Chapter 58: Two Minds Disturb the Great Universe True Quietude Difficult to Achieve

The Pilgrim and Friar Sand bid farewell to the Bodhisattva, rising on two auspicious clouds, and departed from the South Sea. Originally, the Pilgrim's somersault cloud was fast, while Friar Sand's immortal cloud felt slow, so the Pilgrim wanted to go first. Friar Sand pulled him back, saying, "Brother, there's no need to be so secretive, going ahead to prepare the ground. Let me walk with you." The Great Sage was inherently good-hearted, but Friar Sand had suspicions, so the two truly rode the clouds together. Before long, they indeed saw Flower-Fruit Mountain. Lowering their clouds, the two carefully observed from outside the cave, and indeed saw a Pilgrim sitting high on a stone platform, drinking and enjoying himself with a group of monkeys. His appearance was no different from the Great Sage: he also had yellow hair and a golden fillet, fiery eyes; he also wore a brocade monk's robe with a tiger-skin skirt around his waist; in his hand, he also held a golden-hooped iron staff, and on his feet, he also wore a pair of deerskin boots; he also had a hairy face like a thunder god, prominent cheeks with protruding molars, wide ears and a broad forehead, and tusks growing outwards. The Great Sage's anger flared. With a flick of his hand, he left Friar Sand, pulled out his iron staff, and stepped forward, cursing, "What kind of demon are you, daring to transform into my likeness, daring to occupy my children and grandchildren, taking over my immortal cave, and exercising such power and influence!" The other Pilgrim saw him, openly ignored him, and also used his iron staff to meet him. When the two Pilgrims were together, it was indeed impossible to distinguish the real from the fake. What a fight—

Two staves, two monkey spirits; this mutual antagonism was truly not light. Both wished to protect the Tang Emperor's brother, each displaying their merits to establish a heroic reputation. The true monkey truly received the teachings of the monastic order, the false monster falsely claimed the affection of a Buddha's disciple. Because their divine powers were so varied, there was no true or false, both were equally matched. One was the Primordial Qi Great Sage Equaling Heaven, the other was a long-refined, thousand-spirit Earth-Shrinking demon. This one had the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod, that one had the Will-Following Iron Rod. Blocking and parrying, there was no winner or loser; sustaining the fight, there was no victory or defeat. Earlier, they clashed outside the cave; soon, their struggle rose into mid-air.

The two of them, each stepping on a cloud, leaped and fought into the clouds of the Ninth Heaven. Friar Sand stood by, not daring to intervene. Seeing them fight like this, it was truly difficult to discern the real from the fake. He wanted to draw his knife to help, but feared injuring the real one. He endured for a long time, then leaped down the cliff, using his demon-subduing staff, striking near the entrance of Water-Curtain Cave, scattering the demons, overturning stone benches, and smashing all the drinking and eating utensils to pieces. He searched for his green felt bundle, but it was nowhere to be seen. Originally, Water-Curtain Cave was a waterfall that flowed like a curtain over the cave entrance. From afar, it looked like a white cloth curtain, but up close, it was a stream of water, hence the name Water-Curtain Cave. Friar Sand didn't know the proper way to enter, so it was hard to find. He immediately flew on his cloud, catching up to them in the Ninth Heaven, swinging his precious staff, but again found it difficult to intervene. The Great Sage said, "Friar Sand, since you cannot help, go back and report to master. Tell him about this situation, and let Old Sun and this demon fight all the way to Mount Luojia in the South Sea, before the Bodhisattva, to determine who is real and who is fake." After he finished speaking, the other Pilgrim said the same. Friar Sand saw that there was not the slightest difference in the appearance or voice of the two; it was impossible to distinguish them. He could only obey, turn his cloud around, and return to report to Tripitaka, a matter not worth further mention.

