees and kowtowed in worship despite the mud and the water. Among them was a good painter who left to posterity the painting of the Bodhisattva Guanyin appearing with a fish-basket. The Bodhisattva then returned to the Southern Sea."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig and Friar Sand cleared a way through the water straight to the River Turtle’s Residence, where they searched for their master. All the water monsters and fish spirits there were now dead and rotten. They went round to the back of the palace, opened the stone chest, carried the Tang Priest up out of the water, and showed him to the crowds.\n\nThe Chen brothers kowtowed and expressed their thanks, saying, “My lord, if only you had accepted our advice and stayed longer you would have been spared all this trouble.”\n\n“Say no more about it,” replied Monkey. “From next year onwards you people here won’t need to make any more sacrifices. The Great King has been removed, and will never do you any harm again. Old Mr. Chen, I’d now like to trouble you to find a boat as soon as you can to take us across the river.”\n\n“Yes, I can, I can,” said Chen Qing, ordering people to saw wood into planks to build a boat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When his retainers heard this they were all delighted to make offerings, and there were many cries of “I’ll pay for the mast and the sail,” “I’ll fix the oars,” “I’ll provide the rigging,” and “I’ll hire the boatmen.”\n\nAmid all the noisy yelling on the bank a great shout came from the river, “Great Sage Sun, don’t waste other people’s money building a boat. I shall carry you all, master and disciples, across the river.” When the crowd heard this they were all terrified. The more timid among them slipped home, while the bolder stayed to watch, shivering and shaking. A moment later a monster emerged from the water. This is what it was like:\n\nA divine square-headed and extraordinary beast,\n\nThe miraculous creature, the immortal of the waters.\n\nWagging his tail he can live for many an age,\n\nHiding still and silent in the depths of the rivers.\n\nLeaping through the waves he rushes to the bank,\n\nOr lies beside the sea facing sun and wind.\n\nHe has mastered the true Way of nourishing his essence,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Ancient Soft-shelled Turtle with his carapace of white.\n\n“Great Sage,” called the Ancient Soft-shelled Turtle, “don’t have a boat built. I’ll take you four across.”\n\n“I’ll get you, you evil beast,” said Monkey, swinging his iron cudgel. “Come to the bank and I’ll kill you with this.”\n\n“I am grateful to you, Great Sage, and have offered in good faith to carry you master and you disciples across the river, so why do you want to kill me?” the monster asked.\n\n“What good turn have I ever done you?” Brother Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Great Sage,” said the Soft-shelled Turtle, “you may not realize that the River Turtle’s Residence at the bottom of the river is my home, which was handed down to me by many generations of ancestors. Because I acquired awareness of the fundamental and developed a divine spirit by cultivating my conduct I had my ancestral home rebuilt as the River Turtle’s Residence. Nine years ago, on a day when the sea was roaring and the waves were crashing, that evil monster came here on the tide and used his power to make a vicious attack on me. He killed many of my children and captured many of my clan. As I was no match for him I had to let him take my home for nothing. Now that you have come to rescue the Tang Priest, Great Sage, and have asked the Bodhisattva Guanyin here to sweep away evil and capture the monster my house has been returned to me and my family reunited. We can now live in our old home instead of having to make mud shelters. That is why my gratitude to you is as great as a mountain and as deep as the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "you is as great as a mountain and as deep as the sea. And it is not only my family that is grateful. The whole village will now be spared from the annual sacrifice, and the sons and daughters of many a family will be spared. You have indeed brought double benefits with a single action, and that kindness is one that I have to repay.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey’s heart was warmed to hear this, so he put his cudgel away and asked, “Is all that really true?”\n\n“How could I possibly lie to the Great Sage who has done me so very great a kindness?” the Ancient Soft-shelled Turtle asked.\n\n“If it’s the truth you must swear an oath to Heaven,” Monkey said, whereupon the Ancient Soft-shelled Turtle opened his red mouth and swore to Heaven, “If I do not faithfully carry the Tang Priest across the River of Heaven may my whole body be turned to blood.”\n\n“Come ashore, come ashore,” said Monkey with a smile. Only then did the Ancient soft-shelled Turtle approach the shore, give a jump, and climb up the bank. When they all went close they saw that he had a huge white shell about forty feet around.\n\n“Master,” said Monkey, “let’s climb on his back and cross over.”\n\n“But, disciple,” said Sanzang, “we could not get across that ice even though it was frozen so thick. I’m afraid that we would be even less safe on a turtle’s back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do not be afraid, Master,” said the Ancient Soft-shelled Turtle. “I’m much safer than those thick layers of ice. I’ll only fail in my spiritual endeavors if I roll to the side.”\n\n“Master,” said Monkey, “no creature that can speak human language will tell a lie.” He then told Pig and Friar Sand to lead the horse forward.\n\nWhen they reached the banks everyone in the village came to see them off with deep bows. Monkey led the animal on to the turtle’s white shell and asked the Tang Priest to stand to the horse’s right, Pig to its left, and Friar Sand behind it while he stood in front. Just in case the Soft-shelled Turtle tried to misbehave, Monkey undid his belt of tiger sinew, threaded it through the turtle’s nose, and held it like a halter. Then with one foot on the turtle’s shell and one on its head, and with his iron cudgel in one hand and the halter in the other, he shouted, “Take it easy, Ancient Soft-shelled Turtle. One roll from you and I’ll hit you on the head.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’d never dare, I’d never dare,” the turtle said, and he started to walk across the water on his four feet as if going across dry land. All the people on the bank burnt incense, kowtowed, and recited, “Namo Amitabha Buddha.” This had indeed been a case of a true arhat coming down to the mortal world, and the appearance of a living Bodhisattva. Everyone bowed, watched them until they could be seen no more, and then went home.\n\nIn less than a day the master rode the White Soft-shelled Turtle across the 250 miles of the River of Heaven and landed on the other side with hands and feet still dry. When he had climbed ashore Sanzang put his hands together in thanks, and said, “Ancient Soft-shelled Turtle, I have put you to a great effort but I have nothing I can give you. I shall have to express my gratitude when I come back with the scriptures.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There is on need for any presents, venerable sir,” said the turtle. “I hear that the Lord Buddha in the Western Heaven has gone beyond death and life and knows everything in the past and the future. I have been cultivating my conduct here for over 1,300 years, and although I have prolonged my life and learned human speech I cannot escape from my shell. I beg you, venerable sir, to ask the Lord Buddha on my behalf when I will be rid of this shell and able to take human form.\n\n“I shall ask, I shall ask,” Sanzang promised, at which the Ancient Soft-shelled Turtle plunged back into the water and Monkey helped Sanzang to mount the horse. With Pig shouldering the luggage and Friar Sand walking alongside, master and disciples took the main trail West. Indeed:\n\nThe emperor sent the priest on his journey to visit the Buddha;\n\nGreat were the hardships and long was the road over river and hill.\n\nFirm was his will and sincere was his heart: for him death held no terror."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The River of Heaven he crossed standing high on the old turtle’s shell,\n\nIf you don’t know how much further they had to go, or what other terrible trials faced them, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fifty\n\nFeelings Run Wild and Nature Gets Loose Because of Desire\n\nIn Confusion of Spirit the Heart Is Disturbed and the Demon Encountered\n\nThe poem goes:\n\nThe heart must be frequently swept,\n\nThe dust of emotions removed,\n\nLest the Buddha be trapped in the pit.\n\nOnly when the essence is pure\n\nCan the origin then be discussed.\n\nTrim the candle of nature,\n\nBreathe in the way that Master Caoxi taught,\n\nControl the ape and horse of the mind.\n\nOnly when breath is calm by day and night\n\nCan one achieve the true adept’s skill."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Can one achieve the true adept’s skill.\n\nThis poem is set to the tune Nan Ke Zi and it tells how the Tang Priest escaped disaster under the ice of the River of Heaven and crossed to the other bank on the shell of the white turtle. As the four pilgrims headed West it was now the depths of winter, but the mists in the forests were still light, and the bony shapes of the mountains could be seen rising in their purity above the waters. As master and disciples carried on along their way, they were obstructed by a big mountain. The road was rocky, and they and the horse found the going rough. Sanzang reined the horse in and called for his disciples.\n\nMonkey led Pig and Friar Sand forward to stand in attendance and asked, “Master, what are your instructions?”\n\n“You can see how high the mountain in front of us is,” said Sanzang. “I am worried that there may be tigers, wolves, monsters and demon beasts who will kill us. You must be very careful.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, Master,” said Monkey. “We three brothers have got on very well together since we were converted to the pursuit of the truth. With our magic powers to put down demons and monsters we’ve got nothing to fear from tigers, wolves or demons.” This greatly reassured Sanzang, who pressed ahead. When he reached the mouth of a gully and urged the horse up the slope he raised his head and saw that it was a splendid mountain:\n\nTowering crags,\n\nA steep and lofty range.\n\nTowering crags pierced the heavens,\n\nThe steep and lofty range blocked out the azure shy.\n\nGrotesque rocks were piled like sitting tigers,\n\nTwisted, slanting pines seemed to fly like dragons,\n\nBeautifully sang the birds on the ridge,\n\nHeavy hung the scent of plum blossom by the scar.\n\nCold was the sluggish flow of the stream,\n\nAnd menacing hung the dark clouds over the peak.\n\nThey saw whirling snow,\n\nAnd an icy wind\n\nHowling with the roar of hungry mountain tigers.\n\nCold rooks could find no perches in the trees"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Cold rooks could find no perches in the trees\n\nAnd wild deer did not know the way back home.\n\nHard it was indeed for the traveler to make progress\n\nAs he frowned with worry and covered up his head.\n\nThe four of them were trembling in the cold and the snow as they crossed that high ridge and saw in a distant hollow high towers and elegant houses. “Disciples,” said a relieved Sanzang from the back of his horse, “we have gone cold and hungry today, but there are many buildings in that hollow that I an sure must be a farm or a Buddhist or Taoist monastery. Let us go there and beg some food before we continue on our way.”\n\nMonkey’s immediate response was to take a good look. He saw that evil-looking clouds and vapors hung over the place, so he turned back to the Tang Priest and said, “Master, that’s a bad place.”\n\n“How could it possibly be a bad place with all those towers, pavilions and fine buildings?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t know, Master,” Monkey replied. “There are any number of evil spirits and monsters along this road to the West who are good at making buildings by magic. They can make anything from towers and houses to halls and pavilions, and all just as bait. As you know, one of the nine kinds of dragon is called the clam-dragon. Its breath comes out looking like fine buildings and pools. Clam-dragon buildings appear when there is a heavy mist over a great river. Birds flying by will perch on them for a rest. The clam-dragon eats everyone up, even if there are thousands of them. It’s a really lethal trick. The atmosphere over there looks thoroughly vicious: whatever you do don’t go there.”\n\n“Even if I may not I am still very hungry indeed,” said Sanzang.\n\n“Yes, Master, you really must be,” replied Monkey. “Would you like to dismount and sit on this level ground here while I go somewhere else to beg food for you?” Sanzang followed this suggestion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While Pig held the halter Friar Sand put the luggage down, opened up one of the bundles, and took out a begging bowl that he handed to Monkey, who gave him these parting instructions as he took it: “Don’t go any further. Guard the master and make sure he stays sitting here until I come back with some food. Then we can carry on West.”\n\nFriar Sand promised to do so. Monkey then spoke to Sanzang again: “Master, this is a very dangerous place. Whatever you do you mustn’t move away from here. I’m off now to beg for food.”\n\n“No need to say any more,” replied Sanzang. “Be back as soon as you can. I shall wait for you here.”\n\nMonkey turned and was about to go when he turned back to add, “Master, I know that you haven’t the patience to sit still, but I’ll make a spell to keep you safe here.” With that he took out his gold-banded cudgel and in a flash he drew a circle on the ground with it. He asked the Tang priest to sit in the circle with Pig and Friar Sand standing on either side and the horse and luggage nearby."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then he put his palms together and said to the Tang Priest, “The circle I’ve drawn is stronger than a wall of bronze or iron. No tiger, leopard, wolf, demon, fiend or monster will dare come anywhere near it. But you must not step outside it. I guarantee that you’ll come to no harm as long as you sit inside the circle; but once you leave it very nasty things will happen to you. Please, please, please stay inside it whatever happens.” Sanzang did as he was told and they all sat down. Only then did Monkey set off due South on his cloud to beg for some food. When he saw the ancient trees of another farmhouse reaching up to the sky he brought his cloud down for a closer look. This is what he saw:\n\nWillows bent down by cruel snow,\n\nA square pool frozen hard.\n\nA few sparse bamboos waving green,\n\nThe turquoise of a lofty and elegant pine.\n\nThatched cottages that looked covered with silver,\n\nA slanting bridge that seemed paved with flour.\n\nDaffodils by the fence were beginning to open,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Daffodils by the fence were beginning to open,\n\nWhile icicles hung low beneath the eaves.\n\nThe icy wind carried many a strange fragrance;\n\nThe plum blossom was lost amid the driving snow.\n\nAs Monkey walked towards the farm to take a look at it he heard the creak of a wicker gate opening as an old man came out. He was leaning on a wooden stick and wearing a sheepskin hat, a tattered tunic, and rush sandals. He looked up to the sky and said. “The Northwest wind in blowing, so the sky will be clear tomorrow.” Before the words were out of his mouth a Pekinese dog came bounding out from behind him and started barking wildly at Monkey. Only then did the man turn to see Monkey carrying his begging bowl.\n\n“Venerable benefactor,” said Monkey, “I’m with the monk sent to the Western Heaven by the emperor of Great Tang in the East to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. As we were passing this way and my master is very hungry I have come to your honorable residence to beg for a vegetarian meal.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man nodded, hit the ground with his stick and said, “Reverend sir, don’t beg here. You’ve lost your way.”\n\n“No, I haven’t,” said Monkey.\n\n“The main trail West is over three hundred miles North of here,” said the old man, “so why aren’t you on that?”\n\n“That’s where I’ve come from,” Monkey replied. “My master is now sitting by the main trail waiting for me to bring him some food.”\n\n“You’re talking nonsense, monk,” the old man replied. “How could your master be waiting by the main trail for you to bring him some food? Even if you could walk this far it would take you six or seven days to cover over three hundred miles and as long again to get back. By then he would have starved to death.”\n\n“Honestly, benefactor,” replied Brother Monkey with a smile. “I have only just left my master, and it took me less time to get here than it would to drink a cup of tea. When I’ve been given the food I’ll take it back for his lunch.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This alarmed the old man, who drew back at once, saying, “That monk’s a demon, a demon.”\n\nHe was just about to go back inside when Monkey took hold of him and asked, “Where are you going, benefactor? Give me some food at once.”\n\n“It’s very difficult,” the old man said, “very difficult. Try somewhere else.”\n\n“You really don’t understand, benefactor,” Monkey replied. “Just think, I’ve had to come over three hundred miles to get here, so it would probably be another three hundred miles to another house. You’re trying to make my master starve to death.”\n\n“I tell you frankly,” the old man said, “that we can only put three pints of rice in the pot for the six or seven members of the family, and it’s still cooking. Try somewhere else first.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There is an old saying,” Monkey replied, “that it’s better to stay in one house than to call on three. I’m staying put.” The old man lost his temper with Monkey for being so persistent and raised his stick to hit him. This did not worry Monkey at all, who allowed the old man to hit him on his shaven pate seven or eight times: it felt like having the itches on his head scratched.\n\n“You’re a monk who likes being hit on the head,” said the old man.\n\n“Hit me as much as you like, oldy,” said Monkey. “I’m keeping the score and you’ll have to give me a pint of rice for every blow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the old man heard this he dropped his stick, rushed inside, shut the gate and shouted: “A demon, a demon.” This made the whole household shake with fear as they shut the front and back gates in a great hurry. Watching the gates being shut Monkey thought, “I wonder if the old villain was telling the truth about the amount of rice they cook. As the saying goes, the good are converted by Taoism and the stupid by Buddhism. I’m going in to take a look round.” With that the splendid Great Sage made a spell with his hands to make himself invisible and went straight to the kitchen to look. He saw that the pot was steaming and half filled with grain, so he thrust his begging bowl into it, filled it to the brim, and went back on his cloud.\n\nThe Tang priest meanwhile, who had been sitting in the circle for a long time waiting for Monkey to come back, stretched, looked around and said, “Where has that ape gone to beg for food?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Goodness only knows where he is—probably fooling around,” said Pig with a laugh beside him. “Begging for food, indeed! He’s left us here in a pen.”\n\n“What do you mean, in a pen?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“That’s something else you wouldn’t know, Master,” Pig replied. “In the old days people used to draw circles on the ground to make pens. He draws a circle with his cudgel and says it’s stronger than a wall of bronze or iron. But how could it possibly keep out any tigers, wolves or evil monsters that came here? We’d be a meal served up to them on a plate.”\n\n“What should we do about it, Wuneng?” Sanzang asked him.\n\n“We’re not sheltered from the wind or the cold here,” Pig said. “If you ask me we should carry on West along the trail. Monkey went off begging on his cloud, so he’s bound to be back soon. He’ll catch up with us. If he’s got any food we can eat it before going on. All we’ve got from sitting here so long is cold feet.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These words were to be Sanzang’s undoing: he followed the idiot’s advice and they all left the circle. The Tang Priest walked along the trail with Pig leading the horse and Friar Sand carrying the luggage. They soon reached the house with high towers, which was a South-facing compound. Outside the gates was a whitewashed wall, above which rose a multicolored gatetower shaped like lotuses leaning together. The gates stood half open. While Pig tethered the horse to a stone drum by the threshold Friar Sand put the luggage down and Sanzang sat on the doorsill out of the wind.\n\n“Master,” said pig, “this looks like a nobleman or a minister’s house. There’s nobody at the gates, so I suppose they’re all inside warming themselves up by the fire. Sit down and let me take a look.”\n\n“Do be careful,” said the Tang Priest. “Don’t go charging into their house.”\n\n“I know,” said the idiot. “I’m a lot better mannered now I’m a Buddhist. I’m not a village yokel any more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot tucked his rake in his belt, straightened his black brocade tunic, and went in through the gate in a very affected way. He saw a large hall with high, curtained windows that was completely quiet and deserted. There were no tables, chairs or other furniture. When he went round the screen and further into the house he found himself in a passageway at the end of which stood a multi-storied building with upstairs windows half open through which yellow damask bed-curtains could be glimpsed. “I suppose they’re still in bed because it’s so cold,” thought Pig, whereupon he marched up the stairs without worrying about the propriety of invading the private quarters of the house. When the idiot lifted the curtain and looked inside he almost collapsed with shock: on the ivory bed inside the curtains was a pile of gleaming white bones, with a skull the size of a bushel measure and thighbones some four or five feet long."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the idiot calmed himself the tears poured down his cheeks as he nodded to the skeletons and said with a sigh, “I wonder:\n\nFor what great dynasty you once were a marshal\n\nIn what country’s service did you hold high command?\n\nThen you were a hero fighting for mastery,\n\nBut now you are only a pile of old bones.\n\nWhere are the widow and child making offerings?\n\nDo no soldiers burn incense to honour your memory?\n\nThe sight is enough to make one sigh deeply:\n\nAlas for the man who once was a conqueror.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Alas for the man who once was a conqueror.”\n\nAs pig was sighing with grief there was a flicker of fire behind the curtain, “I suppose there must be attendants at the back to offer him incense,” the idiot thought. When he rushed round the bed-curtain to look he saw that it was the daylight shining through the windows, beside which stood a coloured lacquer table. On it were thrown some padded clothes in brocade and embroidery. When the idiot picked them up to look at them he saw that they were three quilted brocade waistcoats. Not worrying about whether it was right to do so the idiot took them downstairs and went out through the main hall and the gates."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” he shouted, “there’s no sign of life here—it’s a house of the dead. I went inside and went upstairs, where I found a pile of bones behind a yellow bed-curtain. On one side of the upper floor were three quilted brocade waistcoats, look—I’ve brought them back with me. We’re really in luck as they’re just what we need now that the weather has turned cold. Take your habit off, Master, and put one of these on underneath. You’ll be a lot more comfortable: it’ll keep the cold out.”\n\n“No,” said Sanzang, “it’s forbidden. The law says, ‘Taking, whether openly or in secret, is always theft.’ If anyone found out, came after us and handed us over to the authorities we would definitely be found guilty of theft. You had better take them back in and put them where you found them. We shall just sit here for a while to shelter from the wind and carry on along our way as soon as Wukong is back. Monks should not be looking out for easy pickings like that.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But there’s nobody around who could know,” said Pig, “not even a chicken or a dog. The only people who know are ourselves. Who’s going to sue us? There’s no evidence. It’s just the same as if we’d picked it up. Taking or stealing just doesn’t come into it.”\n\n“Nonsense,” said the Tang Priest. “Even if nobody else knew about it Heaven cannot be fooled. As the Lord of Origin teaches us, ‘Do no evil in a dark house: the eyes of the gods are like lightning.’ Take it back at once and stop hankering after what you have no right to.”\n\nThe idiot was having none of this. “Master,” he said to the Tang Priest with a grin, “I’ve worn several waistcoats in my life, but never have I seen quilted brocade ones like this before. Even if you don’t want to wear one, please let me just try one on to warm my back up. When Monkey comes back I’ll take it off and we can be on our way again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that cast,” said Friar Sand, “I’d like to try one too.” The two of them took off their outer tunics and put the waistcoats on instead. As soon as they had tightened the belts they collapsed, unable to stay on their feet. The waistcoats were even worse than bonds. In an instant both of them had their hands tied together behind their backs. Sanzang stamped his foot in despair and indignation and rushed forward to untie them, but to no avail. The three of them set up endless yells that soon disturbed a demon king."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now these buildings had indeed been created by the magic of an evil spirit who spent all his life lying in wait there to catch people. Hearing the howls of anger as he sat in his cave he rushed out to find that he had several victims tied up. The monster called for his little demons to go there with him as he made all the enchanted buildings vanish. They returned to the cave holding the Tang Priest, leading the horse, and dragging Pig and Friar Sand. The old demon took his seat on his throne while the little devils pushed Sanzang to the foot of the steps and forced him to kneel on the floor.\n\n“Where are you from, monk,” the demon asked, “and how can you have the effrontery to steal my clothes in broad daylight?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have been sent to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven by the emperor of Great Tang in the East,” replied Sanzang. “As I was hungry I sent my senior disciple to beg for food. He has not come back yet, and it was because I ignored his good advice that I blundered into your immortal hall to shelter from the wind, never imagining that my disciples would be so grasping as to steal your clothes. As I have no such wicked thoughts I told them to take the clothes straight back, but they paid no attention and insisted on putting them on to warm their backs. Never did I imagine that we would fall into Your Majesty’s trap and be captured. I beg you in your mercy to spare our lives so that we can fetch the scriptures. We will be eternally indebted to Your Majesty and your praises will be sung for ever after we return to the East.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But I’m always hearing people say that if you eat the flesh of the Tang Priest, white hair can be turned black, and teeth that have fallen out will grow again,” said the demon with a grin. “You’ve come along today without even having been asked, and now you expect me to spare you! What’s your senior disciple called, and where has he gone begging?”\n\nThis question started Pig bragging: “My elder brother is Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This news shocked the demon speechless. “I’ve long heard of that damned ape’s enormous powers,” he thought, “and now I’m meeting him when I least expected to. Little ones,” he ordered, “tie the Tang Priest up, take my precious coats off the other two, and fetch a couple of ropes to bind them. Take them to the back, and when I’ve caught the senior disciple we can scrub them all clean, put them in the steamer and cook them.” The little demons acknowledged his orders then bound the three of them together and carried them to the back. They tethered the white horse by the trough, took the luggage indoors, and sharpened their weapons ready to capture Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, meanwhile, who had filled his begging bowl with rice in the farmhouse to the South, rode his cloud back and landed it on a stretch of level ground on the mountainside to find the Tang Priest gone he knew not where. The circle he had drawn with his cudgel was still there, but travelers and horse had disappeared. When he looked towards where the buildings had been they had vanished too: all that could be seen were mountains and grotesquely shaped rocks.\n\n“Don’t tell me!” he thought with horror. “They’ve been caught.” He rushed after them, following the horse’s prints Westwards."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "About two miles later, when he was feeling thoroughly gloomy, he heard voices on the other side of the slope to the North of him. When he looked he saw an old man in felt clothes, a warm hat and a pair of worn oiled cloth boots holding a dragon-headed stick and followed by a slave boy. The old man had broken off a sprig of plum blossom and was singing a song as he came down the slope. Monkey put down his begging bowl and looked the old man in the face as he put his hands together and said, “Greetings, grandfather.”\n\n“Where are you from, reverend sir?” replied the old man, returning his bow.\n\n“We are monks from the East going to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures,” said Monkey. “There are four of us altogether, a master and three disciples. I went off to beg for some food as my master was hungry, so I told the other three to wait for me at a stretch of level ground on that mountainside. When I came back they had gone, and I don’t know which way they went. May I ask you if you"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "have seen them, grandfather?”\n\nThe question made the old man chortle. “Did one of the three have a long snout and big ears?” he asked.\n\n“Yes, yes, yes,” Monkey replied.\n\n“And was there another with an evil-looking mug leading a white horse, and a fat monk with a white face?”\n\n“That’s right, that’s right,” said Monkey.\n\n“Then you’ve all lost your way,” said the old man. “Don’t bother looking for them: It’s every man for himself.”\n\n“The white-faced one is my master and the funny-looking ones are my brother disciples,” Monkey replied. “We’re all set on going to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. Of course I’ve got to look for them.”\n\n“When I came this way just now I saw that they had lost their way and were heading straight into the demon’s mouth,” the old man said.\n\n“I would be very grateful, grandfather,” replied Monkey, “if you could tell me which demon it is and where he lives. I want to call on him and ask for them back so that we can go on with our journey to the Western Heaven.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This mountain is called Mount Jindou and there is a Jindou Cave in front of it,” the old man replied. “In the cave lives the Great King Rhinoceros. His magic abilities are enormous and he is very powerful. All three of your people must be dead by now. If you go looking for them you might not even be able to keep yourself alive. The best thing would be not to go there. I won’t try to stop you or to keep you here—I simply leave you to think it over.”\n\nMonkey bowed again to thank the old man and said, “Thank you, venerable sir, for your advice. But I have to search for them.” Tipping the rice out and giving it to the old man he put his begging bowl away, at which the old man put down his stick to accept the bowl, which he handed to his slave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then they both resumed their normal form, fell to their knees, and kowtowed saying, “Great Sage, we dare not try to deceive you. We two are the mountain deity and local god of this place, and we’ve been waiting here to receive you, Great Sage. We’ll look after the rice and your begging bowl to make it easier for you to use your magic powers. When you’ve rescued the Tang Priest you can do your duty to him by giving him the food.”\n\n“Hairy devils,” shouted Monkey, “you deserve a flogging. If you knew I was here why didn’t you meet me earlier, instead of skulking around in disguise? It’s a disgrace!”\n\n“Because you have such a quick temper, Great Sage, we did not want to rush in and offend you,” the local god replied. “That was why we disguised ourselves to tell you all that.”\n\n“Very well,” said Monkey, “we’ll postpone that beating. Look after my bowl while I capture that evil spirit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage then tightened his belt of tiger sinew, hitched up his tigerskin kilt, took his gold-banded cudgel in his hands, and headed straight for the mountain in search of the cave. As he rounded a sheer wall he saw a pair of stone doors set among rocks beside the blue-green rock-face. Outside the doors a crowd of little devils were practicing with sword and spear. Indeed, there were,\n\nAuspicious clouds,\n\nGreen lichens,\n\nRows of strange and craggy rocks,\n\nSteep paths winding around.\n\nApes howled and birds sang in the beauty of nature;\n\nPhoenixes flew and danced in this land of immortals.\n\nThe first blooms were open on plum trees facing South;\n\nA thousand bamboos were green in the sun’s warmth.\n\nUnder the cliff,\n\nDeep in the gorge:\n\nUnder the cliff the snow was piled up white;\n\nDeep in the gorge the stream had turned to ice.\n\nStands of cypress and pine preserved ancient beauty;\n\nCamellia bushes all bloomed with the same red."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Camellia bushes all bloomed with the same red.\n\nWithout waiting to have a thorough look the Great Sage made straight for the doors and shouted at the top of his voice, “Little devils, go straight in and tell your master that I’m Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and the disciple of the holy Tang Priest, Tell him to send my master out at once if you lot don’t all want to be killed.”\n\nThe little devils all hurried in to report, “Your Majesty, there’s a monk at the gate with a hairy face and a crooked mouth. He’s called the Great Sage Equaling Heaven Sun Wukong and he’s asking for his master back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demon was delighted to hear this. “Just the person I wanted to come,” he said. “Ever since leaving my palace and coming down to the mortal world I’ve had no chance to try out my martial skills. Now that he’s here I’ll have a worthy foe. Bring me my weapons, little ones,” he ordered. All the big and little devils in the cave braced themselves and carried out as quickly as they could a twelve-foot-long steel spear that they handed to the old demon, who gave them their instructions: “Little ones, you must keep in neat formation. Those who advance will be rewarded, and anyone who retreats will be executed.”\n\nHaving been given their orders the little devils charged out through the doors behind the old demon, who shouted, “Who is Sun Wukong?” Monkey stepped across from beside the entrance to see how ugly and murderous the demon king looked:\n\nA single jagged horn,\n\nA pair of bright eyes.\n\nThe thick skin protruded above his head,\n\nBlack flesh shone by his ears."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Black flesh shone by his ears.\n\nWhen he stretched his tongue he could lick his snout;\n\nHis mouth when opened wide showed yellow teeth.\n\nHis hair was indigo-blue,\n\nHis muscles hard as steel.\n\nHe was like a rhinoceros, but could not see through water,\n\nResembled a buffalo but could not plough.\n\nNot useful like the ox who lows at the moon,\n\nHe could easily scare the sky and shake the earth.\n\nHis purple hands were knotted with muscle,\n\nAs he stood erect with his spear of steel.\n\nOne only had to consider his hideous looks\n\nTo see why he deserved to be called Rhinoceros King.\n\n“Your grandpa Monkey is here,” said the Great Sage Monkey, stepping forward. “Give me back my master and neither of us will be hurt. But if there’s so much as half a ‘no’ from you I’ll kill you, and there’ll be nowhere to bury your remains.”\n\n“I’ll get you, you impudent devil of an ape,” the demon roared back. “What powers do you have that give you the nerve to talk like that?”\n\n“Evidently you’ve not seen them yet,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your master stole my clothes,” said the demon, “and now I’ve caught him and am going to cook and eat him. What sort of tough guy do you think you are, daring to come here to ask for him back?”\n\n“My master is a loyal, upright and good monk: he couldn’t possibly have stolen any of your devilish goods,” Monkey replied.\n\n“I made a magic villa by the mountain path,” the demon said, “and your master crept inside. He was so carried away by his greed that he stole three quilted brocade waistcoats. I caught him red-handed. If you really have any powers I’ll give you a fight. Hold out against me for three rounds and I’ll spare your master’s life; fail and you go to the underworld with him.”\n\n“Shut up, damned beast,” Monkey replied. “A fight would suit me fine. Come here and try a taste of my cudgel.” The monster was not at all afraid to fight, and he thrust his spear at Monkey’s head, It was a superb battle. Just watch:\n\nThe gold-banded cudgel was raised,\n\nThe long-handled spear parried."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The long-handled spear parried.\n\nThe gold-banded cudgel was raised,\n\nFlashing like a golden snake of lightning.\n\nThe long-handled spear parried,\n\nGlistening like a dragon emerging from the sea.\n\nOutside the doors the little devils beat their drums,\n\nDrawn up in battle order to add to his might,\n\nWhile the Great Sage showed his skill,\n\nDisplaying his abilities freely all around.\n\nOn one side a spear and spirits braced,\n\nAgainst it a cudgel and martial prowess.\n\nIndeed it was hero set against hero,\n\nA pair of well-matched foes.\n\nThe demon king breathed out coiling purple mists\n\nWhile the gleam of the Great Sage’s eyes formed coloured clouds\n\nOnly because the Tang Priest was in trouble\n\nDid both of them fight so bitterly without quarter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After thirty inconclusive rounds the demon king could see that Sun Wukong was a complete master of the cudgel who could advance or retreat without leaving any openings. “What a splendid ape,” he kept saying with admiration, “what a splendid ape. This was the skill that made havoc in Heaven.”\n\nMonkey too was impressed by the demon king’s neat spearwork as he parried to left and right with great skill. “What a splendid spirit,” he said, “what a splendid spirit. He really is a demon who would know how to steal elixir pills.” The two of them then fought another ten or twenty rounds.\n\nThe demon king touched the ground with the tip of his spear and ordered his little devils forward. All those wretched fiends surrounded the Great Sage with their cutlasses, staves, swords and spears. Monkey was completely unafraid."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m glad you’ve come along,” he shouted, “glad you’ve come along. Just what I wanted.” With his gold-banded cudgel he blocked and parried them in front and behind and to both sides, but the devils would not give ground. Losing his patience, Monkey threw his cudgel into the air, shouted, “Change!” and turned it into over a thousand cudgels that came raining down from the sky like flying snakes, terrifying the devils out of their wits and sending them scurrying back to their cave for their lives with their hands over their heads.\n\n“Behave yourself, ape,” said the demon with a mocking laugh, “and watch this trick.” He immediately pulled out from his sleeve a gleaming white ring that he threw up into the air with a shout of “Get them!” It came whirling down, catching all the gold-banded cudgels inside it, and forcing Monkey to somersault away for his life as he was now disarmed. While the demon king returned to his cave in triumph Brother Monkey was at his wit’s end. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Way grew by one foot but the demon grew by ten.\n\nBlind and confused, they failed to see that the house was fake.\n\nAlas there was no place to be found for the dharma body:\n\nIn action and in thoughts they had made a great mistake.\n\nIf you don’t know how all this ended, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fifty-One\n\nIn Vain Does the Mind-Ape Use a Thousand Tricks\n\nFire and Water Fail to Harm the Demon\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage Equaling Heaven went empty-handed and beaten to sit down behind Mount Jindou, tears streaming from both eyes.\n\n“Master,” he called out, “I had hoped\n\nAs Lord Buddha graciously brought us together\n\nTo go on to live with you, Master, for ever,\n\nWith you to train and to learn to be free.\n\nOf the favours received ever mindful I’d be.\n\nOur hearts were both joined and our fates were entwined;\n\nAs we studied the Way we shared the same mind.\n\nI never expected to be at my wit’s end\n\nUnable to win with no stick in my hand.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Unable to win with no stick in my hand.”\n\nJust when he was in the depths of misery Monkey thought, “That fiend knew who I was. I remember him saying something about the sort of skill that made havoc in Heaven when he was praising me during the fight. That means he can’t be a common mortal monster: he must be an evil star from Heaven come down to earth for love of worldly things. I don’t know where he come down from, so I’d better go up to Heaven to make some inquiries.”\n\nOnly then did Monkey start using his mind and taking the initiative again. At once he somersaulted up on an auspicious cloud, going straight to the Southern Gate of Heaven, where he looked up to see the Broad-visioned Heavenly King Virupaksa bowing to him in greeting and saying, “Where are you going, Great Sage?”\n\n“There’s something I must see the Jade Emperor about,” said Monkey. “What are you doing here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It is my turn today to supervise the Southern Gate of Heaven,” Virupaksa replied, and before he could finish the four marshals Ma, Zhao, Wen and Guan bowed and said, “Great Sage, we failed to greet you. Will you have some tea?”\n\n“I’m busy,” Monkey replied, and taking his leave of Virupaksa and the four marshals he went in through the gate and headed straight for the Hall of Miraculous Mist, where the four Heavenly Teachers Zhang Daoling, Ge Xianweng, Xu Jingyang and Qiu Hongji, the Six Officers of the Southern Dipper and the Seven Originals of the Northern Dipper all raised their hands in greeting to him in front of the palace hall.\n\n“For what purpose are you here, Great Sage?” they asked, adding. “Have you yet finished escorting the Tang Priest?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s too early to be talking like that yet,” Monkey replied. “It is a very long journey with many a demon along the way and we’ve only completed half of it. At present we are in trouble at the Jindou Gave in Mount Jindou, where a rhinoceros spirit has grabbed my master and taken him into the cave. When I went there and fought him he had such tremendous magic powers that he seized my gold-banded cudgel. It’s impossible for me to capture him. That’s why I’ve come to accuse the Jade Emperor of lax supervision.”\n\n“You’re as wild and wicked as ever, you ape,” said Xu Jingyang with a smile.\n\n“No I’m not,” Monkey replied. “I’ve spoken bluntly all my life as it’s the only way to get anywhere.”\n\n“That’s enough of this talking,” said Heavenly Teacher Zhang Daoling. “We will report your arrival.”\n\n“Thank you very much,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The four Heavenly Teachers reported all this to the Hall of Miraculous Mist and then took Monkey to the jade steps to the throne. Monkey make a loud “re-e-er” of respect then said, “Well, old man, I’m here to bother you. I won’t bore you with all the dangers of escorting the Tang Priest to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven, but we’ve now reached the Jindou Cave on Mount Jindou where a rhinoceros demon has captured the Tang Priest and taken him to his cave. I don’t know whether the demon’s planning to steam, boil or dry him. When I went to the cave and fought him he knew who I was, and he really does have miraculous powers. He’s taken my gold-banded cudgel, so I can’t capture him. I think he must be an evil star from Heaven gone down to earth for the love of worldly things, which is why I’ve come here to submit a request. I beg Your Celestial Majesty in your mercy and perception to order an inspection of the evil stars and to send troops to capture the demon. I’m shaking with fear of Your Majesty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "demon. I’m shaking with fear of Your Majesty.” He then made a deep bow and added, “I beg to submit this report.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ge Xianweng, who was standing at the side of the hall, smiled as he said, “Why is it that you were recalcitrant before but are respectful now?”\n\n“It’s not that,” said Monkey, “not that at all. I haven’t become respectful. It’s just that I don’t have my cudgel today.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having heard Monkey’s memorial the Jade Emperor sent an order straight to the star officer Kehan: “Please inspect all the stars in all the heavens and find out if any of the divine kings of any of the constellations have gone down to earth out of love for worldly things. Report back afterwards.” Having been given this command the True Lord Kehan went off with the Great Sage to make his inspection. First they went to see the divine kings and the officials at the four gates of Heaven. Then they inspected all the True Ones within the Three Little Enclosures; the Thunder Officers Tao, Zhang, Xin, Deng, Gou, Bi, Pang and Liu; and the Thirty-three Heavens, every one of which was in place. Next they checked the twenty-eight zodiacal constellations: Horn, Gullet, Base, Chamber, Orion, Tail, and Winnower in the East; Dipper, Ox, Woman, Barrens, Roof, House and Wall to the West; and the constellations of the North and South as well; but every constellation was peacefully in its place. They inspected the Seven Powers"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in its place. They inspected the Seven Powers of Sun, Moon, Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth; and the Four Others—Rahu, Ketu, the Gases and the Comets. None of the stars in the sky had gone down to earth for love of worldly things."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case,” said Monkey, “my journey to the Hall of Miraculous Mist was for nothing. I’ve disturbed His Jade Majesty—it was most inconvenient of me. You had better go and report back. I’ll be waiting here for your reply.” The True Lord Kehan did as he had been told, and Monkey began a long wait. He made up a poem to record his feelings that went,\n\nPure winds, a cloudless sky, and blissful peace;\n\nCalm gods, bright shining stars, and blessings clear.\n\nStill is the Milky Way; Heaven’s troubles cease;\n\nThroughout the world no sounds of war we hear.\n\nThe True Lord Kehan reported back to the Jade Emperor on his thorough inspection: “No star or constellation in the sky is missing. All the regional gods ad officers are present, and nobody has gone down to earth for love of worldly things.” Having heard this report the Jade Emperor ordered that Sun Wukong was to select some heavenly generals to take down to earth to catch the demon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the four Heavenly Teachers had been given this order they left the Hall of Miraculous Mist and said to Monkey, “Great Sage, the Jade Emperor in his generosity orders you to select some heavenly generals to take down to earth to catch the demon as none of the stars has gone down there for love of worldly things.”\n\nMonkey bowed down and thought, “Most of the heavenly generals are not as good as I am: few are any better. When I made havoc in Heaven the Jade Emperor sent a hundred thousand of his heavenly soldiers who spread out heaven-and-earth nets, but not one of those commanders dared to fight it out with me. The only one who was a match for me was the Little Sage Erlang he sent later. That demon’s powers are as good as mine, so how will I ever be able to beat him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Times have changed,” said the Heavenly Teacher Xu Jingyang. “As the saying goes, everything can always be beaten by something. Would you dare to disobey an imperial edict? Choose some heavenly generals according to your illustrious judgement and don’t waste time: it could be disastrous.\n\n“In that case,” said Monkey, “I am very grateful to His Majesty for his kindness, and I would not dare disobey his commands. Besides, I don’t want to have made this journey for nothing. So please ask the Jade Emperor to send Heavenly King Li the Pagoda-carrier and Prince Nezha. They have demon-subduing weapons, so let’s see what happens if they go down to earth and fight that fiend. If they can catch him I’ll be in luck, and if they can’t we’ll have to think again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Heavenly Teacher reported this to the Jade Emperor, who ordered Heavenly King Li and his son Prince Nezha to take their heavenly troops to Help Monkey. The Heavenly King obediently went to see Monkey, who said to the Heavenly Teacher, “I am extremely grateful to the Jade Emperor for sending the Heavenly King. There is another request I would like you to pass on. I would like two thunder gods to stand in the clouds while the Heavenly King is fighting the demon and kill him by throwing thunder splinters at his head. This would be a very good method.”\n\n“Splendid, splendid,” said the Heavenly Teacher, and he reported this request to the Jade Emperor, who then ordered the Office of the Nine Heavens to send the thunder gods Deng Hua and Zhang Fan to help Heavenly King Li capture the demon. They then went out through the Southern Gate of Heaven with the Heavenly King and the Great Sage."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They were soon there. “This is Mount Jindou,” said Monkey, “and the Jindou Cave is in it. I would like you gentlemen to decide which of you is going to be the first to challenge the demon to battle.” The Heavenly King brought his cloud to a stop and encamped his troops under the Southern slopes of the mountain.\n\n“As you know, Great Sage,” he said, “my boy Nezha has put down the demons in ninety-six different caves, is very good at transformation, and always carries his demon-subduing weapons around with him. He should go into battle first.”\n\n“That’s right,” said Monkey. “I’ll take him with me.”\n\nThe prince summoned up his martial prowess, leapt to the mountaintop with the Great Sage, and went straight to the entrance to the cave, where they found the doors tightly closed and not an evil spirit to be seen by the rock-face. “Vicious fiend,” shouted Monkey, going up to the doors, “open up at once and give me back my master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the little devils guarding the doors saw this they hurried back to report, “Your Majesty, Sun the Novice has a little boy with him and he’s challenging you to battle outside the doors.”\n\n“I’ve got his gold-banded cudgel,” the demon king said, “and he’d find it hard to fight me empty-handed, so I suppose he must have found some reinforcements. Fetch my weapons!” He then went outside to look, brandishing his spear. The little boy was a pure and remarkable sight, and full of strength and vigor. Indeed:\n\nHis face was like the moon when it is full,\n\nRed lips, a square-cut mouth, and silver teeth.\n\nHis eye shot lightning from their fearsome pupils;\n\nOver his broad and fine-hued brow were tufts of hair.\n\nHis sash danced in the wind like tongues of flame;\n\nA silken gown gleamed golden in the sun.\n\nBright rings held a bronze mirror at his chest,\n\nAnd precious armor set off well his warrior’s boots.\n\nTiny in body, but mighty in his voice,\n\nTerrible Nezha, protector of the faith."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Terrible Nezha, protector of the faith.\n\n“You’re Heavenly King Li’s third son, Prince Nezha,” said the demon with a smile. “Why have you come shouting at my door?”\n\n“Because you have made trouble, vicious fiend, by harming the holy monk from the East. I’m here to arrest you at the command of the Jade Emperor.”\n\n“I’m sure Sun Wukong must have asked you here,” said the demon king in a great fury. “Yes, I’m the demon who’s got the holy monk. I wonder what fighting skills you’ve got, little boy, if you dare to talk such nonsense. Stay where you are and see how you like my spear.”\n\nThe prince met the thrust at once with his demon-beheading sword. Once the two of them had come to blows the battle began. Monkey rushed round the mountain shouting, “Where are the thunder gods? Hurry up and strike the fiend with your thunder splinters to help the prince subdue him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The thunder gods Deng and Zhang stepped at once on their clouds and were just about to strike when Prince Nezha used magic to give himself three heads and six arms that wielded six weapons with which he hacked at the monster. The demon king then gave himself three heads and six arms too, holding three long spears with which he parried them. The prince next used his demon-subduing dharma power and threw his six weapons up into the air. What were the six weapons? The demon-beheading sword, the demon-hacking cutlass, the demon-binding rope, the demon-quelling pestle, the embroidered ball and the fire-wheel."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nezha shouted “Change!” and each one of them became ten, each ten a hundred, each hundred a thousand, and each thousand ten thousand of the same weapons that flew at the demon like a hailstorm. The demon king was not afraid in the least. Bringing out his gleaming white ring he threw it into the air with a shout of “Catch them!” and as it came whistling down it trapped all the six different kinds of weapons, so terrifying Nezha that he fled for his life empty-handed. The demon king returned to his cave in triumph.\n\nWhen the two thunder gods saw this from up in the sky they smiled to themselves and said, “It’s a good thing we realized how things were going and didn’t throw our thunder splinters. If he’d caught them too we’d never have dared report back to the Heavenly Honoured Ones.” The pair of them landed their clouds and went with the prince to the Southern slope of the mountain.\n\n“The demon king really has got enormous powers,” they told Heavenly King Li."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The wretched demon’s magic powers are nothing much,” said Monkey with a laugh, “apart from that terrible ring. I wonder what sort of treasure it is and why it can catch everything when it’s thrown into the air.”\n\n“You don’t have a shred of humanity in you, Great Sage,” said Nezha angrily. “We’re thoroughly upset after being beaten, and all for your sake too. What have you got to laugh about?”\n\n“You may be upset, but what makes you imagine I’m not?” Monkey replied. “I’m at my wit’s end, and as I can’t cry about it, laughing’s the only thing I can do.”\n\n“How are we going to bring all this to an end?” the Heavenly King asked.\n\n“You lot can make whatever plans you like,” said Monkey, “but we can only capture him with what his ring can’t catch.”\n\n“The best things his ring can’t catch are water and fire,” said Heavenly King Li. “As the saying goes, water and fire show no mercy.”\n\n“You’re right,” Monkey replied. “Sit still here while I go up to Heaven again.”\n\n“What for?” the two thunder gods asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What for?” the two thunder gods asked.\n\n“This time I won’t bother with a memorial to the Jade Emperor,” said Brother Monkey. “I’ll go straight in through the Southern Gate of Heaven to the Palace of Crimson Splendor to ask Yinghuo, the Star Lord of Fire, to come here and start a fire that will burn the demon and perhaps even reduce his ring to ashes so that we can capture him. Then you can have your weapons back and return to Heaven and my master can be saved.”\n\nThe prince was greatly cheered up to hear this. “Please don’t lose any time, Great Sage,” he said, “and get back as soon as you can. We’ll wait here.”\n\nMonkey set his auspicious light going again and went straight back to the Southern Gate of Heaven, where Virupaksa and the four generals met him and asked, “Why are you back again, Great Sage?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Heavenly King Li sent Prince Nezha into battle,” Monkey replied, “but in their first fight the demon king took all his six weapons. I now want to go to the Palace of Crimson Splendor to ask the Star Lord of Fire to help us in the fight.” The four generals let him in, not daring to delay him any longer.\n\nWhen he reached the Palace of Crimson Splendor the gods of fire all went in to report, “Sun Wukong is here to see you, my lord.”\n\nThe Star Lord of Fire of the South straightened up his clothes and came out to greet him with the words, “Kehan was here to inspect us yesterday, and nobody here is longing for earthly things.”\n\n“I know,” Monkey replied. “Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha have been defeated in battle and lost their weapons, which is why I have come here to ask for your help.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nezha is the God of the Third Altar, the Seas, who first made his name by subduing ninety-six caves of demons,” the Star Lord of Fire replied. “His magical powers are tremendous, so if he can’t subdue the fiend what hope would I have of doing so?”\n\n“I’ve discussed it with Heavenly King Li,” Monkey replied. “Water and fire are the most powerful things in heaven and earth. That fiend has a ring that can catch things. I don’t know what treasure it is. As they say that fire can destroy everything I’ve come here to ask you, Star Lord, to lead your fire forces down to the mortal world to burn up that evil monster and rescue my master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Star Lord of Fire heard this he mustered his divine troops and went with Monkey to the Southern slopes of Mount Jindou, where he exchanged greetings with the Heavenly King and the thunder gods. “Great Sage Sun,” said Heavenly King Li, “call that demon out again and I’ll start fighting him. When he throws his ring I’ll get out of the way and the Star Lord can lead his forces to burn him up.”\n\n“Yes,” said Monkey. “I’ll go with you.” The Fire Star Lord stood with Prince Nezha and two thunder gods on a high peak to challenge the demon to battle.\n\nWhen the Great Sage reached the mouth of the Jindou Cave he shouted, “Open up! Give me my master back at once.”\n\n“Sun Wukong’s back,” the little devils reported with urgency, and the demon led his horde out of the cave to say to Monkey, “Impudent ape, what soldiers have you brought here?”\n\nHeavenly King Li, the Pagoda-carrier, came forward to shout back, “Vicious monster, do you know who I am”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Heavenly King Li,” replied the demon with a laugh, “no doubt you want to avenge your distinguished son and get his weapons back.”\n\n“I want my revenge and his weapons,” replied the Heavenly King, “and I’m also going to catch you and rescue the Tang Priest. Stay where you are while I get you with my sword.” The demon dodged the cut and thrust back with his spear. The two of them fought a magnificent fight in front of the cave. Just watch:\n\nThe Heavenly King hacked with his sword,\n\nThe demon’s spear parried.\n\nThe sword gleamed cold and breathed out fire,\n\nThe sharp spear belched out baleful clouds.\n\nOne was the monster who had grown up in Jindou Cave;\n\nThe other had been sent from the Hall of Miraculous Mist.\n\nOne wished to use his might to oppress the dharma nature;\n\nOne was employing his greatness to rescue the priest.\n\nThe Heavenly King’s powers made sand and gravel fly,\n\nThe demon fighting back stirred up the dust.\n\nThe dust cast heaven and earth in darkness,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dust cast heaven and earth in darkness,\n\nThe sand and gravel made seas and livers turbid.\n\nThe two of them struggled hard for victory\n\nBecause the Tang Priest wanted to see the Buddha.\n\nWhen Monkey saw the two of them starting to fight he jumped up to the highest peak and said to the Star Lord of Fire, “Pay attention.” Watch as the demon produces his ring again when the fight is at its fiercest. When Heavenly King Li saw this he set his auspicious light moving and fled in defeat. At once the Star Lord of Fire issued the order to his troops from his peak to release all their fire together. It was a terrifying sight:\n\nThe Classic says that in the South is the essence of fire.\n\nEven a single spark\n\nCan burn a hundred thousand acres.\n\nThe might of the Star Lord\n\nCould create a hundred different kinds of fire.\n\nHe had fire spears, fire swords,\n\nFire bows and crossbows,\n\nAnd all his gods used different weapons.\n\nThe sky was filled with cawing crows of fire.\n\nFire horses galloped on the mountaintops."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fire horses galloped on the mountaintops.\n\nFire rats came in twos,\n\nFire dragons in pairs.\n\nThe fire rats coming in twos breathed flame,\n\nMaking a thousand miles glow red;\n\nThe pairs of fire dragons belched thick smoke,\n\nCasting a pall of darkness all around.\n\nThe fire carts were brought out,\n\nThe fire gourds opened up.\n\nWhen fire banners waved the skies glowed sunset-red;\n\nFire cudgels made the whole earth blaze.\n\nCompared with this the charge of burning oxen was nothing;\n\nThis beat Zhou Yu’s fire ships attacking Red Crag.\n\nIt was a terrible heavenly conflagration,\n\nA blazing burning storm of fire.\n\nBut the onslaught by the fire did not frighten the demon in the least. He threw his ring up into the air, and as it came whistling down it caught the fire dragons, fire horses, fire crows, fire rats, fire swords, fire spears, fire bows and fire arrows. The demon then led his troops back to his cave in victory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Fire Star Lord, holding a useless banner, called back his officers and went to sit with Heavenly King Li and the others on the Southern slope of the mountain. “Great Sage,” he said to Monkey, “I’ve never seen so ferocious a demon before. Now I’ve lost all my fire-raising equipment what am I to do?”\n\n“Stop complaining,” said Monkey with a smile. “Will you gentlemen please sit here for a while while I go off again?”\n\n“Where are you going this time?” Heavenly King Li asked.\n\n“If that fiend isn’t bothered by fire I’m sure he must be vulnerable to water. As the saying goes, water defeats fire. I’m going to the Northern Gate of Heaven to ask the Star Lord of Water, the planet Mercury, to use the power of water to flood the cave and drown the demon king. Then I’ll be able to return you all your things.”\n\n“That’s a very good idea,” said the Heavenly King, “except that I’m afraid your master might be drowned too.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No problem,” said Monkey. “Even if he is drowned I have a way that will bring him back to life. But I’m wasting your time, gentlemen, and that is quite wrong.”\n\n“In that case,” said the Star Lord of Fire, “please be on your way.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage went straight to the Northern Gate of Heaven by his somersault cloud. He looked up to see the Heavenly King Vaisravana bowing to him and asking, “Where are you going, Great Sage Sun?”\n\n“There is something about which I must see the Star Lord of Water in his Palace of Dark Vastness,” said Monkey. “What are you doing here?”\n\n“It is my turn to patrol today.” Vaisravana replied. As he was speaking the four heavenly generals Pang, Liu, Gou and Bi greeted him courteously and offered him tea.\n\n“As I’m in such a hurry I won’t trouble you,” said Monkey, and taking his leave of them he went straight to the Palace of Dark Vastness, where he sent all the gods of Water in to announce him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, is here,” they reported. As soon as he learned this the Star Lord of Water dismissed the gods of the Four Seas, the Five Lakes, the Eight Rivers, the Four Streams, the Three Great Watercourses and the Nine Tributaries, as well as all the dragon kings, then straightened his hat, tightened his belt, and went out through the gates of the palace to greet him and lead him inside.\n\n“Yesterday Kehan came here on his inspection,” the Star Lord said. “He wondered if any of my Water gods had become demons because they longed for worldly things. We are checking all the gods of rivers, seas and streams but have not yet finished.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That demon king’s no river god,” said Monkey, “He’s a much more powerful spirit. The Jade Emperor sent Heavenly King Li, Prince Nezha and two thunder gods down to the lower world to capture him, but he caught Nezha’s six magic weapons with a ring. So I had to go up to the Palace of Crimson Splendor to ask the Star Lord of Fire to take all his fire gods to start fires, but the fiend caught the fire dragons, fire horses and everything else with his ring. I reckon that as he isn’t bothered by fire he must be vulnerable to water, which is why I’ve come here to ask you to deploy your water, capture the fiend for me, return the heavenly generals’ weapons, and rescue my master too.”\n\nWhen the Star Lord of Water heard this he ordered the Earl of the Yellow River to go with the Great Sage to help him. “I can carry water in this,” said the river earl, taking a white jade bowl from his sleeve.\n\n“But that can’t hold very much,” said Monkey. “How could it possibly drown the fiend?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m not lying when I tell you that this bowl can hold the waters of the Yellow River,” the earl replied. “Half a bowlful is half the river, and the whole bowlful is the whole river.”\n\n“Half a bowlful will be all we need,” replied a delighted Monkey, who then took his leave of the Star God of Water and hurried out through the gates of Heaven with the Earl of the Yellow River.\n\nThe earl half filled his bowl in the Yellow River then went with the Great Sage to Mount Jindou, where he greeted the Heavenly King, the prince, the two thunder gods and the Star Lord of Fire, who started telling him what had happened until Monkey said, “Cut out the details. River earl, come with me. When I shout at the doors telling them to open up don’t wait till the doors are open. Tip the water straight in and drown the whole den of demons. Then I’ll fish out the master’s body and bring him back to life.”\n\nThe earl did as he was told, following Monkey round the mountain to the mouth of the cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Open up, devils,” Monkey shouted, and when they recognized his voice the little devils hurried in to report that he was back, At this the demon king went out again, brandishing his spear and taking his treasure as the doors opened with a loud noise. The river god threw all the water in his white jade bowl into the cave. Seeing it coming, the demon threw down his spear and quickly took out his ring to seal the inner doors tightly. The water then all surged noisily out again, giving Sun Wukong such a fright that he had to give an immediate somersault and leap straight back up to the mountaintop with the river god. The Heavenly King and the rest of them then stood on their clouds in front of the peak looking at the great waves of the mighty flood. It was splendid water. Indeed:\n\nA mere scoopful\n\nProduces fathomless depths;\n\nA divine achievement\n\nFills a hundred rivers for the general good.\n\nHear the great roaring shake the valley,\n\nSee the mighty waters flood the sky."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "See the mighty waters flood the sky.\n\nA sound like thunder fills the world with awe;\n\nFierce are the waves with curling crests like snow.\n\nThe towering waves now inundate the roads,\n\nWhile countless billows wash against the mountains.\n\nCold they are as nephrite,\n\nRolling with the sound of strings.\n\nAs they crash against the rocks they scatter chips of jade;\n\nThe waters swirl in eddies as they ebb.\n\nThe current sweeps across all dips and hollows,\n\nFilling ravines and joining all the streams.\n\nThe sight filled Brother Monkey with alarm. “This is terrible,” he said. “The water’s flooding the peasants’ fields, and going everywhere except into the demon’s cave. What are we to do?” He asked the river god to put\n\nhis water away at once.\n\n“I can only let it out,” the earl replied. “I can’t put it away again. As the saying goes, spilt water can’t be picked up.” Oh dear! But as the mountain was both high and steep the water flowed down it fast and in a few moments had all gone away along gullies and ravines."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Some little devils leapt out from the cave and played around with great pleasure as before, shouting, yelling, shaking their fists, waving their sleeves, and brandishing their cudgels and spears. “So the water never got inside the cave at all,” said the Heavenly King. “All that effort was for nothing.” Unable to control the great anger that surged up him, Monkey charged the demon king’s doors, lashing out with both fists, shouting, “Where do you think you’re going? I’ll get you.”\n\nThe terrified little devils dropped their spears and cudgels and fled back into the cave to report in fear and trembling, “Your Majesty, he’s attacking again.”\n\nThe demon king went out through the doors, his spear at the ready, and said, “Impudent ape, you’re such a hooligan. You’ve tried and failed to beat me several times. Even fire and water have got nowhere near me. So why are you here again? To throw your life away?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve got it the wrong way round, my boy,” said Brother Monkey. “It’s not me throwing my life away, but you throwing yours away. Come here and I’ll punch you one.”\n\n“You’re just trying to be awkward, ape,” the demon king replied with a laugh. “You can use your fists, but I’ll use my spear. Your skinny little fist is no bigger than a walnut. It’s not even the weight of a small hammer. Very well then. I’ll put my spear down and we’ll try some boxing.”\n\n“Well spoken,” said Monkey with a smile. “Come on then.”\n\nThe demon then hitched up his clothes and took up a stance with both of his fists raised. They were the size of the mallets used in oil-presses. The Great Sage spread his feet apart, summoned up his energy, and started to show his skill as he traded blows with the demon king in front of the doors of the cave, it was a splendid fight. Goodness!\n\nThey started with a foursquare stance,\n\nKicked with pairs of flying feet.\n\nEach threw with menace at the other’s chest\n\nHard blows that could cut out the heart."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hard blows that could cut out the heart.\n\nThe Immortal pointing the way\n\n“Lao Zi riding his crane.”\n\nTerrible as the tiger when he falls on his prey,\n\nVicious as the dragons sporting in the water.\n\nThe demon king did a dragon roll;\n\nThe Great Sage fought like a roebuck with his antlers.\n\nThey kicked up their heels like spitting dragons,\n\nTwisting their wrists like sky-supporting camels.\n\nThe blue lion opened its jaws,\n\nThe carp leapt so high he risked breaking his back.\n\nFlowers were scattered around their foreheads,\n\nAnd ropes pulled tight around their waists.\n\nThe wind stayed close to the fan,\n\nThe driving rain made blossoms fall.\n\nWhen the demon used a “Guanyin hand”\n\nMonkey countered with an “arhat’s foot.”\n\nThe longer punches were open and relaxed,\n\nNot as intense as the short jabs to the body.\n\nWhen they had fought for several dozen rounds\n\nTheir skills were equal; no winner had emerged."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Their skills were equal; no winner had emerged.\n\nWhile the two of them fought in front of the cave Heavenly King Li and the Star Lord of Fire were shouting and clapping in encouragement and admiration. The two thunder gods and Prince Nezha led the armies of the gods to leap down by where they were fighting to help Monkey, while on the other side the devilish horde all came forward to guard their master with banners, drums, swords and cutlasses. Seeing that things were going badly Monkey pulled out a handful of hairs, scattered them in the air, and with a shout of “Change!” turned them into three or four dozen little monkeys who rushed forward and held the demon still."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They put their arms round his legs, grabbed him by the waist, jabbed at his eyes, and pulled his hair. The demon in his alarm pulled out his ring. When Monkey arid the Heavenly King saw him doing this they turned their clouds away and fled back to the top of the mountain to keep out of the way of the fight. As soon as the demon threw the ring into the air it came whistling down, caught the three or four dozen little monkeys who were hairs transformed and turned them back into their original form. The demon took them into the cave when he led his troops back in triumph, shut the doors and celebrated.\n\n“Great Sage,” said Prince Nezha, “you really are a tough guy. That was a superb display of boxing, as skilful as putting embroidery on brocade. And by magically dividing yourself up you showed him how good you are.”\n\n“You gentlemen were all watching from here,” said Monkey with a smile. “How did the demon’s technique compare with mine?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“His boxing was slack and his footwork slow,” said Heavenly King Li, “where you were neat and quick. When he saw us going he was worried, and when you used your self-dividing magic he was panicked, which was why he had to use his ring magic.”\n\n“The demon king would be easy enough to deal with,” said Monkey, “if it weren’t for his ring. That’s hard one to beat.”\n\n“If we’re to beat him,” said the Star Lord of Fire to the Earl of the Yellow River, “we have to get that treasure. We’ll be able to capture him then.”\n\n“But how else are we to get it apart from by stealing it?” Monkey asked.\n\nThe two thunder gods laughed at this and said, “If we’re going to do him the honour of stealing it there’s nobody to compare with the Great Sage. When he made havoc in Heaven he stole imperial wine, magic peaches, dragon liver, phoenix bone-marrow and even Lord Lao Zi’s elixir. That was some skill! Now he ought to be using it to get that ring.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You are flattering me,” said Monkey, “you are flattering me. You’d better sit here while I go and spy things out.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage sprang down from the peak and made his way stealthily to the mouth of the cave where he shook himself and turned into a most elegant fly. Look at him:\n\nHe had wings just as fine as membranes of bamboo,\n\nA body as small as a plum blossom’s heart,\n\nHis hands and his feet barely thicker than hairs,\n\nAnd eyes full of lights that both sparkle and dart:\n\nHe follows his nose when he smells something good,\n\nAnd rides on the wind as he flies at great speed.\n\nThe scales would not move if he come to be weighed,\n\nAnd yet he’s a lovable true friend in need."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He flew quietly to the doors and crawled in through the narrow gap between them to see all the devils young and old dancing or singing in ranks on either side while the demon king sat on a high dais. Before him were set snakemeat, deer jerky, bears’ paws, camels’ humps, wild vegetables from the mountain and fruit. He had a celadon jug of wine as well as some delicious-smelling koumiss and coconut toddy, all of which he was drinking freely by the large bowlful. Monkey landed among the little devils and turned himself into a badger spirit. He inched his way nearer to the throne, but even after taking a long look he could not make out at all where the treasure was hidden. He quickly withdrew and went round behind the throne, where he saw hanging high from the ceiling in the rear hall the fire dragons groaning and the fire horses whinnying. He looked up to spy his gold-banded cudgel leaning against the Eastern wall. This made him so happy that his heart had an itch he could not scratch, and forgetting his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "an itch he could not scratch, and forgetting his disguise he went over, picked the cudgel up, resumed his own appearance, tried out some movements with it, and started to fight his way straight out of the cave. All the devils shook with terror, and there was nothing the demon king could do about it as Monkey opened up a trail of blood, pushing three over here and pulling a couple down there as he went straight out through the front doors. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demon was unready in his pride;\n\nThe cudgel went back to its owner’s side.\n\nIf you don’t know whether all turned out for good or for ill, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fifty-Two\n\nMonkey Makes Havoc in the Jindou Cave\n\nThe Buddha Gives a Hint About the Owner\n\nThe story tells how after recovering his gold-banded cudgel Monkey fought his way out of the cave and jumped up to the peak to see all the gods. He was very pleased with himself. “How did it go this time?” asked Heavenly King Li. “I did a transformation and went into the cave,” said Monkey, “where I saw the devils dancing, singing and drinking to celebrate their victory. But I heard nothing about where the demon keeps his treasure. When I went round to the back I heard the horses and dragons whimpering and realized they must be the fire beasts. My gold-banded cudgel was leaning against the Eastern wall, so I took it and fought my way out of the cave.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You have your treasure now,” said the gods, “but how are we going to get ours back?”\n\n“Easy,” said Monkey, “easy. With this iron cudgel I can beat him whatever he does. I’ll recover your treasures.” As they were talking there rose from the mountainside a concerted sound of gongs and drums as well as earth-shaking shouts: the Great Rhinoceros King was leading his host of spirits out in pursuit of Monkey, who called out at the sight of them, “Great, great, Just what I want. Please sit down, gentlemen, while I go to capture him.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage raised his iron cudgel and struck at the demon’s face with a shout, “Where do you think you’re going, damned demon? Take this!” Warding the blow off with his spear, the demon insulted him back: “Thieving ape! You’re a disgrace. How dare you steal my property in broad daylight?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll get you, evil beast. Have the decency to die! All you can do is use your ring to steal our property in broad daylight. None of those things are really yours. Stay where you are, and take this!” Once again the monster parried with his spear. It was a splendid fight.\n\nThe Great Sage was ferocious,\n\nThe demon was not gentle.\n\nBoth sides fought with courage;\n\nNeither would give in.\n\nThe iron cudgel was a dragon’s tail,\n\nThe long spear was a serpent’s head.\n\nBlows from the cudgel whistled like the wind,\n\nThe spear’s moves flowed as smoothly as a stream.\n\nThe mountain darkened, wreathed in coloured mists;\n\nAuspicious clouds hung heavy on the woods.\n\nThe birds in the air all stopped their flying;\n\nThe wild beasts of the field all hid away.\n\nThe demons on one side raised battle cries\n\nWhile Monkey on the other was Ml of vigor.\n\nAn iron club that no one could withstand\n\nHad fought its way along the long road West;\n\nA long spear that was a worthy match,\n\nAnd always held its power supreme on Mount Jindou."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Once they joined battle there could be no respite:\n\nThey swore to carry on until one conquered.\n\nThe demon king and the Great Sage had been fighting for six hours without either gaining the upper hand. As night was falling the evil spirit held out his spear and said, “Stop, Wukong. It’s too dark for fighting now. Let’s have a night’s sleep and I’ll go on having it out with you tomorrow.”\n\n“Shut up, damned demon,” replied Monkey abusively. “I’ve only just warmed up. I don’t care how late it is: I’m going to carry on till one of us has won.” The demon gave a shout, made a feint with his spear, and fled for his life, leading his host of devils in retreat back to the cave, where they shut the doors tight.\n\nWhen Monkey returned to the mountain top with his cudgel the gods from Heaven all congratulated him. “You really are strong and capable, Great Sage Equaling Heaven,” they said, “and your powers are boundless.”\n\n“You’re overdoing your praises,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re overdoing your praises,” Monkey replied.\n\n“No,” said Heavenly King Li, coming up to him, “this is not empty praise. You really are a tough guy. The force you were up against today was as strong as the Heaven and Earth nets all those years age.”\n\n“Let’s not go into all that ancient history,” said Monkey. “That demon must be exhausted after his fight with me. I haven’t been put to any trouble worth speaking of, so if you’ll all sit here and relax I’ll go back into the cave, find out where he keeps the ring, and steal it if I possibly can. Then I’ll capture the monster, find your weapons, and return them to you to take back to Heaven.”\n\n“It’s late now,” said Prince Nezha. “You’d better have a good night’s sleep and go tomorrow morning.”\n\n“You don’t understand life, my lad,” replied Monkey. “Who ever heard of a burglar liking to steal in broad daylight? This sort of groping about has to be done in secret under cover of darkness. That’s the way the job’s done.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop arguing, Your Highness,” said the Star Lord of Fire and the two thunder gods, “We don’t know anything about that sort of thing, and the Great Sage is an old hand. Let him make the most of the nighttime, when the demon is exhausted and nobody is expecting anything to happen. Please go at once.”\n\nWith a chuckle the splendid Great Sage tucked his iron cudgel away, jumped down from the peak and went to the mouth of the cave, where he shook himself and turned into a cricket. Indeed:\n\nHard mouth, black skin, and long antennae,\n\nBright eyes and legs that bend like branches.\n\nIn the clear wind and in moonlight he sings by the wall;\n\nWhen the night is still he talks like a human.\n\nAs he weeps in the dew the scenery seems cold;\n\nHis marvellous voice now comes in fits and starts.\n\nJust when the homesick traveler least wishes to hear him\n\nHe finds him lurking underneath the bed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He finds him lurking underneath the bed.\n\nWith a few bounds of his mighty legs Monkey was at the doors. Squeezing through the narrow gap between them he squatted at the foot of the wall, looking carefully at where the light was coming from. He saw all the big and little devils devouring their food like wolves or tigers. Monkey chirped for a while, and a little later the banquet was cleared away and the devils all went to bed. About two hours later, when Monkey had just reached the room at the back, he heard the demon king ordering, “Little ones on the doors, stay awake! Sun Wukong may change himself into something and sneak in here to steal.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Those who were on watch duty that night were neatly turned out and sounding their clappers and bells. This made it even easier for the Great Sage, to go about his business. Creeping into the monster’s bedroom he saw a stone bed on either side of which stood powdered and painted mountain and tree spirits. They were spreading out the bedding and waiting on the old demon, taking off his boots and clothes. When the old demon was undressed Monkey could see the ring gleaming white on his left arm. It looked like a bracelet made from a string of pearls. Instead of taking it off the demon pushed it up his arm a couple of times to jam it more firmly into place before going to sleep. Seeing this, Monkey changed himself again, this time into a brown-skinned flea that jumped up on the bed, burrowed into the bedding, climbed on the monster’s arm, and bit him so hard that he sat up with a yell of, “Bloody slaves, you need some more flogging. You didn’t shake out the quilt or dust the bed, and I’ve just been bitten.” He"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "or dust the bed, and I’ve just been bitten.” He rubbed the ring twice more and went back to sleep. Monkey climbed on the ring and bit him again, so that the monster sat up again, unable to sleep. “I’m itching to death,” he complained."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that the security was so strict and that the demon kept the treasure on himself and was not going to take it off Monkey realized that he would be unable to steal it. So he jumped down from the bed, turned himself back into a cricket, left the bedroom, and went straight to the back, where he heard the groans and whimpers of the dragons and horses again, but now from behind tightly shut doors. Monkey turned back to his own form and went up to the doors to open the lock by magic. He said a spell and rubbed the lock, making its tongues both click open. He then pushed the doors open and rushed inside, where it was as bright as day in the light from all the fire instruments and creatures. He noticed some weapons leaning against the walls on either side: Prince Nezha’s demon-hacking cutlass and other arms as well as the fire bows, arrows and the rest of the Star Lord of Fire’s gear. Looking all around by the light of the fires he noticed to his delight a handful of hairs lying in a bamboo basket on a stone"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of hairs lying in a bamboo basket on a stone table behind the doors. Monkey picked them up, blew on them twice with warm breath, shouted “Change!” and turned them into three or four dozen little monkeys. He told them to take the cutlass, sword, pestle, rope, ball, wheel, bow, arrows, spear, carts, gourd, fire crows, fire rats, fire horses and everything else that had been caught in the ring; then he mounted the fire dragon and started a blaze burning from the inside outwards. There was a great roaring and loud cracks that sounded like thunder and cannons. All the big and little demons were thrown into such panic and confusion that they wrapped themselves in their quilts, covered their heads, shouted and wept. As they had nowhere to flee most of them were burnt to death. When the Handsome Monkey King returned in victory it was about midnight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Heavenly King Li and the other gods spotted the dazzling fire from the mountaintop they rushed forward to see Brother Monkey riding the dragon and driving the little monkeys straight up to the peak. “Come and get your weapons,” he shouted, “come and get your weapons.” The Star Lord of Fire and Nezha shouted greetings, whereupon Monkey shook himself and put all the hairs back on his body. Nezha recovered his six weapons, and the Star Lord told his subordinates to collect the fire dragon and the rest of the fire creatures and implements. They were all laughing with pleasure as they congratulated Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The blaze in the Jindou Cave gave the Great Rhinoceros King such a fright that his souls left his body. He sat up at once, threw open the doors of his bedroom, and held the ring out in both hands to the East and the West to put out the fire. Then he ran all around holding out his treasure, which extinguished all the flames and smoke that filled the air, and tried to rescue his demons, most of whom were dead. He could only muster a hundred or so, male and female; and when he looked at where the weapons were kept he found them all gone. Going round to the back he saw Pig, Friar Sand and the Tang Priest still tied up there, the white horse still\n\ntethered to the trough and the luggage still in the room.\n\n“I wonder which careless little devil started that fire,” he said angrily. “Look what it has done!”\n\n“Your Majesty,” said his attendants, “the fire was nothing to do with anyone in our household. It was probably a burglar who let all the fire creatures go and stole the magic weapons.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then did the demon realize what had happened. “I’m certain it was Sun Wukong,” he said. “It can’t have been anyone else. No wonder I couldn’t get to sleep. The thieving monkey must have turned himself into something to get in here and bite my arm twice. He must have been trying to steal my treasure but failed because I was wearing it too tightly. So he stole the weapons and released the fire dragon. What a vicious idea: he was trying to burn me to death. Evil monkey! Your cleverness will get you nowhere: you don’t know my powers yet. As long as I have this treasure I can go into the ocean without drowning and into fire without being burnt. If I catch that bandit I’ll chop him up into little bits and burn him as a torch. That’s the only way I’ll feel better about it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After he had been talking to himself in his misery for a long time he did not notice the cocks crowing for the dawn. Up on the mountaintop Prince Nezha, who now had his six weapons back, said to Monkey, “Great Sage, it’s light now and we must lose no time. We should fight the demon while his morale is still low. We’ll support you with all the fire forces while you take him on, and this time I think you’ll be able to capture him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re right,” said Monkey. “We’ll all pull together. Let’s have some fun.” Every one of them braced himself and displayed his martial prowess as they headed for the mouth of the cave. “Come out, damned demon,” shouted Monkey, “and fight with me.” The two stone doors had been reduced to ashes by the blaze, and the little devils inside were sweeping up and picking over the cinders. The approach of all the gods made them drop their brooms and their ash forks in panic as they rushed back inside to report, “Sun Wukong is here with a host of gods from Heaven demanding battle again.” The news caused the rhinoceros monster great alarm. He noisily ground his teeth of steel, his eyes bulged with fury, and he went out holding his spear and his treasure, pouring out insults: “I’ll get you, you thieving arsonist of an ape. What sort of powers do you have that give you the right to treat me with such contempt?”\n\n“Damned devil,” retorted Monkey with a smile on his face, “if you want to know my powers I’ll tell you:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since I was little my powers have been great;\n\nMy fame has spread in heaven and in earth.\n\nAs a bright young thing I learned to be immortal,\n\nAcquiring the traditions of eternal youth.\n\nI determined to visit the land of the heart\n\nAnd reverently went to the country of the sages.\n\nI learned the magic of infinite changes\n\nAnd roamed at will through cosmic space.\n\nMy hobby was subduing the tigers on the hills;\n\nWhen bored I forced the ocean dragons to submit.\n\nI was monarch of the Mountain of Flowers and of Fruit,\n\nAnd showed off my power in the Water Curtain Cave.\n\nOften I decided to go up to Heaven\n\nAnd in my folly I occupied the place above.\n\nI was called the Great Sage Equaling Heaven\n\nAnd given the title of Handsome Monkey King.\n\nWhen they held a banquet of their magic peaches\n\nI was most angry at not being invited.\n\nSecretly I went to steal jade liquor,\n\nDrinking this rare wine in their elegant pavilions.\n\nLiver of dragons, the marrow of the phoenix,\n\nAnd many other delicacies did I steal that day."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And many other delicacies did I steal that day.\n\nI ate my fill of those immortal peaches,\n\nAnd packed my stomach with pills of eternal life.\n\nI then purloined all kinds of Heavenly marvel\n\nAnd tucked away the treasures of that palace.\n\nBecause the Jade Emperor had learned of my powers\n\nHeavenly soldiers were sent into battle\n\nThe Nine Bright Shiners I sent on their way;\n\nI wounded all five of the evil constellations.\n\nThe generals of Heaven were no match for me:\n\nA hundred thousand soldiers all lost their nerve.\n\nThe Jade Emperor then was forced to summon\n\nThe Little Sage Erlang to join in the fight.\n\nWe both went through our seventy-two changes,\n\nEach of us showing his spirit and strength.\n\nThe Bodhisattva Guanyin came to their aid\n\nWith her vase of pure water and her sprig of willow,\n\nAnd Lao Zi used his Diamond Jade\n\nTo take me a prisoner back up to Heaven.\n\nThey led me in chains to the Jade Monarch’s palace\n\nWhere legal officials determined my fate.\n\nStrong soldiers were ordered to cut off my head,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Strong soldiers were ordered to cut off my head,\n\nBut the hacks at my scalp only made sparks fly\n\nWhen they tried all their tricks but nothing killed me.\n\nI then was escorted to the palace of Lao Zi.\n\nThe Six Dings refined me with the fire of their furnace\n\nAnd made my whole body as hard as steel.\n\nAfter seven times seven days the furnace was opened,\n\nAnd out I jumped, more terrible than ever.\n\nThe gods all shut their gates, unable to resist,\n\nAnd the sages decided to ask the Buddha’s help.\n\nGreat was the power of the Buddha’s dharma,\n\nIndeed his wisdom is infinitely mighty.\n\nI wagered with a somersault to jump out of his hand,\n\nBut he crushed me with a mountain that rendered me powerless.\n\nThen the Jade Emperor celebrated peace\n\nAnd the West was proclaimed to be a land of bliss.\n\nI was crushed by the mountain for five hundred years\n\nNever tasting a mouthful of tea or of food.\n\nWhen the Golden Cicada came down to earth\n\nHe was sent from the East to visit the Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He was sent from the East to visit the Buddha.\n\nHe wants to bring the scriptures back to China,\n\nSo the Tang ruler could save his ancestors’ souls.\n\nGuanyin converted me to the side of goodness,\n\nTo hold to the teachings and keep myself in check.\n\nSince I was released from the agonizing mountain\n\nI have been heading West to fetch the true scriptures.\n\nDo not try to use your evil cunning, devil:\n\nReturn to me my master to worship the Buddha.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Return to me my master to worship the Buddha.”\n\nWhen he had heard all this the demon pointed at Monkey and replied, “So you’re the thief who robbed Heaven. Stay where you are and take this!” The Great Sage parried the spear whit his cudgel, and just as the two of them were starting to fight again Nezha and the Star Lord of Fire lost their tempers and flung all their magic weapons and fire-raising equipment at the demon king. Monkey was more ferocious than ever, while the thunder gods with their thunder splinters and the Heavenly King with his sword rushed into the fray together, not worrying about rank and seniority."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demon king gave a mocking and majestic laugh, discreetly brought the ring out of his sleeve and threw it into the air with a shout of “Catch them!” It came whistling down, catching the six magic weapons, all the fire-raising equipment and creatures, the thunder gods’ thunderbolt, the Heavenly King’s sword and Monkey’s cudgel. Once again the gods were all empty-handed and the Great Sage Sun disarmed. The triumphant demon turned round to say, “Little ones, fetch rocks to make new doors, and start digging and building to refurbish all the rooms inside. When that’s done I’ll slaughter the Tang Priest and his disciples as a thanksgiving to the local god, and you’ll all have a share.” The little demons all set to as they had been instructed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Heavenly King Li led his troops back up the mountain the Star Lord of Fire was grumbling about Nezha’s impatience and the thunder gods were angry with the Heavenly King for behaving badly. The only person keeping quiet was the Earl of the Yellow River. Seeing how they were all unwilling to look each other in the face and were worried, desperate, resentful and trying to make himself look cheerful, Brother Monkey said to them with a smile, “Don’t be upset. Victory and defeat are all part of the soldier’s routine. The demon’s only so-so in fighting skill. The only thing that makes him so dangerous is that ring which has caught all our weapons again. Don’t worry. I’ll go and make some more inquiries about who and what he is.”\n\n“But last time you asked the Jade Emperor to have an inspection of the whole of Heaven you found no trace of him,” said Prince Nezha. “Where are you going to look for him now?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As I recall,” said Monkey, “the Buddha’s dharma is boundless. I’ll go to the Western Heaven to ask the Tathagata Buddha to look at all four continents with his all-seeing eyes and find out where the demon was born, where his home is officially registered, and what his ring really is. Whatever happens we must capture him to avenge you gentlemen and allow you to return to Heaven happy.”\n\n“In that case,” said the gods, “don’t stay here a moment longer. Go at once.”\n\nSplendid Monkey said, “Go!” and with one bound of his somersault cloud he was soon at Vulture Peak. Bringing down his auspicious right he looked all around. It was a wonderful place:\n\nNobly tower the sacred peaks,\n\nPure is the beauty of the many crags,\n\nMagical summits rise to touch the jade-blue sky,\n\nThis is what holds the Western Heaven in place,\n\nDominating China with its great might.\n\nIts primal energy permeates earth and sky,\n\nCovering all with splendor as its majesty spreads.\n\nThe sounds of bells and chimes reverberate for long"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While voices can be heard reciting holy sutras.\n\nUnder blue pines the faithful preach\n\nWhile arhats stroll among the cypresses.\n\nWhite cranes come with purpose to the Vulture peak;\n\nPhoenixes choose to perch on its empty pavilions.\n\nMonkeys in twos pick immortal fruit;\n\nPairs of deer present milk vetch.\n\nThe songs of hidden birds seem to pour out their woes;\n\nOne cannot put names to the strange and brilliant flowers.\n\nRidge upon ridge enfold here many times over;\n\nSmooth are the ancient paths that wind around.\n\nThis is a place of purity and magic,\n\nThe noble home of the enlightened Buddha.\n\nAs Monkey was admiring the mountain scenery someone called to him, “Where have you come from, Sun Wukong, and where are you going?” He turned round at once to see it was an honorable bhiksuni, or nun.\n\n“There is a matter on which I would like to see the Tathagata,” said Monkey with a bow."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re so naughty,” said the bhiksuni. “If you’re here to see the Tathagata why don’t you go straight up to his monastery instead of admiring the scenery?”\n\n“I only had the effrontery to look because this is my first visit,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Come with me at once,” said the bhiksuni, and Monkey went with her to the gates of the Thunder Monastery, where their way was blocked by the eight vajrapanis, the ferocious guardian gods. “Wait here for a while, Wukong, while I make a report on your behalf,” said the bhiksuni. Monkey stood outside the gates while the bhiksuni went into the Buddha’s presence, put her hands together, and said, “Sun Wukong is here on a matter over which he wishes to see you, Tathagata.” The Buddha sent for Monkey, and the vajrapanis then allowed him in."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey had made his kowtows the Buddha asked, “Why are you here by yourself? I was told that you were converted to the faith after the honorable Guanyin released you, and that you were escorting the Tang Priest here to fetch the scriptures. What has happened?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I report to my Buddha,” said Monkey, his head touching the ground, “that your disciple has been escorting the Tang Priest Westwards ever since my conversion. At the Jindou Cave in Mount Jindou we’re up against an evil demon called the Great Rhinoceros King who has tremendous magic powers. He is holding my master and fellow disciples as prisoners in his cave. I have asked the demon to return them, but his intentions are evil. When we fought he grabbed my iron cudgel with a gleaming white ring. I thought he might be some officer from Heaven with a yearning for earthly things so I went straight up there, but on inspection could not find any missing. The Jade Emperor kindly sent Heavenly King Li and his son Nezha to help me, but the demon took the prince’s six weapons. Then I asked the Star Lord of Fire to burn him out, but he took all the fire-raising equipment and creatures. Next I asked the Star Lord of Water to drown him, but not a drop touched him. I went to a lot of effort to steal back the cudgel and all"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a lot of effort to steal back the cudgel and all the rest of it, challenged him to another fight, and lost it all to him again. I have no way of subduing him. That is why I have come to ask my Buddha to show his disciple mercy and look to see where the monster is from. Then I’ll be able to arrest his relations and neighbors, capture him and rescue the master. Then we’ll all be able to seek the true achievement together reverently.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Buddha heard this his all-seeing eyes looked far away, and all was revealed to him at once. “I know who that monster is,” he said, “but I must not tell you. You cannot keep your mouth shut, little monkey, and once you put it about that I told you he would stop fighting you and come to make a row here on Vulture Peak. I would only be asking for trouble for myself. Instead I will give you some dharma power to help you capture him.”\n\n“What dharma power will the Tathagata give me?” asked Monkey, kowtowing in thanks. The Tathagata Buddha then told his eighteen arhats to open their treasury and take eighteen grains of golden cinnabar sand with them.\n\n“What does golden cinnabar sand do?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Go and have another contest with the demon outside the cave,” the Buddha replied. “Lure him out so that the arhats can drop their sand on him and fix him to the spot. He will not be able to move his body or lift a leg, and you will be able to beat him up as you see fit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Splendid,” said Monkey with a smile, “splendid. Let’s go straight away.” Not daring to delay, the arhats fetched the golden cinnabar sand and set out, while Brother Monkey thanked the Buddha once more. When they were on their way Monkey found on counting that there were only sixteen arhats.\n\n“What sort of place is this if you let people bribe their way out of their duties?” Monkey asked.\n\n“What do you mean, bribing their way out of their duties?”\n\n“Eighteen of you were sent,” Monkey replied, “so why are there only sixteen of you now?”\n\nBefore the words were out of his mouth the arhats Dragon-subduer and Tiger-queller came up to him and asked, “Wukong, how can you be so wicked? We stayed behind to receive the Buddha’s instructions.”\n\n“You’ve too tricky,” said Monkey, “too tricky. If I’d called out any later I dare say you wouldn’t have come at all.” All the arhats were laughing as they mounted their auspicious clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They were soon at Mount Jindou. When Heavenly King Li saw them he led his hosts out in greeting and started to tell them all that had happened. “Spare us the details,” the arhats said, “Call him out as soon as you can.”\n\nThe Great Sage made a spell with his hands, went to the mouth of the cave, and started shouting insults: “Come out, you bloated fiend, come out and see if you can beat your grandfather Monkey.”\n\nThe little devils flew in to report, and the demon king said in fury, “Who’s the thieving ape asked along to help him in his wickedness?”\n\n“There are no soldiers with him,” the little devils replied. “He’s there by himself.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How could he possibly dare to come back here alone?” the demon king wondered. “I’ve got his cudgel. Does he want another boxing match?” Taking his ring and brandishing his spear the demon told the little devils to clear away the rocks blocking the entrance and leapt outside. “Damned ape,” he shouted insultingly, “make yourself scarce. You’ve been beaten often enough. What are you here shouting for again?”\n\n“Damned demon,” said Monkey, “you don’t know what’s good for you. The only way to stop me coming back is to surrender, apologize and give my master and my fellow disciples back. Do that and I’ll spare you.”\n\n“I’ve already had those three monks of yours cleaned up,” the monster replied, “and soon I’m going to slaughter them. Don’t you realize that yet? Get lost!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the word “slaughter” Monkey stamped his feet, and his cheeks reddened as he could not hold back his anger for a moment longer. Dropping his guard he took a sidestep and swung his fist at the monster’s face. The monster struck back with his spear, and not realizing that Monkey was deliberately springing from side to side he allowed himself to be lured South further and further from the cave. Monkey then called on the arhats to throw their golden cinnabar sand at the demon all together. It was a marvellous display of divine power. Indeed:\n\nAt first it spread like mist or smoke\n\nDrifting gently down from the sky.\n\nA vast expanse of whiteness\n\nIn which nothing can be seen;\n\nA blanket of obscurity\n\nThat hides one’s way in an instant.\n\nThe woodcutter loses his mate when gathering firewood;\n\nThe young Taoist gathering herbs cannot see his home.\n\nThe fine grains blow in the wind like flour,\n\nThe coarse ones roll like sesame seeds.\n\nThe world is lost to sight, the mountain peaks are dark,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And sunshine from the sky is blotted out.\n\nThis is not the dust kicked up by horses\n\nNor like the softness of a fragrant carriage.\n\nThis cinnabar sand is a merciless thing\n\nCovering heaven and earth and capturing all demons.\n\nOnly because the monster attacked the true Way\n\nWere the arhats commanded to show off its splendor.\n\nIn their hands they were holding pearls of brilliance\n\nTo shine with dazzling brightness at the right time.\n\nWhen the demon was being blinded by the flying sand he bent down to see that it was already three feet deep on the ground. In his alarm he sprang up at once to the level above it, but before he had steadied himself it was already over two feet deeper. Now desperate, he pulled his feet free, took out his ring, and threw it up in the air with a shout of “Catch them!” As it came whistling down it caught all eighteen grains of golden cinnabar sand. The monster went back into his cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The empty-handed arhats stopped their clouds. “Why have you stopped dropping your sand, arhats?” asked Monkey as he came towards them.\n\n“There was a noise just now and all our golden cinnabar sand disappeared,” they replied.\n\n“That thing must have caught it too,” said Monkey with a laugh.\n\n“If he’s as invincible as this however are we going to capture him?” the Heavenly King and the rest of them said. “When will we ever go back to Heaven, and how will we be able to face the Jade Emperor?”\n\nThen the two arhats Dragon-subduer and Tiger-queller said to Monkey, “Wukong, do you know why we two were late setting out?”\n\n“I was cross because I thought you were skulking somewhere and not coming,” said Monkey. “I didn’t know you were having a conversation.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Tathagata Buddha gave us these instructions,” the arhats replied. “He said, ‘That fiend has very great magic powers. If you lose your golden cinnabar sand tell Sun Wukong to go to Lord Lao Zi’s Tushita Palace in the Lihen Heaven to find out about the fiend’s background. If he does that he may be able to capture the monster easily.’”\n\n“What a horrible thing to do,” said Monkey. “The Buddha’s tricked me again. He should have told me before and spared you this long journey.”\n\n“As those are the Buddha’s clear instructions you should be on your way as soon as possible,” said Heavenly King Li."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Monkey. Saying, “I’m off!” he sent his somersault cloud straight in through the Southern Gate of Heaven, where the four marshals raised their hands in greeting and asked how the capture of the demon was going. “I haven’t got him yet,” said Monkey without stopping, “but I now know where to find out about his background.” Not daring to delay him, the four marshals let him pass through. He did not go to the Hall of Miraculous Mist or the Palace of the Dipper and the Bull, but went straight to the gates of the Tushita Palace in the Lihen Heaven that lies beyond the thirty-three heavens, where he saw two immortal boys standing in attendance. Monkey did not report his name but rushed straight in, to the consternation of the boys who grabbed him.\n\n“Who are you?” they asked, “and where are you going?”\n\n“I am the Great Sage Equaling Heaven,” Monkey replied, “and I’m here to see Lord Lao Zi.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How could you be so ill-mannered?” the boys said. “Just wait there while we make a report.” Allowing no further discussion Monkey shouted at them and went straight in, colliding with Lord Lao Zi who was coming out to meet him.\n\n“Haven’t seen you for ages, old fellow,” said Monkey after bowing and uttering a respectful “re-e-er.”\n\n“Why are you here, you little monkey, instead of going to fetch scriptures?” asked Lord Lao Zi with a smile. To this Monkey replied,\n\n“To fetch the holy scriptures\n\nI toil day and night,\n\nAnd now that I’m in trouble\n\nTo see you would be right.”\n\n“What have your troubles on the road to the Western Heaven to do with me?” Lord Lao Zi asked. Monkey’s answer was:\n\n“Of the Buddha’s West Heaven\n\nPlease don’t talk today.\n\nIt’s to follow a trail\n\nThat I’ve come up this way.”\n\n“But this is a Supreme Immortals’ palace,” Lord Lao Zi replied, “so how can you be following anyone’s trail up here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey went into the palace and looked about him with great concentration. When he had gone along a number of covered walkways he noticed a boy sleeping by the buffalo pen, from which the water-buffalo was missing. “Old man,” shouted Monkey, “your buffalo’s escaped, your buffalo’s escaped.”\n\n“When did that wicked beast get away?” asked Lord Lao Zi with horror. The noise woke up the boy, who knelt before Lord Lao Zi and said, “My lord, I was asleep. I don’t know when it went.”\n\n“When did you go to sleep, you little wretch?” asked Lord Lao Zi angrily.\n\n“I picked up an elixir pill in the elixir laboratory and ate it,” replied the boy with kowtows, “then went to sleep here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I suppose you ate one of the seven-fired elixir tablets that must have been dropped when I refined them the other day, damn you,” said Lord Lao Zi. “One of those tablets would make you sleep for seven days. The evil beast took the chance to escape and go down to the mortal world when you went to sleep and left it unguarded. That must have been seven days ago.” He then ordered an inspection to find out if it had stolen any treasures.\n\n“It doesn’t have any treasures, only a terrible ring,” said Monkey.\n\nWhen Lord Lao Zi made an urgent check he found that nothing was missing except a diamond jade bangle. “The evil beast must have stolen my Diamond Jade Bangle,” said Lord Lao Zi.\n\n“So that’s what his treasure is,” said Monkey, “that’s what he fought me with. Goodness only knows how many of our weapons he’s caught with that now he’s rampaging around in the mortal would.”\n\n“Where is that wicked beast now?” Lord Lao Zi asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In the Jindou Cave on Mount Jindou, where he’s holding the Tang Priest and has captured my gold-banded cudgel. I asked for the help of heavenly soldiers, and he took Prince Nezha’s magic weapons. When I invited the Star Lord of Fire to come his fire-raising equipment and creatures were taken. Although the Earl of the Yellow River couldn’t drown him, at least his gear wasn’t taken. Then when I asked the Buddha to send his arhats to scatter their golden cinnabar sand the demon took all that too. It looks as though you are guilty of a very serious crime in allowing a thieving and murderous monster to get away.”\n\n“That Diamond Jade Bangle is a treasure I refined and created after I went out through the Han Pass to convert the foreigners. Nothing can get anywhere near it, not weapons, fire or water. But if my Plantain Fan had been stolen not even I would have been able to do anything about it”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was feeling very pleased as he accompanied Lord Lao Zi, who was carrying his Plantain Fan, out of the palace by auspicious cloud. Once they were through the Southern Gate of Heaven they brought the cloud straight down to Mount Jindou, where Lord Lao Zi greeted the eighteen arhats, the thunder gods, the Earl of the Yellow River, the Star Lord of Fire, Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha, who told him all about what had happened. “For me to catch him Sun Wukong will have to go down to lure him out once more,” Lord Lao Zi said.\n\nMonkey jumped down from the peak and started yelling abuse once more. “Bloated, evil beast, come out and be killed.”\n\nWhen the little devils reported once again the demon king said, “I wonder who the evil monkey has fetched this time.” He went out with his spear and his treasure to have Monkey cursing him once again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Vicious demon, you’re definitely going to die this time. Stay there, and take this!” Monkey leapt straight at him, punched the demon on the ear with a swing of his fist, turned and fled. The demon was going after him, wielding his spear, when a shout came from the top of the mountain: “Go home, buffalo. What are you waiting for?”\n\nWhen the demon looked up and saw Lord Lao Zi he trembled with fear. “That thieving ape really is a devil. How did he ever persuade my master to come?”\n\nWhen Lord Lao Zi recited a spell and fanned his fan once, the monster surrendered the ring which the lord caught in his hand. When he fanned it again all the strength went out of the monster, who reverted to his true form as a water-buffalo. Lord Lao Zi then blew on the Diamond Bangle with magic breath, put it thorough the buffalo’s nose, undid the sash at his own waist, threaded it through the ring and held it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this day water-buffaloes still have devices called pegs put through their noses through which a rope can be run: this does the same job.\n\nLord Lao Zi then took his leave of the gods, mounted the buffalo, and rode on his multicolored cloud up to the Tushita Heaven, taking the demon with him on its lead.\n\nOnly then could the Great Sage Sun, Heavenly King Li and all of the host charge into the cave, killing all the hundred and more big and little devils and recovering their weapons and equipment. Monkey thanked Heavenly King Li and Nezha, who went back to Heaven; the thunder gods, who returned to their residence; the Star Lord of Fire, who went to his palace; the Earl of the Yellow River who went to his river; and the arhats, who returned to the Western Heaven. Finally he released the Tang Priest, Pig and Friar Sand and took back his iron cudgel. When the three of them had thanked Monkey the horse and the luggage were got ready and master and disciples left the cave to find the main route to the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were walking along they heard a call of “Holy Tang Priest, have a vegetarian meal,” which startled the master. If you do not know who was calling, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fifty-Three\n\nThe Dhyana Master Conceives after Eating a Meal\n\nThe Yellow-Wife Brings Water to Remove a Devil Foetus\n\nEight hundred kinds of virtue must be cultivated,\n\nThree thousand good deeds must be secretly performed.\n\nDo not distinguish objects from self, or friend from foe:\n\nThat conforms with the teaching of the Western Heaven.\n\nThe rhinoceros demon feared no weapons;\n\nNo blame attached to the failure of water and fire.\n\nLord Lao Zi subdued him and took him to Heaven,\n\nTurning the buffalo round with a smile."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Turning the buffalo round with a smile.\n\nThe story goes on to tell who was calling by the wayside. The mountain god and local deity of Mount Jindou came out carrying a bowl of purple gold. “Holy monk,” they said, “this bowl of rice was begged by the Great Sage Monkey from a pious household. You fell into the clutches of an evil demon because you would not heed good advice, putting the Great Sage to endless trouble before he was finally able to free you today. Please eat this food before continuing on your way, and do not be ungrateful for the Great Sage’s respect and sense of duty.”\n\n“I am very grateful to you, disciple,” said Sanzang, “and I cannot find words to express all my thanks. If I had realized before that I should not step out of the circle I would never have been in such danger of being killed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I tell you frankly, Master,” said Brother Monkey, “that because you did not trust the ring I drew you ended up the victim of someone else’s ring. It caused so much trouble and suffering. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!”\n\n“What do you mean about another ring?” Pig asked.\n\n“It was all your fault, you evil-tongued cretin, for getting the master into that terrible danger,” said Monkey. “I had to turn heaven and earth upside down to fetch heavenly soldiers, water, fire, and even the Buddha’s cinnabar sand, all of which was caught by his gleaming white ring. It was only because the Buddha gave a hint to the arhats who told me where the demon had come from that I could fetch Lord Lao Zi to subdue him. He was a water-buffalo turned demon.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Good disciple,” said Sanzang with infinite gratitude when he heard this, “after this experience I shall definitely take your advice in future.” The four of them then ate the steaming food. “Why is this rice still hot after such a long time?” Monkey asked. “I heated it up myself when I knew that the Great Sage had succeeded,” replied the local deity on his knees. The food was soon eaten, after which they put the bowl away and took their leave of the local deity and the mountain god. The master remounted and they crossed the high mountain. Their minds freed from worries, they returned to true perception; dining on the wind and sleeping in the dew they continued to the West. When they had been travelling for a long time it was once again early spring. They heard\n\nThe soft call of swallows,\n\nThe beauty of orioles.\n\nThe soft call of swallows tiring their fragrant voices;\n\nThe beauty of orioles and their frequent song.\n\nThe land is covered with flowers like brocade,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The land is covered with flowers like brocade,\n\nThe emerald-green hills seem piled with cushions.\n\nFruit forms on the greengage trees on the ridge,\n\nWhile an ancient cypress holds a cloud before the scar.\n\nPale is the misty light on the fertile plain;\n\nWarm sands are bathed in the glow of sunset.\n\nOrchards and trees now break into blossom;\n\nWillows grow new shoots as the spring returns.\n\nAs they were walking along they came to a little river in which the water flowed cool, pure and deep. When he reined in his horse for a better look the Tang Priest could make out some of the roof of a thatched cottage under the green shade of willows. “That must be a ferryman’s house,” said Monkey, pointing at the cottage. “It looks likely enough,” replied Sanzang, “but I would not like to be too sure as I cannot see any boat.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Ferryman!” yelled Pig at the top of his voice, putting the luggage down. “Bring the boat over.” After a number of these shouts a rowing boat came creaking out from under the willows and was soon near their bank. When they looked carefully this is what they saw:\n\nShort oars dividing the waves,\n\nLightly skimming on the water.\n\nThe hull is painted in many colours,\n\nEnclosing a full hold.\n\nIron chains are neatly coiled in the bows,\n\nAnd bright is the tiller in the stern.\n\nAlthough the skiff is only as light as a reed\n\nIt is the equal of an ocean-going vessel.\n\nIt may have no ivory mast or silken rigging,\n\nBut it does have cassia oars and a sternpost of pine.\n\nIndeed this is no ship for mighty voyages,\n\nJust a ferry fit to cross a single stream,\n\nComing and going between the river’s banks,\n\nNever leaving the ancient crossing place.\n\nThe boat was soon at the bank, “This way to cross the river,” called the boatman. Urging the horse forward for a closer look, Sanzang saw that the boatman looked like this:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A head wrapped in a toweling cloth,\n\nFeet in black shoes of silk.\n\nMany a patch on cotton-padded tunic and trousers,\n\nAnd around the waist was a much-stitched cotton apron.\n\nHorny skin on the hands, and muscles hard,\n\nEyes dim, a wrinkled brow, and an aged face.\n\nBut the voice was a melodious as an oriole’s song;\n\nAt a closer look she was clearly an old woman.\n\n“Do you do the ferrying?” asked Monkey, approaching the boat.\n\n“Yes,” the woman replied.\n\n“Why isn’t the ferryman here?” Monkey asked. “Why has he left it to his wife to pole the boat?”\n\nThe woman smiled and said nothing as she put the gangplank into position. Friar Sand carried the luggage aboard while Monkey helped the master on then followed himself. Pig led the horse on, after which the plank was stowed. The woman pushed off and quickly rowed them across the river."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they were on the Western bank Sanzang told Friar Sang to open one of the bundles and take out some coins to give her. The ferry woman did not argue about the amount, but moored the boat by its painter to a stake beside the water and went back into her cottage chuckling.\n\nAs he was thirsty and the water was so clear Sanzang said to Pig, “Get the bowl and fetch me some water to drink.” Pig did as he was told and handed the water to his master, who drank only about a third of it, leaving two-thirds for the idiot to snatch and down in a single draft before helping the master back on his horse.\n\nMaster and disciples had been going less than an hour on the road West when Sanzang started to groan, “My stomach’s hurting.”\n\n“I’ve got the bellyache too,” said Pig, who was behind him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It must be because you drank cold water,” said Friar Sand, only to be interrupted by groans of “It’s agony!” from his master and Pig. The two of them were in unbearable pain and their abdomens were gradually swelling. When they felt with their hands there was something like a lump of flesh and blood moving and jerking around incessantly. Sanzang was feeling very unsteady when he noticed two bundles of straw hanging from the top of a tree in a village by the road.\n\n“That’s good, Master,” said Monkey. “There’s a wineshop there. I’ll go and beg you some hot water and find out if anyone sells medicine there and will let you have some medicine to ease your pain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang was very pleased with the suggestion, so he whipped the white horse forward and was soon at the gates of the village, where he dismounted. An old woman was sitting on a bundle of straw outside the gates twisting hempen thread. Monkey went up to her, put his hands together in front of his chest in greeting, and said, “We monks have come from the Great Tang in the East. My master is the Tang Emperor’s younger brother, and he has a stomachache because he drank some water from a river.”\n\n“Which river did you drink from?” asked the old woman, laughing aloud.\n\n“From the clear river to the East of here,” replied Monkey.\n\n“What a laugh,” chuckled the old woman, “what a laugh! Come inside and I’ll explain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey supported Sanzang while Friar Sand helped pig into the thatched cottage where they sat down. The two of them were groaning in agony from their protruding bellies, their faces sallow and their foreheads creased with frowns. “Please boil some water for my master, missus,” said Monkey. “He must have it, and I’ll be very grateful.”\n\nInstead of doing this she went into the back of the house, still chuckling, and called, “Come and see, come and see!” There was a slap of sandals inside as two or three middle-aged women came out to stare at Sanzang with grins across their faces. This made Monkey so angry that he shouted and bared his teeth at them, sending them all scurrying and stumbling inside in terror.\n\nMonkey went after them, grabbed the old woman, and said, “Boil some water this minute and I’ll spare your life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My lord,” said the old woman, “hot water won’t be any use. I can’t do anything to help those two with their bellyaches. If you let me go I’ll tell you all about it.” When Monkey released her she continued, “This is the Womanland of Western Liang. All of us in this country are female, and there isn’t a man among us, which is why we were so pleased to see you. It’s terrible that the reverend father has drank from that river, which is called the Motherhood River. There is a Male-welcoming Post Station outside our capital with a Pregnancy-revealing Spring. In this country we only dare drink of the river’s water when we reach the age of twenty. After drinking it we feel the stomach pains of pregnancy. Three days later we go to the Pregnancy-revealing Spring at the Male-welcoming Post Station. If we see a double reflection in the waters we give birth to a child. Because your master has drunk from the Motherhood River he’s pregnant. He’s going to have a baby soon. What will a hot drink do to help that?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang went pale with shock at the news.\n\n“What am I to do, disciple?” he asked.\n\n“I’m going to have a child, but I’m a man,” said Pig, writhing around in his agony. “Where will the child come out? How am I to give birth to it?”\n\n“As the old saying goes, a melon falls when it’s ripe,” replied Monkey with a laugh. “When the time comes a hole will open under your ribs for it to be born through.”\n\nThis conversation made Pig shake with fear, and the pain was more than he could bear. “I can’t take any more,” he said, “I can’t take any more. I’m dying, I’m dying.”\n\n“Stop fidgeting, brother,” said Friar Sand with a grin, “stop fidgeting or else you’ll get the umbilical cord in a twist and be ill before the birth.”\n\nThe idiot’s panic was now worse than ever as with tears in his eyes he held on to Monkey and said, “Brother, ask the old lady where there are midwives with a gentle touch and send for some. The pains are coming very close to each other now. They must be labor pains. It’ll be very soon now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If they’re labor pains, brother, you’d better stop writhing about if you don’t want your waters to break,” said Friar Sand, still grinning.\n\n“My good lady,” groaned Sanzang, “are there any doctors round here? Send one of my disciples to buy some medicine that will make me abort.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Medicine won’t be any use,” said the old woman. “There’s a Miscarriage Spring in Childfree Cave in Mount Offspring Dissolved on the road due South from here. To end your pregnancy you must drink the water of that spring. But the spring water cannot be had now as a Taoist called the As-you-will Immortal came here the other year and changed the Childfree Cave to the Hermitage of Immortals. He’s hoarding the waters of Miscarriage Spring, which he won’t give away. Anyone who wants water must take him rich gifts. You have to offer mutton, wine and fruit, and be very reverent indeed before you can get a bowl of the water from him. You travelling monks couldn’t possibly afford to do all that, so you’ll just have to let fate take its course and have the babies when your time comes.” Monkey, who was very pleased to learn all this, then asked how far it was to Mount Offspring Dissolved. “Ten miles,” the old woman replied.\n\n“Fine,” said Monkey. “You can stop worrying, Master. I’ll go and get you some of the water.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Look after the master properly,” said the splendid Great Sage in his parting instructions to Friar Sand, “and if the people here try to bully him use your old trick of pulling a face to scare them till I get back with the water.”\n\nFriar Sand was preparing to do as he was told when the old woman came out with a big earthenware bowl that she gave to Monkey. “Take this and fetch as much as you can,” she said, “so that we can keep some for emergencies.”\n\nMonkey left the thatched cottage with the bowl in his hands and was off on his cloud, at which the old woman bowed to the sky and said, “That monk can ride on clouds, my lord.” Then she went inside and called the other women out to kowtow to the Tang Priest. They started calling him “arhat” and “Bodhisattva,” boiled water and prepared a meal to offer him.\n\nMonkey’s somersault cloud soon brought him within sight of a mountain that blocked his cloud, so he brought it down to gaze at the superb mountain. He saw\n\nA brocade of subtle blossoms,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A brocade of subtle blossoms,\n\nWild flowers spreading a green carpet,\n\nStreams running into each other,\n\nBrooks and clouds both at their ease.\n\nDense grow the creepers in many a valley,\n\nAnd trees are packed close on a distant ridge.\n\nWhile songbirds call wild geese fly over,\n\nDeer drink, and gibbons climb.\n\nThe green line of peaks stands like a screen;\n\nThe blue rock face is shaped like a topknot.\n\nIt is hard to reach it across the drifting sands;\n\nNone could tire of watching the waterfall.\n\nTaoist boys roam in search of herbs;\n\nForesters return with loads of firewood.\n\nIt is a worthy rival to Mount Tiantai,\n\nAnd better than the threefold Huashan summit.\n\nAs the Great Sage was looking at the mountain he saw a farmhouse on its Northern slope from where the barking of dogs could be heard. The Great Sage went straight down the mountainside to the farm, which was indeed a splendid place:\n\nA bridge across a lively stream,\n\nA cottage sheltered by the hill,\n\nDogs barking by the broken fence,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dogs barking by the broken fence,\n\nA recluse who comes and goes at will.\n\nMonkey was soon at the gate, where he saw an old Taoist sitting on a green cushion. Putting down the earthenware bowl, Monkey went forward to greet him. The Taoist returned his greeting with a bow from where he sat and asked, “Where have you come from? What business brings you here to this hermitage?”\n\n“I have been sent by the emperor of the Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” Brother Monkey replied. “My master’s belly is unbearably painful and swollen because he drank some of the water of the Motherhood River. When we asked the local people they said it was because he is pregnant, and that there is no cure for this apart from the Miscarriage Spring in Childfree Cave in Mount Offspring Dissolved. So I have come especially to pay my respects to the As-you-will Immortal and beg him for some of the spring water with which to save my master. Could you be so kind as to show me the way?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This was Childfree Cave,” said the Taoist with a smile, “but now it’s called the Hermitage of Immortals. I am none other than the senior disciple of my master the As-you-will Immortal. Tell me your name and I will announce you.”\n\n“I am the senior disciple of the Patriarch Tang Sanzang,” said Monkey politely, “and my name is Sun Wukong.”\n\n“Where are your presents, your wine and your offerings?” the Taoist asked.\n\n“I’m only a passing itinerant monk,” said Monkey, “so I haven’t been able to arrange them.”\n\n“Fool!” said the Taoist with a laugh. “My master controls the spring and never gives any thing away for nothing. You’d better go and fetch your offerings if you want me to announce you, or else go away and forget about it.”\n\n“People will do more as a favour than on the emperor’s command,” Monkey replied. “Go and tell him my name and he’s bound to do me this favour. He might even give me the whole spring.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Taoist went in to report all this to the immortal, who was playing his qin zither, and waited till he had finished before saying, “Master, there’s a Buddhist monk outside who says he’s Sun Wukong, the senior disciple of Tang Sanzang. He is asking for some of the water of the Miscarriage Spring to save his master with.” Had the immortal not been told this the matter would have ended there, but at the name of Sun Wukong anger surged up from his heart and evil grew from his gall. He sprang to his feet, stepped down from the low table on which he was playing the qin, changed from his informal clothes into his Taoist robes, and rushed out through the gates of his hermitage with his As-You-Will hook in his hands. “Where is Sun Wukong?” he shouted, and Monkey turned to see that he looked like this:\n\nOn his head was a star-crown of many colours,\n\nAnd his magic robe was red with threads of gold.\n\nThe cloud-shoes on his feet were thickly embroidered;\n\nThe jade belt at his waist was delicately worked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His wave-treading hosiery was of brocade,\n\nAnd glimpses showed of a silk velvet underskirt.\n\nHe held a golden As-You-Will hook,\n\nLong-handled with a base shaped like a dragon.\n\nBright were his phoenix eyes, and lotus-like his brows;\n\nSteel-sharp were his teeth, and his lips bright crimson.\n\nHe looked more evil still than Marshal Wen\n\nAlthough he wore a different kind of dress.\n\nWhen Monkey saw him he put his hands together and said, “My name, sir, is Sun Wukong.”\n\n“Are you really Sun Wukong,” said the Taoist master with a smile, “or are you just pretending to be?”\n\n“What a thing to ask, sir! As the saying goes, a gentleman never changes his name whether he’s travelling or staying at home. I am indeed Sun Wukong. Why should I want to pretend?”\n\n“Do you know who I am?” the Taoist master asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do you know who I am?” the Taoist master asked.\n\n“I’ve been converted to the Buddhist faith and follow Buddhist teachings,” Monkey said. “I’ve grown distant from the friends of my child hood on this long journey and I haven’t visited any. I’m afraid I don’t quite recognize you. I only know your name because the people in the village West of Motherhood River told me that you are the As-you-will Immortal.”\n\n“You’re busy on your journey, and I am busy cultivating my true arts,” the Taoist replied, “so why have you come to see me?”\n\n“Because my master is pregnant and has a belly ache after mistakenly drinking water from the Motherhood River,” said Monkey. “I’ve come to your immortal abode to beg you for a bowl of water from the Miscarriage Spring with which to deliver him from his agony.”\n\n“Is your master Tang Sanzang?” asked the Taoist with an angry glare.\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Brother Monkey.\n\n“Did you ever meet the Boy Sage King?” asked the Taoist, gnashing his teeth with hatred."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That was the title of the demon Red Boy in the Fire-cloud Cave by Withered Pine Ravine on Mount Hao,” Monkey replied. “Why are you asking about him, immortal?”\n\n“He is my nephew,” the immortal replied. “I am the brother of the Bull Demon King. He wrote me a letter telling me how Sun Wukong, the vicious senior disciple of Tang Sanzang, destroyed the boy. It was my great regret that I had no way of taking revenge on you here, but now you’ve come to my door begging for water.”\n\n“You are mistaken, sir,” said Monkey, putting on a smile. “Your respected elder brother used to be a friend of mine, and we were two of seven sworn brothers in my youth. The only reason I did not come to pay my respects earlier was because I did not know your address. Your good nephew has done very well. He’s now serving the Bodhisattva Guanyin as the page Sudhana. He’s much better off than the rest of us, so why be so angry with me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Damned ape!” shouted the Taoist master. “How dare you argue like that? Is my nephew better off as a slave than he was when he enjoyed the delights of being a king? Learn to behave yourself, and try a taste of my hook.”\n\nMonkey parried with his iron cudgel and said, “Don’t talk about fighting. Give me some of the spring water instead.”\n\n“Vicious ape,” the Taoist master said again, “you don’t know whether you want to live or die. If you can hold out against me for three rounds I’ll give you your water, but if you can’t I shall avenge my nephew by cutting you up and stewing you in soy sauce.”\n\n“I’ll get you, you impudent and evil creature,” replied the Great Sage. “If you want a fight try my cudgel.” The Taoist master blocked it with his hook, and the two of them fought a fine battle by the Hermitage of Immortals.\n\nThe holy monk conceived after drinking from a river,\n\nSo Monkey went to call on the As-you-will Immortal,\n\nNot knowing that the Taoist was in fact a monster,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Who had used his powers to seize the Miscarriage Spring.\n\nWhen he met Monkey old hatreds were revived:\n\nThey were locked in struggle and neither would yield.\n\nAs they talked on he became ever angrier,\n\nEvilly determined to have his revenge.\n\nOne came for water to save his master’s life,\n\nWhich the other would not give for his nephew’s sake.\n\nMore lethal than a scorpion was the as-out-will hook,\n\nWhile the gold-banded cudgel struck like a dragon,\n\nThe cudgel kept thrusting savagely at the chest,\n\nWhile the hook made subtle cuts to the legs.\n\nGrievous were the wounds where the cudgel fell,\n\nAnd the hook rose from the shoulders to strike at the head.\n\nThe cudgel swung round the waist\n\nLike a hawk after a sparrow;\n\nThe hook struck thrice at the head\n\nLike a mantis catching a cicada.\n\nThey came and went as they struggled for mastery,\n\nThe ebb and flow of battle taking them forward and back.\n\nThere was nothing to choose between cudgel and hook;\n\nNeither contender emerged as the victor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Neither contender emerged as the victor.\n\nAfter the Taoist master had fought over ten rounds with the Great Sage but was no match for him Monkey struck at the head with more ferocity than ever, his cudgel’s blows falling like a stream of shooting stars. Completely exhausted, the Taoist master fled down the mountainside trailing his As-You-Will hook behind him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Instead of pursuing him Monkey went to the hermitage in search of water, only to find that the other Taoist had already fastened the gates. Holding the earthenware bowl in his hands he went straight up to the gates, kicked through them with all his strength, and rushed in. The Taoist disciple was crouching behind the well’s railings. The Great Sage shouted at him, raised his cudgel, and was about to kill him when the Taoist fled into the back. Monkey had just fetched a bucket and was on the point of filling it with spring water from the well when the master came up behind him, caught his feet with the hook, and sent him sprawling on the ground. The Great Sage pulled himself to his feet and started hitting back with his cudgel. The Taoist master swerved aside and said, wielding the hook, “We’ll see if you can steal the water from my well.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Come here,” shouted Monkey, “come here. I’ll get you, you evil creature, and I’ll beat you to death.” The Taoist master did not go for Monkey but just stood guard over the well, preventing him from drawing any water, Seeing that he was not moving, Monkey whirled his cudgel round and round with his left hand and in his right took the bucket, which he sent noisily down the well on the rope. The Taoist master came back to the attack with his hook. Monkey, unable to hold him off one-handed, was tripped round his legs again and sent sprawling, dropping the bucket and rope down the well.\n\n“What a way to behave,” remarked the Great Sage, getting back on his feet and taking his cudgel in both hands to lash wildly back. Once again the Taoist master fled, unable to face him. The Great Sage still wanted to draw some water but now he had no bucket and was also worried that he might be tripped by the hook again. “I’d better get someone to help me,” he thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage turned his cloud round, went straight back to the cottage door, and shouted, “Friar Sand.” When Sanzang and Pig, who were groaning and moaning in agony, heard his shout they said with relief, “Friar Sand, Wukong’s back.”\n\nFriar Sand opened the door as quickly as he could, asking, “Have you got the water, brother?”\n\nWhen Monkey came in and told them what had happened Sanzang said with tears in his eyes, “What are we to do, disciple?”\n\n“I’ve come to take Brother Sand back to the hermitage with me,” Monkey replied. “He’ll fetch the water to save you while I fight that damned Taoist.”\n\n“If both you healthy ones go and abandon us invalids who will look after us?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, venerable arhat,” said the old woman who was standing beside them. “You won’t need your disciples. We can look after you. We were very kind to you when you first came, and now that we have seen how that Bodhisattva can travel by cloud we know that you are arhats and Bodhisattvas. We could never possibly harm you.”\n\n“You women,” snorted Monkey, “you wouldn’t dare hurt anyone.”\n\n“You don’t know your luck, my lord,” the old woman replied with a smile. “If you’d gone to any other house you’d never have come out in one piece.”\n\n“What do you mean?” Pig groaned.\n\n“All of us in this family are getting on,” the old woman replied, “and desire doesn’t bother us any more, which is why we didn’t harm you. If you’d gone to another household with women of different ages the younger ones would never have let you go. They’d have forced you to sleep with them, and if you’d refused they’d have murdered you and cut all the flesh off your bodies to put in perfume bags.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case I’d have been safe,” said Pig. “The others smell lovely, just right for a perfume bag, but I’m a stinking boar and any flesh cut off me would stink too. I’d come to no harm.”\n\n“Stop boasting,” said Brother Monkey with a smile, “and save your strength for the delivery.”\n\n“Fetch the water as soon as you can. Don’t waste any time,” the old woman said.\n\n“Do you have a well-bucket on a rope I could borrow?” Monkey asked. The old woman went out to the back and brought in a bucket on a rope as well as a spare coil of rope that she handed to Friar Sand. “Take both ropes in case the well is so deep you need them,” she said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Friar Sand took the bucket and the ropes, left the cottage with Monkey, and flew off on the same cloud. It took them less than an hour to reach Mount Offspring Dissolved, where they landed directly outside the gates of the hermitage. “Take the bucket and the ropes,” Monkey told Friar Sand, “and hide over there. Let me challenge him to battle. When the fight’s going good and strong sneak in, fetch the water, and take it back.” Friar Sand accepted his orders.\n\nBrandishing his iron cudgel the Great Sage Sun went up to the gates and shouted, “Open up! Open up!”\n\nWhen the gate-keeper saw him he hurried inside to report, “Master, Sun Wukong’s here again. The Taoist master was furiously angry.”\n\n“That evil ape is utterly impossible. I’ve long heard of his powers and now I know what they really are. That cudgel of his is unbeatable.”\n\n“Master,” said the other Taoist, “his powers may be great, but you’re as good as he is. You are a match for him.”\n\n“He beat me the last two times,” said the master."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” said the other, “but that was just because he went for you with such fury. You tripped him up with your hook twice when he was trying to draw water, so that leveled the score, didn’t it? He had to run away. If he’s back now it must be because he’s had to. I expect Sanzang’s been complaining too much as his pregnancy’s so far advanced. I’m sure that he’s feeling resentful of his master. You’re absolutely bound to win this time, master.”\n\nThis pleased the Taoist immortal and made him feel very cheerful as he went out through the doors. His face was wreathed in smiles, his manner imposing, and his hook in his hands. “Wicked ape, what are you back here for?” he shouted.\n\n“Just to fetch some water,” Monkey replied.\n\n“It’s my well,” said the immortal, “and even if you were a king or a minister you’d still have to made me presents and offer mutton and wine before I gave you any. On top of that you’re my enemy. How dare you come here empty-handed expecting water?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do you refuse to give me any?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes,” said the immortal, “I won’t.”\n\n“Vicious and evil beast,” Monkey yelled, “if you won’t give me the water, take this!” He dropped his guard to strike hard with his cudgel at the immortal’s head. The immortal dodged the blow and struck back with his hook. It was an even finer combat than the previous one.\n\nThe gold-banded cudgel,\n\nThe As-You-Will hook,\n\nAnd two fighters filled with hatred and anger.\n\nThe flying sand and stones darkened earth and sky;\n\nThe clouds of dust and dirt made sun and moon seem sad.\n\nThe Great Sage was fetching water to save his master;\n\nThat the evil immortal refused for his nephew’s sake.\n\nBoth sides fought with equal vigor\n\nIn their battle that allowed no rest.\n\nThey struggled for victory with tight-clenched jaws,\n\nGritting their teeth as they strove to win.\n\nWith growing skill\n\nAnd ever-greater vigor\n\nThey breathed out clouds to frighten gods and ghosts.\n\nNoisily rang the clash of their weapons"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Noisily rang the clash of their weapons\n\nAs their battle cries shook the mountains and hills.\n\nThey were a whirlwind wrecking a forest,\n\nA pair of murderous fighting bulls.\n\nAs the battle went on the Great Sage felt happier\n\nAnd the Taoist immortal had ever more energy.\n\nEach was determined to carry on the fight;\n\nNeither would give up till the issue was resolved.\n\nThe two of them leapt around in their fight from the gates of the hermitage to the mountain slope. It was a long and bitter struggle.\n\nWhen Friar Sand rushed in through the gates with the bucket in his hand the Taoist disciple blocked his way and asked, “Who do you think you are, coming to steal our water?” Friar Sand put down his bucket and ropes, brought out his demon-quelling staff, and struck at the Taoist’s head by way of an answer. Because the Taoist could not move out of the way fast enough the blow broke his arm and he fell to the ground, straggling to escape."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was going to kill you, you evil beast,” roared Friar Sand, “but seeing as you’re human I feel sorry for you and I’ll let you go. Now let me get my water.” The Taoist crawled to the back of the hermitage thanking heaven and earth for his escape. Friar Sand then filled his bucket with water from the well, went out through the gates, rose up on his cloud, and called to Monkey, “I’ve got the water, brother. Spare him now, spare him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing this, Monkey held the hook at bay with his cudgel and said, “Listen to what I have to say. I was going to wipe all of you out, but you’ve broken no laws and your brother the Bull Demon King is a friend of mine. The first time I came you tripped me up with your hook a couple of times and I couldn’t get the water. I lured you out to fight me so that my fellow disciple could get some water. If I’d used my full powers I’d have killed several of you, never mind just one As-you-will Immortal. But it’s better to spare life than to take it, so I’ll let you live a few more years. Never ever try extortion on anyone who comes here for the water again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil and foolish immortal moved and tried to hook Monkey once more, but Monkey avoided the hook, rushed at him, and shouted, “Don’t move!” The helpless immortal fell head first to the ground and was unable to get up. The Great Sage picked up his As-You-Will hook, snapped it in two, then broke the two pieces into four, and threw them to the ground. “Damned beast,” he said, “are you going to try any more nonsense?” The trembling immortal had to bear his humiliation in silence, and the laughing Great Sage rose up on his cloud. There is a poem that testifies to this. It goes:\n\nWhen true lead is melted it yields a true liquid;\n\nIf the true liquid is mixed right, true mercury hardens.\n\nTrue mercury and true lead have no feminine quality;\n\nMagic cinnabar and herbs are the elixir of immortality.\n\nWhen a child is recklessly formed and a pregnancy results\n\nThe mother of earth succeeds without any effort.\n\nHeresy is pushed over and orthodoxy honoured;\n\nThe heart’s lord succeeds and returns in smiles."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The heart’s lord succeeds and returns in smiles.\n\nThe Great Sage set off his cloud and caught up with Friar Sand. They were very pleased to be returning with the magical water as they brought their cloud down at the cottage to find Pig leaning against the door and groaning with his big belly sticking out. “Idiot,” said Monkey, stealing up on him, “when did you get yourself pregnant?”\n\n“Stop teasing me,” said the idiot in desperation.\n\n“Did you fetch the water?” Monkey was going to keep the joke up but Friar Sand then arrived to report with a smile, “Here’s the water.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Despite his agony Sanzang managed to lean forward in a kind of bow as he said, “Disciples, I’m very grateful to you.” The old woman was pleased too, and the whole household came in to bow and say, “Bodhisattvas, this is wonderful, wonderful.” She fetched a drinking bowl of decorated porcelain, half filled it with the water, and handed it to Sanzang with the words, “Venerable sir, please drink it very slowly. One mouthful will be enough to end the pregnancy.”\n\n“I won’t need a bowl,” said Pig. “I’ll drink the lot, bucket, rope and all.”\n\n“Venerable sir,” the woman said, “don’t give me such a terrible fright. If you drank the whole bucketful it would dissolve all your insides.” This gave the idiot such a fright that he behaved himself and drank only half a bowlful too."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Within less time than it takes to eat a meal the two of them were in agony: their intestines felt as if they were being wrung out and gave several loud rumbles. After that the idiot could contain himself no longer; he emptied his bowels and his bladder. The Tang Priest, also unable to contain himself, wanted to go to the lavatory.\n\n“Master,” said Brother Monkey, “you mustn’t go anywhere you might be in a draft, If you catch a cold you may get milk fever.” The woman then brought in two latrine buckets for the pair of them. When they had both used them several times the pain stopped and their stomachs gradually started to resume their normal size as the extra flesh and blood in them was dissolved.\n\nThe woman then cooked them some plain rice porridge to settle their stomachs. “Lady,” said Pig, “my stomach’s very strong, and it doesn’t need settling. Boil me some water for a bath before I eat my porridge.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You mustn’t have a bath, brother,” said Friar Sand. “Washing in he first month after childbirth can make you ill.”\n\n“That wasn’t childbirth,” said Pig, “just a miscarriage: nothing to worry about. I want a bath to clean up.” The woman then boiled some water for them to wash their hands and feet. The Tang Priest could only manage two bowls of porridge while Pig downed a dozen or so and still wanted more.\n\n“Idiot,” said Monkey with a laugh, “don’t eat so much. It wouldn’t look pretty at all if you got a big belly like a sandbag.”\n\n“No problem,” said pig, “no problem. I’m not a sow, so I don’t need to worry about that.” The women then went out to cook him some more rice.\n\n“Will you give me the rest of the water?” the old woman asked the Tang Priest.\n\n“Have you had enough of the water?” Monkey asked.\n\n“My stomach’s stopped hurting,” said Pig, “and I’m sure the pregnancy’s completely finished. As I’m fine now I don’t need any more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As they’re both better now we’ll give you the water,” said Monkey. The woman thanked him and buried the water in a glazed jar behind the house.\n\n“That jar of water will be enough to pay for my coffin,” she told the rest of her family, who were all delighted. A vegetarian meal was prepared, tables and chairs were set out, and the monks dined. They took their time over the meal then retired for the night.\n\nThe next morning they thanked the old woman and her family and left the cottage. Sanzang mounted the horse, Friar Sand shouldered the luggage, the Great Sage Monkey led the way, and Pig held the bridle. This had been a case of\n\nRinsing away the evil and leaving the body pure,\n\nDissolving the mortal foetus to restore the natural self.\n\nIf you don’t know what else happened in that country listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fifty-Four\n\nThe Buddha-Nature Traveling West Enters Womankind\n\nThe Mind-Ape Makes a Plan to Escape from the Beauties"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Sanzang and his disciples left the cottage they headed West, and about a dozen miles later they entered the country of Western Liang. “Wukong,” said the Tang Priest on his horse, “there is a city not far ahead, and I can hear a great hubbub of voices from the marketplace. You must all be very, very careful and on your best behavior. Do not make nonsense of the teachings of our Buddhist faith by running wild or becoming infatuated.” The three disciples were determined to obey his instructions."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before the Tang Priest had finished speaking they reached the street leading in from the Eastern gate. Everyone they saw was wearing a skirt and a woman’s jacket, a powdered face and oiled hair. All the people, young and old, were women. When those buying and selling in the street saw the four of them coming they started to applaud, laugh and say with smiles all over their faces, “Men, men!” Sanzang was so alarmed that he reined in his horse, unable to go any further forward. In a moment the streets were packed and the air was ringing with happy voices.\n\n“I’m a gelded pig, a gelded pig!” yelled Pig in a panic.\n\n“Stop that nonsense, idiot,” said Monkey. “Just show them your face the way it used to be.” Pig then shook his head a couple of times, stuck up his ears shaped like reed fans, twisted his bristly, dropping snout and give a roar that made all the women collapse with fright. There is a poem to prove it that goes,\n\nThe monk came to Western Liang on his way to the Buddha;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The streets were a feminine world where males were not seen.\n\nPeasants, scholars and artisans, merchants and fisherfolk,\n\nWoodcutters, tillers and stock-raisers—all were women.\n\nThe beauties poured into the streets to welcome the men;\n\nYoung women come in crowds to hail the handsome groom.\n\nIf Wuneng had not made full use of his hideous face,\n\nThe pilgrims could not have withstood a siege by the ladies.\n\nThe women were then all so frightened that they dared not approach."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Clutching their hands, stooping, shaking their heads, chewing at their fingers, trembling and shaking they blocked the streets to look at the Tang Priest. The Great Sage Monkey also pulled a hideous face to clear a way for them, helped by grimaces from Friar Sand. Leading the horse, pig stuck out his snout and was flapping his ears. As they moved forward they saw that the buildings along the city streets were well-built and the shop fronts imposing. There were grocers and corn-chandlers, bars and teahouses, multi-storied shops where everything was sold, towers and fine mansions with well-draped windows."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Master and disciples turned one corner to come up against a female official standing in the street and shouting. “Envoys from afar, you may not enter the city gates without permission. Please go to the government post station and register your names so that I can report them to Her Majesty. When they have been examined you will be allowed to proceed.” Hearing this, Sanzang dismounted and saw that the words MALE-WELCOMING POST STATION were written on a board across the door of the official building.\n\n“Wukong,” said the venerable elder, “what the village people told us was true. There really is a Male-welcoming Post Station.”\n\n“Brother Pig,” chuckled Friar Sand, “you’d better look in the Pregnancy-revealing Spring to see if you have a double reflection.”\n\n“Stop trying to make a fool of me,” said Pig. “I aborted after drinking the water from Miscarriage Spring. What would I need to look for?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Watch your words, Wuneng, watch your words,” said Sanzang, turning back to give Pig his instructions before going forward and greeting the official.\n\nShe led them into the main hall of the post station, where they sat down and tea was sent for. Here too the staff all had their hair in bunches and wore skirts. There were many smiles as the tea was brought. A little later, when it had been drunk, the official gave a slight bow as she sat there and asked, “On what business have you emissaries come?”\n\n“We are envoys sent to the Western Heaven by the Great Tang emperor in the East to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures,” Monkey replied. “My master Tang Sanzang is the Tang emperor’s younger brother. I am Sun Wukong, his senior disciple, and these two are my fellows, Zhu Wuneng, Pig, and Sha Wujing, Friar Sand. If you count the horse there are five of us altogether. We are carrying a passport with us that we beg to have inspected so that we may be allowed to continue on our way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the woman official had finished writing all this down she dropped to her knees to kowtow to them and said, “Forgive me, my lords. I am only the superintendent of the Male-welcoming Post Station and I did not realize that you were gentlemen from a superior country who deserved to be met at a great distance from here.” She rose to her feet and ordered the staff to provide them with food and drink. “Please make yourselves comfortable, my lords, while I go into the city to report to our queen. Then your document will be dealt with and you will be seen on your way West with rich presents.” Sanzang was happy to sit there."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The superintendent neatened her clothes and went straight into the city to the Tower of Five Phoenixes at the palace entrance, where she said to the gate officer, “I am the superintendent of the Male-welcoming Post Station and I would like an audience with Her Majesty on a certain matter.” The gate officer reported this to the queen at once, at which the superintendent was summoned straight to the throne hall to be asked what it was she had come to say.\n\n“Your humble subject,” she replied, “has received in her post station Tang Sanzang the younger brother of the Tang emperor in the East. He has three disciples called Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng and Sha Wujing and a horse, making five of them altogether. They wish to go to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. I have come especially to submit a memorial to Your Majesty asking whether they may be allowed to submit their passport for approval and proceed on their way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The queen was delighted at his report, and she said to her civil officials, “We dreamed last night of a gold screen shining with colours and a jade mirror full of light. They must have been good omens of what has happened today.”\n\nThe women officials crowded round the steps of the throne and said with kowtows, “Your Majesty, how can you tell that they were good omens for today?”\n\n“This man from the East,” the queen replied, “is the younger brother of the Tang emperor. Since primal chaos was first cleared we have never seen a man in our country under all the queens who have reigned here. The fortunate arrival of the Tang emperor’s younger brother must be a gift from Heaven. I have decided to use our country’s wealth to persuade the emperor’s brother to become king with me as his queen. Then we can unite the male and the female and produce sons and grandsons to pass the throne on to. So weren’t they good omens?” The joyful women officials all performed dances of obeisance."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty’s idea of passing the throne on to future generations in an excellent one,” the superintendent of the post station further submitted, “but the three hideous disciples of the emperor’s younger brother are not at all attractive.”\n\n“What does the emperor’s brother look like,” the queen asked, “and how are the disciples so unattractive?”\n\n“The emperor’s brother has a handsome face and an impressive bearing,” the superintendent replied. “He really does look like a man from a great country ruled by a heaven-sent dynasty, a son of China in the Southern Jambu continent. But the three disciples look thoroughly vicious with faces like demons.”\n\n“In that case,” said the queen, “give presents to his disciples, return their passport, and send them on their way to the Western Heaven. Keep only the emperor’s brother here. Is there any reason why we should not?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the officials bowed low and replied, “Your Majesty’s ideas are completely right and your subjects will respectfully implement them. The only difficulty is that we have no matchmaker to arrange the marriage. As the old saying goes\n\nMarriage and mating depend on red leaves;\n\nA matchmaker ties the threads between husband and wife.\n\n“From what you suggest,” the queen replied, “the royal tutor should be invited to be matchmaker, and the superintendent of the Male-welcoming Post Station will be the mistress of ceremonies. Go to the post station and ask for the consent of the emperor’s younger brother. When he has agreed we shall go out of the city in our carriage to greet him.” The tutor and the superintendent left the palace to carry out their instructions.\n\nSanzang and his disciples were just enjoying a vegetarian meal in the hall of the post station when someone was heard outside announcing the arrival of the queen’s tutor and the superintendent.\n\n“Why is the queen’s tutor here?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why is the queen’s tutor here?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Perhaps it’s an invitation from the queen,” said Pig. “It’s either that or a proposal of marriage,” said Brother Monkey.\n\n“But if she tries to force me to marry her and refuses to let us go what am I to do, Wukong?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Just agree, Master,” said Monkey. “I’ll find a way to cope.”\n\nBefore, they had finished their conversation the two women officials entered and bowed low to the venerable elder, who returned their courtesies and said, “I am a humble monk. What wonderful powers do I have that you should bow to me thus?”\n\nThe queen’s tutor was discreetly delighted with his noble bearing, thinking, “Our country will indeed be very fortunate if this man is to become our queen’s husband.” When the two officials had finished bowing they stood on either side of Sanzang and said, “Imperial brother, many, many congratulations.”\n\n“I am a monk,” Sanzang replied, “so what good fortune is there to congratulate me on?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bowing again, the queen’s tutor said, “This is Womanland of Western Liang, and no man has ever come here before. As Your Excellency the emperor’s brother has graced us with your presence I am here on the orders of Her Majesty the queen to propose marriage.”\n\n“Good gracious!” said Sanzang. “I have come to your distinguished country with no children apart from my three boorish disciples. Which of them is it that Her Majesty wishes to marry?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have just been to the palace to report,” the superintendent of the post station said, “and our queen was very, very happy. She said that last night she had an auspicious dream in which a golden screen shone with many colours, and a jade mirror was full of light. When she learned that Your Excellency the emperor’s brother was a man from the great land of Tang she decided to offer you all the wealth of our country to persuade you to stay here as her husband and sit on the throne. Her Majesty would become queen consort. The royal tutor was commissioned to act as matchmaker and I was made mistress of ceremonies. We are here to ask for your hand.” At this Sanzang bowed his head in silence."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A true man does not throw away his chance,” the queen’s tutor said. “There is nothing unusual about a man being asked to marry a woman and live in her house, but rarely does it happen that one is offered the wealth of a state to do so. I beg the emperor’s brother to assent quickly so that I may report back to Her Majesty.” The venerable elder seemed to have been struck dumb.\n\nPig, who was standing beside them, put his hands to his snout and called, “Tutor, please report back to Her Majesty that my master is an arhat who has long cultivated the Way. He’s not interested in your country’s wealth or in Her Majesty’s great beauty. Hurry up and return our passport and send him on his way to the West. You can keep me here to be her husband. What about it?” The suggestion made the tutor tremble. She was speechless with shock.\n\n“You may be a man,” the superintendent said, “but you are much too ugly for Her Majesty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t understand,” said pig. “Thick willow twigs make dustpans and fine ones make funnels. There’s a use for everything. There’s not a man in all the world who’s really ugly.”\n\n“Idiot,” said Monkey, “stop that nonsense. Let our master decide. If he agrees the wedding is on, and if he doesn’t it’s off. Don’t waste the matchmaker’s time.”\n\n“Wukong,” said Sanzang, “you decide.”\n\n“If you ask me,” Monkey replied, “you’d be very well off here. As the old saying goes,\n\nA thousand miles can’t keep apart\n\nA couple that’s fated to wed:\n\nTheir lives and destinies are tied\n\nBy a long and invisible thread.\n\nWhere else will you find a place that offers you this much?”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “if we stay here out of a love for wealth and status who will go to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures? Would that not be a terrible thing to do to our Great Tang emperor?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Excellency,” the royal tutor replied, “I must tell you the truth. Our queen only intends to marry you, the emperor’s brother. Your three disciples will be invited to the wedding banquet, given presents, have their passport returned, and be allowed to go on their journey to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures.”\n\n“What the royal tutor says is right,” replied Monkey. “We three mustn’t make difficulties. We’ll let our master stay here as the queen’s husband. Hurry up and return us our travel document so that we can be on our way West. We will pay our respects to Her Majesty on our way back with the scriptures, and ask for some money for the journey back to the Great Tang.”\n\nThe royal tutor and the superintendent both bowed to Monkey and said, “We are very grateful to you, sir, for your helpfulness.”\n\n“Tutor,” said Pig, “don’t just talk about feeding us. Now that we’ve agreed, get your mistress to lay on a banquet so that we can all drink a cup of betrothal wine. What about it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, yes,” said the tutor, “a banquet will be provided.” The superintendent and the tutor returned in great delight to report back to the queen.\n\nSanzang meanwhile grabbed Monkey and started abusing him. “You’re trying to kill me, you ape. How could you say things like that? Making me stay here to be her husband while you go to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha! I’d die before I agreed to do that.”\n\n“Don’t worry, Master,” said Monkey. “Of course I know your nature. But faced with people like that in a place like this I had to play them at their own game.”\n\n“What do you mean by playing them at their own game?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you had been obstinate and refused her she would not have returned our travel paper or let us continue on our way,” Monkey replied. “If she had turned vicious and called on all her underlings to slice your flesh off to make perfume bags or whatever we’d never have earned a good reward. We’d have had to use our magic powers for subduing and killing demons. You know how hard we hit and how murderous our weapons are. Once we got going we’d have wiped out everyone in the whole country. But they’re people, not demons, even if they are blocking our way. And all along this journey you’ve been good and merciful—you haven’t killed a single soul. How could you bear to kill so many innocent people? That really would be evil.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wukong,” replied Sanzang, “that is a very fine argument. But I’m afraid that when the queen takes me into her palace she will want me to perform my conjugal duties. I could not possibly lose my primal masculinity and ruin my conduct as a Buddhist monk, or let my true seed escape and destroy my status in the faith.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As you have agreed to the marriage she is bound to treat you as king and come out in her carriage to fetch you,” Monkey replied. “You must on no account refuse. Take your seat in the phoenix and dragon carriage, enter the throne hall, and sit on the throne facing South as monarch. Tell the queen to fetch her royal seals and write an invitation summoning us to court. Stamp our travel permit with the official seal and ask her to sign it herself and return it to us. Have a banquet laid on as a celebration for yourself and the queen and to say farewell to us too. When the banquet is over have the carriage got ready and tell her that when you have seen us three out of the city you will be coming back to sleep with her. This will put the queen and her subjects into such a good mood that they won’t try to keep us any more, let alone have any evil intentions towards us. When you have escorted us out of the city, get out of the carriage. Tell Friar Sand to stay with you and help you mount the white horse while I use"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and help you mount the white horse while I use some immobilizing magic to stop the queen and her subjects from moving. Then we can carry on West along the main road, and when we’ve been travelling for a day and a night I’ll say a spell to undo the magic and revive them so that they can go back into the city. This way none of them will be killed and you won’t have to harm your essential spirit. This is what they call a plan to ‘slip through the net with a false marriage.’ It works both ways, doesn’t it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These words sobered Sanzang up and woke him from his dream. He forgot his worries and thanked Monkey profusely: “I am profoundly grateful to you, good disciple, for your brilliant suggestion.” Now that the four of them had agreed on a plan we shall leave them discussing it.\n\nThe queen’s tutor and the post station superintendent went straight through the gates of the palace to the steps of the throne without waiting to be summoned. “Your Majesty’s auspicious dream was completely justified,” they announced. “You two will be as happy together as fish and water.”\n\nWhen the queen heard their report she lifted the pearl curtain, came down from her dragon throne, and gave a smile that opened her cherry lips and showed her silvery teeth as she asked in her charming voice, “What did the emperor’s brother say when you spoke to him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When we reached the post station and had bowed to the emperor’s brother,” the queen’s tutor replied, “we told him of the proposal of marriage. He tried to decline it, but fortunately his senior disciple agreed on his behalf. He would like his master to marry Your Majesty and sit on the throne as king. He asked that you should first return their passport and send the three disciples on their way West. When they come back with the scriptures they will pay their respects to their master and Your Majesty and ask for some money for their journey back to Great Tang.”\n\n“What did the emperor’s brother say to that?” the queen asked with a smile.\n\n“He did not speak,” the tutor replied, “but he is willing to marry Your Majesty. The only thing is that his second disciple wants a betrothal feast first.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the queen heard this she ordered the office that dealt with foreign relations to lay on a banquet. She also had the state carriage prepared to take her out of the city to welcome her lord and husband. The female officials obediently swept the palace clean and laid on a banquet in the hall. Those who were setting out the banquet moved as fast as fire, and those who were preparing the chariot did so with the speed of shooting stars. Western Liang was a country of women, but its state carriage was no less splendid than a Chinese one:\n\nSix dragons snorting out coloured clouds,\n\nA pair of phoenixes full of good omen.\n\nThe six dragons supported the carriage as it came out,\n\nThe pair of phoenixes were riding upon it.\n\nFragrant were the perfumes,\n\nDense the clouds of auspicious vapor.\n\nOfficials with goldfish-shaped pendants of jade now crowded around;\n\nThe women were all drawn up with their hair full of ornaments.\n\nMandarin-duck fans gave shade to the carriage,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mandarin-duck fans gave shade to the carriage,\n\nWhile curtains of jade and pearl did shelter the queen.\n\nBeautifully sounded the songs to the panpipes\n\nWhile strings and woodwinds all played in harmony.\n\nA surge of joy soared up to the heavens;\n\nBoundless bliss poured out from the heart.\n\nThe triple silken canopy shook the sky;\n\nBrilliant banners cast their light on the throne steps.\n\nNever before had the marriage cup here been drunk;\n\nToday the queen would be taking a husband.\n\nThe carriage soon left the city and reached the Male-welcoming Post Station. At once the queen’s arrival was announced to Sanzang and his disciples, who straightened up their clothes and came out to meet the queen’s carriage. The queen raised the curtain and came out. “Which of these gentlemen is the Tang emperor’s brother?” she asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The gentleman in front of the post station who is wearing a long gown,” the tutor replied. The queen took a very careful look at him with her phoenix eyes, her moth-eyebrows raised. He was indeed an exceptional sight. Look at him:\n\nA noble manner,\n\nDistinguished features.\n\nWhite teeth as if made of silver,\n\nA square-cut mouth with lips of red.\n\nThe top of the head flat, the forehead broad and ample;\n\nFine eyes, a clear brow, and a long jaw.\n\nHis ears had the round lobes of a great man;\n\nHis body was that of one with no ordinary talent.\n\nA handsome, intelligent and gallant gentleman;\n\nThe ideal consort for the graceful queen.\n\nAs the queen was gazing at him with delight and admiration she felt a great surge of desire and passion. Opening her cherry lips she said, “Younger brother of the Great Tang emperor, won’t you ride in my royal carriage?” This made Sanzang blush from ear to ear. He was too embarrassed to look up at her."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig, who was standing beside him, put his hands to his snout and devoured the queen with his eyes. She was a slim beauty:\n\nBrows like green willow,\n\nFlesh like mutton fat,\n\nCheeks set off with plum blossom,\n\nHair like the plumage of a golden phoenix.\n\nThe autumn waves of her eyes were full of charm;\n\nLike bamboo shoot in spring was her graceful posture.\n\nRed tassels floated with elegance over her temples,\n\nPearls and kingfisher feathers adorned her high-piled hair.\n\nWhy talk now of the Princess Zhaojun’s beauty?\n\nThis queen is lovelier than the legendary Xi Shi.\n\nAs her willow waist gently bends gold pendants tinkle;\n\nHer lotus feet move lightly with her limbs of jade.\n\nThe Lady of the Moon could not compare with her;\n\nNo heavenly fairy could be her match.\n\nHer exquisite palace clothes were not those of a mere mortal;\n\nShe was the Queen Mother of the West come to the Jade Pool."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing how beautiful she was the idiot could not help drooling. His heart pounded and his limbs went weak; he melted like a snow lion next to a bonfire.\n\nWhen the queen came closer to Sanzang she took hold of him and said in a most beguiling voice, “Dear emperor’s brother, won’t you come into my dragon coach, ride back with me to the throne hall and marry me?” The venerable elder trembled, feeling unsteady on his feet. It was as if he were drunk or stupefied.\n\n“Don’t be so shy and modest, Master,” urged monkey, who was standing beside him. “Please get into the carriage with your future wife. Have our passport returned to us as soon as possible so that we can continue on our journey to fetch the scriptures.” Sanzang could not bring himself to reply as he put his hand on Monkey, unable to hold back his tears."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be so upset, Master,” Monkey said. “Here’s your chance to enjoy wealth and honour, so make the most of it.” Sanzang had no choice but to do as Monkey bade him. Wiping his tears away he forced himself to smile as he stepped forward to\n\nHold the queen’s white hand\n\nSitting in the dragon carriage.\n\nThe queen was in raptures at the prospect of a husband;\n\nThe elder in his terror wanted only to worship the Buddha.\n\nOne longed to embrace her man in the candle-lit bedroom;\n\nThe other wanted to see the\n\nWorld-honoured on Vulture Peak.\n\nThe queen was sincere,\n\nThe holy monk was pretending.\n\nThe queen in her sincerity\n\nHoped that they would grow old in harmony together.\n\nThe holy monk pretending\n\nControlled his tender feeling to nourish his primal spirit.\n\nOne was so happy to see her husband\n\nShe wished they could be man and wife in broad daylight.\n\nThe other was afraid of woman’s beauty,\n\nLonging to escape her clutches and climb to the Thunder Monastery.\n\nThe two ascended the carriage together,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The two ascended the carriage together,\n\nBut the Tang Priest’s intentions were far away.\n\nWhen the civil and military officers saw their mistress enter the royal coach with the venerable Sanzang sitting beside her their faces were all wreathed in smiles. The procession turned around and went back into the city. Monkey told Friar Sand to carry the luggage while he led the horse as they followed behind the coach. Pig rushed wildly ahead, and when he reached the Tower of Five Phoenixes he started shouting, “This is very fine and splendid, but it won’t do, it won’t do at all. We’ve got to have some wedding drinks to toast the groom.”\n\nHe so alarmed the women officials carrying ceremonial insignia who were leading the procession that they all went back to the queen’s carriage to report, “Your Majesty, the one with big ears and a long snout is making a row in front of the Tower of Five Phoenixes and demanding wedding drinks.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this the queen leant her fragrant shoulder against Sanzang, pressed her peach-blossom cheek against his, and opened her sandalwood-scented mouth to murmur in her seductive voice, “Dear emperor’s brother, is the one with big ears and a long snout one of your distinguished disciples?”\n\n“He is my second disciple,” Sanzang replied. “He has an enormous appetite, and he has spent all his life trying to get good things to eat. We must lay on some food and drink for him before we can get on with things.” The queen then asked anxiously if the office dealing with foreign relation had yet prepared the banquet.\n\n“It is ready,” the women officials reported. “It is set out on the Eastern hall and includes both meat and vegetarian dishes.”\n\n“Why both sorts?” the queen asked.\n\n“Your subjects thought that the Tang emperor’s brother and his distinguished disciples might be vegetarians,” the officials replied. “That was why we had both sorts of food provided.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Dear emperor’s brother,” said the queen with another little laugh of pleasure as she rubbed herself against Sanzang’s fragrant cheek, “do you eat meat or vegetarian food?”\n\n“I eat vegetarian food,” Sanzang replied, “but I have never given up wine. We must have a few cups of light wine for my second disciple to drink.”\n\nBefore he had finished speaking the queen’s tutor said to the queen, “If it pleases Your Majesty, will you come to the Eastern hall for the banquet? Today is an auspicious day, and at a lucky hour tonight you may marry the emperor’s brother. Tomorrow a new ecliptic begins, and I beg that the emperor’s younger brother will enter the throne hall tomorrow to take his throne facing South as monarch and inaugurate a new reign.”\n\nThe queen was delighted by this suggestion. Descending from the coach hand-in-hand with Sanzang she went in through the palace’s main gate. This is what they saw and heard:\n\nMagic music wafting down from a gallery,\n\nAs the turquoise carriage came within the palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The phoenix gates stood wide open amid gentle light;\n\nThe harem in all its splendor was not closed.\n\nIncense smoke curled aloft in the unicorn hall;\n\nShadows were moving behind the peacock screen.\n\nThe buildings were magnificent as those of a mighty state;\n\nThe jade halls and golden horses were even more splendid.\n\nWhen they reached the Eastern hall the harmonious sounds of panpipes and singing could be heard and two rows of powdered beauties seen. In the middle of the hall two sumptuous banquets were set out; a vegetarian one to the left and a meat one on the right. Below were two rows of individual places. The queen folded back her sleeves, took a jade goblet with her ten delicate fingers, and led Sanzang to the feast. Monkey went up to her and said, “We are all vegetarians, so would you ask my master to sit at the vegetarian feast to the left while three places are set below him for us three disciples?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, that’s right,” said the queen’s tutor. “Master and disciples are like father and sons. It would be wrong to seat them side by side.” The women officials quickly rearranged the seating, and the queen gave goblets to each of them as she led them to their places. Monkey gave the Tang Priest a look to remind him to return her courtesies, at which he came down from his seat with a jade goblet in his hand and led the queen to her place. The civil and military officials all kowtowed to the queen in gratitude and took their seats in order of precedence on either side. Only then did the music cease and the toasts begin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig did not worry about anything as he relaxed his belly and ate for all he was worth. He did not care whether it was jadeflake rice, steamed buns, sweet cakes, mushrooms, gill fungus, bamboo shoots, tree-ear fungus, day lilies, agar, laver, turnips, taro, devilpepper, yams or sealwort: he wolfed the whole lot down together. Then he drank some six or seven goblets of wine and shouted, “Fill it up, bring me another. I want a big goblet. Give me a few more drinks, then we can all go off and do what we’ve got to do.”\n\n“What is there so important that makes us have to leave this fine banquet?” Friar Sand asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s an old saying,” replied the idiot with a grin, “‘that each man should stick to his trade. Some of us are getting married now, and others of us have to be on our way to fetch the scriptures. We mustn’t ruin everything for the sake of a few more drinks. We want our passport returned as soon as possible. As they say, ‘The warriors stay on their horses, all of them pressing ahead.’” When the queen heard this she sent for big cups, and the officials in attendance quickly fetched some parrot-shaped goblets, cormorant ladles, golden baskets, silver beakers, glass chargers, crystal dishes, immortals’ bowls and amber goblets. Ambrosial liquor was now served out and everybody drank of it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang then bowed, rose to his feet, put his hands together in front of his chest and said to the queen, “Your Majesty, I am very grateful for this sumptuous banquet. We have had enough now. Could you now go to the throne hall and return the passport so that I may see the three of them off from the city tomorrow morning?” Doing as he asked, the queen led Sanzang by the hand as they ended the banquet and climbed the steps to the throne hall, where she invited the Tang Priest to sit on the throne.\n\n“No,” he said, “it would be wrong. As Your Majesty’s tutor said, a new ecliptic begins tomorrow: only then will I dare to take the throne. Today the passport must be stamped so that they can be sent on their way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The queen accepted his suggestions, sat on the dragon throne again, had a gilt chair placed to the left of it for Sanzang to sit on, and told the disciples to bring the passport. The Great Sage asked Friar Sand to open the cloth wrapper and take it out, then offered it with both hands to the queen, who examined it carefully. At the top were nine stamps from the Great Tang emperor’s seals, and underneath were the seals of the countries of Elephantia, Wuji and Tarrycart. When she had looked at them the queen said with a delightful, tinkling smile in her voice, “Is your surname Chen, emperor’s brother?”\n\n“My lay surname was Chen,” he replied, “and my religious name is Xuanzang. It was when the Tang emperor in his wisdom and mercy took me as his younger brother that he granted me the surname Tang.”\n\n“Why do your illustrious disciples’ names not appear on the passport?” the queen asked.\n\n“My three stupid disciples are not men of Tang.” Sanzang replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But if they are not from Tang why have they come here with you?” the queen asked again.\n\n“My senior disciple,” Sanzang answered, “was originally from the country of Aolai in the Eastern Continent of Superior Body. My second disciple is from Gao Village in Stubet in the Western Continent of Cattle-gift. My third disciple is from the Flowing Sands River. They were all punished for offences against the laws of Heaven until the Bodhisattva Guanyin delivered them from their sufferings. Since then they have been converted to the faith and have volunteered to escort me on my journey to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven to redeem their past crimes. I won each of them during the journey, which is why their religious names have not been entered on the passport.”\n\n“Would you like me to add their names to it?” said the queen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If that is Your Majesty’s pleasure,” Sanzang replied. The queen then sent for brush and inkstone, and when she had rubbed the ink-stick on the stone to produce a thick and fragrant ink with which she filled the hairs of her writing brush she wrote the names of the three disciples—Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng and Sha Wujing—at the bottom of the passport. Then she stamped it fair and square with her royal seal, wrote her signature, and handed it down to Monkey, who told Friar Sand to wrap it up again carefully.\n\nThe queen then presented them with a dish of small pieces of gold and silver, came down from her throne and said to Monkey, “You three must take this to help with the costs of your journey and go to the Western Heaven as quickly as you can. When you come back with the scriptures we shall richly reward you again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We are men of religion,” said Brother Monkey, “and we do not accept gold and silver. There will be places along the way for us to beg food from.” Seeing that they were not going to accept it the queen had ten bolts of damask and brocade brought out that she gave to Monkey with the words, “You are in such a hurry that we do not have time for this to be made up. Please take this to have some clothes made on the journey to keep you warm.”\n\n“We monks may not wear damask or brocade,” Monkey said. “We are only allowed to cover ourselves with cotton cloth.” Seeing that he would not accept the silk either, the queen ordered that three pints of rice be brought out to provide them with a meal on their journey. The moment Pig heard the word “rice” he took it and put it with the bundles of luggage. “Brother,” Monkey said to him, “the luggage is very heavy now. Will you be able to carry the rice as well?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t know that rice is best eaten the same day it’s cooked,” Pig replied. “One meal and it’ll be finished.” He then put his hands together in thanks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“May I trouble Your Majesty to come with me while I escort my disciples out of the city?” Sanzang asked. “When I have given them some parting instructions about their journey West I shall come back to enjoy perpetual glory with Your Majesty. Only when I am freed from these cares and worries will we be able to join together like a pair of phoenixes.” Not realizing that this was a trick, the queen sent for her coach and climbed into it, leaning her fragrant shoulder against Sanzang as they rode Westwards out of the city. Bowls has been filled with clean water and fine incense put in all the burners. This was because the people were seeing their queen in her carriage and also because they were seeing a man, the emperor’s younger brother. All of them, young and old alike, were women with powdered and lovely faces, and green-black hair piled high in cloud coiffures. The coach was soon out of the town and outside the Western gate."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand, joined in a common cause, neatened up their clothes and went to meet the carriage. “There is no need to escort us a long way, Your Majesty. We shall take our leave of you here.”\n\nSanzang stepped down from the royal carriage, raised his hands together to the queen, and said, “Please go back now, Your Majesty, and allow me to fetch the scriptures.” When the queen heard this her face went pale with shock. She grabbed hold of the Tang Priest and said, “Dear emperor’s brother, I have offered you the wealth of my realm to become my husband. Tomorrow you are going to take the throne as monarch, and I am going to be your consort. We have already eaten the wedding feast. How can you go back on your word now?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was too much for Pig, who went wild. Thrusting his snout about and waving his ears he rushed to the royal coach shouting. “What would monks like us want to marry a powdered skeleton like you for? Let my master go!” This rough and violent behavior so frightened the queen that her souls all went flying and she collapsed in the coach. Friar Sand pulled Sanzang out of the crowd and helped him mount the horse. Just then a woman shot forward from the roadside shouting, “Don’t go, Tang emperor’s brother. You and I are going to make love.”\n\n“You ignorant, wicked creature,” Friar Sand shouted at her, striking at her head with his staff. The woman then made a whirlwind that carried the Tang Priest off with a great roar. He had disappeared without shadow or trace. Indeed\n\nHe escaped from the net of beauties\n\nTo encounter a lecherous ogress.\n\nIf you don’t know whether the woman was a human being or a monster, or whether the master lived or died, then listen to the explanation in the next installment."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter Fifty-Five\n\nThe Tang Priest Is Tempted with Sex and Debauchery\n\nBecause His Nature Is Upright He Resists Unharmed\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage and Pig were just about to use their magic to immobilize all the women when they suddenly heard the noise of a wind. Friar Sand, who was shouting, looked round at once to find the Tang Priest gone.\n\n“Who’s taken the master?” Monkey asked.\n\n“A woman made a whirlwind and carried him off in it,” Friar Sand reported. At this news Monkey jumped up with a whoosh to stand on his cloud and shade his eyes as he looked all around. He saw the gray dust cloud of a whirlwind that was heading Northwest.\n\n“Brothers,” he turned back to shout, “come straight up on your clouds. We’re going after the master.” Pig and Friar Sand tied the luggage on the horse and both sprang noisily into the air."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All this gave such a fright to the queen of Western Liang and her subjects that they fell to their knees in the dust and said, “He is an arhat who has flown away in broad daylight. Do not be alarmed, Your Majesty. The Tang emperor’s brother is a dhyana monk who has mastered the Way. We were too blind to see who this man of China really was, and we allowed ourselves all that longing for nothing. Please ride back to the palace in your carriage, Your Majesty.” The queen felt ashamed as she went back into her capital with her officials, and we shall say no more of them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey and the other two disciples meanwhile were riding their clouds through the air after the whirlwind. They chased it to a high mountain, where the gray dust settled and the wind fell, so that they did not know which way the demon had gone. The brothers brought their clouds down to land to search for the way. Suddenly they noticed a gleaming rock shaped like a screen. Leading the horse round behind it they found a pair of stone doors above which was written:\n\nDEADLY FOE MOUNTAIN PIPA CAVE"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "DEADLY FOE MOUNTAIN PIPA CAVE\n\nIn his ignorance Pig went up to the doors and was about to beat on them with his rake when Monkey rushed forward to stop him. “Don’t be in such a hurry, brother,” he said. “After following the whirlwind we had to look around for a while before we found these doors. We don’t know what’s behind them. If they’re the wrong doors we’d stir up trouble offending the wrong people, and we don’t want to do that. You two take the horse round to the front of the rock screen and wait a moment. I’m going to take a look around and find out what’s happening here. Then it’ll be much easier to know what to do.”\n\nFriar Sand liked this idea. “Splendid, splendid,” he said, “You’ve found the subtle solution when things were looking rough, the calm way out of the crisis.” The two of them then led the horse to the other side of the rock screen.\n\nMonkey then showed his magic powers. Making a spell with his hands and saying the words he shook himself and turned into an exquisite bee. Just look at him:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fine wings bending in the wind,\n\nA narrow waist gleaming with the sun.\n\nWith his sweet mouth he searched for stamens,\n\nWhile the sting in his tail killed toads.\n\nGreat was his achievement in making honey,\n\nAnd he always entered the hive with courtesy.\n\nNow be would use a brilliant plan\n\nAs he flew in under the eaves of the doorway.\n\nMonkey squeezed in through the crack between the outer doors then past the inner doors to see a female monster sitting in a flower pavilion with serving girls in brightly-coloured embroidered clothes and their hair sticking upwards in two bunches. They were all very pleased, but he could not hear what they were talking about. Monkey flew up to them very quietly, perched on the lattice of the pavilion, and cocked his ear to listen. He saw two women with their tangled hair tied in a bun carrying two piping hot dishes of food to the pavilion and saying, “Madam, this dish has steamed rolls with human flesh in them, and that one has vegetarian ones with sweet beanpaste fillings.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Little ones,” said the she-devil with a smile, “Bring the Tang emperor’s brother out.” Some of the serving girls in embroidered clothes went to the room at the back to help the Tang Priest out. His face was sallow, his lips white, and his eyes red as the tears streamed down his face, “The master’s been drugged,” thought Monkey with a silent sigh.\n\nThe she-devil went down from the pavilion and showed her ten fingers that were as delicate as spring onions as she grabbed hold of Sanzang and said, “Don’t worry, emperor’s brother. This may not be as rich and splendid as the palace in the Womanland of Western Liang, but it’s peaceful and comfortable, and an ideal place for reciting the Buddha’s name and reading the scriptures. With me as your companion we’ll be able to live in harmony till we’re a hundred.” Sanzang said nothing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be upset,” the she-devil said. “I know that you had nothing to eat or to drink at your banquet in Womanland. Here are two dishes, one of meat and one of vegetarian food. Won’t you take some to calm your nerves?”\n\nSanzang thought deeply: “If I say nothing and eat nothing, this she-devil may murder me. She is worse than the queen, who was at least human and knew how to behave. What am I to do? My disciples don’t know that I’m a prisoner here. If I let her murder me I’ll be throwing my life away for nothing.” Though he racked his brains he could find no other plan, so he pulled himself together and asked, “What is the meat dish and what is the vegetarian one?”\n\n“The meat one is steamed rolls stuffed with human flesh, and the vegetarian one steamed rolls with sweet fillings,” the she-devil replied.\n\n“I would like some of the vegetarian ones,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Servant girls,” said the she-devil, “bring hot tea and give your master some vegetarian steamed rolls.” A servant girl then brought in a tray of tea that she set before the Tang Priest. The she-devil broke a vegetarian roll open and handed it to Sanzang, who offered a whole meat one to her. “Why won’t you open it for me, emperor’s brother?” the she-devil asked with a smile.\n\n“I am a man of religion, so I would not dare to break meat food,” said Sanzang.\n\n“In that case,” said the she-devil, “Why did you eat wedding cake at the Motherhood River, and why are you insisting on eating beanpaste now?”\n\nTo this Sanzang replied,\n\n“When the river is high I’m carried away.\n\nWhen bogged down I have to slow down.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When bogged down I have to slow down.”\n\nMonkey, who could hear from his perch in the lattice just how friendly their conversation was getting, started worrying that the master’s true nature might become disturbed. It was more than he could bear, so he resumed his own appearance and brandished his cudgel with a shout of “Behave yourself, you evil beast.” When the she-devil saw him she spat out smoke and light that covered the pavilion and told her underlings to shut the Tang Priest away.\n\nThen she seized her steel trident and leapt out through the door of the pavilion, shouting abusively, “Hooligan ape! How dare you sneak into my house to set your dirty eyes on me! Stay where you are and take this!” The Great Sage parried the lunge from her trident and fell back, fighting all the way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they came to the outside of the cave where Pig and Friar Sand were waiting, the sight of the hard-fought battle so alarmed Pig that he led the white horse over to Friar Sand and said, “Look after the horse and the luggage. I’m joining in.” The splendid idiot then raised his rake with both hands and rushed forward with a shout, “Stand back, brother, while I kill this vicious beast.” Seeing Pig coming the she-devil used another kind of magic to breathe fire out of her nose and smoke from her mouth as she shook herself and charged him with her trident flying and dancing. Goodness only knows how many hands she had as she somersaulted towards them, lashing out furiously. Monkey and Pig were both fought to a standstill."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sun Wukong,” said the she-devil, “you don’t know when to keep your head down. I know who you are, but you don’t recognize me. Even your Tathagata Buddha from the Thunder Monastery is afraid of me. Where do you think you two little wretches are going to get? Come here, all of you, and watch me beat every one of you.” It was a fine battle:\n\nGreat was the she-devil’s prowess\n\nAs the Monkey King’s anger rose.\n\nThen Marshal Tian Peng joined in the fight,\n\nShowing off wildly wielding his rake.\n\nOne was a many-handed mistress of the trident,\n\nSurrounding herself with smoke and with light;\n\nThe other two were impatient and their weapons powerful,\n\nAs they stirred up many a cloud of mist.\n\nThe she-devil was fighting to win a mate,\n\nBut the monk would never lose his vital seed.\n\nIll-matched male and female fought it out,\n\nEach showing heroism in the bitter struggle.\n\nCalmly the female had built up her strength, longing for action;\n\nThe male was on guard in his love of pure stillness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This made peace between them impossible\n\nAs trident fought for mastery with cudgel and rake.\n\nPowerful was the cudgel,\n\nEven stronger the rake,\n\nBut the she-devil’s trident was a match for them both.\n\nNobody would yield on Deadly Foe Mountain;\n\nNo mercy was given outside Pipa Cave.\n\nOne was happy at the thought of the Tang Priest as a husband;\n\nThe other two were going with him to collect the scriptures.\n\nHeaven and earth were alarmed by the battle,\n\nWhich darkened sun and moon and displaced all the stars.\n\nWhen the three of them had been fighting for a long time without anyone emerging as victor, the she-devil shook herself and used the sting in her tail to jab the Great Sage in the head. Monkey yelled in agony at the unbearable pain and fled, defeated. Seeing that things were going badly Pig withdrew too, dragging his rake behind him. The victorious she-devil put her steel trident away.\n\nMonkey had his hands round his head and his face screwed up in agony as he shouted, “It’s terrible, it’s terrible.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said Pig, going up to him, “why did you run away howling in pain just when you were fighting so well?”\n\n“It’s agony, agony,” groaned Brother Monkey, still holding his head.\n\n“Is it an attack of your migraine?” Pig asked.\n\n“No, no,” said Monkey, hopping around in pain.\n\n“But I didn’t see you get wounded,” said Pig, “so how can your head be hurting?”\n\n“It’s unbearable,” groaned Monkey. “Just when she saw that I was beginning to beat her trident she braced herself and jabbed me in the head. I don’t know what weapon she used, but it’s made my head ache so unbearably that I had to run away, beaten.”\n\n“In quiet places you’re always boasting that your head was tempered in the furnace,” said Pig with a laugh, “so why was that too much for you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” replied Monkey, “after my head was refined I stole the magic peaches and immortal wine and Lord Lao Zi’s golden elixir tablets. When I made havoc in Heaven the Jade Emperor ordered the Strongarm Demon King and the Twenty eight Constellations to take me to be beheaded at the Dipper and Bull Palace. The gods used their cutlasses, axes, hammers and swords on me, struck me with thunderbolts and burned me with fire. Then Lao Zi put me in his Eight Trigrams Furnace and refined me for forty-nine days. None of that harmed me at all. Goodness only knows what weapon that woman used to make my head hurt like this.”\n\n“Put your hands down and let me have a look,” said Friar Sand. “Has it been cut open?”\n\n“No, no,” said Monkey.\n\n“I’d better go back to Western Liang to get you some ointment to put on it,” said Pig.\n\n“It’s not cut open or swollen; I don’t need ointment,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” laughed Pig, “I wasn’t at all ill when I was pregnant or after I lost the baby, but you’ve got a carbuncle on your forehead.”\n\n“Stop teasing him, brother,” said Friar Sand. “It’s getting late, our eldest brother’s been wounded in the head, and we don’t know whether the master is dead or alive. What on earth are we going to do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The master’s all right,” groaned Brother Monkey. “I flew in as a bee and saw the woman sitting in a flower pavilion. Before long two servant girls came in with two dishes of steamed rolls, one with fillings of human flesh and one with sweet fillings of beanpaste. She sent two other serving girls to help the master come out to eat something to soothe his nerves. She was talking about being his companion. At first he wouldn’t reply or eat any of the rolls, but she was giving him so much sweet talk that he said he’d have a vegetarian one. Goodness knows why. The woman broke one open and gave it to him, and he passed her an unbroken meat one. ‘Why won’t you open it for me?’ She asked, and he said, ‘I am a man of religion, so I would not dare to break meat food.’ Then she said, ‘In that case, why did you eat wedding cake at the Motherhood River, and why are you eating sweet fillings now?’ The master did not catch what she was driving at, and replied, ‘When the river is high I’m carried away; when bogged down I"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is high I’m carried away; when bogged down I have to slow down.’ Listening to all this from the lattice I got worried that the master was going to forget himself, so I turned back into myself and hit at her with my cudgel. She used magic too, breathed out clouds, told them to shut the master away, and drove me out of the cave with her trident.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Friar Sand bit his finger and said, “That low bitch must have followed us at some stage, she knows so much.”\n\n“From what you say,” said Pig, “we mustn’t rest. From dusk to the middle of the night we’ve got to keep going back and challenging her to fight. We’ll have to yell and make such a din that she can’t go to bed or have it off with our master.”\n\n“I can’t go back,” said Monkey. “My head’s hurting too badly.”\n\n“We can’t challenge her to battle,” said Friar Sand. “Our eldest brother’s head is aching and our master is a true monk. He won’t let the illusion of sex disturb his nature. Let’s spend the light sitting somewhere under the mountain that’s sheltered from the wind. Then we can build up our energy and think of something else in the morning.” The three brother disciples tethered the white horse and guarded the luggage as they spent the night resting under the slope of the mountain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The she-devil then put aside thoughts of murder and started to wear a mile again as she said, “Little ones, shut the front and back doors tight.” Then she sent out two scouts to keep an eye on Monkey, and ordered them to report the moment any sound was heard at the door. “Maids,” she commanded, “tidy the bedroom and get it ready. Bring candles, burn incense, and ask the Tang emperor’s brother in. I’m going to make love with him.”\n\nThe Tang Priest was then helped out from the back, while the she-devil, looking utterly bewitching, took him by the hand and said, “As the saying goes, pleasure’s worth more than gold. You and I are going to have some fun as man and wife.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder clenched his teeth and let out not a sound. He would have preferred not to go with her but he was afraid she might kill him, so in fear and trembling he accompanied her into the bridal chamber, he was as if stupefied and dumb. He would not lift his head and look up, let alone catch sight of the bed and the curtains in the room, and even less did he see the intricately carved furniture or her hairstyle and clothing. He was deaf and indifferent when she spoke of her desire. He was indeed a fine monk:\n\nHis eyes saw no evil beauty,\n\nHis ears heard no voluptuous words.\n\nTo him the brocade and the lovely face was dung,\n\nThe gold, the jewels and the beauty so much dirt.\n\nThe love of his life was contemplation;\n\nHe never took a step from Buddha land.\n\nHe did not care for female charms,\n\nKnowing only how to nourish his true nature.\n\nThe she-devil\n\nWas full of life\n\nAnd unbounded desire.\n\nThe venerable monk\n\nSeemed almost dead,\n\nHis mind fixed on meditation.\n\nOne was soft jade and warm fragrance;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One was soft jade and warm fragrance;\n\nThe other was dead ash and withered wood.\n\nOne spread open the bridal sheets,\n\nFull of voluptuousness;\n\nThe other fastened his tunic more tightly,\n\nHis heart ever true.\n\nOne longed to press her breasts against him and entwine their limbs\n\nIn rapturous union;\n\nThe other wanted only to sit facing the wall\n\nLike the monk Bodhidharma.\n\nThe she-devil took off her clothes,\n\nDisplaying her smooth skin and fragrant body;\n\nThe Tang Priest pulled his robes together,\n\nCovering the roughness of his hide and flesh.\n\nThe she-devil said,\n\n“There is room on my pillow and under my sheet:\n\nWhy not come to bed?”\n\nThe Tang Priest replied,\n\n“My head is shaven and I wear monk’s robes:\n\nI may not join you.”\n\nShe said, “I would like to be Liu Cuicui in the story.”\n\nHe replied, “But I am not like the Monk of the Moonlight.”\n\nThe she-devil said, “I am more lovely than Xi Shi herself.”\n\n“Long was the king of Yue buried on her account,” the monk replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do you remember the lines,” the she-devil asked,\n\n“‘I’m willing to die and be buried under flowers;\n\nEven as a ghost shall I live and love?’”\n\nTo this the Tang Priest replied,\n\n“My true masculinity is my great treasure;\n\nI could not lightly give it to a bag of bones like you.”\n\nThe two of them kept up their battle of words till it was late in the night, and the Tang Priest’s resolution was unmoved. The she-devil kept tugging at his clothes, refusing to let go of him, while the master kept up his resistance. The struggle went on till the middle of the night, when the she-devil finally lost her temper and called, “Bring rope, little ones.” Sadly she had her beloved man tied up like a dog and dragged outside to the portico. Then the silver lamps were blown out and everyone went to bed for the night."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before they knew it the cocks had crowed three times. On the mountainside the Great Sage Monkey leaned forward and said, “This head of mine ached for a while, but now it doesn’t hurt or feel numb. It’s just a bit itchy.”\n\n“If it’s itchy then what about letting her jab it again for you?” said Pig with a grin.\n\n“We’ve got to make her let him go,” said Monkey, spitting.\n\n”‘Let him go, let him go,’” mocked Pig. “I bet our master spent last night having a go.”\n\n“Stop arguing, you two,” said Friar Sand. “It’s light now. We’ve got to capture that demon as quickly as we can.”\n\n“Brother,” said Monkey, “you stay here and look after the horse. Don’t move. Pig, come with me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot braced himself, tightened the belt round his black cotton tunic and went with Monkey as each of them leapt up to the top of the car and arrived beneath the stone screen, weapon in hand. “You stand here,” said Monkey. “I’m afraid that the she-devil may have harmed the master during the night, so wait while I go in and find out. If he was seduced by her into losing his primal masculinity and ruining his virtue then we’ll all split up. But if he kept his spirit firm and his dhyana heart was unmoved we’ll have to hold out till we’ve killed the she-devil and rescued the master. Then we can head West.”\n\n“Idiot!” said Pig. “As the saying goes, can a dried fish be a cat’s pillow? Even if she didn’t succeed she’ll have had a good grab at him.”\n\n“Stop talking such nonsense,” said Monkey. “I’m going to have a look.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage took his leave of Pig and went round the rock screen. Then he shook himself, turned back into a bee, and flew inside, where he saw two serving girls sound asleep with their heads pillowed on their watch-keepers’ clappers and gongs. When he reached the flower pavilion he found that the devils were still asleep, exhausted after being up half the night, and not aware that it was dawn. Monkey then flew on to the back of the cave, where he could half hear Sanzang’s voice. He looked up to see the master with his hands and feet all roped together under the portico. Landing lightly on Sanzang’s head he said, “Master.”\n\nRecognizing his voice, Sanzang said, “Is that you, Wukong. Rescue me!”\n\n“Did you have a good time last night?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I would have died first,” Sanzang replied through clenched teeth.\n\n“Yesterday it looked to me that she was in love with you,” Monkey continued, “so why has she been torturing you like this?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“She pestered me for half the night,” Sanzang replied, “but I never undid my clothes or even touched the bed. She only tied me up and left me here when she saw that I was not going to give in to her. Whatever happens you must rescue me so that I can go and fetch the scriptures.” By now their conversation had woken the she-devil up. Ferocious though she was she still could not bear to lose Sanzang.\n\nAs she woke up and sat up she heard him saying “fetch the scriptures,” rolled straight out of bed, and shrieked, “What do you want to go and fetch scriptures for instead of being my husband?”\n\nThis alarmed Monkey, who left the master, spread his wings, flew out, turned back into himself, and shouted for Pig. The idiot came round the stone screen and asked, “Well? Did it happen?”\n\n“No,” laughed Monkey, “it didn’t. She kept pawing him but he wouldn’t go along with her, so she lost her temper and tied him up. Just when he was telling me what had happened the fiend woke up and I had to rush out in a panic.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What did the master say?” Pig asked.\n\n“He told me that he never undid his clothes,” Monkey replied, “and never even touched the bed.”\n\n“That’s wonderful,” said Pig. “He’s a true monk. Let’s go and save him.”\n\nThe idiot was too crude to bother with arguing: he lifted his rake and brought it down with all his might against the doors, smashing them to pieces. This gave the serving girls who were asleep with their heads pillowed on their watch-keepers’ clappers and gongs such a fright that they ran to the inner doors shouting, “Open up! The two ugly men who came here last night have smashed the front doors down.”\n\nThe she-devil was just coming out of her bedroom when four or five serving girls came rushing in to report, “Madam, the two ugly men who were here yesterday have come back and smashed the front doors down.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this the she-devil ordered, “Little ones, boil water at once for me to wash and comb my hair.” Then she told them, “Carry the emperor’s brother roped up as he is and lock him up in the back room. I’m going out to fight them.”\n\nOut went the splendid monster, brandishing her trident and shouting abusively, “Vicious ape! Dirty hog! Ignorant beast! How dare you come knocking down my doors!”\n\n“Filthy whore,” Pig retaliated, “you tie our master up and then you have the nerve to talk tough like that. You tried to seduce our master into being your husband. Give him back now and we’ll spare your life. If there’s so much as a hint of a ‘no’ from you this rake of mine will smash your whole mountain down.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demon did not allow any more argument but summoned up her spirits and used the same magic as before to breathe out smoke and fire as she thrust at Pig with her steel trident. Swerving aside to avoid the blow, Pig struck back with his rake. When Monkey joined in to help him with his cudgel the she-devil used more magic to give herself endless pairs of hands with which to parry their weapons to left and to right. When they had fought four or five rounds the mystery weapon jabbed Pig in the lip, making him flee for his life, dragging his rake behind him and pressing a hand to his mouth. Monkey, who was also rather scared of her, feinted with his cudgel and fled in defeat too. The she-devil went back into her cave in victory, telling her underlings to build up a temporary outer barrier with rocks.\n\nFriar Sand heard piggish groans as he was pasturing the horse and looked up to see Pig coming towards him with his hand on his face and moaning. “What’s up?” Friar Sand asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s terrible, terrible,” the idiot groaned, “the pain, the pain.”\n\nHe was still complaining when Monkey turned up too, saying with a grin, “Idiot! Yesterday you wished me a carbuncle on my forehead, and today you’ve got one on your lip.”\n\n“I can’t bear it,” groaned Pig, “it’s agony, it’s excruciating.”\n\nJust as the three of them were at a loss as to what to do an old woman came by with a green bamboo basket carrying wild vegetables from the hills to the South. “Brother,” said Friar Sand to Monkey, “that woman’s coming this way. I’ll ask her who this evil spirit is and what weapon she has that causes such terrible wounds.”\n\n“You stay here while I go and ask her,” Monkey said, and taking a quick look he saw that there was a halo of auspicious cloud directly above the old woman’s head, and that fragrant mists were all around her."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Recognizing who it was, Monkey called out, “Come and kowtow, brothers. This lady is the Bodhisattva.” This so surprised them that Pig kowtowed despite his pain, Friar Sand bowed low as he held the horse, and Monkey fell to his knees and called, “I submit to The Merciful and Compassionate Deliverer from Suffering, the Miraculously Responding Bodhisattva Guanyin.”\n\nSeeing that they had recognized her, the Bodhisattva rose up into midair on her auspicious cloud and appeared in her true form as the carrier of the fish basket. Going up into the sky with her, Monkey kowtowed and reported, “Bodhisattva, please forgive your disciple for failing to come to meet you. Because we were so busy trying to save the master we did not realize that you had come to see us. We are now up against a monster we can’t beat, and we beseech you, Bodhisattva, to help us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“She is indeed a very terrible monster,” the Bodhisattva replied. “Her trident is really the two claws she was born with, and what causes such agonizing wounds is a sting in her tail called ‘horse-killer poison’. She was originally a scorpion spirit who used to listen to the Buddha preaching the scriptures on the Thunder Monastery. When the Tathagata Buddha saw her and mistakenly tried to push her away with his hand she used her tail to sting him on his left thumb. The Buddha in his pain told one of the vajrapanis to arrest her and she is now here. You will have to ask someone else for help as I too have to keep my distance from her.”\n\nMonkey then bowed again and said, “I beg the Bodhisattva for further instructions. Please tell your disciple whom I should go to see to ask for help.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Go to the Palace of Light inside the Eastern Gate of Heaven and look for the Star Officer of the Pleiades. He will be able to subdue her.” Having spoken she turned into a beam of golden light and went straight back to the Southern Ocean.\n\nThe Great Sage Monkey then brought down his cloud and said to Pig and Friar Sand, “Don’t worry, brothers. Our master has a star to save him.”\n\n“Where?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“The Bodhisattva has just told me to ask the help of the Star Officer of the Pleiades,” Monkey said. “I’m off.”\n\n“Brother,” groaned Pig, his hand still on his mouth, “please ask the star lord for some ointment to stop this pain.”\n\n“You don’t need any ointment,” laughed Monkey. “After a night’s pain it’ll get better, just as mine did last night.”\n\n“Stop all that talk,” said Friar Sand, “and get there as fast as you can.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Monkey set off at once on his somersault cloud and was outside the Eastern Gate of Heaven in an instant. The Heavenly King Virudhaka suddenly appeared to greet him courteously and ask, “Where are you going, Great Sage?”\n\n“I want to go to the Palace of Light to see the Star Lord of the Pleiades because the Tang Priest I’m escorting to the West to fetch the scriptures is being pestered by a devil,” Monkey said. Then the four marshals Tao, Zhang, Xin and Deng appeared to ask Monkey where he was going.\n\n“I’m looking for the Star Officer of the Pleiades to subdue a demon and rescue my master,” he said.\n\nTo this they answered, “The star officer has gone on an inspection to the Star-viewing Tower today at the Jade Emperor’s command.”\n\n“Is that true?” Monkey asked.\n\n“We left the Dipper and Bull Palace with him,” Heavenly Lord Xin said, “and we would not dare lie about it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He has been gone for a long time,” Heavenly Lord Tao said, “so he may be back by now. Great Sage, you would do best to go to the Palace of Light first, and if he is not back, go on to the Star-viewing Tower.”\n\nThis delighted the Great Sage, who took his leave of them and went to the gate of the Palace of Light. Finding that the star officer was indeed not there he was just about to leave when he noticed a column of soldiers outside. Behind them was the star lord returning in his court dress sewn with golden thread. This is how he looked:\n\nThe Five Peak pins in his hat gleamed gold;\n\nThe mountain and river tablet he held was of the finest jade.\n\nThe Seven Stars hung from his waist amid clouds and mist;\n\nBright were the rings of jade on his Eight-pole sash.\n\nHis pendants chimed with a rhythmical sound;\n\nThe wind rushing past made a noise like bells.\n\nThe Star Officer of the Pleiades came holding his kingfisher fan;\n\nWhile clouds of heavenly incense filled the hall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the soldiers in the front ranks saw Monkey standing outside the Palace of Light they hurried back to report, “My lord, the Great Sage Sun is here.” The star officer put away his clouds and tidied his court dress, then when the attendants carrying his insignia of office stood aside to left and right he stepped forward to greet Monkey courteously and ask, “Why are you here, Great Sage?”\n\n“I have come especially to pay my respects and beg you to rescue my master from disaster,” Brother Monkey replied.\n\n“What disaster, and where?” the star officer asked.\n\n“He is in the Pipa Cave on Deadly Foe Mountain in Western Liang,” Monkey replied.\n\n“What evil monster is there in the cave that you should need to send for me?” asked the star officer.\n\n“The Bodhisattva Guanyin appeared to us just now,” Monkey said, “and told us that she is a scorpion spirit. She specially mentioned you, sir, as the only person who would be able to control her. That is why I have come here to ask your help.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I would have preferred to submit a memorial to the Jade Emperor,” the star officer replied, “but as you have come here, Great Sage, and as I am much obliged to the Bodhisattva for recommending me I would not like to lose any more time. Excuse me if I don’t offer you tea: let’s go down to subdue the demon. I can report back to His Majesty on my return.”\n\nAt that the Great Sage went out with the star officer through the Eastern Gate of Heaven and straight back to Western Liang. Seeing Deadly Foe Mountain not far off, Monkey Pointed to it and said, “That’s the mountain.” The star lord brought his cloud down and went with Monkey to the slope in front of the stone screen.\n\n“Get up, brother,” said Friar Sand to Pig on seeing them. “Brother Monkey is back with the star officer.”\n\n“Forgive me,” said the idiot, his hand still pressed over his mouth, “forgive me, but I’m too ill to pay you all the courtesies.”\n\n“But you are one who cultivates his conduct,” the star lord said. “How can you be ill?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The she-devil jabbed me in the lip when I was fighting her,” Pig replied, and it still hurts.”\n\n“Come here,” said the star lord, “and I’ll cure it for you.”\n\nOnly then did the idiot put his hands down as he groaned, “Please, please cure it for me. I’ll pay you well when it’s better.” The star lord then touched his lip and blew on it, at which the pain stopped. A delighted Pig went down on his knees and kowtowed to the star lord. “Wonderful, wonderful,” he said.\n\n“Will you touch my head too?” asked Monkey with a smile.\n\n“Why?” the star lord asked. “You weren’t jabbed with the poison.”\n\n“I was yesterday,” said Monkey, “and it only stopped hurting after last night. It’s still rather numb and itchy and may be bad again when the weather turns overcast, which is why I would like you to cure it.” The star officer then touched and blew on his head too, thus removing the remaining poison and stopping the numbness and itching.\n\n“Brother,” said a wrathful Pig, “let’s go and fight that vicious creature.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, yes,” the star lord said, “you two call her out so that I can put her in her place.”\n\nMonkey and Pig leapt up the slope and went round the stone screen once more. Yelling insults the idiot used his hands like picks and hit with his rake to clear a way through the wall of stones that had been built outside the mouth of the cave. Once through these outer defenses he struck again with his rake to smash the inner doors to sawdust, giving the little devils behind them such a shock that they ran inside to report, “Madam, those two hideous men have smashed the inner doors now.” The she-devil had just had the Tang Priest untied and sent for some vegetarian breakfast for him when she heard the inner doors being smashed. Leaping out of her flower pavilion she thrust at Pig with her trident. He parried with his rake while Monkey joined in the fight from the side. The she-devil went right up to them and was just going to use her vicious trick when the two of them, who now knew what she was about, turned and fled."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as the two of them were round the rock Monkey shorted, “Where are you, star lord?” The star lord stood up at once on the mountainside in his original form as a giant rooster with twin combs. When he raised his head he was six or seven feet tall, and as soon as he crowed the monster reverted to her true appearance as a scorpion spirit the size of a pipa mandolin. When the star officer crowed again the monster’s whole body crumbled in death. There is a poem as evidence that goes,\n\nWith fancy combs and a tasseled neck,\n\nHard claws, long spurs and angry eyes,\n\nNobly he leaps, complete in all his powers,\n\nTowering majestic as three times he cries.\n\nHe is no common fowl who by a cottage crows\n\nBut a star down from the sky in all his glory.\n\nVainly the vicious scorpion took a human form:\n\nRevealed now as herself she ends her story."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Revealed now as herself she ends her story.\n\nPig went forward and said, one foot planted on the monster’s back, “Evil beast, You won’t be able to use your horse-killer poison this time.” The monster did not move, whereupon the idiot pounded her to mincemeat with his rake. The star lord gathered his golden light around him once more and rode away on his cloud. Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand all raised their clasped hands to Heaven in thanks.\n\n“We have put you to much trouble,” they said. “We shall go to your palace to thank you another day.”\n\nWhen the three of them had finished expressing their gratitude they bot the luggage and the horse ready and went into the cave, where the young and old serving girls were kneeling on either side saying, “My lords, we are not evil spirits but women from Western Liang who were carried off by the evil spirit. Your master is sitting in the scented room at the back crying.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this Monkey took a very careful look around, and seeing that there were indeed no more devilish vapors he went round to the back and called, “Master!” The Tang Priest was very pleased indeed to see them all there.\n\n“Good disciples,” he said, “I have put you to such a lot of trouble. What has happened to that woman?”\n\n“That damned female was really a scorpion,” said Pig. “Luckily the Bodhisattva Guanyin told us what to do. Brother Monkey went to the palaces of Heaven to ask the Star Lord of the Pleiades to come down and defeat the demon. I’ve beaten her to pulp. That’s why we dared to come right inside to see you, Master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Priest thanked them deeply. They then looked for some meat-free rice and noodles and laid on a meal for themselves that they ate. The kidnapped women were all taken down the mountain and shown the way back home. Then they lit a firebrand and burned down all the buildings there before helping the Tang Priest back on his horse and continuing along the main road West. Indeed:\n\nThey cut themselves off from worldly connections,\n\nTurning away from the lures of desire.\n\nBy pushing right back the ocean of gold,\n\nIn their minds and their hearts their awareness was higher.\n\nIf you don’t know how many years were to pass before they finally won their true achievement, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fifty-Six\n\nThe Spirit Goes Wild and Wipes Out the Bandits\n\nThe Way in Confusion Sends the Mind-Ape Away\n\nAs the poem goes,\n\nThe heart that is empty of all things is said to be pure,\n\nIn utter placidity not giving rise to a thought."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In utter placidity not giving rise to a thought.\n\nThe ape and the horse must be tethered, not left to run wild;\n\nThe spirit must always be cautious, not seeking for glory.\n\nWake up to Three Vehicles, wipe out the Six Bandits,\n\nAnd all human destinies then become clear.\n\nExtinguish the evil of sex and rise to enjoy\n\nThe pleasures of paradise that can be found in the West.\n\nThe story tells how Tang Sanzang bit on the bullet, straggled with all his powers to preserve the purity of his body and was rescued from the Pipa Cave when Monkey and the others killed the scorpion spirit. There is nothing to tell about the next stage of their journey, and it was soon summer again. What they saw was\n\nFragrant winds carrying the scent of wild orchids,\n\nNew bamboo cool as the skies clear after rain;\n\nNo travelers to pick artemisia on the hillside,\n\nAnd the fragrant flowers of cattails filling the streams.\n\nBees are bewitched by pomegranates’ beauty,\n\nWhile siskins delight in the willow trees’ shade."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "How can the wayfarers offer dumplings to Qu Yuan?\n\nDragon boats should be mourning his death in the river.\n\nMaster and disciples were just enjoying the early summer scenery as they spent the day of the Dragonboat Festival without being able to celebrate it when a high mountain rose in front of them to block their way forward. Sanzang reined in his horse and turned back to say, “Be careful, Wukong: I’m worried that there may be demons on that mountain ahead.”\n\n“Don’t worry, Master,” said Brother Monkey. “We are all faithful believers. I’m not scared of demons.” This reply pleased the venerable elder greatly, who\n\nWhipped on his noble charger,\n\nGave the dragon steed his head.\n\nBefore long they were above a rock-face on the mountain, and when they raised their heads to look around this is what they saw:\n\nCypress and pine that touch the azure heavens,\n\nCreepers climbing up hazels on the cliffs.\n\nA hundred thousand feet high,\n\nA thousand sheer-cut strata.\n\nA hundred thousand feet high are the towering pinnacles;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A thousand sheer-cut strata of the chasm’s sides.\n\nMosses and liverwort cover damp rocks,\n\nLocust and juniper form a great forest.\n\nDeep in the forest\n\nBirds are heard unseen,\n\nSinging their songs with beautiful voices.\n\nThe water in the brook is a torrent of jade;\n\nThe fallen blooms by the path are piles of gold.\n\nThe mountain is steep,\n\nThe going is hard,\n\nAnd hardly a pace is on level ground.\n\nFoxes and David’s deer come in twos;\n\nWhite stage and black gibbons greet one in pairs.\n\nThe bowl of the tiger fills one with terror;\n\nThe call of the crane resounds through the sky.\n\nPlum and red apricot provide one with food;\n\nNo names can be put to the many wild flowers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "No names can be put to the many wild flowers.\n\nAfter climbing the mountain slowly for a long time the four of them crossed the summit, and on the Western slopes they saw a stretch of level sunlit ground. Pig put on a great show of energy, telling Friar Sand to carry the luggage while he raised his rake in both hands and tried to drive the horse ahead. But the horse was not afraid of him and carried on at the same slow pace despite all the noises he made to speed it up.\n\n“Why are you trying to make the horse go faster, brother?” Monkey asked. “Let it walk slowly at its own speed.”\n\n“It’s getting late,” Pig replied, “and I’m hungry after that day on the mountain. We’d better get a move on and find a house to beg some food from.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case let me speed him up,” said Monkey waving his gold-banded cudgel and shouting, at which the horse slipped its halter and started to gallop along the track with the speed of an arrow. Do you wonder why the horse was afraid of Monkey but not of Pig? It was because five hundred years earlier Monkey had been given a post in the Imperial Stables in the Daluo Heaven as Protector of the Horses; the name has been passed on right till the present day, which is why all horses are still afraid of monkeys. The venerable elder could not keep hold of the reins: he simply held tight to the saddle and gave the horse its head as it galloped six or seven miles towards some farm land before slowing down to a walk."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As Sanzang was riding along he heard a gong being struck as over thirty men armed with spears, swords and staves emerged from both sides of the track to block his way and say, “Where do you think you’re going, monk?” This made the Tang Priest shake with fright so badly that he lost his seat and fell off the horse.\n\n“Spare my life, Your Majesty,” he pleaded as he squatted in the undergrowth by the path, “Spare my life.”\n\nThe two chiefs of the gang then said, “We’re not going to kill you. Just give us your money.” Only then did the venerable elder realize that they were bandits. As he raised his head to look at them this is what he saw:\n\nOne’s blue face and protruding fangs were worse than an evil god’s:\n\nThe other’s bulging eyes were like the Star of Death.\n\nThe red hair at their temples seemed ablaze;\n\nTheir brownish bristles were as sharp as needles.\n\nBoth wore berets of tiger skin.\n\nAnd kilts of marten fur.\n\nOne carried a cudgel with wolf-tooth spikes,\n\nThe other a rope of knotted rattan."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other a rope of knotted rattan.\n\nThey were no less terrible than mountain tigers,\n\nAnd just as frightening as dragons from the waters.\n\nOn seeing how murderous they looked Sanzang could only rise to his feet, put his hands together before his chest, and say, “Your Majesties, I have been sent by the Tang emperor in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. It has been many years since I left Chang’an and all my travelling money was finished long ago. We monks may only support ourselves by begging—we don’t have any money. I beg you, Your Majesties, to show charity and allow me to pass.” The two bandit chiefs led their men forward and said, “We here are tigers. The only reason we stop travelers on the main roads is to get rich. Charity doesn’t come into it. If you’ve got no money, take your clothes off and give us that white horse, then we’ll let you go on your way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Amitabha Buddha!” said Sanzang. “This habit of mine was begged piece by piece, a bit of cloth from one family and a needle from another. If you take it you will be killing me. If you act as tough guys in this life you’ll be reborn as animals in the next.”\n\nOne of the bandit chiefs was so infuriated by this remark that he started to wave his cudgel about and went up to Sanzang to strike him. Unable to speak, Sanzang could only think, “Poor man, you may think you’ve got a cudgel: wait till you find out about my disciple’s.” The bandit was in no mood for argument as he raised his cudgel and started to lay about Sanzang. Sanzang, who in all his life had never told a lie, in this desperate crisis had to make one up now: “Don’t hit me, Your Majesties. I have a young disciple following behind me who’ll be here soon. He has several ounces of silver that he’ll give to you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t hurt the monk,” said one of the bandit chiefs. “Tie him up.” The crowd of bandits then fell upon him, roped him up, and suspended him high from a tree.\n\nThe three disaster-bringing spirits were still following behind. Pig was chuckling aloud as he said, “The master’s been going very fast. I don’t know where he’s waiting for us.” Then he saw Sanzang in the tree and said, “Just look at the master, He could have just waited if he’d wanted to, but he was in such high spirits he had to climb a tree and make a swing out of creepers.”\n\n“Stop talking nonsense,” said Monkey when he saw what had happened. “The master’s been hung up there, hasn’t he? You two wait for a moment while I go up and look around.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage then rushed up the slope to look around and saw the bandits. “I’m in luck,” he thought with glee, “I’m in luck. Business has brought itself to my front door.” With that he turned round, shook himself, and turned into a trim little novice of only sixteen wearing a black habit and carrying a bundle wrapped in blue cotton cloth on his shoulder. Then he stepped out until he was by the master and called, “Master, what’s been happening? Who are these wicked people?”\n\n“Rescue me, disciple,” said Sanzang, “and stop asking so many questions.”\n\n“What’s it all about?” Monkey asked.\n\n“These highwaymen blocked my way and demanded money,” Sanzang replied. “As I don’t have any they hung me up here. I’m waiting for you to work something out. If you can’t you’ll just have to give them the horse.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re hopeless, Master,” laughed Monkey. “Of all the monks in the world there can be few as soft as you. When the Tang Emperor Taizong sent you to worship the Buddha in the Western Heaven he never told you to give that dragon horse away.”\n\n“Whatever was I to do when they hung me up here and were hitting me as they demanded things?” said Sanzang.\n\n“What did you say to them?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I was so desperate when they beat me that I had no choice: I had to tell them about you,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“Master,” said Monkey, “you’re useless. Why ever did you squeal on me?”\n\n“I told them that you were carrying some money,” said Sanzang. “I only did it in desperation to stop them beating me.”\n\n“Great,” said Brother Monkey, “great. Thanks for the recommendation. That just how to squeal on me. You can do that seventy or eighty times a month if you like, and I’ll do more business than ever.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the bandits saw Monkey talking to his master they spread out to surround them and said, “Little monk, get out the money your master told us you’re carrying inside your belt and we’ll spare your life. But if you even try to say no, you’re dead.”\n\n“Don’t shout, gentlemen,” said Monkey, putting his bundle down. “I’ve got some money in here, but not much—only twenty horseshoe ingots of gold and twenty or thirty ingots of frosted silver, not counting the smaller pieces. If you want it I’ll get the whole packet out as long as you don’t hit my master. As the ancient book has it, ‘Virtue is the root, and wealth is only the tip of the branch’. This is just the tip of the branch. We men of religion can always find a place to beg. When we meet a benefactor who feeds monks there’ll be plenty of money and clothes for us. We don’t need much at all. As soon as you’ve let my master down I’ll give you it all.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the bandits heard this they were delighted, and they all said, “The old monk is stingy, but this little monk is very generous. Let him down.” Now that his life had been spared the venerable elder leapt on the horse and galloped back the way he had come, making good use of the whip and not giving Monkey another thought.\n\n“You’ve gone the wrong way,” Monkey called out in alarm, then picked up his bundle and started to run after him, only to find his way blocked by the bandits.\n\n“Where do you think you’re going?” they asked. “Give us your money or we’ll have to torture you.”\n\n“Now we’re on that subject,” said Monkey, “we’ll have to split the money three ways.”\n\n“You’re a bit of a rascal, aren’t you, little monk?” said one of the bandit chiefs. “You want to keep something without letting your master know. All right then. Bring it all out and we’ll have a look at it. If there’s a lot we’ll let you keep a bit to buy fruit with on the side.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s not what I mean at all, brother,” said Monkey. “I haven’t got any money. What I mean is that you’ve got to give me a cut of the gold and silver you two have stolen from other people.”\n\nThis infuriated the bandit chief, who shouted abusively, “You’re asking for it, little monk. Wanting ours instead of giving us yours! Stay where you are and take this.” He lifted his knotted rattan cane and brought it down on Monkey’s head six or seven times.\n\nMonkey pretended not to notice, and his face was wreathed in smiles as he said, “Brother, if you can only hit me like that you could still be hitting me at the end of next spring and you wouldn’t really have hit me at all.”\n\n“You have a very hard head,” exclaimed the shocked bandit.\n\n“No, no, you overpraise me: I just get by with it,” Monkey replied. With that the discussion was cut short as two or three of the bandits rushed at Monkey and started lashing out at him.\n\n“Keep your tempers, gentlemen,” said Monkey, “while I get it out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage then felt in his ear and pulled out an embroidery needle. “Gentlemen,” he said, “we monks really don’t carry money with us. All I can give you is this needle.”\n\n“What lousy luck,” said one of the bandits. “We’ve let the rich monk go and kept this bald donkey who’s not got a penny to his name. I suppose you do tailoring. A needle’s no use to us.” On hearing that they did not want it Monkey held the needle in his hand, waved it, and turned it into a cudgel as thick as a rice bowl.\n\n“Young you may be, little monk,” said the terrified bandits, “but you certainly have some magical powers.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then thrust the cudgel into the ground and said, “If any of you gentlemen can move it it’s yours.” The two bandit chiefs rushed up to grab it, but they could no more move it than a dragonfly can move a stone pillar: it did not shift a fraction of an inch. How could those bandits have known that the gold-banded As-You-Will cudgel had been weighed on the scales of Heaven at 13,500 pounds? Then Monkey stepped forward, lifted it effortlessly, spun it in a writhing python movement, pointed it at the robbers and said, “You’re all out of luck: you’ve met Monkey.”\n\nThe bandit chief rushed at him again and hit him another fifty or sixty times. “Your hands must be getting tired,” said Monkey. “Let me hit you one now, but don’t think this is the real thing.” Watch him as he swings his cudgel, shakes it, and makes it as thick as the top of a well and seventy or eighty feet long. A single blow of it struck one bandit chief to the ground. He bit the dust and said no more."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re pretty cheek there, baldy,” said the other bandit chief abusively. “You’ve got no money, and now you’ve killed one of us.”\n\n“Just a moment,” said Monkey with a smile. “I’m going to kill every one of you and wipe you all out.” With another swing of his cudgel he killed the other bandit chief, at which all their men threw down their spears and clubs and scattered in terror, fleeing for their lives.\n\nThe Tang Priest galloped Eastwards until Pig and Friar Sand stopped him and asked, “Where are you going, Master? This is the wrong way.”\n\n“Disciples,” said Sanzang, reining in his horse, “go back and tell your brother to be merciful with that cudgel of his and not kill all the bandits.”\n\n“Stop here, Master,” said Pig. “I’ll go.” The idiot ran straight back along the path, shouting at the top of his voice, “Brother, the master says you’re not to kill them.”\n\n“Have I killed anyone?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Have I killed anyone?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Where have the bandits all gone?” said Pig. “They’ve all run away apart from the two chiefs. They’re asleep here.”\n\n“You pox-ridden pair,” said Pig, addressing them, “no doubt you had a hard night of it and were so exhausted that you had to choose this of all places to sleep.” Walking closer to them he went on, “You’re like me: you sleep with your mouths open and dribble.”\n\n“It’s because I smashed the beancurd out of them with my cudgel,” said Monkey.\n\n“But people don’t have beancurd in their heads,” said Pig.\n\n“I beat their brains out,” said Monkey.\n\nThe moment he heard Monkey say that the idiot turned and rushed straight back to say to the Tang Priest, “He’s scattered them.”\n\n“Splendid, splendid,” said Sanzang. “Which way did they go?”\n\n“He hit them so hard he laid them out,” Pig replied. “They can’t go anywhere.”