Look at those two Pilgrims, fighting as they went, yelling all the way to the South Sea, directly to Mount Luojia, hitting and cursing, their shouts incessant. They soon alarmed the guardian deities, who immediately reported to inside the Sound-of-Tides Cave, saying, "Bodhisattva, indeed two Sun Wukongs are fighting their way here!" The Bodhisattva, with Mu Zha, Sudhana, and the Dragon Girl, descended from her lotus platform and came out, shouting, "Where are you beasts going!" The two, still grappling with each other, said, "Bodhisattva, this fellow truly looks like your disciple. We started fighting from Water-Curtain Cave, battled for a long time, and neither gained victory. Friar Sand, with his mortal and dull eyes, couldn't distinguish us and couldn't help. So your disciple told him to return to the west to report to master. I and this fellow have fought to this precious mountain, hoping to borrow your Bodhisattva's discerning eye to recognize who is real and who is fake, and to clarify right from wrong for your disciple." After he finished speaking, the other Pilgrim said the same thing. The deities and the Bodhisattva all watched for a long time, but could not distinguish them. The Bodhisattva said, "Release each other's hands for now, stand on either side, and let me look again." Indeed, they released their hands and stood still on either side. This one said, "I am the real one!" That one said, "He is the fake one!"

The Bodhisattva called Mu Zha and Sudhana forward and secretly instructed them, "One of you hold onto one of them, and I will secretly recite the 'Band-Tightening Spell.' The one who feels pain will be real, and the one who doesn't will be fake." The two indeed each held onto one. The Bodhisattva secretly recited the incantation, and both simultaneously cried out in pain, clutching their heads, rolling on the ground, shouting, "Don't recite, don't recite!" When the Bodhisattva stopped reciting, the two again grappled with each other, resuming their noisy fight as before. The Bodhisattva was at a loss. She immediately ordered the deities and Mu Zha to step forward and help. The gods feared injuring the real one, so they also dared not act. The Bodhisattva called out "Sun Wukong," and both answered simultaneously. The Bodhisattva said, "When you were appointed Stable Overseer and caused havoc in Heaven, all the divine generals recognized you. Go up to the heavenly realm and let them distinguish you and report back." The Great Sage thanked her for the favor, and the other Pilgrim also thanked her.

The two pulled and tugged at each other, their mouths incessantly fighting, directly to the outside of the South Heaven Gate. This startled Virupaksha, Marshal Ma, Zhao, Wen, Guan—the four great heavenly generals—and the gate-guarding deities, great and small, who all used their weapons to block them, saying, "Where are you going! Is this a place for fighting?" The Great Sage said, "Because I was protecting Tripitaka on his journey to the Western Heaven to acquire scriptures, I killed some bandits along the way. Tripitaka blamed me and sent me back, so I went directly to Potalaka Mountain to complain to Bodhisattva Guanyin. Unexpectedly, this demon, at some point, transformed into my likeness, knocked down Tripitaka, and snatched the bundle. Friar Sand came to Flower-Fruit Mountain to reclaim it, only to find this demon occupying my lair. Later, he went to Potalaka Mountain to seek help from the Bodhisattva and also saw me standing by the platform. Friar Sand falsely claimed that I had used my somersault cloud and had already been at the Bodhisattva's place to conceal myself. But the Bodhisattva, being truly discerning, did not listen to Friar Sand's words and ordered me to go with him to Flower-Fruit Mountain for verification. It turned out this demon truly resembled Old Sun. We fought from Water-Curtain Cave all the way to Potalaka Mountain to see the Bodhisattva, but even the Bodhisattva found it hard to distinguish us. Therefore, we have fought to this place, troubling you, heavenly deities, with your discerning eyes, to help me identify the true and false." After he finished speaking, the other Pilgrim also said the same thing in the same manner. The heavenly gods watched for a long time but could not distinguish them either. The two shouted, "Since you cannot distinguish us, clear the way and let us go see the Jade Emperor!" The gods could not resist them, so they opened the Heavenly Gate. They went straight to the Hall of Divine Mists. Marshal Ma, along with the Four Heavenly Masters Zhang, Ge, Xu, and Qiu, reported, "There are two identical Sun Wukongs from the lower realm, who have fought their way through the Heavenly Gate, claiming they wish to see Your Majesty." Before they finished speaking, the two burst in, shouting. The Jade Emperor was so startled that he immediately descended from his throne in the Precious Hall and asked, "For what reason do you two dare to disturb the Heavenly Palace and shout before My presence, seeking death!" The Great Sage prostrated himself, saying, "Long live! Long live! Your humble servant has now taken refuge in Buddhism and adheres to the teachings of the monastic order; I would never again dare to deceive or disrespect my superiors. It is only because this demon transformed into my likeness..." He then recounted the entire preceding story in detail, "Hoping that you will distinguish the true from the false for your servant!" The other Pilgrim also recounted it in the same manner. The Jade Emperor immediately issued an edict to summon Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, instructing, "Bring the Demon-Reflecting Mirror to shine upon these fellows, to see who is real and who is fake, so that the fake may be extinguished and the real may remain." The Heavenly King immediately brought the mirror and shone it on them, inviting the Jade Emperor and the assembled gods to observe. In the mirror were the images of two Sun Wukongs, their golden fillets and clothes, not differing by a single hair. Even the Jade Emperor could not distinguish them, so he drove them out of the hall. The Great Sage chuckled coldly, and the other Pilgrim also laughed heartily, grabbing each other by the head and neck, fighting their way out of the Heavenly Gate again, falling onto the road to the West, saying, "Let's go see master, let's go see master!"

Now, as for Friar Sand, after he bid farewell to the two on Flower-Fruit Mountain, he traveled for another three days and nights until he returned to the village. He recounted the previous events to Tripitaka. Tripitaka, full of remorse, said, "At the time, I only thought Sun Wukong hit me with a staff and snatched the bundle. How was I to know it was a demon disguised as the Pilgrim!" Friar Sand further reported, "This demon also impersonated master, a white horse, a Pigsy carrying our bundle, and one even transformed into me. I couldn't control my anger and struck him dead with my staff; he turned out to be a monkey demon. Because of this, they scattered, and I went to the Bodhisattva to complain. The Bodhisattva instructed me to go back with senior brother to identify them. That demon truly looked exactly like senior brother. I found it hard to help, so I came back first to report to master." Tripitaka heard this and was greatly shocked. Pigsy burst into loud laughter, saying, "Good, good, good! It fulfilled what the old woman of this benefactor's family said! She said there were several groups of scripture-seekers; isn't this another one?" The whole family, old and young, came to ask Friar Sand, "Where did you go for travel expenses these past few days?" Friar Sand smiled and said, "I went to Flower-Fruit Mountain in the East Purvavideha Continent to find senior brother and reclaim the luggage. Then I went to Mount Potalaka in the South Sea to pay respects to Bodhisattva Guanyin, and then back to Flower-Fruit Mountain, and only just returned here." The old man asked again, "How far was the round trip?" Friar Sand said, "About two hundred thousand li." The old man said, "Grandpa! In just these few days, you've traveled such a distance! Only by riding on clouds could one achieve that!" Pigsy said, "If not by riding on clouds, how could we cross the sea?" Friar Sand said, "That's not even considered walking for us. If it were my senior brother, he could go and return in just one or two days." The family heard this and all said they were immortals. Pigsy said, "Though we are not immortals, immortals are still our juniors!"

Just as they were speaking, they heard a commotion and shouting in mid-air. They rushed out to look, and it was the two Pilgrims fighting their way there. Pigsy saw them and couldn't resist. His hands felt itchy, so he said, "Let me go and identify them." Good simpleton! He immediately leaped up, shouting loudly into the air, "Senior brother, stop shouting, Old Pig is here!" The two simultaneously responded, "Brother, come help fight the demon, come help fight the demon!" The family was both startled and delighted, saying, "There are several cloud-riding Arhats staying at our house! Even those who vow to feed monks wouldn't get such good people!" They paid no mind to tea and food, but offered even more provisions, also saying, "These two Pilgrims might fight so badly that they overturn heaven and earth and cause disaster!" Tripitaka saw that the old man was visibly happy but secretly worried. He immediately spoke, "Old benefactor, don't worry or sigh. Once this poor monk subdues his disciples and they turn from evil to good, they will naturally thank you." The old man replied profusely, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!" Friar Sand said, "Benefactor, please don't speak. Master, you can sit here. Let me and second brother go; we'll each pull one of them to you. Then you can recite that spell, and the one who feels pain will be real, and the one who doesn't will be fake." Tripitaka said, "That is extremely appropriate." Friar Sand indeed rose into mid-air and said, "Both of you, stop fighting. I'll take you to master so he can distinguish the real from the fake." The Great Sage released his grip, and the other Pilgrim also released his. Friar Sand supported one and called out, "Second brother, you also support one." Indeed, they held them, descended their clouds, and went directly outside the thatched hut. Tripitaka saw them and immediately recited the 'Band-Tightening Spell.' Both cried out in misery, "We're fighting so hard, why are you still cursing us? Stop, stop!" The Elder, being inherently compassionate, stopped reciting, but still couldn't distinguish the real from the fake. The two struggled free and continued to fight as before. The Great Sage said, "Brothers, protect master. Let me and him fight all the way to King Yama to settle this!" The other Pilgrim also said the same. The two grabbed and pulled, and in a moment, they were gone again.