\n\n“Then what do you mean by scattering them?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“He killed them,” Pig replied. “If that isn’t scattering their band, what else is it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How did he hit them?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“He hit two big holes in their heads,” said Pig.\n\n“Open the bundle,” said Sanzang, “Take out a few coins, and buy some ointment somewhere to put on their wounds.”\n\n“You’re not being at all sensible, Master,” said Pig. “There’s only any point in putting ointment on the wounds of people who are still alive. Why put it on gaping holes in people who are already dead?”\n\n“Has he really killed them?” said Sanzang, losing his temper and beginning to mutter abusive remarks about monkeys and macaques as he turned the horse round and rode back with Friar Sand and Pig to where the dead men lay covered with gore, their heads pointing down the mountainside.\n\nThe sight was too much for the venerable elder. “Dig a grave for them with your rake and bury them,” he told Pig, “while I say the Burial Sutra for them.”\n\n“You’re giving the job to the wrong man, Master,” complained Pig. “Monkey killed them, so Monkey ought to bury them. Why make me do the digging?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Brother Monkey, who was already in a very bad mood after being told off by the master, shouted at Pig, “Hooligan! Moron! Bury them at once. I’ll hit you if you waste any more time.” This so alarmed the idiot that he started digging with his rake. When he was three feet down he came to a layer of stones that the prongs of his rake could not shift, so he threw the rake aside and rooted about with his snout. In the softer earth he could get two and a half feet down with one push and five feet with two. He then buried the two bodies and piled up a tombmound above them.\n\n“Wukong,” said Sanzang, “fetch some incense and candles so that I can pray for them and recite sutras.”\n\n“You understand nothing,” Monkey retorted, pouting. “We’re in the middle of the mountains with no village or inn for miles around. Where do you expect me to get candles and incense? There’s nowhere I could buy them even if I had the money.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Out of my way, ape,” said Sanzang with fury, “I am going to scatter earth on the tomb, burn incense and pray.”\n\nSanzang dismounted sadly by the tomb in the wild;\n\nThe holy monk prayed by the desolate grave.\n\nThese were the words of his invocation:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I bow to you tough guys and ask you to hear my prayer. I am from the land of Tang in the East. At the command of Emperor Taizong I was going to the West to fetch the scriptures when I met you gentlemen here. I do not know what province, prefecture and county you came from to form your band in the mountains here. I spoke to you kindly and pleaded earnestly, but you paid no heed as you repaid good with wrath. Then you encountered Sun the Novice, who killed you with his cudgel. Out of consideration for your bodies left lying in the open I had them buried and a mound piled over them. I broke off some bamboo to serve instead of incense and candles; although they give no light, they come from a sincere heart. Only stones can I offer in place of food: they have no flavor, but they are given in honest faith. When you reach the Underworld to lodge your complaint and look for the roots of your misfortune, remember that his surname is Sun and mine is Chen: they are different. Know who it was who wronged you, just as"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Know who it was who wronged you, just as you would know a debtor, and do not bring a case against the monk who is going to fetch the scriptures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve shuffled off all the blame,” said Pig with a laugh. “We two weren’t there either when Monkey killed them.”\n\nSanzang then picked up another pinch of earth and prayed again. “Tough guys, when you bring your case you must only indict Sun the Novice. It was nothing to do with Pig or Friar Sand.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he could not help laughing as he replied, “Master, you’ve got no finer feelings at all. Goodness knows what efforts I’ve been to so that you can fetch your scriptures, but now that I’ve killed those two bandits you tell them to go and bring a case against me. It’s true that I did kill them, but it was only for you. If you hadn’t set out to fetch the scriptures and I hadn’t become your disciple I’d never have come here and killed them. I’m damned if I don’t invoke them, too.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He took his iron cudgel, pounded the grave three times, and said, “Listen to me, pox-ridden bandits. You hit me seven or eight times, then seven or eight times again; you didn’t hurt me or even tickle me at all, but you did make me lose my temper. One misunderstanding led to another and I killed you. You can bring a case against me wherever you like—I’m not scared. The Jade Emperor knows me. The Heavenly Kings do as I say.\n\nThe Twenty-eight Constellations are afraid of me. The Nine Bright Shiners, the star lords, are scared of me. The city gods of counties and prefectures kneel to me; the God of the Eastern Peak Who Is Equal to Heaven is terrified of me. The Ten Kings of the Underworld used to be my servants. The Five Fierce Gods were once my juniors. The five Commanders of the Three Worlds and the Officers of the Ten Directions are all my very good friends. So go and bring your case wherever you like.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing Monkey speak in this most unpleasant way was another shock for Sanzang. “Disciple,” he said, “my prayer was only intended to teach you to spare life and become good and kind. Why do you have to take this all so seriously?”\n\n“This is not something to fool around with, Master,” Monkey replied. “We must find somewhere for the night as soon as we can.” The master had no choice but to hold in his anger and remount.\n\nWith the Great Sage Sun feeling disgruntled and Pig and Friar Sand also suffering from jealousy, master and disciples were only getting on together on the surface: underneath there was hostility. As they carried along their road Westwards a farmhouse came into sight to the North of the track. Pointing at it with the whip Sanzang told them that this was the place where they would find somewhere to spend the night.\n\n“Very well,” said Pig, and they went up to the farm to look at it. It was a fine sight:\n\nWild flowers on the paths,\n\nTrees shading the doorways."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Trees shading the doorways.\n\nA mountain stream fell down a distant cliff;\n\nWheat and mallows grew in the fields.\n\nThe reeds moistened by dew were beds for the gulls;\n\nPoplars in the wind were perches for weary birds.\n\nAmong blue cypress the pine’s green was a rival;\n\nRed rush competed with knotweed in fragrance.\n\nVillage dogs barked,\n\nThe cocks crowed at dusk,\n\nWell-fed cattle and sheep were led back by boys.\n\nUnder clouds of smoke from the stoves the millet was cooked;\n\nNow it was evening in the hill farm.\n\nAs the venerable elder went closer an old man came out through the gateway of the farm, noticed Sanzang, and greeted him. “Where have you come from, monk?” he asked, to which Sanzang replied, “I have been sent from the Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. As I am passing this way and it is getting late I have come to beg a night’s lodging from you, benefactor.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It is a very long way indeed from your distinguished country to here,” the old man replied with a smile, “so how did you manage to cross so many rivers and climb so many mountains to get here by yourself?”\n\n“I have three disciples who have come with me,” Sanzang said. “Where are they?” the old man asked. “There they are, standing by the road,” said Sanzang.\n\nThe old man looked up and was so appalled by their hideous faces that on the instant he turned to run back inside, only to be held back by Sanzang, who said, “Benefactor, I beg you in your mercy to let us spend the night here.”\n\nThe old man was shivering, barely able to open his mouth, shaking his head and waving his arms around as he said, “Th…th… th…they’re not human. They’re e…e…evil spirits.”\n\n“Don’t be afraid, benefactor,” said Sanzang, putting on a smile. “They just grew ugly. They’re not evil spirits.”\n\n“But my lord,” said the old man, “one’s raksha demon, one’s a horse-faced devil, and one’s a thunder god.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this last remark he shouted at the top of his voice, “The thunder gods are my grandsons, the rakshas are my great-grandsons, and the horse-faced devils are my great-great-grandsons.”\n\nThis sent the old man’s souls flying as he paled and wanted to go in. Sanzang held him up as they went into the thatched main room of the house, and said with a forced smile, “Don’t be afraid of him. They are all rough like that. They don’t know how to speak properly.”\n\nAs he was making his explanations a woman came out from the back holding a child of four or five by the hand. “What has given you such a fright, sir?” she asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Bring some tea, wife,” he said, and the woman let go of the child’s hand and fetched two cups of tea from the inside. When the tea had been drunk Sanzang stepped down from his seat to greet her and explain, “I have been sent by Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. I had just arrived here and was asking for a night’s lodging in your distinguished mansion when the sight of my three disciples’ ugly faces gave the old gentleman rather a fright.”\n\n“If the sight of ugly faces gives you such a scare how would you cope if you saw a tiger or a wolf?” the woman said.\n\n“Their ugliness I could take, wife,” the old man replied. “What terrified me was the way they spoke. When I said they were like a raksha, a horse-faced devil and a thunder god one of them shouted that thunder gods were his grandsons, rakshas his great-grandsons, and horse-faced devils his great-great-grandsons. That was what really terrified me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No need to be frightened,” said Sanzang, “no need. The one like a thunder god is my senior disciple Sun Wukong. The one like a horse-faced devil is my second disciple Zhu Wuneng, or Pig. And the one like a raksha is my third disciple Sha Wujing, or Friar Sand. Although they are ugly they are all faithful Buddhists who believe in the true achievement. They are not evil monsters or vicious demons. They are nothing to be afraid of.”\n\nWhen the old man and his wife heard who Sanzang was and were told that the disciples were all devout Buddhists their nerves were finally somewhat calmed, and they told Sanzang to invite them in. The venerable elder went to the door to call them over, then told them, “The old gentleman was really appalled by the sight of you just now. When you go in to see him now you must all be on your best behavior and be very polite to him.”\n\n“I’m handsome and cultured,” said Pig, “not rough and noisy like my brothers,”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If it weren’t for your long snout, big ears and ugly face you’d be a very good-looking man,” laughed Monkey.\n\n“Stop quarrelling,” said Friar Sand. “This is hardly the place for a beauty contest. Get inside!”\n\nWith that they carried the luggage and led the horse in, entered the main room, made a respectful call of greeting, and sat down. The good and able wife took the child out and gave orders for rice to be cooked and a vegetarian meal prepared. When master and disciples had eaten it the night was drawing in, so a lamp was fetched and they sat talking in the main room. Only then did Sanzang ask his host’s surname.\n\n“Yang,” the old man replied, and on being asked his age said he was seventy-three.\n\n“How many sons do you have?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Only one,” the old man replied. “It was my grandson that my wife brought in just now.”\n\n“Won’t you ask your son in? I would like to greet him,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s not worth your courtesy, the wretch,” the old man replied. “I was fated to raise a worthless son, and he isn’t at home now.”\n\n“Where does he make his living?” Sanzang asked.\n\nThe old man nodded and sighed as he replied, “It’s sad story. I would be very happy if he were willing to make an honest living, but his mind is set on evil and he won’t work at farming. All he wants to do is to rob houses, hold up travelers, burn and kill. His cronies are all worse than foxes and dogs. He went away five days ago and he hasn’t come back.”\n\nSanzang did not dare to breathe a word when he heard this, but he thought, “Perhaps he was one of the ones Wukong killed.” Feeling very uneasy, he bowed as he sat there. “Oh dear,” he said, “oh dear. How could such good parents have so wicked a son?”\n\nMonkey went up to the old man and said, “What do you want a rotten son like that for? He’s a murderer and a rapist, and he’ll get both of you into trouble too. Let me find him and kill him for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I wish I could be rid of him,” said the old man, “but if I did I have no other son. Evil though he is I’ll need him to bury me.”\n\n“Stop meddling in things that are none of your business, brother,” said Friar Sand and Pig. “We’re not the government. What’s it to us if his son’s a bad lot? Benefactor, could you give us a bundle of straw to spread out and sleep on over there? We’ll be on our way tomorrow morning.” The old man rose to his feet and sent Friar Sand to take two bundles of rice straw to the yard at the back, where they were to spend the night in a thatched shed. Monkey led the horse and Pig carried the luggage as they took their master to the shed and\n\nslept the night there, where we shall leave them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now old Mr. Yang’s son was indeed one of the bandits who had fled for their lives after Monkey killed their two chiefs on the mountainside the previous morning. Late that night, in the small hours, a group of them gathered together again and knocked at the front gate. Hearing the noise the old man pulled some clothes over his shoulders and said, “Wife, those damned bandits are here.”\n\n“Then open the gate and let them in,” she replied. Only then did he open up, and what he saw was a crowd of bandits shouting, “We’re starving, we’re staving.” Old Mr. Yang’s son rushed in, and made his wife get up to cook some rice. As there was no firewood in the kitchen he went into the yard to fetch some.\n\nBack in the kitchen he asked his wife, “Where did the white horse in the yard come from?”\n\n“There are some monks from the East who are going to get scriptures,” she replied. “They asked to stay here last night. Your parents treated them to supper and put them up in the thatched shed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The news made the bandit clap his hands with glee as he came out of the hall saying, “What a piece of luck, brothers, what a piece of luck. Our enemies are right here in my own home.”\n\n“What enemies?” the others all asked.\n\n:The monks who killed our chiefs came here for the night,” he replied, “and they’re asleep in the shed.”\n\n“Lovely,” said the other bandits. “Let’s get those bald-headed donkeys. We can chop them all up and pickle them in soy sauce. We’ll have their things and their horse and be avenging the chiefs into the bargain.”\n\n“Take it easy,” said Yang the bandit. “You lot go and sharpen your swords while we cook the rice. Let’s all have a good feed before we do them in.” Whereupon the bandits sharpened their swords and their spears."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man had heard all this, so he crept stealthily round to the back to tell the Tang Priest and his disciples, “That evil son of mine has brought the gang here. They know you’re here and they want to murder you. Knowing how far you’ve come I couldn’t bear to see you murdered, so please pack your bags as fast as you can. I’ll let you out through the back gate.”\n\nSanzang, now shivering with fright, kowtowed to the old man in thanks then told Pig to lead the horse while Friar Sand shouldered the carrying pole and Monkey took the nine-ringed monastic staff. The old man opened the back gate to let them out then made his way quietly back to the front to go to bed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By the time the bandits had sharpened their weapons and eaten a good meal it was the fifth watch and almost dawn. They crowded into the backyard to find their intended victims gone. Quickly lighting lamps and fires they made a long search but could find no traces of them anywhere except that the back gate was open. “They’ve got away out the back,” they all exclaimed. “After them! Catch them!”\n\nThey all rushed along as fast as arrows, and when the sun rose in the East they finally saw Sanzang, who looked back when he heard shouts and saw a crowd of twenty or thirty men armed with spears and swords coming after him.\n\n“Disciples,” he called, “the bandits have caught up with us. Whatever shall we do?”\n\n“Don’t worry,” said Monkey. “I’ll finish them off.”\n\n“Wukong,” said Sanzang, reining in his horse, “you’re not to hurt them. Just scare them off.”\n\nNot a blind bit of notice did Monkey take of this as he swung his cudgel and turned to face them. “Where do you gentlemen think you’re going?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Bloody baldies,” they shouted back abusively, ringing Monkey in a circle, “give us back our chiefs.” When they started thrusting and hacking at him with their spears and swords the Great Sage whirled his cudgel once around, made it as thick as a ricebowl, and scattered the lot of them. Those who took the full impact of it were killed outright; glancing blows broke bones, and even a touch left an open wound. A few of the nimbler ones managed a getaway, but the slower ones all had to pay their respects to King Yama in the Underworld.\n\nAt the sight of so many people being struck down a panic-stricken Sanzang made his horse gallop West as fast as it could, with Pig and Friar Sand rushing along beside. “Which of you is old Yang’s boy?” Monkey asked the wounded bandits who were still alive.\n\n“The one in yellow, my lord,” they groaned."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The one in yellow, my lord,” they groaned.\n\nMonkey went over, took his sword from him, and sliced off his head. Holding the gory head in his hand he put his cudgel away and caught up with the Tang Priest by cloud. “Master,” he said, waving the head in front of the horse, “here’s the head of old Yang’s wicked son.”\n\nSanzang, pale with horror, fell out of the saddle. “Evil macaque,” he said, “you will be the death of me, terrifying me like that. Take it away at once.” Pig kicked the head to the side of the path and buried it with his rake.\n\n“Do get up, Master,” said Friar Sand, putting down the carrying pole and supporting the Tang Priest. Pulling himself together as he sat there on the ground the venerable elder started to recite the Band-tightening Spell. Monkey’s skull was squeezed so tight that his face and ears turned bright red, his eyes bulged and his head ached. “Stop! Stop!” he pleaded, rolling around in agony, but even when Sanzang had said it a dozen times or more he still carried on."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his unbearable agony Monkey turned somersaults and stood on his head, screaming, “Forgive me, Master. Say what you have to say. Stop, stop!” Only then did Sanzang stop reciting the spell.\n\n“I’ve nothing to say to you,” he replied. “I don’t want you with me any more. Go back.” Kowtowing despite his pain, Monkey asked, “Master, why are you sending me away?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wicked ape,” said Sanzang, “you’re too much of a murderer to fetch scriptures. I gave it to you yesterday for your cruelty in killing the two bandit chiefs on the mountainside. When we reached the old gentleman’s house late yesterday evening he gave us a meal and a night’s lodging, and we only got away with our lives because he helped us to escape through the back gate. Even though his son was a bad lot that was none of our business, and it was wrong of you to cut off his head, to say nothing of all the other lives you destroyed. Goodness knows how much you have damaged the harmony of heaven and earth. Despite my repeated advice there is not a shred of goodness in you. I do not need yon at all. Clear off at once if you don’t want me to say the spell again.”\n\n“Don’t say it, don’t say it,” pleaded Monkey in terror, “I’m going.” No sooner had the words left his mouth than he disappeared without a trace on his somersault cloud. Alas!\n\nWhen the mind is full of murder,\n\nCinnabar cannot be treated."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Cinnabar cannot be treated.\n\nIf the spirit is in disorder,\n\nThe Way stays uncompleted.\n\nIf you don’t know where the Great Sage had gone listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fifty-Seven\n\nThe True Sun Wukong Makes His Complaint at Potaraka\n\nThe False Monkey King Copies a Document in the Water Curtain Cave\n\nAngry and depressed, the Great Sage Sun rose up into the air. There were many places he would have liked to go to but could not. In the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit he was afraid of being teased for coming back so soon after he had gone, not like a real man. He did not think he would be allowed to stay long in the palaces of Heaven; he could not face the immortals in the three magic islands in the sea; and he could not bring himself to beg for the help of the dragon king in his dragon palace. He had nobody to turn to.\n\n“There’s nothing for it,” he thought bitterly. “I’ll just have to go back to the master and pursue the true achievement.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He then brought his cloud straight down to stand in front of the Tang Priest’s horse and say, “Please forgive me this time, Master. I’ll never commit another murder, and I’ll do every thing you tell me. You must, must let me escort you to the Western Heaven.” The moment the Tang Priest saw him he reined in the horse. His only reply was to start reciting the Band-tightening Spell, which he did over and over again more than twenty times, not stopping until Monkey lay weeping on the ground, the band sunk a good inch into his head.\n\n“Why haven’t you gone back? Why are you still bothering me?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Don’t say it again,” said Monkey, “don’t! I’ve got places I can live, but I’m afraid you’ll never reach the Western Heaven without me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You are a brutal murderer, you macaque,” Sanzang angrily burst out. “You have got me into a lot of trouble on your account. I want nothing more to do with you. Whether I get there or not is nothing to do with you. Go at once. One more moment’s delay and I’ll say the spell again, and I won’t stop till your brains have all been squeezed out.” In unbearable pain, and seeing that the master would not change his mind, Monkey had no choice. Once again he shot up into the air on his somersault cloud, and this time he had a sudden inspiration.\n\n“That monk has let me down,” he thought. “I’m off to Potaraka to lodge a complaint with the Bodhisattva Guanyin.”\n\nThe splendid Monkey set off once more on his somersault cloud and in less than two hours he was at the Southern Ocean. He stopped his auspicious cloud and then straight to Potaraka.\n\nSun Wukong charged in to the Purple Bamboo Grove where Moksa the Novice appeared to greet him politely and ask, “Where are you going, Great Sage?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I would like to see the Bodhisattva,” he replied. Moksa then led him to the mouth of the Tide Cave, where the page Sudhana bowed and asked, “Why are you here, Great, Sage?”\n\n“I want to lay a complaint before the Bodhisattva,” Monkey replied.\n\nAt the word “complaint” Sudhana said with a smile, “What an evil tongue you have, you ape. It’s just like when you tricked me after I caught the Tang Priest. Our Bodhisattva is an infinitely holy and good Bodhisattva who in her great mercy and compassion has made a vow to use the Great Vehicle to save all suffering beings. What could she have done wrong for you to complain about?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this Monkey, who was already in thoroughly bad spirits, exploded with fury. He gave a shout that made Sudhana fall back: “Ungrateful little beast! Stupid fool! You used to be a monster-spirit till I asked the Bodhisattva to win you over and convert you. Now you’re living in eternal bliss and freedom, and you’ll go on doing so as long as the heavens last. You ought to be bowing low to thank me instead of being so thoroughly insulting. I come here with a complaint to lay before the Bodhisattva, and you accuse me of having an evil tongue and complaining about her.”\n\n“I see you’re as hot-tempered a monkey as ever,” said Sudhana. “I was only teasing: no need to turn nasty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were talking the white parrot came and flew around them, which they recognized as a summons from the Bodhisattva. Moksa and Sudhana then led Monkey in to her lotus throne, where he kowtowed to her, howling aloud as the tears streamed down his cheeks. Telling Moksa and Sudhana to help Monkey to his feet, the Bodhisattva said, “Wukong, tell me straight out what it is that is upsetting you so. Don’t cry: I shall deliver you from your troubles.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve never been treated this badly in the whole of my life,” said a tearful Monkey, continuing to kowtow to her. “Ever since you saved me from the disaster sent by Heaven I’ve been a faithful Buddhist and protected the Tang Priest on his way to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. I’ve risked my skin to rescue him from demons, even though it’s been like taking crunchy bones out of a tiger’s mouth, or lifting the scales on a dragon’s back. I’ve been trying so hard to win a true reward and wipe out my past sins. I never thought that the master would be so ungrateful that he’d ruin my chances of a good destiny because he couldn’t tell right from wrong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Explain what you mean by not telling right from wrong,” said the Bodhisattva, and Monkey told her all the details of how the bandits had been killed, and of how in his anger at so much slaughter the Tang Priest had said the Band-tightening Spell many times over without going into the rights and wrongs of the case then repeatedly sent him away. He said he had come to her because he had no way of getting up to heaven or into the earth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Tang Priest is travelling West on his emperor’s orders,” said the Bodhisattva, “and would not allow anyone to be killed for no good reason. He is a monk whose heart is set on kindness. Why did someone of your tremendous powers need to bother with killing so many small-time bandits? Bandits like that are bad, but they’re human and it’s wrong to kill them. It’s not the same as with evil beasts, demons and spirits. Killing them is a good deed. Killing those men was cruel. You could have saved your master by just making them run away. In my impartial judgement it was wicked of you to kill them.”\n\n“Even if I was wicked,” said Monkey, “I ought to be allowed to redeem it by doing good. He was wrong to sent me away like that. I beg you in your mercy, Bodhisattva, say the Band-loosening Spell and take it off. I’ll give the band back to you and go and live in the Water Curtain Cave.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Tathagata Buddha taught me the Band-tightening Spell,” the Bodhisattva replied. “He gave me three treasures when I was sent to the East to find a pilgrim to fetch the scriptures: the brocade cassock, the nine-ringed monastic staff, and the three bands. He taught me the three secret spells, but a band-loosening spell was not one of them.”\n\n“In that case, Bodhisattva, I must say good-bye,” Monkey replied. “Where will you go?” the Bodhisattva asked. “I’ll go to the Western Heaven to pay my respects to the Tathagata and ask him to teach me the Band-loosening Spell.” Monkey replied. “Wait a moment while I find out for you whether the prospects are good.”\n\n“No need,” said Monkey. “Things are quite bad enough as they are already.”\n\n“I’m not finding out about yours but about the Tang Priest’s,” the Bodhisattva replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Bodhisattva then took her seat on her lotus throne and sent her heart roaming through the three worlds while her perceptive eyes traveled all over the universe. Within the instant she spoke: “Wukong, your master is just about to be wounded, and he will soon be coming to look for you. Wait here while I go to see the Tang Priest and tell him to continue taking you with him to fetch the scriptures and achieve the true reward.” The Great Sage could only agree and control his impatience as he stood at the foot of the lotus throne.\n\nThe story returns to the Tang Priest, who since sending Monkey away had done some fifteen more miles to the West with Pig leading the horse and Friar Sand carrying the luggage. “Disciples,” he said, reining in the horse, “I’m extremely hungry and thirsty. I’ve been going for many hours since we left that cottage before dawn and I’ve been thoroughly upset by that Protector of the Horses. Which of you is going to beg me some food?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Down you get, Master,” said Pig, “while I look round here for a village to beg some food in.” At this Sanzang dismounted, while the idiot went up into the air on a cloud and took a good look all around. All he could see were mountains: there was no hope of spotting a human house. Bringing the cloud back down Pig said to Sanzang, “There’s nowhere to beg from here. I couldn’t see a single farm when I looked around.”\n\n“In that case,” said Sanzang, “fetch us some water to quench our thirst.”\n\n“I’ll get some from the stream on that mountain to the South,” said Pig, and Friar Sand handed him the begging bowl. While Pig carried it off on his cloud the master sat and waited beside the path for a very long time, getting more and more unbearably thirsty, and there was no sign of Pig. There is a poem to prove it that goes,\n\nPreserve the true spirit and nourish the breath, for this is called essence.\n\nFeeling and nature originally shared the same form.\n\nWhen spirit and heart are disordered all illness arises;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If essence and form both decline the primal will crash.\n\nWithout the three contemplations all effort is wasted;\n\nShould the four elements be too wretched there’s no point in contending.\n\nWithout earth and wood there can be no more metal or water;\n\nHow can the dharma body be won through idleness?\n\nSeeing his master in agony from thirst as Pig was not back with the water, Friar Sand put the luggage down, tethered the white horse, and said, “Master, make yourself comfortable. I’m going to hurry him up with that water.” Sanzang, too tearful to speak, nodded his head in agreement, whereupon Friar Sand headed by cloud for the mountain to the South.\n\nSanzang was left by himself to endure his excruciating pain. In his deep misery he was alarmed by a noise that made him sit up and look. It was Monkey kneeling by the side of the path holding a porcelain cup and saying, “Without me you can’t even have water to drink, Master. Drink this cup of lovely cold water while I go to beg you some food.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I won’t drink water you give me,” said Sanzang. “I’d rather die of thirst right here. I want no more of you. Go away.”\n\n“But you’ll never get to the Western Heaven without me,” said Monkey. “Whether I get there or not is none of your business,” the Tang Priest replied. “Wicked ape! Why do you keep pestering me?” At that Monkey turned angry and started shouting abusively, “You’ve been lousy to me, you cruel, vicious old baldy.” With that he threw the bowl aside and swung his cudgel, hitting Sanzang on his back. Sanzang fell to the ground, barely conscious and unable to speak, as Monkey took the two bundles wrapped in blue felt in his arms and disappeared without trace on a somersault cloud."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As Pig was hurrying to the mountain to the South with the bowl in his hand he noticed a thatched cottage in a hollow. He had not spotted it when first he looked because it had been hidden in a fold of the mountain. Realizing that it was a house now he was close to the idiot thought, “If I show them my ugly mug they’ll be so scared they won’t possibly give me any food. It’d all be wasted effort. I’d better turn into something a bit better-looking.”\n\nThe splendid idiot then made a spell with his hands, said the magic words, shook himself seven or eight times, and turned himself into a consumptive monk with a fat, sallow face who was mumbling something as he went up to the door and called out, “Benefactor, have you any leftover rice in the kitchen for starving travelers? I’m from the East and I’m on my way to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven. My master is back at the road, hungry and thirsty. If you have any left-over rice stuck to the bottom of your pan I beg you to give me some to save our lives.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As it happened the men of the house were all out transplanting rice and sowing millet, and the only people in were two women who had just cooked the rice for the midday meal and had filled two platters with it that they were preparing to take to the fields. There was some rice left at the bottom of the pan. Seeing how sickly he looked they took what he said about going from the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven as delirious ravings. Afraid he might collapse and die in the doorway, they made a great to-do as they filled his bowl with rice from the bottom of the pan. The idiot took it from them, reverted to his true form, and went back the way he had come.\n\nAs he was going along he heard a shout of “Pig!” and looked up to see Friar Sand standing on the top of a precipice yelling, “Over here, over here.” Friar Sand came down and walked straight towards him, asking, “Why didn’t you take some of the fresh water from this stream? Why did you go over there?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“After I got here I saw a cottage in a hollow, so I went and begged this bowlful of rice.”\n\n“We could certainly use it,” said Friar Sand, “but the master is terribly thirsty, so how are we going to carry some water back?”\n\n“That’s easy,” said Pig. “Carry this rice in the fold of your habit while I go and fetch some water in this bowl.”\n\nThe two of them were feeling very cheerful as they went back to the path, only to find Sanzang lying face downwards in the dirt. The white horse had slipped its bridle and was running to and fro beside the path, whinnying. There was not a sigh of the baggage. Pig stumbled and beat his breast with horror, “Don’t tell me,” he shouted, “don’t tell me. The survivors of the gang Monkey drove away have come back, killed the master and stolen the baggage.”\n\n“Tether the horse,” said Friar Sand. “Whatever shall we do? We’ve failed halfway along our journey. Master!” Tears poured down his face as he sobbed bitterly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t cry, brother,” said Pig. “As this is what’s happened we’ll just have to forget about fetching the scriptures. You look after the master’s body. I’ll take the horse till I get to some town, village, market or inn where I can sell it for a few ounces of silver to buy a coffin to bury him in. Then we’ll split up and go our separate ways.”\n\nFriar Sand, unable to bear the loss of his master, turned the body over to warm the face with his own. “Poor, poor master,” he cried, then noticed hot breath coming from his master’s nose and felt warmth in his chest. “Come here, Pig,” he shouted, “the master’s still alive.” Pig came over and helped Sanzang to sit up.\n\nAs Sanzang came to he groaned and said bitterly, “That evil macaque tried to murder me.”\n\n“What macaque?” the other two asked. The venerable elder sighed and said nothing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only when he had asked for and drunk a few mouthfuls of water did he reply, “As soon as you’d gone Wukong came to pester me again. When I still refused to take him back he hit me with his cudgel and stole the bundles wrapped in blue felt.” At this Pig ground his teeth as the fury rose higher and higher in him.\n\n“Damn that monkey,” he said. “How could he do such a terrible thing? Look after the master,” he continued, addressing Friar Sand, “I’m going to his house to get back the bundles.”\n\n“Don’t lose your temper,” said Friar Sand. “Let’s help the master over to that cottage in the hollow to ask for hot tea. Then we can heat up the rice you’ve begged already, and get the master better before we go after Monkey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Accepting this suggestion Pig helped the master back on the horse. Carrying the bowl of water, and with the rice in Friar Sand’s habit, they headed straight back for the door of the cottage. There was only an old woman at home, and at the sight of them she hid herself as fast as she could. Friar Sand put his hands together in front of his chest and said, “Good lady, we’ve been sent by the Tang court in the East to the Western Heaven. As our master is not very well I have come to ask you for some hot tea to warm his rice with.”\n\n“We had a consumptive monk begging here just now who said he’d come from the East,” the old woman replied. “Now you say you’re from the East too. There’s nobody at home. Please try somewhere else.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing this, the venerable elder dismounted with Pig’s help, bowed to her and said, “Madam, I used to have three disciples who worked together to protect me on my way to the Thunder Monastery in the country of India to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. But because my senior disciple Sun Wukong is a born murderer and will not be kind I sent him away. To my utter surprise he sneaked up on me, hit me across the back, and stole my clothes, baggage and bowl. I want to send one of my other disciples after him, and as I can’t stay by the roadside I have come here to ask if I may rest in your house for a while. It will only be till the luggage has been recovered. I won’t stay long.”\n\n“A consumptive monk with a fat, sallow face begged some food from us just now,” the woman said. “He said he had come from the East and was going to the Western Heaven. There can’t be another group of you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That was me,” said Pig, unable to keep a straight face any longer. “I made myself look like that. I thought my long snout and big ears would give you such a fright that you wouldn’t give me any food. If you don’t believe me, my brother here has the rice from the bottom of your pan inside his tunic.”\n\nRecognizing the rice the old woman stopped trying to send them away. She asked them to sit down inside and prepared a pot of hot tea that she gave to Friar Sand to warm the rice with. He did this and handed it to his master, who ate a few mouthfuls, sat quietly to calm himself for a while, then asked, “Which of you will go to fetch the luggage?”\n\n“When you sent him away the other year,” replied Pig, “I went to fetch him. I know the way to his Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Wait here while I go.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” said Sanzang, “not you. You have never got on with that macaque, and besides you’re very rough-spoken. If you say anything wrong he’ll hit you. Let Wujing go.” Friar Sand agreed at once, and Sanzang gave him these instructions: “When you get there you must keep a close watch on the situation. If he is willing to give you back the bundles then pretend to be very grateful when you accept them. If he won’t you must on no account quarrel with him. Go straight to the Bodhisattva in the Southern Sea, tell her what has happened, and ask her to demand them from him.”\n\nFriar Sand accepted his instructions and said to Pig, “I’m off to find Monkey now. Whatever you do, don’t complain. Look after the master properly. You mustn’t have a row with these people or they might not feed you. I’ll soon be back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I understand,” Pig replied with a nod. “Off you go, and come back soon whether you recover the luggage or not. Otherwise we’ll have lost both ways,” Friar Sand then made a hand spell and headed off by cloud for the Eastern Continent of Superior Body. Indeed: When the body is present but the soul files off, nothing remains to keep it alive;\n\nA furnace without fire can refine no cinnabar.\n\nThe yellow wife leaves the lord to seek the metal elder.\n\nWood’s mother puts on a sickly face to look after the master.\n\nWho knows when this journey will ever end\n\nOr when he will return from far away?\n\nThe Five Elements give birth and yield to each other.\n\nAll is disorder until the mind-ape comes back.\n\nFriar Sand flew for three days and nights before he reached the Eastern Ocean. At the sound of its waves he looked down and saw\n\nBlack mists up to the sky and gloomy vapors;\n\nThe ocean embracing the sun in dawn’s cold light."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But he was in no mood to enjoy the view as he crossed Yingzhou and the other islands of immortals and headed on East straight for the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Riding the sea wind and walking on the water it took him a lot longer before he saw a line of peaks like serried halberds and sheer rocks like screens. When he reached the highest peak he landed his cloud and found his way down the mountain, heading for the Water Curtain Cave. As he approached he heard a great commotion: the mountain was covered with yelling monkey spirits. When closer still he saw Monkey sitting on a high stone terrace holding a piece of paper in both hands from which he was reading: We, the Emperor Li of the Great Tang Dynasty in the East have called to our presence our younger brother the Master of the Law Chen Xuanzang and commissioned him to go West to seek the scriptures from the Lord Buddha in the Thunder Monastery at the Saha Vulture Peak in India. When our soul went wandering in the Underworld after we succumbed to a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in the Underworld after we succumbed to a sudden illness we were fortunate enough to have our years of life extended and to be returned to the world of the living by the Lord of Darkness. Since then we have held many masses and built altars to help the souls of the dead across to the other side. We were blessed by the appearance of the golden deliverer from suffering, the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who informed us that the Buddha in the West has scriptures that will deliver all lost souls. We have therefore sent the Dharma Master Xuanzang to make the long journey across a thousand mountains in search of the sutras and the gathas. We request that in the states of the West through which he passed he be allowed to proceed in accordance with this passport and that his holy cause be not brought to naught. Given on an auspicious day in the autumn of the thirteenth year of Zhenguan of the Great Tang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since leaving that mighty empire he has passed through many other states. On the journey he has taken three disciples. The senior one is Sun Wukong the Novice; the second is Zhu Wuneng, or Zhu Bajie; and the third is Sha Wujing, or Friar Sand.\n\nHaving read the text of Sanzang’s passport through once he read it out again, at which Friar Sand could not help himself calling out at the top of his voice, “Brother, why are you reading the master’s passport out?”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he jerked his head up and, refusing to recognize Friar Sand, shouted, “Arrest him! Arrest him!” All the monkeys rushed him and surrounded him, pulling him and dragging him towards Monkey, who shouted, “Who do you think you are? What a nerve, coming so close to our immortals’ cave.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing how Monkey had turned cold and was refusing to recognize him any longer Friar Sand had no choice but to go up to him with a bow and say, “Elder brother, it was wrong of our master to be so angry with you, curse you and send you away. Pig and I ought to have persuaded him not to, and we shouldn’t have been away looking for water and begging for food for our starving, thirsty master when you were so good as to come back. It was wrong of the master to be so stubborn and to refuse again to let you stay. That was why you knocked him senseless and took the luggage. When we came back we revived the master and now I’ve come to see you. Unless you hate the master and have forgotten what you owe him for delivering you from your torment in the past, won’t you bring the luggage and come back with me to see him? Then we can all go to the Western Heaven and win our true reward. If you really hate him so deeply that you won’t come with me, then please, please give me the bundles. Then you can enjoy the sunset of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "me the bundles. Then you can enjoy the sunset of your life here in your native mountain. This way we’ll all be fine.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey’s answer to this was to say with a derisive laugh, “that’s not what I had in mind at all, brother. The reason why I hit the master and took the luggage isn’t because I’m not going to the West or want to stay here. I’m learning the passport off by heart so that I can go to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures myself. I shall have all the glory of taking them back to the East. I’ll make those people in the Southern Jambu Continent see me as a great master and I’ll be famous for ever.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you say isn’t quite right,” replied Friar Sand with a smile. “Nobody’s ever heard of Sun the Novice going to fetch the scriptures. Our Tathagata Buddha created three stores of true scriptures and sent the Bodhisattva Guanyin to the East to find the pilgrim who would go to fetch them. Our job is to escort the pilgrim across a thousand mountains and through all the countries along the way. As the Bodhisattva has told us, the pilgrim was once the venerable elder Golden Cicada, a disciple of Tathagata Buddha’s. Because he was exiled from Vulture Peak and reborn in the East for not listening to the Lord Buddha’s sermons on the scriptures he is the one who must make his true achievement in the West and return to the Great Way. We three were saved to protect him from the demons he would meet on the journey. No Lord Buddha’s going to give you the scriptures if you turn up without the Tang Priest. It’d just be wasted effort.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said Monkey, “you’ve always been rather thick. You don’t know the half of it. You may say you’ve got a Tang Priest, but what makes you think I haven’t got one to escort to? I’ve chosen another holy monk here to escort. No problem! We’re starting off on our big journey tomorrow. If you don’t believe me I’ll show you him. Little ones,” he called, “bring my master out at once.” In they ran, and they came out again leading a white horse, a Tang Sanzang, a Pig carrying the luggage and a Friar Sand with his monastic staff."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve never changed my name,” roared Friar Sand in fury at this sight. “There can’t possibly be another Friar Sand. How dare you! Take this!” The splendid Friar Sand raised his demon-quelling staff with both arms and brought it down on his double’s head, killing him outright and revealing that he had really been a monkey spirit. This made Monkey so angry that he swung his gold-banded cudgel and led all the monkeys to surround him. Lashing about him, Friar Sand fought his way out and escaped by cloud."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That damned ape is being so thoroughly vicious that I’ll have to report him to the Bodhisattva,” he thought; and as Friar Sand had killed a monkey spirit and been driven away Monkey did not go after him. Going back to his cave he told his underlings to drag the corpse to one side, skin it and cook its flesh, on which he and the other monkeys then feasted with coconut toddy and the wine of grapes. Then he chose another monkey fiend who was good at transformations to turn into Friar Sand and started instructing him again as he prepared to travel to the West. There we shall leave him.\n\nMeanwhile Friar Sand flew his cloud away from the Eastern Ocean and traveled for a day and a night to the Southern Ocean. Before long Mount Potaraka came into view not far away, so he pressed forward then brought his cloud down so that he could stop and look. It was a wonderful sight. Indeed:\n\nIt includes all the mysteries of heaven and earth.\n\nHere is the confluence of the rivers,\n\nWhere sun and stars are washed and bathed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Where sun and stars are washed and bathed.\n\nHither all creatures come,\n\nThe winds are born and the moon is rocked in the ripples.\n\nWhen the tidal wave rises high the leviathan is transformed.\n\nAmid the mighty breakers the giant turtle swims.\n\nThe waters are joined to the Western and Northern Seas;\n\nThe waves connect with the Central and Eastern Oceans.\n\nThe four seas are linked as the artery of the earth;\n\nIn the magic islands are palaces of immortals.\n\nForget about all the earthly paradises;\n\nLook at Potaraka’s cloudy cave.\n\nA wonderful sight:\n\nNoble the primal spirit of the peak at sunset;\n\nBelow the cliffs the winds make rippling crystal.\n\nPeacocks fly in the Purple Bamboo Grove;\n\nParrots talk in the branches of green poplar.\n\nFlowers of jade and jasper always bloom;\n\nPrecious trees and golden lotuses grow every year.\n\nWhite cranes come to pay homage at this peak;\n\nPhoenixes often alight in the mountain pavilions.\n\nEven the fish here cultivate their true nature,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Even the fish here cultivate their true nature,\n\nLeaping in the waves as they listen to the scriptures.\n\nAs Friar Sand strolled on the mountain enjoying this magical view Moksa the Novice came up to him and said, “Why are you here instead of escorting the Tang Priest on his way to fetch the scriptures, Sha Wujing?”\n\nFriar Sand bowed to him and replied, “There is something on which I would like an audience with the Bodhisattva. Could I trouble you to take me to her?”\n\nMoksa, who realized that he was looking for Monkey, asked no further questions but went straight to the Bodhisattva and said, “The Tang Priest’s junior disciple Sha Wujing is here to pay homage.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey, who was still there below the lotus throne, heard this he said with a smile, “The Tang Priest must be in trouble if Friar Sand is here to ask for your help, Bodhisattva.” The Bodhisattva then asked Moksa to bring him in. Friar Sand prostrated himself on the ground to kowtow to her, then looked up, about to start making his complaint, when he saw Monkey standing beside her. Without a word he struck at Monkey’s face with his demon-subduing staff. Instead of hitting back Monkey dodged the blow and got out of the way.\n\n“I’ll get you, you thoroughly evil, treacherous ape,” roared Friar Sand. “You’re trying to deceive the Bodhisattva too.”\n\n“Don’t hit him,” shouted the Bodhisattva. “Tell me what’s been happening.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then did Friar Sand put down his precious staff and kowtow to the lotus throne again, saying with raging fury, “We’re lost count of the number of murders this ape has committed on the journey. The other day he killed two highwaymen and the master let him have it, so when we were spending the next night at the bandit chief’s home it came as a shock when he butchered as many of the gang as he could and took a severed head all dripping with blood to show to the master. It gave the master such a fright that he fell off his horse, said some nasty things to Monkey and sent him packing. After he’d gone the master was so hungry and thirsty that he sent Pig off to look for some water, and because Pig took a very long time to get back he sent me off after him. We never imagined that Monkey would come back, hit the master with his iron cudgel and steal the two bundles wrapped in blue felt while we were away. We came back and brought the master round. Then I went all the way to the Water Curtain Cave to fetch"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "all the way to the Water Curtain Cave to fetch Monkey. To my amazement he turned cold and refused to recognize me. He was reading the master’s passport aloud over and over again. When I asked him why, he said that as he couldn’t escort the Tang Priest any further he was going to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven and take them back East himself. Then they’d treat him as a great master and he’d be famous for ever. When I asked who’d give him scriptures if the Tang Priest wasn’t with him he said he’d chosen a holy monk and asked him to come out. There was a white horse, a Tang Priest, a Pig and a Friar Sand. Tm Friar Sand,’ I said, ‘and the one and only Friar Sand too’. I hit him one with my staff, and he turned out to be a monkey spirit. When Monkey came after me with his hordes I decided to come here to tell you, Bodhisattva, and ask for your help. I never realized he’d get here before me by somersault cloud, or that he’d fool you with his fine words.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You must not make such slanders, Wujing,” the Bodhisattva said. “Wukong has been here for four days. I never let him go back, and he didn’t send for another Tang Priest to go to fetch the scriptures.”\n\n“But what about that Monkey in the Water Curtain Cave? I’m telling you the truth,” replied Friar Sand.\n\n“Calm down,” said the Bodhisattva. “I’ll send Wukong back to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit with you to take a good look round. If he’s real he’ll be hard to wipe out, but if he’s a fake you’ll be able to eliminate him easily. You’ll find out which he is when you get there.” At this Brother Monkey and Friar Sand took their leave of the Bodhisattva. They were making their journey\n\nTo the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit\n\nThe rights and wrongs to reveal;\n\nTo the cave with a curtain of water\n\nTo tell the false from the real.\n\nIf you don’t know how they told them apart you had better listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fifty-Eight\n\nTwo Minds Throw Heaven and Earth into Uproar"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Two Minds Throw Heaven and Earth into Uproar\n\nOne Body Cannot Achieve True Nirvana\n\nWhen Monkey and Friar Sand took their leave of the Bodhisattva they departed from the Southern Ocean by two beams of auspicious light. Now Monkey’s somersault cloud was much faster than Friar Sand’s immortal’s cloud, so Monkey was drawing ahead when Friar Sand pulled him back and said, “There’s no need for you to show me your heels like that, brother, rushing ahead to sort things out at home. Wait for me to come with you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although Brother Monkey’s intentions were good Friar Sand could not help being suspicious. The two of them then flew their clouds together and were soon in sight of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. They brought their clouds down and had a good look at the outside of the cave, where there was indeed a Monkey sitting on a high stone terrace, drinking and making merry with his monkey hosts. He looked exactly the same as the Great Sage: yellow hair held in a golden band, fiery eyes with golden pupils, a brocade tunic, a tigerskin kilt, a gold-banded iron cudgel in his hands, and deerskin boots. He had the same\n\nHairy face like a thunder god,\n\nCheeks like the planet Saturn;\n\nPointed ears and a forehead broad,\n\nAnd long, protruding fangs."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And long, protruding fangs.\n\nIn an explosion of fury the Great Sage left Friar Sand behind as he went up to the other, brandishing his cudgel and shouting abusively, “What sort of demon do you think you are? How dare you! You make yourself look like me, you steal my children and grandchildren, you occupy my immortal’s cave, and on top of that you live it up like this.” When the other Monkey heard all this he did not deign to reply but went for him with his own iron cudgel. When the two Monkeys were together there was no way of telling the true from the false. It was a splendid fight:\n\nTwo cudgels and a pair of monkey spirits,\n\nA couple of truly formidable foes.\n\nBoth want to escort the Tang emperor’s brother;\n\nEach longs to achieve what will make him famous.\n\nThe true Monkey now accepts Sakyamuni’s teachings;\n\nThe false demon only pretends to be a Buddhist.\n\nIn magic powers and transformations\n\nThe false and true are evenly balanced.\n\nOne is the Sage Equaling Heaven of primal energy,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other an earth spirit who has long refined his powers.\n\nOne wields an As-You-Will gold-banded cudgel,\n\nThe other an iron bar that follows the heart’s desire.\n\nAs they block and parry neither comes out on top.\n\nFirst they fight each other outside the cave,\n\nBut soon they carry on the struggle in mid air."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Each of them rose on his clouds and light till they were fighting up in the clouds of the ninth heaven. As Friar Sand stood beside them he dared not intervene in their fight as he really could not tell the true Monkey from the false one. He longed to draw his sword and join in, but he was frightened of wounding the real Monkey. When he had endured this dilemma for a long time he shot back down to the mountain scar, where he used his demon-quelling staff to fight his way to the outside of the Water Curtain Cave. Here he sent all the demons fleeing in terror, turned the stone benches over, and smashed the tableware from which they had been eating and drinking to their hearts’ content. But although he looked everywhere for the blue felt bundles he failed to find them. Now the Water Curtain Cave was so called because the waterfall screening its entrance looked from a distance like a white cloth curtain and only appeared as the waterfall it was from close to. As Friar Sand did not know that the entrance to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Friar Sand did not know that the entrance to the cave was behind it he was unable to find the way in, so he took his cloud back up to the Ninth Heaven and started swinging his staff again, still unable to strike."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Friar Sand,” said the Great Sage, “you can’t help much here. Go back and tell the master what’s been happening to us while I drive this demon to Potaraka Island in the Southern Ocean for the Bodhisattva to identify me as the real Monkey.” The other Monkey then repeated what he had said. As they looked and sounded exactly the same Friar Sand really could not tell them apart. He could only do as he was told and ride his cloud back to rejoin the Tang Priest.\n\nThe two Monkeys meanwhile fought and shouted their way to the Southern Ocean, where they went straight to Potaraka Island still throwing blows and abuse at each other. Their unending shouts disturbed all the devas who protected the Law, so that they went to the Tide Cave and reported, “Bodhisattva, two Sun Wukongs really have fought their way here.”\n\nThe Bodhisattva came down from her lotus throne and went with Moksa, the page Sudhana and the Naga Maiden to the entrance, where she shouted, “Stay where you are, evil beast.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Each Monkey grabbed hold of the other one while the real one said, “Bodhisattva, this damned fiend really does look just like me. Our fight started at the Water Curtain Cave and has been going on for a very long time without getting anywhere. Friar Sand’s mortal eyes are too weak to tell us apart, so he can’t help at all. I sent him back West to report to the master while I fought this bloody impostor here for you to distinguish the true from the false. Your eyes are perceptive, Bodhisattva.”\n\nThe other Monkey then said exactly the same. Look long and hard though they did, the devas and the Bodhisattva could not tell which was which. “Let go of each other and stand one on each side while I take another look,” the Bodhisattva said.\n\nDoing as she told them, the one on her left said, “I’m the real Monkey,” and the one on her right said, “He’s an impostor.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva then called Moksa and Sudhana to her and whispered these instructions: “I want one of you to stand very close to each of them while I recite the Band-tightening Spell quietly. The one in agony will be the real one, and the one who isn’t will be the impostor.”\n\nOne of them went up to each of the Monkeys, but as the Bodhisattva secretly said the words of the spell they both yelled out in pain, clutched their heads, and rolled on the ground shouting, “Stop! Stop!” The moment she did they grabbed each other again and went on fighting and shouting. At her wit’s end, the Bodhisattva ordered the devas and Moksa to help, but none of them dared strike a blow for fear of wounding the real Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sun Wukong,” called the Bodhisattva, and both the Monkeys answered her. “As you were once appointed the Protector of the Horses,” said the Bodhisattva, “When you made havoc in the Heavenly Palace, all the heavenly generals recognize you. Go to the upper world: let it distinguish between you two. Come back and tell me the result.” The Great Sage thanked the Bodhisattva for her kindness and the other Monkey also thanked her.\n\nPulling and tugging at each other and keeping up their ceaseless clamour they went straight to the Southern Gate of Heaven, where the Heavenly King Virupaksa led the four heavenly generals Ma, Zhao, Wen and Guan and all the other gate gods great and small to block the entrance with their weapons.\n\n“Where are you going?” he shouted. “This is no place for a brawl.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sanzang sent me away for killing some bandits while I was escorting him to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures,” the Great Sage replied. “I went to Potaraka to complain. To my horror this evil spirit turned himself into my double, knocked the Tang Priest over and stole the luggage. Friar Sand went to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit looking for me and found that this evil spirit had seized my cave. Then he went to Potaraka to tell the Bodhisattva and ask for her help. When he saw me there he made the outrageous accusation that I’d got there first by somersault cloud and told the Bodhisattva a pack of lies to cover up. Luckily she could vouch for me and didn’t believe Friar Sand, so she sent us both back to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit to find out what had happened. As you can see, this evil spirit looks just like me. We fought our way from the Water Curtain Cave to Potaraka Island to see the Bodhisattva, but she couldn’t tell us apart, so I’ve now fought him all the way here in the hope that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "now fought him all the way here in the hope that all the eyes of all the heavens will be able to see that I’m the real Monkey.” Then the other Monkey told the same story. No matter how long they looked all the gods of the heavens could not tell them apart."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you can’t tell which is which,” the two Monkey shouted, “get out of the way and let us go to see the Jade Emperor.”\n\nAs the gods could not stop them they opened the gates wide to let them go straight to the Hall of Miraculous Mist. Marshal Ma and the four Heavenly Teachers Zhang, Ge, Xu and Qiu all reported to the Jade Emperor, “Two identical Sun Wukongs from the mortal world have charged in through the gates of Heaven and say that they want to see Your Majesty.” Before they had finished the two Monkeys came roaring straight in, so alarming the Jade Emperor that he came down from his throne and stood in the palace hall. “Why are you two making such a row in the heavenly palace and shouting in our presence?” the Jade Emperor asked. “Do you want to die?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Long live Your Majesty,” said the Great Sage. “Now that I’m a devout Buddhist I’d never dare try to bully my betters. It’s just that this evil spirit has turned himself into my double.” He then told the whole story, concluding, “and I beg that Your Majesty will unmask the impostor.” Then the other Monkey said the same thing all over again.\n\nThe Jade Emperor ordered Heavenly King Li the Pagoda-carrier to look at them both in his demon-revealing mirror, kill the false one and preserve the true one. The Heavenly King caught them both in his mirror and invited the Jade Emperor and the other deities all to look. Both Monkeys could be seen in it, wearing the same golden band and the same clothes. There was not the slightest difference between them. Unable to tell them apart, the Jade Emperor had both of them driven out of the palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage gave a mocking laugh and so did the other Monkey. Then they grabbed each other by the hair and by the throat, fought their way out of the heavenly gates, and landed on the road to the West. “Let’s go and see the master,” said one of them; and the other replied, “Let’s go and see the master.”\n\nAfter Friar Sand had taken his leave of the two Monkeys it took him three days and nights’ travelling to return to the farm, where he told the Tang Priest everything that had happened. The Tang Priest was full of regrets: “I said that Sun Wukong had hit me and stolen the bundles, never realizing that an evil spirit had turned itself into an imitation Monkey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The evil spirit made doubles of yourself, the white horse, Pig carrying our luggage, and me,” said Friar Sand. “I was so furious that I killed the fake Friar Sand: he was really a monkey spirit. That made them all run away, then I went to tell the Bodhisattva my troubles. She sent Monkey and me back to identify the demon, but he was so much like the real Monkey that I couldn’t help in the fight, which is why I’ve come back to report to you, Master.”\n\nSanzang paled with horror at this news, while Pig roared with laughter. “Great, great,” he guffawed. “Just as this kind old lady said, there are several lots of pilgrims going to fetch the scriptures. They’re one lot, aren’t they?”\n\nEveryone in the house, young and old alike, came to ask Friar Sand, “Where have you been looking for money for your travelling expenses these last few days?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I went to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the Eastern Continent of Superior Body to look for my eldest brother and fetch the baggage,” Friar Sand replied with a smile. “Then I went to Potaraka Island in the Southern Ocean to see the Bodhisattva Guanyin and to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit again before coming back here.”\n\n“How long was your return journey?” the old man of the family asked.\n\n“About 70,000 miles,” Friar Sand replied.\n\n“That would be a very long way to walk in only a few days,” the old man said, “You must have gone by cloud to get there.”\n\n“How else do you think he got across the sea?” said Pig.\n\n“What you and I do is like walking compared with Monkey: he’d have been there and back in a day or two,” said Friar Sand. When the family heard this they realized that they must all be gods or immortals.\n\n“No, we’re not,” said Pig, “We’re senior to them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were talking they were interrupted by a noisy quarrel in mid air, and when they rushed out to look they saw two Monkeys fighting. The sight made Pig’s hands itch. “I’m going up to tell them apart,” he said, and with that the splendid idiot leapt up into the air and shouted, “Stop yelling, brother, Pig’s here.”\n\n“Hit the evil spirit,” both Monkeys shouted, “hit the evil spirit.”\n\nAll this both horrified and delighted the family, who exclaimed, “We’ve got a whole lot of arhats who can ride on clouds staying with us. Even if we’d made a vow to feed monks we would never have been able to feed such holy men as these.” They were now more generous with their food and tea than ever. Then they began to worry that if the fight between the two Sun the Novices turned nasty, heaven and earth might be turned upside down: it could be disastrous."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that behind the old man’s delight lay these deep misgivings Sanzang said to him, “There’s no need to worry or alarm yourself, benefactor. When I made him submit and become my disciple he gave up evil and turned to good. Of course we will show you our gratitude.”\n\n“That would be too great an honour,” the old man replied, “too great an honour.”\n\n“Stop talking now, benefactor,” said Friar Sand, “and you sit here, Master. Pig and I’ll each bring one of them back here to stand in front of you. When you say the spell the one who suffers will be the real Monkey and the one who doesn’t will be the impostor.”\n\n“What a very good idea,” said Sanzang.\n\nFriar Sand then rose up into mid-air and said, “Stop it, both of you. I’m taking you for the master to choose between you.” The Great Sage then let go of his opponent, and so did the other Monkey. Friar Sand held one and told Pig to hold the other, and they took them both down by their clouds till they stood in front of the thatched cottage."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as he saw them Sanzang began to say the Band-tightening Spell, at which both Monkeys cried out together, “Why do you have to say that spell when we’re fighting so hard? Stop! Stop!” Being a kind and merciful man the venerable elder stopped reciting the spell before he had been able to tell them apart. The two Monkeys then broke free from Pig and Friar Sand and started fighting again.\n\n“Brothers,” the Great Sage said, “look after the master while I fight this impostor down to get the Kings of the Underworld to tell which of us is which.” The other Monkey said likewise, and the two of them soon disappeared, grabbing and tugging at each other.\n\n“Friar Sand,” said Pig, “why didn’t you grab the luggage off the fake Pig when you saw him carrying it at the Water Curtain Cave?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The evil spirits surrounded me when I killed my double with the demon-quelling staff,” Friar Sand replied. “They were going to get me, so I had to flee for my life. After I’d been to see the Bodhisattva and gone back to the cave entrance again with Monkey I overturned all their stone benches and scattered the little demons, but I couldn’t see any entrance to the cave, only a waterfall. I came back empty-handed as I couldn’t find the luggage.”\n\n“Let me tell you something,” said Pig. “When I went there a few years ago to ask him to come back we met outside the cave. After I’d persuaded him to come he jumped down and went into the cave to change. I saw him go straight through the water: the waterfall is the entrance. I bet that’s where that devil has put our luggage.”\n\n“As you know the way into the cave I think you’d better go and fetch our baggage from there while the demon’s away,” said Sanzang. “Even if Wukong does come back I still won’t have him.”\n\n“I’m off then,” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m off then,” said Pig.\n\n“There are thousands and thousands of little monkeys in front of the cave,” said Friar Sand. “It’d be terrible if they were too much for you by yourself.”\n\n“I’m not worried,” said Pig, who rushed outside and headed off to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit to fetch the luggage.\n\nThe two Monkeys fought their way round to the back of the Dark Mountain of the Underworld, where all the demons shivered and shook with terror as they hid themselves. The ones who managed to run away first rushed straight to the Underworld government offices and reported to the Senluo Palace, “Your Majesties, two Great Sages Equaling Heaven have come to the Dark Mountain and are fighting their way here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Ring of Qinguang in the First Palace reported this with alarm to the King of Chujiang in the Second Palace. The news was passed on in turn to King Songdi in the Third Palace, the King of Biancheng in the Fourth Palace, King Yama in the Fifth Palace, King Impartial in the Sixth Palace, the King of Taishan in the Seventh Palace, the Metropolitan King in the Eighth Palace, King Wuguan in the Ninth Palace, and King Everturning Wheel in the Tenth Palace. In an instant the Ten Kings all gathered together and sent an urgent message to King Ksitigarbha. Meanwhile the Underworld forces were mustered in the Senluo Palace ready to capture the true and the false Monkey. Just then there was the roar of a mighty wind as dreary mists filled the air and the two Monkeys came tumbling and rolling to the Senluo Palace.\n\nThe Lords of the Underworld stepped forward to block their way and say, “Great Sages, why are you making such disorder in our Underworld?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the real Great Sage replied, “I was escorting the Tang Priest on his journey to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven when bandits tried to rob him on a mountain in the land of Western Liang. He got angry with me when I killed a few of them and sent me away. I went to tell my troubles to the Bodhisattva in the Southern Ocean. I never imagined that this demon would have the effrontery to turn himself into my double, attack my master on the road, and steal our baggage. When my fellow-disciple Friar Sand went back to my mountain to fetch the baggage he found that the demon had created an imitation of the master to take to the Western Heaven and fetch the scriptures, so he rushed to the Southern Ocean to see the Bodhisattva Guanyin and found me there at her side. After he’d told his story the Bodhisattva sent me back to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit with him to see what was going on. I found that this bastard had stolen my cave. We argued all the way to the Bodhisattva Guanyin’s place, but she"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "way to the Bodhisattva Guanyin’s place, but she couldn’t tell which of us was the real me. Then I fought with him up to Heaven, where none of the gods knew which of us was which, and after that went to see the master. When the master recited the Band-tightening Spell my double was in just as much pain as I was. That’s why I’ve brought this chaos to the Underworld in the hope that Your Majesties will look up the Registers of Life and Death for me to find out about the False Sun the Novice’s background so that I can catch his soul and end this confusion of there being two minds.” The demon then said the same thing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Lords of the Underworld called on the judges in charge of the records to go through them carefully from beginning to end. There was nobody under the name of False Sun the Novice. They checked through the registers of hairy beasts again, and found that under item 130 in the monkey section there was a record of how the Great Sage Sun had achieved the Way in his youth, made havoc in the Underworld and removed his name from the registers of death, so that from then on none of the monkeys were listed. When the judges had made their inspection they reported back to the palace.\n\nHolding their tablets of office, the Lords of the Underworld said to Monkey, “Great Sage, there are no names in the records that can be checked. You will have to go back to the world of the living to be told apart.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were saying this they heard the Bodhisattva King Ksitigarbha shout, “Wait, wait! I’ll send Examiner to tell you apart.” Now Examiner was the name of an animal who lay under the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha’s sutra table. Just by lying there he could tell good from evil and wise from stupid among any of the snails, fish, hairy creatures, feathered creatures, insects, heavenly immortals, earthly immortals, divine immortals, human immortals and devil immortals in all the mountains, rivers and countries of the four great continents, in all cave heavens and in all blessed places. The animal lay on the ground in the courtyard of the Senluo Palace as Ksitigarbha instructed it.\n\nA little later it raised its head and said to Ksitigarbha, “I’ve found the name of the demon, but I cannot say it to his face, nor can I help catch him.”\n\n“What would happen if you identified him to his face?” Ksitigarbha asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I did,” Examiner replied, “I am afraid that the evil spirit would turn nasty, make disorder in the palace and destroy the peace of the Underworld.”\n\n“Why won’t you help capture him?” Ksitigarbha went on to ask, and Examiner replied, “The evil spirit’s magic powers are no less than those of Sun Wukong. No matter how much dharma power the gods of the Underworld have, they would never be able to catch him.”\n\n“In that case, how is the evil spirit to be got rid of?”\n\n“Boundless is the Buddha’s Dharma,” Examiner replied. Ksitigarbha was now enlightened. “As you two look the same and have the same magic powers,” he said to both Monkeys, “if you want to be told apart you will have to go to Sakyamuni Buddha in Thunder Monastery.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re right,” they both replied together, “you’ve right. You and I’ll go to the Western Heaven to be told apart by the Lord Buddha.” They then took their leave of Ksitigarbha and were seen out by the Ten Kings of the Underworld as they went up to the Turquoise Cloud Palace, after which devils were sent to close the entrance to the Underworld.\n\nWatch the two Monkeys as they fly by cloud and mist to the Western Heaven. There is a poem about it that goes,\n\nTroubles arise if one has two minds;\n\nDoubts cloud everything from sea to sky.\n\nOne desires fine horses and the highest rank,\n\nCraving for eminence at the royal court.\n\nFighting North and South without respite,\n\nThey parry to East and West with never a pause.\n\nIn dhyana the secret of mindlessness must be learned;\n\nNourish the babe in silence and form the holy foetus."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The two of them fought as they flew through the air, grabbing, tugging, pulling and snatching at each other, all the way to the outside of the Thunder Monastery on Vulture Peak in the Western Heaven. Even before they arrived the four Bodhisattvas, the eight vajrapanis, the five hundred arhats, the three thousand protectors, the nuns, monks, lay people and all the holy hosts were standing beneath the seven-precious lotus throne listening to the Tathagata expounding the Dharma. This is what he was explaining: There is existence in non-existence, non-existence in non-non-existence. There is matter in non-matter, emptiness in non-emptiness. What exists is non-existent, and what does not exist is not non-existent. Non-matter is matter; non-emptiness is emptiness. Emptiness is emptiness and matter is matter. Matter is not permanent matter, matter is empty. Emptiness is not permanent emptiness, emptiness is matter. Know that emptiness is not empty and that matter is not matter. This is what is meant by insight and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "not matter. This is what is meant by insight and understanding the Wonderful Voice."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the host kowtowed in submission. Amid the sound of chanting the Tathagata released a shower of heavenly petals, left his throne and said to them. “You are all of one mind. Watch the struggle of two minds coming here.”\n\nThey all raised their eyes to look and saw the two Monkeys come shouting and yelling to the holy Thunder Peak. The eight vajrapanis were so alarmed that they stepped forward to block their way and say, “Where do you two think you are going?”\n\n“This evil spirit has turned himself into my double,” Monkey replied, “so I wish to go to the lotus throne to ask the Tathagata to tell that I am the real Sun Wukong and he is an impostor.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the vajrapanis could not stop them they yelled at each other right to the foot of the lotus throne, where they kowtowed and each of them said, “Your disciple has been escorting the Tang Priest here to fetch the true scriptures. Goodness only knows how much effort I’ve spent dealing with demons and capturing monsters along the way. Recently we were robbed by bandits, and I admit that I did twice kill some of them. The master was so angry with me that he sent me back and wouldn’t let me come with him to worship your golden self. The only thing I could do was to go back to the Southern Ocean to tell my troubles to Guanyin. I never imagined that this evil spirit would make himself look and sound just like me, knock the master over, and steal our luggage. My brother Friar Sand went to my mountain looking for me and this monster talked a whole lot of fancy nonsense about having his own holy monk to go and fetch the scriptures. When Friar Sand got away and fled to the Southern Ocean to tell the whole story to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to the Southern Ocean to tell the whole story to Guanyin she sent us both back to my mountain. After that the two of us, the real me and the impostor side by side, fought our way to the Southern Ocean, Heaven, the Tang Priest and the Underworld, but nobody could tell which of us was which. That is why I’ve had the effrontery to come here to beg you in your infinite charity and mercy to identify me as the true Sun Wukong. Then I’ll be able to escort the Tang Priest here to worship you in person and fetch the scriptures to take back to the East, so that the great teachings will be made known for ever.” Hearing the two of them saying the same things in the same voice, none of the host could tell them apart: only the Tathagata himself knew. He was just about to expose the impostor when a coloured cloud brought Guanyin from the South to see our Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Noble Guanyin,” said our Buddha, putting his hands together in front of his chest, “can you tell the true Sun the Novice from the false one?”\n\n“I could not tell them apart when they visited my island,” the Bodhisattva replied. “Since then they have been to Heaven and the Underworld, and still nobody could say which was which. That is why I have come to beg you, Tathagata, to identify the true Sun Wukong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the Buddha replied with a smile, “You all have very great dharma powers, but you can only scan everything that happens under the sky. You cannot know all the creatures and categories under the sky.” When the Bodhisattva asked what these categories were, the Buddha replied, “There are five kinds of immortal: heavenly, earthly, divine, human and demonic. There are five kinds of beast: snail, scaly, furry, feathered and insect. This wretch is not heavenly, earthly, divine, human or demonic. He is not a snail, or scaly, or furry, or feathered or an insect. Now there are also four kinds of ape that cause confusion and don’t come under any of the ten categories.”\n\n“May I ask what these four kinds of ape are?” the Bodhisattva asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The first kind is the intelligent stone monkey,” the Buddha replied. “He can do all kinds of transformation, knows all about the seasons of Heaven and earthly advantages, and can move the stars and their constellations about. The second kind is the red-rumped mandril that knows all about the Yin and the Yang and human affairs, can go into or out of anywhere, and knows how to prolong its life and avoid death. The third kind is the magic-armed gibbon that can catch the sun or moon, shrink mountains, see what is auspicious and what is not, and fool around with heaven and earth. The fourth kind is the six-eared macaque which has wonderful hearing and perception. It knows about the past and the future and understands all creatures. These four kinds of ape do not come within any of the ten categories and are not listed among the creatures that live between heaven and earth. I can see that the false Sun Wukong is just such a six-eared macaque. Wherever he stands he can know what is happening hundreds of miles away"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "can know what is happening hundreds of miles away and hear everything that is said. That is why he has such wonderful hearing, brilliant perception, and knowledge of the past, the future, and all beings; that is why he looks and sounds just like Wukong. He is a six-eared macaque.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as the macaque heard the Tathagata Buddha say who he really was, he started shaking with fear and took a great leap to get away. The Tathagata at once ordered his hosts to strike, and the macaque was immediately surrounded by the four Bodhisattvas, eight vajrapanis, five hundred arhats, three thousand protectors, and all the monks, nuns and lay people, as well as Guanyin and Moksa. The Great Sage Monkey rushed forward too.\n\n“Don’t hit him, Wukong,” said the Tathagata. “I shall capture him for you.” The macaque’s fur stood on end as he realized that there would be no escape, so he shook himself and turned straight into a bee who started to fly straight up, only to fall down again as the Tathagata’s golden begging bowl was clapped over him. The host all thought he had got away. “Stop talking,” said the Buddha with a smile. “The evil spirit has not escaped. He is under my bowl.” They all surged forward to see him in his true form of a six-eared macaque as the bowl was lifted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage could not restrain himself. Swinging his iron cudgel he killed the demon with a single blow to the head, and that is why this species is now extinct. It was more than the Tathagata could bear.\n\n“This is terrible,” he said, “this is terrible.”\n\n“You shouldn’t be sorry for him,” said the Great Sage. “He wounded my master and stole our bundles. According to the law he should get his head cut off for wounding in the course of theft and daylight robbery.”\n\n“Go back at once to escort the Tang Priest here to fetch the scriptures,” said the Tathagata.\n\nThe Great Sage kowtowed to him in thanks and said, “I wish to report to the Tathagata that my master definitely refuses to have me. The journey would be a lot of trouble for nothing. I beg you in your kindness, Tathagata, to say the Band-loosening Spell. Then I can take this gold band off and give it back to you, and you can let me return to lay life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop those silly ideas and behave yourself,” said the Tathagata. “I shall send Guanyin to take you back to him. Of course he’ll accept you. Protect him well, and when you succeed and reach ultimate bliss there will be a place on a lotus throne for you too.”\n\nWhen the Bodhisattva Guanyin heard this she put her hands together to thank him for his mercy then took Wukong off by cloud followed by Moksa and the white parrot. They were soon back at the thatched cottage by the road. As soon as Friar Sand saw them he hurried out to ask the master to greet the Bodhisattva at the door.\n\n“Tang Priest,” she said, “it was a six-eared macaque pretending to be Wukong who hit you the other day. Fortunately the Tathagata could tell who he was, and Wukong has now killed him. You must now take Wukong back. There are many demon obstacles on the way ahead and you must have his protection if you are to reach Vulture Peak, see the Buddha and fetch the scriptures, so stop being angry with him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I shall respectfully obey,” Sanzang replied.\n\nJust as he was kowtowing in thanks there was the roar of a whirlwind from the East carrying Pig with the two bundles on his back. Seeing the Bodhisattva the idiot kowtowed to her and said, “Your disciple left the master the other day and went back to the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit to look for this luggage. I found the imitation Tang Priest and imitation Pig and killed the pair of them. They were both monkeys. Then I went inside and found the bundles. Nothing’s missing—I’ve checked them over. So I came straight back by wind. What happened to the two Monkeys?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva then told him how the Tathagata had told the two of them apart. The idiot was delighted and gave thanks at great length. Master and disciples then said farewell to the Bodhisattva, who went back to the sea. The four of them were now once more of a single will and a single mind; all grievances had been washed away and anger removed. They thanked their hosts in the thatched cottage, retied the luggage, saddled up the horse, and headed West. Indeed:\n\nA separation on the journey muddled the Five Elements;\n\nAt the demon-subduing gathering enlightenment returned.\n\nThe spirit returned to the house of the mind and dhyana was calmed;\n\nWhen the six perceptions were controlled the elixir was completed.\n\nIf you don’t know how long it was till Sanzang saw the Buddha and asked for the scriptures after setting out again listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Fifty-Nine\n\nSanzang’s Way Is Blocked at the Fiery Mountains\n\nMonkey First Tries to Borrow the Plantain Fan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey First Tries to Borrow the Plantain Fan\n\nThe many species are at root the same;\n\nAll flows into the boundless sea.\n\nEvery thought and worry is in vain;\n\nAll types and forms together blend.\n\nWhen the achievement is complete\n\nGreat will be the full and shining dharma.\n\nDo not allow your differences to divide:\n\nKeep everything together.\n\nGather all into the elixir furnace,\n\nRefine it till it is red as darkest gold.\n\nThen in its brilliance and beauty\n\nOn dragons it may ride at will.\n\nThe story tells how Sanzang took back Brother Monkey as the Bodhisattva had instructed him and headed towards the Western Heaven, united in heart with Pig and Friar Sand. They were no longer in two minds, and the ape and the horse were firmly under control. Time shot by like an arrow; days and nights alternated with the speed of a shuttle. After the scorching heat of summer they were now in the frosts of late autumn. What they saw was:\n\nThe sparse clouds blown away by the wild West wind,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Cranes calling in the distant hills amid the frosty woods.\n\nThis is a chilly time\n\nWhen mountain rivers seem longer than ever.\n\nThe swan returns through the Northern frontier passes;\n\nMigrating birds go back to their Southern fields.\n\nThe traveler feels lonely on the road;\n\nMonastic robes do not keep out the cold.\n\nAs master and disciples pressed ahead they began to feel hotter and hotter in the warm air. “It is autumn now, so why is it getting hotter again?” Sanzang asked, reining in his horse."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t know,” said Pig. “There’s a country in the West, Sihali, where the sun sets. People call it ‘the end of the sky’. At about six o’clock every evening the king sends people on the city walls to band drums and blow bugles to cover the sound of the sea boiling. That’s because when the fire of the sun falls into the Western Ocean there’s a great seething noise like something burning being plunged into water. If they didn’t cover the noise with their drums and bugles the shock would kill all the little children in the city. That’s where I think we are—the place where the sun sets.” When the Great Sage heard this he could not help laughing.\n\n“Don’t talk such nonsense, you idiot. We’re a long way from Sihali yet. The way our master keeps dithering and changing his mind we won’t get there in three lifetimes, even if we go on from childhood to old age, then to childhood again, and then to another old age and a third childhood.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Tell me then, brother,” said Pig, “if this isn’t where the sun sets why’s it so scorching hot?”\n\n“The seasons must be out of joint,” said Friar Sand. “I expect they’re following summer rituals here although it’s autumn.” Just as the three disciples were arguing they saw a farm by the side of the road. It had a red tiled roof, red brick walls, and red painted doors, windows and furniture. It was red everywhere.\n\n“Wukong,” said Sanzang, dismounting, “go to that house and find out why it’s so burning hot.”\n\nThe Great Sage put his gold-banded cudgel away, neatened his clothes, and swaggered along the road like a fine gentleman. When he reached the gate to have a look an old man suddenly appeared from inside. This is what he looked like:\n\nHe wore a robe of hemp-cloth,\n\nNot quite brown or red,\n\nA sunhat of woven bamboo,\n\nIn between black and green.\n\nThe knobby stick in his hand\n\nWas neither crooked nor straight.\n\nHis long boots of leather\n\nWere not new, but not yet old.\n\nHis face was the color of copper,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His face was the color of copper,\n\nHis beard bleached white like yarn.\n\nLong eyebrows shaded his jade-blue eyes\n\nAnd his smile showed golden teeth.\n\nThe old man had a shock when he looked up to see Monkey. “Where are you from, you freak?” he asked, steadying himself on his stick. “What are you doing at my gate?”\n\n“Venerable patron,” replied Monkey with a bow, “don’t be afraid. I’m no freak. My master and we three disciples have been sent by the Great Tang emperor in the East to fetch the scriptures from the West. As we’ve now reached your residence I have come to ask you why it’s so boiling hot here and what this place is called.”\n\nOnly then did the old man stop feeling worried and reply with a smile, “Please don’t take offence, reverend sir. My old eyes are rather dim and I failed to recognize your distinguished self.”\n\n“There’s no need to be so polite,” said Monkey. “Which road is your master on?” the old man asked.\n\n“That’s him, standing on the main road due South,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Ask him over, ask him over,” the old man replied, to Monkey’s pleasure. Monkey waved to them, and Sanzang came over with Pig and Friar Sand leading the white horse and carrying the luggage. They all bowed to the old man.\n\nThe old man was at the same time delighted by Sanzang’s fine appearance and alarmed by Pig’s and Friar Sand’s remarkable ugliness. Inviting them in, he told the younger members of the family to bring tea and cook a meal. Hearing all this Sanzang rose to his feet to thank the old man and ask, “Could you tell me, sir, why it has turned so hot again although it is autumn now?”\n\n“These are the Fiery Mountains,” the old man replied. “We don’t have springs or autumns here. It’s hot all the year round.”\n\n“Where are the mountains?” Sanzang asked. “Do they block the way to the West?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s impossible to get to the West,” the old man replied. “The mountains are about twenty miles from here. You have to cross them to get to the West, but they’re over 250 miles of flame. Not a blade of grass can grow anywhere around. Even if you had a skull of bronze and a body of iron you would melt trying to cross them.” This answer made Sanzang turn pale with horror; he dared not to ask any more questions.\n\nJust then a young man pushing a red barrow stopped by the gate, shouting, “Cakes! Cakes!” The Great Sage pulled out one of his hairs and turned it into a copper coin with which he bought a cake off the young man. The man accepted the money and without a worry he lifted the cover off his barrow to release a cloud of hot steam, took out a cake and passed it to Monkey. When Monkey took it in his hand it was as hot as a burning coal or a red-hot nail in a furnace.\n\nJust look at him as he keeps tossing the cake from one hand to another shouting, “It’s hot, it’s hot, I can’t eat it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you can’t stand heat don’t come here,” the young man replied. “It’s always this hot here.”\n\n“You don’t understand at all, my lad,” said Monkey. “As the saying goes,\n\nIf it’s never too cold and it’s never too hot\n\nThe five kinds of grain will be harvested not.”\n\n“If it’s so hot here how do you get the flour to make your cakes?” To this the young man said,\n\n“You ask me where we can obtain the flour for the pan:\n\nPolitely we request it from Immortal Iron Fan.”\n\n“What can you tell me about this immortal?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The immortal has a plantain fan,” the young man replied. “If you ask it to, the fan puts out the fire at the first wave, makes a wind blow at the second wave, and brings rain at the third wave. That is how we can sow and reap the crops to support ourselves. Without it nothing would be able to grow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this Monkey rushed back inside, gave the cakes to Sanzang, and said, “Don’t worry, Master: Don’t get upset about what’s going to happen the year after next. East these cakes up and I’ll tell you all about it.” Sanzang took the cakes and said to the old man, “Please have a cake, sir.”\n\n“I could not possibly eat one of your cakes before we’ve offered you any of our tea and food,” the old man replied. “Sir,” Monkey replied, “there’s no need to give us food or tea. But could you tell me where the Iron Fan Immortal lives?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What do you want to know about the immortal for?” the old man asked. “The cake-seller told me just now that the immortal has a plantain fan,” said Monkey. “If you borrow it the first wave puts the fire out, the second raises a wind and the third brings rain. That’s why you’re able to sow and reap the crops to support yourselves. I want to go to ask the immortal to come so we can put out the flames on the Fiery Mountains and cross them. And you’ll be able to sow, reap and live in peace.”\n\n“It’s a nice idea,” said the old man, “but as you have no presents the immortal wouldn’t come.”\n\n“What sort of presents would be wanted?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Every ten years,” the old man replied, “we go to visit the immortal. We take four pigs and four sheep, all decorated with flowers and red ribbons, delicious fruit in season, chickens, geese and the best wine. We bathe ourselves and go very reverently to pay a respectful visit to the mountain and ask the immortal to leave the cave and come here to perform magic.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where is this mountain?” Monkey asked. “What’s it called? How far is it from here? I’m going there to ask for the fan.”\n\n“It lies Southwest of here,” the old man said, “and it’s called Mount Turquoise Cloud. When we believers go to worship at the magic mountain the journey takes us a month as it’s about 485 miles altogether.”\n\n“No problem,” said Monkey. “I can be there and back in no time.”\n\n“Wait a minute,” said the old man. “Have something to eat and drink first, and we’ll get some provisions ready for the journey. You’ll need two people to go with you. Nobody lives along the way and there are many wolves and tigers. It’ll take you many a day to get there. You must be serious about it.”\n\n“No need,” said Monkey with a laugh, “no need. I’m off.” As soon as he had said that he disappeared.\n\n“My lord!” the old man said in astonishment. “He’s a god who can ride clouds.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We shall say no more of how the family redoubled their offerings to the Tang Priest, but tell of Monkey, who arrived at Mount Turquoise Cloud in an instant, brought his auspicious light to a stop and started looking for the entrance to the cave. He heard the sound of an axe and saw a woodcutter felling a tree in the forest on the mountainside. Hurrying forward, Monkey heard him saying.\n\n“I recognize the ancient woods amid the clouds;\n\nThe path is overgrown; the hillside steep.\n\nFrom Western hills I see the morning rain;\n\nReturning to the South the ford’s too deep.”\n\nGoing closer to the woodman Monkey said, “Greetings, woodman.” Putting down his axe the woodcutter returned his courtesy and asked him where he was going. “May I ask if this is Mount Turquoise Cloud?” said Monkey.\n\n“Yes,” the woodcutter replied.\n\n“Where is the Iron Fan Immortal’s Plantain Cave?” Monkey asked.\n\n“There’s a Plantain Cave here,” the woodcutter replied, “but no Iron Fan Immortal, only a Princess Iron Fan. She’s also called Raksasi.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They say the immortal has a plantain fan that can put out the flames of the Fiery Mountains. Is that her?”\n\n“Yes, yes,” the woodman said. “She’s a sage and she has this treasure that puts out fire. Because she protects the people who live over yonder they call her the Iron Fan Immortal. We have no need of her here, so we just call her Raksasi. She’s the wife of the Bull Demon King.”\n\nMonkey went pale with shock at the news. “Another person who’s got it in for me,” he thought. “When I subdued the Red Boy the other year he said this bitch was his mother. When I met the Red Boy’s uncle at Childfree Cave on Mount Offspring Dissolved he refused me the water and wanted revenge. Now I’m up against his parents. How am I ever going to borrow the fan?”\n\nSeeing Monkey deep in thought and sighing endlessly, the woodcutter said with a smile, “Venerable sir, you’re a man of religion. You shouldn’t have any worries. Just follow this path East and you’ll be at the\n\nPlantain Cave within a couple of miles.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Plantain Cave within a couple of miles.”\n\n“I’ll be frank with you, woodcutter,” said Monkey. “I’m the senior disciple of the Tang Priest who has been sent by the Tang emperor in the East to go to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. The other year I had words with Raksasi’s son Red Boy at the Fire-cloud Cave, and I’m afraid that Raksasi may refuse to let me have the fan because she’s still nursing a grudge. That’s why I’m worried.”\n\n“A real man knows how to play it by ear,” the woodcutter replied. “Just ask for the fan. Forget about your old quarrel. I’m sure you’ll be able to borrow it.”\n\nMonkey made a respectful chant and said, “Thank you very much for your advice. I’m off.”\n\nBrother Monkey then took his leave of the woodcutter and went straight to the mouth of the Plantain Cave. Both doors were tightly shut, and the scenery outside was magnificent. It was a splendid place. Indeed:\n\nThe rocks were the hones of the mountain,\n\nAnd also the spirit of the earth.\n\nClouds at sunset held night rain,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Clouds at sunset held night rain,\n\nAnd mosses lent the freshness of their green.\n\nThe towering peaks outdid those of Penglai;\n\nThe fragrant calm was like a magic island’s.\n\nWild cranes were perching in the lofty pines\n\nWhile warblers sang in the weeping willows.\n\nThis was indeed an ancient site,\n\nThe home of immortals for ten thousand years.\n\nThe resplendent phoenix sang in the parasol trees\n\nWhile azure dragons hid in the running waters.\n\nVines hung over the winding paths,\n\nAnd creepers covered the steps of stone.\n\nApes on the cliffs screeched to welcome the rising moon;\n\nIn tall trees birds sang for joy at the clear blue sky.\n\nThe groves of bamboo were as cool as if it had rained;\n\nThe flowers along the path were embroidered velvet.\n\nAt times a cloud of white would blow from a distant peak;\n\nIt had no single form as it drifted in the wind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It had no single form as it drifted in the wind.\n\n“Open up, Brother Bull,” Monkey shouted as he went up to the doors. They opened with a creak, and out came a young girl carrying a flower basket in her hand and hoe over her shoulder. Indeed:\n\nThough clad in rags and dressed in no fine array,\n\nHer face was full of spirit, her heart set on the Way.\n\nMonkey went up to her with his hands together in front of his chest and said, “Would you kindly tell the princess that I’m a monk going to the West to fetch the scriptures. I’m here to beg the loan of her plantain fan as we can’t get across the Fiery Mountains.”\n\n“What monastery are you from,” the girl asked, “and what is your name? Please tell me so that I can announce you.”\n\n“I’m from the East,” Monkey replied, “and my name is Sun Wukong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The girl went back into the cave, knelt to the princess, and said, “Your Highness, there’s a monk from the East called Sun Wukong outside who would like to see you to ask for the loan of the plantain fan to cross the Fiery Mountains.” The name Sun Wukong was like a pinch of salt thrown into a flame, or oil poured on a fire. Her face went bright red and evil anger flared up in her heart.\n\n“So that damned monkey’s here at last,” she said with hatred. “Girl,” she shouted, “fetch me my armor and my weapons.” She then put on her armor, tied her pair of blue-tipped swords at her waist, fastened it all firmly, and went out. Monkey slipped over to the entrance to see what she looked like and this is what he saw:\n\nA flowered kerchief tied around her head,\n\nA cloud-patterned robe of quilted brocade.\n\nA belt of two tiger sinews round her waist,\n\nRevealing a skirt of embroidered silk.\n\nHer shoes like phoenix beaks were but three inches long;\n\nHer trousers in dragon-beard style were adorned with gold."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Brandishing her swords she gave out angry shouts;\n\nShe looked as lethal as the goddess of the moon.\n\n“Where’s Sun Wukong?” Raksasi shouted as she came out of her cave.\n\nMonkey stepped forward, bowed, and replied, “Monkey offers his respectful greetings, sister-in-law.”\n\n“I’m no sister-in-law of yours,” she shouted angrily, “and I’ll have no greetings from you.”\n\n“Your worthy husband the Bull Demon King was once my sworn brother,” Monkey replied. “There were seven of us altogether. As I learn that you are my brother Bull’s good lady, of course I must call you sister-in-law.”\n\n“Damned ape,” said Raksasi, “if you’re my husband’s sworn brother why did you have to do that terrible thing to our boy?”\n\n“Who is your son?” Monkey asked, as if he did not know."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s the Red Boy, the Boy Sage King of the Fire-cloud Cave by Withered Pine Ravine on Mount Hao,” Raksasi replied. “You ruined him, and now you’ve come to our door to pay with your life. We’ve been longing to get our revenge on you but didn’t know where to find you. You’ll get no mercy from me.”\n\nPutting on the broadest of smiles, Monkey replied, “You haven’t gone into it thoroughly enough, sister-in-law. You’ve no reason to be so angry with me Your good son had captured my master and would have steamed or boiled him if the Bodhisattva hadn’t taken the boy as his disciple and rescued my master. He’s now the page Sudhana on the Bodhisattva’s island and he’s accepted the pursuit of the true reward from her. He is now beyond life and death and above filth and purity. He will live as long as heaven, earth, the sun and the moon. But far from thanking me for saving his life you’re getting angry at me. That’s wrong of you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You smooth-tongued ape,” Raksasi snapped back. “My boy may be alive, but when is he ever going to come here? When am I going to see him again?”\n\n“It’ll be easy for you to see your son again,” Monkey replied, still smiling. “Just lend me the fan to put the fires out. When I’ve taken my master across the mountains I’ll go to the Bodhisattava’s place in the Southern Ocean and ask him to come here to see you and give your fan back. No problem. Then you’ll be able to see that he’s completely unharmed. If he’d been wounded at all you’d have had every right to be angry with me. But he’s as handsome as ever. You ought to be thanking me.”\n\nTo this Raksasi’s reply was: “Shut up, ape fiend! Stick your head out for me to hack with my sword. If you can stand the pain I’ll lend you the plantain fan. If you can’t you’ll be going straight down to Hell to see King Yama.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then clasped his hands together in front of him and replied with a smile, “Enough said, sister-in-law. I’ll stretch my bald head out and you can take as many hacks as you like until you’re exhausted. But you must lend me the fan.” With no more argument Raksasi swung both of her swords around and brought them down with loud thunks a dozen or more times on Monkey’s head. He was not bothered at all. Raksasi was so frightened by this that she turned to run away.\n\n“Where are you going, sister-in-law?” Monkey said. “Hurry up and lend me that fan.”\n\n“My treasure isn’t something to be lent out casually,” Raksasi replied.\n\n“Well,” said Monkey, “if you refuse now you’ll just have to try a taste of your brother-in-law’s cudgel.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Monkey King held on to her with one hand while pulling his cudgel out from his ear with the other. With one wave it became as thick as a ricebowl. Raksasi broke free from his grip and raised her swords to strike back at him. Monkey started swinging his cudgel to hit her with and the fight began in front of Mount Turquoise Cloud. All talk of kinship was forgotten and their minds full of hatred alone. It was a fine battle:\n\nThe woman had worked hard to make herself a monster;\n\nShe loathed the ape and would avenge her son.\n\nAlthough Monkey was seething with fury,\n\nHe would have made concessions for his master’s sake.\n\nFirst he had asked to borrow the plantain fan,\n\nBeing patient and gentle, not fierce.\n\nIn ignorance Raksasi hacked with her sword,\n\nWhile Monkey decided to speak of kinship.\n\nWomen should never fight with men,\n\nFor men are harder and can crush them.\n\nTerrible was the gold-banded cudgel,\n\nFine were the movements of the blue frost-bladed sword,\n\nWith blows to face and head,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With blows to face and head,\n\nAs both of them grimly refused to yield.\n\nBlocking to left and right they used their martial skill;\n\nGreat was the cunning with which they stood or fell back.\n\nJust when they both were beginning to enjoy themselves\n\nThe sun set in the Western sky before they noticed.\n\nRaksasi made ghosts and deities feel small\n\nWith many a wave of her true magic fan.\n\nRaksasi and Monkey fought it out till evening. As Monkey’s cudgel struck so hard and his technique was so flawless she realized that she would never be able to beat him. She brought out her plantain fan and with a single wave blew Monkey right out of sight. There was no way he could stand his ground. With that she went back to her cave in triumph.\n\nThe Great Sage was thrown around in the air, unable to come down to earth or find any refuge. He was like a dead leaf in a whirlwind or a fallen blossom carried along by a torrent."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only after a whole night’s buffeting did he manage to land on a mountain the next morning and hold on hard to a rock by putting both arms round it. He needed a long time to calm himself and take a good look around before he realized that he was on Little Mount Sumeru.\n\n“What a terrible woman,” he said to himself with a deep sigh. “How ever did she get me here? I remember coming here once to ask the Bodhisattva Lingji to subdue the Yellow Wind Monster and rescue my master. The Yellow Wind Ridge is over a thousand miles South of here, so as I’ve been blown back from the West I must have come thousands and thousands of miles. I’ll go down and find out some more from the Bodhisattva Lingji before I go back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just as he was making his mind up he heard a resounding gong, so he hurried down the mountain and straight to the dhyana monastery. The lay brother on the gate recognized Monkey and went in to announce, “The hairy-faced Great Sage who asked the Bodhisattva to subdue the Yellow Wind Monster some years back is here again.”\n\nRealizing that this must be Sun Wukong, the Bodhisattva hurried down from his throne to greet him and lead him inside with the words, “Allow me to congratulate you. I suppose you have fetched the scriptures now.”\n\n“It’ll be a long time yet,” said Monkey, “a long time.”\n\n“But why are you visiting my mountain if you have yet to reach the Thunder Monastery?” the Bodhisattva asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Since in your great kindness you subdued the Yellow Wind Monster for me some years ago,” Monkey replied, “goodness only knows how much we’ve suffered on our journey. Now we are at the Fiery Mountains, but we can’t cross them. When I asked the local people they told me about an Iron Fan Immortal who had an iron fan that could put the fires out. I went to visit the immortal, only to discover that she’s the wife of the Bull Demon King and the Red Boy’s mother. I told her that her son is now Guanyin Bodhisattva’s page, but she has it in for me because she can’t see him. She refused to lend me her fan and fought me. When she realized that my cudgel was too much for her she waved her fan and sent me hurling through the air till I landed here. That’s why I’ve come blundering into your monastery to ask the way back. How far is it from here to the Fiery Mountains?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The woman is called Raksasi, or Princess Iron Fan,” replied Lingji with a smile. “That plantain fan of hers is a miraculous treasure formed by heaven and earth behind Mount Kunlun ever since primal chaos was first separated. This leaf is the very essence of the negative Yin principle, which is why it can put out fire. If she fans somebody with it he’ll be blown 27,000 miles before that negative wind drops. But this mountain of mine is only some 17,000 miles from the Fiery Mountains. You must have stopped here because you have the power to delay clouds, Great Sage. No ordinary mortal would have been able to stop.”\n\n“She’s terrible,” said Monkey. “How ever is my master going to get across those mountains?”\n\n“Don’t worry, Great Sage,” Lingji replied. “The Tang Priest is fated to succeed on this journey with you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How can you tell?” Monkey asked. “Many years age when the Tathagata gave me his instructions,” Lingji replied, “he presented me with a Wind-fixing Pill and a Flying Dragon Staff. The Flying Dragon Staff was used to subdue the Yellow Wind Monster, but I haven’t yet tried out the Wind-fixing Pill and I’ll give it to you today. It’ll stop the fan from being able to move you. You’ll just have to ask to get it and put the fire out with it. You’ll have an instant success.”\n\nMonkey bowed deeply and expressed profound thanks. The Bodhisattva then produced a brocade bag from his sleeve and took out of it the Wind-fixing Pill. This he gave to Monkey to sew up securely inside the lapel of his tunic. “I won’t detain you here any longer,” Lingji said as he saw Monkey out through doors. “Head Northwest and that will get you to Raksasi’s mountain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taking his leave of Lingji Monkey rode his somersault cloud straight back to Mount Turquoise Cloud and was there in a moment. “Open up, open up!” he shouted, hammering on the doors with his iron cudgel. “Monkey’s here to borrow the fan.”\n\nThis so alarmed the servant girl inside the doors that she ran back and reported, “Your Highness, he’s here to borrow the fan again.” The news frightened Raksasi, who thought, “That damned monkey really has got some powers. If I fan anyone else with my treasure they go 27,000 miles before stopping. How can he be back so soon after being blown away? This time I’ll fan him two or three times and he’ll never be able to find his way back here.”\n\nShe sprang to her feet, tied all her armor firmly on, and went out of the cave with her swords in her hands shouting, “Sun the Novice, aren’t you afraid of me? Why have you come back here to get yourself killed?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be so stingy, sister-in-law,” said Monkey with a smile. “You’ve got to lend me it. I’ll bring it back as soon as I’ve escorted the Tang Priest across the Fiery Mountains. I give you my word as a gentleman. I’m not the sort of low creature who borrows things but doesn’t give them back.”\n\n“Damned macaque,” Raksasi shouted back. “You’re outrageous, and you understand nothing. I’ve got to avenge the loss of my son, so how could I possibly be prepared to lend you my fan? Clear off if you don’t want a taste of my sword.” The Great Sage, not at all afraid, struck back at her hands with his iron cudgel, and the two of them fought six or seven rounds. By then Raksasi’s arms were becoming too tired to wield the swords, while Brother Monkey was feeling strong and fighting well. Seeing that the balance of the fight was tilting against her, Raksasi took out the fan and fanned it once in Monkey’s direction."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He stood unmoved, put his iron cudgel away, and said with a chuckle, “This time it’s different. Fan as much as you like. If I move an inch I’m no man.” She fanned twice more and still he did not move. By now she was so alarmed that she put her pride and joy away at once, went straight back into the cave, and shut the doors firmly.\n\nWhen Monkey saw this he used magic. He tore the lapel of his tunic open, put the Wind-fixing Pill in his mouth, shook himself, turned into the tiniest of insects, and squeezed in through the crack between the doors, where he saw Raksasi shouting, “I’m thirsty, I’m thirsty. Quick, bring me some tea.” The servant girl who attended her fetched a pot of the best tea and poured a large cup of it so noisily that the surface was frothy. Monkey was delighted. With a quiet buzz of his wings he flew under the froth. Raksasi was so parched that she drained the tea in two gulps."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Once inside her stomach Monkey reverted to his own form and shouted at the top of his voice, “Sister-in-law, lend me the fan.”\n\nRaksasi went pale with shock. “Little ones,” she called to her underlings, “are the front doors shut?”\n\n“Yes,” they all said.\n\n“If the doors are shut then how can Sun the Novice be inside the cave and shouting?” she asked.\n\n“He’s shouting from inside you,” the servant girl replied.\n\n“Where are you playing your conjuring tricks, Sun the Novice?” Raksasi asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve never been able to do conjuring tricks in all my life,” Monkey replied. “My magic and my powers are all real. I’m fooling around in your own in-sides, good sister-in-law. I’ve just seen your lungs and your liver. I know you’re very hungry and thirsty, so I’ll give you a bowlful to quench your thirst.” With that he stamped his foot, giving Raksasi an unbearable cramp in her stomach that left her sitting groaning on the floor. “Don’t try to say no, sister-in-law,” Monkey then said. “I’m giving you a pastry in case you’re hungry.” He butted upwards, causing such a violent heart pain that she could only roll around on the ground, her face sallow and her lips white from agony.\n\n“Spare me, brother-in-law, spare me,” was all she could say.\n\nOnly then did Monkey stop hitting and kicking. “So you call me brother-in-law now, do you?” he said. “I’ll spare your life for my brother Bull’s sake. Get me the fan, and quick.”\n\n“You shall have it, brother-in-law, you shall have it,” she said. “Come out and get it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Fetch it and show it to me,” Monkey said. She told the servant girl to fetch a plantain fan and stand holding it beside her. Monkey poked his head up her throat to see it and said, “As I’m sparing your life, sister-in-law, I won’t smash my way out under your ribs. I’ll come out through your mouth. Open wide three times.” With that Raksasi opened her mouth and Monkey turned back into the tiny insect to fly out and alight on the fan. Not realizing what had happened Raksasi went on to open her mouth twice more.\n\n“Come out, brother-in-law,” she said.\n\nMonkey turned back into himself, took the fan and said, “Here I am. Thanks for the loan.” With that he strode forward while the underlings opened the doors to let him out of the cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage then turned his cloud around and headed back East. A moment later he had landed the cloud and was standing by the red brick wall. Pig was very pleased indeed to see him. “Master,” he said, “Monkey’s here! He’s back!” Sanzang went out with the old man of the farm and Friar Sand to greet him, and they all went back inside.\n\nPropping the fan against the wall, Monkey asked, “Tell me sir, is this the fan?”\n\n“Yes, yes,” the old man said.\n\n“This is a great achievement, disciple,” said Sanzang. “Fetching this treasure must have cost you a great deal of trouble.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No trouble at all,” said Monkey. “Do you know who that Iron Fan Immortal is? She’s Raksasi, the wife of the Bull Demon King and the Red Boy’s mother. Her other name is Princess Iron Fan. I found her outside her cave and asked to borrow the fan, but all she could talk of were her old grudges. She took a few cuts at me with her swords, but when I gave her a bit of a scare with the cudgel she fanned me with the fan and blew me all the way to Little Mount Sumeru. I was lucky enough to be able to see the Bodhisattva Lingji who gave me a tablet that stops winds and showed me the way back to Mount Turquoise Cloud. Then I saw Raksasi again, but this time her fan did not move me an inch, so she went back into her cave and I turned into a tiny insect to fly back in after her. When the damned woman-asked for some tea I slipped in under the froth at the top, got inside her, and started giving her a few punches and kicks. She couldn’t take the pain. She kept saying, ‘Spare me, brother-in-law, spare me.’ As she agreed to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "me, brother-in-law, spare me.’ As she agreed to lend me the fan I spared her life and took the fan. I’ll give it back to her after we’ve crossed the Fiery Mountains.” When Sanzang heard this he was extremely grateful."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Master and disciples then took their leave of the old man and traveled about fifteen miles West. The heat was becoming unbearable. “The soles of my feet are being roasted,” Friar Sand complained.\n\n“My trotters are getting burnt and it hurts,” said Pig. The horse was going much faster than usual too. The ground was so hot that they could not stop, but every step was painful."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please dismount, Master,” said Monkey, “and brothers, stay here while I use the fan to put the fire out. When the wind and the rain come the ground will be a lot cooler and we’ll be able to get across the mountains.” He then raised the fan and fanned it hard once in the direction of the fire: tongues of flame rose above the mountains. He fanned again, and they were a hundred times as high. He fanned a third time, and now they were a couple of miles high and beginning to burn him. Monkey fled, but not before two patches of fur had been burnt away. He ran straight back to the Tang Priest and said, “Hurry back, hurry back, the flames are coming.”\n\nThe master remounted and headed back East with Pig and Friar Sand some seven miles before stopping and asking, “What happened, Wukong?”\n\n“It’s the wrong one,” Monkey said, flinging the fan down, “it’s the wrong one. The damned woman fooled me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Sanzang heard this he frowned and felt thoroughly depressed. “What are we to do?” he sobbed, the tears flowing freely down his cheeks.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “why did you come back in such a mad rush and send us back here?”\n\n“The first time I fanned there were flames,” Monkey replied, “the second time the fire got fiercer, and the third time the flames were a couple of miles high. If I hadn’t run fast all my fur would have been burnt off.”\n\n“But you’re always telling us that you can’t be hurt by thunder and lightning and that fire can’t burn you,” said Pig with a laugh. “How come you’re afraid of fire now?”\n\n“Idiot,” said Monkey, “you don’t understand anything. The other times I was ready: that’s why I wasn’t hurt. Today I didn’t make any flame-avoiding spells or use magic to defend myself. That’s why two patches of my fur were singed.”\n\n“If the fire’s so fierce and there’s no other way to the West what are we going to do?” Friar Sand asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’ll just have to find somewhere where there isn’t any fire,” Pig replied.\n\n“Which way will that be?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“East, North or South: there’s no fire those ways,” said Pig. “But which way are the scriptures?”\n\n“Only in the West,” Pig replied.\n\n“I only want to go where the scriptures are,” Sanzang said.\n\n“We’re well and truly struck,” said Friar Sand. “Where there are scriptures there’s fire, and where there’s no fire there are no scriptures.”\n\nWhile master and disciples were talking this nonsense they heard someone call, “Don’t get upset, Great Sage. Come and have some vegetarian food before you take your discussions any further.” The four of them looked round to see an old man wearing a cloak that floated in the wind and a hat the shape of a half moon. In his hand he held a dragon-headed stick, and on his legs were boots of iron. With him was a demon with the beak of an eagle and the cheeks of a fish carrying on his head a copper bowl full of steamed buns, millet cakes, cooked millet and rice."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man bowed to them on the road to the West and said, “I am the local god of the Fiery Mountains. As I know that you are escorting this holy monk, Great Sage, and can’t go any further I have brought this meal as an offering.”\n\n“Eating doesn’t matter,” Monkey replied. “When are these fires going to be put out so that my master can cross the mountains?”\n\n“If you want to put the fires out you must first ask Raksasi to lend you the plantain fan,” the local god said. Monkey went to the side of the path, picked the fan up, and said, “This is it, isn’t it? The more I fan the flames the more fiercely they burn. Why?”\n\n“Because it’s not the real one,” said the local deity with a laugh when he looked at it. “She fooled you.”\n\n“Then how am I to get the real one?” Monkey said.\n\nThe local god bowed again and had a slight smile on his face as he replied, “If you want to borrow the real plantain fan you will have to ask the Strongarm King.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you don’t know all about the Strongarm King listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty\n\nThe Bull Demon King Gives Up the Fight to Go to a Feast\n\nMonkey Tries the Second Time to Borrow the Plantain Fan\n\n“The Strongarm King is the Bull Demon King,” the local god explained.\n\n“Did he set these mountains ablaze and pretend they were the Fiery Mountains?” Monkey asked.\n\n“No, no,” the local god replied. “If you’ll promise to forgive me for doing so, Great Sage, I’ll speak frankly.”\n\n“What’s there to forgive?” Monkey said. “Speak frankly.”\n\n“You started this fire, Great Sage,” the local god replied.\n\n“That’s nonsense,” said Monkey angrily. “I wasn’t here. Do you take me for an arsonist?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t realize who I am,” the local god said. “These mountains haven’t always been here. When you made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago and were captured by the Illustrious Sage Erlang you were escorted to Lord Lao Zi, put in the Eight Trigrams Furnace and refined. When the furnace was opened you kicked it over, and some of its bricks that still had fire in them fell here as the Fiery Mountains. I used to be one of the Taoist boys who looked after the furnace in the Tushita Palace, but Lord Lao Zi was so angry with me for failing in my duty that he sent me down to be the local god here.”\n\n“I was wondering why you were dressed like that,” said Pig forcefully, “you’re a Taoist turned local god.”\n\n“Tell me why I need to find the Strongarm King,” said Monkey, only half-convinced."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s Raksasi’s husband,” the local god said. “He’s abandoned her now and gone to live in the Cloud-touching Cave in Mount Thunder Piled. A fox king there who’d lived for ten thousand years died leaving an only daughter, Princess Jade, with property worth a million but nobody to manage it. Two years ago she visited the Bull Demon King and found out about his tremendous magical powers. She decided to give him her property if he’d come to live in her cave as her husband. So the Bull Demon King abandoned Raksasi and hasn’t been back to see her for ages. If you can find him, Great Sage, and persuade him to come here you’ll be able to borrow the real fan. First, you’ll be able to blow the flames out to take your master across the mountains. Second, you’ll put an end to this disastrous fire so that the land here can come back to life. And third, I’ll be pardoned and allowed to go back to Heaven and return to live under Lord Lao Zi’s command.”\n\n“Where is Mount Thunder Piled, and how far is it from here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Due South,” the local deity said, “and over a thousand miles.” Once he knew this Monkey told Friar Sand and Pig to look after the master and ordered the local god to stay with them. There was then a roaring like the wind as he disappeared.\n\nIn less than an hour he saw a high mountain that touched the sky. Bringing his cloud down he stood on the peak to look around, and this is what he saw:\n\nWas it tall?\n\nIts peak touched the azure sky.\n\nWas it big?\n\nIts roots went down to the Yellow Springs.\n\nWhile the sun warmed the front of the mountain\n\nThe winds behind the ridge blew cold.\n\nOn the sun-warmed front of the mountain\n\nThe flowers and trees never knew what winter was;\n\nIn the cold winds behind the ridge\n\nThe ice and frost did not even melt in summer.\n\nFrom a dragon pool a river flowed in gullies;\n\nFlowers bloomed early by the tiger’s cave in the crag.\n\nThe river split into a thousand jade streams;\n\nThe flowers bloomed together like brocade.\n\nOn the twisting ridge grew twisted trees;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the twisting ridge grew twisted trees;\n\nBeside the knotted rocks were knotted pines.\n\nIndeed there were\n\nA high mountain,\n\nSteep ridges,\n\nSheer precipices,\n\nFragrant flowers,\n\nFine fruit,\n\nRed creepers,\n\nPurple bamboo,\n\nGreen pines,\n\nTurquoise willows.\n\nIt looked the same throughout the seasons;\n\nChangeless forever, like a dragon.\n\nAfter looking for a long time the Great Sage walked down from the towering peak to find his way through the mountain. Just when he was feeling bewildered a slender young woman came towards him holding a spray of fragrant orchid. The Great Sage slipped behind a grotesque rock and took a good look at her. This is what she was like:\n\nA ravishing beauty to enchant a nation\n\nWalking so slowly on her little lotus feet.\n\nHer face was like Wang Qiang or the woman of Chu.\n\nShe was a talking flower,\n\nScented jade.\n\nThe hair was swept down from her coiffure like jade-blue crows;\n\nThe green of her eyes made one think of autumn floods.\n\nHer silken skirt showed a glimpse of tiny feet;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Her silken skirt showed a glimpse of tiny feet;\n\nFrom her turquoise sleeves came long and elegant wrists.\n\nShe would put anyone into the mood for love;\n\nRed were her lips, and white her pearly teeth.\n\nHer skin was as smooth and her brows as fine as the Jinjiang beauty;\n\nShe was more than a match for Wenjun or Xue Tao.\n\nAs the young woman slowly approached the rock the Great Sage bowed to her and said, “Where are you going, Bodhisattva?” Before he spoke she had not noticed him; but when she looked up and saw how hideous the Great Sage was she was petrified, unable to move forward or back.\n\nAll she could do was shiver and force herself to reply, “Where are you from? How dare you question me?”\n\n“If I tell her about fetching the scriptures and borrowing the fan,” the Great Sage thought, “this damn woman might be some relation of the Bull Demon King’s. I’d better pretend to be some kinsman of the Bull Demon King come to invite him to a banquet.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he would not answer her questions the woman turned angry and shouted, “Who are you and how dare you question me?”\n\n“I’m from Mount Turquoise Cloud,” Monkey replied with a bow and a forced smile. “I don’t know the way as it’s my first time here. Could I ask you, Bodhisattva, if this is Mount Thunder Piled?”\n\n“It is,” she replied.\n\n“Where might I find the Cloud-touching Cave?” the Great Sage asked.\n\n“What do you want to find it for?” the woman asked.\n\n“I’ve been sent by Princess Iron Fan in the Plantain Cave on Mount Turquoise Cloud with an invitation for the Bull Demon King,” Monkey replied.\n\nThe moment the woman heard him speak of Princess Iron Fan sending an invitation to the Bull Demon King she flared into a rage and went crimson from ear to ear."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“She ought to know better, the low bitch. It’s less than two years since the Bull Demon King came here, and goodness only knows how much jewelry, gold, silver, fine silk and brocade I’ve given her since then. I send her firewood every year and rice every month. She’s doing nicely thank you. So what’s the shameless hussy doing, sending him an invitation?”\n\nWhen the Great Sage heard this and realized that she was Princess Jade he deliberately pulled out his iron cudgel and shouted at her, “You’re a damned bitch, using your wealth to buy the Bull Demon King. You could only get him to marry you for your money. You ought to be thoroughly ashamed of yourself instead of being so insulting.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this all of her souls sent flying, and she fled trembling with terror, stumbling and tripping over her shoes, while the Great Sage ran after her, shouting and roaring. Once they were out from under the shade of the pines they were at the entrance to the Cloud-touching Cave. She ran inside and the doors slammed shut behind her. Only then did Monkey put his cudgel away and take a good look:\n\nA thick forest,\n\nSheer precipices,\n\nLuxuriance of creepers,\n\nFragrance of orchids.\n\nThe spring washed over jade and through bamboo;\n\nGrotesque and cunning rocks held precious stones.\n\nThe distant peaks were wreathed in mists;\n\nSun and moon lit up the cloudy crags.\n\nDragons howled, tigers roared,\n\nCranes called and warblers sang.\n\nFresh and lovely was its elegant peace,\n\nAnd the scenery was radiant with precious flowers.\n\nIt was a match for Tiantai’s magic caves,\n\nAnd finer than the Peng and Ying islands in the sea."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We will say nothing of how Brother Monkey admired the view but tell how the young woman, dripping with sweat after running and her heart beating wildly from terror, went straight to the study where the Bull Demon King was quietly perusing a book on cinnabar alchemy. She threw herself into his arms feeling thoroughly put out, scratched and tugged at his face and ears, and howled aloud.\n\n“Don’t upset yourself so, my lovely,” said the Bull Demon King, all smiles. “What do you want to tell me?”\n\nShe then began to prance and jump about in her fury as she said abusively, “You’re killing me, damned monster.”\n\n“What makes you say that?” he asked, all smiles.\n\n“I brought you here to look after me and protect me because I’d lost my parents and people who’d been around all said that you were a tough guy,” she said. “But you’re just another henpecked hack.”\n\nThe Bull Demon King took her in his arms and said, “How’ve I done you wrong, my lovely? Take your time and tell me about it. I’ll make it up to you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was taking a stroll among the flowers outside the cave just now picking orchids,” she said, “When a monk with a face like a thunder god rushed up to me and started bowing. I was so scared I couldn’t move. When I calmed down enough to ask him who he was he said he’d been sent by that Princess Iron Fan with an invitation for you. I was so angry I had something to say about that, and he started abusing me and chased me with his cudgel. He’d have just about killed me with it if I hadn’t run so fast. So you see, bringing you here was a disaster. It’s killing me.” At this the Bull Demon King apologized to her very earnestly. It took a long time and many tender attentions from his before she finally calmed down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I tell you the truth, my lovely,” the demon king said forcefully. “The Plantain Cave may be rather out of the way, but it’s a place of purity and elegance. That wife of mine has had the highest moral principles since childhood, and she’s also an immortal who has attained the Way. She runs her household very strictly. There’s not even a page there. She couldn’t possibly have sent a monk with a face like a thunder god. I wonder what evil fiend he is. He must have used her name to come and see me. I’m going out to have a look.”\n\nThe splendid demon king strode out of the study and into the hall to put on his armor and take his iron cudgel. “Who are you, and why are you behaving so outrageously?” he shouted as he went out through the doors. Monkey, who was watching from one side, saw that he now looked quite different from the way he had five hundred years earlier.\n\nHis wrought iron helmet shone like water or silver;\n\nHis golden armor was trimmed with silks and brocades."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The toes of his deerskin boots turned up; their soles were white.\n\nThe silken belt at his waist included three lion’s tails.\n\nHis eyes were as bright as mirrors,\n\nHis brows as elegant as red rainbows,\n\nHis mouth like a bowl of blood,\n\nHis teeth a row of copper plates.\n\nAt his resounding roar the mountain gods took fright;\n\nEvil ghosts were overawed by his majestic power.\n\nHis fame was known throughout the seas for raising chaos;\n\nHe was the Strongarm Demon King here in the West.\n\nThe Great Sage then tidied his clothes, stepped forward, chanted a deep “re-e-er” of respect, and asked, “Can you still recognize me, eldest brother?”\n\n“Are you Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?” the Bull Demon King replied, returning his bow.\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Monkey. “It’s such a long time since last we met. I only got here to see you because I asked a woman some questions just now. I must congratulate you on how well everything is growing.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Cut that out,” the Bull Demon King shouted back. “I heard about you making havoc in Heaven and being crushed under the Five Elements Mountain by the Lord Buddha. Then you were released from your heavenly punishment to protect the Tang Priest on his way to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures in the Western Heaven. Why did you have to destroy my son, the Sage Boy Bullcalf? I’m very angry with you. Why are you here looking for me?”\n\n“Please don’t misjudge me, brother,” said the Great Sage with another bow. “Your good son captured my master and was going to eat him. I was no match for him. Luckily the Bodhisattva Guanyin rescued my master and converted your boy. He’s now the page Sudhana. He’s even taller than you. He lives in a temple of great bliss and enjoys eternal ease. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, so why be angry with me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Smooth-tongued macaque,” retorted the Bull Demon King. “Even if you can talk your way out of having ruined my son, what do you mean by upsetting my beloved concubine and chasing her up to my doors?”\n\n“I made a polite inquiry of the lady because I could not find you,” Monkey replied. “I never realized she was your second wife, so when she was rude to me I acted rough. Please forgive me.”\n\n“Very well then,” the Bull Demon King said. “I’ll let you off this time for the sake of our old friendship.”\n\n“I’m very grateful indeed for your immense kindness,” the Great Sage replied. “But there is one thing I’d like to trouble you with. I hope you’ll be able to help me out.”\n\n“You macaque,” the Bull Demon King shouted at him, “you think you can get away with anything! I spare your life, but instead of making yourself scarce you have to keep pestering me. What do you mean by helping out?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Let me be honest with you,” the Great Sage replied. “I’m stuck at the Fiery Mountains on my journey escorting the Tang Priest, and we’re not getting anywhere. The local people told me that your good lady Raksasi has a plantain fan. I tried to borrow it. I went to visit my sister-in-law, but she refused to lend it me, which is why I’ve come to see you. I beg you, brother, in the greatness of your heart to come with me to sister-in-law’s place and borrow the fan for me so that I can blow out the fires and get my master across the mountains. Then I’ll return it right away.”\n\nAt this the Bull Demon King’s heart blazed with wrath. “You told me you knew how to behave,” he said, noisily gnashing his teeth of steel. “I suppose all this was not just to borrow the fan. I’m certain my wife has refused to lend it you because you’ve mistreated her. So that’s why you came to see me. On top of that you send my beloved concubine fleeing in terror. As the saying goes,\n\n‘Don’t push around\n\nYour best friend’s wife,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "‘Don’t push around\n\nYour best friend’s wife,\n\nDon’t try to destroy\n\nThe joy of his life.’\n\nYou’ve been pushing my wife around and trying to destroy the concubine who’s the joy of my life. It’s an outrage. Take this!”\n\n“If you want to hit me, brother, I’m not afraid,” said Monkey. “All I want is the treasure. I beg you to lend it me.”\n\n“If you can last out three rounds with me,” the Bull Demon King said, “I’ll make my wife lend it to you. And if you can’t I’ll kill you and have my revenge.”\n\n“Good idea, brother,” Monkey replied. “I’ve been so lazy. I haven’t been to see you for ages, and I don’t know how your fighting powers now compare with the old days. Let’s have a match with our cudgels.” The Bull Demon King was in no mood for further argument, and he hit at Monkey’s head with his mace. Monkey hit back with his gold-banded cudgel. It was a splendid fight:\n\nThe gold-banded cudgel,\n\nThe rough iron mace,\n\nAre no longer friends.\n\nOne said, “You destroyed my son, you macaque.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One said, “You destroyed my son, you macaque.”\n\nThe other, “Don’t be angry: he has found the Way.”\n\n“How could you be so stupid as to come to my door?”\n\n“I am here to visit you with a special purpose.”\n\nOne wanted the fan to protect the Tang Priest;\n\nThe other was too mean to lend the plantain leaf.\n\nFriendship was lost in the exchange of words;\n\nIn anger neither had any sense of brotherhood.\n\nThe Bull Demon King’s mace moved like a dragon;\n\nThe Great Sage’s cudgel sent gods and demons fleeing.\n\nFirst they fought in front of the mountain,\n\nThen they both rose on auspicious clouds.\n\nThey showed their great powers up in mid-air,\n\nDoing wonderful movements in multi-coloured light.\n\nThe clash of their cudgels rocked the gates of Heaven;\n\nThey were too evenly matched for either to win."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They were too evenly matched for either to win.\n\nThe Great Sage and the Bull Demon King fought over a hundred rounds without either emerging as the victor. Just as they were becoming locked in their struggle a voice called from the peak, “King Bull, my king sends his respects and invites you to honour him with your presence at a banquet.”\n\nAt this the Bull Demon King blocked the gold-banded cudgel with his iron mace and called out, “You stay here, macaque. I’m going to a friend’s house for a meal. I’ll be back.” With that he landed his cloud and went straight back into the cave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My lovely,” he said to Princess Jade, “the man you saw with a face like a thunder god is the macaque Sun Wukong. A bout with my mace has sent him packing: he won’t be back. Stop worrying and enjoy yourself. I’m going to a Mend’s place for some drinks.” He then took off his helmet and armor, donned a duck-green jacket of cut velvet, went outside and mounted his water-averting golden-eyed beast. Telling his underlings to look after the palace he headed Northwest in clouds and mist.\n\nWhile the Great Sage watched all this from the peak he thought, “I wonder who the friend is and where he’s gone for his banquet. I’ll follow him.” Splendid Monkey then shook himself and turned into a clear breeze to follow him. He soon reached a mountain, but the Bull Demon King was nowhere to be seen. The Great Sage turned back into himself and started to search the mountain. He found a deep pool of pure water beside which was inscribed in large letters on a tablet of stone\n\nRAGGED ROCK MOUNTAIN\n\nGREEN WAVE POOL"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "RAGGED ROCK MOUNTAIN\n\nGREEN WAVE POOL\n\n“Old Bull must have gone into the water,” Monkey thought, “and underwater spirits are lesser dragons, dragon or fish spirits, or else turtle, tortoise or terrapin spirits. I’d better go down and have a look.”\n\nMaking a hand-spell and saying the magic words the splendid Great Sage shook himself, turned into a medium-sized crab weighing thirty-six pounds, jumped into the water with a splash, and went straight down to the bottom of the pool. He saw an ornamental arch of delicate tracery to which was tethered a water-averting golden-eyed beast. On the other side of the arch there was no more water. Monkey crawled through and took a careful look. From one side he heard music, and this is what he saw:\n\nCowry gateways to a palace red,\n\nLike nothing else in the world.\n\nThe roof tiles were of yellow gold,\n\nThe door pivots of whitest jade.\n\nThe screens were of tortoise-shell,\n\nThe balustrades of coral and of pearl.\n\nAuspicious clouds glowed all around the throne,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Auspicious clouds glowed all around the throne,\n\nFrom the sky above right down to the ground.\n\nThis was not the palace of Heaven or the sea,\n\nAlthough it more than rivaled an island paradise.\n\nA banquet for host and guests was set in the lofty hall,\n\nWhere all the official wore their hats with pearls.\n\nJade girls were told to bring ivory bowls,\n\nExquisite beauties to play fine music.\n\nThe great whale sang,\n\nGiant crabs danced,\n\nTurtles played pipes and drums,\n\nWhile pearls shone over the goblets and boaras.\n\nBirdlike script adorned the turquoise screens,\n\nWhile shrimp-whisker curtains hung along the corridors.\n\nFrom the eight notes mingled came wonderful music\n\nWhose tones rose up to the clouds above.\n\nGreen-headed singsong girls stroked zithers of jasper\n\nWhile red-eyed dragonflies played jade flutes.\n\nMandarin fish carried dried venison in on their heads,\n\nWhile dragon girls had the wings of golden pheasants in their hair.\n\nWhat they ate were\n\nThe rarest delicacies of the heavenly kitchen;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The rarest delicacies of the heavenly kitchen;\n\nWhat they drank were\n\nThe finest vintages of the purple palace.\n\nThe Bull Demon King was sitting in the seat of honour with three or four lesser dragon spirits on either side. Facing him was an ancient dragon, surrounded by dragon sons, dragon grandsons, dragon wives and dragon daughters. Just as they were feasting and drinking the Great Sage Sun marched straight in, to be spotted by the ancient dragon, who ordered, “Arrest that vagrant crab.” The dragon sons and grandsons fell upon him and seized him.\n\n“Spare me, spare me,” said Monkey, suddenly reverting to human speech.\n\n“Where are you from, crab vagrant?” the ancient dragon asked. “How dare you come into my hall and behave in this disgraceful way in front of my distinguished guests? Tell me this moment if you want to be spared the death penalty.” The splendid Great Sage then made up a pack of lies to tell him:\n\n“Ever since coming to live in the lake\n\nI’ve had to make my home in cliffs and caves."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I’ve had to make my home in cliffs and caves.\n\nOver the years I’ve learned to stretch myself out\n\nSo now I am known as the Sideways Man-at-arms.\n\nDragging my way through weeds and through mud,\n\nI have never been taught correct social behavior.\n\nIf in my ignorance I have caused offence I beg\n\nYour Majesty to show me mercy.”\n\nWhen the spirits at the banquet heard this they all bowed to the ancient dragon and said, “This is the first time that the Sideways Man-at-arms has come to your palace of jasper, and he does not understand royal etiquette. We beg Your Excellency to spare him.”\n\nThe ancient dragon thanked the spirits and ordered, “Release the wretch. Put a beating on record against his name, and have him wait outside.” The Great Sage acknowledged his kindness then fled for his life till he reached the archway outside."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That Bull Demon King is drinking for all he’s worth in there,” he thought. “I’m not going to wait till the feast breaks up. And even if I did he still wouldn’t lend me the fan. I’d do better to steal his golden-eyed beast and turn myself into a Bull Demon King. Then I can trick Raksasi into lending me the fan and I’ll be able to escort my master across the mountains. That’ll be best.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage then reverted to his original form, untied the golden-eyed beast, leapt into the carved saddle, and rode straight up from the bottom of the water. Once out of the pool he made himself look like the Bull Demon King. Whipping on the beast he set his cloud moving and was soon at the mouth of the Plantain Cave in Mount Turquoise Cloud.\n\n“Open up!” he shouted, and at the sound of his voice the two servant girls inside the gates opened them for him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taking him for the Bull Demon King they went in to report, “Madam, His Majesty’s come home.” At the news Raksasi quickly neatened her hair and hurried out on her little lotus feet to meet him. Climbing out of the saddle the Great Sage led the golden-eyed beast inside. He was bold enough to try to deceive the beauty, whose mortal eyes failed to see who he really was as she led him inside, hand in hand. The maids were told to prepare places and bring tea, and as the master was back the whole household tried its hardest.\n\nThe Great Sage and Raksasi were soon talking. “My good lady,” said the false Bull Demon King, “it’s been a long time.”\n\n“I hope that everything has gone well for Your Majesty,” Raksasi replied, going on to ask, “What wind brings you back to your abandoned wife now that you have married your new darling?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s no question of having abandoned you,” the Great Sage replied with a smile. “It’s just that I’ve been away a long time since Princess Jade invited me to her place. I’m kept very busy with domestic matters to deal with and friends to attend to. I hear that so-and-so Sun Wukong is very near the Fiery Mountains with the Tang Priest, and I’m worried that he might come and ask you to lend him the fan. I can’t forgive him for destroying our son, I want my revenge. If he turns up, just send someone to tell me. When I get him we can cut his body up into ten thousand pieces as revenge for what we have suffered.”\n\n“You Majesty,” replied Raksasi, in tears at what he had just said, “as the saying goes, ‘A man with no woman is risking his wealth; a woman with no husband is risking her health.’ That macaque practically killed me.”\n\nAt this the Great Sage pretended to fly into a terrible rage. “When did that bloody monkey go?” he swore."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He hasn’t gone yet,” Raksasi replied. “He was here yesterday to borrow the fan, and as he’d destroyed our boy I put my armor on and went out to cut him to bits with my swords. But he endured the pain, called me his sister-in-law, and said that you and he were once sworn brothers.”\n\n“He was my seventh sworn brother five hundred years ago,” the Great Sage replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He said not a word when I swore at him,” Raksasi continued, “and didn’t strike back when I cut him. Finally I blew him away with the fan. Goodness only knows where he got some wind-fixing magic from, but this morning he was back shouting outside the door again, and the fan wouldn’t move him no matter how hard I waved it. When I swung my swords around and went for him with them he wasn’t being polite any more. I was so scared of the force of his cudgel I came back in here and had the doors tightly shut. Somehow or other he managed to get right into my belly and it practically killed me. I had to call him brother-in-law and lend him the fan before he’d go.”\n\nThe Great Sage put on a great show of beating his chest and saying, “How terrible, how terrible. You did wrong, wife. You should never have given that treasure to the macaque.”\n\n“Don’t be angry, Your Majesty,” Raksasi replied. “I lent him a false fan and tricked him into going away.”\n\n“Where’s the real one?” the Great Sage asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where’s the real one?” the Great Sage asked.\n\n“Don’t worry,” she replied, “don’t worry. It’s safely put away.” She then told the serving girls to lay on wine and a feast to welcome him back. “Your Majesty,” she then said, offering him a goblet of wine, “please don’t forget the wife of your youth in the joy of your new marriage. Won’t you drink this cup of wine from home?” The Great Sage had no choice but to accept the goblet and smile as he raised it.\n\n“You drink first, wife,” he said, “I’ve left you looking after the home by yourself, good lady, for too long, while I’ve been busy with my other property. Let this be a gesture of my gratitude.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Raksasi took the goblet back, lifted it again, and handed it to the king with the words, “As the old saying goes: The wife is the equal, but the husband is the father who supports her. You don’t need to thank me.” It was only after more such politeness that the two of them sat down and began drinking. Not wanting to break his vow to avoid meat, the Great Sage only ate some fruit while he talked to her.\n\nAfter they had each had several cups Raksasi was feeling a little drunk and rather sexy. She started to press herself against the Great Sage, stroking and pinching him. Taking him by the hand, she whispered tender words to him; leaning her shoulder against him, she spoke quietly and submissively. They shared the same cup of wine, drinking a mouthful each at a time, and she fed him fruit. The Great Sage pretended to go along with this and smile. He had no choice but to lean against her. Indeed:\n\nThe hook to catch poetry,\n\nThe broom to sweep away sorrow,\n\nThe remover of all difficulties is wine."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The remover of all difficulties is wine.\n\nThe man, though virtuous, unbuttoned his lapel;\n\nThe woman forgot herself and began to laugh.\n\nHer face had the complexion of a peach,\n\nHer body swayed like a willow sapling.\n\nMany a word came babbling from her mouth\n\nAs she pinched and nipped in her desire.\n\nSometimes she tugged at her hair,\n\nOr waved her delicate fingers.\n\nShe often raised a foot\n\nAnd twitched the sleeves of her clothes.\n\nHer powdered neck sunk lower\n\nAnd her fine waist started to wiggle.\n\nShe never stopped talking for a moment\n\nAs she opened gold buttons to half show her breasts.\n\nIn her cups she was like a landslide of jade,\n\nAnd as she rubbed her bleary eyes she did not look at her best."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Watching her get drunk the Great Sage had kept his wits about him, and he tried to lead her on by saying, “Where have you put the real fan, wife? You must watch it very carefully all the time. I’m worried that Sun the Novice will trick it out of you with some of his many transformations.” At this Raksasi tittered, spat it out of her mouth, and handed it to the Great Sage. It was only the size of an apricot leaf.\n\n“Here’s the treasure,” she said.\n\nThe Great Sage took it but could not believe that it really was. “How could a tiny little thing like this blow a fire out?” he wondered. “It must be another fake.”\n\nSeeing him looking at the treasure so deep in thought, Raksasi could not restrain herself from rubbing her powdered face against Monkey’s and saying, “Put the treasure away and have another drink, darling. What are you looking so worried about?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage took the chance to slip in the question, “How could a little thing like this blow out 250 miles of fire?” She was now drunk enough to have no inhibitions about speaking the truth, so she told him how it was done: “Your Majesty, I expect you’ve been overdoing your pleasures day and night these last two years since you left me. That Princess Jade must have addled your brains if you can’t even remember about your own treasure. You just have to pinch the seventh red silk thread with the thumb of your left hand and say, ‘Huixuhexixichuihu.’ Then it’ll grow twelve feet long. It can do as many changes as you like. It could blow 250,000 miles of flame out with a single wave.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage committed all this very carefully to memory, put the fan in his mouth, rubbed his face and turned back into himself. “Raksasi!” he yelled at the top of his voice. “Have a careful look: I’m your brother-in-law. What a disgusting way you’ve been carrying on in with me, and for what a long time too. You’re shameless, quite shameless.”\n\nIn her horror at realizing it was Sun Wukong she pushed the dining table over and fell into the dust, overcome with shame and screaming. “I’m so upset I could die, I could die.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not caring whether she was dead or alive, the Great Sage broke free and rushed straight out of the Plantain Cave. He was indeed not lusting after that female beauty, and glad to turn away with a smiling face. He sprang on his auspicious cloud that took him up to the top of the mountain, spat the fan out of his mouth, and tried the magic out. Pinching the seventh red tassel with the thumb of his left hand, he said “Huixuhexixichuihu,” and indeed it grew to be twelve feet long. On close examination he found it quite different from the false one he had borrowed before. It glittered with auspicious light and was surrounded by lucky vapors. Thirty-six threads of red silk formed a trellis pattern inside and out. But Brother Monkey had only asked how to make it grow and had not found out the spell for shrinking it. So he had to shoulder it as he went back by the way he had come."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Bull Demon King’s feast with all the spirits at the bottom of the Green Wave Pool ended he went outside to find that the water-averting golden-eyed beast was missing. The ancient dragon king called the spirits together to ask them, “Which of you untied and stole the Bull Demon King’s golden-eyed beast?” The spirits all knelt down and replied, “We wouldn’t dare steal it. We were all waiting, singing or playing at the banquet. None of us was out here.”\n\n“I am sure that none of you palace musicians would have dared to take it,” the ancient dragon said. “Have any strangers been here?”\n\n“A crab spirit was here not long ago during the banquet, and he was a stranger.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the Bull King suddenly realized what had happened. “Say no more,” he exclaimed. “When you sent your messenger with the invitation this morning there was a Sun Wukong there who’d come to ask to borrow my plantain fan as he couldn’t get the Tang Priest he’s escorting to fetch the scriptures across the Fiery Mountains. I refused. I was in the middle of a fight with him that neither of us was winning when I shook him off and came straight here to the banquet. That monkey’s extremely quick and adaptable. I’m sure that the crab spirit was him here in disguise to do a bit of spying. He’s stolen my beast to go and trick the plantain fan out of my wife.” This news made all the spirits shake with fright.\n\n“Do you mean the Sun Wukong who made havoc in Heaven?” they asked.\n\n“Yes,” the Bull Demon King replied. “If any of you gentlemen have any trouble on the road West keep your distance from him whatever you do.”\n\n“But if all that’s true, what about Your Majesty’s steed?” the ancient dragon asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No problem,” the Bull Demon King replied with a smile. “You gentlemen may all go home now while I go after him.”\n\nWith that he parted his way through the waters, sprang up from the bottom of the pool and rode a yellow cloud straight to the Plantain Cave on Mount Turquoise Cloud, where he heard Raksasi stamping her feet, beating her breast, howling and moaning. He pushed the doors open to see the water-averting golden-eyed beast tethered by them.\n\n“Where did Sun Wukong go, wife?” the Bull Demon King said.\n\nSeeing that the Bull Demon King was back, the serving girls all knelt down and said, “Are you home, Your Majesty?”\n\nRaksasi grabbed hold of him, banged her head against his, and said abusively, “Damn and blast you, you careless fool. Why ever did you let that macaque steal the golden-eyed beast and turn himself into your double to come here and trick me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Which way did the macaque go?” the Bull Demon King asked, grinding his teeth in fury. Beating her breast Raksasi continued to pour out abuse: “The damn monkey tricked me out of my treasure, turned back into himself, and went. I’m so angry I could die.”\n\n“Do look after yourself, wife,” the Bull Demon King said, “and don’t be so upset. When I’ve caught the macaque and taken the treasure off him I’ll skin him, grind his bones to powder, and bring you his heart and liver. That’ll make you feel better.” He then called for weapons.\n\n“Your Majesty’s weapons aren’t here,” the serving girls replied.\n\n“Then bring your mistress’ weapons,” the Bull Demon King replied. The servants brought her pair of blue-tipped swords, and the Bull Demon King took off the duck-green velvet jacket he had worn to the banquet and tied the little waistcoat he wore next to his skin more tightly. He then strode out of the Plantain Cave, a sword in each hand, and headed straight for the Fiery Mountains in pursuit of Monkey. It was a case of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The man who forgot a kindness\n\nTricking a doting wife;\n\nThe fiery-tempered old demon\n\nMeeting a mendicant monk.\n\nIf you don’t know whether this journey was ill-fated or not, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty-One\n\nZhu Bajie Helps to Defeat a Demon King\n\nMonkey’s Third Attempt to Borrow the Fan"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey’s Third Attempt to Borrow the Fan\n\nThe story tells how the Bull Demon King caught up with the Great Sage Sun and saw him looking very cheerful as he went along with the plantain fan over his shoulder. “So the macaque has also tricked the art of using the fan out of her,” the demon king thought. “If I ask him for it back to his face he’s bound to refuse, and if he fans me with it and sends me sixty thousand miles away that would be just what he wants. Now I know that the Tang Priest is sitting waiting by the main road. When I was an evil spirit in the old days I used to know his second disciple the Pig Spirit. I think I’ll turn myself into a double of the Pig Spirit and play a trick back on him. That macaque will no doubt be so pleased with himself that he won’t really be on his guard.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid demon king could also do seventy-two transformations and his martial skills were on a par with those of the Great Sage: it was just that he was rather more clumsily built, was less quick and penetrating, and not so adaptable.\n\nFirst he hid the swords then he said the words of the spell, turned himself into the exact likeness of Pig, went down, and met Monkey face to face. “I’m here, brother,” he called.\n\nThe Great Sage was indeed delighted. As the ancient saying goes, a cat that’s won a fight is more pleased with himself than a tiger. Monkey was so confident of his powers that he did not bother to investigate why the new arrival was here, but seeing that he looked like Pig, called out, “Where are you going brother?”\n\nThe Bull Demon King made up an answer on the spot: “You’d been away for so long that the master wondered if the Bull Demon King’s magic powers were too much for you and you couldn’t get the treasure. So he sent me to meet you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There was no need to worry,” said Monkey. “I’ve already got it.”\n\n“How did you manage that?” the Bull Demon King asked.\n\n“Old Bull and I fought over a hundred rounds without either of us getting the upper hand till he broke off the fight and went to the bottom of the Green Wave Pool in Ragged Rock Mountain for a banquet with a whole lot of lesser dragons and dragons. I tailed-him there, turned into a crab, stole the water-averting golden-eyed beast, made myself look like him, and went to the Plantain Cave to trick Raksasi, She as good as married me on the spot and I conned it out of her.”\n\n“You had to go to a lot of trouble, brother,” the Bull Demon King replied. “Can I hold the fan?” Not realizing that this Pig was an impostor, or even considering the possibility, the Great Sage Sun handed him the fan."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now the Bull Demon King knew the secret of making the fan shrink or grow, and as soon as he had the fan in his hands he made a spell with them that nobody could see, shrunk it back to the size of an apricot leaf, and reverted to his true form. “Bloody macaque,” he swore, “do you know who I am now?” As soon as he saw this Monkey regretted making so terrible a mistake."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a cry of anguish he stamped his feet and yelled, “Aagh! After all these years I’ve been hunting wild geese a gosling has pecked out my eye!” He was now leaping around in a thunderous fury, and he took a crack at the Bull Demon King’s head with his iron cudgel. The demon king then fanned him with the fan, not realizing that the Great Sage had inadvertently swallowed the wind-fixing pill he had in his mouth when he turned himself into a tiny insect to go into Raksasi’s stomach. This had made all his entrails, his skin and his bones so solid and firm that no matter how hard the Bull Demon King fanned he could not move him. This alarmed the Bull Demon King, who put the treasure in his mouth and fought back, swinging a sword in each hand. The two of them fought a splendid battle up in mid-air:\n\nThe Great Sage Equaling Heaven,\n\nThe Bull Demon King of evil,\n\nAll for the sake of a plantain-leaf fan.\n\nWhen they met each showed his powers;\n\nThe careless Great Sage got the fan by a trick,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The careless Great Sage got the fan by a trick,\n\nBut allowed the Bull King to take it back.\n\nOne mercilessly raised the golden cudgel,\n\nThe other wielded with skill his blue-tipped swords.\n\nThe mighty Great Sage belched out coloured mists\n\nWhile the evil Bull King breathed brilliant lights.\n\nWell matched in courage,\n\nBoth of them wicked,\n\nThey gnashed and ground their teeth in terrible wrath.\n\nHeaven and earth were darkened by the dust they kicked up;\n\nGods and ghosts alike hid from the flying stones.\n\n“How dare you try to turn a trick against me!”\n\n“I’ll get you for what my wife promised you!”\n\nCoarse was their language and fierce were their tempers.\n\n“For tricking my wife you deserve to die.”\n\n“When I sue you the sentence will surely be death.”\n\nThe cunning Great Sage Equaling Heaven,\n\nThe murderous Strongarm Demon King:\n\nBoth of them only wanting to fight,\n\nNeither of them willing to pause and discuss.\n\nEqual the effort of swords and of cudgel;\n\nHad either relaxed he’d have gone straight to Hell."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story now tells not of those two locked in their struggle but of the Tang Priest sitting by the road and finding the heat unbearable. He was also very anxious and thirsty.\n\n“May I ask you,” he said to the local deity, “what that Bull Demon King’s powers are like?”\n\n“He has very great magic,” the local god replied, “and his dharma powers are unlimited. He and the Great Sage Sun are well matched.”\n\n“Wukong is a very good traveler,” Sanzang replied. “He can normally go six or seven hundred miles and back in an instant. Why has he been away all day? I’m sure he must be fighting the Bull Demon King.” With that he called for Pig and Friar Sand and asked, “Which of you will go to meet your elder brother? If he is up against an enemy you will have to help him in the fight, get the fan, and come back. I am very impatient to cross these mountains and continue along our way.”\n\n“It’s getting late,” Pig replied, “and I’d like to go to meet him. The only thing is that I don’t know the way to Mount Thunder Piled.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But I do,” the local god said. “Tell the Curtain-lifting General to keep your master company while you and I go there.”\n\nSanzang was delighted. “I am most grateful to you for going to such trouble,” he said, “and I shall thank you again when you have succeeded.”\n\nPig then summoned up his spirits, tightened the belt round his black brocade tunic, and took his rake in his hands as he rose up on his cloud with the local god and headed due East. As they were going along they heard great shouts and were buffeted by strong winds. Stopping his cloud for a good look he saw that it was all caused by Monkey and the Bull Demon King fighting.\n\n“Why don’t you join in, Marshal Tian Peng?” the local deity asked. “What are you waiting for?”\n\nAt that the idiot brandished his rake and said with a great shout, “Brother, I’m coming.”\n\n“Idiot,” said Monkey bitterly, “you’ve ruined things for me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But the master told me to come to meet you,” Pig protested. “He asked the local god to guide me as I don’t know the way. That’s why I’m a bit late. How can you say I’ve ruined things for you?”\n\n“I’m not angry with you for being late,” Monkey replied. “It’s this damned bull who’s a thorough disgrace. I’d got the fan off Raksasi, but he turned himself into your double and came to meet me. I was so pleased to see you that I passed him the fan. He turned back into himself and we’ve been fighting it out ever since. That’s why I said you’d ruined things for me.”\n\nThis news put Pig into a flaming temper. Raising his rake he shouted abuse to the Bull Demon King’s face: “I’ll get you, you pox-ridden bag of blood! I’ll get you for pretending to be me, your own ancestor, to trick my brother and stir up trouble between us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Watch as he starts lashing out wildly with the rake. The Bull Demon King, who had been fighting Monkey all day, was tiring, and he also realized that he would never be able to withstand the onslaught of Pig’s rake, so he fled in defeat. But his way was blocked by a force of spirit soldiers led by the local god of the Fiery Mountains.\n\n“Wait, Strongarm King,” the local deity said. “All the gods and heavens are protecting Tang Sanzang on his journey West to fetch the scriptures. The Three Worlds all know about him, and the Ten Directions are supporting him. Please lend him your plantain fan to blow out the flames so that he can cross the mountains without danger or disaster. Otherwise Heaven will hold you criminally responsible and you’re bound to be executed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You haven’t looked into the rights and wrongs of this at all,” King Demon Bull replied. “That damned ape has done one evil thing after another: he’s stolen my son, bullied my concubine, and defrauded my wife. I wish I could swallow him whole and turn him into shit to feed to the dogs. I’ll never lend him my treasure.”\n\nBefore the words were all out of his mouth Pig had caught up with him and was saying abusively, “I’ll get you, you poxy bull. The fan or your life!” The Bull Demon King had to turn round to fight Pig off with his swords while the Great Sage Monkey wielded his cudgel to help him. It was a fine fight they had there:\n\nA boar turned spirit,\n\nA bull become monster.\n\nA monkey who had robbed Heaven and found the Way.\n\nDharma-nature can always overcome what has been created;\n\nEarth must be used to combine with the prime cause.\n\nPointed and sharp were the nine teeth of the rake;\n\nFlexible and keen were the two sword blades.\n\nThe movements of the iron cudgel dominated the fray;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The local god formed the cinnabar head.\n\nThe three of them struggled to overcome,\n\nEach of them scheming to give play to his powers.\n\nMetal money is best at making the bull draw the plough;\n\nIf the boar goes in the oven, wood is finished.\n\nUnless the heart is in it the Way cannot be completed;\n\nTo keep the spirit controlled the monkey must be tied up.\n\nAmid wild shouts and desperate pleas\n\nThe three types of weapon whistled through the air.\n\nThere was no kindness in the blows of rake and sword;\n\nThe gold-banded cudgel rose for good reason.\n\nTheir fight put out the stars and dimmed the moon;\n\nThe sky was filled with a cold, dark dreary fog."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sky was filled with a cold, dark dreary fog.\n\nThe demon king fought hard and courageously for mastery, falling back all the while. When the dawn came after a whole night of battle there was still no victor, and in front of them now was the entrance to the Cloud-touching Cave on Mount Thunder Piled. The ear-splitting noise that the three of them, the local god and the spirit soldiers were making alarmed Princess Jade, who sent her serving girls to see who was causing the din.\n\nThe little demons on the doors came in to report, “It’s our master. He’s fighting the man with a face like a thunder god, another monk with a long snout and big ears, and the local god of the Fiery Mountains and his men.” The moment Princess Jade heard this she ordered the senior and junior officers of the guard to take their swords and spears and help their lord."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Good to see you,” said the Bull Demon King with delight, “good to see you.” All the demons rushed wildly into the attack. It was more than Pig could cope with and he fled in defeat, trailing his rake behind him. The Great Sage sprang aloft out of the multiple encirclement on a somersault cloud; the spirit soldiers broke and ran. Old Bull led his host of demons back to the cave in victory and the doors were shut tightly behind them.\n\n“He’s tough, damn him,” said Monkey. “He started fighting me at about four yesterday afternoon and we were nowhere near a result when you two came along to help last night. He fought for half a day and a whole night without showing any sign of tiring. And that bunch of little devils who came out just now were a rough lot too. Now he’s shut the doors of his cave and won’t come out. What are we to do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It was about ten yesterday morning when you left the master, brother,” Pig said, “so why was it four in the afternoon when you started fighting him? What were you doing for the six hours in between?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I reached this mountain soon after I left you,” Monkey replied, “and saw a woman. When I questioned her she turned out to be his favorite concubine Princess Jade. I gave her a bit of a fright with my cudgel, so she fled into the cave and sent her Bull Demon King out. He and I swapped a few insults then started fighting. We’d been at it for a couple of hours when someone came to invite him to a banquet. I tailed him to the bottom of the Green Wave Pool on Ragged Rock Mountain and turned into a crab to do a little spying. Then I stole his water-averting golden-eyed beast and changed myself into the Bull Demon King’s double to go back to the Plantain Cave on Mount Turquoise Cloud, where I conned Raksasi into giving me the fan. I went outside to try the magic spell out on the fan and made it grow, but I didn’t know how to make it shrink again. As I was walking along with it on my shoulder he turned himself into your spitting image and tricked it back off me again. That’s how I wasted six hours.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As the saying goes,” Pig replied, “it’s just like a boatful of beancurd sinking: it came out of the wet and it disappeared into the wet. Easy come, easy go, But how are we going to take our master across the mountains if we’re having so hard a time getting the fan? We’ll just have to go back and make a bloody detour.”\n\n“Don’t get impatient, Great Sage,” the local god said, “and don’t try to be lazy, Marshal Tian Peng. If you make a detour that will mean leaving the straight and narrow: you’ll never cultivate your conduct that way. As the old saying goes, ‘In walking never take a short cut.’ You mustn’t talk about detours. Your master is waiting by the main road, desperate for your success.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Monkey, his resolve stiffened, “don’t talk nonsense, idiot. The local deity is right. As for that Bull Demon King, we’ll have to”\n\nStraggle for mastery,\n\nUse our powers,\n\nUntil we can make the whole earth change.\n\nSince coming to the West he has never met a rival:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bull King was originally the mind-ape transformed.\n\nOnly today do the sources flow:\n\nWe must hold out till we borrow the fan.\n\nPut out the flames in the cool of the dawn,\n\nSmash through obstinate emptiness to visit the Buddha.\n\nWhen all is fulfilled we will rise to heavenly bliss,\n\nAnd all go to the assembly under the Dragon-flower Tree.”\n\nThese words braced Pig’s spirits too, and eagerly he said,\n\n“Yes, yes, yes!\n\nGo, go, go!\n\nNever mind what the Bull King’s powers are,\n\nWood grows in the nor’nor’west and is matched with a pig;\n\nThe bull-calf will be led back to the earth.\n\nMetal was born in West sou’west and was an ape,\n\nWithout any conflict or conquest and full of peace.\n\nWe must use the plantain leaf as if it were water\n\nTo put out the flames and bring harmony.\n\nHard work by night and day with never a rest\n\nWill lead us to success and the Ullambana feast.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The two of them led the local deity and his spirit soldiers forward, then battered the doors of the Cloud-touching Cave to pieces with the rake and the cudgel. This so terrified the guard commanders that they rushed inside to report, “Your Majesty, Sun Wukong’s brought his troops here and has smashed down our front doors.”\n\nThe Bull Demon King was just then telling Princess Jade what had happened and feeling thoroughly fed up with Monkey. The news of the front doors being smashed made him beside himself with fury, so he put his armor on immediately and went outside with his iron mace in his hands shouting abusively, “Damned macaque! You must think you’re a very big shot indeed, coming here to play the hooligan and smash down my front door.”\n\n“Old skinflint,” retorted Pig, going forward, “who do you think you are, trying to put other people in their place? Don’t move! Take this!”\n\n“Idiot!” the Bull Demon King replied. “Chaff-guzzler! You’re not worth bothering with. Tell that monkey to come here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t know what’s good for you, cud-chewer,” called Monkey. “Yesterday you were still my sworn brother, but today we’re enemies. Watch this carefully!” The Bull Demon King met their onslaught with spirit, and the ensuing fight was even finer than the one before. The three heroes were locked in a melee. What a battle!\n\nRake and iron cudgel showing their might,\n\nLeading the spirit soldiers to attack the ancient beast.\n\nThe beast displayed his terrible strength when fighting alone,\n\nReviving his powers that rivaled those of Heaven.\n\nThe rake hit hard,\n\nThe mace struck,\n\nThe iron cudgel showed its heroic powers.\n\nThe three weapons rang against each other,\n\nBlocking and parrying, never giving way.\n\nOne said he was the champion,\n\nAnother claimed, “I am the best.”\n\nThe earth soldiers who were watching could hardly tell them apart.\n\nAs wood and earth were locked in combat.\n\n“Why won’t you lend us the plantain fan?”\n\n“You had the effrontery to mistreat my wife,\n\nTo ruin my son and terrify my concubine."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To ruin my son and terrify my concubine.\n\nI haven’t punished you for all of that yet,\n\nAnd now you harass us and beat down my doors.”\n\n“Be on your guard against the As-You-Will cudgel:\n\nA touch of it will tear your skin open.”\n\n“Mind you avoid the teeth of my rake:\n\nOne blow, and nine wounds all gush blood.”\n\nThe Bull Monster fearlessly gave play to his might,\n\nWielding his mace with skill and with cunning.\n\nTheir movements turned the rain clouds upside-down,\n\nAs each of them snorted out his mists and winds.\n\nThis was indeed a battle to the death,\n\nAs they fought it out together with hatred in their hearts.\n\nTaking new stances,\n\nOffering openings high and low,\n\nThey attacked and they parried with never a mistake.\n\nThe two brother disciples were united in their efforts;\n\nThe solitary mace showed its might alone.\n\nThey battled from dawn till eight in the morning\n\nTill the Bull Demon had to abandon the fight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Till the Bull Demon had to abandon the fight.\n\nWith death in their hearts and no thought of survival the three of them fought another hundred or so rounds till Pig took advantage of Monkey’s miraculous powers to put all his brute strength into a rain of blows from his rake that were more than the Bull Demon King could withstand. He turned and fled defeated back to his cave, only to find the entrance blocked by the local god and his spirit troops.\n\n“Where do you think you’re going, Strongarm King?” the local god shouted. “We’re here.” As he could not get into his cave the Bull Demon King fled, only to be pursued by Pig and Monkey. In his panic the Bull Demon King tore off his helmet and armor, threw away his mace, shook himself, turned into a swan and flew away. Monkey looked around and said with a grin, “Pig, Old Bull’s gone.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot had not the faintest idea of what had happened and neither had the local god as they looked all around and aimlessly searched Mount Thunder Piled. “Isn’t that him flying up there?” said Monkey, pointing.\n\n“It’s a swan,” Pig replied.\n\n“Yes,” said Monkey, “it’s what Old Bull turned himself into.”\n\n“So what are we going to do about it?” the local god asked.\n\n“You two charge in there, wipe all the demons out without quarter and tear down his den,” Monkey replied. “That will cut off his retreat while I go and match transformations with him.” We shall say no more of Pig and the local god smashing their way into the cave as they had been instructed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Putting away his gold-banded cudgel and saying the words of a spell while making the necessary hand movements, Monkey shook himself and turned into a vulture who soared up into the clouds with his wings beating noisily, then swooped down on the swan, seizing its neck and gouging at its eyes. Realizing that this was Sun Wukong transformed the Bull Demon King braced himself and turned into a golden eagle who gouged, back at the vulture. Then Monkey turned into a black phoenix to chase the eagle, only to be recognized by the Bull King, who turned into a white crane and flew off South with a loud call. Monkey stopped, braced his feathers, and turned into a red phoenix, who called loudly too. At the sight of the phoenix, the king of all the birds whom no bird dared treat with disrespect, the white crane swooped down beside the precipice with a beat of his wings, shook himself, and turned into a river-deer grazing in a timid, stupid way at the foot of the cliff. Monkey spotted him, came swooping down too, and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey spotted him, came swooping down too, and turned into a hungry tiger that came running after the river-deer, swishing his tail hungrily. The demon king had to move fast as he transformed himself into a huge leopard with spots like golden coins who turned to savage the hungry tiger. Seeing this, Monkey faced the wind, shook himself, and turned into a golden-eyed lion with a voice like thunder, a brazen head and an iron brow. He spun round to devour the leopard, at which the Bull Demon King immediately became a giant bear that ran after the lion. Monkey then rolled himself up and became an elephant with tusks shaped like bamboo shoots, and a trunk like a python that he stretched out to wrap round the bear."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bull Demon King chuckled and switched back into his own original shape as a great white bull with a craggy head and flashing eyes. Each of his horns was like an iron pagoda, and his teeth were rows of sharp swords. He was about ten thousand feet long from head to tail and stood eight thousand feet high at the shoulder.\n\n“What are you going to do to me now, damned macaque?” he shouted to Brother Monkey at the top of his voice; at which Monkey too reverted to his own form, pulled out his gold-banded cudgel, bowed forward and shouted “Grow!” He then grew to be a hundred thousand feet tall with a head like Mount Taishan, eyes like the sun and moon, a mouth like a pool of blood and teeth like doors. He raised his iron cudgel and struck at the Bull Demon King’s head; and the Bull Demon King hardened his head and charged Monkey with his horns. This was a ridge-rocking, mountain-shaking, heaven-scaring, earth-frightening battle, and there is a poem to prove it that goes:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Way grows by one foot, the demon by ten thousand;\n\nThe cunning mind-ape puts him down by force.\n\nIf the Fiery Mountains’ flames are to be put out,\n\nThe precious fan must blow them cool.\n\nThe yellow-wife is determined to protect the primal ancient;\n\nThe mother of wood is set on wiping out the demons.\n\nWhen the Five Elements are harmonized they return to the true achievement;\n\nEvil and dirt are refined away as they travel to the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The two of them gave such a great display of their magic powers as they fought on the mountain that they alarmed all the deities, the Gold-headed Protector, the Six Jias, the Six Dings and the Eighteen Guardians of the Faith, who were passing through the air, came to surround the demon king. He was not in the least afraid as he butted to East and West with his straight, shining, iron horns, and lashed to North and South with his strong and hairy tail. Sun Wukong stood up to him head on while all the other gods surrounded him till in his despair the Bull Demon King rolled on the ground, turned back into his usual form, and headed for the Plantain Cave. Monkey too put away his magical form and joined in the chase with all the gods, but once in the cave the demon king shut the doors fast. The gods then threw a watertight encirclement around Mount Turquoise Cloud. Just when they were all about to storm the doors they heard the shouts of Pig arriving with the local god and his spirit soldiers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How are things in the Cloud-touching Cave?” Monkey asked, greeting him.\n\n“I finished off Old Bull’s woman with one blow from my rake,” grinned Pig, “and when I stripped her I found she was a jade-faced fox spirit. Her demons were all donkeys, mules, bulls, badgers, foxes, raccoon dogs, river-deer, goats, tigers, elk, deer and things like that. We killed the lot of them and burnt down all the buildings in the cave. The local god tells me he’s got another woman who lives here, so we’ve come here to wipe her out too.”\n\n“You’ve done well, brother,” said Monkey. “Congratulations. I tried competing with Old Bull in transformations, but I couldn’t beat him. He turned into a simply enormous white bull, and I made myself as big as heaven and earth. We were just battling it out when all the gods came down and surrounded him. After a long time he turned back into himself and went into the cave.”\n\n“Is this Plantain Cave?” Pig asked.\n\n“Yes yes,” Monkey replied, “Raksasi’s in here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes yes,” Monkey replied, “Raksasi’s in here.”\n\n“Then why don’t we storm the place and wipe the lot of them out to get the fan?” said Pig, his blood still up. “Are we going to let the two of them live to be any older and wiser and love each other with tender passion?”\n\nThe splendid idiot then summoned up his strength to bring his rake down on the doors so hard that doors, rock-face and all collapsed with a mighty rumble. The serving girls rushed inside to report, “Your Majesty, someone’s smashed the doors in and we don’t know who he is.” The Bull Demon King himself had just run panting in and was still telling Raksasi about his fight with Monkey for the fan when he heard this report, which made him very angry indeed.\n\nAt once he spat out the fan and gave it to Raksasi, who took it in her hands and said tearfully, “Your Majesty, give the macaque the fan if he’ll call his troops off.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wife,” the Bull Demon King replied, “it may only be a little thing in itself, but I hate and loathe him. Wait here while I have it out with him again.” Once more the demon put on his armor, chose another pair of swords, and went out to find Pig smashing the doors down with his rake. Without a word Old Bull raised his swords and cut at Pig’s head. Pig parried with his rake and fell back a few paces till he was outside the doors, where Monkey swung his cudgel at the Bull Demon King’s head. The Bull Monster then mounted a storm wind and sprang away from the cave to fight Monkey once more on Mount Turquoise Cloud. All the gods surrounded him, while the local god’s soldiers joined in the fray from either side. It was a splendid fight:\n\nMists obscured the world,\n\nFog shrouded heaven and earth.\n\nA whistling evil wind sent sand and pebbles rolling;\n\nTowering wrath had the ocean’s waves breaking.\n\nWith a newly-sharpened pair of swords,\n\nAnd a body encased in armor once more,\n\nHis hatred was deeper than the sea,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His hatred was deeper than the sea,\n\nAnd loathing made his fury greater than ever.\n\nIn his pursuit of glory the Great Sage Equaling Heaven\n\nNo longer regarded the other as an old friend.\n\nPig was using his might to obtain the fan\n\nWhile the gods and protectors tried to capture the Bull.\n\nNeither of the Bull King’s hands could rest\n\nAs he blocked to left and right with heavenly skill.\n\nBirds folded their wings, unable to fly past;\n\nFish stopped leaping and sank to the bottom.\n\nGhosts wept, gods howled; the earth and sky were dark;\n\nDragons and tigers were terrified and the sun was dimmed.\n\nThe Bull Demon King fought over fifty rounds for all he was worth till he abandoned the field and fled North, unable to hold out any longer. He was soon blocked by the Vajrapani Bofa from the Hidden Demon Cave on Mount Wutai whose magical powers were very extensive. “Bull Monster,” he shouted, “Where are you going? I have been commanded by the Lord Sakyamuni Buddha to spread out heaven-and-earth nets and arrest you here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he spoke the Great Sage, Pig and all the gods caught up. In his desperation the demon king turned and fled South only to find his way blocked by the Vajrapani Shenzhi of the Cave of Cool Purity on Mount Emei, who shouted, “I am here on the Buddha’s orders to take you.”\n\nThe Bull Demon King was now so terrified and exhausted that he turned and fled East, only to be blocked by the Vairocana monk, the Vajrapani Dali of Mo’er Cave on Mount Sumeru, who shouted, “Where are you going, Old Bull? I am on a secret mission from the Tathagata to catch you.”\n\nThe Bull Demon King withdrew in terror once more, this time to the West, where he came up against the imperishable king, the Vajrapani Yongzhu from the Golden Brightness Ridge on Mount Kunlun, shouting, “Where are you going, damn you? I have been personally instructed by the venerable Buddha of the Thunder Monastery in the Western Heaven to cut off your escape this way. Nobody will let you pass.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Old Bull was now trembling with fear, but it was too late for regrets. On all sides he was surrounded by the Buddha’s troops and heavenly generals. It really was as if he were caught in a high net from which there was no escape. In his despair he heard Monkey coming after him at the head of his forces, so he sprang on his cloud and went up.\n\nAt just that moment Heavenly King Li the Pagoda-carrier was encamped in the sky with Prince Nezha, the Fish-bellied Yaksa and the Mighty Miracle God.\n\n“Not so fast,” he shouted, “not so fast. I am here on the mandate of the Jade Emperor to exterminate you.” In his extremity the Bull Demon King shook himself, turned back into the giant white bull, and tried to gore the Heavenly King with his iron horns, while the Heavenly King hacked at him with his sword. Soon Brother Monkey arrived."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Great Sage,” Prince Nezha shouted at the top of his voice, “I can’t greet you properly as I’m in armor. Yesterday my father and I went to see the Tathagata Buddha, who sent a note to the Jade Emperor. It said that the Tang Priest was held up by the Fiery Mountains and that you couldn’t subdue the Bull Demon King, Great Sage. The Jade Emperor then ordered my father to bring his forces here to help.”\n\n“But this damned creature’s magical powers are tremendous,” Monkey replied, “and he’s turned himself into this. What are we going to do about him?”\n\n“Have no doubts,” replied Nezha with a smile. “Watch me catch him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The prince then shouted, “Change!” gave himself three heads and six arms, and took a flying leap upon the Bull Demon King’s back. With one swing of his demon-beheading sword he had the bull’s head off before he even realized he had done it. The Heavenly King threw down his sword and went to meet Monkey. But another head grew out from the Bull Demon King’s throat, its mouth breathing black vapors and its eyes flashing golden light. Nezha cut again, but as the head fell a new one appeared. Nezha’s sword cut a dozen heads off and a dozen new heads immediately grew again. Nezha then hung his fire-wheel on the bull’s horns, blew on the magic fire, and made it blaze so fiercely that the Bull Demon King bellowed in desperate pain, shaking his head and tail and trying for all he was worth to escape.\n\nJust when he was about to do another transformation and get away his true image was fixed in Heavenly King Li’s demon-revealing mirror. Now he could make no more changes and he had no way of escape."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He could only call out, “Spare my life! I wish to be converted to the Buddhist faith.”\n\n“If you value your life, hand the fan over at once,” said Nezha. “My wife is looking after it,” the Bull Demon King replied.\n\nHearing this reply, Nezha undid his demon-binding rope and slipped it round his neck, then took him by the nose, ran the rope through it, and led him along by hand. Monkey meanwhile gathered together the four vajrapanis, the Six Dings, the Six Jias, the Guardians of the Faith, Heavenly King Li, the Mighty Miracle God, Pig, the local god and the spirit soldiers to crowd around the white bull and lead him back to the entrance to the Plantain Cave.\n\n“Wife,” Old Bull called, “bring the fan out and save my life.” As soon as she heard this Raksasi took off her jewelry and bright-coloured clothing, dressed her hair like a Taoist nun and put on a white silk habit like a Buddhist one."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She came out through the doors carrying the twelve-foot fan with both hands, and at the sight of the vajrapanis, the gods, the Heavenly King and Nezha she fell to her knees in terror, kowtowing in worship and saying, “I beg you Bodhisattvas to spare my husband and me. I present the fan to my brother-in-law Monkey for him to win his glory with.” Monkey went forward, took the fan, and rode back East by auspicious cloud with the others.\n\nSanzang and Friar Sand had been waiting a very long time, sometimes sitting and sometimes standing, for Monkey to come back. They were extremely anxious by the time the sky was suddenly filled with auspicious clouds and the earth was lit up by blessed light as all the gods came whistling through the air towards them. “Wujing,” said the venerable elder in terror, “whose divine soldiers are coming from over there?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Friar Sand, who could recognize them, “it’s the four vajrapanis, the Golden-headed Protector, the Six Jias, the Six Dings, the Guardians of the Faith and all the other passing gods. The one leading the bull is Prince Nezha, and there’s Heavenly King Li the Pagoda-carrier holding a mirror. My eldest brother is carrying the plantain fan, and that’s second brother and the local god behind him. The others are all escort troops.”\n\nHearing this, Sanzang put on his Vairocana mitre and his cassock then went with Friar Sand to welcome the gods and thank them with these words: “What merits do I, your disciple, have that I put all you holy ones to the trouble of coming down to earth?”\n\nTo this the four vajrapanis replied, “Congratulations, holy monk. The great task has now been achieved. We were sent to help you on the Buddha’s orders. You must now continue your self-cultivation and not slacken for a moment.” Sanzang replied amid kowtows that he accepted their commands."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage Sun took the fan close to the Fiery Mountains, waved it as hard as he could, and put the flames out. Their glare disappeared. He waved the fan again and the rustle of a cool breeze could be heard; and at the third wave the sky was overcast with cloud and a fine rain began to fall. There is a poem that bears witness to this:\n\nFor hundreds of miles the mountains of fire\n\nLit heaven and earth with notorious flames.\n\nWhen fire roasts the five passions the elixir cannot be made.\n\nWhen flame burns the three passes the Way is not pure.\n\nTo borrow the plantain fan and bring down rain,\n\nHeavenly gods had to help with their spiritual power.\n\nWhen the bull is led to the Buddha it must stop being evil;\n\nWhen water and fire are allied the nature is calm."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having been relieved of his cares Sanzang stopped worrying. All the hosts then reverently thanked the vajrapanis, who all returned to their mountains, and the Six Dings and Six Jias went back into the sky to give their protection. The deities who had been passing by all went on their way; and the Heavenly King and Nezha led the bull back to hand him over to the Buddha. This left only the local mountain god waiting there with Raksasi under his guard.\n\n“Why aren’t you on your way, Raksasi?” Monkey asked. “What are you standing there waiting for?”\n\n“I beg you in your mercy, Great Sage,” she replied, “to give me back the fan.”\n\n“You’ve got a cheek, damned bitch,” roared Pig. “We’ve spared your life and that should be enough for you. What do you want the fan for? When we’ve crossed the mountains we’ll be able to sell it for food. Do you think we’re going to give it to you after all the trouble and effort we’ve been to? It’s raining, so be off home with you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She bowed again and said, “But the Great Sage promised to give it back when he’d put the fire out. I’m very sorry about all that has happened. It was only because I was feeling so upset that I put you to all that trouble. We too have learned to live like human beings. The only thing is that we had not been converted to the pursuit of the true achievement. Now our true bodies have turned to the West, and we will not dare do anything wicked again. I beg you to return the fan so that I can reform and cultivate myself.”\n\n“Great Sage,” said the local deity, “let us make full use of this woman’s knowledge of the art of extinguishing fire to put these fires out for good, and give her back her fan. Then I will be able to live here in peace, help the people who live here, and be given offerings of blood and food. This would truly be a great kindness to me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I heard the local people saying that when the fan puts the flames out in these mountains they can only gather one harvest before they start burning again,” said Monkey. “How are we going to be able to put them out forever?”\n\n“All you have to do to put the flames out forever,” said Raksasi, “is wave the fan forty-nine times. Then they’ll never burn again.”\n\nNow that Brother Monkey knew this he took the fan and fanned the mountains with it forty-nine times as hard as he possibly could, whereupon heavy rain began to pour down. The fan really was a treasure: where there were flames it rained, and where there were not the sky was clear. By standing where there no flames master and disciples avoided getting wet. After spending the night sitting there they got the horse and luggage ready the next morning and returned the fan to Raksasi."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I don’t give it back to you,” Monkey said, “people might say I don’t keep my word. Take the fan with you, go back to your mountain and don’t make any more trouble. As you’ve achieved human form I’ll spare your life.” Taking the fan from him Raksasi said the words of the spell, pinched the thread so that it shrank back to the size of an apricot leaf and put it in her mouth. She then thanked them all and prepared to cultivate her conduct as a hermit. Later she too achieved the true reward and her name was made eternally famous through the scriptures. Raksasi and the local god expressed their deep gratitude to the four sages and escorted them along their way. As Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand escorted Sanzang along his way their bodies felt cool and the ground under their feet was pleasantly damp. This was indeed a case of\n\nWith the help of trigrams Kan and Li the primal is compounded;\n\nWhen fire and water are balanced the Great Way is completed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you don’t know how many years it was till they returned to the East, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty-Two\n\nCleansed and with a Washed Heart He Sweeps the Pagoda\n\nThe Devils Are Captured and Converted; the Body Is Cultivated\n\nThrough all the hours it must never be forgotten:\n\nWhen success is won all time will be put away.\n\nFor five years and sixty thousand miles\n\nDo not let the holy water dry up,\n\nDo not allow the fire to flag.\n\nWhen water and fire are in balance no harm will arise;\n\nThe Five Elements are joined as if with hooks.\n\nYing and Yang in harmony climb the cloud tower,\n\nRiding the phoenix to the purple palace,\n\nAnd flying on the crane to magical Yingzhou."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And flying on the crane to magical Yingzhou.\n\nThis lyric is set to the tune Lin jiang xian. It tells how Tang Sanzang and his disciples with the help of water and fire cooled their natures and borrowed the fan that was pure Yin to blow out the flames on the distant mountains. It took them many days to cover the 250 miles as they made their way West feeling relaxed and free of care. It was now the time when late autumn was becoming early winter, and this is what they saw:\n\nThe petals of wild chrysanthemums wilting,\n\nThe tender new blossom of the plum.\n\nIn all the villages crops are gathered in;\n\nDelicious broth is everywhere enjoyed.\n\nAs the trees are stripped of leaves distant forests can be seen;\n\nRavines are thickly frosted and the quiet valleys pure.\n\nIn response to the cold season\n\nThe silkworms are put away to hibernate.\n\nIn pure Yin and Yang\n\nThe moon rules over the primal ocean;\n\nWhere water is at the full\n\nShun’s sun shines with merciful brightness.\n\nEarth vapors sink,\n\nSky vapors rise."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Earth vapors sink,\n\nSky vapors rise.\n\nThe rainbow is no more to be seen,\n\nWhile slowly ice forms over the pond.\n\nFlowers fall from the creepers on the cliff,\n\nWhile bamboo and pine show still greener in the cold.\n\nWhen the four of them had traveled a lot further they approached a walled and moated city. Reining in the horse the Tang Priest spoke to his disciples: “Wukong, what sort of place is that with all those tall and\n\nmagnificent buildings?” Monkey looked and saw that the city was like this:\n\nA wall of bronze, shaped like a dragon,\n\nAnd in the form of a crouching tiger,\n\nFrom all directions fine carriages approach\n\nAnd many a wheel has smoothed the roads to it.\n\nAmazing beasts are carved on the balustrades of marble;\n\nStatues of great men stand on pedestals of gold.\n\nThis is indeed a blessed capital,\n\nA true metropolis.\n\nIts vast domains are firmly held;\n\nThe dynasty has flourished for a thousand years.\n\nTo the monarch’s goodness the barbarians submit;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To the monarch’s goodness the barbarians submit;\n\nHere is the holy gathering from islands and from sea.\n\nBefore the palace steps is purity;\n\nPeace reigns on the highways.\n\nThe bars are full of noise and song;\n\nBliss is found in the houses of pleasure.\n\nOutside the palace grow trees of eternal spring\n\nWhere phoenixes sing their greetings to the dawn.\n\n“Master,” said Monkey, “that city is a royal capital.”\n\n“The world is full of prefectural cities and county seats,” laughed Pig. “What makes you so sure that this is a royal capital?”\n\n“You don’t seem to realize that royal capitals are different from prefectural cities and county towns,” Monkey replied. “Just look. It’s got over ten gates and the wall must measure twenty or thirty miles around. Those towers are so high they disappear into the clouds. How could anything except a royal capital be as grand as that?”\n\n“You’re right, brother,” said Friar Sand, “it is a royal city. But what’s it called?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How can I tell?” Monkey replied. “There aren’t any signs or banners. We’ll have to go into it and ask.”\n\nThe venerable elder whipped on his horse and was soon at a gate, where he dismounted to cross the bridge and go in to look. They saw the six main streets and the three markets, where commerce was flourishing, as well as the imposing clothes of the noble and great. Then as they were walking along they saw a dozen or so Buddhist monks in chains and cangues, heavy boards locked round their necks, begging from door to door. They were dressed in rags.\n\n“The fox mourns for the death of the hare,” sighed Sanzang. “All things are sorry for their own kind. Go and ask them, Wukong, why they are being punished like that.”\n\nDoing as he had been told, Monkey asked, “What monastery are you from, monks? Why are you in cangues and chains?”\n\n“My lord,” said the monks, all falling to their knees, “we are from the Golden Light Monastery and we have been wronged.”\n\n“Where is the Golden Light Monastery?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Just round the corner,” they replied.\n\nMonkey led them to the Tang Priest and asked them, “How have you been wronged? Tell me.”\n\n“We don’t know where you’re from, but you look a little familiar to us, my lords,” the monks replied. “We don’t dare talk here. Please come to our poor monastery where we can tell you our woes.”\n\n“Very well,” said the venerable elder, “we shall go to their monastery and ask them all the details.” They went with them to the monastery gate, over which was a board on which was written in letters of gold\n\nNATION-PROTECTING GOLDEN LIGHT MONASTERY\n\nFOUNDED BY ROYAL COMMAND\n\nWhen master and disciples went inside to look around this is what they saw:\n\nCold were the lamps in the ancient hall;\n\nWind blew the leaves along deserted cloisters.\n\nA thousand-foot pagoda touched the clouds;\n\nPine trees grew to nourish the nature.\n\nFallen blooms carpeted the unvisited grounds;\n\nSpiders span cobwebs all over the eaves.\n\nThe drum-stand was empty,\n\nThe bell hung in vain,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The bell hung in vain,\n\nAnd the frescoes could barely be seen through the dust.\n\nStill was the pulpit where no priest could be seen,\n\nSilent the dhyana hall except for the birds.\n\nThe desolation made one long to sigh;\n\nIts dreariness caused great pain.\n\nAlthough an incense burner stood before the Buddha\n\nAll was cold ash, withered flowers and desolation.\n\nAll this made Sanzang miserable, and he could not help his tears flowing. The monks in their cangues and chains pushed open the doors of the main Buddha-hall and invited him to step inside and worship the Buddha. Sanzang entered, offered the incense of his heart and said the recitation three times. Then he turned round again to see six or seven young monks locked to the pillars outside the abbot’s lodgings. It was more than he could bear.\n\nWhen he entered the abbot’s lodgings and all the monks came to kowtow to him they asked, “You reverend gentlemen look rather different. Are you from Great Tang in the East?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You must have second sight,” Monkey said with a laugh. “We are indeed, but how could you tell?”\n\n“We don’t have second sight, my lords,” the monks replied. “It’s just that because we’re so distressed at the injustice we’ve suffered and because there’s nowhere else we can turn, we have been calling on heaven and earth for days on end. Some heavenly deity must have been moved by us because last night we all had the same dream. We were told that a holy monk was coming from Great Tang in the East who would save our lives and right our wrongs. We knew who you were today because you looked rather unusual.”\n\nThis pleased Sanzang greatly. “What country is this, and what injustice have you suffered?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My lord,” said the monks on their knees, “this country is called Jisai, and it’s one of the biggest in the West. In the old days the foreign states all around used to send tribute: Yuetuo in the South, Gaochang to the North, Western Liang in the East, and Benbo to the West. Every year they used to offer fine jade, bright pearls, beautiful women and magnificent horses. We never had to resort to arms or send expeditions against them: they naturally acknowledged us as their suzerain.”\n\n“If they did that your king must understand the Way and your civil and military officials be wise and good,” Sanzang said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My lord,” the monks replied to Sanzang’s question, “our country’s civil officials are not wise, our generals are not good, and our monarch does not understand the Way. Auspicious clouds used to gather round the pagoda of our monastery and mists of good omen rose high above it. The glow above it at night could once be seen from thousands of miles away; the coloured vapors were admired by the countries all around. That was why this was a divinely-appointed capital to which all the foreigners sent tribute. But three years ago at midnight on the first day of the first month of autumn it rained blood. The next morning everyone was terrified and miserable. All the ministers submitted a memorial to the throne: they didn’t understand why heaven was so angry with us. Taoists were asked to perform purifications and Buddhist monks to recite sutras as an offering to heaven and earth. Goodness only knows why, but our golden pagoda has been contaminated, and for the last two years no foreign countries have sent tribute."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "two years no foreign countries have sent tribute. Our king wanted to send armies to punish them, but the officials said that the reason why foreign countries weren’t sending tribute was that the auspicious clouds and mists of good omen had disappeared, and this was because we monks had stolen the treasure from the pagoda in our monastery. The stupid king did not investigate, and those corrupt officials had all us monks arrested. We have been beaten and tortured in every possible way. There used to be three generations of us monks in this monastery, but the two older generations both died off because they couldn’t take the beating and torture. Now we’ve been arrested and made to wear these cangues and chains. Your Honour, we could never be so wicked as to steal the treasure from the pagoda. We implore you to take pity on your fellows and in your great mercy and compassion make wide use of your dharma powers and save our lives.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this Sanzang nodded and said with a sigh, “This is an obscure business that will be hard to sort out. The court is ruling badly, and you are suffering a calamity. If it was the rain of blood that contaminated your pagoda why did you not report the fact to your king at the time? Instead you let yourselves in for this calamity.”\n\n“We are only common mortals, your lordship, and had no way-of telling what heaven had in mind. Besides, our elders didn’t understand. What could we be expected to do about it?”\n\n“What’s the time, Wukong?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“About four in the afternoon,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“About four in the afternoon,” Monkey replied.\n\n“I would like to see the king to present our passport,” Sanzang said, “but I cannot solve these monks’ problem and report on it to His Majesty. When I left Chang’an I made a vow in the Famen Monastery that on my journey West I would burn incense at every temple I passed, worship the Buddha in every monastery I came across, and sweep every pagoda I saw. Today I have met these monks who have been wronged on account of their pagoda. Will you get me a new broom while I take a bath? I shall then go up to sweep it and find out what has contaminated it and why it does not gleam any longer. Once I have found out the truth it will be much easier to report on it in person to the king and rescue them from their misery.”\n\nAs soon as the monks in cangues and chains heard this they hurried to the kitchen to fetch a big vegetable chopper that they handed to Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Take this chopper, your lordship,” they said, “and cut through the iron locks holding the young monks to the pillars so that they can prepare you some food and tea and wait on your master while he eats and bathes. Meanwhile we shall go out on the streets again to beg for a new broom for your master to sweep the pagoda with.”\n\n“There’s no problem about opening locks,” laughed Pig. “We don’t need knives or axes. Just ask the hairy-faced gentleman: he’s been opening locks for years.” Monkey then stepped forward and used lock-opening magic: one touch and the locks all fell open. The young monks all ran into the kitchen to clean up the cooking pots and stove and prepare the meal. When Sanzang and his disciples had eaten and it was gradually getting dark the monks in cangues and chains came in with two brooms to Sanzang’s great delight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were talking a young monk came in to light the lamp and invite Sanzang to take his bath. By now the sky was bright with the moon and the stars, and from the look-out towers the watches of the night were being beaten out on the drum. It was indeed the time when\n\nCold breezes blow around the walls,\n\nAnd lamps are lit in every house.\n\nAlong the streets all the doors are shut;\n\nThe gates of the three markets are all closed.\n\nThe fishing boat is sheltered under the trees;\n\nThe ploughing ox is let off its rope.\n\nThe woodman gives his axe a rest,\n\nWhile the schoolboy can be heard reciting his lessons.\n\nWhen Sanzang had bathed he put on a narrow-sleeved tunic, tightened the belt around his waist, put on a pair of boots, and took the new brooms. “You sleep here while I sweep the pagoda,” he said to the monks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The pagoda was contaminated by the rain of blood,” Monkey said, “and it hasn’t shone for many a long day. There may be evil things living up there. If you go up by yourself on this cold and windy night I’m worried that something might go wrong. Why don’t I go with you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very good idea,” Sanzang replied, and each carrying a broom they first went up into the main Buddha hall, where Sanzang lit the glazed lamp, burned incense, and bowed to the Buddha saying, “Your disciple Chen Xuanzang has been sent by the Great Tang in the East to worship out Tathagata Buddha on Vulture Peak and fetch the scriptures. I have now reached the Golden Light Monastery in the kingdom of Jisai, where the monks tell me that their pagoda has been contaminated and that they have been unjustly punished because the king suspects them of having stolen the treasure. Your disciple is now going devoutly to sweep the tower in the hope that my Buddha in his great responsiveness will reveal the cause of the contamination and spare these folk from injustice.”\n\nWhen he had prayed he and Brother Monkey opened the door of the pagoda and began to sweep it from the ground upwards. That pagoda\n\nTowered to the stars,\n\nThrust up into space.\n\nIt was called the glazed tile pagoda,\n\nThe golden sarira spire."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The golden sarira spire.\n\nThe stairway spiraled like the inside of a cave;\n\nThe door seemed to be the door of a coop.\n\nThe gleam of the vase reached the moon at the horizon;\n\nThe sea breeze carried the sound of its bells.\n\nLook at the eaves and corbel brackets,\n\nThe finial in the clouds.\n\nThe eaves and corbel brackets\n\nWere of masonry through which the scented breezes blew.\n\nThe finial in the clouds\n\nHad mist dragons coiling around the pagoda.\n\nThe view stretched out for hundreds of miles;\n\nTo climb it was to climb to the heavens.\n\nAt the doors of every story were set glazed lamps,\n\nBut full of dust, not light.\n\nAll around under the eaves ran marble balustrades,\n\nCovered with filth and insects.\n\nInside the tower,\n\nBy the Buddha statues,\n\nIncense no longer burned.\n\nOutside the windows,\n\nIn front of the divine face,\n\nCobwebs covered all.\n\nThe incense-burners were full of mouse-droppings,\n\nThe lamps untouched by oil.\n\nBecause the treasure had been spirited away\n\nMany a monk had died for nothing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Many a monk had died for nothing.\n\nSanzang was determined to sweep out the pagoda\n\nAnd restore to it the beauty that it had before.\n\nWhen he had swept one story the Tang Priest went on to sweep the next, and so he continued till he reached the seventh story. By now it was the second watch of the night and he was beginning to feel exhausted.\n\n“You’re tired,” Monkey said. “Sit here and let me sweep it for you.”\n\n“How many stories does it have?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“About thirteen I suppose,” Monkey replied. Overcoming his weariness the Tang Priest said, “I must sweep it myself to fulfil the vow.” By the time he had swept another three stories his back and his legs were aching. At the tenth he collapsed and said, “Sweep the last three floors for me, Wukong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey summoned up his energy, went to the eleventh floor, and a moment later up to the twelfth. As he was sweeping there he heard voices from in the roof. “That’s odd,” he thought, “Very odd indeed. It’s the third watch. They can’t be people talking up there as late as this. I’m sure it’s evil spirits. Let’s have a look.”\n\nThe splendid Monkey King put his broom quietly under his arm, tucked up his clothes, slipped out through the door, and stepped on a cloud to take a better look. Sitting in the middle of the thirteenth story were two evil spirits with a dish of food, a bowl, and a jug of wine. They were playing the finger-guessing game and drinking."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey used his magic powers to get rid of the broom and bring out his gold-banded cudgel, with which he barricaded the entrance to the pagoda and shouted, “So you’re the ones who stole the pagoda’s treasure, you monsters.” The two of them jumped up in their panic, grabbed the jug and bowl, and flung them at him. Monkey deflected them with his iron cudgel and said, “I won’t kill you because I need you to give evidence.”\n\nHe just used his cudgel to force them to talk. The devils were pinned against the wall, unable to struggle or even move. All they could do was to repeat, “Spare us, spare us. It was nothing to do with us. The thief isn’t here.”\n\nMonkey used holding magic to carry them single-handed down to the tenth story, where he said, “Master, I’ve got the thieves.”\n\nThis news woke up Sanzang, who had been dozing, with a start of pleasure. “Where did you catch them?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dragging the demons over and forcing them to kneel to his master Monkey replied, “They were drinking and playing finger-guessing up in the roof. When I heard the din they were making I shot up by cloud to the roof and blocked their escape. I wasn’t rough with them because I was worried that a single blow would kill them and we’d have nobody to give evidence. That’s why I brought them here nice and gently. You can take statements from them, Master, and find out where they’re from and where the stolen treasure has been hidden.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The demons were still shivering and shaking and saying, “Spare us!” Then they made this true statement. “We were sent by the Infinitely Sage Dragon King of the Green Wave Pool on the Ragged Rock Mountain. His name’s Benborba and mine is Baborben. He’s catfish spirit and I’m a snakehead fish spirit. Our Infinitely Sage Ancient Dragon has a daughter called the Infinitely Sage Princess. She is as lovely as flowers or the moon and brilliant as well. The Ancient Dragon got a husband for her who would live in the palace. He has tremendous magic powers and he’s called Prince Ninehead. He came here the other year with the dragon king to demonstrate his powers by making a blood rain that contaminated the pagoda and stealing the precious sarira relic of the Buddha. The princess then went up to the Daluo Heaven and stole the Queen Mother’s nine-lobed magic fungus plant from in front of the Hall of Miraculous Mist. We keep it at the bottom of the pool, and it shines day and night with golden light and a coloured glow."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and night with golden light and a coloured glow. Recently we’ve heard that Sun Wukong is on his way to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. They say his powers are enormous, and that all along the way he has been looking out for wrongs to right. That’s why we keep getting sent here to patrol and stop him when the comes. If that Sun Wukong turns up we’re ready for him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this Monkey gave a mocking laugh. “What an evil beast,” he said. “He’s unspeakable. No wonder he invited the Bull Demon King to his place for a banquet the other day. He’s been extending his contacts among all these damned demons because he’s up to no good.”\n\nBefore he had finished speaking Pig and two or three of the young monks came up the steps from the bottom of the pagoda with lanterns.\n\n“Master,” Pig said, “why don’t you go to bed now that you’ve swept the pagoda instead of staying here talking?”\n\n“You’ve come at just the right moment, brother,” said Monkey. “The pagoda’s treasure was stolen by the Infinitely Sage Ancient Dragon. He sent these two little devils I’ve just captured to patrol the pagoda and keep their ears open for news of us.”\n\n“What are they called, and what sort of spirits are they?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They’ve just confessed everything,” Monkey replied. “This one’s called Benborba and he’s a catfish spirit, and that one’s Baborben and he’s a snakehead fish spirit.” Pig then lifted his rake to strike them.\n\n“If they’re evil spirits and they’ve already confessed,” he said, “what are we waiting for? Let’s kill them.”\n\n“No,” said Monkey, “you don’t understand. Keep them alive so that they can tell it all to the king and lead us to catch the thieves and get the treasure back.” The splendid idiot then put his rake down again. He and Monkey each carried one of them down the stairs.\n\n“Spare us,” the demons kept pleading.\n\n“I’d like to turn you two fish into soup for those monks who’ve been mistreated so unjustly,” muttered Pig.\n\nThe two or three young monks, who were thoroughly delighted, led the venerable elder down the pagoda stairs with their lanterns. One of them ran ahead to tell the other monks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Good news,” he shouted, “good news! Our troubles are over. The reverend gentlemen have caught the evil spirits who stole the treasure.”\n\n“Fetch chains,” Monkey said, “run them through their shoulder-bones, and lock them up here. Watch over them while we get some sleep. We’ll decide what to do next tomorrow.” The monks then kept a very close watch on the demons while Sanzang and his disciples slept.\n\nBefore they knew it it was dawn. “Wukong and I will go to court to present the passport,” Sanzang said, and he put on his brocade cassock and Vairocana mitre. When he was dressed in his majestic vestments he strode forward, accompanied by Monkey, who had tightened his tigerskin kilt and straightened up his tunic and was carrying the passport.\n\n“Why aren’t you taking those two demons with you?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’ll submit a memorial to the throne first,” Monkey replied, “then I expect the king will send men for them.” They then went to the palace gates, seeing no end of red birds and golden dragons adorning the deep red gateways of the pure capital.\n\nAt the Gate of Eastern Splendor Sanzang bowed to the officer in charge and said, “May I trouble Your Honour to report that a monk sent from Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven begs an audience with His Majesty to present his passport?”\n\nThe gate officer did indeed make this report, going to the steps of the throne to say, “There are two Buddhist monks with strange faces and strange clothes outside who say they have been sent by the Tang court in the East of the Southern Continent of Jambu to go to the West to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. They request an audience with Your Majesty in order to present their passport.” The king then sent for them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the Tang Priest took him into the palace all the civilian and military officials were alarmed at the sight of Monkey. Some called him the monkey monk, and others the thunder-god monk; they were all too terrified to look at him for very long. The Tang Priest bowed to the king with a dance and a loud chant of obeisance, while the Great Sage stood leaning to one side with his arms crossed, not moving.\n\nThe venerable elder then submitted this memorial: “I am a priest who has been sent by the Great Tang in the East of the Southern Continent of Jambu to worship the Buddha and fetch the true scriptures in Thunder Monastery in the land of India in the West. As my route lies across your distinguished country I would not dare cross without authorization, and I beg you to verify the passport I have with me and allow me to proceed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was very pleased to hear all this, so he summoned the holy priest from Tang to the throne hall, where an embroidered stool was set for him to sit on. Sanzang went into the hall by himself and handed over the passport before gratefully accepting the courtesy stool.\n\nWhen the king read the passport through he was delighted. “It appears that when your Great Tang emperor was ill he could choose an eminent monk who would not flinch from a long journey to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. But all the monks in our country want to do is to steal, thus destroying the country and ruining their sovereign.”\n\nWhen Sanzang heard this he put his hands together and replied, “How can you be so sure they are destroying the country and ruining their sovereign?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This country of ours is the leading one in the Western Regions. The foreign states all around always used to send tribute because of the golden pagoda in the Golden Light Monastery in this capital. A multicolored glow used to shine from the pagoda right up to the sky. But recently the pagoda’s treasure has been stolen by the wicked monks in the monastery, and for three years now there has been no coloured glow and no tribute from the foreigners. It is all extremely upsetting for us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty,” said Sanzang, smiling as he put his hands together in front of his chest, “a little mistake can lead to a great disaster. Soon after entering the gates of your heavenly capital yesterday I saw a dozen or so monks in cangues. When I asked them why they told me that they were from the Golden Light Monastery and were the victims of injustice. On close investigation in the monastery I found that it was no fault of the monks there. When I swept the pagoda in the middle of the night I captured the thieving devils who had stolen the treasure.”\n\n“Where are they?” asked the delighted king.\n\n“My disciples have them locked up in the Golden Light Monastery,” Sanzang replied.\n\nThe king ordered royal guards to be sent at once to the Golden Light Monastery to fetch the thieving devils so that he could interrogate them himself. “Your Majesty, I think it would be best if my disciple went with the guards.”\n\n“Where is he?” the king asked.\n\n“Standing by the steps of the throne,” Sanzang replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was shocked by what he saw. “How can your disciple be so ugly when you, reverend sir, are so handsome?” he asked.\n\nWhen he heard this the Great Sage Sun shouted at the top of his voice, “Your Majesty, you should no more judge people by their faces than you’d measure the sea with a bucket. Good looks would never have captured the thieving devils.”\n\nThis calmed the king’s alarm, and he said, “You are right, holy monk. We do not know how to select men of talent here. The ones who catch the thieves and recover the treasure are best.” He then ordered his aides to have a carriage prepared and told the royal guards to look after the holy monk as he went to fetch the thieving devils. The aides had a large palanquin with a yellow canopy got ready in which eight guardsmen carried Monkey with eight more as escorts who shouted to clear the way to the Golden Light Monastery. By now the whole city had heard the news; everyone came out to see the holy monk and the thieving devils."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing the shouts Pig and Friar Sand, imagining that the king must have sent some of his officials, hurried out to meet them, only to see Monkey riding in the palanquin. “Now you’re yourself again, brother,” laughed Pig.\n\n“What do you mean?” Monkey asked, putting his hand on Pig to steady himself as he stepped out of the chair.\n\n“There you are, being carried by eight men in a carrying chair under a royal yellow canopy,” said Pig. “Isn’t that the way the Handsome Monkey King should travel? That’s why I said you’re yourself again.”\n\n“Stop joking,” said Monkey, who then had the two devils brought for him to escort to the king.\n\n“Won’t you take me along too?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“You stay here and look after the luggage and the horse,” Monkey replied.\n\n“My lords,” said the monks in cangues and chains, “why don’t you all go to see His Majesty? We can look after your things here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case we’ll all go to report to the king,” said Monkey, “and then have you released.” With Pig manhandling one devil and Friar Sand the other, Monkey got back into the palanquin, and led the devils to the court.\n\nThey were soon at the steps of the throne hall, where the king was told that the devils had arrived. He came down from his dragon throne to examine them with the Tang Priest and his civil and military officials. One of the devils had bulging cheeks, black scales, a pointed mouth and sharp teeth. The other had slimy skin, a fat belly, a big mouth and long whiskers. Although they had legs and could walk it was obvious that they had only assumed a certain appearance of humanity through transformation."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where are you from, you thieving devils, you evil spirits?” the king asked. “How long have you been preying on this country? Which year did you steal our treasure? How many of you bandits are there? What are your names? I want it all, and I want the truth.” The two devils fell to their knees before him, and although blood was gushing from their necks they did not feel the pain. This was what they had to say: “Three years ago, on the first day of the seventh month, the Infinitely Sage Dragon King brought a crowd of his relations to live in the Southeast corner of this country, in the Green Wave Pool on Ragged Rock Mountain about forty miles from here. He has an extremely attractive daughter for whom he found a husband to live in our palace, Prince Ninehead. His magic powers are unbeatable. He knew that you had a rare treasure in your tower, so he plotted with the dragon king to steal it. First he made it rain blood and then he stole the Buddha relic. Now it lights up the dragon palace, which is as bright as"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "up the dragon palace, which is as bright as day even in the darkest night. Then the princess used her powers to sneak up and steal the Queen Mother’s magic fungus to keep the treasure warm in the pool. We two aren’t the bandit chiefs. We’re just private soldiers sent here by the dragon king who were captured last night. This is the truth.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As you have made this confession,” the king said, “why don’t you tell me your names?”\n\n“I am Benborba,” one of them replied, “and he is Baborben. I am a catfish monster and he is a snakehead monster.”\n\nThe king then told the royal guards to keep them safely behind bars and ordered, “Release all the monks of the Golden Light Monastery from their cangues and chains, and have the Office of Foreign Affairs prepare a banquet in the Unicom Hall to congratulate the holy monks on their great achievements in catching the thieves. We shall now invite them to capture the ringleaders.”\n\nThe Office of Foreign Affairs then laid on a double banquet of both meat and vegetarian food, for which the king invited Sanzang and his disciples to take their places in the Unicorn Hall.\n\n“May I ask your title, holy monk?” he said to Sanzang, who replied, his hands together, “My lay surname is Chen, and my Buddhist name Xuanzang. My emperor granted me the surname Tang and the title Sanzang.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What are your disciple’s titles?” the king asked.\n\n“They do not have titles,” Sanzang replied. “The senior one is called Sun Wukong, the second one Zhu Wuneng, and the third Sha Wujing. These were the names the Bodhisattva Guanyin of the Southern Sea gave them. When they became my disciples I called Wukong Sun the Novice, Wuneng Bajie and Wujing Friar Sand.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king then asked Sanzang to take the place of honour while Monkey sat at his left and Pig and Friar Sand at his right. Their banquet was all vegetarian: fruit, vegetables, tea and rice. In front of them was a table of meat dishes at which sat the king, and below him were a hundred or more tables set with meat dishes for all the civil and military officials. The officials all thanked the king for his kindness, and the disciples sat down with the permission of their master. When all were seated the king raised his goblet, and though Sanzang would not drink his three disciples all drank to the success of the banquet. Woodwinds and strings then began to sound as the court musicians performed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just watch Pig as he eats for all he is worth, gobbling his food down whole like a tiger or a wolf and emptying the table. Soon more soup and food was brought, only to disappear in the same way. Every time servants brought more wine he drained the cup, never refusing. The feast went on till after midday before it broke up.\n\nWhen Sanzang expressed his thanks for the sumptuous banquet the king wanted to keep him longer. “It was just a gesture to thank you holy monks for catching the demons.” He then ordered the Office of Foreign Affairs to move the banquet to the Jianzhang Palace so that he could discuss with the holy monks how the ringleaders were to be captured and the treasure brought back to the pagoda.\n\n“If we are to capture the thieves and recover the treasure,” Sanzang said, “another banquet won’t be needed. We shall take our leave of Your Majesty now and set off to catch the demons.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But the king insisted on taking them to the Jianzhang Palace for another banquet. “Which of you holy monks will lead the force that is to capture the monsters?” he asked, raising his goblet.\n\n“Send my senior disciple Sun Wukong,” Sanzang replied. The Great Sage raised his clasped hands and bowed in acknowledgement.\n\n“If the venerable Sun is going how big a force of cavalry and foot will he need,” the king asked, “and when will he be setting out?”\n\nAt this Pig could not restrain himself from shouting, “We won’t need any soldiers, and we don’t care when we go. With a good meal and a few drinks inside us he and I can go and catch them right now, just by laying our hands on them.”\n\n“Bajie,” said Sanzang with delight, “you’re getting very keen.”\n\n“Very well then,” said Monkey. “Friar Sand, you guard the master while we two go.”\n\n“Even if you two venerable elders don’t need troops,” the king said, “surely you need weapons.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We don’t need your weapons,” laughed Pig. “We carry our own.” On hearing this the king fetched two huge goblets and drank a toast to them on their journey.\n\n“We won’t have any more to drink,” said Monkey. “But we’d like the royal guards to bring those little demons to us. We need them as guides.” The king gave the order and they were brought out at once. Then Monkey and Pig, each firmly grasping a demon, rode the wind and used carrying magic to take them off to the Southeast. Indeed:\n\nOnly when king and court saw the magical clouds\n\nDid they realize that the four of them were truly holy monks.\n\nIf you don’t know how the capture went and what they found, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty-Three\n\nTwo Monks Wipe out the Demons in the Dragon Palace\n\nThe Sages Destroy Evil and Recover the Treasure"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Sages Destroy Evil and Recover the Treasure\n\nThe story tells how the king of Jisai and his officials high and low watched as the Great Sage Monkey and Pig disappeared by wind and cloud, carrying the two demons with them. Then all of them bowed in homage to heaven, saying, “Their fame is well founded. Only today can we really believe that such immortals and living Buddhas exist.” As Monkey and Pig vanished into the distance the king bowed again to thank Sanzang and Friar Sand.\n\n“Our mortal eyes were only able to see that your illustrious disciples had the power to capture thieving devils. We never realized that you were superior immortals with the power to ride on winds and clouds.”\n\n“I do not have any dharma powers,” Sanzang replied. “On my journey I have depended very much on my three disciples.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I tell you the truth, Your Majesty,” said Friar Sand. “My senior fellow-disciple is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who has been converted. He once made havoc in Heaven, and none of the hundred thousand heavenly troops was a match for his gold-banded cudgel. He had the Supreme Lord Lao Zi and the Jade Emperor both scared. My next senior fellow-disciple is Marshal Tian Peng, now a faithful Buddhist. He once commanded 80,000 sailors on the River of Heaven. I’m the only one of us with no magic powers: I was the Curtain-lifting General before I took my vows. We’re useless at everything except capturing demons and monsters, arresting thieves and runaways, subduing tigers and dragons, and kicking the sky into a well. And we know a thing or two about stirring up the sea and turning rivers upside-down. Oh yes, and then there’s riding clouds and mists, summoning wind and rain, moving the stars around in the sky, carrying mountains, and chasing the moon: but those are just extras.” All this made the king treat them"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "just extras.” All this made the king treat them with very great respect Indeed: Inviting Sanzang to take the place of honour, he kept addressing him as “Buddha” and referring to Friar Sand and the others as bodhisattvas. All the civil and military officials were delighted, and the citizens of the country kowtowed to them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story switches to the Great Sage Monkey and Pig riding their storm wind to the Green Wave Pool on the Ragged Rock Mountain, where they stopped their clouds.\n\nBlowing a magic breath on his gold-banded cudgel Wukong told it to change and turned it into a monk’s knife with which he cut an ear off the snakehead and the lower lip of the catfish, then threw the two demons into the water with a shout of, “Tell the Infinitely Sage Dragon King that Lord Sun, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, is here. If he wants me to spare the lives of him and his family he’d better hand over the treasure from the pagoda of the Golden Light Monastery in Jisai at once. If there’s even the hint of a ‘no’ from him I’ll give this pool such a stirring that there’ll be no water left in it and then exterminate his whole family.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having been given this order the two little devils fled for their lives in great pain, jumping into the water, chains, ropes and all, to the alarm of the various turtle, alligator, shrimp, crab and fish spirits, who crowded round them to ask, “Why are you roped and chained?”\n\nOnce of them shook his head and waved his tail with his hand over his ear; the other stamped and beat his chest as he covered his mouth. There was much shouting and commotion as they both went to the dragon king’s palace to report, “Disaster, Your Majesty.”\n\nThe Infinitely Sage Dragon King was drinking with his son-in-law Prince Ninehead when the two of them arrived. “What disaster?” the dragon king asked, putting down his cup."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We were on sentry duty last night,” they reported, “when the Tang Priest and Sun the Novice captured us as they were sweeping the pagoda. We were chained up and taken to see the king this morning. Then Sun the Novice and Pig dragged us here. One of us had an ear cut off and the other a lip. Then they threw us into the water to come to ask for the treasure from the top of the pagoda.” They then told the whole story in great detail. The news about Sun the Novice, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, gave the ancient dragon such a fright that his souls left his body and were scattered beyond the sky.\n\n“Son-in-law,” he said to the prince, shivering and shaking, “anyone else would have been easy enough to deal with; but if it’s him it’s terrible.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Relax, father-in-law,” the prince replied. “I’ve been studying the martial arts since childhood and made friends with quite a few of the world’s heroes. He’s nothing to be scared of. After three rounds with me I guarantee the wretch will surrender with his head hanging so low he won’t even dare look you in the face.”\n\nThe splendid demon jumped to his feet, put on his armor, took the weapon he used, a crescent-bladed halberd, walked out of the palace, parted the waters, and when he reached the surface called out, “What’s all this about a ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven’? Come and give yourself up at once.” Standing on the bank, Pig and Monkey saw how the evil spirit was dressed:\n\nA silver helmet on his head,\n\nOutshone the whitest snow;\n\nThe suit of armor that he wore\n\nWas higher than autumn frost.\n\nOver it was a battle-robe of brocade,\n\nWith dragons, cloud-patterns and pearls;\n\nThe rhinoceros-patterned belt at his waist\n\nWas like a python wrapped in gold.\n\nHe held a crescent halberd"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He held a crescent halberd\n\nThat flew and flashed like lightning;\n\nThe pigskin boots on his feet\n\nMoved as smoothly as water or waves.\n\nFrom a distance he seemed to have only one face and head,\n\nBut seen from close to there were faces all around him:\n\nEyes in front and eyes behind\n\nThat could see in all directions;\n\nMouths to the left and mouths to the right,\n\nNine of them, all talking.\n\nOne shout from him would make the sky shake\n\nLike the call of the crane resounding through the stars.\n\nAs nobody answered he shouted again, “Which of you is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?”\n\nTouching the golden band round his head and fingering his iron cudgel, Monkey replied, “I am.”\n\n“Where do you live?” the demon asked. “Where are you from? What brought you to Jisai to look after the king’s pagoda? Why did you have the effrontery to capture and mutilate two of our officers? And why are you here demanding battle now?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Thieving devil,” replied Monkey abusively, “it’s obvious you don’t know who I am. Come a little closer and I’ll tell you:\n\nMy people come from the Mount of Flowers and Fruit,\n\nFrom the Water Curtain Cave in the middle of the sea.\n\nSince childhood I have made my body indestructible;\n\nThe Jade Emperor created me Heaven-equaling Sage.\n\nWhen I made havoc in the Dipper and Bull Palace\n\nAll the gods of Heaven were not enough to beat me.\n\nThe Buddha then was asked to use his great and subtle powers;\n\nHis infinite wisdom went beyond the mortal world.\n\nWhen I matched my powers with his and made my somersaults\n\nHis hand turned to a mountain and crushed me underneath.\n\nThere I was kept for full five hundred years,\n\nAnd only was released when converted by Guanyin\n\nBecause Sanzang was going to the Western Heaven\n\nTo seek the Buddha’s words at distant Vulture Peak.\n\nShe freed me then to escort the holy monk,\n\nTo clear up all the monsters and purify my conduct.\n\nOur journey led to Jisai in the regions of the West"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Where there monkish generations have been cruelly mistreated.\n\nWhen in our mercy we asked them what had happened\n\nWe learned that the pagoda no longer shone with light.\n\nMy master swept it clean to find out the reason.\n\nIn the deep silence of the night’s third watch,\n\nWe captured the demons and extracted their confessions:\n\nThey said you were the thief who had stolen the great treasure,\n\nConspiring to be a robber with the ancient dragon king\n\nAnd the princess who is also known as Infinitely Sage.\n\nYour rain of blood washed out the pagoda’s magic light\n\nAnd you brought the treasure back to use it here yourselves.\n\nThe confession that they made was true in every detail,\n\nAnd we have come here now on His Majesty’s own orders.\n\nThat is why we looked for you and challenge you to battle:\n\nNever will you need to ask my name again.\n\nGive the king back his treasure this instant\n\nIf you want to save the lives of all members of your family.\n\nShould you in your folly try to make resistance"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Should you in your folly try to make resistance\n\nYour pool will be dried out and your palace smashed to ruins.”\n\nWhen the prince heard all this he replied with a touch of a mocking smile, “If you’re monks going to fetch the scriptures you shouldn’t be trumping up charges where it’s none of your business. So what if I stole their treasure? You’re going to fetch your Buddhist scriptures and it’s nothing to do with you. Why are you here looking for a fight?”\n\n“Thieving devil,” said Monkey, “you’ve got no idea of right and wrong. The king’s done us no favours. We don’t drink his kingdom’s waters or eat its grain. We were under no obligation to do thing for him. But you have stolen his treasure, contaminated his pagoda, and brought years of misery to the monks in the Golden Light Monastery. They are our fellow believers, so of course we’ll make an effort for them and right their wrong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So it looks as though you want a fight,” said the prince. “As the saying goes, the warrior avoids unnecessary combat; but once I start there’ll be no mercy, you’ll be dead in next to no time, and that will be the end of going to fetch the scriptures.”\n\n“Bloody thieving devil,” Monkey cursed back, “you must think you’re quite a fighter, talking big like that. Come here and take this!” The prince was not flustered in the least as he blocked the cudgel with his crescent-bladed halberd. A fine battle ensued on the Ragged Rock Mountain.\n\nBecause the monster stole the treasure the pagoda was dark;\n\nMonkey went to catch the demons for the sake of the king;\n\nThe little devils fled for their lives back into the water;\n\nThe ancient dragon took counsel in his terror.\n\nPrince Ninehead showed his might\n\nAs he went out in armor to exercise his powers.\n\nThe angry Great Sage Equaling Heaven\n\nRaised his gold-banded cudgel that was very hard Indeed:\n\nIn the monster’s mine heads were eighteen eyes"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the monster’s mine heads were eighteen eyes\n\nShining bright as they looked in all directions.\n\nMonkey’s iron arms were immensely strong\n\nAnd auspicious lights glowed all around.\n\nThe halberd was like a new moon’s crescent,\n\nThe cudgel like flying frost.\n\n“Why don’t you give up trying to right wrongs?”\n\n“You were wrong to steal the pagoda’s treasure.\n\nBehave yourself, damned devil,\n\nAnd give me back the treasure if you want to live.”\n\nCudgel and halberd fought for mastery:\n\nNeither emerged as victor in the fight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Neither emerged as victor in the fight.\n\nThe two of them fought hard for over thirty rounds without either of them emerging as winner. Pig, who was standing on the mountain admiring the sweetness and beauty of their fight, raised his rake and brought down on the evil spirit from behind, Now the monster’s nine heads all had eyes in them, and he could see Pig coming behind him very clearly, so he now used the butt-end of his halberd to block the rake while holding off the cudgel with the blade. He resisted for another six or seven rounds until he could hold out no longer against the weapons that were swinging at him from before and behind, when he rolled away and leapt up into the sky in his true form as a nine-headed bird. He looked thoroughly repulsive: the sight of him was enough to kill one with horror:\n\nHis body all covered in feathers and down,\n\nHis girth was some twelve feet measured around,\n\nAnd he was as long as an old crocodile.\n\nHis two feet were as sharp as book-shaped blades,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And his nine heads were all set in a circle.\n\nWhen he opened his wings he could fly superbly:\n\nNot even the roc could match his great strength.\n\nHis voice could resound to the edge of the sky,\n\nWith an echo even louder than the call of the crane.\n\nBright flashed golden light from his many pairs of eyes;\n\nHis pride far outstripped that of ordinary birds.\n\nThe sight alarmed Pig, who said, “Brother, I’ve never seen anything as ugly in all my days. What sort of blood could that monstrous bird have been born of?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s nothing like him,” Monkey replied, “nothing. I’m going up to kill him.” The splendid Great Sage then leapt up on his cloud into mid-air, where he struck at the monster’s head with his cudgel. The monster now displayed the power of his body as he swooped down, his wings outspread, then turned with a roaring noise to come low over the mountain and shoot out from his waist another head with a mouth open wide like a bowl of blood. His beak gripped Pig’s bristles at the first attempt, then he dragged Pig to the pool and pulled him in.\n\nOnce back outside the dragon palace he turned himself back into what he had been before, threw Pig to the ground, and said, “Where are you, little ones?”\n\nThereupon the mackerel, trout, carp, mandarin fish, hard and soft-shelled tortoises, and alligators, who were all armored demons, rushed forward with a shout of, “Here!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Take this monk and tie him up for me,” said the prince. “This will be revenge for our patrolling sentries.” Shouting and pushing, the spirits carried Pig inside, to the delight of the ancient dragon king, who came out to meet the prince with the words, “Congratulations, son-in-law. How did you catch him?” The prince then told him the whole story, after which the ancient dragon ordered a celebratory banquet, which we need not describe.\n\nInstead the story tells how Monkey thought in terror after the evil spirit had captured Pig, “This monster is terrible. But if I go back to the court to see the master the king will probably laugh at me. But if I challenge him to battle again how will I deal with him single-handed? Besides, I’m not used to coping in water. I’ll just have to turn myself into something to get inside and see what the evil spirit has done with Pig. If it’s possible I’ll sneak him out of there to help me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage then made magic with his fingers, shook himself, turned into a crab again, and plunged into the water till he was outside the archway again. He knew the way from when he had come here the previous time and stolen the Bull King’s water-averting golden-eyed beast. When he reached the gateway to the palace he walked in sideways to see the ancient dragon king, the nine-headed monster and their whole family drinking together to celebrate. Not daring to go too close. Monkey crawled under the eaves of the Eastern verandah, where several shrimp and crab spirits were fooling around and amusing themselves. He listened to them for a while then said, imitating their way of talking, “Is the long-snouted monk the prince brought here dead or alive?”\n\n“He’s alive,” the spirits all replied, “and tied up. Can’t you see him groaning under the Western verandah over there?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then crawled quietly over to the Western verandah, where he did indeed find Pig tied to a column and groaning. “Can you recognize me, Pig?” he asked. Pig knew who it was from Monkey’s voice.\n\n“This is terrible, brother,” he said. “The monster got me.” Looking all around to make sure there was nobody there Monkey cut through the ropes with his claws and told Pig to go. “What am I to do, brother?” Pig said. “He’s got my rake.”\n\n“Do you know where he put it?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I think he must have taken it into the main hall of the palace,” Pig replied.\n\n“Wait for me under the arch,” said Monkey, and Pig slipped quietly out to save his skin. Monkey climbed up on the roof of the main hall, from where he saw the intense glow of Pig’s rake down on the left, made himself invisible, and sneaked it out of the palace. Once under the archway he called, “Pig, take your weapon.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You go on ahead, brother,” said Pig, now reunited with his rake. “I’m going to attack that palace. If I win I’ll capture the whole family of them, and if I lose you’ll be waiting by the bank to rescue me.” Monkey, who was delighted at the suggestion, urged him to be careful. “I’m not scared of him,” Pig replied. “I know a thing or two when it comes to water.” Monkey then left him and came up through the water."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig meanwhile tightened the belt round his black tunic, grasped his rake with both hands, and charged in with a great war-cry that sent all the members of the watery tribe rushing into the palace and shouting, “Disaster! The long-snouted monk has broken free from his bonds and is charging back in.” The ancient dragon king, the nine-headed monster and the rest of the family were caught off their guard, and all they could do was jump to their feet and flee for cover. The idiot, not fearing for his life, charged into the hall, laying about him with his rake as he went. He smashed everything: doors, tables, chairs, wine-cups and all else too. There is a poem to prove it that goes:\n\nWhen the mother of wood was taken by the water monster\n\nThe mind-ape did not flinch from a difficult rescue.\n\nOne used his secret skills to open the locks;\n\nThe other one showed his might in hatred and wrath.\n\nThe prince fled, taking his princess to safety;\n\nNot a sound was heard from the shivering dragon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not a sound was heard from the shivering dragon.\n\nThe palace’s crimson windows and doors were all smashed;\n\nThe dragon’s descendants were all scared out of their wits.\n\nPig smashed the tortoise-shell screens to powder and the coral trees to fragments.\n\nWhen the nine-headed monster had hidden his princess safely inside he grabbed his crescent-bladed halberd and went for Pig in the front of the living quarters of the palace, shouting, “Bloody idiot! Swine! How dare you terrorize my family?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Thieving devil,” retorted Pig. “How dared you capture me? This was none of my fight till you brought me into it. Give the treasure back at once for me to take back to the king and that’ll be that. Otherwise every last member of your family will be killed.” The demon was in no mood for kindness: he ground his teeth and started fighting Pig. Only then did the ancient dragon calm down enough to lead his dragon sons and grandsons to surround and attack Pig with their spears and swords. Seeing that things were going badly for him Pig feinted and fled, followed by the ancient dragon and his host. A moment later he shot up through the water and they all surfaced at the top of the pool."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, who had been waiting on the bank, suddenly saw them coming out of the water after Pig, so he put one foot on a cloud and brought out his iron cudgel with a shout of, “Stay where you are.” His first blow smashed the ancient dragon king to pulp. It was a terrible sight: his corpse and the scales that had come off it floated on the surface of the pool, which turned red with his gore. His sons and grandsons all fled for their lives in terror, while Prince Ninehead took the body back to the underwater palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Brother Monkey and Pig did not pursue them but went back to the bank to discuss what had happened. “I’ve knocked a bit of the stuffing out of him,” said Pig. “I went charging in with my rake and smashed everything to smithereens. They were all scared witless. I was just fighting the prince when the ancient dragon king went for me. Thanks for killing him. Now those bastards have gone back they’ll be too busy with mourning and the funeral to come out again. Besides it’s getting late now. What are we going to do?”\n\n“Never mind about it being late,” replied Monkey. “This is our chance. Get back down there and attack again. You must get the treasure so that we can go back to court.” The idiot was feeling lazy so he made all sorts of excuses to get out of going down again, but Monkey insisted: “Don’t worry so, brother. Just draw him out again as you did just now and I’ll kill him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the two of them were talking they heard the roar of a mighty wind as dark and gloomy clouds came from the East, heading South. When Monkey took a closer look he saw that it was the Illustrious Sage Erlang with the Six Brothers of Plum Hill. They had falcons and hounds and were carrying foxes, hares, water-deer and deer that they had killed. All of them had bows and crossbows at their waists and were carrying sharp swords as they arrived on their wind and clouds.\n\n“Pig,” said Monkey, “here come my seven-sage-sworn brothers. Let’s stop them and ask them to help us in this fight. This will really stack the odds in our favour.”\n\n“If they’re your sworn brothers they owe you that,” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The only trouble is that the eldest of them, the Illustrious Sage, once made me surrender, so I feel too embarrassed to face him,” said Monkey. “I’d like you to go up, stop the clouds and say, ‘Wait a moment please, True Lord. The Great Sage Equaling Heaven would like to pay his respects.’ I’m sure he’ll stop then. I can only face him after he’s landed.”\n\nThe idiot then shot up on his cloud to the top of the mountain to stop Erlang. “True Lord,” he shouted at the top of his voice, “could you slow down for a moment? The Great Sage Equaling Heaven would like to see you.” On hearing this Lord Erlang ordered the six brothers to stop and exchanged polite salutations with Pig.\n\n“Where is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?” he asked.\n\n“Awaiting your summons at the foot of the mountain,” Pig replied.\n\n“Brothers,” said Erlang, “go and ask him up at once.”\n\nThe six brothers Kang, Zhang, Yao, Li, Guo and Zhi all came out of their camps and said, “Great Sage, our eldest brother has sent us with an invitation for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey went forward, paid his respects to them, then accompanied them to the top of the mountain, where Lord Erlang received him, took him by the hand and returned his courtesies.\n\n“Great Sage,” he said, “allow me to congratulate you on being rescued from your terrible sufferings and being converted to the Buddhist faith. Soon you will have succeeded and will be sitting on your lotus throne.”\n\n“I don’t deserve your congratulations,” Monkey replied. “I am under enormous obligations that I’ve hardly begun to repay. I’ve been rescued and am heading West, but it’s too soon to say whether we’ll succeed. As we agreed to rescue some monks from disaster in the kingdom of Jisai we are here to capture a demon and demand the return of a treasure. Seeing that you are passing this way, eldest brother, I wonder if I could persuade you to stay and help us. May I ask where you have come from and whether you’d be willing to help?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m just on my way home from a hunting trip with my brothers because I had nothing to do,” Erlang replied. “I’m grateful to you, Great Sage, for asking me to stay out of consideration for our old friendship. Of course I’ll help subdue a demon if that is what you wish. What kind of demons are there here?”\n\n“Have you forgotten?” the six brothers asked. “This is the Ragged Rock Mountain, and below it is the Green Wave Pool, the Infinitely Sage Dragon’s palace.”\n\n“The Infinitely Sage Ancient Dragon is no trouble-maker,” said Erlang with astonishment. “How could he have robbed the pagoda?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Recently he’s had a son-in-law living with him,” Monkey replied, “a nine-headed monster turned spirit. He plotted it all with his father-in-law. They made it rain blood on Jisai then stole the sacred Buddha relic from the top of the pagoda in the Golden Light Monastery. The king in his ignorance had the monks arrested and tortured. I captured two of their underlings in the pagoda who’d been sent out on patrol when my master in his mercy swept it out one night, and they confessed everything in the palace this morning. When the king asked our master to capture these monsters we two were sent here. In the first fight the nine-headed monster grew another head that shot out from his waist and carried Pig off. I had to transform myself to go into the water and rescue him. Then there was another big fight in which I killed the ancient dragon king. The swine have recovered the body and are now in mourning. We two were just discussing how to draw them into battle again when we saw you arriving. That’s why I have had"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "when we saw you arriving. That’s why I have had the effrontery to ask to see you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As you’ve killed the ancient dragon king you’ll have to hit them so hard that the monster won’t know what to do,” Erlang replied. “Then you can clean up the whole den of them.”\n\n“Yes,” said Pig, “but it’s late now.”\n\n“There’s a soldier’s saying that you should never put off an attack,” Erlang replied. “It doesn’t matter that it’s late.”\n\n“Don’t be so impatient brother,” said Kang, Yao, Quo and Zhi. “The demon’s family is here, so we don’t think he’ll run away. Brother Monkey is a distinguished guest, and Iron-haired Pig has been converted too. We have wine and good food in our camp. Why don’t we tell the little ones to light the stove and set out a banquet here? It would be a way of congratulating them and a chance to talk at the same time. After a good night’s feasting there’ll be plenty of time for the battle tomorrow.”\n\nErlang was very pleased with the suggestion: “An excellent idea, brothers.” The underlings were then ordered to set out the banquet."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We couldn’t possibly refuse you gentlemen’s generous invitation,” Monkey replied. “But now we’re monks we may only eat vegetarian food. We can’t eat meat.”\n\n“We have vegetarian food in plenty,” Erlang replied, “and monastic wine too.” All the brothers then drank and talked of the old days under the light of the moon and the stars; when the sky was their canopy and the earth their mats.\n\nHow true it is that the night is long in loneliness and short in pleasure. Soon the East started to become light and Pig, feeling very cheerful and energetic after a few drinks, said, “It’s getting light. I’m going down to challenge them to battle.”\n\n“Be careful, Marshal,” said Erlang. “Just lure him out for my brothers and me to deal with.”\n\n“I understand,” grinned Pig, “I understand.” Watch as he tucks up his clothes, grabs his rake, makes water-dividing magic, jumps in, goes straight to the archway, and charges into the palace with a great war-cry."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dragon sons were wearing the hempen clothes of mourning as they watched and wept over the dragon’s body while the dragon grandsons and the prince were preparing the coffin at the back. Then in came Pig, roaring abuse at them. He landed a terrible blow from his rake that made nine holes in a dragon son’s head. The dragon’s widow fled inside in terror with the rest of them.\n\n“The long-snouted monk’s killed my son now,” she howled, and on hearing this the prince led the dragon grandsons out to fight, wielding his crescent-bladed halberd. Pig raised his rake to parry the halberd and fought a fighting retreat till he jumped out of the water. The Great Sage Equaling Heaven and the seven sworn brothers all leapt into the fray, thrusting furiously with sword and spear. One of the dragon grandsons was chopped up into mincemeat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that things were going badly the prince rolled in front of the mountain, turned back into himself, spread his wings, and started circling around. Erlang then took his golden bow, fixed a silver pellet to it pulled it to its full extent, and fired it in the air. The monster pulled in its wings and swooped down to bite Erlang with the head that shot out from its waist. Erlang’s slim dog leapt up, barked, and bit off the head, which dripped blood. The monster fled for his life in great pain, heading straight back for the Northern Sea. Pig wanted to go after him but Monkey stopped him.\n\n“Don’t chase him,” he said. “Never corner a defeated enemy. Now the dog’s bitten that head off I’m sure he’ll be more dead than alive. I’m going to turn myself into his double. I want you to part the waters and chase me in there to find the princess and trick the treasure out of her.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t have to chase him if you don’t want to,” said Erlang and his six sages, “but by letting a creature like that stay alive you are only creating trouble for the future.” The nine-headed gory monsters that are still found today are its descendants.\n\nPig did as he was told and parted a way through the waters for Monkey, looking just like the monster, to flee with himself in noisy pursuit. They soon reached the dragon palace, where Princess Infinitely Sage asked, “Why are you in such a state, prince?”\n\n“Pig beat me,” Monkey replied, “and chased me in here. I’m no match for him. Hide the treasures somewhere safe.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not realizing in her alarm that he was an impostor, she fetched a golden casket from the rear palace that she gave to Monkey with the words: “This is the Buddha relic.” Then she fetched a white jade box that she gave to Monkey saying, “This is the nine-lobed magic fungus. Hide the treasures away where they’ll be safe while I fight two or three rounds with him to cover you. When the treasures are safe come and join in the fight.”\n\nMonkey then tucked the treasures into his clothes, rubbed his face, and turned back into himself. “Have a good look, princess,” he said. “Am I really your husband?” As the princess made a desperate grab for the boxes Pig ran up and knocked her to the floor with a blow on the shoulder from his rake."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The ancient dragon’s widow was fleeing as Pig grabbed her and raised his rake to smash her. “Stop!” said Monkey. “Don’t kill her! Keep her alive for when we go back to announce our victory at court.” Pig then lifted her up out of the water while Monkey followed him to the bank with the two boxes.\n\n“Thanks to your power and prestige, elder brother, we have recovered the treasures and wiped out the thieving devils,” said Monkey.\n\n“That was no credit of ours,” said Erlang. “In the first place the king’s good fortune equaled heaven, and in the second you worthy brothers showed your boundless powers.”\n\nThe brothers then all said, “As you have now succeeded, Brother Monkey, we shall take our leave of you.” Monkey expressed his thanks profusely and tried to persuade them to go to see the king. None of them agreed, and they led their forces back to Guankou."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey carried the boxes and Pig dragged the dragon wife back to the city in next to no time, travelling by cloud and mist. The liberated monks of the Golden Light Monastery were waiting for them outside the city, and when they saw the two of them suddenly alight from the clouds, they went up and kowtowed, ushering them into the city. The king was then sitting in the main hall of the palace talking with the Tang Priest.\n\nA monk came ahead and took his courage in his hands to go in through the palace gates and report, “Your Majesty, Lords Monkey and Pig are back with one of the thieves and the treasures.” The moment he heard this news the king hurried down from the throne hall to welcome them with the Tang Priest and Friar Sand. He was full of expressions of gratitude for their amazing achievement and he ordered a thanksgiving banquet."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We don’t need any drinks now,” said Sanzang. “We can only feast when my disciples have returned the treasure to the pagoda.” He then asked Monkey why it was that they were only back then as they had left the day before, Monkey then told him all about the battle with the prince, the death of the dragon king, meeting the True Lord Erlang, the defeat of the evil monsters and how he had got the treasures through trickery and transformation. Sanzang, the king and all the civil and military officials were delighted.\n\n“Can the dragon wife talk in human speech?” the king then asked.\n\n“Of course she knows human speech,” Pig replied. “She was married to a dragon and had a lot of dragon sons and grandsons.”\n\n“In that case,” said the king, “she’d better tell us the whole story of their crimes.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I don’t know anything about the theft of the Buddha relic,” she said. “That was all done by that husband of mine, the dragon who’s a ghost now, and our son-in-law the nine-headed monster. They knew that the light from your pagoda came from the Buddha relic that they stole under cover of the blood rain.”\n\nWhen asked how the magic fungus was stolen she answered, “My daughter the Infinitely Sage Princess sneaked into the Daluo Heaven and stole the Queen Mother’s nine-lobed magic fungus from in front of the Hall of Miraculous Mist. The magic vapors of the fungus have nourished the relic, which will now be indestructible and shine for tens of thousands of years. Even if it’s buried or put in a field it will give out thousands of beams of coloured light and auspicious vapors the moment it’s brushed. You have now taken it back and killed my husband, all my sons, my son-in-law and my daughter. Please spare my life.”\n\n“There’ll be no mercy for you,” Pig replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’ll be no mercy for you,” Pig replied.\n\n“There’s no such thing as a family that’s all criminal,” said Monkey. “I’ll spare your life on one condition: you look after the pagoda for me for ever.”\n\n“A poor life is better than a good death,” the dragon wife replied. “Spare my life and I’ll do whatever you want.” Monkey sent for an iron chain that was fetched by one of the aides.\n\nHe put it through the dragon wife’s collarbone and said to Friar Sand, “Please ask the king to come and watch the treasures being put back in the pagoda.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king then had his carriage prepared and left the court hand-in-hand with Sanzang, accompanied by the civil and military officials. He went to the Golden Light Monastery and climbed the pagoda, where the relic was placed in a precious vase on the thirteenth floor just under the roof. The dragon wife was chained to the central column of the pagoda. Spells were then said to summon the local deities and city gods of the capital and the Guardians of the monastery, who were ordered to bring the dragon wife food and drink once every three days to keep her alive. If she tried any tricks they were to execute her on the spot. The gods all secretly accepted their orders. Brother Monkey used the magic fungus to sweep out the thirteen stories of the pagoda one by one, then put it in the vase to look after the relic. Then and only then did the pagoda shine anew with coloured light and an auspicious glow that could be seen from all directions and admired by the countries all around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they came down out of the pagoda the king thanked them with the words, “If you, venerable Buddha, and your three Bodhisattvas had not come here this matter would never have been cleared up.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” Monkey said, “Golden Light is not a good name as it’s not something permanent. Gold can melt and light is only shining vapor. As we monks have gone to some trouble on your behalf we would like to change the name to Subdued Dragon Monastery. This will ensure that you live for ever.” The king ordered that the name be changed and a new board hung up that read.\n\nNATION-PROTECTING\n\nSUBDUED DRAGON MONASTERY\n\nFOUNDED BY ROYAL COMMAND\n\nHe then commanded that a banquet be laid on and sent for painters to paint portraits of the four of them. Their names were recorded in the Tower of Five Phoenixes. The king then had his carriage brought out to see the Tang Priest and his disciples on their way. He tried to give them gold and jewels, but they firmly refused to accept anything. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Evil had been wiped out;\n\nNow calmness once more reigned.\n\nSunshine had been brought back,\n\nThe pagoda’s light regained.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened on the journey ahead listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty-Four\n\nWuneng Works Hard on Thorn Ridge\n\nSanzang Talks of Poetry in the Wood Immortals’ Hermitage"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story has been told how the king of Jisai thanked Tang Sanzang and his three disciples for capturing the demons and pressed on them gold and jade, none of which they would accept. The king therefore told his aides to have made for each of them two suits of clothing like those they were wearing, two pairs of socks, two pairs of shoes and two belts. They were also provided with dry rations, and their passport was duly examined and returned. They were seen out of the city by a procession of carriages, the civil and military officials, the common people of the city and the monks of the Subdued Dragon Monastery. There was also loud music. After six or seven miles they took their leave of the king, to be accompanied for a further six or seven miles by everyone else. Then all the others turned back except the monks of the Subdued Dragon Monastery, who were still with them after twenty miles. Some of the monks wanted to accompany them to the Western Heaven and the others wanted to cultivate their conduct and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the others wanted to cultivate their conduct and wait on them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that none of them was willing to turn back Monkey decided to use his powers. He pulled out thirty or forty of his hairs, blew on them with magic breath, shouted, “Change!” and turned them into ferocious striped tigers that leapt roaring about on the path ahead. Only then were the monks scared into going back. The Great Sage then led the master as he whipped his horse forward and they were soon far away.\n\nAt this the monks began to weep aloud, shouting, “Kind and honorable sirs, fate must be against us since you won’t take us with you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Let us tell not of the wailing monks but of how the master and his three disciples headed along the main path West for a while before Monkey took his hairs back. Once again the seasons were changing, and it was now the end of winter and the beginning of spring, neither hot nor cold. As they were making their way along without a care they saw a long ridge in front of them over which the road led. Sanzang reined in his horse to look. He saw that the ridge was overgrown with brambles and creepers. Although the line of the path could be made out there were brambles and thorns all over it. “How are we going to manage that path, disciples?” he asked.\n\n“No problem,” Monkey replied.\n\n“But, disciple, the path is covered with thorns. We could only manage it by crawling on our bellies like snakes or insects. Your backs will be bent with walking, and I’ll never be able to ride the horse.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s nothing to worry about, Master,” Pig replied. “I’ll clear the thorns away with my rake. It’ll be just like gathering up kindling for the fire. Never mind about riding your horse—I promise we could even get up there in a carrying-chair.”\n\n“You are very strong,” the Tang Priest replied, “but it is a long way and it will be hard. I don’t know where you’ll find the energy to do that distance: goodness only knows how far it is.”\n\n“There’s no need to guess,” said Monkey. “I’ll go and have a look.” When he jumped up into the air he saw it stretching away endlessly. Indeed:\n\nVast was its size;\n\nIt was covered in mist and rain.\n\nSoft was the carpet of grass on the path;\n\nThe mountain was covered in brilliant green.\n\nNew leaves were sprouting in dense abundance,\n\nFragrant creepers climbed all around.\n\nWhen seen from afar no end was in sight;\n\nFrom close to it seemed a mass of verdant cloud,\n\nLuxuriant, mysterious and green.\n\nThe winds soughed everywhere\n\nAs the ridge shone bright in the sunshine."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the ridge shone bright in the sunshine.\n\nThere was pine and cypress and bamboo,\n\nMany a plum and willow, and mulberry too.\n\nClimbing figs coiled round ancient trees,\n\nWhile creepers entwined the weeping poplars,\n\nAll twisted together like a frame,\n\nWoven together in a bed.\n\nHere the flowers made living brocade;\n\nFar spread the scent of boundless blossom.\n\nEveryone’s life has brambles and thorns.\n\nBut none are as tall as those in the West.\n\nHaving looked for a long time, Monkey brought his cloud down and said, “Master, it’s a very long way.”\n\n“How far?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“I can’t see any end to it,” Monkey replied. “There must be at least three hundred miles of it.”\n\n“That’s terrible,” said Sanzang.\n\n“Don’t be miserable, Master,” said Friar Sand with a laugh. “We know how to burn undergrowth. Set fire to it with a torch and all the thorns will be burned away. Then we’ll be able to cross.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t talk nonsense,” Pig replied. “You can only clear the ground that way in November or later when the grass has withered and there are dead trees. The fire won’t take otherwise. It’d never burn now, when everything’s growing.”\n\n“Even if it did burn it would be terrifying,” said Monkey.\n\n“Then how are we to get across?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“You’ll just have to depend on me,” said Pig with a grin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid idiot made a spell with his hands and said the words of it, leaned forward, and said, “Grow!” He grew two hundred feet tall, then waved the rake and shouted. “Change!” It became three hundred feet long. Then he strode forward and wielded the rake two-handed to clear the undergrowth from both sides of the path. “Come with me, Master,” he said. Sanzang was delighted to whip the horse along and follow close behind while Friar Sand carried the luggage and Monkey used his cudgel to help clear the way. They did not let their hands rest for a moment all day long, and they had covered over thirty miles when near nightfall they came to an empty stretch of ground where a stone tablet stood in the middle of the path.\n\nOn the tablet the words THORN RIDGE were written large, and under them two lines of smaller writing read, “Two hundred and fifty miles of rampant thorns; few travelers have ever taken this road.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig saw this he said with a laugh, “Let me add a couple more lines to that: ‘Pig has always been good at removing thorns; he’s cleared the roads right to the West.’” Sanzang then dismounted in a very good mood.\n\n“Disciples,” he said, “I’ve put you to a lot of trouble. Let’s stop here for the night and carry on at first light tomorrow.”\n\n“Don’t stop now, Master,” said Pig with a smile. “It’s a clear sky and we’re in the mood. It’s all right if we carry on all bloody night.” The venerable elder had to accept his suggestion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While Pig was working so hard in the lead all four of them pressed ahead without stopping for the night and another day until it was evening once more. In front-of them the trees and undergrowth were densely tangled and the wind could be heard rustling in the bamboos and soughing in the pines. Luckily they came to another patch of empty land where there stood an old temple outside whose gates pine and cypress formed a solid green shade, while peach and plum trees rivaled each other in beauty. Sanzang then dismounted and went with his three disciples to examine it. This is what they saw:\n\nBefore the cliff an ancient shrine stood by a cold stream;\n\nDesolation hung all around the hill.\n\nWhite cranes in the thickets made the moon seem brighter;\n\nThe green moss on the steps had been there for years.\n\nThe rustle of green bamboo seemed like human speech;\n\nThe remaining calls of the birds seemed expressions of grief.\n\nDogs and hens never came, and few human souls;\n\nWild flowers and plants grew all over the wall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wild flowers and plants grew all over the wall.\n\n“This place strikes me as very sinister,” said Monkey. “Let’s not stay here long.”\n\n“You’re being overcautious, brother,” remarked Friar Sand. “As this is deserted and I don’t think there are any monsters, wild beasts or fiends, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than there was a gust of sinister wind and an old man emerged from the temple gateway. He wore a turban, a pale-coloured gown and grass sandals, and he held a crooked stick. He was accompanied by a devil servant with a blue face, terrible fangs, red whiskers and a red body who was carrying on his head a tray of cakes.\n\n“Great Sage,” said the old man as they both knelt down, “I am the local god of Thorn Ridge. As I knew you were coming but had nothing better to offer you I have prepared this tray of steamed cakes for your master. Do all have some. As there are no other houses for hundreds of miles I hope you will accept a few to stave off the pangs of hunger.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was just what Pig wanted to hear: he went up and was just stretching out his hands to take a cake when Monkey, who had been taking a long, hard look at all this, shouted, “Stop! He’s evil! Behave yourself!” He was now addressing the local god.\n\n“You’re no local god, trying to fool me like that. Take this!”\n\nSeeing the ferocity of his attack, the local god turned round and transformed himself into a howling gust of negative wind that carried the venerable elder flying off through the air. Nobody knew where he had been taken. The Great Sage was desperate because he did not know where to look for the master, while Pig and Friar Sand stared at each other, pale with shock. Even the white horse was whinnying with fright. The three brother disciples and the horse were in utter confusion. They looked all around as far as they could see but without finding him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We will not describe their search but tell how the old man and his devil servant carried Sanzang to a stone house that was wreathed in mist and gently set him down. Holding him by the hand and supporting him the old man said, “Don’t be afraid, holy monk. We aren’t bad people. I am the Eighteenth Lord of Thorn Ridge. I have asked you here on this cool, clear moonlit night to talk about poetry and pass the time in friendship.” Only then did Sanzang calm down. When he took a careful look around this is what he saw:\n\nFrom where the banks of cloud set out\n\nStood a pure house for immortals, a place\n\nTo purify the self and refine elixir,\n\nTo plant groves of bamboo and grow one’s flowers.\n\nCranes often came to the emerald cliff,\n\nAnd frogs called in the pool’s blue waters.\n\nThis was a match for the cinnabar furnace on Mount Tiantai,\n\nAnd made one think of the sunsets at Mount Huashan.\n\nForget the vain effort of ploughing the clouds and fishing for the moon;\n\nHere there is admirable privacy and ease."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here there is admirable privacy and ease.\n\nSit here for long enough and your mind becomes sea-vast;\n\nThe rising moon can be half seen through the gauzy curtains.\n\nAs Sanzang was looking around and noticing how brightly the moon and the stars were shining he heard the sound of voices saying, “The Eighteenth Lord has brought the holy monk here.” Sanzang looked up and saw three old men. The nearest one was white-haired and distinguished; the second one’s temples had a green gloss and he was full of vigor; and the third had a pure heart and blue-black hair.\n\nTheir faces and clothes were all different, and they all came to bow to Sanzang, who returned their courtesy, saying, “I have done nothing to deserve this great affection you are showing for me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the Eighteenth Lord replied with a smile, “We have long heard, holy monk, of how you have found the Way and we’ve long been waiting for the good fortune of meeting you that we have enjoyed today. I hope that you will not be grudge the pearls of your wisdom, but will make yourself comfortable, sit and talk. Then we may learn about the true Dhyana teachings.”\n\n“May I ask the titles of the immortals?” Sanzang asked with a bow.\n\n“The one with white hair,” the Eighteenth Lord replied, “is known as the Lone Upright Lord; the one with green temples is Master Emptiness; and the one with a pure heart is the Ancient Cloud-toucher. My title is Energy.”\n\n“How old are you four venerable gentlemen?” Sanzang asked. To this the Lone Upright Lord replied,\n\n“I am already a thousand years old;\n\nI touch the sky and my leaves are always spring.\n\nElegant are my fragrant branches\n\nShaped like dragons and snakes;\n\nMy shadow is broken into many parts;\n\nMy body is covered in snow."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "My body is covered in snow.\n\nSince childhood I have stood firm and endured;\n\nNow I am happy to cultivate the True.\n\nThe birds and phoenixes that perch are not mere mortal ones;\n\nI am free and far from the dust of the normal world.”\n\nMaster Emptiness spoke next with a smile:\n\n“I’ve borne wind and frost for a thousand years,\n\nStrong in my tall body and the vigor of my limbs.\n\nIn the still of the night comes the sound of raindrops,\n\nAnd the shade spreads like a cloud in autumn sunlight.\n\nMy gnarled roots have the secret of eternal life;\n\nI have been given the art of never aging.\n\nStorks stay here and dragons, not common creatures:\n\nI am green and full of life, as in immortals’ land.”\n\nThen the Ancient Cloud-toucher said with a smile,\n\n“Over a thousand autumns have I passed in emptiness;\n\nLofty is the view that grows ever purer.\n\nHere there is no commotion, but eternal cool and calm;\n\nI am full of spirit and have seen much frost and snow.\n\nThe seven worthies come to talk about the Way;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The seven worthies come to talk about the Way;\n\nI sing and drink with my friends, the six men of leisure.\n\nLightly beating the jade and the gold\n\nMy nature is one with heaven; I roam with immortals.”\n\nThen Energy, the Eighteenth Lord, smiled as he said,\n\n“My age is also over a thousand,\n\nI am hoary, pure and natural.\n\nRain and dew give admirable vigor;\n\nI borrow the creative power of heaven and earth.\n\nAlone I flourish in ravines of wind and mist,\n\nRelaxed and at my ease through all four seasons.\n\nUnder my green shade immortals stay\n\nFor chess and music and books on the Way.”\n\n“All four of you immortals have lived to most advanced ages.” Sanzang said, “and the old gentleman Energy is over a thousand. You are ancient, you have found the Way, you are elegant and you are pure. Are you not the Four Brilliant Ones of Han times?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You flatter us too much,” said the four old men. “We’re not the Four Brilliant Ones: we’re the four from deep in the mountains. May we ask, worthy monk, what your illustrious age is?” Sanzang put his hands together and replied,\n\n“Forty years ago I left my mother’s womb,\n\nFated to disaster since before my birth.\n\nEscaping with my life I floated in the waves\n\nUntil I reached Jinshan where I renewed my body.\n\nI nourished my nature and studied the sutras,\n\nSincere in worship of the Buddha, not wasting time.\n\nNow that His Majesty has sent me to the West,\n\nI am deeply honoured by you ancient immortals.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The four ancients then praised him, saying, “Holy monk, you have followed the Buddha’s teaching since you left your mother’s womb. By cultivating your conduct from childhood you have become a lofty monk who has found the Way. We are very happy to see you and would like to ask you to teach us. Could you possibly tell us the rudiments of the Dhyana dharma? It would be a great comfort to us.” When the venerable elder heard this he was not at all alarmed, and this is what he said to them: “Dhyana is silence; the dharma is that which saves. Silent salvation can only come through enlightenment. Enlightenment is washing the mind and cleansing it of care, casting off the vulgar and leaving worldly dust. Human life is hard to obtain; it is hard to be born in the central lands; and the true dharma is hard to find. There is no greater good fortune than to have all three. The wonderful Way of perfect virtue is subtle and imperceptible. Only with it can the six sense-organs and the six forms of consciousness be swept"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and the six forms of consciousness be swept away. Wisdom is this: there is no death and no life, no excess and no deficiency, emptiness and matter are all included, holy and secular both dismissed. It has mastered the tools of the Taoist faith and is aware of the methods of Sakyamuni. It casts the net of phenomena and smashes nirvana. Perception within perception is needed, enlightenment within enlightenment, then a dot of sacred light will protect everything. Light the raging fire to illuminate the Saha realm; it alone is revealed throughout the dharma world. Being utterly subtle it is firmer than ever: who crosses the pass of mystery through verbal persuasion? From the beginning I cultivated the Dhyana of great awareness: I was fated and determined to attain enlightenment.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The four elders listened with cocked ears and were filled with boundless joy. Each of them kowtowed and was converted to the truth, saying with bows of gratitude, “Holy monk, you are the very root of the enlightenment to be found through Dhyana meditation.”\n\nThe Ancient Cloud-toucher said, “Dhyana may be silence, and the dharma may well save, but it is necessary for the nature to be settled and the mind sincere. If one is a true immortal of great awareness one has to sit in the Way of no-life. Our mysteries are very different.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Way is not fixed; its form and function are one. How is yours different?” Sanzang asked. To this the Ancient Cloud-toucher replied with a smile: “We have been firm from birth: our forms and functions are different from yours. We were born in response to heaven and earth and grew through the rain and the dew. Proudly we laugh at wind and frost; we wear out the days and nights. Not one leaf withers, and all our branches are full of firm resolve. What I say has no emptiness about it, but you cling to your Sanskrit. The Way was China’s in the first place and only later looked for more evidence in the West. You are wearing out your straw sandals for nothing: you don’t know what you are looking for. You are like a stone lion cutting out its own heart, or a fox salivating so hard it digests the marrow of its own bones. If in your meditation you forget your roots you will pursue the Buddha’s reward in vain. Your words are as tangled as the brambles on our Thorn Ridge and as confused as the creepers. How can we"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ridge and as confused as the creepers. How can we accept a gentleman such as you? How can one like you be approved and taught? You must reexamine your present state and find a life of freedom in stillness. Only then can you learn to raise water in a bottomless basket, and make the rootless iron-tree flower. On the peak of the Miraculous Treasure"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "my feet stand firm; I return to the assembly at Longhua.\n\nWhen Sanzang heard this he kowtowed in thanks, and the Eighteenth Lord and the Lone Upright Lord helped him back to his feet, Master Emptiness said with a chuckle, “Cloud-toucher’s remarks revealed things a little too clearly. Please get up, holy monk: you don’t have to believe every word of it. We didn’t intend to use the light of the moon for serious discussions. We should chant poems, feel free, and let ourselves relax.”\n\n“If we’re going to recite poems,” said Cloud-toucher with a smile, pointing towards the stone house, “why don’t we go into the hermitage and drink some tea?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang answered with a bow and went over to look at the hermitage, above which was written in large letters TREE IMMORTALS’ HERMITAGE. They all then went inside and decided where to sit, whereupon the red devil servant appeared with a tray of China-root cakes and five bowls of fragrant tea. The four old men urged Sanzang to eat some cakes, but he was too suspicious to do so, and would not take any till the four old men had all eaten some: only then did he eat a couple. After they had drunk some tea it was cleared away. Sanzang then stole a careful look around and saw that everything was of a delicate and intricate beauty in the moonlight:\n\nWhere waters flowed beside the rocks,\n\nAnd fragrant scents from the flowers curled,\n\nThe scene was one of cultured peace,\n\nFree from the dust of a lower world.\n\nSanzang took great pleasure in gazing on this sight: he felt happy, relaxed and exhilarated. He found himself saying a line of poetry: “The dhyana heart revolves in moonlike purity.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The couplet was completed by Energy, who said with a smile: “Poetic inspiration is fresher than the sky.”\n\nTo this Lone Upright added: “By grafting on each line embroidery grows.”\n\nThen Emptiness said: “Pearls come when naturally the writing flows.”\n\nCloud-toucher continued: “The glory is now over: Six Dynasties disappear. The Songs are redivided to make distinctions clear.”\n\n“I shouldn’t have let those silly words slip out just now,” said Sanzang, “I was only rambling. Really, I am a beginner trying to show off in front of experts. Having heard you immortals talk in that fresh and free-ranging way I now know that you old gentlemen are true poets.”\n\n“Don’t waste time in idle chat,” said Energy. “A monk should take things through to the end. You started the verse, so why don’t you finish it? Please do so at once.”\n\n“I can’t,” Sanzang replied. “It would be much better if you completed it for me, Eighteenth Lord.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s very nice of you, I must say!” commented Energy. “You started the verse so you can’t refuse to finish it. It’s wrong to be so stingy with your pearls.” Sanzang then had no choice but to add a final couplet:\n\n“Waiting for the tea lying pillowed in the breeze,\n\nSpring is in the voice now that the heart’s at ease.”\n\n“I like ‘Spring is in the voice now that the heart’s at ease,’” said the Eighteenth Lord.\n\nTo this Lone Upright replied, “Energy, you have a deep understanding of poetry, and spend all your time savoring its delights. Why don’t you compose another poem for us?”\n\nThe Eighteenth Lord generously did not refuse. “Very well then,” he replied, “let’s make up chain couplets. Each person has to start his couplet with the last word of the couplet before. I’ll lead off:\n\nWithout spring’s glory there would be no winter’s death;\n\nClouds come and mists depart as if existing not.”\n\n“Let me tack another couple more lines on,” Master Emptiness said.\n\n“Not any breath of wind to rock the spreading shade;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Visitors enjoy the Wealth and Long Life picture.”\n\nCloud-toucher now joined in with his couplet:\n\n“Picture it like the strong old man of the Western hills,\n\nPure as the hermit of the South, the heartless man.”\n\nLone Upright added his two lines:\n\n“The man is a roof-beam as he has side-leaves\n\nTo build the office of the censorate.”\n\nWhen Sanzang heard all this he could only sigh and say, “Indeed, your superb poems have a noble spirit that rises up to the heavens. Despite my lack of talent I would like to add a couplet to that.”\n\n“Holy monk,” said Lone Upright, “you are one who has found the Way and a man of great cultivation. You need not add another couplet. Instead you can give us a whole verse so that we can try as best we can to match the rhyme pattern.” Sanzang had no choice but to recite the following regulated verse with a smile:\n\n“Travelling West with my staff to visit the Dharma King\n\nI seek the wonderful scriptures to spread them far and wide.\n\nThe golden magic fungus blesses the poetry circle;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Under the trees is the scent of a thousand flowers.\n\nOne must go higher from the top of a hundred-foot pole,\n\nLeaving one’s traces in ten regions’ worlds.\n\nCultivate the jade image and majestic body:\n\nBefore the gate of bliss is the monastery.”\n\nWhen the four old men had heard this they were full of high praise for it. “Although I’m stupid and untalented,” the Eighteenth Lord said, “I’ll take my courage in both hands and try to match your rhymes:\n\nVigorous and proud, I smile as king of the trees:\n\nNot ever the tree of heaven can match my fame.\n\nA dragon and snake shadow for a thousand feet in the mountains;\n\nThe spring has flowed for a thousand years with its amber fragrance.\n\nMy spirit is at one with heaven and earth:\n\nI gladly cover my traces in the wind and rain.\n\nNow I am old I regret having no immortal bones\n\nAnd rely on China-root alone to maintain my years.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That poem started off heroically, and the next couplet had some strength,” said the Lone Upright Lord. “But the last line was too modest. Admirable! Most admirable! Let me try rhyming one too:\n\n“I happily give a perch in the frost to the king of the birds;\n\nMy talent is displayed before the Hall of Four Perfections.\n\nThe pearly tassels of heavy dew obscure the green carpet;\n\nIn the light breeze stone teeth crush chilly fragrance.\n\nA delicate voice intones in the corridor at night;\n\nPale autumn shadows are put away in the ancient hall.\n\nI used to be offered for long life at the New Year;\n\nIn old age I stand proudly on the mountain.”\n\n“What a fine poem, what a fine poem,” said Master Emptiness. “Truly, the moon was working together with heaven to write it. How could such a clumsy fool as I am hope to match its rhymes? But I must try to patch a few lines together: I don’t want to waste this chance:”\n\n“The timber of roofbeams is close to kings;\n\nIts fame is spread in the Palace of Great Purity."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sunlit hall seems filled with azure blue;\n\nGreen fragrance always pervades the dark wall.\n\nStrong, cold and ancient in my beauty,\n\nMy roots go down to the Underworld’s nine springs.\n\nMy spreading shade gives cover like cold clouds.\n\nI don’t compete in prettiness with flowers.”\n\n“You three gentlemen’s poems,” said Cloud-toucher, “are elegant and pure, like a whole sackful of embroidery and brocades being opened out. Although I have neither strength nor talent you three gentlemen have removed the block for me. If you insist I’ll put a few lines of doggerel together. I hope they won’t make you laugh:\n\nIn the bamboo grove I delight wise kings;\n\nA hundred acres of me by the Wei brings fame.\n\nMy green skin is naturally marked by the tears of the Xiang Goddess;\n\nMy scaly shoots pass on the scent of history.\n\nMy leaves will never change their color in frost;\n\nThe beauty of my misty twigs can never be concealed.\n\nFew have understood me since the death of Wang Huizhi;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since ancient times I have been known through brush and ink.\n\n“You venerable immortals have all composed poems like phoenixes breathing out pearls,” Sanzang said. “There is nothing I can add. I am deeply moved by the great favour you have shown me. But it is late now and I do not know where my three disciples are waiting for me. I cannot stay any longer, and I must start finding my way back. I am profoundly grateful for your boundless love. Could you show me my way back?”\n\n“Don’t be so worried, holy monk,” replied the four ancients, laughing. “An encounter like this is rare in a thousand years. The sky is fresh and clear, and the moon makes the night as bright as day. Relax and sit here for a little longer. At dawn we shall see you across the ridge. You will certainly meet your distinguished disciples.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were talking in came two serving maids in blue, each carrying a lantern of crimson silk. Behind them followed a fairy who was holding a sprig of apricot blossom as she greeted them with a smile. What did the fairy look like?\n\nHer hair had the green of jade,\n\nHer face was pinker than rouge.\n\nHer starry eyes were full of light and color;\n\nHer elegant eyebrows were like moth antennae.\n\nShe wore a red skirt with plum-blossom designs;\n\nAnd a light jacket of gray shot with red.\n\nHer curved shoes were shaped like phoenix beaks,\n\nAnd her silk stockings were marked with mud.\n\nThis witch was as lovely as the woman on Tiantai,\n\nNo less a beauty than the Zhou king’s concubine.\n\n“To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Apricot Fairy?” the old man asked as they bowed to her.\n\nReturning their bows she replied, “I hear that you have a distinguished guest here and are exchanging poems with him. May I meet him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Here he is,” said the Eighteenth Lord, pointing him out. “You don’t need to ask.” Sanzang bowed to her but dared say nothing.\n\n“Bring in the tea at once,” she said. Two more serving girls in yellow, carried in a red lacquer tray on which were six fine porcelain tea-bowls with rare fruits in them and spoons lying across the top, as well as a copper-inlaid iron teapot in which was hot and fragrant tea. When the tea had been poured the woman showed glimpses of finger as delicate as spring onion shoots as she presented the porcelain bowls of it first to Sanzang and then to the four ancients. The last cup she kept for herself.\n\nOnly when Master Emptiness invited the Apricot Fairy to sit down did she do so. After they had drunk the tea she leant forward and said, “As you ancient immortals have been having so delightful an evening could you tell me some of the choicest lines you’ve composed?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Our stuff was just vulgar rubbish,” Cloud-toucher replied. “But this holy monk’s verses were truly superb examples of high Tang poetry.”\n\n“Please let me hear them if you will,” the fairy said, whereupon the four ancients recited Sanzang’s two poems and his exposition of the Dhyana dharma. The woman, whose face was all smiles, then said, “I’m completely untalented and shouldn’t really be making a fool of myself like this, but hearing this wonderful lines is an opportunity too good to waste. Could I cobble together a verse in the second rhyme pattern?” She then recited these lines:\n\nThe Han Emperor Wu first made my name;\n\nIn Zhou times Confucius taught under my shade.\n\nDong Feng loved me so much he planted a wood of me;\n\nSun Chu once offered my jelly in sacrifice.\n\nSoft is my pink and rain-fed beauty;\n\nThe misty green is shown and yet concealed.\n\nWhen over-ripe I have a touch of sourness;\n\nEach year I fall beside the fields of wheat.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Each year I fall beside the fields of wheat.”\n\nWhen the four ancients heard the poem they were all full of admiration for it. “How elegant it is,” they said, “and how free of worldly dust. At the same time the lines have something of the awakening of spring in them. ‘Soft is my pink and rain-fed beauty.’ That’s good. ‘Soft is my pink and rain-fed beauty.’”\n\n“You’re too kind—it quite alarms me,” she replied. “The holy monk’s lines that I heard just now were like brocade from the heart or embroidery in words. Could you be generous with your pearls and teach me one of those verses?” The Tang Priest dared not reply.\n\nThe woman was evidently falling for him and moving closer and closer, pressing herself against him and whispering to him, “Noble guest, let’s make the most of this wonderful night for love. What are we waiting for? Life is short.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The Apricot Fairy admires you completely, holy monk,” said the Eighteenth Lord. “You must feel something for her. If you don’t find her adorable you have very poor taste.”\n\n“The holy monk is a famous gentleman who has found the Way,” said the Lone Upright Lord, “and he wouldn’t possibly act in a way that was at all improper. It would be quite wrong of us to do things like that. To ruin his reputation and honour would be a very mean thing to do. If the Apricot Fairy is willing Cloud-toucher and the Eighteenth Lord can act as matchmakers while Master Emptiness and I act as the guarantors of the wedding. It would be excellent if they married.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing this Sanzang turned pale with horror, jumped to his feet and shouted at the top of his voice, “You’re all monsters, trying to lead me astray like that. There was nothing wrong with talking about the mysteries of the Way with well-honed arguments, but it’s disgraceful of you to try to ruin a monk like me by using a woman as a bait.” Seeing how angry Sanzang was they all bit their fingers in fear and said nothing more.\n\nBut the red devil servant exploded with thunderous fury, “You don’t know how honoured you’re being, monk. What’s wrong with my sister? She’s beautiful and charming. Her needlework aside, her gift for poetry alone would make her more than a match for you. What do you mean, trying to turn her down? You’re making a terrible mistake. The Lone Upright Lord’s idea was quite right. If you’re not prepared to sleep with her on the quiet I’ll marry the two of you properly.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang went paler still with shock. None of their arguments, however outrageous, had the slightest impact on him. “We’ve been talking to you very nicely, monk,” the devil servant said, “but you don’t pay the slightest attention. If we lose our tempers and start our rough, country way of doing things we’ll drag you off and see to it that you can never be a monk any longer or ever marry a wife. After that your life will be pointless.”\n\nThe venerable elder’s heart remained as hard as metal or stone and he obdurately refused to do as they asked, wondering all the time where his disciples were looking for him. At the thought his tears flowed unquenchably. Smiling and sitting down next to him the woman produced a silk handkerchief from her emerald sleeve with which she wiped away his tears."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be so upset, noble guest,” She said. “You and I are going to taste the pleasures of love.” Sanzang jumped up and shouted at her to go away and would have left at once if they had not held him there by force. The row went on till daybreak.\n\nSuddenly Sanzang heard a call of, “Master! Master! We can hear you. Where are you?” Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand had been searching everywhere all night, leading the white horse and carrying the baggage. They had gone through all the thorns and brambles without a moment’s rest and by now had reached the Western side of the 250-mile-wide cloud-capped Thorn Ridge, This was the shout they gave when they heard Sanzang’s angry yells. Sanzang broke free, rushed outside, and called, “Wukong, I’m here. Help! Help!” The four ancients, the devil servant, the woman and her maids all disappeared in a flash.\n\nA moment later Pig and Friar Sand were there too. “How ever did you get here, Master?” they asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciples,” said Sanzang, clinging to Monkey, “I have put you to a lot of trouble. I was carried here by the old man who appeared last night and said he was a local deity bringing us vegetarian food—the one you shouted at and were going to hit. He held my hand and helped me inside that door there, where I saw three old men who had come to meet me. They kept calling me ‘holy monk’ and talked in a very pure and elegant way. They were marvellous poets, and I matched some verses with them. Then at about midnight a beautiful woman came with lanterns to see me and made up a poem herself. She kept calling me ‘noble guest’. She liked the look of me so much she wanted to sleep with me. That brought me to my senses. When I refused they offered to be matchmakers and guarantors, and to marry us. I swore not to agree and was just shouting at them and trying to get away when to my surprise you turned up. Although they were still dragging at my clothes they suddenly disappeared. It must have been because it was dawn and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It must have been because it was dawn and because they were frightened of you too.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Did you ask them their names when you were talking about poetry?”\n\nMonkey asked. “Yes,” Sanzang replied, “I asked them their titles. The oldest was Energy, the Eighteenth Lord; the next oldest was the Lone Upright Lord; the third was Master Emptiness; and the fourth the Ancient Cloud-toucher. They called the woman Apricot Fairy.”\n\n“Where are they?” Pig asked, “where’ve they gone?”\n\n“Where they have gone I don’t know,” Sanzang replied, “but where we talked about poetry was near here.”\n\nWhen the three disciples searched with their master they found a rock-face on which were carved the words “Tree Immortals’ Hermitage.”\n\n“This is it,” said Sanzang, and on looking carefully Brother Monkey saw a big juniper, an old cypress, an old pine and an old bamboo. Behind the bamboo was a red maple. When he took another look by the rock-face he saw an old apricot tree, two winter-flowering plums, and two osman-thuses.\n\n“Did you see the evil spirits?” Monkey asked.\n\n“No,” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” said Pig.\n\n“It’s just because you don’t realize that those trees have become spirits,” said Monkey.\n\n“How can you tell that the spirits were trees?” Pig asked.\n\n“The Eighteenth lord is the pine,” Monkey replied, “the Lone Upright Lord the cypress, Master Emptiness the juniper and the Ancient Cloud-toucher the bamboo. The maple there was the red devil and the Apricot Fairy that apricot tree.”\n\nWhen Pig heard this he ruthlessly hit with his rake and rooted with his snout to knock the plum, osmanthus, apricot and maple trees over, and as he did blood flowed from their roots. “Wuneng,” said Sanzang, going up to him to check him, “don’t harm any more of them. Although they have become spirits they did me no harm. Let’s be on our way again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be sorry for them, Master,” said Monkey. “They’ll do people a great deal of harm if we let them develop into big monsters.” With that the idiot let fly with his rake and knocked pine, cypress, juniper ad bamboo all to the ground. Only then did he invite his master to remount and carry along the main route to the West.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened as they pressed ahead, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty-Five\n\nA Demon Creates a False Thunder Peak\n\nAll Four Pilgrims Meet with Disaster\n\nThe cause and effect this time revealed\n\nShould make one do what’s good and shun the evil.\n\nOnce a thought is born\n\nThe Intelligence is aware of it.\n\nAnd lets it become action.\n\nWhy strive to learn stupidity or skill?\n\nBoth are medicines for heartlessness.\n\nDo what is right while you are still alive;\n\nDo not just drift.\n\nRecognize the root and the source,\n\nEscape from the trunk and the husk.\n\nIf seeking long life you must grasp this.\n\nWatch clearly at every moment,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Watch clearly at every moment,\n\nRefine your thoughts.\n\nGo through the three passes, fill up the black sea;\n\nThe good will surely ride on the phoenix and crane.\n\nThen your gloom will change to compassion\n\nAs you ascend to absolute bliss.\n\nTang Sanzang’s thoughts were so pure that not only did the heavenly gods protect him: even the vegetable spirits had taken him along a part of his journey for a night of elegant conversation, thereby saving him from having to go through the thorns and brambles. Nor were there any more creepers to entangle them. As the four of them carried on West for another long period winter ended and spring returned.\n\nAll things begin to flower,\n\nThe handle of the Dipper returns to the East.\n\nEverywhere the grass is green,\n\nAs are the leaves of willows on the bank.\n\nThe ridge covered in peach blossom is red brocade;\n\nThe mist over the stream is a translucent gauze.\n\nFrequent wind and rain,\n\nUnbounded feeling.\n\nFlowers open their hearts to the sun,\n\nSwallows carry off the delicate moss."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Swallows carry off the delicate moss.\n\nWang Wei should have painted the beauty of the mountains;\n\nThe birdsong is as persuasive as Su Qin’s golden tongue.\n\nThough no one sees these fragrant cushions of flowers\n\nThe butterflies and singing bees adore them.\n\nMaster and disciples made their way across the flowers and the grass ambling along with the horse until they made out in the distance a mountain so high that it touched the sky. Pointing at it with his riding crop Sanzang said, “I wonder how high that mountain is, Wukong. It touches the heavens and pierces the firmament.”\n\n“Isn’t there some ancient poem that says, ‘Heaven alone is supreme: no mountain can equal its height?’” Monkey replied. “However high a mountain is it can’t possibly join up with the sky.”\n\n“Then why’s Mount Kunlun called the pillar of heaven?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Evidently you don’t know that part of the sky has always been missing in the Northwest,” Brother Monkey replied. “As Kunlun’s in the Northwest corner it plugs that hole in the sky. That’s why it’s called the pillar of heaven.”\n\n“Brother,” said Friar Sand with a smile, “stop telling him all that. He’ll brag about it to make himself superior. We’ll know how high the mountain is when we’ve climbed it.”\n\nThe idiot started chasing Friar Sand and brawling with him in a playful way, and the master’s horse galloped as if on wings. They were soon at the foot of a precipice up which they made their way painfully slowly. This is what the mountain was like:\n\nThe wind rustling in the woods,\n\nWater gushing along the beds of ravines.\n\nCrows and sparrows cannot fly across it;\n\nEven gods and immortals find it hard.\n\nScars and gullies endlessly twisting;\n\nClouds of dust blowing where no one can go;\n\nRocks in strange and fascinating shapes.\n\nClouds like vast expanses of water,\n\nWhile elsewhere birds sing in the trees."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While elsewhere birds sing in the trees.\n\nDeer carry magic fungus in their mouths.\n\nApes pick peaches.\n\nFoxes and raccoon dogs spring around on the cliffs,\n\nLarge and small deer play on the ridge.\n\nThen comes the spine-chilling roar of a tiger,\n\nAnd the way is blocked by leopards and wolves.\n\nSanzang was terrified by what he saw, but Monkey’s powers were enormous. With his gold-banded cudgel and a mighty roar he sent the wolves, tigers, leopards and other wild beasts running then cleared the way for the master to reach the top of the mountain. Once they were over the summit ridge and had started going down the gentle Western slope they saw divine light and coloured clouds over some imposing buildings from which came the muffled sounds of bells and stone chimes.\n\n“Look and see what that place is, disciples,” said Sanzang. Monkey raised his head, shaded his eyes with his hands, and on careful examination saw that it was a fine place:\n\nMagnificent architecture,\n\nA famous monastery."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Magnificent architecture,\n\nA famous monastery.\n\nThe valley of emptiness is full of the earth’s vibrations;\n\nHeavenly fragrance pervades the stillness.\n\nRain in the bluish pines obscures the buildings;\n\nMist around the green bamboo protects the preaching hall.\n\nThrough coloured clouds one can make out the dragon palace;\n\nThe infinite worlds are seen in shimmering light.\n\nRed balustrades and doors of marble,\n\nPainted and carved beams.\n\nIncense fills the hall in which the scriptures are taught;\n\nThe moon hangs over the window where the mysteries are passed on.\n\nBirds sing in red trees,\n\nCranes drink from a spring in the rocks.\n\nThe flowers as fine as those of the Jetavana;\n\nAll the doors open on the brilliance of Sravasti.\n\nBeside the towering buildings the gates face crags;\n\nSlow is the rhythm of the bell and chime.\n\nA light breeze blows into open windows,\n\nAnd under the rolled-up curtains is a smoky haze.\n\nAmong the monks emotions are all calm;\n\nPeace reigns in the absence of worldliness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Peace reigns in the absence of worldliness.\n\nA land of immortals unsullied by earth’s dust,\n\nThis splendid monastery of the pure land.\n\nWhen he had taken a good look at it Monkey went back to report, “It’s a monastery, Master, but for some reason there’s something evil about the auspicious dhyana atmosphere. The place looks like the Thunder Monastery but the distance to here is wrong. Whatever we do we mustn’t go rushing inside. If we do we may run into something nasty.”\n\n“But if it looks like the Thunder Monastery this must surely be the Vulture Peak,” said the Tang Priest. “Don’t try to frustrate my sincerest wish and put off what I’ve come for.”\n\n“But it isn’t vulture peak,” said Monkey. “I’ve been there several times and this isn’t the way.”\n\n“Even if it isn’t there must be good people living here,” said Pig.\n\n“Don’t be so suspicious,” said Friar Sand. “The road goes straight past the gate, so we can find out at a glance,”\n\n“You’re right,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re right,” said Monkey.\n\nWhipping on the horse, the venerable elder arrived at the monastery gate, above which the words THUNDER MONASTERY were written.\n\nThis came as such a surprise to him that he fell to the ground from the horse, saying abusively, “Wretched macaque! You’ll be the death of me. Here we are at the Thunder Monastery and you’re still trying to trick me.”\n\n“Don’t be angry, Master,” said Monkey with a forced smile. “Take another look. There are three words over the gate. Why did you only read two of them out, then get angry with me?” Still shaking, the master climbed to his feet again for another look and saw that there were in fact three words written there: LESSER THUNDER MONASTERY."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Even if it is the Lesser Thunder Monastery,” Sanzang said, “there must be a Buddha in here. The three thousand Buddhas of whom the scriptures speak can’t all live in the same place, just as the Bodhisattva Guanyin lives in the Southern Sea, Samantabhadra lives on Mount Emei and Manjusri on Mount Wutai. I wonder which Buddha’s holy seat this is. As the saying has it,\n\nWherever there’s a Buddha there are scriptures;\n\nEverywhere you go you’ll find some treasures.\n\nLet’s go in.”\n\n“No, we mustn’t,” said Monkey. “This place looks thoroughly sinister. Don’t blame me if this leads to disaster.”\n\n“Even if there is not Buddha here there’s bound to be a statue of a Buddha, and I am under a vow to worship every Buddha statue I pass,” Sanzang replied. “I won’t blame you.” He then told Pig to get out his cassock, put on his mitre, neatened his clothes up and strode forward."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he did so a voice from inside the gate called out, “Tang Priest, you’ve come from the East to worship our Buddha, so why are you still being so casual about it?” Sanzang at once started kowtowing, as did Pig while Friar Sand knelt. The Great Sage hung back, holding the horse and looking after the luggage. Once they were inside the inner gates they reached the Buddha Hall, outside of which were drawn up the five hundred arhats, the three thousand protectors, the four vajrapanis, the eight Bodhisattvas, nuns, lay people, and countless holy monks and lay brothers. Everywhere was the scent of flowers and auspicious vapors. The venerable elder, Pig and Friar Sand were all so overwhelmed that they kowtowed at every step until they reached the hall. Monkey alone did not bow.\n\n“Sun Wukong,” came a shrill shout from the throne, “why don’t you kowtow when you see the Buddha?” Nobody realized that Monkey had spotted as he took a careful look around that this was all false."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Letting go of the horse and putting down the luggage he shouted as he brandished his cudgel, “Evil beasts! What a nerve! How dare you try to ruin the Buddha’s good name by pretending to be him! Stay where you are!” He raised his cudgel in both hands and was just about to strike when a pair of bronze cymbals came out of the sky to join together with a mighty crash, enclosing him completely from head to toe. Pig and Friar Sand grabbed desperately for their rake and staff, only to be so closely surrounded by the arhats, protectors, holy monks and lay brothers that they could not move. They and Sanzang too were all captured and roped up tightly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now the Buddha on the lotus throne was a demon king and all the arhats and others his little devils. They now put off their Buddha disguises, so that they looked once more like the evil creatures they really were, and carried the three of them round to the back to be kept under guard while Monkey was sealed inside the cymbals, never to be released. The cymbals were then set on a pedestal, and here he was to be turned to pus and blood within three days and nights, after which the other three were to be steamed in an iron steamer and eaten. Indeed:\n\nThe green-eyed macaque saw that it was false;\n\nThe dhyana monk worshipped the appearance of the Buddha.\n\nThe yellow-wife blindly joined in the prostration,\n\nWhile the mother of wood foolishly agreed.\n\nThe monsters used force to oppress the true nature;\n\nEvilly the demon king mistreated the holy man.\n\nThe demon king was greater than the narrow Way;\n\nBy taking the wrong course they threw away their lives."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having locked the Tang Priest and his two disciples away and tied the horse up at the back they put Sanzang’s cassock and mitre back into the luggage and stored that away too. They then put everything under a close guard.\n\nInside the cymbals Monkey found it pitch black and so hot that he was soon pouring with sweat. Push and shove though he might, there was no way he could get out, and when in desperation he hit out wildly all around with his iron cudgel he could not move the cymbals by even a fraction of an inch. Then he made a hand-spell that made him ten thousand feet tall; the cymbals grew with him. There was not a crack anywhere through which a chink of light could get in. He made another hand-spell to make himself smaller and shrank till he was as tiny as a mustard-seed. The cymbals shrank with him, and still there was no hole."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He blew a magic breath on the iron cudgel, said, “Change!” and made it into a flagpole with which to prop the cymbals up. Then he pulled two of the longer hairs from the back of his head, blew on them, said, “Change!” and turned them into a five-part drill with a plum-blossom shaped bit which he turned a thousand times or more. There was a rasping noise but the drill made no impression.\n\nBy now he was feeling desperate, so he made another handspell and recited the words, “Om ram peaceful dharma world; eternal keen purity of the heavenly unity.”\n\nThis compelled the Five Protectors, the Six Dings, the Six Jias and the Eighteen Guardians of the Faith to gather round the cymbals and say, “Great Sage, we are all protecting your master and keeping the demons from harming him, so why do you call us here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If he dies it serves him right for ignoring my advice,” Monkey replied. “You lot had better find some magic to get these cymbals open at once and have me out of here so I can decide what to do. It’s completely dark in here, I’m feeling very hot, and it’s so stuffy it’ll kill me.” The gods all tried to lift the cymbals, but as before it was impossible to move them by even a fraction of an inch.\n\n“Great Sage,” said the Gold-headed Protector, “goodness only knows what kind of treasure this is, but they’re all of a piece from top to bottom. We gods aren’t strong enough to move them.”\n\n“And I’ve lost count of the number of my magic powers I’ve used here without being able to move them either,” said Monkey. When the Protector heard this he told the Six Dings to look after Monkey and the Six Jias to watch over the cymbals while the guardians kept their eyes on what was happening all around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He then set off on his beam of auspicious light and a moment later shot in through the Southern Gate of Heaven, where he did not wait to be summoned but rushed straight to the steps of the Hall of Miraculous Brightness to prostrate himself before the Jade Emperor and report, “My sovereign, I am one of the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre. The Great Sage Equaling Heaven who is escorting the Tang Priest on the journey to fetch the scriptures has now reached a mountain with a monastery called the Lesser Thunder Monastery on it. The Tang Priest went in to worship under the illusion that he had reached Vulture Peak, but it turned out that the whole thing was a decoy to trap them. The Great Sage is caught inside a pair of cymbals and can’t go anywhere. He’s gradually dying. That is what I have come to report.” At once the Jade Emperor ordered that the Twenty-eight Constellations be sent to rescue them and defeat the demons."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not daring to delay for a moment, the constellations went out through the gate of Heaven with the Protector and were soon inside the monastery. It was now the second of the night’s five watches, and all the demons, senior and junior, had gone to sleep after the feast their king had given them to celebrate the Tang priest’s capture. Doing nothing to disturb them, the constellations went to the cymbals and reported, “Great Sage, we’re the Twenty-eight Constellations. The Jade Emperor has sent us here to rescue you.” The news made Monkey very happy. “Smash them open with your weapons and get me out of here.”\n\n“We don’t dare to,” the constellations replied. “This is pure gold and if we hit it the noise would wake the devils up and it would be impossible to rescue you. We’ll have to try to work it open with our weapons. The moment you see a chink of light in there, out you come.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” said Monkey. They used their spears, swords, sabers and battle-axes to try to lever, prise, lift, and force it open, but despite all their efforts the third watch came and still they had failed to make the slightest impression on them. It was as if the cymbals had been cast as a single whole. Not a chink of light could Monkey see from inside, no matter how hard he looked and crawled and rolled all around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then the Metal Dragon of the constellation Gullet said, “Don’t get impatient, Great Sage. This must be an As-You-Will treasure and I’m sure it can be changed. You feel where the cymbals join from the inside. Once I get my horn between them you can turn yourself into something and get out where I’ve loosened them.” Monkey followed this suggestion and felt frantically around inside. Meanwhile the constellation made himself so small that his horn was no bigger than the point of a needle. He pushed hard with it where the two cymbals joined, and by exerting tremendous pressure he managed to penetrate inside.\n\nHe then gave himself a magic body by saying, “Grow! Grow! Grow!” The horn became as thick as a rice-bowl, but the cymbals were more like creatures of skin and flesh than objects cast from metal: they kept their close bite on the Metal Dragon of Gullet’s horn, and not a crack appeared anywhere around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s no use,” said Monkey, feeling the constellation’s horn, “it’s not at all loose anywhere around it. There’s nothing for it: you’ll have to bear the pain and pull me out.” The splendid Great Sage then changed his gold-banded cudgel into a steel gimlet, bored a hole in the tip of the horn, made himself the size of a mustard seed, crawled into the hole, squatted there, and shouted, “Pull it out.” Only through stupendous efforts did the constellation manage to pull his horn out, which left him so weak and exhausted that he collapsed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then crawled out of the hole in the horn again, resumed his own appearance, raised his cudgel and smashed the cymbals apart with a tremendous noise like a copper mountain collapsing. The Buddhist instruments now lay shattered into thousands of fragments of gold. This gave the Twenty-eight Constellations a terrible fright and made the Protectors’ hair stand on end. All the devils woke up, and as the demon king was shocked out of his sleep he jumped up, pulled on his clothes and had the drums beaten to muster all the demons with their weapons. By now it was nearly dawn and they all gathered round the throne. On seeing Monkey and the constellations standing in a ring round the fragments of the golden cymbals the demon king went pale from shock and ordered his underlings to shut the front gates and not let them escape."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as Monkey heard this he led the Twenty-eight Constellations to spring up on their clouds till they were above the ninth heaven, while the demon king had the fragments of gold tidied away and drew his devilish forces up outside the monastery gates.\n\nIn his anger the king had no choice but to put on his armor, take his short and flexible wolf’s-tooth spiked mace and come out of his camp shouting, “Sun the Novice! A real man doesn’t run away from a fight. Come back and fight three rounds with me.” This was more than Monkey could stand, and he landed his cloud at the head of his starry host to see what the evil spirit looked like.\n\nThis is what he saw:\n\nMatted hair\n\nHeld in place by a thin gold band;\n\nEyes flashing\n\nUnder a pair of frowning yellow brows;\n\nA pear-shaped nose\n\nWith flaring nostrils;\n\nA square-cut mouth\n\nWith sharp-pointed teeth.\n\nHe wore a coat of chain-mail\n\nTied with a tasseled raw silk sash;\n\nOn his feet were a pair of oxhide boots\n\nAnd he carried a wolf’s-tooth mace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And he carried a wolf’s-tooth mace.\n\nHe looked both like a wild beast and at the same time not;\n\nHis face was human and yet not human.\n\n“What kind of monster do you think you are?” shouted Monkey as he brandished his cudgel. “How can you have the effrontery to pose as a Buddha, occupy a mountain and create a false Lesser Thunder Monastery?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The only reason you’ve got the nerve to come rampaging around my magic mountain must be that you don’t know my name,” the monster said. “This is the Lesser Western Heaven, and Heaven has given me these fine buildings because I have cultivated my conduct and gained the true achievement. I am called the Yellow-browed Buddha, though in their ignorance the people around here call me King Yellow Brow or Lord Yellow Brow. I’ve known about your journey to the West for a very long time now and I have some magic powers, which was why I could create those illusions to lure your master in so that you and I could have a trial of strength. If you can beat me I’ll spare your master and his disciples and allow you to fulfil your true achievement. But if you can’t I’ll kill the lot of you and go myself to see the Tathagata Buddha, fetch the scriptures and take them to China.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You talk too much, evil spirit,” said Monkey with a laugh. “If you want a trial of strength try this from my cudgel.” With great pleasure the demon king parried it and a fine fight ensued:\n\nA pair of cudgels,\n\nEach quite different.\n\nTo start with what they looked like,\n\nOne was a short and flexible Buddha weapon,\n\nThe other was hard from the stores of the sea.\n\nBoth of them could be changed at will,\n\nAnd today they met in a struggle for mastery.\n\nThe soft wolf’s-tooth mace was adorned with brocade,\n\nThe hard gold-banded cudgel had dragon patterns.\n\nThey could both be admirably big or small,\n\nAny length you liked and always just right.\n\nMonkey and monster were evenly matched:\n\nThis fight between them was the real thing.\n\nThe monkey tamed by faith was now the mind-ape;\n\nThe evil monster had offended Heaven with deception.\n\nIn his anger and loathing neither showed mercy;\n\nBoth had their ways of being savagely vicious.\n\nOne struck to the head, never easing the pressure;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other hit at the face and could not be fought off.\n\nThe sun went dark behind the clouds they made;\n\nThey breathed out mists that hid the towering crags.\n\nCudgel met cudgel as the rivals fought,\n\nBoth forgetting life and death for the Tang priest’s sake.\n\nThe two of them fought fifty rounds without either emerging as victor. By the monastery gate there was much beating of drums and gongs as the evil spirits shouted their war-cries and waved their flags. Facing them were the heavenly soldiers of the Twenty-eight Constellations and the holy hosts of the Five Protectors, who were all armed and shouting as they surrounded the demon king. The demons outside the monastery gate were too frightened to beat their drums, and their hands were shaking so badly that they could not strike their gongs."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old demon king was not at all afraid. He held all the enemy troops at bay with his mace in one hand while with the other he undid an old white cotton pouch that was round his waist as a sash; this he threw into the air. With a loud swish it caught the Great Sage Monkey, the Twenty-eight Constellations and the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre; he then slung them over his shoulder and carried them back inside. All the little demons returned in triumph. The demon king told his underlings to fetch forty or fifty hempen ropes, opened the bag, and took his prisoners out one at a time to be tied up, Each of them felt that his bones had turned soft. Their muscles were numb and their skin hung loosely on them. Once tied up they were all carried out to the back and flung on the ground indiscriminately. The demon king then ordered a banquet and the devils drank from dawn till dusk before it broke up and they all went off to sleep."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the middle of the night, as the Great Sage Monkey lay there tied up with all the gods, he heard the sound of weeping. Listening more carefully he recognized the voice of Sanzang, who was saying as he sobbed, “Wukong,”\n\n“I wish I had heeded the warning you gave:\n\nFrom this disaster we could have steered clear.\n\nWhile you’re being tortured in cymbals of gold,\n\nNobody knows I’m a prisoner here.”\n\n“Bitter the fate that afflicts us all four;\n\nAll our achievements have now come to naught.\n\nHow can we be saved from this awful impasse\n\nTo go to the West and then home as we ought?”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he felt sorry for his master. “Although ignoring my advice was what caused this disaster,” he thought, “at least you’re remembering me in your troubles. I’d better save them all and let them get away while it’s night, the demons are all asleep and nobody’s on guard.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage used escaping magic to make himself so small that he slipped out of his bonds, went up to the Tang Priest and said, “Master.”\n\n“Why are you here?” Sanzang asked, recognizing his voice. Monkey told him very quietly what had happened, to his great delight.\n\n“Please rescue me as soon as you can,” Sanzang said. “From now on I’ll do whatever you say and not be so stubborn.”\n\nOnly then did Monkey start moving, first releasing the master, Pig and Friar Sand, then the Twenty-eight Constellations; and the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre, all of whom he untied one by one. Next he brought the horse over and told his master to carry on ahead as quickly as possible. Once they were outside Monkey realized that he did not know where the luggage was and went back to look for it.\n\n“You seem to think that things matter more than people,” said the Metal Dragon of Gullet. “It ought to be enough that we’ve rescued your master. Why do you want to look for the luggage?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Of course people are important,” Monkey said, “but things are even more important. In the luggage there’s our passport, the brocade cassock and the golden begging bowl. They’re all great treasures of the Buddhist faith, and we must have them.”\n\n“You go back and look for them, brother,” said Pig, “while we start out. We’ll wait for you later.” Watch how the stars crowd round the Tang Priest and all use their magic powers at once to take him out of the enclosure with a breath of wind as they hurry along the main road down the slope till they reach level ground and rest."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At about the third watch the Great Sage Monkey crept slowly and stealthily back inside to find gate inside gate all very tightly closed. When he climbed up to the upper story of a building to take a look he saw that the windows were all fastened too. He was on the point of going down again but dared not move for fear of the window-frames making a noise. He therefore made a hand-spell, shook himself and turned into a mouse immortal, or what is more commonly known as a bat. Do you know what he looked like?\n\nHis head was pointed like a rat’s,\n\nHis eyes like a rat’s did spark.\n\nHe emerged at twilight on his wings,\n\nTo sleep by day in the dark.\n\nHe hid away among the tiles;\n\nThe mosquitoes he caught were his food.\n\nBright moonlit nights he liked the best;\n\nAt flying he really was good."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At flying he really was good.\n\nHe found his way in under the rafters through an open-ended tile then flew over doors till he got to the middle of the building. Here he noticed a faintly glimmering beam of light coming from under a second-floor window. It was not like the light of a lantern or candle, the glow of burning incense, a beam of evening sunlight or a flash of lightning. He went closer to the window, his heart in his mouth with excitement, and looked inside to see that the glow was coming from the luggage. The evil spirit had taken the cassock off the Tang Priest, but instead of folding it up he had thrust it untidily back into the bundles. The reason why the cassock glowed was because it was a Buddha treasure itself, with As-You-Will pearls, mani pearls, red cornelian, purple coral, sarira Buddha-relics and night-shining pearls on it. He was very pleased when he saw these things and turned back into himself to pick them up, put the carrying pole on his shoulder, and take them"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "downstairs without stopping to adjust the ropes to balance the loads.\n\nUnfortunately the load at one end slipped off and landed with a loud crash on the floorboards. Alas!\n\nThis noise woke up the old demon king sleeping downstairs, and he leapt out of bed with a cry of “Intruders! Intruders!” At this all the big and little demons got up too, lit lamps, and started searching all around, all shouting loudly the while, “The Tang Priest’s escaped!” someone came in to report, to be followed by another saying, “Sun the Novice and all the rest of them have got away.” The old demon then ordered strict security on all the gates. As soon as Monkey heard this he abandoned the luggage, somersaulted out through the windows and fled before they could catch him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "No matter how hard they looked, the evil spirits could not find the Tang Priest and the rest of them. By now the day was beginning to dawn, so the demon king seized his mace and led his hosts in hot pursuit. They found the camp of the Twenty-eight Constellations and the Five Protectors surrounded by mists and cloud at the foot of the mountain. “Where do you think you’re going?” the demon king shouted. “I’m here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brothers,” called the Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Constellation Horn in alarm, “the monsters are here.” The Metal Dragon of the Gullet, the Earth Bat of the Woman, the Sun Hare of the Chamber, the Moon Fox of the Heart, the Fire Tiger of the Tail, the Water Leopard of the Winnower, the Wooden Unicorn of the Dipper, the Metal Bull of the Ox, the Earth Raccoon-dog of the Base, the Sun Rat of the Barrens, the Moon Swallow of the Roof, the Fire Pig of the House, the Water Beast of the Wall, the Wooden Wolf of the Strider, the Metal Dog of the Harvester, the Earth Boar of the Stomach, the Sun Cock of the Pleiades, the Moon Crow of the Net, the Fire Monkey of the Turtle, the Water Ape of Orion, the Wooden Hyena of the Well, the Metal Goat of the Ghosts, the Earth River Deer of the Willow, the Sun Horse of the Seven Stars, the Moon Deer of the Spread Net, the Fire Snake-of the Wing, and the Water Worm of the Axletree, at the head of the Golden-headed Protector, the Silver-headed Protector, the Six Dings, the Six"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Silver-headed Protector, the Six Dings, the Six Jias, the Guardians of the Faith, Pig and Friar Sand—they did not take the Tang Priest or the white dragon horse—all rushed forward with their weapons. At the sight of them the demon king laughed a contemptuous laugh, whistled, and called up four or five thousand evil spirits, each of whom was powerful and strong. A bitter fight then followed on the Western slopes of the mountain, and a fine battle it was too:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil demon king had tricked the true nature:\n\nThe gentle true nature was no match for him.\n\nWith so many plots it was hard to escape from pain;\n\nWhen so much cunning was used there could be no peace.\n\nAll the heavens offered their protection,\n\nAnd hosts of sages helped to wage the fight.\n\nThe mother of wood suffers for showing mercy.\n\nDetermination moves the yellow-wife.\n\nThe bitter fight shook heaven and earth;\n\nBoth sides spread their nets in the struggle.\n\nOn one side the waving of banners and warcries,\n\nOn the other the beating of drums and gongs.\n\nA cold sea of light from massed sabers and spears,\n\nAnd a murderous look of the swords and the halberds.\n\nThe demon troops were cruel and tough;\n\nThe heavenly soldiers were no match for them.\n\nDreary clouds blocked out the sun and moon;\n\nSpine-chilling mists lay over the landscape.\n\nHard and bitter was the fight,\n\nAnd all because Sanzang wanted to visit the Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit now felt more ferocious than ever as he led his hosts into the attack. Just when the issue was hanging in the balance there could be heard an angry roar from Monkey of, “I’m here.”\n\n“What about the luggage!” Pig asked as he greeted him.\n\n“I barely got away with my life,” Monkey replied, “so what are you asking about the luggage for?”\n\n“Stop talking, you two,” said Friar Sand, who was wielding his staff. “Hurry up and fight the evil spirits.” The Constellations, Protectors, Dings, Jias and all the other gods had been surrounded and bunched together by the demons in the wild melee, while the demon king attacked the three of them with his mace. Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand held the enemy off by striking and swinging with their cudgel, staff and rake. The earth and sky were now plunged into darkness, and still there was no victor. They fought on till the sun set in the Western hills and the moon rose over the Eastern islands."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing how late it now was, the demon whistled and told all the fiends to be specially careful while he produced his treasure once more. Monkey could see clearly as he undid the pouch and took it in his hands.\n\n“This is bad,” said Monkey. “Let’s get out of here.” And with that he somersaulted straight up to the ninth heaven, not concerning himself with Pig, Friar Sand and the heavenly hosts, who failed to take his hint and were left behind to be caught in the bag again. Monkey alone escaped. The demon king then called off his forces and took them back inside the monastery, where once more he sent for ropes and tied them up again. The Tang Priest, Pig and Friar Sand were hung up from a high beam and the white horse was tethered at the back. The gods, who were also bound, were carried down into a cellar that was then covered and sealed. We will not go into how the devils then packed everything away once more."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey saved his life by springing up into the clouds and saw the devil soldiers returning, not waving their banners, he knew that his side must have been made prisoner once more. As he landed his auspicious light on the Eastern summit\n\nHe ground his teeth in hatred of the demon;\n\nThe tears flowed free as Monkey missed his master.\n\nThen in despair he turned his face to heaven\n\nAnd groaned aloud at Sanzang’s new disaster.\n\n“Master,” he called, “in whatever past world did you lay down so many difficulties for yourself that you meet evil spirits at every turn? There’s no end to your troubles. What are we to do?” He sighed alone up there for a long time before calming himself down and working out what to do."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I wonder what sort of pouch it is the devil has that can hold so many things inside!” he thought. “Now it’s got the gods, the heavenly generals and a lot of other people too. I’ll have to ask Heaven to help me, but I fear the Jade Emperor will be angry about what has happened. Now I remember there’s a True Martial God of the North, the Heavenly Honoured Demon Suppressor, who now lives on Mount Wudang in the Southern Continent of Jambu. I’ll go and ask him to rescue my master.” Indeed:\n\nWith the Way still uncompleted ape and horse were scattered;\n\nWhen the mind was masterless the Five Elements lacked life.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened on this journey listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty-Six\n\nAll the Gods Meet a Vicious Foe\n\nMaitreya Binds the Evil Monster"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Maitreya Binds the Evil Monster\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage Sun, finding himself at his wit’s end, somersaulted by auspicious cloud straight to Mount Wudang in the Southern Continent of Jambu to ask the Heavenly Honoured Demon Suppressor to save Sanzang, Pig, Friar Sand, the heavenly soldiers and all the rest of them. He flew non-stop and was soon in sight of the patriarch’s immortal domain. As he brought his cloud gently down to land and took a good look around this is what he saw:\n\nThe great fortress of the Southeast,\n\nA divine pillar of the central heaven.\n\nLotus Pinnacle soared in its majesty,\n\nPurple-covered Ridge rose to a great height.\n\nThe nine rivers ended here, far from Jing and Yang;\n\nA hundred mountains touch the stars in Wing and Axletree.\n\nAbove was the precious cave of Emptiness,\n\nAnd the spirit tower of Zhu and Lu.\n\nIn the thirty-six palaces golden chimes rang,\n\nAs thousands of worshippers offered their incense.\n\nHere the emperors of antiquity patrolled and worshipped,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Officials held jade tablets inscribed in gold.\n\nBlue birds flew over lofty towers;\n\nUnder the canopies red gowns were worn.\n\nThe place was set on a mountain that towered over the cosmos,\n\nAn immortal domain suffused with emptiness.\n\nSome plum trees were just in blossom,\n\nAnd the hillside was covered in a blaze of color from the flowers.\n\nDragons hid at the bottom of ravines\n\nWhile tigers lurked on the precipices.\n\nThe pheasants seemed to be talking;\n\nTame deer came up to people.\n\nWhite cranes perched in cloud-topped junipers;\n\nGreen and red phoenixes sang to the sun.\n\nJade-pure, it resembles a land of immortals;\n\nThe compassion of the golden gateway rules the age.\n\nThe True Martial Lord had been born after King Purejoy and his wife Queen Victoria had dreamed one night that she conceived by swallowing the light of the sun. After fourteen months of pregnancy she had given birth in the royal palace on the first day of the third month of the year jiachen, the first of the reign period of Kaihuang. The prince"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Was brave from his boyhood,\n\nGrew into perception.\n\nDid not take the throne,\n\nBut practised religion.\n\nHis parents could not stop him.\n\nHe gave up the palace\n\nFor mysteries and trance\n\nHere in the mountains.\n\nWhen all was completed\n\nHe could fly by broad daylight.\n\nThe Jade Emperor named him\n\nThe True Martial Lord.\n\nHe responds to dark emptiness,\n\nJoining with tortoise and snake.\n\nIn all quarters of the compass\n\nIs his excellence proclaimed.\n\nHe penetrates all mysteries,\n\nAchieves every glory.\n\nFrom beginning to end\n\nHe exterminates demons.\n\nWhile admiring the splendid view the Great Sage Sun was soon through the first, second and third gates to his heaven. When he arrived outside the Palace of Great Peace he saw five hundred spirit officers standing crowded together in the auspicious light and atmosphere. They stepped forward to ask, “Who is it who has come?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven,” Monkey replied, “and I would like to see the Teacher.” The spirit officers reported this at once to the patriarch, who came from his throne hall to welcome Monkey into the palace hall.\n\nAfter paying his respects Monkey said, “I have a request to trouble you with.”\n\n“What?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am in trouble escorting the Tang priest on his journey to seek scriptures in the Western Heaven,” Monkey replied. “There is an evil monster who lives in the Lesser Thunder Monastery on a mountain called the Lesser Western Heaven in the Western Continent of Cattle-gift. When my master went in through the monastery gates and saw all the arhats, protectors, monks and priests line up there he thought that the Buddha was a real one, threw himself to the ground and started kowtowing to him. Then they caught him. Because I was too careless I let him trap me inside a pair of golden cymbals that were joined tight together without the slightest crack between them, just as if they were clamped together. Very luckily for me the Gold-headed Protector requested the Jade Emperor to send the Twenty-eight Constellations to come down to earth that very night. They couldn’t prise the cymbals apart, but the Metal Dragon of the Gullet managed to push his horn between the cymbals and bring me out, thank goodness. Then I"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "cymbals and bring me out, thank goodness. Then I smashed the cymbals, which woke up the monster. When he came after us he caught us all—me, the Twenty-eight Constellations and the Five Protectors—and tied us all up with rope. I got out that night and rescued the constellations, the Tang Priest and the rest of them. Later I woke the old demon up again while I was looking for our things and he went after the heavenly soldiers to fight them again. When he took his pouch off to use it this time I recognized it and got away, but all the rest of them were caught. As I’m at my wit’s end I’ve come to pay my respects to you, Teacher, and ask your help.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In the old days,” said the patriarch, “I garrisoned the North. My position was that of True Martial God, and I wiped out evil spirits all over the world on the orders of the Jade Emperor. Later I rode barefoot and with my hair loose on the leaping snake and the divine tortoise, and led the five thunder generals, young giant dragons, lions, ferocious beasts and vicious dragons to put an end to the black demonic atmosphere in the Northeast. That was when I was acting under the orders of the Original Heavenly Honoured One. Now I live in tranquility and ease on Mount Wudang in the Hall of Great Peace. The mountains and seas have long been at peace, and heaven and earth are very calm. In our Southern Continent of Jambu and the Northern Continent of Kuru all evil monsters have been exterminated and wicked demons are seen no more. I am very grateful that you’ve come to see me, Great Sage: the only trouble is that in the absence of instructions from Heaven I can’t fight on my own authority alone. If I sent all my"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "fight on my own authority alone. If I sent all my gods the Jade Emperor might well take offence; but if I turned your request down flat, Great Sage, I’d be showing a lack of finer feeling. I’m sure that even if there are evil creatures on that road West they cannot be really terrible. So I’ll send General Tortoise, General Snake, and five magic dragons to help you. I guarantee that they will capture the evil spirit and rescue your master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then bowed in thanks to the patriarch and went with Tortoise, Snake and the magic dragons, all carrying the finest and sharpest of weapons, back to the West. Before long they were back at the Lesser Thunder Monastery, where they landed their clouds and went straight to the gate to challenge them to battle.\n\nMeanwhile King Yellow Brow had called all his demonic hosts together before the main hall of the monastery to say to them, “Sun the Novice hasn’t been here for the last couple of days. I wonder where he’s gone for reinforcements.”\n\nBefore the words were out of his mouth a little devil came from the main gates to report, “Sun the Novice is here with some dragon, snake and tortoise officers. They’re demanding battle outside the main gates.”\n\n“How ever did that monkey get them?” the demon king asked. “Where are they from?”\n\nWith that he put on his armor and went out through the main gate, shouting, “Which dragon gods are you? How dare you invade my immortal domain?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Looking majestic and summoning up their spirits, the five dragons and Generals Tortoise and Snake shouted, “Damned monster! We’re five dragon gods, and Generals Tortoise and Snake who stand before the Heavenly Honoured Demon Suppressor, the Patriarch of the Indiffirentiated Unity, from the Palace of Great Peace on Mount Wudang. We are here at the invitation of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and on the authority of the Heavenly Honoured One to arrest you. Hand over the Tang Priest, the constellations and all the rest of them and your life will be spared, you evil spirit. Otherwise we’ll hack the bodies of every one of you devils on this mountain into little pieces, and burn all your buildings to ashes.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the demon heard this he was furious. “Animals!” he retorted. “How dare you talk like that? What sort of powers do you think you have? Stay where you are, and take this!” The five dragons turned their clouds over to make rain while the two generals raised dust and sand as they all charged into the attack with their spears, sabers, swords and halberds. Monkey followed them into action wielding his iron cudgel. It was a fine fight.\n\nThe evil demon used his might;\n\nMonkey went for help.\n\nWhen the evil demon used his might\n\nHe occupied the monastery and created Buddha images.\n\nWhen Monkey went for help\n\nHe traveled far to a precious land to borrow the dragons.\n\nTortoise and Snake created water and fire;\n\nThe evil spirits took to arms.\n\nThe five dragons went to the West as instructed,\n\nWhile Monkey hung behind for his master’s sake.\n\nSword and halberd flashed like coloured lightning;\n\nThe spears and sabers gleamed like rainbows.\n\nThe wolf-toothed mace\n\nWas powerful, short and flexible;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Was powerful, short and flexible;\n\nThe gold-banded cudgel\n\nCould change at its owner’s will.\n\nThere were crashes like firecrackers,\n\nAnd the rhythmic clang of metal being struck.\n\nThe monster was attacked by fire and water,\n\nAnd weapons crowded close around the spirits.\n\nThe cries of battle frightened wolves and tigers;\n\nThe din disturbed both gods and devils.\n\nJust when the battle was still unresolved\n\nThe evil spirit fetched out his treasure again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit fetched out his treasure again.\n\nWhen Monkey had been leading the five dragons and two generals in fight against the demon king for an hour the demon took off his pouch and held it in his hand. “Watch out, gentlemen,” exclaimed Monkey in horror. Not realizing what was happening, they all stopped attacking with their weapons and surged forward. There was a loud swish as the demon king threw his pouch into the air. Abandoning the five dragons and the two generals to be wrapped up in the pouch, the Great Sage Monkey escaped by somersaulting up above the ninth heaven. The evil spirits returned in triumph once more, tied them up too, took them down into the pit and put the lid on it.\n\nMonkey landed his cloud and lay sprawled out under the peak, listless and dispirited. “That demon is a terror,” he thought with bitter regret, and without realizing what was happening he shut his eyes as if he were going to sleep."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just then there came a call: “Great Sage, don’t go to sleep. Get up and rescue them as soon as you can. Your master’s life is in great danger.” At once Monkey opened his eyes again and sprang to his feet to see that it was the Duty God of the Day.\n\n“You wretched little god,” Monkey shouted, “you were so greedy for your blood and sacrifices over there that you haven’t reported for duty for days. Why are you coming to disturb me now? Put out your foot. I’m going to hit you a couple of times to cheer myself up. I’m feeling low.”\n\nThe Duty God hastily bowed and said, “Great Sage, you are one of the happy immortals in the human world. How could you possibly be feeling low? We’ve been here for a long time on the Bodhisattva’s orders to keep secret guard over the Tang Priest. We and the local gods have never left him for a moment, which is why we can’t pay our respects to you often enough. You can’t hold that against me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you’re guarding him,” Monkey replied, “tell me where the evil spirit has imprisoned the constellations, the protectors, the guardians, my master and the rest of them. What are they suffering?”\n\n“Your master and your fellow-disciples have been hung up in the cloister outside the main hall,” the Duty God replied. “The constellations are all in agony in a pit. For the last couple of days I’ve had no news of you, Great Sage, but I’ve just seen that the evil spirits have captured the divine dragons, Tortoise and Snake and put them in the pit too. It was only then that we realized you must have fetched some reinforcements, Great Sage, which is why we came specially to look for you. Whatever you do you must rescue them at once, Great Sage, no matter how tired you are.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Hearing this, Monkey said to the duty god, the tears streaming down his face, “I’m too ashamed to go up to Heaven, and I haven’t the nerve to go to the sea. I’m afraid of asking for the Bodhisattva’s help and too miserable to look the Buddha in the face. The ones who were captured just now were the True Martial God’s Tortoise, Snake and five dragons and their forces. There’s nowhere else I can turn for help. What am I to do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Duty God smiled as he replied, “Relax, Great Sage, I’ve thought of some elite troops who are bound to be able to subdue these demons. You went to Wudang just now that was in the Southern Jambu Continent. The troops I have in mind come from the same continent, from Bincheng on Mound Xuyi. It’s what’s now called Sizhou. There’s a Great Sage Bodhisattva King Teacher there who has enormous magical powers. He has a disciple called Little Prince Zhang and four divine generals: the other year they subdued the Water Mother Goddess. You should go there yourself to ask him. If he in his kindness is willing to help you’re bound to be able to catch the demon and save the master.”\n\nThe news delighted Monkey, who said, “You look after the master and don’t let him come to any harm while I go off to ask his help.”\n\nMonkey then set off on his somersault and left that demon-infested place to go straight to Mount Xuyi. He was soon there, and when he looked around he saw that it was a fine place."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Yangtse was not far to the South,\n\nTo the North it faced the Huai River.\n\nTo the East it led to the islands in the sea,\n\nTo the West it was connected with Fengfou.\n\nOn the mountain-top was a lofty temple\n\nWhile springs gushed forth from its sides.\n\nGrotesquely-shaped rocks towered high;\n\nLofty pines were elegantly angular.\n\nThere was always fresh fruit in season,\n\nAnd every kind of flower opened in the sun.\n\nPeople moved around like armies of ants\n\nWhile boats came from far and wide like flights of geese.\n\nOn it there stood\n\nThe Auspicious Crag Temple,\n\nThe Palace of the Eastern Peak,\n\nThe Shrine of the Five Illustrious Ones,\n\nThe Tortoise Mountain Monastery.\n\nRhythmic bells and incense smoke rose to the heavens.\n\nThere were also\n\nThe Crystal Spring,\n\nThe Valley of Five Stupas,\n\nThe Terrace of Eight Immortals,\n\nThe Apricot Orchard.\n\nThe colours of the mountain and trees lit up Bincheng.\n\nBoundless were the stretches of cloud,\n\nWhile hidden birds still sang when they were tired."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Never mind mounts Tai, Song, Heng or Hua;\n\nHere was the beauty of an earthly paradise.\n\nThe Great Sage enjoyed the view enormously as he crossed the Huai River, entered the city of Bincheng, and arrived at the gates of the Great Sage’s Dhyana Monastery. Over the majestic halls and colorful cloisters there towered a pagoda. Indeed:\n\nIt rose ten thousand feet through clouds to the sky;\n\nThe golden vase penetrated the heavens above.\n\nThe light from it filled the universe;\n\nNo shadows were cast on its windows.\n\nHeavenly music was heard when the wind rang the bells;\n\nThe sun shone on roof-dragons facing the Buddha-hall.\n\nBirds constantly came here to sing their complaints;\n\nEndlessly beautiful was the view of the Huai River."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey looked at it all as he went in to the inner gates, where the Bodhisattva King Teacher, who was expecting him, had come out to meet him with Little Prince Zhang. After they had greeted each other and exchanged polite remarks Monkey said, “I’m escorting the Tang Priest to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. We have come to the Lesser Thunder Monastery where there’s a Yellow-browed Demon who’s pretending to be a Buddha. Not realizing he was an impostor, my master kowtowed to him and was captured. Then I was caught inside a pair of golden cymbals until, thank goodness, the constellations who had been sent down from heaven rescued me. I smashed the cymbals, but when we fought him again he wrapped the heavenly gods, the protectors, the guardians, my master and my fellow-disciples up in a cloth bag. As I have nowhere else to turn, Bodhisattva, I’ve come to call on you and ask you to give play to your great strength. Use the magic powers with which you put down the Water Mother and saved the common"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "put down the Water Mother and saved the common people to go with me to rescue my master. Then he can take the scriptures back to China to be transmitted forever, praise the wisdom of our Buddha and make the prajna-paramita better known.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you ask today is indeed for the greater glory of our Buddha,” said King Teacher, “and I really ought to go myself. But it’s early summer now, just the time when the Huai River floods. The Great Sage Water Ape I subdued recently gets active when there’s water, and I’m worried that he’d take advantage of my absence to make so much trouble that no divine powers could bring him back under control. I’ll send my disciple with four generals to help you force the demon into submission.”\n\nMonkey thanked him then headed back by cloud with the four generals and Little Prince Zhang to the Lesser Western Heaven, where they went straight to the Lesser Thunder Monastery. Here Little Prince Zhang brandished his paper-white spear and the four generals swung their superb swords as they shouted abuse to challenge the demons to battle.\n\nWhen the little devils ran inside to report this, the demon king led his devils out once more, had his drums beaten and replied, “Who’ve you persuaded to come this time?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before the words were all out of his mouth Little Prince Zhang at the head of the four generals shouted, “Damned evil spirit! Do you have no eyes in your head? Don’t you recognize who we are?”\n\n“Whose underlings are you?” the demon king said. “How dare you help him?”\n\n“I am the disciple of the Great Sage of Sizhou, the Bodhisattva King Teacher, and I’m here on his orders with four divine generals to capture you,” the prince replied.\n\n“What sort of martial arts do you have,” replied the demon king with a sneer, “that give you the nerve to be so insulting?”\n\n“As you want to know about my martial powers,” the prince replied, “let me tell you:\n\nMy people come from the Flowing Sands River,\n\nWhere my father used to be king of Sandland.\n\nI was a weak and sickly child,\n\nBorn under a bad influence and an unlucky star.\n\nLong had I admired my master’s immortal powers,\n\nWhen in a chance meeting he taught me the secret.\n\nHalf a pill of elixir cured my sickness;\n\nI abandoned my throne to cultivate my conduct."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I abandoned my throne to cultivate my conduct.\n\nOnce I knew bow to live as long as heaven;\n\nMy face became youthful and will remain so forever.\n\nI have been to the assemblies under the dragon-flower tree,\n\nAnd ridden by cloud to the Buddha’s hall.\n\nSeizing the fogs and winds I subdued the watery tribe;\n\nI defended the mountain by subduing dragons and tigers.\n\nThe dutiful people raised a lofty pagoda\n\nTo calm the seas through the glow of its relics.\n\nMy paper-white spear can capture all demons;\n\nEvil spirits are caught in the gray sleeve of my coat.\n\nNow peace and joy reign in the city of Bincheng,\n\nAnd all the world praises Little Zhang’s fame.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And all the world praises Little Zhang’s fame.”\n\nWhen the demon king heard this he replied with a touch of a mocking smile, “Prince, when you abandoned your throne to follow the Bodhisattva King Teacher what sort of arts of immortality did you learn? All you’re good for is capturing water monsters in the Huai River. You shouldn’t have believed all the nonsense Sun the Novice talked and have come across all those mountains and rivers to offer your life. We’ll soon find out whether you’re immortal or not.”\n\nWhen Little Zhang heard this he was very angry and thrust straight for the demon’s face with his spear. The four generals all rushed into the attack together and so did the Great Sage Monkey, wielding his iron cudgel. The splendid evil spirit was not afraid in the least as he blocked, parried and struck back with his short and flexible wolf-tooth mace. It was a fine battle:\n\nThe little prince with his paper-white spear,\n\nMade stronger by the four generals’ swords,\n\nWukong using his gold-banded cudgel,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wukong using his gold-banded cudgel,\n\nWith one heart they surrounded the demon king.\n\nTruly his magical powers were great\n\nAs without a trace of fear he resisted their attacks.\n\nThe wolf-tooth mace was a Buddha weapon\n\nPreserving him from wounds by swords or spear.\n\nWile howled the wind\n\nThrough the turbid swirl of evil vapors.\n\nOne used his skill for love of mortal things;\n\nThe other’s heart was set on the Buddha and the scriptures.\n\nThey charged and they raged,\n\nShrouding sun, moon and stars in cloud,\n\nEach of them evil and vicious in anger.\n\nFor long the Three Vehicles could not assert dominance:\n\nBitter and well-matched was the battle of rival skills."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After the fight had been going on for a long time and was still inconclusive the evil spirit undid his pouch and Monkey once more shouted, “Look out, gentlemen.” The prince and his followers did not realize what he was telling them to look out for, so with a swish the demon king had them caught in his pouch. Only Monkey escaped in time. We will not describe how once more the demon king returned in triumph, sent for ropes, and had them tied up and put into the pit under lock and lid.\n\nWhen Monkey leapt up into the sky and saw the demon leading his troops back and fastening the gates he brought his auspicious light down to land and stood on the Western slope of the mountain. “Master!” he wept aloud in his misery,\n\n“Since being converted and becoming a monk\n\nI’ve been grateful to Guanyin for ending my woes.\n\nIn escorting you West to seek the great Way\n\nI have helped you towards the Buddha’s own temple.\n\nWho would have thought when the going looked easy\n\nThat we’d be attacked by so mighty a monster."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That we’d be attacked by so mighty a monster.\n\nNone of my tricks or devices succeed;\n\nAll the help I have looked for has just been in vain.”\n\nAs Monkey was in the very depths of misery a brightly-coloured cloud suddenly landed to the Southwest and the whole mountain peak was lashed with a torrential rainstorm. “Wukong,” a voice called, “do you know who I am?” Monkey hurried forward to look and this is what he saw:\n\nBig ears, a broad jaw and a square face;\n\nWide shoulders, a deep chest and a fat body.\n\nA jolly voice that was full of fun,\n\nA pair of bright and sparkling eyes.\n\nHis clothes hung open; luck was all about him.\n\nHis straw sandals were comfortable and his spirits high.\n\nHe was the lord of the land of bliss,\n\nThe laughing monk Maitreya.\n\nAs soon as Monkey saw him he kowtowed immediately and said, “Where are you going, Lord Buddha from the East? I beg you to forgive me for failing to keep out of your way.”\n\n“I’m here because of the demon in the Lesser Thunder Monastery,” the Buddha replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am very grateful for your great kindness, my lord,” Monkey replied. “May I ask where the demon is from and where he became an evil spirit? What sort of treasure is that pouch of his? Please tell me, my lord.”\n\n“He was a yellow-browed page who used to strike my stone chime,” the Buddha Maitreya replied. “On the third day of the third month this year I left him looking after my palace when I went to an assembly of the Primal One. That was when he stole some of my treasures and became a spirit as an imitation Buddha. That pouch is my future heaven bag, or what’s generally called a human seed bag. The wolf-tooth cudgel was originally the stick for striking the chime.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he shouted, “You’re a splendid laughing monk, I must say. By letting that boy escape you let him masquerade as a Buddha and ruin things for me. You ought to be charged with slack management of your household.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was careless,” Maitreya replied. “Besides, your master and you disciples have not yet come to the end of the demons you will have to deal with. That is why every kind of spiritual creature has been coming down to earth. It’s right that you should suffer. Now I’m here to capture him for you.”\n\n“That evil spirit has very great magic powers,” Monkey replied, “and you haven’t got any weapons. How can you possibly subdue him?”\n\n“I’ll make a little hut under the mountain,” said Maitreya, “where I grow fruit and melons. You challenge him to battle, lose in the fight that follows, and lure him into my melon patch. All my melons are still unripe, so you’re to change into a big ripe melon. When he gets there he’s bound to want a melon and I’ll give you to him. Once you’re in his stomach you can do what you like to him. Then I’ll get his pouch and we can put him inside it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s a very good plan,” Monkey replied, “but how will you know which is the ripe melon I’ll have turned into? And why should he be willing to go there after me?”\n\n“I’m the ruler of the world,” laughed Maitreya, “and I have miraculous vision. Of course I’ll know which one is you. I’d recognize you whatever you turned into. The only worry is that the demon won’t come after you. I’ll have to teach you some new magic.”\n\n“But he’s bound to catch me in his pouch,” Monkey replied, “not come after me. What magic power could I use?”\n\n“Stretch your hand out,” Maitreya said. Monkey stretched out his left hand. Maitreya moistened the forefinger of his own right hand with some magic saliva, wrote “stop” on it, and told Monkey to make a fist. If he opened that hand again in the demon’s face the demon would certainly come after him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey cheerfully made the fist as he had been instructed and went back to the monastery gates, brandishing his cudgel with one hand as he shouted, “Evil spirit, your lord and master Monkey’s here. Come out at once and we’ll see who’s the champion.” When the little devils rushed inside to report the demon king asked how many soldiers Monkey had brought with him this time.\n\n“None,” they replied. “He’s here by himself.”\n\n“That Monkey’s at his wit’s end and exhausted,” the demon king laughed, “and he can’t get anyone else to help. He’s just throwing his life away now.” Once he was in his armor again he took his treasure and his flexible wolf-tooth mace and went out through the monastery gates shouting, “You won’t be able to hold out this time, Sun Wukong.”\n\n“Damned demon,” Monkey replied abusively. “What do you mean, I won’t be able to hold out?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Look at you,” the demon replied. “You’re at your wit’s end and exhausted. There’s nobody else you can turn to for help. Now you’re here again to try to resist me there won’t be any more divine soldiers or anything like that to help you. That’s why I said you wouldn’t be able to hold out.”\n\n“Fiend,” said Monkey, “you don’t even know whether you want to live or to die. Stop all that talk and take this!”\n\nSeeing that Monkey was wielding his cudgel single-handed, the demon burst out laughing: “What a clever little ape! Do you think you’ll be able to hold me off by using your cudgel one-handed?”\n\n“My dear boy,” said Monkey, “if I used both hands it would be too much for you. Even with four or five hands you wouldn’t be able to beat me even if I had one hand tied behind my back. That is, as long as you didn’t use that pouch of yours.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well then,” the demon king replied, “I won’t use my treasure. I’ll give you a straight fight and we’ll see who’s the best man.” With that he raised his wolf-tooth mace and attacked Monkey, who opened his clenched fist in the demon’s face before wielding the cudgel in both hands. Once the demon was under the spell he put all thought of retreat out of his mind and indeed did not use his pouch, but went for Monkey with his mace. Monkey feinted then turned and fled in defeat, pursued by the evil spirit down the Western slopes of the mountain.\n\nAs soon as he saw the melon field Monkey rolled himself into a ball to go into it and turn himself into a big, ripe, sweet watermelon. The evil spirit stopped to look all around, not knowing where Monkey had gone.\n\nHe rushed over to the hut and asked, “Who’s growing these melons?”\n\nMaitreya, who had turned himself into an old melon grower, came out of the thatched hut and said, “I am, Your Majesty.”\n\n“Have you got any ripe ones?” the demon king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” Maitreya replied.\n\n“Pick me a ripe one then,” said the demon. “I’m thirsty.”\n\nMaitreya then picked the melon that was Monkey transformed and handed it to the demon king respectfully with both hands. The demon king did not stop to examine it, but took it and bit into it. This was Monkey’s chance to go straight down the demon’s throat. Without any more ado he started hitting out and kicking, grabbing and clawing at the monster’s entrails and stomach, turning somersaults, standing on his head, and doing just as he liked. The evil spirit ground his teeth and grimaced in agony, the tears flowing down his face, as he rolled around the melon field till it looked like a threshing floor.\n\n“Stop, stop!” he shouted. “Save me, save me.”\n\nMaitreya then reverted to his true form and said with a jolly smile, “Evil beast, do you recognize me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the evil spirit looked up he fell to his knees on the ground, rubbing his stomach with both hands and kowtowing as he said, “Spare me,. master, spare me. I’ll never do it again.”\n\nMaitreya then stepped forward, seized him with one hand, undid the future heaven pouch, took back the stick for beating the stone chime, and said, “Sun Wukong, spare his life for my sake.”\n\nMonkey, who was still beside himself with loathing and hatred, went on punching, kicking, and making havoc in the demon’s insides until the demon collapsed in unbearable agony.\n\n“He’s had all he can take, Wukong,” Maitreya said. “Spare him now.”\n\n“Open your mouth wide,” Sun Wukong finally said, “and let me out.” Although the demon’s insides had been tied up into agonizing knots his heart had not yet been damaged, and as the saying goes,\n\nUntil the heart is damaged nobody dies;\n\nLeaves only fall when the trunk’s sap dries."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Leaves only fall when the trunk’s sap dries.\n\nAs soon as he was told to open his mouth wide he did so, in spite of the pain. Only then did Monkey jump out and turn back into himself. He at once seized his cudgel and was about to strike again, but the Buddha Maitreya had already put the evil spirit into the pouch and slung it at his waist. Holding the chime-stick in his hand Maitreya said, “Evil beast, where are the golden cymbals you stole?”\n\nThe monster, who was desperate to live, could be heard mumbling inside the future heaven bag, “Sun Wukong smashed them.”\n\n“If they’re broken give me my gold back,” said Maitreya.\n\n“It’s piled up on the lotus throne in the main hall,” the monster replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Holding the bag in one hand and the stick in the other the Buddha laughed as he said, “Wukong, you and I are going to get my gold back.” After the display of such dharma power Sun Wukong dared not be at all remiss, but took the master back up the mountain and into the monastery, where they gathered all the pieces of gold.\n\nAlthough the monastery gates were firmly shut one push with the stick was enough to open them wide, and when they looked inside they saw that all the little devils had taken the monastery’s wealth and were now fleeing in all directions. When Monkey found one he killed one; when he found two he killed two; and so on until he had killed all the six or seven hundred little devils, who resumed their real forms as mountain spirits, tree monsters, evil beasts and animal demons."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Buddha gathered all the pieces of gold together, blew on them with magic breath, and said the words of a spell. At once they were the two golden cymbals again. He then took his leave of Monkey and headed straight back to his paradise by auspicious cloud. The Great Sage then released the Tang Priest, Pig and Friar Sand.\n\nAfter being hung up there for several days the idiot was desperately hungry. Without waiting to thank Monkey he ran straight to the kitchen, his back bent, to find some food. As it happened the demon had sent for his lunch but not had time to eat it when Monkey challenged him to battle. The moment he saw it Pig ate half a saucepan of rice before fetching a pair of bowls for the master and Friar Sand each to eat two bowlfuls. Only then did he thank Monkey and ask about the evil spirit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey told him all about how he had asked the help of King Teacher, Tortoise and Snake, then borrowed the prince from the True Lord, and about how Maitreya had subdued the demon. When Sanzang heard this he expressed his gratitude at great length and kowtowed to all the heavens. “Disciple,” he asked, “where are all the gods imprisoned?”\n\n“The Duty God of the Day told me yesterday that they were all in the pit,” Monkey replied. “Pig,” he continued, “you and I are going to rescue them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now that he had eaten, the idiot was full of strength and energy again as he found his rake and went with Monkey to open up the pit, untie the prisoners, and ask them to come out to under the tower. Sanzang, who had now put his cassock back on, bowed to each of them in thanks, after which the Great Sage saw the five dragons and two generals off on their way back to Wudang, Little Prince Zhang and the four generals on their way to Bincheng, and the Twenty-eight Constellations on their way back to the palaces of Heaven. He also released the Protectors and Guardians so that each could return to his own territory.\n\nMaster and disciples stayed on in the monastery to rest for a few hours. Then, after the horse had eaten its fill and the luggage all been packed, they set out again the next morning. Before leaving they burnt the towers, thrones, halls and preaching chambers to ashes. Thus it was that\n\nWithout any cares from their troubles they flee,\n\nFrom disasters and obstacles finally free."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "From disasters and obstacles finally free.\n\nIf you don’t know when they reached the Great Thunder Monastery, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty-Seven\n\nThe Dhyana-Nature Is Stable and Tuoluo Village Is Saved\n\nThe Mind of the Way Is Purified As Corruption Is Removed\n\nThe story tells how Sanzang and his three disciples happily continued along their way after leaving the Lesser Western Heaven. They had been going for over a month, and it was now late spring. The flowers were in bloom and all the woods they could see were full of green shade. After a spell of wind and rain dusk was falling once more.\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, reining in his horse, “it’s getting late. Which way shall we go to look for somewhere to spend the night?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, Master,” said Monkey with a smile. “Even if we can’t find anywhere to stay we three all have our skills. Tell Pig to cut some grass and Friar Sand to fell some pines. I know a bit of carpentry. We can make ourselves a hut by the road here good enough to stay in for a year. Why the rush?”\n\n“But this is no place to stay, brother,” said Pig. “The mountain’s crawling with wild beasts like tigers, leopards and wolves. Mountain ogres and hobgoblins are all over the place. It’s hard enough travelling by daylight. I wouldn’t dare spend the night here.”\n\n“Idiot!” said Monkey. “You’re getting more and more hopeless. I’m not just shooting my mouth off. With this cudgel in my hands I could hold up the sky itself if it collapsed.”\n\nMaster and disciples were in the middle of their conversation when they noticed a hill farm not far away. “Good,” said Monkey, “a place for the night.”\n\n“Where?” the venerable elder asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where?” the venerable elder asked.\n\n“Isn’t that a house in the trees over there?” asked Monkey, pointing. “Let’s ask if we can put up for the night there. We can be on our way first thing in the morning.”\n\nSanzang was so delighted he urged his horse forward. Dismounting outside the wicker gates he found them firmly fastened.\n\n“Open up, open up,” he called, knocking on the gates. They were opened from the inside by an old man with a stick who was wearing rush sandals, a black turban and a plain gown.\n\n“Who’s that shouting?” he asked.\n\nPutting his hands together in front of his chest, Sanzang bowed in polite greeting and said, “Venerable patron, I am a monk sent from the East to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven. As I have reached this distinguished place so late in the day I have come to your residence to ask for a night’s lodging. I beg you to be charitable to us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Monk,” the elder said, “you may want to go to the West, but you’ll never get there. This is the Lesser Western Heaven, and it’s a very long way from here to the Great Western Heaven. This place alone is hard enough to get out of, to say nothing of the difficulties of the rest of the journey.”\n\n“Why is it hard to get out of?” Sanzang asked.\n\nThe old man put his hands together and replied, “About a dozen miles West of our village is a Runny Persimmon Lane and a mountain called Seven Perfections.”\n\n“Why ‘Seven Perfections?’” Sanzang asked.\n\n“It’s 250 miles across,” the old man replied, “and covered with persimmons. There’s an old saying that persimmon trees have seven perfections:\n\n1. They prolong life.\n\n2. They are very shady.\n\n3. No birds nest in them.\n\n4. They are free of insects.\n\n5. Their leaves are very beautiful after frost.\n\n6. The fruit is excellent.\n\n7. The branches and leaves are big and fat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "7. The branches and leaves are big and fat.\n\nThat’s why it’s called Mount Seven Perfections. This is a big, thinly populated area, and nobody has ever been deep into the mountain. Every year over-ripe, rotten persimmons fall on the path, and they fill the rocky lane right up. The rain, dew, snow and frost attack them, and they rot all through the summer until the whole path is a mass of putrefaction. The people round here call it Runny Shit, or Runny Persimmon, Lane. When there’s a West wind it smells even worse than a cesspit being emptied. As it’s now high spring and there’s strong Southeasterly blowing you can’t smell it yet.” Sanzang felt too depressed to speak."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey could not contain himself. “Silly old fool,” he shouted at the top of his voice. “We’re here late at night to find somewhere to stay, and you’re trying to scare us with all that talk. If your house really is so poky that there’s no room for us to sleep indoors we’ll spend the night squatting under this tree. So cut the cackle.” At the sight of Monkey’s hideous face the old man shut his mouth, petrified with fear.\n\nThen he plucked up his courage, pointed his stick at Monkey and shouted, “Damn you, you bony-faced, pointy-browed, flat-nosed, sunken-cheeked, hairy-eyed, sickly-looking devil. You’ve got no sense of respect, sticking your mouth out like that and insulting an old gentleman.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re not very perceptive, old chap,” Monkey replied, putting on a smile. “You don’t realize who this sickly-looking devil is. As the manual of physiognomy says, ‘A freakish face is like a rock in which fine jade is hidden.’ You’re completely wrong to judge people on their looks. Ugly I certainly am, but I know a trick or two.”\n\n“Where are you from?” the old man asked. “What’s your name? What powers do you have?” To this Monkey replied with a smile:\n\n“My home is in the Eastern Continent of Superior Body;\n\nMy conduct I cultivated on the Mount of Flowers and Fruit.\n\nAfter studying with the Patriarch of the Spirit-tower Heart Mountain\n\nI learned complete and perfect skill in the martial arts.\n\nI can stir up the oceans, subdue mother dragons,\n\nCarry mountains on my shoulders, and drive the sun along.\n\nAt capturing monsters and demons I’m champion;\n\nGhosts and gods are terrified when I shift the stars.\n\nGreat is my fame as sky-thief and earth-turner;\n\nI’m the Handsome Stone Monkey of infinite transformations."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This turned the old man’s anger to delight. Bowing to them he said, “Please come into my humble abode and make yourselves comfortable.” The four of them then went in together, leading the horse and carrying the load. All that could be seen to either side of the gates were prickly thorns. The inner gates were set in a wall of brick and stone that had more thorns on top of it, and only when they had gone through them did they see a three-roomed tiled house. The old man pulled up chairs for them to sit on while they waited for tea to be brought and gave orders for a meal. Soon a table was brought in and set with wheat gluten, beancurd, sweet potatoes, radishes, mustard greens, turnips, rice and sour-mallow soup.\n\nMaster and disciples all ate their fill. After the meal Pig pulled Monkey aside and whispered, “Brother, the old bloke wasn’t going to let us stay at first. Now he’s given us this slap-up meal. Why?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It wasn’t worth very much, was it?” Brother Monkey replied. “Tomorrow we’ll make him give us ten kinds of fruit and ten dishes of food.”\n\n“You’ve got a nerve,” Pig replied. “You talked him into giving us a meal all right with all that boasting. But we’ll be on our way tomorrow. How can he give you things?”\n\n“Don’t be so impatient,” said Monkey, “I’ve got a way to cope.”\n\nDusk soon started to draw in. The old man brought a lamp, and Monkey asked with a bow, “What is your surname, sir?”\n\n“Li,” the old man replied.\n\n“I suppose this must be Li Village,” Monkey continued.\n\n“No,” said the old man, “this is Tuoluo Village. Over five hundred families live here. Most of them have other surnames. I am the only one called Li.”\n\n“Benefactor Li,” Monkey replied, “with what kind intentions did you give us that ample meal?”\n\n“Just now you said that you could capture evil monsters,” said the old man. “We have a monster here that we’d like you to capture for us, and we will of course reward you generously.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then chanted a “na-a-aw” of respect and said, “I accept your commission.”\n\n“Just look at him,” said Pig, “asking for trouble. The moment he hears there’s a demon to catch he’s nicer to him than he would be to his own grandfather. He even chanted a ‘na-a-aw’ first.”\n\n“You don’t understand, brother,” said Monkey. “My ‘na-a-aw’ clinched the deal. Now he won’t hire anyone else.”\n\nWhen Sanzang heard this he said, “You monkey, you always want to grab things for yourself. If that evil spirit’s powers are too great for you to capture him then we monks will be shown up as liars.”\n\n“Don’t be cross with me, Master,” Monkey said with a smile. “Let me ask some more questions.”\n\n“What else?” the old man asked.\n\n“This fine village is on an open plain and a lot of people live here,” said Monkey. “It’s not remote and isolated. What evil spirit would dare come to your door?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I will be frank with you,” the old man replied. “We had long lived in peace and prosperity here till a sudden, strong wind blew three and a half years ago. Everyone was busy at the time threshing the wheat on the threshing floor or transplanting rice in the paddy fields. We thought it was just a change in the weather. We never imagined that when the wind had blown by an evil spirit would eat the horses and cattle that people had put out to pasture as well as the pigs and the sheep. He swallowed hens and geese whole, and any men or women he found he devoured alive. Since then he’s come again each of the last two years to murder us. Venerable sir, if you really do have magic powers to capture the evil spirit and cleanse the place of him, we will most certainly reward you generously and with great respect.”\n\n“But the monster will be hard to catch,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Yes,” said Pig, “very hard. We’re pilgrim monks only here for the night. We’ll be on our way tomorrow. We can’t catch any monsters.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So you monks just tricked that meal out of me,” the old man said. “When we first met you talked very big. You said you could move the stars and capture evil monsters. But now I’ve told you about this you pretend he can’t be caught.”\n\n“Old man,” said Monkey, “it would be easy to catch the evil spirit, except that you people here don’t work together. That’s why it’s hard.”\n\n“How can you be so sure that we don’t work together?” the old man asked.\n\n“If the monster has been harassing you for three years, goodness only knows how many lives he’s taken,” Monkey replied. “I reckon that if every family put up one ounce of silver the five hundred households could raise five hundred ounces, and with that you could find a priest somewhere who’d exorcise the monster. Why did you cheerfully put up with three years of such cruelty from him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You talk of spending money,” the old man said. “You’re trying to shame us to death. Every family here has spent four or five ounces of silver. The year before last we went to invite a Buddhist monk South of the mountains here to catch the monster, but he failed.”\n\n“How did the monk try to do it?” Brother Monkey asked. To this the old man replied:\n\n“The monk wore a cassock\n\nAnd recited the scriptures;\n\nFirst the Peacock Sutra\n\nAnd then the Lotus.\n\nHe burned incense in a burner,\n\nHeld a bell between his hands.\n\nHis reading of the scriptures\n\nAlarmed the evil spirit,\n\nWho came straight to the farm\n\nAmid his wind and clouds.\n\nThe monk fought with the spirit\n\nAnd it was a splendid sight:\n\nOne of them landed a punch,\n\nThe other grabbed at his foe.\n\nThe monk had the advantage of\n\nHaving a hairless head.\n\nBut soon the demon had won,\n\nAnd gone straight back to his clouds.\n\nWhen the wound had dried in the sun\n\nWe went up close for a look;\n\nThe monk’s bald head was smashed open\n\nJust like a ripe watermelon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just like a ripe watermelon.\n\n“In other words,” laughed Monkey, “he lost.”\n\n“He just paid with his life,” the old man replied. “We were the ones who lost. We had to buy his coffin, pay for his funeral, and give compensation to his disciple. That silver wasn’t enough for the disciple. He’s still trying to sue us. He won’t call it a day.”\n\n“Did you hire anyone else to catch the demon?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Last year we invited a Taoist priest to do it,” the old man answered.\n\n“How did he try?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The Taoist,” the old man replied,\n\n“Wore a golden crown on his head,\n\nAnd magic robes on his body,\n\nHe sounded his magic wand,\n\nUsed charms and water too.\n\nHe made gods and generals do his will,\n\nCaptured demons and goblins.\n\nA wild wind howled and roared,\n\nWhile black fog blotted all out.\n\nDemon and Taoist\n\nWere evenly matched;\n\nThey fought till nightfall,\n\nWhen the fiend went back to the clouds.\n\nHeaven and earth were clear\n\nAnd all of us people were there.\n\nWe went out to search for the priest,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We went out to search for the priest,\n\nFound him drowned in the mountain stream.\n\nWhen we fished him out to look\n\nHe was like a drenched chicken.”\n\n“In other words,” said Monkey with a smile, “he lost too.”\n\n“He only paid with his life, but we had to spend a lot of money that wasn’t really necessary,” the old man replied.\n\n“It doesn’t matter,” Monkey said. “It doesn’t matter. Wait till I catch the demon for you.”\n\n“If you’ve got the power to catch him I’ll ask some of the village elders to write an undertaking to give you as much silver as you want when you’ve defeated him. You’ll not be a penny short. But if you lose don’t try to extort money out of us. We must each accept the will of heaven.”\n\n“Old man,” said Monkey, “they’ve got you terrified of extortion. We’re not like that. Send for the elders.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old man was delighted. He sent his slaves to invite seven or eight old men from among his next-door neighbors, his cousins, his wife’s family and his friends. They all came to meet the strangers, and when they had greeted the Tang Priest they cheerfully discussed the capture of the demon.\n\n“Which of your distinguished disciples will do it?” they asked.\n\n“I will,” said Monkey, putting his hands together in front of his chest.\n\n“You’ll never do, never,” said the old man with horror. “The evil spirit’s magic powers are enormous, and it’s huge too. Venerable sir, you’re so tiny and skinny you’d slip through one of the gaps between its teeth.”\n\n“Old man,” said Monkey with a smile, “You’re no judge of people. Small I may be, but I’m solid. There’s a lot more to me than meets the eye.” When the elders heard this they had to take him at his word.\n\n“Venerable sir,” they said, “how big a reward will you want for capturing the demon?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why do you have to talk about a reward?” Monkey asked. “As the saying goes, ‘Gold dazzles, silver is white and stupid, and copper coins stink.’ We’re virtuous monks and we definitely won’t take money.”\n\n“In that case you must all be lofty monks who obey your vows,” the elders said. “But even if you won’t accept money we can’t let you work for nothing. We all live by agriculture. If you subdue the demon and clean the place up, every family here will give you a third of an acre of good farmland, which will make over 150 acres altogether. Your master and you disciples can build a monastery there and sit in meditation. That would be much better than going on your long journey.”\n\n“It would be even worse,” replied brother Monkey with a smile. “If we asked for land we’d have to raise horses, do labor service, pay grain taxes and hand over hay. We’ll never be able to go to bed at dusk or lie in after the fifth watch. It’d be the death of us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you won’t accept anything, how are we to express our thanks?” the elders asked.\n\n“We’re men of religion,” said Monkey. “Some tea and a meal will be thanks enough for us.”\n\n“That’s easy,” said the elders. “But how are you going to catch the demon?”\n\n“Once it comes I’ll get it,” said Monkey.\n\n“But it’s enormous,” the elders said. “It stretches from the earth to the sky. It comes in wind and goes in mist. How are you ever going to get close to it?”\n\n“When it comes to evil spirits who can summon winds and ride on clouds,” Monkey replied, “I treat them as mere kids. It makes no difference how big it is—I have ways of beating it.”\n\nAs they were talking the howl of a great wind made the eight or nine elders start shaking with fear. “Monk, you’ve asked for trouble and you’ve got it,” they said. “You talked about the monster and here he is.”\n\nOld Mr. Li opened the door and said to his relations and the Tang Priest, “Come in, come in, the demon’s here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This so alarmed Pig and Friar Sand that they wanted to go inside too, but Monkey grabbed each of them with one of his hands and said, “You’re a disgrace. You’re monks and you ought to know better. Stay where you are, and don’t try to run away. Come into the courtyard with me. We’re going to see what kind of evil spirit this is.”\n\n“But brother,” said Pig, “they’ve been through this before. The noise of the wind means that the demon’s coming. They’ve all gone to hide. We’re not friends or relations of the demon. We’ve had no business dealings with him. What do we want to see him for?” Monkey was so strong that with no further argument he hauled them into the courtyard and made them stand there while the wind blew louder and louder. It was a splendid wind that\n\nUprooted trees and flattened woods, alarming wolves and tigers,\n\nStirred up the rivers and oceans to the horror of ghosts and gods,\n\nBlowing the triple peaks of the great Mount Hua all upside down,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shaking the earth and sky through the world’s four continents.\n\nEvery village family shut fast its gates,\n\nWhile boys and girls all fled for cover.\n\nBlack clouds blotted out the Milky Way;\n\nLamps lost their brightness and the world went dark.\n\nPig was shaking with terror. He lay on the ground, rooted into the earth with his snout and buried his head. He looked as if he had been nailed there. Friar Sand covered his face and could not keep his eyes open. Monkey knew from the sound of the wind that the demon was in it. A moment later, when the wind had passed, all that could be vaguely made out in the sky were two lamps.\n\n“Brothers,” he said, looking down, “the wind’s finished. Get up and look.” The idiot tugged his snout out, brushed the dirt off himself and looked up into the sky, where he saw the two lamps.\n\n“What a laugh,” Pig said, laughing aloud, “What a laugh. It’s an evil spirit with good manners. Let’s make friends with it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s a very dark night,” said Friar Sand, “and you haven’t even seen it, so how can you tell whether it’s good or bad?”\n\n“As they used to say in the old days,” Pig replied, “‘Take a candle when you’re out at night, and stay where you are if you haven’t one.’ You can see that it’s got a pair of lanterns to light its way. It must be a good spirit.”\n\n“You’re wrong,” Friar Sand said. “That’s not a pair of lanterns: they’re the demon’s eyes.” This gave the idiot such a fright that he shrank three inches.\n\n“Heavens,” he said. “If its eyes are that size goodness knows how big its mouth is.”\n\n“Don’t be scared, brother,” said Monkey. “You two guard the master while I go up and see what sort of mood it’s in and what kind of evil spirit it is.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “don’t tell the monster about us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid Monkey sprang up into mid-air with a whistle. “Not so fast,” he yelled at the top of his voice, brandishing his cudgel, “not so fast. I’m here.” When the monster saw him it took a firm stance and began to wield a long spear furiously.\n\nParrying with his cudgel, Monkey asked, “What part do you come from, monster? Where are you an evil spirit?” The monster ignored the questions and continued with its spearplay. Monkey asked again, and again there was no answer as the wild spearplay continued."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So it’s deaf and dumb,” Monkey smiled to himself. “Don’t run away! Take this!” Unperturbed, the monster parried the cudgel with more wild spearplay. The mid-air battle ebbed and flowed until the middle of the night as first one then the other was on top, but still there was no victor. Pig and Friar Sand had a very clear view from the Li family courtyard, and they could see that the demon was only using its spear to defend itself and not making any attacks, while Monkey’s cudgel was never far from the demon’s head.\n\n“Friar Sand,” said Pig with a grin, “you keep guard here. I’m going up to join in the fight. I’m not going to let Monkey keep all the credit for beating the monster to himself. He won’t be the first to be given a drink.”\n\nThe splendid idiot leapt up on his cloud and joined in the fight, taking a swing with his rake. The monster fended this off with another spear. The two spears were like flying snakes or flashes of lightning. Pig was full of admiration."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This evil spirit is a real expert with the spears. This isn’t ‘behind the mountain’ spearplay; it’s ‘tangled thread’ spearplay. It’s not Ma Family style. It’s what’s called soft-shaft style.”\n\n“Don’t talk such nonsense, idiot,” said Monkey. “There’s no such thing as soft-shaft style.”\n\n“Just look,” Pig replied. “He’s parrying us with the blades. You can’t see the shafts. I don’t know where he’s hiding them.”\n\n“All right then,” said Monkey, “perhaps there is a soft-shaft style. But this monster can’t talk. I suppose it’s not yet humanized: it’s still got a lot of the negative about it. Tomorrow morning, when the positive is dominant, it’s bound to run away. When it does we’ve got to catch up with it and not let it go.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, yes,” said Pig.\n\nWhen the fight had gone on for a long time the East grew light. The monster didn’t dare fight any longer, so it turned and fled, with Monkey and Pig both after it. Suddenly they smelled the putrid and overwhelming stench of Runny Persimmon Lane on Mount Seven Perfections.\n\n“Some family must be emptying its cesspit,” said Pig. “Phew! What a horrible stink!”\n\nHolding his nose, Brother Monkey said, “After the demon, after the demon!” The monster went over the mountain and turned back into himself: a giant red-scaled python. Just look at it:\n\nEyes shooting stars,\n\nNostrils gushing clouds,\n\nTeeth like close-set blades of steel,\n\nCurving claws like golden hooks.\n\nOn its head a horn of flesh\n\nLike a thousand pieces of agate;\n\nIts body clad in scales of red\n\nLike countless patches of rouge.\n\nWhen coiled on the ground it might seem a brocade quilt;\n\nWhen flying it could be mistaken for a rainbow.\n\nFrom where it sleeps a stench rises to the heavens,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And in movement its body is wreathed in red clouds.\n\nIs it big?\n\nA man could not be seen from one side to the other.\n\nIs it long?\n\nIt can span a mountain from North to South.\n\n“So it’s a long snake,” Pig said. “If it’s a man-eater it could gobble up five hundred for a meal and still not be full.”\n\n“Its soft-shafted spears are its forked tongue,” said Monkey. “It’s exhausted by the chase. Attack it from behind.” Pig leapt up and went for it, hitting it with his rake. The monster dived into a cave, but still left seven or eight feet of tail sticking outside.\n\nPig threw down his rake, grabbed it and shouted, “Hold on, hold on!” He pulled with all his strength, but could not move it an inch.\n\n“Idiot,” laughed Monkey, “let it go in. We’ll find a way of dealing with it. Don’t pull so wildly at the snake.” When Pig let go the monster contracted itself and burrowed inside."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But we had half of it before I let go,” he grumbled. “Now it’s shrunk and gone inside we’re never going to get it out. We’ve lost the snake, haven’t we?”\n\n“The wretched creature is enormous and the cave is very narrow,” Monkey replied. “It won’t possibly be able to turn round in there. It definitely went straight inside, so the cave must have an exit at the other end for it to get out through. Hurry round and block the back door while I attack at the front.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot shot round to the other side of the mountain, where there was indeed another hole that he blocked with his foot. But he had not steadied himself when Monkey thrust his cudgel in at the front of the cave, hurting the monster so much that it wriggled out through the back. Pig was not ready, and when a flick of the snake’s tail knocked him over he could not get back up: he lay on the ground in agony. Seeing that the cave was now empty Monkey rushed round to the other side, cudgel in hand, to catch the monster. Monkey’s shouts made Pig feel so ashamed that he pulled himself to his feet despite the pain and started lashing out wildly with his rake.\n\nAt the sight of this Monkey said with a laugh, “What do you think you’re hitting? The monster’s got away.”\n\n“I’m ‘beating the grass to flush out the snake.’”\n\n“Cretin!” said Monkey, “After it!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Cretin!” said Monkey, “After it!”\n\nThe two of them crossed a ravine, where they saw the monster coiled up, its head held high and its enormous mouth gaping wide. It was about to devour Pig, who fled in terror. Monkey, however, went straight on towards it and was swallowed in a single gulp.\n\n“Brother,” wailed Pig, stamping his feet and beating his chest, “you’ve been destroyed.”\n\n“Don’t fret, Pig,” called Monkey from inside the monster’s belly, which he was poking around with his cudgel. “I’ll make it into a bridge. Watch!” As he spoke the monster arched its back just like a rainbow-shaped bridge.\n\n“It looks like a bridge all right,” Pig shouted, “but nobody would ever dare cross it.”\n\n“Then I’ll make it turn into a boat,” said Monkey. “Watch!” He pushed out the skin of the monster’s belly with his cudgel, and with the skin against the ground and its head uplifted it did look like a river boat.\n\n“It may look like a boat,” said Pig, “but without a mast or sail it wouldn’t sail very well in the wind.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Get out of the way then,” said Monkey, “and I’ll make it sail for you.” He then jabbed his cudgel out as hard as he could through the monster’s spine from the inside and made it stand some sixty or seventy feet high, just like a mast. Struggling for its life and in great pain the monster shot forward faster than the wind, going down the mountain and back the way it had come for over seven miles until it collapsed motionless in the dust. It was dead.\n\nWhen Pig caught up with the monster he raised his rake and struck wildly at it. Monkey made a big hole in the monster’s side, crawled out and said, “Idiot! It’s dead and that’s that. Why go on hitting it?”\n\n“Brother,” Pig replied, “don’t you realize that all my life I’ve loved killing dead snakes?” Only then did he put his rake away, grab the snake’s tail and start pulling it backwards."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Meanwhile back at Tuoluo Village old Mr. Li and the others were saying to the Tang Priest, “Your two disciples have been gone all night, and they’re not back yet. They must be dead.”\n\n“I’m sure that there can be no problem,” Sanzang replied. “Let’s go and look.” A moment later Monkey and Pig appeared, chanting as they dragged an enormous python behind them. Only then did everyone feel happy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the people in the village, young and old, male and female, knelt down and bowed to Sanzang, saying, “Good sirs, this is the evil spirit that has been doing so much damage. Now that you have used your powers to behead the demon and rid us of this evil we will be able to live in peace again.” Everyone was very grateful, and all the families invited them to meals as expressions of their gratitude, keeping master and disciples there for six or seven days, and only letting them go when they implored to be allowed to leave. As they would not accept money or any other gifts the villagers loaded parched grain and fruit on horses and mules hung with red rosettes and caparisoned with flags of many colours to see them on their way. From the five hundred households in the village some seven or eight hundred people set out with them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the journey they were all very cheerful, but before they reached Runny Persimmon Lane on Mount Seven Perfections Sanzang smelled the terrible stench and could see that their way was blocked.\n\n“Wukong,” he said to Monkey, “how are we going to get through?”\n\n“It’s going to be hard,” replied Monkey, covering his nose. When even Monkey said that it was going to be hard Sanzang began to weep.\n\n“Don’t upset yourself so, my lord,” said old Mr. Li and the other elders as they came up to him. “We have all come here with you because we’re already decided what to do. As your illustrious disciples have defeated the evil spirit and rid the village of this evil we have all made up our minds to clear a better path for you over the mountain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s nonsense, old man,” said Monkey with a grin. “You told us before that the mountain is some 250 miles across. You aren’t Yu the Great’s heavenly soldiers, so how could you possibly make a path across it? If my master is to get across it’ll have to be through our efforts. You’ll never do it.”\n\n“But how can we do it through our efforts?” Sanzang asked after dismounting.\n\n“It’d certainly be hard to cross the mountain as it is now,” Monkey said, still smiling, “and it would be even harder to cut a new path. We’ll have to go by the old lane. The only thing that worries me is that there may be nobody to provide the food.”\n\n“What a thing to say, venerable sir,” old Mr. Li said. “We can support you gentlemen for as long as you care to stay here. You can’t say that nobody will provide the food.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case, go and prepare two hundredweight of parched grain, as well as some steamed cakes and buns,” said Monkey. “When our long-snouted monk has eaten his fill he’ll turn into a giant boar and clear the old lane with his snout. Then my master will be able to ride his horse over the mountain while we support him. He’ll certainly get across.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “you want to keep all the rest of you clean. Why should I be the only one to stink?”\n\n“Wuneng,” said Sanzang, “if you can clear the lane with your snout and get me across the mountain that will be a very great good deed to your credit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master, benefactors, please don’t tease me,” said Pig with a smile. “I can do thirty-six transformations. If you ask me to become something that’s light or delicate or beautiful or that flies I just can’t. But ask me to turn into a mountain, a tree, a rock, a mound of earth, an elephant, a hog, a water buffalo or a camel and I can manage any of them. The only thing is that the bigger I make myself the bigger my belly gets. I can’t do things properly unless it’s full.”\n\n“We’ve got plenty,” the people said, “We’ve got plenty. We’ve brought parched grain, fruit, griddle cakes and ravioli. We were going to give them to you when we’d made a path across the mountain. They can all be brought out for you to eat now. When you’ve transformed yourself and started work we’ll send some people back to prepare more food to send you on your way with.” Pig was beside himself with delight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taking off his tunic and putting down his nine-pronged rake he said to them all, “Don’t laugh at me. Just watch while I win merit doing this filthy job.” The splendid idiot made a spell with his hands, shook himself, and turned himself into a giant hog. Indeed:\n\nHis snout was long, his bristles short, and half of him was fat;\n\nAs a piglet in the mountains he had fed on herbs and simples.\n\nBlack was his face and his eyes as round as sun or moon;\n\nThe great ears on his head were just like plantain leaves.\n\nHis bones he’d made so strong he would live as long as heaven;\n\nHis thick skin had been tempered till it was hard as iron.\n\nHe grunted with a noise that came from a blocked-up nose;\n\nHis gasping breath rasped harshly in his throat.\n\nEach of his four white trotters was a thousand feet high;\n\nEvery sword-like bristle was hundreds of yards in length.\n\nSince pigs were first kept and fattened by mankind\n\nNever had such a monster porker been seen as this today."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Priest and the rest were full of admiration\n\nFor Marshal Tian Peng and his magic powers.\n\nSeeing what Pig had turned into, Brother Monkey asked the people who had come to see them off to pile up all the parched grain at once and told Pig to eat it. Not caring whether it was cooked or raw, the idiot downed it all at one gulp, then went forward to clear the way. Monkey told Friar Sand to take his sandals off and carry the luggage carefully and advised his master to sit firm in the carved saddle.\n\nThen he took off his own tall boots and told everyone else to go back: “Could you be very kind and send some more food as soon as possible to keep my brother’s strength up?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Of the seven or eight hundred who were seeing the pilgrims off most had come on mules or horse and they rushed back to the village like shooting stars. The three hundred who were on foot stood at the bottom of the mountain to watch the travelers as they went away. Now it was ten miles or more from the village to the mountain, and another journey of over ten miles each way to fetch the food, making over thirty in all, so by the time they were back master and disciples were already far ahead of them. Not wanting to miss the pilgrims, the villagers drove their mules and horses into the lane and carried on after them through the night, only catching them up the next morning."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Pilgrims,” they shouted, “wait a moment, wait a moment, sirs. We’ve brought food for you.” When Sanzang heard this he thanked them profusely, said that they were good and faithful people, and told Pig to rest and eat something to build up his strength. The idiot, who was on the second day of clearing the way with his snout, was by now ravenously hungry. The villagers had brought much more than seven or eight hundredweight of food, which he scooped up and devoured all at once, not caring whether it was rice or wheat. When he had eaten his fill he went back to clearing the way, while Sanzang, Monkey and Friar Sand thanked the villagers and took leave of them. Indeed:\n\nThe peasants all went back to Tuoluo Village;\n\nAcross the mountain Pig had cleared the way.\n\nSanzang’s faith was backed up by great power;\n\nSun’s demon-quelling arts were on display.\n\nA thousand years of filth went in a single morning;\n\nThe Seven Perfections Lane was opened up today,\n\nThe dirt of six desires all now removed,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The dirt of six desires all now removed,\n\nTowards the Lotus Throne they go to pray.\n\nIf you don’t know how much longer their journey was going to be or what evil monsters they would meet listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty-Eight\n\nIn the Land of Purpuria the Tang Priest Discusses History\n\nSun the Pilgrim in His Charity Offers to Be a Doctor\n\nWhen good is right all causes disappear;\n\nIts fame is spread through all four continents.\n\nIn the light of wisdom they climb the other shore;\n\nSoughing dark clouds are blown from the edge of the sky.\n\nAll the Buddhas give them help,\n\nSitting for ever on their thrones of jade.\n\nSmash the illusions of the human world,\n\nCease!\n\nCleanse the dirt; provoke no misery.\n\nThe story tells how Sanzang and his disciples cleaned the lane of its filth and pressed far ahead along the road. Time passed quickly and the weather was scorching again. Indeed:\n\nThe begonias spread their globes of brocade;\n\nLotus leaves split their own green dishes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lotus leaves split their own green dishes.\n\nFledgling swallows hide in the roadside willows;\n\nTravelers wave their silken fans for relief from the heat.\n\nAs they carried on their way a walled and moated city appeared before them. Reining in his horse, Sanzang, said, “Disciples, can you see where this is?”\n\n“You can’t read, Master,” Monkey exclaimed. “How ever did you get the Tang Emperor to send you on this mission?”\n\n“I have been a monk since I was a boy and read classics and scriptures by the thousand,” Sanzang replied. “How could you say I can’t read?”\n\n“Well,” Monkey replied, “if you can, why ask where we are instead of reading the big clear writing on the apricot-yellow flag over the city wall?”\n\n“Wretched ape,” Sanzang shouted, “you’re talking nonsense. The flag is flapping much too hard in the wind for anyone to read what, if anything, is on it.”\n\n“Then how could I read it?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Then how could I read it?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Don’t rise to his bait, Master,” Pig and Friar Sand said. “From this distance we can’t even see the walls and moat clearly, never mind words in a banner.”\n\n“But doesn’t it say Purpuria?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Purpuria must be a Western kingdom,” Sanzang said. “We shall have to present our passport.”\n\n“Goes without saying,” Monkey observed.\n\nThey were soon outside the city gates, where the master dismounted, crossed the bridge, and went in through the triple gates. It was indeed a splendid metropolis. This is what could be seen:\n\nLofty gate-towers,\n\nRegular battlements,\n\nLiving waters flowing around,\n\nMountains facing to North and South.\n\nMany are the goods in the streets and markets,\n\nAnd all the citizens do thriving business.\n\nThis is a city fit for a monarch.\n\nA capital endowed by heaven.\n\nTo this distant realm come travelers by land and water;\n\nJade and silk abound in this remoteness.\n\nIt is more beautiful than the distant ranges;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is more beautiful than the distant ranges;\n\nThe palace rises to the purity of space.\n\nClosely barred are the passes leading here,\n\nWhen peace and prosperity have lasted for ever.\n\nAs master and disciples walked along the highways and through the markets they saw that the people were tall, neatly dressed and well spoken. Indeed, they were not inferior to those of the Great Tang. When the traders who stood on either side of the road saw how ugly Pig was, how tall and dark-featured Friar Sand was, and how hairy and wide-browed Monkey was they all dropped their business and came over to see them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t provoke trouble,” Sanzang called to them. “Hold your heads down.” Pig obediently tucked his snout into his chest and Friar Sand did not dare look up. Monkey, however, stared all around him as he kept close to the Tang Priest. The more sensible people went away again after taking a look, but the idlers, the curious and the naughty children among the spectators jeered, threw bricks and tiles at the strangers, and mocked Pig.\n\n“Whatever you do, don’t get into a row,” Sanzang said again in great anxiety. The idiot kept his head down.\n\nBefore long they turned a corner and saw a gate in a wall over which was written HOSTEL OF MEETING in large letters. “We are going into this government office,” Sanzang said.\n\n“Why?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The Hostel of Meeting is a place where people from all over the world are received, so we can go and disturb them,” said Sanzang. “Let’s rest there. When I have seen the king and presented our passport we can leave the city and be on our way again.” When Pig heard this he brought his snout out, so terrifying the people following behind that dozens of them collapsed.\n\n“The master’s right,” said Pig, stepping forward. “Let’s shelter inside there and get away from these damned mockers.” They went inside, after which the people began to disperse.\n\nThere were two commissioners in the hostel, a senior one and his assistant, and they were in the hall checking over their personnel before going to receive an official when, to their great consternation, the Tang Priest suddenly appeared.\n\n“Who are you?” they asked together. “Who are you? Where are you going?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have been sent by His Majesty the Tang Emperor to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” the Tang Priest replied, putting his hands together in front of his chest. “Having reached your illustrious country I did not dare to try to sneak through. I would like to submit my passport for inspection so that we may be allowed to continue our way. Meanwhile we would like to rest in your splendid hostel.”\n\nWhen the two commissioners heard this they dismissed their subordinates, put on their full official dress and went down from the main hall to greet the visitors. They instructed that the guest rooms be tidied up for them to sleep in and ordered vegetarian provisions for them. Sanzang thanked them, and the two officials led their staff out of the hall. Some of their attendants invited the visitors to sleep in the guest rooms.\n\nSanzang went with them, but Monkey complained bitterly, “Damned cheek. Why won’t they let me stay in the main hall?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The people here don’t come under the jurisdiction of our Great Tang and they have no connections with our country either. Besides, their superiors often come to stay. It is difficult for them to entertain us.”\n\n“In that case.” Monkey replied, “I insist on them entertaining us properly.”\n\nAs they were talking the manager brought their provisions: a dish each of white rice and wheat flour, two cabbages, four pieces of beancurd, two pieces of wheat gluten, a dish of dried bamboo shoots and a dish of “tree-ear” fungus. Sanzang told his disciples to receive the provisions and thanked the manager.\n\n“There’s a clean cooking-stove in the Western room,” the manager said, “and it’s easy to light the firewood in it. Would you please cook your own food?”\n\n“May I ask you if the king is in the palace?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“His Majesty has not attended court for a long time,” the manager replied. “But today is an auspicious one, and he is discussing the issue of a notice with his civil and military officials. You’d better hurry if you want to get there in time to submit your passport to him. Tomorrow will be too late to do it, and goodness knows how long you’ll have to wait.”\n\n“Wukong,” said Sanzang, “you three prepare the meal while I hurry there to have our passport inspected. After we have eaten we can be on our way.” Pig quickly unpacked the cassock and passport for Sanzang, who dressed himself and set out for the palace, instructing his disciples not to leave the hostel or make trouble.\n\nBefore long the Tang Priest was outside the Tower of Five Phoenixes at the outer palace gate. The towering majesty of the halls and the splendor of the tall buildings and terraces beggared description. When he reached the main Southern gate he requested the reporting officer to announce to the court his wish to have his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "passport inspected.\n\nThe eunuch officer at the gate went to the steps of the throne, where he submitted the following memorial: “There is a monk at the palace gate sent by the Great Tang in the East to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures at the Thunder Monastery in the Western Heaven. He wishes to submit his passport for approval. I await Your Majesty’s command.”\n\nWhen the king heard this he replied happily, “For a long time we have been too ill to sit on our throne. Today we are in the throne room to issue a notice sending for doctors, and now a distinguished monk has arrived in our country.” He ordered that the monk be summoned to the steps of the throne. Sanzang abased himself in reverence. The king then summoned him into the throne room, invited him to sit down, and ordered the department of foreign relations to arrange a vegetarian meal. Sanzang thanked the king for his kindness and presented his passport."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he had read it through the king said with great delight, “Master of the Law, how many dynasties have ruled in your land of Great Tang? How many generations of wise ministers have there been? After what illness did the Tang emperor come back to life, so that he sent you on this long and difficult journey to fetch the scriptures?”\n\nOn being asked all these questions the venerable elder bowed, put his hands together and said, “In my country,\n\nThe Three Emperors ruled,\n\nThe Five Rulers established morality.\n\nYao and Shun took the throne,\n\nYu and Tang gave the people peace.\n\nMany were the offspring of Chengzhou\n\nWho each established their own states,\n\nBullying the weak with their own strength,\n\nDividing the realm and proclaiming themselves rulers.\n\nEighteen such lords of local states\n\nDivided the territory up to the borders.\n\nLater they became a dozen,\n\nBringing peace to the cosmic order.\n\nBut those who had no chariots of war\n\nWere swallowed up by others.\n\nWhen the seven great states contended"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the seven great states contended\n\nSix of them had to surrender to Qin.\n\nHeaven gave birth to Liu Bang and Xiang Yu,\n\nEach of whom cherished wicked ideas.\n\nThe empire then belonged to Han\n\nAccording to the stipulations agreed between the two.\n\nPower passed from Han to the Sima clan,\n\nTill Jin in its turn fell into chaos.\n\nTwelve states ruled in North and South,\n\nAmong them Song, Qi, Liang and Chen.\n\nEmperors ruled in succession to each other\n\nTill the Great Sui restored the true unity.\n\nThen it indulged in evil and wickedness.\n\nInflicting misery on the common people.\n\nOur present rulers, the House of Li,\n\nHave given the name of Tang to the state.\n\nSince the High Ancestor passed on the throne\n\nThe reigning monarch has been Li Shimin.\n\nThe rivers have run clear and the seas been calm\n\nThanks to his great virtue and his benevolence.\n\nNorth of the city of Chang’an\n\nLived a wicked river dragon\n\nWho gave the timely rain in short measure,\n\nFor which he deserved to pay with his death."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "For which he deserved to pay with his death.\n\nOne night he came in a dream to the emperor,\n\nAsking the monarch to spare his life.\n\nThe emperor promised to grant a pardon\n\nAnd sent for his wise minister early next day.\n\nHe kept him there inside the palace,\n\nFilling his time with a long game of chess.\n\nBut at high noon the minister\n\nSlept, and in a dream cut off the dragon’s head.”\n\nOn hearing this the king groaned and asked, “Master of the Law, which country did that wise minister come from?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He was our emperor’s prime minister Wei Zheng, astrologer, geographer, master of the Yin and Yang, and one of the great founders and stabilizers of our state,” Sanzang explained. “Because he beheaded the Dragon King of the Jing River in his dream, the dragon brought a case in the Underworld against our emperor for having him decapitated after granting a pardon. The emperor became very ill and his condition was critical. Wei Zhang wrote him a letter to take to the Underworld and give to Cui Jue, the judge of Fengdu. Soon after that the emperor died, only to come back to life on the third day. It was thanks to Wei Zheng that Judge Cui was persuaded to alter a document and give His Majesty an extra twenty years of life. He held a great Land and Water Mass and dispatched me on this long journey to visit many lands, worship the Buddha and fetch the Three Stores of Mahayana scriptures that will raise all the sufferers from evil up to Heaven.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the king groaned and sighed again. “Yours is indeed a heavenly dynasty and a great nation,” he said, “with a just ruler and wise ministers. We have long been ill, but not one minister do we have who will save us.” On hearing this the venerable elder stole a glance at the king and saw that his face was sallow and emaciated; his appearance was going to pieces and his spirits were very low. The venerable elder was going to ask him some questions when an official of the department of Foreign relations came to invite the Tang Priest to eat. The king ordered that his food should be set out with Sanzang’s in the Hall of Fragrance so that he could eat with the Master of the Law. Thanking the king for his kindness Sanzang took his meal with him.\n\nMeanwhile, back in the Hostel of Meeting, Brother Monkey told Friar Sand to prepare the tea, the grain and the vegetarian dishes. “There’s no problem about the tea and the rice,” Friar Sand said, “but the vegetable dishes will be difficult.”\n\n“Why?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why?” Monkey asked.\n\n“There’s no oil, salt, soya sauce or vinegar,” Friar Sand replied.\n\n“I’ve got a few coins here,” Monkey said, “so we can send Pig out to buy them.”\n\n“I wouldn’t dare,” said the idiot, who was feeling too lazy to go. “My ugly mug could cause trouble, and then the master would blame me.”\n\n“If you buy the stuff at a fair price and don’t try to get it by asking for alms or theft there couldn’t possibly by any trouble,” said Brother Monkey.\n\n“Didn’t you see the commotion just now?” asked Pig. “I only showed my snout outside the gate and about a dozen of them collapsed with fright. Goodness only knows how many I’d scare to death in a busy shopping street.”\n\n“Well,” said Monkey, “as you know so much about the busy shopping streets did you notice what was being sold in them?”\n\n“No,” said Pig. “The master told me to keep my head down and cause no trouble. Honest, I didn’t see anything.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I won’t need to tell you about the bars, grain merchants, mills, silk shops and grocers,” said Monkey. “But there are marvellous teahouses and noodle shops selling big sesame buns and steamed bread. You can buy terrific soup, rice, spices and vegetables in the restaurants. Then there are all the exotic cakes, yogurts, snacks, rolls, fries, and honey sweets. Any number of goodies. Shall I go out and buy you some?”\n\nThis description had the idiot drooling; the saliva gurgled in his throat. “Brother,” he said, jumping to his feet, “I’ll let you pay this time. Next time I’m in the money I’ll treat you.”\n\n“Friar Sand,” said Monkey, hiding his amusement, “cook the rice while I go out to buy some other ingredients.”\n\nRealizing that Monkey was only fooling the idiot, Friar Sand agreed. “Off you go,” he said. “Buy plenty and have a good feed.” Grabbing a bowl and a dish the idiot went out with Monkey.\n\n“Where are you reverend gentlemen going?” two officials asked him.\n\n“To buy some groceries,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“To buy some groceries,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Go West along this street, turn at the drum tower, and you’ll be at Zheng’s grocery,” they said. “You can buy as much oil, salt, soya sauce, vinegar, ginger, pepper and tea as you like there: they’ve got them all.”\n\nThe two of them headed West along the road hand in hand. Monkey went past several teahouses and restaurants but did not buy any of the things on sale or eat any of the food. “Brother,” called Pig, “why don’t we make do with what we can buy here?” This was the last thing that Monkey, who had only been fooling him, intended to do.\n\n“My dear brother,” he said, “you don’t know how to get a good bargain. If we go a little further you can choose bigger ones.” As the two of them were talking a lot of people followed jostling behind them. Before long they reached the drum tower, where a huge and noisy crowd was pushing and shoving and filling the whole road."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m not going any further, brother,” said Pig when he saw this. “From the way they’re shouting they sound as though they’re out to catch monks. And we’re suspicious-looking strangers. What’ll we do if they arrest us?”\n\n“Stop talking such nonsense,” said Monkey. “We monks haven’t broken the law, so monk-catchers would have no reason to arrest us. Let’s carry on and buy the ingredients we need at Zheng’s.”\n\n“No,” said Pig, “never. I’m not going to ask for trouble. If I try to squeeze through that crowd and my ears get pulled out to their full length they’ll collapse with fright. Several of them might get trampled to death, and it would cost me my life.”\n\n“Very well then,” said Monkey. “You stand at the foot of this wall while I go and buy the things. I’ll bring you back some wheaten cakes.” The idiot handed the bowl and dish to Monkey then stood with his back to the crowd and his snout against the foot of the wall. He would not have moved for anything in the world."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey reached the drum tower he found that the crowds really were very dense. As he squeezed his way through them he heard people saying that a royal proclamation had been posted at the tower: this was what all the people were struggling to see. Monkey pushed forward till he was close to it, then opened wide his fiery eyes with golden pupils to read it carefully. This is what was written: We, the King of Purpuria in the Western Continent of Cattle-gift, from the beginning of our reign gave peace to the four quarters and tranquillity to the people. Recently the state’s misfortunes have confined us to our bed with a chronic illness that has continued for a very long time. Recovery has proved impossible, and the many excellent prescriptions of our country’s Royal College of Medicine have not yet effected a cure. We hereby issue an invitation to all experts in medicine and pharmacy among the wise men of the world, whether from the North or the East, from China or from foreign countries, to ascend to the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "China or from foreign countries, to ascend to the throne hall and heal our sickness, in the event of a recovery we will give half our kingdom. This is no empty promise. All those who can offer cures should come to this notice."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey had read this he exclaimed with delight, “As they used to say in the old days, ‘Make a move and your fortune’s one third made.’ I was wrong to stay put in the hostel. There’s no need to buy groceries, and fetching the scriptures can wait for a day while I go and have a bit of fun as a doctor.” The splendid Great Sage bent low, got rid of the bowl and dish, took a pinch of dust, threw it into the air, said the words of a spell and made himself invisible. He then went up to the notice, quietly took it down, and blew towards the Southeast with a magic breath.\n\nImmediately a whirlwind arose that scattered all the people there. Monkey then went straight back to where Pig was standing, his nose propped against the foot of the wall as if he were fast asleep. Brother Monkey folded the notice up, slipped it inside the lapel of Pig’s tunic without disturbing him, turned and went back to the hostel."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as the whirlwind started blowing all the people in the crowd at the foot of the drum tower covered their heads and shut their eyes, never imagining that when the wind fell the royal proclamation would have disappeared. They were horrorstruck. That morning twelve palace eunuchs and twelve guards officers had come out to post it, and now it had been blown away after less than six hours. In fear and trembling the people searched all around for it until a piece of paper was spotted sticking out of Pig’s lapel.\n\n“So you took the proclamation down, did you?” they asked, going up to him.\n\nLooking up with a start the idiot thrust his nose up at them, making the guards officers stagger about and collapse with terror. He turned to flee, only to be grabbed by several bold spirits who blocked his way.\n\n“You’ve taken down the royal proclamation inviting doctors, so you’re coming to the palace to cure His Majesty,” they said. “Where else d’you think you’re going?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m your son if I tore the poster down,” said Pig in panic. “I’d be your grandson if I could cure disease.”\n\n“What’s that sticking out of your tunic?” one of the officers asked.\n\nOnly then did the idiot look down and see that there really was a piece of paper there. Opening it he ground his teeth and swore, “That macaque is trying to get me killed!” He gave an angry roar and was just about to tear it up when they all stopped him.\n\n“You’re a dead man,” they said. “That’s a proclamation His Majesty issued today. How dare you tear it up? As you’ve put it in your tunic you’re no doubt a brilliant doctor. Come with us at once!”\n\n“You don’t understand,” shouted Pig. “It wasn’t me that took it down. It was my fellow disciple Sun Wukong. He sneaked it into my tunic then abandoned me. We’ll all have to go and find him to get to the bottom of this.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nonsense,” they said. “We’ve got a bell here—we’re not going off to play one that’s still being cast. You can say what you like. Drag him off to see His Majesty.” Not bothering to get to the truth of the matter they pushed and pulled the idiot, who stood his ground as firmly as if he had taken root there. Over ten of them tried to move him without any success. “You’ve got no respect,” said Pig. “If you go on pulling at me and make me lose my temper I’ll go berserk, and don’t blame me then.”\n\nIt had not taken long for this commotion to stir up the whole neighbourhood, and Pig was now surrounded. Two elderly palace eunuchs in the crowd said, “You look very odd and you sound wrong too. Where are you from, you ruffian?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’re pilgrims sent from the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” Pig replied. “My master is the younger brother of the Tang emperor and a Master of the Law. He’s just gone to the palace to hand his passport over for inspection. I came here with my brother disciple to buy some groceries, but there were so many people by the tower that I was scared to go any further. He told me to wait here. When he saw the proclamation he made a whirlwind, took it down, sneaked it into my tunic and went away.”\n\n“We did see a monk with a plump white face going in through the palace gates,” one of the eunuchs said. “Perhaps that was your master.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Pig.\n\n“Where did your fellow disciple go?” the eunuch asked.\n\n“There are four of us altogether,” said Pig. “When the master went to present his passport the other three of us stayed with our luggage and our horse in the Hostel of Meeting. My brother’s played a trick on me and gone back there ahead of me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Let go of him, officers,” the eunuch said. “We’ll all go to the hostel together and find out what’s really happening.”\n\n“You two ladies are very sensible,” said Pig.\n\n“Monk, you don’t know about anything,” said the officers. “How can you address gentlemen as ladies?”\n\n“You’re shameless,” laughed Pig. “You’ve made them change sex. Fancy calling these two old females gentlemen instead of women or ladies!”\n\n“That’s enough of your insolence,” they all said. “Find your fellow disciple at once.”\n\nThe noisy crowd in the street, which was not to be numbered in mere hundreds, carried him to the hostel gates. “Don’t come any further, gentlemen,” Pig said. “My brother won’t let you make a fool of him the way I do. He’s a ferocious and serious character. When you meet him you’ll have to bow deeply to him and call him ‘Lord Sun,’ then he’ll look after you. If you don’t he’ll turn nasty and this business will fail.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the eunuchs and officers replied, “If your brother really has the power to cure our king he’ll be given half the country and we will all bow to him.”\n\nThe idlers were still making a commotion outside the hostel gates as Pig led the eunuchs and officers straight inside, where Monkey could be heard laughing with pleasure as he told Friar Sand about how he had taken the proclamation down.\n\nPig went up to him, grabbed him and yelled, “Why won’t you act like a man? You said you’d buy me noodles, buns, and steamed bread to lure me out, but it was only an empty promise. Then you made a whirlwind, took down the royal proclamation, and sneakily put it in my tunic. You made a real idiot of me. What kind of brother are you?”\n\n“Idiot,” laughed Monkey, “you must have got lost and gone the wrong way. I couldn’t find you when I rushed back from buying the groceries the other side of the drum tower, so I came back ahead. Where did I tear any royal proclamations down?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The officials who were guarding it are here,” said Pig.\n\nBefore he had finished speaking the eunuchs and officers came up, bowed low and said, “Lord Sun, His Majesty is very fortunate today as Heaven has sent you down to us. We are sure that you will display your great skill and give him the benefit of your outstanding medical knowledge. If you cure our king you will receive half the country and half the state.” On hearing this Monkey composed his face, took the proclamation from Pig and said, “I suppose you are the officials who were guarding the notice.”\n\n“We slaves are eunuchs in the Bureau of Ritual,” said the eunuchs, kowtowing, “and these gentlemen are officers in the royal guard.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I did take the royal proclamation down,” Monkey said, “and I used my younger brother to bring you here. So your lord is ill. As the saying goes, ‘Don’t sell medicine carelessly, and don’t send for any old doctor when you’re ill.’ Tell your king to come here and ask me himself to help him. I can get rid of his illness at a touch.” This shocked all the eunuchs.\n\n“That is very big talk, so you must be a man of great breadth of spirit,” the officers said. “Half of us will remain here to press the invitation in silence while the other half go back to the palace to report.”\n\nFour of the eunuchs and six of the guards officers went straight into the palace without waiting to be summoned and said at the steps of the throne room, “Congratulations, Your Majesty.”\n\nWhen the king, who was in the middle of a cultivated conversation with Sanzang after their meal together, heard this he asked, “What on?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When we, your slaves, took out Your Majesty’s proclamation sending for doctors this morning and posted it at the foot of the drum tower, a holy monk from Great Tang in the East took it down,” they replied. “He is now in the Hostel of Meeting and wants Your Majesty to go in person to ask his help. He can get rid of illness at a touch. That is why we have come to submit this report.”\n\nThis news delighted the king. “How many distinguished disciples do you have, Master of the Law?” he asked.\n\nPutting his hands together in front of his chest Sanzang replied, “I have three stupid followers.”\n\n“Which of them is a medical expert?” the king asked.\n\n“To be frank with Your Majesty,” Sanzang replied, “they are all country bumpkins fit only for carrying baggage, leading the horse, finding their way along streams, or leading me over mountains and rivers. In dangerous places they can defeat monsters, capture demons, and subdue tigers and dragons. None of them knows anything about medicines.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Aren’t you being too hard on them?” the king asked. “It was very fortunate that you came to court when we entered the throne hall this morning: this was surely destined by Heaven. If your disciple knows nothing about medicine why would he have taken down our proclamation and demanded that we go to greet him in person? He must surely be a great physician.”\n\nHe then called, “Civilian and military officers, we are much too weak to ride in our carriage. You must all leave the palace and go on our behalf to invite the Venerable Sun to treat our disease. When you meet him you must on no account show him any disrespect. You must address him as ‘Holy monk, Venerable Sun’ and treat him with the deference due to your own sovereign.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having received these orders the officials went straight to the Hostel of Meeting with the eunuchs and guards officers responsible for the proclamation. There they arranged themselves in their companies to kowtow to Monkey. Pig was so frightened that he hid in the wing, while Friar Sand slipped behind the wall. Just look at the Great Sage sitting solemnly and unmoving in the middle of the room.\n\n“That macaque is really asking to have his head cut off,” Pig thought resentfully. “All those officials bowing to him, and he’s not bowing back or standing up either.”\n\nSoon afterwards, when the rituals had been performed, the officials addressed Monkey as if he were their monarch: “We report to the holy monk, the Venerable Sun, that we officials of the Kingdom of Purpuria have come at the command of our king to do respectful homage to the holy monk and invite him to the palace to treat our sick king.”\n\nOnly then did Brother Monkey stand up and reply, “Why hasn’t your king come?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“His Majesty is too weak to ride in his carriage,” the officials all replied, “which is why he ordered us to pay homage to you, holy monk, as if you were our sovereign, kowtow to you and invite you to come.”\n\n“In that case,” said Monkey, “will you gentlemen please lead the way. I’ll follow you.” The officials then formed themselves into a column in accordance with their ranks and set out. Monkey tidied his clothes and got to his feet.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “whatever you do, don’t drag us in.”\n\n“I won’t,” Monkey replied, “provided you two accept the medicine for me.”\n\n“What medicine?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“You must accept all the medicine people send me,” Monkey replied. “I’ll collect it when I come back.” The two of them undertook this commission."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was soon at the palace with the officials, who went in first to inform the king. He raised high the curtains of pearls, flashed his dragon and phoenix eyes, opened his golden mouth and spoke majestically, “Which gentleman is the holy monk, the Venerable Sun?”\n\nTaking a step forward, Monkey shouted at the top of his voice, “I am.”\n\nThe voice was so ugly and the face so hideous that the king fell back on his dragon throne. In their alarm the female officials and the palace eunuchs helped him to the inner quarters.\n\n“He’s terrified His Majesty to death,” they said.\n\n“Monk,” all the officials said angrily to Monkey, “how could you be so rough and crude? Why did you dare take the proclamation down?”\n\nWhen Brother Monkey heard this he replied with a smile, “You shouldn’t be angry with me. If you’re going to be so rude to me your king won’t get better in a thousand years.”\n\n“But how long does human life last?” the officials asked. “How is it that he won’t get better even in a thousand years?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s a sick ruler now,” said Monkey. “When he dies he’ll be a sick ghost, and whenever he’s reincarnated he’ll be a sick man again. That’s why he won’t get better even in a thousand years.”\n\n“You’ve got no sense of respect at all,” the infuriated officials replied. “How dare you talk such nonsense!”\n\n“It’s not nonsense,” Monkey laughed. “Listen and I’ll explain:\n\n“Mysterious indeed are the principles of medicine;\n\nFlexibility of mind is a quality required.\n\nUse eyes and ears, ask questions, take the pulses:\n\nOmit but one and the examination’s incomplete.\n\nFirst look for outward signs of the patient’s vital energy.\n\nDried? Smooth? Fat? Thin? Active? Does he sleep well?\n\nSecondly, listen to whether the voice is clear or harsh:\n\nDetermine if the words he speaks are true or crazed.\n\nThird, you must ask how long the disease has lasted,\n\nAnd how the patient eats, drinks and relieves himself.\n\nFourth, feel the pulses and be clear about the veins:\n\nAre they deep, shallow, external or inside?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Are they deep, shallow, external or inside?\n\nShould I not look and listen, ask questions, and take the pulses,\n\nNever in all his days will the king be well again.”\n\nIn the ranks of the civil and military officials there were some fellows of the Royal College of Medicine who when they heard these words praised Monkey publicly: “The monk is right. Even a god or an immortal would have to look, listen, ask questions and take the pulses before treating a patient successfully with his divine gifts.”\n\nAll the officials agreed with these remarks, then went up to the king and submitted: “The reverend gentleman wishes to look, listen, ask questions and take the pulses before he can prescribe properly.”\n\n“Send him away,” the king said over and over again as he lay on his dragon bed. “We cannot bear to see any strangers.”\n\nHis attendants then came out from the inner quarters and announced, “Monk, His Majesty commands that you go away. He cannot bear to see a stranger.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If he won’t see a stranger,” Monkey replied, “I know the art of taking the pulses with hanging threads.”\n\n“That is something of which we have only heard,” exclaimed all the officials, concealing their delight, “but that we have never seen with our own eyes. Please go back in and submit another report.”\n\nThe personal attendants then went back into the inner quarters and reported, “Your Majesty, the Venerable Sun can take your pulses with hanging threads: he does not need to see Your Majesty’s face.”\n\nAt this the king reflected, “In the three years we have been ill we have never tried this technique. Send him in.”\n\nAt once the courtiers in attendance announced, “His Majesty has consented to pulse-taking by the hanging threads. Send the Venerable Sun to the inner quarters at once to make his diagnosis.”\n\nMonkey then entered the throne hall, where the Tang Priest met him with abuse: “Wretched ape! You will be the death of me!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My good master,” Monkey replied with a smile, “I’m bringing you credit. How can you say I’ll be the death of you?”\n\n“In all the years you’ve been with me,” Sanzang shouted, “I have never seen you cure a single person. You know nothing about the nature of drugs, and you have never studied medical books. How can you be so reckless and bring this disaster on us?”\n\n“You don’t realize, Master,” said Monkey with a smile, “that I do know the odd herbal remedy and can treat serious illnesses. I guarantee I can cure him. Even if the treatment kills him I’ll only be guilty of manslaughter through medical incompetence. That’s not a capital offence. What are you afraid of? There’s nothing to worry\n\nabout, nothing. You sit here and see what my pulse diagnosis is like.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How can you talk all this rubbish,” Sanzang asked, “when you have never read the Plain Questions, the Classic of Difficulties, the Pharmacopoeia and the Mysteries of the Pulses, or studied the commentaries to them? How could you possibly diagnose his pulses by hanging threads?”\n\n“I’ve got golden threads on me that you’ve never seen,” Monkey replied, putting out his hand to pull three hairs from his tail, hold them in a bunch, call, “Change!” and turn them into three golden threads each twenty-four feet long to match the twenty-four periods of the solar year. Holding these in his hand he said to the Tang Priest, “These are golden threads, aren’t they?”\n\n“Stop talking, reverend gentleman,” said the eunuchs in attendance on the king. “Please come inside and make your diagnosis.” Taking his leave of the Tang Priest Monkey followed the attendants into the inner quarters to see his patient. Indeed:\n\nThe heart has a secret prescription that will save a country;\n\nThe hidden and wonderful spell gives eternal life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you do not know what illness was diagnosed or what medicines were used and wish to learn the truth listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Sixty-Nine\n\nThe Heart’s Master Prepares Medicine in the Night\n\nThe Monarch Discusses a Demon at the Banquet\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage Sun went with the eunuchs in attendance on the king to the inner quarters of the palace and stood outside the doors of the royal bed-chamber. Handing the three golden threads to the eunuchs to take inside he gave them these instructions: “Tell the queens and consorts of the inner palace or the eunuchs in personal attendance to fasten these threads to His Majesty’s left wrist at the inch, the bar and the cubit, then pass them out of the window to me.” The eunuchs did as he said, asking the king to sit on his dragon bed while they fastened one end of the golden threads to the inch, the bar and the cubit and passed the other ends outside."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey took these ends and first held the end of one between the thumb and the forefinger of his right hand and felt the pulse at the inch point. He held the next against his middle finger and felt the pulse at the bar, and then pressed his thumb against his third finger and felt the cubit pulse. Next he regulated his own breathing to examine the four functions, the five depressions, the seven exterior and eight interior symptoms, the nine tempers, the deep pulses within the floating ones and the floating ones within the deep ones. He thus determined the insufficiencies and excesses of the functioning of organs, then told the eunuchs to take the threads off the king’s left wrist and fasten them to the same points on the right wrist. He felt the threads one by one with the fingers of his left hand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a shake he put the golden threads back on his body and shouted at the top of his voice, “Your Majesty, the inch pulse on your left wrist is strong and tense, the bar pulse is sluggish and tardy, and the cubit is hollow and deep. On your right wrist the inch is floating and slippery, the bar is slow and knotted, and the cubit is frequent and firm. The left inch being strong and tense means that you have an internal emptiness and pains in the heart. The left bar being sluggish and tardy shows that you sweat and that your muscles feel numb. The hollowness and depth of the cubit suggest red urine and bloody stools. The floating, slippery inch pulse on the right wrist shows internal accumulations and blocked channels. The bar being slow and knotted is from indigestion and retained drinking. The frequency and wiriness of the cubit shows a chronic opposition of irritable fullness and empty coldness. My diagnosis of Your Majesty’s ailment is that you are suffering from alarm and worry. The condition is the one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "from alarm and worry. The condition is the one known as the ‘pair of birds parted.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the king heard this inside his chamber he was so delighted that his spirits revived and he shouted in reply, “You have understood my illness through your fingers. That is indeed my trouble. Please go out and fetch some medicine.”\n\nMonkey walked slowly out of the inner palace, by when the eunuchs watching him had already given the news to everyone. When Monkey emerged a moment later the Tang Priest asked him how it had gone. “I made a diagnosis from his pulses,” Monkey said. “I now have to prepare the medicine for his condition.”\n\nAll the officials then came forward to ask, “Holy monk, reverend sir, what is the ‘pair of birds parted’ condition of which you spoke just now?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s when a cock bird and a hen who were flying together are suddenly separated by a violent storm,” replied Monkey with a smile. “The hen misses the cock and the cock misses the hen. Isn’t that ‘a pair of birds parted?’” At this the officials all cried out over and over again in admiration. “He really is a holy monk! He really is a divine doctor!”\n\n“You have diagnosed the condition,” said one of the fellows of the Royal College of Medicine, “but what drugs will you use to treat it?”\n\n“There’s no need to stick to prescriptions,” said Monkey. “I’ll choose the drugs when I see them.”\n\n“According to the medical classic, “There are 808 varieties of medicine and 404 varieties of sickness,’” said the fellows of the Royal College of Medicine. “How can it be right to use all the medicines when one person does not have all the ailments? You can’t just choose your drugs on sight.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this Monkey replied, “The ancients said, ‘In preparing medicines do not stick rigidly to the formulae; use them as appropriate.’ That’s why I’ve asked for the full range of pharmaceutical materials so that I can make adjustments as I need to.”\n\nThe fellows of the Royal College could say no more to this, but went out through the palace gates and sent those of the college’s staff who were on duty to tell all the pharmacies in the city, whether selling raw materials or prepared drugs, to send three pounds of each to Monkey.\n\n“This is no place for preparing medicine,” said Monkey. “All the medicines and a set of pharmacist’s utensils must be sent to the Hostel of Meeting and handed over to my two fellow disciples.” The fellows did as they were told. Three pounds of each of the 808 ingredients of medicine together with pharmacist’s rollers, hand-mills, sieves, mortars, bowls, pestles and the like were all sent to the hostel, handed over and received."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey went back into the throne hall and asked his master to return to the hostel with him while he prepared the medicine. Sanzang was just getting up to go when the king sent a command from the inner quarters that the Master of the Law was to stay behind and spend the night in the Hall of Literary Splendor; the next morning, after taking the medicine and recovering from his illness, the king would reward them, inspect the passport and send them on their way. Sanzang was horrified.\n\n“Disciple,” he said, “he means to keep me here as a hostage. If he is cured he will be happy to send us on our way, but if the treatment fails my life is over. You must be very careful and pay full attention when preparing the medicine.”\n\n“Don’t worry, Master,” Monkey said with a smile, “Enjoy yourself here. I’m a superb doctor.”\n\nTaking his leave of Sanzang and of all the officials the splendid Great Sage went straight back to the hostel where Pig welcomed him with a grin. “Brother,” he said, “I know what you’re up to.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What?” Monkey asked.\n\n“If fetching the scriptures doesn’t come off you’ll be left without any capital to start up a business.” Pig replied. “Now you’ve seen how prosperous this place is you’re planning to open a chemist’s shop here.”\n\n“Don’t talk nonsense,” shouted Monkey. “When I’ve cured the king I’ll use my success to leave the court and be on our way. I’m not going to be running a chemist’s.”\n\n“Well,” said Pig, “if you’re not opening a shop, why get three pounds of each of 808 different ingredients to treat one man? How much of it will you need? How many years will it take for him to finish the lot?”\n\n“He’ll never finish that much,” Monkey replied. “The fellows of their Royal College of Medicine are a load of idiots. The only reason why I sent for so many ingredients was to baffle them and stop them knowing which ones I’m going to use. Then they won’t be able to find out what my miraculous prescription is.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were talking two of the hostel staff came in and fell to their knees before them to say, “We beg the holy monks and reverend gentlemen to partake of their evening repast.”\n\n“This morning you treated us rather differently,” said Monkey, “so why go on your knees to invite us now?”\n\n“When you first came, my lords,” the hostel orderlies replied, “we were too blind to recognize your illustrious faces. Now we have heard how you are using your outstanding medical powers to treat our king. If His Majesty recovers his health he will share the kingdom with you, so we’ll all be your subjects. So it’s only proper for us to kowtow to you and to invite you politely to eat.” On hearing this Monkey cheerfully took the place of honour while Pig and Friar Sand sat to his left and right.\n\nAs the vegetarian meal was served Friar Sand asked, “Where’s our master, brother?”\n\n“The king’s kept him as a hostage,” Monkey replied. “When the king’s cured he’ll regard us and send us on our way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Is he being well looked after?” Friar Sand continued.\n\n“His host’s a king,” Monkey replied, “so of course he’s in luxury. When I went there he had three senior ministers looking after him and he was invited into the Hall of Literary Splendor.”\n\n“In that case,” said Pig, “the master’s still doing much better than us. He’s got ministers looking after him, and we’ve only got a couple of hostel orderlies to serve us. So I’m going to forget about him and eat a good meal.”\n\nThus the three of them enjoyed their meal at ease.\n\nIt was now late. “Tidy the dishes away,” Monkey said to the hostel orderlies, “and fetch me plenty of oil and candles. The best time for us to make up the medicine will be in the quiet of the night.”\n\nThe orderlies brought oil and candles as instructed and were then dismissed. In the still silence of the middle of the night Pig asked, “Brother, what, medicines are we going to make? Let’s get on with it. I need my shut-eye.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Get an ounce of rhubarb and grind it to a fine powder with a roller,” said Brother Monkey.\n\n“Rhubarb has a bitter taste and a cold nature and isn’t noxious,” said Friar Sand. “Its nature is deep, not superficial; it’s an active medicine, not a defensive one. It removes stagnations and clears obstructions, settles disorder, and brings about peace, and they call it ‘the general’. It’s a cathartic drug. But perhaps it’s wrong for someone in an empty, weakened state after a long illness.”\n\n“There’s something you don’t know, brother,” Monkey said. “This drug helps phlegm, makes the vital forces travel smoothly, and calms the heat and cold that become congested in the stomach. Just leave me alone and fetch me an ounce of croton seeds. Shell them, peel them, hammer the poisonous oil out of them, then grind them to a fine powder with a roller.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Croton seed is acrid, hot by nature and poisonous,” said Pig. “It cuts away hard accumulations, deals with submerged cold in the lungs and bowels, and clears obstructions. It smooths the way for water and grain. It’s a warrior for storming passes and gates. You must be very careful how you use it.”\n\n“Brother,” Monkey replied, “what you don’t understand is that this is a drug that destroys knots, opens the intestine and can cure swelling of the heart and dropsy. Hurry up and get it ready. And I’ll want an adjuvant to back it up.”\n\nThe two of them started work on grinding the two drugs to a fine powder. “You’ll need dozens more, brother,” they said, “so which’ll they be?”\n\n“That’s all,” Monkey replied.\n\n“But you’ve got three pounds of each of 808 different medicinal ingredients,” Pig said. “If all you’re going to use is two ounces you’ve been making a fool of these people.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then produced a patterned porcelain dish and said, “Stop talking, brothers. Take this dish and fill it half full with soot scraped from a cooking pot.”\n\n“Whatever for?” Pig asked.\n\n“I need it for the medicine,” Monkey replied. “I never heard of soot from a cooking pot being used in medicine,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“It’s called ‘frost on the flowers,’” said Monkey, “and it helps treat all kinds of illness. Didn’t you know that?” The idiot then scraped off half a dishful and ground it up to a fine powder.\n\nMonkey then handed him another dish and said, “Now fetch me half a dishful of our horse’s piss.”\n\n“What for?” Pig asked.\n\n“To make the medicine up into pills with.” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said Friar Sand with a smile, “this is no joking matter. Horse piss stinks. You can’t use it in medicine. I’ve only seen vinegar paste, old rice paste, refined honey and clean water used for making pills. Who ever heard of horse piss used to make pills? It’s got a terrible stink. Anyone with a weak spleen would throw up at the first sniff. If he goes on and takes the rhubarb and croton seeds he’ll be vomiting at one end and having the runs at the other. That’ll be no joke.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t know the inside story,” said Monkey. “That horse of ours is no ordinary horse. He used to be a dragon in the Western Ocean. If he’ll give us some of his piss it’ll cure any illness you could have. My only worry is that he might refuse.” When Pig heard this he went and stood beside the horse, who was lying down asleep. The idiot kicked the horse till he got to his feet then pressed himself against the horse’s stomach for a very long time but without seeing any sign of piss. He ran back to Monkey to say, “Brother, never mind about treating the king. Hurry up and cure the horse. He’s done for: he’s dried right up. There’s no way we’re going to get a drop of piss out of him.”\n\n“I’ll go with you,” smiled Monkey.\n\n“I’ll come and have a look too,” said Friar Sand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the three of them reached the horse he started to jump about and shout in human language at the top of his voice, “How can you be so ignorant, brother? I used to be a flying dragon in the Western Ocean. The Bodhisattva Guanyin saved me after I’d offended against the Heavenly Code. She sawed off my horns, removed my scales and turned me into a horse to carry the master to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. This way I’ll be able to redeem my crimes. If I pissed into any river I was crossing the fish in the water would drink it and turn into dragons. The grass on any mountain we were going over that got a taste of it would become magic fungus for immortal boys to gather and give themselves eternal life. So of course I can’t casually drop it in a vulgar, worldly place like this.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Watch your words, brother,” said Monkey. “This is the city of a Western king, not some vulgar, worldly place. You wouldn’t be casually dropping it here. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. We’ve got to cure the king. When we do we’ll all be covered in glory. If we fail I’m afraid we won’t be able to leave this country with any credit.”\n\n“Wait a moment,” the horse finally said. Look at him as he springs forward then squats back on his haunches, grinds his teeth noisily and only with the greatest strain manages to squeeze out a few drops before standing up again.\n\n“What a deadbeat,” said Pig. “You could give us a few more even if they were drops of gold.”\n\nSeeing that the dish was now about a third full Monkey said, “That’ll do, that’ll do. Take it away.” Only then did Friar Sand feel cheerful."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three of them then returned to the main hall, mixed the piss with the ingredients that had already been prepared, and rolled the mixture into three large round balls. “They’re too big, brothers,” said Monkey.\n\n“They’re only walnut-sized,” Pig replied. “That wouldn’t be enough for a single mouthful if I were taking them.” The three disciples then put the pills into a large box and went to bed fully dressed.\n\nIt was soon dawn, and despite his sickness the king held court, asking the Tang Priest to come to see him and sending all his officials straight to the Hostel of Meeting to pay their respects to the holy monk, the Venerable\n\nSun, and fetch the medicine.\n\nWhen the officials reached the hostel they prostrated themselves before Brother Monkey with the words, “His Majesty has sent us to pay our respects and fetch the miraculous medicine.” Monkey told Pig to fetch the box, which he opened and handed to the officials."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What is this medicine called?” they asked. “We would like to be able to inform His Majesty when we see him.”\n\n“It’s called Black Gold Elixir,” Monkey replied, at which Pig and Friar Sand had to hide their grins as they thought, “of course they’re black gold—they were made with soot scraped off cooking pots.”\n\n“What should be taken with the pills to guide them on their way?” the officials asked.\n\n“There are two kinds of guide that can be taken with them,” Monkey replied. “One’s easily got hold of. That is a decoction of six ingredients to be taken as a hot potion.”\n\n“What six ingredients?” the officials asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What six ingredients?” the officials asked.\n\n“A fart from a flying crow,” Monkey replied, “piss from a carp in a fast-flowing stream, some of the face-powder used by the Queen Mother of the West, soot from elixir refined in Lord Lao’s furnace, three pieces of a worn-out head cloth of the Jade Emperor’s, and five whiskers from a trapped dragon’s beard. A decoction of those six ingredients taken with the pills would clear up your king’s illness straight away.”\n\nWhen the officials heard this they replied, “Those are things that are not to be found in this world, so please tell us what the other guide is.”\n\n“The pills should be taken with rootless water,” said Monkey.\n\n“That’s very easily got hold of,” smiled the officials.\n\n“How can you be so sure?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How can you be so sure?” Monkey asked.\n\n“We have a saying here,” the officials replied, “that if you need rootless water you take a bowl or a dish to a well or a stream, fill it with water, and hurry back with it. Don’t spill a drop, don’t look behind you, and give it to the patient to take with the medicine.”\n\n“But well water and stream water both have roots,” Monkey said. “The rootless water I’m talking about has to fall from the sky and be drunk before it touches the ground. Only then can it be called rootless.”\n\n“That’s easily got too,” the officials said. “The medicine shouldn’t be taken till the next cloudy, wet day.”\n\nThe officials then kowtowed to thank Monkey and took the medicine back with them to present to the king, who delightedly ordered his attendants to bring it to him.\n\n“What are these pills?” he asked when he saw them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The holy monk says they are Black Gold Elixir and have to be taken with rootless water,” the officials replied. The king then sent some of his palace women to fetch rootless water.\n\n“The holy monk says that rootless water can’t be got from wells or streams,” the officials said. “It has to be water that has come down from the sky and not yet touched the ground.” The king then ordered his aides to issue a decree inviting magicians to summon rain. The officials then issued a proclamation as the king had ordered.\n\nBack in the hall of the Hostel of Meeting Brother Monkey said to Pig, “He must be given some rain now so he can take his medicine. This is very urgent. How are we going to get some? I reckon he’s a very virtuous and worthy king, so why don’t we help him get a little rainwater to take his medicine with?”\n\n“But how are we going to help him get some rootless water?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stand on my left and be my Sustainer Star,” Monkey said to him, then told Friar Sand, “stand on my right as my Straightener Star while I help him to get some rootless water.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage then paced out a magic pattern and said the words of a spell. Soon a dark cloud appeared to their East that came closer till it was over their heads. “Great Sage,” called a voice from it, “Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, is here to call on you.”\n\n“I wouldn’t have troubled you if it hadn’t been important,” Monkey said. “Could I ask you to help by giving the king here some rootless water to take his medicine with?”\n\n“When you summoned me, Great Sage,” the dragon king replied, “you said nothing about water. I have only come by myself. I haven’t brought any rain-making equipment, to say nothing of wind, clouds, thunder and lightning. So how can I make it rain?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’ll be no call for wind, clouds, thunder or lightning this time,” Monkey said, “and we don’t need much rain either. We just need enough water for someone to take his medicine with.”\n\n“In that case I’ll do a couple of sneezes and spit out some saliva,” the dragon king said. “That ought to be enough for him to take his medicine.”\n\n“Terrific,” said Monkey, delighted. “Don’t waste a moment. Do it as soon as you can.”\n\nThe ancient old dragon gradually brought his dark cloud down till it was just over the palace, though he kept himself entirely concealed. He spat out a mouthful of saliva that turned into timely rain, whereupon all the officials at court exclaimed, “Ten million congratulations, Your Majesty. Heaven is sending down timely rain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king then ordered, “Take vessels out to hold the rain. All officials, whether inside or outside the palace and irrespective of their rank, must gather this sacred water to save our life.” Just watch as all the civil and military officials as well as the consorts, concubines, three thousand beauties, and eight hundred charming ladies-in-waiting of the three harems and the six compounds of the inner palace all stood there holding cups, dishes, bowls and plates to catch the timely rain. Up in the sky the ancient dragon so controlled his saliva that all of it fell within the palace. After about two hours the dragon king took his leave of the Great Sage and went back to the sea. When the officials gathered all the cups, dishes, bowls and plates together they found that some had caught one or two drops of water, some three to five, and some none at all. When it was all put together there were a little over three dishes full of it, and this was all presented to the king. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The throne hall was filled with exquisite fragrance;\n\nFine scents were wafting round the Son of Heaven’s court.\n\nThe king then dismissed the Master of the Law and had the Black Gold Elixir and the timely rain carried into the inner quarters, where he took the first pill with the first dish of timely rain, then the second pill with the second dish. In three efforts he finished all three pills and all three dishfuls. Soon afterwards there was a noise from his stomach like the endless turning of a windlass. He sent for his chamber pot and evacuated four or five times before taking some rice porridge and collapsing on his dragon bed. When two of his consorts inspected the chamber pot they saw it contained huge amounts of feces and mucus, and amid it all a ball of glutinous rice."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The root of the disorder has come out,” the consorts reported, going over to the royal bed. The king was very pleased to hear this and ate some rice. A little later his chest felt eased and his natural forces and blood were in harmonious balance once more. He was full of vigor and the strength came back to his legs, so he rose from his bed, dressed in his court clothes and went into the throne hall, where he greeted the Tang Priest by prostrating himself. The venerable elder returned this courtesy as quickly as he could."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When this had been done the king helped Sanzang to his feet with his own hands and told his courtiers, “Write a note at once sending our personal and respectful greetings and have an official go to invite the three illustrious disciples of the Master of the Law to come here. Meanwhile the Eastern hall of the palace is to be opened up and the department of foreign relations is to arrange a banquet of thanksgiving.” Having been given these commands the officials carried them out. The scribes wrote out the note and the caterers prepared the meal. A state is indeed strong enough to overturn a mountain, and everything was done in an instant.\n\nWhen Pig saw the officials come to deliver the note he was beside himself with delight. “Brother,” he said, “it really must be miracle medicine. From the way they’re coming to thank you you must have pulled it off.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve got it all wrong, brother,” said Friar Sand. “As the saying goes, ‘One man’s good fortune affects his whole household.’ We two made up the pills, so we take a share of the credit. So just enjoy yourself and stop talking.” Hey! Just look at the three brothers as they all happily go straight to the palace, where all the officials received them and led them to the Eastern hall.\n\nHere they saw the Tang Priest with the king and his ministers and the banquet all set out ready. Brother Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand all chanted a “na-a-aw” of respect to their master, after which the officials all came in. In the best place there were set out four tables of vegetarian food. It was the sort of banquet at which there are ten times as many dishes as you can eat. In front of these tables was one of meat dishes, and on this too you could see ten dishes of rare delicacies while you ate one. To either side four or five hundred more single tables were most neatly set out.\n\nAs the ancients had it:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the ancients had it:\n\n“A hundred rare delicacies,\n\nA thousand goblets of fine wine,\n\nRich cream and yogurt,\n\nFat, red meat like brocade.”\n\nPrecious and many-coloured decorations,\n\nHeavy fragrances of fruit.\n\nHuge sugar dragons coil round sweet lions and immortals:\n\nIngots of cake draw furnaces escorted by phoenixes.\n\nFor meat there was pork and mutton, goose, chicken, duck and fish;\n\nFor vegetables, bamboo shoots, beansprouts, fungus and button mushrooms.\n\nDelicious noodles in soup,\n\nTranslucent creamy sweets,\n\nSucculent millet,\n\nFresh wild rice congee,\n\nPungent, tasty soup with rice noodles,\n\nDishes in which sweetness vied with beauty.\n\nMonarch and subjects raised their cups as the diners took their seats;\n\nOfficials seated by rank slowly passed the jugs.\n\nHolding a cup in his hand the king first seated the Tang Priest, who said, “As a monk I may not drink liquor.”\n\n“This is alcohol-free wine,” the king said. “Could you not drink one cup of this, Master of the Law?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But wine is the first prohibition for us monks,” said Sanzang. The king felt awkward.\n\n“If you may not drink, Master of the Law, how can I congratulate you?”\n\n“My three badly-behaved disciples will drink on my behalf,” Sanzang replied. The king then happily passed the golden goblet to Monkey, who took it, made a courteous gesture to the assembly, and downed a cupful. Seeing how cheerfully he downed it the king offered him another cup. Monkey did not decline it but drank again.\n\n“Have a third goblet,” said the king with a smile, and Monkey accepted and drank for a third time. The king then ordered that the cup be refilled and said, “Have another to make it four for the four seasons.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig, who was standing beside Monkey, had to put up with the saliva gurgling inside him as the wine would not come his way; and now that the king was pressing Monkey so hard to drink he started to shout, “Your Majesty, that medicine you took owes something to me. Those pills include horse—” When Monkey heard this he was terrified that the idiot was going to give the game away, so he handed Pig the cup. Pig took the cup, drank and stopped talking.\n\n“Holy monk,” said the king, “just now you said there was horse in the pills. What sort of horse?”\n\n“This brother of mine has a very loose tongue,” said Monkey, cutting in. “We’ve got a really good formula that has been tried and tested, and he wants to give it away. The pills Your Majesty took this morning included not horse but Aristolochia.”\n\n“What class of medicine is Aristolochia?” the king asked. “What conditions can it cure?”\n\nOne of the fellows of the Royal College of Medicine who was standing beside the king said, “Your Majesty,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Aristolochia is bitter, cold and free of poison,\n\nEnds shortness of breath and cures phlegm well,\n\nCirculates the energy, removes blood infections,\n\nFills emptiness, soothes coughs and eases the heart.\n\n“It was the right thing to use, the right thing to use,” the king said. “The Venerable Pig must have another cup.” The idiot said nothing more, but downed three goblets. The king then gave three cupfuls to Friar Sand, who drank them. Everyone then sat down.\n\nWhen they all had been feasting and drinking for a long time the king raised a large goblet once more and handed it to Monkey. “Please sit down, Your Majesty,” Monkey said. “I’ve been drinking hard in every round. I’d never refuse.”\n\n“Holy monk,” the king said, “we are under a profound debt of gratitude to you that we will never be able to repay. Please drain this great goblet: we have something to say to you.”\n\n“Say what you will first,” Monkey replied, “I’ll drink after.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We suffered from that melancholia for years on end,” the king said, “and one dose of your miraculous pills cured it.”\n\n“When I saw Your Majesty yesterday I realized you were suffering from melancholia,” Monkey said, “but I don’t know what’s getting you down.”\n\n“There’s an old saying that a family doesn’t talk about its dirt to strangers,” the king replied. “As you are our benefactor, holy monk, we shall tell you, but please don’t laugh.”\n\n“I’d never dare,” Monkey said. “Please speak freely.”\n\n“How many countries did you holy monks come through on your way here from the East?” the king asked.\n\n“Five or six,” Monkey replied.\n\n“What titles do the queens of the other kings have?” the king went on to ask.\n\n“They’re called the queens of the Main Palace, East Palace and West Palace,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We don’t use titles like that,” the king said. “We call the principal queen the Queen of the Sacred Golden Palace, the Eastern queen the Queen of the Sacred Jade Palace and the Western queen the Queen of the Sacred Silver Palace. But now only the Jade and Silver Queen are here.”\n\n“Why isn’t the Golden Queen in the palace?” Monkey asked.\n\n“She has been gone for three whole years,” the king replied in tears.\n\n“Where did she go?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“At the Dragon-boat Festival three years ago,” the king said, “we were in the Pomegranate Pavilion of the palace gardens with our queens and consorts, unwrapping rice dumplings, putting artemisia out, drinking calamus and realgar wine and watching the dragon boats race when all of a sudden there was a gust of wind. An evil spirit appeared in mid-air. He said he was the Evil Star Matcher who lives in the Horndog Cave on Mount Unicorn and was short of a wife. Seeing how beautiful and charming our Golden Queen is he wanted her for his wife and insisted we should hand her over at once. If we did not do so by the time he had asked three times he was going to eat us up first, then our officials and all the commoners living in the city. We were so concerned over the fate of our country and our people that there was no alternative: the Golden Queen had to be pushed outside the pavilion to be carried noisily off by the evil spirit. All this gave us such a fright that the rice dumpling we were eating turned solid"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the rice dumpling we were eating turned solid inside us. On top of that we have been unable to sleep for worrying, which is why we were ill for three years. Since taking you holy monks’ miraculous pills we have evacuated our bowels three times, and the accumulations from three years ago have all been passed. That is why our body now feels light and strong and our spirit is restored to what it was. Our life has today been given to us by you holy monks; this is a gift more weighty than Mount Tai.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Brother Monkey heard this he was very happy indeed and he downed the huge goblet of wine in two gulps. “Your Majesty,” he said with a smile to the king, “so that’s what caused your shock and your depression. Today you’ve been lucky: you met me and you were cured. But I don’t know whether you want the Golden Queen back in the palace.”\n\nTo this the king answered with tears, “We have been longing for her night and day, but nobody has ever been able to catch the evil spirit. Of course we want her back in our country.”\n\n“What if I go to deal with that evil creature for you?” said Monkey.\n\nThe king fell to his knees and replied, “If you can rescue our queen we will gladly take our three queens and nine consorts away from the capital and go to live as commoners, leaving the whole kingdom to be yours to reign over, holy monk.”\n\nWhen Pig, who was sitting beside them, heard all this being said and such great honors being done he could not help bursting into noisy laughter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This king’s got no sense of what’s proper,” he chortled. “Fancy giving up his kingdom and going on his knees to a monk for the sake of his old woman.”\n\nMonkey hurried forward to help the king back on his feet and ask, “Your Majesty, has the evil spirit been back since he got the Golden Queen?”\n\n“In the fifth month of the year before last,” the king said, “he carried off the Golden Queen. In the tenth month he came back to demand a couple of ladies in waiting to serve her, and we presented him with a couple. In the third month of last year he came to demand another couple, and two more in the seventh month. Then in the second month of this year it was a fourth pair. We do not know when he will be back again.”\n\n“If he comes that often you must be terrified of him,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Because he has come so frequently we are afraid of him and of his murderous intentions,” said the king. “In the fourth month last year we ordered the building of a demon shelter, so that whenever we hear the wind and know that he’s coming we can shelter there with our two queens and nine consorts.”\n\n“Would Your Majesty mind taking me to see the shelter?” Monkey asked, and the king led Monkey by his left hand from the table. All the officials rose to their feet.\n\n“Brother,” protested Pig, “you’re very unreasonable. Why leave this royal wine and break up the banquet to go looking at something?”\n\nHearing this and realizing that Pig was worried for his stomach the king told his attendants to have two tables of vegetarian food brought along so that Pig could go on being wined outside the demon shelter. Only then did the idiot stop making a fuss and join in with his master and Friar Sand saying, “Let’s break up the banquet.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As a column of civil and military officials led the way the king and Monkey went arm-in-arm through the living quarters of the palace to the back of the royal gardens, but there were no great buildings to be seen.\n\n“Where’s the demon shelter?” Monkey asked, and before the words were out of his mouth two eunuchs levered open a square flagstone with red lacquered crowbars.\n\n“Here it is,” said the king. “Twenty feet or more below us a large underground palace hall has been excavated. In it there are four great vats of purified oil in which lights burn night and day. When we hear the wind we take shelter here and the flagstone is put on again from outside.”\n\n“So the evil spirit doesn’t want to kill you,” said Monkey with a smile. “If he did this would give you no protection.” Just as he was speaking there came the roaring of a wind from due South that made the dust fly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In their alarm all the officials complained, “That monk has the mouth of an oracle. The moment he mentions the evil spirit it turns up.” The panic-stricken monarch abandoned Monkey and scuttled into his underground shelter. The Tang Priest went with him, and all the officials fled for cover.\n\nPig and Friar Sand wanted to hide too, but Monkey grabbed one of them with each hand and said, “Don’t be afraid, brothers. You and I are going to identify him and see what sort of evil spirit he is.”\n\n“Nonsense,” said Pig. “What do we want to identify him for? The officials have all hidden and the king’s shut himself away. Why don’t we clear off? What kind of hero are you trying to be?” But struggle though he might the idiot could not break free. When Monkey had been holding on to him for some time an evil spirit suddenly appeared in mid-air. Just see what it looked like:\n\nA loathsome great body nine feet tall,\n\nRound eyes flashing like lamps of gold.\n\nTwo huge ears sticking out as if they were round fans,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Four steel fangs like very long nails.\n\nRed hair curled at his temples; his brows were as flames;\n\nHis nose was a hanging trough; his nostrils flared.\n\nHis whiskers were strands of cinnabar thread,\n\nAnd jutting cheekbones shaped his green face.\n\nOn red-muscled arms were hands of indigo blue,\n\nAnd ten sharp claws grasped a spear.\n\nA leopardskin kilt was tied round his waist.\n\nBare feet and tangled hair completed his fiendish looks.\n\n“Friar Sand,” asked Monkey when he saw the evil spirit, “can you recognize him?”\n\n“I don’t know who he is,” Friar Sand replied. “I’ve never seen him before.”\n\n“Pig,” Monkey next asked, “do you know?”\n\n“I’ve never had a cup or a drink with him,” Pig replied. “He’s no friend or neighbour of mine. How could I know?”\n\n“He reminds me of the sallow-faced golden-eyed gate keeper ghost under the Equal of Heaven of the Eastern Peak.”\n\n“No he isn’t, no he isn’t,” said Pig.\n\n“How do you know he isn’t?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How do you know he isn’t?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Because ghosts are spirits of the dark and the underworld,” Pig replied. “They only come out at night, between five and midnight. It’s only ten in the morning, and no ghost would ever dare come out now. And even if it was a devil it’d never ride a cloud. Ghosts that stir up winds make whirlwinds, not gales. Perhaps he’s the Evil Star Matcher.”\n\n“You’re not such an idiot after all,” said Monkey. “That sounds sensible, so you two look after the master while I go to ask him his name. That’ll help me rescue the Golden Queen and bring her back to the palace for the king.”\n\n“Go if you must,” Pig replied, “but don’t tell him anything about us.” Monkey did not deign to answer, but leapt straight up on his magic light. Goodness!\n\nTo settle the nation he started by curing the king;\n\nTo preserve the Way love and hatred had to go."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To preserve the Way love and hatred had to go.\n\nIf you don’t know who won the battle that followed when Monkey rose up into the sky or how the evil monster was captured and the Golden Queen rescued listen to the explanation in the next chapter.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy\n\nThe Evil Monster’s Treasures Emit Smoke,\n\nSand and Fire Wukong Steals the Golden Bells by Trickery\n\nThe story tells how Brother Monkey summoned up his divine prestige and rose up into the air on his magic light, wielding his iron cudgel. “Where are you from, evil monster?” he asked, shouting in the evil spirit’s face. “And where are you going to wreak havoc?”\n\n“I’m the vanguard warrior under the Great King Evil Star Matcher from Horndog Cave on Mount Unicorn,” shouted the demon at the top of his voice, “that’s who I am. His Majesty has ordered me to fetch two ladies-in-waiting to serve Her Majesty the Golden Queen. Who are you and how dare you question me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven,” Monkey replied. “I was passing through this country while escorting the Tang Priest to worship the Buddha in the Western Heaven. Now I know that your gang of monsters was oppressing the king I’m going to use my heroic powers to bring the country back to order and wipe out this evil. And now you’ve come along to throw your life away just when I didn’t know where to find you.” When the monster heard this he foolishly thrust his spear at Monkey, who struck back at his face with the iron cudgel. They fought a splendid battle up in mid-air:\n\nThe cudgel was the sea-settler from the dragon’s palace;\n\nThe spear was of iron tempered by mankind.\n\nAn ordinary weapon was no match for that of an immortal;\n\nIn a few clashes its magic powers all drained away.\n\nThe Great Sage was an immortal of the Supreme Ultimate;\n\nThe spirit was only an evil monster.\n\nHow could a demon approach a True One?\n\nIn the face of truth the evil would be destroyed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One stirred up wind and dust to terrify a king;\n\nThe other trod on mist and cloud to blot out sun and moon.\n\nWhen they dropped their guard to try for victory\n\nNeither of them dared to show off.\n\nThe Heaven-equaling Great Sage was the abler fighter:\n\nWith a loud clash of his cudgel the spear was broken.\n\nWhen his spear was quickly broken in two by Monkey’s iron cudgel the evil spirit was in fear for his life, so he turned the wind right round and fled Westwards.\n\nInstead of chasing him Monkey brought his cloud down to the entrance of the underground demon shelter. “Master,” he called, “you and His Majesty can come out now. The monster’s run away.” Only then did the Tang Priest come out of the underground shelter, supporting the king. The sky was clear, and all traces of the evil spirit had disappeared.\n\nThe king went over to the table, filled a golden goblet from the wine bottle with his own hands, and presented it to Monkey with the words, “Holy monk, allow us to offer our provisional thanks.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey took the cup, but before he could reply an official came in from outside the Western gate of the palace to report, “The Western gate is on fire.”\n\nAs soon as he heard this Monkey threw the wine, cup and all, up into the air. The cup fell with a clang. This so alarmed the king that he bowed to Monkey with the words, “Forgive us, holy monk, forgive us. We have treated you shabbily. The proper thing would have been to ask you into the throne hall to bow to you in thanks. We only offered you the wine here because it was to hand. Did you not throw the goblet aside because you were offended, holy monk?”\n\n“Nothing of the sort,” laughed Monkey, “nothing of the sort.”\n\nA moment later another official came in to report, “There’s been a miraculous fall of rain. No sooner had the Western gate caught fire than a heavy rainstorm put it out. The streets are running with water and it all smells of wine.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty,” said Monkey with another smile, “you thought I’d taken offence when I tossed the cup aside, but you were wrong. When the evil spirit fled Westwards I didn’t go after him, so he started that fire. I just used the goblet to put out the demon’s fire and save the people outside the Western gate. It didn’t mean anything else.”\n\nThe king, even more delighted than before, treated Monkey with still greater respect. He invited Sanzang and his three disciples to enter the throne hall with him, clearly intending to abdicate in their favour."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty,” said Brother Monkey with a smile, “the demon who was here just now said he was a vanguard warrior under the Evil Star Matcher who’d come here to fetch palace girls. Now he’s gone back beaten he’s bound to report that damned monster, who’s certain to come here to fight me. I’m worried that if he comes here at the head of his hordes he’ll alarm the common people and terrify Your Majesty. I’d like to go out to meet him, capture him in mid-air and bring back your queen. But I don’t know the way. How far is it to his cave from here?”\n\n“We once sent some of the horsemen and infantry of our night scouts to find out what was happening,” the king replied. “The return journey took them over fifty days. It’s over a thousand miles away to the South.”\n\n“Pig, Friar Sand,” said Monkey on learning this, “stay on guard here. I’m off.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wait another day, holy monk,” said the king, grabbing hold of him. “Don’t go till we have had some dried provisions prepared for you. We’ll give you silver for the journey and a fast horse too.”\n\n“You’re talking as if I’d have to go slogging up mountains and over ridges, Your Majesty,” Monkey replied. “I tell you truthfully that I can do the return journey of a thousand miles each way before a cup of wine you’ve poured out has had time to get cold.”\n\n“Holy monk,” the king replied, “I hope you won’t take offence at our saying this, but your distinguished features are very much like those of an ape. How can you have such magical powers of travel?” To this Monkey replied:\n\n“Although my body is the body of an ape,\n\nWhen young I mastered the paths of life and death.\n\n1 visited all the great teachers who taught me their Way\n\nAnd trained myself by night and day beside the mountain.\n\nI took heaven as my roof and the earth as my furnace\n\nAnd used both kinds of drug to complete the sun and moon,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taking from positive and negative, joining fire and water,\n\nUntil suddenly I-was aware of the Mystic Pass.\n\n1 relied entirely on the Dipper for success in my movements,\n\nShifting my steps by relying on the handle of that constellation.\n\nWhen the time is right I lower or increase the heat,\n\nTaking out lead and adding mercury, watching them both.\n\nBy grouping the Five Elements transformations are made;\n\nThrough combining the Four Forms the seasons can be distinguished.\n\nThe two vital forces returned to the zodiac;\n\nThe three teachings met on the golden elixir road.\n\nWhen understanding of the laws came to the four limbs\n\nThe original somersault was given divine assistance.\n\nWith a single bound I could cross the Taihang mountains;\n\nAt one go I could fly across the Cloud-touching Ford.\n\nA thousand steep ridges are no bother to me,\n\nNor hundreds of rivers as great as the Yangtse.\n\nBecause my transformations are impossible to stop\n\nI can cover sixty thousand miles in a single leap."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was both alarmed and delighted to hear this. He presented a cup of royal wine to Monkey with a chuckle and the words, “Holy monk, you have a long and tiring journey ahead of you. Won’t you drink this wine to help you on your way?”\n\nAll the Great Sage had on his mind was going off to defeat the demon, he was not at all interested in drinking. “Put it down,” he said. “I’ll drink it when I come back.” No sooner had the splendid Monkey said this than he disappeared with a whoosh. We will not describe the amazement of the king and his subjects.\n\nInstead we tell how with a single leap Monkey was soon in sight of a tall mountain locked in mists. He brought his cloud down till he was standing on the summit. When he looked around he saw that it was a fine mountain:\n\nSoaring to the heavens, occupying the earth,\n\nBlocking out the sun and making clouds.\n\nWhere it soared to the heavens\n\nThe towering peak rose high;\n\nIn the earth it occupied\n\nIts ranges spread afar.\n\nWhat blocked the sun"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Its ranges spread afar.\n\nWhat blocked the sun\n\nWas the ridge dark with pines;\n\nWhere clouds were made\n\nWas among the boulders glistening underneath the scar.\n\nThe dark pines\n\nWere green throughout all seasons;\n\nThe glistening boulders\n\nWould never change in many a thousand years.\n\nApes could often be heard howling in the night,\n\nAnd evil pythons would often cross the deep ravines.\n\nOn the mountains birds sang sweetly\n\nWhile the wild beasts roared.\n\nMountain roebuck and deer\n\nMoved around in many a pair.\n\nMountain magpies and crows\n\nFlew in dense flocks.\n\nThere was no end of mountain flowers in sight,\n\nWhile mountain peaches and other fruit gleamed in season.\n\nSteep it was, and the going impossible,\n\nBut this was still a place where evil immortals could live in retirement."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage gazed with unbounded delight and was just about to look for the entrance to the cave when flames leapt out from a mountain hollow. In an instant the red fire blazed to the heavens, and from the flames there poured out evil smoke that was even more terrible than the fire. What splendid smoke! This is what could be seen:\n\nThe fire glared with a myriad golden lamps;\n\nThe flames leapt in a thousand crimson rainbows.\n\nThe smoke was not a stove chimney’s smoke,\n\nNor the smoke of grass or wood,\n\nBut smoke of many colours,\n\nBlue, red, white, black and yellow.\n\nIt blackened the columns outside the Southern Gate of Heaven,\n\nScorched the roofbeams in the Hall of Miraculous Mist.\n\nIt burned so hard that\n\nWild beasts in their dens were cooked through, skins and all,\n\nAnd the forest birds lost all their plumage.\n\nAt the mere sight of this appalling smoke he wondered\n\nHow the demon king could be captured in the mountain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just as the Great Sage was transfixed with terror a sandstorm burst out of the mountain. What magnificent sand! It blotted out the sun and the sky. Look:\n\nSwirling masses of it filled the sky,\n\nDark and turbid as it covered the earth.\n\nThe fine grains blinded the people everywhere,\n\nWhile bigger cinders filled the valleys like rolling sesame seeds.\n\nImmortal boys collecting herbs lost their companions;\n\nWoodmen gathering firewood could not find their way home.\n\nEven if you were holding a bright-shining pearl\n\nIt still would have blown too hard for you to see."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey had been so absorbed in enjoying the view that he did not notice the sand and cinders flying into his nose till it started tickling. Giving two great sneezes he stretched his hand out behind him, felt for two pebbles at the foot of a cliff and blocked his nostrils with them, then shook himself and turned into a fire-grabbing sparrowhawk that flew straight in among the flames and smoke, made a few swoops, and at once stopped the sand and cinders and put out the fires. He quickly turned back into himself, landed, and looked around again. This time he heard a banging and a clanging like a copper gong.\n\n“I’ve come the wrong way,” he said to himself. “This is no den of demons. The gong sounds like an official messenger’s gong. This must be the main road to some country, and that I must be an official messenger on his way to deliver some document. I’ll go and question him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As Monkey went along what looked like a young demon appeared. He was holding a yellow flag, carrying a document on his back and beating a gong as he hurried along so fast he was almost flying. “So this is the so-and-so who was beating that gong,” Monkey said. “I wonder what document he’s delivering. I’ll ask him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage shook himself and turned into a grasshopper that lightly flew over and alighted on his document bag. Here Monkey could hear the evil spirit talking garrulously to himself as he beat the gong. “Our king is thoroughly vicious. Three years ago he took the Golden Queen from the Kingdom of Purpuria, but fate’s been against him and he hasn’t been able to get his hands on her. The poor palace ladies he took had to suffer on her behalf. He killed two of them who came, then the next four. He demanded them the year before last, last year and earlier this year. When he sent for two more this time he found his match. The vanguard warrior who went to demand the palace ladies was beaten by someone called Sun the Novice or whatever. He didn’t get his palace girls. It made our king so angry he wants to wage a war on Purpuria. He’s sent me with this declaration of war. Their king will be all right if he doesn’t fight, but if he does fight it’ll be a disaster for him. When our king uses his fire, smoke"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "for him. When our king uses his fire, smoke and sandstorms their king, ministers and common people will all die. Then we’ll take over their city. Our king will be its monarch and we’ll be his subjects. But even though we’ll get official posts it goes against Heaven.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was very pleased to hear this. “So there are even some decent evil spirits,” he thought. “That last remark—‘it goes against Heaven’—was very good. I wonder what he meant when he said that fate has been against their king and he hasn’t been able to get his hands on the Golden Queen. Let me ask him some questions.” With a whining buzz he flew away from the evil spirit to a point some miles ahead of him on the road, shook himself and turned into a Taoist boy:\n\nHe wore his hair in two bunches\n\nAnd a robe of a hundred patches.\n\nHe beat on a fisherman’s drum\n\nAs he sang some Taoist snatches.\n\nAs Monkey came round the slope towards the little devil he raised his hands in greeting and said, “Where are you going, sir? What official document is that you’re delivering?”\n\nThe devil seemed to recognize him as he stopped beating his gong, returned his greeting and said with a titter, “Our king’s sent me to Purpuria with a declaration of war.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Has that woman from Purpuria slept with the king yet?” Monkey asked, pressing on with his questioning.\n\n“When he brought her here the other year,” the little devil replied, “an immortal gave the Golden Queen a magic robe as her wedding dress. As soon as she put it on she was covered from head to foot with spike. Our king didn’t dare so much as caress her. Even the slightest touch makes his hand hurt. I don’t know why it happened. So from that year till this he hasn’t had her. When his vanguard fighter was sent this morning to demand two more palace ladies to serve her he was beaten. Our king was so angry he sent me with this declaration of war. He’s going to fight him tomorrow.”\n\n“So is the king in a bad mood?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So is the king in a bad mood?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes, he’s in a bad mood back there,” said the little devil. “You ought to go and sing him some Taoist songs to cheer him-up.” The splendid Monkey put his arms in his sleeves, ready to go, while the evil spirit went on his way beating his gong as before. Monkey then turned murderous. He brought out his cudgel, turned round and hit the little devil on the back of his head. The unfortunate demon’s head was smashed to a pulp. The blood gushed out as his skin split open and his neck was broken. He was dead. Monkey then put his cudgel away and said to himself with regret."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was in too much of a hurry. I never asked him his name. Too bad.” He took the declaration of war from the body and put it in his sleeve. Then he hid the yellow flag and the gong in the undergrowth by the path and was dragging the body by its ankles to throw it down the ravine when he heard something clinking. An ivory tablet inlaid with gold could be seen at the demon’s waist. The writing on it read: This is our trusted subordinate Gocome. He is of short stature and has a spotty and unbearded face. This tablet is to be kept permanently at his waist. Anyone without this tablet is an impostor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So the wretch was called Gocome. But after being hit by this cudgel of mine he’s gone and won’t be coming back.” He then undid the ivory tablet, fastened it at his own waist, and was just about to throw the body down when he remembered the terrible fire and smoke and decided he could not bring himself to look for the cave palace. He raised the cudgel, rammed it into the demon’s chest, lifted him up into the air and went straight back to Purpuria to announce his first success. Watch him as he goes whistling back to that country.\n\nPig was in front of the throne room guarding the king and his master when suddenly he turned round to see Monkey carrying the demon through the air. “Hey,” he complained, “that was an easy piece of work. If I’d known you were going to get him I’d have done it and got the credit.” Before he had finished speaking Monkey brought the cloud down and threw the demon at the foot of the steps.\n\nPig ran over and struck the body with his rake, “I’ll take the credit for that,” he said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You? The credit?” Monkey replied.\n\n“Don’t try to rob me of it,” Pig said, “I’ve got proof. Can’t you see the nine holes I made in him with my rake?”\n\n“See if he’s got a head,” said Monkey.\n\n“So he doesn’t have a head,” Pig replied. “Now I know why he never moved when I hit him.”\n\n“Where’s the master?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Talking to the king in the throne hall,” said Pig.\n\n“Go and ask him to come out,” said Monkey, and Pig hurried up into the hall.\n\nAt Pig’s nod Sanzang rose to his feet and came out at once to see Monkey, who thrust the declaration of war into his sleeve with the words, “Look after this, Master, and don’t let the king see it.”\n\nBefore the words were all out of his mouth the king too came out of the hall to greet Monkey and say, “You’re back, holy monk, venerable sir. How did the capture of the demon go?”\n\n“Isn’t that a demon at the foot of the steps?” Monkey asked, pointing. “I killed him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“True,” said the king, “it is the body of an evil spirit, but it isn’t the Evil Star Matcher. We have twice seen the Evil Star Matcher with our own eyes. He is eighteen feet tall and nine feet across the shoulders. His face shines like gold and his voice is like thunder. He’s not a miserable little wretch like that.”\n\n“You Majesty is right,” Monkey replied, “this isn’t him. It’s just a little messenger devil I happened to meet. I killed him and brought him back as a trophy.”\n\n“Splendid,” said the king, who was very pleased indeed, “splendid. This is the first success. We have often sent people out to find out what is happening but they never discover anything. Then you just have to go out, holy monk, to bring one straight back. You really do have divine powers.”\n\n“Fetch some warm wine,” he ordered, “and give it to the reverend gentlemen.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Never mind about the wine,” said Monkey. “I want to ask Your Majesty whether the Golden Queen left any keepsakes when she went. If so, give me some.” The word “keepsakes” cut the king to the heart. He could not help sobbing aloud with tears pouring down as he replied:\n\n“When we were enjoying the festival that year\n\nThe Evil Star Matcher gave a mighty shout,\n\nHe took our wife to be his bandit queen;\n\nTo save the land we had to send her out.\n\nWe had no time for talk or parting words,\n\nNor could I see her off along her way.\n\nShe left no keepsake and no perfume bag;\n\nWe would be lonely here until today.”\n\n“Your Majesty is here,” Monkey said, “so why upset yourself?” If the queen didn’t leave any keepsake there must be some things in the palace that she’s specially fond of. Give me one of them.”\n\n“What do you want it for?” the king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What do you want it for?” the king asked.\n\n“That demon king’s magic powers are quite something,” said Monkey, “and from what I’ve seen of his fire, smoke and sand he’ll be really hard to capture. Even if I do capture him the queen might refuse to come back here with a stranger like me. I must have some favorite thing of hers so that she’ll trust me and let me bring her back. That’s why I want it.”\n\n“There is a pair of gold bracelets in her dressing room in the Sunlight Palace that she used to wear,” the king replied. “She only took them off that day as it was the Dragonboat Festival and she was going to wear multicolored threads instead. She was very fond of those bracelets. They have been put away in her dressing table. We have not been able to bear the sight of them since she left us: seeing them is like seeing her lovely face, and it makes us feel even more ill than ever.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Say no more,” Monkey replied, “and have the bracelets brought here. If you can bring yourself to part with them, give me both. If you can’t I’ll take just one.” The king ordered the Jade Queen to fetch them, which she did, handing them to the king.\n\nAt the sight of them he called out, “My beloved and tender-hearted queen,” several times, then handed them to Monkey, who took them and put them on his arm.\n\nThe splendid Great Sage could not stay to drink the celebratory wine, but whistled back to Mount Unicorn on his somersault cloud. Now he had no interest in the view as he headed straight for the cave palace. While he was walking along he heard noisy shouts so he stopped to take a careful look around. About five hundred of the soldiers of all ranks guarding the entrance to Horndog Cave were\n\nDrawn up in massed array,\n\nIn close order.\n\nDrawn up in massed array they held their weapons\n\nGleaming in the sun.\n\nIn close order they unfurled their banners\n\nThat fluttered in the breeze."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That fluttered in the breeze.\n\nTiger and bear generals did transformations;\n\nLeopard and tiger-cat marshals were full of spirit.\n\nFiercely savage were the wolves;\n\nThe elephants were mighty and imposing.\n\nCrafty hares and water-deer swung sword and halberd;\n\nGreat snakes and pythons carried cutlass and bow.\n\nOrangutans that understood human speech\n\nControlled the formations and gathered intelligence.\n\nWhen Monkey saw this he ventured no closer but went straight back the way he had come. Do you know why? Not because he was afraid of them. He went back to where he had killed the little devil, recovered the yellow flag and the gong, made a hand spell, thought of what he wanted to become, faced the wind, shook himself and turned into the likeness of Gocome. Then he started hitting the gong as he strode straight back towards Horndog Cave.\n\nHe was going to look at the layout of the cave when he heard an orangutan say, “You’re back, Gocome.”\n\n“Yes,” Monkey had to reply."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” Monkey had to reply.\n\n“Hurry up,” the orangutan said. “Our king is waiting in the Flaying Pavilion to hear what you have to report.” As soon as he heard this Monkey hurried straight in through the main gate beating his gong and looking around. He saw that rooms and halls had been carved out of the beetling crag. On either side bloomed rare and precious flowers, while all around stood ancient cypresses and tall pines. Before he realized it he was through the inner gate, and suddenly looking up he saw a pavilion made light by the eight windows in it. In the pavilion was a splendid chair inlaid with gold on which a demon king was sitting upright. He was a truly terrifying sight. This is what he looked like:\n\nA shimmering red glow rose from the top of his head;\n\nA mighty and murderous air burst from his chest.\n\nSharp were the fangs that protruded from his mouth;\n\nRed smoke rose from the scorched hair at his temples.\n\nThe bristles of his moustache were like embedded arrows;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His body was covered with hair like brushed-up felt.\n\nEyes bulged like bells to rival the Evil Star:\n\nHands held an iron mace like Mahadeva.\n\nWhen Monkey saw the evil spirit he acted towards him in an offhand way, showing no trace of respect, but looking away and keeping on hitting his gong. “So you’re back, are you?” said the demon king. Monkey did not reply.\n\n“Gocome,” the demon king asked again, “you’re back, are you?” Still Monkey did not reply. The demon king then went over to him, grabbed him and said, “Why are you still beating your gong now you’re back home? And why don’t you answer when I ask you a question?”\n\n“What do you mean by your ‘Why? Why? Why?’” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I told you I didn’t want to go but you insisted. When I got there I saw huge numbers of foot soldiers and cavalry drawn up in order of battle. As soon as I was spotted they shouted, ‘Seize the demon! Seize the demon!’ They pushed and shoved and dragged and carried me into the city, where I saw their king. He told them to cut my head off, but luckily his two groups of advisers said that in international conflicts envoys should not be executed, so I was spared. They took the declaration of war, marched me out of the city, gave me thirty strokes in front of their army, and let me come back here to report. Before long they’ll be here to fight you.”\n\n“In other words,” the monster said, “you had a bad time. I don’t blame you for refusing to answer when I asked you those questions.”\n\n“It wasn’t that,” said Monkey. “The reason I didn’t answer was because of the pain.”\n\n“How strong are their forces?” the demon king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was reeling from shock and too badly frightened by the beating to be able to count them,” Monkey replied. “All I could see were masses of weapons drawn up there:\n\nBows and arrows, spears and sabers, suits of armor,\n\nDagger-axes, halberds, swords and tasseled banners.\n\nPikes, partisans, helmets,\n\nAxes, round shields, and iron caltrops.\n\nLong staves,\n\nShort cudgels,\n\nSteel forks, cannons and casques.\n\nThey were wearing tall boots, hats and quilted jackets,\n\nAnd carrying cudgels, small pellet-bows and maces of bronze.”\n\n“That’s neither here nor there,” laughed the demon king when he heard this. “Weapons like that can be finished off in a single blaze. Go and tell the Golden Queen all about it and ask her not to upset herself. Ever since she heard me lose my temper this morning and decide to go to war she’s been crying her eyes out. Tell her that their army is so fierce and brave that they’re bound to beat us. That’ll calm her down for a while.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This delighted Monkey, who thought, “Just what I want.” Watch him as he goes the way he knows, through the side door and across the hall. Inside there were tall buildings: it was not like outside. He went straight to the women’s quarters at the back, where he saw from a distance a handsome and decorated doorway. That was where the Golden Queen lived. When he went to see her there were two groups of fox and deer spirits dressed like beautiful women to wait on her. The queen sat in the middle with her fragrant cheeks in her hands and tears pouring from both of her eyes. Indeed, she had\n\nA beautiful face so soft and charming,\n\nA bewitching countenance so fair.\n\nBut her raven-black hair was uncombed\n\nAnd piled untidily on her head;\n\nShe did not want to dress up\n\nAnd wore no hair ornaments or rings.\n\nHer face was unpowdered,\n\nAnd she wore no rouge.\n\nHer hair was not oiled\n\nBut all in a tangle.\n\nShe pouted her cherry lips,\n\nGround her silver teeth,\n\nFrowned with her brows like moth antennae,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Frowned with her brows like moth antennae,\n\nAnd let her eyes sparkle with tears.\n\nAll her heart\n\nWas filled with memories of Purpuria’s king;\n\nAll the time\n\nShe longed to escape from the net that held her.\n\nTruly,\n\nIll-fated have been many lovely ladies\n\nLeft in their wordless grief to face the Eastern wind.\n\nMonkey went up to her and greeted her with a “Hello.”\n\n“You impudent boorish freak,” said the queen. “I remember how when I was living in splendor with my king in Purpuria even the king’s tutor and the prime minister had to prostrate themselves in the dust when they met me: they would never have dared look me in the face. How dare you say ‘Hello’ to me, you lout? Where are you from, you coarse beast?”\n\n“Please don’t be angry, ma’am,” the serving women said. “He’s one of His Majesty’s most trusted lieutenants. His name is Gocome. He was the one who was sent with the declaration of war this morning.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the queen controlled her temper and asked, “Did you go inside Purpuria when you delivered the declaration?”\n\n“I took it straight to the capital and right into the throne hall,” said Monkey. “I saw the king himself and got an answer from him.”\n\n“What did the king say when you saw him?” the queen asked.\n\n“I have already told His Majesty here what he said about war and about the dispositions of their forces,” Monkey replied. “But there was also a private message from the king, who misses you, ma’am. There’s something private I have come to report to you, but with all these attendants around this is no place to talk.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the queen heard this she dismissed her foxes and deer. Brother Monkey shut the door of the palace, rubbed his face, and turned back into himself. “Don’t be afraid of me,” he said to her. “I’m a monk sent by the Great Tang in the East to see the Buddha and fetch the scriptures at the Thunder Monastery in India. My master is Tang Sanzang, the younger brother of the Tang Emperor. I’m Sun Wukong, his senior disciple. When we were in your capital to present our passport for approval I saw a notice calling for doctors that your king and his ministers had posted. Then I used my medical skills to cure the illness he had contracted from missing you. When we were drinking at the banquet he gave to thank me he told me that you had been carried off by the evil spirit. As I can subdue dragons and tigers I was specially invited to capture the demon, rescue you and take you back to your country. I was the one who defeated the vanguard and killed the little devil. When I saw from outside the gates how ferocious the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I saw from outside the gates how ferocious the demon king was I turned myself into Gocome’s double and came here to bring you a message.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The queen said nothing when she heard this. Then Monkey produced the bracelets and presented them to her with both hands.\n\n“If you don’t believe me, just look; where did these come from?” he asked.\n\nAs soon as she saw them the queen burst into tears, came down from where she was sitting, bowed to him in thanks and said, “Reverend sir, if you really can save me and get me back to court I will remember my deep debt of gratitude to you even when I’m old and toothless.”\n\n“Let me ask you something,” said Monkey. “What treasure does he use to produce that fire, smoke and sand?”\n\n“It’s no treasure,” the queen said, “just three golden bells. As soon as he shakes the first one three thousand feet of burning flames shoot out. When he shakes the second one a three-thousand-foot column of smoke gushes out to kipper people. And when he shakes it the third time a blinding three-thousand-foot sandstorm blows up. The fire and smoke are nothing much, but the sand is lethal. If it gets up your nostrils it can kill you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s terrible,” Monkey said, “terrible. I’ve experienced it and I had to sneeze a couple of times. I wonder where he keeps the bells.”\n\n“He never puts them down,” the queen replied. “He keeps them at his waist whether he’s going somewhere, staying at home, sitting down or sleeping. They are always with him.”\n\n“If you still care for Purpuria and want to see your king again you must forget about your distress and grief for the moment,” said Monkey. “Make yourself look attractive and happy. Talk to him like a loving wife and get him to give you the bells to look after. When I’ve stolen them and defeated the monster I’ll take you back to be reunited with your royal husband so that you can live in peace together.”\n\nThe queen did as Monkey said while he turned himself back into the demon king’s trusted lieutenant, opened the doors again and called the serving women back in. “Go to the pavilion at the front, Gocome,” the queen said, “and ask His Majesty to come here as I’ve something to say to him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Monkey assented and went to the Flaying Pavilion, where he said to the evil spirit, “Your Majesty, Her Majesty would like to see you.”\n\n“All she usually does is curse me, so why is she sending for me now?” the demon king happily asked. “When she asked me about the king of Purpuria I told her, ‘He doesn’t want you any more: he’s got a new queen now.’ When she heard that Her Majesty stopped missing him. That’s why she sent me out with this invitation.”\n\n“You’re very able,” the demon king said, “and when we’ve destroyed Purpuria I’ll make you my high chancellor in personal attendance.”\n\nMonkey thanked the demon king for his kindness and hurried to the door of the living quarters at the back, where the queen greeted him with happy smiles and her hands on his arms. The king stepped back with an awkward noise.\n\n“Don’t,” he said, “don’t. I’m very grateful for this sign of your affection, ma’am, but I don’t dare stand next to you in case it hurts my hand.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sit down, Your Majesty,” the queen said. “I have something to say to you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s no objection to you speaking,” the demon king replied. “I’m very much obliged to Your Majesty for condescending to love me,” she said. “For three years now you have not shared my pillow although we were fated from our earlier lives to be married. I never expected that Your Majesty would treat me as a stranger instead of your wife. I remember that when I was queen of Purpuria the king gave all the valuable tribute from foreign countries to the queen to look after when he had seen it. But you have no treasures here. The servants wear marten hides and feed on blood. I have seen no fine silks, brocades, gold or pearls here. All the covers and blankets are of skins and felt. Or perhaps you do have some treasures that you won’t let me see or look after because you regard me as a stranger. They say you have three bells. I think they must be treasures. Why do you always keep them with you, even when you’re travelling or sitting down? There’s no reason why you shouldn’t give them to me to look after. I can"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "shouldn’t give them to me to look after. I can give them to you when you need them. That would be one way of being a wife to you and it would show that we trust each other in our hearts. The only reason why you don’t do this must because you regard me as an outsider.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the demon king burst into loud laughter, then bowed to her and said, “Ma’am, you’re justified in your complaint. Here are the treasures, and today I’m giving them to you to look after.” He undid his clothing to bring them out. Monkey watched with unwavering eyes as the monster pulled two or three layers of clothing aside to bring out the three bells that he carried next to his skin.\n\nPutting cotton-wool in to muffle them he wrapped them up in a piece of leopard skin and handed them to the queen with the words, “They’re nothing, but please look after them very carefully. Whatever you do don’t\n\nshake them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "shake them.”\n\n“I understand,” the queen replied as she accepted them. “I shall keep them on my dressing table and nobody will move them at all.” Then she gave these orders: “My little ones, lay on a banquet. His Majesty and I are going to have a few drinks to celebrate our happy union.” At once the serving women brought in fruit, vegetables and the flesh of water deer, raccoon-dogs, deer and hare and poured out coconut toddy that they offered them. The queen made herself so bewitchingly attractive that she swept the evil spirit off his feet."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey meanwhile went to fetch the bells. Feeling and groping, he found his way to the dressing-table, gently took the three bells, crept out through the doors of the inner quarters and left the cave palace. When he reached the Flaying Pavilion there was nobody about, so he opened the leopard-skin wrapper to have a look. One of the bells was as big as a teacup and the other two the size of fists. With reckless folly he tore the cottonwool apart. There was a loud clang and smoke, fire and sand came gushing out. Desperately Monkey tried to stop them but could do nothing. The pavilion was by now ablaze, sending the evil spirits on the gates all crowding in alarm inside the inner quarters."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Put the fire out,” said the demon king, who was badly rattled. As he rushed out to look he saw that Gocome had taken the golden bells, went up to him and shouted, “Dirty slave! Why did you steal my precious golden bells? What sort of nonsense are you up to? Arrest him!” The tiger and bear generals, the leopard and tiger-cat marshals, the elephants, gray wolves, cunning water deer, crafty hares, long snakes, great pythons, orangutans and all the other troops on the gates rushed him in a crowd."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was thrown into panic. Dropping the golden bells he turned back into himself, pulled out his gold-banded As-You-Will cudgel, went and charged at them, going through his cudgel routines and lashing out wildly. The demon king took his treasures back and ordered, “Shut the main gates.” At this some of the demons shut the gates and others went into battle. Unable to get away, Monkey put his cudgel away, shook himself and turned into a silly fly that attached itself to a spot on the stone wall which was not burning. None of the demons could find him. “Your Majesty,” they reported, “the thief’s got away, the thief’s got away.”\n\n“Did he get out through the gates?” the demon king asked.\n\n“The front gates are firmly locked and bolted,” the demons replied. “He can’t have got out through them.”\n\n“Make a careful search,” said the demon king, and while some of them fetched water to douse the fire the others made a close search but found no trace of him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What sort of thief is he?” the demon king asked with fury. “He’s got a hell of a nerve, turning himself into Gocome’s double, coming in here to report back to me, then staying with me till he found a chance to steal my treasures. It’s luck he didn’t take them out, if he’d taken them over the mountain top and there had been a heavenly wind it would have been a disaster.”\n\n“Your Majesty’s good fortune is divine,” said the tiger general, stepping forward. “It was because our luck has not yet run out that he was discovered.”\n\nThen the bear marshal came forward to say, “Your Majesty, the thief was none other than the Sun Wukong who beat our vanguard warrior. I think he must have run into Gocome when he was on his way, killed him, taken his yellow flag, gong and ivory tablet, and turned into his double to come here and deceive Your Majesty.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, yes,” the demon king replied, “you’re clearly right. Little ones,” he ordered, “make another careful search and be on your guard. Whatever you do, don’t open the gates and let him out.” It is rightly said that\n\nBy being too clever one becomes a fool;\n\nWhat was once a joke can turn out to be real.\n\nIf you don’t know how Brother Monkey got out through the demons’ gates, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy-One\n\nUnder a False Name Monkey Beats the Demon Hound\n\nGuanyin Appears to Subdue the Demon King\n\nMatter has always been empty;\n\nEmptiness said to be matter is only natural.\n\nWhen one penetrates the dhyana of matter’s emptiness\n\nThere is no need for cinnabar to be refined into elixir.\n\nRest not when pursuing perfection of virtue and conduct;\n\nEndure suffering to achieve hard-won skills.\n\nSometimes one only turns to heaven when one’s actions are complete,\n\nTo win an unchanging and immortal face."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To win an unchanging and immortal face.\n\nThe story tells how the Evil Star Matcher had the front and back gates tightly closed while Monkey was hunted for. The din went on till dusk, but no sign of him did they find. The demon king sat in the Flaying Pavilion, where he called his demons together and issued orders to the guards on all the gates to carry bells, shout passwords, beat drums and strike clappers. Everyone was to have an arrow on his bowstring or a sword unsheathed as he took his turn to keep watch during the night. Sun Wukong, who had turned into a fly, was sitting by the gates. Seeing how strict the security was at the front gates he spread his wings and flew to the gateway of the living quarters to take a look. He saw the Golden Queen slumped across a low table, the tears flowing down as she wept quietly in her sorrow, so he flew inside and landed lightly on the loose black clouds of her hair to listen to what she was crying about. A moment later she said tearfully, “My lord, you and I,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Burnt in an earlier life the incense of separation,\n\nAnd now I have encountered an evil demon king.\n\nFor three years I have been gone: when will we two be reunited?\n\nGreat is the grief of mandarin ducks that are parted.\n\nJust when the priest had brought me your message\n\nOur union has been severed once more and the monkey is dead.\n\nBecause he was too curious about the golden bells\n\nI long for you now more desperately than ever.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he heard this Monkey went behind her ear, where he whispered, “Don’t be afraid, Your Majesty. I’m the holy monk, the venerable Sun Wukong, who was sent from your country. I’m still alive. It was all because I was too impatient. I went to your dressing table and stole the golden bells. While you were drinking with the demon king I sneaked out to the pavilion in the front, but I couldn’t restrain myself from opening them up to take a look at them. I didn’t mean to, but I tore the cotton wool muffling the bells, and the moment they rang flame, smoke and sand came gushing out. I panicked, threw the bells down, turned back into myself, and tried hard to fight my way out with my iron cudgel. When I failed and was scared they’d kill me I turned into a fly, and hid on the door pivot till just now. The demon king has made the security precautions even stricter and he won’t open the doors. Will you act like a wife to him and lure him in here to sleep so that I can escape and find some other way of rescuing you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the queen heard this she shivered and shook, and her hair stood on end as if a spirit were pulling it; she was terrified, as if her heart was being pounded by a pestle. “Are you a man or a ghost?” she asked, the tears streaming down.\n\n“Neither man nor ghost,” he replied. “At the moment I’ve turned into a fly and I’m here. Don’t be afraid. Hurry up and ask the demon king here.” The queen still refused to believe him.\n\n“Stop appearing in this nightmare,” she said in a low voice through her tears.\n\n“I’m not in a nightmare,” said Monkey. “If you don’t believe me put your hand out and open it. I’ll jump down into it for you to see.” The queen then put out her open hand. Monkey flew down and landed lightly on her jade palm. He was just like\n\nA black bean on a lotus flower,\n\nA bee resting on a peony blossom,\n\nA raisin fallen into a hydrangea,\n\nA black spot on a wild lily stalk.\n\nThe queen raised her hand and said, “Holy monk.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The queen raised her hand and said, “Holy monk.”\n\n“I’m the holy monk transformed,” Monkey replied. Only then did the queen believe him.\n\n“When I invite the demon king here what are you going to do?” she asked.\n\n“There’s an old saying that there’s nothing like liquor for ending a life,” Monkey replied, “and another that there’s nothing like liquor for solving any problem. Liquor’s very useful stuff. The best thing is to give him plenty to drink. Call one of your personal slave-girls in and let me have a look at her so I can make myself look like her and wait on you. Then I’ll be able to make my move.”\n\nThe queen did as he told her. “Spring Beauty, where are you?” she called, and a fox with a beautiful face came in round the screen, knelt down and said, “What orders did Your Majesty call me in to receive?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Tell them to come in and light the silk lanterns, burn some musk, and help me into the front room,” the queen said. “Then I shall ask His Majesty to bed.” Spring Beauty went to the front and called seven or eight deer and fox spirits who lined up on either side of her. They carried two pairs of lanterns and one pair of portable incense-burners. By the time the queen bowed to them with her hands together the Great Sage had already flown off."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Spreading his wings, the splendid Monkey flew straight to the top of Spring Beauty’s head, where he pulled out one of his hairs, blew a magic breath on it, and called, “Change!” It turned into a sleep insect that landed lightly on Spring Beauty’s face. Now when sleep insects reach a human face they crawl into the nostrils, and once they are inside the person goes to sleep. Spring Beauty did indeed start feeling sleepy. She could not keep on her feet, but swayed about and felt dozy as she hurried to where she had been resting before, collapsed head first and fell into a deep sleep. Brother Monkey then jumped down, shook himself, turned into Spring Beauty’s exact likeness and went back round the screen to line up with the others.\n\nAs the Golden Queen walked into the front part of the palace a little devil saw her and reported to the Evil Star Matcher, “The queen’s here, Your Majesty.” The demon king hurried out of the Flaying Pavilion to greet her."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty,” the queen said, “the smoke and fire have been put out and there’s no sign of the thief. As it’s late now I’ve come to urge you to come to bed.”\n\n“How considerate you are, my queen,” the monster replied utterly delighted to see her. “The thief was Sun Wukong who defeated my vanguard warrior, then killed my lieutenant and came here disguised as him to fool us. We’ve searched but can’t find a trace of him. It makes me feel uneasy.”\n\n“The wretch must have got away,” the queen replied. “Relax, Your Majesty, stop worrying, and come to bed.”\n\nSeeing the queen standing there and inviting him so earnestly the demon king could not refuse too insistently, so he told the other demons to be careful with the fires and lamps and be on their guard against robbers before he went to the living quarters at the back with the queen. Monkey, disguised as Spring Beauty, led their way with the other slave girls.\n\n“Bring wine for His Majesty,” the queen said. “He’s exhausted.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Indeed I am,” said the demon king with a smile, “indeed I am. Fetch some at once. It’ll calm our nerves.” The imitation Spring Beauty and the other servants then laid out fruit and high meat and set a table and chairs. The queen raised a cup and the demon king did likewise; each gave the other a drink from their own.\n\nThe imitation Spring Beauty, who was standing beside them, said as she held the jug, “As tonight is the first time Your Majesties have given each other a drink from your own cups I hope that you will each drain them dry for double happiness.” They did indeed both refill their cups and drain them again. “As this is so happy an occasion for Your Majesties why don’t we slave girls sing and dance for you?” the imitation Spring Beauty suggested."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before the words were all out of her mouth melodious voices could be heard as the singing and dancing began. The two of them drank a lot more before the queen called for the singing and dancing to end. The slave girls divided themselves into their groups and went to line up outside the screen, leaving only the imitation Spring Beauty to hold the jug and serve them wine. The queen and the demon king spoke to each other like husband and wife, and the queen was so full of sensuality that the demon king’s bones turned soft and his sinews went numb. The only trouble was that the poor demon was not lucky enough to enjoy her favours. Indeed, it was a case of “happiness over nothing, like a cat biting a piss bubble.”\n\nAfter talking and laughing for a while the queen asked, “Were the treasures damaged, Your Majesty?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Those are treasures that were cast long, long ago,” the demon king said, “so they couldn’t possibly be damaged. All that happened was that the thief tore the cotton wool that was muffling the bells and the leopard skin wrapper was burnt.”\n\n“Where have they been put away?” the queen asked.\n\n“No need for that,” the demon king replied. “I carry them at my waist.” Hearing this, the imitation Spring Beauty pulled out a handful of his hairs, chewed them up into little bits, crept closer to the demon king, put the pieces of hair on the demon’s body, blew three magic breaths, said “Change!” very quietly, and turned the pieces of hair into three revolting pests: lice, fleas and bedbugs. They all made for the demon king’s body and started biting his skin wildly. Itching unbearably, the demon king put his hands inside his clothing to rub the irritation. He caught a few of the lice between his fingers and took them to a lamp for a closer look."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the queen saw them she said mockingly, “Your Majesty, your shirt must be filthy. It can’t have been washed for ages. I expect that’s why they’re there.”\n\n“I’ve never had insects like these before,” he said in embarrassment. “I would have to make a fool of myself tonight.”\n\n“What do you mean, making a fool of yourself, Your Majesty?” the queen said with a smile. “As the saying goes, even the emperor has three imperial lice. Undress and I’ll catch them for you.” The demon king really did undo his belt and take his clothes off.\n\nThe imitation Spring Beauty was standing beside the demon king looking closely at the fleas leaping around between each layer of clothing, on which were rows of enormous bedbugs. Lice and nits were crowded as closely together as ants coming out of their nest. When the demon king took off the third layer of clothing and revealed his flesh the golden bells were also swarming with countless insects."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Majesty,” said the imitation Spring Beauty, “hand me the bells so that I can catch the lice on them for you.” The demon king was so overcome with shame and alarm that he handed the three bells to Spring Beauty, not noticing that she was an impostor.\n\nThe imitation Spring Beauty took the bells and made a long show of catching lice. When she saw the demon king looking down to shake his clothes she hid the golden bells, pulled out a hair and turned it into three more bells just like the originals that she carried to the lamp to examine."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She then wriggled, braced herself, put the lice, bedbugs and fleas back on her body and returned the imitation bells to the monster. He took them but was still too befuddled to see that they were copies. Passing them with both his hands to the queen he said, “Put them away now, but be very careful with them, not like before.” The queen took the bells, quietly opened the chest, put them inside, and locked them in with a golden lock. Then she drank several more cups of wine with the demon king.\n\n“Dust and clean the ivory bed,” she ordered the serving women, “and spread the brocade quilt. His Majesty and I are going to bed.”\n\nThe demon king expressed his thanks but said, “I have no such luck. I don’t dare go with you. I’ll take one of the palace women with me and go to bed in the Western part of the palace. I wish you a good night by yourself, ma’am.” With that each of them went to bed, and we will say no more of that."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Meanwhile the successful imitation Spring Beauty tucked the treasures into her belt and turned back into Monkey. He shook himself, took back the sleep insect, and headed for the front of the palace, where nightsticks and bells sounded together to mark the third watch. Splendid Monkey made himself invisible by making a spell with his hands and saying the words of it. Going straight to the gates he saw that they were very firmly locked and bolted, so he brought out his gold-banded cudgel, pointed it at the door and made unlocking magic. The gates swung easily open.\n\nHurrying outside he stood by the gates and shouted two or three times at the top of his voice, “Evil Star Matcher, give us back our Golden Queen.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This startled all the devils, who hurried to look and saw that the gates were open. Quickly they fetched lamps to find the locks and fasten the gates once more. Several of them were sent running back inside to report, “Your Majesty, there’s someone outside the main gates shouting your title and demanding the Golden Queen.”\n\nThe slave girls hurried out to say very quietly, “Stop yelling. His Majesty’s only just gone to sleep.” Monkey gave another loud shout at the front gates, but the little devils still dared not disturb their master. This happened three or four times over, but they never went in to report. The Great Sage kept up his din till daybreak, by when his patience was exhausted and he swung his iron cudgel to hit the gates. This so alarmed the demons big and small that while some of them barricaded the gates the others went in to report.\n\nAs soon as the demon king woke up and heard the cacophonous din he got up, dressed and emerged from his bed-curtains to ask, “What’s all the shouting about?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sir,” said the kneeling slave girls, “someone’s been shouting and cursing outside the cave half the night. We don’t know who it is. Now he’s attacking the gates.”\n\nAs the demon king went out through the gates of the palace several panic-stricken little devils appeared to kowtow to him and say, “There’s someone shouting and cursing outside. He’s demanding the Golden Queen, and if we say so much as half a ‘no’ he goes on and on at us, swearing in a thoroughly horrible way. When Your Majesty still hadn’t come out at daybreak he got so desperate he started attacking the gates.”\n\n“Don’t open them,” the demon king said. “Go and ask him where he’s from and what he’s called. Report back as quickly as you can.”\n\nThe little devils hurried off to ask through the gates, “Who are you, knocking at our gates?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m your grandpa sent by Purpuria to take the Golden Queen back to her own country,” Monkey replied. When the little devils heard this they reported it to the demon king, who went back to the living quarters at the back to question the queen about why the attacker had come.\n\nThe queen had only just arisen and had not yet done her hair or washed when slave girls came in to report, “His Majesty’s here.” The queen hastily tidied up her clothes and let her black tresses hang loose as she went outside to greet him.\n\nHe had just sat down and had not yet asked her any questions when little demons were heard again asking, “The Grand Par from over there has smashed the gates down.”\n\n“How many officers are there in your country, ma’am?” The demon king asked with a smile.\n\n“Inside the palace there are forty-eight brigades of horse and foot, and a thousand good officers; and there are ever so many marshals and commanders on the frontiers,” the queen replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Are any called Grand Par?” the demon king asked. “When I was in the palace all I knew about was helping His Majesty in the inner quarters and instructing the consorts and concubines every morning and evening,” the queen said. “There were no end of things happening outside. How could I possibly remember the names?”\n\n“This one calls himself Grand Par,” the demon king replied. “There’s no such name I can think of in the book The Hundred Surnames. You’re a very intelligent and well-born lady, ma’am, and you’ve lived in a royal palace. You must have read a lot of books. Can you remember coming across that name in any of them?”\n\n“There’s a passage in the Thousand Word Classic that goes, ‘received grand instruction,’” the queen replied. “I think that must refer to him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m sure you’re right,” the demon king said with pleasure, “I’m sure you’re right.” He then got up, took his leave of the queen, went to the Flaying Pavilion, fastened his armor on neatly, mustered his devil soldiers, had the gates opened, and went straight outside with his flower-scattering battle-axe in his hand.\n\n“Who’s the Grand Par from Purpuria?” he yelled stridently at the top of his voice.\n\nGrasping his gold-banded cudgel in his right hand and pointing with his left Monkey replied, “What are you shouting at me for, nephew?” The sight of him drove the demon king into a fury.\n\n“Damn you,” he shouted:\n\n“You’ve a face just like a monkey’s;\n\nYou resemble a macaque.\n\nA ghost is what you look like;\n\nDon’t try to knock me back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Don’t try to knock me back.”\n\n“Impudent devil,” laughed Monkey, “trying to bully your superiors and push your master around. You’re blind. I remember how when I made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago all the nine heavenly generals only dared speak to me with the greatest respect. If I make you call me Grandpa I’m letting you off lightly.”\n\n“Tell me your name immediately,” the demon king shouted. “What fighting skills have you got that give you the nerve to come rampaging here?”\n\n“You’d have done better not to ask me what I’m called,” Monkey replied. “But as you insist on me telling you I’m afraid you’ll be in a hopeless mess. Come here and stand still while I tell you:\n\nHeaven and earth were the parents that bore me;\n\nMy foetus was formed from the sun and moon’s essence.\n\nThe magic rock was pregnant for years beyond number;\n\nStrange indeed was the miraculous root’s gestation.\n\nWhen I was born the Three Positives were at their height;\n\nNow I have been converted all is in harmony."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now I have been converted all is in harmony.\n\nOnce I was declared the chief of all the demons,\n\nWho bowed to me by the red cliff as subduer of monsters.\n\nThe Jade Emperor issued a decree of summons,\n\nAnd the Great White Planet came with the edict,\n\nInviting me to Heaven to take up my office,\n\nBut as Protector of the Horses I had no joy.\n\nWhen I first planned rebellion in my mountain cave\n\nBoldly I led my armies against the Jade Emperor,\n\nThe Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King and Prince Nezha\n\nWere utterly helpless when they fought against me.\n\nThen the White Planes made a new suggestion,\n\nAnd brought another edict urging me to make peace\n\nI was made Great Sage Equaling Heaven,\n\nAnd proclaimed as one of the pillars of the state.\n\nBecause I disrupted the banquet of peaches\n\nAnd stole elixir when drunk I met with disaster.\n\nLord Lao Zi submitted a memorial in person,\n\nAnd the Queen Mother of the West did homage to the throne.\n\nKnowing that I was running riot with the law,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Knowing that I was running riot with the law,\n\nThey mustered heavenly forces and issued movement orders.\n\nA hundred thousand vicious stars and evil planets\n\nWere packed in close array with their swords and their halberds.\n\nHeaven-and-earth nets were spread across the mountain\n\nAs all of the soldiers raised their weapons together.\n\nA bout of bitter fighting left neither side the victor,\n\nSo Guanyin recommended the warrior Erlang.\n\nThe two of us fought together for mastery;\n\nHe was helped by the Seven Brothers who come from Plum Hill.\n\nEach of us played the hero and did our transformations:\n\nThe three sages at the gates of Heaven opened the clouds.\n\nThen Lord Lao Zi dropped his diamond noose,\n\nAnd the gods led me as a prisoner to the steps of the throne-hall.\n\nThey did not bother with a detailed indictment:\n\nThe sentence was death by a thousand cuts.\n\nAxe and hammer could not till me,\n\nAnd I was unharmed by sword or saber.\n\nFire and thunderbolts were neither here nor there;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They had no way to destroy my immortal body.\n\nI was taken under escort to the Tushita Heaven,\n\nAnd all was arranged to refine me in the furnace.\n\nOnly when full time was up did they open up the vessel,\n\nAnd I came bounding out from the middle of the crucible.\n\nIn my hands I was wielding this As-You-Will cudgel\n\nAs I somersaulted up to the Jade Emperor’s throne.\n\nAll the stars and constellations went into hiding,\n\nAnd I could play the vandal in the palaces of Heaven.\n\nThe Miraculous Investigator rushed to invite the Buddha,\n\nThen Sakyamuni and I both displayed our powers.\n\nTurning my somersaults in the palm of his hand\n\nI roamed all over the heavens before my return.\n\nThe Buddha then, using both foresight and deception,\n\nCrushed and held me at the ends of the heavens.\n\nAfter a period of over five hundred years\n\nMy body was delivered and I could once more play up.\n\nGuarding the Tang Priest on his journey to the West,\n\nBrother Sun Wukong is very intelligent.\n\nI subdue the demons on the Westward road:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I subdue the demons on the Westward road:\n\nEvery evil spirit is struck with terror.”\n\nWhen the demon king heard him tell that he was Sun Wukong he said, “So you’re the so-and-so who made havoc in Heaven. If you were released to guard the Tang Priest on his journey West then you should be an your way there. Why are you being such a busybody and making trouble for me? You’re acting as if you were the slave of Purpuria. By coming here you’ve thrown your life away.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Thieving damned monster,” Monkey shouted back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I was politely invited to help by the king of Purpuria. He addressed me very respectfully and treated me well. I’m a thousand times higher than that king. He treated me as if I were his father and mother or a god. How can you say I’m acting like a slave? I’ll get you, you monster, for bullying your superiors and trying to push your master around. Stay there and take this from your grandpa.” The monster then moved his hands and feet as fast as he could, dodged the blow from the cudgel and struck back at Brother Monkey’s face with his flower-scattering axe. It was a fine battle. Just watch!\n\nThe gold-banded As-You-Will cudgel,\n\nThe flower-scattering axe and its wind-keen blade.\n\nOne ground his teeth with terrible ferocity;\n\nThe other gnashed his molars and displayed his might.\n\nOne was the Great Sage Equaling Heaven descended to earth,\n\nThe other an evil demon king come down to the lower world."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Both snorted out clouds and shining mists that lit up the heavenly palace.\n\nSent stones and sand flying that blotted out the Dipper.\n\nThey came and went through many a movement,\n\nTwisting and turning and giving off golden light.\n\nEach used all of his talents to the full;\n\nBoth staked the whole of their magical powers.\n\nOne wanted to take the queen back to the capital;\n\nThe other would happily have stayed with her in the cave.\n\nThere was no deep reason for the struggle:\n\nHe was ready to give his life for the sake of the king.\n\nWhen the two of them had fought fifty rounds without result the demon king realized that Monkey was too strong a fighter for him to be able to beat. Blocking the iron cudgel with his axe the demon said, “Stop, Sun the Novice. I haven’t had my breakfast yet today. Let me eat, then I’ll have it out with you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was well aware that he wanted to fetch the bells, so he put his cudgel away and said, “A hero doesn’t chase an exhausted hare. Off you go. Have a good meal, and get ready to come back and die.”\n\nThe demon quickly turned and rushed inside, where he said to the queen, “Get me my treasures at once.”\n\n“What for?” she asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What for?” she asked.\n\n“The man challenging me to battle this morning was a disciple of the monk who’s going to fetch the scriptures,” he said. “He’s called Sun Wukong, or Sun the Novice, and Grand Par was just a nickname. I’ve been battling it out with him all this time, but still there’s no outcome. Just wait while I take my treasures out and set off smoke and flames to burn that ape.” These words made the queen feel very uneasy. If she didn’t fetch the bells, she was worried that he might be suspicious, but if she did she feared that Sun the Novice would be killed. As she was hesitating the demon king pressed her again: “Hurry up and fetch them.” She had no choice but to undo the lock, bring out the three bells and hand them to the demon king, who took them and went outside the cave again. The queen sat in the inner quarters, her tears pouring down like rain, as she thought that Monkey would not possibly be able to escape with his life. Neither of them realized that the bells were only copies."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Once outside the cave the demon stood upwind and shouted, “Stay where you are, Sun the Novice. Watch while I ring these bells.”\n\n“You have your bells, but why shouldn’t I have mine?” Monkey replied. “You can ring yours, so why shouldn’t I ring mine?”\n\n“What bells have you got?” the demon king asked. “Show me.” Monkey pinched his iron cudgel to make it into an embroidery needle that he tucked into his ear then brought out the three real treasures from at his waist.\n\n“Here are my purple gold bells,” he said to the demon king. The sight of them came as a shock to the demon.\n\n“That’s funny,” he thought, “very funny. Why are his bells exactly the same as mine? Even if they’d been cast from the same mould they’d not have been properly smoothed: you’d expect some extra marks or missing knobs. How can they be identical with this?”\n\n“Where did you get your bells from?” he went on to ask again.\n\n“Where are yours from, dear nephew?” Monkey replied.\n\nBeing honest, the demon king replied, “These bells of mine,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Come from deep in the Way of the Immortal of Great Purity,\n\nAre made of gold long refined in the Eight Trigrams Furnace\n\nFormed into bells renowned as ultimate treasures\n\nLeft by Lord Lao Zi till the present day.”\n\n“That’s where my bells come from too,” Monkey replied with a smile.\n\n“How were they made?” the demon king asked.\n\n“These bells of mine,” said Monkey,\n\n“Were made of gold refined in the furnace\n\nWhen Lord Lao Zi made elixir in the Tushita Palace.\n\nThey are cyclical treasures.\n\nThe two threes make six:\n\nMine are the female and yours are the male.”\n\n“The bells are golden elixir treasures,” the demon king said, “not birds or beasts. They can’t be male or female. As long as they yield what’s precious when they’re rung they’re good ones.”\n\n“Words prove nothing,” said Monkey. “Show it by actions. Shake yours first.” The demon king then rang his first bell three times. No fire came out. He rang his second three times. No smoke came out. He rang his third three times, and no sand came out either."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very odd,” he said, making wild gestures, “very odd. The world’s changed. These bells must be hen-pecked. When the males see the females they don’t dare to do their stuff.”\n\n“Stop, nephew,” said Monkey. “Now I’m going to shake mine to show you what happens.” The splendid ape then grasped all three bells in one hand and rang them together. Watch as clouds of red flames, black smoke and yellow sand all come gushing out, setting the trees and the mountain ablaze. Monkey then said the words of another spell and shouted “Wind!” towards the Southeast; and a wind did indeed spring up that fanned the flames. With the power of the wind behind them the flames and smoke filled the heavens, blazing red and deepest black, and the earth was covered by the yellow sandstorm. The Evil Star Matcher’s souls fled from his body in his terror, but he had nowhere to turn: amid that fire there was no way of escaping with his life."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then a penetrating shout was heard from mid-air: “Sun Wukong, I am here.” Monkey quickly looked up and saw that it was the Bodhisattva Guanyin holding her vase of pure water in her left hand and a sprig of willow in her right with which to sprinkle sweet dew and put out the flames. In his alarm Monkey hid the bells at his waist, put the palms of his hands together and prostrated himself in a kowtow. The Bodhisattva flicked a few drops of sweet dew from her willow sprig and in an instant both flames and smoke disappeared, while no sign of the yellow sand remained to be seen.\n\n“I did not realize, Most Merciful One, that you were coming down to the mortal world,” said Brother Monkey as he kowtowed, “and it was wrong of me to fail to keep out of your way. May I venture to ask where you are going, Bodhisattva?”\n\n“I am here especially to find and take this evil monster,” the Bodhisattva replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What is the monster’s background, and how can he put you to the trouble of capturing him in your illustrious person?” Monkey asked.\n\n“He is a golden-haired giant hound on which I used to ride,” the Bodhisattva replied. “The boy in charge of it fell asleep and failed to keep proper guard over it, so that the wicked beast bit through its iron chains and escaped to save the king of Purpuria from disaster.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he hastily bowed and said, “You have it the wrong way round, Bodhisattva. He’s been mistreating the king and his queen, and thus damaging public morality. So how can you say that he has saved the king from disaster when in fact he has brought him disaster?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You would not know,” the Bodhisattva replied, “that when the previous king of Purpuria was reigning and the present king was the crown prince and had not yet taken the throne he was a superb archer and huntsman. Once he led his men and horses hunting with falcon and hound. They came to the Fallen Phoenix Slope, where a young peacock and peahen, two children of the Buddha’s mother in the West, the Bodhisattva Maurya Vidya Rani were resting. When the king shot with his bow he wounded the cock, while the hen died with an arrow still in her. After the Buddha’s mother realized to her regret what had happened she ordered that the prince should be separated from his wife for three years and suffer himself the way birds do when they are parted from their mates. At the time I was riding that hound and we both heard her say that. I never imagined that the beast would remember it and come back to mistreat the queen and thus save the king from disaster. That was three years ago, and now that the misdeed has been paid"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "years ago, and now that the misdeed has been paid for it was fortunate that you came along to cure the king. I am here to recover the wicked and evil creature.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Bodhisattva,” said Monkey, “this may well be so, but he did sully the queen, damage public morality, offend ethics and break the law. You can’t let him off a non-capital punishment. Let me give him twenty blows before handing him over for you to take back.”\n\n“Wukong,” said the Bodhisattva, “as you know I am here you really ought to show me the respect I deserve and spare him completely. This still counts as one of your successes in subduing a demon. If you hit him with your cudgel it’ll kill him.”\n\nMonkey dared not disobey, but bowed and said, “If you’re taking him back to the ocean with you, Bodhisattva, you mustn’t let him escape and come down to the human world again. That would be quite a catastrophe.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then did the Bodhisattva shout, “Wicked beast! Turn back into your own form! What are you waiting for?” The monster could be seen doing a roll and turning back into himself. Then he shook his fur for the Bodhisattva to mount on his back. The Bodhisattva looked down at his neck to see that the three golden bells were missing. “Wukong,” she said, “give me my bells back.”\n\n“I don’t know where they are,” Monkey said.\n\n“Thieving ape,” the Bodhisattva shouted. “If you hadn’t stolen those bells then ten Sun Wukongs, never mind one, would have dared go nowhere near him. Hand them over at once.”\n\n“I really haven’t seen them,” Monkey replied with a smile.\n\n“In that case I’ll have to recite the Band-tightening Spell,” said the Bodhisattva.\n\nThis scared Monkey, who could only plead, “Don’t say it, don’t say it. The bells are here.” This was indeed a case of\n\nWho could untie the bells from neck of the giant hound?\n\nTo find that out ask the one who first fastened them on."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Bodhisattva then placed the bells round the giant hound’s neck, and flew up to her high throne. Watch as the\n\nFour-stalked lotus flowers blazed with fire;\n\nHer whole body was thickly clad in cloth of gold.\n\nWe will say no more of how the Great Merciful One returned to the Southern Ocean.\n\nThe Great Sage Sun Wukong then tidied up his clothing and charged into the Horndog Gave swinging his iron cudgel and killing to his heart’s content. He wiped all the demons out till he reached the inner quarters of the palace and asked the Golden Queen to go back to her country. She prostrated herself to him for a long time. Monkey told her all about how the Bodhisattva had subdued the demon and why she had been separated from her husband. Then he gathered some soft grasses that he twisted together into a long straw dragon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sit on this, ma’am,” he said, “and shut your eyes. Don’t be afraid. I’m taking you back to court to see your master.” The queen followed his instructions carefully while he used his magic power. There was a sound of the wind whistling in her ears.\n\nAn hour later he brought her into the city. Bringing his cloud down he said, “Open your eyes, ma’am.” When the queen opened her eyes and looked she recognized the phoenix buildings and dragon towers. She was very happy, and getting off the straw dragon she climbed the steps of the throne hall. When the king saw her he came straight down from his dragon throne to take the queen by her jade hand.\n\nHe was just going to tell her how much he had missed her when he suddenly collapsed, shouting: “My hand hurts, my hand hurts.”\n\n“Look at that mug,” Pig said, roaring with laughter, “he’s out of luck. No joy for him. The moment he meets her again he gets stung.”\n\n“Idiot,” said Monkey, “would you dare grab her?”\n\n“What if I did?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What if I did?” Pig asked.\n\n“The queen’s covered with poisonous spikes,” Monkey replied, “and she has poison on her hands. In the three years she was with the Evil Star Matcher in Mount Unicorn the monster never had her. If he had, his whole body would have been in agony. Even touching her with his hand made his hand ache.”\n\n“Then what is to be done about it?” the officials asked. While all the officials were wondering what to do in the outer palace and the consorts and concubines in the inner palace were full of terror, the Jade and the Silver Queen helped their king to his feet.\n\nAmid-the general alarm a voice was heard in the sky shouting, “Great Sage, I’m here.” Brother Monkey looked up, and this is what was to be seen:\n\nThe cry of a crane soaring through the heavens,\n\nThen flying straight down to the palace of the king.\n\nBeams of auspicious light shone about;\n\nClouds of holy vapors drifted all around.\n\nMists came from the cloak of coconut that covered his body:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rare were the straw sandals on which he trod.\n\nThe fly-whisk in his hand was made of dragon whiskers,\n\nAnd silken tassels hung around his waist.\n\nHe joined human destinies together throughout heaven and earth\n\nAs he roamed free and easy all over the world.\n\nHe was the Purple Clouds Immortal of the Daluo Heaven,\n\nCome down to earth today to lift an enchantment.\n\nMonkey went over to him to greet him with, “Where are you going, Zhang Boduan of the Ziyang sect?”\n\nThe True Man of Ziyang came to the front of the hall, bowed and replied, “Great Sage, the humble immortal Zhang Boduan greets you.”\n\n“Where have you come from?” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where have you come from?” Monkey replied.\n\n“Three years ago I passed this way when going to a Buddha assembly,” the True Man said. “When I saw that the King of Purpuria was suffering the agony of being parted from his wife I was worried that the demon would defile the queen. That would have been an affront to morality and made it hard for the queen to be reunited with the king later on. So I turned an old coconut cloak into a new dress of many colours and gave it to the demon king. He made the queen wear it as her wedding dress. As soon as she put it on poisonous barbs grew all over her body. They were the coconut cloak. Now that you have been successful, Great Sage, I’ve come to lift the spell.”\n\n“In that case,” said Monkey, “thank you for coming so far. Please remove the barbs at once.” The True Man stepped forward, pointed at the queen, and removed the coconut cloak. The queen’s body was once more as it had originally been."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The True Man shook the cloak, put it over his shoulders, and said to Monkey, “Please forgive me if I leave now, Great Sage.”\n\n“Don’t go yet,” said Monkey. “Wait till the king has thanked you.”\n\n“I won’t trouble him,” said the True Man with a smile, then raised his hands together in salute, rose up into the sky and went. The king, queen and the officials high and low were so astonished that they all bowed to the sky.\n\nWhen the bowing was over the king ordered that the Eastern hall of the palace be thrown open so that they could give thanks to the four monks. The king led all his officials to go down on their knees and kowtow to them, and husband and wife were reunited. In the middle of the celebratory banquet Monkey said, “Master, bring out that declaration of war.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder produced it from his sleeve and handed it to Monkey, who passed it in turn to the king. “This was a letter that the demons sent his lieutenant to deliver,” Monkey said. “He was the officer I killed and brought here as a trophy. Then I turned myself into the officer and went back to the cave to report. That was how I saw Her Majesty and stole the golden bells. He almost caught me, but I did another change, stole them again, got them out and fought him. It was lucky for him that the Bodhisattva Guanyin came to collect him and tell me why you and Her Majesty were parted.”\n\nHe told the whole story from beginning to end in great detail. Everyone in the country—whether ruler or ministers, whether within the palace or outside—expressed admiration and gratitude."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In the first place,” said the Tang Priest, “it was because of Your Majesty’s own good fortune, and in the second place it was thanks to my disciple’s efforts. We are deeply obliged to you for this sumptuous banquet today, and now we must take our leave of you. Please do not delay us poor monks on our pilgrimage to the West.”\n\nWhen the king realized that his efforts to keep them there would be of no avail he inspected and returned the passport and arranged a great procession of royal coaches. The Tang Priest was invited to sit in his own dragon carriage, while the king, his queens and his consorts themselves all pushed it along as they saw them on their way then bade them farewell. Indeed:\n\nHe was fated to have his melancholy washed clean away:\n\nThe mind finds peace of itself when thought and worrying cease.\n\nIf you do not know what of good or ill lay in store for them on the way ahead listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy-two"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter Seventy-two\n\nThe Seven Emotions Confuse the Basic in Gossamer Cave\n\nAt Filth-Cleansing Spring Pig Forgets Himself\n\nThe story tells how Sanzang took his leave of the king of Purpuria, got everything ready, saddled the horse and headed Westwards. They crossed many a mountain and river. Before they realized it autumn and winter were over and spring’s brightness and charm were back. Master and disciples were enjoying the scenery as their way led them across the greenery when they suddenly noticed a building amid trees. Sanzang dismounted and stood beside the main track.\n\n“Master,” Brother Monkey asked, “the road is easy and there is no evil about, so why have you stopped?”\n\n“You aren’t at all understanding, brother,” Pig said. “The master is feeling sleepy after being in the saddle for so long. You ought to let him come down and have a rest.”\n\n“It’s not that,” Sanzang said. “I can see a house over there. I was thinking of going there myself to beg for some food.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a thing for the master to say,” said Monkey with a smile. “If you want some food I’ll go and beg some for you. As the saying goes, ‘Your teacher for a day is your father for the rest of your life.’ It would be outrageous for me, your disciple, to sit here idly and let my master go begging.”\n\n“There’s no need to say that,” Sanzang replied. “Usually you three have to cross enormous distances as far as the eye can see to beg for our food. Today there’s a house so close it’s in shouting distance, so let me beg this time.”\n\n“But, Master, you wouldn’t know what to do,” said Pig. “As the saying goes, when three people go travelling it’s the youngest who does the rough jobs. You’re the senior one and we’re all only disciples. As the old book says, ‘When there is a job to be done the disciple does it.’ Let me go.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciples,” said Sanzang, “the weather is good today. It’s not at all like the times when you all have to go far away in wind and rain. Let me go to this house. Whether I get any food or not I shall soon be back and we shall be on our way.”\n\nFriar Sand, who was standing beside them, smiled and said, “Stop arguing so much, brother. As the master has made his mind up you shouldn’t disobey him. If you upset him he won’t eat any of the food you are able to beg.”\n\nPig accepted this suggestion and brought out the begging bowl and a change of hat and cassock for the master, who went straight to the farm building to look at it. It really was a fine place. He could see:\n\nA high-rising stone bridge,\n\nAncient trees growing close together.\n\nWhere the stone bridge rose high\n\nA babbling brook joined a long stream;\n\nAmid close-growing ancient trees\n\nHidden birds sang sweetly on the distant hill.\n\nAcross the bridge were several thatched houses\n\nAs pure and elegant as an immortal’s hermitage.\n\nThere was also a thatched hut"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There was also a thatched hut\n\nSo pure and white it would put a Taoist temple to shame.\n\nBefore the hut could be seen four beauties\n\nAll busily embroidering phoenix designs.\n\nAs there were no males but only these four girls to be seen the reverend gentleman did not dare go inside, but slipped back under the tall trees and stood stock still. He could see that each of the girls\n\nWere rock-hard in their ladylike propriety,\n\nAnd happy as the spring in their orchid natures.\n\nRed glows set off their tender cheeks;\n\nCrimson make-up was spread on their lips.\n\nTheir moth brows were as fine as a crescent moon,\n\nWhile their clouds of hair were piled up like cicada wings.\n\nHad any of them stood among the flowers\n\nWandering bees would have taken them for blossoms."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He stood there for an hour. The silence was complete, unbroken by dog or cock. “If I’m not even capable of begging us a meal my disciples will laugh at me,” he thought. “If the master can’t beg a meal, what hope do his disciples have of ever getting to see the Buddha?”\n\nHe did not know what to do, but it seemed wrong to stay there any longer, so he went back towards the bridge, only to notice a pavilion inside the compound of thatched cottages. In the pavilion three more girls were juggling a ball with their feet. Look at them. They were different from the other four:\n\nTheir turquoise sleeves are waving\n\nAnd their embroidered skirts are swaying.\n\nThe waving turquoise sleeves\n\nCover their delicate jade bamboo-shoots of fingers,\n\nThe swaying embroidered skirts\n\nHalf show their tiny golden lotus feet.\n\nPerfect are their faces and bodies,\n\nEndless the movements of their slippered heels.\n\nAs they grab for the head they vary in height;\n\nThey pass the ball around most smoothly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They pass the ball around most smoothly.\n\nOne turns around and kicks an “over-the-wall flower,”\n\nThen does a backward somersault called “crossing the sea.”\n\nAfter lightly taking a pass like a lump of clay\n\nA single spear is hard pressed by a pair of sticks.\n\nA shining pearl is put on the Buddha’s head\n\nAnd held between the tips of their fingers.\n\nSkillfully they hold the ball as a narrow brick,\n\nTwisting their feet in the sleeping fish position.\n\nTheir backs held level, they squat with bended knee;\n\nTurning their necks they kick their heels in the air.\n\nThey can make benches fly around;\n\nVery stylish are the capes upon their shoulders.\n\nTheir trouser-legs are bound with tapes to let them move,\n\nWhile their necklaces swing as they sway.\n\nThey kick the ball like the Yellow River flowing backwards.\n\nOr goldfish purchased on the beach.\n\nWhen you mistake one of them for the leader\n\nAnother one turns to carry the ball away.\n\nThey all hold their calves so trimly in the air,\n\nPointing their toes to catch the ball."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pointing their toes to catch the ball.\n\nThey raise their heels to spin straw sandals,\n\nPlanting them upside-down and picking them up in a turn.\n\nAs they step back their shoulder-capes spread out\n\nFastened only with a hook.\n\nThe peddler’s basket comes down long and low,\n\nThen they grab for the goal.\n\nAt the really magnificent footwork.\n\nAll the beauties shout with admiration.\n\nThe silken clothes of all are soaked in sweat;\n\nFeeling tired and relaxed they ended their game.\n\nThe description could go on and on. There is another poem that tells more:\n\nKicking the ball in the April weather,\n\nBeauties blown along by the magical wind.\n\nSweat stained their powdered faces like dew on a flower;\n\nThe dust on their moth eyebrows was mist hiding willows.\n\nTheir turquoise sleeves hanging low covered jade fingers;\n\nTrailing embroidered skirts showed golden lotus feet.\n\nAfter kicking the ball many times they were charmingly tired;\n\nTheir hair was disheveled and their topknots askew."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After watching for a long time Sanzang could only go to the bridge and call loudly, “Bodhisattvas, fate brings me here as a poor monk to beg for the gift of some food.” As soon as the women heard him they cheerfully put aside their needlework and balls to come out smiling and giggling through the gates to greet him.\n\n“Reverend sir,” they said, “we’re sorry we didn’t welcome you sooner. As you have come to our poor farm we couldn’t possibly feed you on the path. Please come inside and sit down.”\n\nWhen Sanzang heard this he thought, “Splendid, this is splendid. The West really is Buddha’s land. If even these womenfolk are so diligent about feeding monks the men are bound to be pious followers of the Buddha.”\n\nSanzang stepped forward to greet the women and followed them into the thatched cottages. As he passed the pavilion and looked he saw that on the other side of it there were no buildings. All that could be seen were:\n\nTowering mountain-tops,\n\nDistant ranges of the earth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Distant ranges of the earth.\n\nThe towering mountain-tops touch the clouds;\n\nThe distant ranges of the earth lead to peaks in the ocean.\n\nFrom the stone bridge by the gates\n\nOne looks on a stream that bends nine times;\n\nThe peach and plum trees in the orchard\n\nVie in abundance of blossom.\n\nCreepers and vines hang from three or four trees;\n\nThe fragrance of orchids is spread by thousands of flowers.\n\nFrom afar this retreat rivals Penglai’s fairyland;\n\nSeen from close to the mountain beats Tai and Hua.\n\nThis is truly a retreat for demon immortals,\n\nAn isolated house with no neighbors around.\n\nOne woman came forward to push the stone gates open and invite the Tang Priest to come in and sit down. All he could do was go inside. When he looked up he saw that the tables and seats were all of stone, and the atmosphere was oppressively cold. This alarmed the venerable elder, who thought, “This is a thoroughly sinister place. I’m sure it’s evil.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please sit down, venerable elder,” the women all said with simpering smiles. He had no choice but to sit down. A little later he found himself shuddering.\n\n“What monastery are you from, reverend sir?” the women asked. “For what purpose are you collecting alms? Are you repairing roads and bridges, founding monasteries, worshipping at pagodas, or having Buddha statues made and sutras printed? Won’t you show us your donation book?”\n\n“I am not a monk collecting donations,” the venerable elder replied.\n\n“If you’re not here to ask for charity then why are you here?” the women asked. “We have been sent by Great Tang in the East to the Thunder Monastery in the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“As our stomachs were empty when we happened to be passing this distinguished place I have come to beg a vegetarian meal from you in your kindness. After that we poor monks will be on our way again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Splendid, splendid,” the women all said. “As the saying goes, monks from afar most love to read the scriptures. Sisters! We must treat them well. Let’s give them some vegetarian food as quickly as we can.”\n\nWhile three of the women kept him company, talking about such matters as primary and secondary causation, the other four went into the kitchen, where they tucked up their clothes, rolled up their sleeves, fanned the fire and scrubbed the cooking pots. Do you know what it was they prepared? They were frying in human fat, and what they cooked was human flesh, stewed into black paste as if it were wheat gluten, and human brain cut out to fry like pieces of beancurd.\n\nThen they placed the two dishes on a stone table and said to Sanzang, “Do eat. We were too rushed to prepare anything good, so please make do with this. It’ll stave off the pangs of hunger. There will be some more dishes to follow.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as Sanzang used his nose and smelled the stench of flesh he would not eat, but bowed with his hands together be; re his chest and said, “Bodhisattvas, I have been a vegetarian since birth.”\n\n“But this is vegetarian food, reverend sir,” the women all replied with smiles.\n\n“Amitabha Buddha!” exclaimed Sanzang. “If as a monk I ate vegetarian food like that I would never have any hope of seeing the Buddha or fetching the surras.”\n\n“Reverend sir,” the women said, “as a monk you shouldn’t be so choosy about what you’re given.”\n\n“I never could be,” Sanzang said, “I never could be. I am under the orders of the Great Tang emperor to harm not even the tiniest life, to save all I see suffering, to put all the food-grain I am given into my mouth with my fingers, and to cover my body with the threads of silk that come my way. I would never dare pick and choose among my benefactors’ gifts.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Even if you’re not picking and choosing,” the women replied with smiles, “you do seem to have come here to complain. Please eat some of the food and don’t mind if it’s a little coarse and flavorless.”\n\n“It’s not that I don’t want to eat it,” Sanzang said, “it’s that I’m afraid I’d be breaking my vows. I hope that you Bodhisattvas will remember that setting living beings free is better than keeping them with you and let me go on my way.”\n\nAs Sanzang struggled to get out the women blocked the gateway and refused to let him go. “Business bringing itself to our door!” they all said. “You’ve no more chance of getting away from here than of covering up a fart with your hands. Where do you think you’re going?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They were all quite skilled in the martial arts and quick movers too, and after they had grabbed Sanzang they dragged him like a sheep and threw him to the ground. Then they all held him down, tied him up, and suspended him from the rafters. There is a special name for the way they hung him up there: The Immortal Shows the Way. One hand was strung up by a rope so that it pointed forward. The other hand was fastened to his waist by another rope that was also holding him aloft, and his legs were both held up by a third rope behind him. The three ropes had him suspended from a beam with his back on top and his belly pointing down.\n\nAs Sanzang endured the agony and held back his tears he thought with bitter regret, “How evil my destiny is. I thought I was coming to beg for a vegetarian meal from good people. I never imagined I’d be falling into the fiery pit. Disciples! Rescue me as soon as you can if I am ever to see you again. If you don’t get here within four hours I shall be dead.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Despite his misery Sanzang kept a careful eye on the women. When they had him tied up securely and hanging there they started to remove their clothes. This alarmed the venerable elder, who thought, “They must be taking their clothes off because they are going to beat me. Perhaps they are going to eat me too.” The women only unbuttoned their gauze blouses, exposing their stomachs. Then each of them produced a silken rope about as thick as a duck egg from her navel. These they made move like bursting jade or flying silver as they fastened the gates of the farm.\n\nWe leave them and go back to Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand, who were all still waiting by the main road. While the other two were pasturing the horse and looking after the baggage Monkey was amusing himself by leaping from tree to tree and climbing around the branches as he picked leaves and looked for fruit. Suddenly he turned round and saw a sheet of light."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This so alarmed him that he jumped out of the tree with a shout of, “This is terrible! Terrible! The master’s luck is out.” He pointed as he continued, “Look at the farm. What do you think?” When Pig and Friar Sand both looked they saw a sheet of something like snow but brighter and like silver but shinier.\n\n“That’s done it,” said Pig, “that’s done it. The master’s run into evil spirits. We’d better go and rescue him straight away.”\n\n“Stop yelling, brother,” said Monkey. “Neither of you can see just what’s there. Wait while I go and take a look.”\n\n“Do be careful, brother,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“I can cope,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I can cope,” Monkey replied.\n\nThe splendid Great Sage tightened his tigerskin kilt, pulled out his gold-banded cudgel and took a few strides forward to see that the silken ropes had formed something like a web with thousands of strands. When he felt it with his hands it was somewhat soft and sticky. Not knowing what it was, Monkey raised his cudgel and said, “Never mind thousands of strands. This cudgel could break through tens of thousands of them.”\n\nHe was just about to strike when he stopped to think, “If they were hard I could certainly smash them, but then soft ones would only be knocked flat, and if I alarm the demons and get caught myself that would be a disaster. I’d better make some enquiries before I do any hitting.”\n\nWho do you think he asked? He made a spell with his hands, said the words of it and sent for an old local god, who ran round and round in his shrine just as if turning a mill. “Old man,” his wife asked, “what are you rushing round and round for? You must be having a fit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t understand,” the local god replied. “There’s a Great Sage Equaling Heaven here. I didn’t go to meet him. But he’s sending for me.”\n\n“Go and see him then,” his wife replied, “and that’ll be that. Why charge round and round in here?”\n\n“But if I go and see him that cudgel of his hits very hard,” the local deity said. “He doesn’t care what you’re like—he just hits you.”\n\n“He won’t possibly hit you when he sees how old you are,” his wife replied.\n\n“He’s been cadging free drinks all his life,” the local god said, “and he really loves hitting old people.”\n\nAfter talking for a while with his wife the local god had no choice but to go outside and kneel shivering and shaking by the roadside, calling out, “Great Sage, the local deity kowtows to you.”\n\n“Get up,” Brother Monkey replied, “and stop pretending to be so keen. I’m not going to hit you. I’m just passing through. Tell me where this is.”\n\n“Which way have you come, Great Sage?” the local deity asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve come from the East and I’m heading West,” said Monkey.\n\n“Which mountain have you reached on your journey from the East?” the local deity asked.\n\n“That ridge there,” Monkey replied. “Our baggage and the horse are there, aren’t they?”\n\n“That is Gossamer Ridge,” the local deity replied. “Under the ridge there’s a cave called Gossamer Cave where seven evil spirits live.”\n\n“Male or female ones?” Monkey asked.\n\n“She-devils,” the local deity replied.\n\n“How powerful is their magic?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How powerful is their magic?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I’m much too weak and insignificant to know that,” the local god replied. “All I can tell you is that a mile due South of here there is a natural hot spring called the Filth-cleansing Spring,” the local god said, “where the Seven Fairies from on high used to bathe. When the seven evil spirits settled here and took over the Filth-cleansing Spring the good spirits didn’t try to fight them for it. They let the spirits have it for nothing. I reckon that if even good spirits from Heaven don’t dare offend them the evil spirits must have tremendous powers.”\n\n“What have they taken the spring over for?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Ever since taking the bathing pool over the monsters have been coming to bathe there three times a day,” the local god replied. “It’s already after eleven. They’ll be along at noon.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Go back now, local god,” Monkey said when he heard all this, “and wait while I capture them.” The old local god kowtowed to him and went back to his shrine all of a tremble.\n\nThe Great Sage then gave a solo display of his magical powers, shaking himself, turning into a fly, and landing on the tip of a blade of grass to wait beside the path. A little later he heard a rustling, hissing sound like that of silkworms eating leaves or an ocean tide coming in. In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea the silken ropes had all gone, and the farm looked just the same as it had before. Then there was a creaking noise as the wicker gate opened and the seven women came out laughing and talking noisily. Monkey watched carefully from where he was hiding and saw them talking and laughing as they held each other by the\n\nhand and walked shoulder to shoulder across the bridge. They were real beauties:\n\nCompare them with jade and they were more fragrant;\n\nThey were like flowers but able to talk."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They were like flowers but able to talk.\n\nTheir willowy brows were like distant hills;\n\nSandalwood-scented mouths were bursting cherries.\n\nHair ornaments were of jade;\n\nGolden lotus feet darted out under crimson skirts.\n\nThey were like the moon goddess come down to earth,\n\nImmortal girls descending to the world.\n\n“No wonder the master wanted to come begging for food,” thought Monkey with a laugh, “with all these lovelies here. If these seven beauties have captured him he won’t be enough for a single meal for them. They couldn’t make him last a couple of days. And if they take it in turns to have their way with him they’ll kill him straight off. I’d better go and listen to what they’re plotting.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage flew over with a high-pitched buzz and landed on the topknot of the woman who was walking in front. When she was over the bridge the women behind her caught up with her and called out, “Sister, let’s have a bath before we steam the fat monk and eat him up.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“These monsters aren’t at all economical,” Monkey smiled to himself. “They’d save a lot of firewood if they boiled him. Why steam him instead?” The women walked South, picking flowers and throwing grass at each other, and were soon at the bathing pool, where a very magnificent wall and gateway appeared, with fragrant flowers, among them a bed of orchids, growing all around. One of the women behind him stepped forward and with a whistling sound pushed the double gates open, revealing the pond of naturally hot water inside. As for this water,\n\nWhen heaven and earth were first separated\n\nThere were ten suns in the sky\n\nTill Yi, the fine archer,\n\nShot nine of the sun-crows down to the earth,\n\nLeaving only one golden crow star,\n\nThe true fire of the sun.\n\nThe nine hot springs in heaven and earth\n\nAre the other nine crows transformed.\n\nThese nine hot springs are\n\nCool Fragrance Spring,\n\nMountain-companions Spring\n\nWarm Spring,\n\nDonghe Spring,\n\nMount Huang Spring,\n\nXiao’an Spring,\n\nGuangfen Spring,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xiao’an Spring,\n\nGuangfen Spring,\n\nHot Water Spring,\n\nAnd this Filth-cleansing Spring.\n\nThere is a poem about it that goes:\n\nThe same vital force runs in all four seasons;\n\nSpring continues throughout the autumn.\n\nThe scalding water bubbles like a cauldron;\n\nThe snow-white waves are boiling hot.\n\nIf the waters are spread they help the crops to grow;\n\nLeft where they are they wash worldly dust away.\n\nLittle bubbles spread out like pearls,\n\nRolling ones rise like pieces of jade.\n\nIt is rich and smooth although not wine,\n\nClear, calm and naturally warm.\n\nThe whole place thrives on its air of good omen:\n\nIt brings good fortune and the natural truth.\n\nWhen the beauties wash their flesh is smooth as ice;\n\nAs dirt is soaked away their jade-like bodies are made new."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The bathing pool was about fifty feet across, a hundred feet long and four feet deep. The water was pure and translucent, and from the bottom of it came up bubbles like rolling pearls or floating jade. In the four sides of the pool there were six or seven pipes through which the water flowed out, keeping warm even when it reached fields up to a mile away. Beside the pool was a three-roomed pavilion, next to the back wall of which stood an eight-legged bench. At each end of the pavilion was a clothes stand painted in coloured lacquers. All this secretly delighted Monkey, who flew straight to one of the stands and landed on it.\n\nWhen the women saw how clear and warm the water was they wanted to bathe in it, so they all took their clothes off and hung them on the stands before going into the pool together. This is what Monkey saw:\n\nThey undid the buttons on their clothes,\n\nLoosened the knots in their gauzy sashes.\n\nSilvery white were their creamy breasts,\n\nSnowy their bodies that looked like jade."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Snowy their bodies that looked like jade.\n\nTheir arms and elbows were cool as ice,\n\nAnd scented shoulders more lovely than if powdered.\n\nSoft and supple the skin on their stomachs,\n\nGlistening and clean their backs.\n\nTheir knees and wrists were rounded and soft;\n\nOnly three inches long were their golden lotus feet.\n\nAnd as for what lay in between,\n\nThey showed a glimpse of the cave of pleasure."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They showed a glimpse of the cave of pleasure.\n\nThe women all jumped into the water and enjoyed themselves as they frolicked in the waves. “If I wanted to hit them,” Monkey thought, “I’d only need to stir the water with my cudgel. It would be like pouring boiling water on a nest of mice: I could kill the lot of them. What a pity. If I hit them I’d kill them, but it wouldn’t do my reputation any good. As they say, a real man doesn’t fight women. It’d be hopeless if a man like me killed these girls. If I’m not going to hit them I’ll have to make things difficult for them so that they can’t move.” The splendid Great Sage made a spell with his hands, said the words of it, shook himself and turned into a hungry eagle.\n\nHis feathers were like frost or snow,\n\nHis eyes like bright stars.\n\nWhen evil foxes saw him their souls were scared out of them;\n\nAnd crafty hares were struck with terror.\n\nHis steely claws were sharp as spear-points;\n\nHis air was both majestic and ferocious.\n\nHe used his talons to seize his food,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He used his talons to seize his food,\n\nAnd was ready to catch his flying prey himself.\n\nHe could fly high and low across the chilly sky,\n\nSwooping through clouds and on his quarry at will.\n\nWith a whoosh of his wings he flew towards them, stretched his sharp talons to seize all seven sets of clothes that were hung on the stands and flew straight back to the ridge with them. Here he reverted to his own form to see Pig and Friar Sand.\n\nJust look at the idiot as he comes up to Brother Monkey and says with a grin, “The master must have been taken to a pawnbroker’s.”\n\n“How can you tell?” asked Friar Sand.\n\n“Can’t you see all those clothes our brother’s grabbed?” Pig replied.\n\n“These are the evil spirits’ clothes,” said Monkey, putting them down.\n\n“How on earth did you get so many?” Pig asked.\n\n“There are seven outfits,” said Monkey.\n\n“How did you strip them so easily, and strip them naked at that?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I didn’t have to strip them,” said Monkey. “This place is called Gossamer Ridge, and the farm is called Gossamer Gave. The seven she-devils who live there captured the master, hung him up in their cave and all went off to bathe in the Filth-cleansing Spring. It’s a natural hot spring. Their plan was to have a bath then steam the master and eat him. I went there with them and watched them undress and get into the water. I wanted to hit them, but I was worried it would contaminate my cudgel and ruin my reputation so I didn’t. I just turned myself into a hungry eagle and grabbed their clothes in my talons. Now they’re all squatting in the water, too embarrassed to come out. Let’s rescue the master and be on our way as quickly as we can.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” grinned Pig, “you always leave something undone. You could see that they were evil spirits, so why didn’t you kill them first then rescue the master? Even if they’re too embarrassed to come out now they’ll certainly come out after nightfall. They’re bound to have enough old clothes at home to be able to put on an outfit each and come after us. Even if they don’t come after us they live here permanently and we’ll have to come this way back after we’ve fetched the scriptures. As the saying goes, it’s better to get into debt on a journey than to get into a fight. When they stop us and make a row they’ll really have it in for us.”\n\n“So what do you suggest?” Monkey asked.\n\n“If you ask me we should kill the demons then rescue the master,” said Pig. “That’s what’s called cutting down weeds and digging them out by the roots.”\n\n“I’m not going to hit them,” Monkey replied. “If you want them hit go and do it yourself.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig then summoned up his spirits and in high delight rushed straight there, his rake held aloft. As he suddenly pushed the gates open and looked inside he saw the seven women squatting in the water and wildly cursing the eagle.\n\n“Feathery beast,” they were saying, “cat-headed monster. What the hell can we do now you’ve carried our clothes off?”\n\nPig could not help laughing as he said to them, “Bodhisattvas, carry on with your bath. Do you mind if I join you?”\n\n“You monk, you’re disgrace,” the devils retorted angrily as they saw him. “We’re laywomen and you’re a man of religion. As the ancient book has it, ‘From the age of seven boys and girls do not share the same mat.’ You mustn’t possibly bathe in the same pool as us.”\n\n“But the weather’s so scorching hot I’ve got no choice,” said Pig. “You’ll have to make the best of it and let me take a wash. What do you have to show off all that book-learning about sharing mats for?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With further argument the idiot dropped his rake, stripped off his cotton tunic and jumped in with a splash, to the fury of the demons who all rushed at him to hit him. Little did they realize how expert Pig was in the water. Once in the pool he shook himself and turned into a catfish spirit. The demons then tried to grab him but even when they caught him they could not get a firm grip. If they grabbed to the East he suddenly shot Westwards, and if they tried to grab him to the West he went East. The funny thing was that he kept wriggling around their crotches. The water was about chest-high, and after swimming around at the surface and then at the bottom of the pool for a while he had covered all of it and was panting and exhausted.\n\nOnly then did Pig jump out, turn back into himself, put his tunic back on, pick up his rake and shout, “Who am I then? You thought I was a catfish spirit!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the sight of him the demons all trembled with fright and said to Pig, “When you came here first you were a monk, then you turned into a catfish in the water and we couldn’t catch you. Now you’ve dressed like that. Where have you come from? You must tell us your name.”\n\n“Bloody demons, you really don’t know who I am,” said Pig. “I’m a disciple of the Venerable Tang Priest, who has been sent from Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures. My title is Marshal Tian Peng and I’m called Zhu Wuneng, or Pig. You’ve hung my master up in your cave and you’re planning to steam him and eat him. Is my master just a meal for you to cook? Stretch your heads out at once. I’m going to smash you all with my rake and wipe the lot of you out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the demons were scared out of their wits. They fell to their knees in the water, kowtowed to him and said, “Please be kind, reverend sir. We were blind and we captured your master by mistake. Although we did hang him up we haven’t tortured him. We beg you in your compassion to spare our lives. We’ll gladly give you some money for the journey and send your master on his way to the Western Heaven.”\n\n“Cut that talk out,” said Pig, waving his hands. “It’s quite right what they say: ‘Once you’ve been tricked by a confectioner you won’t believe sweet-talkers again.’ I’m going to hit you with my rake, then we can all go our separate ways.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot was thoroughly rough and crude and wanted to show off his powers. He was unmoved by their fragrant feminine beauty. Raising his rake he charged them, lashing out wildly without caring what he was doing. The demons acted desperately. Forgetting about their modesty they cared only about saving their lives as covering their private parts with their hands they jumped out of the water and ran into the pavilion. Standing there they used magic to make thick silken ropes come out of their navels, filling the sky with a huge silken canopy under which Pig was caught. When the idiot looked up he could not see the sun in the heavens. He tried to run outside, but he could not lift his feet, which were tangled in silken ropes that covered the ground. When he tried to move his feet he tripped and staggered. He tried going left, but his head crashed to the ground, then tried going right and came a cropper. So he turned round as quickly as he could and kissed the dirt, got himself back on his feet, and collapsed"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dirt, got himself back on his feet, and collapsed head first once more. Goodness only knows how many times he stumbled and fell till his whole body was numb, his feet sore, his head aching and his eyes blurred. He could no longer even crawl, but lay groaning on the floor. Then the demons tied him up. They neither beat him up nor wounded him, but sprang outside to rush back to their cave, leaving the silken canopy to blot out the daylight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they reached the stone bridge they stopped and said the words of a spell. In an instant the silk canopy had been put away, and they all rushed stark naked into the cave, covering their private parts with their hands as they ran giggling past the Tang Priest.\n\nOnce inside their bedrooms carved out of the rock they put on old clothes and went straight to the back door of the cave, where they stood and called, “Where are you, children?”\n\nNow each she-devil had a child, not one that she had borne, but an adopted child who had taken her as a mother. They were called Bee, Hornet, Cockroach, Spanish-fly, Grasshopper, Wax-insect and Dragonfly, for such they were. The evil spirits had spread their nets across the sky, caught these seven insects and been on the point of eating them. But as the old saying goes, “Birds have bird language and beasts have beast language.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The insects had pleaded for their lives and volunteered to take the spirits as their own mothers. Ever since then they had gathered blossoms in the spring and summer flowers for the evil spirits, and as soon as they heard the shouts they appeared and asked, “What orders do you have for us, mothers?”\n\n“Sons,” the demons replied, “this morning we made a mistake and provoked the monk from Tang. His disciples trapped us in the pool and disgraced us. We were almost killed. You must do your utmost. Go outside and drive them away. When you’ve beaten them come to your uncle’s to meet us.” The she-devils then fled for their lives and went to the home of their teacher’s senior disciple, where their wicked tongues were to give rise to more disasters, but of that we shall not now speak. Watch while the insects rub their fists in their hands and go out to confront their enemies."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig, meanwhile, whose head was spinning after falling over so often, looked up and suddenly saw that the silken canopy and ropes had all disappeared. Groping around he picked himself up, and despite his pain he made his way back the way he had come. As soon as he saw Monkey he grabbed him and said, “Brother, is my head bulging? Is my face all blue?”\n\n“What happened to you?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Those damned creatures caught me under a silken net and tripped me up goodness knows how many times with silk ropes,” Pig replied. “My waist was twisted, my back felt broken and I couldn’t move an inch. Then the silk canopy and the ropes all disappeared, so I could escape and come back.”\n\n“Forget about it,” said Friar Sand when he saw him, “forget about it. You asked for trouble. I’m sure the demons have all gone back to the cave to harm the master. We must go and rescue him straight away.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he set out at once as fast as he could and rushed back to the farm while Pig led the horse. Here the seven little devils could be seen standing on the bridge, blocking their way and saying, “Not so fast, not so fast. We’re here.”\n\n“What a joke!” said Pig when he saw them. “They’re just a bunch of kids. They’re only two foot five or six, well under three foot, and they can only weigh eight or nine pounds, not even ten.”\n\n“Who are you?” he shouted.\n\n“We’re the sons of the seven immortal ladies,” the little devils replied. “You’ve insulted our mothers, and now you’ve got the effrontery to attack us, you ignorant fools. Stay where you are, and watch out.” The splendid monsters then launched a wild onslaught on Pig, who was in a flaming temper after falling over so often. Seeing how tiny the insects were he lifted his rake to strike furious blows at them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the little devils saw how ferocious the idiot was they all reverted to their original forms, flew into the air and shouted, “Change!” In an instant each of them became ten, each ten became a hundred, each hundred became a thousand, and each thousand became ten thousand. Every one became a countless number. This is what could be seen:\n\nThe sky was full of wax-flies,\n\nDragonflies danced all over the land.\n\nBees and hornets went for the head,\n\nCockroaches jobbed at the eyes.\n\nSpanish-flies bit before and behind,\n\nWhile grasshoppers stung above and below.\n\nHis face was black and crawling with insects:\n\nEven devils or deities would have been scared by their speed.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig in alarm, “you can say what you like about it being easy to fetch the scriptures, but on this road to the West even the insects give you a bad time.”\n\n“Don’t be afraid, brother,” said Monkey. “Go for them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But they’re flying into my head and my face and all over my body,” replied Pig. “They’re at least ten layers deep and all stinging me. How can I go for them?”\n\n“No problem,” said Monkey, “no problem. I know a trick.”\n\n“Whatever it is, brother,” said Friar Sand, “use it right now. His shaven head has swollen up with those bites in no time at all.” The splendid Great Sage pulled out a handful of hairs, chewed them into little bits and blew them out, telling them to turn to golden eagles, falcons, hawks, white eagles, vultures, ospreys and sparrowhawks. “Brother,” said Pig, “what’s that jargon about goldens and all that?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Something you don’t know about,” Monkey replied. “Golden eagles, falcons, hawks, white eagles, vultures, ospreys and sparrowhawks are the seven birds of prey that my hairs turned into. That’s because the she-devils’ children are insects.” Because the birds were so good at catching insects they got one every time they opened their beaks, grabbed at them with their claws or struck them with their wings. They wiped all the insects out in an instant, leaving no trace of them in the sky. The ground was piled over a foot deep with their bodies.\n\nOnly then could the three brothers charge across the bridge and into the cave, where they found their master hanging groaning and sobbing in mid-air. “Master,” said Pig, going up to him, “are you hanging around here for fun? I don’t know how many times I’ve had to fall over on your account.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Untie the master before we take this conversation any further,” said Friar Sand. Brother Monkey then snapped the ropes and set the master free, asking, “Where did the evil spirits go?”\n\n“All seven of them ran stark naked through to the back,” the Tang Priest replied. “They were calling for their sons.”\n\n“After them, brothers!” said Monkey. “Follow me!”\n\nThe three of them, each holding his weapon, went searching in the back garden, but no sign of them could be found. They looked for them without success under all the peach and plum trees. “They’ve gone,” said Pig, “they’ve gone.”\n\n“We can stop looking for them,” said Friar Sand. “I’m going to help the master away from here.” The three brothers then went back to the front, where they asked the Tang Priest to mount up. “You two help the master along the way,” said Pig. “I’m going to smash these buildings to the ground with my rake. Then they’ll have nowhere to live when they come back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Smashing the place would be too much effort,” said Monkey. “The best way to cut off their roots would be to find some firewood.” The splendid idiot then gathered some dead pine, broken-off bamboo, dried-out willow and withered creepers that he set alight. The roaring blaze destroyed everything. Only then did master and disciples feel easy enough to be on their way.\n\nIf you don’t know what of good or evil the demons were to do to them, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy-Three\n\nThe Emotions Bear a Grudge and Inflict Disaster\n\nThe Heart’s Master Smashes the Light When He Meets the Demons\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage Sun supported the Tang Priest as they hurried along the main road to the West together with Pig and Friar Sand. Within a few hours they were in sight of a compound with many tall towers and imposing buildings. “Disciple,” said Sanzang, reining in his horse, “what’s that place?” Monkey looked up to gaze at it and this is what he saw."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tall towers girdled by hills,\n\nStreams winding round pavilions.\n\nDense grew the wood in front of the gates,\n\nAnd outside the buildings the scent of flowers hung heavy.\n\nWhite egrets perched among the willows,\n\nLike flawless jades half hidden in a mist;\n\nGolden orioles sang in the peach-trees,\n\nFlashes of gold in the fiery blossom.\n\nWild deer in couples\n\nTrod lost to the world across cushions of greenery;\n\nPairs of mountain birds\n\nSang as they flew among the red tree-tops.\n\nIt was like the Tiantai Cave of Liu and Ruan,\n\nAnd rivaled the home of the immortals in fairyland.\n\n“Master,” Brother Monkey reported, “that’s no princely palace or rich man’s mansion. It looks like a Taoist temple or Buddhist monastery. We’ll know for sure when we get there.” On hearing this Sanzang whipped on his horse, and when master and disciples reached the gates to look there was a stone tablet set over the gateway on which was written YELLOW FLOWER TEMPLE. Sanzang dismounted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yellow Flower Temple means it’s a Taoist place,” said Pig, “so it’s all right for us to go in and see them. Although we wear different clothes we cultivate our conduct the same way.”\n\n“You’re right,” said Friar Sand. “We can go in and have a look round, and at the same time the horse can have a feed. If it looks suitable we can arrange a meal for the master.”\n\nThe master accepted their suggestions and the four of them went inside. A couplet was pasted up on either side of the inner gates:\n\nPalace of immortals: yellow shoots and white snow.\n\nHome of men who can fly: rare and wonderful flowers.\n\n“So the Taoist here refines drugs, plays with a furnace and totes a crucible,” said Monkey with a grin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Watch your words,” said Sanzang, giving him a pinch, “watch your words. We don’t know them and they are no relations of ours. This is only a passing encounter. Never mind what they are like.” Before he had finished saying these words he went in through the inner gate, where he found the doors of the main hall shut tight and a Taoist master sitting under a covered walkway making elixir pills. Just look at how he was dressed:\n\nOn his head a bright red hat all set with gold,\n\nOn his body a jet-black Taoist robe.\n\nOn his feet a pair of deep green cloud-treading shoes,\n\nRound his waist a brilliant yellow Lu Dongbin sash.\n\nHis face was round like a golden melon,\n\nHis eyes like bright stars.\n\nHis nose was as big and as high as a Muslim’s,\n\nAnd his lips turned back like a Tartar’s.\n\nHis heart, set on the Way, was hidden thunder;\n\nHe was a true immortal, subduer of tigers and dragons."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as he saw him Sanzang shouted at the top of his voice, “My respectful greetings, venerable Taoist master.” The Taoist looked up with a start and was so alarmed by what he saw that he dropped the elixir on which he was working."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then he neatened his hair-pins and clothes, came down the steps and greeted Sanzang: “Venerable sir, excuse me for failing to meet you. Please come inside and sit down.” The venerable elder happily went up into the main hall. On pushing the doors open he saw the statues of the Three Pure Ones and an altar on which stood incense burners and incense, so he planted some joss-sticks in the burner and performed a triple set of obeisances to the Pure Ones before bowing to the Taoist master. He then went to the guest seats, where he sat down with his disciples. Immortal boys were told to bring tea at once, whereupon two boys went inside to fetch the tea-tray, wash the teacups, wipe the teaspoons and prepare some refreshments to eat with it. Their rushing about soon disturbed the pilgrims’ enemies."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now the seven devils from Gossamer Cave had been fellow-students of the Taoist master here, and it was here that they had hurried after putting on their old clothes and calling for their sons. They were making themselves new clothes at the back of the temple when they noticed the boys preparing the tea and asked, “What visitors have arrived, boys? What are you in such a rush for?”\n\n“Four Buddhist monks have just turned up,” the boys replied, “and the master has told us to prepare tea for them.”\n\n“Is one of the monks pale and fat?” the she-devils asked.\n\n“Yes.”\n\n“Does one of them have a long snout and big ears?” they asked again.\n\n“Yes.”\n\n“Then take the tea in as quickly as you can,” the she-devils said, “and tip your master a wink to come in here. We’ve got something urgent to say to him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The boys took five cups of tea out to the Taoist master, who tucked back his sleeves and passed a cup with both hands first to Sanzang and then to Pig, Friar Sand and Brother Monkey. After the tea had been drunk the cups were collected and the boys gave their master a look, at which he bowed and said, “Please sit down, gentlemen. Boys, put the tray down and keep them company. I have to go out. I’ll be back.” Sanzang and his disciples went out of the hall to look around, guided by one boy.\n\nWhen the Taoist master went back to the abbot’s lodgings the seven women all fell to their knees and said, “Brother, brother, please listen to what we have to say.”\n\nThe Taoist master helped them to their feet and said, “When you came here this morning you wanted to tell me something, but because of the elixir pills I was making I couldn’t see any women. That’s why I had to refuse. I have visitors out there now, so you can tell me later.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We have to report, elder brother,” the she-devils said, “that it’s because the strangers are here that we’re talking to you. If the strangers go away there’ll be no point in telling you.”\n\n“What are you talking about, sisters?” the Taoist master said. “Why do you have to talk to me just now, when the strangers are here? Have you gone off your heads? I’m a man who lives in peace and quiet cultivating immortality, but even if I were a layman with wife and children and family responsibilities I’d wait till my visitor had left before attending to them. How can you be so ill-behaved and disgrace me? Now let me go.”\n\nAll the she-devils grabbed him and said, “Please don’t lose your temper, elder brother. Tell us where the visitors come from.” The Taoist master pulled a long face and ignored them. “When the boys came in for the tea just now they told us the visitors are four Buddhist monks,” the she-devils said.\n\n“They’re monks,” said the Taoist master angrily, “what of it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Does one of the four monks have a pale, fat face,” the she-devils asked, “and one of them a long snout and big ears? Did you ask them where they’re from?”\n\n“Yes,” the Taoist said, “there are two like that among them. How did you know? I suppose you’ve seen them somewhere.”\n\n“You don’t know the terrible things that have happened, brother,” the devils said. “That monk was sent by the Tang court to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. He came to our cave this morning begging for food. We captured him because we’d heard of this Tang Priest.”\n\n“Why did you capture him?” the Taoist asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’ve long known that the Tang Priest has a pure body because he has cultivated his conduct for ten successive incarnations,” the devils replied. “Anyone who eats a piece of his flesh will live for ever. That’s why we captured him. Later the monk with a long snout and big ears kept us in the Filth-cleansing Spring. First he stole our clothes and then he used his magical powers to insist on bathing with us. He jumped into the water and turned himself into a catfish. From the way he kept swimming around between our thighs he obviously had very improper ideas. He was thoroughly disgraceful. Then he jumped out of the water and turned back into himself. As we weren’t going to let him have his way he tried to kill us all with his nine-pronged rake. If we hadn’t known a thing or two he’d have murdered the lot of us. We fled in fear and trembling and sent your nephews into battle. We don’t know whether they are alive or dead. We have come here to fling ourselves on your mercy and beg you to avenge your"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "on your mercy and beg you to avenge your fellow-students from long ago.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this the Taoist was furious, as could be seen from his changed expression. “What outrageous monks!” he exclaimed. “What hooligans! Don’t you worry: I’m going to sort them out.”\n\n“If you’re going to fight them,” said the she-devils in gratitude, “you must let us help you.”\n\n“There’ll be no need to fight,” said the Taoist, “no need. As the saying goes, you have to lower yourself to fight someone. Come with me.”\n\nThe women went with him into his room, where he carried a ladder behind the bed, climbed up to the rafters and brought down a little leather box. It was eight inches high, a foot long, four inches wide and locked with a tiny brass lock. From his sleeve he produced a square handkerchief of goose-yellow silk, to the fringes of which a tiny key was tied. Unlocking the box he brought out a packet containing a drug. This drug was:\n\nA thousand pounds of droppings\n\nFrom all kinds of mountain birds,\n\nBoiled in a copper cauldron,\n\nReduced on an even fire,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Reduced on an even fire,\n\nTill the thousand pounds were only a spoonful\n\nThat was then reduced to a third.\n\nThis was fried even longer,\n\nRefined and smoked once again.\n\nTo make the poisonous drug,\n\nMore precious than treasures or jewels.\n\nWere you to try out its flavor,\n\nOne taste would send yon to Hell.\n\n“Sisters,” said the Taoist master, “any mortal who eats one grain of this treasure of mine will be dead when it reaches his stomach. Only three grains would be enough to kill a god or an immortal. As these monks may have mastered something of the Way they’ll need three grains. Fetch my balance.” One of the women brought a balance at once.\n\n“Weigh out twelve grains,” he said, “and divide that into four portions.” Then he took twelve red jujubes, pinched holes in them, stuffed a grain of the drug in each, and put them into four teacups. These were then placed with a fifth cup containing two black jujubes on a tray."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Let me question them,” he said. “If they aren’t from Tang that’ll be the end of it; but if they are I’ll ask for fresh tea and you can give this tea to the boys to bring in. Once they drink it they’ll all die and you’ll be avenged. That’ll cheer you up.” The seven women were beside themselves with gratitude.\n\nThe Taoist changed into another robe and walked out again with a great show of feigned courtesy. He urged the Tang Priest and the others to sit down in the guest seats again. “Please excuse me, venerable sir,” the Taoist said. “The reason why I neglected you just now was because I was at the back telling my disciples to choose some greens and radishes to cook as a vegetarian meal for you.”\n\n“We Buddhist monks came empty-handed,” said Sanzang. “We could not possibly trouble you for a meal.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We are all men of religion,” replied the Taoist master with a smile. “Whenever we go to a monastery or temple we are entitled to three pints of rice, so why talk of being empty-handed? May I ask you, reverend sir, what monastery you are from, and why you are here?”\n\n“I have been sent by His Majesty the Great Tang emperor to fetch the scriptures from the Great Thunder Monastery in the Western Heaven,” Sanzang replied. “As we were passing your Taoist temple we came in to pay our respects.”\n\nAt this news the Taoist’s face was full of animation, as he said, “It was only because I did not realize you were so faithful to the most virtuous Buddha that I failed to come out a long way to meet you. Please forgive me. Please forgive me.” Then he told the boys to bring fresh tea at once and get a meal ready as soon as possible, at which the boys went straight inside to fetch the tea."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Here’s some good tea that’s all ready,” the women called to them. “Take this in.” The boys did indeed take the five cups in, and the Taoist master hurriedly passed a cup of red jujube tea to the Tang Priest. As Pig was so big the Taoist took him for the senior disciple, and he thought Friar Sand was the next senior. Thinking that Monkey was the junior one the Taoist only handed him his cup fourth. By the time the sharp-eyed Brother Monkey took his cup he had already noticed that there were two black jujubes in the cup left on the tray.\n\n“Let’s change cups, sir,” he said. “To be honest with you,” the Taoist replied with a smile, “as a poor Taoist living out here in the wilds I am rather short of tea and food at the moment. I was looking for fruit out at the back just now and I could only find these twelve red jujubes to put into four cups of tea to offer you. As I had to take something with you I made another cup with these inferior jujubes to keep you company. This is just a gesture of respect.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What nonsense,” said Monkey with a smile. “As the ancients said, ‘You are never poor if you are at home; but poverty on a journey is killing.’ You’re at home here, so why all this talk about being poor? It’s wandering monks like us who are really poor. I’ll swap with you. I insist.”\n\n“Wukong,” said Sanzang when he heard this, “this immortal gentleman is being very hospitable. You have yours. There is no need for a swap.” Monkey had no choice. Taking the cup with his left hand he covered it with his right and watched them.\n\nPig, however, who apart from feeling hungry and thirsty had an enormous appetite at the best of times, picked the three red jujubes out of the cup as soon as he saw them and swallowed them noisily. The master ate his too, as did Friar Sand. In that very instant Pig’s face changed color, tears started pouring from Friar Sand’s eyes and the Tang Priest began to foam at the mouth. Unable to sit upright, all three of them fainted and fell to the floor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Realizing that they had been poisoned, the Great Sage raised his teacup in his hands and threw it at the Taoist master’s face. The Taoist stopped it with his sleeve and it shattered noisily as it fell to the floor. “You lout, monk,” said the Taoist in fury, “how dare you smash my cup?”\n\n“Animal,” said Monkey abusively, “just look what you’ve done to those three! What have I ever done to you for you to give my people poisoned tea?”\n\n“Beast,” said the Taoist master, “you asked for it. Don’t you realize that?”\n\n“We’ve only just come here and talked about things like where we should sit and where we’re from,” said Monkey. “We didn’t talk big. How can you say we asked for this trouble?”\n\n“Did you beg for food in Gossamer Cave?” the Taoist master asked. “Did you bathe in the Filth-cleansing Spring?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There were seven she-devils in the Filth-cleansing Spring,” Monkey replied. “From what you’re saying you must be in cahoots with them. I’m sure you’re an evil spirit yourself. Stay where you are and take this!” The splendid Great Sage felt in his ear for his gold-banded cudgel, waved it to make it as thick as a rice-bowl, and struck at the Taoist master’s face. The Taoist rapidly turned and dodged the blow, then produced a fine sword with which he fought back."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Their cursing and fighting had by now disturbed the seven she-devils inside, who all rushed out shouting, “Spare yourself the trouble, elder brother. Let us catch him.” At the sight of them Monkey became angrier than ever. Whirling his iron cudgel around with both hands he dropped his guard and tumbled in among them, lashing out wildly. The seven women then undid their clothes, revealing their white stomachs, and from their navels they produced by magic thick silken ropes that came reeling out in such abundance that they formed a canopy under which Brother Monkey was confined."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that things were going badly Monkey got up, said the words of a spell, did a somersault, smashed through the canopy and escaped. Then he stood gloomily in mid-air, controlling his temper and watching as the flashing silken ropes crisscrossed like the warp and weft of cloth on the loom. Within a moment the Yellow Flower Temple’s towers and halls were all completely concealed. “Terrible,” said Monkey, “they’re terrible. I’ve never been up against anything like that before. No wonder Pig fell over so often. What am I to do now? The master and my brothers have been poisoned. This gang of devils are all hand in glove, and I know nothing about their background. I’ll go back and question that local god.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage brought his cloud down to land, made a spell with his fingers, said the sacred syllable Om, and forced the old local god to come to him again. The old deity knelt beside the path, trembling with fear and kowtowing as he said, “Great Sage, you went to rescue your master. Why are you back again?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I rescued him this morning,” Monkey replied, “and a little way ahead from there we reached a Yellow Flower Temple. When I went in with the master to look around, the head Taoist of the temple greeted us, and in the middle of our conversation he knocked out my master and the other two with poisoned tea. Luckily I didn’t drink any, but when I was going to hit him with my cudgel he started talking about begging for food at Gossamer Cave and bathing at the Filth-cleansing Spring, so I knew he was a monster. No sooner had he raised his hand to fight back than the seven women came out and set off their silken ropes. It was a good thing I had the know-how to get away. I reckon that as you’re a god who lives round here you’re bound to know their background. What sort of evil spirit are they? Tell me the truth if you don’t want to be hit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s less than ten years since those evil spirits came here,” said the local deity, kowtowing. “When I was making an inspection three years ago I saw what they really are: seven spider spirits. The silken ropes that come out of them are spiders’ webs.”\n\nThe news thoroughly delighted Monkey, who said, “From what you tell me they’re no problem. Very well then. You can go back while I use magic to subdue him.” The local god kowtowed and went."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then went to the outside of the Yellow Flower Temple, pulled seventy hairs out of his tail, blew on them with magic breath and shouted, “Change!” The hairs turned into seventy little Monkeys. He then blew a magic breath on his gold-banded cudgel, called “Change!” and turned it into seventy two-pronged forks, one of which he gave to each of the little Monkeys. Monkey himself used one of the forks to twist the silken ropes as he stood outside, then they all attacked together to the rhythm of a tune, tearing the ropes to pieces, each of them tearing off over ten pounds of rope. They dragged seven spiders out from inside. Each was about the size of a wicker basket. All of them held their hands and feet together and had ropes round their necks.\n\n“Spare us, spare us,” they said. The seventy little Monkeys then pressed the seven spiders to the ground, refusing to let them go.\n\n“Don’t hit them,” said Monkey. “All we want is to make them give my master and my brothers back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Elder Brother,” shrieked the demons at the tops of their voices, “give the Tang Priest back and save our lives.”\n\nThe Taoist master rushed outside saying, “Sisters, I’m going to eat the Tang Priest. I can’t save you.”\n\nThis infuriated Brother Monkey. “If you won’t give my master back just watch what happens to your sisters.” The splendid Great Sage waved his fork, turned it back into an iron cudgel that he lifted with both hands and smashed the seven spider spirits to pulp. Then he shook his tail a couple of times, put the hairs back on it and charged inside alone, swinging his cudgel to fight the Taoist master.\n\nWhen the Taoist master saw Monkey kill his seven fellow-students it was more than he could bear. Goaded to fury, he raised his sword to fight back. In this battle each of them was seething with anger and giving full play to his divine powers. It was a fine battle:\n\nThe evil spirit swung a fine sword;\n\nThe Great Sage raised his gold-banded cudgel.\n\nBoth were fighting for Sanzang of the Tang,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Both were fighting for Sanzang of the Tang,\n\nOn whose account the seven women had been killed.\n\nNow they were fighting with all-round skill,\n\nShowing their mighty powers with their weapons.\n\nPowerful was the Great Sage’s aura,\n\nAnd rough the courage of the evil immortal.\n\nTheir vigorous moves were as rich as brocade,\n\nAnd both hands moved as fast as a windlass.\n\nNoisily clanged the sword and cudgel,\n\nAnd ominously pale were the floating clouds.\n\nFew were the words they spoke\n\nAs they used their cunning,\n\nMoving to and fro like brush-strokes in a painting.\n\nThe wind and dust they raised scared wolves and tigers;\n\nThe stars disappeared as heaven and earth went dark."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Taoist master had fought fifty or sixty rounds with the Great Sage he felt his hand weakening and his sinews getting slack, so he undid his belt and with a loud flapping noise took off his black robe. “Well, my lad,” said the Great Sage with a laugh, “if you can’t beat me you still won’t be able to when you strip off.” Once the Taoist master had stripped off his clothes he raised both hands to reveal under his ribs a thousand eyes flashing golden light. It was terrible:\n\nDense yellow smoke,\n\nBrilliant golden light.\n\nThe dense yellow smoke\n\nGushed out as clouds from under his ribs;\n\nThe brilliant golden light\n\nCame from a thousand eyes like fire.\n\nTo left and right they seemed like golden pails;\n\nTo East and West they resembled bells of bronze.\n\nThus an evil immortal used his magic power,\n\nA Taoist master showed divine ability,\n\nDazzling the eyes, blotting out sun, moon and sky,\n\nBlanketing people with acrid vapors.\n\nThe Great Sage Equaling Heaven\n\nWas caught in the golden light and yellow smoke."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Was caught in the golden light and yellow smoke.\n\nMonkey started lashing out desperately with his hands and feet, but could only spin around inside the golden light, unable to take a step either forwards or backwards. It was as if he were turning round and round in a bucket. It was hopeless. He was unbearably hot. In his anxiety he leapt into the air, smashing against the golden light, and crashing head first to the ground. His head ached where he had hit it, and felt anxiously to find that the top of his scalp was tender.\n\n“What lousy luck,” he though, “what lousy luck. This head’s useless today. Usually swords and axes can’t hurt it, so why has golden light bruised it now? After a while it’s bound to go septic, and even if it does get better I might have tetanus.” He was still feeling unbearably hot. “I can’t move forward or back,” he thought, working out a plan, “or to left or right, and I can’t smash my way through by going up. Whatever shall I do? I’ll damn well have to get out by going down.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage said the words of a spell, shook himself, and turned into one of those scaly diggers called pangolins. Indeed:\n\nFour sets of iron claws\n\nDug through the mountain, smashing rocks like powder.\n\nThe scales covering his body\n\nCarved through ridges and crags like slicing scallions.\n\nHis eyes were as bright\n\nAs two gleaming stars;\n\nHis mouth was sharper\n\nThan a steel drill or brazen auger.\n\nHe was the scaly mountain-borer used in medicine,\n\nThe creature known as the pangolin.\n\nWatch him as he burrows into the ground with his head, not coming out again till he has covered over six miles. The golden light could only enclose about three miles. When he emerged and turned back into himself he was exhausted. His muscles ached, his whole body was in pain, and he could not help weeping. Suddenly he burst out with, “Master,\n\nSince leaving the mountain and joining the faith\n\nI’ve worked very hard on our way to the West.\n\nThe waves of the ocean are nothing to fear,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The waves of the ocean are nothing to fear,\n\nBut in this dry gulch I’ve come out second best.”\n\nJust as the Handsome Monkey King was feeling miserable the sound of sobs could suddenly be heard from the other side of the mountain. Leaning forward and drying his tears he turned to look. A woman appeared, dressed in deep mourning and sobbing at every step as she came from the other side of the mountain. She was holding a dish of cold rice gruel in her left hand and several pieces of yellow paper money for burning to the dead in her right. Monkey sighed and nodded as he said to himself, “This is a case of\n\nWeeping eyes meeting weeping eyes,\n\nOne broken heart coming across another.\n\nI wonder what this woman is crying about. I’ll ask her.” Before long the woman was coming along the path towards him.\n\n“Lady Bodhisattva,” asked Brother Monkey with a bow, “who are you weeping for?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Through her tears the woman replied, “My husband was murdered by the master of the Yellow Flower Temple with poisoned tea because he got into a quarrel with him over the purchase of some bamboo poles. I’m going to burn this paper money as a mark of my love for him.”\n\nThis made Monkey’s tears flow. The sight made the woman say angrily, “You ignorant fool. I’m grieving over my husband, but what business do you have to be weeping and looking so miserable? Are you mocking me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please don’t be angry, Bodhisattva,” said Monkey with a bow. “I’m Sun Wukong the Novice, the senior disciple of Tang Sanzang, the younger brother of the Great Tang Emperor in the East. When we passed the Yellow Flower Temple on our way to the Western Heaven we stopped to rest, but the Taoist master there is some kind of evil spirit who’s the sworn brother of seven spider spirits. When the spider spirits wanted to kill my master in Gossamer Cave I and my brother disciples Pig and Friar Sand managed to save him. The spider spirits fled to the Taoist’s place and told him a pack of lies about us bullying them, so the Taoist knocked out my master and brothers. The three of them and the horse are now prisoners in his temple. I was the only one who didn’t drink the tea. I smashed the cup and he attacked me. Because of the noise the seven spider spirits rushed outside to give out their silken ropes and catch me in the web they wove. I only got away by magic. After I’d found out who they really were I used my power"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "found out who they really were I used my power of giving myself extra bodies to tear the silken ropes to pieces, drag the demons out and beat them to death. The Taoist master wanted revenge, so he went for me with his sword. When we’d gone sixty rounds he fled beaten, took off his clothes, and used the thousand eyes he has under his ribs to give off countless beams of golden light. I was caught under them, unable to move forwards or backwards, so I turned into a pangolin and burrowed my way out underground. It was when I was feeling thoroughly depressed that I heard you weeping, which was why I asked you those questions. When I saw that you had paper money to give your husband I felt wretched and miserable because I’ve got nothing for my master when he dies. Making fun of you was the last thing on my mind!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Putting down the gruel and the paper money the woman returned Brother Monkey’s bow and said, “Please forgive me. I didn’t realize that you were a sufferer too. From what you’ve just said you don’t know who that Taoist is. He’s really the Demon King Hundred-eye, who’s also known as the Many-eyed Monster. You must have tremendous magical powers to have escaped from the golden light and fought so long, but you couldn’t get near him. I’ll tell you about a sage you can send for who would be able to smash the golden light and defeat the Taoist.”\n\nMonkey’s immediate response was to chant a “na-a-aw” of respect and say, “If you know the sage’s background, lady Bodhisattva, may I trouble you to tell me about it? If there is such a sage I’ll fetch him to rescue my master and avenge your husband.”\n\n“I’ll tell you,” the woman said, “and you can fetch the sage, who will subdue the Taoist, but that will only bring revenge. I’m afraid the sage won’t be able to rescue your master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why not?” Monkey asked. “His poison is truly lethal,” the woman replied. “When people are laid low by it the very marrow of their bones rots within three days. I’m afraid that by the time you’ve been to see the sage and come back again you’ll be too late to save him.”\n\n“I know how to travel,” Monkey replied. “However far it is I’ll only take half a day.”\n\n“If you can travel then listen to this,” the woman said. “About three hundred miles from here there’s a mountain called Mount Purple Clouds, and in the mountain there’s a Thousand Flower Cave where there lives a sage called Vairambha who will be able to defeat that demon.”\n\n“Where’s the mountain?” Monkey asked. “Which direction should I take?”\n\n“It’s due South of here,” the woman replied, pointing; and by the time Brother Monkey looked back at her she had disappeared."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey quickly did a kowtow and said, “Which Bodhisattva was that? After all that burrowing you disciple was feeling too stupid to recognize you. I beg you to tell me your name so that I can thank you.” At this there came a shout from mid-air, “Great Sage, it’s me.” Monkey quickly looked up to see that it was the Old Lady of Mount Li. Catching up with her in the sky he thanked her with the words, “Where have you come from to give me these instructions?”\n\n“On my way back from Dragon Flower Assembly I noticed that your master was in trouble,” the Old Lady replied. “It was to save his life that I pretended to be a woman in mourning for her husband. Hurry up and fetch the sage. But don’t tell her I sent you: she is rather difficult.”\n\nThanking her, Monkey took his leave and set off straight away on his somersault cloud. Once at Mount Purple Clouds he brought his cloud down and saw the Thousand Flower Cave. Outside the cave:\n\nBlue pines masked the splendid view,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Blue pines masked the splendid view,\n\nTurquoise cypresses surrounded the immortal’s home.\n\nGreen willows were packed close along the mountain paths,\n\nRare flowers filled the watercourses.\n\nOrchids grew all around stone buildings,\n\nAnd scented blooms gave color to the crags.\n\nFlowing water linked ravines with green,\n\nWhile clouds enclosed the emptiness of trees.\n\nNoisily sang wild birds.\n\nSlowly strolled the deer,\n\nElegant grew the bamboo,\n\nAnd all the red plums were open.\n\nRooks perched in ancient woods,\n\nWhile spring birds chirped in the tree of heaven.\n\nSummer wheat filled spreading acres,\n\nAnd autumn millet grew all over the land.\n\nNo leaf fell in all four seasons.\n\nAnd flowers bloomed throughout the year.\n\nAuspicious rosy glows joined with the Milky Way,\n\nAnd clouds of good omen were linked with the Great Emptiness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage was delighted as he went inside, seeing boundless beauty at every stage. He went straight on, but found it deserted and completely silent. Not even a chicken or a dog could be heard. “I think that this sage must be out.” Monkey thought. When he had gone a mile or two further on he saw a Taoist nun sitting on a couch. This is what she looked like:\n\nShe wore a five-flowered hat of brocade,\n\nAnd a robe of golden silk.\n\nHer cloud-treading shoes were patterned with phoenixes\n\nAnd round her waist was a sash with double tassels.\n\nHer face looked as old as autumn after a frost,\n\nBut her voice was as charming as swallows in the spring.\n\nLong had she mastered the Dharma of Three Vehicles,\n\nAnd she was ever mindful of the Four Truths.\n\nShe knew true achievement, that emptiness is empty,\n\nAnd through her training had acquired great freedom.\n\nShe was the Buddha of the Thousand Flower Cave,\n\nThe illustrious Vairambha of great fame."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The illustrious Vairambha of great fame.\n\nMonkey went straight up to her without stopping and said, “Greetings, Bodhisattva Vairambha.”\n\nThe Bodhisattva then came down from her couch, put her hands together to return his greeting and said, “Great Sage, it was remiss of me not to come out to greet you. Where have you come from?”\n\n“How do you know that I’m the Great Sage?” Monkey asked.\n\n“When you made havoc in Heaven the other year,” Vairambha replied, “your picture was circulated everywhere. That’s why everyone can recognize you.”\n\n“How true it is,” Monkey said, “that\n\nWhile good deeds stay at home\n\nBad deeds are known far and wide.\n\nTake my conversion to Buddhism, for example. You didn’t know about that.”\n\n“Congratulations,” said Vairambha. “When did that happen?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Not long ago my life was spared to escort my master the Tang Priest on his journey to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures,” Monkey replied. “My master has been laid low with poisoned tea by the Taoist of the Yellow Flower Temple. When I was fighting with him he caught me in his golden light, and I had to use magic to escape. I have come here to pay you my respects, Bodhisattva, and ask your help because I’ve heard that you are able to destroy his golden light.”\n\n“Who told you that?” the Bodhisattva asked. “I have not left here since the Ullambana assembly over three hundred years ago. I’ve lived in complete secrecy and nobody has heard of me, so how is it that you know of me?”\n\n“I’m an underground devil,” Monkey replied, “and I can make my own enquiries anywhere at all.”\n\n“Never mind,” Vairambha said, “never mind. I shouldn’t really go, but as you have honoured me with a visit, Great Sage, and as the great cause of fetching the scriptures must not be allowed to fail I’ll go with you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey thanked her and said, “It’s very ignorant of me to hurry you along in this way. I wonder what weapon you use.”\n\n“I have an embroidery needle that will put an end to that damned creature,” said the Bodhisattva.\n\nThis was too much for Monkey. “Old Lady, you’ve been wasting my time,” he said. “Had I known it was an embroidery needle I wouldn’t have had to trouble you. I could have provided a hundredweight of them.”\n\n“Your embroidery needles are all made of iron, steel or gold,” the Bodhisattva replied. “They’re no use. My treasure isn’t iron and isn’t steel and isn’t gold. It was tempered by my son in the sun.”\n\n“Who is he?” asked Monkey. “He is the Star Lord of the Mane,” Vairambha replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This came as a shock to Monkey, who gazed at the golden light then turned to Vairambha and said, “The Yellow Flower Temple is where that golden light is coming from.” Vairambha then took from the lapel of her gown an embroidery needle about the thickness of an eyebrow hair and half an inch long. Holding it between her fingers she threw it into the air. A few moments later there was a loud noise and the golden light was shattered.\n\n“That’s wonderful, Bodhisattva, wonderful!” exclaimed a delighted Monkey. “Let’s find your needle now.”\n\n“Isn’t this it here?” asked Vairambha, who was holding it in her hand. Brother Monkey brought his cloud down to land with hers and went into the temple, where he found the Taoist with his eyes shut, unable to move. “Stop playing blind, damned demon,” he said abusively, taking his cudgel from his ear ready to hit the Taoist with.\n\n“Don’t hit him, Great Sage,” said Vairambha. “Go and see your master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On going straight to the reception room at the back Monkey found the three of them bringing up mucus and spittle where they lay on the floor. “What am I to do?” wept Monkey. “What am I to do?”\n\n“Don’t grieve, Great Sage,” said Vairambha. “As I’ve come out today I think I might as well accumulate some merit by giving you three of these pills that are an antidote to the poison.” Monkey turned round to bow down and beg her for them, whereupon she produced a torn paper packet from her sleeve containing three red pills that she handed to Monkey, telling him to put one in each of their mouths. This he did, forcing their teeth apart. A few moments later they all started vomiting as the drug reached their stomachs, bringing up the poison and coming back to life. Pig was the first to scramble to his feet.\n\n“I feel suffocated,” he said. Sanzang and Friar Sand both came round too, saying that they felt very dizzy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your tea was poisoned,” Brother Monkey explained. “It was the Bodhisattva Vairambha who saved you. Hurry up and bow to her in thanks.” Sanzang bowed to her to show his gratitude as he straightened up his clothes.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “where’s that Taoist? I’ve got some questions to ask him about why he tried to murder me.” Monkey then told him all about the spider spirits.\n\n“If spider spirits are his sisters that damned creature must be an evil spirit too,” said Pig with fury.\n\n“He’s standing outside the main hall pretending to be blind,” said Monkey, pointing.\n\nPig grabbed his rake and was about to hit the Taoist with it when Vairambha stopped him and said, “Control your temper, Marshal Tian Peng. As the Great Sage knows, I have no servants in my cave. I am going to take him as my doorkeeper.”\n\n“We are deeply indebted to your great power,” Monkey replied, “and we will of course obey. But we would like you to turn him back into his real self so that we can have a look at him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Easily done,” said Vairambha, stepping forward and pointing at the Taoist, who collapsed into the dust and reverted to his real form of a giant centipede spirit seven feet long. Picking him up with her little finger Vairambha rode her auspicious cloud straight back to the Thousand Flower Cave. “That old lady’s a real terror,” said Pig, looking up. “How did she manage to subdue that evil creature?”\n\n“When I asked her what weapon she had to smash the golden light with,” Monkey replied, “she told me about a golden embroidery needle of hers that her son had tempered in the sun. When I asked her who her son was she told me he was the Star Lord of the Mane. As I remember, the Mane Star is a cock, so his mother must be a hen. Hens are very good at dealing with centipedes, which is why she could subdue him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this Sanzang performed no end of kowtows. “Disciples,” he ordered, “go and get things ready.” Friar Sand then went inside to find some rice and prepare a vegetarian meal, so that they could all eat their fill. Then they led the horse up, shouldered the carrying-pole, and asked the master to set out. Monkey started a blaze in the kitchen that in an instant burnt the whole temple to ashes. He then set out on his way. Indeed:\n\nThe Tang Priest thanked Vairambha for saving his life;\n\nThe emotions were eliminated and the Many-eyed Monster removed.\n\nAs for what happened on the way ahead, listen to the explanations in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy-Four\n\nLi Changgeng Reports the Demons’ Vicious Nature\n\nThe Novice Displays His Powers of Transformation\n\nEmotions and desires are in origin all the same;\n\nBoth emotions and desires are completely natural.\n\nMany a gentleman refines himself in the Buddhist faith;\n\nWhen desire and emotions are forgotten, dhyana conies."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Don’t be impatient; be firm of heart;\n\nBe free of dust like the moon in the sky.\n\nMake no mistake in your labors and your progress;\n\nWhen your efforts are completed you will be an enlightened immortal.\n\nThe story tells how Sanzang and his disciples, having broken through the net of desires and escaped from the prison-house of the emotions, let the horse travel West. Before they had been going for very long the summer was over and the new coolness of early autumn was refreshing their bodies. What they saw was:\n\nDriving rains sweeping away the last of the heat,\n\nAlarming the leaf of the parasol tree.\n\nAt evening glow-worms flew by the sedge path\n\nWhile crickets sang beneath the moon.\n\nThe golden mallows opened in the dew;\n\nRed knotweed covered the sandbanks.\n\nRushes and willows were the first to lose their leaves\n\nAs cold cicadas sang in tune."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As cold cicadas sang in tune.\n\nAs Sanzang was travelling along a high mountain appeared in front of him. Its peak thrust up into the azure void, touching the stars and blocking out the sun. In his alarm the venerable elder said to Monkey, “Look at that mountain in front of us. It’s very high. I don’t know whether the path will take us across.”\n\n“What a thing to say, Master,” said Monkey with a smile. “As the old saying goes,\n\nHowever high the mountain there will be a way across;\n\nHowever deep the river there’s always a ferryman.\n\nThere’s no reason why we shouldn’t get over it. Stop worrying and carry on.” When Sanzang heard this his face broke out in smiles and he whipped his horse forward to climb straight up the high crag."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After a mile or two an old man appeared. His white hair was tangled and flying in the wind while his sparse whiskers were being blown about like silver threads. He wore a string of prayer-beads round his neck and held a dragon-headed walkingstick as he stood far away at the top of the slope shouting, “Venerable gentleman travelling West, stop your worthy steed. Rein in. There is a band of demons on this mountain who have eaten all the people in the continent of Jambu. Go no further!”\n\nAt this Sanzang turned pale with terror, and because the horse was not standing steadily and he himself was not well seated in the carved saddle he crashed to the ground and lay in the grass, moaning but unable to move.\n\nMonkey went over to help him to his feet with the words, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’m here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Did you hear the old man up on the crag telling us that there’s a band of demons on this mountain who have eaten everyone in the continent of Jambu?” said Sanzang. “Who’ll dare go to ask him what this is really all about?”\n\n“Sit there while I go and ask him,” Monkey replied.\n\n“With your ugly face and coarse language I’m afraid you may shock him,” said Sanzang, “so you won’t get the truth from him.”\n\n“I’ll make myself a bit better looking before questioning him,” laughed Brother Monkey.\n\n“Do a change to show me,” said Sanzang, and the splendid Great Sage made a spell with his fingers, shook himself, and turned into a very neat little monk, clear-eyed, fine-browed, round-headed and regular of features. He moved in a most refined way and said nothing vulgar when he opened his mouth.\n\nBrushing his brocade tunic he stepped forward and said to the Tang Priest, “Master, have I changed for the better?”\n\n“Yes,” said the delighted Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” said the delighted Sanzang.\n\n“Marvellous,” said Pig, “but the rest of us look shabby by comparison. Even if I rolled around for two or three years on end I couldn’t make myself look as elegant as that.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage left them behind as he went straight up to the old man, bowed to him and said, “Greetings, venerable sir.” Seeing how young and cultivated he looked, the old man returned his greeting and stroked his head in an offhand way.\n\n“Little monk,” the old man said with a smile, “where have you come from?”\n\n“We are from the Great Tang in the East,” Monkey replied, “going to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. When we came here and heard you tell us that there are demons here my master was terrified. He sent me to ask you about them. What sort of evil spirits would dare go in for that sort of crime? I would trouble you, venerable sir, to tell me all the details so that I can put them in their place and send them on their way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re much too young, little monk,” said the old man with a smile, “to know what’s good for you. Your remarks aren’t helpful. Those evil spirits have tremendous magical powers. How can you have the nerve to talk of putting them in their place and sending them on their way?”\n\n“From what you are saying,” Monkey replied with a smile, “you seem to be trying to protect them. You must be a relation of theirs, or else a neighbour or a friend. Why else would you be promoting their prestige and boosting their morale, and refusing to pour out everything you know about their background?”\n\n“You certainly know how to talk, monk,” said the old man, nodding and smiling. “I suppose you must have learned some magic arts while travelling with your master. Perhaps you know how to drive away and capture goblins, or have exorcised people’s houses for them. But you’ve never come up against a really vicious monster.”\n\n“What sort of vicious?” Monkey said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What sort of vicious?” Monkey said.\n\n“If those evil spirits send a letter to Vulture Mountain the five hundred arhats all come out to meet them,” the old man said. “If they send a note to the Heavenly Palace the Ten Bright Shiners all turn out to pay their respects. The dragons of the Four Oceans were their friends and they often meet the immortals of the Eight Caves. The Ten Kings of the Underworld call them brothers; the local gods and city gods are good friends of theirs.\n\nWhen the Great Sage heard this he could not help bursting into loud guffaws. “Stop talking,” he said, grabbing hold of the old man, “stop talking. Even if that demon is friends with all those young whippersnappers, my juniors, that’s nothing really remarkable. If he knew I was coming he’d clear off the same night.”\n\n“You’re talking nonsense, little monk,” the old man said. “How can any of those sages be juniors and young whippersnappers to you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“To be truthful with you,” Monkey replied with a grin, “my people have lived for many generations in the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the land of Aolai. My name is Sun Wukong. In the old days I used to be an evil spirit too and did some great things. Once I fell asleep after drinking too much at a feast with the other demons and dreamed that two men came to drag me off to the World of Darkness. I got so angry that I wounded the demon judges with my gold-banded cudgel. The kings of the Underworld were terrified and I practically turned the Senluo Palace upside-down. The judges in charge of the case were so scared that they fetched some paper for the Ten Kings to sign. They promised to treat me as their senior if I let them off a beating.”\n\n“Amitabha Buddha!” exclaimed the old man when he heard this. “If you talk big like that you won’t be able to grow any older.”\n\n“I’m old enough, fellow,” said Monkey.\n\n“How old are you then?” the old man asked. “Guess,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Six or seven,” the old man said. “I’m ten thousand times as old as that,” laughed Monkey, “I’ll show you my old face, then you’ll believe me.”\n\n“How can you have another face?” the old man asked.\n\n“This little monk has seventy-two faces,” Monkey replied.\n\nNot realizing that Monkey really had these powers the old man went on questioning him till Monkey rubbed his face and turned back into himself, with his protruding teeth, big mouth, red thighs and tigerskin kilt round his waist. As he stood there at the foot of the rocky scar, holding his gold-banded cudgel, he was the living image of a thunder god. The sight of him made the old man turn pale with terror and go so weak at the knees that he could not keep himself upright but collapsed to the ground. When he got to his feet again he lost his balance once more."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Old man,” said the Great Sage, going up to him, “don’t get yourself so frightened over nothing. I may look evil but I’m good inside. Don’t be afraid! You were kind enough just now to tell us that there are demons here. Could I trouble you to let me know how many of them there are? I’ll thank you very much if you do.” The old man trembled, unable to speak and acting as if deaf. He replied not a word.\n\nGetting no answer from him, Monkey went back down the slope.\n\n“So you are back, Wukong,” Sanzang said. “What did you find out?”\n\n“It’s nothing,” said Monkey with a smile, “nothing. Even if there are one or two evil spirits on the way to the Western Heaven, the people here only worry so much about them because they’re such cowards. No problem! I’m here!”\n\n“Did you ask him what mountain this was and what cave,” said Sanzang, “how many monsters there are, and which is the way to Thunder Monastery?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please excuse me if I speak frankly, Master,” put in Pig. “When it comes to transformations, trickery and deception, then four or five of us would be no match for Brother Monkey. But a whole parade of Monkeys couldn’t touch me for honesty.”\n\n“That’s right,” said the Tang Priest, “that’s right. You’re honest.”\n\n“Goodness knows why,” said Pig, “but he just rushed in without a second thought, asked a couple of questions, and came running back in an awful mess. I’m going to find out the truth.”\n\n“Do be careful, Wuneng,” said the Tang Priest.\n\nThe splendid idiot put his rake in his belt, straightened up his tunic, and swaggered straight up the slope to call to the old man, “Respectful greetings, sir.” The old man had finally managed to get back on his feet with the help of his stick after seeing that Monkey had gone, and was still shaking and about to depart when Pig suddenly appeared."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sir,” he said, more shocked than ever, “whatever kind of nightmare am I in the middle of? The first monk was ugly enough, but at least he looked a little bit human. But this one’s got a snout like a pestle, ears like rush fans, a face like iron plates, and a neck covered in bristles. It doesn’t look at all human.”\n\n“You must be in a very bad mood to run me down like that, old man,” laughed Pig. “Is that how you see me? Ugly I may be, but if you can bear to look at me for a while you’ll find I get quite handsome.”\n\nOnly when the old man heard Pig using human speech did he address him by asking, “Where are you from?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m the Tang Priest’s second disciple,” Pig replied, “and my Buddhist names are Wuneng or Bajie. The one who came and asked you questions just now was Sun Wukong the Novice, the senior disciple. My master has sent me to pay my respects to you because he’s angry with Sun Wukong for offending you and not finding out the truth. Could you please tell me, sir, what mountain this is, what caves there are on it, what demons live in them, and which is the main route West?”\n\n“Are you honest?” the old man asked.\n\n“I’ve never been false in all my life,” Pig replied. “You mustn’t talk a whole lot of fancy nonsense like the other monk just now,” said the old man.\n\n“I’m not like him,” Pig replied.\n\nLeaning on his stick, the old man said to Pig, “This is Lion Ridge, and it is 250 miles around. In it there is a Lion Cave where there are three demon chieftains.”\n\n“You’re worrying over nothing, old man,” said Pig, spitting. “Why go to all that trouble just to tell us about three demons?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Aren’t you afraid?” the old man said.\n\n“To tell you the truth,” Pig replied, “my elder brother’ll kill one with one swing of his cudgel, I’ll kill another with one bash from my rake, and the other disciple will kill the third one with his demon-quelling staff. And with the three of them dead our master will be able to cross the ridge. No problem!”\n\n“You don’t know the whole story, monk,” said the old man with a smile. “Those three demon chiefs have the most tremendous magic powers. As for the little demons under their command, there are five thousand on the Southern end of the ridge, five thousand on the Northern end, ten thousand on the road East, ten thousand on the road West, four or five thousand patrollers, and another ten thousand on the gates. Then there are any number who work in the kitchen and gather firewood. There must be 47,000 or 48,000 altogether. They all have names and carry passes, and all they do is eat people.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On learning this the idiot ran back, shivering and shaking. As soon as he was near the Tang Priest he put down his rake and started shitting instead of reporting back. “What are you squatting there for instead of making your report?” shouted Monkey when he saw the idiot.\n\n“Because I’m shit scared,” Pig replied. “No time to talk now. The sooner we all run for our lives the better.”\n\n“Stupid fool,” said Monkey. “I wasn’t frightened when I questioned him, so why should you be in such a witless panic?”\n\n“What is the situation?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“The old man says that this is Lion Mountain,” Pig replied, “and that there’s Lion Cave in it. There are three chief demons there, and they have 48,000 little devils under them. All they do is eat people. So if we step on their mountain we’ll just be serving ourselves up as a meal to them. Let’s forget about it.” On hearing this Sanzang shivered, his hairs standing on end.\n\n“What are we to do, Wukong?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What are we to do, Wukong?” he asked.\n\n“Don’t worry, Master,” said Monkey. “It can’t be anything much. There are bound to be a few evil spirits here. It’s just that the people here are such cowards that they exaggerate about how many demons there are and how powerful they are. They get themselves into a funk. I can cope.”\n\n“You’re talking nonsense, brother,” said Pig. “I’m not like you. What I found out was the truth. I wasn’t making any of it up. The hills and valleys are all crawling with demons. How are we going to move ahead?”\n\n“You’re talking like an idiot,” said Monkey with a grin. Don’t scare yourself over nothing. Even if the hills and valleys were crawling with demons I’d only need half a night to wipe them all out with my cudgel.”\n\n“You’re shameless,” said Pig, “quite shameless. Stop talking so big. It would take seven or eight days just to call the roll. How could you wipe them all out?”\n\n“Tell me how you’d do it,” laughed Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Tell me how you’d do it,” laughed Monkey.\n\n“However you grabbed them, tied them up, or fixed them where they are with fixing magic you’d never be able to do it so fast,” said Pig.\n\n“I wouldn’t need to grab them or tie them up,” said Monkey. “I’ll give my cudgel a tug at both ends, say ‘Grow!,’ and make it over four hundred feet long. Then I’ll wave it, say ‘Thicken!,’ and make it eighty feet around. I’ll roll it down the Southern slope and that’ll kill five thousand of them. I’ll roll it down the Northern slope and kill another five thousand. Then I’ll roll it along the ridge from East to West, and even if there are forty or fifty thousand of them I’ll squash them all to a bloody pulp.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “if you kill them that way, like rolling out dough for noodles, you could do it in four hours.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Friar Sand with a laugh, “as my elder brother has such divine powers we’ve got nothing to fear. Please mount up so that we can be on our way.” Having heard them discussing Monkey’s powers Sanzang could not but mount with an easy heart and be on his way.\n\nAs they traveled along the old man disappeared. “He must have been an evil spirit himself,” said Friar Sand, “deliberately coming to frighten us with cunning and intimidation.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Take it easy,” said Monkey. “I’m going to take a look.” The splendid Great Sage leapt up to a high peak but saw no trace of the old man when he looked around. Then he suddenly turned back to see a shimmering coloured glow in the sky, shot up on his cloud to look, and saw that it was the Great White Planet. Walking over and grabbing hold of him, Monkey kept addressing him by his personal name: “Li Changgeng! Li Changgeng! You rascal! If you had something to say you should have said it to my face. Why did you pretend to be an old man of the woods and make a fool of me?”\n\nThe planet hastened to pay him his respects and said, “Great Sage, I beg you to forgive me for being late in reporting to you. Those demon chiefs really have tremendous magical abilities and their powers are colossal. With your skill in transformations and your cunning you may just be able to get over, but if you slight them it will be very hard.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m very grateful,” Monkey thanked him, “very grateful. If I really can’t get across this ridge I hope that you’ll go up to Heaven and put in a word with the Jade Emperor so he’ll lend me some heavenly soldiers to help me.”\n\n“Yes, yes, yes,” said the Great White Planet. “Just give the word and you can have a hundred thousand heavenly troops if you want them.”\n\nThe Great Sage then took his leave of the planet and brought his cloud down to see Sanzang and say, “The old man we saw just now was actually the Great White Planet come to bring us a message.”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, putting his hands together in front of his chest, “catch up with him quick and ask him where there’s another path we could make a detour by.”\n\n“There’s no other way round,” Monkey replied. “This mountain is 250 miles across, and goodness knows how much longer it would be to go all the way around it. How ever could we?” At this Sanzang could not restrain himself from weeping."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciple,” he said, “if it’s going to be as hard as this how are we going to worship the Buddha?”\n\n“Don’t cry,” Monkey said, “don’t cry. If you cry you’re a louse. I’m sure he’s exaggerating. All we have to do is be careful. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Dismount and sit here for now.”\n\n“What do you want to talk about now?” Pig asked.\n\n“Nothing,” replied Monkey. “You stay here and look after the master carefully while Friar Sand keeps a close eye on the baggage and the horse. I’m going up the ridge to scout around. I’ll find out how many demons there are in the area, capture one, ask him all the details, and get him to write out a list with all of their names. I’ll check out every single one of them, old or young, and tell them to shut the gates of the cave and not block our way. Then I can ask the master to cross the mountain peacefully and quietly. That’ll show people my powers.”\n\n“Be careful,” said Friar Sand, “do be careful!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Be careful,” said Friar Sand, “do be careful!”\n\n“No need to tell me,” Brother Monkey replied with a smile. “On this trip I’d force the Eastern Ocean to make way for me, and I’d smash my way in even if it were a mountain of silver cased in iron.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage went whistling straight up to the peak by his somersault cloud. Holding on to the vines and creepers, he surveyed the mountain only to find it silent and deserted. “I was wrong,” he said involuntarily, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have let that old Great White Planet go. He was just trying to scare me. There aren’t any evil spirits here. If there were they’d be out leaping around in the wind, thrusting with their spears and staves, or practicing their fighting skills. Why isn’t there a single one?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he was wondering about this there was a ringing of a bell and a banging of clappers. He turned round at once to see a little devil boy with a banner on which was written BY ORDER over his shoulder, a bell at his waist and clappers in his hands that he was sounding. He was coming from the North and heading South. A close look revealed that he was about twelve feet tall.\n\n“He must be a runner,” thought Monkey, grinning to himself, “delivering messages and reports. I’ll take a listen to what he’s talking about.” The splendid Great Sage made a spell with his hands, said the magic words, shook himself and turned into a fly who landed lightly on the devil’s hat and tilted his head for a good listen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is what the little devil was saying to himself as he headed along the main road, sounding his clappers and ringing his bell: “All we mountain patrollers must be careful and be on our guard against Sun the Novice. He can even turn into a fly!” Monkey was quietly amazed to hear this. “That so-and-so must have seen me before. How else could he know my name and know that I can turn into a fly?” Now the little devil had not in fact seen him before. The demon chief had for some reason given him these instructions that he was reciting blindly. Monkey, who did not know this, thought that the devil must have seen him and was on the point of bringing the cudgel out to hit him with when he stopped."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I remember Pig being told,” he thought, “when he questioned the planet that there were three demon chieftains and 47,000 or 48,000 junior devils like this one. Even if there were tens of thousands more juniors like this it would be no problem. But I wonder how great the three leaders’ powers are. I’ll question him first. There’ll be time to deal with them later.”\n\nSplendid Great Sage! Do you know how he questioned the demon? He jumped off the devil’s hat and landed on a tree top, letting the junior devil go several paces ahead. Then Monkey turned round and did a quick transformation into another junior devil, sounding clappers, ringing a bell and carrying a flag over his shoulder just like the real one. He was also dressed identically. The only difference was that he was a few inches taller.\n\nHe was muttering the same things as the other as he caught him up, shouting, “Hey, you walking ahead, wait for me.”\n\nTurning round, the junior devil asked, “Where have you come from?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re a nice bloke,” Monkey said with a smile, “not even recognizing one of your own people.”\n\n“You’re not one of ours,” said the demon.\n\n“What do you mean?” Monkey asked. “Take a look and see if you can recognize me.”\n\n“I’ve never seen you before,” the demon said. “I don’t know you.”\n\n“It’s not surprising you don’t know me,” said Monkey. “I work in the kitchens. We’ve rarely met.”\n\n“You don’t,” said the demon, shaking his head, “you don’t. None of the brothers who do the cooking has got a pointy face like yours.”\n\n“I must have made my face too pointy when I did the transformation,” thought Monkey, so he rubbed it with his hands and said, “It isn’t pointy.” Indeed it was not."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But it was pointy just now,” the little devil said. “How did you stop it being pointy just by rubbing it? You’re a very shady character. I don’t have the faintest idea who you are. You’re not one of us. I’ve never met you. Very suspicious. Our kings run the household very strictly. The kitchen staff only work in the kitchen and the mountain patrols keep to patrolling the mountain. How could you possibly be a cook and a patroller?”\n\n“There’s something you don’t know,” said Monkey, improvising a clever answer. “I was promoted to patrolling because the kings saw how well I’d worked in the kitchens.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well then,” said the little devil. “We patrollers are divided into ten companies of forty each, which makes four hundred in all. We’re all known by our ages, appearances, names and descriptions. Because Their Majesties want to keep the organization neat and roll-calls convenient they’ve given us all passes. Have you got one?” Monkey, who had seen what the devil looked like and heard what he had said, had been able to turn himself into the devil’s double. But not having seen the devil’s pass he was not carrying one himself. Instead of saying that he did not have one the splendid Great Sage claimed that he had.\n\n“Of course I’ve got one,” he said. “But it’s a new one that’s only just been issued to me. Show me yours.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not realizing what Monkey was up to, the little devil lifted his clothes to reveal a gold-lacquered pass with a silken cord through it fastened next to his skin that he lifted out to show Monkey. Monkey saw that on the back of it were the words “Demon-suppresser,” while on the front was handwritten “Junior Wind-piercer.”\n\n“Goes without saying,” Brother Monkey thought, “all the ones in mountain patrols have ‘Wind’ at the end of their names. Put your clothes down now,” he said, “and come over here while I show you my pass.” With that he turned away, put a hand down to pull a little hair from the tip of his tail, rubbed it between his fingers, called “Change!” and turned it into another gold-lacquered pass on a green silken cord on which were handwritten the words “Senior Wind-piercer.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With his liking for taking things to extremes and his gift of finding the right thing to say, Monkey remarked, “There’s something you don’t know. When Their Majesties promoted me to patrolling for doing so well in the kitchen they gave me a new pass as a Senior Patroller and put me in charge of you forty lads in this company.”\n\nAt this the demon at once gave a “na-a-aw” of respect and said, “Sir, I didn’t recognize you as you’ve only just been appointed. Please forgive me if anything I said offended you.”\n\n“I’m not angry with you,” said Monkey, returning his courtesy. “There’s just one thing. I want some money from you all to mark our first meeting: five ounces of silver each.”\n\n“Please be patient, sir,” the little devil replied. “When I get back to the Southern end of the ridge to meet the rest of our company we’ll all give it to your together.”\n\n“In that case I’m coming with you,” said Monkey, and he followed behind as the demon led the way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After a mile or two a writing-brush peak was seen. Why was it called a writing-brush peak? Because on the top of the mountain there was a pinnacle about forty or fifty feet high that looked just like a writing brush standing upright on a brush stand.\n\nGoing up to it Monkey lifted his tail, jumped to the top of the pinnacle, sat down and called, “Come here, all of you.”\n\nThe young Wind-piercers all bowed low beneath him and said, “We’re at your service, sir.”\n\n“Do you know why Their Majesties appointed me?” Monkey asked.\n\n“No,” they replied.\n\n“Their Majesties want to eat the Tang Priest,” said Monkey, “but they’re worried about Sun the Novice’s tremendous magic powers. They’ve heard that he can do transformations and are worried that he might turn himself into a young Wind-piercer and come along the path here to find out what’s going on. That’s why they’re made me Senior Wind-piercer to check up on you and find out if there are any impostors among you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’re all genuine, sir,” the junior Wind-piercers all replied at once.\n\n“If you’re all genuine do you know what powers His Senior Majesty has?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes,” one of the young Wind-piercers said.\n\n“In that case,” said Monkey, “tell me about them at once. If what you say matches what I know, you’re genuine. If it’s at all wrong you’re impostors, and I’ll take you to Their Majesties for punishment.”\n\nSeeing him sitting up on high, playing wise and cunning as he shouted at them, the young devils had nothing for it but to tell him the truth. “His Majesty has vast magical abilities and enormous powers,” one of the young devils replied. “He once devoured a hundred thousand heavenly warriors in a single mouthful.”\n\n“You’re an impostor,” Monkey spat out when he heard this.\n\n“Sir, Your Honour,” said the young devil in panic, “I’m real. How can you call me an impostor?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you’re genuine why did you talk such nonsense?” Monkey replied. “No matter how big he is His Majesty couldn’t have swallowed a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers in a single mouthful.”\n\n“This is something you don’t know about, sir,” the young devil replied. “His Majesty can do transformations. He can make himself tall enough to hold up the sky or as small as a cabbage seed. Some years ago when the Queen Mother invited all the immortals to a peach banquet she didn’t send him an invitation, so His Majesty wanted to fight Heaven. The Jade Emperor sent a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers to subdue His Majesty, gave himself a magical body and opened his mouth that was as big as a city gate. He made as if to swallow hard, which frightened the heavenly soldiers so much that they dared not give battle, and the Southern Gate of Heaven was shut. That’s how he could have swallowed a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers at a single mouthful.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey grinned to himself and thought, “Frankly, I’ve done that too. What powers does His Second Majesty have?” he asked.\n\n“His Second Majesty is thirty feet tall with brows like sleeping silkworms, phoenix eyes, a voice like a beautiful woman, tusks like carrying-poles and a nose like a dragon. If he’s in a fight he only needs to wrinkle his nose for his enemy to be scared witless even if he’s covered in bronze and iron.”\n\n“Evil spirits who get people with their noses are easy enough to catch,” said Monkey, who then asked, “and what powers does His Third Majesty have?”\n\n“He’s no monster from the mortal world,” the young devil replied. “His name is Ten Thousand Miles of Cloud Roc. When he moves he rolls up the wind and shifts the waves, shaking the North as he heads for the South. He carries a treasure about with him called the Male and Female Vital Principles Jar. Anyone who’s put in that jar is turned liquid in a few moments.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That news gave Monkey something to worry about. “I’m not scared of the monsters,” he thought, “but I’ll have to watch out for his jar.” Then he said aloud, “Your account of Their Majesties’ powers isn’t bad—it fits exactly with what I know. But which of them wants to eat the Tang Priest?”\n\n“Don’t you know, sir?” said the young Wind-piercer.\n\n“As if I didn’t know better than you!” shouted Monkey. “I was told to come and question you because they’re worried that you don’t know all the details.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Our Senior King and Second King have long lived in Lion Cave on Lion Mountain,” the young devil replied, “but the Third King doesn’t live here. He used to live over a hundred miles to the West of here in the capital of a country called Leonia. Five hundred years ago he ate the king of the country, his civil and military officials, and everybody else in the city, young and old, male and female. So he seized their country, and now all the people there are evil monsters. I don’t know which year it was in which he heard that the Tang court has sent a priest to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. They say this priest is a good man who has cultivated his conduct for ten incarnations, and anyone who eats a piece of his flesh will live for ever and never grow old. But the Third King is worried about the priest’s disciple Sun the Novice who’s a real terror, so he’s come to swear brotherhood with our two kings, all three are now working together to catch the Tang Priest.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Damn this thoroughly ill-behaved monster,” thought Brother Monkey with great fury. “I’m protecting the Tang Priest while he works for the true achievement. How dare they plot to eat my man?” With a snort of fury he ground his steel teeth and brandished his iron cudgel as he leapt down from the high pinnacle and smashed the poor young devil’s head into a lump of meat. When he saw what he had done Monkey felt sorry."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Oh dear,” he thought, “he meant well, telling me all about the house. Why did I finish him off all of a sudden like that? Oh well! Oh well! That’s that.” The splendid Great Sage had been forced to do this because his master’s way ahead had been blocked. He took the little devil’s pass off him, tied it round his own waist, put the “By order” flag over his shoulder, hung the bell from his waist and sounded the clappers with his hand. Then he made a hand-spell into the wind, said a spell, shook himself, turned into the exact likeness of the junior Wind-piercer, and went straight back the way he had come, looking for the cave to find out about the three demon chieftains. Indeed:\n\nThe Handsome Monkey King had a thousand transformations\n\nAnd the true power of magic to make ten thousand changes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was rushing deep into the mountains along the way he had come when suddenly he heard shouts and whinnies. As he looked up he saw tens of thousands of little devils drawn up outside the entrance to the Lion Cave with their spears, sabers, swords, halberds, flags and banners. Monkey was delighted.\n\n“Li Changgeng, the planet, was telling the truth,” he thought. “He wasn’t lying at all.” The devils were drawn up in a systematic way, each 250 forming a company, so that from the forty standards in many colours that were dancing in the wind he could tell that there were ten thousand infantry and cavalry there."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I go into the cave disguised as a junior Wind-piercer and one of the demon chiefs questions me about my mountain patrol,” Monkey thought, “I’ll have to make up answers on the spur of the moment. The moment I say anything at all wrong he’ll realize who I am and I won’t be able to get away. That army on the gates would stop me and I’d never get out. If I’m going to catch the demon kings I’ll have to get rid of the devils on the gates first.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Do you know how he was going to do that? “The old demons have never seen me,” he thought, “they’ve only heard of my reputation. I’ll talk big and scare them with my fame and prestige. If it’s true that all living beings in the middle land are destined to have the scriptures brought to them, then all I need do is talk like a hero and scare those monsters on the gate away. But if they’re not destined to have the scriptures brought to them I’ll never get rid of the spirits from the gates of this cave in the West even if I talk till lotus flowers appear.” Thus he thought about his plans, his mind questioning his mouth and his mouth questioning his mind, as he sounded the clappers and rang the bell.\n\nBefore he could rush in through the entrance to Lion Cave he was stopped by the junior devils of the forward camp, who said, “You’re back, young Wind-piercer.” Monkey said nothing but kept going with his head down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he reached the second encampment more young devils grabbed hold of him and said, “You’re back, young Wind-piercer.”\n\n“Yes,” Monkey replied. “On your patrol this morning did you meet a Sun the Novice?” they asked.\n\n“I did,” Monkey replied. “He was polishing his pole.”\n\n“What’s he like?” the terrified devils asked. “What sort of pole was he polishing?”\n\n“He was squatting beside a stream,” Monkey replied. “He looked like one of those gods that clear the way. If he’d stood up I’m sure he’d have been hundreds of feet tall, and the iron cudgel he was holding was a huge bar as thick as a rice-bowl. He’d put a handful of water on a rocky scar and was polishing the cudgel on it muttering, ‘Pole, it’s ages since I got you out to show your magic powers: This time you can kill all the demons for me, even if there are a hundred thousand of them. Then I’ll kill the three demon chiefs as a sacrificial offering to you.’ He’s going to polish it till it shines then start by killing the ten thousand of you on the gates.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this the little devils were all terror-struck and their souls all scattered in panic. “Gentlemen,” Monkey continued, “that Tang Priest has only got a few pounds of flesh on him. We won’t get a share. So why should we have to carry the can for them? We’d do much better to scatter.”\n\n“You’re right,” the demons said. “Let’s all run for our lives.” If they had been civilized soldiers they would have stayed and fought to the death, but as they were all really wolves, tigers and leopards, running beasts and flying birds, they all disappeared with a great whoosh. Indeed, it wasn’t as if the Great Sage Sun had merely talked big: it was like the time when Xiang Yu’s army of eight thousand soldiers disappeared, surrounded by foes who were former comrades."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Splendid,” said monkey to himself with self-congratulation, “the old devils are as good as dead now. If this lot run away at the sound of me they’ll never dare look me in the face. I’ll use the same story when I go in there. If I said anything different and one or two of the young devils had got inside and heard me that would give the game away.” Watch him as he carefully approaches the ancient cave and boldly goes deep inside.\n\nIf you don’t know what of good or ill was to come from the demon chieftains listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy-Five\n\nThe Mind-Ape Bores a Hole in the Male and Female Jar\n\nThe Demon King Returns and the Way Is Preserved\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage Sun went in through the entrance of the cave and looked to either side. This is what he saw:\n\nHills of skeletons,\n\nForests of bones,\n\nHuman heads and hair trampled into felt,\n\nHuman skin and flesh rotted into mud,\n\nSinews twisted round trees,\n\nDried and shining like silver."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dried and shining like silver.\n\nTruly there was a mountain of corpses, a sea of blood,\n\nAn unbearable stench of corruption.\n\nThe little devils to the East\n\nSliced the living flesh off human victims;\n\nThe evil demons to the West\n\nBoiled and fried fresh human meat.\n\nApart from the heroic Handsome Monkey King\n\nNo common mortal would have dared go in.\n\nHe was soon inside the second gates, and when he looked around here he saw that things were different from outside. Here was purity, quiet elegance, beauty and calm. To left and right were rare and wonderful plants; all around were tall pines and jade-green bamboo. After another two or three miles he reached the third gates, slipped inside for a peep, and saw the three old demons sitting on high. They looked thoroughly evil. The one in the middle\n\nHad teeth like chisels and saws,\n\nA round head and a square face.\n\nHis voice roared like thunder;\n\nHis eyes flashed like lightning.\n\nUpturned nostrils faced the sky;\n\nRed eyebrows blazed with fire.\n\nWherever he walked"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Wherever he walked\n\nThe animals were terrified;\n\nIf he sat down\n\nThe demons all trembled.\n\nHe was the king among the beasts,\n\nThe Blue-haired Lion Monster.\n\nThe one sitting on his left was like this:\n\nPhoenix eyes with golden pupils,\n\nYellow tusks and powerful thighs.\n\nSilver hair sprouting from a long nose,\n\nMaking his head look like a tail.\n\nHis brow was rounded and wrinkled,\n\nHis body massively heavy.\n\nHis voice as delicate as a beautiful woman’s,\n\nBut his face was as fiendish as an ox-headed demon’s.\n\nHe treasured his tusks and cultivated his person for many years,\n\nThe Ancient Yellow-tusked Elephant.\n\nThe one on the right had\n\nGolden wings and a leviathan’s head,\n\nLeopard eyes with starry pupils.\n\nHe shook the North when he headed South,\n\nFierce, strong and brave.\n\nWhen he turned to soaring\n\nQuails laughed but dragons were terrified.\n\nWhen he beat his phoenix wings the birds all hid their heads,\n\nAnd the beasts all lost their nerve when he spread his talons."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He could fly thirty thousand miles through the clouds,\n\nThe Mighty Roc.\n\nBeneath these two were ranged a hundred and ten commanders high and low, all in full armor and looking most imposing and murderous. The sight delighted Brother Monkey, who strode inside, quite unafraid, put down his clappers and bell, and called, “Your Majesties.”\n\nThe three old demons chuckled and replied, “So you’re back, young Wind-piercer.”\n\n“Yes,” Monkey replied. “When you were patrolling what did you find out about where Sun the Novice is?”\n\n“Your Majesties,” Monkey replied, “I don’t dare tell you.”\n\n“Why not?” the senior demon chief asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why not?” the senior demon chief asked.\n\n“I was walking along sounding my clappers and ringing my bell following Your Majesties’ orders,” Monkey said, “when all of a sudden I looked up and saw someone squatting and polishing a pole there. He looked like one of the gods that clear the way. If he’d stood up he’d have been well over a hundred feet tall. He’d scooped up some water in his hand and was polishing his iron bar on the rocky scar. He was saying to himself that his cudgel still hadn’t the chance to show its magical powers here and that when he’d shined it up he was coming to attack Your Majesties. That’s how I realized he was Sun the Novice and came here to report.”\n\nOn hearing this the senior demon chief broke into a sweat all over and shivered so that his teeth chattered as he said, “Brothers, I don’t think we should start any trouble with the Tang Priest. His disciple has tremendous magical powers and he’s polishing his cudgel to attack us. Whatever are we to do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Little ones,” he shouted, “call everybody, high and low, who’s outside the cave to come inside and shut the gates. Let them pass.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” said one of the subordinate officers who knew what had happened, “the little devils outside have all scattered.”\n\n“Why?” the senior demon asked.\n\n“They must have heard about his terrible reputation. Shut the gates at once! At once!” The hosts of demons noisily bolted all the front and back gates firmly.\n\n“Now they’ve shut the gates they might ask me all sorts of questions about things in here,” Monkey thought with alarm “If I don’t know the right answers I’ll give the game away and they’ll catch me. I’d better give them another scare and get them to open the gates to let me out.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” he said, stepping forward, “there were some other wicked things he said.”\n\n“What else?” the senior demon chief asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What else?” the senior demon chief asked.\n\n“He said he was going to skin Your Senior Majesty,” replied Brother Monkey, “slice up the bones of His Second Majesty, and rip out His Third Majesty’s sinews. If you shut the gates and refuse to go out he can do transformations. He might turn himself into a fly, get in through a crack between the gates and catch us all. Then we’ll be done for.”\n\n“Be very careful, brothers,” said the senior demon. “We haven’t had a fly here for years, so any fly that gets in will be Sun the Novice.”\n\n“So I’ll change into a fly and frighten them into opening the gates,” thought Monkey, smiling to himself. The splendid Great Sage then slipped aside, reached up to pull a hair from the back of his head, blew on it with a magic breath, called “Change!” and turned it into a golden fly that flew straight into the old demon’s face."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brothers,” said the old demon in a panic, “this is terrible! He’s inside!” All the demons great and small were so alarmed that they rushed forward to swat the fly with their rakes and brooms.\n\nThe Great Sage could not help giggling aloud, which was just what he should not have done as it revealed his true face. The third demon chief leapt forward, grabbed him and said, “Brothers, he almost had us fooled.”\n\n“Who had who fooled?” the senior demon asked.\n\n“The young devil who reported just now was no junior Wind-piercer,” the third chief replied, “but Sun the Novice himself. He must have run into a junior Wind-piercer and somehow or other murdered him and done this transformation to trick us.”\n\n“He’s rumbled me,” thought Monkey with alarm, rubbing his face.\n\n“What do you mean, I’m Sun the Novice?” Monkey said to the senior demon chief. “I’m a junior Wind-piercer. His Majesty’s mistaken.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said the senior demon, “he really is a junior Wind-piercer. He’s in the roll-call out front three times a day. I know him. Do you have a pass?” he went on to ask Monkey.\n\n“Yes,” Monkey replied, pulling his clothes apart to produce it. Seeing that it looked genuine the senior demon said, “Brother, don’t mistreat him.”\n\n“Elder brother,” the third demon chief replied, “didn’t you see him slip aside just now and giggle? I saw him show his face: it’s like a thunder god’s. When I grabbed hold of him he turned back into what he looks like now. Little ones,” he called, “fetch ropes!” The officers then fetched ropes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The third demon chief knocked Monkey over and tied his hands and feet together. When his clothes were stripped off he was most evidently the Protector of the Horses. Now of the seventy-two transformations that Monkey could perform, when he turned himself into a bird, a beast, a plant, a tree, a vessel or an insect he changed his whole body. When he turned into another person, however, he could only change his head and face but not his body, and indeed he was still covered with brown hair and had red thighs and a tail.\n\n“That’s Sun the Novice’s body,” the senior demon chief said when he saw this, “and a junior Wind-piercer’s face. It’s him! Little ones,” he ordered, “bring wine and give His Third Majesty a cup of it to congratulate him. Now that we’ve captured Sun the Novice the Tang Priest is as good as a meal in our mouths.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We mustn’t drink now,” said the third demon chief. “Sun the Novice is a slippery customer and is good at escaping by magic. I’m worried he might get away. Tell the juniors to bring the jar out and put him inside. Then we can drink.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said the senior demon chief with a smile, who then chose thirty-six little demons to go inside, open the storerooms, and carry the jar out. Do you know how big the jar was? It was only two feet four inches high. So why were thirty-six people needed to carry it? It was because the jar was a treasure of the two vital forces, male and female, and contained the seven precious things, the eight trigrams and the twenty-four periods of the year that thirty-six carriers were required to match the number of the stars of the Dipper. Before long the precious jar had been carried out, set down outside the third pair of gates, cleaned up and opened. Monkey was untied, stripped bare and sucked inside the jar with a hiss by magical vapor that came out of it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The lid was then put back on and sealed on with a label, after which the demons went off to drink, saying, “Now that he’s in our jar that monkey can forget all about his journey West. The only way he’ll be able to pay his respects to the Buddha and fetch the scriptures now will be by pushing the wheel of destiny backwards and being reborn.” Watch how all the demons great and small go laughing off to celebrate. But of that no more.\n\nOnce inside the jar the Great Sage, who was very cramped, decided to transform himself and squat down in the middle, where he found it very cool. “Those evil spirits don’t live up to their reputation,” he said to himself, laughing aloud. “Why ever do they tell people that anyone put in this jar will be turned to pus and blood in a few moments. It’s so cool that spending seven or eight years here would be no problem.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Alas! The Great Sage did not know about this treasure. Anyone put inside it who said nothing for a year would stay cool for a year; but the moment a voice was heard fires began to turn. Before Monkey had finished speaking the whole jar was full of flame. Luckily he could use the knack of making fire-averting magic with his hands as he sat in the middle of the jar completely unafraid. When he had endured the flames for an hour forty snakes emerged from all around to bite him. Swinging his arms about him Monkey grabbed hold of all of them, twisted with all his strength, and broke them into eighty pieces. A little later three fire dragons\n\nappeared to circle above and below Monkey, which was really unbearable."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It drove Monkey into a helpless desperation of which he was only too conscious, “The other things were no trouble,” he said, “but these three fire dragons are a real problem. If I don’t get out soon the fire will attack my heart, and what then? I’ll make myself grow,” he went on to think, “and push my way out.” The splendid Great Sage made a spell with his hands, said the words of a spell and called out, “Grow!” He made himself over a dozen feet tall, but as he grew the jar grew with him, enclosing him tightly. When he made himself smaller, the jar shrank too.\n\n“This is terrible,” Brother Monkey thought with alarm, “terrible. It grows when I grow and shrinks when I get smaller. Why? What am I to do?” Before he had finished speaking his ankle began to hurt. Putting his hand down at once to feel it he found that it had been burnt so badly it had gone soft. “I don’t know what to do,” he said with anxiety, “My ankle’s been cooked tender. I’m a cripple now.” He could not stop the tears from flowing. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When suffering at the demons’ hands he thought of his master;\n\nIn facing deadly peril he worried about the Tang Priest.\n\n“Master,” he exclaimed, “since I was converted by the Bodhisattva Guanyin and delivered from my heavenly punishment you and I have toiled over many a mountain. I’ve beaten and wiped out a lot of monsters, subdued Pig and Friar Sand, and gone through no end of suffering. All this was done in the hope of reaching the West and completing the true achievement together. Never did I expect to meet these vicious demons today. Now I’ve been stupid enough to get myself killed in here I’ve left you stuck in the middle of the mountains. What a mess to be in for someone who used to be as famous as I was!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just when he was feeling thoroughly miserable he suddenly remembered, “Years ago the Bodhisattva gave me three life-saving hairs on the Coiled Snake Mountain. I wonder if I’ve still got them. I’d better look for them.” He felt all over his body and found three very rigid hairs on the back of his head."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All the other hair on my body is soft except for these three that are as hard as spears,” he said with delight. “They must be my lifesavers.” Gritting his teeth against the pain, he pulled the three hairs out, blew on them with magic breath and called, “Change!” One of them turned into a steel drill, one into a strip of bamboo, and one into a silken cord. He made the bamboo strip into a bow to which he fixed the drill. After a noisy spell of drilling at the bottom of the jar he made a hole through which the light came in. “I’m in luck,” he said with glee, “I’m in luck. Now I can get out.” No sooner had he transformed himself ready to escape than the jar became cool again. Why was that? It cooled because the hole he had bored in it let the male and female vital forces escape."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage put his hairs back, made himself small by turning into the tiniest of insects, a very delicate creature as thin as a whisker and as long as an eyebrow hair, and slipped out through the hole. Instead of making his escape Monkey flew straight to the senior demon chief’s head and landed on it. The senior demon, who was drinking, slammed his goblet down and asked, “Third brother, has Sun the Novice been liquefied yet?”\n\n“Is the time up?” the third demon chief asked. The senior demon told his messengers to carry the jar in. When the thirty-six young devils picked the jar up they found that it was far lighter.\n\n“Your Majesty,” they reported with alarm, “the jar’s lighter.”\n\n“Nonsense!” the senior demon shouted. “It has the full powers of the male and female vital forces. It couldn’t possibly get lighter.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One of the junior demons who liked showing off picked the jar up and said, “Look. It is lighter, isn’t it?” When the senior demon took the lid off to look in he saw that it was bright inside.\n\n“It’s empty,” he could not help shouting aloud, “it’s leaked.” And Monkey, sitting on his head, could not help shouting, “Search, my lads! He’s escaped.”\n\n“He’s escaped,” all the monsters shouted, “he’s escaped!” The order was then given to shut the gates.\n\nWith that Monkey shook himself, took back the clothes that had been taken off him, turned back into himself and leapt out of the cave. “Behave yourselves, evil spirits,” he flung back insultingly. “I’ve bored through the jar and you can’t keep anyone in it any more. You’ll have to take it outside and shit in it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shouting and yelling with glee he went straight back on his cloud to where the Tang Priest was. Here he found the venerable gentleman making symbolic incense with a pinch of earth and praying to the sky. Monkey stopped his cloud to listen to what he was saying. Sanzang had his hands together in front of his chest and was saying to Heaven,\n\n“All you immortals up there in the clouds,\n\nThe Dings and the Jias and each god and goddess,\n\nProtect my disciple, whose powers are enormous,\n\nAnd magic is boundless, the good Sun the Novice.”\n\nWhen the Great Sage heard this he decided to redouble his efforts. Putting his cloud away he went up to Sanzang and called, “Master, I’m back.”\n\nSanzang held him as he said, “Wukong, you have been to great trouble. I was very concerned because you had gone so far into these high mountains and not come back for so long a time. How dangerous is the mountain in fact?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” Monkey replied with a smile, “that trip just now depended in the first place on the good destiny of all the living beings in the East, secondly on your boundless achievement and great virtue, and thirdly on your disciple’s magical powers.” Then he told the whole story of how he had pretended to be a Wind-piercer, been drawn into the jar and escaped.\n\n“Now I’ve seen your face again, Master, It’s like having a second life.”\n\nSanzang expressed endless thanks then asked, “Did you not fight the evil spirits this time?”\n\n“No, I didn’t,” replied Brother Monkey.\n\n“Then you won’t be able to escort me safely across this mountain,” Sanzang said, at which Monkey, who hated to admit he was beaten, shouted, “What do you mean, I won’t be able to escort you?”\n\n“If you and they have not yet had it out and you can only give me evasive answers I will never dare press ahead,” the venerable elder replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” laughed the Great Sage, “you really don’t understand. As the saying goes, you can’t spin a thread from a single strand of silk, and you can’t clap one-handed. There are three demon chiefs and thousands of the little devils. How could I fight them all single-handed?”\n\n“If you are that outnumbered you would indeed find it hard by yourself,” Sanzang replied. “Pig and Friar Sand also have their talents. I shall tell them to go with you to help you clean up the path across the mountain and escort me over it.”\n\n“What you say is completely right, Master,” replied Monkey with a smile. “Tell Friar Sand to protect you while Pig comes with me.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig in alarm, “you’re a poor judge. I’m rough and I can’t do anything much. I’d just get in the way as I walked along. What use would I be to you?”\n\n“You may not be up to much, brother,” Monkey replied, “but you’re someone. As the saying goes, even a fart can swell the wind. You’d make me feel a bit braver.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All right,” Pig said, “all right. You can take me with you. But don’t play any of your tricks on me when the going gets tough.”\n\n“Don’t forget that Friar Sand and I will be waiting here,” said Sanzang.\n\nThe idiot braced himself and set off a gale with Monkey that carried them by cloud up to the top of the mountain where the entrance to the cave was. They saw at once that the gates were shut tight. There was nobody in sight anywhere around. Monkey went forward, his iron cudgel in his hands, to shout at the top of his voice, “Open up, evil monsters! Come out right now and fight Monkey!” When the young devils in the cave went inside to report the senior demon shook with terror as he commented,\n\n“I’ve heard tell for years of that monkey’s ferocity;\n\nNow I can vouch for the story’s veracity.”\n\n“What do you mean, elder brother?” the second demon chief asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When that Sun the Novice first turned himself into a fly to sneak in here none of us realized who he was except our Third Brother, who put him in the jar. He used his skills to drill a hole in the jar, pick up his clothes and get out. Now he’s outside challenging us to battle. Who’s brave enough to be the first to take him on?” Nobody replied. The senior demon asked again; again there was no response. Everyone was pretending to be deaf and dumb."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’ve got ourselves a lousy reputation in the West already,” the senior demon chief said in fury. “Now that Sun the Novice has treated us with such contempt today our reputation will stand even lower if we don’t fight him. I’m going out there to chance my old life on three rounds with him. If I can hold out for those three rounds the Tang Priest will still be a meal in our mouths. If I can’t then shut the gates and let them pass.” He then kitted himself out in his armor, had the gates opened and went out. As Monkey and Pig watched from beside the gates they saw that he was a fine monster:\n\nOn iron brow and brazen head a precious helmet\n\nWith tassels dancing brightly in the wind.\n\nHis eyes both flashed as if with lightning,\n\nAnd ruddy glowed the hair at his temples.\n\nPointed and sharp were his silvery claws,\n\nAnd his saw-like teeth were set close and neat.\n\nHis armor was golden, without any seam,\n\nBound with a dragon sash that could foresee the future.\n\nIn his hand flashed a cutlass of steel."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In his hand flashed a cutlass of steel.\n\nSuch martial might is rare in the world.\n\nWith a voice that roared like thunder he asked,\n\n“Who is that knocking at my gates?”\n\n“Your grandfather, Lord Sun, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven,” said Monkey, turning to face the gate.\n\n“Are you Sun the Novice?” asked the demon with a laugh. “You’ve got a cheek, ape. I never gave you any trouble, so why are you here challenging me to battle?”\n\n”‘No waves come without a wind; without the tide the waters are still,’” Monkey replied. “Would I have come looking for you if you hadn’t given me trouble? The reason why I’m here to fight is because your gang of foxes and dogs is plotting to eat my master.”\n\n“From the way you’re acting so fierce and shouting at our gates you must want a fight,” the old demon replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” Monkey said. “Stop all that ranting and raving then,” said the demon. “It would be most unfair if I brought out my devil soldiers and drew them up in battle order with flags flying and drums beating to fight you as I’m on my own territory. I’ll fight you single-handed with no helpers for either side.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he shouted, “Keep out of the way, Pig, and let’s see how he copes with me.” The idiot did indeed get out of the way.\n\n“Come over here,” the senior demon shouted, “and be a chopping block for me. Let me hack you three times as hard as I can with sword on your bare head. After that I’ll let your Tang Priest pass. If you can’t take it then hand your Tang Priest over at once. He’ll be a tasty morsel to help our rice down.”\n\n“Bring out a brush and some paper if you have them in your cave and I’ll give you a bond. You can hack at me from today till next year, but it’ll be nothing to me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old demon then summoned up all his might, took up a stance with his feet apart, lifted his sword with both hands and hacked at the top of the Great Sage’s head. The Great Sage raised his head, and though there was a mighty crash his scalp did not even go red.\n\n“That monkey really does have a hard head,” exclaimed the old demon with shock.\n\n“You wouldn’t know about it,” said Monkey with a laugh. “I was\n\nBorn with a skull of bronze and iron,\n\nLike nobody else’s in all the world.\n\nHammer and axe will never smash me;\n\nI went in Lord Lao Zi’s furnace when I was a boy.\n\nThe Star Lords of the Four Dippers helped mould me,\n\nThe twenty-eight constellations all used their skill.\n\nI’ve often been soaked in water but never come to harm,\n\nAnd all over my body the sinews are knotty.\n\nThe Tang Priest, fearing I would not stand firm,\n\nPlaced a golden band around my head.”\n\n“Cut out that insolence, ape,” the senior demon said, “and take these two blows from my sword. I’m most certainly not going to spare your life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s nothing,” Monkey replied. “Have another cut like that if you like.”\n\n“You monkey,” the old demon said, “you don’t know about this sword,”\n\nCreated in furnaces of metal and fire,\n\nA hundred times tempered by divine craftsmanship.\n\nIts sharp blade follows the Three Strategies,\n\nAnd it is as strong as described in the Six Plans.\n\nThe point is as fine as a housefly’s tail,\n\nAnd supple as the body of a white dragon.\n\nWhen it goes to the mountains dense clouds arise;\n\nIf it plunges into the sea the great waves roll.\n\nIt has been burnished times beyond number,\n\nHeated and tempered many hundred times over.\n\nDeep in the mountains it is kept in the caves;\n\nGreat is the glory it has won when in battle.\n\nIf I use it to strike at your monkish pate\n\nI’ll cut it into a pair of gourd ladles.”\n\n“You’re blind, evil spirit,” laughed the Great Sage, “if you think my head is just gourd ladles. I’ll let you hack at me if you’re silly enough to want to. Have another go and see what happens.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The senior demon raised his sword for another hack, which the Great Sage moved his head forward to meet. With a loud band his head was split into two, whereupon the Great Sage rolled on the ground and gave himself a second body. The sight so alarmed the demon that he lowered his sword.\n\nWatching all this from a distance Pig said with a laugh, “Give him a couple more hacks, old devil, then there’ll be four of him.”\n\nPointing at Brother Monkey the senior demon said, “I’d heard that you can use self-dividing magic. Why are you showing it off to me now?”\n\n“What self-dividing magic?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Why was it that the first time I hacked you it made no impact, but this time I cut you in two?” the senior demon asked. “Don’t worry, evil spirit,” said the Great Sage with a smile. “If you cut me ten thousand times there’ll be twenty thousand of me.”\n\n“You ape,” the demon said, “you may be able to divide yourself but you can’t put yourself together again. If you can, hit me with your cudgel.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t talk nonsense,” said the Great Sage. “You asked to take three cuts at me but only took two. Now you’ve invited me to hit you once. I’m not Monkey if I hit you one and a half times.”\n\n“Very well,” said the senior demon.\n\nThe splendid Great Sage hugged his two bodies together, rolled, became one body again and struck with his cudgel at the demon’s head. The old demon raised his sword to parry the blow. “Damned ape,” he said, “you’ve got a cheek! How dare you come here attacking me with a mourner’s staff like that?”\n\n“If you ask about this cudgel of mine,” shouted the Great Sage, “everybody in heaven and earth has heard of it.”\n\n“What’s it famous for?” the senior demon asked. To this Monkey replied:\n\n“The cudgel is made of nine-cycled wrought iron\n\nTempered by Lord Lao Zi himself in his furnace.\n\nKing Yu called it a divine treasure when he obtained it\n\nTo hold the eight rivers and four oceans in place.\n\nIn its middle the constellations are secretly set out,\n\nAnd each end is banded with yellow gold."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And each end is banded with yellow gold.\n\nGhosts and gods are amazed at its intricate decorations,\n\nDragon patterns and phoenix signs.\n\nKnown as the Divine Male Cudgel,\n\nIt was inaccessibly deep in the bed of the sea.\n\nIts shape can change and it knows how to fly,\n\nSending clouds of many colours drifting through the air.\n\nOnce it was mine I took it back to my mountain,\n\nWhere I discovered how its infinite changes.\n\nWhen I want size it’s as thick as a vat,\n\nOr it can be as thin as an iron wire,\n\nHuge as a mountain or small as a needle,\n\nAdapting its length to the wishes of my heart.\n\nLightly I lift it and coloured clouds spring up,\n\nOr it flies through the sky and flashes like lightning.\n\nThe cold air it gives off chills all who feel it,\n\nAnd ominous mists appear in the sky.\n\nI have carried it with me to beat dragons and tigers,\n\nTravelling to all of the ends of the earth.\n\nOnce with this cudgel I made havoc in heaven,\n\nAnd used its great might to wreck the peach banquet."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The heavenly kings were unable to beat me,\n\nAnd Nezha was hard pressed to match me in combat.\n\nWith this cudgel against them the gods had no safe refuge;\n\nA hundred thousand heavenly troops all scattered and fled.\n\nThe gods of thunder guarded the Hall of Miraculous Mist\n\nWhen the cudgel attacked the Palace of Universal Brightness\n\nAll of the angels at court were flustered\n\nAnd the Jade Emperor’s ministers were thrown into panic.\n\nI raised my cudgel to overturn the Palace of the Dipper,\n\nThen turned back to shake up the South Pole Compound.\n\nSeeing my dread cudgel at his golden gates\n\nThe Jade Emperor invited the Buddha to see me.\n\nThe soldier takes defeat and victory in his stride;\n\nThere is nothing to choose between suffering and disaster.\n\nI stuck it out for full five hundred years\n\nUntil I was converted by the Bodhisattva Guanyin.\n\nThen a holy monk appeared in Tang\n\nWho swore a mighty oath to heaven,\n\nTo save the souls in the City of the Unjustly Slain"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And fetch the sutras at an assembly on Vulture Mountain.\n\nOn the journey to the West are many evil monsters\n\nWhose actions would be a great obstacle to him.\n\nSo, knowing that my cudgel is matchless in the world,\n\nHe begged me to be his companion on the journey.\n\nWhen it struck down evil spirits they were sent to the Underworld,\n\nTheir flesh turned to red dust and their bones all to powder.\n\nEvil spirits everywhere were killed by the cudgel,\n\nIn thousands upon thousands too numerous to count.\n\nUp above it wrecked the Dipper and Bull Palace,\n\nAnd below it ruined the Senluo Court in Hell.\n\nOf the heavenly generals it routed the Nine Bright Shiners,\n\nAnd it wounded all of the Underworld’s judges.\n\nDropped from mid-air it shakes mountains and rivers;\n\nIt is stronger than the sword of an evil star.\n\nWith this cudgel alone I protect the Tang Priest\n\nAnd kill all the evil monsters in the world.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And kill all the evil monsters in the world.”\n\nWhen the monster heard this he trembled, lifted his sword and struck with all his strength. Chuckling, Monkey blocked the blow with his iron cudgel. At first the two of them struggled in front of the cave, but then they both sprang up and fought in mid-air. It was a splendid battle.\n\nThe divine rod had once secured the bed of Heaven’s River:\n\nThe As-You-Will cudgel is the finest in the world,\n\nPraise of its powers enraged the demon chief,\n\nWhose mighty cutlass was full of great magic.\n\nWhen they fought outside the gates they were still open to reason,\n\nBut no mercy was shown in their battle in the sky.\n\nOne could change his appearance at will;\n\nThe other could make himself grow on the spot.\n\nThe fight was so intense that the sky filled with clouds,\n\nAnd all of the plains were enveloped in mist.\n\nOne had often determined to devour the monk Sanzang;\n\nThe other used his magic to protect the Tang Priest.\n\nAll because the Lord Buddha transmitted the scriptures"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Evil and good were opposed in harsh conflict.\n\nThe senior demon and the Great Sage fought over twenty rounds without either emerging the victor while Pig admired their magnificent battle from down below until, unable to restrain himself, he grabbed his rake and leapt up into the air, riding on the wind to strike at the evil monster’s face. The demon panicked, not realizing that Pig had no staying power, but could only rush recklessly in and give people a fright. All the demon could see was that Pig had a long snout, big ears and a vicious way with his rake, so he abandoned the struggle, threw his sword away, turned and fled."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“After him,” the Great Sage shouted, “after him!” The idiot raised his rake and went down in all his ferocious might straight after the monster. Seeing how close Pig was to him the old demon stood still in front of the mountainside, faced the wind, shook himself, resumed his real appearance and opened his mouth to devour Pig. This so terrified Pig that he fled as fast as he could into the undergrowth, not caring that brambles and thorns were tearing his head. He sat there trembling and listening out for the sound of the cudgel. When Monkey caught up with him the monster opened his jaws to eat Monkey up too. This was just what Monkey intended. Putting his cudgel away he went straight towards the demon, who swallowed him in a single gulp."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This gave the idiot such a fright as he was hiding in the undergrowth that he grumbled to himself, “You’ve got no common sense, Protector of the Horses. Why did you go towards the monster when he wanted to eat you up instead of running away? Now he’s swallowed you. Today you’re still a monk, but tomorrow you’ll be a turd.” Only when the monster had departed in triumph did Pig emerge from the undergrowth and slip back by the way he had come.\n\nSanzang and Friar Sand were still waiting for Pig at the foot of the mountain when they saw him come running breathless towards them. “Pig,” said Sanzang with horror, “why are you in this terrible state? Why is Wukong not here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My brother was swallowed up by the evil spirit in a single gulp,” Pig replied amid sobs, at which Sanzang collapsed in terror. A little later he stamped and beat his chest, saying, “Disciple, I thought you were good at subduing demons and were going to take me to see the Buddha in the Western Heaven. Who would have thought that you would die at this demon’s hand today? Alas! Alas! All the efforts of my disciples have now\n\nturned to dust.” The master was thoroughly miserable.\n\nJust look at the idiot. Instead of coming over to comfort his master he calls, “Friar Sand, fetch the luggage. Let’s split it between us.”\n\n“Why, brother?” Friar Sand asked. “Divide it up,” Pig replied, “and all of us can go our separate ways. You can go back to the River of Flowing Sand and carry on eating people. I’ll go back to Gao Village and see my wife. We can sell the white horse to buy the master a coffin to be buried in.” The master was so upset when he heard this that he wept aloud to Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We shall leave them and return to the senior demon chief.\n\nWhen he had swallowed Monkey he thought he had won, so he went straight back to his cave, where all the other demons came out to ask him how the fight had gone.\n\n“I’ve got one of them,” the senior demon said.\n\n“Which one is that?” asked the second demon with delight.\n\n“Sun the Novice,” the senior demon replied.\n\n“Where have you got him?” the second demon chief said.\n\n“In my stomach,” said the senior demon, “I swallowed him.”\n\n“Elder brother,” said the third demon chief with horror, “I forgot to tell you that Sun the Novice wasn’t worth eating.”\n\n“I’m delicious,” said the Great Sage from inside the demon’s stomach, “and I’ll stop you from ever feeling hungry again.”\n\nThis caused the junior devils such a shock that they reported, “This is terrible, Your Senior Majesty. Sun the Novice is talking inside your stomach.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That doesn’t frighten me,” said the senior demon. “If I’m clever enough to catch him do you think I’m not clever enough to deal with him? Make me some hot salty water at once. I’ll pour it into my stomach, vomit him out, and have him fried at my leisure to eat as a snack with some drinks.”\n\nThe junior devils soon had ready half a bowl of hot salty water that the old demon drained in one, filling his mouth. He then really did vomit, but the Great Sage, who had taken root in his stomach, did not even move. The monster then pressed his throat and vomited again till his head was spinning, his eyes in a daze and his gallbladder split, but still Monkey would not be shifted. By now the senior demon was gasping for breath.\n\n“Sun the Novice,” he called, “won’t you come out?”\n\n“Not yet,” Monkey replied. “I don’t want to come out now.”\n\n“Why not?” the old demon asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why not?” the old demon asked.\n\n“You really don’t understand, evil spirit,” said Monkey. “Ever since I’ve been a monk I’ve had scant food and clothing. Although it’s autumn now and getting cool I’m still only wearing a thin tunic. But it’s warm in your stomach and there are no drafts down here. I think I’ll spend the winter here before coming out.”\n\nWhen the evil spirits heard this they all said, “Your Majesty, Sun the Novice wants to spend the winter in your stomach.”\n\n“If he wants to spend the winter there I’ll take to meditation and use magic to shift him,” the senior demon said. “I won’t eat anything all winter. The Protector of the Horses will starve to death.”\n\n“You just don’t understand, my boy,” the Great Sage said. “I came via Guangzhou when I started escorting the Tang Priest and I’ve got a folding cooking pan with me that I brought in here to cook myself a mixed grill. I’ll take my time enjoying your liver, bowels, stomach and lungs. They’ll be enough to keep me going till spring.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” said the second demon chief with shock, “that ape would do it too.”\n\n“Brother,” said the third demon, “perhaps he can eat up some bits and pieces, but I don’t know where is he going to set up his pan.”\n\n“The collar bone is an ideal stand,” replied Monkey.\n\n“This is terrible,” said the third demon. “If he sets up his pan and lights a fire won’t the smoke get into your nose and make you sneeze?”\n\n“That’ll be no problem,” said Monkey with a laugh. “I’ll use my gold-banded cudgel to push a hole through his skull. That’ll be a skylight for me and serve as a chimney too.”\n\nThe old demon heard this and was most alarmed despite saying that he was not afraid. All he could do was to summon up his courage and call, “Don’t be scared, brothers. Bring me some of that drugged wine. When I down a few goblets of that the drugs will kill the monkey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this Monkey smiled to himself and thought, “When I made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago I drank the Jade Emperor’s wine and ate Lord Lao Zi’s elixir, the Queen Mother’s peaches, the marrow of phoenix bones and dragon livers. I’ve eaten everything. What kind of drugged wine could do me any harm?”\n\nBy then the junior devils had strained two jugfuls of drugged wine, a goblet of which they handed to the senior demon chief, who took it in his hands.\n\nMonkey, who could smell it from inside the demon’s belly, called out, “Don’t give it to him!” The splendid Great Sage then tipped his head back and turned it into the bell of a trumpet that he placed wide open below the demon’s throat. The demon gulped the wine down noisily and Monkey noisily received it. The demon swallowed the second cupful and Monkey noisily drank that too. This went on till Monkey had drunk all of the seven or eight cupfuls that the demon downed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s enough,” the demon said, putting the goblet down. “Normally my stomach feels as if it’s on fire after a couple of cups of this wine,” he said, “but this time my face hasn’t even gone red after seven or eight.”\n\nNow the Great Sage was not a heavy drinker, so after taking these seven or eight cupfuls he started to act drunk in the demon’s stomach, propping himself up, falling flat on his face, kicking about him, swinging on the demon’s liver, doing headstands and somersaults, and dancing wildly. This caused the monster such unbearable pain that he collapsed.\n\nIf you don’t know whether he lived or died listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy-Six\n\nWhen the Heart Spirit Stays in the Home the Demons Submit\n\nThe Mother of Wood Helps Bring Monsters to the Truth"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how after the Great Sage had struggled in his stomach for a while the senior demon collapsed in the dust. He made no sound and was not breathing either. As he said nothing Monkey thought the demon was dead, so he stopped hitting him. When the demon chief recovered his breath he called out, “Most merciful and most compassionate Bodhisattva, Great Sage Equaling Heaven.”\n\n“My boy,” said Monkey when he heard this, “don’t waste your effort. You could save yourself a few words by simply calling me Grandpa Sun.”\n\nDesperate to save his skin, the evil monster really did call out, “Grandpa! Grandpa! I was wrong. I shouldn’t have eaten you, and now you’re destroying me. I beg you, Great Sage, in your mercy and compassion take pity on my antlike greed for life and spare me. If you do I’ll escort your master across the mountain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Although the Great Sage was a tough hero he was most eager to help the Tang Priest in his journey, so on hearing the evil monster’s pathetic pleas and flattery he decided once more to be kind.\n\n“Evil monster,” he shouted, “I’ll spare your life. How are you going to escort my master?”\n\n“We don’t have any gold, silver, pearls, jade, agate, coral, crystal, amber, tortoiseshell or other such treasures here to give him, but my two brothers and I will carry him in a rattan chair across the mountain.”\n\n“If you could carry him in a chair that would be better than treasure,” said Monkey with a smile. “Open your mouth: I’m coming out.”\n\nThe demon then opened his mouth, whereupon the third chief went over to him and whispered in his ear, “Bite him as he comes out, brother. Chew the monkey to bits and swallow him. Then he won’t be able to hurt you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now Monkey could hear all this from inside, so instead of coming straight out he thrust his gold-banded cudgel out first as a test. The demon did indeed take a bite at it, noisily smashing one of his front teeth in the process.\n\n“You’re a nice monster, aren’t you!” exclaimed Monkey, pulling his cudgel back. “I spare your life and agree to come out, but you try to murder me by biting me. I’m not coming out now. I’m going to kill you. I won’t come out! I won’t!”\n\n“Brother,” the senior demon chief complained to the third one, “what you’ve done is destroy one of your own kind. I’d persuaded him to come out but you would have to tell me to bite him. Now I’m in agony from my broken tooth. What are we to do?”\n\nIn the face of the senior demon chief’s complaints the third demon chief tried the method of making the enemy lose his temper."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sun the Novice,” he yelled at the top of his voice, “you have a thundering reputation. They tell of how mighty you were outside the Southern Gate of Heaven and at the Hall of Miraculous Mist. I’d heard that you’ve been capturing demons along your way to the Western Heaven. But now I see that you’re only a very small-time ape.”\n\n“What makes me small-time?” Monkey asked.\n\n“A hero who only roams three hundred miles around will go three thousand miles to make his fame resound,” the third chief replied. “Come out and fight me if you’re a real tough guy. What do you mean by messing about in someone else’s stomach? If you’re not small-time what are you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, yes, yes,” thought Monkey when he heard this. “It wouldn’t be at all difficult for me to tear this demon’s bowels to bits, rip up his liver, and kill him,” the Great Sage shouted. “But I’d destroy my own reputation in the process. I’ll have to forget about it. Open your mouth and I’ll come out and fight you. The only problem is that this cave of yours is much too cramped for me to use my weapons. We’ll have to go somewhere where there’s more room.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this the third demon chief mustered all the demons young and old from all around. There were over thirty thousand of them armed with the finest and sharpest weapons who came out of the cave to form a line of battle symbolizing heaven, earth and mankind. They were all waiting for Monkey to come out of the senior demon’s mouth before rushing him. The second demon chief then helped the senior demon out through the entrance of the cave, where he shouted, “Sun the Novice! If you’re such a tough guy, come out. There’s good battlefield here for us to fight on.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage could tell that this was an open area from the calls of crows, magpies and cranes that he could hear in the monster’s belly. “If I don’t come out I’ll be breaking faith with them,” he thought. “But if I do these demons are beasts at heart behind their human faces. They tried to lure me out and bite me when they promised to carry the master across the ridge. Now they’ve got their army here. Oh well! I’ll let them have it both ways. I’ll go out but I’ll leave a root in his stomach too.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With that he put his hand behind him to pluck a tiny hair from his tail, blew on it with magic breath, called “Change!” and made it into a string as fine as a hair but some four hundred feet long. As the string came outside it grew thicker in the wind. One end Monkey fastened round the evil monster’s heart in a slip-knot that he did not tighten—if he had it would have caused great pain. The other end he held in his hand as he said to himself, “If they agree to escort my master across the ridge when I come out this time I’ll leave it at that. But if they refuse and go for me with their weapons so hard that I can’t cope with them I’ll just need to pull this rope. I’ll get the same results as if I were still inside.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He then made himself tiny and crawled up as far as the throat, from where he could see that the evil spirit had opened his mouth wide. Rows of steel teeth were set above and below like sharp knives. “This is no good,” he thought at once, “no good at all. If I take this rope out through his mouth and he can’t stand the pain he’ll be able to cut through it with a single bite. I’ll have to go out where there aren’t any teeth.” The splendid Great Sage paid out the string as he crawled up the demon’s upper palate and into his nostril, which made his nose itch. The demon sneezed with a loud “atchoo,” blowing Monkey out."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he felt the wind blowing him Monkey bowed and grew over thirty feet long, keeping the string in one hand and holding the iron cudgel in the other. The wicked monster raised his steel sword as soon as he saw Monkey appear and hacked at his face. The Great Sage met the blow one-handed with his cudgel. Then the second demon chief with his spear and the third chief with his halberd went for him furiously. The Great Sage relaxed his pull on the rope, put his iron cudgel away and made off at speed by cloud, afraid that he would be unable to fight properly when surrounded by so many young devils. Once he had leapt out of the demons’ camp he brought his cloud down on a spacious and empty mountain top and pulled with both hands on the rope as hard as he could. This gave the senior demon a pain in the heart. The demon struggled upwards in agony, whereupon the Great Sage pulled him down again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they all watched from afar the junior demons all shouted: “Don’t provoke him, Your Majesty! Let him go. That ape has no sense of when things ought to be done. He’s flying a kite before the beginning of April.” When the Great Sage heard this he gave a mighty stamp, at which the senior demon came whistling down out of the sky like a spinning-wheel to crash into the dust, making a crater some two feet deep in the hard earth at the foot of the mountain.\n\nThis gave the second and third demon chiefs such a fright that they landed their clouds together and rushed forward to grab hold of the rope and kneel at the foot of the mountain. “Great Sage,” they pleaded, “we thought you were an immortal of vast and boundless generosity. We’d never dreamed that you would be as small-minded as a rat or a snail. It’s true that we lured you out to give battle, but we never expected that you would tie a rope round our eldest brother’s heart”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re a thorough disgrace, you damned gang of demons,” said Monkey with a laugh. “Last time you tried to trick me into coming out so you could bite me and this time you’ve lured me out to face an army ready for battle. It’s obvious that you’ve got tens of thousands of soldiers here to tackle me when I’m alone. Most unreasonable. I’ll pull him away. I’m going to drag him off to see my master.”\n\n“If in your mercy and compassion you spare our lives, Great Sage,” the demons said, all kowtowing together, “we vow to escort your master across this mountain.”\n\n“If you want to live all you have to do is cut the rope with your sword,” said Monkey with a laugh.\n\n“My lord,” the senior monster said, “I can cut the rope outside, but it’s no good having the length inside that’s tied round my heart. It sticks in my throat so uncomfortably that it makes me feel sick.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case,” said Monkey, “open your mouth and I’ll go back inside to undo the rope.” This alarmed the senior demon, who said, “If you don’t come out when you go in this time I’ll be in a mess, a real mess.”\n\n“I know how to undo the end of the rope that’s in you from the outside,” Monkey replied. “But when I’ve undone it will you really escort my master across?”\n\n“We will as soon as you’ve undone it,” the senior demon chief replied. “I wouldn’t dare lie about this.” Now that he had satisfied himself the demon was telling the truth Monkey shook himself and put the hair back on his body, whereupon the monster’s heart pains stopped. It was the Great Sage Sun’s transforming magic that had tied the hair round his heart in the first place, which was why the pain ended as soon as the hair was put back on Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three demon chiefs then rose up into the air to thank him with the words, “Please go back now, Great Sage, and pack your luggage. We will carry a chair down to fetch him.” The demon horde then all put their weapons down and went back into the cave.\n\nHaving put his rope away the Great Sage went straight back to the Eastern side of the ridge, and when he was still a long way away he saw the Tang Priest lying on the ground, rolling around and howling. Pig and Friar Sand had opened the bundles of luggage and were dividing it up.\n\n“Don’t tell me,” thought Monkey with a quiet sigh. “No doubt Pig has told the master that I’ve been eaten up by evil spirits. The master’s sobbing his heart out because he can’t bear to be without me and the idiot’s dividing the things ready for us all to split up. Oh dear! I can’t be sure, so I’d better go down and give the\n\nmaster a shout.”\n\nBringing his cloud down, Monkey shouted, “Master!” As soon as Friar Sand heard this he started complaining to Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All you want is to see people dead, just like a coffin stand,” he said. “Our elder brother wasn’t killed but you said he was and started this business here. Of course he’s bound to kick up a row.”\n\n“But I saw him with my own eyes being eaten up by the evil spirit in one mouthful,” Pig replied. “I’m sure we’re just seeing that ape’s spirit because it’s an unlucky day.”\n\nMonkey then went up to Pig and hit him in the face with a slap that sent him staggering. “Cretin!” he said. “Is this my spirit you can see?”\n\nRubbing his face, the idiot replied, “But the monster really did eat you up, brother. How can you—how can you have come back to life?”\n\n“Useless gumboil!” said Monkey. “After he ate me I grabbed his bowels, twisted his lungs, tied a rope round his heart and tore at him till he was in horrible agony. Then they all kowtowed and pleaded with me, so I spared his life. Now they’re bringing a carrying-chair here to take the master over the mountain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as Sanzang heard this he scrambled to his feet, bowed to Monkey and said, “Disciple, I’ve put you to enormous trouble. If I had believed what Wuneng said we would have been finished.”\n\n“Chaff-guzzling idiot,” Monkey said abusively, taking a swing at Pig with his fist, “you’re thoroughly lazy and barely human. But don’t get upset, Master. The monsters are coming to take you across the mountain.” Friar Sand too felt deeply ashamed, and quickly trying to cover it up he packed up the luggage and loaded the horse to wait on the road."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story returns to the three demon chiefs, who led their devilish hosts back into the cave. “Elder brother,” said the second demon, “I’d imagined that Sun the Novice had nine heads and eight tails, but he turns out to be nothing but that pipsqueak of a monkey. You shouldn’t have swallowed him. You should have fought him. He’d have been no match for us. With our tens of thousands of goblins we could have drowned him in our spit. But by swallowing him you let him use his magic and cause you agony, so that you didn’t dare have it out with him. When I said we’d take the Tang Priest across the mountains just now I didn’t mean it. It was only a way of luring him out because your life was in danger. I most certainly won’t escort the Tang Priest.”\n\n“Why not, good brother?” the senior demon chief asked.\n\n“If you and I draw up three thousand junior devils ready for battle I can capture that ape,” the second demon replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Never mind about three thousand,” the senior demon chief said. “You can have our whole force. If we capture him it’ll be a credit to us all.”\n\nThe second demon chief then mustered three thousand junior demons whom he led to a place beside the main road, where they were put into battle formation. He sent a herald with a blue flag to carry a message.\n\n“Sun the Novice,” the herald said, “come out at once and fight His Second Majesty.”\n\nWhen Pig heard this he said with a laugh, “As the saying goes, brother, liars don’t fool the people at home. You lied to us when you came back, you trickster. You said you’d beaten the evil spirits and that they’d be bringing a carrying-chair to take the master across. But here they are challenging you to battle. Why?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The senior demon did surrender to me,” Monkey replied, “and he wouldn’t dare show his face. The sound of my name alone is enough to give him a headache. The second demon chief must be challenging me to battle because he can’t bring himself to escort us across. I tell you, brother, those three evil spirits are brothers and they have a sense of honour. We’re three brothers but we don’t. I’ve beaten the senior demon, so the second demon’s come out. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t fight him.”\n\n“I’m not scared of him,” Pig said. “I’ll go and give him a fight.”\n\n“If you want to, go ahead,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig with a laugh, “I’ll go, but lend me that rope.”\n\n“What do you want it for?” Monkey asked. “You don’t know how to get into his belly or tie it to his heart, so what use would it be to you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I want it tied round my waist as a lifeline,” replied Pig. “You and Friar Sand are to hold on to it and let it out for me to fight him. If you think I’m beating him pay more rope out and I’ll capture him, but if he’s beating me, pull me back. Don’t let him drag me off.”\n\nAt this Monkey smiled to himself and thought, “Another chance to make a fool of the idiot.” Monkey then tied the rope round Pig’s waist and sent him off into battle."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot lifted his rake and rushed up the steep slope shouting. “Come out, evil spirit! Come and fight your ancestor Pig!” The herald with the blue flag rushed back to report, “Your Majesty, there’s a monk with a long snout and big ears here.” The second demon chief came out of the encampment, saw Pig, and without a word thrust his spear straight at Pig’s face. The idiot raised his rake and went forward to parry the blow. The two of them joined battle in front of the mountainside, and before they had fought seven or eight rounds the idiot began to weaken. He was no longer able to hold the evil spirit off."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” he shouted, turning back in a hurry, “pull in the lifeline, pull in the lifeline!” When the Great Sage heard this from where he stood he loosened his hold on the rope and dropped it. The idiot started to run back now that he was defeated. At first he had not noticed the rope trailing behind him, but after he turned back, relaxing the tension on it, it started to get tangled round his legs. He tripped himself over, climbed to his feet and tripped over again. At first he only staggered, but then he fell facedown into the dust. The evil spirit caught up with him, unwound his trunk that was like a python, wrapped it round Pig and carried him back in triumph to the cave. The devilish host chorused a paean of victory as they swarmed back."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Sanzang saw all this from the foot of the slope he became angry with Monkey. “Wukong,” he said, “no wonder Wuneng wishes you were dead. You brother-disciples don’t love each other at all. All you feel is jealousy. He told you to pull in his lifeline, so why didn’t you? Why did you drop the rope instead? What are we to do now you have got him killed?”\n\n“You’re covering up for him again, Master,” said Monkey, “and showing favoritism too. I’m fed up. When I was captured it didn’t bother you at all. I was dispensable. But when that idiot gets himself caught you blame me for it. Let him suffer. It’ll teach him how hard it is to fetch the scriptures.”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “was I not worried when you went? I remembered that you could change into other things, so I was sure you would come to no harm. But the idiot was born clumsy and can’t transform himself, which makes this a very dangerous business. You must go and rescue him.”\n\n“Stop complaining, Master,” said Brother Monkey. “I’ll go and save him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey rushed up the mountain thinking resentfully, “I’m not going to make life easy for that idiot if he wishes me dead. I’ll go and see what the evil spirits are doing with him. Before I rescue him I’ll let him suffer a bit.” He then made magic with his hands, said the words of a spell, shook himself, turned into the tiniest of insects and flew into the cave, where he landed at the bottom of one of Pig’s ears to be taken inside with the evil spirit. The second demon chief had led his three thousand junior devils trumpeting and drumming loudly to the cave, where they stopped.\n\nHe now took Pig inside and said, “I’ve got one, elder brother.”\n\n“Show me,” the senior demon replied.\n\nUnwinding his trunk the second demon chief flung Pig to the ground and said, “There he is.”\n\n“That one’s useless,” said the senior demon.\n\n“Your Majesty,” put in Pig when he heard this, “if I’m no use let me go and find a more useful one to capture.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He may not be any use,” said the third demon chief, “but he is the Tang Priest’s disciple Zhu Bajie. Tie him up and put him to soak in the pool at the back. When his bristles have been soaked off we can open his belly up, salt him and dry him in the sun. He’ll go down well with some wine on a rainy day.”\n\n“That’s that then,” exclaimed Pig in horror. “I’ve fallen into the clutches of a demon who’s a salt-pork peddler.” The demon hordes fell on him, tied his hands and feet together, carried him to the pool at the back, pushed him in and went back.\n\nWhen the Great Sage flew there to have a look he saw the idiot with his four limbs pointing upwards and his snout downwards as he half floated and was half sinking, grunting through his snout. He really was a ridiculous sight, like a big blackened frost-bitten lotus pod that has shed its seeds in September or October. Seeing his face the Great Sage felt both loathing and pity for him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What shall I do?” he wondered. “After all, he is another member of the Dragon Flower Assembly. I just wish he wouldn’t keep trying to divide up the luggage, split our band, and incite the master to say the Band-tightening Spell. The other day I heard Friar Sand say that he’d stashed some money away for himself. I wonder if it’s true. I’ll give him a scare and find out.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage flew down to his ear and called in a disguised voice, “Zhu Wuneng, Zhu Wuneng.”\n\n“This is terrible,” thought Pig in alarm, “Wuneng is the name the Bodhisattva Guanyin gave me. I’ve been called Zhu Bajie all the time I’ve been with the Tang Priest. How can there be anyone here who knows my name is Wuneng?” So he could not restrain himself from asking, “Who’s that calling my Buddhist name?”\n\n“Me,” said Monkey.\n\n“Who are you?” the idiot asked.\n\n“I’m a catcher,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Where from, sir?” asked Pig in terror.\n\n“From the Fifth King of the Underworld, and he’s sent me to fetch you,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Then please go back and ask the Fifth King as he’s such a good friend of my senior fellow-disciple Sun Wukong to give me a day’s grace. You can come for me tomorrow.”\n\n“You’re talking nonsense,” Monkey replied. “If King Yama of Hell decides you’re to die in the third watch nobody will keep you till the fourth. Come with me at once if you don’t want me to put a rope round your neck and drag you off.”\n\n“Do me a favour,” said the idiot. “Even with a face like mine still want to go on living. I’ll certainly die if I have to, but give me a day till these evil spirits have captured my master and the rest of us, so I can see them again before we’re all done for.”\n\n“Very well then,” said Monkey, grinning to himself. “I’ve got about thirty people to capture around here in this batch. When I’ve caught them I’ll come back for you. That’ll give you a day’s grace. Give me some money. I’m sure you’ve got some.”\n\n“Oh dear,” said Pig, “we monks don’t have money.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you haven’t then I’m dragging you off,” said Brother Monkey. “Come with me.”\n\n“Don’t be so impatient, sir,” said the idiot, panicking. “I know that rope of yours is what they call the life-taking rope. Once It’s round you you’re dead. Yes, I have got some money. I’ve got a bit, but not much.”\n\n“Where is it?” Monkey demanded. “Give it me at once.”\n\n“Oh dear, what a pity!” said Pig. “From when I became a monk right up till now the kind people who feed monks have given me a bit more alms than the others because my belly’s so big. I saved all the little bits of silver till I had about half an ounce. They were awkward to keep, so when we were in a city some time ago I asked a silversmith to melt them all together. The wicked man stole a few grains of it, so the ingot he made only weighed forty-six hundredths of an ounce. Take it.”\n\n“The idiot hasn’t even got his trousers on,” grinned Monkey to himself, “so where can he have hidden it? Hey, where’s your silver?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s stuffed inside my left ear,” Pig replied. “I can’t get it myself because I’m tied up, so take it out yourself.” When Monkey heard this he put his hand out and took the silver from inside Pig’s ear. It was indeed an ingot shaped like a saddle that weighed only forty-five or forty-six hundredths of an ounce. As he held it in his hands Monkey could not help roaring with laughter.\n\nRecognizing Monkey’s voice the idiot started cursing him wildly from the water: “Damn and blast you, Protector of the Horses, for coming to extort money from me when I’m in such misery.”\n\n“I’ve got you now, you dreg-guzzler!” said Monkey. “Goodness only knows what I’ve had to suffer for the sake of protecting the master, while you’ve been making your fortune.”\n\n“Nonsense!” Pig retorted. “Call this a fortune? It’s just what I’ve scraped off my teeth. I resisted spending it on my stomach, so I saved it to buy myself some cloth to get a tunic made. You’ve got it out of me by intimidation. You ought to share it with me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You won’t get a cent of it,” Monkey replied.\n\n“I’ve paid you to spare my life,” said Pig, “so now you damn well ought to rescue me.”\n\n“Don’t be so impatient,” said Monkey. “I’ll rescue you all in good time.” Putting the silver away he turned back into himself and used his cudgel to bring Pig close enough to grab him by his feet, drag him ashore and untie him. Pig then sprang up, took off his clothes, wrung them out, shook them, and draped them still dripping wet over his shoulders.\n\n“Brother,” he said, “open the back gates. Let’s go.”\n\n“There’s no glory in sneaking out the back way,” replied Monkey. “We’ll leave by the front gates.”\n\n“My feet are still numb after being tied up,” said Pig. “I can’t run.”\n\n“Buck up and come with me,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Buck up and come with me,” said Monkey.\n\nThe splendid Great Sage charged out, clearing his way by swinging his cudgel. The idiot had no choice but to endure the pain and keep close to him. When he saw the rake propped up by the second pair of gates he went over to it, pushed the junior devils aside, retrieved it and rushed forward, lashing out wildly. He and Brother Monkey charged through three or four pairs of gates, and goodness only knows how many junior devils they killed.\n\nWhen the senior demon chief heard all this he said to the second chief, “You captured a fine one! A fine one indeed! Look! Sun the Novice has rescued Pig and they’ve wounded or killed the juniors on the gates.” The second demon at once sprang to his feet and rushed out through the gates brandishing his spear."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Damned macaque,” he shouted at the top of his voice. “What a nerve! How dare you treat us with such contempt!” As soon as the Great Sage heard this he stopped still. The monster thrust his spear straight at him without allowing any argument. With the unhurried skill of the expert Monkey raised his iron cudgel to hit back at the demon’s face. The two of them fought a splendid battle outside the entrance to the cave:\n\nThe yellow-tusked elephant in human form\n\nHad sworn brotherhood with the Lion King.\n\nPersuaded by the senior monster\n\nThey plotted together to eat the Tang Priest.\n\nHuge were the powers of the Great Sage, Heaven’s equal,\n\nWho helped the good against the bad and killed off demons,\n\nThe incompetent Pig had met with disaster,\n\nSo Monkey saved him and led him outside.\n\nWhen the demon king pursued them with great ferocity\n\nThe spear and the cudgel each showed off its powers.\n\nThe spear moved like a snake in the woods;\n\nThe cudgel arose like a dragon from the sea."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The cudgel arose like a dragon from the sea.\n\nWhere the dragon emerged the clouds were thick;\n\nDense hung the mist where the snake went through the woods.\n\nIt was all for the sake of the Tang Priest\n\nThat they fought each other with ferocity and hatred.\n\nWhen he saw the Great Sage start fighting the evil spirit, Pig stood on the spur, his rake upright. Instead of joining in to help, he watched with stupefied amazement. Monkey’s cudgel was so powerful and his martial skills so faultless the evil spirit used his spear to parry Monkey’s blows while unrolling his trunk to wrap round him. As Monkey knew about this trick he held his gold-banded cudgel out horizontally in both hands and raised them. The evil spirit’s trunk caught Monkey round the waist but missed his hands. Just watch how Monkey belabors the evil spirit’s trunk with his cudgel."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig saw this he beat his chest and said, “Oh dear! That monster’s got lousy luck. When he caught me he got my arms too because I’m so clumsy, but he didn’t when he caught that slippery character. He’s got his cudgel in both hands, and all he needs to do is shove it up the monster’s trunk to give him such a pain in the nostrils that it’ll make the snot run. The monster’ll never be able to hold him.”\n\nMonkey had not thought of this before Pig gave him the idea, but now he waved his cudgel to make it as thick as a hen’s egg and over ten feet long and actually did shove it hard up the monster’s trunk. This gave the evil spirit such a shock that he unraveled his trunk with a swishing noise. Monkey brought his hand round to grab the trunk and drag it forcefully towards him. To spare himself any more agony the monster stepped out and moved with Monkey’s hand. Only then did Pig dare approach, raising his rake to hit wildly at the monster’s flanks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” said Brother Monkey, “that’s no good. The prongs of your rake are so sharp they might break his skin. If he starts bleeding heavily and the master sees it he’ll say we’ve been killing again. You’d better turn it round and hit him with the handle.”\n\nThe idiot then raised the handle of his rake and struck the monster at every step while Monkey dragged him by the trunk. They looked like a pair of elephant boys as they led him down to the foot of the mountain, where Sanzang could be seen gazing with concentration at the two of them coming noisily towards him.\n\n“Wujing,” he said to Friar Sand, “what is it Wukong is leading?”\n\n“Master,” replied Friar Sand when he saw them, “big brother is dragging an evil spirit here by the nose. He really enjoys slaughter.”\n\n“Splendid, splendid,” said Sanzang. “What a big evil spirit, and what a long nose! Go and ask him if he’s happy and willing to escort us over the-mountain. If he is he must be spared and not be killed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Friar Sand at once rushed straight towards them shouting, “The master says you mustn’t kill the monster if he’s really willing to escort him across the mountain.” As soon as he heard this the demon fell to his knees and promised to do so in a very nasal voice. His voice was like this because Monkey was pinching his nostrils shut, making it sound as though he had a heavy cold.\n\n“Lord Tang,” he said, “I’ll carry you across by chair if you spare my life.”\n\n“My master and we disciples are good people.” Monkey replied. “As you’ve said this we’ll spare your life. Fetch the chair at once. If you break your word again we most certainly won’t spare your life when we catch you next time.” The freed monster kowtowed and left. Monkey and Pig went to report to the Tang Priest on everything that had happened to them. Pig was overcome with shame as he spread his clothes out to dry in the sun while they waited."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The second demon chief returned trembling and shaking to the cave. Even before his return some junior devils had reported to the senior and the third demon chiefs that Monkey had dragged him off by the trunk. In his anxiety the senior demon had led his hosts out with the third demon when they saw the second chief coming back alone. As they brought him inside and asked him why he had been released the second chief told them all about Sanzang’s words of mercy and goodness. They looked at each other, at a loss for words.\n\n“Elder brother,” said the second demon chief, “shall we take Sanzang across?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a thing to say, brother,” replied the senior chief. “Sun the Novice is a monkey who shows the greatest benevolence and sense of justice. If he had wanted to kill me when he was in my stomach he could most certainly have done so. He only grabbed your trunk. He might have dragged you off and not let you go. All he did was to pinch your trunk and break its skin, and that’s given you a scare. Get ready at once to take them across.”\n\nThe third demon chief smiled and said, “Yes, yes, yes!”\n\n“From the way you’re talking, my good brother,” said the senior demon, “it sounds as though you’re reluctant to let the Tang Priest go. If you don’t, we’ll take him across.”\n\nThe third demon chief smiled again and said, “Elder brothers, it would have been luckier for those monks if they hadn’t asked us to escort them but had slipped quietly across instead. By asking us to escort them they’ve fallen in with our plan to lure the tiger down from the mountain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What do you mean by ‘luring the tiger from the mountain?’” the senior demon asked.\n\n“Summon all the demons in our cave,” the third demon chief continued. “Choose one thousand from the ten thousand of them, then a hundred from the thousand, then sixteen and thirty from the hundred.”\n\n“Why do you want sixteen and thirty?” the senior demon asked.\n\n“The thirty must be good cooks,” the third demon chief replied. “Give them the best rice and flour, bamboo shoots, tea, gill fungus, button mushrooms, beancurd and wheat gluten. Send them to put up a shelter seven to ten miles along the way and lay on a meal for the Tang Priest.”\n\n“And what do you want the sixteen for?” the senior demon asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Eight to carry the chair and eight to shout and clear the way,” the third demon replied. “We brothers will accompany them for a stage of their journey. About 150 miles West of here is my city, and I’ve plenty of troops there to greet them. When they get to the city we’ll do such and such and so on… The Tang Priest and his disciples won’t be able to see what’s happening to them. Whether we catch the Tang Priest or not depends completely on those sixteen demons.”\n\nThe senior demon was beside himself with delight on hearing this. It was as if he had recovered from a drunken stupor or woken up from a dream. “Excellent, excellent,” he said, whereupon he mustered the demons, chose thirty to whom he gave the food and another sixteen to carry a rattan chair. As they set out the senior demon gave the following instructions to the rest of the demons: “None of you are to go out on the mountain. Sun the Novice is a very cautious ape, and if he sees any of you around he’ll be suspicious and see through our plan.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The senior demon then led his underlings to a place beside the main road, where he called aloud, “Lord Tang, today’s not an unlucky one, so please come across the mountain straight away.”\n\n“Who is that calling me, Wukong?” Sanzang asked when he heard this.\n\n“It’s the demons I beat,” Monkey replied. “They’re bringing a chair to carry you.”\n\nPutting his hands together in front of his chest Sanzang looked up to the sky and said, “Splendid, splendid! But for my worthy disciple’s great abilities I could not proceed on my journey.” He then walked forward to greet the demons with the words, “I am most grateful for the consideration you gentlemen are showing. When my disciples and I return to Chang’an we will praise your admirable achievements.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please get into the carrying-chair, my lord,” the demons said, kowtowing. Having mortal eyes and body Sanzang did not realize that this was a trick. The Great Sage Sun, a golden immortal of the Supreme Monad with a loyal nature, thought that because he had captured and released the demons they were now won over. He never imagined that they had other plots in mind, so he did not investigate closely but went along with his master’s ideas. He told Pig to tie the luggage on the horse and keep close to the master with Friar Sand while he cleared the way with his iron cudgel, watching out to see if all was well. While eight devils carried the chair and eight shouted in turn to clear the way the three demon chiefs steadied the poles of the chair. The master was delighted to sit upright in it and go up the high mountain by the main track, little realizing that\n\nGreat grief would return in the midst of rejoicing;\n\n“Extremes,” says the classic, “create their negation.”\n\nFated they were to meet with disaster,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Fated they were to meet with disaster,\n\nA star of ill-omen to mark desolation.\n\nThe band of demons worked with one mind to escort them and serve them diligently at all times. After ten miles there was a vegetarian meal and after fifteen more miles another one. They were invited to rest before it grew late, and everything along their way was neat and tidy. Each day they had three most satisfactory and delightful meals and spent a comfortable night where they were able to sleep well.\n\nWhen they had traveled about 150 miles West they found themselves near a walled city. Raising his iron cudgel the Great Sage, who was only a third of a mile ahead of the carrying-chair, was so alarmed by the sight of the city that he fell over and was unable to rise to his feet. Do you know why someone of his great courage was so frightened by what he saw? It was because he saw a very evil atmosphere hanging over the town.\n\nCrowds of evil demons and monsters,\n\nWolf spirits at all four gates.\n\nStriped tigers are the commanders;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Striped tigers are the commanders;\n\nWhite-faced tiger-cats are senior officers.\n\nAntlered stags carry documents around;\n\nCunning foxes walk along the streets.\n\nThousand-foot pythons slither round the walls;\n\nTwenty-mile serpents occupy the roads.\n\nAt the base of high towers gray wolves shout commands;\n\nLeopards speak in human voices by pavilions.\n\nStandard-bearers and drummers—all are monsters;\n\nMountain spirits patrol and stand sentry;\n\nCrafty hares open shops to trade;\n\nWild boars carry their loads to do business.\n\nWhat used to be the capital of a heavenly dynasty\n\nHas now become a city of wolves and tigers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Has now become a city of wolves and tigers.\n\nJust as he was being overcome by terror the Great Sage heard a wind from behind him and turned quickly to see the third demon chief raising a heaven-square halberd with a patterned handle to strike at his head. Springing to his feet, the Great Sage struck back at the monster’s face with his gold-banded cudgel. Both of them were snorting with rage and fury as they ground their teeth and fought a wordless struggle. Monkey then saw the senior demon chief giving out orders as he lifted his steel saber to hack at Pig. Pig was in such a rush that he had to let the horse go as he swung his rake around to hit wildly back. Meanwhile the second demon chief was thrusting with his spear at Friar Sand, who parried with his demon-quelling staff."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three demon chiefs and the three monks were now all fighting in single combat, ready to throw away their lives. The sixteen junior devils obeyed their orders, each giving play to his talents as they grabbed hold of the white horse and the luggage and crowded round Sanzang, lifting up his chair and carrying him straight to the city.\n\n“Your Senior Majesty, please decide what to do now we’ve captured the Tang Priest,” they shouted. All the demons of every rank on the city walls came rushing down to throw the city gates wide open. Every battalion was ordered to furl its flag, silence its drums, and on no account shout war-cries or strike gongs."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“His Senior Majesty has given orders that the Tang Priest is not to be frightened. He can’t endure being scared. If he is, his flesh will turn sour and be inedible.” The demons were all delighted to welcome Sanzang, bowing and carrying him into the throne hall of the palace, where he was invited to sit in the place of honour. They offered him tea and food as they bustled around him in attendance. The venerable elder felt dizzy and confused as he looked about and saw no familiar faces.\n\nIf you don’t know whether he was to escape with his life listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy-Seven\n\nThe Demon Host Mistreats the Fundamental Nature\n\nThe One Body Pays His Respects to the Buddha\n\nWe will tell now not of the sufferings of the venerable Tang Elder but of the three demon chiefs in strenuous combat with the Great Sage and his two brother disciples in the low hills to the East outside the city. It was indeed a good hard battle, like an iron brush against a copper pan:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Six types of body, six types of weapon,\n\nSix physical forms, six feelings.\n\nThe six evils arise from the six sense organs and the six desires;\n\nThe six gates to nirvana and the six ways of rebirth are struggling for victory.\n\nIn the thirty-six divine palaces spring comes of itself;\n\nThe six times six forms do not want to be named.\n\nThis one holding a gold-banded cudgel\n\nPerforms a thousand movements;\n\nThat one wielding a heaven-square halberd\n\nIs exceptional in every way.\n\nPig is even more ferocious with his rake;\n\nThe second demon’s spear-play is superb and effective.\n\nThere is nothing commonplace about young Friar Sand’s staff\n\nAs he tries to inflict a blow that is fatal;\n\nSharp is the senior demon’s saber\n\nWhich he raises without mercy.\n\nThese three are the true priest’s invincible escorts;\n\nThe other three are evil and rebellious spirits.\n\nAt first the fight is not so bad,\n\nBut later it becomes more murderous.\n\nAll six weapons rise up by magic\n\nTo twist and turn in the clouds above."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To twist and turn in the clouds above.\n\nThey belch out in an instant clouds that darken the sky,\n\nAnd the only sounds to be heard are roars and bellows.\n\nAfter the six of them had been fighting for a long time evening was drawing in, and as the wind was also bringing clouds it became dark very quickly. Pig was finding it harder and harder to see as his big ears were covering his eyelids. His hands and feet were besides too slow for him to be able to hold off his opponent, so he fled from the fight, dragging his rake behind him. The senior demon chief took a swing at him with his sword that almost killed him. Luckily Pig moved his head out of the way, so that the blade only cut off a few of his bristles. The monster then caught up with Pig, opened his jaws, picked Pig up by the collar, carried him into the city and threw him to the junior demons to tie up and take to the throne hall. The senior demon chief then rose back into the air by cloud to help the other two."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that things were going badly Friar Sand feinted with his staff and turned to flee only to be caught, hands and all, when the second demon unraveled his trunk and noisily wrapped it round him. The demon took him too into the city, ordering the junior demons to tie him up in the palace before rising up into the sky again to tell the others how to catch Monkey. Seeing that both his brother disciples had been captured Monkey realized that it was going to be impossible for him to hold out single-handed. Indeed:\n\nA couple of fists can defeat a good hand,\n\nBut cannot a competent foursome withstand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a shout Brother Monkey pushed the three demons’ weapons aside, set off his somersault cloud and fled. When the third demon chief saw Monkey ride off by somersault he shook himself, resumed his real form, spread his wings and caught up with the Great Sage. You may well ask how the demon could possibly catch up with him. When Monkey made havoc in heaven all that time ago a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers had failed to capture him. Because he could cover 36,000 miles in a single somersault of his cloud, none of the gods had been able to catch up with him. But this evil spirit could cover 30,000 miles with one beat of his wings, so that with two beats he caught up with Monkey and seized him. Monkey could not get out of the demon’s talons no matter how hard he struggled or how desperately he longed to escape. Even when he used his transformation magic he still could not move. If he made himself grow the demon opened his grip but still held firmly to him; and if he shrank the demon tightened his clutch."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and if he shrank the demon tightened his clutch. The demon took him back inside the city, released his talons, dropped him into the dust, and told the fiendish hordes to tie him up and put him with Pig and Friar Sand. The senior and the second demon chiefs both came out to greet the third chief, who went back up into the throne hall with them. Alas! This time they were not tying Monkey up but sending him on his way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was now the second watch of the night, and after all the demons had exchanged greetings the Tang Priest was pushed out of the throne hall. When he suddenly caught sight in the lamplight of his three disciples all lying tied up on the ground the venerable master leaned down beside Brother Monkey and said through his tears, “Disciple, when we meet with trouble you normally go off and use your magic powers to subdue the monsters causing it. Now that you too have been captured can I survive, poor monk that I am?” As soon as Pig and Friar Sand heard their master’s distress they too began to howl together.\n\n“Don’t worry, Master,” said Monkey with a hint of a smile, “and don’t cry, brothers. No matter what they do they won’t be able to hurt us. When the demon chiefs have settled and are asleep we can be on our way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re just making trouble again, brother,” replied Pig. “We’re trussed up with hempen ropes. If we do manage to work them a bit loose they spurt water on them to shrink them again. You might be too skinny to notice, but fat old me’s having a terrible time. If you don’t believe me take a look at my arms. The rope’s cut two inches deep into them. I’d never get away.”\n\n“Never mind hempen ropes,” said Monkey with a laugh, “even if they were coconut cables as thick as a rice-bowl they’d be no more than an autumn breeze to me. What’s there to make a fuss about?”\n\nAs master and disciples were talking the senior demon could be heard saying, “Third brother, you really are strong and wise. Your plan to capture the Tang Priest was brilliant and it worked.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Little ones,” he called, “Five of you carry water, seven scrub the pans, ten get the fire burning and twenty fetch the iron steamer. When we’ve steamed the four monks tender for my brothers and me to enjoy we’ll give you juniors a piece so that you can all live for ever.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, trembling, when he this, “listen. That evil spirit’s planning to steam and eat us.”\n\n“Don’t be afraid,” said Monkey. “I’m going to find out whether he’s an evil spirit still wet behind the ears or an old hand.”\n\n“Brother,” said Friar Sand, sobbing, “don’t talk so big. We’re next door to the king of Hell. How can you talk about whether he’s wet behind the ears or an old hand at a time like this?” The words were not all out of his mouth before the second demon chief was heard to say, “Pig won’t steam well.”\n\n“Amitabha Buddha!” said Pig with delight. “I wonder who’s building up good karma by saying I won’t steam well.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If he won’t steam well,” the third chief said, “skin him before steaming him.” This panicked Pig, who screamed at the top of his voice, “Don’t skin me. I may be coarse but I’ll go tender if you boil me.”\n\n“If he won’t steam well,” the senior demon chief said, “put him on the bottom tray of the steamer.”\n\n“Don’t worry, Pig,” said Monkey with a laugh, “he’s wet behind the ears. He’s no old hand.”\n\n“How can you tell?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“Generally speaking you should start from the top when steaming,” Monkey replied. “Whatever’s hardest to steam should be put on the top tray. Add a bit of extra fuel to the fire, get up a good steam and it’ll be done. But put it at the bottom and lower the steam and you won’t get the steam up even if you cook it for six months. He must be wet behind the ears if he says that Pig should be put on the bottom tray because he’s hard to cook.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” Pig replied, “if he followed your advice I’d be slaughtered alive. When he can’t see the steam rising he’ll take the lid off, turn me over and make the fire burn hotter. I’ll be cooked on both sides and half done in the middle.”\n\nAs they were talking a junior devil came in to report that the water was boiling. The senior chief ordered that the monks be carried in, and all the demons acted together to carry Pig to the lowest shelf of the steamer and Friar Sand to the second shelf."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Guessing that they would be coming for him next Brother Monkey freed himself and said, “This lamplight is just right for some action.” He then pulled out a hair, blew on it with magic breath, called, “Change!” and turned it into another Monkey he tied up with the hempen rope while extracting his real self in spirit form to spring into mid-air, look down and watch. Not realizing his deception, the crowd of demons picked up the false Monkey they saw and carried him to the third tray of the steamer, near the top. Only then did they drag the Tang Priest to the ground, tie him up, and put him into the fourth tray. As the dry firewood was stacked up a fierce fire blazed.\n\n“My Pig and Friar Sand can stand a couple of boilings,” sighed the Great Sage up in the clouds, “but that master of mine will be cooked tender as soon as the water boils. If I can’t save him by magic he’ll be dead in next to no time.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage made a hand-spell in mid-air, said the magic words “Om the blue pure dharma world; true is the eternal beneficence of Heaven,” and summoned the Dragon King of the Northern Ocean to him.\n\nA black cloud appeared among the other clouds, and from it there came at once an answering shout, “Ao Shun, the humble dragon of the Northern Ocean, kowtows in homage.”\n\n“Arise, arise,” said Monkey. “I would not have ventured to trouble you for nothing. I’ve now got this far with my master the Tang Priest. He’s been captured by vicious monsters and put into an iron steamer to be cooked. Go and protect him for me and don’t let the steam harm him.” The dragon king at once turned himself into a cold wind that blew underneath the cooking pot and coiled around to shield it from all the heat of the fire. Thus were the three of them saved from death."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the third watch was drawing to an end the senior demon chief announced a decision. “My men,” he said, “we have worn out brains and brawn to capture the Tang Priest and his three disciples. Because of the trouble we went to in escorting them we have not slept for four days and nights. I don’t think that they’ll be able to escape now that they’re tied up and being steamed. You are all to guard them carefully. Ten of your junior devils are to take it in turns to keep the fires burning while we withdraw to our living quarters for a little rest. By the fifth watch, when it’s about to get light, they’re bound to be cooked tender. Have some garlic paste, salt and vinegar ready and wake us up; then we’ll be able to eat them with a good appetite.” The devils did as they had been ordered while the three demon chiefs returned to their sleeping chambers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Up in the clouds Brother Monkey clearly heard these instructions being given, so he brought his cloud down. As there was no sound of voices from inside the steamer he thought, “The fire is blazing away and they must be feeling hot. Why aren’t they afraid? Why aren’t they saying anything? Hmm… Could they have been steamed to death? Let me go closer and listen.” The splendid Great Sage shook himself as he stood on his cloud and turned into a black fly. As he alighted on the outside of the iron steamer’s trays to listen he heard Pig saying inside, “What lousy luck! What lousy luck! I wonder whether we’re being closed-steamed or open-steamed.”\n\n“What do you mean by ‘closed’ and ‘open,’ brother?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“Closed steaming is when they cover the steamer and open steaming is when they don’t,” Pig replied.\n\n“Disciples,” said Sanzang from the top tray, “the cover is off.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’re in luck!” said Pig. “We won’t be killed tonight. We’re being open-steamed.” Having heard all three of them talking Monkey realized that they were still alive, so he flew away, fetched the iron steamer lid and placed it lightly on the steamer.\n\n“Disciples,” exclaimed Sanzang in alarm, “they’ve covered us up.”\n\n“That’s done it,” said Pig.\n\n“That means closed steaming. We’re bound to die tonight.” Friar Sand and the venerable elder started to sob.\n\n“Don’t cry,” said Pig. “A new shift of cooks has come on duty.”\n\n“How can you tell?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“I was delighted at first when they carried me here,” Pig replied. “I’ve got a bit of a feverish chill and I wanted warming up. But all we’re getting at the moment is cold air. Hey! Mr. Cook, sir! What are you making such a fuss about putting more firewood on for? Am I asking for what’s yours?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he could not help laughing to himself. “Stupid clod,” he thought. “Being cold is bearable. If it got hot you’d be dead. The secret will get out if he goes on talking. I’d better rescue him.... No! I’d have to turn back into myself to rescue them, and if I did that the ten cooks would see me and start shouting. That would disturb the old monsters and I’d be put to a lot more trouble. I’ll have to use some magic on the cooks first.” Then a memory came back to him.\n\n“When I was the Great Sage in the old days I once played a guessing game with the Heavenly King Lokapala at the Northern Gate of Heaven and won some of his sleep insects off him. I’ve got a few left I can use on them.” He felt around his waist inside his belt and found that he had twelve of them left."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll give them ten and keep two to breed from,” Monkey thought. Then he threw the insects into the ten junior devils’ faces, where the insects went up their nostrils, so that they all started feeling drowsy, lay down and went to sleep. One of them, however, who was holding a fire-fork slept very fitfully, kept rubbing his head and face, pinching his nose and continuously sneezing. “That so-and-so knows a trick or two,” thought Monkey. “I’ll have to give him a double dose.” He threw one of his remaining insects into the demon’s face.\n\n“With two insects the left one can go in when the right one comes out and vice versa,” Monkey thought. “That should keep him quiet.” With that the junior demon gave two or three big yawns, stretched himself, dropped the fork and slumped down, fast asleep. He did not get up again.\n\n“What marvellous magic; it really works,” said Monkey, turning back into himself. Then he went close to the steamer and called, “Master.”\n\n“Rescue me, Wukong,” said the Tang Priest when he heard him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Is that you calling to us from outside?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“If I weren’t out here would you prefer me to be suffering in there with you?” Monkey replied.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “you slipped off and left us to carry the can. We’re being closed-steamed in here.”\n\n“Stop yelling, idiot,” said Monkey with a laugh. “I’m here to rescue you.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “if you’re going to rescue us do it properly. Don’t get us put back in here for another steaming.” Monkey then took the lid off, freed the master, shook the hair of his that he had turned into an imitation Monkey and put it back on his body, then released Friar Sand and Pig, taking one tray at a time. As soon as he was untied, the idiot wanted to run away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be in such a hurry!” said Monkey, who recited the words of a spell that released the dragon before going on to say to Pig, “We’ve still got high mountains and steep ridges ahead of us on our way to the Western Heaven. The going’s too heavy for the master—he isn’t a strong walker. Wait till I’ve fetched the horse.”\n\nWatch him as with light step he goes to the throne hall, where he saw that all the demons young and old were asleep. He undid the rope attached to the horse’s reins, being even more careful not to alarm him. Now the horse was a dragon horse, so had Monkey been a stranger he would have given him a couple of flying kicks and whinnied. But Monkey had kept horses and held the office of Protector of the Horses, and this horse was besides their own. That was why the animal neither reared nor whinnied. Monkey led the horse very quietly over, tightened the girth and got everything ready before inviting his master to mount. Trembling and shaking, the Tang Priest did so. He too wanted to go."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t you be in such a hurry either,” Monkey said. “There’ll be plenty more kings along our journey West and we’ll need our passport if we’re to get there. What other identity papers do we have? I’m going back to find the luggage.”\n\n“I remember that when we came in the monsters put the luggage to the left of the throne hall,” said the Tang Priest. “The loads must still be there.”\n\n“Understood,” said Monkey, who sprang off at once to search for it by the throne hall. When he suddenly saw shimmering lights of many colours Brother Monkey knew that they came from the luggage. How did he know? Because the light came from the night-shining pearl on the Tang Priest’s cassock. He rushed towards it and found that their load was unopened, so he took it out and gave it to Friar Sand to carry. While Pig guided the horse, the Great Sage took the lead."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They were hurrying to go straight out through the main Southern gate when they heard the noise of watchmen’s clappers and bells. They found the gates locked and paper seals over the locks.\n\n“How are we going to get out if the place is so closely guarded?” Monkey wondered.\n\n“Let’s get out the back door,” said Pig. With Monkey leading the way they rushed straight to the back gates.\n\n“I can hear clappers and bells outside the back gates as well, and they’re sealed too,” Monkey said. “What are we to do? If it weren’t for the Tang Priest’s mortal body it wouldn’t bother us three: we could get away by cloud and wind. But the Tang Priest hasn’t escaped from the Three Worlds and is still confined within the Five Elements. All his bones are the unclean ones he got from his mother and father. He can’t lift himself into the air and he’ll never get away.”\n\n“No time for talking now, brother,” said Pig: “Let’s go somewhere where there aren’t any bells, clappers or guards, lift the master up and climb over the wall.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That won’t do,” said Monkey. “We could lift him over now because we’ve got to, but you’ve got such a big mouth you’d tell people everywhere when we’re taking the scriptures back that we’re the sort of monks who sneak over people’s walls.”\n\n“But we can’t bother about behaving properly now,” replied Pig. “We’ve got to save our skins.” Monkey had no choice but to do as he suggested, so they went up to wall and worked out how to climb over.\n\nOh dear! Things would have to work out this way: Sanzang was not yet free of his unlucky star. The three demon chiefs who had been fast asleep in their living quarters suddenly awoke and, fearing that the Tang Priest had escaped, got up, threw on their clothes and hurried to the throne hall of the palace.\n\n“How many times has the Tang Priest been steamed?” they asked. The junior devils who were looking after the fires were all so soundly asleep because the sleep insects were in them that not even blows could wake them up."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The chiefs woke up some others who were not on duty, who answered rashly, “Ss…ss…seven times.” Then they rushed over to the steamer to see the steamer trays lying scattered on the floor and the cooks still asleep.\n\nIn their alarm they rushed back to report, “Your Majesties, th…th…they’ve escaped.”\n\nThe three demon chiefs came out of the throne hall to take a close look around the cauldron. They saw that the steamer trays were indeed scattered on the floor, the water was stonecold and the fire completely out. The cooks supposed to be tending the fire were still so fast asleep that they were snoring noisily.\n\nThe fiends were all so shocked that they all shouted, “Catch the Tang Priest! At once! Catch the Tang Priest!” Their yells woke up the demons senior and junior all around. They rushed in a crowd to the main front gates carrying their swords and spears."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that the sealed locks had not been touched and that the night watchmen were still sounding their clappers and bells they asked the watchman, “Which way did the Tang Priest go?”\n\n“Nobody’s come out,” the watchmen all replied. They hurried to the back gates of the palace, only to find that the seals, locks, clappers and bells were the same as at the front. With a great commotion they grabbed lanterns and torches, making the sky red and the place as bright as day. The four of them were clearly lit up as they climbed over the wall.\n\n“Where do you think you’re going?” the senior demon chief shouted, running towards them and so terrifying the reverend gentleman that the muscles in his legs turned soft and numb and he fell off the wall to be captured by the senior demon. The second demon chief seized Friar Sand and the third knocked Pig over and captured him. The other demons took the luggage and the white horse. Only Monkey escaped."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“May Heaven kill him,” Pig grumbled under his breath about Monkey. “I said that if he was going to rescue us he ought to do a thorough job of it. As it is we’re going to be put back in the steamer for another steaming.”\n\nThe monsters took the Tang Priest into the throne hall but did not steam him again. The second demon chief ordered that Pig was to be tied to one of the columns supporting the eaves in front of the hall and the third chief had Friar Sand tied to one of the columns holding up the eaves at the back. The senior chief clung to the Tang Priest and would not let go of him.\n\n“What are you holding him for, elder brother?” the third demon asked. “Surely you’re not going to eat him alive. That wouldn’t be at all interesting. He’s no ordinary idiot to be gobbled up just to fill your stomach. He’s a rare delicacy from a superior country. We should keep him till we have some free time one rainy day, then bring him out to be carefully cooked and enjoyed with drinking games and fine music.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A very good suggestion, brother,” replied the senior demon with a smile, “but Sun the Novice would come and steal him again.”\n\n“In our palace we have a Brocade Fragrance Pavilion,” said the third demon, “and in the pavilion is an iron chest. I think we should put the Tang Priest into the chest, shut up the pavilion, put out a rumour that we have already eaten him half raw and get all the junior devils in the city talking about it. That Sun the Novice is bound to come back to find out what’s happening, and when he hears this he’ll be so miserably disappointed that he’ll go away. If he doesn’t come to make trouble for another four or five days we can bring the Tang Priest out to enjoy at our leisure. What do you think?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The senior and second demon chiefs were both delighted. “Yes, yes, you’re right, brother,” they said. That very night the poor Tang Priest was taken inside the palace, put into the chest and locked up in the pavilion. We will not tell how the rumour was spread and became the talk of the town.\n\nInstead the story tells how Monkey escaped that night by cloud, unable to look after the Tang Priest. He went straight to Lion Cave where he wiped out all the tens of thousands of junior demons with his cudgel to his complete satisfaction. By the time he had hurried back to the city the sun was rising in the East. He did not dare challenge the demons to battle because\n\nNo thread can be spun from a single strand;\n\nNobody can clap with a single hand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nobody can clap with a single hand.\n\nSo he brought his cloud down, shook himself, turned himself into a junior demon and slipped in through the gates to collect news in the streets and back alleys. “The Tang Priest was eaten raw by the senior king during the night,” was what all the people in the city were saying wherever he went. This made Brother Monkey really anxious. When he went to look at the throne hall in the palace he saw that there were many spirits constantly coming and going. They were wearing leather and metal helmets and yellow cotton tunics. In their hands they held red lacquered staves, and ivory passes hung at their waists.\n\n“These must be evil spirits who are allowed in the inner quarters of the palace,” thought Monkey. “I’ll turn myself into one, go in and see what I can find out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage then made himself identical to the demons and slipped in through the inner gates of the palace. As he was walking along he saw Pig tied to one of the columns of the throne hall, groaning.\n\n“Wuneng,” Monkey said, going up to him.\n\n“Is that you, brother?” asked the idiot, recognizing his voice. “Save me!”\n\n“I’ll save you,” said Monkey. “Do you know where the master is?”\n\n“He’s done for,” Pig replied. “The evil spirits ate him raw last night.” At this Monkey burst into sobs and the tears gushed out like water from a spring.\n\n“Don’t cry, brother,” said Pig. “I’ve only heard the junior devils gossiping. I didn’t see it with my own eyes. Don’t waste any more time. Go on and find out more.” Only then did Monkey dry his tears and go to search in the inner part of the palace.\n\nNoticing Friar Sand tied to a column at the back of the palace he went up to him, felt his chest and said, “Wujing.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Friar Sand also recognized his voice and said, “Brother, is that you here in disguise? Save me! Save me!”\n\n“Saving you will be easy,” said Monkey, “but do you know where the master is?”\n\n“Brother!” said Friar Sand in tears. “The evil spirits couldn’t even wait to steam the master. They’ve eaten him raw.”\n\nNow that both of them had told him the same story the Great Sage was cut to the heart. Instead of rescuing Pig and Friar Sand he sprang straight up into the sky and went to the mountain East of the city, where he landed his cloud and let himself weep aloud.\n\n“Poor Master,” he said:\n\n“I fought against heaven, was caught in its net,\n\nTill you came along and delivered me, Master.\n\nIt became my ambition to worship the Buddha;\n\nI strove to eliminate fiendish disaster.\n\n“I never imagined that now you’d be murdered\n\nAnd I would have failed on your journey to keep you.\n\nThe lands of the West were too good for your fate.\n\nYour life’s at an end: in what way can I help you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Deep in misery, Monkey said to himself, “It’s all the fault of our Buddha, the Tathagata, who had nothing better to do in his paradise than make the three stores of scriptures. If he really wanted to convert people to be good he ought to have sent them to the East himself. Then they would have been passed on for ever. But he couldn’t bring himself to part with them. He had to make us go to fetch them. Who’d ever have thought that after all the trouble of crossing a thousand mountains the master would lose his life here today? Oh well! I’ll ride my somersault cloud to see the Tathagata Buddha and tell him what’s happened. If he’s willing to give me the scriptures to deliver to the East then the good achievement will be propagated and we’ll be able to fulfil our vow. If he won’t give me them I’ll get him to recite the Band-loosening Spell. Then I can take the band off, return it to him and go back to my own cave to play the king and enjoy myself again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage jumped to his feet and went straight to India on his somersault cloud. In less than a couple of hours he could see the Vulture Peak in the near distance, and an instant later he had landed his cloud and was heading straight for the foot of the peak. He looked up and saw the four vajrapanis blocking his way and asking him where he was going.\n\n“There’s something I want to see the Tathagata about,” Monkey replied with a bow.\n\nNext he was faced by the Vajrapani Yongzhu, the indestructible king of Golden Glow Ridge on Mount Kunlun, who shouted, “Macaque, you’re an outrage! When the Bull Demon King was giving you such terrible trouble we all helped you, but now you’ve come to see us today you’re showing no manners at all. If you’re here on business you should submit a memorial first and wait till you’re summoned before going any further. This isn’t like the Southern Gate of Heaven, where you can come and go as you please. Clear off! Out of the way!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Being told off like this when he was feeling so depressed drove Monkey into thundering roars of fury, and his uncontrollable shouts and yells soon disturbed the Tathagata.\n\nThe Tathagata Buddha was sitting on his nine-level lotus throne expounding the sutras to his eighteen arhats when he said, “Sun Wukong is here. You must all go out to receive him.” In obedience to the Buddha’s command the arhats went out in two columns with their banners and canopies.\n\n“Great Sage Sun,” they said in greeting, “the Tathagata has commanded us to summon you to his presence.” Only then did the four vajrapanis at the monastery gates step aside to let Monkey enter. The arhats led him to the foot of the lotus throne, where he went down to kowtow on seeing the Tathagata. He was sobbing and weeping.\n\n“Wukong,” said the Buddha, “what makes you weep so miserably?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your disciple has often received the grace of your instruction,” Brother Monkey replied, “and has committed himself to the school of Lord Buddha. Since being converted to the true achievement I have taken the Tang Priest as my master and been protecting him on our journey. No words could describe what we have suffered. We have now reached the city of Leonia near Lion Cave on Lion Mountain where three vicious monsters, the Lion King, the Elephant King and the Great Roc, seized my master. All of us disciples of his were in a very bad way too, tied up and put in a steamer to suffer the agony of fire and boiling water. Fortunately I was able to get away and summon a dragon king to save the others. But we could not escape our evil star: the master and the others were recaptured when I was trying to sneak them out last night. When I went back into the city this morning to find out what had happened I learned that those utterly evil and ferocious monsters ate my master raw during the night. Nothing is left of his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "raw during the night. Nothing is left of his flesh and bones. On top of that my fellow-disciples Wuneng and Wujing are tied up there and will soon be dead too. I’m desperate. That’s why your disciple has come to visit the Tathagata. I beg you in your great compassion to recite the Band-loosening Spell so that I can take the band off my head and give it back to you. Let your disciple go back to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and enjoy himself.” Before he had finished saying this the tears welled up again. There was no end to his howls of misery."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t upset yourself so, Wukong,” said the Tathagata with a smile. “You can’t beat those evil spirits. Their magical powers are more than you can handle. That is why you are so unhappy.”\n\nMonkey knelt below the Buddha and beat his breast as he replied, “Truly, Tathagata, I made havoc in Heaven all those years ago and was called Great Sage. Never in all my life had I been beaten before I met these vicious monsters.”\n\n“Stop being so sorry for yourself,” said the Tathagata. “I know those evil spirits.”\n\n“Tathagata!” Monkey suddenly blurted out. “They say those evil spirits are relations of yours.”\n\n“Wicked macaque!” said the Tathagata. “How could an evil spirit be any relation of mine?”\n\n“If they’re not relations of yours how come you know them?” retorted Monkey with a grin."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I know them because I see them with my all-seeing eyes,” the Buddha replied. “The senior demon and the second demon have masters. Ananda, Kasyapa, come here. One of you is to take a cloud to Mount Wutai and the other to Mount Emei. Summon Manjusri and Samantabhadra to come and see me.” The two arhats left at once as they had been commanded. “They are the masters of the senior and the second demon chiefs. But the third demon does have some connection with me.”\n\n“On his mother’s or his father’s side?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When the primal chaos was first separated the heavens opened up in the hour of the rat and the earth at the hour of the ox,” the Buddha replied. “Mankind was born at the tiger hour. Then heaven and earth came together again and all living creatures were born, including beasts that walk and birds that fly. The unicorn is the most senior of the beasts that walk and the phoenix is the most senior of the birds that fly. When the phoenixes combined their essential spirit they gave birth to the peafowl and the Great Roc. When the peafowl came into the world she was the most evil of creatures and a man-eater. She could devour all the people for fifteen miles around in a single mouthful. When I was cultivating my sixteen-foot golden body on the peak of the snowy mountain she swallowed me as well. I went down into her belly. I wanted to escape through her backside, but for fear of soiling my body I cut my way out through her backbone and climbed Vulture Peak. I would have killed her, but all the Buddha host"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I would have killed her, but all the Buddha host dissuaded me: to kill the peahen would have been like killing my own mother. So I kept her at my assembly on Vulture Peak and appointed her as the Buddha-mother, the Great Illustrious Peahen Queen Bodhisattva. The Great Roc was born of the same mother as she was. That is why we are relations of a kind.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he said with a smile, “By that line of argument, Tathagata, you’re the evil spirit’s nephew.”\n\n“I shall have to go and subdue that demon in person,” the Tathagata said. Monkey kowtowed as he respectfully replied, “I beg you to condescend to grant us your illustrious presence.”\n\nThe Tathagata then came down from his lotus throne and went out through the monastery gates with all the Buddha host just as Ananda and Kasyapa arrived bringing Manjusri and Samantabhadra. These two Bodhisattvas bowed to the Tathagata, who asked them, “How long have your animals been away from your mountains, Bodhisattvas?”\n\n“Seven days,” said Manjusri.\n\n“A mere seven days on your mountains is several thousand years in the mortal world,” the Tathagata replied. “Goodness knows how many living beings they have destroyed there. Come with me to recapture them at once.”\n\nThe two Bodhisattvas traveled at the Buddha’s left and right hand as they flew through the air with the host. This is what could be seen:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The shimmering clouds of blessing parted for Lord Buddha\n\nAs in his great compassion he came down from his shrine.\n\nHe taught the truth about all beings since creation,\n\nExplaining how everything had been transformed in time.\n\nBefore him went five hundred holy arhats;\n\nBehind him were three thousand guardians of the faith.\n\nAnanda and Kasyapa were both in close attendance;\n\nSamantabhadra and Manjusri came to conquer monsters.\n\nThe Great Sage had been granted this favour and succeeded in bringing the Lord Buddha and his host with him. It was not long before the city was in sight. “Tathagata,” said Monkey, “that’s Leonia, where the black vapors are coming from.”\n\n“You go down into the city first,” said the Tathagata, “and start a fight with the evil spirits. Do not win. You must lose and come back up. Leave it to us to recapture them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage then brought his cloud straight down to land on the city wall, where he stood on the battlements and shouted abusively, “Evil beasts! Come out and fight me at once!” This caused such consternation among the junior demons in the towers on the wall that they jumped straight down into the city to report, “Your Majesties, Sun the Novice is on the wall, challenging us to battle.”\n\n“That ape hasn’t been here for two or three days,” the senior demon replied. “Now he’s back challenging us to battle. Can he have fetched some reinforcements?”\n\n“He’s nothing to be scared of,” said the third demon chief. “Let’s all go and have a look.” The three chieftains, all carrying their weapons, hurried up on the wall where they saw Monkey. Without a word they raised their weapons and thrust at him. Monkey held them off by swinging his iron cudgel. When they had fought seven or eight rounds Monkey feigned defeat and fled."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where do you think you’re going?” the demon king asked with a mighty shout, and with a somersault Monkey sprang up into mid-air. The three spirits went after him on clouds, but Monkey slipped aside and disappeared completely in the Lord Buddha’s golden aura.\n\nAll that could be seen were the images of the Three Buddhas of Past, Future and Present, the five hundred arhats and the three thousand Protectors of the Faith who spread all around, encircling the three demon kings so closely that not even a drop of water could leak through.\n\n“This is terrible, my brother,” said the senior demon chief, lashing out wildly, “that ape is a really sharp operator. How did he manage to bring my master here?”\n\n“Don’t be afraid, elder brother,” said the third demon. “If we all charge together we can cut down the Tathagata with our swords and spears and seize his Thunder Monastery.” The demons, who had no sense of proper behavior, really did raise their swords to charge forward, hacking wildly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Manjusri and Samantabhadra recited the words of a spell and shouted, “Won’t you repent now, evil beasts? What else do you hope for?” The senior and the second demon chiefs gave up the struggle, threw down their weapons, rolled and reverted to their true images. The two Bodhisattvas threw their lotus thrones on the demons’ backs and flew over to sit on them. The two demons then gave up and submitted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now that the blue lion and the white elephant had been captured only the third evil monster was still unsubdued. Spreading its wings it dropped its heaven-square halberd and rose straight up to try to catch the Monkey King with a swing of its sharp talons, but as the Great Sage was biding in the golden aura the demon dared get nowhere near him. When the Tathagata realized what it was trying to do he made his golden aura flash and shook his head, the supreme meditator in the wind, to turn the creature into a bright red lump of bloody meat. The evil spirit seized it with a flourish of its sharp talons, whereupon the Lord Buddha pointed upwards with his hand, destroying the muscles in the monster’s wings. It could not fly or get away from the top of the Buddha’s head, and it reverted to its true appearance as a golden-winged vulture.\n\nOpening its beak it said to the Buddha, “Tathagata, why did you use your great dharma powers to catch me like this?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You have been doing much evil here,” the Tathagata replied. “Come with me and you will win credit for a good deed.”\n\n“You eat vegetarian food in great poverty and suffering at your place,” the evil spirit replied, “but here I can eat human flesh and live in no end of luxury. If you kill me by starvation you’ll be guilty of a sin.”\n\n“In the four continents I control countless living beings who worship me,” the Buddha replied, “and whenever they are going to perform a service to me I shall tell them to make a sacrifice to you first.” The Great Roc would have escaped and got away if it could. As it was he had no choice but to accept conversion.\n\nOnly then did Monkey emerge to kowtow to the Tathagata and say, “Lord Buddha, today you have captured the evil spirits and removed a great bane, but my master is dead.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the Great Roc said bitterly as it ground its teeth, “Damned ape! Why did you have to bring these ferocious men here to persecute me? I never ate that old monk of yours. He’s in the Brocade Fragrance Pavilion now, isn’t he?” When Monkey heard this he quickly kowtowed to thank the Lord Buddha. Not daring to release the Great Roc, the Buddha made him into a guardian of the dharma in his brilliant halo then led his host back to his monastery on their clouds. Monkey landed his cloud and went straight into the city, where there was not a single junior demon left. Indeed:\n\nA snake cannot move without its head;\n\nA bird cannot fly without its wings.\n\nThey had all fled for their lives when they saw the Buddha capturing their evil kings."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then freed Pig and Friar Sand, found the luggage and the horse, and said to his fellow-disciples, “The master hasn’t been eaten. Come with me.” He took the two of them straight into the inner compound where they found the Brocade Fragrance Pavilion. Opening the door and looking inside they saw an iron trunk from which could be heard the sound of Sanzang weeping.\n\nFriar Sand used his demon-quelling staff to open the iron cage over the chest and raise its lid. “Master,” he called.\n\nAt the sight of them Sanzang wept aloud and said, “Disciples, how were the demons beaten? How did you manage to find me here?” Monkey told him all the details of what had happened from beginning to end and Sanzang expressed boundless gratitude. Then master and disciples found some rice in the palace and ate their fill of it before packing their things and leaving the city along the main road West. Indeed:\n\nOnly a true man can find the true scriptures;\n\nThe will’s shouts and the heart’s labors are in vain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you don’t know when on this journey they were to see the Tathagata listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy-Eight\n\nIn Bhiksuland the Hidden Gods Are Sent on an Errand of Mercy\n\nIn the Palace the Monster Is Revealed and the Way Discussed\n\nA single thought at once disturbs a hundred monsters;\n\nThe hardest efforts are all to no avail.\n\nOne can only wash away each speck of dust,\n\nTidy everything and polish well.\n\nSweep all causation away and come to nirvana;\n\nWaste no time and destroy the thousand demons.\n\nYou surely will be free from obstructions,\n\nAnd rise to the Daluo Heaven when your deeds are done.\n\nThe story tells how the Great Sage Sun used all his ingenuity to fetch the Tathagata to subdue the demons and rescue Sanzang and the other two disciples, after which they left the city of Leonia and headed West. When they had been travelling for several more months it was winter, and this is what could be seen:\n\nThe plum on the ridge was like broken jade"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The plum on the ridge was like broken jade\n\nAs the water in the pond slowly turned to ice.\n\nAll the red autumn leaves had fallen,\n\nAnd the green of the pine looked fresher than ever.\n\nThe pale and scudding clouds were on the point of snowing;\n\nFlat lay the withered grass upon the hills.\n\nAs far as the eye could see was chilly brightness\n\nAs the unseen cold went right into the bone.\n\nMaster and disciples braved the cold, sleeping out in the rain and dining off the wind, until as they were walking along another walled and moated city came into sight. “What sort of place is that over there, Wukong?” Sanzang asked Monkey, who replied, “We’ll know when we get there. If it’s the capital of a Western kingdom we’ll have to present our passport to be inspected and returned. If it’s a prefecture or county town we’ll go straight through.” Before master and disciples could finish their conversation they had arrived at the city gates."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang dismounted and the four of them went in through the curtain wall outside the gates. Noticing an old soldier sleeping shielded from the wind under the South-facing wall, Brother Monkey went up to him, shook him and said, “Sir!”\n\nWhen the old soldier awoke with a start to open his bleary eyes and see Monkey he fell to his knees to kowtow and say, “My Lord!”\n\n“There’s no need for such alarm,” said Monkey. “I’m no evil god, so why call me your lord?”\n\n“Aren’t you Lord Thunder God?” the old soldier asked, kowtowing again.\n\n“What a thing to say,” Monkey replied. “We’re monks from the East on our way to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. We’ve just arrived here. Could I ask what this place is called?” This answer finally eased the old soldier’s mind.\n\nWith a yawn he got back on his feet, stretched and said, “Please forgive me, reverend gentlemen. This country used to be called Bhiksuland but its name has been changed to Boytown.”\n\n“Do you have a king?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Do you have a king?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Yes, yes,” the old soldier replied.\n\nMonkey then turned to report to the Tang Priest, “This country used to be called Bhiksuland but the name’s been altered to Boytown, though I don’t know what the change signifies.”\n\n“If it was Bhiksuland before why is it Boytown now?” the Tang Priest wondered.\n\n“I expect there was a King Bhiksu who died,” said Pig, “and they changed the name to Boytown when a boy succeeded him.”\n\n“Impossible,” said the Tang Priest, “impossible. Let’s go in and make some enquiries in the street.”\n\n“That’s right,” said Friar Sand. “The old soldier wouldn’t have known anyhow, and on top of that elder brother gave him such a fright that he talked nonsense. We’ll ask some more questions in the city.”\n\nWhen they had gone through the third pair of gates they came to a great market on a main street. The people were well-dressed and their bearing distinguished.\n\nA hubbub of voices came from bar and music hall;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A hubbub of voices came from bar and music hall;\n\nHigh hung the curtains outside splendid shop and teahouse.\n\nBusiness was good in firms by the thousand;\n\nWealth flowed free in shopping street and market.\n\nThe dealers in metal and silk were swarming like ants,\n\nCaring only for money while struggling for fame and wealth.\n\nWith these noble manners, magnificent scenery\n\nAnd peaceful waters it was a time of prosperity."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And peaceful waters it was a time of prosperity.\n\nThe master and his three disciples, who were leading the horse and carrying the baggage, spent some time walking around the streets as they admired the general air of prosperity. In the entrance to every house there was a basketwork coop of the sort geese are kept in. “Disciples,” said Sanzang, “why do all the people here put coops in their gateways?” Pig’s response to this was to look around and see that there were indeed lines of coops hung with satin curtains of many colours. “Master,” said the idiot with a smile, “today must be a lucky one for weddings and celebrations. Everybody’s having a wedding.”\n\n“Nonsense,” said Monkey. “How could every single family possibly be having a wedding? There must be some other reason for this. I’m going over to take a look.”\n\n“You’re not to go,” said Sanzang, grabbing hold of him. “You look so ugly that people might take offence.”\n\n“I’ll go as something else,” Brother Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Making a spell with his hands the splendid Great Sage said the words of a spell, shook himself, turned into a bee, spread his wings, flew to one of the coops and slipped in through the curtains to take a look. A little boy was sitting inside. Monkey looked inside another family’s coop and there was a child in that too. He inspected eight or nine households and all of them had a child. All were boys: there was not a single girl. Some were sitting up in their coops and playing and some were crying; some were eating fruit and some were snoozing.\n\nHis inspection over, Monkey turned back into his normal self and reported to the Tang Priest, “There are little boys in the coops. The oldest is under six and the youngest only four. I don’t know why they’re here.” Sanzang wondered what the explanation could be.\n\nTurning a comer they saw the gateway to an official building. It was a government hostel with golden pavilions. The venerable elder was delighted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciples,” he said, “we will go into this hostel. We can find out where we are, give the horse a rest and put up for the night.”\n\n“Yes, that’s right,” said Friar Sand. “Let’s go straight in.” This the four of them happily did, a fact that the officials there reported to the hostel’s superintendent.\n\nWhen the superintendent had led them inside greetings had been exchanged and they had all sat down, the superintendent asked, “Where have you come from, reverend sir?”\n\n“I am a monk sent by the Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” Sanzang replied. “Now that we have arrived at this excellent establishment I will of course present my passport for inspection. Could we, I wonder, impose on your hospitality for the night?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The superintendent ordered tea, and when it had been drank he saw to their entertainment and told the staff who were on duty to look after the pilgrims. After thanking him for this Sanzang went on to ask, “Could we go to the palace today to see His Majesty and have our passport inspected?”\n\n“That will not be possible this evening,” the superintendent replied. “It will have to wait until tomorrow morning. I hope that you will spend a comfortable night in this humble hostel.”\n\nA little later, when all had been prepared, the superintendent of the hostel invited the four travelers to take a vegetarian meal with him. He also told his staff to sweep out the guest rooms for them to spend the night in. Sanzang expressed endless gratitude. When they were all seated the venerable elder said, “I wonder if I could trouble you for information on something that I cannot understand. How do you raise children in your\n\ncountry?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "country?”\n\n“People are the same the whole world over, just as there are never two suns in the sky,” the superintendent replied. “Children are born when their time comes after the father’s seed has joined with the mother’s blood and they have been in the womb for ten lunar months. After they are born they are suckled for three years and their bodies gradually grow. Everybody knows that.”\n\n“What you tell me is no different from how they grow in my humble country,” Sanzang replied. “But when we came into the city we saw a goose coop with a little boy inside in front of every house in the street. This is something I cannot understand, which is why I ventured to raise the question.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Ignore that, reverend sir,” whispered the hostel superintendent into Sanzang’s ear. “Don’t ask about it. Put it out of your mind. Don’t even mention it. Would you like to settle down for the night before starting your journey again tomorrow morning?” Sanzang’s response was to seize hold of the superintendent and demand an explanation.\n\n“Watch your words,” the superintendent replied, shaking his head and wagging his finger, but Sanzang was not going to drop the matter. He insisted on being told all the details. The superintendent had no choice but to dismiss all the staff on duty.\n\nWhen they were alone under the lamplight he whispered to Sanzang, “The goose coops you asked about are there because our king is a bad ruler. Why ever do you have to keep asking about it?”\n\n“How is he a bad ruler?” Sanzang asked. “I will not be able to set my mind at ease until you give me an explanation.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This country is really called Bhiksuland,” the superintendent replied. “Boytown is only what the people have started calling it. Three years ago an old man dressed as a Taoist came here with a girl just fifteen years old. She was a ravishing beauty, just like a Bodhisattva Guanyin. He presented her to our present king, who was so smitten by her charms that she became the favorite of all his women. She was given the title Queen Beauty. For some time now he’s had no eyes for any of his other queens or consorts. He’s so insatiable that he’s been at it day and night. The result is nervous exhaustion and physical collapse. He’s eating and drinking next to nothing. He might die at any moment. The Royal College of Physicians has tried every possible medicine without any success. The Taoist who presented the girl to the king was rewarded with the title of Elder of the Nation. He has a secret foreign formula for making people live a great deal longer. He’s been to ten continents and the three magic islands to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to ten continents and the three magic islands to collect the ingredients. Everything is ready. The only problem is that it needs a terrible adjuvant to help it—a potion made from the hearts of 1,111 little boys. When he’s taken it he’ll have a thousand years of vigorous life ahead of him. All the little boys being kept in the coops are the ones that have been chosen. Their parents are so afraid of the king that none of them dares weep. That’s why they’ve put out the story that this place is now called Boytown. When you go to the palace tomorrow morning, reverend sir, you must only present your passport to be inspected and returned. Say nothing about any of this.” When he had said all this he left them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang was so horrified by what he had heard that his bones turned soft and his muscles went numb. He could not help the tears that streamed down his face as he started sobbing aloud. “Foolish king,” he exclaimed, “foolish king. Your lechery has ruined your health, and now you are planning to destroy all those young lives. How could you? What misery! The pain of it all is killing me.” There is a poem about it that goes:\n\nThe wicked monarch’s folly makes him forget the truth;\n\nHis health is ruined by his unbridled lusts.\n\nPursuing eternal life by killing little children,\n\nHe slaughters his subjects to avoid Heaven’s punishment.\n\nThis is all more than the merciful monk can bear:\n\nHe cannot accept the official’s worldly wisdom.\n\nLong are his sighs as he weeps in the lamplight;\n\nStricken with grief is the Buddha worshipper."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Stricken with grief is the Buddha worshipper.\n\n“Master,” said Pig, going up to him, “what’s the matter with you? What you’re doing is like taking a stranger’s coffin to your own home and weeping over it. Don’t upset yourself like that. As the rhyme goes,\n\nWhen a monarch insists that his subjects will die\n\nNone that are loyal to live will aspire;\n\nWhen a father commands his own offspring to perish\n\nAny dutiful son will most surely expire.\n\nThe people he’s going to kill are his own subjects. What are they to you? Take off your clothes, get some sleep and ‘don’t worry about the ancients.’”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, his tears still flowing, “you haven’t a shred of compassion. The most important thing for us monks as we accumulate good deeds is to help others. How could this deluded king be so set in his wickedness? Never have I ever heard that eating human hearts could prolong life. How could something so terrible not grieve me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t grieve so, Master,” said Friar Sand. “When you present our passport tomorrow and seethe king you can talk to him about it. Even if he doesn’t accept your advice you’ll be able to see what the Elder of the Nation looks like. Probably he’s an evil spirit who’s thought all this up because he wants to eat human hearts.”\n\n“Wujing is right,” said Brother Monkey. “Go to bed now, Master, and tomorrow morning I’ll go to court with you to see what this Elder of the Nation is like. If he’s human he’s probably a heretic who doesn’t follow orthodox ways but believes in drugs, and I’ll convert him with the essential teachings of intrinsic nature. If he’s an evil spirit I’ll catch him, show the king what he is, and urge the king to control his desires and build up his strength. Whatever happens I won’t let him kill those children.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as he heard this Sanzang bowed to Monkey with great courtesy and said, “What an excellent suggestion! But when we see the deluded king we must say nothing about this in case he thinks we are guilty of not knowing our place and spreading slander. What could we do if that happened?”\n\n“I’ve got my magic powers,” Monkey replied. “First of all I’m going to get the little boys in the coops away from the city so that he’ll have nobody to take the hearts out of tomorrow. The local officials will of course report this and the king will be bound either to order a discussion with the Elder of the Nation or else to demand more information. This will give us a chance to submit our memorial without getting ourselves into trouble.” Sanzang was very pleased.\n\n“How are you going to get the children out of the town now?” he asked. “If you really can rescue them you will be doing the greatest of good deeds, worthy disciple. But do it quick, because if you lose any time you may be too late.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Summoning up his might Monkey stood up and gave Pig and Friar Sand their parting instructions: “Sit here with the master while I do my stuff. If you notice a magical wind blowing that’ll be the boys leaving the city.”\n\nSanzang and the other two disciples said, “We invoke the Saviour Bhaisajya-guru Buddha. We invoke the Saviour Bhaisajya-guru Buddha.”\n\nOnce outside the doors the Great Sage whistled, rose into mid-air, made a spell with his hands and said the magic words, called out “Om pure dharma world,” and summoned the city god, the local deities, the officiating immortals, the Protectors of the Faith of the four quarters and the center, the Four Duty Gods, the Six Dings and the Six Jias and the Guardians of the Teaching.\n\nThey all came to him where he was in midair, bowed and said, “Great Sage, what is the urgent business on which you have summoned us in the middle of the night?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My journey has brought me to Bhiksuland,” Monkey replied, “where the king is a bad one who believes in evil doctrines. He wants to take the hearts out of little boys to make the adjuvant to a medicine that he hopes will make him live for ever. My master finds this utterly horrible and has asked me to rescue the boys and destroy the demon. That is why I’ve asked all you gentlemen here. I want you to use your magical powers to lift all the little boys, coops and all, over the city wall into a mountain hollow or somewhere deep in a forest. Keep them there for a day or two. Give them fruit to eat and don’t let them go hungry. Keep watch over them in secret and don’t frighten them or make them cry. When I’ve eliminated the evil, brought the country back to good government and persuaded the king to mend his ways and am about to leave, you must bring them back to me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The gods all listened to their orders then brought their clouds down to land so that they could use their magical powers. The city was filled with a blustering negative wind that brought with it an all-pervasive and sinister fog.\n\nAll the stars in the sky were obscured by the negative wind;\n\nThe moon was blacked out by the magical fog for many a mile.\n\nAt first the wind was gusty,\n\nAnd then it blew like a hurricane.\n\nWhen it was gusting\n\nAll ran to the gateways to rescue their children;\n\nThen in the hurricane\n\nThey wanted to save their own flesh and blood in the coops.\n\nThe air turned so chilly that none dared show their heads;\n\nThe cold was so piercing that clothes froze like iron.\n\nVainly did parents look all around;\n\nThe families all were stricken with grief.\n\nThe sinister wind blew right across the land\n\nAs the boys in their baskets were carried off by the gods.\n\nAlthough that was a night of bereavement and grief\n\nJoy was coming to all the next day.\n\nThere is another poem about it that goes:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There is another poem about it that goes:\n\nCompassion has always been strong in the Sakyamuni faith;\n\nThe achievement of goodness explains the Great Vehicle.\n\nA multitude of holy ones all accumulate goodness;\n\nFor the Three Refuges and Five Precepts harmony is needed.\n\nThe land of Bhiksu was not to be ruined by its monarch\n\nWhen a thousand little boys were to forfeit their lives.\n\nMonkey and his master had brought them to safety,\n\nWhich conferred more merit than the Great Wisdom.\n\nBy the third watch of the night the gods had carried all the coops off and hidden them in all the safe places. Monkey then landed his auspicious light and went straight back to the government hostel, where to his secret delight he could hear the other three still chanting, “We invoke the Saviour Bhaisajya-guru Buddha.”\n\n“Master,” he said, going up to them, “I’m back. What was the negative wind like?”\n\n“Terrific,” said Pig.\n\n“How did the rescue of the children go?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Every single one of them has been saved,” Monkey replied. “They’ll all be brought back when we set out again.” The master thanked him over and over again before finally going to sleep.\n\nWhen Sanzang awoke at dawn he dressed himself in his best vestments and said, “Wukong, I am going to the early audience to present our passport.”\n\n“If you go by yourself, Master,” Monkey replied, “I’m afraid that you won’t be able to manage. Let me go with you. Then I’ll be able to find out about the evil in this country.”\n\n“If you go you will refuse to pay homage,” said Sanzang, “and the king may well take it amiss.”\n\n“I won’t be seen,” said Monkey. “I’ll go with you in secret and protect you.” This pleased Sanzang very much. He had told Pig and Friar Sand to look after the luggage and horse and was just about to set out when the superintendent of the hostel came in to see him. The superintendent was struck by the difference between vestments he wore this day compared with what he had been wearing the day before."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His cassock was of brocade, set with exotic gems;\n\nOn his head he wore a gold-topped Vairocana mitre.\n\nHe held a nine-ringed monastic staff\n\nAnd hid a divine radiance in his breast.\n\nThe passport was fastened tightly to his body,\n\nWrapped in brocade inside another cloth.\n\nHe moved like an arhat come down to earth;\n\nHis face was truly that of a living Buddha.\n\nWhen the superintendent had greeted Sanzang courteously he murmured into his ear advice against meddling in matters that were none of his business. Sanzang nodded and assented. The Great Sage stole to a place by the gate, said the words of a spell, shook himself and turned into the tiniest of insects that flew with a high-pitched hum to Sanzang’s mitre.\n\nSanzang left the government hostel and headed straight for the palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Arriving at the palace gates Sanzang saw a eunuch officer to whom he bowed and said, “This humble monk has been sent by the Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. Now that I have reached your distinguished country I must present my passport to be inspected and returned. I beg Your Excellency to report this to His Majesty.” This the eunuch duly did."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was very pleased. “A monk from afar must be a holy man,” he said, ordering that Sanzang be asked in. When the venerable elder had paid his respects at the foot of the steps of the throne hall he was invited to enter the hall and take a seat. Sanzang thanked the king and sat down. The king looked weak and enervated. When he raised his hands to make a polite salutation he could not do so properly, and he was incapable of continuous speech. His right was so blurred that he had to make several attempts to read the document that Sanzang handed to him before he could sign, seal and return it to the Tang Priest, who put it away again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was just about to ask why they were fetching the scriptures when one of his aides reported, “His Excellency the Elder of the Nation is here.” Leaning on one of his young eunuch attendants the king struggled down from his throne to greet the Elder. Sanzang hastily got to his feet, stood to one side and looked round to see that the Elder of the Nation was an aged Taoist who advanced with a swagger towards the steps of the throne.\n\nOn his head he wore a goose-yellow silken cap,\n\nRound his body a scented cloak of silk and crane feathers,\n\nAnd at his waist a triple sash of blue velvet.\n\nOn his feet were sandals of hemp and grasscloth;\n\nAt the top of his rattan stick coiled a dragon.\n\nThe pouch at his chest was embroidered with dragon, phoenix and flowers.\n\nHis jadelike face radiated well-being;\n\nA gray beard blew about his chin.\n\nFlames shot from golden pupils\n\nIn eyes even longer than his eyebrows.\n\nClouds followed his steps\n\nAs he wandered through incense-laden mists."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he wandered through incense-laden mists.\n\nThe officials below the steps received him with obeisances,\n\nAnnouncing the presence of the Elder of the Nation.\n\nWhen he reached the throne hall the Elder of the Nation performed no obeisance but arrogantly strode straight in. The king leaned forward in a bow and said, “We are most fortunate that you have condescended to make your immortal way here, Elder of the Nation.” He ordered that an embroidered stool be set on his left for the\n\nElder to sit on.\n\nTaking a step forward Sanzang bowed and said, “Greetings, Elder of the Nation.” The Elder sat majestically on his seat, but instead of returning Sanzang’s courtesy he turned to the king and asked, “Where’s this monk from?”\n\n“He has been sent by the Tang court in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” the king replied, “and is here to present his passport for inspection.”\n\n“The road West is dark and dismal,” said the Elder of the Nation with a smile. “There’s nothing good about it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The West has always been a land of bliss,” Sanzang replied. “How could it not be good?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There is an old saying we once heard that monks are disciples of the Buddha,” said the king. “I wonder whether it is true that by being a monk and turning to the Buddha one can live for ever.” When Sanzang heard this he put his hands together and replied: “One who becomes a monk gets away from all kinds of causation. By understanding nature he learns that all dharmas are empty. Great wisdom is casual and drifts in non-living. The true secret is hidden; it wanders in extinction. When the three worlds are empty all origins are ordered; when the six sense-organs are purified all troubles are finished. To be resolute, single-minded and enlightened one must understand the heart. When the heart is purified it can shine alone; when the heart is sincere all regions are imbued with it. The true appearance has neither deficiency nor excess and can be seen in life. The images of illusion always decay. Why seek what is beyond one’s lot? The way to enter meditation is through meritorious deeds and by sitting in silence;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "meritorious deeds and by sitting in silence; the root of cultivating one’s conduct truly is charity and kindness. Great skill appears as clumsiness and knows that all deeds are achieved through inaction. The finest plans involve no calculation; everything must be left alone. It only needs one heart not to move for every action to be perfect. It is truly absurd to try to strengthen the male by drawing on the female and nonsensical to try to extend one’s years by taking elixirs. The only essential is that all the causation of every speck of dust must be discarded and that every type of matter should be empty. Live plain and pure; let your desires be few. Then naturally you will enjoy life without end for ever.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Elder of the Nation heard this he laughed at it. “Phooey,” he said, pointing at the Tang Priest, “phooey! You’re talking a load of rubbish, monk. Fancy you talking about understanding nature, and you a member of the faith that preaches nirvana. You don’t have any idea of where nature comes from. Sitting still like a dead tree to enter dhyana is wasted effort as far as self-cultivation and tempering are concerned. In the words of the saying,\n\nSit, sit, sit;\n\nYour backside’s split.\n\nThe fire’s too hot;\n\nGood that’s not.\n\nWhat you don’t realize at all is this:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“One who cultivates immortality has strong bones; one who attains the Way has the most magical spirit. Carrying his bowl and ladle he goes into the mountains to visit his friends; he picks every kind of herb to succor humanity. He makes a rainhat from immortal flowers, plucks the fragrant orchid to make his bed. He sings, claps and dances, then goes to sleep. When expounding the Way he teaches the doctrines of the Supreme One; he eliminates the evil of the human world with holy water. He takes the finest breath of heaven and earth, gathers the essence of the sun and moon. By controlling the negative and positive forces he creates the elixir; through the mastery of fire and water the foetus is formed. On the sixteenth day of the month the negative is eliminated, hazily and obscurely. In the twenty-seventh day of winter the positive begins to grow, darkly and mysteriously. He gathers the herbs of each of the four seasons, refining his elixir to nourish the nine transformations. Astride his blue phoenix he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "nine transformations. Astride his blue phoenix he ascends to the purple palace; riding his white crane he goes to the jasper capital. He visits all the splendors of Heaven, showing the efficacy of the wonderful Way. Just compare it with the dhyana teachings of your Sakyamuni, your elimination of atman and your nirvana that enables you to shuffle off your stinking husk. None of this lifts you out of the worldly dust. Among the Three Teachings it is supreme; the Way alone has always been esteemed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was delighted to hear this exposition, and all the court officials exclaimed with admiration, “That’s splendid, ‘the Way alone has always been esteemed.’” Sanzang was overcome by humiliation at all this praise going to his rival. The king then told his department of foreign relations to lay on a banquet of vegetarian food for the monks from a far country when they left the city to travel West.\n\nSanzang thanked the king for his kindness and withdrew. As he was leaving the throne hall and going out of the palace Monkey flew down from the top of his mitre to say into his ear, “Master, the Elder of the Nation is an evil spirit, and the king has been bewitched. Go back to the hostel and wait for your meal while I get some information here.”\n\nSanzang understood this and left through the main gates of the palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Of him we will say no more. Watch Monkey as he flies straight to a jade screen in the throne hall and lands on it. From the ranks of officials the military commanders of the capital stepped forward to report, “Your Majesty, last night a cold wind carried away the little boys in their goose coops from every house in every ward of the city. They have vanished without a trace, coops and all.”\n\nThis report both alarmed and angered the king, who said to the Elder of the Nation, “Heaven must be destroying us. We had the good fortune to be given the formula for your elixir after months of serious illness that the royal physicians have been unable to cure. We were preparing to have the boys cut open at noon today and their hearts taken out to be made into the adjuvant for the elixir. Never did we imagine that a cold wind would blow them all away. If this is not Heaven destroying us what is it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t upset yourself,” the Elder of the Nation replied with a smile. “By blowing them away Heaven is giving Your Majesty eternal life.”\n\n“How can you maintain that Heaven is giving me eternal life when they have just been blown away?” the king asked.\n\n“When I was coming to court this morning,” the Elder of the Nation replied, “I saw a uniquely marvellous adjuvant that will be far superior to 1,111 little boys’ hearts. They would only lengthen Your Majesty’s life by a thousand years, but if you take my elixir with this other adjuvant you can live for a hundred million years.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was mystified about what this adjuvant could be, but only after repeated questions did the Elder of the Nation reply, “The monk from the East who is being sent to fetch the scriptures has pure organs and regular features. His is the body of one who has cultivated his conduct for ten lifetimes. He has been a monk since childhood and has preserved his masculine purity, which all makes him ten thousand times better than those little boys. If you can make a decoction from his heart with which to take my elixir I can guarantee you an extremely long life.”\n\nWhen the deluded king heard this he believed it completely. “Why didn’t you tell us before?” he said to the Elder of the Nation. “If it’s as good as you say we should have kept him when he was here just now and not let him go.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This will present no problem,” the Elder of the Nation said. “You have already told the department of foreign relations to give him a vegetarian banquet. He can’t possibly leave the city before eating the meal. Urgent orders must be issued to have the gates firmly closed. Send troops to surround the government hostel and bring that monk here. First we will try to win his heart by treating him with courtesy. If he agrees we will cut it out and give him a royal burial, build him a temple and make offerings to him. If he will not agree we’ll use rough methods. We can tie him up and cut it out. There will be no problem.” The deluded ruler accepted this suggestion and ordered that all the gates be closed. He then sent the officers and men of the royal guard to surround the hostel."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having found all this out Monkey flew straight to the hostel, turned back into himself and said to the Tang Priest, “Something terrible’s happened, Master, something terrible.” Sanzang had just begun to eat the king’s vegetarian banquet with Pig and Friar Sand when this sudden announcement scattered his three bodily spirits and made smoke come out of his seven orifices. He collapsed in the dust, pouring with sweat, and unable to see clearly or speak.\n\nFriar Sand was so alarmed he came forward to help him back to his feet, calling, “Wake up, Master, wake up.”\n\n“What’s so terrible?” Pig asked. “What’s so terrible? You should have broken the news gently instead of giving the master such a scare.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When the master left the palace I went back to keep an eye on things,” Monkey replied. “That Elder of the Nation is an evil spirit. A moment later the city garrison came to report about the cold wind carrying the little boys away. This upset the king, but the Elder of the Nation cheered him up by saying that this was Heaven giving him eternal life. He wants to use your heart as an adjuvant for the elixir of immortality, Master. The deluded king has accepted this wicked suggestion and ordered his best troops to surround this hostel. He’s also sent an aide to ask you for your heart, Master.”\n\n“What a merciful and compassionate chap you are,” said Pig with a laugh. “You saved the boys and made the wind blow all right, but now you’ve got us in this disastrous mess.”\n\nTrembling and shaking, Sanzang dragged himself to his feet, seized hold of Monkey and said imploringly, “Good disciple, how are we to get out of this?”\n\n“If you want to get out of this,” said Monkey, “there’ll have to be a switch.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What do you mean by a switch?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“If you want to survive,” Monkey replied, “the disciple will have to become the master and the master the disciple. Do that and we’ll be safe.”\n\n“Save my life,” said Sanzang, “and I will gladly become your disciple or even your disciple’s disciple.”\n\n“In that case there must be no hesitation,” Monkey replied, continuing, “Pig, mix up some mud at once.” The idiot loosened some earth with his rake then, not daring to go outside for water, lifted his tunic to make some water himself. With this he mixed up a lump of foul-smelling mud that he handed to Monkey. Monkey had no option but to beat it out flat and press it against his face so that it looked like a monkey’s face. Then he told his master to stand up and neither move nor say anything while he placed the mask on his face, said the words of a spell, blew a magic breath and said, “Change!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder now looked just like Monkey. He took off his own clothes and put on Monkey’s while Monkey dressed in his master’s clothes, made a spell with his hands, said the magic words, shook himself and made himself look just like the Tang Priest. Even Pig and Friar Sand could not tell that he really was not.\n\nJust when they had completed the disguises together there came the sound of gongs and drums as a dense forest of spears and swords appeared. The commanders of the royal guard had surrounded the hostel with their three thousand men. A royal aide came into the main hall of the hostel to ask, “Where is the reverend gentleman from the Tang court in the East?”\n\nThe superintendent of the hostel anxiously fell to his knees and said, pointing, “In the guest room over there.”\n\nThe aide then went into the room and said, “Venerable elder from Tang, His Majesty has sent for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig and Friar Sand stood on either side of the imitation Monkey to guard him while the imitation Tang Priest went out through the door, bowed and said, “Your Excellency, what does His Majesty wish to say to me? Why has he sent for me?” The aide stepped forward to grab hold of him and say, “You and I are going to the palace. His Majesty must have some use for you.” Alas!\n\nWickedness was stronger than goodness and mercy;\n\nGoodness and mercy only led to catastrophe.\n\nIf you don’t know whether they were to survive this departure listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Seventy-Nine\n\nSearching the Cave to Capture the Fiend They Meet Longevity\n\nThe Reigning Monarch Saves the Little Boys"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Reigning Monarch Saves the Little Boys\n\nThe story tells how the royal aide dragged the imitation Tang Priest out of the government hostel and marched him, heavily surrounded by royal guardsmen, straight to the gates of the palace, where he said to the eunuch gate officer, “Please be so good as to report to His Majesty that we have brought the Tang Priest.” The eunuch officer hurried into the palace to pass this on to the deluded king, who ordered that they be brought in.\n\nAll the officials knelt at the foot of the steps to the throne hall, leaving the imitation Tang Priest standing alone in the middle of them.\n\n“King of Bhiksuland,” he shouted, “what have you summoned me here to say to me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We are sick with a chronic illness that has dragged on for many a day without any improvement,” the king replied. “Now the Elder of the Nation has to our good fortune presented us with a prescription that has been made up. All that is needed now is an adjuvant. The reason we have sent for you, reverend sir, is to ask you for the adjuvant. If we recover we will build a temple to you in which offerings will be made in all four seasons and incense will be burnt to you in perpetuity by our country.”\n\n“I am a man of religion,” the imitation Tang Priest replied, “and have brought nothing with me. I do not know what adjuvant the Elder of the Nation has told Your Majesty you need.”\n\n“Your heart, reverend sir,” the deluded monarch replied.\n\n“I will be frank with Your Majesty,” the imitation Tang Priest said. “I have a number of hearts. I don’t know which you want.”\n\n“Monk,” pronounced the Elder of the Nation, who was standing beside the king. “I want your black heart.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well then,” the imitation Tang Priest replied. “Produce your knife at once and open up my chest. If there is a black heart there I shall offer it to you obediently.”\n\nThe deluded monarch thanked him delightedly and ordered an official in attendance to bring a small knife with a blade shaped like a cow’s ear that was handed to the imitation Tang Priest. Taking the knife, the imitation Tang Priest undid his clothes, thrust out his chest, pressed his left hand against his abdomen and cut the skin of his stomach open with the knife in his right hand. There was a whoosh, and out rolled a whole pile of hearts. The civilian officials all turned pale with fright; the military officers were numbed.\n\nWhen the Elder of the Nation saw this from inside the throne hall he said, “This monk is a suspicious-minded character. He has too many hearts.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The imitation Tang Priest then held up the hearts one by one, each dripping with blood, for all to see. They included a loyal red heart, a pure white heart, a yellow heart, an avaricious heart, a fame-hungry heart, a jealous heart, a calculating heart, an over-competitive heart, an ambitious heart, an overbearing heart, a murderous heart, a vicious heart, a frightened heart, a cautious heart, a heretical heart and a heart full of indefinable gloom. There was every kind of evil heart except a black one. The deluded ruler was horror-struck, unable to speak until he said in trembling tones, “Put them away! Put them away!”\n\nThe imitation Tang Priest had taken as much as he could, so he put his magic away and turned back into himself to say to the deluded monarch, “Your Majesty, you’re not at all perceptive. We monks all have good hearts. It’s only this Elder of the Nation of yours who has a black heart. His would make a good adjuvant for the medicine. If you don’t believe me I’ll take his out to show you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Elder of the Nation heard this he opened his eyes wide to take a careful look. He saw that the monk’s face had changed to something quite different. Heavens! Recognizing him as the Great Sage Monkey who had been so famous five hundred years ago he made a getaway by cloud. Monkey did a somersault and sprang up into mid-air to shout, “Where do you think you’re going? Take this from me!” The Elder used his stick with a dragon on its head to meet the blow from Monkey’s cudgel. The two of them fought a fine battle up in the sky:\n\nThe As-You-Will cudgel\n\nAnd the dragon stick\n\nMaking clouds up in the sky.\n\nThe Elder of the Nation was really an evil spirit,\n\nUsing his fiendish daughter’s seductive charms.\n\nThe king had made himself ill through his lust;\n\nThe monster wanted to butcher the boys.\n\nThere was no escape from the Great Sage’s divine powers\n\nTo catch demons and to rescue their victims.\n\nThe cudgel’s blows to the head were really vicious;\n\nSplendid was the way in which the stick met them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They fought so hard that the sky was full of mist,\n\nCasting city and people into darkness and fear.\n\nThe souls of civil and military officials went flying;\n\nThe faces of the queens and concubines turned pale.\n\nThe deluded king tried desperately to hide,\n\nTrembling and shaking, unable to do anything.\n\nThe cudgel was as fierce as a tiger from the mountains;\n\nThe staff whirled round like a dragon leaving the sea.\n\nNow they made havoc in Bhiksuland\n\nAs good and evil were clearly set apart.\n\nWhen the evil spirit had fought over twenty hard rounds with Monkey his dragon staff was no longer a match for the gold-banded cudgel. Feinting with his staff, the spirit turned himself into a beam of cold light and dropped into the inner quarters of the palace to take the demon queen he had presented to the king out through the palace gates with him. She too turned into cold light and disappeared."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bringing his cloud down, the Great Sage landed in the palace and said to the officials, “That’s a fine Elder of the Nation you have!” The officials, all bowed to him, thanking the holy monk.\n\n“No need for that,” said Monkey. “Go and see where your deluded king is.”\n\n“When our monarch saw the fighting he hid in terror,” the officials replied. “We do not know which of the palaces he is in.”\n\n“Find him at once,” Monkey ordered them. “Perhaps Queen Beauty has carried him off.” As soon as the officials heard this they rushed with Monkey straight to the rooms of Queen Beauty, ignoring the fact that these were the inner quarters. They were deserted and there was no sign of the king. Queen Beauty was nowhere to be seen either. The queens of the main, the Eastern and the Western palaces and the consorts of the six compounds all came to kowtow in thanks to the Great Sage.\n\n“Please get up,” Monkey said. “It’s too early for thanks now. Go and find your sovereign lord.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A little later four or five eunuchs appeared from behind the Hall of Caution supporting the deluded king. All the ministers prostrated themselves on the ground and called out in union, “Sovereign lord! Sovereign lord! We are grateful that this holy monk came here to uncover the impostor. The Elder of the Nation was an evil spirit and Queen Beauty has vanished too.” When the king heard this he invited Monkey to come from the inner quarters of the palace to the throne hall, where he kowtowed in thanks to Monkey.\n\n“Venerable sir,” he said, “when you came to court this morning you were so handsome. Why have you made yourself look different now?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I can tell you for a fact, Your Majesty,” replied Monkey with a grin, “that the one who came this morning was my master Sanzang, the younger brother of the Tang Emperor. I’m his disciple Sun Wukong. There are two more of us disciples, Zhu Wuneng, or Pig, and Sha Wujing, or Friar Sand, who are both now in the government hostel. I turned myself into my master’s double and came here to defeat the monster because I knew that you had been deluded by his evil suggestions and were going to take my master’s heart to use as an adjuvant for your elixir.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the king heard this he ordered his ministers in attendance to go straight to the hostel to fetch Monkey’s master and fellow-disciples. The news that Brother Monkey had turned back into himself and had fought the evil spirit in mid-air gave Sanzang such a fright that his souls scattered. It was lucky that Pig and Friar Sand were able to hold him up. His face was still plastered with stinking mud and he was feeling thoroughly depressed and miserable when he heard someone call, “Master of the Law, we are ministers in attendance sent by the king of Bhiksuland to invite you to court to receive His Majesty’s thanks.”\n\n“Don’t be afraid, master,” said Pig, “don’t be afraid. This time he’s not sending for you to take your heart out. I’m sure that elder brother has succeeded and they’re inviting you there to thank you.”\n\n“Even if they have come to invite me there because he has succeeded I could not face anyone with this stinking mask on,” Sanzang replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’ve got no option,” said Pig. “We’ll just have to go to see my elder brother. He’s bound to have a solution.” The venerable elder really did have no choice but to go to the main hall of the hostel with Pig and Friar Sand carrying the luggage and leading the horse. When the ministers saw him they were all terrified.\n\n“My lord,” they said, “they both have heads like monsters.”\n\n“Please don’t take offence at our ugliness,” Friar Sand replied. “Both of us have the bodies that were left after an earlier life. If my master could see my elder brother he’d become handsome straight away.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the three of them reached the palace they went straight to the throne hall without waiting to be summoned. As soon as Monkey saw them he turned round and came down from the hall to meet them. Pulling the mud mask off his master’s face he blew on him with magic breath, called “Change!” and turned the Tang Priest back into himself. Sanzang was now in better spirits. The king came down from the throne hall to greet him as “Master of the Law” and “ancient Buddha.” Master and disciples then tethered the horse and went into the throne hall to be presented.\n\n“Does Your Majesty know where the monsters came from?” Monkey asked. “Let me go and catch them both for you. Then we will have eliminated future catastrophe.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When all the queens, consorts and concubines of the three palaces and six compounds, who were behind the screen of bright green jade, heard Monkey saying that he was going to eliminate future catastrophe they cast aside all their inhibitions about appearing in front of an outsider, and a male one at that, as they came out to bow to him and say, “We beg you, holy monk and venerable Buddha, to destroy them completely, root and branch, with your dharma powers. That would be an act of the greatest kindness, and we would of course reward you richly.” Quickly responding to their bows Monkey insisted that the king tell him where the monsters lived."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We asked him when he came here three years ago,” the king replied shamefacedly, “and he told us that it was only some twenty miles to the South of the city, in Pure Splendor Grange on Willow Slope. The Elder of the Nation was old and had no son, only the daughter that his second wife had given him. She was just fifteen and unmarried. He offered to present her to us, and because we fancied the girl we accepted her. She was the favorite among all the palace women. We never expected that we would fall so ill that all the prescriptions of the Royal College of Physicians would be of no avail. Then he told us that he had a formula for an elixir for which a decoction of boiled little boys’ hearts was needed as the adjuvant. In our folly we believed him and chose some boys from among the common people. At noon today we were going to operate and take out their hearts. We never expected that you would come down to us, holy monk, and that at that very moment all the boys would disappear in their coops. Then he said"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "boys would disappear in their coops. Then he said that as you were a holy monk who had cultivated the truth for ten lifetimes and not yet dissipated your primal masculinity your heart would be ten thousand times more effective than the little boys’ ones. In our temporary delusion we did not realize that you would see through the evil monster, holy monk. We hope that you will make full use of your great dharma to eliminate any future catastrophe. All the wealth of the nation will be given to you as your reward.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I will tell you the truth,” Monkey replied. “Because my master took pity on the little boys in the coops he told me to hide them. Don’t say anything about giving us wealth. When I capture the evil monsters that will be a good deed to my credit. Come with me, Pig.”\n\n“Whatever you say, elder brother,” Pig replied. “The only thing is that I’ve got an empty belly: I’ll be rather weak.” The king then ordered the department of foreign affairs to prepare a vegetarian meal at once. Before long the food arrived."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having eaten his fill, Pig braced his spirits and rose by cloud with Monkey. The king, queens, consorts and civil and military officials were all so astonished that they all kowtowed to the sky, exclaiming, “They really are immortals and Buddhas come down to earth.” The Great Sage led Pig twenty miles due South, stopped their wind and cloud and started searching for the demons’ home. All he could see was a clear stream running between banks on which grew thousands of willows: he had no idea where the Pure Splendor Grange might be. Indeed:\n\nEndless expanses stretched out in his gaze;\n\nThe embankment had vanished amid willows and haze.\n\nWhen he could not find the grange the Great Sage Sun made a spell with his hands, said the magic word “Om ” and summoned the local deity, who approached shivering and shaking, fell to his knees and called out, “Great Sage, the local god of Willow Bank kowtows to you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be afraid,” Monkey said, “I’m not going to hit you. Tell me this: is there a Pure Splendor Grange on Willow Hill? And where is it?”\n\n“There is a Pure Splendor Cave,” the local deity replied, “but there has never been a Pure Splendor Grange. I suppose you have come from Bhiksuland, Great Sage.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” Monkey replied. “The king of Bhiksuland was hoodwinked by an evil spirit till I turned up, saw through the monster, defeated him and drove him away. He turned into a beam of cold light and I don’t know where he went. When I asked the king of Bhiksuland about it he told me that when the demon first presented him with the girl three years ago he asked the spirit about his background. The demon said that he lived in Pure Splendor Grange on Willow Hill twenty miles South of the city. I’ve found this place with its wooded hill but can’t see any Pure Splendor Grange. That’s why I asked you about it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I beg your forgiveness, Great Sage,” said the local god, kowtowing. “This is part of the domain of the king of Bhiksuland, and I should have kept a closer watch on things. But the evil spirit had such terrible magical powers. If I had given away what he was doing he would have come and given me a bad time. That is why he has never been caught. Now that you are here, Great Sage, you need only go to the foot of the nine-forked willow on the Southern bank, walk round it three times to the left and three times to the right, hit the tree with both hands and shout ‘Open up’ three times. The Pure Splendor Cave Palace will then appear.”\n\nOn learning this the Great Sage sent the local god away again, jumped over the stream with Pig and went to look for that willow tree. There was indeed a tree with nine forks on a single trunk. “Stand well back,” Monkey ordered Pig, “while I make the gates open. When I’ve found the demon and chased him out you’re to help.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In response to this order Pig took up his stand about three hundred yards from the tree while the Great Sage followed the local god’s advice and went round the tree three times to the left and three times to the right then hit it with both hands, shouting, “Open up! Open up!” An instant later a pair of double doors opened with a noisy whoosh and the tree was nowhere to be seen. Inside the doors was bright light of many colours but no sign of human life. Confident in his divine might, Monkey charged in. He could see that it was a fine place:\n\nShimmering clouds, from which\n\nSun and moon stole their brightness.\n\nWhite clouds billowing from the caves,\n\nBright green lichens running wild in the courtyard.\n\nAlong the path rare flowers competed in beauty,\n\nWhile plants on the steps vied in fragrant blossom.\n\nWarm was the air\n\nWhere it was ever spring.\n\nThis was just like a fairyland,\n\nOr Penglai, the paradise of immortals.\n\nCreepers grew all over the benches;\n\nVines ran wild across the bridge."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Vines ran wild across the bridge.\n\nBees flew into the cave carrying flowers;\n\nButterflies flirted with orchids as they passed the screen of stone.\n\nHurrying forward for a closer look Monkey saw that on the stone screen was carved IMMORTAL PALACE OF PURE SPLENDOR. Unable to restrain himself, he jumped over the stone screen to see the old monster embracing a beautiful woman and telling her breathlessly what had happened in Bhiksuland.\n\n“That was our chance,” they said together. “Three years’ efforts should have paid off today, but that ape’s ruined everything.”\n\nMonkey charged up to them, brandishing his cudgel and shouting, “I’ll get you, you fools. What do you mean, that was your chance? Take that!” Pushing the woman aside, the old monster swung his dragon-headed stick to block the cudgel. It was a fine battle that the two of them fought in front of the cave, and quite unlike the previous one:\n\nThe upraised cudgel spat out golden light;\n\nVicious vapors came from the swinging staff.\n\nThe monster said,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monster said,\n\n“How dare you in your ignorance come to my home?”\n\nMonkey replied,\n\n“I intend to subdue evil monsters.”\n\nSaid the monster,\n\n“My love for the king was no business of yours,\n\nSo why did you come to bully and interfere?”\n\nAnswered Monkey,\n\n“A compassionate monk should bring misrule to an end:\n\nWe could not endure the slaughter of children.”\n\nAs they flung words at each other hostility grew:\n\nStaff parried cudgel as blows struck at the heart.\n\nPrecious flowers were destroyed as they fought for their lives;\n\nGreen moss became slippery when trampled underfoot.\n\nPale grew the light in the cave as they struggled:\n\nCrushed were the fragrant blooms on the crags.\n\nAt the clash of their weapons the birds dared not fly;\n\nTheir shouts sent the beauties all running in terror.\n\nOnly the monster and Monkey were left\n\nTo stir up a hurricane that roared over the earth.\n\nSlowly their battle took them out of the cave\n\nWhere Wuneng gave play to his mindless wrath."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Where Wuneng gave play to his mindless wrath.\n\nThe sound of the commotion they were making inside so excited Pig where he was waiting outside that his heart itched. As he could get no relief from scratching he raised his rake, smashed the nine-forked willow to the ground, then hit it several times so hard that blood gushed straight out with a barely audible sound. “This tree’s become a spirit,” he said, “this tree’s a spirit.” Pig had just raised his rake for another blow when he saw Monkey drawing the monster after him. Without another word the idiot rushed forward, raised his rake and struck. The old monster was already finding Monkey too much to cope with, so that Pig’s rake made him more desperate than ever. Abandoning the fight he shook himself, turned back into a beam of cold light, and headed East again. The two of them would not let the demon go but headed Eastwards in pursuit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Above the shouts of battle they heard the calls of the phoenix and the crane and looked up to see that it was the Star of Longevity from the Southern pole of the heavens. Placing a cover over the cold light the old man called out, “Don’t be in such a hurry, Great Sage; stop chasing him now, Marshal Tian Peng. This old Taoist offers his greetings.”\n\nMonkey returned his courtesy and asked, “Where have you come from, Longevity my brother?”\n\n“You’ve capped the cold light, so you must have caught the monster, old fat chops,” said Pig with a grin.\n\n“Here he is, here he is,” said the Star of Longevity, smiling back. “I trust you two gentlemen will spare his life.”\n\n“The old devil’s nothing to do with you, brother,” said Monkey, “so why have you come to plead for him?”\n\n“He’s a messenger of mine,” replied the star with a smile. “I carelessly let him escape to become a monster here.”\n\n“Since he’s yours make him turn back into what he really looks like for us to see,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Star of Longevity then let the cold light out and shouted, “Evil beast! Turn back into yourself at once if you want to be spared the death penalty.” The demon turned himself round and revealed that he was really a white deer. Picking the staff up the Star of Longevity said, “You’ve even stolen my staff, evil beast.” The deer lay down in submission, unable to speak, but only kowtowing and weeping. Look at him:\n\nBrindled like a tablet of jade,\n\nAnd carrying a pair of seven-branched antlers.\n\nWhen hungry he used to find the herb garden;\n\nOn mornings when thirsty he drank from the misty stream.\n\nIn his lengthening years he had taught himself to fly\n\nAnd through many a day had mastered transformation.\n\nNow that he heard the call of his master\n\nHe resumed his own form and lay down in the dust.\n\nThanking Monkey, the Star of Longevity mounted his deer and was just leaving when Monkey grabbed hold of him and said, “Not so fast, brother. There are a couple more jobs still to be done.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What jobs?” the star asked.\n\n“The girl hasn’t been caught yet and I don’t know what sort of monster she is,” Monkey replied. “We’ve also got to go back to Bhiksuland together to see the deluded ruler and show him what they really are.”\n\n“In that case I’ll be patient,” the star replied. “You and Marshal Tian Peng can go down into the cave to capture the girl and take her back to show the king what she really is.”\n\n“Just wait a little while,” said Monkey. “We’ll soon be back.”\n\nPig then summoned up his spirits and went straight into the Immortal Palace of Pure Splendor with Monkey. “Catch the evil spirit,” he shouted, “catch the evil spirit.” Hearing this great roar the beauty, who was trembling with fear and unable to escape, rushed behind the stone screen, but there was no rear exit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where do you think you’re going?” Pig shouted. “I’ll get you, you man-trap, you whore spirit. Try my rake!” As the beauty was unarmed she could not fight back, so she dodged the blow and turned herself into a beam of cold light and fled, only to be stopped by the Great Sage, who with two thumping blows of his cudgel knocked her off her feet and laid her low in the dust. She turned back into her real form as a white-faced vixen. Unable to restrain himself, the idiot lifted his rake and struck her a blow on the head. The great beauty of so many smiles was now a hairy fox.\n\n“Don’t smash her to pulp,” Monkey said, “keep her in that shape to show her to the deluded king.” The idiot grabbed her by the tail, not minding the filth, and dragged her out through the cave entrance with Monkey. Here he saw the Star of Longevity stroking the deer’s head and giving him a dressing-down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Evil beast,” he was saying, “why did you run away from me and come here to turn yourself into a spirit? If I hadn’t turned up the Great Sage Sun would certainly have killed you.”\n\n“What’s that you’re saying, brother?” asked Monkey, springing out of the cave.\n\n“I was telling the deer off,” the star explained, “telling the deer off.”\n\nThrowing the body of the dead fox in front of the deer, Pig said, “Your daughter, I suppose.”\n\nThe deer nodded then stretched its head out to sniff the body and whimpered as if with grief at its bereavement until the Star of Longevity cuffed its head and said, “Evil beast. You’re lucky to have got away with your life. What are you sniffing her for?” He then took off the belt he wore round his gown, fastened it round the deer’s neck, and led it off with the words, “Great Sage, let’s go to Bhiksuland.”\n\n“Wait a moment,” said Monkey, “I feel like cleaning the whole place up so that no other evil creatures can ever live here again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig heard this he raised his rake and started to smash the willow down wildly. Monkey then said the magic word “Om ” and summoned the local deity once more. “Gather some dried firewood,” Monkey ordered him, “and start a roaring fire that will rid this place of yours of evil. Then you won’t be bullied any more.”\n\nThe local deity then turned around and with a roaring negative wind led his spirit soldiers to gather all sorts of withered vegetation that had dried out since the previous year: frostbitten grass, autumn grass, knotweed grass, mountain grass, dragonbone grass, rushes and reeds. Once set alight they would burn like oil or grease."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s no need to go knocking trees over, Pig,” said Monkey. “Fill the mouth of the cave with all this and set it alight: that’ll burn the place clean out.” And indeed once they were lit they turned the evil demons’ Pure Splendor home into a fiery furnace. Only then did Monkey dismiss the local god and go with the Star of Longevity as they dragged the fox to the steps of the throne hall where he said to the king, “Here’s your Queen Beauty. Do you want to fool around with her now?”\n\nThis caused the king a terrible shock. At the sight of the Great Sage Monkey bringing the Star of Longevity with the white deer before the throne hall, monarch, ministers, consorts and queens all dropped to the ground to kowtow. Monkey went up to the king and held him up. “Don’t kowtow to me,” he said with a smile. “This deer is the Elder of the Nation. It’s him you should be kowtowing to.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king was now so overcome with shame that he could only say, “Thank you, holy monk, for saving the boys in my kingdom. It truly was an act of heavenly kindness.” He then ordered the department of foreign relations to prepare a vegetarian feast, had the Eastern hall of the palace opened up and invited the star, the Ancient of the Southern Pole, to take part in a thanksgiving feast with the Tang Priest and his three disciples. Sanzang bowed in greeting to the Star of Longevity, as did Friar Sand.\n\n“If the white deer is one of your creatures, Star of Longevity,” they both asked, “how did he get here to become such a nuisance?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Some time ago the Lord of Eastern Splendor came to my mountain,” the Star of Longevity replied with a smile, “and I persuaded him to sit down for some chess. The wicked creature escaped before our first game was over. It was only when I couldn’t find him after my visitor had gone that I worked out by calculating on my fingers that he must have come here. I had just reached here in my search for him when I met the Great Sage Sun using his mighty powers. If I had been any later this beast would be dead.” Before he could finish his remarks it was announced that the banquet was ready. It was a splendid vegetarian feast:\n\nThe room was overflowing with color;\n\nExotic fragrances filled the hall.\n\nEmbroidered hangings made the tables magnificent;\n\nRed carpets on the floor shimmered like the glow of dawn.\n\nFrom duck-shaped censers\n\nCurled the scented smoke of eaglewood;\n\nBefore the king’s place\n\nWere fragrant vegetables.\n\nSee how high the towers of fruit were piled;\n\nSugar dragons and prowling animals."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sugar dragons and prowling animals.\n\nMolded mandarin ducks,\n\nLion confections,\n\nLooking quite lifelike.\n\nParrot goblets,\n\nCormorant ladles,\n\nShaped like the real thing.\n\nEvery kind of fruit in abundance,\n\nEach exquisite dish a delicacy.\n\nGiant longans and tender bamboo-shoots,\n\nFresh lichees and peaches.\n\nSweet smelled the jujubes and persimmon cakes;\n\nMore fragrant than wine were the pine-nuts and grapes.\n\nMany a sweet dish made with honey,\n\nSteamed pastries of various kinds,\n\nSugar-drenched doughnuts\n\nPiled up like bouquets of flowers,\n\nMountains of rolls on golden dishes,\n\nFragrant rice heaped high in silver bowls,\n\nLong bean noodles in hot chili soup,\n\nTasty dishes came in succession.\n\nThere was no end of button mushrooms,\n\n“Tree-ear” fungus,\n\nTender bamboo shoots,\n\nSealwort,\n\nVegetables of many flavors,\n\nA hundred kinds of rare delights.\n\nThey came and went in endless succession,\n\nAll the abundant dishes offered at the feast."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the abundant dishes offered at the feast.\n\nThe seating was arranged on the spot, the seat of honour going to the Star of Longevity and the next best place to the Tang Priest. The king sat between them while Brother Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand sat at the side places. There were also three senior ministers present to keep them company, and the musicians and singers of the court theatre were ordered to perform. Holding his purple cloud goblet, the king, toasted them one by one.\n\nThe only person who would not drink was the Tang Priest. “Brother,” said Pig to Monkey, “I’ll leave the fruit for you, but you must let me have a good feed of the soup, bread and rice.” With no further thought the idiot ate everything all at once. He devoured everything that was brought in and left nothing behind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the banquet was coming to an end the Star of Longevity took his leave of them. The king went up to him, knelt, kowtowed and begged the star to tell him the secret of eliminating disease and prolonging life. “I didn’t bring any elixir as I was here to search for my deer,” the Star of Longevity replied. “I would like to teach you the techniques of self-cultivation, but you are so weak in body and ruined in spirit that you would not be able to convert the elixir. All I have in my sleeve is these three jujubes that I was intending to offer to the Lord of Eastern Splendor to take with tea. As they haven’t been eaten I can offer them to you now.”\n\nThe king swallowed them, and he gradually began to feel lighter in body as the illness was cured. This was the origin of his later success in achieving immortality. As soon as Pig saw this he called, “Longevity, old pal, if you’ve got any fire jujubes give me some.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I didn’t bring any,” the star replied, “but I’ll give you several pounds of them next time.” The Star of Longevity then went out of the Eastern pavilion, expressed his thanks, called to the white deer, sprang on his back and departed by cloud. We will not relate how the king, queens and consorts in the palace and the common people in the city all burnt incense and kowtowed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciples,” said Sanzang, “let us pack up and take our leave of His Majesty.” The king pleaded with them to stay and instruct him. “Your Majesty,” said Monkey, “from now on you should be less greedy for your sexual pleasures and accumulate more hidden merit. In whatever you do you should use your strong points to make up for your weaknesses. This is the way to get rid of your illness and prolong your life. That’s what we’ll tell you.” Two dishes full of small pieces of gold and silver were then offered to the pilgrims to help with the expenses of their journey, but the Tang Priest refused to accept a single penny. The king then had no choice but to order the royal carriage and invite the Tang Priest to sit in the dragon and phoenix coach while he, his queens and his consorts pushed the wheels. Thus they escorted him out of the palace. In the streets and markets the common people also came with bowls of pure water and incense-burners to see them on their way from the city."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Suddenly there was the sound of a wind in the sky and 1,111 goose coops landed on both sides of the road. The little boys in them were crying. Unseen in the sky were the deities who had been looking after them: the city and the local gods, the deities of the altars, the True Officials, the Guardians of the Four Quarters and the Centre, the Four Duty Gods, the Six Dings and Six Jias, the Protectors of the Faith and the rest of them, who all responded with a loud shout of, “Great Sage, on your earlier instructions we carried the boys away in the goose coops. Now that we have learned of your success in your task and your departure we have brought every one of them back again.” The king, his queens and consorts and all his ministers and subjects fell to their knees to kowtow.\n\n“Thank you for your efforts, gentlemen,” Monkey shouted to the sky. “Please all return to your shrines now. I’ll get the people to make thanksgiving offerings to you.” With a soughing noise the magic wind then arose again and departed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then told the people of the city to come and collect their children. The news was spread at once, and the people all came to claim the boys in the baskets. They were very happy indeed. Holding the boys in their arms they called them dear ones and darlings. Dancing and laughing they told their children to take hold of the lords from Tang and bring them home so that they could express their thanks for the boys’ rescue. Nobody, young or old, male or female, was frightened by the disciples’ ugly faces as they all carried Pig, Friar Sand, Monkey and the Tang Priest back to the city in the middle of a crowd that also brought their luggage and led the horse. The king could not stop them. Family after family laid on a banquet or a feast, and those who could not offer hospitality made monkish hats, shoes, tunics, cotton socks, and other inner and outer garments in different sizes that they presented to the pilgrims. Only when they had been entertained in this way for nearly a month were the travelers able to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "way for nearly a month were the travelers able to leave the city. Portraits of them were painted and tablets bearing their names set up; to these the people could kowtow, burn incense and make offerings. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Great was the gratitude for their enormous kindness,\n\nIn saving the lives of infants by the thousand.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened later listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty\n\nThe Young Girl Seeks a Mate to Build Up the Male\n\nProtecting His Master the Mind-Ape Sees Through a Demon\n\nThe story tells how the king, ministers and common people of Bhiksuland escorted the Tang Priest and his three disciples out of the city. Seven miles later they were still unwilling to part from the pilgrims, but Sanzang insisted on getting out of the coach, mounting the horse and taking his leave of them. The people who had been seeing him off did not return to the city until the travelers had vanished from view.\n\nWhen the four had been travelling for a long time the winter and the spring too were over. There was no end of wild flowers and mountain trees to be seen; fragrant blossoms filled the view. To Sanzang’s alarm another towering mountain appeared in front of them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciples,” he asked, “is there a way across the high mountain before us? We must be careful.”\n\n“Master,” laughed Brother Monkey, “that’s not what a seasoned traveler should be saying. You sound much more like some pampered prince trying to look at the whole sky from the bottom of a well. As the old saying goes, a mountain can’t stop the road: it can find its own way across. So why ask whether there’s a way?”\n\n“Even if this mountain cannot block the road,” Sanzang replied, “I am afraid that there may be monsters on the mountain precipices and evil spirits that will emerge from its deep recesses.”\n\n“Don’t worry,” said Pig, “don’t worry. We’re not far from Paradise here. I guarantee it’ll all be nice and peaceful—there won’t be any trouble.” As they were talking master and disciples reached the foot of the mountain without even noticing. Taking out his gold-banded cudgel Monkey climbed the rock-face."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” he called, “there’s a path that goes round the mountain. The going’s very easy. Hurry up!” The Tang Priest now put his worries aside and whipped the horse forward. “Carry the luggage for a while, brother,” said Friar Sand to Pig, who did so while Friar Sand held the horse’s reins and the master sat in the carved saddle. They hurried along the main path up the steep slope after Monkey. This was what the mountain looked like:\n\nThe peak was wrapped in clouds;\n\nTorrents rushed down ravines.\n\nThe paths were heavy with the scent of flowers,\n\nAnd dense grew the countless trees.\n\nBlue were the gages, white the plums,\n\nGreen the willows and red the peaches.\n\nSpring was all but over where the cuckoo sang;\n\nWhen fledgling swallows chirped the festival was finished.\n\nCraggy boulders,\n\nBlue-green pines shaped like parasols.\n\nThe track leading across the ridge\n\nClimbed high over a tracery of rocks;\n\nThe beetling precipice\n\nWas overgrown with creepers, grass and trees."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Was overgrown with creepers, grass and trees.\n\nPeaks like a row of halberds vied in elegance;\n\nFar from the ocean wave streams competed in gullies.\n\nAs the master was taking an unhurried look at the mountain scenery he was moved to homesickness by the sound of a bird singing. “Disciples,” he said,\n\n“After receiving His Majesty’s command\n\nI was given my passport in front of the brocade screen.\n\nWatching lanterns on the fifteenth night I left the Eastern land,\n\nAnd then was parted from the emperor of Tang.\n\nJust when the dragon and tiger winds both met\n\nI and my disciples had to struggle with the horse.\n\nTwelve may be the peaks of Mount Wu;\n\nBut when shall I face and see you again?”’\n\n“Master,” said Monkey, “you’re always suffering from homesickness. You’re not like a monk at all. Stop worrying and keep going: don’t upset yourself so. As the old saying goes, you’ve got to work hard if you want to be rich and successful.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you say is quite right, disciple,” said Sanzang, “but I do not know where the road to the West runs.”\n\n“Master,” said Pig, “it’s all because our Tathagata Buddha can’t bring himself to give those scriptures away. He must have removed the path because he knows we’re coming to fetch them. Why else can’t we get to the end of the journey?”\n\n“Don’t talk such nonsense,” said Friar Sand. “Just keep going with big brother. As long as we stick with him we’re bound to get there in the end.”\n\nAs they were talking master and disciples came in sight of a great expanse of dark pine forest. In his fear the Tang Priest called out, “Wukong, no sooner have we taken that precipitous track over the mountain than we come to this deep, dark pine forest. Why? We must be careful.”\n\n“There’s nothing to be scared of,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s nothing to be scared of,” said Monkey.\n\n“Nonsense,” said Sanzang. “Never trust what appears to be absolutely upright, and be on your guard against evil masquerading as goodness. I have been through quite a few pine woods with you, but never one as vast and deep as this. Just look at the trees:\n\nDense-packed to East and West,\n\nIn lines to North and South.\n\nDense-packed to East and West they reach the end of the clouds;\n\nIn lines to North and South they touch the azure firmament.\n\nThorns and brambles grow close-tangled all about;\n\nKnotweed wraps itself around the branches.\n\nLiana coils round kudzu vine,\n\nKudzu coils around liana.\n\nWhere liana coils around kudzu\n\nTravelers cannot move between East and West;\n\nWhere kudzu coils round liana\n\nMerchants may not ply between North and South.\n\nIn this forest\n\nYou could spend half a year,\n\nNot knowing whether sun or moon was out,\n\nOr travel for miles\n\nAnd never see the stars.\n\nWhere the outlook is to the North the view is unbounded;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On Southern slopes the bushes are in flower.\n\nThere are thousand-year-old locust trees,\n\nTen-thousand-year-old junipers,\n\nPines that endure the winter cold,\n\nMountain peaches that bear fruit,\n\nWild peonies,\n\nAnd hibiscus,\n\nAll growing in a close-packed profusion,\n\nSo wild that not even a god could paint it.\n\nBird-song could be heard:\n\nParrots shrieking,\n\nCuckoos calling,\n\nMagpies in the branches,\n\nCrows feeding their mothers,\n\nOrioles with their aerial dance,\n\nAs the mynas adjust their voices.\n\nQuails singing,\n\nSwallows chirping,\n\nMynas imitating people,\n\nAnd thrushes that could recite sutras.\n\nThen there were:\n\nGreat beasts swishing their tails,\n\nTigers gnashing their teeth.\n\nAged foxes and raccoon-dogs disguised as ladies,\n\nAncient gray wolves at whose baying the forest shook.\n\nHad the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King come here\n\nHis power to suppress demons would have been of no avail."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage Sun was unafraid. Clearing the way ahead with his cudgel, he led the Tang Priest into the depths of the forest.\n\nThey had been travelling in this carefree style for many hours without seeing any sign of a way out of the forest when the Tang Priest called out, “Disciples, we have been through no end of steep and dangerous mountain woods on our journey West. Thank goodness we have found this purity and elegance and a smooth path. The rare and unusual flowers here are truly delightful. I intend to sit here for a moment to let the horse have a rest. I am, besides, famished. Go and beg me some meat-free food from somewhere.”\n\n“Master,” said Monkey, “please dismount while I go begging.” This the venerable elder did. While Pig tied the horse to a tree Friar Sand put the luggage down, brought out the begging-bowl and handed it to Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Sit still here, Master,” Monkey said, “and don’t even say the word ‘fear’. I’ll be back in a moment.” While Sanzang sat upright in the shade of the pines Pig and Friar Sand amused themselves looking for flowers and fruit.\n\nLet us tell of the Great Sage who somersaulted into mid air, brought his cloud to a hall and looked back. All he could see coming from the pine forest were auspicious clouds and auras that coiled and spread all around. “Good, good,” he found himself saying. Do you know why? He was expressing his admiration for the Tang Priest, the reincarnation of the Venerable Golden Cicada and a holy man who had cultivated his conduct for ten successive lifetimes, which explained there was such an aura of good omen above his head."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Five hundred years ago, when I made havoc in heaven,” Monkey thought, “I wandered to the very corners of the oceans and ran wild at the end of the sky. I led a host of spirits and called myself the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. We subdued dragons and tigers, and I took us off the registers of death. I used to wear a triple golden crown and a coat of golden mail, and with my gold-banded cudgel in my hands and my cloud-treading shoes on my feet I had 47,000 demons under me. They all used to call me Lord Great Sage. I really was someone in those days. But ever since being rescued from Heaven’s punishment I’ve been a small-time nobody as his disciple. I reckon that as the master has such an aura of auspicious clouds over his head things are sure to turn out well for us on our way back to the East and I’m bound to win the true achievement.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As Brother Monkey was congratulating himself along these lines he saw a column of black vapor rising from the South of the forest. “That black vapor means evil for sure,” he thought with alarm. “No black vapors could come from our Pig or Friar Sand.”\n\nWhile the Great Sage was still trying to make out exactly what the vapors were coming from, Sanzang was sitting in the forest clarifying his mind and contemplating the Buddha-nature as he recited the Mahaprajnaparamita Heart Sutra when suddenly he heard a high-pitched cry of “Help!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This is all very well,” said Sanzang with astonishment, “but who could that be calling so deep in the forest?” It must be someone terrified by a wolf, a tiger, a leopard or some other wild beast. I shall go to take a look.” The venerable elder rose to his feet and walked through the thousand-year-old cypresses and even more ancient pines, holding on to vines and creepers, as he went close enough to see a woman tied to a big tree. The top half of her body was bound to the trunk with creepers and her lower half buried in the ground. Sanzang stopped to ask, “Why are you tied up here, lady Bodhisattva?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was quite obvious that the wretched creature was an evil monster, but with his mortal eyes in a worldling’s body Sanzang was unable to perceive this. The monster’s response to the question was to weep copiously. Just look at the tears rolling down her peachy cheeks. She was so lovely that fish would have sunk and wild geese fallen out of the sky at the sight of her; the beauty of her sorrowing and sparkling eyes would have made the moon hide away and put the flowers to shame. Sanzang did not dare go any closer to her as he opened his mouth to ask, “What crime have you committed, lady Bodhisattva? Tell me so that I can rescue you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit then quickly put together a pack of lies as she replied, “Master, my home is in the country of Pinpo, which is some seventy miles from here. Both my parents are at home, and they are very great lovers of goodness. All their lives they have been on good terms with their relations and devoted to their friends. At the Clear and Bright Festival they invited all their relations and members of their own family to pay their respects at and sweep the ancestral graves. A whole procession of carrying-chairs and horses all went to the graves in the wilds outside the city. Here we set out our offerings and had just burnt the paper models of horses when a band of brigands sprang upon us with the sound of gongs and drums. They charged us shouting ‘kill!’ My parents and relations all got hold of horses and carrying-chairs and fled for their lives. Because I am so young I was too frightened to run: I just collapsed and was carried back to the mountains by the brigands. The top chieftain wanted me for his"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the brigands. The top chieftain wanted me for his lady, the number two chieftain wanted me for his woman, and the third and fourth ones both fancied me for my looks. There were seventy or eighty of them all quarrelling over me and none of them would give way. So they tied me up here in the forest and broke up the band. I’ve been here for five days and five nights now and I’m only just alive now. I’ll soon be dead. Goodness only knows which ancestor however many generations back accumulated the virtue that brought you here to me today, reverend sir. I beg you in your great mercy to save my life. I won’t forget your goodness to me even when I lie dead under the nine springs of the underworld.” When she had finished speaking her tears flowed like rain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As Sanzang really did have a merciful heart he could not help weeping and sobbing himself. “Disciples,” he shouted. Pig and Friar Sand were still looking for flowers and fruit in the forest when suddenly they heard their master’s anguished cry.\n\n“Friar Sand,” said the idiot, “the master’s found a relation here.”\n\n“What nonsense, brother,” said Friar Sand with a smile. “In all the time we’ve been going we haven’t met a single good person, so where could any relation of his have come from?”\n\n“If it’s not a relation why’s the master crying for them?” Pig asked, adding, “You and I had better go to take a look.” Friar Sand did indeed go back to where they had been before. Leading the horse and carrying the luggage they went up to the master and asked, “What’s up, Master?”\n\nThe Tang Priest pointed at the tree as he replied, “Pig, untie this lady Bodhisattva and save her life.” Without caring whether this was the right or the wrong thing to do, the idiot set to."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage meanwhile saw from up in the air the dense black vapors completely obscuring the auspicious glow. “This is bad,” he said, “this is bad. If the black vapors are covering the auspicious glow that means something evil is threatening my master. Never mind about begging for food—I’m going back to see the master.” He turned his cloud back and landed in the forest, where he saw Pig recklessly untying the ropes. Going up to him Monkey grabbed an ear and threw him to the ground. “The master told me to rescue her,” the idiot protested, looking up to see Monkey as he scrambled back to his feet, “so why did you push me over like that? You’re just throwing your weight about.”\n\n“Brother,” replied Monkey with a smile, “don’t untie her. She’s an evil spirit who’s been putting on an act to fool us.”\n\n“Wretched ape,” shouted Sanzang, “talking nonsense again. How can you possibly take a girl like this for an evil spirit?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s something you don’t know, Master.” Monkey replied. “In the old days I tried all these tricks myself when I wanted some human flesh. You couldn’t possibly tell what she is.”\n\n“Master,” said Pig, pouting sulkily, “don’t let that Protector of the Horses take you in. She’s a local girl. We’ve never had dealings with her before on our long journey from the East and she’s no relation or in-law of ours, so how can you say she’s an evil spirit? He’s trying to get rid of us by making us go ahead so he can turn a somersault and get back here by magic. Then he’s going to have a bit of fun with her and ruin our reputation.”\n\n“You cretin,” shouted Brother Monkey, “stop talking such rubbish. I’ve never done any such outrageous thing on all our journey to the West. I reckon it must have been some reckless womanizer like yourself who forgot his principles when he saw a good chance. I expect you tricked some family into taking you as their son-in-law and tied her up here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s enough of that,” said Sanzang, “that’s enough. Now then, Bajie. Your elder brother usually sees things very clearly. Ignore what he is saying. Let us be on our way.”\n\n“Splendid,” said Monkey with great delight, “you have a good destiny, Master. Please mount. Once we’re out of the pine forest there will be a house where we can beg for some food for you.” The four of them then pressed on together, leaving the monster behind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how the monster gnashed her teeth with fury as she was left tied there to the tree. “I’ve heard tell of Sun Wukong’s tremendous magic powers for years,” she said, “and now that I’ve seen him today I know that his reputation’s well-founded. As that Tang Priest has been cultivating his conduct ever since he was a boy he has never lost a drop of his primal masculinity. I was longing to mate with him so that I could become a golden immortal of the Supreme Ultimate. I never expected that monkey to see through my magic and save him. If I’d been untied and released I could have carried him off whenever I chose and he’d have been mine. Now that Sun Wukong has made those damaging remarks and taken the Tang Priest away my efforts have all been for nothing. Let’s see what happens when I give him another couple of shouts.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not shifting her ropes, the evil spirit made the most of the wind being in the right direction to carry some high-pitched words of morality into the Tang Priest’s ear. Do you know what she was shouting? “Master,” she called, “if you forget your conscience and refuse to save a living being’s life what’s the use of your fetching the scriptures from the Buddha?”\n\nWhen the Tang Priest heard this call he reined the horse in and said, “Wukong, go and rescue that girl.”\n\n“You’ve started on your way, Master,” Monkey replied. “What made you think of her again?”\n\n“She is shouting again there,” the Tang Priest said.\n\n“Did you hear, Pig?” Monkey asked.\n\n“My big lugs cover my ear-holes,” Pig replied, “and I didn’t hear anything.”\n\n“Did you hear, Friar Sand?”\n\n“I was walking ahead, carrying the pole with the luggage,” Friar Sand replied. “I wasn’t paying attention and I didn’t hear anything either.”\n\n“Neither did I,” said Monkey. “What did she say, Master? You were the only one who heard.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What she called was quite right,” the Tang Priest called. “She asked what was the use of fetching scriptures when I went to visit the Buddha if I forgot my conscience and refused to save a living being’s life. To save a human life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda. Rescuing her straight away would be even better than worshipping the Buddha and fetching the scriptures.”\n\n“If you’re wanting to be charitable, Master,” Monkey replied, “you’re incurable. Just think of all the demons you’ve met in all the mountains you’ve crossed on your journey West since leaving the East. They’ve often taken you into their caves and I’ve had to rescue you. I’ve killed tens of thousands of them with this iron cudgel of mine. So why can’t you bring yourself to let a single devil die today? Why do you have to rescue her?”\n\n“Disciple,” the Tang Priest replied, “there’s an old saying, ‘Do not fail to do a good deed because it is small; do not commit a bad deed because it is small.’ You’re still to go and save her.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If that’s the way you’re going to be, Master, I can’t accept that responsibility,” Monkey replied. “You insist on rescuing her and I dare not try too hard to dissuade you. When I did make a little attempt to do so you lost your temper again. You can go and rescue her if you want to.”\n\n“Watch your tongue, ape,” Sanzang retorted. “Sit here while Bajie and I go to rescue her.”\n\nThe Tang Priest went back into the forest and told Pig to undo the ropes around the top half of her body and dig the lower half out with his rake. The demon stamped her feet, fastened her skirt and happily followed the Tang Priest out of the pine forest. When she met Monkey all he did was to wear a mocking smile.\n\n“Impudent ape,” said the Tang Priest abusively, “what are you smiling at?”\n\n“I’m laughing at you,” Monkey replied:\n\n“You meet up with good friends when your luck is going well;\n\nAnd when it’s going badly you find yourself a belle.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Impudent macaque!” said Sanzang, being abusive again. “What nonsense! I have been a monk ever since I came out of my mother’s womb. I am now making this journey West at His Majesty’s command with the devout intention of worshipping the Buddha and fetching the scriptures. I am not the sort of person to care about wealth and office, so what do you mean by my luck going badly?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” replied Monkey with a grin, “you may have been a monk since you were a child, and you may be good at reading sutras and invoking the Buddha, but you have never studied the text of royal laws. This girl is young and beautiful. If monks like us travel with her we may well meet with evil people who arrest us and turn us in to the authorities. They won’t care about worshipping Buddhas or fetching scriptures. They’ll treat it as a case of illicit sex, and even if that isn’t proved we’ll still be convicted of abduction. You will lose your ordination license, Master, and be beaten half to death. Pig will be sent into exile and Friar Sand sentenced to penal servitude. Even I won’t get off scot-free. No matter how I try to talk my way out of it I’ll still be found guilty of wrongdoing.”\n\n“Don’t talk such rubbish,” Sanzang shouted. “After all, I did save her life. There will be no trouble. We are taking her with us. I will be responsible for whatever happens.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You may say you’ll be responsible, Master,” Monkey replied, “but what you don’t realize is that so far from rescuing her you’re destroying her.”\n\n“I saved her life by rescuing her from the forest,” said Sanzang, “so how can I be destroying her?”\n\n“If she had stayed tied up in the forest without any food for three to five days, ten days or even half a month and starved to death,” said Monkey, “she would at least have gone to the Underworld with her body in one piece. But now you’ve taken her away from there. You’re on a fast horse and travelling like the wind. The rest of us have to follow you. How will she be able to keep up on her tiny feet? She can barely walk. If she gets left behind and a wolf, a tiger or a leopard eats her up you’ll have killed her.”\n\n“You are right,” Sanzang said. “Thank you for thinking of it. What are we to do about it?”\n\n“Lift her up and let her ride on the horse with you,” replied Monkey with a grin.\n\n“I could not possibly ride on the same horse as her,” moaned Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Then how is she to travel?” Monkey asked. “Bajie can carry her on his back,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“You’re in luck, idiot,” said Monkey.\n\n“There’s no such thing as a light load on a long journey,” Pig replied. “Having to carry her isn’t luck.”\n\n“With your long snout you’ll be able to turn it round and chat her up on the quiet while you’re carrying her,” Monkey replied, “which will be very convenient for you.”\n\nPig’s reaction to hearing this was to beat his chest and jump about in fury. “That’s terrible,” he said, “that’s terrible, I’d sooner put up with the pain of a flogging from the master. If I carry her I won’t possibly come out of it clean. You’ve always been a slanderer. I’m not carrying her.”\n\n“Very well then,” Sanzang said, “very well then. I can walk a little further. I shall come down and walk slowly with you. Bajie can lead the horse with nobody riding it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve got yourself a good bargain there, idiot,” said Monkey, roaring with laughter. “The master’s done you a favour by letting you lead the horse.”\n\n“You are talking nonsense again, ape,” said Sanzang. “As the ancients said, ‘When a horse is to travel three hundred miles it cannot get there by itself.’ If I walk slowly are you going to leave me behind? When I go slowly you will have to go slowly too. We shall all take the lady Bodhisattva down the mountain together. We can leave her in some convent, temple, monastery or house that we come to. Then we will still have rescued her.”\n\n“You’re right, Master,” Monkey replied. “Let’s press on quickly.”\n\nSanzang took the lead while Friar Sand carried the luggage, Pig led the riderless horse and the girl, and Monkey carried his iron cudgel as they carried on together. Within seven to ten miles the evening was drawing in and a tall building came into sight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “that must be a temple of some sort. We shall ask to spend the night here and be on our way first thing tomorrow.”\n\n“What you say is right, Master,” said Monkey. “Let’s all get a move on.”\n\nThey were soon at the gates, where Sanzang told them, “Keep well out of the way while I go in first to ask if we can stay for the night. If it looks suitable I shall send someone to call to you.” So they all stood in the shadows of the poplars while Monkey kept an eye on the girl, his iron cudgel in his hand.\n\nThe venerable elder walked forward to see that the gates were hanging crooked and falling to pieces. What he saw when he pushed the gates open chilled him to the heart:\n\nThe cloisters were deserted,\n\nThe ancient shrine left desolate.\n\nThe courtyard was overgrown with moss;\n\nSagebrush and brambles choked the paths.\n\nThe only lanterns came from the fireflies\n\nWhile the croaking of frogs had replaced the water-clock.\n\nThe venerable elder started crying. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder started crying. Indeed:\n\nThe desolate halls were falling down,\n\nThe lonely cloisters collapsing.\n\nBroken bricks and tiles lay in a dozen heaps,\n\nAnd all the pillars and beams were askew.\n\nGrass was growing all around;\n\nThe kitchens were crumbling and buried in dust.\n\nIn derelict towers the drums had lost their skins;\n\nBroken was the glass lamp.\n\nThe color had gone from the Buddha’s golden statue;\n\nThe figures of arhats lay strewn upon the floor.\n\nGuanyin had turned to mud in the soaking rain,\n\nHer pure vase with a willow spray fallen to the ground.\n\nNo monk was to be seen there by day,\n\nAnd only foxes slept there at night.\n\nAs the wind roared with the sound of thunder\n\nThis was a place for tiger and leopard to shelter.\n\nThe walls around had collapsed\n\nAnd no gates could be closed to guard it.\n\nThere is a poem about this that goes\n\nFor many a year had the temple been unrepaired;\n\nIn its derelict state it had gone from bad to worse."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The gales had destroyed the faces of the temple guardians,\n\nAnd rainstorms had washed the heads off the Buddha statues.\n\nThe vajrapani had collapsed and been soaked through.\n\nThe local god had lost his shrine and stayed outside at night.\n\nTwo other things were even more depressing:\n\nBell and drums lay on the ground instead of hanging in their towers.\n\nSummoning up his courage, Sanzang went in through the inner gates where he saw that the bell-tower and drum-tower had both collapsed, leaving only a single bronze bell planted in the ground, its bottom half the color of indigo. With the passage of the years the top half of the bell had been bleached in the rain while the earth’s vapors had greened the lower part.\n\n“Bell,” Sanzang called aloud as he touched it,\n\n“Once you roared from high in the tower,\n\nCalling afar from the painted beam where you hung.\n\nAt cockcrow you used to ring in the dawn,\n\nAnd at evening you announced the dusk.\n\nWhere now are the lay brothers who begged for the copper,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Or the craftsman who cast it to form you?\n\nBoth, I imagine, are now in the Underworld;\n\nThey have gone without trace and you are left silent.”\n\nThe venerable elder’s loud sighs had by now disturbed someone in the monastery. A lay brother who was offering incense heard the voice, climbed to his feet, picked up a broken brick and threw it at the bell. The bell’s clang gave the venerable elder such a fright that he fell over then scrambled up again to flee, only to trip over the root of a tree and go flying again.\n\nAs he lay on the ground Sanzang raised his head and said, “Bell,\n\nI was just lamenting your fate\n\nWhen suddenly you clanged.\n\nOn this deserted route to the West\n\nOver the years you have turned into a spirit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Over the years you have turned into a spirit.”\n\nThe lay brother came over to Sanzang and steadied him as he said, “Please get up, reverend sir. The bell hasn’t become a spirit. It was I who struck it just now.” Looking up and seeing how dark and ugly the other was Sanzang said, “I suppose you are a goblin or some other evil creature. I am no ordinary man. I come from Great Tang and I have disciples who can subdue dragons and tigers. If you run into them your life will be lost.”\n\n“Don’t be afraid, my lord,” replied the lay brother, falling to his knees. I’m no evil being. I’m a lay brother who looks after the incense here. When I heard those fine things you were saying just now I wanted to come out and welcome you but I was afraid that it might be some demon knocking at the gates. That was why I didn’t dare come out until I’d thrown a piece of brick at the bell to calm my fears. Please rise, my lord.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then did Sanzang calm himself sufficiently to reply, “Lay brother, that fright was almost the death of me. Take me inside.” The lay brother led Sanzang straight in through the third pair of gates. What the Tang Priest saw here was quite different from outside:\n\nA cloud-patterned wall built of blue bricks,\n\nHalls roofed with green glazed tiles.\n\nThe holy statues were sheathed in gold,\n\nThe steps made of pure white jade.\n\nBlue light danced in the Buddha hall;\n\nFine vapors rose from the Vairocana chapel.\n\nAbove the Manjusri hall\n\nWere decorations of flying clouds;\n\nIn the Library of Scriptures\n\nWere patterns of flowers and green leaves.\n\nOn the roof above the triple eaves stood a precious jar;\n\nIn the Tower of Five Blessings embroidered covers were spread.\n\nA thousand bright bamboos waved over the dhyana seat;\n\nTen thousand bluish pines threw their light on the gates.\n\nJade-coloured clouds reflected gold on this palace;\n\nAuspicious clouds drifted round the woods full of purple mist."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Each morning the fragrant breezes could be smelled all around;\n\nIn the evening painted drums were heard on the high hills.\n\nThere should be morning sunshine to patch torn robes;\n\nHow can the sutra be finished by the light of the moon?\n\nThe courtyard at the back is lit by half a wall of lamps;\n\nA column of fragrant smoke shines in the hall.\n\nSanzang saw this but did not dare go inside. “Lay brother,” he called, “why is the front of the monastery so dilapidated but the back so neat and tidy?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My lord,” said the lay brother with a smile, “these mountains are full of evil creatures and brigands. On clear days they roam the mountains to rob and on dull ones they shelter in the monastery. They knock the Buddha statues down to use as seats and burn the wooden pillars for firewood. The monks here are too feeble to argue with them, which is why they have abandoned the wrecked buildings at the front for the brigands to stay in. They have found some new benefactors to build the new monastery for them. Now there is one for the pure and one for the impure. This is how we do things in the West.”\n\n“So that is the way things are,” said Sanzang.\n\nAs he walked further Sanzang saw written over the gate in large letters SEA-GUARDING MONASTERY OF MEDITATION. Only then did he stride in through the gates, where a monk appeared coming towards him. Just see what the monk looked like:\n\nHis hat of velvet and brocade was held with a pin,\n\nAnd a pair of bronze rings hung from his ears."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And a pair of bronze rings hung from his ears.\n\nHis tunic was made of woolen stuff,\n\nAnd his eyes were white and bright as silver.\n\nHe held in his hand a self-beating drum\n\nAs he recited scriptures in an unknown tongue.\n\nSanzang did not know before\n\nThat he was a lama on the road to the West.\n\nAs the lama came out he saw how very handsome and elegant Sanzang was: clear-browed and fine-eyed with a broad forehead and level top to his skull, ears hanging to his shoulders and arms so long they came below his knees. He looked like an arhat come down to earth. The lama, his face wreathed in smiles, went up to Sanzang chuckling with delight to grab hold of him, feel his hands and feet, rub his nose and tug at his ears as ways of showing his friendliness.\n\nAfter leading Sanzang into the abbot’s lodgings and going through the rituals of greeting the lama asked him, “Where have you come from, venerable Father?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have been sent by His Majesty the Emperor of Great Tang in the East to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures from Thunder Monastery in India in the West,” Sanzang replied. “As we were passing this way when it was becoming dark I have come to your distinguished monastery to put up here for the night before leaving early tomorrow morning. I beg you to grant me this expeditious help.”\n\n“You shouldn’t say that,” replied the lama with a smile, “you shouldn’t say that. We didn’t really want to become monks. We were all given life by our mothers and fathers and only cut our ties with them because we had unlucky destinies and our families could not afford to keep us. Even though we are now disciples of the Buddhist faith you must not talk empty words.”\n\n“I spoke in all sincerity,” Sanzang replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I spoke in all sincerity,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“However far is the journey from the East to the Western Heaven?” the monk said. “Along the way there are mountains, there are caves in the mountains and there are spirits in the caves. I don’t think that a lone traveler looking as delicate as you could possibly be a pilgrim going to fetch the scriptures.”\n\n“You are quite right, abbot,” Sanzang replied. “I could never have got here alone. I have three disciples who clear my way across the mountains and build me bridges over rivers. It is only because they have protected me that I have been able to reach your monastery.”\n\n“Where are your three distinguished disciples?” the lama asked.\n\n“Waiting outside the gates of the monastery,” Sanzang replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Father,” said the lama with alarm, “you don’t realize that there are dangerous tigers, wolves, evil bandits, ghosts and demons here. We don’t dare roam far even by day and we shut the gates before nightfall. How can you leave people outside this late?” He then told his disciples to ask them in at once.\n\nTwo young lamas hurried outside. At the sight of Monkey they fell over, and then fell over again when they saw Pig. Scrambling to their feet they ran back in as fast as they could and said, “My lord, your luck is out. Your disciples have disappeared. There are only three or four evil monsters standing outside the gates.”\n\n“What do they look like?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“One has a face like a thunder god,” the young lamas replied, “one has a face like a tilt-hammer, and one has a green face and terrible fangs. There is a girl with them too—she has oiled hair and a powdered face.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You would not know who they are,” replied Sanzang with a smile. “The three ugly ones are my disciples and the girl is someone I rescued in the pine forest.”\n\n“My lord,” the lama said, “how can a master as handsome as you have found yourself such ugly disciples?”\n\n“Ugly they may be,” Sanzang replied, “but they are all useful. Ask them in straight away. If you take any longer the one who looks like a thunder god is a bit of a trouble-maker. He was not born to a mother and father and he will fight his way in.”\n\nThe young lamas then hurried outside again and fell to their knees, shivering and shaking, as they said, “My lords, Lord Tang invites you in.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “if he’s invited us, that’s that. Why are they shivering and shaking?”\n\n“They’re scared because we’re so ugly,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Rubbish,” said Pig. “We were born that way. None of us is ugly from choice.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Make yourself look a bit less ugly,” said Monkey, and the idiot really did tuck his snout into his tunic and keep his head down as he led the horse while Friar Sand carried the pole and Brother Monkey brought up the rear, holding his cudgel in his hand and dragging the girl along. They went past the ruined buildings and cloisters and in through the third part of gates. When they had tethered the horse they went into the abbot’s lodgings to meet the lama and take their seats in order of precedence. The lama then went inside to lead seventy or eighty young lamas to greet them, tidy their rooms, give them a vegetarian meal and look after them. Indeed:\n\nIn storing up achievement be mindful of mercy;\n\nWhen the Buddha’s Dharma flourishes monks admire each other.\n\nIf you do not know how they left the monastery, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty-One\n\nThe Mind-Ape Recognizes a Monster in the Monastery\n\nThe Three Search for Their Master in Black Pine Forest"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how Sanzang and his disciples came to the Meditation Monastery where they met the lamas and were given a vegetarian meal. When the four of them had eaten the girl was also fed. By now night was gradually falling and the lamp was lit in the abbot’s lodgings. The lamas, who wanted to ask the Tang Priest about why he was going to fetch the scriptures and were also eager for a look at the girl, stood packed together in rows under the lamp. “Abbot,” said Sanzang to the lama he had first met, “when we leave your monastery tomorrow what will the road West be like?” Before answering, the lama fell to his knees. Sanzang quickly helped him up and said, “Stand up, please. Why do you greet me in this way when I ask about the road?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When you travel West tomorrow, reverend sir, you will find that the road is level,” the lama replied. “There is no need to worry. There is just one thing at present that is rather awkward. I wanted to tell you about it as soon as you came in, but I was afraid that it would offend your distinguished self. I only venture to tell you now that the meal is over that you will be most welcome to spend the night in the young lamas’ room after your long, hard journey from the East. But it would not be right for the lady Bodhisattva to do so. I don’t know where I should invite her to sleep.”\n\n“Your suspicions are not called for, abbot,” Sanzang replied, “and you should not suppose that my disciples and I have wicked ideas. When we were coming through Black Pine Forest this morning we found this girl tied to a tree. My disciple Sun Wukong refused to save her, but out of my enlightened heart I rescued her and have brought her here for you to put up, abbot.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As you have been so generous, reverend Father,” the abbot replied, “we can set out a straw mattress behind the devarajas in the Devaraja Hall for her to sleep on.”\n\n“That’s splendid,” Sanzang said, “splendid.” After this the young lamas took the girl to sleep in the back of the hall while in the abbot’s lodgings Sanzang urged the officials of the monastery to put themselves at their ease, whereupon they all dispersed.\n\n“We have had a hard day,” Sanzang said to Brother Monkey. “We must go to bed early and be up early in the morning.” They all slept in the same room, guarding the master and not daring to leave him. Later that night\n\nThe moon rose high and all was peaceful;\n\nThe Street of Heaven was quiet and nobody moved.\n\nBright was the Silver River; the stars shone clearly;\n\nThe drum in the tower hastened the changing watch."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We will say nothing more of the night. When Monkey rose at first light he told Pig and Friar Sand to get the luggage and the horse ready then urged the master to start out. But Sanzang wanted to sleep longer and would not wake up, so Monkey went up to him to call, “Master.”\n\nThe master raised his head but still could make no reply. “What will you say, Master?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Why is my head spinning,” Sanzang replied, “why are my eyes swollen, and why an I aching all over from my skin to my bones?”\n\nWhen Pig heard this he stretched out his hand to feel the master’s body. It was feverish. “Now I understand,” said the idiot with a grin. “He had several bowls too many of last night’s free rice and went to sleep head-down. It’s indigestion.”\n\n“Nonsense,” shouted Monkey, “Let me ask the master what’s really the matter.”\n\n“When I got up in the middle of the night to relieve myself,” Sanzang replied, “I did not put my hat on. I think I must have caught a chill in the wind.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m sure you’re right,” said Monkey, “Can you travel now?”\n\n“I cannot even sit up,” Sanzang replied, “let alone mount the horse. The journey will have to wait.”\n\n“What a thing to say, Master,” said Monkey, “As the saying goes, ‘A teacher for a day is one’s father for life.’ As your disciples we are like your sons. There’s another saying that\n\nA son does not have to shit silver or gold;\n\nAs long as be can do what’s needed he’ll be fine.\n\nIf you’re not feeling well you shouldn’t be worrying about the journey being delayed. There’ll be no problem about waiting for a few days.” The three brother-disciples all looked after their master. The morning was followed by midday and dusk, and after a good night dawn returned. Time fled, and three days had soon passed.\n\nThe morning after that Sanzang tried to sit up, calling, “Wukong, as I have been very ill these last couple of days I have not asked you before: have people been giving food to the lady Bodhisattva we rescued?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What are you bothering about her for?” laughed Monkey, “What you should be concerned with is your own illness.”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Sanzang. “Help me up and fetch me paper, brush and ink. Borrow an inkstone here in the monastery.”\n\n“What do you want them for?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I want to write a letter,” Sanzang replied. “I shall seal it up with our passport and ask you to deliver it for me to His Majesty Emperor Taizong in Chang’an.”\n\n“Easy,” said Monkey, “I may not be much good at anything else, but when it comes to delivering letters I’m the champion of the whole world. So wrap the letter up and give it to me. I’ll take it to Chang’an in a single somersault, give it to the Tang Emperor, and come back with another somersault before your brush and inkstone have dried up. But why do you want to write a letter? Tell me what you want to say in the letter—you can write it down later.”\n\n“This is what I will write,” said Sanzang, weeping:\n\n“Your subject beats his head three times upon the ground,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a triple shout of ‘Long live Your Majesty’ as I bow to my lord.\n\nThe civil and military officials ate all present,\n\nAnd four hundred courtiers all listen to what is said.\n\nYears ago I left the East on your command,\n\nHoping to see the Buddha on the Vulture Peak.\n\nBut on my journey I have met with obstructions;\n\nAnd been delayed by unexpected disaster along the way.\n\nMy illness is grave; I cannot move one step;\n\nThe gate to Buddha is as distant as the gate to heaven.\n\nI will not live to bring back the scriptures;\n\nI submit with respect that a new envoy should be sent.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he could not help bursting out into uproarious laughter. “You’re hopeless, Master,” he said, “thinking that sort of thing after just a touch of illness. If you were seriously ill you’d only have to ask me to find out whether you were going to live or die. I have my own special way of dealing with it. I’d ask, ‘Which king of the Underworld dared think of this? Which of the judges issued the warrant? Which demon messenger is coming to fetch him?’ If they make me angry I’ll lose my temper the way I did when I made havoc in Heaven, smash my way into the Underworld with my cudgel, capture the ten kings and rip the sinews out of every one of them. I’ll show them no mercy.”\n\n“Stop that boasting, disciple,” Sanzang replied. “I am very ill.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, going up to him, “it’s very awkward to have the master saying he’s in a bad way and you insisting he isn’t. Let’s settle things as quickly as we can, sell the horse, pawn the luggage, buy a coffin to bury the master in and split up.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re talking out of turn again, you idiot,” Monkey replied. “What you don’t realize is that the master used to be our Tathagata Buddha’s second disciple. His original name was the Venerable Golden Cicada. This is great hardship he has to endure because he once slighted the Buddha’s Dharma.”\n\n“But, brother,” Pig replied, “even if the master did slight the Buddha’s Dharma he was exiled to the East and born into another body amid the sea of right and wrong and the battlefield of tongues. He swore an oath to go to the Western Heaven, worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. Every time he’s met an evil spirit he’s been tied up; and every time he’s come across a monster he’s been hung up. He’s had to put up with every kind of agony. That should be enough. Why has he had to be ill as well?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This is something you wouldn’t know about,” Monkey replied. “The master once dropped off to sleep instead of listening to the Buddha teaching the Dharma, and as he drowsed he trod on a grain of rice with his left foot. That is why he has to be ill for three days in the lower world.”\n\n“So goodness only knows how many years someone who eats as messily as I do will have to be ill,” replied a shocked Pig.\n\n“Brother,” Monkey replied, “the Buddha will spare ordinary creatures such as you. There’s something else you don’t know. As the poet said,\n\nHoeing millet in the noonday sun;\n\nSweat drops on the ground beneath the millet.\n\nWho understands that of the food that’s in the bowl,\n\nEvery single grain was won through bitter toil?\n\nThe master will only be ill today. Tomorrow he’ll be better.”\n\n“I am feeling different today from how I did yesterday,” said Sanzang. “My throat is absolutely parched. Go and find some cold water somewhere for me to drink.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Fine,” Monkey replied. “If water’s what you want, Master, that means you’re better. I’ll go and fetch some.”\n\nMonkey at once took the begging bowl and went to the kitchen at the back of the monastery, where he came across all the monks red-eyed and sobbing with grief. The only thing was that they dared not cry aloud.\n\n“Don’t be so petty, little monks,” said Brother Monkey. “Before we leave we’ll thank you for the days we’ve spent here, and we’ll pay for our cooking fuel and lighting by the day. You really shouldn’t be such pustules.”\n\n“We wouldn’t dare accept it,” the lamas said at once, falling to their knees, “we wouldn’t dare.”\n\n“What do you mean, you wouldn’t dare?” said Monkey. “It must be that long-snouted monk of ours who has an enormous appetite. He’d eat you out of house and home.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My lord,” the lamas replied, “there are over a hundred senior and junior lamas in this monastery. If each of us kept you for a single day we could afford to support you for over a hundred days. We’re not the sort of skinflints who’d calculate what you will cost us in food.”\n\n“If you’re not working out the cost then why are you sobbing?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Lord,” the lamas replied, “there’s an evil monster in the monastery. We don’t know which mountain it’s from. Last night we sent two junior lamas to strike the bell and beat the drum. We heard the sound of the bell and the drum but the lamas never came back. When we looked for them the next day all we found were their monk’s hats and shoes lying in the courtyard at the back and their skeletons. They had been eaten. In the three days you have been here six lamas have disappeared from the monastery. That’s why we can’t help being frightened and grieved. When we realized that your venerable master was ill we couldn’t stop these tears stealing out even though we kept the news to ourselves.”\n\n“Say no more,” said Brother Monkey, who was both shocked and delighted by what he heard. “It must be an evil monster who’s killing people here. I’ll wipe it out for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My lord,” the lamas replied, “any evil spirit worthy of the name has magical powers. It’s bound to be able to ride clouds, come out of the underworld and disappear again. As the ancients put it so well, ‘Trust not the straightest of the straight; beware of the inhuman human.’ Please don’t take offence, my lord, when we say that if you can rid our monastery of this scourge that would be a great happiness for us. But if you can’t catch it\n\nthings will be pretty difficult.”\n\n“What do you mean by things being pretty difficult?” Monkey asked.\n\n“We will be honest with you, my lord,” the lamas replied. “Although there are only a hundred or so of us lamas in this monastery we all became monks as children:\n\nWhen our hair grows we have it shaved off;\n\nOur clothes are patched with rags.\n\nWe rise in the morning to wash our faces,\n\nThen bow with hands together\n\nIn submission to the Great Way.\n\nAt night we tidy up, burn incense,\n\nAnd piously pray,\n\nChanting the name of Amitabha.\n\nWhen we look up we see the Buddha"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When we look up we see the Buddha\n\nOn his ninefold lotus throne\n\nWell-versed in the Three Vehicles,\n\nRiding in his mercy on clouds of dharma,\n\nAnd we long to see the Sakyamuni in the Jeta park.\n\nLooking down we see into our hearts,\n\nAccept the Five Prohibitions,\n\nPass through a thousand aeons,\n\nAnd live each life amid the countless dharmas,\n\nHoping to understand emptiness and the impermanence of matter.\n\nWhen the benefactors come,\n\nOld, young, tall, short, fat, thin,\n\nWe each beat wooden fish,\n\nStrike bronze chimes,\n\nSlowly and deliberately,\n\nWith the two rolls of the Lotus Sutra\n\nAnd the short Litany of the Emperor of Liang.\n\nWhen the benefactors do not come,\n\nNew, old, strange, familiar, rustic, smart,\n\nWe put our hands together,\n\nEyes shut,\n\nSilent,\n\nEntering meditation on the rush mats,\n\nFirmly closing the gates under the moon.\n\nLet the orioles sing and other birds chirp in idle strife:\n\nThey cannot mount our expeditions and compassionate chariot of dharma."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This is why we cannot subdue tigers and dragons,\n\nOr recognize monsters and spirits.\n\nIf, my lord, you provoked the evil monster,\n\nTo which we hundred and more lamas would be but a single meal,\n\nAll of us living creatures would fall to the wheel of rebirth,\n\nThis ancient monastery of meditation would be destroyed,\n\nAnd finally there would be no light at the Tathagata’s assembly.\n\nThis would cause great troubles.”\n\nWhen Brother Monkey heard the lamas say this anger surged up from his heart and hatred from his gall. “What a stupid lot you lamas are!” he shouted at the top of his voice. “Are you only aware of those evil spirits? Do you know nothing of what I’ve done?”\n\n“Really we don’t,” the lamas replied in very quiet voices.\n\n“Then I’ll tell you briefly about it,” Monkey said.\n\n“I used to subdue tigers and dragons on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit;\n\nI once went up to Heaven and made great havoc in its palace.\n\nWhen I was hungry I nibbled just two or three\n\nOf Lord Lao Zi’s elixir tablets;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Of Lord Lao Zi’s elixir tablets;\n\nWhen I was thirsty I sipped six or seven cups\n\nOf the Jade Emperor’s own wine.\n\nWhen I glare with my golden eyes that are neither black nor white,\n\nThe sky turns deathly pale\n\nWhile the moon is hidden in cloud.\n\nWhen I wield my gold-banded cudgel that’s the right length,\n\nIt strikes unseen\n\nAnd leaves no trace behind.\n\nWhat do I care about big or little monsters,\n\nHowever rough or vicious they may be?\n\nOnce I go for them\n\nThey may run away, nimble about, hide or panic.\n\nWhenever I grab one\n\nThey’ll be filed down, cooked, ground to bits or pulverized in a mortar.\n\nI’m like one of the eight immortals crossing the sea,\n\nEach of whom gives a unique display of his magical powers.\n\nLamas, I’ll catch that evil spirit and show it to you:\n\nThen you’ll know what sort of person this Monkey is.”\n\nWhen the lamas heard this they nodded and said quietly, “From the way this damned baldy is shooting his mouth off and talking big there must be something behind it all.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They all made polite noises of respectful assent except for the older lama who said, “Wait. Your master is ill, and catching the evil spirit is not as important as that. As the saying goes,\n\nWhen a young gentleman goes to a feast\n\nHe either gets drunk or eats till he’s filled.\n\nWhen a strong warrior goes into battle\n\nHe either is wounded or gets himself killed.\n\nIf you two fight it out here you may well get your master into trouble too. It’s not a sound idea.”\n\n“You’re right,” said Monkey, “you’re right. I’ll take my master a drink of cold water and be right back.” Picking up the begging bowl he filled it with cold water, went out of the monastery kitchen and back to the abbot’s lodgings and called, “Master, cold water for you.” Sanzang, who was just then suffering torments of thirst, raised his head, held the bowl with both hands, and took only one sip of the water. It really was a case of\n\nA drop when you’re thirsty is just like sweet dew;\n\nGet the right medicine and you’ll feel good as new."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing the venerable elder gradually recovering his spirits and looking less worried Monkey asked, “Could you manage some soup and other food, Master?”\n\n“That cold water was a magical cure,” Sanzang replied. “I have already half recovered from my illness. I would like some food if there is any.”\n\n“The master’s better,” Monkey shouted repeatedly at the top of his voice. “He wants some soup and other food.” He told the lamas to arrange some at once. They washed and boiled rice, made noodles, cooked pancakes, steamed breadrolls, and prepared vermicelli soup. Four or five tables of food were carried in, but the Tang Priest ate only half a bowl of rice gruel, while Monkey and Friar Sand managed only a tableful between them. Pig gobbled up the rest. The dishes were then taken out, the lamp was lit, and the lamas dispersed.\n\n“How long have we been here now?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Three whole days,” Monkey replied. “By tomorrow evening it will be four days.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We could have covered a lot of distance in three days,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“Never mind about the distance, Master,” said Monkey. “We’ll be on our way tomorrow.”\n\n“Yes,” said Sanzang, “even if I am still a little poorly there is nothing that can be done.”\n\n“If we’re setting out tomorrow let me catch the evil spirit tonight,” said Monkey.\n\n“What evil spirit?” Sanzang asked in astonishment. “There’s an evil spirit in this monastery that I’m going to catch for them,” Monkey replied.\n\n“But how can you be having ideas like that before I have even recovered from my illness?” Sanzang asked. “If that monster has magical powers and you fail to catch it, then it will kill me, won’t it?”\n\n“You’re always running people down,” Monkey replied. “Wherever we go I subdue evil creatures. Have you ever seen me come off second best? That could only happen if I did nothing. If I act I’m bound to win.”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, clutching him, “the saying is quite right that goes:\n\nDo people a good turn whenever you can;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Do people a good turn whenever you can;\n\nIf it is possible treat them with mercy.\n\nWorrying cannot compare with true kindness;\n\nBetter be patient than strive for supremacy.”\n\nIn the face of his master’s impassioned pleas and refusal to allow him to subdue the monster, Monkey could only speak frankly.\n\n“I’ll be honest with you, Master,” he said. “The evil spirit has been eating people here.”\n\n“Who has it eaten?” Sanzang asked with shock.\n\n“In the three days we’ve been here it’s eaten six of this monastery’s young lamas,” Monkey said, to which Sanzang replied:\n\n“Foxes will grieve at the death of the hare;\n\nCreatures will all for their own kind show care.\n\nAs it has eaten monks from this monastery and I am a monk too I will let you go, but do be careful.”\n\n“No need to tell me,” said Monkey, “I’ll wipe it out the moment I get my hands on it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Watch him as he tells Pig and Friar Sand in the lamplight to guard the master. When he leapt happily out of the abbot’s lodgings and went back to the Buddha Hall he looked and saw that though there were stars in the sky the moon had not yet risen and it was dark inside the hall. He breathed out some of his magic fire to light the glazed lamp then beat the drum that stood to the East and struck the bell to the West. That done, he shook himself and turned himself into a young lama of only eleven or twelve who was wearing a yellow silk shirt and a white cotton tunic, striking a wooden fish with his hand as he recited a sutra. He waited till the first watch without seeing anything happen. The waning moon rose only in the second watch. Then a roaring wind could be heard. It was a splendid wind:\n\nBlack mists cast the sky into darkness;\n\nGloomy clouds cover the earth with murk.\n\nInky black in every quarter,\n\nAll enveloped in indigo.\n\nAt first the wind raises dust and dirt;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At first the wind raises dust and dirt;\n\nThen it blows down trees and ravages woods.\n\nAmid the dust and dirt the stars still shine;\n\nWhen trees go down and woods are ravaged the moonlight is obscured.\n\nIt blows so hard the Moon Goddess holds tight to the sala tree\n\nAnd the Jade Hare hunts all around for the medicine dish.\n\nThe Nine Bright Shiner star lords shut their gates;\n\nThe dragon kings of the four seas close their doors.\n\nThe city god in his temple looks for the little devils;\n\nImmortals in the sky cannot ride their clouds.\n\nThe kings of the Underworld search for their horse-faced demons\n\nWhile the panicking judges get their turbans in a tangle.\n\nThe wind blows so hard it moves Mount Kunlun’s rocks,\n\nAnd churns up the waves on rivers and lakes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And churns up the waves on rivers and lakes.\n\nAs soon as the wind had passed by there was a fragrance of musk and incense and the tinkling of pendants. When Monkey looked up he saw that a woman of great beauty was going towards the Buddha Hall. Monkey mumbled the words of a sutra for all he was worth. The woman went up to him, put her arms around him and asked, “What’s that sutra you’re reciting?”\n\n“One I vowed to,” said Monkey.\n\n“But why are you still reciting it when the others are all asleep?” she insisted.\n\n“I vowed to, so why shouldn’t I?” Monkey replied.\n\nKeeping a tight hold on him, the woman kissed his lips and said, “Let’s go round the back for a bit of fun.” Monkey deliberately turned his head aside as he replied, “Stop being so naughty.”\n\n“Do you know how to tell people’s fortunes from their faces?” the woman asked.\n\n“I know a bit about it,” Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I know a bit about it,” Monkey replied.\n\n“What can you tell about me?” she continued. “You look to me rather like someone who’s been driven out by her parents-in-law for carrying on with strangers.”\n\n“You’re wrong,” she replied, “you’re wrong.\n\nI have not been driven out by my parents-in-law,\n\nNor have I carried on with strangers.\n\nBecause of my ill fate in an earlier life\n\nI was married to a husband who is much too young\n\nAnd can’t do his staff in the candlelit bedroom:\n\nThat is the reason why I have left my husband.\n\nAs the stars and moon are so bright tonight and we are fated to come hundreds of miles to meet each other, let’s go round to the garden at the back to make love.”\n\nWhen Brother Monkey heard this he nodded to himself and thought, “So those stupid lamas all died because they were led astray by lust. Now she’s trying to lure me. Lady,” he said in reply, “I’m a monk and still very young. I don’t know anything about love-making.”\n\n“Come with me and I’ll teach you,” the woman replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All right then,” Monkey thought with an inward smile, “I’ll go with her and see how she fixes things.”\n\nShoulder nestling against shoulder and hand in hand the two of them left the Buddha Hall and went straight to the garden at the back. Here the monster tripped Monkey over and sent him to the ground. With wild calls of “My darling!” she made a grab for his crotch.\n\n“So you really want to eat me up, my girl,” he said, seizing her hand and throwing her off balance so that she somersaulted to the ground.\n\n“So you can throw your sweetie to the ground, can you, my darling?” she said.\n\n“If I don’t take this chance to finish her off what am I waiting for?” he thought. “As they say, hit first and win, strike second and lose.” He leaned forward with his hands on his hips, sprang to his feet and reverted to his own form. With a swing of his gold-banded iron cudgel he struck at the monster’s head."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In her astonishment she thought, “What a terror this young monk is.” When she opened her eyes wide for a better look she realized that he was the Tang Priest’s disciple Monkey, but she was not afraid of him. What sort of evil spirit was she, you may wonder.\n\nA golden nose,\n\nSnowy white fur.\n\nShe makes her home in a tunnel,\n\nWhere she is thoroughly safe.\n\nThree hundred years ago, after training her vital forces,\n\nShe paid several visits to the Vulture Peak,\n\nCarrying a full load of flowers and wax candles.\n\nTathagata sent her down from Heaven.\n\nShe was a beloved daughter to the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King;\n\nPrince Nezha treated her as his own sister.\n\nShe was no bird that fills up the sea,\n\nNor was she a tortoise carrying mountains on its back.\n\nShe did not fear Lei Huan’s swords\n\nNor was she afraid of Lu Qian’s blade.\n\nShe came and went\n\nFlowing like the mighty Han and Yangtse;\n\nMoved up and down,\n\nEven up a peak as high as Mounts Taishan and Heng.\n\nSeeing the charming beauty of her face"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing the charming beauty of her face\n\nYou would never know she was a mouse-spirit with great powers.\n\nIn the pride in her enormous magic powers she held up a pair of swords that rang out as she parried to left and right, moving East and West. Although Monkey was rather stronger he could not overpower her. Then magic winds arose on all sides, dimming the waning moon. It was fine battle they fought in the garden at the back:\n\nEvil winds blew from the ground;\n\nDim was the light of the waning moon.\n\nDeserted was the hall of the Brahma Kings,\n\nAnd the devils’ cloister could not be clearly seen.\n\nThe back garden saw a battle Between the warrior Sun,\n\nA sage in Heaven, And the furry girl,\n\nA queen among women,\n\nBoth competing in magical powers and refusing to submit.\n\nOne turned her heart in anger from the dark-skinned baldy;\n\nThe other glared with his all-seeing eyes at the finely dressed woman.\n\nWith swords in her hands,\n\nShe is no female Bodhisattva.\n\nThe blows of the cudgel"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The blows of the cudgel\n\nWere as fierce as a living vajrapani’s.\n\nThe resounding golden band flashed like lightning;\n\nFor an instant the iron shone white as a star.\n\nIn fine buildings they grabbed at the precious jade;\n\nIn golden halls the mandarin duck figurines were smashed.\n\nAs the apes howled the moon seemed small;\n\nVast was the sky as wild geese called.\n\nThe eighteen arhats\n\nApplauded in secret;\n\nEach of the thirty-two devas\n\nWas struck with panic.\n\nThe Great Sage Monkey was in such high spirits that his cudgel never missed. Realizing that she was no match for him, the evil spirit frowned suddenly and thought of a plan as she extricated herself and made off.\n\n“Where do you think you’re going, you baggage?” Monkey shouted. “Surrender at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit paid no attention and fled. When she was hard-pressed by Monkey’s pursuit she took the embroidered shoe off her left foot, blew on it with a magic breath, said the words of a spell, called out, “Change!” and turned it into a likeness of herself that came back at him waving a pair of swords. Meanwhile she turned her real body with a shake into a pure breeze and went.\n\nThis was Sanzang’s star of disaster. She headed straight for the abbot’s quarters, lifted Sanzang up into a cloud, and, on the instant, before anyone could see anything, she was back at Mount Pitfall and inside the Bottomless Cave, where she told her underlings to prepare a vegetarian marriage feast."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story switches back to Brother Monkey, who fought with desperate anxiety until he was able to seize an opening and smash the evil spirit to the ground with a single blow, only to find that she was in fact an embroidered shoe. Realizing that he had fallen for a trick he went straight back to see the master. But was the master there? There were only the idiot and Friar Sand muttering together. His chest bursting with fury, Monkey put all thought of what he ought to do out of his head and raised his cudgel to lay about him.\n\n“I’ll kill the pair of you,” he shouted, “I’ll kill the pair of you.”\n\nThe idiot was desperate, but there was no way for him to escape. Friar Sand, however, as a general from the magic mountain who had seen a great deal, adopted a very mild and conciliatory approach when he stepped forward, knelt down and said, “Elder brother, I understand. I’m sure that after you’ve killed us two you intend to go straight back home instead of rescuing the master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I’ve killed you two I’m going to rescue him myself,” Monkey retorted.\n\n“How can you say that?” replied Friar Sand with a smile. “Without us two it would be a case of\n\nYou can’t spin a thread from only one strand\n\nOr clap with the palm of a single hand.\n\nWho’d look after the luggage or the horse for you? We’d do much better to forget our differences and fight side by side like Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya than to have a battle of wits like Sun Bin and Pang Juan. As the old saying goes,\n\nTo kill a tiger you need your brothers’ help;\n\nHave fathers and sons fight together in battle.\n\nI hope you will spare us, brother, so that tomorrow morning we can all work together with a single mind in our search for the master.” Although his magical powers were tremendous Monkey knew what was right and needed at the time, so that Friar Sand’s entreaties made him change his mind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Get up, Pig and Friar Sand,” he said. “But when we hunt for the master tomorrow you’ll have to make a real effort.” The idiot was so grateful at being let off that he would gladly have promised Monkey half the sky.\n\n“Brother,” Friar Sand said, “leave it all to me.” The three brother disciples were so anxious that none of them could sleep. They wished they could make the sun rise in the East with a nod of the head and blow all the stars out of the sky with a single breath.\n\nAfter sitting there till dawn the three of them packed up and were about to get out, only to find the gateway barred by one of the lamas, who asked, “Where are you going, gentlemen?”\n\n“This is most embarrassing,” Monkey replied with a smile. “Yesterday I boasted to all the monks that I’d capture the evil spirit for them. So far from me capturing her she’s made my master disappear. We’re off to look for him.”\n\n“My lord,” said the lamas with horror, “our trivial problem has got your master involved. Where will you look for him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I know where I’ll look,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Even though you’re going please don’t be in such a hurry,” said the lamas. “Have some breakfast first.” Two or three bowls of hot gruel were brought in that Pig cleaned up with great gusto.\n\n“What fine monks,” he said. “When we’ve found the master we’ll come back here to see you again.”\n\n“What you mean is come back to eat their food,” said Monkey. “Go and see if the girl is still in the devarajas’ hall.”\n\n“She’s gone, my lord,” the lamas said, “she’s gone. She has spent only one night there and is gone the next morning.” Monkey cheerfully took his leave of the lamas and made Pig and Friar Sand lead the horse and carry the luggage as they headed back East.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “you’re wrong. Why are we going East?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t know,” said Monkey. “That girl who was tied up in the Black Pine Forest the other day—I saw through her with my fiery eyes and golden pupils, but you all thought she was a good person. And now it’s her who’s eaten the monks and her who’s carried the master off. You all did a fine thing rescuing that ‘lady Bodhisattva’. As she’s carried the master off we’re going back the way we came to look for her.”\n\n“Good, good,” sighed the other two with admiration. “You’re much cleverer than you look. Let’s go.”\n\nThe three of them hurried back into the forest, where this was what could be seen:\n\nPiles of cloud,\n\nHeavy mists,\n\nMany a layer of rock,\n\nA twisting path.\n\nThe tracks of foxes and hares cross each other;\n\nTiger, leopard, jackal and wolf move in and out of the undergrowth.\n\nWith no sign of a monster to be seen in the wood\n\nThey do not know where Sanzang might be found."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They do not know where Sanzang might be found.\n\nIn his anxiety Monkey pulled out his cudgel, shook himself and made himself look as he had when he made great havoc in Heaven, with three heads, six arms and six hands wielding three cudgels. With these he lashed out furiously and noisily among the trees.\n\n“Friar Sand,” said Pig when he saw this, “not finding the master has made him go off his head.” In fact Monkey had beat a way through the trees and flushed out two old men—the mountain god and the local deity—who went up to him, knelt down and said, “Great Sage, the god of this mountain and the local deity pay their respects.”\n\n“That rod certainly gets results,” said Pig. “He clears a path with it and flushes out the mountain god and the local deity. If he cleared another path he’d even flush out an evil star.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Mountain god, local deity,” said Monkey, “you’re a disgrace. You’re hand in glove with the bandits here. When they make a good haul they buy pigs and sheep to sacrifice to you. On top of that you’re accomplices of the evil spirit. You helped her kidnap my master and bring him here. Where’s he being hidden? If you want to be spared a beating tell me the truth right now.”\n\n“Great Sage,” the two gods said with alarm, “you are misjudging us. The evil spirit doesn’t live on our mountain or come within our jurisdiction. But when the wind blows at night we have heard a thing or two about her.”\n\n“Tell me everything you know,” said Monkey.\n\n“The evil spirit carried your master off to a place over three hundred miles due South of here,” the local deity replied. “There’s a mountain there called Mount Pitfall with a cave in it called the Bottomless Cave. He was taken there by a disguised evil spirit from that cave.” This news gave Monkey a shock that he did not reveal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Shouting at the mountain god and the local deity to dismiss them he put his magical appearance away, turned back into himself and said to Pig and Friar Sand, “The master’s a long way from here.”\n\n“If it’s a long way let’s go there by cloud,” Pig replied.\n\nThe splendid idiot went ahead on a wild wind followed by Friar Sand on a cloud. As the white horse had originally been a dragon’s son he too came by wind and mist as he carried the luggage on his back. The Great Sage set off by somersault as he headed due South, and before long a high mountain came into view that was blocking the way for the clouds.\n\nThe three of them took hold of the horse and stopped their clouds. This is what the mountain looked like:\n\nThe summit touched the azure sky,\n\nIts peaks joined with the blue of the heavens.\n\nTrees by the million grew on every side,\n\nWhile flying birds sung noisily all around.\n\nTigers and leopards moved in packs,\n\nWater deer and roebuck walked through the bushes."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the Southern slopes rare flowers bloomed fragrant;\n\nOn the Northern side the snow never melted.\n\nSteep and craggy were its ridges,\n\nSheer were its overhangs and rockfaces.\n\nPinnacles shot straight up\n\nAnd deep ravines curved all around.\n\nIt was dark green among the pines,\n\nAnd the rocks were jagged.\n\nIt struck fear into the traveler’s heart.\n\nNo sign could be seen of woodcutters,\n\nAnd the immortal boys picking herbs had vanished.\n\nThe tigers and leopards here could make mists,\n\nAnd all the foxes set winds roaring.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “this mountain’s so high and sheer there must be evil on it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Goes without saying,” Monkey replied. “High mountains all have monsters; there’s never a steep ridge without spirits. Friar Sand,” he called, “you and I are going to stay here while we send Pig into the mountain hollows to look around and find out the best way for us to take. If there really is a cave palace he must discover where the entrance is. Find everything out so that we can go in together to find the master and rescue him.”\n\n“Just my lousy luck,” said Pig, “having to go first and take the brunt.”\n\n“Last night you said we could leave it all to you,” Monkey replied, “so why are you trying to get out of it now?”\n\n“Stop shouting at me,” Pig said. “I’m going.” The idiot put down his rake, tugged at his clothes and leapt empty-handed down from the mountain to find the path.\n\nIf you don’t know whether this departure was to be for good or ill listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty-Two\n\nThe Girl Seeks the Male\n\nThe Primal Deity Guards the Way"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Primal Deity Guards the Way\n\nThe story tells how Pig leapt down the mountainside and found a narrow path. After following it for nearly two miles he came across two she-monsters drawing water from a well. How did he know that they both were monsters? Each of them had on her head an extremely unfashionable hair-style held up by bamboo slivers that stood one foot two or three inches high.\n\n“Evil monsters,” Pig called, going up to them.\n\nThe two of them looked at each other and said. “What an outrageous monk. We don’t know him and we’ve never had words with him. So why did he call us evil monsters?” In their fury the monsters raised the pole with which they were going to carry the water and struck at Pig’s head.\n\nAfter a few blows that he could not ward off as he was unarmed, the idiot rushed back up the mountain with his head covered by both hands shouting, “Brother! Go back! The monsters are vicious.”\n\n“What’s so vicious about them?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What’s so vicious about them?” Monkey asked.\n\n“There were two evil spirits drawing water from the well in the hollow,” said Pig, “and they hit me three or four times with their carrying-pole just because I spoke to them.”\n\n“What did you call them?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Evil monsters,” Pig replied.\n\n“You got off lightly then,” laughed Monkey.\n\n“I’m most obliged for your concern,” replied Pig. “My head has swollen up where they hit it, and you tell me I’ve got off lightly.”\n\n“Soft words will get you anywhere on earth; act rough and you won’t move a single step,” replied Monkey. “As they’re local fiends from round here and we’re monks from far away you’d have had to be a bit polite even if you’d had fists growing all over your body. Do you think they should have hit me instead of you? You were the one who called them evil monsters. Courtesy first!”\n\n“I never realized,” said Pig.\n\n“Living on human flesh in the mountains since childhood as you have,” said Monkey, “can you recognize two kinds of tree?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I don’t know,” Pig said. “Which two trees?”\n\n“The willow and the sandalwood,” Monkey replied. “The willow has a very soft nature, so that craftsmen can carve it into holy images or make statues of the Tathagata out of it. It’s gilded, painted, set with jewels, decorated with flowers, and many worshippers burn incense to it. It receives unbounded blessings. But the sandalwood is so hard that it’s used as the pressing-beam in the oil-press with iron hoops round its head, and it’s hit with iron hammers too. The only reason it suffers like this is because it’s to hard.”\n\n“You should have told me all this before,” said Pig, “then I wouldn’t have been beaten.”\n\n“Now go back and find out the truth,” said Brother Monkey.\n\n“But if I go there again they’ll recognize me,” Pig replied.\n\n“Then turn into something else,” said Monkey.\n\n“But even if I do turn into something else, brother, how am I to question them?” asked Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When you look different go up to them and bow to them,” Monkey replied. “See how old they are. If they’re about the same age as us call them ‘Miss,’ and if they’re a lot older call them ‘Lady.’”\n\n“What a terrible climb-down: why should we be treating them as our relations when they’re strangers from this far away?” said Pig.\n\n“That’s not treating them as relations,” replied Monkey. “Its just a way of getting the truth out of them. If they’re the ones who’ve got our master we’ll be able to act; and if it isn’t them we won’t lose any time before going to fight elsewhere.”\n\n“You’re right,” said Pig. “I’m going back.”\n\nThe splendid idiot tucked his rake in his belt, went down into the hollow, shook himself and turned into a far, dark-skinned monk. He swaggered as he went up to the monsters, chanted a loud “na-a-aw” of respect and said, “Respectful greetings, ladies.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This monk’s much better,” the two monsters said with delight. “He expresses his respects and knows how to address us properly.” Then they asked him, “Where are you from, venerable elder?”\n\n“From somewhere,” Pig replied.\n\n“And where are you going?” they asked.\n\n“Somewhere,” Pig replied.\n\n“What’s your name?” they asked.\n\n“What it is,” Pig replied again.\n\n“Better he may be,” the monsters said with a laugh, “but he won’t tell us about himself. He just echoes our questions.”\n\n“Ladies,” Pig asked, “why are you fetching water?”\n\n“You wouldn’t know, monk,” the demons replied with smiles. “Our lady brought a Tang Priest back to the cave last night and she wants to look after him well. As the water in our cave is none too clean she’s sent us two to fetch some of this good water produced by the mating of the Yin and the Yang. She’s laid on a vegetarian banquet as well for the Tang Priest; she’s going to marry him this evening.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as he heard this the idiot rushed straight back up the mountain shouting. “Friar Sand, bring the luggage here at once. We’re dividing it up.”\n\n“Why, brother?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“When we’ve divided it up you can go back to man-eating in the Flowing Sands River,” Pig replied, “I’ll return to Gao Village to see my wife, Big Brother can play the sage on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, and the white dragon can be a dragon in the ocean again. The master’s getting married in this evil spirits cave. Let’s all go and settle down.”\n\n“You’re talking nonsense again, you idiot,” replied Brother Monkey.\n\n“I bloody well am not,” Pig retorted. “Those two evil spirits who were carrying water said a moment ago that a vegetarian wedding feast is being laid on for the master.”\n\n“How can you say things like that when the evil spirits are holding the master prisoner in the cave and he’s longing for us to go in and rescue him?” said Monkey.\n\n“How can we rescue him?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How can we rescue him?” Pig asked.\n\n“You two bring the horse and the luggage, while we go with the two she-monsters as our guides,” Monkey replied. “When we reach the entrance we can act together.”\n\nThe idiot could only go with Monkey as he followed the two monsters for five or six miles deep into the mountains before suddenly disappearing. “So the master was captured by a devil in broad daylight,” exclaimed Pig with surprise.\n\n“You’ve got good eyesight,” said Monkey. “How can you possibly tell what they really were?”\n\n“Those two monsters were carrying the water along when suddenly they disappeared. They must be daytime devils.”\n\n“I think they went into a cave,” said Monkey. “Wait while I go to have a look.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage opened his fiery eyes with their golden pupils and scanned the whole mountain. He saw no movement, but did spot a ceremonial archway most intricately made with many flowers and colours, triple eaves and fourfold decorations in front of the cliff. Going closer with Pig and Friar Sand he saw four large words written on it:\n\nPITFALL MOUNTAIN: BOTTOMLESS CAVE\n\n“Brothers,” said Monkey, “here’s the evil spirits’ archway, but I still don’t know where the entrance is.”\n\n“Can’t be far,” said Friar Sand, “can’t be far. Let’s have a good look for it.” When they turned round to look they saw a great rock over three miles around at the foot of the mountain beneath the archway. In the middle of it was a hole the size of a water-vat, which had become very slippery by repeated climbing.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “that’s where the evil spirits go in and out of their cave.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s very strange,” said Monkey. “To be frank with the two of you, I’ve captured quite a few evil spirits since I started escorting the Tang Priest, but I’ve never seen a cave palace like this one before. Pig, you go down first and find out how deep it is. Then I’ll be able to go in and rescue the master.”\n\n“It’ll be hard,” said Pig with a shake of his head, “very hard. I’m very clumsy. If I tripped and fell in it might take me two or three years to reach the bottom.”\n\n“How deep is it then?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Look,” Pig replied, and as the Great Sage leant over the edge of the hole to take a careful look he saw to his astonishment that it was very deep indeed and must have measured over a hundred miles around.\n\n“It’s very, very deep, brother,” he turned round to say.\n\n“Go back then,” Pig replied. “The master’s beyond saving.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a thing to say!” Monkey retorted. “‘Have no thoughts of being lazy; put idleness out of your mind.’ Put the luggage down, and tether the horse to one of the legs of the archway. You and Friar Sand must block the entrance with your rake and staff while I go inside to explore. If the master really is inside I’ll drive the evil spirits out with my iron cudgel, and when they reach the entrance you mustn’t let them out. We’ll only be able to kill the evil spirits and rescue the master if we work together.” The other two accepted their orders.\n\nMonkey sprang into the hole, and under his feet tea thousand coloured clouds appeared, while a thousand layers of auspicious mist shielded him. He was soon at the bottom, which was a very long way down. Inside all was bright; there was the same sunshine, winds, flowers, fruit and trees as in the world above."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What a splendid place,” Monkey thought. “It reminds me of the Water Curtain Cave that Heaven gave me in the place where I was born. This is another cave paradise.” As he looked around he saw a gate-tower with double eaves around which grew many clumps of pine and bamboo. Inside were many buildings.\n\n“This must be where the evil spirit lives,” he thought. “I’ll go in and find out what’s up. No, wait. If I go in like this she’ll recognize me. I’d better transform myself.” With a shake and a hand-spell he turned himself into a fly and flew lightly up to land on the gate-tower and listen in. From here he saw the monster sitting at her ease in a thatched pavilion. She was dressed far more beautifully than she had been when they rescued her in the pine forest or when she had tried to catch Monkey in the monastery:\n\nHer hair was piled in a crow-black coiffure;\n\nShe wore a green velvet waistcoat.\n\nHer feet were a pair of curving golden lotuses;\n\nHer fingers were as delicate as bamboo shoots in spring."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Her powdered face was like a silver dish,\n\nAnd her red lips were as glossy as a cherry.\n\nShe was a regular beauty,\n\nEven more lovely than the lady on the moon.\n\nAfter capturing the pilgrim monk that morning\n\nShe was going to know the pleasure of sharing his bed.\n\nMonkey said nothing as he listened out for what she might say. Before long the cherry of her lips parted as she said with great pleasure, “Lay on a vegetarian feast, my little ones, and quick. My darling Tang Priest and I are going to be man and wife afterwards.”\n\n“So it’s true,” thought Brother Monkey, grinning to himself. “I thought Pig was just joking. I’d better fly in and find the master. I wonder what state of mind he’s in. If he’s been led astray I’m leaving him here.” When he spread his wings and flew inside to look he saw the Tang Priest sitting in a corridor behind a trellis covered with opaque red paper below and left clear above.\n\nButting a hole through the trellis paper Monkey landed on the Tang Priest’s bald head and called, “Master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Save me, disciple,” replied Sanzang, who recognized Monkey’s voice.\n\n“You’re useless, Master,” said Monkey. “The evil spirit is laying on a feast, and when you’ve eaten it you two are getting married. I expect you’ll have a son or a daughter to start another generation of monks and nuns. What have you got to be so upset about?”\n\nWhen the venerable elder heard this he gnashed his teeth and said, “Disciple, in all the time since I left Chang’an, accepted you as my follower at the Double Boundary Mountain and started my journey West, when have I ever eaten meat or had any wicked ideas? Now the evil spirit has captured me she is insisting that I mate with her. If I lose my true masculine essence may I fall from the wheel of reincarnation and be fixed for ever behind the Dark Mountains, never to rise again.”\n\n“No need to swear any oaths,” said Monkey with a grin. “If you really want to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven I’ll take you there.”\n\n“I can’t remember the way I came in,” Sanzang replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Never mind about forgetting,” said Monkey. “You won’t get out of here as easily as you came in, which was from the top downwards. If I save you now you’ll have to go from the bottom upwards. If you’re very lucky you’ll squeeze out through the entrance and get away. But if your luck’s out you won’t be able to squeeze through and sooner or later you’ll die of suffocation.”\n\n“This is terrible,” said Sanzang, the tears pouring from his eyes. “What are we to do?”\n\n“No problem,” said Monkey, “no problem. The evil spirit’s getting some wine prepared for you. You’ll have to drink a goblet of it whether you want to or not. But you must pour it out quickly so that it makes a lot of froth. Then I can turn myself into a tiny insect and fly under the bubbles. When she gulps me down into her belly I’ll tear her heart and liver to shreds and rip her guts apart. Once I’ve killed her you’ll be able to escape.”\n\n“But that would be an inhuman thing to do, disciple,” said Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If all you’re interested in is being kind you’re done for,” Monkey replied. “The evil spirit’s a murderess. What do you care so much about her for?”\n\n“Oh well,” said Sanzang, “never mind. But you will have to stay with me.” Indeed:\n\nThe Great Sage Sun guarded Tang Sanzang well;\n\nThe pilgrim priest depended on the Handsome Monkey King.\n\nMaster and disciple had not even finished their discussion when the evil spirit, who had arranged everything, came in along the corridor, unlocked the doors and called, “Reverend sir.” The Tang Priest dared not reply. She addressed him again, and again he dared not reply. Why was that? He was thinking that\n\nDivine energy is dispersed by an open mouth;\n\nTrouble starts when the tongue begins to move."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Trouble starts when the tongue begins to move.\n\nHe was thinking with all his heart that if he obstinately refused to open his mouth she might turn vicious and murder him in an instant. Just when he was feeling confused, wondering which difficult alternative to choose and asking himself what to do, the evil spirit addressed him as “Reverend sir” for the third time.\n\nThe Tang Priest had no choice but to answer, “Here I am, madam.” For him to give this reply was to make all the flesh fall off him. Now everybody says that the Tang Priest is a sincere monk, so how could he reply to the she-devil when he was on his way to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What you would not realize is that this was a crisis in which his very survival was at stake, that he had absolutely no alternative; and although he went through the form of replying he was free of desire inside. But when the evil spirit heard his reply she pushed the door open, helped the Tang Priest to his feet, held his hand, stood with her side pressed against his and whispered in his ear. Just look at her as she lays on the charm and makes herself alluring in every possible way. She did not realize that Sanzang was full of revulsion.\n\n“From the way she’s making herself so seductive,” Monkey thought with a wry grin to himself, “I’m worried that she might get the master interested.” Indeed:\n\nThe monk in demon trouble met a pretty girl;\n\nThe she-devil’s beauty was truly superb.\n\nHer slender jade eyebrows were like two willow leaves;\n\nHer round face was set off with peach blossom.\n\nEmbroidered shoes gave a sight of a pair of phoenixes;\n\nHer crow-black hair was piled high at the temples."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As smiling she led the master by his hand\n\nHis cassock was tinged with orchid and musk.\n\nHer arms around him, the she-devil took the master to a thatched pavilion and said, “Reverend sir, I’ve had a drink brought here to have with you.”\n\n“Lady,” said the Tang Priest, “as a monk I can take no impure food.”\n\n“I know,” the evil spirit replied. “As the water in the cave isn’t clean I’ve sent for some of the pure water from the mating of the Yin and the Yang up on the mountain, and had a banquet of fruit and vegetables prepared. After that you and I are going to have some fun.” When the Tang Priest went into the pavilion with her this is what could be seen:\n\nAll within the gates\n\nWas decked in silks and embroideries;\n\nThroughout the hall\n\nIncense rose from golden lion censers.\n\nBlack-painted inlaid tables were set in rows,\n\nOn which stood dark-lacquered bamboo dishes.\n\nOn the inlaid tables\n\nWere all kinds of delicacies;\n\nIn the bamboo dishes\n\nWere vegetarian delights:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the bamboo dishes\n\nWere vegetarian delights:\n\nCrab apples, olives, lotus seeds, grapes, torreya-nuts,\n\nhazelnuts, pine-nuts, lichees, longans, chestnuts, water caltrops, jujubes, persimmons, walnuts, gingko nuts, kumquats and oranges.\n\nThere was the fruit that grows on every hill,\n\nThe fresh vegetables of each season;\n\nBeancurd, wheat gluten, tree-ear fungus, fresh bamboo shoots, button mushrooms, gill fungus, yams, sealwort, agar, day lily fried in vegetable oil,\n\nHyacinth beans, cowpeas prepared with mature sauces.\n\nCucumbers, gourds, gingko, turnip greens.\n\nPeeled aubergines were cooked like quails;\n\nSeeded wax gourds\n\nTaro stewed tender and sprinkled with sugar,\n\nTurnips boiled in vinegar.\n\nPungent chili and ginger made it all delicious;\n\nAll the dishes were a balance of bland and salty."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Revealing the tips of her jade fingers she raised a dazzling golden goblet that she filled with fine wine. “Dearest reverend gentleman,” she said, handing it to him, “my darling, have a drink to celebrate our happy union.” Sanzang was covered with embarrassment as he took the wine.\n\nHe poured a libation into the air as he prayed silently, “Devas who guard the Dharma, Guardians of the Four Quarters and the Centre, Four Duty Gods: your disciple Chen Xuanzang has benefited from the secret protection of all you deities sent by the Bodhisattva Guanyin on my journey to pay my respects at the Thunder Monastery, see the Buddha and seek the scriptures. I have now been captured by an evil spirit on my way. She is forcing me to marry her and has now handed me this cup of wine to drink. If this really is pure wine I can force myself to drink it and still be able to succeed and see the Buddha. But if it is impure wine I will be breaking my vows and fall for ever into the bitterness of the wheel of rebirth.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage Sun made himself tiny and was like a secret informant behind his master’s ear. When he spoke Sanzang was the only one who could hear him. Knowing that his master was normally fond of the pure wine of grapes he told him to drain the goblet. Sanzang had no choice but to do so, quickly refill the goblet and hand it back to the evil spirit. As he filled it bubbles of happiness formed on the surface of the wine. Brother Monkey turned himself into the tiniest of insects and flew lightly under the bubbles. But when the spirit took the goblet she put it down instead of drinking from it, bowed twice to the Tang Priest and spoke loving words to him with charming bashfulness. By the time she lifted the cup the bubbles had burst and the insect was revealed. Not realizing that it was Monkey transformed the evil spirit took it for a real insect, lifted it out with her little finger and flicked it away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that as things were not going as he intended he would be unable to get into her belly Monkey turned himself into a hungry eagle.\n\nIndeed:\n\nJade claws, gold eyes and iron wings;\n\nIn terrible might he rose above the clouds.\n\nCunning hares and foxes felt faint at just the sight,\n\nAnd hid among mountains and rivers for hundred of miles around.\n\nWhen hungry it chased small birds into the wind,\n\nAnd rose to the gate of heaven when replete.\n\nMurderous were its talons of steel;\n\nIn times of triumph it stayed aloof in the clouds.\n\nMonkey flew up, swung his jade claws, and noisily overturned the tables, smashing all the fruit, vegetables and crockery, and leaving the Tang Priest alone there as he flew off. This was so terrifying that the she-devil’s heart and gall were split open, and the Tang Priest’s flesh and bones were turned crisp. Shivering and shaking, the evil spirit threw her arms round the Tang Priest and said, “Dearest reverend gentleman, wherever did that come from?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I don’t know,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“I went to a great deal of trouble to arrange this vegetarian feast for you,” the she-devil said. “Goodness only knows where that feathered brute flew in from and smashed our crockery.”\n\n“Smashing the crockery doesn’t really matter,” the junior demons said, “but all the food has been spilt on the floor. It’s too dirty to eat now.” Sanzang by now realized that this was all the result of Monkey’s magic, but he dared not say so.\n\n“Little ones,” said the she-devil, “I realize now. It must be heaven and earth that sent that thing down here because they can’t tolerate my holding the Tang Priest prisoner. Clear all the broken dishes up and lay on another banquet. Never mind whether it’s vegetarian or not. Heaven can be our matchmaker and the earth our guarantor. After that the Tang Priest and I will become man and wife.” We will say no more of her as she took the Tang Priest to sit in the East corridor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Instead the story tells of how Monkey flew out, turned back into himself, reached the entrance to the cave and shouted, “Open up!”\n\n“Friar Sand,” Pig shouted, “our big brother’s here.” As the two of them drew their weapons away Monkey sprang out.\n\n“Is there an evil spirit in there?” Pig asked, grabbing hold of him. “Is the master in there?”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Monkey.\n\n“The master must be having a hard time in there,” said Pig. “Are his arms tied behind his back? Or is he all roped up? Is she going to steam him or boil him?”\n\n“None of them,” Monkey replied. “She’d just had a vegetarian feast served and was going to do it with him.”\n\n“So you’ve been lucky then,” said Pig. “You must have drunk a wedding toast.”\n\n“Idiot!” retorted Monkey, “Never mind about having a wedding drink. I can hardly keep him alive.”\n\n“Then why are you here?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Then why are you here?” Pig asked.\n\nMonkey told how he had seen the master and done his transformations, ending, “Don’t let your fears run away with you, brothers. The master’s here, and when I go back in this time I’ll definitely rescue him.”\n\nGoing back inside, Monkey turned into a fly and landed on the gate-tower to listen. He could hear the she-devil snorting with fury as she gave instructions within the pavilion.\n\n“Little ones, bring whatever there is, vegetarian or not, and burn paper as offerings to the deities. I’ll ask heaven and earth to be the matchmakers. I’m definitely going to marry him.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he smiled to himself and thought, “That she-devil’s completely shameless. She’s locked a monk up in her home and now she’s going to mess around with him in broad daylight. But don’t be in too much of a hurry. Give me time to go in and have a look round.” With a buzz he flew along the corridor to see the master sitting inside, tears streaming down his face."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey squeezed in, landed on Sanzang’s head and called, “Master.” Recognizing the voice, Sanzang sprang to his feet and said with tooth-gnashing fury, “Macaque! Other people get their courage from a big gall, but they have to wrap their bodies around it. Your gall is so big that you wrap it round your body. You used your magical powers of transformation to smash the crockery, but what use is that? By fighting that she-devil you’ve only made her more sex-crazed than ever. She is arranging a banquet with vegetarian and impure food all mixed up and is determined to mate with me. Where will this all end?”\n\nSmiling to himself again, Monkey replied, “Don’t be angry with me, Master. I’ve got a way to save you.”\n\n“How will you save me?” the Tang Priest asked.\n\n“When I flew up just now,” said Monkey, “I saw that she has a garden behind here. You must lure her into the garden to fool around and I’ll rescue you from there.”\n\n“How will you rescue me from the garden?” the Tang Priest asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Go to the peach trees in the garden with her and stay there. Wait till I’ve flown to a branch of the peach tree and turned into a red peach. When you want to eat a peach pick the red one first—that will be me. She’ll be bound to pick one too. You must insist on giving her the red one. Once she’s swallowed it I’ll be in her stomach. When I tear her stomach to pieces and rip her guts to shreds she’ll be dead and you’ll be freed.”\n\n“With your powers you ought to fight her,” said Sanzang. “Why do you want to get into her stomach?”\n\n“You don’t understand, Master,” Monkey replied. “If it were easy to get in and out of this cave of hers I would be able to fight her. But this place is very hard to get into or out of: the way out is complicated and difficult. If I started a fight with her all the fiends in her den, young and old, would overpower me. Then how would it end? We must act carefully if we’re all to make a clean getaway.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang nodded, believing all that Monkey said, adding only, “You must stay with me.”\n\n“I know,” said monkey, “I know. I’ll be on your head.”\n\nWhen master and disciple had settled their plan Sanzang leaned forward, took hold of the bars in the corridor’s gates and called out, “Lady, lady.”\n\nAs soon as she heard this the evil spirit came rushing over, a simpering smile on her face, to ask, “What do you have to say to me, my wonderful darling?”\n\n“Lady,” replied Sanzang, “ever since leaving Chang’an and starting on my journey to the West I have had to cross mountains and rivers every single day. When I was staying in the Zhenhai Monastery last night I caught a bad chill and I have been in a sweat today. I was just beginning to feel a little better today when in your kindness, good lady, you brought me into your immortals’ palace. As I have been sitting here all day I am now feeling in rather low spirits again. Could you take me somewhere to cheer myself up and have a little fun?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit was utterly delighted. “So you’re feeling a bit interested, are you, my wonderful darling?” she said. “You and I will go into the garden for some fun. Little ones,” she called, “fetch the key, open the garden gates, and sweep the paths in the garden.” The demons all hurried off to open the gates and tidy the place up.\n\nMeanwhile the evil spirit was opening the screen and helping the Tang Priest out. Just watch the many young demons—all willowy beauties with oiled hair and powdered faces—crowding around the Tang Priest as they head for the garden. What a splendid monk he was, walking amid these beauties in their gauze and brocade for no other purpose than to be deaf and dumb. If instead of having an iron heart set on the Buddha he had been any ordinary man susceptible to wine and women he would never have succeeded in fetching the scriptures."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they reached the entrance to the garden the evil spirit whispered seductively, “My wonderful darling, let’s have some fun here—it’ll cheer you up.” They went into the garden hand in hand, and when he looked up he saw that it was indeed a splendid place. This is what could be seen:\n\nAll over the winding paths\n\nBluish lichens grow.\n\nSecluded gauze windows\n\nKept dark by embroidered curtains.\n\nWhen the breeze arises\n\nSilks and brocades float in the air.\n\nWhen the gentle rain stops falling\n\nThe smooth white skin and jade-like flesh are revealed.\n\nThe sun-scorched apricot\n\nIs red as an immortal’s rainbow clothes spread out to dry;\n\nThe plantain in the moonlight\n\nIs bluer than Lady Taizhen waving her feather fan.\n\nWhitewashed walls enclose\n\nThe golden orioles that sing in ten thousand willows.\n\nWithin the empty halls\n\nButterflies flit among begonias in the courtyard.\n\nLook at the Hall of Crystallized Perfumes,\n\nThe Green Moth Hall,\n\nThe Hall to Recover from Drunkenness,\n\nThe Hall of Longing,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Hall of Longing,\n\nRolling up the brilliance, one behind the other.\n\nOn the red curtains\n\nHooks hold tassels like prawn whiskers.\n\nNow look at the Pavilion to Ease Pain\n\nThe Pavilion of Simplicity,\n\nThe Pavilion of Thrushes,\n\nThe Four Rains Pavilion,\n\nAll towering and lofty,\n\nAnd bearing on decorated tablets\n\nTheir names in archaic script.\n\nLook too at the Pool Where Cranes Bathe,\n\nThe Goblet-washing Pool,\n\nThe Pool of Delight in the Moon,\n\nThe Pool for Cleansing Tassels,\n\nWhere amid duckweed and algae the gold scales shine.\n\nThen there is the Kiosk of Ink Flowers,\n\nThe Kiosk of Strange Boxes,\n\nThe Interesting Kiosk,\n\nThe Kiosk for Admiring the Clouds\n\nWhere bubbles like green ants float on the wine in jade ladles and goblets.\n\nAround the pools and pavilions\n\nStand rocks from Lake Taihu,\n\nRocks of purple crystal,\n\nYingluo rocks,\n\nJin River rocks,\n\nGreenish and overgrown with tiger-whisker rushes.\n\nEast and West of the kiosks and balls are found\n\nA Wooden Mountain,\n\nA Turquoise Screen Mountain,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A Wooden Mountain,\n\nA Turquoise Screen Mountain,\n\nA Howling Wind Mountain,\n\nA Jade Mushroom Mountain,\n\nAll covered in phoenix-tail bamboo.\n\nTrellises of briar roses,\n\nAnd garden roses,\n\nGrowing by a swing,\n\nAs a curtain of silk and brocade.\n\nA Pine Pavilion,\n\nA Magnolia Pavilion,\n\nOpposite a Saussurea Pavilion,\n\nForming a wall of jade with embroidered hangings.\n\nHerbaceous and tree peonies are rivals in luxuriance;\n\nThe night-closing magnolias and the jasmine\n\nAre charming every year.\n\nMoist with dewdrops are the purple buds:\n\nThey ought to be painted or drawn.\n\nThe red hibiscus fills the sky with flaming splendor,\n\nA marvellous subject for poetry.\n\nWhen it comes to fine scenery\n\nThis makes Lang Garden or Penglai not worth a mention;\n\nAnd as for the flowers,\n\nThe finest peonies of Luoyang count for nothing beside them.\n\nIn the battle of the blossoms late in the spring\n\nThe garden lacks only the flowers of jade."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The garden lacks only the flowers of jade.\n\nThe venerable elder led the she-devil by the hand as they strolled in the garden, admiring the endless displays of rare and exotic blooms. As they went through many a hall and pavilion he really did seem to be going into an exquisite place. Looking up, he realized that he was by the peach grove. Monkey pinched his master’s head to remind him.\n\nFlying to a branch of a peach tree Brother Monkey shook himself and turned into a red peach, and a most fetchingly red one at that. “Lady,” the venerable elder said to the evil spirit, “what beautifully scented flowers\n\nand ripe fruit you have in this garden.\n\nThe blooms are so fragrant bees vie for their nectar;\n\nThe birds all compete for the fruit on the branches.\n\nWhy are some of the peaches on the trees red and some green?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If there were no Yin and Yang in the heavens the sun and moon would not be bright,” the evil spirit replied with a smile. “If there were no Yin and Yang in the earth the plants and trees would not grow. And if there were no Yin and Yang among people there would be no sexual difference. The peaches on the Southern Yang side of these trees are red because they ripen first in the sun’s heat. The peaches on the Northern Yin side are green because they get no sun and are still unripe. It’s all because of the Yin and the Yang.”\n\n“Thank you, lady, for your explanation,” Sanzang replied. “I did not know that.” He then reached out and picked a red peach, while the evil spirit also picked a green one.\n\nSanzang bowed as he handed the red one respectfully to the evil spirit with the words, “Lady, you love what is attractive, so won’t you take this red peach and give me the green one?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The she-devil made the exchange, thinking with concealed delight, “What a nice monk. He really is a good man. He is being so loving to me even before we’re man and wife.” With great pleasure she paid him her affectionate respects. As the Tang Priest started to eat the green peach at once the evil spirit was delighted to do likewise, opening her mouth to bite into the red one. When she parted her red lips and revealed her silver teeth the impatient Monkey did not give her time to bite him but rolled straight down her throat into her stomach.\n\n“Reverend gentleman,” the terrified evil spirit said, “that peach is a terror. Why did it roll straight down and not let me bite it?”\n\n“Lady,” Sanzang replied, “the first ripe fruits of a garden are very delicious. That is why it went down so fast.”\n\n“But it shot straight down before I’d had time to spit the stone out,” the evil spirit replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Because you are such a lover of what is fine and beautiful and enjoyed it so much,” said Sanzang, “you swallowed it before you could bring the stone out.”\n\nOnce inside her stomach Monkey turned back into himself. “Master,” he called, “no need to argue with her now. I’ve succeeded.”\n\n“Don’t be too hard on her, disciple,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“Who are you talking to?” the evil spirit asked when she heard this. “I am talking to my disciple Sun Wukong,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“Where is he?” the evil spirit asked.\n\n“In your stomach,” Sanzang replied. “He was the red peach you have just eaten.”\n\n“That’s the end of me,” exclaimed the evil spirit in horror. “If that ape’s got into my stomach I’m dead. Sun the Novice, why did you go to such lengths to get into my stomach?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No particular reason,” replied Monkey from inside her. “I just wanted to eat the six leaves of your liver and your lungs, and your heart with its three hairs and seven apertures. I’m going to clean your insides right out and leave you a skeleton spirit.”\n\nThis sent the evil spirit’s souls scattering in terror and shivering and shaking she clung tightly to the Tang Priest and said, “Reverend gentleman, I had thought that\n\nOur destinies were from former lives joined by a red thread;\n\nOur love was as close as the water and the fish.\n\nI never imagined that we lovebirds would be parted\n\nOr that the phoenixes would fly to East and West.\n\nWhen the waters rose under Lan Bridge the rendezvous failed;\n\nThe meeting came to nothing in the misty temple.\n\nAfter brief joy we are parted once more;\n\nIn whatever year will I meet you again?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In whatever year will I meet you again?”\n\nWhen Monkey heard all this from inside her stomach he was afraid that the venerable elder would have another attack of benevolence and let her talk her way out of the problem. Thereupon he started to wield fist and foot, striking out in martial postures and leveling everything around him. He punched her stomach almost to ribbons. Unable to bear the pain, the evil spirit collapsed in the dust, not daring to utter a single word for some time. As she was not speaking Monkey imagined that she must be dead and eased off."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She then recovered her breath to some extent and called out, “Where are you, little ones?” Now once in the garden, the creatures had all had the understanding to go off picking flowers, playing in the grass and amusing themselves, leaving the she-devil alone with the Tang Priest for a romantic conversation. As soon as they heard her calling they rushed over to see the evil spirit lying on the ground, her face a terrible color as she groaned, unable to move.\n\nThey hurriedly helped her up, crowding round and asking, “What’s wrong, madam? Have you had a heart attack?”\n\n“No, no,” the evil spirit replied. “Don’t ask any questions. I’ve got someone inside me. Take the monk outside if you want to save my life.”\n\nThe junior devils actually did start to carry the Tang Priest, at which Monkey yelled from inside her belly, “Don’t any of you dare carry him. You must take my master out yourself. I’ll only spare your life when you’ve carried him outside.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This left the evil spirit with no choice as all she cared about was saving her skin. At once she struggled to her feet, lifted the Tang Priest on her back and headed outside, followed by the junior devils asking, “Where are you going, Madam?”\n\nTo this the evil spirit replied,\n\n“‘As long as the lakes and the bright moon remain\n\nI’ll surely find somewhere to put my golden hook.’\n\nOnce I’ve taken this wretch outside I’ll find myself another man.”\n\nThe splendid evil spirit went straight by cloud to the mouth of the cave, where the clang of weapons and wild shouts could be heard.\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “why can I hear weapons outside?”\n\n“It’s Pig rubbing his rake,” replied Monkey. “Give him a shout.”\n\n“Bajie,” Sanzang shouted.\n\n“Friar Sand,” said Pig when he heard this, “the master’s out.” The two of them drew back their rake and staff, letting the evil spirit carry the Tang Priest out. Indeed:\n\nThe Mind Ape had subdued a monster from the inside;\n\nThe Earth and Wood door guards welcomed the holy monk."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you don’t know whether the evil spirit’s life was spared listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty-Three\n\nThe Mind-Ape Recognizes the Refiner of Cinnabar\n\nThe Girl Reverts to Her True Nature\n\nThe story tells how after Sanzang had been carried out of the cave by the evil spirit Friar Sand went up to him and asked, “Where is my oldest brother now that you have come out, Master?”\n\n“He must know what he’s doing,” said Pig. “I expect he’s exchanged himself for the master to get him out.”\n\n“Your brother is in her stomach,” Sanzang replied, pointing at the evil spirit.\n\n“It is terribly filthy,” Pig said. “Whatever are you doing in there? Come out.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Open your mouth,” said Monkey from inside, “I’m coming out.” The she-devil did indeed open her mouth wide. Monkey made himself very small, sprang up into her throat, and was just about to emerge when he became worried that she might cheat and bite him. He then pulled out his iron cudgel, blew on it with magic breath, called “Change!” and turned it into a jujube stone with which he wedged her jaw open. With one bound he then leapt outside, taking the iron cudgel with him, bowed to resume his own form and raised his cudgel to strike her. At once she drew a pair of fine swords, parrying his blow with a loud clang. They fought a splendid battle on the mountain top.\n\nA pair of dancing, flying swords defended her face;\n\nThe gold-banded cudgel struck at her head.\n\nOne was a heaven-born monkey, the Mind-ape;\n\nThe other had the bones of an earth-born girl turned spirit;\n\nThe two of them both had been smitten by anger:\n\nHatred arose at the celebration; the party was ended."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One longed to mate with the primal masculinity,\n\nThe other wanted to defeat the incarnation of the female.\n\nWhen the cudgel was raised to the sky cold mists spread out;\n\nThe swords shook up the earth’s black dirt like a sieve.\n\nBecause the elder would visit the Buddha\n\nThey were locked in fierce combat, each showing great prowess.\n\nWhen water conflicts with fire motherhood is out;\n\nWhen Yin and Yang cannot combine each goes its own way.\n\nAfter the two had been fighting for a very long time\n\nThe earth moved, the mountains shook and the trees were destroyed.\n\nThe sight of their struggle made Pig grumble resentfully about Monkey. “Brother,” he said, turning to Friar Sand, “our elder brother is messing around. When he was in her stomach just now he could have used his fists to make her belly red with blood, rip it open and come out. That would have settled her score. Why did he have to come out through her mouth and fight her? Why did he let her run wild?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re right,” Friar Sand replied, “but it was thanks to him that the master was rescued from the depths of the cave, even if he is in a fight with her now. Let’s ask the master to sit here by himself while we two use our weapons to help our brother beat the evil spirit.”\n\n“No, no,” said Pig with a wave of his hand. “He’s got his magic powers. We’d be useless.”\n\n“What a thing to say,” retorted Friar Sand. “This is in all of our interests. We may not be much use, but even a fart can strengthen a breeze.”\n\nNow that the idiot’s dander was up he brandished his rake and shouted, “Come on!” Ignoring the master, they rode the wind and went for the evil spirit, striking wildly at her with their rake and staff. The evil spirit, who was already finding Brother Monkey too much to handle, realized that she would be unable to hold out against two more of them. At once she turned and fled."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“After her, brothers,” Monkey shouted. Seeing that they were so hot on her heels the evil spirit took the embroidered shoe off her right foot, blew on it with a magic breath, said a spell, called “Change!” and turned it into her own double swinging a pair of sword. Then she shook herself, turned into a puff of wind and went straight back. There she was, fleeing for her life because she was no match for them. What happened next was quite unexpected: Sanzang’s evil star had still not gone away. As the evil spirit reached the archway in front of the entrance to the cave she saw the Tang Priest sitting there by himself, so she went up to him, threw her arm round him, grabbed the luggage, bit through the bridle, and carried him back inside, horse and all.\n\nThe story tells not of her but of Pig, who exploited an opening to fell the evil spirit with one blow of his rake, only to find that she was really an embroidered shoe."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You pair of idiots,” said Monkey when he saw it. “You should have been looking after the master. Nobody asked you to help.”\n\n“What about that, then, Friar Sand?” said Pig. “I said we shouldn’t come here. That ape has had a brainstorm. We beat the monster for him and he gets angry with us.”\n\n“Beaten the monster indeed!” Monkey said. “The monster fooled me yesterday by leaving a shoe behind when I was fighting her. Goodness knows how the master is now that you’ve left him. Let’s go straight back and see.”\n\nThe three of them hurried back to find that the master had disappeared: there was no sign at all of him, the luggage or the white horse. Pig started rushing all over the place in a panic with Friar Sand searching alongside him. The Great Sage Sun was also most anxious. As he searched he noticed half of the bridle rope lying askew beside the path."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Picking it up, he could not hold back his tears as he called in a loud voice, “Master! When I went I took my leave of you three and the horse, and all I find on my return is this rope.” It was indeed a case of\n\nBeing reminded of the steed by seeing the saddle,\n\nMissing the beloved amid one’s tears.\n\nThe sight of Monkey’s tears gave Pig an uncontrollable urge to throw back his head and laugh out loud. “Blockhead,” said Monkey abusively. “Do you want us to break up again?”\n\n“That’s not what I mean,” said Pig, still laughing. “The master’s been carried back into the cave. As the saying goes, ‘third time lucky’. You’ve already been into the cave twice, so if you go in again you’re sure to rescue the master.”\n\n“Very well then,” said Monkey, wiping away his tears, “as this is the way things are I have no choice. I’ll have to go back in. You two don’t have to worry about the luggage or the horse any more, so guard the cave-mouth properly.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage turned round and sprang into the cave. This time he did no transformations but appeared in his own dharma form. This is what he was like:\n\nHis cheeks looked strange but his heart was strong;\n\nAs a monster since childhood his magic was mighty.\n\nA misshapen face that looked like a saddle;\n\nEyes fiery bright with golden light.\n\nHis hairs were harder than needles of steel,\n\nAnd striking was the pattern of his tigerskin kilt.\n\nIn the sky he could scatter a myriad clouds;\n\nIn the sea he could stir up thousandfold waves.\n\nOnce with his strength he fought heavenly kings,\n\nPutting a hundred and eight thousand warriors to flight.\n\nHis title was Great Sage Equaling Heaven;\n\nHe was an expert with the gold-banded cudgel.\n\nToday in the West he was using his powers\n\nTo return to the cave and rescue Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To return to the cave and rescue Sanzang.\n\nWatch Monkey as he stops his cloud and heads straight for the evil spirit’s residence, where he found the gates under the gate towers shut. Not caring whether or not it was the right thing to do, he smashed them open with one swing of his cudgel and charged inside. It was completely quiet and deserted, and the Tang Priest was nowhere to be seen in the corridor. The tables and chairs in the pavilion and all the utensils had completely disappeared. As the cave measured over a hundred miles around, the evil spirit had very many hiding places in it. This was where she had brought the Tang Priest the previous time, only to be found by Monkey, so after catching him this time she had moved him elsewhere in case Monkey came looking for him again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not knowing where they had gone, Monkey stamped his foot and beat his chest with fury, letting himself call out at the top of his voice, “Master! You are a Tang Sanzang formed in misfortune, a pilgrim monk molded from disaster. Hmm. I know the way well enough. Why isn’t he here? Where should I look for him?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just when he was howling with impatience and anxiety his nose was struck by a whiff of incense, which brought him back to himself. “This incense smoke is coming from the back,” he thought, “so I suppose they must be there.” He strode in at the back, his cudgel in his hand, but still saw no sign of life. What he did see were three side rooms. Near the back wall was a lacquered offertory table carved with dragons on which stood a gilt incense-burner. From this came heavily scented incense smoke. On the table was a tablet inscribed with letters of gold to which the offerings were being made. The letters read, “Honoured Father, Heavenly King Li.” In a slightly inferior position was written, “Honoured Elder Brother, Third Prince Nezha.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sight filled Monkey with delight. He stopped searching for the monster and the Tang Priest, rubbed his cudgel between his fingers to make it as small as an embroidery needle, tucked it inside his ear, gathered up the tablet and the incense-burner with a sweep of his arms and went straight back out through the gates on his clouds. He was still chortling with glee when he reached the mouth of the cave.\n\nWhen Pig and Friar Sand heard him they unblocked the entrance to the cave and greeted him with, “You look so happy you must have saved the master, elder brother.”\n\n“No need for us to save him,” Monkey replied with a smile. “We can ask this tablet for him.”\n\n“But that tablet isn’t an evil spirit and it can’t talk,” said Pig, “so how can you ask it for him?”\n\n“Look at it,” said Monkey, putting the tablet on the ground. When Friar Sand went up to look he saw “Honoured Father, Heavenly King Li” and “Honoured Elder Brother, Third Prince Nezha” written on it.\n\n“What does this mean?” Friar Sand asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What does this mean?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“The evil spirit makes offerings to it,” Monkey replied. “When I charged into her place there was nobody about, only this tablet. I think she must be a daughter of Heavenly King Li and the younger sister of Prince Nezha who so longed for the lower world that she pretended to be an evil spirit and carried our master off. So who better to demand the master from? You two keep guard here while I take this tablet up to Heaven to lodge a complaint with the Jade Emperor and force those heavenly kings to give our master back.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “there’s a saying that goes, ‘Bring a capital charge and pay for it with your own head.’ You can only do a thing like that if you’re in the right. Besides, a case in the celestial court isn’t something to be started lightly. You’d better tell me what sort of case you’re going to bring.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I know what I’m going to do,” Monkey replied. “I’m going to produce this tablet and incense-burner as evidence and submit a written deposition too.”\n\n“What will you write in your deposition?” Pig asked him. “Will you tell me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this Brother Monkey replied, “The complainant Sun Wukong, whose age is stated in this document, is the disciple of the monk Tang Sanzang who is going from the Tang court in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. He submits a complaint that an imitation evil spirit has committed a kidnap. Li Jing, the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King, and his son Prince Nezha have been slack in controlling their women’s quarters. He has allowed his daughter to run away and turn into an evil spirit in the Bottomless Cave in Mount Pitfall, where she has lured countless deluded people to their deaths. She has now carried my master into a remote corner where he cannot be found. If I had not submitted this complaint I would have been deeply worried that the heavenly king and his son in their wickedness had deliberately incited his daughter to become a spirit and cause general disaster. I beg Your Majesty in your mercy to summon the heavenly king to attend a hearing, bring the demon under control and deliver my"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "bring the demon under control and deliver my master. I would be deeply grateful if Your Majesty would determine the correct penalty for this offence. This is my respectful submission.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig and Friar Sand heard this they said with delight, “Brother, you’re bound to win if you submit so reasonable a complaint. Be as quick as you can. If you lose any time you may be too late to stop the evil spirit killing our master.”\n\n“I’ll hurry,” said Brother Monkey, “I’ll hurry. I’ll be back in the time it takes to cook rice at the longest or to make a cup of tea if I’m quick.”\n\nWith one bound the splendid Great Sage carried the tablet and the incense-burner straight up by auspicious cloud to the outside of the Southern Gate of Heaven, where the Heavenly Kings Powerful and Protector of the Nation greeted him with bows, letting him in and not daring to block his way.\n\nHe went straight to the Hall of Universal Radiance, where the four heavenly teachers Zhang, Ge, Xu, and Qiu showed him great courtesy and asked, “Why are you here, Great Sage?”\n\n“I’ve got a complaint here,” Monkey replied. “There are a couple of people I want to lodge a complaint against.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The scoundrel,” thought the appalled heavenly teachers, “who can he be wanting to sue?” They had no choice but to lead him to the Hall of Miraculous Mist and submit their report to the Jade Emperor, who ordered that Monkey be summoned hi. Monkey then put down the tablet and the incense-burner, bowed to the emperor, and presented his complaint. This was taken by the Ancient Immortal Ge, who spread it out on the emperor’s table. When the emperor had read it through from the beginning and learned what had happened he approved the deposition, wrote an imperial rescript on it, and sent the Great White Planet, the Metal Planet Changgeng, to the Cloud Tower Palace to summon the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li to the imperial presence.\n\nMonkey then stepped forward and submitted this memorial: “I beg that the Heavenly Sovereign will punish him effectively as otherwise there will be further trouble.”\n\n“Let the complainant go too,” the Jade Emperor ordered.\n\n“What, me?” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What, me?” said Monkey.\n\n“His Majesty has issued his decree,” said the Four Heavenly Teachers, “so you go with the Metal Planet.”\n\nMonkey then went with the planet by cloud. They were soon at the Cloud Tower Palace, the residence of the heavenly king. The Metal Star saw a page standing at the palace gates.\n\nRecognizing the planet, the boy went inside to report, “The Great White Planet is here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The heavenly king then came out to welcome the planet. Seeing that the planet was carrying a decree from the Jade Emperor, the heavenly king ordered incense to be burned before turning round and seeing to his fury that Monkey had come too. Why do you think he was furious? When Monkey had made great havoc in heaven all those years earlier the Jade Emperor had appointed the heavenly king as Demon-quelling High Marshal and Prince Nezha as Great God of the Three Altars of the Seas to lead the heavenly troops and subdue Monkey. They had been repeatedly worsted in battle. It was resentment at this defeat five hundred years earlier that goaded him to fury.\n\n“Old Changgeng,” he said to the planet, showing his irritation, “what kind of decree have you brought here?”\n\n“It is a case that the Great Sage Sun has brought against you,” the planet replied.\n\nThe heavenly king had been in a bad enough temper before this, but the word “case” provoked a thunderous outburst of fury: “What case has he got against me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He accuses you of masquerading as an evil spirit and kidnapping,” the planet said. “Will you please burn incense and read it for yourself.”\n\nSeething with anger, the heavenly king had an incense table set up, looked into the sky as he thanked the emperor for his grace, made his obeisances, opened out the decree and read it through.\n\nWhen he saw what it contained he thumped the incense table and exclaimed, “That ape has trumped up a pack of lies.”\n\n“Please keep your temper,” the planet replied. “A tablet and an incense-burner have been submitted to His Majesty as evidence. He says it was your daughter who did it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All I have are my three sons and a single daughter,” said the heavenly king. “My elder son Jinzha serves the Tathagata Buddha as a Vanguard Guardian of the Law Dharma. My second son Moksa is a disciple of Guanyin in the Southern Ocean. My third son Nezha stays with me as my escort at all times. My daughter Zhenying is only six and an innocent child. She could not possibly have become an evil spirit. If you don’t believe me I’ll carry her out to show you. This ape is really a disgrace. Never mind that I’m one of the most distinguished elder statesmen in heaven and been given the authority to cut heads off before reporting to the throne: not even an ordinary commoner in the lower world should be falsely accused. As the Legal Code says, ‘the penalty for false accusation is three grades higher than the crime alleged.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He then ordered his underlings to fetch demon-binding rope and tie Monkey up. The Mighty Miracle God, General Fishbelly and General Yaksha who were drawn up outside the court rushed on Monkey and tied him up.\n\n“Heavenly King Li,” the Metal Planet pleaded, “please don’t invite disaster. I have come here with him from the imperial presence under orders from His Majesty to summon you. That rope of yours is heavy, and it could very quickly hurt him badly or strangle him.”\n\n“Metal Star,” the heavenly king replies, “there’s no way I’m going to stand for his false, trumped-up charge. Won’t you take a seat while I fetch my demon-hacking sword to kill this ape with? I’ll report to His Majesty with you after I’ve done that.” At the sight of the heavenly king fetching the sword the planet trembled with terror."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’ve made a terrible mistake,” he said to Monkey. “A case before the emperor isn’t to be lightly started. You’ve brought this disaster on yourself by not finding the facts out properly and you’ll die for it. This is terrible.”\n\nMonkey was completely unafraid. “Don’t worry, old man,” he said with a chuckle, “this is nothing. This has always been my way of doing business: I lose out at first and win in the end.”\n\nBefore the words were all out of his mouth the heavenly king’s sword swung down towards Monkey’s head. But Prince Nezha was already in front of Monkey, parrying the blow with his great sword used for cutting men in half at the waist and calling, “Please calm your temper, father.”\n\nThis greatly shocked the heavenly king. Very strange! If a son used his broadsword to block his father’s cutlass he ought to be bawled out, so why did Nezha’s father turn pale with shock?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now when this son had been born to the heavenly king the word Ne was written on the palm of his left hand and Zha on his right one, which was why he was called Nezha. When only three days old the young prince had caused great trouble by plunging into the sea to clean himself. He had kicked the water crystal palace down, captured a dragon and insisted on pulling its sinews out to make a belt. On learning about this, the heavenly king had been so worried about the disastrous consequences that he had decided to kill the boy."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This had made Nezha so indignant that he had seized a sword, cut off his flesh and returned it to his mother, then picked his bones clean and given them back to his father. Having returned his father’s seed and his mother’s blood he had taken his soul straight off to the Western Paradise to appeal to the Buddha. When the Buddha, who was expounding the sutras to all the Bodhisattvas, heard a call of “Help!” from within his curtained and jeweled canopy he had looked with his wise eyes and seen that it was Nezha’s soul. He had made Nezha bones out of green lotus root and clothes from lotus leaves, then recited the spell to revive the dead."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Thus it was that Nezha had come back to life. He had used his divine ability and great magical powers to subdue ninety-six caves of demons through dharma. After this Nezha had wanted to kill his father in revenge for having had to pick the flesh off his own bones, leaving the heavenly king with no choice but to beg the help of the Tathagata Buddha. For the sake of harmony the Buddha had given the heavenly king an intricately-made golden As-You-Will reliquary pagoda, in each story of which were Buddhas radiant with splendor. The Buddha called on Nezha to regard these Buddhas as his father, thereby ending the hatred between them. This is why Heavenly King Li is called the Pagoda-bearer. As the heavenly king was at home off duty that day and not carrying the pagoda he was afraid that Nezha was set on revenge. This was why he turned pale with terror."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So he turned his hand back to take the golden pagoda from its stand and hold it as he asked Nezha, “What do you want to say to me, son? Why have you parried my sword with your broadsword?”\n\nThrowing his broadsword down, Nezha kowtowed to his father as he replied, “Father, Your Majesty, there is a daughter of our family in the lower world.”\n\n“My boy,” the heavenly king replied, “I have only had you four children. Where could I have got another daughter from?”\n\n“You have forgotten, Your Majesty,” Nezha replied. “The girl was once an evil spirit. Three hundred years ago she became a monster. She stole and ate some of the Tathagata’s incense, flowers and candles on Vulture Peak, and the Tathagata sent us to capture her with heavenly soldiers. When she was caught she should have been beaten to death, but the Tathagata said,\n\n‘Raise fish in deep water but never catch them;\n\nFeed deer in the depths of the mountains in the hope of eternal life.’"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "So we spared her life. In her gratitude she bowed to you as her adoptive father, Your Majesty, and to me as her elder brother. She set up a tablet to us in the lower world to burn incense. I never imagined she’d become an evil spirit again and try to ruin the Tang Priest. Now Sun the Novice has trailed her to her den and brought the tablet up here to use in a case against us before the Jade Emperor. She is your adopted daughter, not my real sister.”\n\nThis came as a terrible shock to the heavenly king. “Son,” he said, “I really had forgotten. What’s she called?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“She has three names,” the prince replied. Where she originally came from she was called Gold-nosed White-haired Mouse Spirit. Then she was called Half-Bodhisattva-Guanyin because she had stolen the incense, flowers and candles. When she was forgiven and sent down to the lower world she changed her name again and became Lady Earth-gusher.” Only then did the heavenly king come to his senses. He put his pagoda down and started to untie Monkey himself. At this Monkey started playing it up.\n\n“Don’t you dare try to untie me!” he said. “If you want to do something you can carry me roped up as I am to see the emperor. Then I’ll win my case.” The heavenly king felt weak from terror and the prince could say nothing. Everybody fell back.\n\nThe Great Sage meanwhile was rolling about and playing it up, insisting that the heavenly king take him to the emperor. The heavenly king could do nothing except beg the Metal Planet to put in a good word for him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There is an old saying,” the planet replied, “that one should always be lenient. You went too far: you tied him up and were going to kill him. The monkey is a notorious trouble-maker. How do you expect me to deal with him? From what your worthy son has said, she is your daughter, even though adopted rather than your own, and a child by adoption is especially dear. However one argues it you are guilty.”\n\n“Surely you can find some way of putting in a good word for me and helping me off the hook, venerable planet,” said the heavenly king.\n\n“I would like to end the quarrel between you,” the planet replied, “but I have never done him a good turn that I can remind him of.”\n\n“Tell him how it was you who proposed that he should be amnestied and given an official post,” said the heavenly king.\n\nThe Metal Planet did then step forward, stroke Brother Monkey and say, “Great Sage, won’t you let us take the rope off before going to see the emperor, just for my sake?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No need to bother, old man,” Monkey replied. “I’m a good roller and I can roll all the way there.”\n\n“You’ve got no decent feelings, you monkey,” said the planet with a smile. “I did you some good turns in the old days, but you won’t do this little thing for me.”\n\n“What good turn did you ever do me?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When you were a monster on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit you subdued tigers and dragons, forcibly removed yourself from the register of death and assembled hordes of fiends to run wild and wreak havoc. Heaven wanted to have you arrested. It was only because I made strong representations that an edict of amnesty and recruitment was issued and you were summoned to Heaven to be appointed Protector of the Horses. You drank some of the Jade Emperor’s wine of immortality, and it was only because I made strong representations again that you were given the title of Great Sage Equaling Heaven. But you refused to know your place. You stole the peaches and the wine and robbed Lord Lao Zi of his elixir, and so it went on till you ended up in a state of no death and no birth. If it hadn’t been for me you’d never have got where you are today.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As the ancients put it,” Monkey replied, “‘Don’t even share a grave with an old man when you’re dead: all he’ll do is complain.’ I was just a Protector of the Horses who made havoc in the heavenly palace: there was nothing much apart from that. Oh well, never mind. I’ll show you a bit of consideration as you’re such an old man. He can untie me himself.” Only then did the heavenly king dare step forward, untie the rope, and ask Brother Monkey to dress and take the seat of honour while they all took it in turn to pay their respects to him.\n\n“Old man,” Monkey said to the Metal Planet, “what about it then? I told you I lose first and win later. That’s my way of doing business. Make him hurry and see the emperor: delay could be disastrous for my master.”\n\n“Don’t be impatient,” the Metal Planet said. “After everything that’s happened we should take a cup of tea.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you drink his tea, accept favours from him, take a bribe to let a criminal escape, and treat imperial edicts with disrespect I wonder what you’ll be charged with,” Monkey replied.\n\n“I won’t stop for tea,” the Metal Planet replied, “I won’t stop for tea. You’re even trying to frame me. Hurry up, Heavenly King Li, we must be on our way.” The heavenly king dared not go for fear that Monkey would concoct some unfounded story and start playing it up: if Monkey started talking wildly he would be unable to argue against him. So once again the heavenly king pleaded with the Metal Planet to put in a good word for him.\n\n“I have a suggestion to make,” the planet said to Monkey. “Will you follow it?”\n\n“I’ve already agreed about being tied up and hacked at,” Monkey replied. “What else have you to say? Tell me! Tell me! If it’s a good idea I’ll follow it; and if it isn’t, don’t blame me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "”‘Fight a lawsuit for one day and it’ll go on for ten,’” said the Metal Planet. “You brought a case before the emperor saying that the evil spirit is the heavenly king’s daughter and the heavenly king says she isn’t. You two will argue endlessly in front of His Majesty, but I tell you that a day in heaven is a year in the lower world. In that year the evil spirit will have your master under her control in the cave, and she won’t just have married him. By then there may have been a happy event and she may have had a little baby monk. Then your great enterprise will be ruined.”\n\n“Yes,” thought Monkey, his head bowed, “when I left Pig and Friar Sand I said I’d be back in the time it takes to cook a meal at longest and at quickest before they could make a cup of tea. I’ve been ages already and it might be too late. Old man,” he said aloud, “I’ll take your advice. How do we obey this imperial decree?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Have Heavenly King Li muster his troops and go down with you to subdue the demon,” the Metal Planet replied, “while I report back to the emperor.”\n\n“What will you say?” Monkey asked.\n\n“I’ll report that the plaintiff has absconded and that the defendant is therefore excused,” the planet replied.\n\n“That’s very fine,” said Monkey with a grin. “I show you consideration and you accuse me of absconding. Tell him to muster his troops and wait for me outside the Southern Gate of Heaven while you and I report back on our mission.”\n\n“If he says anything when he’s there I’ll be accused of treason,” exclaimed the heavenly king with terror.\n\n“What do you take me for?” asked Monkey. “I’m a real man. Once I’ve given my word a team of horses couldn’t take it back. I’d never slander you.”\n\nThe heavenly king thanked Monkey, who went with the Metal Planet to report back on their mission, while the heavenly king mustered his heavenly troops and went straight to the outside of the Southern Gate of Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Metal Planet and Monkey had their audience with the Jade Emperor they said, “The person who has trapped the Tang Priest is the Golden-nosed White-haired Mouse turned spirit. She has fraudulently set up a tablet to the heavenly king and his son. As soon as he found out, the heavenly king mustered his troops to go and subdue the demon. We beg your Celestial Majesty to forgive him.”\n\nOnce the Jade Emperor knew what had happened he dropped the prosecution in his heavenly mercy. Monkey then went back on his cloud to the outside of the Southern Gate of Heaven, where he found the heavenly king and the prince waiting for him with their heavenly soldiers draw up on parade. The heavenly commanders met the Great Sage amid blustering winds and seething mists, then they all took their clouds straight down to Mount Pitfall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig and Friar Sand were wide-eyed at the sight of the heavenly hosts coming down with Brother Monkey. Greeting the heavenly king with due courtesy, the idiot said, “We have put you to great trouble in coming here.”\n\n“You don’t realize, Marshal Tian Peng,” the heavenly king replied, “that it was because my son and I accepted a joss-stick from her that the evil spirit in her wickedness captured your master. Please don’t be angry with us for being so long. Is this Mount Pitfall? Where is the entrance to the cave?”\n\n“I know the way very well by now,” said Monkey. “This cave is called the Bottomless Cave and it measures over a hundred miles around. The evil spirit has a great many holes in it. Last time my master was held in the gate tower with double eaves, but it’s deadly quiet now. There’s not even the shadow of a demon. I don’t know where she’s taken him to now.” To this the heavenly king replied,\n\n”‘No matter how many the tricks she may try\n\nShe’ll never escape from the nets of the sky.’"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "She’ll never escape from the nets of the sky.’\n\nWe’ll think of something else when we get to the cave entrance.”\n\nThey all then started out, and after they had gone three or four miles they reached the great rock. “This is it,” Monkey said pointing at the entrance that was no larger than the mouth of a large jar.\n\n“You’ll never capture the tiger’s cub unless you go into the tiger’s lair,” observed the heavenly king. “Who dares go in first?”\n\n“I’ll go,” said Monkey.\n\n“No, I’ll go first,” objected Prince Nezha. “I was the one the emperor ordered to capture the demon.”\n\nThe idiot then started acting tough, shouting, “It ought to be me first.”\n\n“Stop that din,” said the heavenly king. “I’ll decide. The Great Sage Sun and the prince will go down with the soldiers while we three hold the entrance. Then we’ll have a coordinated action inside and outside, which will make it impossible for her to find her way up to heaven or go further underground. That will show her a bit of our powers.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, sir,” they all said in assent.\n\nWatch as Monkey and Prince Nezha slip into the cave at the head of their troops. As they rode their clouds they looked around and saw that it really was a fine cave:\n\nThe pair of sun and moon as before;\n\nA vista of rivers and hills like the other world.\n\nWarm mists spread over pools and wells of pearl;\n\nMuch more there is to admire down here.\n\nCrimson houses, painted halls,\n\nRed cliffs, green fields,\n\nWillows in the spring and lotos in the autumn;\n\nA rare and splendid cave heaven.\n\nAn instant later they brought their clouds to a halt and went straight to the mansion where the evil spirit had lived before. They went from gateway to gateway in their search, yelling and shouting as they went deeper and deeper inside, trying one place after the next. All the grass for a hundred miles was trampled away. But where was the evil spirit? Where was Sanzang?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The wicked beast,” everyone was saying, “she must have got out of this cave ages ago. She’ll be far away by now.” What they did not know was that down underneath a dark corner in the Southeast of the cave there was another, smaller cave, where behind a pair of tiny gates there was a tiny cottage with flowers growing in pots and a few canes of bamboo beside the eaves. The atmosphere was dark and heavy with fragrance. This was where the evil spirit had carried Sanzang and was going to force him to marry her. She was sure that Monkey would never find them; none of them realized that her union was fated to be thwarted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The junior devils were jabbering away in a great crush when a bolder one among them stretched outside the cave for a look around only for her head to butt into a heavenly soldier, who shouted, “They’re here!” At this Monkey flew into a rage, grasped the gold-banded cudgel and charged straight down in. The cave was tiny and all the demons from the big cave were in there, so that when Prince Nezha sent his heavenly soldiers crowding into the attack, not a single one of the demons could hide.\n\nMonkey found the Tang Priest, the dragon horse and the baggage. The senior demon was at her wit’s end. All she could do was to kowtow to Prince Nezha, begging him to spare her life.\n\n“We are here to arrest you at the Jade Emperor’s command,” Prince Nezha replied, “which is not something to be treated lightly. My father and I were nearly in terrible trouble because of you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He then shouted at the top of his voice, “Heavenly soldiers, fetch demon-binding rope. Tie all those evil spirits up.” The senior demon too had to suffer for a while. They all went back out of the cave together by cloud.\n\nMonkey was chuckling with delight when the heavenly king withdrew his guard from the mouth of the cave and greeted Monkey with the words, “Now I can meet your master.”\n\n“Many thanks,” said Monkey, “many thanks,” and he led Sanzang to bow in gratitude to the heavenly king and the prince.\n\nFriar Sand and Pig were all for chopping the senior devil into tiny pieces, but the heavenly king said, “She was arrested at the Jade Emperor’s command, and must not be mistreated. We must go to report back on our mission.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The heavenly king and Prince Nezha at the head of their heavenly troops and divine officers escorted the evil spirit as a prisoner to report to the heavenly court and receive the emperor’s verdict on her. Meanwhile Brother Monkey guarded the Tang Priest while Friar Sand collected the luggage and Pig went over to the horse and invited the master to ride. Then they all set out along their way again. Indeed:\n\nThe silken net had been cut, the golden sea dried up,\n\nThe precious lock undone, and troubles left behind.\n\nIf you do not know what lay in store for them on their way ahead listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty-Four\n\nThe Indestructible Proteges of the Buddha Complete Enlightenment\n\nThe Dharma King Comes to the Truth Through His Own Nature"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how Tang Sanzang kept his masculine essence intact and escaped from the terrible snare of mist and flowers. As he headed Westwards with Brother Monkey he did not notice that it was already summer: warm breezes were beginning to blow, and the early summer rain was falling. It was a beautiful sight:\n\nDark is the shade under tender green;\n\nIn the gentle breeze the swallows lead their young.\n\nNew lotus leaves are opening on the ponds;\n\nElegant bamboo is gradually reviving.\n\nThe fragrant plants join their blue to the sky;\n\nMountain flowers carpet all the ground.\n\nBeside the stream the rushes are like swords;\n\nThe fiery pomegranate blossom makes the picture even more magnificent."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the master and his three disciples traveled along enduring the heat they suddenly noticed two rows of tall willows, from under the shade of which an old woman emerged, leaning on a small boy. “Don’t go any further, monk,” she called out. “Stop your horse and go back East as soon as you can. The road West leads nowhere.”\n\nThis gave Sanzang so bad a fright that he sprang off the horse, made a gesture of greeting and said, “Venerable Bodhisattva, in the words of the ancients,\n\n‘The sea’s breadth allows the fish to leap;\n\nThe sky’s emptiness lets birds fly.’"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The sky’s emptiness lets birds fly.’\n\nHow could there possibly be no way to the West?” To this the old woman replied, pointing Westwards, “If you go that way you will come to the capital of Dharmadestructia in a couple of miles. The king formed a hatred of Buddhism in an earlier existence, and in his present life he is punishing it without just cause. Two years ago he made a monstrous vow to kill ten thousand Buddhist monks. In that time he’s killed 9,996 unknown monks in succession. He’s just waiting for four famous monks to make up his ten thousand so that he will fulfil the vow. If you go into the city you will be throwing away your lives for nothing.”\n\nAt the sound of this Sanzang was so terrified that he shivered and shook as he replied, “Venerable Bodhisattva, I am deeply moved by your great kindness and infinitely grateful too. But, tell me, is there a suitable way I could take that does not go into the city?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s no way round,” the old woman replied with a laugh, “no way round. The only way you’ll get past it is if you can fly.”\n\nAt this Pig started shooting his mouth off from where he stood beside them: “Don’t try to put us off. We can all fly.”\n\nMonkey’s fiery eyes with their golden pupils really could distinguish good from evil, and he saw that the old woman and the little boy on whom she was leaning were in fact the Bodhisattva Guanyin and the page Sudhana. He hastily flung himself to the ground and began to kowtow, calling out, “Bodhisattva, your disciple failed to welcome you. I’m sorry.”\n\nThe Bodhisattva then rose slowly on her multicolored cloud, so startling the venerable elder that his legs gave way under him and he kowtowed as he knelt there for all he was worth. Pig and Friar Sand also fell to their knees in alarm and kowtowed to heaven. A moment later she was heading straight back to the Southern Sea amid auspicious clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then got up and supported his master as he said, “Get up please. The Bodhisattva’s already gone back to her island.”\n\n“Wukong,” Sanzang said, “if you knew she was the Bodhisattva why did you not say so before?”\n\n“You ask too many questions,” Monkey replied with a grin. “When I started kowtowing wasn’t that early enough?”\n\n“It was lucky the Bodhisattva told us that Dharmadestructia, where they kill monks, is ahead of us,” Pig and Friar Sand said to Monkey. “Whatever are we to do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be afraid, idiot,” Monkey replied. “We’ve come to no harm from any of the vicious demons and evil monsters we’ve met already or in the tigers’ dens and dragons’ pools we’ve been in. This is just a country of ordinary people. What’s there to be so scared of? The only thing is that we can’t stay here. It’s getting late in the day and some of the villagers are coming back from market in the town. It will be no good if they see we’re monks and raise a hue and cry. We’d better take the master away from the main road to some quiet and secluded spot where we can discuss things.” Sanzang accepted Monkey’s suggestion and they slipped away from the main road to a hollow in the ground where they sat down.\n\n“Brother,” said Monkey, “you two look after the master while I turn myself into something and go into town to take a look around. I’ll find a side road that we can get away along tonight.”\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “don’t take this lightly. The royal law is implacable. You must be careful.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry,” said Monkey with a smile, “don’t worry. I can cope.”\n\nThis said, the Great Sage leapt whistling up into the air. It was very strange:\n\nNo rope to hold on to above,\n\nNo pole to support him below.\n\nOthers are all like their parents,\n\nBut the weight of his bones was low.\n\nAs he stood in the clouds looking down he saw that the city was full of the most happy and auspicious atmosphere. “What a splendid place,” Monkey said. “Why are they trying to destroy the Dharma here?” He looked around for a while, and in the gathering dusk he saw:\n\nBright lights at the crossroads,\n\nIncense and bells in the ninefold hall.\n\nThe seven brightest stars shone in the blue heavens,\n\nAnd the travelers stopped moving in all eight directions.\n\nFrom the army barracks\n\nThe painted bugle could just be heard;\n\nIn the drum tower\n\nThe copper water-clock began to drip.\n\nAll around the evening mists were dense;\n\nCold fog was thick in the markets.\n\nTwo by two the couples went to their beds"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Two by two the couples went to their beds\n\nAs the bright moon’s disk was rising in the East.\n\n“If I went down into the streets to look for our way with a face like this,” he thought, “anyone I saw would be sure I was a monk. I’d better change.” He made a spell with his hands, said the magic words, shook himself and turned into a moth, the sort that flies into the lantern:\n\nA tiny body, a pair of delicate wings,\n\nWho puts out the lamp and flies into the candle when seeking the light.\n\nFormed by changing its own original body,\n\nIt makes its magic response in grass that’s decaying.\n\nLoving the burning light of the candle’s flame,\n\nEndlessly flying around it with never a pause,\n\nThe purple-clad moth with its scented wings drives off the fireflies;\n\nWhat it likes best is the windless calm of the night."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Watch him as he flutters and flies straight to the main streets and the markets, keeping close to the eaves and the corners of the buildings he passes. As he was flying along he noticed an angled row of houses on a corner with a lantern hanging above each doorway.\n\n“They must be celebrating the Lantern Festival here,” he thought. “Why else is that line of lighted lanterns there?” Stiffening his wings and flying up for a closer look, he saw that on a square lantern outside the middle house was written, “Accommodation for Commercial Travelers,” with “Wang the Second’s Inn” beneath it. Only then did Monkey realize that this was an inn. Stretching his head forward for a closer look he saw eight or nine men inside who had all eaten their supper, taken off their clothes and hats, washed their hands and feet and gone to bed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The master will get through,” Monkey thought with secret delight. How did he know that? Because he was having a wicked idea: he would wait till they were all asleep, then steal their clothes and hats so that he and his companions could go into the city dressed as laymen.\n\nOh dear! This was one of those things that don’t turn out as you want them to. While Monkey was still thinking about his plan Wang the Second went up to the merchants and said, “Please be vigilant, gentlemen. We have villains here as well as decent people. You must all be careful about your clothes and luggage.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As you can imagine, the travelling merchants were all very vigilant, and the innkeeper’s advice made them more cautious than ever. So they all got out of bed and said, “You’re quite right, host. We travelers have a hard time. We’re always worried that if there’s some emergency when we’re asleep we may not wake up; and if things go wrong we’re in a mess. You’d better take all our clothes, hats and bags and look after them for us inside. Tomorrow morning you can give them back to us when we get up.”\n\nWang the Second then took all the clothes he could find into his own room. Monkey anxiously spread his wings, flew in there and landed on the hat stand, from where he saw Wang the Second take the lantern down from the door, lower the blinds, and shut the door and window. Only then did he go into his bedroom, undress and lie down."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now Wang the Second had a wife and two children who were crying and making a noise, in no hurry to sleep. Wang’s wife then started mending a torn piece of clothing, so that she too was still awake. “If I have to wait till that woman stops working and goes to sleep,” thought Monkey, “I’ll be keeping the master waiting too.” He then started worrying that if he left it till much later the city gates would be shut, so he lost patience and flew down into the flame of the lamp. It was indeed a case of\n\nHe was ready to die when he dived at the blaze,\n\nAnd with brows scarred by fire to live out his days.\n\nHaving extinguished the lamp he shook himself and turned into a rat who gave a couple of squeaks, jumped down, grabbed hats and clothes and went outside. “Old man,” the woman said with alarm, “this is terrible. A rat’s turned into a spirit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he used another trick, blocking the doorway and yelling at the top of his voice, “That woman’s talking nonsense, Wang the Second. Ignore her. I’m not a rat turned spirit. As a decent man I don’t do underhanded things. I’m the Great Sage Equaling Heaven come down to earth to protect the Tang Priest while he goes to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. I’ve come to borrow these clothes as a disguise for my master because your king is so wicked. I’ll bring them back soon when we’re out of the city.”\n\nOnce Wang the Second heard this he scrambled out of bed and started groping around the floor in the dark. He was in such a rush that when he got hold of his trousers he thought they were his shirt: there was no way he could put them on no matter how he tried."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By now the Great Sage had used lifting magic to escape on his cloud, which he turned round to go straight back to the hollow by the road. Sanzang was looking out for him fixedly by the bright light of the moon and the stars, and as soon as he saw Monkey approaching he called out, “Can we get through the capital of Dharmadestructia, disciple?”\n\nComing up and laying the clothes down in front of him, Monkey replied, “Master, you won’t get through Dharmadestructia as a monk.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “who do you think you’re making things hard for? It’s easy to stop being a monk. All you have to do is stop shaving your head for six months and let your hair grow.”\n\n“We can’t wait six months,” Monkey replied. “We’re going to turn into laymen right now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But that’s a completely ridiculous thing to say,” said a shocked Pig. “We’re all monks now, and if we turned into laymen straight away we wouldn’t be able to wear hats. Even if we could pull them tight enough at the edges we’ve got no hair to tie the string at the top to.”\n\n“Stop fooling about,” Sanzang shouted, “and be serious. What do you really have in mind?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve had a good look at this city, Master,” Monkey replied, “and although the king is a wicked one who kills monks he is a true son of heaven. There is an auspicious glow and a happy atmosphere above the city. I know my way round the streets now, and I can understand and talk the local language. I’ve just borrowed these hats and clothes from an inn for us to dress ourselves up as laymen in. We’ll go into the city, put up for the night, get up at the fourth watch and ask the innkeeper to fix us some vegetarian food. At the fifth watch we’ll go out through the gate and head West along the main road. If we meet anyone who tries to stop us we can talk our way out of it. I’ll tell him we were sent by the ruler of their suzerain state. The king of Dharmadestructia won’t dare hold us up. He’ll let us go on our way.”\n\n“Our big brother has arranged things very well,” said Friar Sand. “Let’s do as he suggests.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder did indeed have no option but to take off his monastic tunic and hat and put on a layman’s clothing and headwear. Friar Sand changed too, but Pig’s head was too big for him to be able to wear a hat. Monkey fetched needle and thread, tore two hats open and sewed them into a single one. Then he put the hat on Pig’s head and found a garment big enough for him to wear. Finally he dressed himself and said, “Gentlemen, we must ban the words ‘master’ and ‘disciples’ on this journey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What else can we call each other?” Pig asked. “We must talk like people who address each other as brothers,” Monkey replied. “The master can call himself Tang the Eldest. You can be Hogg the Third, and Friar Sand can be Sand the Fourth. I’ll be Sun the Second. But when we are in the inn none of you must say anything. Leave all the talking to me. When they ask what line of business we’re in I’ll say we’re horse dealers. I’ll pretend that the white horse is a sample and that there are ten of us altogether, of whom we four have come ahead to book rooms at an inn and sell this horse. The innkeeper will be bound to treat us well then. We’ll be properly looked after, and before we leave I’ll find a piece of broken tile and turn it into silver to pay him with. Then we’ll be able to go on our way.” Although he was not happy about it the Tang Priest had to go along with this."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The four of them hurried to the city, leading the horse and carrying the luggage. As this was a very peaceful place the city gates were still open although it was already night. They went straight into the city, and as they passed the gateway of Wang the Second’s inn they could hear shouting inside.\n\nPeople were yelling, “My hat’s disappeared!” and “My clothes have gone!” Pretending he did not know what this was all about, Monkey took them to an inn further along on the other side of the road. This inn was still showing its lantern, so Monkey went up to the gateway and called, “Do you have a vacant room for us, innkeeper?”\n\n“Yes, yes,” a woman answered from inside. “Please come upstairs, gentlemen.” Before she had finished speaking a man came out to take the horse. Monkey handed him the horse to take inside. He then led the master into the building in the shadow of the lamp. Upstairs there were tables and chairs conveniently arranged, and when the window was opened they all sat down in the clear moonlight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When someone came with a lighted lamp Monkey blocked the doorway, blew it out and said, “No need for a lamp on a bright night like this.”\n\nNo sooner had the man with the lamp gone down than a maid came up with four bowls of tea. Monkey took the bowls from her, only for her to be followed by a woman who looked to be about fifty-six or fifty-seven coming up the stairs.\n\nStanding beside Monkey she asked, “Where are you gentlemen from? What fine goods do you have?”\n\n“We’re from the North,” Monkey replied, “and we’ve got a few poor horses to sell.”\n\n“You’re very young to be a horse dealer,” the woman said.\n\n“This gentleman is Tang the Eldest,” Monkey explained, “this is Hogg the Third, and this is Sand the fourth. I’m Sun the Second, an apprentice.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But your surnames are all different,” said the woman with a smile. “Yes,” Monkey replied, “our surnames are different but we all live together. There are ten of us brothers altogether, and we four have come ahead to fix our board and lodging. The other six have found a place outside the city to stay tonight. It would have been awkward for them to come into the city as they’ve got a herd of horses. They’ll come in tomorrow morning when we’ve fixed some accommodation. We won’t go home till we’ve sold the horses.”\n\n“How many horses are there in your herd?” the woman asked.\n\n“Over a hundred of all ages,” Monkey replied. “They’re all like that one of ours, except that they come in different colours.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Mr. Sun,” the woman said with a laugh, “you really know how to travel. You should have come straight here: no other inn would be able to put you up. We have a big courtyard well supplied with troughs and tethering posts and plenty of fodder too. We could feed several hundred horses here. There’s just one thing I should mention. I’ve been keeping this inn for many years and it’s quite well known. My late husband was called Zhao, but I’m afraid he died long ago, so this is now called Widow Zhao’s Inn. We have three classes of entertainment for our guests. Let’s get sordid money matters out of the way, then we can be more civilized later. The first thing is to discuss the tariffs and agree on one so that we know where we stand when it’s time to settle the accounts.”\n\n“Quite right,” Monkey replied. “What are your three classes of entertainment? As the saying goes,\n\nYour tariffs may be low, your tariffs may be dear,\n\nBut treat us all the same, who come from far or near."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What do your tariffs involve? Could you explain them to me?”\n\n“We have first, second and third-class tariffs,” the old woman replied. “The first class is a banquet with five kinds of fruit and five different dishes. The tables are set with confectionery lions and immortals fighting. Two gentlemen share a table, and there are young ladies to sing to them and sleep with them. It costs half an ounce of silver per head, the price of the room included.”\n\n“I’d agree to that,” Monkey replied. “Where we come from half an ounce wouldn’t even pay for a girl.”\n\n“For the second-class tariff,” the woman continued, “you all eat from the same dishes of food and we provide fruit and warm wine that you help yourselves to in your drinking games. No young ladies are provided and it costs one fifth of an ounce of silver each.”\n\n“I’d agree to that too,” Monkey replied. “What about the third class?”\n\n“I wouldn’t like to discuss it with such distinguished gentlemen as yourselves,” she replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No harm in telling us about it,” Monkey replied, “so that we can choose what suits us best.”\n\n“Nobody waits on you in the third class,” she said, “and we provide a big pot of rice for you to eat from as you will. When you’re full there’s straw for you to spread out on the ground and sleep on where it suits you. At dawn you give us a few coppers for the rice and I can assure you we won’t argue about how much.”\n\n“We’re in luck,” said Pig, “we’re in luck. That’s the sort of deal I like. I’ll eat my fill from the cauldron then have a bloody good sleep in front of the stove.”\n\n“What nonsense, brother,” said Monkey. “We’ve earned an ounce or two of silver on our travels. Give us the first-class treatment.”\n\n“Make some good tea,” the woman said with great delight, “and tell the kitchen to get the food ready quickly.” She then went downstairs calling out, “Kill chickens and geese and boil up some pickled meat for them to have with their rice.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then she shouted, “Kill a pig and a sheep. What can’t be eaten today can be served tomorrow. Get some good wine. Use the best white rice, and make some pancakes with white flour.”\n\nWhen Sanzang heard all this from upstairs he said, “Whatever shall we do, Sun the Second? They’re going to slaughter chickens, geese, a pig and a sheep. If they bring us all these we won’t be able to eat them as we’re all vegetarians.”\n\n“I’ve got an idea,” said Monkey, and he stamped in the doorway and called out, “Mrs. Zhao, come up here.”\n\n“What instructions do you have for me, sir,” she asked.\n\n“Don’t kill any living creatures today. We’re eating vegetarian food today,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Are you gentlemen permanent vegetarians, or just vegetarians for this month?” asked the woman in surprise."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Neither,” replied Monkey. “We’re vegetarians on gengshen days. Today’s one, so we have to eat meatless food. But after the third watch tonight it’ll be a xinyou day and the restrictions won’t apply. Kill them tomorrow. Lay on some vegetarian food today, and make it first-class.”\n\nThis made the woman happier than ever. “Don’t slaughter anything,” she said, hurrying downstairs, “don’t slaughter anything. Fetch some tree-ear fungus, Fujian bamboo shoots, beancurd and wheat gluten. Pick some green vegetables in the garden, make vermicelli soup, steam some brad rolls, boil more white rice and make some scented tea.”\n\nNow the cooks were experts because they cooked every day, so that everything was ready in an instant to be set out upstairs. They also had some confectioneries of lions and immortals that were already made for the four travelers to eat their fill of."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the question was asked, “Would you like some mild wine?” Brother Monkey replied, “Eldest Brother Tang won’t have any, but the rest of us will have a few cups.” The widow then fetched a jug of warm wine.\n\nWhen drinks had been poured out for the three of them they heard the sound of banging against wooden boards. “Has some furniture fallen over downstairs, missus?” Monkey asked.\n\n“No,” the woman replied, “It’s some retainers from my farm who arrived late this evening with rent rice. We let them sleep downstairs. As we were short-staffed when you gentlemen arrived I told them to take the sedan-chairs to the brothel to fetch some young ladies to keep you company. They must have hit the underneath of the floorboards with the chair-poles.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You mentioned that before,” Monkey said. “But don’t send for them now. Today’s a fast day, and besides, our brothers aren’t here yet. They’ll be here tomorrow for sure. Then we can all send for some call-girls and have a good time in your excellent establishment before we sell our horses and go.”\n\n“What good men,” the woman said, “what good men. That way you’ll all stay friends and you won’t waste your energy.” Then she ordered that the sedan-chairs be brought back in as the whores were not to be fetched. The four of them finished their wine and food, the utensils were cleared away, and the meal was over.\n\n“Where are we going to sleep?” Sanzang whispered in Monkey’s ear.\n\n“Upstairs,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Too dangerous,” Sanzang replied. “We have all had so hard a journey that we may well fall fast asleep. If any of the inn people come in to tidy up and our hats have rolled off they will see our bald heads, realize that we are monks, and raise a hue and cry. That would be a disaster.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re right,” said Monkey, going out to stamp his foot again.\n\n“What instructions do you have this time, Mr. Sun?” the woman asked, coming upstairs once more.\n\n“Where are we to sleep?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Upstairs is best,” she replied. “There are no mosquitoes and there’s a South wind. Open the windows wide and you’ll sleep beautifully.”\n\n“We won’t be able to,” said Monkey. “Our Mr. Hogg the Third has a touch of gout, Mr. Sand the Fourth has some rheumatism in his shoulder, Brother Tang can only sleep in the dark, and I don’t like the light myself. So this is no place for us to sleep.”\n\nAs the woman went downstairs, leaning on the banisters and sighing, her daughter, who was carrying a child in her arms, came up to her and said, “Mother, as the saying goes, ‘Be stuck on a sandbank for ten days, then said past nine sandbanks in one.’ It’s too hot now to be doing much business, but once autumn begins we’ll have more than we can handle. What are you sighing like that for?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s not because business is slack, daughter,” the older woman replied. “I was just going to close the inn up this evening when four horse dealers came and took a room. They wanted the first-class tariff. I was hoping to make a little silver out of them, and I’m sighing because we won’t earn much: they’re fasting.”\n\n“As they’ve already eaten they can’t very well go to another inn,” the daughter replied. “And we’ll be able to make money out of them when we serve them meat and wine tomorrow.”\n\n“They’re all poorly,” the older woman replied, “and want somewhere dark to sleep because they don’t like drafts or light. All the rooms in the inn have got missing tiles, so where am I going to find somewhere dark for them? It’d be best to write off the cost of the meal and tell them to stay somewhere else.”\n\n“But we do have somewhere dark in the house, mother,” her daughter replied, “where there’s no draft and no light. It’ll do splendidly.”\n\n“Where?” the older woman asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where?” the older woman asked.\n\n“The big trunk that father had made when he was still alive,” the daughter replied. “It’s four feet wide, seven feet long and three feet high, and big enough for seven people to sleep in. Tell them to sleep in the trunk.”\n\n“I don’t know whether it’ll do,” said the older woman. “I’ll ask them. Mr. Sun, if you won’t have our poky little room there’s nowhere darker here than our big trunk. It’ll keep out light and drafts. So why don’t you sleep in the trunk?”\n\n“Splendid,” Monkey replied. She then told several of the retainers to carry the trunk out and open the lid, while inviting her guests to come downstairs. Monkey led the master and Friar Sand carried the luggage as they went to the trunk, following in the lantern’s shadow. The reckless Pig was the first to climb inside. Friar Sand lifted the luggage in then helped the Tang Priest in before getting in himself.\n\n“Where’s our horse?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where’s our horse?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Tied up eating hay in the stables at the back,” replied the servant who was attending them.\n\n“Bring it here,” said Monkey, “and bring the trough too. Tether the animal next to the trunk.” Only then did he get inside himself and call out, “Shut the lid, Mrs. Zhao, fasten the hasp and padlock it. And look it over for us. Glue paper wherever it lets in the light. Open it again early tomorrow morning.”\n\n“You’re very particular,” the widow said. After that the doors were fastened and everyone went to bed.\n\nThe story switches to the four of them in the chest. Poor things! They were wearing hats, the weather was very hot and it was airless and stuffy. They took off their hats and clothes, and fanned themselves with their monastic hats for lack of fans. They were all crowded in next to each other and did not fall asleep till the second watch. Monkey, however, wanted to make trouble, so he stayed awake. He put his hand out and gave Pig a pinch on the leg."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot pulled his leg in and mumbled, “Go to sleep. We’ve had a hard day. What do you want to fool around pinching people’s hands and feet for?”\n\n“We started by laying out five thousand ounces of silver,” said Monkey aloud, deliberately making mischief, “and we sold those horses the other day for three thousand. We’ve got four thousand in the two bags, and we’ll sell this herd of horses for another three thousand. That means we’ll have doubled our capital. That’s not bad.” Pig, who was sleepy, did not bother to reply."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now the floor staff, the water-carriers and the kitchen porters were in league with bandits. After hearing Brother Monkey talking about all the money they had, several of them slipped off to fetch twenty or more armed bandits to come with torches to rob the four horse traders. As they charger in through the gates they gave Widow Zhao and her daughter such a fright that shivering and shaking they fastened the doors of their room and let the robbers take whatever they wanted outside. Now the bandits were not after the inn’s property but were looking for the guests. When they went upstairs and found no sign of them there, they lit their torches and held them out while they looked all around. All they could see was a large trunk in the courtyard, to the bottom of which was tethered a white horse. The lid was tightly locked and could not be prized open."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Travelling merchants all know what they’re about,” the bandits said. “This trunk looks so strong that it’s bound to be full of purses, valuables and silk. Let’s steal the horse, take the trunk out of town, open it up and share out what’s inside. That would be the best thing, wouldn’t it?” The bandits then found some rope with which they lifted the box and carried it off, swinging and swaying.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, woken up by this, “go to sleep. Why are you rocking us?”\n\n“Shut up,” Monkey replied. “Nobody’s rocking us.”\n\nSanzang and Friar Sand had been abruptly awoken too, and they asked, “Who’s carrying us?”\n\n“Keep quiet,” said Monkey, “keep quiet. Let them carry us. If they carry us to the Western Heaven we’ll be saved the trouble of walking.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But the successful bandits were not heading West. Instead they headed towards the East of the city, killing the soldiers on the city gate, opening it and letting themselves out. This caused a sensation in the streets and the markets, where the watchmen of all the shops reported it to the commander-in-chief of the city garrison and the East city commissioner. As this was their responsibility the commander-in-chief and the East city commissioner mustered a force of infantry, cavalry and bowmen that left the city in pursuit of the bandits. Seeing that resistance to so powerful a government force would have been pointless, the bandits abandoned the trunk and the white horse, scattered into the undergrowth and disappeared. The government troops did not catch even half a robber: all they captured was the trunk and the white horse, with which they returned in triumph. The commander-in-chief examined the horse in the light of the lamps and saw that it was a fine one:\n\nThreads of silver grew in his mane;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Threads of silver grew in his mane;\n\nIn his tail hung strands of jade.\n\nForget about Eight Chargers and dragon steeds;\n\nThis was steadier than the great Sushuang;\n\nIts bones alone would have sold for a thousand ounces of silver;\n\nIt could gallop after the wind for three thousand miles.\n\nWhen it climbed a mountain it merged into the clouds;\n\nAs it neighed at the moon it was as white as snow.\n\nIt was truly a dragon from an ocean island,\n\nA unicorn of Jade in the human world.\n\nThe commander-in-chief rode the white horse instead of his own steed as he led his men back into the city. The trunk was carried to his headquarters, where he and the East city commissioner sealed it with strips of paper on which they wrote and set a guard over it till morning, when they would submit a memorial to the king and request a decision on what to do with it. After that the other troops were dismissed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story now tells how the venerable Tang Priest was grumbling at Monkey inside the chest. “Ape,” he said, “you’ve killed me this time. If I had been arrested outside and taken to the king of Dharmadestructia I might well have been able to put up a good argument in my defense. But now I am here, locked in this trunk. I have been carried off by bandits and recaptured by the army. When we are shown to the king tomorrow we will be all ready for him to put to the sword and make up his ten thousand.”\n\n“There are people outside!” exclaimed Monkey. “If they open the trunk and take you out you’ll either be tied up or hung up. If you don’t want to be tied or strung up you’d better show a little patience. When we’re taken to see this deluded king tomorrow I’ll definitely be able to talk my way out of things. I guarantee that not one hair of yours will be harmed. So stop worrying and go back to sleep.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the third watch Monkey used one of his magic powers. Slipping his cudgel out he blew on it with a magic breath, called “Change!” and turned it into a triple auger with which he drilled two or three holes near the bottom of the chest, forming a single larger hole. He put the auger away, shook himself, turned into an ant and crawled out. Then he turned back into himself and rode his cloud straight to the palace gates. The king was fast asleep at the time, so Monkey used his Great All powerful Body-dividing Magic."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Plucking all the hairs out of his left arm he blew on them with a magic breath, called “Change!” and turned them into little Monkeys. Then he pulled all the hairs out from his right arm, blew on them with a magic breath, called “Change!” and turned them into sleep-insects. Next he recited the magic word Om and told the local deity of the place to take the little Monkeys to distribute them throughout the palace to all the officials in every office and department of government. Each holder of official rank was given a sleep-insect to ensure that he or she would sleep soundly and not get up. Monkey then took his gold-banded cudgel in his hands, squeezed it, waved it, called, “Change, treasure!” and turned it into over a thousand razors of the sort used for shaving the head. Taking one himself, he told all the little monkeys to take one each and shave the heads of everyone in the inner quarters of the palace and in all the government departments and offices. This was indeed a case of:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the Dharma king would destroy it the Dharma is infinite;\n\nThe Dharma runs through heaven and earth, opening the Great Way.\n\nThe origins of ten thousand Dharmas all come down to one;\n\nThe features of the Three Vehicles are basically the same.\n\nHe bored through the trunk to find out the news,\n\nDistributed his golden hairs to smash delusion,\n\nDetermined to bring the Dharma king to the true achievement,\n\nTo the eternal emptiness of what is not born and dies not.\n\nThat night the head-shaving was completed, so Monkey said another spell to dismiss the local deity, shook himself to bring all the hairs back to his arms, then touched all the razors to turn them back into their true form as the gold-banded cudgel, which he made much smaller and hid in his ear again. Finally he reverted to being an ant, crawled back into the trunk, and went on guarding the Tang Priest in his time of danger."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the palace ladies in the inner quarters got up to wash and do their hair before dawn the next morning they all found that their hair had gone. The same had happened to all the eunuchs, senior and junior, who moved around the palace. They all crowded to the outside of the royal bedchamber, where they played music to wake the king up, all holding back their tears but not daring to speak. Before long the queen in the palace woke up to find her hair gone too. When she hurried with lanterns to the dragon bed she found a monk sleeping in the brocade quilt, at which she could restrain her tongue no longer, thus awakening the king.\n\nWhen the king suddenly opened his eyes wide and saw the queen’s bald head he got straight out of bed and said, “Why are you like that, my queen?”\n\n“You’re the same, Your Majesty,” she replied. The king then rubbed his head, which gave him such a fright that the three souls in his body groaned, and his seven spirits flew off into the air.\n\n“What has happened to me?” he exclaimed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What has happened to me?” he exclaimed.\n\nJust when he was in this panicky state the royal consorts, the palace ladies and the eunuchs young and old all fell to their knees, their heads shaved bald, and said, “Lord, we have all been turned into monks.”\n\nAt the sight of them the king wept. “We think this must be because of all the monks we have killed,” he said. He then gave these orders: “None of you are to say anything about the loss of our hair as, if you do, the civil and military officials may slander our country and say that it has been badly governed. Let us now hold court in the throne hall.”\n\nNow all the officials high and low in all the departments and offices of government went to court to pay their respects before dawn. As it turned out, all these men had lost their hair in the night too, and they all submitted memorials reporting the fact. All that could be heard was:\n\nThe whip of silence sounding three times at the royal audience;\n\nAs all report that their heads have now been shaved."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you do not know what happened to the booty in the trunk that the commander-in-chief had recaptured and whether the Tang Priest and his three disciples were to live or die, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty-Five\n\nThe Mind-ape is jealous of the Mother of Wood\n\nThe Demon Chief Plots to Devour the Master of Dhyana\n\nThe story tells how when the king held his dawn audience the civil and military officials all carried memorials. “Sovereign Lord,” they reported, “we beg you to forgive your servants for their lack of decorum.”\n\n“Gentlemen,” the king replied, “you are all as courteous as ever. What lack of decorum are you showing?”\n\n“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “we do not know why, but all of your servants lost their hair last night.” Holding in his hand these memorials about the lost hair, the king descended from his dragon throne to say to the officials, “Indeed, we do not know why either, but everyone in the palace, young and old, lost their hair last night.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "King and ministers alike all wept as they said, “From now on we will not dare kill any more monks.” The king then returned to his throne and the officials took their places in their proper ranks. The king then said, “Let those with business here come forward from their ranks to report. If there is no other business the curtain may be rolled up and the audience ended.”\n\nThe commander-in-chief of the capital’s garrison then moved forward from the ranks of military officials and the East city commissioner moved forward from the ranks of the civil officials to kowtow at the steps of the throne and report, “We were patrolling the city on Your Majesty’s orders last night when we recaptured a trunk of bandits’ booty and a white horse. As we do not dare take unauthorized action over these we beg Your Majesty to issue an edict.” The king was delighted.\n\n“Bring it here, trunk and all,” he ordered."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Bring it here, trunk and all,” he ordered.\n\nThe two officials then returned to their own offices, mustered a full complement of soldiers and had the trunk carried out. Sanzang, who was inside, felt his soul leaving his body. “Disciples,” he said, “what shall we say in our defense when we reach the king?”\n\n“Shut up,” said Monkey with a grin. “I’ve fixed everything. When the trunk’s opened the king will bow to us as his teachers. The only thing is that Pig mustn’t quarrel about precedence.”\n\n“If they don’t kill me that’ll be heaven,” Pig replied. “What would I want to quarrel about?” Before these words were all out of his mouth they had been carried to the palace entrance and in through the Tower of Five Phoenixes to be set at the foot of the steps to the throne."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On being invited by the two officials to have the trunk opened and look inside the king ordered that this be done. No sooner was the lid lifted than Pig, who could restrain himself no longer, sprang outside, giving all the officials such a fright that they shivered, unable to speak. Next Brother Monkey could be seen helping the Tang Priest out, while Friar Sand lifted the luggage out.\n\nSeeing that the commander-in-chief was holding the white horse, Pig went up to him, made an angry noise and said, “That’s my horse. Hand it over!” This so terrified the official that he collapsed head over heels.\n\nThe four pilgrims all stood upright in the middle of the steps, and when the king saw that they were monks he came down at once from his dragon throne, sent for his queen and consorts from the inner quarters, descended the steps of the throne hall, bowed to them along with all his officials and asked, “What brings you venerable gentlemen here?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have been sent by His Majesty the Great Tang Emperor to go to the Great Thunder Monastery in India in the West to worship the living Buddha and fetch the true scriptures,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“Venerable Master,” the king said, “you have come from far away. But why did you sleep in this trunk last night?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I knew that Your Majesty had sworn a vow to kill Buddhist monks,” Sanzang replied, “which is why I did not dare to visit your illustrious country openly, but disguised myself as a layman to arrive late at night to find lodging in one of your inns. We slept in the trunk because we were afraid that our real identity would be d i s c o v e r e d . U n f o r t u n a t e l y t h e t r u n k w a s s t o l e n b y b a n d i t s , t h e n b r o u g h t b a c k h e r e b y t h e commander-in-chief. Now that I have been able to see Your Majesty’s dragon countenance, the clouds have cleared away and the sun has come out. I hope that Your Majesty will pardon and release me, ascetic monk that I am: my gratitude will be as deep as the ocean.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Venerable Master,” the king replied, “you are a distinguished monk from our suzerain heavenly dynasty. It was wrong of us not to go out to welcome you. For years we have been fulfilling a vow to kill monks because a monk once maligned us. The vow we made to heaven was to kill ten thousand monks to make up a round number. We never imagined that today we would return to the truth and that we would all be turned into monks. Now all of us, king, officials, queen and consorts, have had our hair shaved off. I beg, Venerable Master, that you will not be grudging with your lofty virtue and will take us as your disciples.”\n\nWhen Pig heard this he started roaring with laughter: “If you’re going to be our disciples what introductory presents have you got for us?”\n\n“If you will accept us as your follower, Master,” the king replied, “we will present you with all the wealth in our kingdom.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t talk about wealth to us,” said Brother Monkey, “as we’re proper monks. As long as you inspect and return our passport and escort us out of the city I can guarantee that your monarchy will last for ever and that you will enjoy a long and happy life.” On hearing this the king ordered his office of foreign relations to arrange a great feast at which monarch and officials together returned to the one truth. The passport was immediately inspected and returned, after which Sanzang was asked to change the name of the country.\n\n”‘Dharma’ in the name of Your Majesty’s country is excellent,” Monkey said, “but the ‘destructia’ part is nonsense. Now that we’ve come here you should change the name to ‘Dharmarespectia’. This would guarantee\n\nClear waters and victory for a thousand generations;\n\nTimely winds and rain with universal peace.”\n\nThe king thanked them for their gracious kindness, had the royal carriage prepared and escorted the Tang Priest and his three disciples Westwards out of the city."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "We will say no more of how monarch and subjects now held to the true faith, but tell how after leaving the king of Dharmarespectia the venerable elder said happily from on his horse, “What excellent magic you used, Wukong. It worked very well.”\n\n“Elder brother,” said Friar Sand, “where did you find so many barbers to shave all those heads in one night?” Monkey then told them all about how he had used his miraculous powers, at which they all laughed so much they could not stop.\n\nJust as they were feeling so cheerful a great mountain came into view, blocking their way. Reining in the horse, the Tang Priest said, “Disciples, see how high that mountain is. You must be very careful.”\n\n“Don’t worry,” said Monkey with a grin, “don’t worry. I promise you nothing will go wrong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t say that,” Sanzang replied. “I can see those jutting peaks, and even from a distance it looks rather sinister. Storm clouds are streaming from it, and I am beginning to feel frightened. My whole body is turning numb and my spirits are disturbed.”\n\n“You have already forgotten the Heart Sutra that the Rook’s Nest Hermit taught you,” said Brother Monkey.\n\n“I can still remember it,” Sanzang said.\n\n“Even if you can still remember that,” said Monkey, “there is a quatrain that you’ve forgotten.”\n\n“What quatrain?” Sanzang asked, to which Monkey replied,\n\n“Do not go far to seek the Buddha on Vulture Peak;\n\nVulture Peak is in your heart.\n\nEverybody has a Vulture Peak stupa\n\nUnder which to cultivate conduct.”\n\n“Of course I know it, disciple,” said Sanzang. “According to that quatrain the thousands of scriptures all come down to cultivating the heart.”\n\n“Goes without saying,” Monkey replied.\n\n“When the heart is purified it can shine alone;\n\nWhen the heart is preserved all perceptions are pure."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If there is any mistake then laziness follows,\n\nAnd success will not come in a myriad years.\n\nAs long as your will is sincere Thunder Peak is before your eyes.\n\nBut if you’re as scared, frightened and disturbed as this the Great Way is distant, and Thunder Peak is far, far away. Forget those wild fears and come with me.” When the venerable elder heard this his spirits were revived and his worries disappeared.\n\nThe four of them had only gone a few more steps when they reached the mountain. When they raised their eyes this was what they saw:\n\nA fine mountain,\n\nDappled with many colours.\n\nWhite clouds drifted around the peak,\n\nAnd cool were the shadows of the trees in front of the cliff.\n\nThe birds rustled in the leaves,\n\nThe beasts were ferocious.\n\nAmong the woods were a thousand pines,\n\nOn the ridge a few bamboos.\n\nHowls came from gray wolves seizing their prey,\n\nAnd roars from hungry tigers fighting over food.\n\nLong screamed the wild apes searching for fruit;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Long screamed the wild apes searching for fruit;\n\nThe David’s-deer climbed through blossoms into mists of green.\n\nThe wind was blowing,\n\nThe waters babbled,\n\nAnd hidden birds sang in the deserted pass.\n\nHere and there wisteria was climbing\n\nWhile rare flowers bloomed by the stream amid orchids.\n\nIntricately shaped and strange were the rocks,\n\nAnd sheer rose the crags.\n\nFoxes and raccoon-dogs ran in packs;\n\nBadgers and apes were playing in groups.\n\nThe travelers were worried by so high and steep a mountain:\n\nWhy was the ancient track so twisted?\n\nWhile master and disciples were moving timidly ahead they heard the howling of a wind. “There’s a wind,” said Sanzang in fear.\n\n“In the spring there are mild winds,” Monkey replied, “in the summer hot ones, in the autumn golden ones and in the winter North winds. There are winds in all four seasons. What’s so frightening about a wind?”\n\n“This wind is blowing very hard,” Sanzang replied. “It is definitely not a wind from heaven.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But winds always come from the earth and clouds from mountains,” Monkey replied, “so how could there be a wind from heaven?” Before he had finished speaking a mist arose. That mist really was\n\nDarkness joining up with the sky,\n\nObscurity making the whole earth dim.\n\nThe sun had completely vanished from sight\n\nAnd no bird sang.\n\nAll was as indistinct as primal chaos,\n\nAnd the air seemed filled with flying dust.\n\nThe trees on the mountain could not be seen\n\nWhere had the herb-gatherers gone?\n\n“Wukong,” said Sanzang in fright, “why is there this mist when the wind is still blowing?”\n\n“Don’t get upset,” Monkey replied. “Get off your horse, Master. I’ll go and see whether or not it’s sinister while you two keep guard, brothers.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage needed only to bow in order to be in mid-air. Holding his hand to his brow for shade, he opened his fiery eyes wide and looked down to see an evil spirit sitting at the foot of a beetling scar. Just look and see what he was like:\n\nA mighty body full of charm,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A mighty body full of charm,\n\nA heroic manner of great vigor.\n\nThe fangs protruding from his mouth were drills of steel;\n\nHis nose hung like a jade hook in the middle.\n\nHis golden eyes with pupils round gave animals a fright;\n\nDemons and gods were scared of his bristling silver whiskers.\n\nHe sat upright by the cliff in terrible might,\n\nMaking the mist and wind as he hatched his plot.\n\nOn either side of him some thirty or forty junior demons could be seen, all drawn up in line and blowing out mist and wind for all they were worth. Monkey grinned at this and thought, “So my master is clairvoyant. He said it wasn’t a heavenly wind, and it was in fact caused by this evil spirit trying to fool us. Now if I went straight down and hit him with what they call a ‘garlicsmasher’ that’d kill him sure enough, but it would ruin my reputation.” Monkey had been a true hero all his life and was quite incapable of playing a dirty trick like that."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’d better go back and give Pig some attention. I’ll ask him to hit the evil spirit first. If Pig’s good enough to kill the evil spirit we’ll be in luck. If he isn’t and the evil spirit captures him I can come back to rescue him and win myself a bit of fame. He’s always putting on such an act and being so lazy—he won’t make an effort. Still, he is very greedy and partial to a good feed. I think I’ll try a trick on him and see how that works.”\n\nAt once he brought his cloud down to land in front of Sanzang, who asked, “Are the wind and the mist sinister or not?”\n\n“It’s clear now,” Monkey replied. “They’ve gone.”\n\n“Yes,” said Sanzang, “they have eased off a little.”\n\n“Master,” said Monkey with a smile, “my eyesight is very good usually, but this time I was wrong. I thought there’d probably be a monster behind that wind and mist but there wasn’t.”\n\n“What caused them then?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What caused them then?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“There’s a village not far ahead,” Monkey replied, “where the people are so pious that they’re steaming white rice and white breadrolls to feed monks with. I think that the mist must have been steam escaping from their steamers. It was the result of their goodness.”\n\nWhen Pig heard this he thought Monkey was telling the truth, so he grabbed hold of him and whispered, “Did you eat their food before you came back?”\n\n“Only a bit,” Monkey replied. “The vegetable dishes were too salty—I didn’t want to eat too much.”\n\n“Screw that,” said Pig. “I’d eat my fill of it however salty it was. If it made me really thirsty I’d come back for a drink of water.”\n\n“Would you like some?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Sure thing,” Pig replied. “I’m hungry and I’d like some now. What do you think?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You mustn’t even talk about it,” said Monkey. “As the ancient book says, ‘When the father is present the son must do nothing on his own account.’ Our master, who’s as good as a father to you, is here, so none of us should dare go ahead.”\n\n“If you’ll say nothing about it, I’m going,” replied Pig with a grin.\n\n“Let’s see how you do it,” Monkey replied. “I’ll say nothing.” When it came to eating the idiot knew a thing or two.\n\nHe went up to his master, made a loud “na-a-aw” of respect, and said, “Master, elder brother has just told me that there are people in a village ahead of us who feed monks. Just look at that horse. It looks as though it’s going to start playing it up. We’ll be causing a lot of trouble if we have to ask for grass and other fodder for it. Luckily the wind and the clouds have gone now, so why don’t you all sit here for a while while I fetch some tender grass? We can go and beg for food from that house when we’ve fed the horse.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Splendid,” said the Tang Priest with delight. “I wondered why you’ve become so hardworking today. Be as quick as you can.”\n\nSmiling secretly to himself the idiot started out. “Brother,” said Monkey, catching up and grabbing hold of him, “they feed monks all right, but only good-looking ones.”\n\n“In that case I’ll have to change again,” said Pig.\n\n“Yes,” said Brother Monkey, “you change.”\n\nThe splendid idiot, who could perform thirty-six transformations, went into a hollow on the mountainside, made a spell with his hands, said the magic words, shook himself and turned himself into a short, skinny monk, beating a wooden fish-shaped dram with his hand and mumbling, “Oh great one, oh great one,” because he knew no scriptures to recite."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After putting away the wind and the mist the evil spirit ordered all his devils to form a circle round the main road, ready for any travelers. The idiot’s luck was out, and he was soon inside the trap and surrounded by the devils, who grabbed at his clothes and his silken sash as they all crowded in on him together.\n\n“Don’t pull,” Pig said. “You can let me eat in all your houses in turn.”\n\n“What do you want to eat, monk?” the devils asked. “You feed monks here,” Pig replied, “and I’ve come to be fed.”\n\n“So you’re hoping to be fed, are you, monk?” said the demons. “You don’t seem to realize that what we like doing best here is eating monks. We’re all evil immortals who’ve found the Way here in the mountains, and the only thing we want to do is to catch you monks, take you home with us, pop you in the steamer till you’re tender and eat you. And you’re still hoping for a vegetarian meal!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this Pig’s heart was filled with terror, and he started complaining about Monkey. “That Protector of the Horses is a crook. He lied to me about them feeding monks in this village. There aren’t any villagers here and there’s nobody who feeds monks. They’re all evil spirits.” The idiot was being tugged at so hard that he turned back into himself, pulled the rake out from his belt and struck out wildly, driving all the junior devils back.\n\nThey rushed back to report to the senior demon, “Disaster, Your Majesty.”\n\n“What disaster?” the senior demon asked.\n\n“A neat-looking monk came along in front of the mountain,” they replied, “so we decided to catch him and steam him. We were going to keep what we couldn’t eat now for a bad day. Then to our astonishment he transformed himself.”\n\n“What did he turn himself into?” the senior demon asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Not into anything human,” they replied. “He’s got a long snout, big ears, and a bristly mane on his back. He lashed out furiously at us with a rake that he used two-handed. He gave us such a terrible fright that we’ve run straight back to report to Your Majesty.”\n\n“Don’t be afraid,” the senior demon said. “Let me go and have a look.” Swinging his iron mace he went up for a closer look and saw that the idiot really was hideous. This is what he looked like:\n\nA snout like a husking hammer over three feet long;\n\nTusks like silver nails protruding from his mouth.\n\nTwo round eyes that flashed like lightning;\n\nA pair of ears that made a howling wind when they flapped.\n\nThe bristles behind his head were rows of iron arrows;\n\nAll of his hide was rough and green and scabby.\n\nIn his hands he held an amazing object:\n\nA nine-toothed rake of which everyone was afraid.\n\nSummoning up his courage, the evil spirit shouted, “Where are you from? What’s your name? Tell me at once and I’ll spare your life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this Pig replied with a laugh, “So you can’t recognize your own ancestor Pig either, my boy. Come closer and I’ll tell you:\n\nFor my huge mouth and tusks and mighty powers\n\nI was made Marshal Tian Peng by the Jade Emperor,\n\nCommanding eighty thousand marines on the River of Heaven,\n\nAnd happy amid all the joys of the heavenly palace.\n\nBecause when drunk I fluted with a palace lady\n\nI decided to play the hero for a while.\n\nOne butt from my snout destroyed the Dipper and Bull Palace;\n\nI ate the magic mushrooms of the Queen Mother of the West.\n\nThe Jade Emperor himself gave me two thousand hammer-blows,\n\nMade me an exile from the world of Heaven.\n\nThis made me determined to nourish my spirit,\n\nAnd become an evil monster in the lower world.\n\nJust when I had made a good marriage in Gao Village\n\nFate brought me up against my brother Monkey.\n\nHe subdued me with his gold-banded cudgel;\n\nI was forced to bow my head and enter the Buddhist faith.\n\nI do the heavy work, saddle the horse and carry luggage:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I must have been the Tang Priest’s debtor in an earlier life.\n\nAs the iron-footed Marshal Tian Peng my surname was Zhu;\n\nMy name as a Buddhist is Zhu Bajie.”\n\nWhen the evil spirit heard this he shouted, “So you’re the Tang Priest’s disciple. I’ve long heard that his flesh is very tasty. You’re one of the people I most want to catch. I’m not going to spare you now you’ve fallen into my clutches. Stay where you are, and take this from my mace.”\n\n“Evil beast,” Pig replied. “You must have been a dyer before.”\n\n“What do you mean, I must have been a dyer?” the evil spirit asked.\n\n“If you weren’t a dyer, how come you know how to use a pestle?” Pig retorted, and with no further argument the monster was upon him, striking furiously. They fought a fine battle in the mountain hollow:\n\nA nine-toothed rake,\n\nAn iron mace.\n\nAs the rake went through its movements they were like a howling gale;\n\nThe mace’s skilful blows came as thick and fast as rain.\n\nOne was an unknown ogre blocking the mountain road;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other was the offending Tian Peng now guarding his true nature’s master.\n\nWhen one’s nature is right monsters cause no fear;\n\nWhen the mountain is high earth cannot come from metal.\n\nOne fought with his mace like a python from a pool;\n\nThe other’s rake was like a dragon from the waters.\n\nTheir angry shouts shook mountains and rivers;\n\nTheir mighty roars caused terror down in hell.\n\nEach of the heroes displayed his prowess,\n\nStaking his life on his magical powers.\n\nWe will say no more of how Pig set a mighty wind blowing as he fought the evil spirit, who ordered his junior devils to keep Pig surrounded. Instead the story tells how Brother Monkey suddenly gave a bitter laugh behind the Tang Priest’s back.\n\n“Why are you laughing like that, elder brother?” Friar Sand asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Pig really is an idiot,” Monkey replied. “As soon as he heard that they feed monks there he fell for my trick. He’s been away a long time now. If he’d beaten the evil spirit with a single blow of his rake you’d have seen him coming back in triumph by now, loudly insisting on his great victory. But if the demon’s been too much for him and captured him my luck’s out. Goodness only knows how often he’ll have cursed the Protector of the Horses behind my back. Say nothing while I go to take a look around, Wujing.”\n\nWith that the splendid Great Sage, who did not want the venerable elder to know what was happening, quietly pulled a hair out of the back of his head, blew on it with magic breath, said “Change!” and turned it into his own double to stay with the master together with Friar Sand. Then his real self disappeared as he leapt up into the air to look around. He saw the idiot lashing out wildly with his rake at the devils who were surrounding him and gradually getting the better of him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was more than Monkey could bear. Bringing his cloud down to land, he shouted at the top of his voice, “Take it easy, Pig. Monkey’s here.” Recognizing that it was Monkey’s voice gave the idiot a chance to be more ferocious than ever as he hit wildly forward with his rake. The evil spirit was no match for him.\n\n“You weren’t up to much before, monk,” he said, “so how come you’re so fierce now?”\n\n“You’d better stop bullying me now, my lad,” Pig replied. “I’ve got one of my people here now.” A moment later he was swinging wildly again with the rake. The evil spirit, unable to stave off the blows, led his devils away in defeat. As soon as Monkey saw that the devils had been beaten he drew no closer but went straight back on his cloud, shook the hair and put it back on his body. With his mortal, fleshly eyes the Tang Priest noticed nothing of this."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before long a triumphant Pig returned too, so exhausted that his nose was dripping with snot as he foamed at the mouth and was panting loudly. “Master!” he called.\n\nWhen the Tang Priest saw him he exclaimed in astonishment, “Pig, you went to fetch some grass for the horse. Why have you come back in so terrible a state? Were there watchmen on the mountain who wouldn’t let you cut any?”\n\nThe idiot flung his rake down, beat his chest and stamped his feet as he replied, “Don’t ask me about it, Master. If I had to tell you I’d die of shame.”\n\n“What would you be so ashamed of?” Sanzang asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Elder brother tricked me,” Pig replied. “He told me that it wasn’t an evil spirit behind that wind and mist. He said there was nothing sinister about it, but that it was from a village where the people were so pious that they were steaming white rice and breadrolls made with white flour to feed monks with. I believed him. As I was so hungry I thought I’d go ahead to beg for some. Fetching grass for the horse was only an excuse. I never expected to be surrounded by a crowd of evil spirits. They gave me a hard fight, and if Monkey hadn’t helped me out with his mourner’s staff I’d have had no hope of escaping and getting back here.”\n\n‘The idiot’s talking nonsense,” said Monkey, who was standing beside them, with a smile. “If you’ve taken to robbery you’re trying to get a whole gaolful of people into trouble. I’ve been looking after the master here. I’ve never left his side.”\n\n“It is true,” Sanzang said, “Wukong has never left my side.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot then sprang up shouting, “You don’t understand, Master. He’s got a double.”\n\n“Is there really a monster there, Wukong?” Sanzang asked. Monkey could keep his deception up no longer.\n\n“There are a few little devils,” Monkey replied with a bow and a smile, “but they won’t dare give us any trouble. Come here, Pig. I’m going to look after you. We’re going to escort the master along this steep mountain path as if we were an army on the march.”\n\n“How?” Pig asked.\n\n“You’ll be the commander of the vanguard,” Monkey replied, “going in front and clearing the way. If the evil spirit doesn’t show up again that will be that; but if he does, you fight him. When you beat the evil spirit that’ll be something to your credit.”\n\nReckoning that the evil spirit’s powers were much the same as his own, Pig said, “Very well then. I’m ready to die at his hands. I’ll take the lead.”\n\n“Idiot,” said Monkey, “if you start by saying such unlucky things you’ll never get anywhere.”\n\n“As you know, brother,” Pig replied,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As you know, brother,” Pig replied,\n\n“When a gentleman goes to a banquet\n\nHe gets either drunk or well filled;\n\nWhen a hero goes into a battle\n\nHe gets either wounded or killed.\n\nBy saying something unlucky first I’ll make myself stronger later.” This delighted Monkey, who saddled the horse and invited the master to ride while Friar Sand carried the luggage as they all followed Pig into the mountains.\n\nThe evil spirit meanwhile led a few of his underlings who had survived the rout straight back to his cave, where he sat brooding in silence high up above a rocky precipice. Many of the junior devils who looked after things in his household came up to him and asked, “Why are you so miserable today, Your Majesty? You’re usually in-such high spirits when you come back.”\n\n“Little ones,” said the demon king, “usually when I go out to patrol the mountains I can be sure of bringing home a few people or animals I’ve caught to feed you with. Today my luck was out: I’ve met my match.”\n\n“Who?” the junior devils asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Who?” the junior devils asked.\n\n“A monk,” the demon king replied, “a disciple of the Tang Priest from the East who’s going to fetch the scriptures. He’s called Zhu Bajie. He went for me so hard with his rake that he beat me. I had to run away. I’m thoroughly fed up. For ages now I’ve heard it said that the Tang Priest is an arhat who has cultivated his conduct for ten successive lifetimes. Anyone who eats a piece of his flesh will live for ever. To my surprise he’s come to my mountain today, and it would have been an ideal time to catch him, cook him and eat him. I never realized he’d have a disciple like that one.”\n\nBefore he had finished saying this a junior devil slipped forward from the ranks. First he gave three sobs in front of the demon king, then three laughs.\n\n“Why sob then laugh?” shouted the demon king.\n\nThe junior devil fell to his knees as he replied, “Because Your Majesty just said that you wanted to eat the Tang Priest. His flesh isn’t worth eating.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But everyone says that a piece of his flesh will make you live as long as the heavens,” said the demon king. “How can you say that it’s not worth eating?”\n\n“If he were so good to eat,” the junior devil replied, “he’d never have got this far. Other demons would have eaten him up. And he’s got three disciples with him.”\n\n“Do you know who?” the demon king asked.\n\n“The senior disciple is Sun the Novice,” said the junior devil, “and the third disciple is Friar Sand. The one you met must have been his second disciple Zhu Bajie.”\n\n“How does Friar Sand compare with Zhu Bajie?” asked the demon king.\n\n“He’s much the same,” the junior devil said,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s much the same,” the junior devil said,\n\n“What about Sun the Novice?” the demon king asked, at which the junior devil thrust out his tongue in horror and replied, “I daren’t tell you. That Monkey has tremendous magic powers and can do all sorts of transformations. Five hundred years ago he made terrible havoc in heaven. None of the heavenly warriors dared give him any trouble, from the Twenty-eight Constellations, the Star Lords of the Nine Bright Shiners, the Gods of the Twelve Branches, the Five Officers and the Four Ministers, the East and West Dippers and the Gods of the North and the South, to the Five Peaks and the Four Rivers. How can you have the nerve to want to eat the Tang Priest?”\n\n“How do you know so much about him?” the demon king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I used to live in the Lion Cave of the demon king on Lion Ridge,” the junior devil replied. “He was reckless enough to want to eat the Tang Priest, and that Sun the Novice smashed his way in through the gates with his gold-banded cudgel. It was terrible. They were wiped out. Luckily I had enough sense to escape by the back door and come here, where Your Majesty allowed me to stay. That’s how I know about his powers.”\n\nThe senior demon turned pale with shock when he heard this: it was a case of the commander-in-chief being afraid of the soothsayer’s words. How could he help being alarmed when he heard all this from one of his own people? Just when they were all feeling terrified another junior devil stepped forward and said, “Don’t be so upset and afraid, Your Majesty. As the saying goes, easy does it. If you want to catch the Tang Priest let me make you a plan to capture him.”\n\n“What plan?” the senior demon asked.\n\n“I have a plan to ‘divide the petals of the plum blossom.’”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What do you mean by ‘dividing the petals of the plum blossom?’” the demon king asked.\n\n“Call the roll of all the devils in the cave,” the junior devil replied. “Choose the best hundred from all thousand of them, then the best ten out of that hundred, and finally the best three out of the ten. They must be capable and good at transformations. Have them all turn into Your Majesty’s doubles, wear Your Majesty’s helmet and armor, carry Your Majesty’s mace, and lie in wait in three different places. First send one out to fight Zhu Bajie, then one to fight Sun the Novice and finally one to fight Friar Sand. This way you’ll only have to spare three junior devils to draw the three disciples away. Then Your Majesty will be able to stretch down from mid-air with your cloud-grabbing hand to catch the Tang Priest. He’ll be in the bag. It’ll be as easy as catching flies in a dish of fish juice. Nothing to it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This suggestion delighted the demon king, who said, “What a brilliant plan, brilliant! If I don’t catch the Tang Priest this way, that’ll be that. But if I do I can assure you you’ll be richly rewarded. I’ll make you commander of the vanguard.” The junior devil kowtowed to thank him for his grace and went off to call the roll of the devils. After all the monsters in the cave had been carefully checked through, three capable junior devils were selected. They turned into the senior devil’s doubles and went to lie in wait for the Tang Priest with their iron maces.\n\nThe venerable Tang elder meanwhile was following Pig along the way without a care in the world. When they had been going for some time there was a crashing sound from beside the track and out leapt a junior devil who rushed straight at them, evidently to grab Sanzang. “The evil spirit’s here, Pig,” Monkey shouted. “Get him!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot, who was taken in by the imposture, hacked wildly at the devil with his rake. The evil spirit parried Pig’s blows with his mace as he met the onslaught. While the battle between the pair of them ebbed and flowed on the mountainside there was a noise in the undergrowth as another monster sprang out and charged at the Tang Priest.\n\n“This is bad, Master,” said Monkey. “Pig can’t see straight. He’s let the monster escape to catch you. I’m going to fight him.” Pulling his cudgel out in a flash, he went up to the monster, shouting, “Where d’you think you’re going? Take this!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Without saying a word the evil spirit raised his mace to meet the attack. But while the two of them were locked in combat, swinging at each other, there was a howling wind from the other side of the mountain and a third evil spirit sprang out who also rushed straight at the Tang Priest. When Friar Sand saw it he exclaimed in alarm, “Master, big brother and second brother both can’t see straight. They’ve let the evil spirit get away to catch you. Stay on the horse while I get him.”\n\nFriar Sand was taken in too. Brandishing his staff he blocked the evil spirit’s iron mace and started a bitter combat. It was a wild fight with shouts and awful yells, and they drew further and further away. When the demon king saw from up in the sky that the Tang Priest was alone on the horse he reached down with his five-clawed steel hook and seized him. The master lost horse and stirrups as the evil spirit carried him off in a gust of wind. Alas! This was a case of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the dhyana-nature encountered a monster the true achievement was hard;\n\nThe monk of the river current met once more with a star of disaster.\n\nBringing his wind down to land, the demon king took the Tang Priest into the cave and called, “Commander of the vanguard!”\n\nThe junior devil who had made the plan came forward, knelt and said, “I am not worthy.”\n\n“How can you say that?” the demon king replied. “Once the commander-in-chief has spoken, white becomes black. What I said before was that if I failed to catch the Tang Priest, that would be that; but that if I succeeded I’d make you my commander of the vanguard. Your brilliant plan has succeeded today, so there is no reason why I should break faith with you. Bring the Tang Priest here and tell the underlings to fetch water, scrub the cooking pot, fetch some firewood and light the fire. When he’s been steamed you and I will each have a piece of his flesh and live for ever.”\n\n“Your Majesty,” the commander of the vanguard replied, “he mustn’t be eaten yet.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why ever not?” the demon king asked. “We’ve captured him.”\n\n“It wouldn’t matter if you ate him, Your Majesty,” said the commander of the vanguard, “as far as Zhu Bajie and Friar Sand are concerned. They would be reasonable. But I’m worried about that Sun the Novice: he’d be really vicious. If he found out we’d eaten the Tang Priest he wouldn’t come to give us a straight fight. He’d just thrust that gold-banded cudgel of his into the mountainside and make a hole so big that the whole mountain would collapse. We’d be homeless.”\n\n“What do you suggest, commander of the vanguard?” the demon king asked.\n\n“In my opinion,” the commander replied, “we should send the Tang Priest out to the back garden, tie him to a tree, and starve him for two or three days. That will clean him up inside and let us make sure that the three disciples don’t come here looking for him. Once we’ve found out that they’ve gone home we can bring the Tang Priest out and enjoy him at our leisure. That’d be better, wouldn’t it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, yes,” the senior demon said with a laugh. “You’re right, commander of the vanguard.”\n\nAn order was issued and the Tang Priest taken into the back garden to be roped to a tree, while all the junior devils went out to the front to keep watch. Look at the venerable elder as he suffers in his bonds, tied up\n\ntightly and unable to stop the tears rolling down his cheeks.\n\n“Disciples,” he called, “where did you chase those demons to when you went to capture them in the mountains? I have been captured by a wicked ogre and have met with disaster. When will I ever see you again? The pain is killing me.”\n\nJust when the tears from both eyes were joining in a single stream he heard someone calling from a tree opposite, “Venerable elder, you’re here too.”\n\nTaking control of himself, the Tang Priest asked, “Who are you?”\n\n“I’m a woodcutter who lives on this mountain,” the other replied. “I’ve been tied up here for three days. I reckon they’re going to eat me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Woodcutter,” said the Tang Priest with tears in his eyes, “If you die it will only be you. You have nothing else to worry about. But if I die it won’t be a clean end.”\n\n“What do you mean, it won’t be a clean end, venerable elder?” the woodcutter asked. “You have no parents, wife or children, so if you die that’ll be that.”\n\n“I am from the East,” the Tang Priest replied, “and was going to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. I was going on the orders of Emperor Taizong of the Tang to worship the living Buddha and fetch the true scriptures. This was to save all the lonely souls in the underworld who have nobody to care for them. If I lose my life today the vain waiting will kill my sovereign and I will let down his ministers. Countless wronged souls in the City of the Unjustly Slain will suffer a terrible disappointment and never ever be able to escape from the wheel of life. The true achievement will all be turned to dust in the wind. How can that possibly be considered a clean end?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the woodcutter heard this the tears fell from his eyes as he said, “If you die that is all there to it. But my death will be even more painful for me to bear. I lost my father when I was a boy, and live alone with my mother. Because we had no property I have had to make our living as a woodcutter. My aged mother is eighty-two this year and I am her only support. If I die who will there be to bury her? It’s very hard to bear: the pain of it is killing me.”\n\nWhen the venerable elder heard this he began to wail aloud, “Oh dear, oh dear,\n\nEven the mountain man thinks of his mother;\n\nI am reciting the sutras in vain.\n\nServing one’s monarch and serving one’s parents are both the same in principle. You are moved by your mother’s goodness to you and I by my sovereign lord’s goodness to me.” This was indeed a case of\n\nWeeping eyes looking at eyes that weep,\n\nA heartbroken one who sees off one with a broken heart."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But we will say no more of Sanzang’s sufferings as we return to Monkey, who after driving the junior devil back down the grassy slope rushed back to the track to find that his master had disappeared. All that was left were the white horse and the luggage. In his alarm he led the horse and shouldered the carrying-pole as he headed for the top of the mountain in his search for the master. Oh dear! Indeed:\n\nThe long-suffering monk of the river current had met with new suffering;\n\nThe Great Sage, subduer of demons, had run into a demon.\n\nIf you do not know how his search for his master ended, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty-Six\n\nThe Mother of Wood Lends His Might in Defeating the Ogre\n\nThe Metal Lord Uses His Magic to Wipe Out the Monster"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how the Great Sage Monkey was leading the horse and carrying the baggage while he searched the whole mountain top, calling out for his master. Suddenly Pig came running up to him, puffing and panting, to ask, “Why are you shouting like that, brother?”\n\n“The master’s disappeared,” Brother Monkey replied. “Have you seen him?”\n\n“Why did you have to play that trick on me when I was being a good monk with the Tang Priest?” Pig asked. “What was all that about me being commander of the vanguard? I had to fight for my life before I could beat that evil spirit and come back in one piece. You and Friar Sand were looking after the master, so why ask me about it?”\n\n“I don’t blame you, brother,” said Monkey. “Somehow or other your eyes must have gone blurred—you let the evil spirit get away and come back to catch the master again. When I went off to fight it I told Friar Sand to look after the master, and he’s disappeared too.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I expect he’s taken the master somewhere for a crap,” said Pig with a grin, but before he had finished speaking Friar Sand turned up.\n\n“Where’s the master, Friar Sand?” Monkey asked.\n\n“You two must both be blind,” retorted Friar Sand, “letting the evil spirit escape to come back for the master. When I went to fight the evil spirit the master was left in the horse by himself.”\n\nAt this Monkey leapt with rage, shouting, “He’s fooled me! He’s fooled me!”\n\n“How’s he fooled you?” Friar Sand asked.\n\n“It was a ‘dividing the petals of the plum blossom’ trick,” Monkey replied, “to draw us three off so that he could make a blow for the heart and carry off the master. Whatever in the name of Heaven are we to do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He could not stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks, at which Pig said, “Don’t cry. If you cry you’re a pustule. He can’t be far away. He must be on this mountain. Let’s look for him.” The three of them had no better plan than to look for him on the mountain. When they had covered some six or seven miles they saw a cave palace at the foot of a beetling precipice:\n\nClean-cut pinnacles blocking the light,\n\nTowering and grotesque-shaped rocks.\n\nThe fragrance of rate and wonderful flowers,\n\nThe beauty of red apricots and green peaches.\n\nThe ancient trees in front of the precipice,\n\nForty spans round, and with bark scarred by frost and rain;\n\nThe azure pines standing outside the gates,\n\nTwo thousand feet of green blue reaching up to the sky.\n\nPairs of wild cranes\n\nThat dance in the breeze at the mouth of the cave;\n\nMountain birds in couples\n\nChirping by day at the ends of the branches.\n\nClumps of yellow creepers like ropes,\n\nRows of misty willows with leaves like hanging gold."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Water fills the pools that are square;\n\nAll over the mountain are caves that are deep.\n\nIn the pools that are square\n\nDragons lie hidden with scales unchanged.\n\nIn the mountain’s deep caves\n\nDwell ogres that long have been eaters of humans.\n\nThis can be matched with the lands of immortals,\n\nA den where the winds and the vapors are stored.\n\nWhen Monkey saw this he took two or three paces forward, sprang towards the gates and saw that they were shut tight. Above them was a horizontal stone tablet on which was written in large letters\n\nLINKED RING CAVE:\n\nBROKEN RIDGE:\n\nHIDDEN MISTS MOUNTAIN.\n\n“Strike, Pig,” said Monkey. “This is where the evil spirit lives. The master must be here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the idiot turned vicious, raised his rake, and brought it down on the gates with all his strength, smashing a big hole in them and shouting, “Ogre, send my master out at once if you don’t want me to smash your gates down and finish the lot of you off.” At this the junior devils on the gates rushed back inside to report, “Disaster, Your Majesty.”\n\n“What disaster?” the senior demon asked.\n\n“Someone’s smashed a hole in the front gates and is yelling that he wants his master,” the junior devils replied.\n\n“I wonder which one’s come looking for him,” said the demon king in a state of great alarm.\n\n“Don’t be frightened,” said the commander of the vanguard. “Let me go out and take a look.” He hurried straight to the front gates, twisted his head to one side and craned to look through the hole that had been smashed in them. He saw someone with a long snout and big ears."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, Your Majesty,” he turned round and shouted at the top of his voice, “it’s Zhu Bajie. He’s not up to much and he won’t dare try any nonsense on us. If he does we can open the gates and drag him inside to put in the steamer too. The only one to worry about is that hairy-cheeked monk with a face like a thunder god.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig when he heard this from outside, “he’s not scared of me but he is of you. The master’s definitely inside. Come here quick.”\n\n“Evil damned beast,” said Monkey abusively. “Your grandfather Monkey is here. Send my master out and I’ll spare your life.”\n\n“This is terrible, Your Majesty,” the commander of the vanguard reported. “Sun the Novice is here looking for him too.” At this the demon king started complaining, “It’s all because of your ‘petal-dividing’ or whatever you called it. You’ve brought disaster on us. How is this going to end?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, Your Majesty,” the commander of the vanguard replied, “and don’t start grumbling yet. That Sun the Novice is a monkey of great breadth of spirit. Although he has such tremendous magical power he’s partial to flattery. We’ll take an imitation human head out to fool him with, say a few flattering things to him and tell him we’ve eaten his master already. If we can take him in, the Tang Priest will be ours to enjoy. If we can’t we’ll have to think again.”\n\n“But where are we to get an imitation human head?” the demon king asked.\n\n“I’ll see if I can make one,” the commander of the vanguard replied.\n\nThe splendid ogre then cut a piece of willow root with an axe of pure steel into the shape of a human head, spurted some human blood on it from his mouth to make it all sticky, and told a junior devil to take it to the gates on a lacquer tray, calling, “My Lord Great Sage, please overcome your anger and allow me to address you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Brother Monkey really was partial to being flattered, and when he heard himself being addressed as “My Lord Great Sage” he grabbed hold of Pig and said, “Don’t hit him. Let’s hear what he has to say.”\n\nTo this the junior devil with the tray replied, “When my king took your master into the cave the junior devils were naughty and behaved very badly. They gobbled and gnawed and grabbed and bit, and ate the whole of your master up except his head, which I have here.”\n\n“If you’ve eaten him up, that’s that,” Monkey replied. “Bring the head out and let me see whether it’s real or false.” The junior devil threw the head out through the hole in the gates, a sight that started Pig howling and saying, “This is terrible. The master went in looking one way and he’s come out looking like this.”\n\n“Idiot,” said Monkey, “have a look and find out if it’s real before you start crying.”\n\n“You’re shameless,” said Pig, “how could there ever be such a thing as a fake human head?”\n\n‘This one’s a fake,” Brother Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "‘This one’s a fake,” Brother Monkey replied.\n\n“How can you tell?” Pig asked. “When you throw a real human head it lands quietly,” Monkey explained, “but when you throw a fake it makes a loud noise like a pair of wooden clappers. If you don’t believe me, I’ll throw it for you. Listen!” He picked the head up and threw it against a rock, where it gave a hollow ring.\n\n“It was loud, brother,” said Friar Sand.\n\n“That means it’s a fake,” said Monkey. “I’ll make it turn back into its real self to show you.” Producing his gold-banded cudgel in a flash he hit the head open. When Pig looked he saw that it was a piece of willow root. This was too much for the idiot, who started talking abusively.\n\n“I’ll get you, you hairy lot,” he said, “you may have hidden my master in your cave and fooled your ancestor Pig with a piece of willow root, but don’t imagine that my master is just a willow-tree spirit in disguise.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The junior devil who was holding the tray was thrown into such a panic by this that he ran shaking with fear back to report, “It’s terrible, terrible, terrible.”\n\n“What’s so terribly terrible then?’ the senior demon asked.\n\n“Zhu Bajie and Friar Sand were taken in, but Monkey’s like an antique dealer—he really knows his stuff,” the junior demon replied. “He could tell it was an imitation head. If only we could give him a real human head he might go away.”\n\n“But how are we to get one?” the senior demon wondered, then continued, “Fetch a human head we haven’t eaten yet from the flaying shed.” The devils then went to the shed and choose a fresh head, after which they gnawed all the skin off it till it was quite smooth and carried it out on a tray."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My lord Great Sage,” the messenger said, “I am afraid it was a fake head last time. But this really is Lord Tang’s head. Our king had kept it so as to bring good fortune to our cave, but now he’s making a special offering of it.” He then threw the head out through the hole in the gates, it landed with a thud and rolled on the ground, gory with blood.\n\nSeeing that this human head was a real one Monkey could not help starting to wail, in which he was joined by Pig and Friar Sand.\n\n“Stop crying, brother,” said Pig, holding back his tears. “This is very hot weather, and the head will soon become putrid. I’m going to fetch and bury it while it’s still fresh. We can cry for him afterwards.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re right,” said Monkey, and the idiot cradled the head against his chest, not caring about the filth, as he hurried up the cliff till he found a South-facing spot where the winds and the natural forces were gathered. Here he hacked out a hole with his rake, buried the head, and piled a grave-mound over it. Only then did he say to Friar Sand, “You and big brother weep over him while I look for some offerings.”\n\nGoing down to the side of a gill, he broke off some willow branches and gathered a few pebbles. Taking them back up to the tomb, he planted the willow branches on either side and piled the pebbles in front of it. “What’s all that about?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The willow branches are used instead of cypresses to shade the master’s tomb for the time being,” Pig answered, “and the pebbles are offerings to him instead of cakes.”\n\n“Cretin!” Monkey shouted. “He’s already dead. What do you want to go offering him stones for?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Just to show what the living feel,” Pig replied, “and out of mourning and respect.”\n\n“You’d better cut that nonsense out,” Monkey replied. “Tell Friar Sand to come here. He can guard the tomb and keep an eye on the horse and the luggage while we two go and smash the cave palace up, capture the monster and break his body into ten thousand bits. Then we’ll have avenged the master.”\n\n“You’re absolutely right, big brother,” said Friar Sand through his tears. “You two be careful. I’ll keep watch here.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Pig then took off his black brocade tunic, tied his undershirt tightly, picked up his rake and followed Monkey. The two of them rushed straight for the stone gates, and with no more ado they smashed them down and shouted with a yell that made the heavens shake, “Give us our Tang Priest back alive!” This sent the souls flying from all the devils old and young in the cave, who complained that the commander of the vanguard had wronged them. “How are we going to deal with these monks now they’ve fought their way in through the gates?” the demon king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The ancients used to say,” the commander of the vanguard replied, “‘Put your hand in a basket of fish and it’s bound to stink.’ Now we’re in this we’ve got to see it through. We’ll just have to take our troops into battle with these monks.” When the demon heard this he had no alternative but to issue the order, “Stand together, my little ones. Bring your best weapons with you and come with me.” They then charged out through the entrance of the cave with a great war cry.\n\nThe Great Sage and Pig quickly fell back a few paces before they held the devilish onslaught on a piece of flat ground on the mountainside, shouting, “Who’s your best-known boss? Who’s the ogre who captured our master?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The devils had now palisaded their position, over which a multicolored embroidered flag flew, and the demon king shouted straight back as he held the iron mace, “Damned monks! Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Great King of the Southern Mountains, and I’ve been running wild here for hundreds of years. I’ve eaten your Tang Priest up. What are you going to do about it?”\n\n“You’ve got a nerve, you hairy beast,” retorted Monkey abusively. “How old are you, daring to call yourself after the Southern Mountains? Lord Lao Zi was the ancestor who opened up heaven and earth, but even he sits on the right of the Supreme Pure One. The Tathagata Buddha is the Honoured One who rules the world, and he sits below the Great Roc. Confucius the Sage is the Honoured One of the Confucian School, and all he’s called is Master. So how dare you call yourself Great King of the Southern Mountains and talk about running wild for several hundred years? Don’t move, and take this from your grandfather’s cudgel!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit twisted aside to avoid the cudgel, which he parried with his iron mace. “How dare you try to put me down like that, monkey-face,” said the monster, glaring furiously. “What kind of powers have you got, acting like a maniac at my gates.”\n\n“I’ll get you, you nameless beast,” replied Brother Monkey with a grin. “You evidently don’t know who I am, so just stand there and make yourself brave while I tell you:\n\nMy ancestral home is in the Eastern Continent,\n\nWhere heaven and earth nourished me for thousands of years.\n\nOn the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit was a magic stone egg;\n\nWhen the egg broke open my roots were inside.\n\nMy birth was not like that of an ordinary being:\n\nMy body was formed when sun and moon mated.\n\n1 cultivated myself with formidable effect;\n\nHeaven gave me a perceptive and cinnabar head.\n\nAs the Great Sage I dwelt in the palace in the clouds,\n\nUsing my strength in a fight against the Dipper and Bull Palace.\n\nA hundred thousand heavenly troops could get nowhere near me;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All the stars in the sky were easily subdued.\n\nMy fame resounds throughout the cosmos;\n\nI know all about everything between earth and sky.\n\nSince my conversion to Sakyamuni’s teachings\n\n1 have been helping my master on his journey to the West.\n\nWhen I clear a path through mountains no one can stop me;\n\nMy skill at bridging rivers causes demons distress.\n\nIn forests I use my power to seize tigers and leopards;\n\nI capture wild beasts bare-handed before sheer cliffs.\n\nFor the sake of the East’s true achievement I have come to the Western Regions;\n\nWhat evil monster will dare to show itself?\n\nI hate the wicked beasts who have murdered my master;\n\nTheir lives will all be ended at this moment.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Their lives will all be ended at this moment.”\n\nThese remarks both shocked and infuriated the ogre, who ground his teeth, sprang forward and struck at Brother Monkey with his iron mace. Monkey blocked it effortlessly with his cudgel and would have said some more to him when Pig, unable to restrain himself any longer, started swinging wildly at the demon king’s commander of the vanguard. The commander of the vanguard led his whole force into action, and a hectic and splendid battle was fought on that piece of level ground on the mountainside:\n\nThe monk from the great and superior country in the East\n\nWas going to fetch true scriptures from the Western Paradise.\n\nThe great leopard of the Southern mountains breathed out wind and clouds\n\nTo block their way through the mountains and show off his prowess.\n\nWith tricks\n\nAnd deception\n\nHe had foolishly captured the priest from Great Tang.\n\nThen he met Monkey with his tremendous powers\n\nAs well as the famous Zhu Bajie."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As well as the famous Zhu Bajie.\n\nWhile the demons fought on level ground in the mountains\n\nDust clouds arose and darkened the sky.\n\nAbove the fray rose the junior devils’ roars\n\nAs they thrust out wildly with spear and with sword.\n\nOn the other side the monks shouted back,\n\nFighting with rake and with cudgel together.\n\nThe Great Sage was a matchless hero,\n\nAnd Pig in his perfection reveled in his strength.\n\nThe ancient ogre of the South,\n\nAnd his vanguard commander\n\nFor the sake of a piece of the Tang Priest’s flesh\n\nWere prepared to throw their own lives away.\n\nThese two hated them for killing their master:\n\nThe other two were set on murder because of the Tang Priest.\n\nThe struggle long swayed to and fro,\n\nThe clashes and charges yielding no victor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey realized that the junior devils were fighting so hard that repeated attacks were failing to drive them back he used body-dividing magic, plucked out a bunch of hairs, chewed them up in his mouth, spat the pieces out, called “Change!” and turned them all into his own doubles, each wielding a gold-banded cudgel and fighting his way into the cave from the outside. The one or two hundred junior devils, unable to cope with their attacks from all sides, all fled for their lives back into the cave. Monkey and Pig then fought their way back out through the enemy ranks from the inside. The evil spirits who had no sense tried to stand up to the rake and found themselves bleeding from nine wounds, or resisted the cudgel and had their flesh and bones beaten to paste. The Great King of the Southern Mountains was so alarmed that he fled for his life on his clouds and wind. The commander of the vanguard, who did not know how to do transformations, had already fallen to Monkey’s club and been revealed as what he"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to Monkey’s club and been revealed as what he really was: an iron-backed gray wolf ogre."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig went up to him, turned him over by his leg, and said, “Goodness only knows how many piglets and lambs this so-and-so has eaten.”\n\nMonkey meanwhile shook himself, put the hair back on his body and said, “No time to lose, idiot. After the demon king! Make him pay for the master’s life.” Pig turned back, but all the little Monkeys had disappeared.\n\n“Your magic bodies have all gone, brother,” he exclaimed.\n\n“I’ve taken them back,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Splendid,” said Pig, “splendid.” The two of them went back in triumph, feeling very pleased.\n\nWhen the senior demon escaped back to the cave he told his underlings to move rocks and earth to barricade the front gates. The surviving junior demons were all trembling with terror as they barricaded the entrance: they would not have dared to stick their heads out again now. Monkey led Pig to the gates and shouted without getting any response. Pig’s rake made no impression when he struck them with it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Realizing what had happened, Monkey said, “Don’t waste your effort, Pig. They’ve barricaded the gates.”\n\n“Then how are we going to avenge the master?” Pig asked.\n\n“Let’s go back to his grave and see Friar Sand,” Brother Monkey replied.\n\nWhen they got back there they found Friar Sand still weeping, at which Pig became more miserable than ever, throwing down his rake, prostrating himself on the tomb mound and beating the ground with his hand as he howled, “Poor, poor Master. Master from so far away! I’ll never see you again!”\n\n“Don’t distress yourself so, brother,” said Monkey. “The evil spirit may have barricaded his front gates, but he’s bound to have a back entrance to go in and out through. You two wait here while I go and look for it.\n\n“Do be careful, brother,” said Pig through his tears. “Don’t get caught yourself too. We could never cope if we had to wail for the master then for you by turns. We’d make an awful mess of it.”\n\n“No problem,” said Monkey. “I’ve got my ways of doing things.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Putting his cudgel away the splendid Great Sage tightened his kilt, stepped out and went back over the mountain. On his way he heard the sound of flowing water. When he turned round to look he saw that there was a brook flowing down from above him, and beside the gill was a gate, to the left of which was a drainpipe from which red water was coming out."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Goes without saying,” he thought. “That must be the back entrance. If I go as myself the junior demons may well recognize me when I open the door and see them. I’d better turn into a water snake to go in. No, hold on. If the master’s spirit knows that I’ve turned into a water snake he’ll be angry with me as a monk for turning into something so long drawn-out. I’d better turn into a little crab. No, that’s no good either. The master would be cross with me for having too many legs for a monk.” So he turned into a water rat who slipped into the water with a soughing sound and went straight to the inner courtyard along the drainpipe. Here he thrust his head out for a look around and saw some junior devils setting out gobbets of human flesh to dry in a sunny spot."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Heavens!” said Monkey. “That must be what they can’t finish from the master’s flesh. No doubt they’re drying it to save for a rainy day. If I turned back into myself now, went up to them and wiped them out with one swing of my cudgel I’d be making myself look brave but stupid. I’ll do another change, go in to look for the senior devil, and find out what’s what.” With that he jumped out of the drain, shook himself, and turned himself into a winged ant. Indeed:\n\nWeak and tiny and known as black colts,\n\nThey hide away for many a day till they have wings and can fly.\n\nCasually crossing beside the bridge they draw up their ranks;\n\nThey enjoy battles of high strategy under the bed.\n\nBecause they know when rain is coming they block their holes\n\nAnd build their mounds of dust that turn to ashes.\n\nLight they are, and delicate and quick,\n\nRarely observed as they pass the wicker gate."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rarely observed as they pass the wicker gate.\n\nHe spread his wings and flew straight into the inner hall, unseen and unheard. Here the senior demon could be seen sitting very angrily in the seat of honour, while a junior devil ran up from behind to report, “Many congratulations, Your Majesty.”\n\n“What on?” the senior demon asked.\n\n“I was on lookout by the gill outside the back door just now,” the junior devil replied, “when suddenly I heard some loud wails. I rushed up to the top of the mountain to take a look and saw Zhu Bajie, Sun the Novice and Friar Sand all bowing to a grave and weeping bitterly. I think they must have taken that head for the Tang Priest’s and buried it, piled up a grave mound and mourned for it.”\n\nWhen Monkey overheard this he said to himself with delight, “From what he’s said they’ve still got the master here and haven’t eaten him yet. I’ll take a look around and find out if he’s still alive, then have a word with him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage then flew into the main hall and looked all around until he saw a very tiny doorway on one side of it. It was very firmly shut, and when he squeezed through the narrow gap between the doors he found himself in a big garden in which he could vaguely make out the sound of sobbing. Flying further inside he saw a clump of tall trees at the foot of which were tied two men. One of these was the Tang Priest. As soon as Monkey saw him he felt an itch in his heart that he could not scratch.\n\nHe could not help turning back into himself, going up to Sanzang and calling, “Master.”\n\nWhen the Tang Priest saw who it was he started crying and saying, “Is that you, Wukong? Save me as quickly as you can, Wukong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t keep saying my name, Master,” Monkey replied. “There are people at the front and the secret may get out. As you’re still alive I can rescue you. The ogres said they’d already eaten you and tricked me with an imitation human head. Now we’re in a bitter struggle with them. There’s no need to worry, Master. Just stick it out for a little longer till I’ve beaten the evil spirit, then I’ll be able to rescue you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage said the words of a spell, shook himself, turned into an ant again and flew back into the hall, where he landed on the main beam. From here he saw the surviving junior devils jostling and shouting. One of them sprang out from the crowd and said, “Your Majesty, now they know we’ve blocked the main gate and they won’t be able to fight their way in they’ve given up hope. They’ve even made a tomb for the wrong head. They spent today mourning for him, and they’ll do the same again tomorrow and the day after. I’m sure they’ll go away after that. Once we find out that they’ve split up we can bring the Tang Priest out, chop him up into little bits, and fry him with aniseed. Then everyone will be able to eat a piece when he’s steaming hot, and we’ll all live forever.”\n\nAt this another junior devil clapped his hands together and said, “No, no, he’d taste much better steamed.”\n\n“Boiling him would save some firewood,” another put in."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He’s such a rare and wonderful thing,” said someone else, “that we ought to salt him down and take our time over eating him.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard all this from up among the beams he thought with fury, “What harm did my master ever do you? Why are you making these plans to eat him?” He pulled out a handful of hairs, chewed them up into little pieces, blew them lightly out of his mouth and silently recited the words of the spell that turned all the pieces into sleep insects. These he threw into the faces of all the devils, and the insects crawled up their noses, gradually making the devils feel sleepy. Before long the junior devils were all lying stretched out fast asleep. The demon king was the only one left fitfully awake as he kept rubbing his face and head, sneezing and pinching his nose."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Perhaps he knows about how to cope with sleep insects,” Monkey thought. “I’d better give him a double dose.” He pulled out a hair, made two more sleep insects as before, and threw them into the demon’s face to crawl up his nose, one up the left nostril and one up the right. The demon king jumped to his feet, stretched, yawned twice and fell fast asleep, breathing heavily.\n\nQuietly delighted, Monkey then sprang down from the roof and turned back into himself. He produced his cudgel from his ear and waved it till it was the thickness of a duck egg, then with a loud bang broke down the side door, ran into the garden at the back and called out, “Master!”\n\n“Untie me quick, disciple,” the venerable elder said. “Being roped up like this has been agony.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Be patient, Master,” said Monkey. “When I’ve killed the evil spirit I’ll come and untie you.” He then hurried back into the hall, lifted his cudgel and was about to strike when he stopped and thought, “No, this is wrong. I ought to release the master before I kill the evil spirit.” He went back into the garden, where he changed his mind again: “No, I’ll kill the monster first.” This happened two or three times till finally he came dancing back into the garden, where his master’s grief turned to joy at the sight of him.\n\n“You monkey,” he said, “I suppose it’s because you’re beside yourself with pleasure at seeing me still alive that you’re dancing about like that.” Only then did Monkey go up to him, untie him, and help him walk away. The man tied to the other tree then called out, “Please save me too in your great mercy, my lord.”\n\nThe venerable elder stopped and said, “Untie him too, Wukong.”\n\n“Who’s he?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Who’s he?” Monkey asked.\n\n“He was captured and brought here a day before me,” Sanzang replied. “He’s a woodcutter. He tells me his mother is very old and he is most worried about her. He is a very dutiful son. You must save him too.”\n\nDoing as he was bid, Monkey untied the other man and took them both out through the back gate, up the scar and across the ravine. “Thank you for rescuing this man and me, worthy disciple,” said Sanzang. “Where are Wuneng and Wujing?”\n\n“Mourning for you over there,” Monkey replied, “Give them a shout.”\n\nSanzang then shouted at the top of his voice, “Bajie! Bajie!” The idiot, who had been weeping so much that his head was spinning, wiped away the snot and tears to call, “Friar Sand, the master’s come back as a ghost. That him calling, isn’t it?”\n\n“Idiot,” shouted Monkey, going up to him, “that’s no ghost. It’s the master himself.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Friar Sand looked up and saw who it was he fell to his knees in front of Sanzang and said “Master, you’ve suffered terribly. How did big brother rescue you?” Monkey then told them everything that had happened.\n\nWhen Pig heard all this he gnashed his teeth, unable to restrain himself from knocking the tomb mound over with one blow of his rake, digging out the head and smashing it to pulp “Why are you hitting it?” the Tang Priest asked.\n\n“Master,” said Pig, “goodness only knows what kind of wretch he was, but we all mourned for him.”\n\n“It was thanks to him that I’m still alive,” Sanzang replied. “When you disciples attacked their gates and demanded me they took him out to fob you off with. Otherwise they would have killed me. I think we should bury him properly as a mark of our monastic respect.” When the idiot heard his master saying this he buried that bag of flesh and bone that had been beaten to a pulp and piled up a tomb mound over it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Brother Monkey with a smile, “won’t you sit here for a while while I go to wipe them out?” With that he leapt down the cliff, crossed the ravine, went into the cave and took the ropes with which the Tang Priest and the woodcutter had been hound into the hall, where he used them to truss together the arms and legs of the demon king, who was still asleep. He then lifted the demon up with his cudgel onto his shoulder and took him out by the back door.\n\n“You like making things difficult for yourself, brother,” said Pig when he saw him coming from a distance. “Why don’t you find another to balance him?”\n\nMonkey then set the demon king down in front of Pig, who raised his rake and was just about to hit him when Monkey said, “Wait a moment. We haven’t captured the junior devils in the cave yet.”\n\n“If there are any left,” Pig said, “take me in with you to smash them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Smashing them would be too much trouble,” Monkey replied. “The best thing would be to find some firewood and wipe them out that way.”\n\nWhen the woodcutter heard this he led Pig to a hollow to the East to find some broken ends of bamboo, pines that had lost their needles, hollow stumps of willows, creepers broken off from their roots, withered artemisia, old reeds, rushes and dead mulberry. They carried a lot of this into the back entrance, where Monkey set it alight and Pig fanned the flames with both ears. Then the Great Sage sprang up, shook himself and put the sleep-insect hairs back on his body. When the junior devils woke up they were all already on fire. Poor things! None of them had the faintest chance of surviving. When the whole cave was burnt right out the disciples went back to see the master."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Sanzang saw that the senior demon had woken up and was shouting he called, “Disciples, the evil spirit has come round.” Pig went up and killed him with one blow of his rake, whereupon the ogre turned back into his real form as a leopard spirit with a coat patterned like mugwort flowers.\n\n“Leopards with flower-patterned coats can eat tigers,” Monkey observed, “and this one could turn into a human too. Killing him has prevented a lot of serious trouble in future.” The venerable elder could not express his gratitude strongly enough, and he then mounted the saddle. “My home isn’t far from here to the Southwest, sirs,” said the woodcutter. “I invite you to come there to meet my mother and accept my kowtows of thanks for saving my life. Then I’ll see you gentlemen along your way.”\n\nSanzang was happy to accept, and instead of riding he walked there with his three disciples and the woodcutter. After they had followed a winding path to the Southwest for a short distance this is what they saw."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lichen growing across a stone-flagged path,\n\nWisteria joining across the wicker gate,\n\nChains of mountains on every side, And a wood full of singing birds.\n\nA dense thicket of pine and bamboo,\n\nRare and wonderful flowers in profusion.\n\nThe place is remote and deep amid the clouds,\n\nA thatched cottage with a bamboo fence.\n\nWhile they were still some distance away they could make out an old woman leaning on the wicker gate with tears streaming from her eyes, weeping and calling to heaven and earth for her son.\n\nAs soon as the woodcutter saw his mother he left the Tang Priest behind as he rushed straight to the gate, knelt down and said, “Mother, I’m back.”\n\nThrowing her arms around him the woman said, “My boy, when you didn’t come home for days on end I thought the mountain lord must have caught you and killed you. I’ve suffered terrible heartache. If you weren’t killed why didn’t you come back before? Where are your carrying-pole, ropes and axe?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The woodcutter kowtowed as he replied, “Mother, the mountain lord did capture me and tie me to a tree. I was lucky to escape with my life, thanks to these gentlemen. They are arhats sent by the Tang court in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. This gentleman was captured by the mountain lord and tied to a tree as well. His three disciples have enormous magic powers. They killed the mountain lord with a single blow: he was a leopard with mugwort flower spots who had become a spirit. They burnt all the junior devils to death, untied the senior gentleman and then untied me too. I owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude: but for them your son would certainly be dead. Now that the mountain is completely safe I’ll be able to walk around at night without any danger.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After hearing this the old woman came forward to greet Sanzang and his disciples, kowtowing at every step. Then she led them in through the wicker gate to sit down in the thatched cottage. Mother and son next performed endless kowtows as expressions of their gratitude before hastily and in a fluster preparing them some vegetarian food as a mark of their thanks.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig to the woodcutter, “I know you’re hard up here. Just put something simple together for us. Don’t go to a lot of trouble and effort.”\n\n“Quite frankly, sir,” the woodcutter replied, “we’re very poor here. We don’t have any gill fungus, button mushrooms, peppers or aniseed. All we can offer you gentlemen are some wild vegetables.”\n\n“We’re putting you to a lot of trouble,” said Pig. “Be as quick as you can. We’re starving.”\n\n“It’ll soon be ready,” the woodcutter replied, and before long a table and stools were set out and wiped clean, and several dishes of wild vegetables served:\n\nTender-scalded day lilies,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tender-scalded day lilies,\n\nWhite lumps of pickled scallion,\n\nKnotweed and purslane,\n\nShepherds purse and “goosegut blossom.”\n\nThe “swallows stay away” was delicious and tender;\n\nThe tiny fists of beansprouts were crisp and green.\n\nIndigo heads boiled soft,\n\nWhite-stewed “dog footprints,”\n\n“Cat’s ears,”\n\nWild turnips,\n\nAll with tender and tasty gray noodles.\n\n“Scissor shafts,”\n\n“Oxpool aid,”\n\nTipped in the pot with broom purslane.\n\nBroken grain purslane,\n\nAnd lettuce purslane,\n\nAll green, delicious and smooth.\n\n“Birdflower” fried in oil,\n\nSuperb water-chestnuts,\n\nRoots of reeds and wild-rice stems,\n\nFour kinds of excellent water plants.\n\n“Wheat-mother,”\n\nDelicate and finely flavored;\n\n“Raggedy patches”\n\nYou could never wear.\n\nUnder the bitter sesame bed runs a fence.\n\nSparrows wander around,\n\nMacaques leave their footprints,\n\nEager to eat it all when fried and piping hot.\n\nSloping wormwood and green artemisia surround crown daisy chrysanthemums;\n\nThe moths fly around the buckwheat.\n\nBald “goat’s ear,”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bald “goat’s ear,”\n\nWolfberry fruits,\n\nThat don’t need oil when combined with dark indigo.\n\nA meal of every kind of wild vegetable\n\nAs a mark of the woodcutter’s reverent thanks.\n\nWhen master and disciples had eaten their fill they packed up ready to start out again. Not daring to press them to stay, the woodcutter asked his mother to come out and bow to them in thanks again. He then kowtowed, fetched a club of jujube wood, fastened his clothes tight, and came out to see them on their way.\n\nFriar Sand led the horse, Pig carried the shoulder-pole, and Monkey followed close behind them while the master put his hands together on the back of the horse and said, “Brother woodcutter, could you kindly lead us to the main track? We will take out leave of you there.” Together they then climbed high, went down slopes, skirted ravines and negotiated inclines. “Disciples,” said the venerable elder thoughtfully as he rode,\n\n“Since leaving my monarch to come to the West"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Since leaving my monarch to come to the West\n\nI have made a long journey across a great distance.\n\nAt each river and mountain I have met with disaster,\n\nBarely escaping from monsters and fiends.\n\nMy heart has been set on the Three Stores of scriptures,\n\nAnd my every thought is of Heaven above.\n\nWhen will my toil and my labor be ended?\n\nWhen will I go home, my journey completed?”\n\nWhen the woodcutter heard Sanzang saying this he said, “Don’t be so downhearted, sir. It’s only some three hundred miles West along this road to India, the land of paradise.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as Sanzang heard this he dismounted and replied, “Thank you for bringing us so far. Now that we are on the main track, please go home now, brother woodcutter, and give our respects to your venerable mother. We poor monks have no way to reward you for the sumptuous meal you gave us just now except by reciting surras morning and evening to protect you and your mother and enable both of you to live to be a hundred.” The woodcutter took his leave of them and went back by the way he had came. Master and disciples then headed West together.\n\nIndeed:\n\nThe ogre subdued and wrongs set to right, he escaped from his peril;\n\nHaving been shown this kindness he set out on his way with the greatest of care.\n\nIf you don’t know how long it was till they reached the Western Heaven, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty-Seven\n\nWhen Heaven Is Offended in Fengxian It Stops the Rain\n\nThe Great Sage Urges Goodness and Brings a Downpour\n\nDeep and mysterious is the Great Way;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Deep and mysterious is the Great Way;\n\nWhat news is there of it?\n\nWhen revealed it will alarm ghosts and divine beings.\n\nIt controls the universe,\n\nDivides darkness and light;\n\nIn the world of true happiness there is no competition.\n\nBefore the Vulture Peak\n\nPearls and jewels emerge,\n\nShining with every color.\n\nIt illuminates all beings that live between heaven and earth;\n\nThose who understand it live as long as mountains and seas.\n\nThe story tells how Sanzang and his three disciples took their leave of the woodcutter on the Hidden Clouds Mountain and hurried along the main road. After they had been going for several days they suddenly saw a walled and moated city not far before them.\n\n“Wukong,” said Sanzang, “is that city ahead of us India, do you think?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No, no,” said Monkey shaking his head. “Although the Tathagata lives in a paradise there are no cities there. It’s a great mountain, Vulture Peak, on which are the high buildings and halls of Thunder Monastery. Even if we’ve now reached the land of India this isn’t where the Buddha lives. I don’t know how far India is from Vulture Peak. Presumably this city is one of the frontier prefectures of India. We’ll know when we get there.”\n\nSoon they were outside the city, where Sanzang dismounted to go in through the triple gates. Here they found the people destitute and the streets deserted. When they reached the market there were many black-clad government servants lined up on either side of a number of officials wearing their hats and sashes of office and standing under the eaves of a building. As the four travelers came along the road these men did not give way at all, so Pig in his rough way raised his snout and shouted, “Out of the way! Out of the way!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the men looked up with a start and saw what he looked like their bones went soft, their sinews turned numb and they fell over, shouting, “Evil spirits! Evil spirits!”\n\nThis gave the officials standing under the eaves such a fright that they were shivering as they bowed and asked, “Where are you from?”\n\nSanzang, who was worried that his disciples would cause trouble, pushed himself forward and said to the men, “I am a monk sent by His Majesty the Great Tang emperor to worship the Lord Buddha and fetch the scriptures in the Great Thunder Monastery in the land of India. Our journey brings us to this distinguished place, but as we do not know its name and have not yet found a place to stay we hope that you gentlemen will forgive us if we have caused any offence to your customs on entering your city.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then did the officials return his courtesy and say, “This is the prefecture of Fengxian, one of the frontier prefectures of India. Because we have been suffering from drought for years on end the marquis has sent us to put up a notice here calling for masters of the Dharma to pray for rain and save the people.”\n\n“Where’s the notice?” asked Monkey when he heard this.\n\n“Here,” the officials said. “The arcade has only just been swept clean: we haven’t posted it yet.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Bring it here and show me,” said Brother Monkey. The officials then opened the notice out and hung it up under the eaves. Monkey and the others went up to read it, and this was what was written on it: Shangguan, Marquis of Fengxian Prefecture in Great India, issues this notice to invite enlightened teachers and great masters of the Dharma. This country with its prosperous soldiers and people has been afflicted with drought for years. Military and civil land alike has been devastated; the rivers have dried up and the ditches are empty. There is no water in the wells, and the springs have stopped flowing. While the rich are barely managing to stay alive, the poor cannot survive. A bushel of wheat costs a hundred pieces of silver; a bundle of firewood costs five ounces. Girls of ten are being sold for three pints of rice; boys of five are being given to whoever will take them. Because the city dwellers fear the law they pawn their clothes to buy the necessities for survival; but in the countryside thugs rob"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "for survival; but in the countryside thugs rob and eat people in order to live. I have therefore issued this notice in the hope that wise and worthy men from all around will pray for rain to save the people. The will be richly rewarded for their kindness with a thousand pieces of silver. This is no empty promise. Let those who would take it up come to this notice."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he had read it Monkey asked the officials, “What’s Shangguan?”\n\n“Shangguan is our marquis’ surname,” they replied.\n\n“It’s a very rare surname,” said Monkey with a laugh.\n\n“You’ve never been to school, brother,” said Pig. “There’s a bit at the end of the book The Hundred Surnames that goes ‘Ouyang and Shangguan.’”\n\n“Stop this idle chatter, disciples,” said Sanzang. “If any of you know how to pray for rain, bring them a fall of timely rain and save the people from this affliction: that would be a very good thing indeed to do. If you cannot, we must be on our way and waste no more time.”\n\n“What’s so difficult about praying for rain?” Monkey asked. “I can turn rivers upside down, stir up the sea, move the stars and constellations about, kick the sky, churn up water in wells, breathe out mist and clouds, carry mountains, drive the moon along and summon wind and rain. They’re all child’s play. Nothing to them!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the officials heard this they sent two of their number straight to the prefectural offices to report, “Your Excellency, something very splendid indeed has happened.”\n\nThe marquis, who was burning incense and praying silently at the time, asked what it was when he heard that something splendid had happened. “We were taking the notice to post at the entrance to the market,” the officials replied, “when four monks came along who said that they have been sent by the Great Tang in the East to the Great Thunder Monastery in India to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. As soon as they read the notice they said they could bring timely rain, which is why we have come here to report.”\n\nRefusing to take a sedan-chair, horse or large retinue, the marquis went on foot in his robes of office straight to the entrance to the market in order to invite the strangers with the utmost courtesy to pray for rain.\n\n“His Excellency the marquis is here,” it was suddenly announced, and everybody moved out of the way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as he saw the Tang Priest the marquis, who showed no fear of his hideous disciples, prostrated himself in the middle of the street and said, “I am Marquis Shangguan of Fengxian Prefecture, and I have bathed and perfumed myself in order to beg you teachers to pray for the rain that will save the people. I implore you in your great mercy to give play to your divine powers and bring us deliverance.”\n\nReturning his courtesies, Sanzang said, “This is no place to talk. We will be able to act when we have gone to a monastery.”\n\n“Please come with me to my humble palace,” the marquis replied. “We have a pure place there.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Master and disciples then led the horse and carried the luggage straight to the palace, where they all exchanged greetings and the marquis ordered tea and a vegetarian meal. When the food arrived a little later Pig ate for all he was worth like a hungry tiger, terrifying the waiters, who trembled as they kept coming and going with more and more soup and rice. They looked like the figures on one of those revolving lanterns, and they could just keep him supplied until he had eaten his fill. Only then did he stop.\n\nWhen the meal was over the Tang Priest expressed his thanks then asked, “How long has the drought lasted here, Your Excellency?” To this the marquis replied,\n\n“This is a part of the great land of India,\n\nFengxian Prefecture of which I am governor.\n\nFor three years on end we have suffered from drought:\n\nGrass does not grow, and the grain has all died.\n\nBusiness is hard for rich and for poor;\n\nNearly all of the families are weeping with grief.\n\nTwo thirds of the people have now died of starvation;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The rest barely survive, like a candle flame in the wind.\n\nI have issued a notice for worthies\n\nAnd am lucky you monks have come to our land.\n\nIf you bring the people a whole inch of rain\n\nA thousand in silver will be your reward.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this his face showed his pleasure as he chuckled, “Don’t say that, don’t say that. If you promise us a reward of a thousand pieces of silver you won’t get a single drop of rain. But if you put it in terms of accumulating merit I’ll provide you with plenty of rain.”\n\nThe marquis, a thoroughly upright and good man who cared deeply for his people, invited Monkey to take the seat of honour, then bowed to him and said, “Teacher, if you really can show us this great compassion this humble official will do nothing to offend against morality.”\n\n“Please get up,” said Monkey, “only look after my master well while I do the job.”\n\n“How are you going to do it, brother?” asked Friar Sand. “"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You and Pig are to must come here and be my assistants outside while I summon a dragon to make rain,” Monkey replied. Pig and Friar Sand did as he bade them, and while the three of them went outside the marquis burned incense and prayed. Sanzang sat there reciting sutras.\n\nWhile Monkey recited the spell and said the magic words a dark cloud appeared to the East and slowly moved till it was in front of the hall: it was Ao Guang, the ancient dragon of the Eastern Sea. Ao Guang then put away his cloud feet and turned himself into human form to go up to Monkey, bow low to him with full courtesy and ask, “What have you sent for this humble dragon to do, Great Sage?”\n\n“Please rise,” Monkey replied. “The only reason why I have troubled you to make this long journey is because there has been a drought in this prefecture of Fengxian for years on end. I’d like to ask you if you couldn’t send some rain.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I must inform you, Great Sage,” the dragon replied, “that although I can make rain I can only act on the orders of Heaven. I would never dare come here to make rain on my own authority without Heaven’s instructions.”\n\n“As our journey brought us this way I asked you specially to come here to make rain and save the people,” said Monkey, “so why are you trying to get out of it?”\n\n“I’d never dare,” the dragon king replied. “I came because you summoned me with the magic words, Great Sage, and I’d never dare try to get out of it. In the first place I haven’t had an edict from Heaven, and secondly I haven’t brought the magic rain-making generals with me. How could I, Great Sage? If you wish to be a savior, you must let me go back to the sea to muster my forces while you go to the heavenly palace to obtain an imperial edict for a fall of rain and ask the officials in charge of water to release us dragons, so that I can make rain in the quantities ordered.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Accepting the force of his argument, Brother Monkey had to let the old dragon go back to the sea. He then told the Tang Priest what the dragon king had said.\n\n“In that case you had better go and do that,” the Tang Priest said. “But don’t be telling lies.”\n\nMonkey then told Pig and Friar Sand to look after the master while he went up to the heavenly palace. No sooner had the splendid Great Sage said he was going than he was out of sight.\n\n“Where has Lord Sun gone?” the marquis asked, trembling with shock.\n\n“He’s gone up to Heaven on a cloud,” replied Pig with a grin. With great reverence the marquis then issued an urgent order that all the people in the big and little streets of the city, whether nobility, high officials, gentry, commoners, soldiers or civilians, were to worship dragon-king tablets and set out water urns with sprigs of willow in them in front of their gates. They were also to burn incense and pray to Heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Once on his somersault cloud Monkey went straight to the Western Gate of Heaven, where the Heavenly King Lokapala soon appeared at the head of his heavenly soldiers and warriors to greet him and say, “Great Sage, have you fetched the scriptures yet?”\n\n“Quite soon now,” Monkey replied. “We’ve reached a frontier prefecture called Fengxian on the borders of India now. It hasn’t rained for three whole years there, and the people are suffering terribly. I want to pray for rain to save them. I sent for the dragon king, but he told me that he couldn’t do it on his own authority without a heavenly order, which is why I’ve come to see the Jade Emperor to request an edict.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I don’t think it’s supposed to rain there,” the heavenly king said. “I heard just now that the marquis of Fengxian had behaved disgracefully and offended both Heaven and Earth. His Majesty took it badly and immediately had a rice mountain, a flour mountain and a huge gold lock set up. It won’t rain till all three have been knocked over or snapped.” Not understanding what all this was about, Monkey demanded to see the Jade Emperor, and, not daring to stop him, the heavenly king let him in.\n\nGoing straight to the Hall of Universal Brightness, Brother Monkey was met by the four heavenly teachers, who asked, “What are you here for, Great Sage?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“On my journey escorting the Tang Priest I’ve reached Fengxian Prefecture on the frontiers of India, where there is a drought,” Monkey replied. “The marquis there has been asking for magicians to pray for rain. I sent for the dragon king to order him to make rain, but he said that he could not do so on his own authority without an edict from the Jade Emperor. I have now come to request an edict in order to relieve the people’s suffering.”\n\n“But it’s not supposed to rain there,” said the four heavenly teachers.\n\n“As to whether it’s supposed to rain or not,” said Monkey with a smile, “could I trouble you to take me in to submit a memorial so that I can find out whether I can still get a favour done?”\n\nTo this the heavenly teacher Ge Xianweng replied, “As the saying goes, ‘a fly that needs a net for a veil—what a nerve!’”\n\n“Don’t talk nonsense,” said Xu of Jingyang. “Just take him in.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Qiu Hongji, Zhang Daoling, Ge and Xu took Monkey to the outside of the Hall of Miraculous Mist, where they reported, “Your Majesty, Sun Wukong has reached Fengxian Prefecture in India and wants to obtain rain. He has come to ask for an edict.”\n\n“Three years ago,” the Jade Emperor replied, “on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, when we were inspecting the myriad heavens and travelling through the three worlds, we arrived at his city. We saw that Shangguan was most wicked; he knocked over the vegetarian offerings to heaven to feed to dogs, spoke foully, and was guilty of lese-majeste. That is why we set up those three things in the Hall of Fragrance. Take Sun Wukong to see them. When those three things have been accomplished we will issue our edict; but if they are not, then do not meddle in what does not concern you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the four heavenly teachers led Brother Monkey to the Hall of Fragrance he saw a mountain of rice about a hundred feet high and a mountain of flour about two hundred feet high. Beside the rice mountain was a chicken the size of a fist eating the rice, sometimes with quick pecks, sometimes with slow ones. Beside the flour mountain was a golden-haired Pekinese licking the flour, sometimes with long licks and sometimes with short ones. To the left of it a golden padlock about one foot three or four inches long hung from an iron frame. The crossbar of the lock was about the thickness of a finger, and under it was a lamp, the flame of which was heating the bar.\n\nNot understanding what all this was about, Monkey turned back to ask the heavenly teachers, “What does it mean?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When that wretch offended Heaven the Jade Emperor had these three things set up,” the heavenly teachers replied. “That place will only be due for rain when the chicken has eaten all the rice, the dog has licked up all the flour, and the lamp has melted the bar of the lock.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he went pale with shock, and he dared make no more memorials to the throne. He left the palace hall overcome with embarrassment. “Don’t take it so badly, Great Sage,” said the four heavenly teachers with smiles. “This is something that can be resolved through goodness. Once a single kind thought moves Heaven the rice and flour mountains will collapse and the bar of the padlock will be broken. If you can persuade the marquis to return to goodness then blessings will come of themselves.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey accepted their advice, and instead of going back to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to take his leave of the Jade Emperor he headed straight down to the lower world and its ordinary mortals. Within an instant he was at the Western Gate of Heaven, where he saw Heavenly King Lokapala again, who asked, “Did you get the decree you wanted?” Monkey told him about the rice and flour mountains and the metal lock.\n\n“What you said to me was quire right,” he continued. “The Jade Emperor refuses to issue a decree. Just now the heavenly teachers told me as they saw me off that the secret of blessings lay in persuading that so-and-so to return to goodness.” With that Monkey took his leave and went down to the lower world on his cloud."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the marquis, Sanzang, Pig, Friar Sand and the officials high and low all welcomed him back they crowded round him asking questions. Monkey then shouted at the marquis, “It’s all because on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month three years ago you offended Heaven and Earth that the people are suffering, you wretch. That’s why rain won’t be sent now.”\n\nAt this the marquis was so alarmed that he fell to his knees, prostrated himself on the ground and asked, “How do you know about what happened three years ago, teacher?”\n\n“Why did you knock the vegetarian offerings to Heaven over to feed to dogs?” said Monkey, “You’d better tell me the truth.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not daring to conceal anything, the marquis said, “On the twenty-fifth of the twelfth month three years ago I was making offerings to Heaven within the palace. As my wife was wicked we quarreled and said bad things to each other. In an unthinking outburst of fury I knocked over the table with the offerings and scattered the vegetarian food. It’s true that I called the dogs to eat it up. I never realized that Heaven would take offence at this and harm the common people. For the last couple of years it has been preying on my mind. My thoughts have been disturbed, and I haven’t been able to understand why. I never realized that it was because Heaven had taken offence that it was inflicting this disaster on the common people. Now that you have come down to visit us, teacher, I beg you to enlighten me on what the upper world intends to do.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That happened to be a day on which the Jade Emperor was visiting the lower world,” Monkey replied. “When he saw you feed the vegetarian food to the dogs and heard your foul language the Jade Emperor set three things up to remember you by.”\n\n“What three things, brother?” Pig asked.\n\n“In the Hall of Fragrance he had set up a rice mountain about a hundred feet high and a flour mountain about two hundred feet high. Beside the rice mountain is a chicken the size of a fist who’s eating it with quick pecks and slow pecks. Beside the flour mountain is a golden-haired Pekinese licking the flour up with long licks and short licks. And to the left is an iron frame from which hangs a golden padlock with a crossbar the thickness of a finger under which a lamp is burning and warming the bar. You will only be due for rain here when-the chicken’s eaten all the rice, the dog’s licked up all the flour and the lamp has melted the bar of the lock.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No problem,” said Pig, “no problem. If you take me with you, brother, I can do a transformation, eat all the rice and flour up in one sitting and snap the bar of the lock. I can guarantee rain.”\n\n“Don’t talk nonsense, you idiot,” said Monkey. “This is a plan that’s been made by Heaven. You’ll never be able to get there.”\n\n“From what you say I don’t know what to do,” said Sanzang.\n\n“It’s easy,” said Monkey, “easy. As I was leaving the four heavenly teachers said to me that this could only be solved through goodness.”\n\nThe marquis then prostrated himself on the ground again and said imploringly, “I will do just as you tell me, teacher.”\n\n“If your heart can turn back to goodness,” Monkey replied, “I hope that you’ll at once start invoking the Buddha and reciting scriptures. Then I’ll be able to help you. If you persist in refusing to reform there’ll be nothing I can do to get you off. It won’t be long before Heaven executes you, and your life will be beyond saving.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The marquis kowtowed in worship, swearing to return to the faith. At once he summoned all the Buddhist and Taoist clergy in the city and ordered that a site be prepared for religious ceremonies. They were all to write out documents and memorials for three days. The marquis led his followers in burning incense and worshipping, thanking Heaven and Earth and repenting of his sins. Sanzang recited surras on his behalf. At the same time urgent notices were sent out ordering all the men and women, young and old, in all the households inside and outside the city to burn incense sticks and invoke the Buddha. From that moment on all ears were filled with virtuous sounds. Only then did Brother Monkey feel happy.\n\n“You two look after the master,” he said to Pig and Friar Sand, “while I go off for him again.”\n\n“Where are you going this time, brother?” Pig asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The marquis really believed what I told him and is being reverent, good and kind,” Monkey replied, “and he’s sincerely invoking the Buddha’s name. So I’m going back to submit another request for rain to the Jade Emperor.”\n\n“If you’re going, don’t lose any time, brother,” said Friar Sand. “This is holding us up on our journey. But do get a fall of rain: it’ll be another true achievement for us.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage set his cloud off once more and went straight to the gate of Heaven, where he met Heavenly King Lokapala again.\n\n“What have you come for now?” Lokapala asked.\n\n“The marquis has mended his ways,” Monkey replied, which pleased the Heavenly King. As they were talking the Straight Spell Messenger arrived at the gate of Heaven to deliver letters and documents written by Taoist and Buddhist clergy.\n\nWhen he saw Monkey the messenger bowed and said, “This is all the result of your successful conversion, Great Sage.”\n\n“Where are you taking those letters?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Straight to the Hall of Universal Brightness,” the messenger replied, “to give to the heavenly teachers to pass on to the Great Heavenly Honoured One, the Jade Emperor.”\n\n“In that case you’d better go first and I’ll follow,” Monkey said. The messenger then went in through the heavenly gate. “Great Sage,” said Heavenly King Lokapala, “there’s no need for you to go to see the Jade Emperor. You should go to borrow some thunder gods from the Office of Response to the Primary in the Ninth Heaven, then set off thunder and lightning. After that there’ll certainly be rain.”\n\nMonkey accepted this suggestion and went in through the gate of Heaven. Instead of going to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to ask for an edict he at once turned his cloud-treading steps towards the Office of Response to the Primary in the Ninth Heaven, where the Envoy of the Thunder Gate, the Corrector of Records and the Inspector of Probity appeared to bow and say, “Why are you here, Great Sage?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s something I’d like to see the Heavenly Honoured One about,” Monkey replied, and the three envoys passed this on in a memorial to the Heavenly Honoured One, who then came down from behind his screen of red clouds and nine phoenixes in full court dress.\n\nWhen they had exchanged greetings Monkey said, “There is something I would like to request of you.”\n\n“What might that be?” the Heavenly Honoured One asked.\n\n“While escorting the Tang Monk I have reached the prefecture of Fengxian,” said Brother Monkey, “and as they have long been suffering from drought there I promised to make it rain for them. The reason I have come here is to ask for the loan of some of your subordinate officials and generals in order to ask for rain.”\n\n“I am aware that three things have been set up because the marquis there offended Heaven,” the Heavenly Honoured One replied, “but I have not yet heard that rain is due to fall there.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I went to ask the Jade Emperor for an edict yesterday,” Monkey replied with a smile, “he told the heavenly teachers to take me to see the three things in the Hall of Fragrance: the mountain of rice, the mountain of flour and the golden lock. Rain isn’t due to fall till these three things have been knocked down or broken. When I was feeling very upset because it was so difficult the heavenly teachers advised me to persuade the marquis and his people to do good deeds because Heaven is bound to help anyone who has a good thought. So there’s a good chance of persuading Heaven to change its mind and delivering them from this disaster. Now good thoughts are happening everywhere, and all ears are filled with good sounds. Not long ago the Straight Spell Messenger took letters showing that they had mended their ways and turned towards goodness to the Jade Emperor, which is why I’ve come to your illustrious palace to ask for the help of your\n\nthunder officials and thunder generals.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "thunder officials and thunder generals.”\n\n“In that case,” the Heavenly Honoured One replied, “I’ll send Deng, Xin, Zhang and Tao to take Mother Lightning and go with you to Fengxian Prefecture to make thunder, Great Sage.”\n\nBefore long the four generals and the Great Sage had reached the boundaries of Fengxian and started performing their magic in mid air. A great ramble of thunder could be heard, and there were sizzling flashes of lightning. Indeed:\n\nThe lightning was like snakes of purple gold;\n\nThe thunder was like the noise of sleeping insects awakened.\n\nFlashes of light like flying fire,\n\nThunderclaps like landslides in the mountains.\n\nThe jagged lines lit up the whole of the sky;\n\nThe great noise caused the earth itself to move.\n\nWhen the red silk flashed like sprouts of plants\n\nRivers and mountains shook for three thousand miles."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Inside and outside the city of Fengxian nobody, whether an official high or how, a soldier or a civilian had heard thunder or seen lightning for three whole years; and now that the thunder was booming and the lightning flashing they all fell to their knees, put incense burners on their heads, held sprigs of willow in their hands and said, “We submit to Amitabha Buddha. We submit to Amitabha Buddha.” These good thoughts had indeed moved Heaven, as is proved by an old-style poem:\n\nWhen thoughts have been born in human minds\n\nHeaven and earth will both be aware.\n\nIf evil and good do not get their due\n\nSides have been taken by powers up there."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sides have been taken by powers up there.\n\nWe will for the moment leave the Great Sage Monkey directing the thunder generals as they unleashed thunder and lightning over Fengxian Prefecture, where everyone had turned back to goodness, and tell how the Straight Spell Messenger took the Taoist and Buddhist documents straight to the Hall of Universal Brightness, where the four heavenly teachers submitted them to the Jade Emperor in the Hall of Miraculous\n\nMist.\n\nWhen the Jade Emperor had seen them he said, “As that wretch has had some virtuous thoughts, see what has happened to the three things.” Just as he was speaking the official in charge of the Hall of Fragrance came in to report, “The rice and flour mountains have collapsed: the rice and flour all disappeared in an instant. The bar of the lock has also been broken.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before he could finish submitting this memorial the heavenly official in attendance led in the local deity, the city god and the gods of the altars from Fengxian, who all bowed and reported, “The lord of our prefecture and every member of every household, high and low, of the people have been converted to the true achievement and are worshipping the Buddha and Heaven. We now beg you in your compassion to send a widespread fall of timely rain to deliver the common people.”\n\nWhen the Jade Emperor heard this he was very pleased, so he issued an edict: “Let the departments of wind, cloud and rain go to the lower world in accordance with orders. At this hour on this day the clouds are to be spread, the thunder shall roar, and three feet and forty-two drops of rain shall fall.” At once the four heavenly teachers transmitted the edict to the weather departments, who were all to go to the lower world, show their powers and act together."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was enjoying himself up in the sky with Deng, Xin, Zhang and Tao, who were ordering Mother Lightning about, when the arrival of all other gods filled the sky with their assembly. As the wind and the clouds met, the timely rain began to pour down.\n\nThick, heavy clouds,\n\nLowering black mists,\n\nThe rumbling of the thunder cart,\n\nThe searing flash of lightning,\n\nA roaring gale,\n\nA torrential downpour.\n\nIndeed, when one thought goes up to Heaven\n\nTen thousand hopes are all fulfilled.\n\nBecause the Great Sage has used his powers\n\nThe landscape is darkened for thousands of miles.\n\nThe wonderful rain falls like rivers and seas,\n\nHiding the country and heavens from sight.\n\nWater comes pouring down the eaves,\n\nNoisily pounding outside the windows.\n\nWhile every household invokes the Buddha\n\nAll of the streets and markets are flooded.\n\nTo East and West every channel is filled;\n\nWinding streams meander to North and to South.\n\nDried-up shoots receive moisture,\n\nWithered trees revive."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Withered trees revive.\n\nThe hemp and wheat now flourish in the fields;\n\nBeans and other grains grow in the countryside.\n\nTraders happily travel to sell their wares;\n\nCheerful peasants get ready to work.\n\nAfter this the millet will do well,\n\nAnd the crops are bound to yield a bumper harvest.\n\nWhen wind and rain are timely the people know content;\n\nWhen rivers and seas are calm the world is at peace.\n\nThat day three feet and forty-two drops of rain fell, after which all the gods began to tidy up and go away. “Gods of the four departments,” yelled the Great Sage at the top of his voice, “stay there for a moment with your cloud followers while I tell the marquis to bow to you all and express his thanks. You may part the clouds and appear in your true forms to let this mortal see you with his own eyes. That’s the only way he’ll believe and make offerings.” When the gods heard this they all stayed where they were up in the clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then brought his cloud down to land and went straight into the prefectural palace, where Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand all greeted him. The marquis kowtowed to him in thanks at every pace he took.\n\n“Stop thanking me,” said Monkey. “I’ve asked the gods of the four departments to stay. Could you tell everyone to come here to kowtow and thank them so that they’ll make it rain properly in future?” The marquis issued urgent orders summoning everyone to give thanks, and they all kowtowed with incense-sticks in their hands. The gods of the four departments—rain, thunder, cloud and wind—then parted the clouds and revealed themselves in their true form.\n\nThe dragon king appeared,\n\nThe thunder generals were revealed,\n\nThe clouds boys were seen,\n\nThe lords of the wind came down.\n\nThe dragon king appeared:\n\nWith silver whiskers and an azure face he was really peerless.\n\nThe thunder generals were revealed\n\nWith their countenances of matchless might and crooked mouths.\n\nThe cloud boys were seen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The cloud boys were seen\n\nWearing gold crowns over faces like jade.\n\nThe lords of the wind came down\n\nWith flustered brows and bulging eyes.\n\nAll were displayed on the azure clouds\n\nDrawn up in ranks with their holy countenances.\n\nOnly then were the people of Fengxian convinced\n\nAs they kowtowed, burned incense and rejected evil.\n\nToday they gazed up at the heavenly generals,\n\nWashing their hearts as they all turned to goodness.\n\nThe gods stood there for two hours as the people kowtowed to them endlessly. Monkey rose up into the clouds again to bow to all the gods and say, “I’ve put you to great trouble. All you gentlemen may now return. I’ll make everyone in this prefecture give pure and lofty offerings to thank you at the due season. From now on you gentlemen must send wind every five days and rain every ten days to help them out.” The gods all consented as he told them and returned to their own departments."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bringing his cloud down to land, Monkey said to Sanzang, “Now that the job’s been done and the people given peace we can pack our things and be on our way again.”\n\nWhen the marquis heard this he hastened to bow and say, “How can you say such a thing, Lord Sun? What has happened today has been an infinitely great act of kindness. I have sent people to prepare a humble banquet to thank you for your great kindness. Then I will buy some land from the people to build a monastery for you, my lords, with a shrine to you with inscribed tablets where offerings can be made in all four seasons. Even if I were to carve my own bones and heart it would be hard to repay a ten thousandth part of what I owe you. You can’t possibly leave.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What Your Excellency says is very fine,” Sanzang replied, “but we are pilgrim monks who can only put up for the night on our journey West. We cannot stay here long. We definitely must leave in a day or two.” The marquis refused to let them go, and he ordered many people to prepare a banquet and start building a monastery that very night.\n\nThe next day there was a magnificent banquet at which the Tang Priest took the place of honour while the Great Sage Monkey sat beside him with Pig and Friar Sand. The marquis and his officials high and low passed them cups of wine and dishes of food while fine music was played, and so they were entertained all day. It was a most happy occasion, and there is a poem to prove it:\n\nAfter long drought the fields received sweet rain;\n\nMerchants were travelling along all watercourses.\n\nThey were deeply moved by the monks who had come to the city,\n\nAnd by the Great Sage who had gone up to Heaven.\n\nThe three things had now been accomplished;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three things had now been accomplished;\n\nOne thought had brought all back to the good.\n\nFrom now on all longed for a new golden age\n\nWith ideal weather and good harvests for ever.\n\nThe banquets went on for days, as did the giving of thanks, until they had been kept there for almost half a month. All that remained to do was complete the monastery and the shrine. One day the marquis invited the four monks to go to inspect them.\n\n“How did you complete so enormous a project so quickly?” asked the Tang Priest in astonishment.\n\n“I pressed the laborers to work night and day without stopping and insisted most urgently that they finish quickly,” the marquis replied. “Now I would like you gentlemen to come and inspect it.”\n\n“You certainly are a most good and able marquis,” said Monkey with a smile. By now they had all reached the new monastery, where they were full of admiration for the towering halls and the majestic entrance. Monkey asked Sanzang to name the monastery."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well,” Sanzang said, “I name it the Monastery of Salvation by Timely Rain.”\n\n“Splendid,” said the marquis, “splendid.” He then issued a golden invitation to monks from far and wide to come to burn incense there. To the left of the Buddha hall was a shrine to the four pilgrims at which offerings were to be made in each of the four seasons every year. Temples had also been built for the thunder gods and dragon gods to thank them for their divine efforts. When the visit was over Sanzang ordered an early departure.\n\nWhen the local people realized that the monks could be persuaded to stay no longer they all prepared parting gifts, none of which the travelers would accept. Then all the officials in the prefecture escorted them on their way for ten miles with a band playing and a great display of flags and canopies. Still loath to let the travelers go, the officials watched with tears in their eyes till they had disappeared from sight. Only then did the officials return to the city. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The virtuous and holy monk left behind the Salvation Monastery;\n\nThe Great Sage Equaling Heaven dispensed great kindness.\n\nIf you don’t know how many more days after this departure it was that they finally saw the Tathagata Buddha, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty-Eight\n\nWhen the Dhyana Reaches Yuhua a Display of Magic Is Given\n\nThe Mind-Ape and the Mother of Wood Take Their Own Disciples\n\nThe story tells how after happily taking their leave of the marquis the Tang Priest turned to Monkey as he rode and said, “Worthy disciple, this good result was even better than rescuing the babies in Bhiksuland, and it was all your achievement.”\n\n“In Bhiksuland you only saved 1,111 little boys,” said Friar Sand. “That’s no comparison with this heavy, soaking rain that’s saved tens of thousands of lives. I’ve been quietly admiring my big brother’s magical powers that extend right up to the heavens, as well as his mercy that covers the whole earth.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Merciful and good our big brother may be,” said Pig with a laugh, “but it’s just a show of being kind. Inside he’s a troublemaker. When he’s with me he treats me like dirt.”\n\n“When have I ever treated you like dirt?” Monkey protested. “Often enough,” replied Pig. “You’re always seeing to it that I get tied up, hung up, boiled and steamed. After being so kind to all those tens of thousands of people in Fengxian you should have stayed there for half a year and let me have a few more good filling meals. Why did you have to be sending us on our way?”\n\nWhen the venerable elder heard this he shouted, “You idiot! Can you think of nothing but your greed? Stop quarrelling and be on your way.” Daring say no more, Pig thrust out his snout, shouldered the luggage, and followed the master and his fellow disciples along the road, laughing loudly.\n\nTime moved as fast as a shuttle, and soon it was late autumn. What could be seen was,\n\nThe end of ripples on the waters,\n\nThe mountains’ bones looking lean."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The mountains’ bones looking lean.\n\nRed leaves fly around,\n\nIn the time of yellowing flowers.\n\nUnder the clear and frosty sky the nights seem longer;\n\nThe moon shines white through the windows.\n\nMany the household fires in the evening light;\n\nThe water gleams cold all over the lake.\n\nThe clover fern is now white,\n\nWhile knotweed blooms red.\n\nMandarins are green and oranges yellow;\n\nWillows are withering and the millet is ripe.\n\nBeside the desolate village wild geese land among the reeds;\n\nCocks call by the country inn while the beans are harvested.\n\nWhen the four of them had been travelling for a long time they saw the towering shape of a city wall. “Wukong,” said Sanzang, waving his riding-crop, “you can see there’s another city there. I wonder where it is.”\n\n“Neither of us have ever been here before,” Monkey replied, “so how could I know? Let’s go ahead and ask.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before the words were out of his mouth an old man appeared from among some trees. He was leaning on a stick, lightly dressed with coconut sandals on his feet and had a sash round his waist. The Tang Priest hastily dismounted and went over to greet the old man.\n\nReturning his greeting as he leaned on his stick, the old man asked, “Where are you from, reverend sir?”\n\n“I am a poor monk sent by the Tang court in the East to worship the Buddha in the Thunder Monastery and fetch the scriptures,” the Tang Priest replied, putting his hands together in front of his chest. “Now that I have come to this distinguished place I wonder which city it is that I can see in the distance, and I would ask you, venerable benefactor, to inform me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the old man heard this he replied, “Enlightened master of the dhyana, this humble place of ours is Yuhua County in one of the prefectures of India. The lord of our city is a member of the king of India’s royal family who has been made prince of Yuhua. He is a very worthy prince who respects both Buddhist and Taoist clergy and cares deeply for the common people. If you go to see him he will certainly treat you with great respect.” Sanzang thanked the old man, who went off through the woods.\n\nSanzang then turned back to tell his disciples what had happened. The three of them were happily going to help the master back on his horse when Sanzang said, “It’s not far. There is no need to ride.” The four of them then walked to a street beside the city wall to take a look. This was an area where traders lived; it was crowded with people and business was good. The people looked and sounded no different from those of China. “Be careful, disciples,” said Sanzang. “On no account must you act wild.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At that Pig bowed his head and Friar Sand covered his face, leaving only Monkey to support the master. On both sides of the road people were crowding in to look at them, shouting, “We only have eminent monks who subdue dragons and tigers here. We’ve never seen monks who subdue pigs and monkeys before.” This was more than Pig could stand.\n\nThrusting his snout at them he said, “Have you ever seen a monk in all your life who subdued the king of the pigs?” This gave all the people in the street so bad a fright that they fell back on both sides of them stumbling and tripping over, trying to get away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Put that snout away at once, you idiot,” said Monkey with a grin, “and don’t try to make yourself look pretty. Just pay attention while you’re crossing the bridge.” The idiot lowered his head and kept grinning. Once over the drawbridge they entered the city, where the main roads were bustling and prosperous with bars and houses of entertainment. It was indeed a city in a divine region, and there is a poem to prove it that goes,\n\nAn eternally iron-strong city like splendid brocade,\n\nFull of fresh color, lying next to a river near mountains,\n\nConnected by boat with lakes for the movement of goods.\n\nA thousand wine-shops await behind curtains.\n\nEverywhere smoke rises from towering buildings;\n\nEach morning the lanes are filled with the hubbub of traders.\n\nThe look of the city was much like Chang’an:\n\nCock-crows and the barking of dogs were all just the same."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have heard tell of the foreigners in the West,” Sanzang thought with secret delight, “but I have never come here before. On close examination it is no different from our Great Tang. This must be what is meant by paradise.” When he learned that a bushel of hulled rice cost only four tenths of an ounce of silver and a pound of sesame oil only eight thousandths of an ounce of silver he realized that this truly was a place where crops grew in abundance.\n\nAfter walking for quite a long time they reached the prince of Yuhua’s palace. On either side of the palace gates were the office of the remembrancer, the law courts, the prince’s kitchens and the government hostel.\n\n“Disciples,” said Sanzang, “here is the palace. Wait while I go inside for the prince to inspect our passport and let us on our way.”\n\n“We can’t very well stand at the gates while you go in, Master,” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Can you not see ‘Government Hostel’ written over that gateway?” Sanzang asked. “Go and sit there and see if you can buy some fodder for the horse. If the prince offers me a meal when I have my audience with him I will send for you to share it.”\n\n“Go on in, Master, and don’t worry,” said Brother Monkey. “I can cope.” Friar Sand carried the luggage into the hostel, where the staff were so alarmed by their hideous faces that they did not dare ask them any questions or send them away but could only invite them to sit down.\n\nMeanwhile the master changed his habit and hat and went straight into the prince’s palace with the passport in his hands. Soon he was met by a protocol officer who asked, “Where are you from, reverend sir?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am a monk sent by the Great Tang in the East to worship the Lord Buddha and fetch the scriptures in the Great Thunder Monastery,” Sanzang replied. “Now that I have reached this distinguished place I would like to have my passport inspected and returned, which is why I have come to seek an audience with His Royal Highness.” The protocol officer passed this on, and as the prince was indeed an enlightened one he sent for Sanzang at once.\n\nSanzang bowed in greeting before the prince’s hall, and the prince invited him into the hall to sit down. When the prince read the passport that Sanzang handed him and saw the seals and signatures from so many countries on it he signed it himself, folded it up and put it on his table. “Venerable Teacher of the Nation,” he said, “you have passed through many countries on your way here from Great Tang. How long has your journey taken?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have kept no record of the distance,” Sanzang said, “but some years ago the Boddhisattva Guanyin appeared to me and left an address in verse in which it was said that the road would be sixty thousand miles long. I have already seen fourteen winters and summers on my journey.”\n\n“That means fourteen years,” the prince replied. “I should imagine that there were many delays along the way.”\n\n“It would be hard to tell of them all,” said Sanzang. “There were thousands of monsters and I don’t know how much suffering to be endured before I could reach here.” The prince was so pleased with his visitor that he ordered his kitchens to prepare a vegetarian meal for him.\n\n“I wish to inform Your Royal Highness that I have three disciples,” Sanzang said. “As they are waiting outside I will not be able to delay our journey by accepting the meal.” The prince then ordered his aides to go straight out to invite the venerable elder’s three disciples into the palace to share the meal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the aides went out with this invitation they said, “We can’t see them, we can’t see them.”\n\n“There are three hideous monks sitting in the hostel,” one of their staff said. “Must be them.”\n\nThe aides and their staff then went to the hostel, where they asked the people in charge, “Which are the disciples of the monk from Great Tang who’s going to fetch the scriptures? His Royal Highness has invited them to a meal.”\n\nAs soon as Pig, who was sitting there snoozing, heard the word “meal” he could not help jumping up and saying, “We are, we are,” at the sight of which the palace aides’ souls flew from their bodies as they shivered and said, “A pig demon! A pig demon!”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he seized hold of Pig and said, “Act a bit more civilized, brother, and don’t be so wild.” When the officials saw Monkey they all said, “A monkey spirit! A monkey spirit!”\n\n“There’s no need to be frightened,” said Friar Sand, raising his hands together in polite greeting. “We’re all disciples of the Tang Priest.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A stove god, a stove god,” was the officials’ reaction to the sight of him. Monkey then told Pig to lead the horse and Friar Sand to shoulder the carrying-pole as they followed the officials’ staff into the prince of Yuhua’s palace. The aides went ahead to announce them.\n\nWhen the prince looked up and saw how ugly they were he too was frightened. “Do not be alarmed, Your Royal Highness,” said Sanzang, putting his hands together in front of his chest. “Although my rough disciples are ugly they have good hearts.”\n\nPig intoned a noise of respect and said, “How do you do?” This made the prince feel even more alarmed.\n\n“All my rough disciples are from the wilds and the mountains and they do not know how to behave,” Sanzang explained, “so please forgive them.” Overcoming his fear, the prince told the superintendent of his kitchens to take the monks to eat in the Gauze Pavilion."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang thanked the prince, came down from the hall to proceed to the pavilion with his disciples, then grumbled at Pig, “You idiot,” he said, “you’ve not a shred of manners. If you had kept your mouth shut that would have been fine, but why did you have to be so coarse? That one remark from you was enough to knock a mountain over.”\n\n“I did better by not making a respectful chant,” said Monkey, “and I saved a bit of my breath too.”\n\n“You didn’t even intone the chant properly,” said Friar Sand to Pig. “First of all, you stuck your snout out and roared.”\n\n“It makes me hopping mad,” said Pig. “The other day the master told me that the polite thing when I met someone was to say, ‘How do you do?’ I do it today and you tell me it’s wrong. How do you want me to behave?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I told you to say, ‘How do you do?’ when you meet people,” Sanzang replied, “but not to make such a fool of yourself when you meet a prince. As the saying goes, things, like people, come in grades. Why can’t you see the differences of social rank?” While he was still making these remarks the superintendent of the kitchens led servants in to set out tables and chairs and serve the vegetarian feast. Then the monks stopped talking and started eating their meal.\n\nWhen the prince withdrew from the palace hall to his living quarters his three sons noticed his pallor and asked, “What has given you such a fright today, Father?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A most remarkable monk has arrived,” the prince replied. “He has been sent by the Great Tang in the East to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures, and he came to present his passport. When I invited him to take a meal he told me that he had some disciples outside the palace, so I asked them in. When they came in a moment later they didn’t kowtow to me but just said, ‘How do you do?’ That was upsetting enough. Then when I looked at them I saw that they were all as ugly as demons, which gave me quite a shock. That’s why I’m looking pale.”\n\nNow the three young princes were no ordinary boys. They were all fond of the martial arts, so they stretched out their hands, rolled up their sleeves and said, “They must be evil spirits from the mountains disguised as\n\nhumans. Wait while we fetch our weapons and take a look at them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid young princes! The eldest wielded a brow-high rod, the second a nine-toothed rake and the third a black-painted cudgel, and the three of them strode with great valour and spirit out of the palace, shouting, “What’s this about monks fetching scriptures? Where are they?”\n\n“Young prince,” replied the superintendent of the kitchens and the others on their knees, “they’re eating in the Gauze Pavilion.”\n\nThe young princes then charged straight in without stopping to think as they shouted, “Are you men or monsters? Tell us at once and we’ll spare your lives.”\n\nThis gave Sanzang such a fright that he turned pale, dropped his bowl, bowed to them and replied, “I have come from Great Tang to fetch the scriptures. I am a man, not a monster.”\n\n“You look human enough,” the princes said, “but the three ugly ones are definitely monsters.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig kept eating and ignored them, while Friar Sand and Monkey bowed and said, “We’re all human. Our faces may be ugly but our hearts are good, and despite our clumsy bodies we have good natures. Where are you three from, and why are you shooting your mouths off so wildly?”\n\n“These three gentlemen are His Royal Highness’s sons,” explained the superintendent of the kitchens and the others who were standing at the side of the pavilion.\n\n“Well, Your Highnesses,” said Pig, throwing down his bowl, “what are you carrying those weapons for? Do you want a fight with us?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The second prince strode forward wielding his rake in both hands to strike at Pig, which made him say with a chuckle, “That rake of yours is only fit to be the grandson of my one.” With that he stripped down, pulled his own rake out from his belt and swung it, making ten thousand beams of golden light, then went through some movements, leaving a thousand strands of auspicious vapor. The second prince was so terrified that his hands went weak and his muscles turned numb and he lost the nerve for any more showing off.\n\nWhen Monkey saw that the oldest of the young princes was leaping about with a brow-high rod he brought his own gold-banded cudgel out from his ear and shook it to make it as thick as a bowl and twelve or thirteen feet long. Ramming it into the ground, he made a hole about three feet deep in which it stood upright, then said with a smile, “I’m giving you this cudgel.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as the prince heard this he threw his own rod down and went to take the cudgel, but though he pulled at it with all his strength he couldn’t move it by as much as a hair’s breath. Then he straightened himself up and shook it, but it was as if it had taken root. At this the third prince started acting wild, moving into the attack with his black-painted cudgel. Friar Sand dodged the blow, then brought out his own demon-quelling staff, and as he fingered it brilliant light and glowing, coloured clouds came from it, leaving the superintendent of the kitchens and the rest of them wide-eyed and speechless. The three young princes then kowtowed, saying, “Divine teachers, divine teachers, we mere mortals failed to recognize you. We beg you to give us a display of your powers.”\n\nMonkey went up to them, effortlessly picked up his cudgel and said, “It’s too cramped here for me to do my stuff. I’m jumping up into the auto play around and give you something to see.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage went whistling up by somersault and stood on an auspicious cloud of many colours up in mid-air about three hundred feet above the ground. Then he moved up and down and spun to left and right as he performed a Canopy from Which Flowers Are Scattered and a Twisting Dragon with his gold-banded club. At first both he and the cudgel moved like flowers being added to brocade, but later he could no longer be seen as the whole sky was filled with the whirling cudgel.\n\nAs he roared his approval from down below Pig could not keep still, and with a great shout of “I’m going to have a bit of fun too!” the splendid idiot rode a breeze up into the air and started swinging his rake. He went three times up, four times down, five times to the left, six times to the right, seven times forwards and eight times backwards as he ran through all the movements he knew, filling the air with a noise like a howling gale."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just when he had warmed up Friar Sand said to Sanzang, “Master, let me go up and give a show too.” Springing up into the air with both feet, the splendid monk whirled his club through the air, which glittered with golden light. Wielding his demon-subduing cudgel he performed a Red Phoenix Facing the Sun and a Hungry Tiger Seizing Its Prey, attacking hard and defending with time to spare as he turned for a sudden forward thrust. The three brother disciples all gave a most imposing display of their magical powers. This was indeed\n\nAn image of the dhyana, no common sight;\n\nThe causation of the Great Way filling all of space.\n\nMetal and wood fill the dharma-world with their might;\n\nA pinch of elixir produces perfect unity.\n\nThe quality of these magic warriors is often displayed;\n\nThe splendor of their weapons is widely revered.\n\nLofty though India is,\n\nThe princes of Yuhua now return to the central truth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This all so terrified the three young princes that they fell to their knees in the dust; and all the staff in the Gauze Pavilion, high and low, together with the senior prince in his palace, all the soldiers, civilians, men and women, Buddhist monks and nuns, Taoist clergy, lay people—everyone in fact—all invoked the Buddha, kowtowed, held sticks of incense and worshipped. Indeed:\n\nAll the monks were converted at the sight of the true images,\n\nBringing blessings to mankind and the joys of peace.\n\nFrom here the achievement was won on the road to enlightenment;\n\nAll joined in meditation and worshipped the Buddha.\n\nWhen the three of them had given a display of their heroic powers they brought their auspicious clouds down to land, put their weapons away, joined their hands together in homage to the Tang Priest, thanked him and took their seats again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three young princes hurried back into the palace to report to their father, “A most wonderful thing has happened, Father. Today has been a tremendous success. Did you see the performance in the sky just now?”\n\n“When I saw the coloured clouds glowing in the sky a little while back I, your mother and everyone else in the inner palace burned incense and worshipped,” the prince, their father, replied. “I don’t know where the gods or immortals who had gathered there were from.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They weren’t gods and immortals from somewhere else,” the young princes said. “They were the three hideous disciples of the monk who’s going to fetch the scriptures. One of them uses a gold-banded iron cudgel, one a nine-toothed take, and one a demon-quelling staff, all exactly the same as our three weapons. When we asked them to give us a display they said it was too cramped down here to be able to manage, so they’d go up into the sky to give us a show. Then they all went up on clouds, filling the sky with auspicious clouds and vapors. They only came down a moment ago, and they’re now sitting in the Gauze Pavilion. We are all very taken with them and we’d like to make them our teachers and learn their skills to protect the country with. This really will be an enormous achievement. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks.” When the prince, their father, heard this he was convinced and agreed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Father and sons then went straight to the Gauze Pavilion, going on foot instead of by carriage, and without any parasols. The four travelers had by now packed up their luggage and were just about to go to the palace to thank the prince for the meal and start out on their journey again when they saw the prince of Yuhua and his sons come into the pavilion and prostrate themselves before them. The venerable elder hurriedly rose and prostrated himself to return the courtesy, while Monkey and the rest of them moved aside with a hint of a mocking grin. When the kowtowing was over the four travelers were happy to go into the palace on being invited to do so and take seats of honour.\n\nThen the senior prince got up and said, “Tang Master, there is one thing I would like to ask of you, but I do not know whether your three illustrious disciples will grant it.”\n\n“My disciples will obey any instruction that Your Royal Highness gives them,” Sanzang replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I first saw you gentlemen,” said the prince, “I took you for pilgrim monks from distant Tang, and because I am a mere mortal with fleshly eyes I treated you in a most offhand way. It was only when I saw Teacher Sun, Teacher Zhu and Teacher Sand whirling around in the sky that I realized you are immortals and Buddhas. My three wretched sons have been fond of the martial arts all their lives and they now wish most sincerely to be accepted as your disciples and learn some of your skills. I beg that in the greatness of your hearts you will agree to be the salvation of my boys. I will certainly reward you with all the wealth of the city.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Brother Monkey heard this he could not restrain himself from replying with a chuckle, “You really don’t understand, Your Royal Highness. As monks we’d love to have disciples, and your fine sons have their hearts set on goodness. But you mustn’t talk about material benefits. As long as they can get on with us we’ll look after them.” This delighted the prince, who ordered a great banquet in the main hall of the palace. It was amazing: no sooner had he issued his order than everything was there. This is what could be seen:\n\nFluttering silken decorations,\n\nDarkly fragrant incense smoke.\n\nGold-inlaid tables hung with knotted silks,\n\nDazzling the eyes;\n\nLacquered chairs with cushions of brocade,\n\nMaking them even more splendid.\n\nFresh fruit,\n\nFragrant tea.\n\nThree or four courses of pure confectioneries,\n\nOne or two servings of rich and pure breadrolls.\n\nThe crisp steamed honeycakes were even finer;\n\nThe deep-fried sweets were truly delicious.\n\nThere were jugs of mild rice-wine,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There were jugs of mild rice-wine,\n\nBetter than nectar when poured;\n\nServings of Yangxian tea that is fit for immortals,\n\nMore fragrant than cassia when held in the hands.\n\nEvery possible dish is provided;\n\nAll that is offered is outstanding.\n\nMeanwhile there was singing, dancing, instrumental music, acrobatics and opera to entertain them. Master, disciples, the prince and his sons all had a day of delight, and after night fell unnoticed they dispersed. The princes then had beds and curtains set up in the pavilion and invited their teachers to turn in for the night; early the next morning they would piously burn incense and call on them again to ask them to teach their martial skills. These orders were obeyed, and hot, scented water was brought in for the travelers to bath in, after which everyone went to bed. At that time\n\nThe birds perched high in the trees and all was silent;\n\nThe poet came down from his couch to end his chanting.\n\nThe light of the Milky Way now filled the sky,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The light of the Milky Way now filled the sky,\n\nAnd the grass grew thicker along the overgrown path.\n\nThe bang of a washing stick came from another courtyard;\n\nThe distant mountains and passes made one long for home.\n\nThe chirp of crickets expressed people’s feelings,\n\nChirruping at the bedside interrupted one’s dreams.\n\nThat describes the night. Early the next morning the prince and his three sons came to call on the venerable elder again. The previous day they had greeted each other with the etiquette appropriate to a prince, but today’s greetings were those appropriate to teachers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three young princes kowtowed to Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand, then asked with bows, “Will you let your disciples have a look at your weapons, honoured teachers?” As soon as Pig heard this request he happily brought out his iron rake and threw it on the ground, while Friar Sand tossed his staff against the wall. The second and third young princes sprang to their feet to pick them up, but they might just as well have been dragonflies trying to shake a stone pillar: they both strained themselves till they were red in the face without moving the weapons in the slightest. When their elder brother saw this he said, “Don’t waste your efforts, brothers. Our teachers’ weapons are all magical ones. Goodness only knows how heavy they are.”\n\n“My rake’s not all that heavy,” said Pig with a smile. “It only weighs a couple of tons—5,048 pounds including the handle.”\n\nThe third prince then asked Friar Sand how heavy his staff was. “It’s 5,048 pounds too,” replied Friar Sand with a smile."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The oldest of the young princes then asked Brother Monkey to let him see the gold-banded cudgel. Monkey produced the needle from his ear, shook it in the wind to make it as thick as a rice bowl, and stood it upright in the ground in front of him, to the consternation and alarm of all the princes and officials. The three young princes then kowtowed again and said, “Teacher Zhu and Teacher Sand carry their weapons under their clothes where they can get them out. Why do you take yours out of your ear, Teacher Sun? How do you make it grow in the wind?”\n\n“You wouldn’t realize that this isn’t some mere mortal object,” Monkey replied.\n\n“When chaos was first parted the iron was cast:\n\nYu the Great had the work done himself.\n\nWhen he unified the depths of rivers, lakes and seas\n\nThis cudgel served as a measuring rod.\n\nIn the prosperity after mountains and seas had been ordered\n\nIt floated to the gates of the Eastern Ocean.\n\nOver the years it gave off a coloured glow,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Over the years it gave off a coloured glow,\n\nLearned to shrink and to grow and shine with pure light.\n\nIt was my destiny to recover this rod\n\nWhich endlessly changes when I say the spell.\n\nWhen I tell it to grow it fills the universe,\n\nBut it can be as tiny as a needle’s eye.\n\nIt’s known as As-You-Will and called gold-banded;\n\nIn Heaven and on Earth it is quite unique.\n\nIts weight is thirteen thousand and five hundred pounds;\n\nWhether thick or fine it can bring life or death.\n\nOnce it helped me make havoc in Heaven,\n\nAnd took part when I attacked the Underworld.\n\nIt always succeeds in subduing dragons and tigers,\n\nEverywhere wipes out monsters and ogres.\n\nIf it points up the sun goes dark;\n\nHeaven, earth, gods, devils, all are afraid.\n\nPassed on by magic since the birth of time,\n\nThis is no ordinary piece of iron.”\n\nWhen the young princes had heard this they all started kowtowing endlessly, bowing over and over again as they earnestly begged for instruction."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Which fighting skills do the three of you want to learn?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The one of us who uses a rod wants to learn that,” the young princes replied, “the one who fights with a rake wants to learn the rake, and the staff man wants to learn the staff.”\n\n“Teaching would be easy enough,” replied Monkey with a smile, “except that you’re all too weak to be able to use our weapons, so you won’t be able to master them. ‘A badly-drawn tiger only looks like a dog.’ As they used to say in the old days, ‘If the teaching isn’t strict it shows the teacher is idle; if the student doesn’t learn it’s his own fault.’ If you’re really sincere you’d better burn incense and bow to Heaven and Earth. I’ll give you some magic strength before teaching you how to fight.”\n\nThe three young princes were very pleased to hear him say this, and they at once carried in an incense table themselves, washed their hands, lit incense sticks and bowed to Heaven. This done, they asked their teachers to instruct them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey stepped down and said to the Tang Priest with a bow, “Please forgive your disciple, honoured Master. Ever since in your goodness you rescued me at the Double Boundary Mountain and I became a Buddhist all those years ago we’ve been travelling West. Although I’ve never done very much to repay your kindness I have crossed plenty of rivers and mountains and done everything I possibly could. Now that we’ve come to this land of the Buddha and had the good fortune of meeting these three young princes, they’ve taken us as their teachers of martial arts. As our pupils they’d be your pupils’ pupils, so I ask you respectfully, Master, to allow us to instruct them.”\n\nSanzang was delighted, and when Pig and Friar Sand saw Monkey bowing to him they kowtowed too and said, “Master, we’re stupid and too awkward with words to be able to explain things properly. Please take your dharma seat and let each of us take a pupil. It’ll be fun, and something to remind us of our journey West.” Sanzang was happy to agree."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey then took the three young princes into a quiet room behind the pavilion where he drew a star-chart of the Dipper and told them to prostrate themselves inside it while they shut their eyes and settled their spirits. Meanwhile he silently said the words of the spell, recited a mantra, and blew magic breath into the hearts of the three of them. He put their primal spirits back into their original home, taught them magical spells, gave each of them immense strength, applied the right heat, and performed a magic that replaced their old bodies and bones with new ones. After the heat circulated in a roundabout way through their bodies the three young princes came to, stood up, rubbed their faces, summoned up their spirits, and all found that they were much stronger. The eldest of them could pick up the gold-banded cudgel, the second could swing the nine-toothed rake, and the third could raise the demon-quelling staff."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the king saw this he was beside himself with delight, and arranged another vegetarian feast for the Tang Priest and his three disciples. In front of the banquet each of the princes was taught his own skill: the one who was learning the rod practised with the rod, the one who was learning the rake practised with the rake, and the one who was learning the staff practised with the staff. Though the young princes did manage a few turns and movements it took a lot of effort, and going through a series of movements left them gasping for breath, so that they could not go on. Besides this, the weapons they were using had the power of transformation, so that as the princes advanced, retreated, attacked and lifted the weapons shrunk, grew and went through amazing changes by themselves. But the princes were, after all, only mortals, and were unable to keep up with the speed of their weapons. Later that day the banquet came to an end."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next day the three princes came back once more to express their thanks and say, “We are very grateful to you, divine teachers, for giving us this strength, but when we try to spin your divine weapons around we can only move them with great difficulty. We would like to get smiths to make lighter copies of them, but we don’t know whether you would agree to that, Teachers.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Great, great,” said Pig. “That’s the way to talk. You ought to have your own made because you can’t use our weapons, and anyhow we need them to protect the Dharma and beat monsters.” The princes then sent for smiths who bought ten thousand pounds of iron and steel, set up a workshop with a furnace in the front courtyard of the prince’s palace, and began to cast the weapons. On the first day the steel was made, and on the second Monkey and the other two were asked to bring out their gold-banded cudgel, nine-toothed rake and demon-quelling staff and put them under the matting shelter to be copied. The work went on by night and day without stopping."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "These weapons were the treasures they always carried with them that they could not be parted from for a moment. Normally they hid them about their persons. Now the weapons were protected by coloured light, so that when they were put in the yard of the workshop for several days many beams of radiance reached up to the heavens, while every kind of auspicious vapor blanketed the earth. That night an evil spirit, who was sitting out on a night watch in a cave called Tigermouth Cave on a mountain called Mount Leopard Head that was only some twenty-five miles from the city, noticed the glow and the auspicious vapors."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Going up on his cloud to investigate he saw that the light came from the city, whereupon he brought his cloud down and went closer for a better look. Discovering that the light was coming from the weapons, he thought with delight and desire, “What wonderful weapons, what splendid treasures. I wonder whose they are and why they’ve been left here. This must be my lucky chance. I’ll take them, I’ll take them.” His covetousness now moved, he created a mighty wind, scooped up all three weapons and took them back to his cave. Indeed:\n\nNot for one moment must the Way be left;\n\nWhat can be left is not the true Way.\n\nCultivation and trance will both be in vain\n\nWhen divine arms have been taken away.\n\nIf you do not know how these weapons were found, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Eighty-Nine\n\nThe Tawny Lion Spirit Arranges a Rake Feast in Vain\n\nMetal, Wood and Earth Make Havoc on Mount Leopard Head"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how after days on end of hard work the smiths all went to sleep that night, only to get up at dawn to start again and find that the three weapons had disappeared from under the matting shelter. Dumbfounded with horror, they started looking for them everywhere, and when the three young princes came out of the inner quarters to watch, the smiths all kowtowed to them and said, “Young masters, we don’t know where the divine teachers’ three weapons have all gone.”\n\nWhen the young princes heard this news they trembled and said, “We expect our masters put them away last night.” Rushing to the Gauze Pavilion, they found the white horse still tethered in the walkway and could not help shouting, “Teachers, are you still asleep?”\n\n“We’re up,” Friar Sand replied, and opened the door of their room to let the young princes in.\n\nWhen they saw that the weapons were not there they asked with alarm, “Masters, have you put your weapons away?”\n\n“No,” replied Monkey, springing up."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” replied Monkey, springing up.\n\n“The three weapons disappeared during the night,” the princes explained.\n\n“Is my rake still there?” Pig asked as he scrambled to his feet.\n\n“When we came out a moment ago we saw everyone searching for them,” the princes replied. “When they couldn’t find them we wondered if you had put them away, which is why we came to ask. As your treasures can shrink or grow we wonder if you’ve hidden them about yourselves to play a trick on us.”\n\n“Honestly, we haven’t,” said Monkey. “Let’s all join the search.”\n\nWhen they went to the matting shelter in the yard and could see that there really was no sign of the weapons Pig said, “You smiths must have stolen them. Bring’em out at once. Do it right now or I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you, I say.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The smiths kowtowed desperately and said with tears pouring down their faces, “Your Lordships, we went to sleep last night because we’d been working so hard for days on end. When we got up this morning they’d gone. We’re only ordinary mortals. We could never have moved them. Spare our lives, Your Lordships, spare our lives.”\n\nMonkey said with bitter regret, “It’s our fault. After we’d shown them what they look like to copy we should have kept them on us instead of leaving them lying there. I suppose our treasures’ glowing clouds and light must have alerted some monster who came and stole them during the night.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nonsense, brother,” Pig replied. “This is a peaceful, orderly sort of place, not somewhere in the wilds or the mountains. No monsters could possibly have come here. I’m sure it was those evil smiths who stole our weapons. They could tell they were treasures from the light shining from them. They must have left the palace last night and got a whole gang together to carry or drag them out. Bring’em here! I’m going to hit them.” The smiths kowtowed and swore to their innocence for all they were worth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Amid all this commotion the senior prince came out, and when he asked what had happened the color drained from his face too. After muttering to himself in a low voice for a while he said, “Divine teachers, your weapons were not mere mortals’ ones. Even if there had been a hundred or more people they would never have been able to move them. Besides, my family has been ruling this city for five generations. I’m not boasting, but I do have a certain reputation for being a good man. The soldiers, civilians and artisans who live here fear my laws, and I am certain that they could never have had so wicked an idea. I hope that you divine teachers will think again.”\n\n“No need for any more thinking about it,” replied Brother Monkey with a smile, “and no need to make the smiths suffer for what’s not their fault. I would like to ask Your Royal Highness if there are any evil monsters in the mountains and forests around the city.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That’s a very good question,” the prince replied. “There is a mountain North of the city called Mount Leopard Head, with a Tigermouth Cave in it. People often say that immortals, or tigers and wolves, or evil spirits live there. As I’ve never been there to find out the truth I am not sure what kind of creatures there are.”\n\n“No need to say any more,” replied Monkey with a laugh. “It must be someone wicked from there who knew they were treasures and came during the night to steal them. Pig, Friar Sand,” he ordered, “stay here to guard the master and the city while I go for a look round.” He then told the smiths to keep the furnace burning and carry on forging the new weapons.\n\nThe splendid Monkey King took his leave of Sanzang and whistled out of sight. Soon he was on Mount Leopard Head, which took him but an instant as it was only ten miles from the city. As he climbed to the summit to look around he saw that there was quite an air of evil about it. Indeed, it was\n\nA long dragon chain of hills,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A long dragon chain of hills,\n\nA mighty formation.\n\nSharp peaks thrusting into the sky,\n\nStreams flowing fast along chasms deep.\n\nIn front of the mountain grow cushions of rare plants;\n\nBehind the mountain strange flowers form brocade.\n\nTall pine and ancient cypress,\n\nOld trees and find bamboo.\n\nCrows and magpies sing as they fly,\n\nCranes call and gibbons scream.\n\nBelow the beetling scar\n\nDavid’s deer go in twos;\n\nIn front of the sheer rock-face\n\nAre pairs of badgers and foxes.\n\nDragons from afar emerge briefly from the waters\n\nOf the twisting, winding stream that runs deep under the ground.\n\nThis ridge runs right to the edge of Yuhua,\n\nA place of beauty for a thousand ages.\n\nJust as he was surveying the scene Monkey heard voices on the other side of the mountain, turned quickly round to look, and saw a couple of wolf-headed ogres climbing towards the Northwest and talking loudly as\n\nthey went.\n\n“They must be monsters patrolling the mountain,” Monkey guessed. “I’m going to listen to what they have to say.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Making magic with his hands and saying the words of a spell Monkey shook himself, turned into a butterfly, spread his wings and fluttered after them. It was a very lifelike transformation:\n\nA pair of powdery wings,\n\nTwo silver antennae.\n\nIn the wind it files very fast;\n\nIn the sun it’s a leisurely dancer.\n\nIt crosses rivers and walls in a flash.\n\nEnjoys stealing fragrance and playing with catkins.\n\nThis delicate creature loves the taste of fresh flowers\n\nIt shows its beauty and elegance as it pleases.\n\nHe flew to a spot right above the evil spirits’ heads, where he floated and listened to what they had to say. “Brother,” one of them shouted suddenly, “our chief keeps on striking it lucky. The other month he caught himself a real beauty to live with him in the cave, and he was as pleased as anything about that. Then last night he got the three weapons, which really are priceless treasures. Tomorrow there’s going to be a Rake Banquet to celebrate, so we’re all going to benefit.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We’ve been quite lucky too,” the other replied, “being given these twenty ounces of silver to buy pigs and sleep. When we get to Qianfang Market we can have a few jugs of wine to start with, and then fiddle the accounts to make ourselves two or three ounces of silver to buy ourselves padded jackets for the winter. It’s great, isn’t it?” As they laughed and talked the two monsters hurried along the main path at a great speed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard about the banquet to celebrate the rake he was quietly delighted. He would have liked to kill the devils, but it was not their fault and, besides, he had no weapon. So he flew round till he was in front of them, turned back into himself and stood at a junction along the path. As the devils gradually came closer he blew a mouthful of magic saliva at them, recited the words Om Humkara and made a fixing spell that held the two wolf-headed spirits where they were. Their eyes were fixed in a stare, they could not open their mouths, and they stood upright, both legs rigid. Monkey then knocked them over, undid their clothes and searched them, finding the twenty ounces of silver in a purse carried by one of them in the belt of his kilt. Each of them was also carrying a white lacquered pass. One of these read “Wily Freak” and the other read “Freaky Wile.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having taken their silver and undone their passes the splendid Great Sage went straight back to the city, where he told the princes, the Tang Priest, the officials high and low and the smiths what had happened.\n\n“I reckon my treasure’s the one that shone the brightest,” said Pig with a grin. “That’s why they’re buying pigs and sheep for a slap-up meal to celebrate. But how are we going to get it back?”\n\n“We’ll all three of us go,” said Monkey. “This silver was for buying pigs and sheep. We’ll give it to the smiths: His Royal Highness can provide us with some animals. Pig, you turn yourself into Wily Freak, I’ll turn into Freaky Wile, and Friar Sand can be a trader selling pigs and sheep. We’ll go into Tigermouth Cave, and when it suits us we’ll grab our weapons, kill all the monsters, come back here to pack up and be on our way again.”\n\n“Terrific,” said Friar Sand. “No time to lose. Let’s go.” The senior prince agreed with the plan and told his steward to buy seven or eight pigs and four or five sheep."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three of them left their master and gave a great display of their magic powers once outside the city.\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “I’ve never seen that Wily Freak, so how can I possibly turn myself into his double?”\n\n“I did fixing magic on him to keep him over there somewhere,” Monkey said, “and he won’t come round till tomorrow. I can remember what he looks like, so you stand still while I tell you how to change. Yes, like this…no, a bit more like that....That’s it. That’s him.”\n\nWhile the idiot said an incantation Brother Monkey blew on him with magic breath, turned him into Wily Freak’s double and gave him a white pass to tuck in at his waist. Monkey then turned himself into Freaky Wile with a pass at his waist too, and Friar Sand made himself look like a travelling dealer in pigs and sheep. Then they drove the pigs and sheep together along the path West towards the mountain. Before long they were in a mountain gully, where they met another junior devil. He had the most horrible face. Just look:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A pair of round and bulging eyes\n\nShining like lanterns;\n\nA head of red and bristly hair,\n\nBlazing like fire.\n\nA red nose,\n\nA twisted mouth,\n\nSharp and pointy fangs;\n\nProtruding ears,\n\nA brow that seemed hacked into shape,\n\nAnd a green and bloated face.\n\nHe was wearing a pale yellow tunic\n\nAnd sandals made of sedge.\n\nHe looked most imposing, like some evil god,\n\nAs he hurried along like a vicious demon.\n\nThis devil was carrying a coloured lacquer invitation box under his left arm as he greeted Monkey and the other two with a call of “Freaky Wile, good to see you both. Did you buy us some pigs and sheep?”\n\n“Can’t you see we’re driving them along?” Monkey replied.\n\n“Who’s this gentleman?” the devil asked, looking at Friar Sand.\n\n“He’s the dealer in pigs and sheep,” Monkey replied. “We still owe him a couple of ounces of silver, so we’re taking him home with us to fetch it. Where are you going?”\n\n“To Bamboo Mountain to invite His Senior Majesty to the feast tomorrow morning,” the devil said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taking his cue from the devil’s tone of voice, Monkey then asked, “How many guests will there be altogether?”\n\n“His Senior Majesty will take the place of honour,” the devil replied, “and with our own king, chiefs and the rest of them there’ll be over forty.”\n\nAs they were talking Pig called, “Get a move on! The pigs and sheep are going everywhere.”\n\n“You go and invite them while I get a look at that invitation,” Monkey said, and as the devil regarded him as one of their own kind he opened the box, took out the invitation and handed it to Monkey. This is what Monkey read when he unfolded it: A banquet is being given tomorrow morning to celebrate the capture of the rake, and if you will condescend to cross the mountain, honoured ancestor, Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity, I will be deeply grateful.\n\nWith a hundred kowtows,\n\nYour grandson,\n\nTawny Lion\n\nWhen Monkey had read it he handed it back to the devil, who returned it to its case and carried on towards the Southeast."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Brother,” Friar Sand asked, “what did it say on the invitation?”\n\n“It was an invitation to the Rake Banquet,” Monkey replied. “It was signed, ‘with a hundred kowtows, your grandson Tawny Lion,’ and the invitation was being sent to the Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity.’”\n\n“Tawny Lion must be a golden-haired lion who’s become a spirit,” said Friar Sand with a smile, “but I wonder who the Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity is.”\n\nPig’s reaction was to laugh and say, “He’s mine.”\n\n“Why should he necessarily be yours?” Monkey asked.\n\n“There’s an old saying that goes, ‘a mangy old sow can put a golden lion to flight,’” Pig replied. “That’s why I know he’s mine.” As they talked and laughed the three of them drove the pigs and sheep along till they could see the gates of Tigermouth Cave. Outside the gates there were,\n\nGreen mountains all around,\n\nRanges forming a mighty wall.\n\nCreepers clung to the sheer rock faces,\n\nThorns hung down from the towering cliffs.\n\nBird song came from all around the woods,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Bird song came from all around the woods,\n\nWhile flowers gave a welcome by the entrance.\n\nThis cave was a match for the Peach Blossom Spring,\n\nA place to avoid the troubles of the world.\n\nAs they came closer to the mouth of the cave they saw a crowd of evil spirits of every age and kind playing under the blossoming trees, and when they heard Pig’s shouts of “Hey! Hey!” as he drove the pigs and sheep they all came out to meet them. The pigs and sheep were caught and trussed up. The noise had by now disturbed the demon king inside, who came out with ten or more junior demons to ask, “Are you two back? How many animals did you buy?”\n\n“Eight pigs and seven sheep—fifteen altogether,” Monkey replied. “The pigs cost sixteen ounces of silver and the sheep nine. We were only given twenty ounces, so we still owe five. This is the dealer who’s come with us for the silver.”\n\n“Fetch five ounces of silver, little ones,” the demon king ordered on hearing this, “and send him on his way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But the dealer hasn’t only come to get his silver,” Monkey replied. “He’s come to see the banquet too.”\n\n“What nerve, Freaky Wile!” said the furious demon abusively. “You were sent off to buy things, not to talk about banquets.”\n\n“As you’ve got those amazingly fine treasures, my lord,” Pig said, stepping forward, “what’s the harm in letting him have a look?”\n\n“Damn you too, Wily Freak,” said the demon with an angry snort. “I got these treasures from inside the city of Yuhua. If this stranger sees them and talks about them in the city the word will get around and the prince will come to demand them. What’ll we do then?”\n\n“My lord,” Monkey replied, “this dealer comes from the other side of Qianfang Market. That’s a long way from the city, and he’s not a city man either, so where would he go telling tales? Besides, he’s hungry, and the two of us haven’t eaten. If there’s any food and liquor in the place why don’t we give him some before sending him on his way?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before he could finish speaking a junior devil came out with five ounces of silver that he gave to Monkey, who in turn handed it to Friar Sand with the words, “Take your silver, stranger, then come round to the back for something to eat with us.”\n\nTaking his courage in his hands, Friar Sand went into the cave with Pig and Monkey. When they reached the second hall inside they saw on a table in the middle of it the nine-toothed iron rake set up in all its dazzling brightness to receive offerings. At the Eastern end of the table was leant the gold-banded cudgel, and at the Western end the demon-quelling staff.\n\n“Stranger,” said the demon king who was following them in, “that’s the rake shining so brightly in the middle. You’re welcome to look, but don’t tell anyone about it, whatever you do.” Friar Sand nodded in admiration."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Oh dear! This was a case of “when the owner sees what’s his he’s bound to pick it up.” Pig had always been a rough customer, and once he saw his rake he was not going to talk about the facts of the case, but charged over, pulled it down and swung it around as he turned back into himself. He struck straight at the evil spirit’s face, not caring now about the proper ways of using his weapon. Monkey and Friar Sand each rushed to one end of the table to grab his own weapon and turn back into himself. As the three brothers started lashing out wildly the demon king had to get out of their way in a hurry, go round to the back and fetch his four-bright halberd with its long handle and sharp, pointed butt.\n\nRushing into the courtyard, he used this to hold off the three weapons and shout at the top of his voice, “Who do you think you are, tricking me out of my treasures by impersonation?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll get you, you hairy beast,” Monkey cursed back. “You don’t know who I am. I’m a disciple of Tang Sanzang, the holy monk from the East. When we came to Yuhua to present our passport the prince told his three sons to take us as their teachers of fighting skills. They were having weapons copied from ours. That was why ours were left in the courtyard for you to sneak into the city and steal in the middle of the night. And you accuse us of tricking them out of you by impersonation! Stay right there and try a taste of our three weapons.”\n\nThe evil spirit at once raised his halberd to fight back. They fought from the courtyard out through the front gate, three monks chasing a single demon. It was a splendid battle:\n\nThe cudgel whistled like the wind,\n\nThe rake’s blows came raining down.\n\nThe demon-quelling staff filled the sky with glowing mist;\n\nThe four-bright halberd gave off clouds.\n\nThey were like the three immortals refining elixir,\n\nMaking dazzling light that frightened gods and ghosts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was brilliant at displaying his might;\n\nThe evil spirit was wrong to have stolen the treasures.\n\nMarshal Tian Peng showed off his divine powers,\n\nWhile the great general Sand was heroic and splendid.\n\nAs the three brothers fought with skill and one mind\n\nA great battle took place in Tigermouth Cave.\n\nThe ogre was full of power and cunning,\n\nA fit match for the four heroes.\n\nThey fought until the sun set in the West,\n\nWhen the demon weakened and could hold out no longer.\n\nAfter their long fight on Mount Leopard Head the evil spirit shouted at Friar Sand, “Watch this halberd!” As Friar Sand fell back to dodge the blow the evil spirit escaped through the opening he left and fled by wind to the Xun quarter to the Southeast.\n\nPig started rushing after him to catch him, but Monkey said, “Let him go. As the old saying goes, ‘never chase a desperate robber.’ Let’s leave him nothing to come back to.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig agreed, and the three of them went back to the entrance of the cave, where they killed all the hundred and more evil spirits great and small. It turned out that they were all really tigers, wolves, tiger cats, leopards, red deer and goats. Monkey used one of his powers to bring all the valuables and fabrics, as well as the bodies of all the animals they had killed, the pigs and the sheep out of the cave. Friar Sand used some dry wood he found to start a fire that Pig fanned with both his ears. The cave was soon burnt out, and they took what they had brought with them back to the city.\n\nThe city gates were wide open; people had not yet gone to bed. The senior prince and his sons were still waiting in the Gauze Pavilion. The three disciples dropped all the dead wild animals and sheep as well as the valuables with loud thumps into the courtyard, filling it up as they called out, “Master, we’re back. We’ve won.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The senior prince then expressed his thanks to them, the Tang priest was delighted, and the three young princes fell to their knees to bow.\n\n“Don’t thank us,” Friar Sand said, helping them to their feet. “Come and see what we’ve got.”\n\n“Where are they from?” the senior prince asked.\n\n“The tigers, wolves, tiger cats, leopards, red deer and goats were all monsters that made themselves into spirits. When we’d got our weapons back we fought our way out through the gates. Their demon king is a golden-haired lion who fights with a four-bright halberd. He battled it out with us till nightfall, then ran away to the Southeast. Instead of chasing him we made sure he’d have nowhere to come back to by killing all these devils and bringing back all his things.”\n\nThis news both delighted and alarmed the senior prince: he was delighted at their triumphant return; worried that the demon would seek his revenge later."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t worry, Your Royal Highness,” said Monkey. “I’ve thought about it very carefully, and I’ll deal with it properly. I promise to exterminate the demons completely before we go. We’ll definitely not leave you with trouble that’ll come back later. When we went there at noon we ran into a little green-faced, red-haired devil who was carrying an invitation. What it said on it was: ‘A banquet is being given tomorrow morning to celebrate the capture of the rake, and if you will condescend to cross the mountain, honoured ancestor, Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity, I will be deeply grateful.’ It was signed: ‘with a hundred kowtows, your grandson, Tawny Lion’. When the evil spirit was defeated just now he must have gone to have a word with his grandfather. They’re bound to come looking for us to get their revenge tomorrow morning, and when that happens I’ll wipe them all out for you.” The senior prince thanked him and had supper arranged. When master and disciples had eaten, everybody went to bed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story now tells of how the evil spirit really did head Southeast to Bamboo Mountain, in which there was a cave called the Nine-bend Twisty Cave where the evil spirit’s grandfather, the Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity, lived. That night the demon did not stop treading the wind until he reached the cave’s entrance in the last watch.\n\nWhen he knocked on the gates and went in a junior devil greeted him with the words, “Your Majesty, Greenface brought the invitation last night, and the old gentleman invited him to say till this morning to go to your Rake Banquet with him. Why have you come here so very early to invite him yourself?”\n\n“I hate to have to say it,” the evil spirit replied, “but the banquet is off.”\n\nAs they were talking Greenface came out from the inner part of the cave to say, “What are you doing here, Your Majesty? As soon as His Senior Majesty’s up he’s coming to the celebration with me.” The evil spirit was so distraught that he could say nothing, but only wave his hands."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A little later the old demon got up and called for the evil spirit, who dropped his weapon and prostrated himself on the ground to kowtow, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Worthy grandson,” the old demon said, “you sent me an invitation yesterday, and this morning I’m on my way to the celebration. So why have you come yourself, looking so miserable and upset?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was taking a stroll in the moonlight the night before last,” the evil spirit replied, still kowtowing, “when I saw a dazzling light rising up to the sky from the city of Yuhua. I hurried there to take a look and saw that it came from three weapons in the prince’s palace: a nine-toothed rake with gold in it, a staff and a gold-banded cudgel. I used my magic to take them away and decided to have a Rake Banquet to celebrate. I sent some of my underlings to buy pigs, sheep and fruit for the feast that I invited you to come and enjoy, Grandfather. But after I sent Greenface over with the invitation yesterday Wily Freak and the other one who’d been told to buy pigs and sheep came back with a dealer, a stranger, for some silver. The stranger was all set on seeing the banquet. I refused as I was afraid he’d spread the news around. Then they said they were hungry and asked for some food to eat, so I told them to go round the back to eat. When they got inside and saw the weapons they said they were theirs. They"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "saw the weapons they said they were theirs. They each snatched one and turned back into their real selves. One was a monk with a hairy face and a mouth like a thunder god’s, one was a monk with a long snout and big ears, and one was a monk with a really sinister face. The three of them yelled at me and started lashing out: they didn’t care at all. I just managed to fetch my four-bright halberd and come out to hold them at bay. When I asked them who they were and how they dared go in for impersonation they told me they were disciples of the Tang Priest who’s been sent to the Western Heaven by Great Tang in the East. When they went to present their passport on their way through the city the princes pressed them to stay and teach them martial arts. They said their three weapons had been left in the palace yard for copies of them to be made, and that I’d stolen them. Then they went for me with great fury. I didn’t know what those three monks are called, but they’re all very good fighters. As I was no match for"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "all very good fighters. As I was no match for them by myself I had to run away and come here. If you have any love for your grandson I beg you to lend me your arms in order to get my revenge on those monks.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After a moment’s silent thought the old demon replied with a smile, “So it’s them. Worthy grandson, you made a big mistake provoking him.”\n\n“Do you know who they are, grandfather?” the other asked.\n\n“The one with a long snout and big ears is Zhu Bajie,” the old demon said, “and the one with a horrible face is Friar Sand. They’re not too bad. But the one with a hairy face and a mouth like a thunder god is called Sun the Novice. He’s got really tremendous magical powers. When he made great havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago a hundred thousand heavenly troops couldn’t catch him. And he’s a most determined hunter. He’s like a policeman who’ll search mountains and seas, smash caves, storm cities and cause all sorts of trouble. Why did you have to provoke him? Never mind. I’ll go with you and capture those so-and-sos and the prince of Yuhua to avenge you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this the evil spirit kowtowed again in thanks. The senior demon immediately mustered his grandsons Monkey Lion, Snowy Lion, Leo, Gryphon, Raccoon-dog Lion and Elephant-fighter, each of whom carried a sharp weapon. With Tawny Lion leading the way each of them set off a powerful gale that carried them straight to Mount Leopard Head, where there was an all-pervasive smell of smoke and fire and all that could be heard was sobbing. When they looked more closely they saw Wily Freak and Freaky Wile weeping for their lord.\n\n“Are you the real Freak and Wile or impostors?” the evil spirit shouted as he went up to them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Falling to their knees and kowtowing with tears in their eyes, the two devils replied, “We’re no impostors. After we were given the silver to buy pigs and sheep yesterday we met a monk with a hairy face and a mouth like a thunder god in the wide valley to the West of the mountain. When he spat on us our legs went all weak, our mouths went stiff, we couldn’t speak and we couldn’t move. He knocked us over, found and stole our silver and took our passes off us. We were left in a daze till we came round just now. When we got home we found the place still on fire and all the buildings burnt down. We were crying so bitterly because you, my lord, and all the chiefs had disappeared. We don’t know how the fire was started.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the evil spirit heard this he could not stop his tears from gushing forth as he stamped his feet in fury, let loose heaven-shaking roars and exclaimed in hatred and fury, “Damned baldies! Vicious beasts! How could you be so evil? You’ve destroyed my cave palace and burnt my beauty to death. You’ve killed everyone, young and old, in the household. I’m so angry I could die!”\n\nThe old demon then told Monkey Lion to take hold of Tawny Lion, saying, “Grandson, what’s done is done. Upsetting yourself won’t do you any good. What you must do now is summon up all your energy to catch those monks in the city.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit was still crying as he replied, “Grandfather, this mountain palace of mine wasn’t built in a day. Now those damned baldies have destroyed everything! My life’s not worth living!” With that he broke free and flung himself forward to smash his head against the rock-face, only stopping after Snowy Lion and Monkey Lion had made great efforts to calm him. They then left the cave and all headed for the city."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With a roaring wind and in a thick fog they approached the city, so frightening all the people living outside the city wall that they abandoned their belongings and dragged or carried their children with them as they fled into the city. Once the people were all inside the gates were shut. A report was then made to the palace that a disaster was upon them. When the prince, who was taking a vegetarian breakfast in the Gauze Pavilion with the Tang Priest and the others, heard this report he went out to ask about it: “A whole crowd of evil spirits are heading for the city with sandstorms, flying stones, fogs and wind.”\n\n“Whatever shall we do?” asked the prince, deeply alarmed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“All stop worrying,” said Brother Monkey, “all stop worrying. It’s the evil spirit from Tigermouth Cave who ran away when he was beaten yesterday. He went to the Southeast to gang up with the Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity or whatever he’s called and now he’s here. We brothers are going out. Tell them to shut all the city gates, and send men to hold the city wall.” The prince ordered that the city gates be shut, sent men to the wall, and went with his sons and the Tang Priest to inspect. The army’s banners blotted out the sun, and the cannon fire reached the sky as Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand left the city amid wind and clouds to give battle. Indeed:\n\nBecause they were careless the weapons were lost,\n\nWhich led to attacks by the devilish host.\n\nIf you do not know the outcome of the battle listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety\n\nBy Giving and Receiving the Master and the Lion Turn into One\n\nAfter Stealing the Way and Obstructing Dhyana Ninefold Numinosity Is Pacified"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how the Great Sage Sun left the city with Pig and Friar Sand and looked the monsters in the face to see that they were all lions of various kinds. The Tawny Lion Spirit was leading, with Leo and Elephant-fighter Lion on his left, Gryphon and Raccoon-dog Lion on his right and Monkey Lion with Snowy Lion behind him. In the middle of them all was a nine-headed lion. The ogre Greenface was holding a canopy of brocade embroidered with flowers just behind the nine-headed lion; while Wily Freak and Freaky Wile carried a pair of red flags. They were all drawn up at a hollow place.\n\nIn his rough way Pig went up to them to shout abusively, “Ogres! Thieves! Treasure-stealers! What did you go there and gang up with that hairy lot for?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this the Tawny Lion Spirit retorted, gnashing his teeth in fury, “Vicious baldies! When I was alone yesterday the three of you beat me and I had to run away. You should have done right, instead of burning my cave palace, destroying my mountain home and murdering my family. My hatred for you is as great as the ocean. Stay where you are and take this from my halberd!”\n\nThe splendid Pig raised his rake to parry the blow. When the two of them had just started fighting and neither was yet coming out on top Monkey Lion joined in, swinging his spiked iron club, as did Snowy Lion with his three-edged mace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Welcome,” shouted Pig. Watch him as he charges straight forward to meet their onslaught and fight with them all. Friar Sand quickly pulled his demon-quelling staff out from where he was at the side and hurried forward to help Pig, at which Leo Spirit, Gryphon Spirit, Elephant-fighter Spirit and Raccoon-dog Spirit all piled in. The Great Sage Monkey held the evil spirits at bay with his gold-banded cudgel. Leo fought with a club, Snowy with a bronze hammer, Elephant-fighter with a steel spear and Raccoon-dog with a battleaxe.\n\nThe fight between the seven lion spirits and the three ferocious monks was a splendid one:\n\nClub, hammer, spear, axe and three-edged mace,\n\nSpiked club, ball-staff and four-bright halberd:\n\nSeven lions with seven deadly weapons,\n\nShouting their war cries as they surround three monks.\n\nPowerful was the Great Sage’s gold-banded cudgel;\n\nFriar Sand’s staff was almost matchless in the world.\n\nPig moved around with the power of a whirlwind\n\nAs his flashing rake gave off baleful light."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As his flashing rake gave off baleful light.\n\nAll, displaying their might, blocked before and behind,\n\nHeld off the onslaughts with daring and courage.\n\nFrom the walls of the city the prince lent support,\n\nWhere his soldiers felt braver as they beat drums and gongs.\n\nThrowing and thrusting, all showed off their magic,\n\nTurning heaven and earth both dark and upside-down.\n\nAfter the evil spirits had been fighting the Great Sage and the two others for half a day, night fell. Pig by now was dribbling and his legs were going weak, so he feinted with his rake and fled in defeat.\n\n“Where do you think you’re going?” Snowy Lion and Monkey Lion shouted. “Take this!”\n\nThe idiot could not dodge them, and he took a heavy blow from the mace on his spine that laid him flat on the ground crying out, “I’m done for, I’m done for!”\n\nThe two lion spirits grabbed Pig by the bristles on his neck and by his tail and carried him over to see the nine-headed lion, “Grandfather,” they reported, “we’ve caught one of them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before the words were out of their mouths Friar Sand and Monkey also had to fall back, beaten. When the evil spirits all came after them Monkey pulled out a handful of hairs, chewed them to pieces, spat them out, shouted, “Change!” and turned them into more than one hundred little Monkeys who went round and round, surrounding Snowy, Leo, Elephant-fighter, Raccoon-dog and Tawny Lion. Friar Sand and Monkey then came forward to join in the fight again. Later that night they caught Leo and Gryphon and put Raccoon-dog and Elephant-fighter to flight.\n\nWhen Tawny Lion reported to the old demon that two of the lions had been lost the demon ordered, “Tie Pig up but don’t kill him. When they give our lions back we’ll return Pig to them. If they’re stupid enough to kill them we’ll make Pig pay with his life.” That evening all the fiends slept outside the city."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story now turns to the Great Sage Sun, who carried the two lion spirits to beside the city wall, from where the senior prince saw him and ordered that the gates be opened. Twenty or thirty officers were sent out with rope to tie the lion spirits up and carry them into the city. The Great Sage then put his magic hairs away and went straight with Friar Sand to the wall tower, where he saw the Tang Priest.\n\n“This is a terrible business,” the Tang Priest said. “Is Wuneng still alive?”\n\n“No problem,” Brother Monkey replied. “As we’ve captured a couple of the evil spirits they won’t possibly dare harm him. Have them tied up tight. I’ll swap them for Pig tomorrow morning.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three young princes then kowtowed to Monkey and said, “When you were fighting them at first you were by yourself, Teacher. Then when you pretended to run away and came back again there were over a hundred of you. How was that done? When you came back to the city wall after capturing the evil spirits there was only one of you again. What magical powers did you use to do that?”\n\n“I have 84,000 hairs on my body,” Monkey replied. “Each of them can become ten, and the ten become a hundred, so I can do millions and millions of transformations. It’s extra body magic.” The princes all kowtowed as a vegetarian feast was brought to the tower for them. All along the battlements lanterns and banners were displayed. There was the sound of clappers, bells, gongs and drums as the watches were changed, arrows passed on, cannons fired and warcries shouted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Soon it was dawn, and the old demon sent for Tawny Lion Spirit to make a plan of action: “You must all use your wits to capture Sun the Novice and Friar Sand while I make a secret flight up onto the wall to capture their master, the old prince and his sons. I’ll take them back to the Nine-bend Twisty Cave and wait for you to come back in triumph.”\n\nAccepting this plan, Tawny Lion took Monkey Lion, Snowy Lion, Elephant-fighter and Raccoon-dog back to beside the city wall, all carrying their weapons and demanding battle amid winds and fog."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the other side Monkey and Friar Sand jumped on the wall, where Monkey yelled abusively at the top of his voice, “Thieving damned ogres! Give me my brother Pig back this moment and I’ll spare your lives. If you don’t I’ll smash your bones to powder and chop you all into little pieces.” With no further argument the evil spirits all charged into the attack. The Great Sage and Friar Sand had to use skill and cunning to hold the five lions at bay. This fight was very different from the one on the previous day.\n\nAs an evil wind howled across the land\n\nBlack fog blotted out the sky.\n\nMoving stones and flying sands alarmed both gods and demons;\n\nAs the trees in the forest fell the tigers and wolves were afraid.\n\nFierce was the spear of steel and bright the axe,\n\nMerciless the rod, the halberd and the brazen hammer.\n\nThey wished they could swallow Monkey up whole,\n\nAnd capture Friar Sand live and kicking.\n\nThe Great Sage’s As-You-Will cudgel\n\nCould attack and defend with miraculous effect."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Could attack and defend with miraculous effect.\n\nFriar Sand’s demon-quelling staff\n\nHad won its fame outside the Hall of Miraculous Mist.\n\nNow that it moved with its magical powers,\n\nIt would achieve glory in the West by wiping out demons.\n\nWhile the five lion spirits with coats of different colours were fighting really well with Monkey and Friar Sand the old demon flew on a black cloud straight to the wall tower, where he shook his heads, which gave the military and civil officials, Sanzang, the senior prince and the soldiers guarding the wall such a fright that they all fell off. The demon then charged into the tower, opened his mouths, took Sanzang, the senior prince and his sons in them one by one, and went back to the hollow ground, where he took Pig in another mouth, one of the nine he had in his nine heads. One mouth held the Tang Priest, one Pig, one the senior prince, one his eldest son, one the second son and one the third son."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "With six mouths full of six people he still had three mouths empty and wide open as he roared, “I’m going back ahead.” The five junior lion spirits all fought more bravely than ever now that they had seen their grandfather’s triumph.\n\nAs soon as Monkey heard the yells from the wall and realized he had fallen for a trick, he gave Friar Sand a quick shout to be careful then pulled all the hairs off his arms, put them in his mouth, chewed them up and spat them out as well over a thousand little Monkeys who swarmed into the attack. They knocked Monkey Lion over, took Snowy alive, captured Elephant-fighter, laid Raccoon-dog Lion low and killed Tawny Lion; but as they returned to the city wall with a great hubbub they let Greenface, Wily Freak and Freaky Wile escape. When the officers on the wall saw what had happened they opened the gates, tied up the five lion spirits with ropes and carried them into the city."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But before they could deal with them the princess appeared, sobbing and weeping, to say, “Holy teachers, His Royal Highness the prince, our sons and your master are all dead. How ever is this isolated city to survive?”\n\nPutting his magic hairs away, Monkey bowed to her and said, “Don’t upset yourself, Princess. It was only because I’d captured seven of his lion spirits that the old demon carried off my master, His Royal Highness and your sons with catching magic. I’m certain they’ll come to no harm. My brother-disciple and I will go to his mountain first thing tomorrow morning, and I can guarantee that we’ll catch the old demon and bring your four princes back to you.”\n\nWhen the princess and her womenfolk heard this they all bowed to Monkey and said, “We pray that His Royal Highness and his sons will all be safe and that our dynasty will be secure.” When their bowing was done the womenfolk all returned to the palace in tears."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Skin the Tawny Lion spirit we killed,” Brother Monkey instructed the officials, “and have the five who are still alive securely tied up and put under lock and key. Bring us some vegetarian food to eat before we go to sleep. Stop worrying: I promise nothing will go wrong.”\n\nThe next morning the Great Sage took Friar Sand up on an auspicious cloud. Before long they were at the top of Bamboo Mountain, and as they brought their cloud down to look they saw that it was magnificent:\n\nRows of jutting peaks,\n\nSheer and craggy ridges.\n\nIn the deep gill waters gently flow;\n\nFlowers weave a fragrant brocade before the beetling cliff,\n\nWhere the ridges twist and double back,\n\nEncircled by the ancient winding paths.\n\nWhen the crane comes the pine has a companion,\n\nAnd the rock is left alone as the cloud drifts away.\n\nThe black ape heads for brightness when looking for fruit;\n\nThe deer rejoice in the warming sun as they search for flowers.\n\nThe green phoenix sings sweetly\n\nAnd the golden bird’s melodies never stop."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And the golden bird’s melodies never stop.\n\nIn spring the peach blossom contends with the plum;\n\nIn summer the willow and locust trees are rivals.\n\nIn autumn are carpets of chrysanthemums,\n\nAnd in winter the snow flies all around.\n\nHere there is beauty throughout the year,\n\nWhere the scenery can compare with Yingzhou’s magic land.\n\nAs the two of them were standing on the mountain admiring the view Greenface suddenly appeared in a ravine between cliffs. He was holding a short cudgel. “Where do you think you’re going?” Monkey shouted. “I’m here.”\n\nThis gave the young devil such a fright that he went running and tumbling down the ravine. Monkey and Friar Sand went straight after him but could find no sign of where he had gone. When they went further and searched around they found a cave palace with double gates of mottled stone that were firmly closed. Above the gates a stone tablet was set on which was written in large block letters:\n\nNINE-BEND TWISTY CAVE,\n\nMIGHTY BAMBOO MOUNTAIN"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "NINE-BEND TWISTY CAVE,\n\nMIGHTY BAMBOO MOUNTAIN\n\nNow when the junior devil ran inside the cave he had shut the gates firmly behind him. Once inside he reported to the old demon, “My lord, those two monks are outside.”\n\n“Have your lord, Monkey Lion, Snowy Lion, Elephant-fighter and Raccoon-dog come back yet?” the old demon asked.\n\n“I haven’t seen them,” the junior demon replied.\n\n“There were just the two monks looking around from high up on the peak. As soon as I saw them I turned and ran. As they came after me I shut the gates.”\n\nThe old demon bowed his head in silence at this news. After a while his tears began to flow as he called out, “This is terrible. My grandson Tawny Lion is dead. My grandsons Monkey Lion and the rest of them have all been captured by those monks and taken into the city. How am I to get my revenge?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig was tied up nearby, crammed in together with the Tang Priest and the princes, terrified and miserable until he heard the old demon saying that his grandsons had been captured and taken into the city. At this he said with quiet delight, “Don’t be afraid, Master. Cheer up, Your Royal Highness. My elder brother has won. He’s captured the whole lot of the devils and he’s found his way here to rescue us.”\n\nWhen he had said this the old demon could be heard shouting, “Little ones, guard the place well while I go out to catch those other two monks. Then we can punish them all together.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Watch him as he strides off without armor or weapons. When he heard Monkey shouting he threw the gates of the cave wide open and went straight for him, not deigning to answer. Monkey raised his iron cudgel to stop him with a blow to the head while Friar Sand swung his staff at him. As the demon shook his principal head the eight other heads to left and right of it all opened their mouths, with which they gently picked Monkey and Friar Sand up and carried them into the cave.\n\n“Fetch rope,” he ordered; and Wily Freak, Freaky Wile and Greenface, who had come back after their escape the previous night, brought two ropes with which they tied the two of them up very securely. “Impudent ape,” said the old demon, “you captured my seven grandsons. But now I’ve caught you four monks and the four princes I’ve got enough to ransom them with. Little ones, get some thorns and willow rods and beat this ape for me to avenge my grandson Tawny Lion.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three junior devils then beat Monkey with willow rods, but Monkey’s body had been so toughened that all the rods could do was to scratch his itches. He made no sound and was not in the least bothered, no matter how hard they hit him. The sight of it, however, made Pig, the Tang Priest and the princes all feel their hair standing on end. Before long the rods started to break up, but the demons kept on till evening, keeping no count of the number of strokes.\n\nFriar Sand was most upset to see Monkey being given so long a flogging, so he said, “Let me take a hundred or so for him.”\n\n“Don’t be so impatient,” the old demon replied, “you’ll get your beating tomorrow. You’ll all be done in turn.”\n\n“That means it’ll be me the day after tomorrow,” said Pig with alarm. The beating continued for a while as night slowly fell."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Little ones,” the old demon called, “stop for now. Light the lamp and go for something to eat and drink. I’m off to my Brocade Cloud Den for a little shut-eye. You three have all had a hard time, so keep a close watch on them. We’ll carry on with the beatings tomorrow.” The three junior devils moved a lamp over and hit Monkey some more on the top of his head with their willow rods, tic-tic-toc, toc-toc-tic, like the rhythm of a wooden clapper, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. By then it was very late and they all fell asleep.\n\nMonkey now used escaping magic to shrink himself, wriggled out of his bonds, shook his fur, straightened up his clothes, took the cudgel out of his ear and shook it till it was as thick as a well-bucket and about twenty feet long."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then he said to the three junior devils, “You animals, you hit me an awful lot of times, and now I’m going to return the compliment. I’ll just shove this at you and see how you like it.” One gentle push from the cudgels turned the three devils into three lumps of minced pork. Monkey then turned up the lamp and released Friar Sand.\n\nPig, who was feeling desperate about being tied up, could not stop himself from yelling at the top of his voice, “My hands and feet are tied up so tight they’re swollen. Why don’t you come and free me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot’s shout at once woke up the old demon, who rolled straight out of bed and called out, “Who’s setting them free?” The moment Monkey heard this he blew out the lamp, smashed his way through several sets of doors with his cudgel and fled, not bothering about Friar Sand and the rest of them, while the old demon went into the main hall shouting, “Little ones, why’s there no light? Don’t let them get away!” He shouted once without getting an answer, then again, and still no answer."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When he fetched a lantern and looked all he could see were three gory lumps of minced meat on the floor. The prince, his sons, the Tang Priest and Pig were still there, but Monkey and Friar Sand had disappeared. He lit a torch, searched the front and the back and could find only Friar Sand, who was still standing pressed against the wall of a corridor. The demon knocked him down, tied him up as before, and carried on looking for Monkey. Seeing that pair after pair of his doors had been smashed down, he realized that Monkey had destroyed them in his flight. Instead of giving chase he patched up and blockaded the doors and guarded his home.\n\nThe story now tells how Monkey left the Nine-bend Twisty Cave and rode by auspicious cloud straight back to the city of Yuhua, where all the local deities and spirits as well as the god of the city could be seen bowing in mid-air to greet him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Why have you only come to see me today?” Monkey asked. “When we knew that the worthy prince was entertaining you in Yuhua, Great Sage,” they replied, “we did not venture to greet you. But now that the princes have been captured by ogres and you have subdued those monsters we have come to welcome you with kowtows.” While Monkey was abusing them the Gold-headed Protector and the Six Ding and Six Jia generals escorted a local deity in and made him kneel on the ground.\n\n“Great Sage,” they said, “we’ve arrested this ground devil.”\n\n“What are you making a noise here for instead of guarding my master on Bamboo Mountain?” Monkey yelled."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Great Sage,” the Ding and Jia gods replied, “the evil spirit caught the Curtain-raising General and tied him up again after you escaped. As we could see how great his magic powers are we’ve brought the local deity of Bamboo Mountain here. He knows all about that evil spirit’s background, so we beg you to question him, Great Sage, and find out how best to deal with him and deliver the holy monks and worthy princes from their suffering.” When Monkey heard this he was delighted.\n\n“The old demon came down to Bamboo Mountain the year before last,” the local deity said, shivering and shaking as he kowtowed. “The Nine-bend Twisty Cave used to be the den of six lions. Once the old demon came the six lions all took him as their grandfather. He is a nine-headed lion called the Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity. If you want to deal with him you must go to the Wonderful Crag Palace in the uttermost East and fetch his master here to subdue him. Nobody else can possibly do it.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he thought for a long time before saying, “The Wonderful Crag Palace in the uttermost East is where the Heavenly Honoured Saviour of the Great Monad lives. Yes, he does have just such a nine-headed lion under his throne. Protector, Jias,” he ordered, “go back with the local deity and keep a secret watch on the master, my brother disciple, the prince of the city and his sons. The city god must guard the wall and moat. Off you go.” The gods all took up guard as instructed.\n\nThe Great Sage set off his somersault cloud and traveled through the night till it was about the last watch, when he reached the Eastern Gate of Heaven, where he ran into the Heavenly King Virupaksa with his retinue of heavenly soldiers and warriors, who stopped, put their hands together in greeting and asked, “Where are you going, Great Sage?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’m off to the Wonderful Crag Palace,” Monkey replied when he had returned their greetings. “Why have you come to the Eastern Heaven instead of following your road to the Western Heaven?” Virupaksa asked. “When we reached the city of Yuhua,” Monkey replied, “the prince of the city entertained us and told his three sons to take us as their teachers of martial arts. We had a most unpleasant surprise: coming up against a gang of lion monsters. Now I’m going to ask the Heavenly Honoured Saviour of the Great Monad, the chief monster’s owner, to subdue him and save my master.”\n\n“It was because you wanted to be a teacher that you provoked that trouble with the lions,” said the heavenly king. “How true,” replied Monkey with a smile, “how true.” The heavenly soldiers and warriors all raised joined hands in greeting then stood aside to let him pass. Monkey went in through the Eastern Gate of Heaven and was soon at the Wonderful Crag Palace. This is what could be seen:\n\nColoured clouds behind coloured clouds,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Coloured clouds behind coloured clouds,\n\nPurple mists and rich, green vegetation.\n\nThe roof-tiles are a surge of golden flame,\n\nAnd at the gates are imposing beasts of jade.\n\nFlowers grow between gate towers, round which red mists drift;\n\nThe sun shines on turquoise vapors rising from the woods.\n\nAll the immortals pay their respects,\n\nAnd a thousand sages make everything flourish.\n\nThe halls of the palace are like layers of brocade;\n\nWindows and pavilions open on all sides.\n\nAzure dragons glow with sacred clouds;\n\nGolden beams of brilliant light come from the magic mists.\n\nThis is a land of splendor and eternal joy,\n\nThe Wonderful Crag Palace in the uttermost East."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Wonderful Crag Palace in the uttermost East.\n\nThere was an immortal boy wearing a rainbow mantle standing at the palace gates, and as soon as he noticed the Great Sage he went in to report, “My lord, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made havoc in Heaven is here.” When the Heavenly Honoured Saviour of the Great Monad heard this he ordered all the immortals in attendance on him to go out to welcome Monkey and bring him into the palace. Here the Heavenly Honoured One was sitting on a nine-coloured lotus throne amid countless rays of auspicious light, and when he saw Monkey he came down from his throne to greet him while Monkey bowed to him from below.\n\n“Great Sage,” the Heavenly Honoured One said, returning his bow, “I haven’t seen you for years, but I did hear that you have abandoned the Way for Buddhism and are escorting the Tang Priest to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. I presume that you have now succeeded.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Not yet,” Monkey replied, “but near enough. I have escorted the Tang Priest as far as Yuhua, where the prince told his three sons to take me and the other two as their teachers of martial arts and had copies of our three magic weapons made. The weapons were, to our surprise, stolen one night. When I searched for them the next day I found that they had been stolen by a spirit turned by a golden-haired lion from Tigermouth Cave on Mount Leopard Head. I tricked them back from him by cunning, whereupon the spirit ganged up with some other lion spirits to give me a tremendous fight. One of them is a nine-headed lion with enormous magic powers who carried my master, Pig, the prince and his three sons to the Ninebend Twisty Cave on Mount Bamboo. When Friar Sand and I went to look for them the next day we were carried off too. He had me tied up and hit so often I lost count. Luckily I was able to make my get-away by magic, but they’re still suffering there. When I questioned the local deity I found out that you"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I questioned the local deity I found out that you were his master, Heavenly Honoured One, which is why I’m here to ask you to subdue the lion and rescue them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as the Heavenly Honoured One heard this he sent his immortal officers to the lion house to call out his lionkeeper slave and question him. The lionkeeper slave was sleeping so deeply that the officers had to push and shake him before they could wake him up and drag him into the main hall. Here the Heavenly Honoured One asked him, “Where is the lion?”\n\nAll the slave could do was to kowtow with tears streaming down his face, pleading, “Spare me, spare me.”\n\n“The Great Sage Sun is here,” the Heavenly Honoured One replied, “so I won’t have you beaten just yet. You must explain this instant your carelessness in letting the nine-headed lion escape.”\n\n“My lord,” the lionkeeper replied, “I stole and drank a jug of wine I saw in the Sweet Dew Palace of the Great Chiliocosm. Before I realized what had happened I was dead drunk. It must have slipped its chains and got away.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“That wine was given me by Lord Lao Zi of the Supreme Ultimate,” the Heavenly Honoured One replied. “It’s called Cyclical Nectar, and after drinking that you would have slept for three days. How many days has the lion been gone?”\n\n“What the local deity said was that he went down there the year before last, which would mean two years or more,” the Great Sage said.\n\n“That’s right,” the Heavenly Honoured One said with a smile, “A day in the palaces of Heaven is a year in the mortal world. Get up,” he said to the lion-tamer. “I’ll spare your life. Come down to the lower world with the Great Sage and me to recapture him. You immortals can all go back. None of you need come with us.”\n\nThe Heavenly Honoured One, the lion-keeper slave and the Great Sage all went by cloud straight to Bamboo Mountain, where the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre, the Six Dings, the Six Jias and the local deity of the mountain all knelt to greet them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Has my master been harmed while you people have been protecting him?” Brother Monkey asked.\n\n“The evil spirit was so angry that he went to sleep,” the gods replied. “He didn’t torture them any more.”\n\n“That Primal Sage of mine is a true soul who has long cultivated the Way,” the Heavenly Honoured One remarked. “A single call from him will go up to the Three Sages and down to the Underworld. He wouldn’t kill anyone lightly. Great Sage Sun, go to his gates, challenge him to battle and draw him outside for us to catch.”\n\nAs soon as Monkey heard this he sprang towards the mouth of the cave, brandishing his cudgel and shouting loudly and abusively, “Damned evil spirit, give me my people back! Damned evil spirit, give me my people back!” He shouted several times, but the old demon was fast asleep and nobody answered. Monkey lost his patience, swung his cudgel and smashed his way inside, still cursing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then did the old demon wake up, rise to his feet and yell with great fury, “I’m coming for you!” He shook his heads and opened his jaws to pick Monkey up.\n\nAs Monkey turned and fled the evil spirit chased after him till they were outside the cave, shouting, “Where do you think you’re going, you thieving ape?”\n\n“How dare you go on behaving so dreadfully!” said Monkey with a grin from where he was standing on the top of a high cliff. “You haven’t even got the sense to realize that your life’s at stake. Don’t you see your master’s here?”\n\nBy the time the evil spirit reached the cliff in pursuit of Monkey the Heavenly Honoured One had said a spell and shouted, “I’m here, my little Primal Sage.” Recognizing his master, the monster gave up the struggle and lay down with all four feet on the ground, kowtowing."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The lionkeeper then ran over to him, took hold of his mane, and punched him hundreds of times on the neck, saying abusively, “Why did you run away, animal? You got me into terrible trouble.” The lion kept his mouths shut and said nothing, not daring to move, and the lionkeeper only stopped hitting him when his fist was tired out. When a brocade saddlecloth had been put on the animal’s back the Heavenly Honoured One mounted and shouted to it to go. They then rose up on coloured clouds and went straight back to the Wonderful Crag Palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After addressing his thanks skywards the Great Sage went into the cave and freed first the prince of Yuhua, then Sanzang, then Pig, Friar Sand and the three young princes. After this they made a leisurely search of the cave and led everyone outside. Pig then fetched some dry brushwood, piled it at the front and the back, and started a fire that left the Nine-bend Twisty Cave looking like a ruined, burnt-out kiln. Monkey released all the gods, ordered the local deity to keep guard on it, and told Pig and Friar Sand to use their magic to carry the four princes back to the city while he helped the Tang Priest along. They were soon back at the city, where the princess and the officials all came out to greet them. It was now getting dark, and a vegetarian feast was provided for everyone to enjoy. The venerable elder and his disciples slept in the Gauze Pavilion once more, and the princes in the living quarters of the palace. Of that night no more need be said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next day the prince issued an order for another great vegetarian banquet to be laid on. Each of the officials high and low in the palace expressed his gratitude, and Monkey asked for butchers to slaughter the six lions who were still alive, skin them like the tawny lion, and prepare their meat to be eaten. The prince, who was delighted with this proposal, gave the order for them to be killed. One animal was kept for the inside and outside palace staff, one was given to the chief administrator and the other officials in the palace, and the flesh of the other five was cut into lumps weighing one or two ounces that officers distributed among the soldiers and civilians inside and outside the city wall so that they could all eat a little. Thus the people could both try the taste and overcome their fear. Every single household was most impressed.\n\nBy now the smiths had made the three weapons and were kowtowing to Monkey, saying, “My lord, we have finished our work.”\n\n“How heavy are they?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How heavy are they?” Monkey asked.\n\n“The gold-banded cudgel weighs a thousand pounds,” the smiths replied, “and the nine-toothed rake and the demon-quelling staff each eight hundred pounds.”\n\n“That’ll do,” said Monkey, who then had the three princes asked to come out. As each took his weapon they said to the senior prince, “Your Royal Highness, our weapons have now been finished.”\n\n“They almost cost both your father and yourselves their lives,” the senior prince replied. “Thanks to our divine teachers’ powers,” the young princes said, “we were all saved and the evil spirits have been wiped out. We’ll have no trouble from them in future. Now this really is a world at peace with calm seas and rivers running clear.” The four princes then rewarded the smiths and went to the Gauze Pavilion to thank the teachers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang told the Great Sage and the other two to pass on some more martial skills quickly so as not to delay their journey. The three of them all swung their weapons in the palace yard as they taught the secrets one by one. Within a few days the three young princes were all skilled performers. They also mastered all the seventy-two routines of attack, retreat and fast and slow fighting. This was firstly because the princes were all thoroughly determined, and secondly because the Great Sage Sun had given them the divine strength beforehand that enabled them to lift and move the thousand-pound cudgel and the eight-hundred-pound rake and staff. There was all the difference in the world between their present skills and those they had had before, and there is a poem that goes:\n\nWhen they celebrated their fortune in finding divine teachers\n\nThey never expected their studies to alert a lion spirit.\n\nWith evil destroyed the country was at peace;\n\nThe frontier was settled as all were devoted to the one"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Entity. Ninefold Numinosity’s powers lasted through their many clashes\n\nTill the Way was achieved with all-round expertise.\n\nThe brilliant teaching would be passed on for ever,\n\nAnd Yuhua know eternal peace and joy.\n\nThe prince then gave another great banquet to thank the three teachers, and a huge dish of gold and silver was brought out as a reward. “Take it straight back inside,” Monkey said with a smile, “take it straight back. We’re monks, and that’s no use to us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We really can’t take gold or silver,” put in Pig who was standing beside him, “but the lion spirits tore our clothes to ribbons. If you could give us a change of clothing that would be very kind of you.” The prince ordered his tailors to fetch some bolts of blue, red and brown brocade and make each of them a garment after the style and colours of their old ones. The three of them were delighted to accept and put on their new brocade tunics, after which they packed up the luggage and set off on their way again. Everyone inside and outside the city, whether young or old, exclaimed that they were arhats and living Buddhas come down to earth. Crowds packed the streets to the sound of drums and music, and banners flew overhead. Indeed:\n\nFrom the gate of every family the incense smoke arose;\n\nAt every household’s door coloured lanterns hung in rows."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The people only went back after seeing them for a long way along their journey. Only then did the four travelers manage to leave the city and head West. By leaving they shook off all thought and immersed their hearts in the True Achievement. Indeed:\n\nFree from thought and worry, the Buddha’s land they seek,\n\nGoing faithfully, sincerely, towards the Vulture Peak.\n\nIf you do not know how much further the journey was to be or when it was to end, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety-one\n\nAdmiring the Moon Festival Lanterns in Jinping\n\nThe Tang Priest Confesses in Dark Essence Cave\n\nWhere should one strive to practice dhyana?\n\nSwiftly to extirpate the misdeeds of the thought-horse and the mind-ape.\n\nWhen they are firmly tethered they give off radiance,\n\nBut whoever halts falls to the three paths of suffering.\n\nIf one allows the divine elixir to leak away,\n\nThe jade-pure nature will wither as one slackens.\n\nAnger, joy and worry must all be swept away:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Anger, joy and worry must all be swept away:\n\nWhen the wonderful mystery is gained it seems like nothing.\n\nThe story tells how the Tang Priest and his three disciples left the city of Yuhua and had a very easy journey in what really was a land of paradise. When they had been travelling for five or six days another city appeared.\n\n“Where is this?” the Tang Priest asked Brother Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s a city,” Monkey replied, “but there are no flags on the poles above the city wall and I don’t know this area, so I’ll ask when we get closer.” When they reached the Eastern suburb they found it noisy with bars and tea-houses and bustling with a rice market and oil shops. Some idlers who were wandering in the streets with nothing better to do crowded round for a better look when they saw Pig’s long snout, Friar Sand’s black face and Monkey’s red eyes, but they dared not come any closer to question the travelers. The Tang Priest was sweating with the worry that they would provoke trouble as they crossed several more streets and had still not yet reached the city wall. Then they saw a monastery gate over which were the words CLOUDS OF COMPASSION MONASTERY.\n\n“What about going in here to give the horse a rest and take a meal?” the Tang Priest suggested, to which Monkey replied, “Splendid, splendid.” The four of them then went inside, and this is what they saw:\n\nSplendid, towering buildings,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Splendid, towering buildings,\n\nGleaming bases for statues..\n\nThe Buddha hall rise above the clouds;\n\nThe monks’ cells lie in the moonlit silence.\n\nRed mists circle the stupas;\n\nIn the shade of jade-green trees the scripture-wheel is cool.\n\nThis is a true Pure Land,\n\nAnother Naga Palace,\n\nWhere purple mists surround the Mahavira Hall.\n\nThe cloisters are never empty of people enjoying the sights,\n\nAnd visitors climb the pagoda that is always open.\n\nIncense burns in the stand at every moment,\n\nAnd lamps shine on the altar through the night.\n\nA golden bell rings rhythmically in the abbot’s lodgings\n\nAs monks worship the Buddha by reciting sutras.\n\nAs the four of them looked around a monk came along the cloister and said to the Tang Priest with polite gestures of greeting, “Where have you come from, Teacher?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“From the Tang Court in China,” the Tang Priest replied, at which the monk went down on his knees to kowtow, only to be quickly helped up by the Tang Priest, who asked, “Why do you perform this great courtesy, reverend abbot?”\n\n“All the lovers of goodness here who read the sutras and recite the name of the Buddha hope to achieve rebirth in your land of China, so that when I saw you coming in your magnificent mitre and robes I was certain that your present splendor must be the result of your successful cultivation in earlier lives. That’s why it is right to kowtow to you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It alarmed me,” said the Tang Priest with a smile, “it alarmed me. I am only an itinerant monk, and know no splendor at all. To be able to live at your leisure and ease as you do, abbot, is real bliss.” The monk then led the Tang Priest to worship the Buddha statues in the main hall. It was only now that Sanzang called for his disciples. After seeing their master start talking to the monk, Monkey and the other two had been standing in a group with their faces averted, holding the horse’s bridle and looking after the luggage, so that the monk had not noticed them.\n\nBut when they turned round on hearing the Tang Priest’s call the sight of them so frightened the monk that he called out, “My lord, why are your distinguished disciples so hideously ugly?”\n\n“Ugly they may be,” the Tang Priest replied, “but they do have some magical powers. I have been very grateful for their protection all the way along the journey.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were speaking more monks came out to greet them. The monk who had been the first to welcome the visitors explained to the others, “This teacher has come from Great Tang in China, and these three gentlemen are his distinguished disciples.”\n\n“Teacher,” said the others with mixed pleasure and apprehension, “why have you come here from Great China?”\n\n“I have been commanded by the Tang emperor to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures in the Western Heaven,” Sanzang replied. “As I was passing this way I have come to your monastery to ask where we are and take a vegetarian meal before setting out again.” The monks were all delighted, and they invited the visitors into the abbot’s lodgings, where there were some more monks who were performing ceremonies on behalf of benefactors."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The monk who had met them first went on to explain to the others, “Come and have a look at what people from China are like: some are handsome and some are ugly. The beauty of the handsome ones could never be caught in a painting or drawing, and the ugly ones look really weird.” Both the monks and the benefactors all came to greet them, after which everyone sat down.\n\nWhen tea had been drunk the Tang Priest inquired, “What is this fine country called?”\n\n“This is Jinping, one of the outer prefectures of India,” the monks replied.\n\n“How far is it from this prefecture to Vulture Peak?” the Tang Priest asked. “It is about seven hundred miles from here to the capital,” the monks replied, “and we have walked that distance. As we haven’t gone further West to Vulture Peak we don’t know how far that is and would not like to make a wild guess.” The Tang Priest thanked them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A little later a vegetarian meal was provided, after which the Tang Priest wanted to be on his way, only to be pressed to stay by the monks and the benefactors who said, “Teacher, you must stay for a couple of days or so. Enjoy the Full Moon Festival before you go on your way.”\n\n“On my journey I have only been aware of mountains and rivers and the danger of running into ogres or monsters,” the Tang Priest replied, “and I have lost my sense of time. I don’t know when Full Moon is.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s because your heart is so set on worshipping the Buddha and on enlightenment that you have not thought about it, Teacher,” the monks replied. “Today is the thirteenth of the first month and the lanterns will be tried out tonight. The day after tomorrow is the fifteenth, when the festival begins, and it goes on till the lanterns are put away on the eighteenth or nineteenth. We enjoy celebrations here and our prefect, who cares for the people, has lanterns set out everywhere and music played all night. We also have a Bridge of Golden Lamps—it’s an ancient tradition that still flourishes. If you will stay for a few days, my lords, our monastery can certainly afford to entertain you.” The Tang Priest had no choice but to stay. As the bell and drum in the Buddha hall resounded to the skies the faithful came in from the streets bringing lanterns to present to the Buddha. The Tang Priest and the rest of them came out of the abbot’s lodgings to look at the lanterns, after which everyone turned in."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next day, when they had eaten the vegetarian breakfast the monks of the monastery brought them, they strolled in the garden at the back. It really was a lovely place:\n\nIt is the first month of the year,\n\nThe beginning of the spring.\n\nThe wooded garden is quiet and elegant;\n\nThe beauty of the scene subdued.\n\nThroughout the four seasons flowers and trees contend;\n\nTurquoise peaks rise behind each other.\n\nFragrant flowers are growing before the steps,\n\nAnd scent comes from the plum-tree’s branches.\n\nWhere there is red it joins the tender peach blossom;\n\nWhere there is green it mingles with the willows’ fresh green.\n\nForget about the splendor of the Gold Valley Garden;\n\nSay nothing of the Wang River landscapes painted by Wang Wei.\n\nIn the flowing stream\n\nThe wild ducks bob and rise;\n\nAmong bamboos by the thousand\n\nPoets ponder their choice of words.\n\nTree and herbaceous peonies, myrtle, fleeting-smile flowers,\n\nThat waken when their time is due;\n\nCamellias, red plum blossom, winter jasmine and daphne,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All early to open out their beauty.\n\nThe snow piled by the hidden cliff seems frozen solid still;\n\nThe clouds that drift by the distant trees already bring early traces of spring.\n\nThe deer sees its reflection beside the pool;\n\nCranes come to hear the lute beneath the pines.\n\nA few halls and pavilions to East and West,\n\nWhere travelers may stay;\n\nBuildings and pagodas to North and South\n\nWhere monks may meditate in peace.\n\nAmong the flowers\n\nAre one or two houses to nourish one’s nature,\n\nWhere double eaves rise above each other.\n\nAmid the hills and streams\n\nAre three or four cells in which to reline magic, Peaceful and light.\n\nThis is indeed a natural spot for a recluse:\n\nWhy look elsewhere for the earthly paradise?\n\nAfter a day enjoying the garden they inspected the lanterns in the Buddha hall before going to look at the lantern festival. This is what they saw:\n\nA splendid city of agate,\n\nA fairyland of glass;\n\nPalaces of crystal and mica,\n\nLike layer upon layer of brocade,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Like layer upon layer of brocade,\n\nOpenwork carving behind openwork carving.\n\nThe dazzling bridge of stars moved heaven and earth\n\nWhile trees of fire made waves of red\n\nFlutes and drums played in the streets.\n\nA moon like a ring of jade hung over a thousand gates;\n\nFragrant breezes blew through ten thousand homes.\n\nThere were giant turtle peaks soaring on high,\n\nFishes and dragons emerging from the sea,\n\nPhoenixes sporting in the sky.\n\nAs all admired the moon and the lanterns\n\nThe atmosphere was full of harmony.\n\nAmong the crowds dressed in fine silks\n\nAll enjoyed the songs and panpipes.\n\nCarriages rumbled along.\n\nThere was no end of beautiful faces,\n\nDashing gallants, And marvellous sights.\n\nWhen Sanzang and the others had looked at the lanterns in the monastery they wandered around the streets of the Eastern suburb, not going back to bed till the second watch in the middle of the night."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The next day Sanzang said to the monks, “I made a vow to sweep pagodas, and on the occasion of tonight’s Moon Festival I would like to ask the reverend abbot to open the doors of the pagoda to allow me to fulfil this vow.” The monks opened the doors, and when Friar Sand fetched his cassock and brought it to him on the ground floor he put it over his shoulders and prayed to the Buddha. Then he swept the ground floor with a broom, took the cassock off and gave it back to Friar Sand. He swept the second story next, and so on story by story till he reached the top. In every story there was a Buddha, and in each one he opened all the windows, swept the floor, and enjoyed the splendid views. By the time he had finished sweeping and come down again it was late and all the lamps had been lit."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was now the night of the full moon. “Venerable teacher,” the monks said, “last night you only saw the lamps in our humble monastery and the outskirts of the city. As tonight is the main festival why don’t we go into the city to see the golden lamps there?” The Tang Priest was glad to follow this suggestion, and he went with his three disciples and the monks of the monastery into the city to see the lanterns. Indeed:\n\nOn the festive fifteenth night\n\nThe harmony of spring begins with the first full moon.\n\nDecorated lanterns hang in the busy markets\n\nAs all sing the songs of a world at peace.\n\nOver the lantern light in streets and markets\n\nThe moon’s round mirror rises in the sky\n\nLike a silver dish, driven by the charioteer Ping Yi.\n\nThe lanterns were like a brocade carpet woven by fairies;\n\nThe lanterns were reflected by the moon,\n\nDoubling its brilliance;\n\nThe moon shone on the lanterns,\n\nMaking them resplendent.\n\nThere was no end of iron-chain star bridges,\n\nLantern flowers and trees of fire."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Lantern flowers and trees of fire.\n\nSnowflake lanterns,\n\nPlum-blossom lanterns,\n\nLike fragments of ice in spring;\n\nEmbroidered screen lanterns,\n\nPainted screen lanterns,\n\nMade up from every color.\n\nWalnut lanterns,\n\nLotus lanterns,\n\nHung high on lantern towers;\n\nBlue lion lanterns,\n\nWhite elephant lanterns,\n\nFixed on lofty frames.\n\nShrimp lanterns,\n\nTerrapin lanterns,\n\nPlaced in front of awnings;\n\nGoat lanterns,\n\nHare lanterns,\n\nBringing the eaves to life.\n\nEagle lanterns,\n\nPhoenix lanterns,\n\nLined up next to each other;\n\nTiger lanterns,\n\nHorse lanterns,\n\nBeing carried along together.\n\nRed-crowned crane lanterns,\n\nWhite deer lanterns,\n\nCarrying the Star of Longevity;\n\nGoldfish lanterns,\n\nWhale lanterns,\n\nOn which rode the poet Li Bai.\n\nGiant turtle mountain lanterns,\n\nWhere gods and immortals gathered;\n\nRevolving horse lanterns\n\nOn which warriors joined combat.\n\nThe towers of lanterns on thousands of houses\n\nMade a world of clouds and smoke for several miles."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On one side, shining reins and flying jade saddles;\n\nOn the other, rumbling carriages leave fragrance behind.\n\nOn the red balcony,\n\nLeaning against the railings,\n\nBehind the curtains,\n\nShoulder to shoulder,\n\nHand in hand,\n\nPairs of beauties were eager for the fun.\n\nBy the bridge over green waters,\n\nNoisy,\n\nMany-coloured,\n\nDrunken,\n\nLaughing\n\nCouples enjoyed the brilliant sights.\n\nAll of the city’s flutes and drums were playing;\n\nPanpipes and songs went on all night.\n\nThere is also this poem as evidence:\n\nAmid the fine brocades, of lotus were the songs;\n\nThis blessed land at peace was full of many throngs.\n\nThe lanterns and the moon upon this festive night\n\nForetold rich harvests after rain and wind just right."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was a night when the curfew was relaxed, so that there were huge crowds and a great commotion. People were dancing, walking on stilts, wearing masks and riding elephants, pushing and crowding to East and to West as they looked all around. When they reached the bridge of golden lamps the Tang Priest and the monks pushed forward for a look and saw that it consisted of three golden lamps each the size of a water vat and shaped like a two-storied pavilion with a light shining out through intricate gold and silver filigree openwork. Glazed ceramic tiles inside the lamps reflected their light. They were so bright they outshone the moon, and their oil was very fragrant.\n\n“What sort of oil do those lamps burn?” the Tang Priest asked the monks, “and why does it smell so remarkably good?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You wouldn’t know that, Teacher,” the monks replied. “There is a county near this prefecture called Mintian. In the whole county there are 240 wards, and when we have our annual assignment of jobs to be done for the state, 240 households have to provide oil. All the other jobs assigned by the prefecture or county are reasonable enough, but these oil households have a very hard time. Every household has to take it on for a year, and it costs them over two hundred ounces of silver. The oil isn’t ordinary oil but perfumed refined butter oil. One ounce costs two ounces of silver and a pound costs thirty-two ounces. Each of the lamps holds five hundred pounds of oil, making 1,500 pounds for the three of them, costing 48,000 ounces of silver. With other miscellaneous expenses it comes to over 50,000 ounces. And that only lasts three nights.”\n\n“How can so much oil be used up in only three nights?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In each lamp there are forty-nine big wicks about the size of an egg made of rushes wrapped in silk floss,” the monks explained. “When they have burned for one night the Lord Buddhas appear, the oil all vanishes and the lamp goes out.”\n\n“I suppose the Lord Buddhas take all the oil,” said Pig with a grin as he stood at one side.\n\n“That’s right,” the monks replied, “that’s what everyone in the city has always said ever since ancient times. If the oil runs dry they say that the Buddhas have taken the oil and the crops will certainly be bountiful; but if it doesn’t dry up on one occasion there will be famine, drought and the wrong weather at the wrong time in that year. That’s why everyone makes this offering.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were talking there was the howling of a wind up in the air, sending everyone who was admiring the lanterns fleeing in terror. The monks could not hold their ground either. “Let’s go back, venerable teacher,” they said, “the wind’s here. It’s the Lord Buddhas bringing blessings. They’re here to see the lanterns.”\n\n“How can you tell that?” the Tang Priest asked.\n\n“It’s the same every year,” the monks replied. “The wind blows up before the third watch. Everybody gets out of the way as they know that it is the Lord Buddhas bringing down blessings.”\n\n“I am one who thinks of, invokes and worships Buddhas,” the Tang Priest said. “If the Buddhas are honoring us with their presence on this festive occasion it would be wonderful to be able to worship them.” He rejected the monks’ repeated urgings to go back, and a little later the forms of three Buddhas appeared in the wind and approached the lamps. The Tang Priest was so excited that he ran to the top of the lamp bridge and threw himself down worship."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Brother Monkey rushed forward in alarm to drag him to his feet and say, “They’re no good, Master. I’m sure they’re evil.” Before the words were even out of his mouth the lamps all went out as with a great whoosh the Tang Priest was swept up by the wind. It was terrible! Who knew what evil monsters from what cave in what mountain had been posing as Buddhas to watch the golden lamps?\n\nPig and Friar Sand were thrown into such panic that they rushed all about, searching and calling for their master. “Brothers,” called Monkey, “no use shouting here. The master’s bliss has turned to disaster. He’s been carried off by evil spirits.”\n\n“How can you tell that, my lord,” the appalled monks asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re just a bunch of mortals,” Monkey replied with a grin, “so you haven’t realized what’s been happening all these years. The evil spirits have fooled you into thinking they’re true Buddhas coming down to accept the offerings of lamps. The Buddhas that appeared when the wind blew just now were three evil spirits. My master didn’t realize who they were, so he went up on the top of the bridge to worship them. They covered up all the lights and carried him off together with the oil in the lamps. As I was a bit too late the three of them got away by wind.”\n\n“Brother,” said Friar Sand, “Whatever are we to do?”\n\n“Not a moment to lose,” said Monkey. “You two go back the monastery with the monks and look after the horse and the luggage. I’m going after them while this wind’s still blowing.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage then shot up by his somersault cloud into mid air, picked up the stench of the wind and headed Northeast in pursuit, carrying on till all of a sudden the wind dropped at dawn. A great mountain could be seen, a most steep, towering and splendid mountain:\n\nMany a foothill and ravine,\n\nTwisting and bending streams.\n\nCreepers hang from the beetling precipice,\n\nPine and cypress rise from the lonely rock.\n\nCranes cry in the morning mists,\n\nWild geese call among the clouds at dawn.\n\nJutting peaks like a row of halberds,\n\nJagged crags of interlocking rocks.\n\nThe summits rise to eighty thousand feet,\n\nAnd sheer-walled ridges make a thousand angles.\n\nWild flowers and noble trees all flourish with the spring;\n\nCuckoo and oriole respond to the scenery with song.\n\nMajestic beauty,\n\nTowering grandeur,\n\nSteep, grotesque crags hard to climb.\n\nOne will stay there long in silence:\n\nAll that can be heard are tigers and leopards breathing.\n\nRiver deer and white deer wander around;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "River deer and white deer wander around;\n\nJade-coloured hares and gray wolves come and go.\n\nThe stream in the deep ravine will flow for a million miles;\n\nTwisting torrents splash loud against the rocks.\n\nWhile the Great Sage was on the top of a scar looking for his way he saw four people coming from the Western slopes driving three goats and all shouting, “New Year.” Monkey’s fiery eyes with their golden pupils flashed as he took a closer look to see that they were the four Duty Gods of the year, the month, the day and the hour in disguise.\n\nThe Great Sage then pulled out his iron cudgel, shook it till it was as thick as a ricebowl and about twelve feet long and sprang down from the cliff with a shout of, “Where are you skulking off to like that, trying to hide your faces?”\n\nWhen the four Duty Gods realized that he had rumbled them they at once turned back into their normal selves, kowtowed beside the path and said, “Forgive us, Great Sage, forgive us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Just because I haven’t had any jobs for you recently you thought I was getting lax and so you’ve all become very casual,” Monkey said. “You didn’t even greet me. It’s outrageous! Why aren’t you giving my master your secret protection? Where are you going?”\n\n“Because your master somewhat forgot his dhyana nature and was so eager to enjoy himself in the Clouds of Compassion Monastery in Jinping Prefecture,” the Duty Gods said, “he met with evil at the height of splendor, his joy turned to disaster, and he was captured by the evil spirits. The Defenders of the Faith are looking after him at the moment. We realized that you would be coming after him this very night, Great Sage, and we came here to report to you in case you did not know the mountains and forests here.”\n\n“If you were here to report,” said Brother Monkey, “why did you disguise your identities, why were you driving three goats, and what were you shouting and yelling for?”\n\n“The three goats were for luck at the beginning of the year."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They are to drive away the evil that’s obstructing your master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey had been absolutely determined to beat them, but on hearing this explanation he let them off and put his cudgel away as his fury turned to delight. “Are there evil spirits on this mountain?” he asked. “Yes,” they replied, “yes. This mountain is called Green Dragon Mountain and there’s a cave in it called the Dark Essence Cave where three evil spirits live. The oldest is called King Cold-avoider, the second is called King Heat-avoider and the third is called King Dust-avoider. They’ve lived here for a thousand years and have been fond of refined butter oil since they were children. Ever since they became spirits some years ago they’ve been pretending to be Buddhas to trick the officials and people of Jinping into setting out those golden lamps full of the refined butter oil that they take in their Buddha guises in the middle of every first month. When they saw your master this time they realized that he was a holy monk and carried him off to the cave too. Any day now they’ll slice off his flesh to fry"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Any day now they’ll slice off his flesh to fry in the refined butter. You must use your skills to save him as soon as possible.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this Monkey dismissed the four Duty Gods with a shout and went round the mountain looking for the cave. Within a mile or two he saw a rock face by a gill, at the foot of which was a stone building with a pair of stone doors that stood ajar. Beside the doors was a stone tablet on which was inscribed\n\nGREEN DRAGON MOUNTAIN\n\nDARK ESSENCE CAVE\n\nNot daring to go in uninvited, Monkey stopped and called, “Give me my master back at once, monster.” With a great noise the doors burst wide open, and out rushed a crowd of bull-headed demons who glared as they asked, “Who are you, yelling here like that?”\n\n“I’m the senior disciple of the holy monk Tang Sanzang who’s come from Great Tang in the East to fetch scriptures,” Monkey replied. “He was looking at the lanterns in Jinping along our way when your chief demons carried him off here. Give him back at once if you want me to spare your lives. If you don’t I’ll turn our den upside-down and turn all you demons into just pus and blood.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as the junior demons heard this they rushed inside to report, “Disaster, Your Majesties, disaster!” The three old evil spirits had taken Sanzang into the depths of the cave and with no further ado were telling their underlings to strip him and wash him with water from the torrent. They were just about to have him sliced and diced into tiny pieces to fry in the refined butter when they heard the report of disaster from outside. The oldest demon king asked with some alarm what had happened.\n\n“There’s a hairy-faced monk who looks like a thunder god outside,” the junior devils replied. “He’s shouting that Your Majesties carried his master here and wants him given back straight away if our lives are to be spared. Otherwise he’ll turn our den upside-down and turn us all into pus and blood.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This news shocked the demon kings, who all said, “We’ve only just caught the wretch, and haven’t even asked him his name and his background. Little ones, dress him again and bring him here to be questioned. We must find out who he is and where he’s from.”\n\nA crowd of devils untied the Tang Priest, put his clothes back on and pushed him to before the thrones, where he fell to his knees, trembling with fear, and pleaded, “Spare my life, Your Majesties, spare my life.”\n\n“Where are you from, monk?” the three evil spirits said, all talking at once, “and why did you rush into the way of our clouds instead of avoiding the Buddha images?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I have been sent by the Great Tang Emperor in the East to worship the Lord Buddha and fetch the scriptures from the Great Thunder Monastery in India,” Sanzang replied with kowtows. “When I went into the Clouds of Compassion Monastery for a vegetarian meal the monks there pressed me to stay to see the lanterns at the Moon Festival. Seeing Your Majesties appearing as Buddhas from the bridge of golden lamps I kowtowed to you because my mortal eyes took you for real Buddhas. That’s why I got in the way of your clouds, Your Majesties.”\n\n“How long was the journey from your country in the East to here?” the evil spirits asked. “How many people have you got with you? What are they called? Tell us the truth straight away and we’ll spare your life.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My secular name was Chen Xuanzang,” the Tang Priest replied, “and I was a monk in the Jinshan Monastery from boyhood. Later I was given official rank as a monk in the Hongfu Monastery in Chang’an. When the minister Wei Zheng beheaded the Dragon King of the River Jing in his dream and the Tang emperor came back to life after his travels in the underworld, a Great Land and Water Mass was held for the rebirth of souls. The Tang emperor chose me to officiate at this ceremony and expound the great principles. The Bodhisattva Guanyin appeared during the mass and informed me that in the Thunder Monastery in the Western Heaven there are three stores of true scriptures that can carry the dead up to Heaven. I was sent to fetch them and given the title Sanzang, or “Three Stores.” As I use Tang as my surname people call me Tang Sanzang. I have three disciples. The first one is called Sun Wukong the Novice, and he is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who has been converted to the truth.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This news came as a shock to the evil spirits, who asked, “Did this Great Sage Equaling Heaven make great havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago?”\n\n“Yes, yes,” the Tang Priest said. “The second one is called Zhu Wuneng or Zhu Bajie. He is Marshal Tian Peng come down to earth. The third is Sha Wujing, or Friar Sand, the Curtain-lifting General in mortal reincarnation.”\n\n“It’s as well we haven’t eaten him yet,” the evil spirits all exclaimed in horror. “Little ones, lock the Tang Priest in iron chains at the back. When we’ve caught his three disciples we’ll eat them together.” They then mustered a force of armed yak, water-buffalo and ox spirits to go outside carrying bugles, waving banners and beating drums.\n\nOnce the three evil spirits were fully clad in their armor they went out and shouted, “Who’s that who dares come here shouting like that?” Monkey slipped round behind the scar to have a good look, and this is what the evil spirits were like:\n\nMulti-coloured faces, round eyes,\n\nTowering horns."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Towering horns.\n\nFour sharp-pointed ears,\n\nNeat and shining bright.\n\nBodies patterned like a painting,\n\nCovered with brocades that shine like fireflies.\n\nThe first one wore a hat of foxes’ fur\n\nAnd hot steam rose from the long hairs of his face.\n\nThe second wore a flaming cloak of lightest gauze\n\nAnd had four gleaming, jade-like hooves.\n\nThe third had a mighty roar like thunder;\n\nHis sharp and pointed fangs were just like silver needles.\n\nEach was brave and fierce\n\nAs they carried their three weapons;\n\nOne used a battle-axe,\n\nOne was an expert in the cutlass,\n\nAnd the third had a knotted flail resting on his shoulders."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other evil spirits, tall and short, fat and thin, senior and junior, were all cattle-headed monsters carrying spears or clubs. There were three big banners clearly inscribed with the words “King Cold-avoider,” “King Heat-avoider” and “King Dust-avoider.” After looking at all this for a while Monkey lost his patience and went up to them with a shout of, “Can you recognize Monkey, thieving damned ogres?”\n\n“Are you the Sun Wukong who made havoc in Heaven?” the evil spirits shouted back. “It really is a case of\n\nI heard your name before I saw your face:\n\nThe sight of that would bring the gods disgrace.\n\nSo all you are is a macaque.”\n\n“I’ll get you, you lamp-oil thieves,” Monkey retorted in high dudgeon. “Don’t talk such rubbish, you smooth-tongued monsters. Give my master back at once.” With that he advanced and swung his iron cudgel, to be parried by the old demons who raised their weapons to meet the blow. A splendid fight ensued in the mountain hollow:\n\nBattle-axe, cutlass and flail"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Battle-axe, cutlass and flail\n\nMet by the Monkey King’s lone cudgel.\n\nCold-avoider, Heat-avoider and Dust-avoider\n\nHad heard of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.\n\nWhen the cudgel rose it scared demons and gods;\n\nAxe and cutlass hacked and flew.\n\nA primal dharma image of true emptiness\n\nHolding off three demons masquerading as Buddhas.\n\nTheir noses all greasy with this year’s stolen oil,\n\nThey tried to snatch the monk sent by the emperor.\n\nOne for his master’s sake feared not the lengthy road;\n\nThe others in their greed had lamps offered every year.\n\nAll that could be beard was clash of axe and cutlass\n\nAnd the noisy clatter of the cudgel.\n\nWith clashes and lunges three fought against one\n\nAs each showed his skill with blocks and parries.\n\nThey fought from dawn till almost nightfall\n\nAnd a victor had yet to emerge in the struggle."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And a victor had yet to emerge in the struggle.\n\nBy the time Monkey’s cudgel had gone 150 rounds with the three demons it was nearly evening and the outcome was still in doubt. Then Dust-avoider sprang forward from the ranks with a swing of his flail and waved a flag, whereupon the crowd of cattle-headed demons swarmed round Monkey, encircling him and swinging wildly at him with their weapons. Seeing that things were going badly, Monkey set off his somersault cloud and fled in a whoosh. The demons did not go after him but called their devils back so that everyone could have an evening meal. They told the junior devils to take a bowl of food to Sanzang as well: he was not to be dealt with until Monkey had been caught. As the master was a lifelong vegetarian and was besides feeling miserable he sobbed and let none of the food touch his lips.\n\nThe story tells how Monkey rode his cloud back to the Clouds of Compassion Monastery and called, “Brothers.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this Pig and Friar Sand, who were waiting for him and discussing what to do, came out together to greet him with the words, “Brother, why are you only back now after being away all day? What’s happened to the master?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I followed the smell of the wind right through the night till we got to a mountain and it disappeared,” Monkey replied with a smile. “Luckily the four Duty Gods told me that the mountain’s called Green Dragon Mountain and that there’s a Dark Essence Cave on it where three evil spirits live: King Cold-avoider, King Heat-avoider and King Dust-avoider. They’ve been stealing the oil here for years on end by disguising themselves as Buddhas to trick the officials of Jinping Prefecture. When they came across us this year they wickedly carried our master off with them. I told the Duty Gods and the rest of them to give the master some secret protection while I shouted insults at them from outside their doors. When the three demons came out they all looked like bullheaded demons. The first of them fought with a battle-axe, the second with a cutlass and the third with a flail. They had a whole gang of cattle-headed monsters with them, waving banners and beating drums. The fight went on all day and was still in the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fight went on all day and was still in the balance when one of the demon kings waved a flag to bring all the junior devils forward. As it was late and I was worried that I couldn’t beat them I came back by somersault cloud.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I reckon it must be the Demon King of Fengdu who’s making trouble for you,” said Pig.\n\n“What makes you guess that?” Friar Sand asked. “I can tell because our big brother said they were all cattle-headed monsters,” replied Pig with a laugh.\n\n“No, no,” said Monkey. “I saw them and they were all rhinoceros spirits.”\n\n“If they’re rhinos we’ve just got to catch them and saw their horns off,” said Pig. “They’ll be worth quite a bit of silver.”\n\nAs they were talking the monks all asked Monkey if he had eaten any supper. “I’ll have something if it’s no trouble,” Brother Monkey replied, “but I can do without just as well.”\n\n“Surely you’re hungry after fighting all day, my lord,” the monks said."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You can’t get hungry in a mere day,” Monkey laughed. “I once went without food for five hundred years.” The monks did not know whether he was telling the truth or joking, and a little later food was brought in that Monkey ate, after which he said, “Tidy up and go to sleep. We’ll go and fight them again tomorrow and capture the demon kings so as to rescue the master.”\n\n“What nonsense, brother,” said Friar Sand, who was standing to one side. “As the saying goes, ‘Delay brings wisdom.’ It’ll be terrible if that monster stays awake tonight and murders the master. We’d better go there right now and make such a row that he can’t do anything. It may go badly wrong if we lose a single moment.”\n\nWhen Pig heard this he braced himself and said, “Friar Sand’s right. Let’s go and put down those demons. The moon’s bright enough.” Accepting their advice, Monkey left his instructions with the monks of the monastery."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Look after the luggage and the horse. When we’ve captured the evil spirits we’ll bring them back here to prove to the prefect that they’re imposters. Then he can end the oil levy and relieve the common people of this hardship. That’ll be a good thing, won’t it?” The monks all accepted their orders while the three of them left the city by auspicious cloud. Indeed:\n\nIdleness and unrestraint\n\nThrew the dhyana into confusion;\n\nDanger and catastrophe\n\nLed the Way-heart into delusion.\n\nIf you don’t know who was to win this encounter listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety-two\n\nThree Monks Wage a Great Fight on Green Dragon Mountain\n\nFour Stars Seize the Rhinoceros Monsters"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Four Stars Seize the Rhinoceros Monsters\n\nThe story tells how after the Great Sage Monkey took his two brother disciples by gale and cloud to the Northeast they were soon bringing their cloud down at the entrance to the Dark Essence Cave on Green Dragon Mountain. Pig was just about to smash the doors in when Monkey said, “Wait a moment. I’ll go in and find out whether the master’s still alive before we have it out with him.”\n\n“But the doors are shut very tightly,” said Friar Sand. How will you get in?”\n\n“I’ve got my methods,” Monkey replied.\n\nThe splendid Great Sage then put his cudgel away, made a spell with his fingers while saying the magic words, called “Change!” and turned into a fire-fly. He was really nimble. Just look at him:\n\nWings that shine like shooting stars:\n\nThe ancients say fire-flies grow from rotting plants.\n\nHis powers of transformation are truly great,\n\nAnd he loves to wander all around.\n\nWhen he flies to the stone doors to look within\n\nA draft blows through the crack beside him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A draft blows through the crack beside him.\n\nA single jump and he is in the dark courtyard,\n\nWatching the movements of the evil spirits.\n\nAs he flew in he saw some cattle sprawled around on the ground, fast asleep and snoring like thunder. In the main hall nothing was moving, and all the doors were closed. Not knowing where the three evil spirits were sleeping, he went through the hall and shone with his light into the back, where he heard sobs. The Tang Priest was chained to a pillar under the eaves at the back and weeping. Monkey kept out of sight as he listened to what he was crying about, and this is what he heard:\n\n“Since I left Chang’an in China some ten years back and more,\n\nI have had to suffer much crossing all those rivers and mountains.\n\nI came out to the West at a very happy season,\n\nArriving in the city for the festival of lanterns.\n\n“I failed to understand that the Buddhas were impostors\n\nAll because my fate seems to doom me to distress."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "My disciples gave pursuit and will use their mighty powers:\n\nI pray they will be able to achieve a great success.”\n\nDelighted to hear this, Monkey spread his wings and flew closer to his master, who wiped away his tears and observed, “Goodness, the West really is different. This is only the first month of the year, when dormant insects are just beginning to wake up. Fancy seeing a fire-fly now!”\n\n“Master,” said Brother Monkey, unable to keep quiet any longer, “I’m here.”\n\n“I was just wondering how there could be a fire-fly at this time of year, and it’s you,” the Tang Priest replied with delight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Monkey, turning back into himself, “the journey’s been held up so long and so much effort has been wasted because you can’t tell true from false. All the way along I’ve told you demons are no good, but you will kowtow to them. When those devils covered up the lamps to steal the refined butter oil they carried you off too. I told Pig and Friar Sand to go back to the monastery and keep an eye on our things while I followed the smell of the wind here. I didn’t know what the place was called, but luckily the four Duty Gods told me that this is Dark Essence Cave on Green Dragon Mountain. I fought the monsters all day long till I went back at evening, told my brother-disciples the full story, and came back here with them instead of going to bad. As I thought it was too late at night to fight and didn’t know where you were I transformed myself to come in and find out what’s going on.”\n\n“Are Pig and Friar Sand outside?” the happy Tang Priest asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes,” Monkey replied. “I’ve just had a look around and seen that the evil spirits are all asleep. I’ll unlock you, smash the doors down and get you out.” The Tang Priest nodded his head in gratitude.\n\nUsing his unlocking magic, Monkey made the lock open at a touch. He was just leading his master to the front of the cave when the demon kings could be heard shouting from their bedrooms, “Shut the doors tight, little ones, and be careful of fire. Why can’t we hear the watchmen calling the watches? Where are the clappers and bells?”\n\nAfter a day’s hard fighting the junior demons were all asleep, exhausted; and they only woke up when they heard the shout. To the sound of clappers and bells several of them came out from the back holding weapons and beating gongs, and they just happened to bump into Monkey and his master."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where do you think you’re going, my fine monks, now you’ve broken the locks?” the junior devils all shouted together, and with no further argument Monkey pulled out his cudgel, shook it to make it as thick as a rice bowl and struck, killing two of them at a blow. The rest of them dropped their weapons, went to the central hall, beat on the doors and shouted, “Disaster, Your Majesties, disaster. The hairy-faced monk’s got inside and he’s killing people.”\n\nThe moment the three demons heard this they tumbled out of their beds and ordered, “Catch them! Catch them!” This gave the Tang Priest such a fright that his hands and legs turned weak. Monkey abandoned him and stormed his way forward, swinging his cudgel.\n\nThe junior devils could not stop him as, pushing two or three aside here and knocking two or three over there, he smashed several pairs of doors open and rushed straight out, shouting, “Where are you, brothers?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig and Friar Sand greeted him, rake and staff raised for action, with the question, “What’s up, brother?” Monkey told them all about how he had transformed himself to rescue the master, been found by the spirits when they woke up, and been forced to abandon him and fight his way out.\n\nNow that they had recaptured the Tang Priest, the demon kings had him locked up in chains again and questioned him in the glare of lamplight, as they brandished cutlass and axe. “How did you open the lock, damn you,” they asked, “and how did that ape get inside? Confess this moment and we’ll spare your life, or else we’ll cut you in half.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This so terrified the Tang Priest that he fell to his knees shivering and shaking and said, “Your Majesties, my disciple Sun Wukong can do seventy-two kinds of transformations. Just now he turned into a fire-fly and flew in to rescue me. We never realized that Your Majesties would wake up or that we would bump into Their Junior Majesties. My wicked disciple wounded a couple of them, and when they all started shouting and going for us with weapons and torches he abandoned me and escaped.”\n\n“If we’d woken up earlier he’d never have got away,” the three demon kings said with loud guffaws. They then told their underlings to fasten the doors firmly at front and back and stop shouting.\n\n“As they’ve shut the doors and stopped shouting I think they must be going to murder the master,” said Friar Sand. “We must act.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re right,” said Pig. “Let’s smash the doors,” The idiot showed off his magical powers by smashing the stone doors to smithereens with a blow from his rake then shouted at the top of his voice, “Thieving, oil-stealing monsters! Send my master out right now!”\n\nThis gave the junior devils inside the doors such a fright that they tumbled and ran inside to report, “Disaster, Your Majesties, disaster. The monks have smashed the front doors.”\n\n“They’re outrageous, damn them,” the three demon kings said in a great fury, and when they had sent for their armor and fastened it on they took their weapons and led their underlings into battle. It was now about the third watch of the night, and the moon in the middle of the sky made all as bright as day. As they led their forces out they wasted no more words and started fighting. Monkey held off the battle-axe, Pig blocked the cutlass, and Friar Sand took on the flail.\n\nThree monks with cudgel, staff and rake;\n\nThree evil monsters both brave and angry."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Three evil monsters both brave and angry.\n\nThe battle-axe, the cutlass and the flail\n\nMade howling winds and set the sand flying.\n\nIn their first clashes they breathed out baleful mists,\n\nThen as they flew around they scattered coloured clouds.\n\nThe nailed rake went through its routines round the body,\n\nThe iron cudgel was even more splendidly heroic,\n\nAnd the demon-quelling staff was something rarely seen on earth;\n\nBut the unrepentant ogres would not yield a foot of ground.\n\nThe bright-bladed axe had a sharp-pointed butt,\n\nThe whirling flail made a pattern of flowers,\n\nAnd the flashing cutlass swung like a painted door;\n\nBut the monks were their match.\n\nOne side was fighting with fury for their master’s life;\n\nThe other hit at their faces so as not to release the Tang Priest.\n\nThe axe hacked and the cudgel blocked in the struggle for mastery;\n\nThe rake swung and the cutlass struck as they fought;\n\nThe knotted flail and the demon-quelling staff,\n\nComing and going in a splendid display."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Coming and going in a splendid display.\n\nWhen the three monks and the three monsters had been fighting for a long time without either side coming out on top King Cold-avoider shouted, “Come on, little ones!” The monsters all charged at Pig, quickly tripping him up and bringing him to the ground. Several water-buffalo spirits dragged and pulled him inside the cave, where they tied him up. When Friar Sand saw that Pig had disappeared and heard the mooing of all the cattle he then raised his staff, feinted at King Dust-avoider and tried to flee, only to be rushed by another crowd of spirits who pulled at him, sending him staggering. However hard he struggled he could not get up, and he too was carried off to be tied up. Realizing that he was in an impossible situation, Monkey escaped by somersault cloud.\n\nWhen Pig and Friar Sand were dragged to him the Tang Priest said with tears welling up in his eyes at the sight of them, “Poor things! You two have been caught too. Where’s Wukong?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When he saw we’d been caught he ran away,” Friar Sand replied.\n\n“Wherever he has gone he will certainly have gone to fetch help,” said the Tang Priest. “But who knows when we will be delivered?” Master and disciples felt thoroughly miserable.\n\nThe story tells how Brother Monkey rode his somersault cloud back to the Clouds of Compassion Monastery, where the monks met him with the question, “Have you been able to rescue Lord Tang?”\n\n“It’s difficult,” said Monkey, “very difficult. Those three evil spirits have tremendous magical powers, and when we three had fought them for a long time they called up their underlings to capture Pig and Friar Sand. I was lucky to get away.”\n\n“My lord,” said the monks with horror, “if someone who can ride mists and clouds as you can couldn’t catch them, your master is bound to be killed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No problem,” Monkey replied, “no problem. My master’s under the secret protection of the Protectors, the Guardians, the Dings and the Jias. He has besides eaten Grass-returning Cinnabar. I’m sure his life will be safe. The only trouble is that those demons really know their stuff. You people look after the horse and the luggage while I go up to Heaven to get some troops.”\n\n“Can you go up to Heaven, my lord?” asked the terrified monks.\n\n“I used to live there,” replied Monkey with a smile. “Because I wrecked the Peach Banquet when I was Great Sage Equaling Heaven, our Buddha subdued me, so that now I’ve no option but to redeem my crimes by guarding the Tang Priest while he fetches the scriptures. All along the journey I’ve been helping the good and fighting against the evil. What you don’t realize is that the master is fated to have these troubles.” When the monks heard this they kowtowed in worship, while Monkey went outside and disappeared with a whistle."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage was soon outside the Western Gate of Heaven, where the Metal Planet, Heavenly King Virudhaka and the four spirit officers Yin, Zhu, Tao and Xu were talking to each other. As soon as they saw Monkey coming they hastily bowed to him and said, “Where are you going, Great Sage?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“After we reached Mintian County in Jinping Prefecture on the Eastern borders of India,” Monkey replied, “my master, the Tang Priest who I’m escorting, was being entertained by the monks of the Clouds of Compassion Monastery for the Full Moon Festival. When we went to the Bridge of Golden Lamps there were three golden lamps full of over fifty thousand ounces of silver’s worth of scented refined butter oil that the Buddhas came down to take every year. While we were admiring the lamps three Buddha images did come down to earth, and my master was gullible enough to go on the bridge to worship them. I told him they were a bad lot, but by then the lamps had been covered up and the master carried off with the oil by a wind. When I’d followed the wind till dawn I reached a mountain, where the four Duty Gods fortunately told me that it was called Green Dragon Mountain with a Dark Essence Cave in it where three monsters lived: King Cold-avoider, King Heat-avoider and King Dust-avoider. I hurried to their doors to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "King Dust-avoider. I hurried to their doors to demand the master and fought them for a while without success, so I got in by transforming myself to find the master locked up but unharmed. I released him and was just taking him out when they woke up and I had to flee again. Later I fought hard against them with Pig and Friar Sand, but the two of them were both captured and tied up. That’s why I’ve come up to inform the Jade Emperor, find out about the monsters’ background and ask him to give orders to have them suppressed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the Metal Planet burst out laughing and said, “If you’ve been fighting the monsters why can’t you tell where they’re from?”\n\n“I can see that,” Monkey replied. “They’re a bunch of rhino spirits. But they have such enormous magical powers that I can’t beat them and I’m desperate.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They are three rhinoceros spirits,” the Metal Planet explained. “Because their form is seen in heaven they cultivated their awareness for many years and became true spirits able to fly on clouds and walk in mists. Those monsters are fanatical about cleanliness and don’t like the look of their own bodies, and are always going into the water to bathe. They have lots of different names: there are she-rhinos, he-rhinos, gelded rhinos, spotted rhinos, humao rhinos, duoluo rhinos and heaven-connected brindled rhinos. They all have a single nostril, three types of hair and two horns. They roam the rivers and seas and can travel through water. It looks as though Cold-avoider, Heat-avoider and Dust-avoider have nobility in their horns, which is why they call themselves kings. If you want to catch them, they will submit to the four beast stars belonging to the element wood.”\n\n“Which four wood stars?” Monkey asked. “Could I trouble you, venerable sir, to spell it out for me?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Those stars are spread out in space outside the Dipper and Bull Palace,” the planet replied with a smile. “If you submit a memorial to the Jade Emperor he will give you detailed instructions.” Raising his clasped hands as he expressed his thanks, Monkey went straight in through the heavenly gates.\n\nHe was soon outside the Hall of Universal Brightness, where he saw the heavenly teachers Ge, Qiu, Zhang and Xu, who asked, “Where are you going?”\n\n“We’ve just reached Jinping Prefecture,” Monkey replied, “where my master relaxed his dhyana nature by going to enjoy the Moon Festival lanterns and was carried off by evil monsters. As I can’t subdue them myself I’ve come to ask the Jade Emperor to save him.” The four heavenly teachers then took Monkey to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to submit his memorial, and when all the ceremonials had been performed he explained his business. The Jade Emperor then asked which units of heavenly soldiers he wanted to help him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I arrived at the Western Gate of Heaven just now,” Monkey replied, “the Metal Planet told me they were rhinoceros spirits that could only be subdued by the four beast stars belonging to the element wood.” The Jade Emperor then told Heavenly Teacher Xu to go to the Dipper and Bull Palace with Monkey to fetch the four beast stars and take them down to the lower world to make the capture.\n\nBy the time they arrived outside the Dipper and Bull Palace the Twenty-eight Constellations were there to greet them. “We are here by imperial command to order four beast stars belonging to the element wood to go down to the lower world with the Great Sage Sun,” the heavenly teacher explained. The Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Constellation Horn, the Wooden Unicorn of the Dipper, the Wooden Wolf of the Strider, and the Wooden Hyena of the Well all stepped forward from the side to ask, “Where are you sending us to subdue demons, Great Sage?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So you’re the ones,” said Brother Monkey with a smile. “That old man Metal Planet kept your names secret, and I didn’t realize what he was driving at. If he’d told me before that it was you four wooden animals from the Twenty-eight Constellations I’d have come here to invite you myself: there’d have been no need to trouble His Majesty for an edict.”\n\n“What a thing to say, Great Sage,” the four wooden animals replied. “We’d never have dared to leave on our own authority in the absence of an imperial decree. Where are they? Let’s go right away.”\n\n“They are rhinoceros spirits in the Dark Essence Cave in Green Dragon Mountain to the Northeast of Jinping Prefecture.”\n\n“If they’re really rhinoceros spirits,” said the Wooden Unicorn of the Dipper, the Wooden Wolf of the Strider and the Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Horn, “you’ll only need Wooden Hyena from the Well Constellation. He can eat tigers on mountains and capture rhinos in the sea.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“But these aren’t ordinary rhinos who gaze at the moon,” replied Monkey. “They have cultivated their conduct and found the Way and are a thousand years old. All four of you gentlemen must come: no excuses. If one of you can’t capture them single-handed it’ll be wasted effort.”\n\n“You people are talking nonsense,” the heavenly teacher added. “The imperial command is that all four of you go, so go you must. Fly there at once while I report back.” The heavenly teacher then took his leave of Monkey and went.\n\n“Delay no more, Great Sage,” the four wooden ones said. “You challenge them to battle and lure them out so we can come from behind you and get them.” Monkey then went up to the cave and shouted abusively, “Oil-thieving ogres! Give my master back!” The doors, which Pig had smashed open, had been barricaded with a few planks by a number of junior devils, and when they heard his insults they rushed inside to report, “Your Majesties, the monk Sun is outside insulting us again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We beat him and he ran away,” said Dust-avoider, “so why’s he back again today? I think he must have got some reinforcements from somewhere.”\n\n“We’re not scared of any reinforcements he could get,” said Cold-avoider and Heat-avoider scornfully. “Let’s get into our armor at once. Little ones, surround him carefully and don’t let him get away.” Not caring about their lives, the evil spirits came out of the cave holding spears and swords, with banners waving and drums beating. “Back again, are you, macaque?” they shouted at Brother Monkey. “Not afraid of another beating?”\n\nNothing infuriated Monkey so much as the word “macaque,” and he was grinding his teeth in rage as he lifted his cudgel to hit them. The three demon kings brought their junior devils up to surround him, at which the four wooden beasts who were waiting to one side swung their weapons with shouts of, “Don’t move, animals!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The three demon kings were of course most alarmed at the sight of the four stars, and they all said, “This is terrible, terrible. He’s found the people who can beat us. Run for your lives, little ones!” With that there was much roaring, lowing, panting and sighing as the junior devils all resumed their original appearances as yak, water-buffalo and ox spirits running all over the mountain. The three demon kings also turned back into their true selves, put their hands down to become four-hoofed creatures like iron cannons, and galloped off to the Northeast, to be followed hard by the Great Sage leading the Wooden Hyena of the Well and the Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Horn. While they were not going to relax for a moment, the Wooden Unicorn of the Dipper and the Wooden Wolf of the Strider were mopping up all the cattle spirits among the hollows, summits, ravines and valleys of the Eastern mountain. Some were killed and others taken alive. They then went into the Dark Essence Cave to free the Tang Priest, Pig"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dark Essence Cave to free the Tang Priest, Pig and Friar Sand."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Recognizing the two stars, Friar Sand bowed to them in thanks and asked, “What brought you two gentlemen here to rescue us?”\n\n“We came to rescue you because the Great Sage Monkey submitted a request to the Jade Emperor that we be sent,” the two stars replied.\n\n“Why has my disciple Wukong not come in?” the Tang Priest asked with tears in his eyes.\n\n“The three old demons are rhinoceroses,” the stars explained, “and when they saw us they fled for their lives to the Northeast. The Great Sage Sun has gone after them with the Wooden Hyena of the Well and the Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Horn. We two wiped out the oxen then came here to rescue you, holy monk.” The Tang Priest once again kowtowed in thanks then kowtowed to heaven."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Pig, “overdone courtesy is hypocrisy. Stop kowtowing all the time. The four star officers came at the Jade Emperor’s command and as a favour to big brother. The ordinary demons have all been wiped out, but we still don’t know how the senior demons are to be put down. Let’s clear all the valuables out of the cave, wreck the place so as to dig out their roots, then go back to the monastery to wait for Monkey.”\n\n“Marshal Tian Peng, your suggestion is right,” said the Wooden Wolf of the Strider. “You and the Curtain-lifting General escort your master back to the monastery to sleep while we head Northeast to fight the enemy.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Yes, yes,” said Pig. “With you two to help you’re bound to wipe them all out. Then you’ll be able to report back on your mission.” The two star officers immediately joined the chase. After Pig and Friar Sand had found a bushel of valuables in the cave—there was much coral, agate, pearls, amber, precious shells, jade and gold—they carried them outside and invited the master to sit on the top of a crag while they started a fire that burned the whole cave to ashes. Only then did they take the master back to the Clouds of Compassion Monastery in Jinping Prefecture. Indeed:\n\nThe classic says, “Disaster comes at the height of success.”\n\nIndeed one can meet with evil in happiness.\n\nFor love of the lanterns the dhyana nature was disturbed;\n\nThe heart set on the Way was weakened by a beautiful sight.\n\nThe great elixir has always had to be permanently guarded;\n\nOnce it is lost one always comes to grief.\n\nShut it up tight; bind it fast; never idle.\n\nA moment’s lack of care can lead one astray."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A moment’s lack of care can lead one astray.\n\nWe will tell not of how the three of them went back to the monastery, their lives saved, but of how the Wooden Unicorn of the Dipper and the Wooden Wolf of the Strider were riding their clouds Northeast in pursuit of the demons when they lost sight of them in mid air. On reaching the Western Ocean they saw the Great Sage Monkey down by the sea a long way away, shouting.\n\n“Where have the monsters gone, Great Sage?” they asked, bringing their clouds down. “Why didn’t you two come after them and help put them down?” Monkey replied. “How can you have the nerve to ask that question?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When we saw that you and the stars from the Well and the Horn had routed the demons and were going after them, Great Sage,” the Wooden Unicorn of the Dipper replied, “we were sure you’d capture them, so we two wiped out the rest of the devils, rescued your master and fellow-disciples from the cave, searched the mountain, burned the cave out, and entrusted your master to your two fellow-disciples to take back to the Clouds of Compassion Monastery in the city. We only came after you this way when you had been gone for such a long time.”\n\n“In that case you did very well,” said Brother Monkey, his wrath now turned to pleasure. “Thank you for going to so much trouble. The only thing is that when we’d chased the three ogres this far they plunged into the sea. The two stars from the Well and the Horn followed close behind them while I stayed on the shore to cut off their escape. Now you’re here you can block them on the shore while I go there.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The splendid Great Sage then swung his cudgel and made a spell with his fingers as he cleared a way through the waters, plunging deep into the waves, where the three monsters were locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Wooden Hyena of the Well and the Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Horn.\n\n“Monkey’s here,” he shouted, springing forward. The evil spirits could barely hold off the two star officers, so when they heard Monkey’s great yell at this moment of crisis they turned and fled for their lives into the middle of the sea. Their horns were very good at parting the waters, and they cleared their way through the sea with a whooshing noise, the two star officers and the Great Sage Monkey chasing after them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A yaksha who was patrolling the Western Ocean with a shelled warrior saw from a distance the way the rhinoceroses were parting the waters, recognized Monkey and the two stars, and rushed back to the crystal palace to report to the dragon king in alarm, “Your Majesty, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and two stars from the sky are chasing three rhinoceroses this way.” When the old dragon king Ao Shun heard this he said to his heir, Prince Mo’ang, “Muster our water forces at once. I’m sure it must be the three rhinoceros spirits Cold-avoider, Heat-avoider and Dust-avoider who’ve provoked Sun the Novice. As they’re in the sea now we’d better lend a hand.” Having been given his orders Ao Mo’ang hastened to muster his troops."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A moment later a fully-armed force of tortoises, soft-shelled turtles, alligators, bream, mackerel, mandarin fish, carp, and prawn and crab soldiers charged out of the crystal palace shouting their battle-cries together to stop the rhinoceros spirits. Unable to go any further forward, the rhinoceroses made a hasty retreat, only to find their escape blocked by the stars from the Well and the Horn as well as the Great Sage. In their panic they failed to stay in a group, but scattered as they fled for their lives. Dust-avoider was soon surrounded by the old dragon king’s men.\n\nA delighted Monkey called out, “Stop! Stop! Take him alive! Don’t kill him!” When Mo’ang heard this order he rushed forward, knocked Dust-avoider to the ground, put an iron hook through his snout and tied all his hoofs together."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The old dragon king then divided his forces into two to help the star officers capture the other two monsters. As the young dragon prince led his men forward the Wooden Hyena of the Well reverted to his real form to hold Cold-avoider down and start eating him in big and little bites.\n\n“Well Star!” Mo’ang shouted. “Don’t kill him! The Great Sage Monkey wants him alive, not dead.” Mo’ang shouted several times, but by then the Hyena had already gnawed right through the monster’s throat.\n\nMo’ang ordered his prawn and crab soldiers to carry the dead rhinoceros back to the palace of crystal, then joined the Wooden Hyena of the Well in the pursuit. Heat-avoider, who was being driven back towards them by the Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Horn, ran straight into the star from the Well, at which Mo’ang ordered his tortoises, soft-shelled turtles and alligators to spread out in the winnowing-fan formation to encircle the monster."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Spare me, spare me!” the monster pleaded. The wooden Hyena of the Well sprang forward, grabbed the monster by the ear, seized his sword, and shouted, “I won’t kill you. I won’t kill you. I’ll take you to the Great Sage Monkey for him to deal with you.”\n\nThe troops then went back to the crystal palace, where they reported, “We’ve got them both.” Monkey saw that one was lying headless and gory on the ground, while the other was being forced to kneel by the Wooden Hyena of the Well twisting his ear.\n\n“That head wasn’t cut off with a weapon,” Monkey said on going up for a closer look.\n\n“If I hadn’t shouted so hard the star officer of the Well would have eaten the whole of him up,” replied Mo’ang with a smile. “Very well then,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In that case you’d better get a saw to cut off his horns and have his hide removed for us to take. We’ll leave the flesh for your worthy father the dragon king and yourself to enjoy.” A chain was then run through Dust-avoider’s nose for the Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Horn to lead him by, and the same was done to Heat-avoider for the Wooden Hyena of the Well.\n\n“Take them to the prefect of Jinping,” said Monkey. “Investigate them, question them about all the years they masqueraded as Buddhas to harm the people, then off with their heads.”\n\nThey all then did as Monkey told them, taking their leave of the dragon king and his son and emerging from the Western Ocean, leading the rhinoceroses with them. When they met the other two stars from the Strider and the Dipper they went by cloud straight back to Jinping Prefecture."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Here Monkey called out as he stood in mid air on a beam of auspicious light, “Mr. Prefect, subordinate officials, soldiers and civilians of Jinping, listen to what I say. We are holy monks sent by the Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. In this prefecture and its counties you have had to make offerings in golden lamps every year to these rhinoceros monsters pretending to be Buddhas coming down to earth. When we came here and were admiring the lamps at the Moon Festival these monsters carried the oil and our master off together. I asked for some gods from heaven to capture them. We’ve cleaned out their cave and wiped out the monsters. They won’t be able to give you any more trouble. You needn’t waste the people’s money making offerings in golden lamps here any more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig and Friar Sand, who were just escorting the master back into the Clouds of Compassion Monastery, heard Monkey talking from up in the sky they abandoned their master, dropped the luggage and shot up into the air by cloud to ask Monkey about how the demons had been beaten.\n\n“One of them was chewed to death by the star from the Well,” Monkey replied, “and we’ve got his sawn-off horns and his hide with us. The other two we’ve brought back alive.”\n\n“Throw the pair of them down into the city,” said Pig, “for the officials and everyone else to see. Then they’ll know we’re gods and sages. I’ll trouble you four star officers to put your clouds away, land, and come into the prefectural court with us to execute the monsters. The facts are clear and the penalty’s the right one. There’s nothing else to be said.”\n\n“Marshal Tian Peng is right, and he knows the laws too,” the four stars said.\n\n“I have learned a bit during my years as a monk,” Pig replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The gods then pushed the rhinoceroses, which fell wreathed in coloured clouds into the prefectural court, to the astonishment of the prefectutal officials and everyone else inside and outside the walled city, who all set up incense tables outside their houses, and bowed their heads to worship the gods from heaven. A little later the monks of the Clouds of Compassion Monastery carried the venerable elder into the court in a sedan chair.\n\nWhen Sanzang met Monkey he kept thanking him, adding, “I am very grateful for the trouble I have put the star officers to in rescuing us. I had been very anxious when I did not see you, worthy disciple, but now you have returned in triumph. I wonder where you had to chase the monsters to before you caught them.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“After I left you the day before yesterday,” Monkey replied, “I went up to heaven to make some enquiries. The Metal Planet knew that the monsters were rhinoceroses, so he told me to ask for the four beast stars that belong to the element wood. So I submitted a memorial to the Jade Emperor and he sent them straight to the mouth of the cave, where they gave battle. When the demon kings fled, the stars from the Dipper and the Strider rescued you, Master, I chased the demons with the Well and the Horn stars straight to the Western Ocean, where the dragon king sent his son out with their troops to help us. That’s how the monsters were captured and brought here for questioning.” The venerable elder was full of endless praise and thanks. The prefectural and county officials and their subordinates all lit precious candles and whole containers of incense sticks as they kowtowed in respect, A little later Pig lost his temper, pulled out his monastic knife and beheaded first Dust-avoider, then Heat-avoider, each with a"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dust-avoider, then Heat-avoider, each with a single stroke. Then he removed their four horns with a saw. The Great Sage Monkey then had another suggestion to make: “You four star officers must take these four rhinoceros horns to the upper world to offer to the Jade Emperor as trophies when you report back on your mission.” As for the two horns he had brought back from the sea, he said, “We’ll leave one here to guard the storehouses of the prefectural palace and as evidence that from now on no more lamp-oil will ever be levied. We’ll take the other to offer to the Lord Buddha on Vulture Peak.” The four stars were delighted, and after bowing to take their leave of the Great Sage they rose by coloured cloud to report back to the Jade Emperor."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The prefectural and county officials kept the master and his disciples for a great vegetarian banquet to which all the rural officials were also invited. Notices were issued to tell the military and civil population that golden lamps were not to be lit the next year, and that the duty of serving as an oil-purchasing household was abolished for ever. Butchers meanwhile were instructed to remove the rhinoceros skins to be steeped in saltpeter and smoked dry for making into armor, while the flesh was to be distributed to the officials. At the same time money and grain that had been raised by unjust fines on innocent people were spent to buy a plot of privately-owned empty land. On this a temple to the four stars who had put the demons down, as well as a shrine to the Tang Priest and his three disciples, were to be built. Stone tablets with inscriptions were to be set up for each of them to record their deeds for ever as a mark of gratitude."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Master and disciples relaxed and enjoyed the offerings. They had hardly a moment to themselves as they had so many invitations from the 240 lamp-oil households. Pig was delighted to have so much to eat, and he always kept in his sleeve some of the treasures he had collected in the cave to give to all his hosts to thank them for their banquets. When they had stayed there for a month and were still unable to get away the Tang Priest ordered Monkey.\n\n“Wukong, give all the remaining valuables to the monks in the Clouds of Compassion Monastery. Let’s leave before dawn, without letting the rich families here know. If we are so eager to enjoy ourselves here that we delay in fetching the scriptures we may offend the Lord Buddha and cause some catastrophe. That would be terrible.” Monkey then disposed of all the objects."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they got up early the next morning at the fifth watch Pig was woken up to get the horse ready. The idiot had eaten and drunk so well that he was still half asleep as he said, “Why get the horse ready so early?”\n\n“The master says we’ve got to be going,” Monkey shouted.\n\n“That reverend gentleman doesn’t do things right,” the idiot said, rubbing his eyes. “We’ve had invitations from all 240 of the big families, but only had thirty or so good vegetarian meals so far. How can he be making me go hungry again?”\n\nWhen the venerable elder heard this he retorted abusively, “Dreg-guzzling idiot! Stop talking such nonsense! Get up at once! If you go on arguing back like that I’ll tell Wukong to smash your teeth in with his gold-banded cudgel.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the mention of a beating the idiot gesticulated frantically as he said, “The master’s changed. Usually he favours me and likes me and protects me because I’m so stupid. When you want to hit me, brother, he usually persuades you not to. So why’s he dead set on telling you to hit me today?”\n\n“The master’s angry with you for being so greedy,” Monkey replied, “and holding us up on our journey. If you don’t want me to hit you, pack the luggage and get the horse ready.”\n\nAs the idiot really was scared of being hit he jumped out of bed, got dressed and shouted to Friar Sand, “Get up right now! He’s going to start hitting.” Friar Sand then jumped up too, and they both got everything packed.\n\n“Keep quiet,” said the Tang Priest, waving his hands about, “and don’t disturb the monks.” He quickly mounted, after which they opened the gate of the monastery and found their way out. Indeed, this departure was\n\nLetting the phoenix escape from the birdcage of jade;\n\nSecretly opening locks so the dragon goes free."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Secretly opening locks so the dragon goes free.\n\nIf you don’t know what the households who still wanted to thank them did at daybreak, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety-Three\n\nIn the Almsgiver’s Garden Antiquity and Causes Are Discussed\n\nIn the Court of India the King Meets the Monks\n\nWhen thoughts arise there surely will be desire,\n\nLonging is certain to lead one to disaster.\n\nWhy should intelligence distinguish the three ranks of nobility?\n\nWhen conduct is complete it naturally returns to the primal sea.\n\nWhether you become an immortal or a Buddha,\n\nAll must be arranged from within.\n\nIn absolute purity, with all dust removed,\n\nAll will be achieved and one will rise to heaven.\n\nThe story tells how when Sanzang and his disciples were nowhere to be seen at dawn the monks in the Clouds of Compassion Monastery all said, “We couldn’t keep them, we couldn’t say goodbye to them, and we weren’t able to ask them for anything. We’ve let those living Bodhisattvas slip clean away.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they were talking, some of the great families from the Southern outskirts of the city came in with invitations, at which the monks clapped their hands in regret and said, “We were caught off our guard last night: they all rode off by cloud.” Everyone then kowtowed to heaven in gratitude. The news was spread to all the officials in the city, who told the great families to prepare the five kinds of sacrificial animal, flowers and fruit to offer to the shrines in thanksgiving.\n\nThe story tells how the Tang Priest and his three disciples fed on the wind and slept in the open, travelling uneventfully for the best part of a month. One day they suddenly saw a high mountain. “Disciples,” said the Tang Priest in fear, “the ridge in front of us is very steep. You must be very careful.”\n\n“As our journey has brought us so close to the land of the Buddha there will definitely be nothing evil here,” said Monkey. “Don’t worry, Master.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciple,” the Tang Priest replied, “although we are not far from the Buddha’s land the monks told us in the monastery the other and they didn’t know how much further after that.”\n\n“Have you forgotten the Heart Sutra that the Rook’s Nest Hermit taught you again, Master?” asked Monkey.\n\n“The Prajna-paramita Heart Sutra is constantly with me, like my habit and begging bowl,” Sanzang replied. “There has not been a day ever since the Rook’s Nest Hermit taught it to me that I have not recited it. I have never forgotten it for a moment. I can even recite it backwards. How could I possibly forget it?”\n\n“You can only recite it, Master,” said Monkey. “You never asked the hermit to explain it.”\n\n“Ape!” retorted Sanzang. “How can you say I don’t understand it? Do you understand it then?”\n\n“Yes,” Monkey replied, “I do.”\n\nAfter that neither Sanzang nor Monkey made another sound. This had Pig falling about with laughter, while Friar Sand was hurting himself, he was so amused."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Nonsense,” said Pig. “We all started out in life as monsters. We’re not Dhyana monks who’ve heard the sutras being explained or Buddhist priests who’ve been taught the dharma. He’s pretending, just putting on an act. How can you say you understand? Well then, why aren’t you saying anything? We’re listening. Please explain.”\n\n“Second brother,” said Friar Sand, “leave him be. Big brother’s only talking big like that to keep the master going. What he knows about is how to use a cudgel. What does he know about explaining sutras?”\n\n“Stop talking such nonsense, Wuneng and Wujing,” said Sanzang. “Wukong understands the wordless language. That is true explanation.”\n\nAs master and disciples talked they did indeed cover a long distance, leaving the ridge behind them. They saw a big monastery beside the road. “Wukong,” said Sanzang. “There’s a monastery ahead. Just look at it.\n\nIt’s neither too big nor too small,\n\nBut has green glazed tiles;\n\nNeither too new nor too old,\n\nAnd with a red wall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And with a red wall.\n\nLeaning canopies of azure pines can just be seen:\n\nWho knows how many thousand years old they are?\n\nListen to the murmur of the waters in the channel,\n\nCut from the mountain untold dynasties ago.\n\nAbove the gates is written,\n\n‘Spread Gold Dhyana Monastery’;\n\nThe tablet is inscribed,\n\n‘Ancient relic.’”\n\nMonkey saw that it was called the Spread Gold Dhyana Monastery, and Pig said so too. ‘“Spread Gold,’” Sanzang wondered as he sat on his horse, “‘Spread Gold’ …Can we be in the country of Sravasti?”\n\n“This is very remarkable, Master,” said Pig. “In all the years I’ve been with you you’ve never known the way before, but you seem to know it now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No,” Sanzang replied, “I have often read in the scriptures about the Buddha being in the Jetavana garden in the city of Sravasti. The Venerable Almsgiver Sudatta tried to buy it from the prince as a place to ask the Buddha to preach in. The prince refused to sell the garden, and said he would only part with it if it were covered with gold. When the Venerable Almsgiver heard this he had gold bricks made with which he covered the whole garden to buy it. Then he invited the Buddha to preach on the dharma. I am sure that the name Spread Gold Monastery must refer to that story.”\n\n“We’re in luck,” said Pig with a smile, “If that story’s true we can find ourselves one of those bricks as a present to give people.” Everybody laughed, after which Sanzang dismounted."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As they went in through the monastery gates they saw people carrying loads with shoulder-poles or on their backs, pushing carts, or sitting in loaded carts. Others were sleeping or talking. The sight of the master, who was so handsome, and his three hideous disciples rather frightened them, so they drew back to make way.\n\nWorried that his disciples would provoke trouble, Sanzang kept saying, “Behave yourselves! Behave yourselves!” They were all very restrained. As they went round the Vajra Hall a Dhyana monk of most unworldly appearance came out to meet them:\n\nA face like a shining full moon,\n\nA body like a bodhi tree.\n\nThe wind blew through the sleeve round his staff,\n\nAs his sandals trod the stony path.\n\nWhen Sanzang extended a monastic greeting to him the monk returned his courtesy and asked, “Where are you from, teacher?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am Chen Xuanzang,” Sanzang replied, “sent to the Western Heaven at the command of the Great Tang emperor in the East to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. As my journey brings me here I am paying you this hasty visit to request a night’s shelter before continuing on my way tomorrow.”\n\n“This monastery of ours is one that receives people from all quarters,” the monk replied. “Everyone is welcome to visit, and we would be especially happy to provide for so holy a monk from the East as your reverend self.” Sanzang thanked him and called to his three disciples to come with him as they crossed the cloister and refectory and went to the abbot’s lodgings. When they had exchanged courtesies they sat down as befits host and guests. Monkey and the other two sat down as well, their hands at their sides."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how, on learning that monks from Great Tang in the East who were going to fetch the scriptures had arrived, all in the monastery, young and old alike, whether permanent inmates, itinerant monks, elders or novices came to see them. After tea had been drunk a vegetarian meal was brought in. While Sanzang was still saying the grace before the meal Pig in his impatience had already grabbed and wolfed down steamed buns, vegetarian dishes and soup noodles. In the crowded abbot’s lodgings those who knew better were admiring Sanzang’s majestic bearing, while those who enjoyed fun watched Pig eat.\n\nWhen Friar Sand cast his eyes around and saw what was happening he gave Pig a discreet pinch and muttered, “Behave yourself!”\n\nAt this Pig started a desperate howl of, “All this ‘behave yourself, behave yourself!’ I’m starving!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You don’t understand, brother,” Friar Sand replied with a smile. “When it comes to the belly, all the well-behaved people in the world are exactly the same as we two.” Only then did Pig stop eating. After Sanzang had said the grace for the end of the meal the attendants cleared the tables and Sanzang expressed his thanks.\n\nWhen the monks asked about why they had come from the East, Sanzang’s conversation turned to ancient sites and he asked them about the name Spread Gold Monastery."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This used to be the Monastery of the Venerable Almsgiver in the country of Sravasti,” the monks answered. “It was also known as the Jetavana and its name was changed to its present one after the Venerable Almsgiver covered the ground with gold bricks, in those days the Venerable Almsgiver used to live in the country of Sravasti, and our monastery was his Jetavana, which is why it was renamed the Almsgiver’s Spread Gold Monastery. The site of the Jetavana is at the back of the monastery. Whenever there has been a torrential rainstorm in recent years, small pieces of gold and silver have been washed out, and some people are lucky enough to pick them up.”\n\n“So the story is a true one,” said Sanzang, going on to ask, “Why did I see so many travelling merchants with horses, mules, carts and carrying-poles resting here when I came in through the gates of your monastery?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This mountain is called Mount Hundredfoot,” the monks replied. “We used to live in peace and prosperity here, but with the cyclic progression of the natural forces a number of centipede spirits have for some inexplicable reason appeared. They attack people on the roads and though nobody gets killed people don’t dare to travel. At the foot of the mountain there’s a Cock-crow Pass that people only dare to cross after cock-crow. As all these strangers arrived late they are worried that it would not be safe and are putting up here tonight. They’ll set out at cock-crow.” As master and disciples were talking a vegetarian meal was brought in that they ate.\n\nSanzang and Monkey were strolling in the light of the rising half moon when a lay brother came to announce, “Our ancient master would like to meet the gentlemen from China.”\n\nSanzang at once turned to see an ancient monk holding a bamboo cane who came forward to greet him and ask, “Are you the teacher come from China?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You do me too great an honour,” Sanzang replied, returning his greeting. The old monk was full of admiration for him, asking how old he was.\n\n“I have wasted forty-five years,” Sanzang replied. “May I ask how old you are?”\n\n“Just one sixty-year cycle older than you, teacher,” the other answered.\n\n“Then you’re a hundred and five this year,” Brother Monkey said. “How old do you think I am?”\n\n“Teacher,” the old monk replied, “your appearance seems so ancient and your spirit so pure that I could not tell in a hurry, especially by moonlight with my poor eyes.” After talking for a while they walked to the back cloister for a look round.\n\n“Where is the site of the Almsgiver’s Garden that you mentioned just now?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Outside the back gate,” the other replied. On the order being given for the back gate to be opened immediately, all that could be seen was the ruined base of a stone wall. Putting his hands together, Sanzang sighed and said,\n\n“I think of the benefactor Sudatta"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I think of the benefactor Sudatta\n\nWho gave his treasures to help the needy\n\nThe fame of Jetavana long endures;\n\nWhere is he now with the enlightened arhat?”\n\nAfter a leisurely stroll enjoying the moonlight they sat down for a while on a terrace, where they heard the sound of sobbing. As Sanzang listened with a still heart he could hear that the weeper was grieving because her parents did not know of her suffering. This moved him to sorrow, and he found himself in tears as he turned to the monks and asked, “Who is it being so sad, and where?” On hearing this question the ancient monk sent all the others away to prepare tea, and when nobody else was around he kowtowed to the Tang Priest and Brother Monkey.\n\n“Venerable abbot,” said Sanzang, helping him to his feet again, “why do you pay me this courtesy?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“As I am over a hundred,” the ancient monk replied, “I do know a little of the ways of the world; and in between periods of meditation and stillness I have seen some things. I know a certain amount about you, my lord, and your disciples, and you are not like other people. The only teachers here who would be able to analyze this most painful business are you.”\n\n“Tell me what it’s all about,” said Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“A year ago today,” the ancient monk replied, “I was concentrating my mind on the nature of the moon when I suddenly heard a gust of wind and the sound of someone grieving. I got out of bed, went into the Jetavana and saw a beautiful girl there. ‘Whose daughter are you?’ I asked her. ‘Why are you here?’ ‘I am a princess, the daughter of the king of India,’ the girl replied. ‘The wind blew me here when I was looking at the flowers by moonlight.’ I locked her up in an empty room that I bricked up like a prison cell, just leaving a gap in the door big enough to pass a bowl through. That day I told the other monks that she was an evil spirit I had captured. But as we monks are compassionate I couldn’t kill her, and every day she is given two meals of simple food and drink to keep her alive. The girl is clever enough to understand what I mean, and to prevent herself from being sullied by the other monks she has pretended to be deranged and slept in her own piss and shit. During the day she talks nonsense or just"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "shit. During the day she talks nonsense or just sits there in silence, but in the still of the night she cries because she misses her parents. I’ve been into the city several times to make enquiries about the princesses, but not a single one is missing. So I have put her under stronger locks, and I am even more determined not to let her go. Now that you have come here, teacher, I beg you to go to the capital and use your dharma powers to find out the truth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "You will thus be able both to rescue the good and display your magical powers.”\n\nWhen Sanzang and Monkey heard this they noted it very carefully. As they were talking two junior monks came in to invite them to take tea and go to bed, so they went back inside.\n\nBack in the abbot’s lodgings Pig and Friar Sand were grumbling, “We’ll have to be on our way at cock-crow tomorrow, so why aren’t you in bed yet?”\n\n“What’s that you’re saying, idiot?” Monkey asked.\n\n“Go to bed,” Pig replied. “Why are you admiring the blooming scenery this late?” At this the ancient monk left them, and the Tang Priest went to bed.\n\nSweet dreams of flowers in the moonlit silence;\n\nWarm breezes coming through the window gauze.\n\nAs water drips in the clepsydra to fill three sections,\n\nThe Milky Way shines on the splendors of the palace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They had not slept long that night when they heard the cocks crowing. The traders in front of the monastery all got up noisily and prepared their breakfast by lamplight. The venerable elder woke up Pig and Friar Sand to bridle the horse and pack up, while Monkey called for lamps to be lit. The monks of the monastery, who were up already, set out tea, soup and snacks, and waited on them. Pig ate a plate of steamed buns with delight then took the luggage and the horse outside while Sanzang and Brother Monkey took their leave of all the monks.\n\n“Please don’t forget about that very tragic business,” said the ancient monk."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ll give it all my attention,” Monkey replied, “all my attention. Once I’m in the city I’ll be able to find out the truth from what I hear and see.” They traders noisily set off together. By the last watch of the night they were through Cockcrow Pass, and by ten in the morning the walls of the city were in sight. It was indeed a powerful city as strong as an iron cauldron, the heavenly capital of a divine region. The city\n\nWas a crouching tiger or a coiled dragon on high ground,\n\nColorful with its phoenix towers and unicorn halls.\n\nThe waters of the royal moat encircled it like a belt;\n\nIn his mountainside paradise were many a monument.\n\nThe morning sun lit up banners by the high-way;\n\nThe spring wind carried the sound of pipes and drums across the bridges.\n\nThe wise king was dressed in robes and crown,\n\nThe crops were abundant and the splendor manifest."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That day they reached the streets of the Eastern market, where the traders all put up at inns. As Sanzang and his disciples were walking in the city they came to a government hostel and went inside. The hostel manager went to report to the hostel superintendent that there were four strange-looking monks outside who had arrived with a white horse. On being told about the horse the superintendent realized that they must be on an official mission, so he went out to welcome them.\n\n“I have been sent by the Tang court in the East to the Great Thunder Monastery on Vulture Peak to see the Buddha and seek the scriptures,” Sanzang replied with a bow. “I have a passport to present at court for inspection. I would be grateful if I could spend the night in Your Excellency’s distinguished hostel. I will be on my way when my business has been done.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This hostel has been established to entertain envoys and travelers,” the superintendent replied, returning his bow, “so it is only right that we should entertain you. Please come in, please come in.”\n\nA delighted Sanzang invited his disciples to come in to meet the superintendent, who was quietly appalled by their hideous faces. He did not know whether they were men or demons, so he trembled as he saw to tea and a vegetarian meal for them. Noticing his fright, Sanzang said, “Don’t be afraid, Your Excellency. My three disciples look hideous, but they are good at heart. As the saying goes, the faces are ugly but the men are kind. There’s nothing to be afraid of about them.”\n\nThe hostel superintendent’s worries were eased when he heard this. “Where is your Tang court, Teacher of the Nation?”\n\n“In the land of China in the continent of Jambu,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“When did you leave home?” was the next question."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, fourteen years ago,” Sanzang replied. “I had to cross thousands of rivers and mountains—it was very hard—to arrive here.”\n\n“You are a holy monk,” the hostel superintendent said.\n\n“How old is your exalted dynasty?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“This is the great land of India,” the superintendent replied, “and the dynasty has endured for over five hundred years since our High Ancestor. Our reigning sovereign, who is a lover of landscapes and flowers, is known as the Happy Emperor. His reign-period is called Jingyan and is now in its twenty-eighth year.”\n\n“I would like to have an audience with His Majesty today to have the passport inspected and returned,” said Sanzang. “When does he hold court?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Splendid,” the superintendent said, “absolutely splendid. Today is the twentieth birthday of Her Royal Highness, the king’s daughter. A decorated tower has been built at the crossroads, where the princess is going to throw down an embroidered ball to let heaven decide who her husband it to be. Today is a very lively one, and I believe that His Majesty will not yet have finished his morning audience. This would be a good time to go if you wish to have your passport inspected and returned.” Sanzang was just about to set happily off when the meal was brought in, so he ate it with the superintendent, Monkey and the other two.\n\nBy now it was past midday, and Sanzang said, “I had better be going.”\n\n“I’ll escort you, Master,” said Brother Monkey. “Me too,” said Pig.\n\n“No, don’t, brother,” put in Friar Sand. “Your face is nothing much to look at, so there’s no point in your going to look impressive outside the palace gates. Best let our big brother go,”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wujing is right,” Sanzang commented. “The idiot is coarse and stupid. Wukong is more clever and subtle.” The idiot thrust his snout out and said, “Apart from you, Master, there’s not much to choose between our three faces.”\n\nSanzang then put on his cassock. Monkey took the passport case had accompanied him. In the streets everyone—gentleman, peasant; artisan, trader, scholar, pen-pusher, dim-wit, or common man—was exclaiming, “Let’s go and see the embroidered ball being thrown.”\n\nSanzang stood beside the road and said to Monkey, “People, clothes, buildings, language and speech here are all the same as in our Great Tang. I remember that my late mother married after throwing an embroidered ball to make the match she was destined for, and they have that custom here too.”\n\n“What about us going to take a look too?” asked Monkey.\n\n“No, no,” Sanzang replied. “We are not wearing the right clothes for the occasion. We might arouse suspicion.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Monkey, “you’ve forgotten what the ancient monk in the Spread Gold Monastery told us. We could find out whether she is genuine or not while we’re taking a good look at the decorated tower. With all this bustle and activity the king is bound to be going to hear the princess’s good news. He won’t bother with court business. Let’s go.” On hearing this Sanzang did indeed go with Monkey. All kinds of people were there to watch the throwing of the embroidered ball. Oh dear! Little did they know that by going they were like a fisherman casting his hook and line and catching himself trouble."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story now explains that two years earlier the king of India had taken his queen, consorts and daughter into the royal garden to enjoy a moonlit night because he so loved landscapes and flowers. This had provoked an evil spirit, who had carried the princess off and turned herself into the girl’s double. When she learned that the Tang Priest was coming at this time, day, month and year the evil spirit had used the wealth of the kingdom to build the decorated tower in the hope of winning him as her mate and absorbing his true masculine primal essence to make herself a superior immortal of the Great Monad."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At the third mark of the noonday hour, when Sanzang and Monkey had joined in the crowd and were approaching the tower, the princess lit some incense and prayed to heaven and earth. She was surrounded by five or six dozen exquisitely made-up beauties who were attending her and holding her embroidered ball for her. The tower had many windows on all sides. As the princess looked around she saw the Tang Priest approaching, so she took the embroidered ball and threw it with her own hands at the Tang Priest’s head. It knocked his Vairocana mitre askew, giving him such a start that he immediately reached with both hands to\n\nsteady the ball, which rolled down his sleeve.\n\nAt once there were great shouts from everyone on the tower of, “She’s hit a monk! She’s hit a monk!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Oh dear! All the travelling merchants at the crossroads pushed and shouted as they rushed to grab the embroidered ball, to be met by Monkey with a shout and bared teeth as he bent forward then grew to the majestic height of thirty feet. The hideous face he made gave them all such a fright that they collapsed and crawled about, not daring to come closer. A moment later they had all scattered and Monkey resumed his true form.\n\nThe maids, palace beauties and senior and junior eunuchs who had been in the tower all camp up to the Tang Priest, kowtowed to him and said, “Your Highness, we beg you to come to the palace to be congratulated.” Sanzang was quick to return their greetings and help them all back to their feet.\n\nHe then turned back to grumble at Monkey, “Ape! You’ve been trying to make a fool of me again.”\n\n“It was your head the embroidered ball landed on,” Monkey replied with a laugh, “and your sleeve it rolled into. Nothing to do with me, so what are you moaning at me for?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What are we going to do?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“Stop worrying, Master,” Monkey said. “While you go to the palace to see the king I’ll go back to the hostel to tell Pig and Friar Sand to wait. If the princess doesn’t want you, that’ll be that. You submit the passport and we can be on our way. If the princess insists on marriage you must say to the king, ‘Please send for my disciples so that I can take my leave of them.’ When we three are summoned to court I’ll be able to tell whether the princess is real or an impostor. This is the trick called ‘subduing a demon through marriage.’” The Tang Priest had nothing to say as Monkey turned away and went back to the hostel.\n\nThe venerable elder was hustled by the palace beauties and the rest of them to the foot of the tower, from where the princess came down to support him with her jade hand as they both entered the royal carriage. The retinue formed a procession to return to the palace gates."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The eunuch gate-officer at once reported to the king, “Your Majesty, Her Royal Highness the princess is outside the Meridional Gate, holding a monk’s arm and waiting to be summoned. I expect she hit him with her embroidered ball.”\n\nThe king was most displeased to hear this, and wanted to have the monk driven away, but as he did not know what the princess had in mind he restrained his feelings and summoned them in. The princess and the Tang Priest came in to stand beneath the throne hall. Indeed:\n\nMan and future wife both hailed the king aloud;\n\nGood and ill together with deep respect kowtowed.\n\nWhen this ceremonial had been performed they were called into the throne hall, where the king began by asking, “Where are you from, monk? Did our daughter hit you with her ball?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Priest prostrated himself to reply, “I have been sent by the emperor of Great Tang in the continent of Jambu to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures in the Great Thunder Monastery. As I carry a passport for this long journey I was coming to present it for inspection at Your Majesty’s dawn audience when I passed a decorated tower at a crossroads, never imagining that Her Royal Highness the princess would throw an embroidered ball that would hit me on the head. As I am a monk and belong to a different faith I could not possibly marry your exquisite daughter, so I beg you to spare me the death penalty and return the passport. Then I can be on my way and soon reach Vulture Peak, see the Buddha, ask for the scriptures and return to my own country, where Your Majesty’s divine mercy will be for ever recorded.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So you are a holy monk from the East,” the king replied. “Indeed, ‘a thread can draw together a fated match across a thousand miles.’ Our princess has reached the age of nineteen and is still unmarried, and as the hour, day, month and year are all now auspicious a decorated tower was set up for her to choose a good husband by throwing the ball from it. You just happened to be hit by it, and although this does not please us we would like to know the princess’s views.”\n\n“Your Majesty my father,” the princess replied, kowtowing, “as the saying goes, ‘Marry a cockerel and follow a cockerel; marry a dog and follow a dog.’ I swore a vow beforehand, made the ball and told heaven, earth and the gods that heaven would choose as my husband the man my ball hit. As the ball hit the holy monk today this must have been fated ever since an earlier incarnation, which is why we met today. I would never dare to change my mind. I ask you to take him as your son-in-law.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then was the king happy, and he commanded the chief royal astrologer to choose a day. While organizing the trousseau the king issued proclamations to the world. When Sanzang heard this, so far from thanking the king for his kindness, he pleaded, “Forgive me, forgive me.”\n\n“You’re most unreasonable, monk,” the king replied. “We offer you a nation’s wealth to be our son-in-law. Why won’t you stay here and enjoy yourself? All you can think about is fetching the scriptures. If you go on refusing we will have the palace guards take you out and behead you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder was so frightened by this that his soul left his body as he kowtowed, trembling, and submitted, “I am grateful for Your Majesty’s heavenly grace, but there are four of us monks travelling West. I have three disciples outside. If I am now to be taken as your son-in-law I beg you to summon them inside as I have not yet taken my leave of them. Then you can return the passport and let them go at once, so that they will not fail in the purpose of their journey to the West.”\n\nThe king approved this request, asking, “Where are your disciples?”\n\n“In the government hostel for foreigners,” Sanzang replied, and officers were at once sent to fetch the holy monk’s disciples to receive the passport and be on their way, leaving the holy monk there to be the princess’s husband. The venerable elder could only rise to his feet and stand in attendance.\n\nFor the Great Elixir not to leak away the Triple Completeness is needed;\n\nBlame an evil fate if the ascetic way is hard."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Blame an evil fate if the ascetic way is hard.\n\nThe Way is in the sage traditions; cultivation depends on the self;\n\nGoodness is accumulated by people, but blessings come from Heaven.\n\nDo not give play to the six sense-organs and their many desires;\n\nOpen up the single nature, original and primary.\n\nWhen there are no attachments or thoughts, purity comes of itself;\n\nStrive for liberation and achieve transcendence.\n\nWe will say no more of how officers were sent to the hostel to fetch Sanzang’s three disciples.\n\nInstead the story tells how Monkey, after taking his leave of Sanzang at the foot of the decorated tower, went happily back to the hostel, laughing aloud as he walked. “Why are you laughing so cheerfully, brother,” Pig and Friar Sand asked as they greeted him, “and why’s the master disappeared?”\n\n“The master has found happiness,” Monkey replied. “What happiness?” Pig asked. “He hasn’t reached the end of the journey, he hasn’t seen the Buddha and he hasn’t fetched the scriptures.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The master and I only got as far as the foot of a decorated tower at the crossroads,” Brother Monkey replied. “Just then the king’s daughter hit the master with an embroidered ball, so he was hustled by palace beauties, pretty girls and eunuchs to the front of the tower, where he climbed into a carriage to go to the palace with the princess. He’s been invited to become the king’s son-in-law. Isn’t that something to be cheerful about?”\n\nWhen Pig heard this he stamped, beat his chest and said, “If I’d known beforehand, I’d have gone too. It was all Friar Sand’s fault for making trouble. I’d have run straight to the foot of the decorated tower, the embroidered ball would have hit me first time, and the princess would have taken me for her husband. That would have been marvellous, terrific. I’m handsome and good-looking: I’d have been just the man. We’d all have been in luck and have had a good time. It’d have been real fun.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Friar Sand went up to Pig, rubbed his face and said, “Shameless, you’re shameless! That’s a handsome mug, I must say. You’re like the man who bought an old donkey for three-tenths of an ounce of silver and boasted that he’d be able to ride it. If she’d hit you first time she wouldn’t have wanted to wait till tonight before burning spells to get rid of you. Do you think she’d have let trouble like you into the palace?”\n\n“You’re being very disagreeable, you blacky,” Pig replied. “Ugly I may be, but I’ve got class. As the old saying goes, ‘When skin and flesh are coarse, the bones may yet be strong: everyone is good at something.’”\n\n“Stop talking nonsense, idiot,” Monkey retorted, “and pack the baggage. I expect the master will get anxious and send for us, so we must be ready to go to protect him at court.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re wrong again, brother,” said Pig. “If the master’s become the king’s son-in-law and gone to take his pleasure with the king’s daughter, he won’t be climbing any more mountains, or tramping along the road, or running into demons and monsters. So what’ll he want you to protect him from? He’s old enough to know what happens under the bedcovers. He won’t need you to hold him up.”\n\nMonkey grabbed Pig by the ear, swung his fist, and said abusively, “You’re as dirty-minded as ever, you cretin! How dare you talk such nonsense!”\n\nWhile they were in the middle of their quarrel the hostel superintendent came to report, “His Majesty has sent an official here with a request for you three holy monks to present yourselves.”\n\n“What’s he really asking us to go for?”\n\n“The senior holy monk had the good fortune to be hit by the princess’s golden ball and be taken as her husband,” the superintendent replied, “which is why the official has come with invitations for you.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Where is the official?” Monkey asked. “Send him in.”\n\nThe official then bowed in greeting to Monkey, after which he did not dare look straight at Monkey as he muttered to himself, “Is it a ghost? a monster? a thunder god? a yaksha?”\n\n“Why are you mumbling instead of saying whatever you have to say, official?” Monkey asked.\n\nTrembling with terror, the official raised the royal edict with both hands as his words came tumbling out in confusion: “Her Royal Highness—invitation—meet her new relations—Her Royal Highness—meet her relations—invitation....”\n\n“We’ve got no torture equipment here and we’re not going to beat you,” Pig said, “so don’t be frightened and take your time telling us.”\n\n“Do you think he’s scared you’re going to beat him?” Monkey said. “What he’s scared of is your ugly mug. Get the carrying-pole load packed up at once. We’re taking the horse and going to court to see the master and talk things over.” Indeed:\n\nOne you meet on a narrow path is hard to avoid;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One you meet on a narrow path is hard to avoid;\n\nDetermination can turn love to hatred.\n\nIf you do not know what was said when they met the king, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety-Four\n\nThe Four Monks Dine to Music in the Palace Gardens\n\nOne Demon Loves in Vain and Longs for Bliss\n\nThe story tells how Brother Monkey and the other two disciples went with the official who had brought the invitation to outside the Meridional Gate of the palace, where the eunuch gate officer immediately reported their arrival and brought back a summons for them to enter. The three of them stood in a row, not bowing. “Are you three gentlemen the illustrious disciples of the holy monk? What are your names? Where do you live? Why did you become monks? What scriptures are you going to fetch?” Monkey then came closer, intending to enter the throne hall.\n\n“Don’t move,” one of the king’s bodyguards shouted. “If you have anything to say, say it standing down there.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We monks like to step forward whenever we’re given an opening,” Monkey said with a smile, at which Pig and Friar Sand too approached the king. Worried that their rough manners would alarm the king, Sanzang stepped forward and called out, “Disciples, His Majesty has asked you why you have come here. You must submit your reply.”\n\nSeeing his master standing in attendance beside the king, Monkey could not restrain himself from calling aloud, “Your Majesty is treating yourself with respect but others with contempt. If you are taking my master as your son-in-law, why do you make him stand in attendance on you? The normal custom is for a king to call his son-in-law Your Excellency, and an Excellency really ought to be sitting down.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This gave the king so bad a fright that he turned pale and wished he could leave the throne hall. But as this would have looked very bad he had to summon up his courage and tell his attendants of fetch an embroidered stool on which he invited the Tang Priest to sit. Only then did Brother Monkey submit the following spoken memorial: “My ancestral home is the Water Curtain Cave in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the land of Aolai in the Eastern Continent of Superior Body.\n\nMy father was heaven, my mother earth,\n\nAnd I was born when a rock split open.\n\n1 took as my master a Taoist adept,\n\nAnd mastered the Great Way.\n\nThen I returned to my land of immortals,\n\nWhere I gathered all of us to live in our cave heaven.\n\nIn the ocean’s depths I subdued the dragons,\n\nThen climbed the mountains to capture wild beasts.\n\nI removed us from the registers of death,\n\nPut us on the rolls of the living,\n\nAnd was appointed Great Sage Equaling Heaven.\n\nI enjoyed the heavenly palaces,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "I enjoyed the heavenly palaces,\n\nAnd roamed around the splendid buildings.\n\nI met the immortals of Heaven\n\nIn daily carousals;\n\nLived in the holy regions,\n\nHappy every day.\n\nBut because I disrupted the Peach Banquet,\n\nAnd raised a rebellion in the palaces of Heaven,\n\nI was captured by the Lord Buddha\n\nAnd imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain.\n\nWhen hungry I was fed on pellets of iron,\n\nWhen thirsty I drank molten copper:\n\nFor five hundred years I tasted no food or tea.\n\nFortunately my master came from the East\n\nTo worship in the West.\n\nGuanyin told him to deliver me from heavenly disaster.\n\nI was rescued from my torment\n\nTo be converted to the Yogacarin sect.\n\nMy old name was Wukong;\n\nNow I am known as the Novice.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now I am known as the Novice.”\n\nWhen the king realized how important Monkey was he quickly came down from his dragon throne and walked over to steady the venerable elder with his hand and say, “Son-in-law, it was divine providence that brought us one such as yourself to be our kinsman through marriage.” Sanzang thanked the king profoundly for his graciousness and urged him to return to his throne. “Which gentleman has the distinction of being the second disciple?” the king asked. Pig thrust his snout out to make himself look more impressive as he replied:\n\n“In previous lives old Pig used to be\n\nGiven to pleasure and indolence.\n\nI lived in confusion,\n\nMy nature disordered and my heart deluded.\n\n1 did not know how high the sky was or how deep the earth;\n\nI could not tell the ocean’s width or the mountains’ distance.\n\nThen in the middle of my idleness\n\nI suddenly met a true immortal.\n\nIn half a sentence\n\nHe undid the net of evil;\n\nWith two or three remarks\n\nHe smashed the gate to disaster."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He smashed the gate to disaster.\n\nThen I became aware,\n\nTook him as my master on the spot,\n\nDiligently studied the arts of the Double Eight,\n\nRespectfully refined the Triple Three’s sequence.\n\nWhen training was complete I was able to fly,\n\nAnd ascend to the heavenly palace.\n\nThe Jade Emperor in his benevolence\n\nAppointed me as Marshal Tian Peng,\n\nTo command the marines of the River of Heaven,\n\nAnd wander at ease within the palace gates.\n\nThen when I was drunk at the Peach Banquet\n\nI misbehaved with the goddess of the moon,\n\nWas stripped of my commission,\n\nAnd exiled to the mortal world.\n\nBecause I came into the wrong womb\n\n1 was born with the likeness of a pig.\n\nLiving at the Mount of Blessing\n\nI committed unbounded evil.\n\nWhen I met the Bodhisattva Guanyin\n\nShe showed me the way of goodness.\n\nI came over to the Buddhist faith\n\nTo escort the Tang Priest\n\nOn his journey to the Western Heaven,\n\nSeeking the marvellous scriptures.\n\nMy Dharma name is Wuneng,\n\nAnd people call me Bajie.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And people call me Bajie.”\n\nWhen the king heard this he trembled with fear, not daring to look at him. This made the idiot more spirited than ever, shaking his head, pursing his lips, thrusting his ears up and roaring with laughter.\n\nSanzang, worried that Pig was giving the king a fright, shouted, “Control yourself, Bajie.” Only then did Pig put his hands together and pretend to behave himself.\n\n“And why was the third distinguished disciple converted?” the king then asked. Putting his hands together, Friar Sand said:\n\n“I was originally a mortal man,\n\nWho turned to the Way out of fear of the Wheel of Reincarnation.\n\n1 wandered like a cloud to the corners of the seas.\n\nRoamed to the very ends of the sky.\n\nI always wore the robe and held the begging-bowl,\n\nAnd ever concentrated my mind within the body.\n\nBecause of my sincerity\n\nI fell in with immortals,\n\nRaised the Baby Boy,\n\nTo mate him with the Lovely Girl.\n\nWhen the Three Thousand Tasks were achieved\n\nAll was combined in the Four Images."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All was combined in the Four Images.\n\nI rose above the boundary of the sky,\n\nBowed to the dark vault of heaven,\n\nAnd was appointed Curtain-lifting General.\n\n1 was in attendance on the Phoenix and Dragon Carriage,\n\nAnd General was my rank.\n\nBecause at the Peach Banquet\n\n1 accidentally smashed a crystal bowl\n\n1 was exiled to the Flowing Sands River,\n\nMy face was altered,\n\nAnd I became an evil killer.\n\nFortunately the Bodhisattva traveled to the East\n\nTo persuade me to turn to the faith\n\nAnd await the Buddha’s son from Tang.\n\nWho would go to seek scriptures in the Western Heaven.\n\nI became his follower and made a fresh start,\n\nRefining once more my great awareness.\n\nI took my surname Sand from the river;\n\nMy Buddhist name is Wujing,\n\nAnd my title Friar.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And my title Friar.”\n\nThe king was both most alarmed and most delighted to hear this. Delighted because his daughter had found herself a living Buddha, and alarmed by three veritable evil gods. Just as the king was being torn between alarm and delight the chief astrologer submitted this memorial: “The wedding has been set for the twelfth day of this month, the day of water-rat, a lucky time at which all will be auspicious for nuptials.”\n\n“What day is it today?” the king asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What day is it today?” the king asked.\n\n“Today is the eighth, the day of earth-monkey,” the astrologer replied, “the day on which gibbons offer fruit, and the right day on which to advance worthies and accept their suggestions.” This greatly pleased the king, who sent his officials in attendance to have the halls and pavilions in the royal garden swept clear. Here he invited his future son-in-law with his three distinguished disciples to stay while they waited for the nuptial feast at which the princess would marry him. The underlings all carried out their instructions, the king ended the audience and the officials withdrew."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story now tells how when Sanzang and his disciples reached the imperial garden night was falling. A vegetarian meal was laid on. “We really deserve a meal today,” said Pig with delight. The people in charge brought in plain rice and pasta by the carrying-pole load. Pig kept eating a bowlful then taking a refill over and over again. He only stopped eating when his stomach was completely full. A little later the lamps were lit and the bedding laid out, after which everyone went to bed. As soon as the venerable elder saw that there was nobody around he started to shout angrily at Monkey, berating him.\n\n“You macaque, Wukong! You keep ruining me. I said we were just going to present the passport and told you not to go near the decorated tower. Why did you keep demanding to take me there to have a look? Well, did you have a good enough look? Whatever are we to do about this trouble you have got us into?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” replied Monkey, putting on a smile, “it was you who said, ‘My late mother married after throwing an embroidered ball to make the match she was destined for.’ I only took you there because you seemed to want to enjoy something of the past. Besides, because I remembered what the ancient monk in the Almsgiver’s Spread Gold Monastery said I came here to find out whether she’s an impostor or not. When I saw the king just now there was something a bit sinister about the way he looked, but I haven’t yet seen what the princess is like.”\n\n“What will happen when you see the princess?” the venerable elder asked.\n\n“My fiery eyes with their golden pupils can tell whether someone’s true or false, good or evil, rich or poor,” Monkey replied. “I’ll know what to do and be able to sort out right and wrong.”\n\n“So you’ve learned physiognomy in the last few days, elder brother,” said Friar Sand and Pig with a smile.\n\n“Physiognomists are just my grandson,” Brother Monkey replied."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop joking,” shouted Sanzang. “He definitely wants me now. What are we to do about it?”\n\n“At that happy occasion on the twelfth the princess is bound to come out to pay her respects to her parents,” said Monkey. “I’ll take a look at her from where I’ll stand by the side. If she really is a woman you can be her consort and enjoy the kingdom’s glory and splendor.” This made Sanzang angrier than ever.\n\n“You’re a fine ape,” he said abusively, “still trying to ruin me. As Wuneng said, we have already done ninety-seven or ninety-eight hundredths of the journey. You’re trying to destroy me with your crafty tongue again. Shut up! Don’t open that stinking mouth of yours any more. Next time there’s any misbehavior from you I shall start reciting that spell again, and that will be more than you can take.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The mention of the spell being recited had Monkey falling straight to his knees before Sanzang and pleading, “Don’t say it, don’t say it! If she’s really a woman we’ll all raise a rumpus in the palace during the wedding ceremony and get you out.” While master and disciples were talking they had not noticed that it was now night. Indeed:\n\nSlow dripped the clepsydras;\n\nHeavy hung the fragrance of the flowers.\n\nPearl curtains hung over splendid doorways;\n\nNo fire or light was seen in the still courtyard.\n\nEmpty was the shadow of the deserted swing;\n\nAll was silence when the flute’s notes died away.\n\nThe room was surrounded by flowers and bright in the moonbeams,\n\nLit by those spiky stars not blocked by any trees.\n\nThe cuckoo rested from her song;\n\nLong was the butterfly’s dream.\n\nThe River Way spanned the celestial vault\n\nWhile white clouds made their way home.\n\nJust when they were closest in feeling\n\nThe willows swaying in the wind were more dispiriting than ever."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s late, Master,” said Pig. “Let’s carry on arguing tomorrow morning. Go to sleep now, go to sleep!” Master and disciples did then get a night’s sleep.\n\nThe golden cockerel was soon greeting the dawn, and the king entered the throne hall for his audience. This is what could be seen:\n\nA purple aura rising high above the opened palace\n\nAs the winds carried royal music to the azure sky.\n\nWhile clouds drifted, the leopard-tail banners moved;\n\nThe sun shone upon the demon figures on the roof, and the jade pendants tinkled.\n\nA scented mist delicately touched the palace’s green willows,\n\nWhile dewdrops lightly moistened the garden flowers.\n\nA thousand officials in ranks shouted and danced in homage:\n\nSeas and rivers were at peace and the state was unified."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When all the civil and military officials had paid their homage to him, the king proclaimed, “The Department of Foreign Relations will arrange a nuptial banquet for the twelfth. Today the spring wine shall be prepared, and our future son-in-law shall be entertained in the royal gardens.” The Protocol Office were told to lead the three worthy future royal in-laws to sit in the state hostel while the Department of Foreign Relations laid on a vegetarian banquet for the three of them. The two departments arranged for the musicians of the court orchestra to play and look after them while they passed the days enjoying the beauty of spring."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as Pig heard this he said, “Your Majesty, we always stay with our master: we never leave him for a moment. As he’s going to be drinking and feasting in the palace gardens we’d better go along for a couple of days’ fun too if our master’s to be your son-in-law. Otherwise the deal’s off.” Seeing how ugly and coarse-spoken Pig was, twisting his head and neck, thrusting his snout out and waving his ears—which all made him seem rather intimidating—the king was so worried that Pig might ruin the wedding that he had to accede to the request."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Prepare a banquet for two in the Sino-Barbarian Hall of Eternal Pacification for our son-in-law and ourself. Prepare a meal for the other three gentlemen in the Pavilion of Lingering Spring. We are afraid that it might be inconvenient for master and disciples to sit together.” Only then did the idiot chant his respects to the king and thank him. Everyone then withdrew, after which the king ordered the officials of the inner palace to prepare a banquet, and told the queens and consorts of the three palaces and six compounds to give the princess hair ornaments, cakes and other things for the wedding on the twelfth.\n\nIt was now about ten in the morning, and the king had a carriage ready in which to take the Tang Priest and the others to go to see the palace gardens. The gardens were a fine place:\n\nThe paths, inlaid with coloured stones,\n\nHave carved and chiseled balustrades.\n\nBeside the paths inlaid with coloured stones\n\nStrange flowers spread over the rocks;\n\nOutside the carved and chiseled balustrades,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Outside the carved and chiseled balustrades,\n\nAnd within them too, flower blossoms rare.\n\nEarly peach trees are a bewitching turquoise,\n\nAnd golden orioles dart among the willows.\n\nThe walker finds the fragrance fill his sleeve,\n\nAnd many pure scents imbue his clothing.\n\nPhoenix terrace and dragon pool,\n\nBamboo lodge and pine pavilion.\n\nOn the phoenix terrace\n\nPipes are played to lure the phoenix to appear;\n\nIn the dragon pools\n\nFish are reared to become dragons and leave.\n\nIn the bamboo lodge are poems\n\nWhose well-chosen words match the “White Snow Melody”\n\nThe books in the pine pavilion\n\nAre pearls and jade in blue-covered volumes.\n\nRocks and jade twist around the artificial hills;\n\nDeep are the blue-green waters of the winding stream.\n\nPeony pavilions,\n\nRose bowers,\n\nMake a natural brocade.\n\nTrellises of jasmine,\n\nBeds of begonia,\n\nAre like sunset clouds or jeweled mosaics.\n\nHerbaceous peonies are marvelously fragrant;\n\nRare is the beauty of the mallows from Sichuan."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Rare is the beauty of the mallows from Sichuan.\n\nWhite pear and red apricot blossom vie in scent;\n\nPurple orchid and golden daylily compete in splendor.\n\nCorn poppy,\n\nLily magnolia buds,\n\nAzalea flowers,\n\nAre brilliantly coloured.\n\nMagnolia flowers,\n\nGarden balsam,\n\nPlantain lilies,\n\nTremble.\n\nEverywhere red shines through the richness of cosmetics\n\nWhile heavy scents drift from a brocade surrounding screen.\n\nThe warmth returning with the East wind is greeted with joy;\n\nAll the garden’s beauties display their brilliance.\n\nThe king and his companions walked around enjoying the flowers for a long time. Soon the officials of the Protocol Office came to invite Monkey and the other two to the Pavilion of Lingering Spring while the king led the Tang Priest by the hand to the Sino-Barbarian Hall so that they could all drink and feast. These were splendid occasions with singing, dancing and instrumental music. Indeed:\n\nThe sun shone from the majestic palace gates;\n\nGood auras filled the royal buildings."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Good auras filled the royal buildings.\n\nThe spring spread out an embroidery of flowers,\n\nAnd heaven’s light shone from afar on the court robes.\n\nPipes and singers wafted their music as if in a banquet of immortals;\n\nThe goblets flew, carrying jade liquor.\n\nMaster and subjects enjoyed the same pleasure\n\nAs Sino-barbarian peace brought prosperity.\n\nSeeing with what great respect he was being treated by the king, the venerable elder had nothing for it but to force himself to join in the celebrations. In fact he gave only a show of happiness: inside he was miserable. As he sat there he saw four golden screens hanging on the wall, screens painted with scenes of the four seasons. Each picture had a poem on it by a famous academician. The poem on the spring scene read:\n\nThe vital forces of heaven turn creation around;\n\nThe world is happy and everything is renewed.\n\nThe peach and the plum blossoms vie in splendor;\n\nSwallows fly to the painted rafters, shaking the incense dust.\n\nThe poem on the summer scene read:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The poem on the summer scene read:\n\nIn warm and sultry air all thoughts are slow\n\nThe palace mallow and pomegranate reflect the sun’s brilliance.\n\nThe jade flute’s music disturbs the noonday dream;\n\nThe scent of caltrops is wafted through the curtains.\n\nThe poem on the autumn scene read:\n\nOne leaf on the parasol tree by the well is yellow;\n\nThe pearl curtain is not rolled up on the night of frost.\n\nAfter the autumn sacrifice the swallows abandon their nest;\n\nWhen the rush flowers snap, the wild geese leave for another land.\n\nThe poem on the winter scene read:\n\nThe clouds fly over the rainy sky, all dark and cold;\n\nThe North wind blows the snow into thousands of bills.\n\nDeep in the palace the stove glows warm;\n\nThey say the plum has blossomed by the jade balustrade."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the king noticed the absorption with which the Tang Priest was gazing at the poems he said, “As you enjoy savoring the poems so much you must be a fine poet yourself, son-in-law. If you do not begrudge your pearls we would like to invite you to make up a matching poem for each of them, ending three of the lines with the same word. Will you agree?”\n\nThe venerable elder was the sort of person who could be so carried away by a scene that he forgot the circumstances, someone who had an enlightened mind and thoroughly comprehended his own nature, so when the king pressed him so earnestly to match the verses he found himself saying the line, “The sun’s warmth melts the ice the world around.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This greatly pleased the king, who told the officials in attendance on him, “Fetch the four treasures of the study, so that our son-in-law can write down the matching verses he composes for us to savor at our leisure.” The venerable elder was glad to comply. Picking up a brush, he produced matching lines. The matching poem on the spring scene read:\n\nThe sun’s warmth melts the ice the world around;\n\nWithin the palace garden, flowers are renewed.\n\nGentle winds and rain enrich the people;\n\nRivers and seas are calm; gone is all worldly dust.\n\nThe matching poem on the summer scene read:\n\nThe Dipper now points South; the day goes slow;\n\nLocust and pomegranate trees contend in brilliance.\n\nGolden oriole and purple swallow sing in the willows,\n\nTheir melodious voices drifting through red curtains.\n\nThe matching poem on the autumn read:\n\nFragrant the green mandarin; the orange turns to yellow.\n\nBlue pine and cypress welcome frost’s coming.\n\nHalf-open chrysanthemums make a tapestry on the trellis;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pipes and songs waft through the watery, cloud-covered land.\n\nThe matching poem on the winter scene read:\n\nAs skies clear after welcome snow the air is cold;\n\nGrotesque-shaped crags and boulders mark jade hills.\n\nAs charcoal burns in the stove to warm the yogurt\n\nSinging with hands in their sleeves they lean on jade balustrades.\n\nThe king was utterly delighted by the matching verses. “‘Singing with hands in their sleeves they lean on jade balustrades’ is really good,” he said with admiration, and ordered the royal orchestra to set the new poems to music. The banquet did not break up until the day was over.\n\nBrother Monkey and the other two were also having a splendid meal in the Pavilion of Lingering Spring. Each of them was feeling rather merry after downing a few cups, and they decided to go to see their master, who was in another building with the king. This made Pig start acting like the idiot he was."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This is great,” he yelled at once. “We’re doing very nicely here. Today we’ve had a right good time. But now we’re full we ought to go to sleep it off.”\n\n“You really are ill-bred, brother,” said Friar Sand with a grin. “How could you possibly go to sleep when you’re as full as that?”\n\n“You wouldn’t know,” said Pig. “There’s a saying that goes,\n\nUnless you stretch out for a nap when you’ve dined\n\nHow can your belly with fat be well lined?”\n\nWhen the Tang Priest had taken his leave of the king he went back to the pavilion and scolded pig: “Cretin! You acted coarser than ever. What sort of place do you think this is, to shout and yell like that? If you had made the king angry he would have had you killed.”\n\n“Don’t worry,” Pig replied, “don’t worry. We’re being treated as his in-laws, so it would be very awkward for him to get angry with us. As the proverb goes,\n\nIf you’re related a beating can’t rend it;\n\nIf you are neighbors a cursing won’t end it.\n\nWe were only joking. He’s nothing to be frightened of.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this the venerable elder shouted, “Bring the idiot here. Give him twenty strokes of the dhyana staff.” Monkey then grabbed Pig and knocked him over, while Sanzang raised the cudgel to beat him.\n\n“Master, Royal Son-in-law,” the idiot shouted, “Spare me! Spare me!”\n\nOne of the officials who was present at the banquet persuaded Sanzang not to hit Pig, who clambered back on his feet, grumbling, “You’re a fine excellency; you’re a fine royal son-in-law. Applying the royal law before you’re even married!”\n\n“Stop that nonsense,” said Monkey, making a face at him, “stop that nonsense! Go to bed at once.” They then spent another night in the Lingering Spring Pavilion. The next morning they feasted as before."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before long they had been enjoying themselves for three or four days, by when it was that splendid day, the twelfth. The officials of the three sections of the Department of Foreign Relations all submitted a memorial that said, “Since we received the edicts on the eighth the palace for the Royal Son-in-law has been built, and all that we are waiting for is for the trousseau to be installed. The nuptial banquet has been prepared, with meat and vegetarian food for over five hundred guests.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This greatly pleased the king, who was just going to invite his future son-in-law to come to the banquet when a eunuch from the inner quarters of the palace reported to him, “Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Queen asks you to come.” The king then withdrew to the inner quarters of the palace, where the queens of the three palaces and the consorts of the six compounds brought the princess to the Sunlight Palace to talk and joke together. The place was truly a mass of flowers or brocade. The magnificence and beauty was more than a match for the halls of heaven or the moon’s pavilions; nor was it inferior to the jade palaces of immortals.\n\nThere are four new lyrics on the “Happy Gathering and Splendid Wedding” about it. The lyric “Happy” goes:\n\nHappy! Happy!\n\nDelight and bliss!\n\nThe wedding is celebrated\n\nWith its love and beauty.\n\nElegant court dresses\n\nThat the Lady of the Moon could never rival;\n\nDragon and phoenix hairpins,\n\nSumptuous threads of flying gold.\n\nCherry lips, white teeth and rouge-red cheeks"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Cherry lips, white teeth and rouge-red cheeks\n\nSylphs with forms as delicate as flowers.\n\nBrocades upon brocades,\n\nAn extravagance of color,\n\nFull of fragrance,\n\nA host of princesses.\n\nThe lyric “Gathering” goes:\n\nGathering! Gathering!\n\nBewitching charms,\n\nRivaling the great beauties of the past,\n\nEnough to topple a city or a state,\n\nLike flowers or jade.\n\nDressed to make them lovelier still,\n\nEven more dazzling in their finery,\n\nAnd the splendor of their jewels.\n\nTheir orchid hearts and natures were pure and lofty;\n\nNoble were their powder-white faces and ice-smooth skin.\n\nThe lines of their painted eyebrows were like distant hills;\n\nThey formed a throng of willowy elegance.\n\nThe lyric “Splendid” goes:\n\nSplendid! Splendid!\n\nJade girls, fairy maidens,\n\nUtterly adorable,\n\nTruly to be admired,\n\nPerfumed with fine fragrances,\n\nAdorned with cosmetics.\n\nAlthough far from the Tiantai paradise,\n\nThis was no mere palace of a king.\n\nSweet were their smiling words\n\nAs the sound of pipes and songs was wafted around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A thousand beauties, massed flowers, a splendid brocade:\n\nHow could its match be found in the world?\n\nThe lyric “Wedding” goes:\n\nWedding! Wedding!\n\nOrchid Fragrance,\n\nRanks of fairy girls,\n\nCrowds of beauties.\n\nThe royal concubines have put on new splendor;\n\nThe princesses are in fresh garments.\n\nPiled clouds of raven hair,\n\nRainbow gowns over phoenix skirts.\n\nSoft music of immortals,\n\nTwo rows of purple and red.\n\nIn the past they pledged to ride in one phoenix chariot;\n\nThis morning is the happy occasion and the splendid wedding."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the king arrived his queens and consorts led the princess and the other palace ladies out to meet him. The delighted king took them into the Sunlight Palace to sit down. When the queens, consorts and others had made their obeisances the king said, “Princess, my good daughter, we think that your heart’s desire was fulfilled when you had the good fortune to find the holy monk by throwing your ball from the decorated tower on the eighth. The officials of all the departments have been most understanding of our wishes, so that everything is now ready. As today is a lucky one let us hurry to the nuptial banquet and not be late.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The princess stepped forward, went down in a kowtow, and submitted this petition: “Your Majesty my father, I beg you to forgive your daughter for her effrontery, but I have a request to make. In the last few days it has been reported in the inner quarters of the palace that the Tang Priest has three extremely hideous disciples. I couldn’t bring myself to see them: I’m afraid the sight would terrify me. So I beg you, Father, to send them out of the city. Otherwise the shock might be too much for my trail health and lead to disaster.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you had not mentioned them, child,” the king replied, “we would have very nearly forgotten about them. They are indeed rather ugly, and for the last few days we have had them entertained in the Lingering Spring Pavilion. When we go into the throne hall this morning we will return their passport and tell them to leave the city so that we can hold our banquet.” The princess then kowtowed again in thanks, after which the king left in his carriage to enter the throne hall and issue a decree inviting his son-in-law and the other three gentlemen to attend.\n\nNow the Tang Priest had been following the dates by counting on his fingers, so when he reached the twelfth he had a discussion with his three disciples before dawn. “It is the twelfth today,” he said. “How are we to cope?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve already noticed something of an ill-omened air about the king,” Brother Monkey replied, “but the evil hasn’t actually infected him or done any great harm. The only thing is that I’ve not yet had a look at the princess. If she comes out and lets me take a peep at her I’ll know whether she’s an impostor or not, then I’ll do something. Don’t worry. He’s bound to summon us now and send us three away from the city. Accept the invitation and don’t be afraid. I’ll slip back and stay close to you to protect you.” As master and disciples were talking a royal equerry did indeed come with officials from the protocol office to bring an invitation.\n\n“Let’s go,” said Monkey, “let’s go. I’m sure they’re going to see us three on our way and keep you here, Master, for the wedding.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If they’re seeing us off they’re bound to give us hundreds and thousands of ounces of gold and silver,” said Pig. “We’ll be able to buy some presents to take home with us. When I get back to my in-laws’ place I’ll be able to have a bit of fun again.”\n\n“Shut up, second brother,” said Friar Sand, “and stop talking such nonsense. We’ll do what big brother says.”\n\nThey then followed the officials to the foot of the throne hall steps, taking baggage and horse with them. When the king had greeted them he commanded Monkey and the other two to come forward. “Hand your passport up,” he said, “and we shall seal it, sign it and return it to you. You three gentlemen will be generously provided with funds for your journey and escorted on your way to see the Buddha on Vulture Peak. If you come back with the scriptures you will also receive generous rewards. We shall keep our son-in-law here: there will be no need for you to worry about him.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey thanked the king, then told Friar Sand to take the passport out and hand it over. The king read it, sealed and signed it, then brought out ten ingots of gold and twenty of silver that he wanted to present to them as gifts for his in-laws. Pig, who always had been very keen on money and sex, stepped forward to accept them.\n\nMonkey then gave a respectful chant and said, “We’ve disturbed you.”\n\nAs Monkey turned to go Sanzang hastily scrambled to his feet, grabbed hold of him, and said through clenched teeth, “You are all abandoning me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Brother Monkey pinched the palm of Sanzang’s hand, gave him a meaningful look and said, “Unwind and take your pleasure here while we go to fetch the scriptures. We’ll call on you on our way back.” Not knowing whether to believe this or not, the venerable elder refused to let him go. When all the officials saw this they took it for a real parting. Soon the king invited his son-in-law back into the throne hall, ordering the officials to escort the three gentlemen out of the city, whereupon Sanzang had to let go of Monkey and enter the hall.\n\nAs Brother Monkey and the other two went out through the palace gates they each took their leave.\n\n“Are we really going?” asked Pig. Monkey said nothing, and just walked back to the hostel, where the superintendent received them and provided tea and a meal."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You two stay here,” Monkey said to Pig and Friar Sand, “and whatever you do, don’t show your faces. If the hostel superintendent asks what’s happening, give him vague answers. Don’t say anything. I’m going off to look after the master.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage pulled out one of his hairs, blew on it with magic breath, called “Change!” and turned it into his own double to stay in the hostel with Pig and Friar Sand, while he himself leapt up into mid air in a flash, turning himself into a bee.\n\nYellow wings, sweet mouth and a sharp tail,\n\nHe dances wildly in the wind,\n\nThe brilliant thief of fragrance from the blossom\n\nWho sways his way through willows and flowers.\n\nWith many a drenching for his troubles\n\nHe flies to and fro, but all in vain.\n\nThe thick delight be makes he never tastes;\n\nAll he can do is leave his fame behind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All he can do is leave his fame behind.\n\nWatch him as he flies lightly into the palace, where he saw the Tang Priest sitting on an embroidered stool at the king’s left, frowning and worried at heart. Flying up to his master’s Vairocana mitre, Monkey crept stealthily to his ear and said, “I’m here, Master, so don’t fret.” These words were heard by the Tang Priest alone,—none of the ordinary mortals had any hope of hearing them—so he felt relief at last.\n\nBefore long a eunuch came with an invitation: “Your Majesty, the nuptial banquet is set out in the Jay Palace. Her Majesty and the princess are awaiting you in the inner quarters. They invite Your Majesty and His Excellency to go in for the wedding.” Overwhelmed with happiness, the king went into the inner quarters with his son-in-law. Indeed:\n\nThe wicked king’s love of flowers led to disaster;\n\nWhen the dhyana mind starts thinking, each thought brings sorrow."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you don’t know how the Tang Priest escaped once in the inner quarters of the palace, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety-Five\n\nFalse and True Form Combine When the Jade Hare is Captured\n\nThe True Female Is Converted and Meets With Spiritual Origin\n\nThe story tells how the Tang Priest was feeling thoroughly miserable as he accompanied the king into the inner quarters, from where a great sound of drums and music arose and fine perfumes could be smelt. He kept his head bowed, not daring to look up. Monkey, secretly very pleased, had fixed himself to the Vairocana mitre, from where he used his magic light to look around with his fiery eyes and golden pupils. There were two ranks of court ladies, making it seem like a palace of flowers or immortals, and finer than a spring breeze blowing past a brocade screen. Indeed, they were\n\nGraceful and charming,\n\nJadelike, and with ice-smooth skin.\n\nBewitching pairs more lovely than the girl of Chu,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Beauties two by two, rivaling the lady Xi Shi.\n\nTheir hair was coiled high like flying phoenixes;\n\nTheir eyebrows were just visible, low lines of distant hills.\n\nElegantly played the pipe and shawm;\n\nFast sounded flute and drum.\n\nAll the notes of the scale rang out,\n\nRising then falling again together.\n\nDelightful were they as they danced and sang,\n\nA carpet of flowers, every one of them lovely.\n\nSeeing that his master was not in the least moved by this Monkey silently smacked his lips in admiration and said, “What a fine monk! What a fine monk!\n\nDwelling amid splendor, his heart forms no attachment;\n\nWalking through magnificence, his mind is not confused.”\n\nA little later the princess came out of the Jay Palace surrounded by the queens and consorts so greet the king with cheers of “Long live the king! Long live the king!” This so alarmed the venerable elder that he trembled, not knowing what to do."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By now Monkey had already noticed a touch of the demonic—though nothing very vicious—that could just be made out in the aura above the princess’s head. Monkey crawled quickly to Sanzang’s ear and said, “The princess is a fake, Master.”\n\n“If she is a fake,” the venerable elder replied, “then how are we to make her turn back into her real form?”\n\n“I’ll give myself a magic body and catch her right here,” said Monkey.\n\n“That would terrify His Majesty,” said Sanzang. “Wait till he and his queens have withdrawn before using your magic.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now Monkey had been impatient by nature all his life, so he could not restrain himself. With a great and angry roar he resumed his true from, rushed up and grabbed the princess. “You’re a fine, evil beast,” he said abusively. “You’ve had no end of luxury here, you impostor, but it wasn’t enough for you. You’re so sex-crazed you had to try to trick my master and destroy his primal masculinity.” This struck the king speechless with fright, and made the queens and consorts fall about. The palace beauties all ran off to hide, fleeing for their lives. It was just like\n\nA roaring wind in spring,\n\nThe howling autumn gale.\n\nWhen the roaring wind in spring blows through the wood\n\nA thousand blossoms are shaken;\n\nWhen the howling autumn gale hits the park\n\nTen thousand leaves all swirl and fly.\n\nThe tree peony beneath the balustrade is snapped;\n\nHerbaceous peonies beside the balcony fall over.\n\nHibiscus on the pond’s banks are shaken all about.\n\nWhile chrysanthemums are flung in heaps at the foot of the terrace."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The delicate begonia collapses in the dust;\n\nThe fragrant rose is now sleeping in the wilds.\n\nThe spring wind smashes caltrop, lotus and pear;\n\nWinter snows weigh down the plum tree’s tender blossoms.\n\nThe petals of the pomegranate\n\nAre scattered all around the inner courtyard;\n\nThe branches of the willow\n\nAre blown sideways within the royal palace.\n\nFine blooms, and a night of raging wind and rain:\n\nCountless red petals carpet the ground with brocade.\n\nSanzang hastily put his trembling arms round the king and said, “Don’t be afraid, Your Majesty. It is only my wicked disciple using his magical powers to find out whether she is an impostor or not.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that things were going badly for her, the evil spirit broke free, tore off her clothes, flung down her jewelry and hair ornaments and ran to the shrine of the local deity in the palace garden. From here she brought out a short club shaped like the head of a trip-hammer, with which she started hitting wildly at Monkey as she turned quickly towards him. Monkey, who had caught up with her at once, struck back at her face with his iron cudgel, Shouting and roaring at each other, the two of them started fighting in the palace gardens. Then each began a great display of magic powers, riding clouds as they battled in mid air. In this fight\n\nGreat was the fame of the gold-banded cudgel;\n\nNo one had heard of the hammerhead club.\n\nOne of them was there to fetch the true scriptures;\n\nThe other was lingering for love of rare flowers.\n\nLong had the demon known of the holy Tang Priest,\n\nAnd she longed to mate with his primal seed-juices.\n\nIn a past year she had carried off the real princess,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And taken the form of the king’s true daughter.\n\nWhen she met the Great Sage, who saw her evil aura,\n\nHe could tell true from false as he came to save a life.\n\nThe murderous club was flung at the head;\n\nThe mighty iron cudgel struck back at the face.\n\nRanting and roaring, they were locked in struggle,\n\nFilling the skies and blotting out the sun.\n\nAs the two of them battled in mid air they terrified the common people of the city, and struck fear into all the officials at court. The venerable elder kept saying as he supported the king, “Don’t be alarmed, and please tell Her Majesty and all the others not to be afraid. Your princess is an impostor pretending to be her. When my disciple has captured her you will be able to see whether she is good or evil.” Some of the bolder consorts brought clothes and jewelry to show the queen."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“These are what the princess wore. She tore them off and is fighting that monk up in the sky stark naked. She must be an evil spirit.” Only then did the king, queens and consorts come to their senses and look up into the sky.\n\nWhen the evil spirit and the Great Sage had been fighting for half a day without either emerging as victor Monkey threw his cudgel up and called “Change!” One turned into ten, ten into a hundred, and a hundred into a thousand. Half the sky was filled with writhing serpents and pythons striking wildly at the evil spirit. With a flurry of her hands and feet she turned into a pure wind and fled into the azure sky. Monkey said a spell, took all the iron cudgels back into a single cudgel, and went straight after her magic light."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As he approached the Western Gate of Heaven and saw the dazzling flags and banners Monkey shouted at the top of his voice, “Heavenly gatekeepers, stop that evil spirit and don’t let her get away.” The gate was being held by the Heavenly King Lokapala with the four great marshals Pang, Liu, Gou and Bi, who did indeed use their weapons to block the way. As she could not get further she turned straight back and started fighting Monkey with her short club.\n\nAs he wheeled his iron cudgel the Great Sage looked carefully at her and saw that one end of her club was thick and one end thin, just like the lead of a trip-hammer used for hulling with a mortar, so he gave a furious roar and shouted, “Beast! What’s that implement you’re holding? How dare you fight me with it? Surrender at once or I’ll smash your skull with a single blow from my cudgel.”\n\nGrinding her teeth, the evil spirit replied, “You don’t know about this weapon of mine, so listen while I tell you:\n\nIts immortal root was a piece of mutton-fat jade,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Which took countless years to be worked into shape.\n\nIt was already mine when chaos was separated;\n\nWhen the primal disorder was sorted out I came first.\n\nIts origins cannot be compared with mere mortal things;\n\nIts nature has always belonged to the highest heaven.\n\nEmbodying the golden light and the four images\n\nWith the auspicious vapors of the Five Elements and the Three Primaries.\n\nLong did it live with me in the Moon Palace,\n\nStaying beside me in the Cassia Hall.\n\nFor love of flowers I descended to the mortal world,\n\nComing to India as a beautiful impostor.\n\nThe only reason why I shared the King’s pleasures\n\nWas because I wanted my destined marriage with the Tang Priest.\n\nHow could you be so cruel as to ruin this fine mating,\n\nPursuing me and giving rein to your vicious nature?\n\nGreat is the fame of this implement of mine,\n\nWhich is older than your cudgel with gold bands.\n\nIt was a drug-pounding pestle in the Moon Palace:\n\nOne blow from this and a life is ended.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "One blow from this and a life is ended.”\n\nWhen Monkey heard this he replied with a mocking laugh, “Evil beast! If you used to live in the Toad Palace you must have heard of my powers. How dare you argue with me! Turn back into your real self and surrender at once if I’m to spare your life.”\n\n“I know you,” the monster replied. “You’re the Protector of the Horses who made great havoc in the palaces of Heaven five hundred years ago. By rights I ought to give way to you, but because you’ve wrecked my marriage I hate you as much as if you’d killed my mother and father. It’s more than I can stand for. I’m going to kill you, you Protector of the Horses, for breaking the laws of Heaven.” The words Protector of the Horses always infuriated the Great Sage, so the moment he heard them he flew into a great rage, lifted his iron cudgel and struck at her face. The evil spirit swung her pestle in reply. A ferocious battle then ensued in front of the Western Gate of Heaven. In this combat there were\n\nA gold-banded cudgel,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A gold-banded cudgel,\n\nA drug-pounding pestle,\n\nTwo immortals’ weapons, a worthy match.\n\nOne had come down to earth for the sake of a marriage;\n\nThe other was there to protect the Tang Priest.\n\nIt was because the king was not a righteous one\n\nAnd loved flowers that he attracted the evil spirit,\n\nCausing today’s bitter strife\n\nAs two of them gave Ml play to their stubbornness of heart.\n\nCharging and rushing each other they strove for triumph;\n\nIn cutting words they fought on with their tongues.\n\nRare was the martial prowess of the medicine pestle,\n\nBut finer still was the iron cudgel’s might.\n\nA powerful golden light flashed at the heavenly gates;\n\nBrilliantly coloured mists went right down to the earth.\n\nAfter a dozen rounds of fighting to and fro\n\nThe evil spirit became too weak to resist."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The evil spirit became too weak to resist.\n\nWhen the evil spirit had fought another dozen or so rounds with Brother Monkey she could see how thick and fast his blows were coming, and realized that she could not win. Feinting with her pestle, she shook herself and fled due South in ten thousand beams of golden light with the Great Sage in pursuit. Suddenly they reached a great mountain, where the evil spirit landed her golden light and disappeared into a cave. Monkey, who was worried that she might escape, return to India and do some underhand harm to the Tang Priest, made sure he could recognize the mountain then turned his cloud round and went straight back to the capital.\n\nIt was now about four in the afternoon. The king was clinging to Sanzang, shivering and shaking as he kept saying, “Save me, holy monk!”\n\nThe consorts and queens were all in a panic as the Great Sage came down from the clouds with a cry of, “Here I am, Master!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stand still, Wukong,” said Sanzang. “You must not alarm His Majesty. Now, I am asking you what in fact happened about the imitation princess.” Standing outside the Jay Palace, Monkey put his hands together in front of his chest and said, “The imitation princess was an evil spirit. First of all I fought her for half a day, and she couldn’t beat me, so she turned into a pure wind and fled straight to the gates of heaven. I shouted to the gods to block her way. She turned back into her real self and fought another dozen or so rounds with me. Then she turned herself into golden light and fled due South to a mountain, beaten. I chased her as fast as I could till I got to the mountain, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. Then I came back because I was worried she might come here to harm you.”\n\nWhen the king heard this he grabbed hold of the Tang Priest and asked, “If the false princess was an evil spirit, where is my real princess?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When I’ve caught the false princess your real princess will turn up by herself,” Monkey replied straight away. When the queens and consorts heard this their fears vanished, and each of them came forward to bow and say, “We beg you to rescue our real princess, holy monk, and sort out the light from the dark. You will be richly rewarded.”\n\n“This is no place for us to talk,” said Monkey. “I beg Your Majesty to go from the inner quarters to the throne hall with my master. Her Majesty and the rest of them should all go back to the inner palace, and my fellow-disciples Pig and Friar Sand should be sent for to protect my master so that I can go and subdue the demon. That will keep a proper distinction between the inner and outer quarters of the palace, and spare me from worrying. I am going to sort this out to show my sincerity.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The king accepted the suggestion and was boundlessly grateful. He led the Tang Priest out of the inner quarters and straight to the throne hall. All the queens and consorts returned to the inner palace. A vegetarian meal was ordered while Pig and Friar Sand were sent for. The two of them soon arrived. Monkey explained to them both about what had happened and told them to guard the master carefully. The Great Sage set off by his cloud somersault and flew up into mid air. All the officials in front of the throne hall looked up into the sky and bowed low."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage Monkey went straight to the mountain that lay due South. When the evil spirit had fled in defeat to the mountain and gone into her den she blocked the entrance with boulders and lay hidden there, terrified. Having looked around for a while and seen no sign of life Monkey felt very impatient, so he made a spell with his hands and said the magic words, calling out the local deity and mountain god to be questioned. A moment later the two gods arrived, kowtowed and said, “We didn’t realize, we didn’t realize. If we had known we’d have gone a long way to meet you. We beg you to forgive us.”\n\n“I won’t hit you just now,” Monkey said. “Tell me what this mountain’s called. How many evil spirits are there here? Tell me the truth and I’ll forgive you your crimes.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Great Sage,” the two gods replied, “this mountain is called Mount Hairtrip. There are three have warrens in the mountain, but from remote antiquity there have never been any evil spirits here. This is a blessed land of five felicities. Great Sage, if you want to find an evil spirit, take the road to the Western Heaven.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I’ve reached the kingdom of India in the Western Heaven, where the king has a princess who was carried off by an evil spirit and abandoned in the wilds. The evil spirit turned herself into the princess’s double to deceive the king into building a decorated tower from which she could throw an embroidered ball to find herself a husband. When I got to the foot of the tower while escorting the Tang Priest she deliberately hit the Tang Priest because she wanted to mate with him and lure his primal masculinity out of him. When I saw through her I turned back into myself in the palace to catch her. She threw off her human clothes and jewels and fought with me for half a day with a short club that she called a medicine-pounding pestle. Then she turned herself into a pure wind and disappeared. When I chased her as far as the Western Gate of Heaven and fought another dozen or more with her she realized she couldn’t beat me, turned herself into golden right and fled here. Why didn’t you see her!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the two gods heard this they led Brother Monkey to search the three warrens. When they first looked by the warren at the foot of the mountain a few frightened hares were startled and ran away. When their search reached the cave at the top of the mountain they saw that the entrance was blocked with two great boulders.\n\n“The evil spirit must have gone inside,” the local god said, “when you were chasing her so hard.”\n\nMonkey then pried the boulders apart with his iron cudgel. The evil spirit, who was indeed hiding in there, sprang out with a whoosh, raising her medicine pestle to strike him with. As Monkey swung his cudgel to parry her blow the mountain deity fell back in terror and the local god fled.\n\nFrom the demon’s mouth came abusive grumbles: “Who told you to bring him here to find me?” She continued to fend off the iron cudgel as she fled up into mid air in a fighting retreat."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just at the moment of crisis, when it was getting late in the day, Monkey became more vicious than ever and his blows were even harder. He wished he could finish her off with a single stroke. Just then a call came from the ninefold azure sky of, “Don’t strike, Great Sage! Don’t strike! Be kind with your cudgel.”\n\nWhen Monkey turned round he saw that it was the Star Lord of the Moon leading his beauties and immortals down on multicolored clouds to stand in front of him. A flustered Monkey at once put his iron cudgel away, bowed and said, “Where are you going, Old Man? I’m sorry I didn’t keep out of your way.”\n\n“The evil spirit fighting you is the Jade Hare who pounds the immortal elixir of mysterious dew in my palace,” the Moon replied. “A year ago she secretly opened the golden locks on the jade gates and absconded from the palace. As I reckoned that she would be in mortal peril I have come here to save her life. I do beg you, Great Sage, to spare her life out of consideration for me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey assented, saying only, “I wouldn’t dare harm her, I wouldn’t dare. No wonder she’s so good with a medicine-pounding pestle. She’s the Jade Hare. What you don’t know, Old Moon, is that she has kidnapped the king of India’s daughter, made herself into the princess’s double, and wants to ruin my master’s primal masculinity although he’s a holy monk. This is the truth. We can’t stand for crimes like that. How can you possibly let her off so lightly?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There are things you don’t know,” the Moon replied. “That king’s daughter is no ordinary mortal. She was the White Beauty from the Moon Palace. Eighteen years ago she slapped the Jade Hare, after which she longed for the human world and came down to it in a beam of magic light to the womb of the king’s senior queen. She was born then. The Jade Hare was getting her own back for that slap when she ran away from the palace last year and threw White Beauty into the wilds. But she was wrong to want to marry the Tang Priest. That’s an offence she mustn’t get away with. It was a good thing you were careful enough to see through her before she ruined your master. But I plead with you to forgive her for my sake and let me take her back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If that’s why it happened,” Brother Monkey replied with a smile, “I wouldn’t dare to make any objections. But if you take the Jade Hare back I’m worried that the king might not believe it, so I’d like to trouble you and the immortal sisters to take the Jade Hare over there to prove it to the king. Then I’ll be able to show off my powers and explain how White Beauty came down to earth. I’ll make the king fetch Princess White Beauty to prove the truth of retribution.\n\nThe Moon was persuaded, so he pointed at the evil spirit and shouted, “Repent and submit, evil beast!” The Jade Hare rolled on the ground and turned back into her real form. Indeed she was\n\nGap-lipped and sharp-toothed,\n\nLong-eared and with few whiskers.\n\nHer body was covered with jade-coloured fur;\n\nWhen she stretched out her legs she flew over mountains.\n\nHer straight nose was like yogurt,\n\nGlossier than face-cream with powder.\n\nTwo eyes glowed red,\n\nBrighter than dots of rouge on the snow.\n\nCrouching on the ground"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Crouching on the ground\n\nShe was a heap of pure white silk;\n\nWhen she stretched herself out\n\nShe was a structure of dazzling silver wire.\n\nOften did she\n\nDrink in the purest dew of the heavenly dawn,\n\nPounding the elixir with her pestle of jade.\n\nWhen the Great Sage saw this he was delighted, and treading clouds and light he led the way as the Moon Lord brought all the beauties and immortals, taking the Jade Hare with them as they headed straight for India. It was now dusk, and the moon was slowly rising. When they reached the walls of the capital they heard the drums being beaten on the watch-towers. The king and the Tang Priest were still inside the throne hall, while Pig, Friar Sand and the officials were standing in front of the steps. They were just discussing whether the king should withdraw when a sheet of coloured cloud as bright as day was seen due South."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they all raised their heads to look they heard the Great Sage Monkey shouting at the top of his voice, “Your Majesty, King of India, ask your queens and consorts to come out and look. Under this canopy is the Star Lord of the Moon Palace, and the immortal sisters to either side of him are the beauties of the moon. This Jade Hare was the bogus princess of yours who has now turned back into her real form.” The king then quickly called his queen, consorts, palace beauties and maids out, and they all kowtowed towards the sky. The king, the Tang Priest and the officials also bowed to the sky in thanks. There was nobody in any house throughout the whole city who did not set out an altar on which to burn incense, kowtow and recite the name\n\nof the Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the Buddha.\n\nJust when everyone was looking up Pig felt a surge of uncontrollable desire, leapt up into the air and flung his arms round an immortal girl dressed in a rainbow. “We’re old Mends, darling,” he said. “Let’s go and have a bit of fun.” Monkey went up to Pig, grabbed hold of him, gave him a couple of slaps and swore at him: “You village idiot. What sort of place is this for getting randy?”\n\n“I was just going to chat her up for a bit of fun,” said Pig.\n\nThe Moon Lord had his celestial canopy turned about as he took the Jade Hare straight back to the Moon Palace with all his beauties. Brother Monkey threw Pig down into the dust, then was thanked by the king in the throne hall.\n\nWhen the king was told what had happened he said, “We are very grateful to you, holy monk, for using your great magical powers to capture the imitation princess. But where is our real daughter?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“She is no ordinary human either,” Monkey replied, “but the immortal girl White Beauty from the Moon Palace. Because she slapped the Jade Hare in the face eighteen years ago she yearned for the lower world, came down to the womb of Your Majesty’s senior queen and was born here. It was because the Jade Hare nursed her old grudge that she surreptitiously opened the golden lock on the jade gate’s, came down here, abandoned White Beauty in the wilds and made herself look like White Beauty to deceive you. The Moon Lord himself told me about this chain of events. Today we’ve got rid of the imposter, and tomorrow I’ll invite Your Majesty to go in your royal carriage to fetch the real one.”\n\nThis came as rather a shock to the king, who said with the tears streaming down his cheeks, “Daughter! In all the time since we came to the throne as a child we have never even gone outside the city gates. Where are we to go to look for you?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No need to upset yourself,” said Monkey with a smile. “Your daughter is now in the Almsgiver’s Spread Gold Monastery, pretending to be mad. Everyone can go home now. Tomorrow morning I’ll bring your real princess back to you.”\n\n“Please stop worrying, Your Majesty,” the officials all said, kowtowing. “These holy monks are all Buddhas who can ride clouds and mists: they are sure to know all about causes and effects in the future and the past. If we trouble the holy monks to come with us tomorrow to look for her we will learn the truth.”\n\nAccepting their suggestion, the king invited the monks to the Lingering Spring Pavilion, where a vegetarian meal was provided and they were to spend the night. By now it was almost the second watch. Indeed:\n\nThe copper water-clock drips in the moon’s bright glow;\n\nThe chimes of the golden bell are carried by the wind.\n\nWhen the cuckoo sings the spring is half-way gone;\n\nThe blossoms fall aimlessly as the third watch draws near."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The swing casts a shadow in deserted royal gardens;\n\nThe silver river spans the sky’s blue vault.\n\nNo travelers are to be seen in markets and streets;\n\nThe constellations make the night sky shine.\n\nThat night they all went to bed, and of that no more need be said.\n\nDuring the night the king lost his demonic aura, and his spirit grew with great speed, so that at three marks after the fifth watch he came out of the inner quarters to give audience once more. When the audience was over he ordered that the Tang Priest and his three disciples be fetched to discuss the search for the princess. Sanzang then came and did obeisance to the king, while the Great Sage and the other two also paid their respects. The king bowed to them and said, “Yesterday you spoke of our daughter the princess. May we trouble you divine monks to find and rescue her?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The day before yesterday we had been walking from the East till evening,” the venerable elder replied, “when we saw the Almsgiver’s Spread Gold Monastery. We went inside to ask for accommodation and had the good fortune to be entertained by the monks there. After supper I took a moonlight stroll in the former Spread Gold Garden, and as I was looking at the remains I heard wailing. When I asked what it was all about, an ancient monk, over a hundred years old, sent everyone else away before telling me, ‘Now, about that wailing, in the late spring of last year I was enjoying the moon when suddenly heard a gust of wind and the sound of someone grieving. I got out of bed, went into the Jetavana and saw a girl there. When I questioned her the girl said, “I am a princess, the daughter of the king of India. The wind blew me here when I was looking at the flowers by moonlight.”’ The ancient monk knows a lot about correct behavior, so he locked the princess up in a quiet, out-of-the-way cell. As he was worried that"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "out-of-the-way cell. As he was worried that the monks of the monastery might sully her he put it about that he had locked up an evil spirit. The princess, who understood what he was doing, ranted and raved during the day and demanded food and tea. Only late at night, when there was nobody about, did she think of her mother and father and cry for them. The ancient monk did come to the capital to make enquiries several times, but when he found that the princess was well and in the palace he didn’t dare say anything or submit a memorial. When the ancient monk saw that my disciple had some magic powers he repeatedly insisted that we were to come here to investigate. I never expected that she would turn out to be the Jade Hare from the Moon Palace who had put on an imitation of the real body and made herself look like the princess. She was also set on ruining my primal masculinity. Fortunately my disciple showed his mighty magic and detected the fraud. The Jade Hare has now been recaptured by the Moon Lord. Your"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "has now been recaptured by the Moon Lord. Your worthy princess is now pretending to be crazy in the Spread Gold Monastery.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After hearing the story in all this detail the king started to weep aloud. This soon alarmed the queens and consorts of the three palaces and six compounds, who all came out to ask why. Everybody began to weep bitterly, and it was a long time before the king asked, “How far is the Spread Gold Monastery from the city?”\n\n“Only twenty miles,” Sanzang replied.\n\nThe king then issued these commands: “Let the Queens of the Eastern and Western Palaces look after the court while the High Minister takes charge of the nation’s business. We are going to the monastery with our Senior Queen, our officials and the four holy monks to fetch the princess.”\n\nCarriages were at once prepared and a line of them left the palace. Watch as Brother Monkey sprang up into the air and with a bend of his back was the first to reach the monastery. The monks all hastily knelt to greet him.\n\n“When you left, sir,” they said, “you walked with the others, so why did you come down from the sky today?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "To this Monkey replied with a smile, “Where is your ancient teacher? Ask him to come out straight away, and set out incense tables to welcome His Majesty. The king and queen of India, the officials and my master are all coming.” The monks could not understand what he meant, so they asked the ancient monk to come out.\n\nWhen the ancient monk saw Monkey he prostrated himself before him with the words, “What has happened about the princess, sir?” Monkey told him all about how the imitation princess had thrown the embroidered ball, wanted to mate with the Tang Priest, been chased, fought, and been recaptured by the Moon Lord as the Jade Hare. The ancient monk kowtowed to him again in thanks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please stop kowtowing,” said Monkey, helping him up, “please stop. Hurry up and get ready to receive His Majesty.” Only then did the monks realize that it was a girl locked up in the garden at the back. Surprised and delighted, they all set out a row of incense tables outside the monastery gates, put on their cassocks and started striking the bell and the drum. Soon after this the king’s carriage arrived. Indeed:\n\nThe sky is filled with clouds of holy incense;\n\nSudden blessing comes to the monastery.\n\nThe rainbow flows for a thousand years; rivers and seas are pure.\n\nThe eternal spring round which lightning flickers is finer than those of Yu and Tang.\n\nThanks to the royal grace the plants’ colours are finer than ever;\n\nThe wild flowers have extra fragrance because of this generosity.\n\nMen of distinction have always left their mark behind them;\n\nToday all rejoice at an enlightened king’s arrival."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When the king arrived outside the monastery gates the monks were all lined up on their knees in orderly ranks, bowing low in greeting. Monkey stood in the middle. “How did you arrive first, holy monk?” the king asked.\n\n“It just took a little bend of my waist for me to get here,” Monkey replied.\n\n“Why were you such a long time coming?” After this the Tang Priest and the others all arrived. He led the royal carriage to the building at the back where the princess was still raving and pretending to be crazy.\n\nThe ancient monk knelt down, pointed towards her and said, “This is Her Royal Highness the princess who was blown here by a wind the other year.” The king ordered the cell opened. When the iron locks were\n\nundone and the door opened the king and queen saw and recognized the princess."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Not caring about the filth, they went up to her and threw their arms round her. “Our poor child,” they said, “how did you come to suffer these torments and have so terrible a time here?” How true it is that the meeting of parents and child is not like that of other people. The three of them sobbed aloud, their arms round each other’s heads. When they had cried for a while and told each other what had happened since they were parted, scented hot water was sent for. The princess bathed and changed her clothes before they all climbed into carriages to go back to the capital.\n\nMonkey then put his hands together in greeting to the king and said, “I have something else to put to you, Your Majesty.”\n\n“Say it, whatever it is, holy monk,” the king said, returning his greeting, “and we will do as you ask.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“This mountain of theirs,” Monkey replied, “is called Mount Hundredfoot. They tell me that centipedes have been turning into spirits here recently and injuring people by night. This is very awkward for travelling merchants. As I see it, only chickens can deal with centipedes, so a thousand extra-large cockerels should be chosen and then scattered across the mountainside to get rid of these venomous insects. The mountain could be renamed and you could make a land grant to these monks to thank them for looking after the princess.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This suggestion pleased the king greatly, and he accepted it. Officials were then sent back to the city to fetch cocks, while the mountain was renamed Mount Splendor. The Department of Works was instructed to provide the materials for the monastery to be rebuilt, a deed of enfeoffment was written describing the mountain as “Mount Splendor, granted to the Almsgiver’s Spread Gold Monastery,” and the ancient monk was given the title National Benefactor Hierarch, a title that was to be handed on to his successors in perpetuity, together with a stipend of thirty-six bushels of grain. The monks all thanked the king for his kindness and saw him off on his way back to the capital. Here the princess returned to the inner palace and was greeted by all the ladies in turn. A banquet was then laid on to cheer the princess up and congratulate her on her deliverance. The queen and her daughter were reunited; king and ministers were together. We will not describe the night’s feasting."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Early the next morning the king ordered that painters make portraits of the countenances of the four holy monks to be kept in the Sino-Barbarian Hall. The princess was also invited to come out from the throne hall in her new finery to thank the Tang Priest and the other three for saving her from her suffering. When she had thanked them the Tang Priest took his leave of the king to continue his journey West. The king refused to let them go, but ordered great banquets at which they feasted for five or six days. The idiot really was given a good time, and he enjoyed putting as much food in his stomach as he possibly could. When the king saw how determined they were to visit the Buddha he realized that no matter how hard he tried he would not be able to keep them. He had two hundred ingots of gold and silver brought out, as well as a tray of jewels for each of them as an expression of thanks. Master and disciples refused to accept anything. The king then ordered the royal carriage prepared, invited the master to"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "royal carriage prepared, invited the master to enter it, and instructed officials to escort them a long way. The queens, consorts, officials and common people all kowtowed endlessly in thanks. As they went along the way their monks all came out to kowtow to them in farewell; none of them could bear to be parted from the travelers. Seeing that the people seeing them off were unwilling to turn back. Monkey had no option but to make a spell with his hands and blow a magic breath in the direction of the trigram of the wind, Xun, so that a dark wind stopped all the escorts from seeing them. Only then did the travelers get away. This was indeed a case of"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Washing away the waves of gratitude their natures returned to the end;\n\nLeaving the sea of gold they were aware of true emptiness.\n\nIf you do not know what happened on the journey ahead, listen to the explanation in the next chapter.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety-Six\n\nSquire Kou Entertains the Lofty Monk\n\nThe Tang Priest Does Not Covet Wealth and Honour\n\nAll kinds of matter are really without matter;\n\nNo emptiness is truly empty.\n\nStillness and clamour, speech and silence, all are the same:\n\nWhy bother to dream-talk in one’s dreams?\n\nThe useful includes the useless in its application;\n\nAchievement lurks within failure.\n\nWhen the fruit is ripe it reddens of itself;\n\nDo not ask how the seed is to be grown."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Do not ask how the seed is to be grown.\n\nThe story has told how the Tang Priest and his disciples used their magic powers to stop the monks of the Spread Gold Monastery. When the monks saw after the black wind had passed that the master and his disciples had disappeared they thought that their visitors must have been living Buddhas come down to earth, so they kowtowed and went back. Of them we tell no more. As master and disciples traveled West spring was giving way to early summer:\n\nThe air was clear, mild and refreshing;\n\nWater chestnuts and lotuses were growing in the pool.\n\nPlums were ripening after the rain;\n\nThe wheat was forming as the breezes blew.\n\nFlowers were fragrant where blossoms fell from trees;\n\nThe oriole grew tired amid the willow’s light branches.\n\nSwallows over the river taught their young to fly;\n\nThe pheasants fed their chirping chicks.\n\nSouth of the Dipper the sun was always seen;\n\nAll of creation shone with brightness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All of creation shone with brightness.\n\nWe could never describe in full how they ate at dawn, found shelter at dusk, rounded ravines and climbed hills as they went along their way without incident for a fortnight. Then another city wall appeared in front of them. As they came closer to it Sanzang asked, “What sort of place is this, disciple?”\n\n“I don’t know,” Brother Monkey replied, “I don’t know.”\n\n“You’ve been this way before,” put in Pig, “so how can you claim that you don’t know? I suppose you’re being crafty and just pretending you can’t recognize the place to make fools of us.”\n\n“You’re being completely unreasonable, you idiot,” said Monkey. “Although I’ve been this way several times I’ve always come and gone by cloud high up in the sky. I’ve never landed here. I had no interest in the place, so why should I have looked it over? That’s why I didn’t know. I’m not being crafty, and not trying to make a fool of you either.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While they were talking they came close to the city before they realized it. Sanzang dismounted, crossed the drawbridge and went straight in through the gates. As they went along the main street there were two old men to be seen sitting under a portico and talking.\n\n“Disciples,” said Sanzang, “stand here in the middle of the road, keep your heads bowed and don’t run wild. I am going under that portico to ask where we are.”\n\nMonkey and the others stood still as they had been told while the venerable elder went up to the two men, put his hands together and called out, “Greetings, benefactors.” The two old men were idly chatting about such things as prosperity and decay, success and failure, sages and good men, their heroic deeds in ancient times, and where such men were now. Really, they said, it was enough to make you sigh.\n\nWhen they suddenly heard Sanzang’s greeting they returned it and asked, “What do you have to say to us, reverend sir?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I am a monk who has come from far away to worship the Lord Buddha,” Sanzang replied, “and I have just arrived here. I wonder what this place is called, and where there are any pious folk from whom I might beg a meal.”\n\n“This is the prefecture of Brazentower,” one of the old men said, “and this is the county of Diling near Brazentower city. If you want vegetarian food, reverend sir, you won’t need to beg. Go past this archway to the street running North-south. There’s a gate-tower shaped like a sitting tiger facing the East, and that’s Squire Kou’s house. In front of it is a sign that says ‘All monks welcome’. A monk from far away such as yourself will be given all you want. Off you go, and stop interrupting our conversation.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang thanked them, turned to Monkey and said, “This is Diling county in the prefecture of Brazentower. The two old men said that on the street running North-south past this archway there is a gate-tower shaped like a sitting tiger that is Squire Kou’s house. In front of it is a sign that says ‘All monks welcome’. They told me to go there for a vegetarian meal.”\n\n“The West is a land of Buddhists,” said Friar Sand, “and they really do feed monks. As this is only a seat of local government we don’t need to present our passport. Let’s go and beg ourselves a meal; that’ll be all the better for travelling with.” The master and his three disciples walked slowly along the main street, filling all the people in the market with alarm and suspicion as they crowded around, struggling to see what the strangers looked like."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang told his disciples to keep their mouths shut, saying, “Behave yourselves! Behave yourselves!” The three of them kept their heads bowed, not daring to look up. Then they turned a corner and did indeed see a main road running North-south.\n\nAs they were walking along it they saw a gate-tower like a sitting tiger. On a screen wall inside the gateway hung a great sign on which were written the words “All monks welcome.”\n\n“The West is indeed the land of the Buddha,” said Sanzang. “Nobody, however clever or stupid, is dishonest. I did not believe what the two old men told me. Now I know it is just as they said.” Being the boor that he was, Pig wanted to go straight in.\n\n“Just a moment, idiot,” said Monkey. “Wait till someone comes out so we can ask what to do before we go in.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Big brother’s right,” said Friar Sand. “If we don’t show respect for his privacy we might irritate the benefactor.” They let the horse rest and put down the luggage outside the gates. A little later a slave came out with a steelyard and a basket in his hands that the sudden sight of the strangers made him drop in alarm.\n\n“Master,” he reported, running inside, “here are four strange-looking monks outside.” At the time the gentleman was walking with a stick in the inner courtyard, reciting the name of the Buddha. When he heard the report he dropped his stick and went out to welcome them. Their ugliness did not frighten him.\n\n“Come in, come in,” he said. Behaving with all courtesy, Sanzang went inside with him."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The gentleman led them along a passageway and into a house, where he said, “The upper building includes a Buddha hall, a surra library and a refectory for you gentlemen. The lower building is where your disciple’s family lives.” Sanzang expressed endless admiration. He brought out and put on his cassock to worship the Buddha, then went up into the hall to have a look. What he saw was:\n\nClouds of incense,\n\nDazzling candles.\n\nThe-ball was filled with a brocade of flowers;\n\nAll around was gold and many colours.\n\nFrom red frames\n\nHung a bell of purple gold;\n\nOn a lacquered stand\n\nWas set a matching decorated drum.\n\nSeveral pairs of banners\n\nWere embroidered with the eight treasures;\n\nA thousand Buddha statues\n\nWere all covered in gold.\n\nAncient bronze incense-burners,\n\nAncient bronze vases,\n\nCarved lacquer tables,\n\nCarved lacquer boxes.\n\nIn the ancient bronze incense-burners\n\nWas always eaglewood incense;\n\nIn the ancient bronze vases\n\nWere the colours of lotus blossoms.\n\nOn the carved lacquer tables"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On the carved lacquer tables\n\nWere fresh fruits;\n\nIn the carved lacquer boxes\n\nFragrant petals were piled.\n\nIn glass bowls\n\nWas pure, clear water;\n\nIn crystal lamps\n\nThe fragrant oil shone bright.\n\nA metal chime\n\nResounded long and slow.\n\nThis was like a treasure house untouched by the world,\n\nA family Buddha hall rivaling a monastery.\n\nThe venerable elder washed his hands, took a pinch of incense, kowtowed and worshipped, then turned back to greet the gentleman.\n\n“Wait a moment,” Mr. Kou replied. “Let us make our introductions in the sutra library.” What they saw there was:\n\nA square stand and upright cupboards,\n\nJade boxes and golden caskets.\n\nOn the square stand and in the upright cupboards\n\nWere piled up countless scriptures;\n\nIn the jade boxes and golden caskets\n\nWere stored many a manuscript.\n\nOn lacquered tables\n\nWere paper, ink, brushes and inkstones,\n\nAll the finest treasures of the study.\n\nBefore the scented screen\n\nWere calligraphy, paintings, a lute and chess,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Were calligraphy, paintings, a lute and chess,\n\nAll for the most refined of interests.\n\nA magic chime of light jade covered with gold,\n\nAnd a copper tripod in the wind and under the moon.\n\nThe clear breeze freshens the spirit;\n\nThe purified heart is aware; the mind set on the Way is at ease.\n\nWhen the venerable elder had reached the library and was going to bow to him Mr. Kou held on to prevent this and said, “Won’t you take off your cassock?” Sanzang then took off his cassock, after which he greeted Mr. Kou. He then told Monkey and the other two to greet him too. Orders were given for the horse to be fed and the luggage put in a corridor. The gentleman asked about their background.\n\n“I have been sent by the emperor of Great Tang in the East,” Sanzang said, “to the Vulture Peak in your splendid country to see the Lord Buddha and ask for the true scriptures. I am here to request a meal because I have heard that in your distinguished household you honour monks. After that we will be on our way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The gentleman’s face was suffused with pleasure as he replied with a chuckle, “My name is Kou Hong, my other name is Kou Dakuan, and I have lived for sixty-four wasted years. When I was forty I made a vow to feed ten thousand monks, and you will complete the number. In the twenty-four years during which I have been feeding monks I have kept a record of their names. Having nothing else to do in recent days I have counted the names of all the monks I’ve fed, and the score is now 9,996. I was only short of four to make up the full number. Then today heaven has you four teachers down to me to complete the ten thousand. Will you be so good as to tell me your names? I hope that you will stay for a month or more until I have celebrated the completion, after which I will send you teachers up the mountain in carrying-chairs or on horses. Vulture Peak is only some 250 miles from here, not at all far away.” Sanzang was thoroughly delighted to hear this, and he agreed to it all at once."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Several young and old servants fetched firewood, drew water, and brought rice, flour and vegetables into the house with which to prepare them a meal. All this disturbed the gentleman’s wife, who said, “Where have these monks come from, and why is everyone so busy?”\n\n“Four eminent monks have just arrived,” the servants told her, “and when the master asked them where they were from they said they’d been sent by the emperor of the Great Tang in the East to go to worship the Lord Buddha on Vulture Peak. Goodness only knows how far it is to here from there. The master said that they had been sent down from heaven and told us to get them a vegetarian meal quickly.”\n\nThe old woman was also very pleased to hear this, so she told a maid to fetch her clothes so that she too could go to see them. “Only one of them is handsome, ma’am,” the servant said. “The other three don’t bear looking at. They’re really hideous.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you people don’t realize,” the old woman replied, “is that if they look ugly, strange and freakish they must be heavenly beings come down to earth. Hurry and tell your master straight away.”\n\nThe servant ran straight to the surra hall, where he said to the gentleman, “The old lady’s here to pay her respects to the lords from the East.” On hearing this Sanzang rose from his seat. Before the words had all been spoken the old woman was already before the hall, where she lifted her eyes to see the Tang Priest’s majestic countenance and his splendid bearing. When she turned to see the extraordinary appearance of Monkey and the other two she was somewhat alarmed even though she knew they were heavenly beings come down to earth; she fell to her knees and bowed.\n\nSanzang quickly returned her courtesy, saying, “Bodhisattva, the honour you do me is undeserved.” The old woman then asked her husband why the four reverend gentlemen were not all sitting together."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We three are disciples,” said Pig, thrusting his snout forward. Goodness! His voice was like the roar of a tiger deep in the mountains. The old woman was terrified.\n\nAs they were talking another servant appeared to announce, “The two young masters are here too.” When Sanzang turned quickly round to look he saw that they were two young scholars, who prostrated themselves to the venerable elder after walking into the sutra hall. Sanzang was quick to return their courtesy. Mr. Kou then came up to take hold of him and say, “These are my two sons. Their names are Kou Liang and Kou Dong. They have just come back from their school and have not yet had their lunch. They are here to pay their respects because they have heard that you teachers have come down to earth.”\n\n“What fine sons,” said Sanzang with delight, “what fine sons. Indeed:\n\nIf you want to make a lofty match you must do good:\n\nThe success of your sons and grandsons depends on study.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The two scholars then asked their father, “Where have these lords come from?”\n\n“From a long way away,” Mr. Kou replied with a smile. “The emperor of Great Tang in the East of the Southern Continent of Jambu has sent them to Vulture Peak to worship the Lord Buddha and fetch the scriptures.”\n\n“We have read in the Compendious Forest of Facts that there are four continents in the world,” the scholars said. “This continent of ours is the Western Continent of Cattle-gift. There is also an Eastern Continent of Superior Body. How many years did it take you to get here?”\n\n“I have been a long time on the journey,” Sanzang replied with a smile, “met many vicious demons and monsters, and suffered greatly. I have been greatly indebted to my three disciples for their protection. Altogether it has taken me fourteen winters and summers to reach your splendid country.”\n\nWhen the scholars heard this they said with unbounded admiration, “You really are holy monks, you really are.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before they had finished speaking a servant came in to invite them to eat: “The vegetarian banquet has been set out, so will you eat, my lords?” The gentleman then sent his wife and sons back to the house, while he went with the four monks into the refectory for the meal. Everything was set out very neatly. There were gold-lacquered tables and black-lacquered chairs. In front were fine cakes of many colours that skilled chefs had made up in up-to-date styles. The second row contained five dishes of hors-d’oeuvres, in the third row there were five dishes of fruit, and in the fourth were five large dishes of snacks. Everything tasted good, looked good and smelt good. Vegetable soup, rice and steamed breadrolls were all spicy, piping hot, and most delicious. There was plenty to fill one’s stomach. Seven or eight servants rushed around waiting on them, while four of five cooks were kept constantly busy. Just watch while some poured soup and others filled the rice bowls, coming and going like shooting stars"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "rice bowls, coming and going like shooting stars chasing the moon. Pig was finishing up bowls in single mouthfuls, like a gale blowing the clouds away. Thus master and disciples ate their fill. Sanzang then rose to thank Mr. Kou for the meal before setting out again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The gentleman blocked his way saying, “Teacher, won’t you take things easy and spend a few days here? As the saying goes, it’s nothing to start a journey but it’s hard to end one. I will send you on your way when we have celebrated the completion of my vow.” Seeing how sincere and determined he was, Sanzang had no option but to stay.\n\nFive to seven days quickly passed before Mr. Kou engaged twenty-four local Buddhist monks to perform a mass to celebrate the fulfillment of the vow. The monks spent three or four days writing texts out and chose a lucky day on which to begin the Buddhist service. The way they did it was like in the Great Tang. There was\n\nA great display of banners,\n\nWhere the golden countenance was set out;\n\nRows of candles\n\nAnd incense burnt in offering.\n\nDrums and gongs were beaten,\n\nPipes and shawms were played.\n\nCloud-cymbals,\n\nPure-toned flutes,\n\nSounded in tune;\n\nTo the beat of the drum,\n\nAnd the woodwind’s notes,\n\nThe words of sutras were recited in unison."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The words of sutras were recited in unison.\n\nFirst the local god was put at ease,\n\nThen spirit generals were invited to come.\n\nThe documents were sent out,\n\nAnd they bowed low to the Buddha statues,\n\nReciting the Peacock Sutra,\n\nEach word of which could sweep away disasters,\n\nA stand of lamps was lit for Bhaisajya-guru,\n\nTo shine with flames of dazzling brightness.\n\nThey performed the Water Ceremony\n\nTo end any sense of grievance.\n\nThen they intoned the Avatamsaka Sutra\n\nTo do away with slander.\n\nThe Three Vehicles of the Wonderful Law are very fine:\n\nDifferent monks are all the same.\n\nThe mass lasted for three days and nights before it ended. In his longing to go to the Thunder Monastery the Tang Priest was determined to be on his way, so he took his leave of them and thanked them.\n\n“Teacher, you are very eager to say good-bye,” Mr. Kou said. “I suppose you must have taken offence because for days on end we have been so busy with our service that we have treated you very offhandedly.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We have put your noble house to a great deal of trouble,” Sanzang replied, “and I do not know how we will ever repay you. How could we possibly have taken offence? But when my wise monarch saw me off through the passes all those years ago he asked me when I would be back. I wrongly told him that I would return in three years, never imagining that the journey would be so badly delayed that it has already lasted fourteen years. I do not even know whether I will succeed in fetching the scriptures, and it will take me another twelve or thirteen years to get back. How am I to face the penalty for breaking my monarch’s sage command? I beg you, sir, to let me go to fetch the scriptures and return. Next time I come to your mansion I will be able to stay much longer.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was more than Pig could bear. “You don’t care at all about what we want, Master,” he shouted at the top of his voice. “You’re showing no consideration at all. The old gentleman’s very rich, and now he’s fulfilled his vow to feed monks. Besides, he’s really sincere about wanting to keep us here. It’d do no harm if we stayed here for a year or so. Why be so set on going? Why leave all this good food to go begging for meals elsewhere? Is it your parents’ home ahead?”\n\n“All you care about is food, you cretin,” shouted Sanzang angrily. “You don’t care at all about the transference of cause and effect. Really, you’re such an animal you’d eat from the trough to scratch the itch in your belly. If you people are going to be so greedy and stupid I’ll go by myself tomorrow.”\n\nSeeing that the master’s attitude had changed, Monkey grabbed hold of Pig and punched his head. “You’ve got no sense, you idiot,” he said abusively. “You’ve made the master angry with us too.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“He deserved that,” said Friar Sand with a grin, “he deserved that. He’s disgusting enough even if he doesn’t say a word, but he would have to interrupt.” Breathing heavily, the idiot stood to one side, not daring to say another word.\n\nSeeing the anger of master and disciple, Mr. Kou said, his face wreathed in smiles, “Do not be so short-tempered, teacher. Make yourself comfortable for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I will have banners and drums brought here and ask some relations and neighbors to come to see you off.”\n\nAs they were talking the old woman come out again to say. “Venerable teacher, as you have come to our house you should not refuse too insistently. How many days have you spent here now?”\n\n“It is already a fortnight,” Sanzang replied.\n\n“That fortnight is my gentleman’s achievement,” the old woman said. “I have a little pin-money with which I would like to entertain you gentlemen for another fortnight.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Before she had finished speaking Kou Dong and his brother came out again to say, “Your four lordships, in the twenty and more years during which our father has been feeding monks he has never met better ones than yourselves. Now that by your gracious condescension you have made up the total you really have brought glory to our thatched hovel. We two are too young to understand about cause and effect, but we have often heard it said,\n\nThe husband gets what he has merited,\n\nThe wife gets what she has merited;\n\nNothing is got when nothing is merited.\n\nOur father and mother each want to make a humble offering in order that each of them may merit a reward, so why must you refuse so insistently? And as we two brothers have saved a little of our school fees we hope to be allowed to support you gentlemen for another fortnight before seeing you on your way."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I dare not accept even the lavish hospitality of the venerable Bodhisattva your mother,” Sanzang replied, “so how could I accept you brothers’ generosity? I could not possibly do so. I really must set out today. Please, please do not take offence. If I do not go now I will be unable to avoid execution for exceeding my emperor’s time-limit by so long.”\n\nWhen the old woman and her two sons realized that Sanzang was determined not to stay they started losing their patience.\n\n“We invite you very nicely to stay,” they said, “but you’re obstinately set on going. If you’re going, go, and cut out this chatter.” Mother and sons then left to go back to the house. Pig could hold his tongue no longer.\n\n“Master,” he said to the Tang Priest, “don’t overdo it. As the saying goes, ‘If you can stay, don’t go away.’ Let’s stay here for another month to let the mother and her sons fulfil their wishes. Why do you have to be in such a rush?” The Tang Priest made another angry noise at him and shouted again."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The idiot then slapped his own face twice, saying, “Tut, tut, tut. Don’t talk out of turn. You spoke again.” Brother Monkey and Friar Sand, who were standing to one side, started spluttering with laughter. The Tang Priest was angry with Monkey again.\n\n“What are you laughing at?” he asked, and made the hand magic, ready to recite the Band-tightening Spell.\n\nThis so terrified Monkey that he fell to his knees at once and said, “I didn’t laugh, Master. Whatever you do, don’t say the spell! Don’t say it!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Seeing that master and disciples were getting into a worse and worse temper with each other Mr. Kou gave up his insistence on their staying. “Don’t quarrel, teachers,” he said, “I’ll definitely see you on your way tomorrow morning.” He then left the sutra hall and told his secretary to write a hundred or so invitations to his neighbors and relations to see the Tang Priest off to the West early the next morning. He told the cooks to lay on a parting banquet, while also instructing his steward to have twenty pairs of coloured flags made, hire a band of musicians, and engage a group of Buddhist monks from the Monastery from the South and another group of Taoist priests from the Eastern Peak Temple. Everything was to be ready and in order by ten in the morning. All the gentleman’s staff went off to carry out their orders. Soon it was evening again, and after supper everyone went to bed. It was the time when\n\nDots of homegoing rooks pass the lonely village;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Dots of homegoing rooks pass the lonely village;\n\nDrum and bell can be heard from each other’s distant towers.\n\nIn streets and markets the bustle is stilled;\n\nIn all the houses the lamps shine dimly.\n\nFlowers in the breeze throw shadows under the moon;\n\nThe stars shine bright against the Milky Way.\n\nWhere the cuckoo sings the night seems deeper;\n\nAll natural sounds are stilled across the earth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All natural sounds are stilled across the earth.\n\nDuring the third and fourth watches of the night all the household servants in charge of various matters got up early to attend to their tasks. Just watch. The cooks preparing the banquet were busy in the kitchen. The people who had to buy coloured flags were bustling in front of the hall. Those engaging Buddhist and Taoist clergy were hurrying about as fast as their legs could carry them. Those hiring musicians were in a great rush. The messengers delivering invitations ran all over the place, while the servants preparing the carrying-chairs and horses were calling to each other. They were all shouting from the middle of the night until dawn, and by around ten o’clock everything was prepared. This was all because the family was rich."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells how the Tang Priest and his disciples got up early to be waited on once more by that crowd of servants. The venerable elder told them to pack the baggage and saddle the horse. When the idiot heard that they were about to go he pulled a face, pouted and grumbled, but he still had to pack the clothes and begging bowls then go to look for the carrying pole. Friar Sand brushed the horse, saddled and harnessed it, and stood waiting. Brother Monkey put the nine-ringed monastic staff in his master’s hand and hung the passport in a bag in front of his chest. They were now all ready to set out. Mr. Kou then invited them into the large hall at the back, where a feast was set out that excelled even the one they had eaten in the refectory.\n\nCurtains hung from on high;\n\nScreens stood all around.\n\nIn the middle was a picture:\n\nA mountain of long life and a sea of blessings.\n\nOn both walls were displayed.\n\nScrolls of spring, summer, autumn and winter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Scrolls of spring, summer, autumn and winter.\n\nFrom the dragon-patterned tripod came clouds of incense;\n\nAbove magpie-tailed burners rose auspicious vapors.\n\nIn bowls were bunches of color,\n\nFresh and brilliant flowers of splendid form.\n\nThe tables were piled with gold:\n\nLines of confections shaped like lions and immortals.\n\nMusic and dancing before the steps were in true harmony;\n\nThe dishes in the hall were like a brocade.\n\nExquisite soup and rice, both free of meat;\n\nThe finest tea and the best of wines.\n\nAlthough they were only commoners\n\nTheir home was fine enough for a prince.\n\nAll that could be heard were happy sounds\n\nSo loud they surprised the sky and shook the earth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder was just exchanging courtesies with Mr. Kou when a servant came in to report, “The guests are all here.” These were the people who had been invited—neighbors, relations by marriage, and some of his pious friends who also fed monks and recited the name of the Buddha—and all of them bowed to the venerable elder. After the greetings had been made everyone sat down. Outside the hall zithers and panpipes were played, while inside the hall pipas and songs accompanied the banquet. Pig paid great attention to this rich banquet.\n\n“Brother,” he said to Friar Sand, “relax and eat as much as you can. There won’t be anything as good as this to eat after we leave the Kou house.”\n\n“Nonsense,” Friar Sand replied with a laugh. “As the saying goes,\n\nNo matter how splendid the banquet you eat,\n\nFor only a while can it keep you replete.\n\nYour savings may meet the expense of the road,\n\nBut savings can never in bellies be stowed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But savings can never in bellies be stowed.”\n\n“You’re hopeless,” said Pig, “hopeless. If I eat my fill today I won’t feel hungry for the next three days.”\n\n“Idiot,” said Monkey, who had heard this. “Don’t fill your belly till it bursts. We’ve got to start walking now.”\n\nThey were still talking, and it was almost noon when Sanzang raised his chopsticks and said grace. Pig grabbed a bowl, filled it with desperate speed, and ate five or six bowlfuls in succession, gulping down a whole bowlful at a time. Without any qualms at all he filled both his sleeves with steamed bread, twists, pancakes and cooked dishes before rising with his master. Sanzang thanked the gentleman and everyone else, then they all went outside together. Just look at the coloured banners, splendid canopies, drummers and instrumentalists outside. Only then did two groups of clergy, one Buddhist and one Taoist, arrive."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Gentlemen,” said Mr. Kou, “you are late. Our teacher is in a hurry to leave, so I will not be able to offer you a meal. I’ll show you my gratitude when we come back.” Everyone then opened a way to let them through, the carriers carrying their chairs, the riders on their horses and the walkers on foot all let Sanzang and his three disciples go first. The heavens rang with drumming and music, the flags and banner blotted out the sun, crowds pressed around, and carriages and horses were all packed close together as everyone came to watch Mr. Kou seeing the Tang Priest off. The splendor all around was more magnificent than pearls or jade, and no less fine than brocade screens behind which spring lies hidden.\n\nThe Buddhist monks playing Buddhist tunes and the Taoist priests their Taoist airs all escorted the travelers out of the prefecture. When they reached the three-mile pavilion, baskets of food and jars of drink were set out, cups were raised, and they all drank parting toasts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mr. Kou, loath to let them go, said as he choked back his tears, “Teacher, you must spend some more days with us on your way back with the scriptures to fulfil my longing.” Overcome with gratitude, Sanzang thanked him at great length.\n\n“If I reach Vulture Peak,” he said, “and see the Lord Buddha the first thing I will do will be to praise your great virtue. We will certainly come to kowtow to you in thanks on our return journey.” As they talked they covered another mile or so without noticing it. Then the venerable elder insisted on taking his leave, at which Mr. Kou turned back, sobbing aloud. Indeed:\n\nHe who had vowed to feed the clergy found enlightenment:\n\nHe was not fated to see the Tathagata Buddha.\n\nWe will tell not of how Mr. Kou went home with everyone after seeing the travelers off as far as the three-mile pavilion, but of how the master and his three disciples went on for some twelve or fifteen miles. By now it was growing dark.\n\n“It’s late,” Sanzang said. “Where are we to spend the night?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Pig, who was carrying the pole, pulled a face and said, “You would have to leave ready-cooked meals behind and refuse to stay in a nice cool brick house so as to go wherever it is we’re going. That’s just asking for trouble. It’s very late now. What’ll we do if it starts raining?”\n\n“Evil, insolent beast,” cursed Sanzang, “complaining again. As the saying goes,\n\nThe capital may be remarkably fine,\n\nBut we can’t linger here for a very long time.\n\nIf we are fated to visit the Lord Buddha, fetch the true scriptures, go back to Great Tang and report to the emperor I will let you eat in the imperial kitchens for years on end. Then, you evil beast, you will swell up till you burst. That will teach you to be such a greedy devil.” The idiot chortled quietly to himself, but did not dare say another word."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Brother Monkey raised his eyes to look around he saw some buildings beside the road and asked his master urgently, “Can we spend the night here? Can we?” Sanzang went over to the place, where he saw a ruined memorial arch on which was inscribed\n\nTHE VIHARA OF PADMAPRABHA"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "THE VIHARA OF PADMAPRABHA\n\n“The Bodhisattva Padmaprabha was a disciple of the Buddha Sikhin,” said Sanzang, dismounting. “He was dismissed for eliminating the Demon King of Poison Fire and turned into the Spirit Officer of the Five Manifests. There must be a shrine here.” They then all went in together. The cloisters had all collapsed, the walls had fallen down, and there was no trace of anybody around, only of vegetation running wild. They would have gone out again, but the sky had filled with dark clouds and it had started to pour with rain. There was nothing for it but to find a place in the ruins where they could shelter from the storm. They kept completely silent, not daring to speak aloud for fear that some evil demon might hear them. Thus it was that they endured a sleepless night sitting or standing there. Oh dear! How true it is that\n\nDisaster strikes at triumph’s height;\n\nIn time of joy comes sorrow’s blight."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In time of joy comes sorrow’s blight.\n\nIf you don’t know what happened when they carried on with their journey, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety-Seven\n\nThe Monks and Their Supporters Meet With Demonic Attack\n\nThe Sage Makes the Spirit Reappear to Save the Primal One\n\nWe will tell not of how the Tang Priest and the others endured a hard night in the dilapidated palace of Padmaprabha, but of a group of evil villains in Diling county in the prefecture of Brazentower who had squandered all their families’ fortunes in whoring, drinking and gambling. Having nothing else left to live on they had formed a criminal gang of a dozen and more members and were discussing which family was the richest in the city and which the second richest. The idea was to rob them of their gold and silver and thus get some money to spend."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“There’s no need to go round making enquiries,” one of them said, “or work it out in detail. The Mr. Kou who saw the Tang monk off today is rolling in money. Let’s strike tonight in the rain. There’ll be nobody ready for us in the streets and the fire wardens won’t be patrolling. When we’ve stolen his property we’ll be able to go with the girls, gamble and have a good time again. That would be great, wouldn’t it?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The other robbers were all delighted with the suggestion, and with one heart they all set out in the rain carrying daggers, spiked clubs, sticks, coshes, ropes and torches. Flinging open the main gates of the Kou house they charged inside, shouting and sending everyone inside, young and old, male and female, scurrying into hiding. The old woman hid under the bed and the old man slipped behind the gates, while Kou Liang, Kou Dong and their families fled for their lives in all directions. Holding their knives in their hands and lighting torches, the bandits opened up all the chests in the house and grabbed as much of the gold, silver, jewelry, hair ornaments, clothing, vessels and other household goods as they wanted. Mr. Kou could not bear to lose all this, so taking his life in his hands he come out from behind the gate to plead with the robbers."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Take as much as you want, great kings,” he said, “but please leave me a few clothes to be buried in.” The robbers were in no mood for argument. They rushed up to him, tripped and kicked him to the ground. Alas,\n\nHis three souls vanished to the underworld;\n\nHis seven spirits left the world of men.\n\nThe successful robbers left the Kou house, put up a rope ladder from the foot of the city wall, took it in turns to cross and fled Westwards in the rain. Only when they saw that the robbers had gone did the servants of the Kou family dare show their heads again. When they looked for old Mr. Kou and found him lying dead on the floor they started weeping aloud. “Heavens! The master’s been murdered!” they all said as they wept, embracing the body and sobbing in misery."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When it was almost the fourth watch the resentful Mrs. Kou, who was angry with the Tang Priest and his followers for rejecting their hospitality, and also because the extravagance of their send-off had provoked this disaster, decided to ruin the four of them. Helping Kou Liang to his feet, she said, “Don’t cry, my son. Your father fed monks day in and day out. Who ever would have thought that he would complete the number by feeding a gang of monks who’d murder him?”\n\n“Mother,” the brothers asked, “how did those monks murder him?”\n\n“Those bandits were so bold and vicious that when they charged in I hid under the bed,” she replied. “Although I was trembling I made sure to take a very good look at them by the light of the torches. Do you know who they were? The Tang Priest was lighting torches, Pig was holding a knife, Friar Sand was taking the gold and silver, and Monkey killed your father.” The two sons believed all this."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If you saw all that clearly, mother,” they said, “you must be right. They spent a fortnight in our house, so they knew all the doors, walls, windows and passageways. They must have been tempted by our wealth and come back here under cover of rain and darkness. How evil! They’ve stolen our property and murdered our father. Once it’s light we’ll go to the local government and report them as wanted men.”\n\n“What sort of wanted notice should we write?” Kou Dong asked.\n\n“We’ll write what our mother said,” Kou Liang replied, and he wrote:\n\nThe Tang Priest lit the torches, Pig incited to murder, Friar Sand stole the gold and silver and Sun the Novice murdered our father.\n\nThe whole household was in such a hubbub that before they noticed it day had dawned. While invitations were sent out to their relatives and a coffin was ordered Kou Liang and his brother went to the local government offices to deposit their complaint. Now the prefect of Brazentower:\n\nHad always been upright,\n\nWas good by nature."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Had always been upright,\n\nWas good by nature.\n\nAs a boy he had studied by the light of the snow;\n\nWhen young he had taken the palace examinations.\n\nHis heart was always set on loyalty and justice,\n\nAnd filled with thoughts of kindness and benevolence.\n\nHis name would be transmitted in annals for a thousand years,\n\nLike a Gong Sui or Huang Ba come back to life;\n\nHis fame would resound for ten thousand ages in the balls of office,\n\nZhuo Mao and Lu Gong reborn.\n\nWhen he had taken his seat in the hall and declared that all matters could be dealt with, he ordered that the placard asking for plaints should be carried outside. Kou Liang and his brother then came in holding the placard, knelt down and called aloud, “Your Honour, we have come to denounce some bandits as thieves and murderers.” The prefect accepted their complaint and read what it had to say."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I was told yesterday that your family completed your vow of feeding monks,” the prefect said, “by feeding four distinguished ones, arhats from the Tang Dynasty in the East. You made a great display of sending them off with drums and music. So how could such a thing as this have possibly happened?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Honour,” said Kou Liang, kowtowing, “our father Kou Hong had been feeding monks for twenty-four years. These four monks who had come from afar just happened to make up the ten thousand, which was why he held a service to mark the completion and kept them there for a fortnight. They got to know all the passageways, doors and windows. They were seen off during the day and came back yesterday evening. During the dark and stormy night they charged into the house with torches and weapons to steal our gold, silver, jewelry, clothes and hair ornaments. They beat our father to death and left him lying on the ground. We beg you to be our protector.” On hearing this the prefect mustered infantry, cavalry and able-bodied civilian conscripts, 150 men in all, who rushed straight out of the Western gate carrying sharp weapons in pursuit of the Tang Priest and his three disciples."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story now tells how master and disciples stayed in the ruins of the minor palace of padmaprabha until dawn, when they went out and started hurrying Westwards. The bandits, who had gone along the main road West all night till daybreak after robbing the Kou family and leaving the city, had passed the palace of Padmaprabha and hidden in the mountains some six or seven miles to the West. Here they were just dividing up the gold and silver when the Tang Priest and his three followers came into view, also heading West along the road.\n\nThe bandits, whose greed was not yet sated, pointed at the Tang Priest and said, “Look! Aren’t they the monks who were seen off yesterday?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“And a very welcome arrival too,” said the other bandits, laughing, “Let’s do a bit more of our dirty business. Those monks coming along the road spent a long time in the Kou house. Goodness only knows how much stuff they’re carrying. Let’s hold them up, take their travel money and white horse, and share it all out. That’ll suit us very nicely.” The robbers then rushed to the road, brandishing their weapons and yelling their war cry as they formed a line.\n\n“Stay where you are, monks,” they shouted. “Leave some toll money and we’ll spare your lives. If so much as half a ‘no’ comes out through your teeth you’ll all be cut down without mercy.” The Tang Priest was shaking with terror as he sat on his horse.\n\n“What are we to do?” Pig and Friar Sand asked Brother Monkey with alarm. “What are we to do? We had a miserable night in the rain, and after starting out again this morning we’re being robbed by bandits. How true is it that troubles never come singly.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t be frightened, Master,” said Monkey with a smile, “and stop worrying, brothers. Wait while I go and ask them a few questions.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage put on his tigerskin kilt, straightened up his brocade and cotton tunic, went up to them, put his hands together in front of his chest and asked, “What are you gentlemen doing?”\n\n“Don’t you care whether you live or die, you swine?” the robbers yelled back at him. “How dare you question us! Have you got no eyes in your head? Don’t you realize who we great kings are? Hand your toll money over at once and we’ll let you go on your way.”\n\nWhen he heard this, Monkey wreathed his face in smiles and replied, “So you’re bandits who hold people up on the road.”\n\n“Kill him!” the bandits yelled with fury."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Kill him!” the bandits yelled with fury.\n\n“Your Majesties,” said Monkey with feigned terror, “Your Majesties, I’m only a monk from the country. I don’t know the right things to say. Please don’t be angry if I’ve offended you, please don’t. If what you want is toll money all you have to do is to ask me: no need to ask the other three. I’m the bookkeeper. All the money we get for chanting sutras and as alms, all we beg and all we’re given, goes into the bundles, and I’m in charge of spending it. The man on the horse is my master. All he can do is recite sutras. He doesn’t care about anything else. He’s forgotten all about wealth and sex, and he’s got nothing at all. The black-faced one is a junior I collected on our journey. All he can do is look after the horse. And the one with a long snout is a laborer I hired. He’s only good for carrying a pole. Let those three go while I fetch our travel money, cassocks and begging bowls. I’ll give you all you want.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You seem to be an honest chap, monk,” the robbers said, “so we’ll spare your life. Tell the other three to leave their luggage, and we’ll let them go.” Monkey turned back and gave them a look. Friar Sand put down the carrying-pole with the luggage, and led the master’s horse as they carried on Westwards. Monkey bowed down to undo the bundle, took a pinch of dust from the ground, and scattered it on the bundle as he said the words of a spell.\n\nIt was body-fixing magic, so the moment he shouted, “Stop!” the thirty and more bandits all stood stock still, grinding their teeth, staring, their hands apart. None of them could speak or move.\n\n“Come back, Master,” shouted Monkey, “come back!”\n\n“This is terrible,” said Pig in alarm, “this is terrible. Big brother’s informed on us. He isn’t carrying any money on him, and there’s no gold or silver in the bundle. He must be calling the master back to ask him to give up his horse. He’s going to get the clothes stripped off our backs.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Don’t talk such rubbish, brother,” said Friar Sand with a laugh. “Big brother knows what he’s doing. He’s always been able to beat vicious monsters and demons up till now, so what do we have to fear from a few petty thieves? He must be calling us back because he’s got something to say to us. Let’s go straight there and find out.”\n\nWhen the venerable elder heard this he cheerfully turned his horse round and went back. “Wukong,” he called, “why have you called us back?”\n\n“Hear what these robbers have got to say for themselves,” Brother Monkey said.\n\nPig went up to them, shoved them and asked, “Why don’t you move, bandits?” The bandits remained completely unconscious and said nothing.\n\n“They’re thick, and dumb too,” said Pig.\n\n“I fixed them by magic,” said Monkey with a laugh.\n\n“Even if you fixed them,” said Pig, “you didn’t fix their mouths, so why aren’t they making a sound?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please dismount and sit down, Master,” said Brother Monkey. “As the saying goes, ‘People only get arrested by mistake; they never get released by mistake.’ Knock all the robbers over, brother, and tie them up. Then we’ll force them to make statements. Find out if they’re beginners or old hands.”\n\n“Haven’t got any rope,” said Friar Sand. Monkey then pulled out some of his hairs, blew on them with magic breath and turned them into thirty lengths of rope. They all set to, knocked the robbers over, and tied their hands and feet together. Then Monkey said the words that ended the spell, whereupon the bandits gradually revived.\n\nMonkey invited the Tang Priest to take the seat of honour while he and the other two shouted, holding their weapons, “Hairy bandits! How many of you are there altogether, and how many years have you been in this line of business? How many things have you stolen? Have you murdered anyone? Is this your first offence?\n\nOr your second? Or your third?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Or your second? Or your third?”\n\n“Spare our lives, your lordships,” pleaded the robbers.\n\n“Stop shouting,” said Monkey, “and come clean.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We aren’t hardened robbers, your lordships,” they said. “We’re all from good families. Because we’re a bad lot we squandered all the wealth we’d inherited in drinking, gambling, whoring and living it up. We’ve never worked, and now we’ve got no money either. We found out that Mr. Kou’s family was one of the richest in the prefecture of Brazentower, so last night we got together to rob it under cover of darkness and rain. We stole some gold, silver, clothing and jewelry, and were just dividing it up in a mountain hollow to the North of the track when we noticed you gentlemen coming. Some of us recognized you as the monks Mr. Kou saw off, so we were sure that you must have some goods on you. Then we saw how heavy your luggage was and how fast the white horse was going. It was our disgraceful greed that made us try to hold you up. Never did we imagine that you would have such divine powers and be able to tie us up. We beg you to be merciful to us. Take back what we stole and spare our lives.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sanzang was violently shocked to hear that their booty had been stolen from the Kou household. He stood up at once and said, “Mr. Kou was a very good man, Wukong, so how did he bring such a disaster on himself?”\n\n“It was all because the coloured hangings and fancy parasols, and the huge numbers of drummers and musicians when we were seen off attracted too much attention,” replied Monkey with a smile. “That’s why this gang of desperadoes attacked his house. Luckily they ran into us, and we’ve taken back all the gold, silver, clothing and jewelry.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“We put Mr. Kou out for a whole fortnight,” said Sanzang, “so we owe him a huge debt of gratitude that we have not yet been able to repay. Would it not be a good deed to return this property to his house?” Monkey agreed, and he went to the mountain hollow with Pig and Friar Sand to fetch the booty, which they packed up and loaded on the horse. He told Pig to carry the load of gold and silver while friar Sand carried their own luggage. Monkey was just on the point of killing all the bandits with his cudgel when he had the worrying thought that the Tang Priest might get angry with him for committing murder. So he could only shake himself and take back all the hairs. Now that their hands and feet had been untied the thieves all got up then fled for their lives into the undergrowth. The Tang Priest then turned back the way he had come to return the booty to Mr. Kou. In making this journey he was like a moth flying into a flame and coming to disaster. There is a poem about it that goes:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kindness to others is rarely with kindness rewarded;\n\nKindness will often to hate and hostility lead.\n\nPlunge in the water to rescue the drowning? You’ll suffer.\n\nThink before acting and spare yourself grief you don’t need.\n\nSanzang and his disciples were just heading back with the gold, silver, clothing and jewelry when the crowd of men armed with spears and swords arrived. “Disciples,” said Sanzang with alarm, “look at all those armed men coming here. What is happening?”\n\n“It’s a disaster,” said Pig, “a disaster. They’re the robbers we set free. They’ve found weapons and ganged up with some more people. Now they’ve come back and they’re going to kill us.”\n\n“They don’t look like bandits, brother,” said Friar Sand. “Big brother, take a closer look.”\n\n“The master’s in bad trouble again,” Monkey whispered to Friar Sand. “These must be soldiers here to capture the bandits.” Before he had finished saying this the soldiers were upon the master and his disciples, surrounding them."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re a fine bunch of monks,” they said, “robbing a house then swaggering around here like this.” They then rushed them, dragged the Tang Priest off his horse and tied him up. Next they tied up Brother Monkey and the others, and carried them off hanging from poles, two men to each of them. Driving the horse along and seizing the baggage, they went back to the prefectural city. This is what could be seen:\n\nThe Tang Priest,\n\nShivering and shaking,\n\nWeeping and lost for words.\n\nZhu Bajie,\n\nMuttering and grumbling,\n\nFull of complaints.\n\nFriar Sand,\n\nTalking away,\n\nWhile secretly feeling uncertain.\n\nSun the Novice,\n\nChuckling merrily,\n\nReady to use his powers.\n\nHustled and carried along by the soldiers, they were soon back in the city, where the soldiers escorted them straight to the prefect’s court."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Honour,” they reported, “the constables have captured the robbers and brought them back.” The prefect, sitting in his place in the court, rewarded the constables, inspected the booty and sent for the Kou family to collect it. Then he had Sanzang and the others brought into court.\n\n“You monks maintain that you come from a place far away to the East and are going to worship the Buddha in the Western Heaven,” he said, interrogating them. “But really you’re housebreakers who used dirty tricks so\n\nthat you could get to know your way around.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "that you could get to know your way around.”\n\n“Your Honour,” Sanzang replied, “we are not robbers. I would not dare to deceive you. We carry a passport with us as proof. It was because we were so grateful to Mr. Kou’s family for feeding us for a fortnight that when we ran into the robbers along our way we recovered the booty they had stolen from the Kou house. We were taking it back to the Kou house to pay our debt of gratitude when to our astonishment we were arrested as robbers by the constables. We really are not robbers, and I beg Your Honour to investigate closely.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You only made up that fancy talk about paying a debt of gratitude because you were arrested by the soldiers,” the prefect replied. “If you really met other robbers why didn’t you show your gratitude by capturing them and turning them in? Why are only the four of you here? Look at the wanted notice Kou Liang submitted. He accuses you by name. How dare you still dispute it!” When Sanzang heard this he felt like a storm-tossed boat on the ocean, and all his souls flew away.\n\n“Wukong,” he said, “why don’t you come forward and argue in our defense?”\n\n“The booty proves it,” said Monkey. “Arguing would do no good.”\n\n“That’s right,” the prefect said. “The booty is all here as proof. Do you still dare to deny it? Fetch the head-clamp,” he instructed his underlings, “and put it round the head of the bald robber. Then beat him again.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey was now very anxious. “Even though my master is fated to suffer this,” he thought to himself, “I mustn’t let it be too tough for him.” Seeing the yamen runners tightening the cord to fix the head-clamp in place he opened his mouth to speak.\n\n“Please don’t squeeze that monk’s head, Your Honour. When we robbed the Kou house last night I was the one who lit the torches, carried the sword, stole the goods and killed the man. I was the ringleader. If you want to torture anyone, torture me. It’s nothing to do with them. The only thing is that you mustn’t let me go.”\n\nOn hearing this the prefect ordered, “Put the clamp on him first.” The underlings then all fell on Monkey, fixed the clamp on his head, and tightened it so hard that the cord snapped with a twang. The clamp was fastened, tightened and snapped with a twang again. They did this three or four times, and the skin on his head was not even creased."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When they changed the cord and were tightening it again someone was heard coming in to report, “Your Honour, the Lord Assistant Protector Chen from the capital is coming. Will you please come to greet him outside the city?”\n\nThe prefect then ordered the head torturer, “Throw the bandits into gaol and keep a good eye on them. The torture and interrogation will continue after I have gone to greet my superior.” The head torturer then marched the Tang Priest and the other three into the gaol. Pig and Friar Sand carried their luggage in with them.\n\n“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “what are we to do?”\n\n“In you go, Master,” said Monkey with a grin, “in you go. There aren’t any dogs barking in there. It’ll be a lark.” The four of them were then taken inside, and each of them was pushed on a torture rack, to which their bellies, heads and chests were tightly fastened. The warders then started beating them up again.\n\nFinding the agony unbearable, Sanzang called out, “Whatever shall I do, Wukong? Whatever shall I do?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They’re beating us because they want money,” Brother Monkey replied. “As the saying goes,\n\nStay put when things are going well;\n\nSpend cash when things are going ill.\n\nThey’ll stop if you give them some money.”\n\n“But where am I to get money from?” Sanzang asked.\n\n“If you haven’t any money,” Monkey replied, “clothes will do. Give them the cassock.”\n\nThese words cut Sanzang to the heart, but realizing that the beating was more than he could take he could only say, “Do as you will, Wukong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Gentlemen,” Monkey called out, “there’s no need to beat us any more. There’s a brocade cassock in one of the two bundles we brought in with us that’s worth a fortune. Open them up and take it.” When the warders heard this they all set to together, opening the bundles up to search them. There were some cotton clothes and a document case, but none of these were worth anything. Seeing something glowing brightly inside several layers of oiled paper the warders realized that it must be a treasure. When they shook it open and looked at it, this is what it looked like:\n\nExquisitely decorated with shining pearls,\n\nSet with some wonderful Buddha treasures.\n\nEmbroidered dragons curled around;\n\nFlying phoenixes adorned brocade edges.\n\nAs they all struggled to look they disturbed the head gaoler, who came up to them and shouted, “What are you all making this row about?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Falling to their knees, the warders replied, “His Honour has just started a case against four monks and sent them here. When we roughed them up a bit they gave us these two bundles. After we opened them we saw this, and we don’t know how to deal with it. It would be a real pity to tear it up to divide between us, but it would be hard on everyone else if just one of us had it. It’s a good thing you’ve come, sir: you can give us a ruling.” The head gaoler could see that it was a cassock. Then he inspected the other clothes and the document case, and on opening the case to read the passport he saw that it was covered with seals and signatures from many states."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s a good thing I saw this in time,” he said. “If I hadn’t, you people would have caused bad trouble. These monks aren’t robbers. On no account touch their things. When His Honour questions them again tomorrow we’ll find out the truth.” The warders then gave the wrapping cloths back to the prisoners, who repacked them and handed them over to the head gaoler for safekeeping.\n\nEvening was slowly drawing in. The drum could be heard from its tower, and the fire wardens began their patrols. By the third mark of the fourth watch Monkey could see that the others had stopped groaning and were fast asleep. “The master was fated to meet with the hardship of a night in gaol,” he thought. “That was why I said nothing in our defense and didn’t use my magic powers. But now the fourth watch is nearly over, and his suffering’s almost done. I’d better start getting things sorted out if we’re to leave this gaol at dawn.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Just watch as he uses his powers to make himself smaller, get off the rack, shake himself and turn into a midge who flies out of the prison through a gap between the tiles over the eaves. By the light of the stars and the moon in the still, silent night sky, he could see where he was going, and he flew quietly straight towards the gates of the Kou house. On the West side of the road was a house where a lamp was shining brightly, and as he flew closer for a better look he saw that it was a house of beancurd-makers. An old man could be seen looking after the fire while an old woman was squeezing out the bean juice."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wife,” the old man suddenly called out, “Mr. Kou had wealth and sons, but he didn’t live long. When we were boys we were both at school together. I was five years older than him. His father was called Kou Ming. In those days he had less than 150 acres. He couldn’t even collect his overdue rents. Old Kou Ming died when his son was nineteen, and once the young man took charge of the household things went really well. He married the daughter of Zhang Wang—she used to be known as Threadneedle when she was a girl, but she made her husband a rich man. Once she came into his house his crops were good and the debts to him got paid. Whatever he bought showed a profit, and whatever he went in for made money. His family’s worth a hundred thousand now. When he reached forty he turned pious and he fed ten thousand monks. Fancy him being kicked to death by robbers last night! Poor man. He was only sixty-four. Who would have thought so good a man would meet with so evil a reward and be murdered just when everything was"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "a reward and be murdered just when everything was going well for him? What a pity! What a pity!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By the time Monkey had listened to all this it was now at the first mark of the fifth watch. He then flew into the Kou house, where a coffin was placed in the main room. A lamp was burning at the head, and around the coffin was incense, candles and fruit. His wife was weeping beside him, and the two sons also came to kowtow and weep, while their wives brought two bowls of rice as an offering. Monkey landed at the head of the coffin and coughed. This gave the two daughters-in-law such a fright that they ran outside waving their arms about.\n\nKou Liang and his brother lay on the floor, too terrified to move, and crying out, “Oh, father, oh!” Their mother, being bolder, hit the head of the coffin and said, “Have you come back to life, old man?”\n\n“No,” replied Monkey, imitating Mr. Kou’s voice, to the great alarm of the two sons, who kept kowtowing, weeping, and repeating, “Oh, Father, oh!”\n\nTheir mother summoned up even more courage to ask, “Husband, if you haven’t come back to life why are you talking?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“King Yama has sent demons to bring me here to talk to you,” Monkey replied. “He told me that Threadneedle Zhang had been lying and trying to frame the innocent.”\n\nIn her surprise at hearing him call her by the name she had been known as a child, the old woman fell at once to her knees, kowtowed and said, “You’re a fine old man! Fancy calling me by my childhood name at this age! What lies have I been telling? Which innocent people have I framed?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wasn’t there something about ‘The Tang Priest lit the torches, Pig incited to murder, Friar Sand stole the gold and silver, and Sun the Novice murdered our father?’” Monkey replied. “Your lies have landed those good men in terrible trouble. What really happened was that the Tang Priest and the other three teachers met some bandits and got our property back for us to show their thanks. How good of them! But you had to concoct a wanted notice and send our sons to denounce them to the authorities. The court threw them in gaol without making a careful investigation. The gaol god, the local deity and the city god were all so alarmed and uneasy that they reported it to King Yama, and he ordered demons to escort me back home. I’m to tell you to have them released as soon as possible. If you don’t, I will have to make havoc here for a month. Nobody in the household, young or old—not even the dogs and the chickens—will be spared.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Kou Liang and his brother kowtowed again and begged, “Please go back, Father, and don’t harm us all. At dawn we’ll submit a petition to the court for their release and withdraw our charge against them. We only want peace for both the living and the dead.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Monkey heard this he called out, “Burn sacrificial paper money. I am leaving.” All his family started burning paper money. Monkey then rose up on his wings and flew straight to the prefect’s residence. Bending low to look he saw that there was a light in the bedroom: the prefect was already up. When Monkey flew into the main room, he saw a scroll-painting hanging on the back wall. It showed an official riding a piebald horse with several servants holding a blue umbrella and carrying a folding chair. Monkey did not know what the picture was about, but landed in the middle of it. All of a sudden the prefect came out of the bedroom and bent low to comb and wash himself. Monkey gave a sharp cough, alarming the prefect and sending him hurrying back into his bedroom. When he had combed his hair, washed himself and put on his formal clothes the prefect came out to burn incense to the picture and pray to it."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Venerable uncle, divine Jiang Qianyi, your dutiful nephew Jiang Kunsan is now prefect of Brazentower, thanks to the hereditary privilege won for me by your ancestral virtue, and also to my success in the examinations. Morning and evening I offer incense without interruption. Why did you speak today? I beg you not to haunt us and terrify the household.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“So this is a holy picture of his ancestor,” Brother Monkey thought with a hidden smile, and making the most of this chance he called out, “Nephew Kunsan, you have always been uncorrupt in the office you were given through ancestral privilege. How could you have been so stupid yesterday? You took four holy monks for thieves and threw them into prison without finding out why they had come. The prison god, the local deity and the city god were all so disturbed by this that they reported it to the king of Hell. He told demon envoys to bring me here to speak to you and advise you to consider the circumstances and find out the truth, and release them at once. Otherwise you’ll have to come back to the Underworld with me for the case to be sorted out.”\n\nWhen the prefect heard this he replied in terror, “Please go back now, sit. Your nephew will go straight into court and release them at once.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Very well then,” Monkey said. “Burn some sacrificial paper money. I am going to report back to King Yama.” The prefect lit incense, burned paper money and bowed in thanks. When Monkey flew out again and looked around he saw that the East was already turning white. He then flew to the Diling county office, where all the county officials could be seen in the courtroom."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“If I talk when I’m a midge,” he thought, “and someone spots me it’ll give the game away. That wouldn’t do.” So he gave himself a giant magical body where he was in mid air, and stretched down one foot that filled the whole courtroom. “Listen to me, you officials,” he shouted. “I am the Roving God Rambler, sent here by the Jade Emperor. He says that sons of the Buddha on their way to fetch the scriptures have been beaten up in the prefectural gaol here, which has disturbed the gods of the three worlds. He has asked me to tell you to release them at once. If anything goes wrong I’m to use my other foot to kick all you county and prefecture officials to death, then crush all the people around here and trample the whole city to dust and ashes.” At this the county magistrate and the other officials all fell to their knees and kowtowed in worship."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please go back now, superior sage,” they pleaded. “We are now going to the prefectural offices to request His Honour to release them immediately. We implore you not to move your feet and terrify us to death.” Only then did Monkey put away that magical body, turn into a midge again and fly back into the gaol through a gap between the tiles at the eaves, climb into his rack and go to sleep.\n\nThe story now tells that no sooner had the prefect entered his courtroom and ordered the notice inviting people to submit written requests to be carried outside than Kou Liang and his brother fell to their knees at the entrance, holding the notice in their arms. The prefect ordered them to come in, and when the prefect read the document that the two of them submitted he said in fury, “Yesterday you handed me a wanted notice. The thieves were arrested and you had the booty back. So why are you asking for them to be released today?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your Honour,” the two brothers replied, tears streaming down, “last night our father’s spirit appeared to us and said ‘the holy monks from Tang captured the bandits, took our property back from them, released them and were kindly bringing the goods back to us to show their gratitude. How could you have treated them as robbers, captured them and made them suffer in gaol? The local god in the gaol and the city god were so alarmed and uneasy that they reported it to King Yama. King Yama ordered demons to escort me back to tell you to go to the prefectural court and submit another plea for the Tang Priest’s release and thus avoid disaster. Otherwise everybody in the household would be killed.’ This is why we have come with this request for their release. We beg you to help us, Your Honour.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On hearing this the prefect thought, “Their father is a new ghost whose body is still warm, so it’s not surprising that he should have appeared to them after what happened. But my uncle has been dead for five or six years. Why did he appear to me early this morning and tell me to investigate and release them? It really does look as though an injustice has been done.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the prefect was thinking things over the magistrate and other officials of Diling county came rushing into the courtroom to say in a wild panic, “Disaster, Your Honour, disaster! The Jade Emperor has just sent the Roving God Rambler down to earth to tell you to release those good men from gaol this very moment. The monks captured yesterday weren’t robbers: they are disciples of the Buddha going to fetch the scriptures. If there’s any delay he’s going to kick all us officials to death, then trample the whole city and all the people in it to dust and ashes.” The prefect turned pale at this new shock, then told the head gaoler to write a release order and deliver them to the court. The prison doors were immediately opened and they were led out.\n\n“Goodness knows what sort of beating we’re in for today,” said Pig gloomily."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I can guarantee that they won’t dare give you a single clout,” said Monkey with a grin. “I’ve fixed everything up. When you go into the courtroom you absolutely mustn’t kneel. He’ll come down into the court to invite us to take the best seats. Then we’ll ask for our luggage and the horse back from him. If anything’s missing I’ll give him a beating for your entertainment.”\n\nBefore he had finished speaking they reached the entrance to the courtroom, where the prefect, the county magistrate and all the other officials came out to welcome them with the words, “When you holy monks arrived yesterday we were under urgent pressure to meet our superiors. In addition, we did see the stolen goods. That is why we did not find out the truth.” The Tang Priest put his hands together in front of his chest, bowed and recounted in detail everything that had happened.\n\nThe officials were all voluble in admitting, “We were wrong, we were wrong. Please, please don’t be angry with us.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "They then asked if the monks had lost anything in the prison. Monkey stepped forward, opened his eyes wide in a glare and yelled at the top of his voice, “Our white horse was taken by the court officers, and the gaolers took our luggage. Give it back right now. It’s our turn to torture and question you lot how. What should the punishment for wrongfully arresting innocent people as bandits be?”\n\nSeeing how ugly he was acting, the prefectural and county officials were all terrified. They told the people who had taken the horse to return the horse, and the men who had taken the luggage to return every single piece of it. Just look at how viciously the three disciples start acting, while the officials could only blame the Kou family to cover up their own blunder.\n\n“Disciples,” said Sanzang, trying to calm them down. “Let us go to the Kou house to question them and argue it out with them in order to make everything clear. Then we can find out who it was who took us for robbers.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Good idea,” said Brother Monkey. “I’ll call the dead man back and ask him who killed him.”\n\nFriar Sand hoisted the Tang Priest up on the horse right there in the courtroom, then escorted him outside with much shouting. All the prefectural and county officials accompanied them to the Kou house, so alarming Kou Liang and his brother that they kowtowed repeatedly in front of the gateway then led them into the hall. This was where old Mr. Kou’s coffin lay, and the whole family was to be seen weeping inside the mourning drapes around it.\n\n“Stop howling, you lying old woman,” Monkey shouted. “You tried to get innocent men killed. Wait till I call your husband back. We’ll see what he has to say about who murdered him. That’ll shame her.” The officials all thought that Monkey was joking, but then he said, “Please keep my master company for a moment, Your Honors, Pig, Friar Sand, protect him well. I’m off. I’ll soon be back.”\n\nThe splendid Great Sage bounded outside and rose up into the sky."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Coloured clouds were all around to cover up the house.\n\nAuspicious auras filled the sky to protect the primal deity.\n\nOnly then did everyone recognize that Monkey was an immortal who could ride clouds and mists, and a sage who could bring the dead back to life. We will not tell of how they all burned incense and worshipped.\n\nThe Great Sage went straight to the Underworld by somersault cloud and charged into the Senluo Palace, causing such alarm that:\n\nThe Ten Kings of the Underworld came out to raise their bands in greeting;\n\nThe demon judges of the five regions kowtowed in welcome.\n\nA thousand trees of knives all leaned away;\n\nTen thousand hills of swords all leveled themselves.\n\nIn the City of the Unjustly Slain the fiends were converted;\n\nUnder the bridge over Punishment River the dead return to life.\n\nThe divine light was like the grace of Heaven,\n\nAnd everywhere shone bright in the palaces of darkness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Ten Kings received the Great Sage, greeted him, and asked him why he had come. “Who’s got the ghost of Kou Hong who used to feed monks in Diling County in the prefecture of Brazentower?” said Monkey. “Find him and give him to me at once.”\n\n“Kou Hong is a very good man,” the Ten King replied. “He came here himself. No demon had to envoys drag him here with their hooks. He met King Ksitigarbha’s Goldenclad Boy, who took him to see Ksitigarbha.” Monkey then took his leave of them and went straight to the Turquoise Cloud Palace, where he saw the Bodhisattva King Ksitigarbha. When the Bodhisattva had greeted him Monkey explained what had happened."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Liang Hong’s allotted span had been completed,” the Bodhisattva said with delight, “and his life was over. That is why he left the world behind and came here without touching his bed. As he was such a good man who had fed monks I have made him a chief recorder in charge of the register of good deeds. But since you have come here to fetch him, Great Sage, I shall grant him a twelve-year extension of his life on earth. Let him leave with the Great Sage.”\n\nThe Goldenclad Boy then led out Kou Hong, who on seeing Monkey kept saying, “Teacher, save me! Teacher!”\n\n“You were kicked to death by robbers,” said Monkey, “and now you’re in the Bodhisattva King Ksitigarbha’s place in the Under world. I’ve come to fetch you and take you to the world of the living to sort this matter out. The Bodhisattva will let you go back and has given you another twelve years of life, after which you’ll come back here.” The old gentleman kowtowed to him endlessly."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Having thanked and taken his leave of the Bodhisattva, Monkey blew on Kou Hong, turned him into vapor, tucked him into his sleeve and left the Underworld to go back to the world of the living. He rode his cloud back to the Kou house, told Pig to lever the lid off the coffin and pushed Kou Hong’s spirit back into the body.\n\nA moment later Kou Hong started breathing as he came back to life. Climbing out of his coffin, he kowtowed to the Tang Priest and his three disciples with the words, “Teachers, teachers, I was wrongly killed, but my master went to the Underworld to bring me back to life. I owe him my recovery.”\n\nHis thanks were unending. When he turned round and saw all the officials drawn up in line he kowtowed again and asked, “Why are all your lordships in my house?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Your sons first submitted a wanted notice,” the prefect replied, “and accused the holy monks by name. I sent men to arrest them, not realizing that the holy monks had met the robbers who raided your house, taken the booty off them and were returning it to your house. I was wrong to have them arrested, and I had them thrown into gaol without making a detailed investigation. Last night your spirit appeared, my late uncle came to lodge a complaint with me, and the Roving God Rambler came down to earth in the county offices. After so many manifestations I released the holy monks, and they have brought you back to life.”\n\n“Your Honour,” said Mr. Kou on his knees, “these four holy monks really have been wronged. That night over thirty bandits with torches and weapons robbed my house. Because I could not bear to lose all those things I tried to reason with the robbers, but to my horror they kicked me to death. What’s it got to do with these four gentlemen?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He then called for his wife. “Why did you people make that lying report about who had killed me? Will you please determine their punishments, Your Honour.” Everyone in the family, young and old alike, kowtowed. In his magnanimity the prefect spared them from punishment. Kou Hong then ordered a banquet to thank the prefectural and county officials for their generosity. The officials all returned to their offices without sitting down at the banquet. The next day the sign announcing that monks would be fed was hung out again, and another attempt was made to keep Sanzang there. Sanzang refused absolutely to stay any longer. Once again Mr. Kou invited his friends and relations, arranged for flags and canopies and saw them off as before. Indeed:\n\nHowever remote the place evil deeds can be done;\n\nHeaven may be high, but it does not desert the good.\n\nSteadily they plod along towards the Tathagata\n\nUntil they reach the gate of bliss on Vulture Peak."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "If you do not know what happened when they met the Buddha, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety-Eight\n\nWhen the Ape and the Horse Are Tamed They Cast Off Their Husks\n\nWhen All the Deeds Have Been Done Reality Is Seen"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story told how after coming back to life Mr. Kou once more arranged for parasols, banners, drummers, musicians, Buddhist monks, Taoist priests, his friends and his relations to see Sanzang off again. But instead of describing this we will tell of the Tang Priest and his three disciples taking the main road. The West was indeed a land of the Buddha, unlike anywhere else. They saw precious flowers, rare grasses, ancient cypresses and hoary pines. In all the places they passed through every family was pious and fed monks. Under every mountain people cultivated their conduct; in all the forests travelers recited sutras Master and disciples took shelter each night and set out at dawn, till six or seven days later a mass of high buildings and splendid halls suddenly came into view. Truly they were:\n\nThrusting a hundred feet into the heavens,\n\nTouching the Milky Way in the sky.\n\nLower your head and see the setting sun;\n\nPut out your hand and pluck a shooting star.\n\nThe spacious windows enclose the cosmos;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The spacious windows enclose the cosmos;\n\nThe towering roofbeams join up with the clouds.\n\nYellow cranes bring letters as the autumn trees grow old;\n\nColoured phoenix epistles come in the fresh evening breeze.\n\nThese are sacred and precious palaces and gates,\n\nJeweled, intricate buildings and courtyards.\n\nIn the holy halls the Way is discussed;\n\nSutras are transmitted throughout the universe.\n\nThe flowers are beautiful as they turn towards the spring;\n\nGreen are the pine trees in the rain.\n\nPurple fungus and immortals’ fruits ever flourish;\n\nAll beings respond as red phoenixes soar.\n\nSanzang raised his whip and pointed with it as he said, “What a fine place, Wukong.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Monkey, “when you were in those delusive places where you saw false images of Buddhas you insisted on prostrating yourself in front of them. But today, when you’ve reached the real place where there is the true image of the Buddha, you won’t even dismount. What do you mean by it?” No sooner did he hear this than Sanzang sprang straight out of the saddle and went to the gateway.\n\nA young lay brother who stood to one side of the monastery gateway called out, “You must be the people from the East who have come to fetch the scriptures.” The venerable elder quickly straightened his clothes and raised his head to look around. He saw that the boy was\n\nWearing clothes of golden brocade,\n\nWaving a jade-handled whisk.\n\nWearing clothes of golden brocade\n\nHe feasted in pavilions by the Jasper Pool;\n\nWaving a jade-handled whisk\n\nHe dusted the steps of the purple palaces.\n\nAt his side hung an immortal’s tablet;\n\nAnd on his feet were sandals.\n\nHe was a true winged adept,\n\nElegant and remarkable."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Elegant and remarkable.\n\nHaving won immortality he lived in a wonderful land,\n\nCultivating eternal life and escaping from worldly dust.\n\nThe holy priest did not recognize the stranger on Vulture Peak,\n\nThe Gold-crested Immortal of yesteryear.\n\nThe Great Sage Monkey did, however, recognize him. “Master,” said Monkey, “this is the Great Gold-crested Immortal who lives at the Jade Truth Temple at the foot of Vulture Peak. He is here to greet us.” Only then did Sanzang realize who he was and step forward to salute him.\n\n“You have finally arrived here this year,” replied the Great Immortal with a smile. “I was fooled by the Bodhisattva Guanyin. Ten years ago she went to the East at the Buddha’s command to find the Pilgrim who would fetch the scriptures. She told me then he would be here within two or three years. I have been waiting for years on end with no news of you at all. I never thought that it would be this year before we met.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Putting his hands together in front of his chest, Sanzang replied, “I am very grateful to you for your kindness, Great Immortal, very grateful.” Sanzang and his three disciples led the horse and carried the baggage with them into the Taoist temple, where they were introduced to all the Great Immortals there. Tea and a vegetarian meal were then ordered, and the Taoist boys were told to heat scented water for the holy monks to bathe in before climbing to the Buddha land. Indeed:\n\nWhen achievements are complete it is right to bathe;\n\nThe fundamental nature has been trained into innate truth.\n\nMany thousand troubles and today:\n\nThe nine prohibitions and triple surrender lead to renewal.\n\nThe monsters all done with, they climb to the Buddha land;\n\nWith disasters ended they see the Sramana.\n\nDirt and filth now washed away, they are wholly pure;\n\nReturning to the fundamental, their bodies are imperishable."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "By the time master and disciples had bathed the day was drawing to a close. They spent the night in the Jade Truth Temple.\n\nThe next morning the Tang Priest changed into his brocade cassock, put on his Vairocana mitre and grasped his monastic staff in his hand to climb the steps of the main hall and take his leave of the Great Immortal. “Yesterday you were in rags,” the Great Immortal said with a smile, “but today you are dressed in splendor. I can see from your appearance that you are indeed a son of the Buddha.” Sanzang then bowed in farewell.\n\n“Wait a moment,” the Great Immortal said. “I will see you off.”\n\n“There’s no need for you to see us off,” Monkey replied. “I know the way.”\n\n“What you know,” said the Great Immortal, “is the way by cloud. The holy monk has never gone by cloud. He must go by the overland way.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re right,” replied Monkey. “Although I’ve been here several times I’ve always come and gone by cloud. I’ve never come here on foot. If there’s an overland route I’ll trouble you to see us along it. My master is very serious about worshipping the Buddha, so I’d be very grateful if you could hurry up about it.” The Great Immortal chuckled as he took the Tang Priest by hand and led the Incense to the gate of the Dharma. The way led not out by the temple’s front entrance but through the main hall and out through the back gate.\n\nPointing towards Vulture Peak, the Great Immortal said, “Holy monk, do you see the auspicious light of many colours and the richly textured aura in the sky? That is the summit of Vulture Peak, the holy territory of the Lord Buddha.” As soon as he saw it the Tang Priest bowed low."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” said Brother Monkey with a smile, “we haven’t got to the place for bowing yet. As the saying goes, ‘The mountain may be in view, but your horse will collapse before you get there.’ We’re still quite a long way from the place, so why start bowing now? If you bow all the way from here to the top, however many times will you have to hit your head on the ground?”\n\n“Holy monk,” said the Great Immortal, “You, the Great Sage, Marshal Tian Peng, and the Curtain-raising General have now reached the blessed land and seen Vulture Peak. I am going back now.” Sanzang took his leave of the Great Immortal and continued on his way.\n\nThe Great Sage led the Tang Priest and the others slowly up Vulture Peak. Within a couple of miles they reached a river of mighty rolling waves some three miles wide. There was no sign of anyone anywhere around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Wukong,” said Sanzang with alarm, “we have come the wrong way. I wonder if the Great Immortal misdirected us. This river is so wide and the waves so big, and there are no boats to be seen. How are we to cross it?”\n\n“He didn’t send us the wrong way,” replied Monkey with a smile. “Look over there. That’s a bridge, isn’t it? Once we’re over that we’ll have completed the true achievement.” When the venerable elder and the others went closer to look they saw a tablet beside it on which were written the words CLOUDTOUCHING CROSSING. Now this bridge was only a single log. Indeed:\n\nFrom afar it seemed to span the void like a beam of jade;\n\nSeen closer, the bridge was but a withered spar crossing the water.\n\nTo bind a river and frame the sea is easier\n\nThan walking along the trunk of a single tree.\n\nThe glow of a myriad rainbows spread out all around;\n\nA thousand lengths of fine white silk stretched to the edge of the sky.\n\nIt was narrow, slippery and hard to cross,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was narrow, slippery and hard to cross,\n\nUnless one was a god who could walk on coloured clouds.\n\n“Wukong,” said Sanzang in fear and trembling, “no mortal man could cross that bridge. Let us look elsewhere to find the way.”\n\n“But this is the way,” replied Monkey with a smile, “this is the way.”\n\n“Nobody’s going to dare cross that even if it is the right way,” said Pig with alarm. “The river’s so wide, and there are those terrible waves, and all there is is that narrow, slippery tree-trunk. We couldn’t take a single step.”\n\n“You all stand there while I go on it to show you,” replied Monkey.\n\nThe splendid Great Sage strode forward and sprang on the single-trunk bridge. He quickly ran across to the other side, swaying as he went, and called out, “Come over, come over.” The Tang Priest waved in refusal, while Pig and Friar Sand bit their fingers and said, “It’s much too hard.”\n\nMonkey then ran back again from the far side and pulled at Pig. “Come with me, you idiot,” he said, “come with me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It’s too slippery, it’s too slippery,” said Pig, lying down on the ground. “I could never cross it. Please spare me that and let me cross by wind and mist.”\n\nMonkey held him down as he replied, “This is no place for you to be allowed to go riding wind and mist. You can only become a Buddha by crossing this bridge.”\n\n“Brother,” said Pig, “I’ll never make it. Honestly, I can’t walk across.”\n\nAs the two of them were pulling at each other and fighting, Friar Sand went over to talk them round. Only then did they let go of each other. Sanzang then looked round to see a man poling a boat towards them from downriver and shouting, “Ferry! Come aboard.”\n\n“Stop fooling around, disciples,” said a delighted venerable elder. “There is a ferry-boat coming.” The other three sprang to their feet and all watched together as the boat drew closer. It was a bottomless craft."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey had already spotted with the golden pupils in his fiery eyes that this was the Welcoming Lord Buddha, who is also known as Ratnadhvaja, the Royal Buddha of Brightness, but instead of giving this away he just kept calling, “Over here, punt, over here.”\n\nA moment later the ferryman had punted his boat up to the bank and was again shouting, “Ferry! Come aboard!” Sanzang was once more alarmed at the sight. “Your boat has no bottom,” he said, “so however could you ferry anyone across?”\n\n“This boat of mine,” the Buddha said,\n\n“Has been famous since Chaos was first divided,\n\nAnd been punted by me without any changes.\n\nIt is stable in wind and stable in waves,\n\nEnjoying great peace with no start and no end.\n\nUntouched by the six types of dust, it returns to the One,\n\nCarries on calmly through all kinds of calamity.\n\nHard it is for a bottomless boat to cross the oceans,\n\nBut since ancient times it has ferried all creatures.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Great Sage Monkey put his hands together in front of his chest and thanked him with the words, “I am grateful to you for your generosity in coming to welcome my master. Step aboard, Master. That boat of his may have no bottom, but it’s stable, and won’t capsize even in wind and waves.” The venerable elder was still very doubtful, but Monkey seized him by the arms and pushed him forward. Unable to keep on his feet, the master tumbled into the water, where the ferryman grabbed hold of him at once and stood him on the boat. The master shook his clothes and stamped his feet, complaining about Monkey, who led Friar Sand and Pig to stand on board bringing the luggage and the horse with them.\n\nGently and strongly the Buddha pushed off, at which a corpse came floating downstream, to the horror of the venerable elder. “Don’t be frightened, Master,” said Monkey. “That’s you.”\n\n“It’s you, it’s you,” said Pig. Friar Sand clapped his hands as he said, “It’s you, it’s you!”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The boatman gave a call, then also put in, too, “It’s you! Congratulations! Congratulations!” The three of them all joined in these congratulations as the ferryman punted the boat quickly and steadily over the immortal Cloud-touching Crossing. Sanzang turned around and sprang lightly ashore on the opposite bank. There is a poem about this that goes:\n\nWhen the womb-born flesh and body of blood is cast aside,\n\nThe primal spirit finds kinship and love.\n\nOn this morning of actions completed and Buddhahood attained\n\nThe thirty-six kinds of dust from the past are washed away.\n\nThis was indeed what is meant by great wisdom, the boundless dharma of crossing to the other bank. When the four of them climbed the bank and looked back the bottomless boat had already disappeared, goodness knew where. Only when Brother Monkey explained that it had been the Welcoming Buddha did Sanzang find enlightenment At once he turned round to thank his three disciples."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Let’s not exchange thanks,” said Monkey. “We’ve helped each other. You saved us three, Master, and showed us the way to win merit so as to complete the true achievement. And we have protected you, Master, holding to the faith and helping you happily to cast off your mortal body. Master, look at the magnificent scenery ahead. Flowers, grasses, pines and bamboo, as well as phoenixes, cranes and deer. Compare it with those places where evil beings created illusions through transformation. Ask yourself which is beautiful and good, and which ugly and evil.” Sanzang was full of expressions of gratitude. All of them were now light of body and cheerful as they walked up Vulture Peak. Soon the ancient Thunder Monastery could be seen:\n\nIts rooftops touched the heavens,\n\nIts roots joined with the Sumeru range.\n\nAmazing peaks spread out in serried rank;\n\nCraggy rocks formed interlocking shapes.\n\nUnder the hanging scar were wonderful plants and flowers;\n\nBeside the winding path grew magic mushrooms and orchids."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Immortal apes were picking the fruit of the peach trees,\n\nLike gold amid burning flames;\n\nWhite cranes perched in the branches of the pines\n\nAs if they were jade creatures amid smoke.\n\nColoured phoenixes in pairs,\n\nGreen phoenixes two by two.\n\nThe pairs of coloured phoenixes\n\nBrought blessings on the world as they called to the sun;\n\nThe green phoenixes two by two\n\nDanced in the wind, a rare and wonderful sight.\n\nOn the gleaming golden tiles were figures of mandarin ducks;\n\nThe brilliantly patterned bricks were set with agate.\n\nTo East and West\n\nWere flowers of palaces and pearls of gateways;\n\nTo North and South\n\nWere endless precious pavilions and high buildings.\n\nThe Devaraja Hall streamed with coloured light;\n\nPurple flames rose before the Lokapalas Chamber.\n\nStupas stood out,\n\nAnd fragrant were the blossoms of the udumbara tree.\n\nTruly this was a place so fine it might have come from heaven,\n\nWhere the days seemed long under leisurely clouds.\n\nAway from the mortal world, all fates came to an end;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All kalpas were complete within the Dharma hall.\n\nAs master and disciples walked freely and at their ease up to the summit of Vulture Peak lay people could be seen under the green pines, and pious men and women amid the jade-coloured cypresses. The venerable elder bowed to them politely, whereupon all the lay men and women, monks and nuns all hastened to put their hands together and say to him, “Do not bow to us, holy monk. Come back and talk with us when you have seen Sakyamuni.”\n\n“It’s a bit early for that,” replied Monkey with a grin. “Let’s go and worship the boss.”\n\nThe venerable elder waved his arms and performed a ritual dance as he followed Monkey straight to the gates of the Thunder Monastery, where four great vajrapanis greeted them with the words, “Have you arrived now, holy monk?”\n\n“Yes,” Sanzang replied with a bow, “Your disciple Xuanzang has arrived.” Having given this reply he was about to go in through the gateway."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Please wait for a moment, holy monk,” the vajrapanis said. “Let us report before you come in.” The vajrapanis sent a report of the Tang Priest’s arrival to the four great vajrapanis on the middle gates, who in turn reported it to the inner gates, inside which were divine monks making offerings.\n\nAs soon as they heard of the Tang Priest’s arrival they all hurried to the Mahavira Hall, where they announced to the Tathagata Sakyamuni Buddha, “The holy monk from the Tang Court has arrived at your noble monastery to fetch the scriptures.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Lord Buddha was very pleased. He called together his Eight Bodhisattvas, Four Vajrapanis, Five Hundred Arhats, Three Thousand Protectors, Eleven Heavenly Shiners and Eighteen Guardians, who drew themselves up in two lines and passed on the Buddha’s command summoning the Tang Priest to enter. Thus it was that the invitation was sent down from one level to the next: “Let the holy monk come in.” Observing the requirements of ritual, the Tang Priest went in through the gate with Wukong and Wujing, who were leading the horse and carrying the luggage. Indeed:\n\nIn the past he had struggled to fulfil his commission\n\nAfter leaving the emperor at the steps of the throne.\n\nAt dawn he had climbed mountains in mist and in dew;\n\nAt dusk he had slept on rocks amid the clouds.\n\nHe had carried his stick across three thousand rivers,\n\nAnd climbed up countless crags with his monastic staff.\n\nHis every thought had been set on the true achievement,\n\nAnd today he was finally to see the Tathagata."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "And today he was finally to see the Tathagata.\n\nAs the four of them arrived in front of the Mahavira Hall they all prostrated themselves and kowtowed to the Tathagata, then to their left and right. After they had each completed three rounds of Worship they then knelt before the Buddha to present their passport. When the Tathagata had read it carefully he handed it back to Sanzang, who bowed his head low and reported, “Your disciple Xuanzang has made the long journey to your precious monastery at the command of the Great Tang emperor to beg for the true scriptures that will save all living beings. I implore the Lord Buddha in his goodness to grant them at once so that I may return to my country.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tathagata then opened his compassionate mouth and in the great mercy of his heart said to Sanzang, “Your Eastern land is in the Southern Continent of Jambu. As the sky is lofty there, the soil deep, its products many, and the people multitudinous there is much covetous-ness, murder, debauchery, lying, deception and dishonesty. They do not follow the Buddhist teaching, do not turn towards good destinies, and do not honour the sun, moon and stars or value the five grains. They are not loyal, filial, righteous or kind. In the delusion of their hearts they mislead themselves, cheating on weights and measures, taking life and killing animals, thus creating such boundless evil karma and such a superabundance of sin and evil that they bring the catastrophe of hell on themselves. That is why they must fall for ever into the dark underworld to suffer the torments of being hammered, smashed, ground and pounded, or are reborn as animals. Many of them take the shape of furry, horned creatures to pay back the debts"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of furry, horned creatures to pay back the debts they owe from earlier lives and feed others with their own flesh. It is for such reasons that some fall into the Avici Hell, from which they never emerge to be reborn. Although Confucius established the doctrine of benevolence, righteousness, correct behavior and wisdom, and although successive emperors have applied the penalties of imprisonment, exile strangulation and beheading, none of this affected those stupid, benighted, self-indulgent and unrestrained people. Why? I have Three Stores of scriptures that offer deliverance from suffering and release from disaster. Of these Three Stores one is the Store of Dharma that deals with Heaven; one is the Store of Sastras that deal with the Earth, and one is the Store of Sutras that can save ghosts. There are thirty-five scriptures altogether, in 15,144 scrolls. These are indeed the path to the truth, the gateway to goodness. They include everything about the astronomy, geography, personalities, birds beasts trees,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "geography, personalities, birds beasts trees, flowers, objects of use and human affairs of the world’s four continents. Now that you have come from afar I would present them all to you to take away with you, but the people of your country are stupid and coarse. They are slanderers of the truth who cannot understand the mysteries of our teachings. Ananda, Kasyapa,” he called, “take the four of them to the foot of the jewel tower and give them a vegetarian meal. After the meal open up the pavilion, select a few rolls from each of the thirty-five scriptures in my Three Stores, and tell them to propagate these scriptures in the East, where they may eternally grant their great goodness.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Acting on the orders of the Buddha the two arhats then led the four pilgrims to the bottom of the tower, where no end of rare and wonderful jewels and treasures were set out. Here the divinities who made offerings set out a vegetarian banquet, with immortal food, immortal delicacies, immortal tea, immortal fruit, and every kind of culinary delight not to be found in the mortal world. Master and disciples bowed their heads to the ground in thanks for the Buddha’s kindness and proceeded to eat to their hearts’ content. Indeed\n\nPrecious flames and golden light dazzled the eye,\n\nWhile the rare incense and delicacies were marvelously fine.\n\nThe thousand-storied golden pavilion was infinitely lovely,\n\nAnd pure sounded immortals’ music on the ear.\n\nMeatless food and magic flowers of the sort that are rare on earth,\n\nFragrant teas and exotic dishes that give eternal life.\n\nAfter a long period of enduring a thousand kinds of suffering,\n\nToday comes the glorious happiness of the Way completed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "This was a piece of good fortune for Pig, and a great, benefit to Friar Sand as they ate their fill of the food in the Buddha’s land that gave eternal life and new flesh and bones for old. The two arhats kept the four of them company till the meal was over, after which they went to the treasure pavilion, where the doors were opened for them to go in and look. Over this all was a thousandfold aura of coloured light and auspicious vapors, while brilliant mists and clouds of good omen wafted all around. All over the scripture shelves and on the outside of the cases were pasted red labels on which were neatly written the titles of the scriptures. They were the\n\nNirvana sutra 748 rolls\n\nBodhisattva sutra 1,021 rolls\n\nAkasagarbha sutra 400 rolls\n\nSurangama sutra 110 rolls\n\nCollection of sutras on the meaning of grace 50 rolls\n\nDetermination sutra 140 rolls\n\nRatnagarbha sutra 45 rolls\n\nAvatamsaka sutra 500 rolls\n\nSutra on Worshipping Bhutatathata 90 rolls\n\nMahaprajnaparamita sutra 916 rolls"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Mahaprajnaparamita sutra 916 rolls\n\nMahaprabhasa sutra 300 rolls\n\nAdbhuta-dharma sutras 1,110 rolls\n\nVimalakirti sutra 170 rolls\n\nThe Three Sastras 270 rolls\n\nDiamond sutra 100 rolls\n\nSaddharma sastra 120 rolls\n\nBuddhacaritakavya sutra 800 rolls\n\nPancanaga sutra 32 rolls\n\nBodhisattva-vinaya sutra 116 rolls\n\nMahasamnipata sutras 130 rolls\n\nMakara sutra 350 rolls\n\nSaddharma-pundarika sutra 100 rolls\n\nYoga sutra 100 rolls\n\nPrecious Eternity sutra 220 rolls\n\nSutra on the Western Heaven 130 rolls\n\nSamghika sutra 157 rolls\n\nSamyukta-Buddhadesa sutra 1,950 rolls\n\nMahayana-sraddhotpadasa sutra 1,000 rolls\n\nGreat Wisdom sutra 1,080 rolls\n\nRatna-prabhava sutra 1,280 rolls\n\nOriginal Pavilion sutra 850 rolls\n\nPrincipal vinaya sutra 200 rolls\n\nAnanda and Kasyapa led the Tang Priest to read the titles of all the scriptures.\n\n“You have come here from the East, holy monk,” they said to him. “Have you brought us any presents? Hand them over right now, then we can give you the scriptures.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Sanzang heard this he said, “Your disciple Xuanzang has come a very long way, and I did not bring any with me.”\n\n“That’s very fine,” the two arhats said with a laugh. “If we hand the scriptures over for nothing, they’ll be passed down through the ages and our successors will have to starve to death.” Monkey could not stand hearing them talking tough like this and refusing to hand the scriptures over, so he shouted, “Let’s go and report them to the Tathagata, Master. We’ll get him to give me the scriptures himself.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Shut up!” said Kasyapa. “Where do you think you are, acting up like this? Come here and take the scriptures.” Pig and Friar Sand, who were keeping their own tempers under control, calmed Monkey down. They turned back to accept the scriptures, which were packed one by one into the luggage. Some of it was put on the horse’s back, and the rest tied up as two carrying-pole loads that Pig and Friar Sand shouldered. They all then returned to the Buddha’s throne, kowtowed, thanked the Tathagata and went straight out. They bowed twice to every Buddha and every Bodhisattva they met. When they reached the main entrance they bowed to the bhiksus, the bhiksunis, the laymen and the laywomen, taking their leave of each one. Then they hurried back down the mountain."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story tells not of them but of the Ancient Buddha Dipamkara, who had been quietly listening in the library when the scriptures were handed over. He understood perfectly well that Ananda and Kasyapa had handed over wordless scriptures. “Those stupid monks from the East didn’t realize that those were wordless scriptures,” he thought with a smile to himself. “The holy monks journey across all those mountains and rivers will be a complete waste. Who is in attendance here?” he called, and the arhat Suklavira stepped forward.\n\n“Use your divine might,” Dipamkara instructed him, “and go after the Tang Priest like a shooting star. Take the wordless scriptures from him and tell him to come back to fetch the true scriptures.” The arhat Suklavira then flew off on a storm wind that roared away from the Thunder Monastery as he gave a great display of his divine might. That splendid wind really was\n\nA warrior from the Buddha’s presence,\n\nGreater than the two wind gods of the Xun quarter."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The angry roars from his divine orifices\n\nWere more powerful by far than the puffs of a young girl.\n\nThis wind made\n\nFish and dragons lose their dens,\n\nWhile the waves flowed backwards in rivers and seas.\n\nBlack apes could not present the fruit they carried;\n\nYellow cranes turned back to the clouds as they sought their nests.\n\nUgly rang the song of the red phoenix;\n\nRaucous were the calls of the multicolored pheasants.\n\nThe branches of hoary pines were broken\n\nAs the flowers of the udumbara blew away.\n\nEvery cane of green bamboo bowed low;\n\nAll the blooms of golden lotus swayed.\n\nThe sound of the bell was carried a thousand miles\n\nWhile the chanting of sutras flew lightly up the ravines.\n\nRuined was the beauty of flowers under the crag;\n\nThe tender shoots of plants were laid low by the path\n\nThe brilliant phoenixes could hardly spread their wings;\n\nWhite deer hid beneath the cliffs.\n\nThe heavens were heavy with fragrance\n\nAs the clear wind blew right through the clouds."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the clear wind blew right through the clouds.\n\nThe Tang Priest was walking along when he smelt the fragrant wind, but he paid no attention to it, taking it for an auspicious sign of the Lord Buddha. Then a noise could be heard as a hand reached down from midair to lift the scriptures lightly off the horse’s back, which gave Sanzang such a shock that he beat his chest and howled aloud. Pig scrambled along in pursuit, Friar Sand guarded the carrying-poles loaded with scriptures, and Brother Monkey flew after the arhat. Seeing that Monkey had almost caught up with him, and frightened that the merciless cudgel would make no bones about wounding him badly, the arhat tore the bundle of scriptures to shreds and flung it into the dust. When Monkey saw the bundle falling in pieces that were being scattered by the fragrant wind he stopped chasing the arhat and brought his cloud down to look after the scriptures. The arhat Suklavira put the wind and the clouds away, then went back to report to Dipamkara."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "When Pig, who was also in pursuit, saw the scriptures falling he helped Monkey to collect them up and carry them back to the Tang Priest. “Disciples,” the Tang Priest exclaimed, tears pouring from his eyes, “even in this world of bliss evil demons cheat people.” After gathering up the scattered scriptures in his arms Friar Sand opened one of them up and saw that it was as white as snow: not a word was written on it.\n\nQuickly he handed it to Sanzang with the remark, “There’s nothing in this scroll, Master.” Monkey opened out another scroll to find that it had nothing written in it either. Pig opened another and it too had nothing in it.\n\n“Open them all for us to examine,” said Sanzang. Every single scroll was blank paper.\n\n“We Easterners really do have no luck,” he said, sighing and groaning. “What point is there in fetching wordless scriptures like these? How could I ever face the Tang emperor? I will have no way of avoiding execution for the crime of lying to my sovereign.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey, who already understood what had happened, then said to the Tang Priest, “Say no more, Master. Ananda and Kasyapa gave us these scrolls of blank paper because we hadn’t got any presents to give them when they asked for them. Let’s go back, report them to the Tathagata and get them accused of extortion.”\n\n“That’s right,” shouted Pig, “that’s right. Let’s report them.” The four of them then hurried up the mountain again, and after a few steps they were rushing back to the Thunder Monastery.\n\nBefore long they were once more outside the gates of the monastery, where everyone raised their clasped hands in greeting. “Have you holy monks come to exchange your scriptures?” they asked with smiles. Sanzang nodded and expressed his thanks. The vajrapanis did not block them, but let them go straight in to the Mahavira Hall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Tathagata,” yelled Monkey, “our master and the rest of us have had to put up with endless monsters, demons, troubles and hardships to get here from the East to worship you. You gave the orders for the scriptures to be handed over, but Ananda and Kasyapa didn’t do so because they were trying to extort things from us. They conspired and deliberately let us take away blank paper versions without a single word written on them. But what’s the point in taking those? I beg you to have them punished, Tathagata.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop yelling,” replied the Lord Buddha with a smile. “I already know that they asked you for presents. But the scriptures cannot be casually passed on. Nor can they be taken away for nothing. In the past bhiksus and holy monks went down the mountain and recited these scriptures to the family of the elder Zhao in the land of Sravasti. This ensured peace and safety for the living and deliverance for the dead members of the family. All that was asked for was three bushels and three pecks of granular gold. I said they had sold the scriptures too cheap, so I saw to it that Zhao’s sons and grandsons would be poor. You were given blank texts because you came here to fetch them empty-handed. The blank texts are true, wordless scriptures, and they really are good. But as you living beings in the East are so deluded and have not achieved enlightenment we’ll have to give you these ones instead. Ananda, Kasyapa,” he called, “fetch the true scriptures with words at once. Choose a few rolls from each title to give them,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Choose a few rolls from each title to give them, then come back here and tell me how many.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The two arhats then led the four pilgrims to the foot of the library building and once again asked the Tang Priest for a present. Having nothing else to offer, he ordered friar Sand to bring out the begging bowl of purple gold and presented it with both hands. “Your disciple is poor and has come a very long way,” he said, “and I did not bring any presents with me. This bowl was given to me by the Tang emperor with his own hands to beg for food with on my journey. I now offer it to you as a token of my heartfelt feelings. I beg you arhats not to despise it but to keep it. When I return to my court I shall report this to the Tang emperor, who will certainly reward you richly. I only ask you to give me the true scriptures that have words to save me from failing in my imperial mission and making this long, hard journey for nothing.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ananda accepted the bowl with no more than a hint of a smile. The warriors guarding the precious library building, the kitchen staff responsible for the spices and the arhats in charge of the library rubbed each other’s faces, patted each other’s backs, flicked each other with their fingers and pulled faces.\n\n“Disgraceful,” they all said with grins, “disgraceful. Demanding presents from the pilgrims who’ve come to fetch the scriptures!” A moment later Ananda was frowning with embarrassment but still holding the bowl and not letting go. Only then did Kasyapa go into the library to check the scriptures through one by one and give them to Sanzang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Disciples,” called Sanzang, “take a good look at them, not like last time.” The three of them took the rolls and examined them one by one. All had words. 5,048 rolls were handed over, the total in a single store. They were neatly packed up and put on the horse, and those left over were made into a carrying-pole load for Pig to take. Friar Sand carried their own luggage, and as Brother Monkey led the horse the Tang Priest took his staff, pushed his Vairocana mitre into position, shook his brocade cassock, and went happily into the presence of the Tathagata. Indeed:\n\nSweet taste the True Scriptures of the Great Store,\n\nCreated fine and majestic by the Tathagata.\n\nRemember what Xuanzang suffered to climb this mountain:\n\nAnanda’s greed was something ridiculous.\n\nWhat they did not notice at first Dipamkara helped them to see;\n\nLater the scriptures were real and they then found peace.\n\nSuccessful now, they would take the scriptures to the East;\n\nWhere all could be refreshed by their life-giving richness."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Ananda and Kasyapa led the Tang Priest to see the Tathagata, who ascended his lotus throne and directed the two great arhats Dragon-queller and Tiger-subduer to strike the cloud-ringing stone chimes that summoned all the Three Thousand Buddhas, Three Thousand Protectors, Eight Vajrapanis, Four Bodhisattvas, Five Hundred Arhats, Eight Hundred Bhiksus, the host of laymen, bhiksunis, laywomen, and the greater and lesser honoured ones and holy monks of every cave, every heaven, the blessed lands and the magic mountains. Those who were supposed to sit were asked to ascend their precious thrones, and those who were supposed to stand stood on either side. All of a sudden heavenly music rang out from afar and magical sounds wafted around. The air was full of countless beams of auspicious light and of aura upon aura as all the Buddhas gathered together to pay their respects to the Tathagata."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How many rolls of scripture have you given them, Ananda and Kasyapa?” the Tathagata asked. “Please tell me the numbers one by one.”\n\nThe two arhats then reported, “We are now handing over for the Tang court the\n\nNirvana sutra—400 rolls\n\nBodhisattva sutra—360 rolls\n\nAkasagarbha sutra—20 rolls\n\nSurangama sutra—30 rolls\n\nCollection of sutras on the meaning of grace—40 rolls\n\nDetermination sutra—40 rolls\n\nRatnagarbha sutra—20 rolls\n\nAvatamsaka sutra—81 rolls\n\nSutra on Worshipping Bhutatathata—30 rolls\n\nMahaprajnaparamita sutra—600 rolls\n\nMahaprabhasa sutra—50 rolls\n\nAdbhuta-dharma sutras—550 rolls\n\nVimalakirti sutra—30 rolls\n\nThe Three Sastras—42 rolls\n\nDiamond sutra—1 rolls\n\nSaddharma sastra—20 rolls\n\nBuddhacaritakavya sutra—116 rolls\n\nPancanaga sutra—20 rolls\n\nBodhisattva-vinaya sutra—60 rolls\n\nMahasamnipata sutras—30 rolls\n\nMakara sutra—140 rolls\n\nSaddharma-pundarika sutra—10 rolls\n\nYoga sutra—30 rolls\n\nPrecious Eternity sutra—170 rolls\n\nSutra on the Western Heaven—30 rolls\n\nSamghika sutra—110 rolls"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Samghika sutra—110 rolls\n\nSamyukta-Buddhadesa sutra—1,638 rolls\n\nMahayana-sraddhotpadasa sastra—50 rolls\n\nGreat Wisdom sutra—90 rolls\n\nRatna-prabhava sutra—140 rolls\n\nOriginal Pavilion sutra—56 rolls\n\nPrincipal vinaya sutra—10 rolls\n\nMahamayuri-vidyarajni sutra—14 rolls\n\nVynaptimatra-tasiddhi sastra—10 rolls\n\nAbhidharma-kosa sastra—10 rolls\n\nFrom the thirty-five scriptures in all of the stores we have selected 5,048 rolls to give to the holy monk. These will be kept and handed down in Tang. They have now all been packed neatly and put on the horse or made into carrying-pole loads. The pilgrims are only waiting to express their thanks.”\n\nSanzang and his three followers then tethered the horse, put down the loads, joined their hands in front of their chests and bowed in worship."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The achievement of these scriptures is immeasurable,” the Tathagata said to the Tang Priest, “Although they are the source of foreknowledge and reflection for my school they are truly the origin of all Three Schools. If they reach your Southern Continent of Jambudvipa they must not be treated with disrespect when they are shown to all living beings. Nobody who has not bathed, avoided eating meat and observed the prohibitions may open the rolls. Treasure them. Honour them. They include the esoteric mysteries of the way of immortality and wonderful methods for discovering all transformations.” Kowtowing in thanks, Sanzang faith fully accepted these instructions and determined to carry them out, did three more circuits of homage round the Lord Buddha then with dutiful and sincere obedience accepted the scriptures and went out with them through the third of the monastery gates, where he thanked all the holy beings one by one again. Of him we will say no more."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "After sending the Tang Priest on his way the Tathagata dissolved the assembly that had been called to pass on the scriptures. The Bodhisattva Guanyin then stepped forward from the side, put her hands together and submitted to the lord Buddha, “It has been fourteen years from the time when your disciple went to the East that year to find the man who would fetch the scriptures to his success today. That makes 5,040 days. May the World-honoured One allow the holy monks to go back East from the West within eight days, so as to complete the number of rolls in one store, and then your disciple may report his mission as completed.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you say is quite right,” replied the Tathagata with delight. “You are permitted to report the completion of your mission.” With that he instructed the Eight Vajrapanis, “You are to use your divine might to escort the holy monks back to the East, where they will hand the true scriptures over to be kept there. After escorting the holy monks back, you may return to the West. This must be done within eight days in order to match the number of rolls in one store. There must be no disobedience or delay.” The vajrapanis caught up with the Tang Priest. “Come with us, scripture-fetchers,” they called; and the Tang Priest and the others became light and strong as they floated up on clouds after the vajrapanis. Indeed:\n\nNature revealed and mind made clear, they visited the Buddha;\n\nActions complete and all achieved, they flew aloft.\n\nIf you do not know how they passed on the scriptures after returning to the East, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter Ninety-Nine"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter Ninety-Nine\n\nWhen the Nine Nines Are Complete the Demons Are All Destroyed\n\nAfter the Triple Threes Are Fulfilled the Way Returns to Its Roots\n\nThe story goes on to tell how the Eight Vajrapanis escorted the Tang Priest back to their country, but we will not go into that now.\n\nOutside the gates the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre, the Four Duty Gods, the Six Dings, the Six Jias and the Guardians of the Faith went up to the Bodhisattva Guanyin and said, “We, your disciples, have given secret help to the holy monk in obedience to your dharma command, Bodhisattva. Now that they have fulfilled their deeds and you have reported your mission accomplished to the Lord Buddha, we would like to report the completion of our mission.”\n\n“Permission granted.” The Bodhisattva replied with delight, “permission granted.” The Bodhisattva then went on to ask, “What were the thoughts and actions of the Tang Priest and his three disciples on their journey?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They really were pious and determined,” the deities all replied, “as we are sure will not have escaped your profound perception. But the Tang Priest’s sufferings truly beggar description. Your disciples have made a careful record of the disasters and hardships that he has endured on his journey. This is the account of his ordeals.” The Bodhisattva read it through from the beginning, and this is what was written in it:\n\n“We Protectors were sent at the Bodhisattva’s command,\n\nTo keep a close record of the Tang Priest’s ordeals.\n\nThe Golden Cicada’s exile was the first ordeal;\n\nBeing born and almost killed was the second ordeal;\n\nAbandonment in the river under the full moon was the third ordeal;\n\nFinding his mother and getting revenge was the fourth ordeal;\n\nThe tigers he met after leaving the city were the fifth ordeal;\n\nFalling into the pit was the sixth ordeal;\n\nThe Double Forked Peak was the seventh ordeal;\n\nThe Double Boundary Mountain was the eighth ordeal;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Exchanging horses at the ravine was the ninth ordeal;\n\nThe fire at night was the tenth ordeal;\n\nThe loss of the cassock was the eleventh ordeal;\n\nSubduing Pig was the twelfth ordeal;\n\nThe obstacles created by the Yellow Wind Monster were the thirteenth ordeal;\n\nAsking the help of Lingji was the fourteenth ordeal;\n\nThe hard crossing of the Flowing Sands River was the fifteenth ordeal;\n\nWinning over Friar Sand was the sixteenth ordeal;\n\nThe appearance of the four holy ones was the seventeenth ordeal;\n\nIn the Wuzhuang Temple was the eighteenth ordeal;\n\nThe difficulty of reviving the manfruit was the nineteenth ordeal;\n\nThe dismissal of the Mind-ape was the twentieth ordeal;\n\nGetting lost in Black Pine Forest was the twenty-first ordeal;\n\nDelivering the letter to Elephantia was the twenty-second ordeal;\n\nTo be turned into a tiger in the palace hall was the twenty-third ordeal;\n\nMeeting the monsters on Flat-top Mountain was the twenty-fourth ordeal;\n\nTo hang in the Lotus Flower Cave was the twenty-fifth ordeal;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The rescue of the king of Wuji was the twenty-sixth ordeal;\n\nThe transformation by the demons was the twenty-seventh ordeal;\n\nThe encounter with the monster of Mount Hao was the twenty-eighth ordeal;\n\nThe holy monk being carried off by the wind was the twenty-ninth ordeal;\n\nThe attack on the Mind-ape was the thirtieth ordeal;\n\nInviting the holy one to subdue the fiend was the thirty-first ordeal;\n\nSinking in the Black River was the thirty-second ordeal;\n\nThe moving in Tarrycart was the thirty-third ordeal;\n\nThe enormous wager was the thirty-fourth ordeal;\n\nCasting out the Taoists and promoting the Buddhists was the thirty-fifth ordeal;\n\nThe great river met on the way was the thirty-sixth ordeal;\n\nFalling into the River of Heaven was the thirty-seventh ordeal;\n\nThe appearance with the fish basket was the thirty-eighth ordeal;\n\nMeeting the monster on Mount Jindou was the thirty-ninth ordeal;\n\nAll the gods of heaven being unable to subdue him was the fortieth ordeal;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Asking the Buddha about his origins was the forty-first ordeal;\n\nTo be poisoned by drinking the water was the forty-second ordeal;\n\nBeing kept in Womanland of Western Liang for the wedding was the forty-third ordeal;\n\nThe agonies of the Pipa Cave were the forty-fourth ordeal;\n\nThe Mind-ape’s second dismissal was the forty-fifth ordeal;\n\nTelling the macaques apart was the forty-sixth ordeal;\n\nBeing held up by the Fiery Mountains was the forty-seventh ordeal;\n\nObtaining the plantain-leaf fan was the forty-eighth ordeal;\n\nTying up the demon king was the forty-ninth ordeal;\n\nSweeping the pagoda in Jisai city was the fiftieth ordeal;\n\nThe recovery of the treasures and the rescue of the monks were the fifty-first ordeal;\n\nReciting poems in the Thorn Forest was the fifty-second ordeal;\n\nTrouble in the Lesser Thunder Monastery was the fifty-third ordeal;\n\nThe capture of the heavenly gods was the fifty-fourth ordeal;\n\nBeing stopped by the filthy Runny Persimmon Lane was the fifty-fifth ordeal;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Healing in Purpuria was the fifty-sixth ordeal;\n\nSaving from debility was the fifty-seventh ordeal;\n\nSubduing fiends and rescuing the queen was the fifty-eighth ordeal;\n\nDelusion by the seven passions was the fifty-ninth ordeal;\n\nThe wounding of the Many-eyed Monster was the sixtieth ordeal;\n\nBeing held up by the Lion was the sixty-first ordeal;\n\nDividing demons into three categories was the sixty-second ordeal;\n\nMeeting disaster in the city was the sixty-third ordeal;\n\nAsking the Buddha to subdue the demon was the sixty-fourth ordeal;\n\nThe rescue of the boys in Bhiksuland was the sixty-fifth ordeal;\n\nTelling the true from the evil was the sixty-sixth ordeal;\n\nSaving the monster in the pine forest was the sixty-seventh ordeal;\n\nLying sick in the monastic cell was the sixty-eighth ordeal;\n\nCapture in the Bottomless Cave was the sixty-ninth ordeal;\n\nDelays in Dharmadestructia were the seventieth ordeal;\n\nMeeting the monster on Hidden Clouds Mountain was the seventy-first ordeal;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Begging for rain in Fengxian was the seventy-second ordeal;\n\nThe loss of the weapons was the seventy-third ordeal;\n\nThe rake banquet was the seventy-fourth ordeal;\n\nTroubles on Bamboo Mountain were the seventy-fifth ordeal;\n\nSuffering in Dark Essence Cave was the seventy-sixth ordeal;\n\nCatching Rhinoceros was the seventy-seventh ordeal;\n\nBeing required to marry in India was the seventy-eighth ordeal;\n\nImprisonment in Brazentower was the seventy-ninth ordeal;\n\nCasting of the body at the Lingyun Crossing was the eightieth ordeal;\n\nThe journey was one of 36,000 miles,\n\nAnd the ordeals of the holy monk are all clearly recorded.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Casting her eyes over the record, the Bodhisattva quickly said, “In the Buddha’s school ‘nine nines’ are needed before one can come to the truth. The eighty ordeals that the holy monk has endured are one short of the full number. “Go after the vajrapanis,” she ordered a protector, “and tell them to create another ordeal.” The protector headed East by cloud as soon as he was given this order, and after a day and a night he caught up with the Eight Vajrapanis. “It’s like this, you see,” he said, whispering in their ears in explanation, adding, “so you must do as the Bodhisattva commands and not disobey.” When the Eight Vajrapanis heard this they stopped the wind with a swishing sound and dropped the four of them to the ground, horse, scriptures and all. Oh dear! It was a case of\n\nThe Way of reaching the truth through the nine nines is hard;\n\nHold fast to your determination to stand at the mysterious pass.\n\nOnly through rigorous effort can the demons be repelled;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Perseverance is essential to the true Dharma’s return.\n\nDo not mistake the scriptures for something easily won;\n\nOf many a kind were the hardships endured by the holy monk.\n\nThe marvellous union has always been hard to achieve:\n\nThe slightest mistake and the elixir will not be made.\n\nAs his feet touched common ground Sanzang felt alarmed. “Marvellous,” said Pig, roaring with laughter, “just marvellous! It’s a case of more haste less speed.”\n\n“It really is marvellous,” said Friar Sand. “They’re giving us a rest here after going so fast.”\n\n“As the saying goes,” remarked the Great Sage, “‘Wait ten days on a sandbank, then cross nine in a single day.’”\n\n“Stop arguing, you three,” said Sanzang. “Find out which way we have come and where we are.”\n\n“We’re here!” said Friar Sand after looking all around, “We’re here! Listen to the water, Master.”\n\n“From the sound of the water I suppose it must be your family home,” observed Brother Monkey.\n\n“His home is the River of Flowing Sands,” said Pig."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“No, it’s not that,” replied Friar Sand. “It’s the River of Heaven.”\n\n“Take a careful look at the other side, disciple,” said Sanzang, at which Monkey sprang into the air, shaded his eyes with his hand, and took a careful look around. “Master,” he said after coming down again, “this is the West bank of the River of Heaven.”\n\n“I remember now,” said Sanzang. “On the East bank there is Chen Family Village. When we came here the other year they were so grateful to us for rescuing their son and daughter that they wanted to build a boat to take us across, but the White Soft-shelled Turtle carried us over. As I recall, there was no sign of human life anywhere on the West bank. Whatever are we to do now?”\n\n“They say that common mortals can be sinners,” said Pig, “but the vajrapanis who serve the Buddha in person are too. The Buddha ordered them to bring us back East, so why have they dropped us half way home? We’re stuck here now. How ever are we going to get over?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Stop complaining, brother,” said Friar Sand. “Our master has found the Way. He cast off his mortal body at the Cloud-touching Crossing, so he won’t possibly fall into the water now. Our big brother and we two can all do levitation magic, so we can carry the master across.”\n\nMonkey laughed to himself under his breath as he replied, “We can’t do it, we can’t do it.” Why do you think he said that they couldn’t do it? If he had been prepared to use his divine powers and give away the secret of flying then master and disciples would have been able to cross a thousand rivers. But he understood that as the Tang Priest had not yet completed the nine nines he was fated to undergo another ordeal, which was why he had been held up here.\n\nTalking as they walked slowly along, master and disciples headed straight to the river-bank, where all of a sudden they heard someone calling, “This way, Tang Priest, this way!” They were all surprised, and when they looked up there was no sign of anyone around, and no boat either."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There was only a big, white, scabby-headed soft-shelled turtle raising its head by the bank and calling, “Master, I have been waiting for you all these years. Why have you only just come back?”\n\n“We troubled you in the past, old turtle,” said Monkey with a smile, “and this year we meet again.” Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand were all delighted.\n\n“If you really do want to look after us, come ashore,” Monkey said, at which the turtle climbed out of the river with a bound. Monkey had the horse tied to the turtle with Pig squatting behind the horse’s tail. The Tang Priest stood to the left of the horse’s neck and Friar Sand to its right, while Monkey stood with one foot on the turtle’s neck and the other on his head.\n\n“Take it easy and take it steady,” he said. The turtle strode across the water just as if his four feet were walking on flat land, carrying the master and his three disciples, five of them altogether including the horse, straight back to the Eastern bank. This was Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The mystery of the Dharma within the unique sect:\n\nWhen the demons are all defeated man and heaven are made known.\n\nOnly now can the original face be seen,\n\nAnd the causes of the one body all be complete.\n\nHold to the Three Vehicles to come and go at will;\n\nAfter the elixir’s nine transformations you may do what you like.\n\nCarry your bundle, let your staff fly, and understand the inexpressible;\n\nLucky they were on their return to meet the Ancient Turtle.\n\nCarrying them on his back, the Ancient Soft-shelled Turtle walked across the waves for the best part of a day. It was nearly evening when, as they approached the East bank, he suddenly asked, “Venerable master, some years ago I begged you when you reached the West and saw our Tathagata Buddha to ask him when I would be converted and how long I would live.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now ever since the venerable elder had reached the Western Heaven, bathed in the Jade Truth Temple, cast off his mortal body at the Cloud-touching Crossing and walked up the Vulture Peak, his heart had been set only on worshipping the Buddha; and when he met all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, holy monks and others his whole mind had been devoted to fetching the scriptures. He had given no attention to anything else, and so had not asked about how long the Ancient Turtle would live. Having nothing he could say, and not daring to lie to or deceive the turtle, Sanzang was quiet for a long time and gave no reply. When the turtle realized that Sanzang had not asked the questions on his behalf he gave a shake of his head and submerged with a loud splash, dropping the four of them, horse, scriptures and all, into the water."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Oh dear! But luckily the Tang Priest had cast off his mortal body and achieved the Way. If he had still been as he had before he would have sunk to the bottom. It was also lucky that the white horse was a dragon, that Pig and Friar Sand could swim, and that Brother Monkey gave a smiling and magnificent display of his great magic powers as he lifted the Tang Priest out of the water and up the East bank. The only thing was that the bundles of scriptures, the clothes and the saddle were all soaked.\n\nMaster and disciples had climbed up the bank to get themselves sorted out when a sudden fierce wind blew up, the sky turned dark, and amid thunder and lightning stones and sand flew all around. This is what could be\n\nseen:\n\nA wind\n\nThrowing heaven and earth into chaos;\n\nThunder\n\nRocking mountains and rivers;\n\nLightning\n\nFlying like fire through the clouds;\n\nMists\n\nCovering all of the earth.\n\nThe wind howled;\n\nLoud roared the thunder.\n\nThe lightning streaked red,\n\nWhile clouds blocked out the moon and the stars."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "While clouds blocked out the moon and the stars.\n\nThe wind-blown dust drove into the face,\n\nAnd tigers and leopards hid in terror.\n\nThe lightning flashes set birds cawing,\n\nAnd tress all vanished in the spreading mists.\n\nThe wind whipped up the waves of the River of Heaven;\n\nThe thunder terrified the fish and dragons in the River of Heaven;\n\nThe lightning lit up the whole of River of Heaven;\n\nThe mists enshrouded in darkness the banks of the River of Heaven.\n\nSplendid wind!\n\nMountains toppled; pines and bamboo fell.\n\nSplendid thunder!\n\nIts majesty alarmed insects and spread terror.\n\nSplendid lightning!\n\nIt moved across the sky and lit up the wilds like golden snakes.\n\nSplendid mist!\n\nDarkening the whole of space, obscuring the nine heavens.\n\nThis alarmed Sanzang, who pressed down on the bundles of scriptures, while Friar Sand held down their carrying-pole and Pig clung to the white horse. Monkey, however, swung his iron cudgel around with both hands as he kept guard to both right and left."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now the wind, mist, thunder and lightning were all signals made by evil demons who wanted to steal the scriptures that had been fetched. They tried all night to grab them until the dawn; only then did they stop.\n\nThe venerable elder, whose clothes were all soaking wet, shivered and shook as he said, “How did all this start, Wukong?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” Brother Monkey replied, snorting with fury, “you don’t understand the inner truth. By escorting you to fetch these scriptures we have won the great achievement of heaven and earth. You will enjoy perpetual youth, and your dharma body will never decay. This is something heaven and earth can’t stand for, and the demons and gods detest. They wanted to come and steal them in the darkness. But because the scriptures were soaked through and your true dharma body was holding them down, the thunder could not bombard them, the lightning could not illuminate them and the mist could not obscure them. It was also because I whirled my iron cudgel around to make its pure Positive nature protect them. Since dawn the Positive has been in the ascendant again, which is why they can’t take them now.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Only then did Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand realize what had happened and all express unbounded thanks. A little later, when the sun was shining from high in the sky, they took the scriptures to the top of a high cliff, opened the bundles and put them out to dry. The rocks on which the scriptures were dried in the sun remain there to this day. Then they spread their clothes and shoes out to dry beside the cliff while they stood there, sat down, or leapt around. Indeed:\n\nThe pure Positive body was happy in the sun,\n\nWhen Negative demons dared not use their might.\n\nEven when water is dominant the true scriptures will win,\n\nNot fearing wind or thunder, lightning, mist or light.\n\nAfter this clarification they come to the true perception;\n\nFrom now on they will reach the immortals’ land in peace.\n\nOn the rocks where the scriptures were dried their traces still remain;\n\nNever again will any demons come back to this place."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As the four of them were checking through the scriptures and drying them in the sun one by one some fishermen who were passing the river bank lifted up their heads and saw them there.\n\nOne of the fishermen recognized them and said, “Venerable teachers, didn’t you cross this river the other year when you were on your way to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures?”\n\n“Yes, yes,” said Pig, “that’s right. Where are you from? How did you know who we are?”\n\n“We’re from Chen Village,” the fisherman replied.\n\n“How far is Chen Village from here?” Pig asked.\n\n“It’s seven miles South from this gulch,” the fisherman said.\n\n“Let’s take the scriptures to Chen Village and dry them there,” said Pig. “There’s somewhere we can stay there, and we’ll be able to get something to eat. Besides, we can get their family to wash our clothes. That’ll be best, won’t it?”\n\n“We will not go there,” said Sanzang. “When we have dried everything here we can pack up and find our way back.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The fishermen, who passed the gulch to the South, happened to meet Chen Cheng. “You two old gentlemen,” they called, “the teachers who went to be sacrificed instead of your children the other year have come back.”\n\n“Where did you see them?” Chen Cheng asked.\n\n“Drying their scriptures in the sun on the rocks,” the fishermen replied.\n\nChen Cheng then took several of his tenants across the gulch, saw the pilgrims, and hurried towards them to kneel and say, “My lords, now that you are coming back with your scriptures, your achievement completed and your deeds done, why don’t you come to my house? Why are you hanging around here? Won’t you please come straight to the house?”\n\n“We’ll go with you when we’ve dried our scriptures in the sun,” Monkey replied.\n\n“How did your scriptures and clothes all get wet, my lords?” Chen Cheng asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The other year the White soft-shelled Turtle kindly carried us West across the river,” Sanzang replied, “and this year he carried us across it Eastwards. We were approaching the bank when he put some questions to me about the enquiries he had asked me to make with the Lord Buddha about how long he would live. Now I never made this enquiry, so he soaked us all in the water. That was how they got wet.”\n\nSanzang then told the whole story in all its details, and as Chen Cheng was so sincere in pressing his invitation Sanzang could do nothing but pack up the scriptures. As it was not realized that the ends of several rolls of the Buddhacaritakavya sutra had stuck to the rock when wet, the ends were torn off, which is why the Buddhacaritakavya sutra is incomplete to this day and there are still traces of writing on the rocks where the scriptures were dried in the sun.\n\n“We were careless,” Sanzang said with remorse. “We did not pay enough attention.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“You’re wrong,” said Monkey with a laugh, “you’re wrong. Heaven and earth are incomplete and this scripture used to be complete. Now it’s been soaked and torn to fulfil the mystery of incompleteness. This is not something that could have been achieved through human effort.” When master and disciples had finished packing the surras they returned with Chen Chang to his village."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In the village one person told ten, ten told a hundred, and a hundred a thousand, till all of them, young and old, came out to welcome and see the pilgrims. As soon as Chen Qing heard of it he had an incense table set out to greet them in front of the gates; he also ordered drummers and players of wind instruments to perform. A moment later the travelers arrived and were welcomed and taken inside. Chen Qing led out his whole household to greet them with bows and thank them for their earlier kindness in saving their son and daughter. Tea and a vegetarian meal were then ordered; but since receiving the immortal food and immortal delicacies of the Lord Buddha and casting off his mortal body to become a Buddha, Sanzang had lost all desire for mortals’ food. As the two old men’s urgings were so insistent, he took some of the food as a mark of gratitude.\n\nThe Great Sage Monkey had never been one to eat cooked food, so he said, “That will be enough.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Friar Sand did not eat either, and even Pig was not the Pig he used to be: he soon put his bowl down.\n\n“Aren’t you eating any more either, idiot?” Monkey asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I don’t know why,” Pig said, “but my stomach’s gone weak all of a sudden.” The vegetarian banquet was then cleared away as the old men asked about how they had fetched the scriptures. Sanzang then gave them a detailed account that started with the bath in the Jade Truth Temple and the lightening of their bodies at Cloud-touching Crossing and went on to tell how they had seen the Tathagata at Thunder Monastery, been feasted at the jeweled tower, given the scriptures in the precious library—wordless scriptures at first because when the two arhats had demanded presents they had refused them—had gone back to pay their respects to the Tathagata again to be given the number of rolls in a single store, had been plunged into the water by the White Soft-shelled Turtle, and nearly had the scriptures stolen in the darkness by evil spirits. After telling all this Sanzang took his leave."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "But the whole family of the two old men was not at all willing to let them go. “We have been under a great debt to you for saving our children that we have not yet been able to repay,” they said. “We have built a Temple of Deliverance where incense has been burned to you ever since without ceasing.” Then they called out the children in whose place Monkey and Pig had gone to be sacrificed, Chen Guan-given and Pan of Gold, to kowtow in thanks and ask them into the shrine to take a look. Sanzang then put the bundles of scriptures in front of the hall of their house and read them one roll of the Precious Eternity sutra. Then they went to the temple, where the Chens had set out delicacies. Before the pilgrims could sit down another group of people came to invite them to another meal, and before they could pick up their chopsticks yet another group came with a third invitation. This went on and on without end, so that they had no chance to eat properly. Sanzang, who dared not decline the invitations, had to make"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "dared not decline the invitations, had to make gestures of eating. The shrine was indeed most handsomely built:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The gateway was thickly painted in red\n\nThanks to the generous donors.\n\nA tower rose there\n\nWhere houses with a pair of cloisters had now been built.\n\nRed were the doors\n\nAnd the Seven Treasures were finely carved.\n\nIncense floated up to the clouds;\n\nPure light filled the vault of space.\n\nSome tender cypress saplings were still being watered;\n\nA number of pine trees did not yet form a grove.\n\nLiving waters met one in front\n\nWhere the waves of the River of Heaven were rolling;\n\nHigh cliffs rose behind\n\nWhere range upon range of mountains joined the earth dragon.\n\nWhen Sanzang has seen everything he climbed the high tower, where statues of the four pilgrims had been placed. “Looks just like you, brother,” said pig, tugging at Monkey, when he saw them.\n\n“Second brother,” said Friar Sand, “Your statue’s just like you too. The only thing is that the master’s is too good-looking.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“It is very good,” said Sanzang, “it is very good.” They then came downstairs, where people were still waiting, and urged them to eat the vegetarian food that was set out in the hall and in the cloisters behind it.\n\n“What happened to the Great King’s Temple that used to be here?” Brother Monkey asked.\n\n“It was demolished that year,” the old men replied. “My lords, we have had good harvests every year since this monastery was established, thanks to your lordships’ blessed protection.”\n\n“That was heaven’s gift,” said Monkey with a smile, “nothing to do with us. But after we have gone this time I guarantee that the families in your village will have many sons and grandsons, flourishing livestock, wind and rain at the right time year in and year out, and rain and wind year out and year in at the right time.” The people all kowtowed in thanks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "What could then be seen were a countless number of people lined up behind each other to offer fruit and other vegetarian food. “I’ll be blowed,” said Pig with a laugh. “In the old days, when I could eat, nobody ever asked me to do so ten times over. But now, when I can’t, one family won’t wait for another to finish before offering me food.”\n\nAlthough he was feeling full he did get going a little and ate eight or nine meatless dishes; and despite having an injured stomach he also downed twenty or thirty steamed breadrolls. When they were all full, more people came with further invitations. “Grateful though I am for your great affection,” Sanzang said, “I do not deserve it. I hope that we may be allowed to rest tonight. Tomorrow morning we will accept some more.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It was now late at night. Sanzang, who was guarding the true scriptures and would not leave them for a moment, sat in meditation at the foot of the tower to keep a vigil. As the third watch of the night approached he said quietly, “Wukong, the people here know that we have found the Way and completed our undertaking. As the old saying goes, ‘The true adept does not show his face; who shows his face is no true adept.’ I am afraid that if we tarry too long here that we may fail in our main enterprise.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“What you say is right, Master,” Monkey replied. “Let’s slip quietly away in the middle of the night while they’re all sound asleep.” Pig too understood, Friar Sand comprehended very clearly, and the white horse also knew what he meant. So they got up, quietly loaded the packs, shouldered the poles, and carried the things out along the cloister. When they reached the main gates and found them locked Monkey used unlocking magic to open the inner gates and the main gates. They followed the path East, only to hear the Eight Vajrapanis calling from mid-air. “Come with us, escapers.” The venerable elder then smelt incense as he rose up into the air. This was indeed a case of:\n\nWhen the elixir is formed one sees the original face;\n\nWhen the body is strong one can then visit one’s sovereign.\n\nIf you do not know how he saw the Tang emperor, listen to the explanation in the next installment.\n\n\n\nChapter One-Hundred\n\nThe Journey Back to the East Is Made\n\nThe Five Immortals Achieve Nirvana"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Five Immortals Achieve Nirvana\n\nWe will tell not of how the four travelers escaped and rose on the wind with the vajrapanis, but of the many people in the Temple of Deliverance in Chen Village. After they rose at dawn to prepare more fruit and delicacies to offer they came to the ground floor of the tower and found the Tang Priest gone. Some asked questions and others searched. They were all thrown into panic and did not know what to do.\n\n“We’ve let those living Buddhas all get clean away,” they lamented as their howls rose to the skies. As there was nothing else they could do about it they carried all the food they had prepared to the ground floor of the tower as offerings and burned imitation paper money. From then on four major sacrifices and twenty-four minor sacrifices were held every year. In addition people praying for cures or safety, seeking marriages, making vows, and seeking wealth or sons came at every hour of every day to bum incense and make offerings. Indeed:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Incense smoked in the golden burner for a thousand years;\n\nThe light burned in the lamps of jade through eternity.\n\nWe will say no more of this, but tell of how the Eight Vajrapanis used a second fragrant wind to carry the four pilgrims off again. Some days later they reached the East, and Chang’an came gradually into view. Now after seeing the Tang Priest off from the city on the twelfth day of the ninth month in the thirteenth year of Then Guan the Emperor Taizong had in the sixteenth year sent officials of his Department of Works to build a Watching For the Scriptures Tower outside the city of Chang’an to receive the scriptures. Here Taizong went in person every year. It so happened that on the very day the emperor went to the tower the Western sky was filled with auspicious light and gusts of scented wind."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Holy monk,” the vajrapanis said, stopping in mid air, “this is the city of Chang’an. We cannot come down as the people here are too clever: we are afraid that they might give away what we look like. The Great Sage Monkey and the other two gentlemen cannot go there either. You must go there yourself to hand the scriptures to your monarch then come back here. We will be waiting for you up in the clouds ready to go to report back on your mission.”\n\n“Although what you respected gentlemen say is right,” replied the Great Sage, “how could my master possibly shoulder the pole for carrying the scriptures? And how could he lead this horse? We’ll have to take him there. May I trouble you to wait a moment up in the air? We wouldn’t dare keep you waiting.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“The other day the Bodhisattva Guanyin informed the Tathagata,” the vajrapanis replied, “that the return journey would take only eight days, so as to make up the number of rolls of scriptures in the Tripitaka. We have already spent over four days, and we are worried that Pig will be so greedy for blessings and honors that he will make us overrun the time limit.”\n\n“The master’s a Buddha now,” Pig replied with a smile, “and I want to become one too. So why should I want to be greedy? Cheeky great fools! Wait here while we hand the scriptures over, then we’ll come back to return with you.” The idiot then shouldered a pole while Friar Sand held the horse and Brother Monkey led the holy monk as they brought their cloud down to land beside the Watching For the Scriptures Tower.\n\nWhen Taizong and his officials all saw this they came down to greet the travelers with the words, “You are back, Imperial Younger Brother.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Priest fell to the ground in a kowtow, only to be helped back to his feet by Taizong, who asked, “Who are these three?”\n\n“They are disciples I took on along the way,” Sanzang replied. Taizong was delighted.\n\n“Harness the horses to our imperial carriage,” he ordered his aides, “and invite the Imperial Younger Brother to mount his steed and return to the palace with us.” The Tang Priest thanked him and mounted his horse. The Great Sage followed closely behind, whirling his golden cudgel. Pig and Friar Sand led the horse and shouldered the pole as they followed the emperor back to Chang’an. Indeed:\n\nIn that year of peace and rising prosperity\n\nCivil and military officials are calm and magnificent.\n\nAt a land and water mass the clergy displayed the dharma;\n\nThe monarch commands his ministers in the throne hall of the palace.\n\nA passport was given to Tang Sanzang;\n\nThe primal cause of the scriptures has been matched to the Five\n\nElements.\n\nThrough painful tempering all monsters have been destroyed;"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now he returns in triumph to the capital.\n\nThe Tang Priest and his three disciples followed the imperial carriage back to the palace. Everybody in the capital knew that the pilgrim who had gone to fetch the scriptures had now returned.\n\nWhen the monks, young and old, of the Hongfu Monastery in Chang’an where the Tang Priest used to live saw that the tops of a number of pine trees were all leaning towards the East they exclaimed in astonishment, “Odd, very odd! There’s been no wind today, so why are the tops of these trees all bent?”\n\n“Fetch our vestments at once,” said one of them who was a former disciple of Sanzang. “The master who went to fetch the scriptures is back.”\n\n“How do you know?” the other monks all asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How do you know?” the other monks all asked.\n\n“When the master left many years ago,” the former disciple replied, “he said that when the branches and tops of the pines turned East three, four, six or seven years after he had gone he would be back. My master speaks with the holy voice of a Buddha: that is how I know.” They quickly put on their habits and went out.\n\nBy the time they reached the Western street, messengers had arrived to say, “The pilgrim who went for the scriptures has just returned, and His Majesty is bringing him into the city.” As soon as they heard this the monks all hurried over to meet him. When they saw the imperial carriage they dared not come close, but followed it to the palace gates, where the Tang Priest dismounted and went inside with his disciples."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The Tang Priest stood at the foot of the steps to the throne hall with the dragon horse, the load of sutras, Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand. Emperor Taizong then summoned the Younger Brother to enter the throne hall and invited him to sit down, which the Tang Priest did with thanks. He then had the scriptures carried up. Monkey and the others unpacked the scrolls, which the officials in personal attendance handed to the emperor.\n\n“How many scriptures are there?” the emperor asked. “And how did you fetch them?”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“When your clerical subject reached Vulture Peak and saw the Lord Buddha,” Sanzang replied, “he told the arhats Ananda and Kasyapa to take us first to a precious tower where we were given meatless food, then to the library, where we were handed the scriptures. The arhats demanded presents, but as we had not brought any we had none to give. Then they gave us the scriptures. When we had thanked the Buddha for his goodness and were travelling East the scriptures were snatched away by a demonic gale. Luckily my disciples were able to recover them by using magic powers, but they had been blown all over the place. On opening them out to look at them we found that they were all blank, wordless versions. We were so shocked that we went back to report to the Buddha and plead for the real ones. What the Lord Buddha said was, ‘When these scriptures were composed, bhiksus and holy monks went down the mountain and recited them to the family of the elder Zhao in the land of Sravasti. This ensured peace and safety for the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sravasti. This ensured peace and safety for the living and deliverance for the dead members of the family. All that was asked for was three bushels and three pecks of granular gold. I thought that they sold the scriptures too cheap, so I saw to it that Zhao’s sons and grandsons would be poor.’ When we realized that the two arhats were demanding a present and that the Lord Buddha knew all about it we had no choice but to give them our begging bowl of purple gold. Only then did they hand over the true scriptures with words. There are thirty-five of them, and a number of rolls from each of them was selected to be given us, making a total of rolls. This corresponds to the number of rolls in a single Store.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "At this Taizong was more delighted than ever. “Let the Protocol Office arrange a thanksgiving banquet in the Eastern hall,” he ordered, at which he suddenly saw the three disciples standing at the foot of the steps, looking very strange indeed. “Are your distinguished disciples foreigners?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“My senior disciple’s surname is Sun,” the venerable elder replied with a bow, “his Buddhist name is Wukong, and I also call him Sun the Novice. He originally came from the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the country of Aolai in the Eastern Continent of Divine Body. For making great havoc in the palaces of heaven five hundred years ago he was crashed by the Lord Buddha in a stone cell in the Double Boundary Mountain on the Western frontier. After the Bodhisattva Guanyin persuaded him to mend his ways he accepted conversion, so when I arrived there I delivered him. I am greatly indebted to him for my protection. My second disciple Zhu has the Buddhist name Wuneng, and I also call him Pig. He came from the Cloud Pathway Cave on the Mountain of Blessing, and was a monster in Gao Village in the land of Stubet until he was converted by the Bodhisattva and subdued by Wukong. He has made great efforts, carrying the load all along the way, and been very useful in crossing rivers. My third"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "and been very useful in crossing rivers. My third disciple’s surname is Sha and his Buddhist name Wujing. He used to be a monster in the Rowing Sands River. He too was converted by the Bodhisattva and now believes in the Buddhist faith. The horse is not the one that my sovereign gave me.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“How is that?” Taizong asked. “Its markings are the same.”\n\n“When your subject was going to cross the waters of the Eagle’s Sorrow Gorge by Coiled Snake Mountain my original horse was devoured by this one,” Sanzang replied. “Sun the Novice obliged me by having the Bodhisattva asked about the horse’s background. It was originally the son of the Dragon King of the Western Sea who had been sent there because of an offence. He too, was saved by the Bodhisattva, who told him to work for me and turned him into a horse with the same markings as the original one. He has been very helpful in climbing mountains, crossing ridges, fording rivers and negotiating difficult country. On the outward journey I rode him, and he carried the scriptures on the way back: I have depended greatly on his efforts.”\n\nTaizong was full of boundless praise on learning this. “How long in fact was your journey to the far West?” he asked."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“I remember the Bodhisattva saying that it was 36,000 miles,” Sanzang replied, “but I kept no record of the distances along the way. All I know is that we experienced fourteen winters and summers. Every day there was a mountain or a ridge. The woods were big and the rivers wide. I also met several kings who inspected and stamped my passport. Disciples,” he ordered, “fetch the passport and hand it to His Majesty.”\n\nWhen Taizong examined it he saw that it had been issued on the twelfth day of the ninth month of the thirteenth year of Zhen Guan. “You did indeed make a long and protracted journey,” he observed with a touch of a smile. “It is now the twenty-seventh year of Zhen Guan.” On the passport were the seals of the monarchs of Elephantia, Wuji, Tarrycart, the Womanland of Western Liang, Jisai, Purpuria, Leonia, Bhiksuland and Dharmadestructia; as well as the seals of the chief officials of Fengxian, Yuhua and Jinping. When Taizong had read through the passport he put it away."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Soon the officials in personal attendance on the emperor came to invite them to go to the banquet, whereupon Taizong led Sanzang by the hand out of the throne hall, asking, “Do your distinguished disciples know how to behave themselves?”\n\n“My disciples were all demons from mountain villages and from the wilderness,” Sanzang replied, “so they do not understand the etiquette of the sacred court of China. I beg you to forgive them for any offences, Your Majesty.”\n\n“We won’t blame them,” Taizong said with a smile, “we won’t blame them. They are all invited to come with us to the banquet in the Eastern pavilion.” Thanking him once again, Sanzang called his three disciples, and they all went to the Eastern pavilion to look. This was indeed the great land of China, no ordinary place. Just look;\n\nColoured silks hung from the gates,\n\nRed carpets were spread on the floor.\n\nHeavy, rare fragrances,\n\nFresh and exotic foods.\n\nAmber cups,\n\nGlazed dishes,\n\nSet with gold and nephrite;\n\nPlates of yellow gold,"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Plates of yellow gold,\n\nWhite jade bowls,\n\nInlaid with patterns.\n\nTender braised turnips,\n\nSugar-dredged taros,\n\nWonderful sweet mushrooms,\n\nFine fresh seaweed,\n\nSeveral servings of bamboo shoots with ginger,\n\nA number of rounds of mallows with honey,\n\nWheat gluten with leaves of the tree of heaven,\n\nTree fungus and thin strips of beancurd,\n\nAgar and aster,\n\nNoodles with ferns and dried rose-petals,\n\nPeppers stewed with radish,\n\nMelon shredded with mustard.\n\nThe dishes of vegetables were fine enough,\n\nBut the rare and wonderful fruit was outstanding:\n\nWalnuts and persimmon cakes,\n\nLongans and lichees,\n\nChestnuts from Xuanzhou and Shandong jujubes,\n\nGingko fruit from South of the Yangtse and hare-head pears,\n\nHazelnuts, pine nuts and lotus seeds, all big as grapes,\n\nTorreya nuts and melon seeds the size of water chestnuts,\n\nOlives and wild apples,\n\nPippins and crabs,\n\nLotus root and arrowhead,\n\nCrisp plums and red baybfenies.\n\nNothing was missing,\n\nAll was complete."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Nothing was missing,\n\nAll was complete.\n\nThere were steamed honey pastries and other confections,\n\nBest wines and fragrant tea and things out of the ordinary.\n\nWords could not describe the countless delicacies:\n\nThe great land of China was not Western barbary.\n\nThe master and his three disciples, together with the civil and military officials, stood to left and right as Emperor Taizong took his seat in the middle. There was singing, dancing and instrumental music, and all was ordered and solemn as the celebration lasted for the rest of the day. Indeed:\n\nThe monarch’s banquet was finer than those of ancient Tang and Yu;\n\nGreat was the blessing of the true scriptures obtained.\n\nThis was a story to be told with glory for ever:\n\nThe light of the Buddha shines throughout the imperial capital."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "That evening they thanked the emperor for his kindness, after which Taizong returned to the living quarters of the palace and the officials went home. The Tang Priest went back with his followers to the Hongfu Monastery, where the monks welcomed his with kowtows.\n\nNo sooner had he gone in through the gates than the monks reported, “Master, these tree-tops all suddenly leaned East this morning. As we remembered what you had said we went out of the city to meet you, and you had indeed come.” Overcome with delight, the venerable elder then entered the abbot’s lodgings. This time Pig neither shouted for tea and food nor made a row. Brother Monkey and Friar Sand also both behaved well. As the achievement was now complete they were naturally peaceful. At nightfall they went to bed."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Early the next morning Taizong announced to his officials at his dawn audience, “When we thought of the most profound and great achievement of our Younger Brother that we have no way of rewarding we were unable to sleep all night. We managed to draft a few colloquial sentences with which to express our thanks, but could not write them out. Officials of the Secretariat,” he ordered, “write them all down while we recite them to you.” This is the text he dictated: It is known that Heaven and Earth have their forms as a demonstration of how they provide the cover and support in which life is contained, whereas the four seasons are invisible, hiding the cold and heat with which they transform all creatures. Thus it is that by examining Heaven and looking at the Earth even the stupid can know about their origins, but few are the wise who can exhaust the numbers of the Negative and the Positive. Heaven and Earth, which are enveloped by the Negative and Positive, are easily understood because of their images, but"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "easily understood because of their images, but the Negative and Positive are hard to fathom because they are formless. If images are clear and can be grasped even the stupid will not be confused; if forms are hidden and invisible even the wise will be at a loss."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The way of the Buddha honors emptiness, rides on the mystery and controls silence, yet saves all beings and dominates all regions. When it raises up the numinous there is nothing higher; when it represses its own divine strength there is nothing lower. When it is big it extends throughout the cosmos; when tiny it can be contained in a fraction of an inch. It does not die and it is not born; it endures a thousand aeons and is eternal. Half hidden and half manifest, it controls all blessings and makes them exist for ever. Mysterious is the wonderful Way; none of those who follow it know its limits. Silent is the flow of the Dharma: of those who grasp it none finds its source. So how can mortal fools in their stupidity follow it without doubts or delusion?"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The great teaching arose in the West. Later a wondrous dream came to the Han court, spreading its brilliance and charity to the East. In ancient times, when the Buddha’s forms and traces were shared around, they converted people before word could be spread abroad. In the age when they were sometimes visible and sometimes invisible, the people looked up to them and followed them. But later the image was obscures and nirvana was reached, it moved away and left the world, the golden countenance was hidden away and no longer radiated its brilliance in the three thousand worlds. Pictures of the lovely image were made, vainly trying to show the Buddha’s thirty-two holy marks. Thereafter his subtle words were widely propagated, rescuing birds on the three roads of life; the teachings he left behind were spread afar, guiding all living beings along the ten stages of development. The Buddha has scriptures that can be divided into the Greater and Lesser Vehicles. There is also magic, the art of spreading mistakes and"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "is also magic, the art of spreading mistakes and making right into wrong."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Now our priest Xuanzang, the Master of the Law, is the leader of the Dharma faith. In his youth he was so careful and perceptive that he soon became aware of the value of the three voids. As he grew up the clarity of his spirit embraced the four kinds of patience in his conduct. Not even a pine tree in a wind or the moon reflected in water could be compared with his purity; immortals’ dew and bright pearls are no match for his lustrous splendor. His wisdom encompasses all without encumbrance; his spirit fathoms the formless. Rising far above the six impurities, he extends his fragrance through a thousand ages. When he concentrated his mind on the inner sphere he grieved at the torments suffered by the true Dharma; when he settled his thoughts on the gate of mystery he was distressed by the distortion of the profound writings. He longed to put them back into order so that the teachings of the past could be propagated again; and to root out apocryphal texts, enabling the true ones to stay in circulation so as"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the true ones to stay in circulation so as to open the way for later scholars. That is why he lifted up his heart towards the Pure Land, and made a Dharma journey to the West, braving the dangers of distant lands as he walked alone, trusting to his staff. When the snow whirled around at dawn the land would disappear in a moment; and when the dust started to fly at evening the sky was blotted out. He advanced through the mists across a thousand leagues of mountains and rivers, making his way forward through the frosts and rains of a hundred changes of season. With great single-mindedness and making light of his efforts he longed deeply to reach his goal. He wandered around the West for fourteen years, visiting every one of those exotic countries in his search for the true teaching. He visited the Twin Trees and the Eight Rivers, savoring the Way and braving the wind. In Deer Park and on Vulture Peak he gazed upon wonders and marvels. He received the good word from ancient sages and the true teaching from"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "from ancient sages and the true teaching from superior worthies, probing deep within the wonderful gates, and exhausting the mysteries. The Way of the Three Vehicles and the Six Disciplines gallop across the field of his heart; a hundred cases of texts belonging to one Store roll like waves in the sea of his eloquence. Infinitely many are the countries he has visited; and vast the number of the scriptures he has collected."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He has obtained 5,048 rolls of all thirty-five of the essential texts of the Great Vehicle to be translated and made known in China so that the wonderful cause may be promoted. The clouds of mercy he has drawn from the far West will shed their Dharma rain here in the East. The holy teachings that had been incomplete are now complete once more; the common folk who had sinned are brought back to blessings. The searing flames of fire have been damped down, and all have been saved from the ways of delusion; the muddied waves in the water of wisdom have been made clear once more as all gather on the other bank. From this it can be learned that the evil fall because of their karma, while the good rise because of their destiny. The origins of these rises and falls lie in one’s own actions. This can be compared with a cassia growing on a high mountain, where only clouds and dew can nourish its blossom, or a lotus emerging from green waters, its leaves unsullied by flying dust. It is not that the lotus is pure by"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "flying dust. It is not that the lotus is pure by nature and the cassia unsullied: they are good because one attaches itself to what is lofty, where mean and trivial things cannot encumber it, while the other depends on what is clean, where filth cannot dirty it. Now if plants that know nothing can become good by building themselves up through goodness, how much the more so should conscientious people achieve blessing through blessed cause and effect. It is now to be hoped that the true scriptures will be propagated as endlessly as the alternation of sun and moon; and that this blessing will extend for ever, eternal like heaven and earth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "As soon as this had been written out the holy monk, who was waiting outside the palace gates to express his thanks, was summoned. The moment he heard the summons, Sanzang hurried and performed the ritual of kowtows. Taizong then invited him into the throne room and handed him the document, Sanzang read it through, prostrated himself once more in thanks, and submitted this memorial: “Your Majesty’s writing is both lofty and in the ancient style; it is reasoned, profound and subtle. But I do not know what its title is.”\n\n“What we drafted orally last night,” Taizong replied, “We would call a ‘Preface to the Holy Teaching’. Would that be acceptable?” The venerable elder kowtowed and expressed his thanks at great length."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taizong then said, “Our talent makes us ashamed by comparison with what is recorded on jade tablets; our words are not worthy of what is inscribed on metal or stone. As for the Inner Scriptures, we are even more ignorant of them. The text we drafted orally is truly a base and clumsy composition that sullies golden tablets with brush and ink, and is like placing pebbles in a forest of pearls. When we reflect on it we are filled with embarrassment. It is most unworthy of merit; we have put you to the trouble of thanking us for nothing.”\n\nThe officials all expressed their congratulations and kowtowed before the imperial text on the holy teaching, which was going to be published everywhere in the capital and the provinces.\n\n“Would you be willing to recite some of the true scriptures for us, Younger Brother?” Taizong asked.\n\n“Your Majesty,” Sanzang replied, “if true scriptures are to be recited it must be done in the Buddha’s ground. A throne hall is no place for the recital of scriptures.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Taizong was most pleased to accept this. “Which is the purest monastery in the city of Chang’an?” he asked his officers it attendance, at which the Academician Xiao Yu slipped forward from his rank to memorialize, “The Monastery of the Wild Goose Stupa in the city is the purest of them all.”\n\nTaizong then ordered his officials, “Each of you is reverently to bring a few rolls of the true scriptures and accompany us to the Monastery of the Wild Goose Stupa, where we shall invite our younger brother to preach on the scriptures.” The officials, all carrying some rolls of the scriptures, went with Taizong to the monastery, where a high platform was erected and everything was neatly set out."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Pig, Friar Sand,” the venerable elder commanded, “bring the dragon horse with you and put the luggage in order. Monkey will stay beside me.” He then addressed the emperor, saying, “If Your Majesty wishes to spread the true scriptures throughout the world copies must be made before they can be published. The original texts must be stored as great treasures. They may not be shown any disrespect or be defiled.”\n\n“Younger Brother,” replied Taizong with a smile, “what you say is very correct, very correct.” He then ordered the officials of the Hanlin Academy and the Palace Secretariat to copy out the true scriptures and had another monastery, the Copying Monastery, founded to the East of the city wall."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder mounted the platform with several scriptures in his hands. He was just about to begin reciting them when scented breezes began to waft around and the Eight Great Vajrapanis appeared in mid-air to shout aloud, “Scripture-reciter, put those scriptures down and come back to the West with us.” Monkey and the other two, who were standing below Sanzang, all rose up above the ground together with the white horse. Sanzang put the scriptures down and also rose up to the ninth level of clouds, then went away with them through the air. Taizong and his officials were all so alarmed that they kowtowed to the sky. This was indeed a case of\n\nThe holy monk long strove to fetch the scriptures;\n\nFor fourteen years across the West he strayed.\n\nHe journeyed hard and met with much disaster;\n\nBy mountains and by rivers long delayed.\n\nCompleting eight times nine and one nine more,\n\nHis deeds filled worlds in numbers beyond measure.\n\nHe went back to his country taking sutras"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "He went back to his country taking sutras\n\nThat people in the East will always treasure.\n\nWhen Taizong and all the officials had finished worshipping, eminent monks were selected to prepare a great Land and Sea Mass in the Monastery of the Wild Goose Stupa at which the true scriptures of the Great Store would be recited, and by which all evil-doing ghosts in the underworld would be saved, and goodness would spread all around. We will not describe how copies were made of the scriptures and published throughout the empire.\n\nThe story tells instead how the Eight Vajrapanis led the venerable elder, his three disciples and the horse, all five of them back to Vulture Peak. The journey to Chang’an and back had taken eight days. Just when all the deities of Vulture Peak were listening to the Buddha preaching, the Eight Vajrapanis led master and disciples in."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“In obedience to the golden command,” they reported to the Tathagata, “your disciples have carried the holy monks back to the land of Tang, where they handed the scriptures over. We have now come to report our mission completed.” The Tang Priest and his disciples were then told to step forward and be given their jobs."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Holy Monk,” the Tathagata said, “in an earlier life you were my second disciple, and called Master Golden Cicada. But because you would not listen to my sermon on the Dharma and had no respect for my great teaching I demoted your soul to be reborn in the East. Now, happily, you have come over to the faith and rely on our support; and in following our teaching your achievement in fetching the true scriptures has been very great. Your reward will be to be promoted to high office as the Candana-punya Buddha. Sun Wukong, when you made great havoc in the palaces of heaven I had to use powerful magic to crush you under the Five Elements Mountain until, happily, your heaven-sent punishment was completed and you were converted to the Sakyamuni’s faith. It was also fortunate that you suppressed your evil side and gave play to your good side as you won glory by defeating monsters and demons along the journey. All that was begun has now been completed and you too will be rewarded with high office as the Victorious"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "be rewarded with high office as the Victorious Fighting Buddha. Zhu Wuneng; you used to be a water god in the River of Heaven as Marshal Tian Peng. Because of your drunken flirtation with an immortal maiden at the Peach Banquet you were sent down to be born in the lower world as a beast. From your love of the human body you sinned in the Cloud Pathway Cave on the Mount of Blessing before your conversion to the great faith and entry into our Buddhist sect. You guarded the holy monk on his journey, but your heart is still unregenerate, and you are not yet purged of your lust. But as you won merit by carrying the luggage you will be rewarded with promotion as the Altar Cleanser.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“They’ve both been made Buddhas,” Pig shouted, “so why am I only the Altar Cleanser?”\n\n“Because you have a voracious appetite, a lazy body and a huge belly,” the Tathagata replied. “Now very many people in the world’s four continents believe in our teachings. I will ask you to clean up the altars after all Buddhist services: your post is of a rank that provides plenty to eat. What is wrong with that?”\n\n“Sha Wujing, you used to be the Curtain-lifting General until you were banished to the lower world for smashing a crystal bowl at a Peach Banquet. You fell into the River of Flowing Sands where you sinned by killing and eating people, until, thank goodness, you were converted to our teaching, sincerely relied on our support, and won merit by protecting the holy monk and leading the horse up the mountain. Your reward will be elevation to high office as the Golden Arhat.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Then he said to the white horse. “You were originally the son of Guangjin, the Dragon King of the Western Ocean. Because you disobeyed your father you were punished for being unfilial until you too were converted to the Dharma and to our faith. Every day you carried the holy monk to the West, and after that you carried the holy scriptures back to the East. For these achievements you will be rewarded by being made a Heavenly Dragon of the Eight Classes of Being.”"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The venerable elder and his three disciples all kowtowed to express their thanks, and the horse showed its gratitude too. A protector was then ordered to take the horse straight down to the Dragon-transforming Pool by the precipice at the back of Vulture Peak and push him into the pool. At once the horse stretched itself out, shed all its hair, and acquired horns. Golden scales grew all over its body and a silver beard sprouted on its cheeks and chin. Then, shining all over with auspicious aura and with clouds of good omen in every claw, it flew up from the Dragon-transforming Pool to coil itself around the Heaven-supporting Winged Column. All the Buddhas expressed their admiration for the Tathagata’s great magic."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "“Master,” Monkey said to the Tang Priest, “now that I’ve become a Buddha just like you, surely I don’t have to go on wearing this golden band. Do you plan to say any more Band-tightening Spells to tighten it round my head? Say a Band-loosening Spell as quickly as you can, take it off, and smash it to smithereens. Don’t let that Bodhisattva or whatever she is make life miserable for anyone else with it.”\n\n“It was because you were so uncontrollable in those days that this magic was needed to keep you in order.” Sanzang replied. “Now that you are a Buddha it can of course go. There is no reason for it to stay on your head any longer. Feel there now.” When Monkey raised his hands to feel he found that it had indeed gone. The Candana-punya Buddha, the Victorious Fighting Buddha, the Altar Cleanser and the Golden Arhat had all completed the true achievement and reached their proper places. The heavenly dragon horse had also come back to its true self. There is a poem to prove this that goes:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "All of reality turns to dust;\n\nWhen the four appearances combine the body is renewed.\n\nThe substance of the Five Elements is all void;\n\nForget about the passing fame of fiends.\n\nWith Candana-punya comes the great awakening;\n\nWhen duties are completed they escape from suffering.\n\nGreat is the blessing of scriptures spread abroad;\n\nWithin the only gate five sages dwell on high.\n\nWhen the five holy ones had taken their places all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, holy monks, arhats, protectors, bhiksus, lay people, deities and immortals from every cave and every mountain, great gods, Ding and Jia gods, duty gods, guardians, local deities, and all teachers and immortals who had achieved the Way—all of whom had originally come to hear the preaching—resumed their own places. Just look at it:\n\nThe coloured mists surround the Vulture Peak;\n\nAuspicious clouds are massed in the world of bliss.\n\nGolden dragons lie at peace,\n\nJade tigers all are quiet.\n\nBlack hares come and go at will;\n\nTortoises and snakes coil all around."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tortoises and snakes coil all around.\n\nPhoenixes red and green are in high spirits;\n\nHappy the dark apes and white deer.\n\nThroughout the year amazing flowers bloom;\n\nImmortal fruit grows in all four seasons.\n\nLofty pine and ancient juniper,\n\nBlue-green cypress and slender bamboo.\n\nPlums of every color, in blossom or in fruit,\n\nEternal peaches, sometimes ripe and sometimes new.\n\nA thousand kinds of fruit and flower vie in beauty;\n\nAll of the sky is filled with auspicious mists.\n\nThey all put their hands together in front of their chests in salutation and recited together:\n\n“Homage to the ancient Dipamkara Buddha.\n\nHomage to Bhaisajya-guru-vaiduryaprabhasa Buddha.\n\nHomage to Sakyamuni Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Buddhas of Past, Present and Future.\n\nHomage to the Pure and Happy Buddha.\n\nHomage to Vairocana Buddha.\n\nHomage to Ramadhvaja-raja Buddha.\n\nHomage to Maitreya Buddha.\n\nHomage to Amitabha Buddha.\n\nHomage to Amitayus Buddha.\n\nHomage to Buddha Who Leads to the Truth.\n\nHomage to the Imperishable Vajra Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Homage to the Imperishable Vajra Buddha.\n\nHomage to Ratnaprabhasa Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Nagaraja Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of Zealous Goodness.\n\nHomage to the Precious Moonlight Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Buddha Free of Stupidity.\n\nHomage to Varuna Buddha.\n\nHomage to Narayana Buddha.\n\nHomage to Punyapuspa Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of Meritorious Talent.\n\nHomage to the Good Wandering Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Illustrious Candana-punya Buddha\n\nHomage to the Manidhvaja Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of the Torch of Wisdom.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of Great Virtues.\n\nHomage to the Brilliant Buddha of Great Compassion.\n\nHomage to the Maitribala-raja Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Wise and Good Leader Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Vyuharaja Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of Golden Splendor.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of Brilliant Talent\n\nHomage to the Buddha of Wisdom.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of the World’s Calm Light.\n\nHomage to the Sunlight and Moonlight Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Sunlight and Moonlight Pearl Buddha."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Homage to the Supreme Buddha King of the Banner of Wisdom.\n\nHomage to the Sughosa Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of the Banner of Unceasing Radiance.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of the World-watching Lamp.\n\nHomage to the Supreme Dhanna King Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of Sumeru Light.\n\nHomage to the Buddha Prajnabala King.\n\nHomage to the Brilliant Buddha of the Golden sea.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of Universal Light.\n\nHomage to the Buddha of Illustrious Talent.\n\nHomage to Candana-punya Achievement Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Victorious Fighting Buddha.\n\nHomage to the Bodhisattva Guanyin.\n\nHomage to the Bodhisattva Mahasthama.\n\nHomage to the Bodhisattva Manjusri\n\nHomage to the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra.\n\nHomage to the Bodhisattvas of the Ocean of Purity.\n\nHomage to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Lotus Pool Assembly.\n\nHomage to all the Bodhisattvas of the Utterly Blissful Western Heaven.\n\nHomage to the Three Thousand Protector Bodhisattvas.\n\nHomage to the Five Hundred Arhat Bodhisattvas."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Homage to the Five Hundred Arhat Bodhisattvas.\n\nHomage to the Bhiksu, Bhiksuni, Upasaka and Upasaka Bodhisattvas.\n\nHomage to the Bodhisattvas of the Boundless Dharma.\n\nHomage to the Holy Vajra Bodhisattvas.\n\nHomage to the Altar-cleansing Bodhisattva.\n\nHomage to the Golden Arhat Bodhisattva of the Eight Treasures.\n\nHomage to the Bodhisattva Heavenly Dragon of Eight Classes of Being.\n\nThus it is that all the Buddhas of every world\n\nAre willing with this achievement\n\nTo adorn the Pure Land of the Buddha.\n\nAbove we can repay the fourfold kindness,\n\nBelow we save those suffering in the three paths of life.\n\nLet anyone who sees or hears\n\nCherish the enlightened mind.\n\nMay all be reborn in the Land of Bliss,\n\nTo end this present life of retribution.\n\nAll the Buddhas of Past, Present and Future in the Ten Regions, all the Bodhisattvas and Mahasattvas, Maha-prajnaparamita.”\n\nHere ends the Journey to the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Journey to the West\nXiyou ji or Journey to the West (known also as Monkey from a popular English abridgement) is the first supernatural novel of pre-modern Chinese romanticism. It tells the story of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, usually referred to in the novel as Tang [dynasty] Sanzang, or in translation as Tripitika. The latter is the Sanskrit term for the tripartite Buddhist Canon of sutras whose acquisition was the purpose of this Tang dynasty Zhenguan (627–649) era pilgrimage. Accompanying the monk on this journey to the West during which they must overcome many difficulties are: Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, Monkey, etc.; Zhu Bajie, a half-man, half-pig known as Pigsy, Pig, etc.; Sha Seng, a river-sand demon known as Friar or Monk Sandy, Sandy, Sand, etc.; and Yulong, referred to as Bai Longma: a son of a dragon king, known as the White Dragon Horse. Xiyou ji is one of the four masterpieces of classical Chinese literature."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xiyou ji is based on a real event—the journey to India to obtain sutras undertaken by the Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang (602–664). Over time the story evolved, with added folkloric characters and expanded mythical settings. Xuanzang’s own account in the Datang xiyu ji (Accounts of the Western Regions during the Great Tang) as well as that found in the Tang dynasty collection of classical short stories called Duyi zhi (Accounts on extraordinary phenomena) share some content with each other and also with Xiyou ji. But it is in the later Song dynasty (960–1279) Datang Sanzang qujing shihua (Ballad narrative of Tang Sanzang seeking Buddhist sutras), that the distinct outline of Xiyou ji (including a monkey character) clearly emerges. In the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) there appeared Xiyou ji zaju (dramas) and a bit later Xiyou ji pinghua (plain narratives) in which there is further development in the integrity and specificity of the storyline. But the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) novel surpasses them in depth of content"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "novel surpasses them in depth of content and sophisticated presentation. Owing to the low cultural status accorded to fiction (and its creators) during the Ming and in pre-modern China in general, determining the authorship of Xiyou ji which appeared anonymously in 1592 is difficult. In modern times, Lu Xun (among others) speculated that the sixteenth century Ming scholar Wu Cheng’en (ca. 1500–1582) was the author, an opinion shared by many."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xiyou ji has a somewhat complex structure. It can be divided into one small and one large part. The smaller, shorter part consists of the first seven chapters which describe the legend of Sun Wukong’s (Monkey King) birth and the trouble he causes in the “Three Realms,” that is throughout the universe by his rebellious behavior. Then it turns to the much longer and larger part, the story of the Tang monk Sanzang (Tripitika) and his companions on their eventful westward journey. Between these two parts there is a transitional section further explicating the origin of this sutra-seeking pilgrimage as well as providing some background information on Sanzang. The plot spans time and space as it moves between the “Three Realms”—the Heaven of gods and the Buddha, the Underworld of ghosts and demonic monsters, and the Human world as the characters proceed on their journey and experience eighty-one tribulations. Some of these are inspired by nature, some symbolize society, some allude to historical events, and others"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "some allude to historical events, and others explore and reveal the human heart. The novel thus comprehensively reflects pre-modern Chinese society and the problems faced by humankind in that period. Differing from other novels like Sanguo yanyi (Romance of the Three States) and Shuihu zhuan (Water margin), which are episodic narratives; Xiyou ji adapts the structure of a travel journal. Its main characters are Xuanzang and his three disciples; but centering on them, it also depicts gods from different religions and various folkloric monsters and ghosts. The author cleverly combines the natures of humans, animals, and immortals to show the qualities and personalities of the different characters. Sanzang is devoted but weak, Sun Wukong is heroic, Zhu Bajie is voracious and sensual, while Sha Heshang (Sha Seng) is quiet and ascetic. They are all vividly rendered."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Even though this novel predominantly deals with the supernatural, its content has ties to the real social order of its creation. For example, the immortal world with tidy classifications and ordered arrangements is the counterpart of the ruling system in the human world in China at that time. The monstrous beings that dominate and tyrannize are embodiments of similar forces at work in that society. Most importantly, no matter their outward appearance, the characters in the novel all seem to have a human nature, indeed are profoundly human, and this provides a solid foundation for the fusion of imagination and reality which distinguishes this work. Since Xiyou ji was published, it has been subject to many different interpretations. Some focus on its political connotations, while others emphasize its philosophical contents. Still others are interested in exploring its profound insight into the cultural consciousness. The wealth of interpretations reflects the novel’s rich meaning. Among the four masterpieces"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "novel’s rich meaning. Among the four masterpieces of classical Chinese literature, with its deep revelation of human nature and experience beyond the limitations of time and space, Xiyou ji shows a higher level of cultural and philosophical value."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xiyou ji is today broadly circulated domestically and internationally with countless versions. It has been reprinted many times in Korea, Japan, and other East Asian countries. There also exist many translated versions in Western European countries such as France, Germany, Great Britain, and Russia as well as in Canada and the United States, not to mention other regions of the world. It is one of the most popular and widely circulated pre-modern Chinese fictional works.\n\n\n\nA Catalog of the Monkey King’s Magic Powers and Skills\n2. A survey of the Monkey King’s magic powers\n2.1. Immortalities\nIn place of using “layer” or “level,” I’m choosing to designate his various immortalities as “categories.” This is because a new layer of divine longevity or durability would surely be added for each immortal peach, elixir pill, or cup/jug of heavenly wine consumed. Hence, eating multiple peaches would be one category, eating multiple elixir pills would be one category, and so on and so forth."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "There are two sets of immortalities. The first are achieved before or during the journey:\n\n(Monkey briefly dies from thermal shock in chapter 41 while battling Red Boy. Zhu Bajie shortly thereafter suggests that he has 72 lives because he knows the 72 transformations (他有七十二般變化，就有七十二條性命。). If true, this would have interesting implications for his various immortalities. Would someone have to kill him 72 times in order to make sure that he is dead for good? This would be a tall feat considering Sun’s great durability and fighting prowess.)\n\nThe second are achieved at the journey’s end once they reach the Buddha’s blessed land. These shouldn’t be lumped together with those acquired before and during the pilgrimage.\n\nIt’s important to note that the novel ends before Monkey is able to perform any feats as a Buddha. Therefore, making claims about his subsequent abilities is outside of canon."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A photomanipulation by me called “The Immortal Has Awakened” (2018) (larger version). The original work was first published on Deviantart.\n\n2.2. Definite powers\nThese are abilities that are utilized in the narrative.\n\nThe Monkey King casting a spell (larger version). Drawing by Poppindollars on deviantart.\n\n2.3. Uncertain powers\nReaders are free to decide whether or not these are actually powers.\n\nLight beams shoot from Sun’s eyes shortly after his birth (larger version). The image was originally found on Facebook, but I’ve been informed that it is by the artist Jiang Xiaoshu (姜晓殊).\n\n2.4. Claimed powers\nThese are abilities that are never demonstrated:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "No shadow – He claims to cast no shadow while walking past the sun and moon (ch. 3).\nPhasing – He claims that he can pass through metal and rock unhindered (ch. 3).\nTaming dragons – He claims to be able to subdue dragons (ch. 14), but the various serpent-spirits that he meets during the journey do not cower before him like earthly tigers do (see # 19 above).\nSuper hearing – He claims to be able to hear the goings-on in heaven and hell (ch. 31). But it’s interesting to note that his doppelganger is shown to have super hearing.\nKicking down the sky or overturning wells – These are as named.\nManipulating stellar bodies – He claims to be able to change the path of stars and planets (ch. 46). But I should note that he fights and single handedly defeats the anthropomorphic forms of the nine planets during his rebellion (ch. 5). I’ll leave it up to the reader to decide whether or not this constitutes altering their paths."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey fighting the dragon prince that will become the white dragon horse (larger version). Image found here."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "3. Skills\nEarly education – Language, etiquette, scriptural studies, calligraphy, and gardening.\nNavigation – The ability to travel to and find places that he has not previously been to. This is displayed throughout the novel.\nMartial arts (武藝) – He has a knowledge of different weapons, and he is even shown to be a proficient boxer. He displays this throughout the novel.\nCosmic social connections – His travels as a young immortal enabled him to make friends, or at least to become acquaintances with, all sorts of gods and spirits across the Buddho-Daoist universe. He uses these connections to his advantage throughout the novel.\nMedicine – He shows a knowledge of celestial and earthly pharmacology and pathology. This is most famously displayed in chapters 68 and 69.\nSewing – He is shown capable of sewing clothing (ch. 14 & 84).\nFace reading – He is shown to have a familiarity with the art of deriving someone’s personality or intelligence from their looks."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Craftsmanship – He claims to be able to build a house for the Tang Monk (ch. 67), and he later constructs a straw dragon for a queen to ride (ch. 71).\nGuessing weight – He can guess the weight of something just by holding it in his hand (ch. 76).\nMonkey uses golden threads to analyze an emperor’s pulse in chapters 68 and 69 (larger version). From Mr. Li Zhuowu’s Literary Criticism of Journey to the West (late 16th-century)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "4. Intelligence\nLastly, I would like to highlight Monkey’s intellect. Despite his common association with using force, he is shown in the novel to be very clever, often relying on a number of mental qualities or tactics to defeat demons:"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Adeptness\nBasic soldering\nCalculation\nCommandeering enemy equipment\nDeception\nInfo gathering\nKnowledge base: celestial and earthly pharmacology and pathology, heavenly treasures, classics, astronomy, philosophy, law, scripture, demonology, logic, spiritual cultivation and spirituality, cooking, types of wood, sound, and the cosmic hierarchy\nLanguage acquisition – He only has to listen to a conversation for a moment before he learns a new language.\nMemory\nPattern recognition\nPersuasion\nPlanning\nProblem solving\nQuick thinking\nWeapon making"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "A good example of his cunning appears in chapter 97. The four monks are framed for the theft and murder of a rich layman who had originally hosted them for a month. Sun Wukong captures the real perpetrators and rounds up their stolen bounty, but he is forced to release the bandits for fear that Tripitaka will chant the tight-fillet spell for killing them. However, imperial troops later capture the clerics with the stolen items, making them look guilty. After the group is brought to court and tortured for some time (only affecting the weaker members), Monkey escapes from the prison at night in order to influence their release. First, he imitates the voice of the slain layman at his wake and threatens heavenly retribution if his widow, the person who framed the monks, doesn’t recant her false claims. Second, he imitates the voice of the deceased uncle of the city magistrate who imprisoned them and again threatens heavenly retribution if the official doesn’t reexamine the case. And third, at dawn he transforms"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "the case. And third, at dawn he transforms himself into a titan-sized apparition before the district level magistrates and threatens to stomp the city and surrounding area into oblivion as heavenly retribution if they don’t put pressure on their superior to free the group. In the morning, Tripitaka, Zhu, Sha, and the officials visit the layman’s home, while Sun goes to the underworld to retrieve the man’s soul, which has been granted a dozen more years of life by the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. Monkey returns and brings the man back to life by forcing his soul into his body. The layman then explains how he had been murdered by bandits who robbed his mansion. The city magistrate therefore pardons the monks and even the wife."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Journey to the West\nFor other uses, see Journey to the West (disambiguation).\nJourney to the West (Chinese: 西遊記; pinyin: Xīyóu Jì) is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the most popular literary work in East Asia.[2] It is widely known in English-speaking countries through Arthur Waley's 1942 abridged translation, Monkey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The novel is a fictionalized account of the pilgrimage of the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who journeyed to India in the 7th century AD to seek out and collect Buddhist scriptures (sūtras).[3] The novel retains the broad outline of Xuanzang's own account, Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, but embellishes it with fantasy elements from folk tales and the author's invention. In the story, the Buddha tasks the monk, called \"Tang Sanzang\" or \"Tripitaka\", with journeying to India and provides him with three protectors who agree to help him in order to atone for their sins: Sun Wukong (the \"Monkey King\"), Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing. Riding a White Dragon Horse, the monk and his three protectors journey to a mythical version of India and enlightenment through the power and virtue of cooperation."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Journey to the West has strong roots in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoist and Buddhist folklore, and the pantheon of Taoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas are still reflective of certain Chinese religious attitudes today, while being the inspiration of many modern manhwa, manhua, manga and anime series. Enduringly popular,[4] the novel is at once a comic adventure story, a humorous satire of Chinese bureaucracy, a source of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "History\nCreation and authorship\nThe modern 100-chapter form of Journey to the West dates from the 16th century.[6] Embellished stories based on Xuanzang's journey to India had circulated through oral storytelling for centuries. They appeared in book form as early as the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279).[6] The Yongle Encyclopedia, completed in 1408, contains excerpts of a version of the story written in colloquial Chinese, and a Korean book from 1423 also includes a fragment of that story.[6] The earliest surviving edition of Journey to the West was published in Nanjing in 1592. Two earlier editions were published between 1522 and 1566, but no copies of them survived.[6][7]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The authorship of Journey to the West is traditionally ascribed to Wu Cheng'en, but the question is complicated by the fact that much of the novel's material originated from folk tales.[8][9] Anthony C. Yu, writing in 2012, warned that \"this vexing dispute over the novel's authorship, similar to that on the priority of its textual versions, see-sawed back and forth for nearly a century without resolution.\"[10]\n\nHu Shih, literary scholar, former Chancellor of Peking University, and then Ambassador to the United States, wrote in 1942 that the novel was thought to have been written and published anonymously by Wu Cheng'en. He reasoned that the people of Wu's hometown attributed it to him early on, and kept records to that effect as early as 1625; thus, claimed Hu, Journey to the West was one of the earliest Chinese novels for which the authorship is officially documented.[11]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "More recent scholarship casts doubts on this attribution. Brown University Chinese literature scholar David Lattimore stated in 1983: \"The Ambassador's confidence was quite unjustified. What the gazetteer says is that Wu wrote something called The Journey to the West. It mentions nothing about a novel. The work in question could have been any version of our story, or something else entirely.\"[12] Translator W. J. F. Jenner pointed out that although Wu had knowledge of Chinese bureaucracy and politics, the novel itself does not include any political details that \"a fairly well-read commoner could not have known.\"[8]\n\nOne interpretive tradition views Journey to the West as the outcome of a writing game which was popular among Chinese literati.[13]: 157"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The overall plot of Journey to the West was \"already a part of Chinese folk and literary tradition in the form of \"folk stories with informal language\", a poetic novelette, and a six-part drama\" play series, which was transcribed and written down, before the current version was written.[9] Fragments of an earlier text, Journey to the West as Storytelling, are recorded in other texts.[13]: 159  The narrative threads from this earlier text which survive are the wager between the Dragon King of the Jing River and fortune teller Yuan Shoucheng and the contest between the pilgrims and the three Taoist demons in Cart Slow Kingdom.[13]: 159 \n\nRegardless of the origins and authorship, Journey to the West has become the authoritative version of these folk stories,[8] and while the cumulative authorship of the text is acknowledged, Wu is generally accepted as the author of the 1592 printed version widely considered canonical.[13]: 158"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Historical basis\nMain article: Xuanzang\nAlthough Journey to the West is a work of fantasy, it is based on the actual journey of the Chinese monk Xuanzang (602–664), who traveled to India in the 7th century in order to seek out Buddhist scriptures and bring them back to China. Xuanzang was a monk at Jingtu Temple in the imperial capital Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) during the late Sui dynasty and early Tang dynasty. He left Chang'an in 629, in defiance of Emperor Taizong of Tang's ban on travel. Helped by sympathetic Buddhists, Xuanzang traveled via Gansu and Qinghai to Kumul (Hami), thence following the Tian Shan mountains to Turpan. He then crossed regions that are today Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, into Gandhara, in what is today northern Pakistan, in 630. Xuanzang traveled throughout India for the next thirteen years, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, studying at the ancient university at Nalanda, and debating the rivals of Buddhism."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Xuanzang left India in 643 and arrived back in Chang'an in 646. Although he had defied the imperial travel ban when he left, Xuanzang received a warm welcome from Emperor Taizong upon his return. The emperor provided money and support for Xuanzang's projects. He joined Da Ci'en Monastery (Monastery of Great Maternal Grace), where he led the building of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to store the scriptures and icons he had brought back from India. He recorded his journey in the book Great Tang Records on the Western Regions. With the support of the emperor, he established an institute at Yuhua Gong (Palace of the Luster of Jade) monastery dedicated to translating the scriptures he had brought back. His translation and commentary work established him as the founder of the Dharma character school of Buddhism. Xuanzang died on 7 March 664. The Xingjiao Monastery was established in 669 to house his ashes.\n\nSynopsis\nThe novel has 100 chapters that can be divided into four unequal parts."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "First Part\nThe first part, which includes chapters 1–7, is a self-contained introduction to the main story. It deals entirely with the earlier exploits of Sun Wukong, a monkey born from a stone nourished by the Five Elements, who learns the art of the Tao, 72 polymorphic transformations, combat, and secrets of immortality, and whose guile and force earns him the name Qitian Dasheng (simplified Chinese: 齐天大圣; traditional Chinese: 齊天大聖), or \"Great Sage Equal to Heaven.\" His powers grow to match the forces of all of the Eastern (Taoist) deities, and the prologue culminates in Sun's rebellion against Heaven, during a time when he garnered a post in the celestial bureaucracy. Hubris proves his downfall when the Buddha manages to trap him under a mountain, sealing it with a talisman for five hundred years."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Second Part\nThe second part (chapters 8–12) introduces Tang Sanzang through his early biography and the background to his great journey. Dismayed that \"the land of the South (i.e. Tang China) knows only greed, hedonism, promiscuity, and sins,\" the Buddha instructs the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) to search China for someone to take the Buddhist sutras of \"transcendence and persuasion for good will\" back. Part of this section also relates to how Tang Sanzang becomes a monk (as well as revealing his past life as a disciple of the Buddha named \"Golden Cicada\" (金蟬子 Jīn Chánzi) and comes about being sent on this pilgrimage by Emperor Taizong, who previously escaped death with the help of an official in the Underworld. In the story, Tang Sanzang is considered an allegorical representation of the human heart."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Third Part\nThe third and longest section of the work is chapters 13–99, an episodic adventure story in which Tang Sanzang sets out to bring back Buddhist scriptures from Leiyin Temple on Vulture Peak in India, but encounters various evils along the way. The section is set in the sparsely populated lands along the Silk Road between China and India. The geography described in the book is, however, almost entirely fantasy; once Tang Sanzang departs Chang'an, the Tang capital, and crosses the frontier (somewhere in Gansu province), he finds himself in a wilderness of deep gorges and tall mountains, inhabited by demons and animal spirits who regard him as a potential meal (since his flesh was believed to give immortality to whoever ate it), with the occasional hidden monastery or royal city-state amidst the harsh setting."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Episodes consist of 1–4 chapters and usually involve Tang Sanzang being captured and having his life threatened while his disciples try to find an ingenious (and often violent) way of liberating him. Although some of Tang Sanzang's predicaments are political and involve ordinary human beings, they more frequently consist of run-ins with various demons, many of whom turn out to be earthly manifestations of heavenly beings (whose sins will be negated by eating the flesh of Tang Sanzang) or animal-spirits with enough Taoist spiritual merit to assume semi-human forms.\n\nChapters 13–22 do not follow this structure precisely, as they introduce Tang Sanzang's disciples, who, inspired or goaded by Guanyin, meet and agree to serve him along the way in order to atone for their sins in their past lives."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The first is Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King (or just \"Monkey\"), whose given name loosely means \"Monkey Awakened to Emptiness (Śūnyatā)\", trapped under a mountain by the Buddha for defying Heaven. He appears right away in chapter 13. The most intelligent, the most powerful, and the most violent of the disciples, he is constantly reproved for his violence by Tang Sanzang. Ultimately, he can only be controlled by a magic gold ring that Guanyin has placed around his head, which causes him unbearable headaches when Tang Sanzang chants the Ring Tightening Mantra. In the story, Sun Wukong is an allegorical representation of the human mind and thought and impulse, and is often nicknamed the \"Monkey mind\"."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The second, appearing in chapter 19, is Zhu Wuneng / Zhu Bajie, literally \"Pig Awakened to Ability\" and \"Eight Precepts Pig,\" sometimes translated as Pigsy or just Pig. He was previously the Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy, a commander of Heaven's naval forces, and was banished to the mortal realm for harassing the moon goddess Chang'e. A reliable fighter, he is characterized by his insatiable appetites for food and women, and is constantly looking for a way out of his duties, which causes significant conflict with Sun Wukong. In the story, Zhu Bajie is an allegorical representation of base human nature (or the Id)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The third, appearing in chapter 22, is the river ogre Sha Wujing (literally \"Sand Awakened to Purity\"), also known as Friar Sand or Sandy. He was previously the celestial Curtain Lifting General, and was banished to the mortal realm for dropping (and shattering) a crystal goblet of the Queen Mother of the West. He is a quiet but generally dependable and hard-working character, who serves as the straight foil to the comic relief of Sun and Zhu. In the story, Sha Wujing is an allegorical representation of human obedience and conformity without thought.\nThe fourth is Bai Long Ma (literally \"White Dragon Horse\"), the third son of the Dragon King of the West Sea, who was sentenced to death for setting fire to his father's great pearl. He was saved by Guanyin from execution to stay and wait for his call of duty. He has almost no speaking role, as throughout the story he mainly appears as a horse that Tang Sanzang rides on. In the story, the White Dragon Horse is an allegorical representation of the human will."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Chapter 22, where Sha Wujing is introduced, also provides a geographical boundary, as the river that the travelers cross brings them into a new \"continent.\" Chapters 23–86 take place in the wilderness, and consist of 24 episodes of varying length, each characterized by a different magical monster or evil magician. There are impassibly wide rivers, flaming mountains, a kingdom with an all-female population, a lair of seductive spider spirits, and many other scenarios. Throughout the journey, the four disciples have to fend off attacks on their master and teacher Tang Sanzang from various monsters and calamities."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "It is strongly suggested that most of these calamities are engineered by fate and/or the Buddha, as, while the monsters who attack are vast in power and many in number, no real harm ever comes to the four travelers. Some of the monsters turn out to be escaped celestial beasts belonging to bodhisattvas or Taoist sages and deities. Towards the end of the book, there is a scene where the Buddha commands the fulfillment of the last disaster, because Tang Sanzang is one short of the 81 tribulations required before attaining Buddhahood."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In chapter 87, Tang Sanzang finally reaches the borderlands of India, and chapters 87–99 present magical adventures in a somewhat more mundane setting. At length, after a pilgrimage said to have taken fourteen years (the text actually only provides evidence for nine of those years, but presumably there was room to add additional episodes) they arrive at the half-real, half-legendary destination of Vulture Peak, where, in a scene simultaneously mystical and comic, Tang Sanzang receives the scriptures from the living Buddha.\n\nFourth part\nChapter 100, the final chapter, quickly describes the return journey to the Tang Empire, and the aftermath in which each traveller receives a reward in the form of posts in the bureaucracy of the heavens. Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang both achieve Buddhahood, Sha Wujing becomes an arhat, Bai Long Ma is made a nāga and Zhu Bajie, whose good deeds have always been tempered by his greed, is promoted to an altar cleanser (i.e. eater of excess offerings at altars)."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Main characters\nFurther information: List of Journey to the West characters\nSun Wukong/Monkey King\nMain article: Monkey King"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun Wukong (孫悟空) (pinyin: sūnwùkōng) is the name given to this character by his teacher, Subhuti, the latter part of which means \"Awakened to Emptiness\" (in the Waley translation, Aware-of-Vacuity); he is often called the \"Monkey King\". He is born on Flower Fruit Mountain from a stone egg that forms from an ancient rock created by the coupling of Heaven and Earth. He first distinguishes himself by bravely entering the Water Curtain Cave on the mountain; for this feat, his monkey tribe gives him the title of \"Handsome Monkey King (美猴王, měi hóuwáng).\" After seeing a fellow monkey die because of old age, he decides to travel around the world to seek the Tao, and find a way to be able to live forever. He eventually found the \"Grand Master of Bodhi (菩提祖師, pútí zǔshī),\" who taught him the 72 heavenly methods of transformation and a \"somersault cloud\" which allows him to travel 108,000 li almost instantaneously. After angering several gods and coming to the attention of the Jade Emperor, he is given a minor"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "of the Jade Emperor, he is given a minor position in heaven as the Keeper of Horses (弼馬溫, bìmǎwēn) so they can keep an eye on him. When Sun realizes that he was given the lowest position in heaven and is not considered a full-fledged god, he becomes very angry. Upon returning to his mountain, he puts up a flag and declares himself the \"Great Sage Equal to Heaven (齊天大聖, qí tiān dàshèng).\" The Jade Emperor dispatches celestial soldiers to arrest Sun Wukong, but none succeed. The Jade Emperor has no choice but to appoint him to be the guardian of the heavenly peach garden. The different varieties of peach trees in the garden bear fruit every 3,000, 6,000, and 9,000 years, and eating their flesh will bestow immortality and other gifts, so Sun Wukong eats nearly all of the ripe peaches. Later, after fairies who come to collect peaches for Xi Wangmu's heavenly peach banquet inform Sun Wukong he is not invited and make fun of him, he once again begins to cause trouble in Heaven, stealing heavenly wine from the"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "in Heaven, stealing heavenly wine from the peach banquet and eating Laozi's pills of immortality. He defeats an army of 100,000 celestial troops, led by the Four Heavenly Kings, Erlang Shen, and Nezha. Eventually, the Jade Emperor appeals to the Buddha, who seals Wukong under a mountain called Five Elements Mountain after the latter loses a bet regarding whether he can leap out of the Buddha's hand in a single somersault. Sun Wukong is kept under the mountain for 500 years and cannot escape because of a seal that was placed on the mountain. He is later set free when Tang Sanzang comes upon him during his pilgrimage and accepts him as a disciple."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His primary weapon is his staff, the \"Ruyi Jingu Bang,\" which he can shrink down to the size of a needle and keep in his ear, as well as expand it to gigantic proportions. The rod, which weighs 17,550 pounds (7,960 kg), was originally a pillar supporting the undersea palace of the Dragon King of the East Sea, but he was able to pull it out of its support and can swing it with ease. The Dragon King had told Sun Wukong he could have the staff if he could lift it, but was angry when the monkey was actually able to pull it out and accused him of being a thief. Sun Wukong was insulted, so he demanded a suit of armor and refused to leave until he received one. The Dragon King of the East and the other dragon kings, fearful of Sun wreaking havoc in their domain, gave him a suit of golden armor. These gifts, combined with his devouring of the peaches of immortality, erasing his name from the Book of the Dead, drinking heavenly wine from the Peach Festival, eating Laozi's pills of immortality, and being tempered in"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "pills of immortality, and being tempered in Laozi's Eight-Trigram Furnace (after which he gained a steel-hard body and fiery golden eyes that could see far into the distance and through any disguise), makes Sun Wukong by far the strongest member of the pilgrimage. Besides these abilities, he can also pluck hairs from his body and blow on them to convert them into whatever he wishes (usually clones of himself to gain a numerical advantage in battle). Furthermore, he is a master of the 72 methods of transformation (七十二变),[a] and can transform into anything that exists (animate and inanimate).[a] Notably, however, Sun cannot fight as well underwater, and often the pilgrimage must rely on Pigsy and Sandy for marine combat. The monkey, nimble and quick-witted, uses these skills to defeat all but the most powerful of demons on the journey."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sun's behavior is checked by a band placed around his head by Guanyin, which cannot be removed by Sun Wukong himself until the journey's end. Tang Sanzang can tighten this band by chanting the \"Ring Tightening Mantra\" (taught to him by Guanyin) whenever he needs to chastise him. The spell is referred to by Tang Sanzang's disciples as the \"Headache Sutra\". Tang Sanzang speaks this mantra quickly in repetition when Sun disobeys him.\n\nSun Wukong's childlike playfulness and often goofy impulsiveness is in contrast to his cunning mind. This, coupled with his great power, makes him a trickster hero. His antics present a lighter side in the long and dangerous trip into the unknown.\n\nAfter completion of the journey, Sun is granted the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha (斗战胜佛; 鬥戰勝佛; dòu zhànshèng fó) and ascends to Buddhahood."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Tang Sanzang/Tripitaka\nMain article: Tang Sanzang\nThe monk Tang Sanzang (唐三藏, meaning \"Tripitaka Master of Tang,\" with Tang referring to the Tang dynasty and Sanzang referring to the Tripiṭaka, the main categories of texts in the Buddhist canon which is also used as an honorific for some Buddhist monks) is a Buddhist monk who had renounced his family to become a monk from childhood. He is just called \"Tripitaka\" in many English versions of the story. He set off for Tianzhu Kingdom (天竺国, an appellation for India in ancient China) to retrieve original Buddhist scriptures for China. Although he is helpless in defending himself, the bodhisattva Guanyin, helps by finding him powerful disciples who aid and protect him on his journey. In return, the disciples will receive enlightenment and forgiveness for their sins once the journey is done. Along the way, they help the local inhabitants by defeating various monsters and demons who try to obtain immortality by consuming Tang Sanzang's flesh."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Zhu Bajie/Pigsy\nMain article: Zhu Bajie\nZhu Bajie (豬八戒, literally \"Pig of the Eight Prohibitions\") is also known as Zhu Wuneng (\"Pig Awakened to Power\"), and given the name \"Monk Pig\", \"Piggy\", \"Pigsy\", or just simply \"Pig\" in English.\n\nOnce an immortal who was the Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy commanding 100,000 naval soldiers of the Milky Way, he drank too much during a celebration of the gods and attempted to harass the moon goddess Chang'e, resulting in his banishment to the mortal world. He was supposed to be reborn as a human but ended up in the womb of a sow due to an error on the Reincarnation Wheel, which turned him into a half-man, half-pig humanoid-pig monster. Zhu Bajie was very greedy, and could not survive without eating ravenously. Staying within the Yunzhan Dong (\"cloud-pathway cave\"), he was commissioned by Guanyin to accompany Tang Sanzang to India and given the new name Zhu Wuneng."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "However, Zhu Bajie's lust for women led him to the Gao Family Village, where he posed as a handsome young man and helped defeat a group of robbers who tried to abduct a maiden. Eventually, the family agreed to let Zhu Bajie marry the maiden. But during the day of the wedding, he drank too much alcohol and accidentally returned to his original form. Being extremely shocked, the villagers ran away, but Zhu Bajie wanted to keep his bride, so he told the bride's father that if after one month the family still did not agree to let him keep the bride, he would take her by force. He also locked the bride up in a separate building. At this point, Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong arrived at the Gao Family Village and helped defeat him. Renamed Zhu Bajie by Tang Sanzang, he consequently joined the pilgrimage to the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "His weapon of choice is the jiuchidingpa (\"nine-tooth iron rake\"). He is also capable of 36 transformations and can travel on clouds, but not as fast as Sun Wukong. However, Zhu is noted for his fighting skills in the water, which he used to combat Sha Wujing, who later joined them on the journey. He is the second strongest member of the team.[citation needed]\n\nPigsy's lust for women, extreme laziness, and greediness, made his spirituality the lowest in the group, with even the White Dragon Horse achieving more than him, and he remained on Earth and was granted the title \"Cleaner of the Altars,\" with the duty of cleaning every altar at every Buddhist temple for eternity by eating excess offerings."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sha Wujing/Sandy\nMain article: Sha Wujing\nSha Wujing (沙悟淨, \"Sand Awakened to Purity\"), given the name \"Friar Sand\", \"Sand Monk\", \"Sandman\", \"Sand Fairy\", \"Sand Orc\", \"Sand Ogre\", \"Sand Troll\", \"Sand Oni\", \"Sand Demon\", \"Sand Monster\", \"Sand Hulk\", \"Sand\", or \"Sandy\" in English, was once a celestial Curtain Lifting General, who stood in attendance by the imperial chariot in the Hall of Miraculous Mist. He was exiled to the mortal world and made to look like a sandman, orc, ogre, troll, oni, demon, monster, or hulk because he accidentally smashed a crystal goblet belonging to the Queen Mother of the West during a Peach Banquet. The now-hideous immortal took up residence in the Flowing Sands River, terrorizing surrounding villages and travelers trying to cross the river. However, he was subdued by Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie when Tang Sanzang's party came across him. They consequently took him in, as part of the pilgrimage to the West."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sha Wujing's weapon is a magic wooden staff wrapped in pearly threads, although artwork and adaptations depict him with a Monk's spade staff. He also knows 18 transformation methods and is highly effective in water combat. He is known to be the most obedient, logical, and polite of the three disciples, and always takes care of his master, seldom engaging in the bickering of his fellow disciples. He has no major faults nor any extraordinary characteristics. Due to this, he is sometimes seen as a minor character. He does however serve as the peacekeeper of the group, mediating between Wukong, Bajie, and even Tang Sanzang and others. He is also the person whom Tang Sanzang consults when faced with difficult decisions.\n\nHe eventually becomes an arhat at the end of the journey, giving him a higher level of exaltation than Zhu Bajie, who is relegated to cleaning altars, but lower spiritually than Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang, who are granted Buddhahood."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Sequels\nThe brief satirical novel Xiyoubu (西遊補, \"A Supplement to the Journey to the West,\" c. 1640) follows Sun Wukong as he is trapped in a magical dream world created by the Qing Fish Demon, the embodiment of desire (情, qing). Sun travels back and forth through time, during which he serves as the adjunct King of Hell and judges the soul of the recently dead traitor Qin Hui during the Song dynasty, takes on the appearance of a beautiful concubine and causes the downfall of the Qin dynasty, and even faces Pāramitā, one of his five sons born to the rakshasa Princess Iron Fan,[b] on the battlefield during the Tang dynasty.[14] The events of Xiyoubu take place between the end of chapter 61 and the beginning of chapter 62 of Journey to the West.[15] The author, Dong Yue (董說), wrote the book because he wanted to create an opponent—in this case desire—that Sun could not defeat with his great strength and martial skill.[16]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Notable English-language translations\nAbridged\nArthur Waley. For many years, this was the most well-known translation available in English. The Waley translation has also been published as Monkey to the WestMonkey: Folk Novel of China, and The Adventures of Monkey\nAndrew H. Plaks\nUnabridged\nMedia adaptations\nMain article: List of media adaptations of Journey to the West\nSaiyūki (西遊記), also known by its English title Monkey and commonly referred to by its title song, \"Monkey Magic,\" is a Japanese television series starring Masaaki Sakai, produced by Nippon TV and International Television Films in association with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) and broadcast from 1978 to 1980 on Nippon TV. It was translated into English by the BBC.\n\nIn the 1980s, China Central Television (CCTV) produced and aired a TV adaptation of Journey to the West under the same name as the original work. A second season was produced in the late 1990s covering portions of the original work that the first season skipped over."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In 1988, the Japanese anime series Doraemon released a movie named Doraemon: The Record of Nobita's Parallel Visit to the West which is based on the same story.\n\nIn 1997, Brooklyn-based jazz composer Fred Ho premiered his jazz opera Journey to the East, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, which he developed into what he described as a \"serial fantasy action-adventure music/theater epic,\" Journey Beyond the West: The New Adventures of Monkey. Ho's pop-culture infused take on the story of the Monkey King has been performed to great acclaim.[citation needed]\n\nIt also made its way to the Mass Electronic Entertainment Media (Reimagined Video game adaptation) in 2009, titled Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, which was released in October 2010 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It was developed by Ninja Theory and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The main protagonist 'Monkey' is portrayed by Andy Serkis."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "On 20 April 2017, Australia's ABC, TVNZ, and Netflix announced production was underway in New Zealand on a new live-action television series, The New Legends of Monkey, to premiere globally in 2018. The series, which is based on Journey to the West, is made up of 10 half-hour episodes. While there has been enthusiasm for the new series, it has also attracted some criticism for \"whitewashing,\"[26] since none of the core cast are of Chinese descent, with two of the leads having Tongan ancestry[27] while only one, Chai Hansen, is of half-Asian (his father is Thai) descent.[28]\n\nMore recently in 2017, Viki and Netflix hosted a South Korean show called A Korean Odyssey; a modern comedy retelling that begins with the release of Sun Wukong/Son O-Gong and the reincarnation of Tang Sanzang/Samjang."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "In August 2020, Game Science Studios announced a video game called Black Myth: Wukong.[29] It was released on 20 August 2024 for PlayStation 5 and PC. It is also slated to release at a later date for the Xbox Series X/S. The plot of the game is set after the main events of the novel.\n\nOn May 16, 2020, The Lego Group released the theme, Lego Monkie Kid, to which Journey of the West was credited as the main inspiration, featuring many characters from the original work. Four days later on May 20, an animated television series pilot was released to coincide with the theme, and was later picked up for production and released serially starting in September 2020."}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Journey to the West Library\nThis blog site, Journey to the West Library, serves as a platform for exploration into the renowned 16th-century Chinese classic novel, ​Journey to the West (xiyouji, 西游记, lit: records of the journey west).This site will host a range of studies, research, ​lists, theories, along with other miscellaneous features on all things Journey to the WestMore articles will be published with time, so please check back for updates.\nOverview of Journey to the West ​\nContents:\n​​Historical Background\nAuthorship\nMain Characters\nNovel Outline - The Four Parts\nPart 1: Monkey's Story\nPart 2: Tang's Story\nPart 3: The Journey\nPart 4: Journey's End\nNotes\n[Src. 1] The cover of Anthony C. Yu's first volume of his famed revised English translation, The Journey to the West (2012)\n1. Historical Background\n[Src. 2] Classic TV adaptations of the Four Classic Novels; (from top-left, clockwise) Three Kingdoms, Red Chamber, Water Margin & Journey West"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classic Novels (sida mingzhu, 四大名著) [1] of China and has been recognised as a masterpiece since its publication in 1592, during China's Ming dynasty (1368-1644, 明朝). The novel itself is loosely based on the historical pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang (玄奘) in the 7th century, 627-645 to be exact, on a similar quest to seek Buddhist sutras in India.\n[Src. 3] A modern depiction of the monk Xuanzang in a 2016 historical film"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Stories of the iconic Monkey King and his companionship with Xuanzang have been a part of Chinese folklore, going all the way back to even the Song dynasty (960-1279, 宋朝). The oldest forms of primary evidence for this are from cave paintings in China's Gansu province (甘肃), depicting a \"Monkey Pilgrim (hou xingzhe, 猴行者)\" with a monk master, dating back to the 11th century [src. 4-6].​Stories of the Monkey Pilgrim were passed on through word of mouth. These folk tales were already a part of Chinese folk culture before it was converted and popularised into the 100-chapter novel that we know today, introducing to us some of the most iconic figures in Chinese culture. These, of course, include our four protagonists, with the story lead by the one and only Monkey King!\n[Src. 4] A cave painting of the Monkey Pilgrim with his monk master"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "The story of Journey to the West became popular to all, even in the Western world, with many translations throughout the past decades in not just English, but a diversity of languages [2]. References of this famous story have appeared in many novel, television, movie, comic and game adaptations, with most of these simply having the iconic Monkey King as a basis. Journey to the Westis no doubt one of the greatest, if not  greatest, novels of all time.\n2. Authorship\n[Src. 7] A painted portrait of Wu Cheng'en [artist & date unknown]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Since fiction was not a prestigious genre in classic Chinese literature, the authorship of fiction novels were not carefully attributed and soon became unknowable. The author of Journey to the West is still in some sense, uncertain, especially with the fact that the novel was first published anonymously. The novel has been popularly attributed to Wu Cheng'en (c. 1500-1582, 吴承恩), ever since a local newsletter article in 1625 from Wu's hometown claims so. It is interesting to note that the novel was published in 1592, while Wu Cheng'en's death date is marked in 1582. That's 10 whole years before the novel was published by the Shidetang (世德堂) publishing house. ​The novel was indeed published anonymously at first, most likely due to the fact that there were set rules during that time, regarding what could or could not be written as literature. During and before Wu's time, in the Ming Dynasty, there has always been a trend in literary writing. Literature was supposed to written in \"classical Chinese (guwen, 古文)\","}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "to written in \"classical Chinese (guwen, 古文)\", a form of archaic Chinese popularised during the Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BC, chunqiu, . Classical Chinese has also become to be known as \"literary Chinese\", and is traditionally used in pieces of formal literature. The opposite of literary Chinese is \"vernacular Chinese (baihua wen, 白话文)\", which is just the written form of informal spoken Mandarin Chinese. Wu Cheng'en allegedly went against the classical Chinese trend of the time, by writing his Journey to the West in vernacular Chinese, and because this was against the cultural standards of literature, the novel was published anonymously. For nearly 300 years, Journey to the West"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Regardless of authorship, Wu has been popularly recognised as the author of Journey to the West, and his name, Wu Cheng'en, has become inextricably linked with the novel.\n[Src. 8] A 2010 TV series, telling the story of Wu Cheng'en and his connection with Journey to the West; famed Monkey actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong plays both Sun Wukong and Wu Cheng'en\n3. Main Characters\nBelow is a short list of the major characters that appear in Journey to the West. They will not require further introduction when mentioned in articles. Note that since the novel is highly based on theology and folklore, these main characters are all from either the Buddhist or Daoist pantheon.\n[Src. 10]\nChen Xuanzang (陈玄奘) [3] - Tang SanzangTripitaka\n[Src. 11]\nSun Wukong [4] (孙悟空) - Pilgrim Sun (sun xingzhe, 孙行者) - Monkey\n[Src. 12]\nZhu Wuneng (猪悟能) - Zhu Bajie/Eight-Rules [5] (猪八戒) - Pigsy\n[Src. 13]\nSha Wujing (沙悟净) - Monk Sha (sha heshang, 沙和尚) - \n[Src. 14]\nWhite Dragon Horse​ (bai longma, 白龙马)\n[8] (guanyin pusa, 观音菩萨)\n[Src. 16]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[8] (guanyin pusa, 观音菩萨)\n[Src. 16]\nTathagata [9] Buddha [10] (rulai fo, 如来佛)\n[Src. 17]\nThe Great August Jade Emperor (yuhuang dadi, 玉皇大帝)\n[Src. 18]\nSupreme Exalted [11] Lord Lao (taishang laojun, 太上老君) - Laozi[12]\nVenus​ the Gold Star [13] (taibai jinxing, 太白金星)\n[Src. 20]\nPagoda-Bearing Devaraja [14] (tuota tianwang, 托塔天王) - Heavenly King Li\n[Src. 21]\nPatriarch Subodhi (xuputi zushi, 须菩提祖师)\n4. Novel Outline - The Four Parts\nWhen talking about Journey to the West, the 100-chapter novel can be divided into 4 major parts, each telling a different section of the novel.These 4 parts do not refer to the four volumes that Anthony C. Yu or W.J.F. Jenner have published their Journey to the West in, nor do they refer to each set of 25 chapters of the novel's 100.\nA simple full summary of the whole novel can be found on this blog here:\n3.1. Part 1: Monkey's Story\nChapters:1 - 7 (7 chapters)\nMonkey's birth [src. 22]\nMonkey searches and receives an education of divine abilities\nMonkey's famed havoc in Heaven [src. 23]"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "Monkey's famed havoc in Heaven [src. 23]\nMonkey is imprisoned under the mountain by the Buddha\n[Src. 24] Tripitaka's mother watches as she is forced to drift her son out onto a river [JTTW, 1986]\n4.2. Part 2: The Story of the Tang's\nChapters:8 - 12 (5 chapters)\nTripitaka's parents' tragic story\nTripitaka's birth [src. 24] and childhood\nTripitaka avenges his parents' fate\nThe Dragon King of Jing River's execution [src. 25]\nTaizong's trip to the Underworld [src. 26]\nGuanyin searches for a scripture collector\n4.3. The Journey\nChapters:​13 - 97 (85 chapters)\nTripitaka leaves Chang'an and begins his pilgrimage\nMonkey, Pigsy and Sandy are taken in as disciples to escort and protect Tripitaka\nEnduring the many tribulations set as obstacles on their journey to reach their goal\n4.4. Journey's End\n​98 - 100 (3 chapters)\nArrival at Spirit Mountain\nScriptures are given by the Buddha\nReturn to the Tang empire [src. 30]\nAttaining Buddhahood / sainthood [src. 31]​\n- Notes"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "[1] These are the four greatest works of Chinese literature, considered masterpieces by people for generations. In order of publication date, these four novels are: Water Margin (shuihu zhuan, 水浒传), Romance of the Three Kingdoms (sanguo yanyi. 三国演义), A range of foreign language translations of Journey to the West can be found in PDF, archived by Jim R. McClanahan of the Journey to the West Research blog, here:PDFs of Journey to the West Translations[3] Chen Xuanzang ​(陈玄奘)For more info on why Tripitaka's name may seem unconventional, see:A Misconception: \"Tang Xuanzang\" is Tripitaka's Wrong Name[4] ​ (孙悟空)​Literal meaning (Chinese): macaque awakened to vacuity/emptiness.[5] BajieAlso translated as: eight proscriptions, Eight Rules (Yu, 2012).The eight precepts (i.e. forbidden acts) of Buddhism are: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, drinking alcohol, using cosmetics (e.g. makeup), using personal comforts (e.g. a fine bed) and eating outside of regulated hours.Tripitaka [...] Monkey [...] Pigsy"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "hours.Tripitaka [...] Monkey [...] Pigsy [...] SandyThese English names were originally created by Arthur Waley. Since they are so well known to English readers, I have chosen to adopt them here, throughout this website.[7] Bodhisattva (बोधिसत्त्व, 菩萨)A Bodhisattva is a status in the Buddhist pantheon. These deities are those who have successfully reached enlightenment, but does not attain full Buddhahood due to the delay of them remaining in compassion for the sufferings in the world.[8] GuanyinBodhisattva Guanyin is the Chinese counterpart of the Sanskrit deity Avalokiteshvara. She is usually depicted as a female in Chinese culture.[9] Tathagata (තථාගත, 如来)Tathagata is actually a rank rather than a name for a Buddha. Tathagata is the highest status for a Buddha and refers to one who has completely perfected all principles of Buddhism. It can also be used as a pronoun when a Tathagata Buddha refers to themselves. In the context of [10] BuddhaA Buddha is the highest rank for an individual of the Buddhist"}]}
{"conversation": [{"input": "", "output": "highest rank for an individual of the Buddhist pantheon. It is a title given to those who have found enlightenment and reached nirvana.[11]  (太上)​Supreme Exalted is an honorific title used to address high ranking members of the Daoist pantheon.[12] Laozi (老子)Laozi is the venerable name of Li Er (c. 571-442 BC?, 李耳), the founder of the religion Daoism.[13] Gold Star (金星)Also translated as: metal star.In Chinese, the five planets orbiting closest to the Sun (excluding Earth) are named after the five elements (wuxing, 五行) of water, metal, fire, wood and earth respectively for the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Though \"Metal Star\" would be the most accurate translation here for Venus' name, I have chosen to use the more popularly known \"Gold Star\" as a direct translation, rather than its Daoist alchemic connection.​[14] Devaraja天王)Literal meaning (Sanskrit): god king.Also known as: Heavenly King."}]}
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