Pigsy said, "Friar Sand, since you went to Water-Curtain Cave and saw the fake Pigsy carrying the luggage, why didn't you snatch it back?" Friar Sand said, "When that demon saw me using my staff to strike his fake Friar Sand, he and his subordinates swarmed me to capture me, so I fled for my life. After reporting to the Bodhisattva and returning to the cave entrance with the Pilgrim, the two were fighting in the air. I went to overturn his stone benches and scatter his lesser demons, but I only saw a stream of waterfall. I didn't know where the cave entrance was, so I couldn't find the luggage, and thus I returned empty-handed to report to master." Pigsy said, "You didn't know then. The year before last, when I invited him to come, we first met outside the cave entrance. Later, when I provoked him, he jumped down, and when he went into the cave to change clothes, I saw him plunge into the water. That stream of waterfall is the cave entrance. Presumably, that monster stored our bundle inside there." Tripitaka said, "Since you know this entrance, you can take advantage of them both being away. Go into his cave first, retrieve the bundle, and then we will go to the Western Heaven. Even if he comes, I will no longer need him." Pigsy said, "I'll go." Friar Sand said, "Second brother, there are thousands of small monkeys in front of that cave. You alone might not be able to handle them; it would be disadvantageous." Pigsy laughed, "No fear, no fear!" He rushed out, rode his cloud and mist, and headed straight to Flower-Fruit Mountain to retrieve the luggage, a matter not further mentioned.

Now, the two Pilgrims fought and shouted all the way to the back of Mount Yin. This scared the ghosts all over the mountain, who trembled in fear and hid. Some who ran first crashed into the gates of the Underworld and reported to the Hall of Yama, "Great King, on Mount Bei-Yin, two Great Sages Equaling Heaven are fighting their way here!" This alarmed King Qin Guang of the First Hall, who relayed the report to King Chu Jiang of the Second Hall, King Song Di of the Third Hall, King Bian Cheng of the Fourth Hall, King Yama of the Fifth Hall, King Ping Deng of the Sixth Hall, King Tai Shan of the Seventh Hall, King Du Shi of the Eighth Hall, King Wu Guan of the Ninth Hall, and King Zhuan Lun of the Tenth Hall. From one hall to another, in an instant, the Ten Kings assembled. They also sent someone to report quickly to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. All gathered in the Hall of Yama, mustering the Yin soldiers, waiting to capture the real and fake ones. They heard a strong wind howling, and a thick, gloomy mist spreading. The two Pilgrims, tumbling and rolling, fought their way to the foot of the Hall of Yama.

The King of the Underworld stepped forward and blocked them, saying, "Great Sage, what matter brings you to disturb my Underworld?" The Great Sage said, "I was protecting Tripitaka on his journey to the Western Heaven to acquire scriptures. Passing through the Western Liang Kingdom, we reached a mountain where strong bandits waylaid my master. Your Old Sun killed a few of them, but master blamed me and sent me back. I then went to Bodhisattva Guanyin in the South Sea to complain. Unexpectedly, that demon, somehow, with a surge of energy, transformed into my likeness, knocked down master on the way, and snatched the luggage. My junior brother, Friar Sand, came to my mountain to reclaim the bundle, but this demon falsely claimed my master's name and intended to go to the Western Heaven for scriptures. Friar Sand escaped to the South Sea and saw the Bodhisattva, and I was right there beside her. He explained the situation in detail. The Bodhisattva then ordered me to go with him to Flower-Fruit Mountain to observe, and indeed, this fellow had occupied my lair. I argued with him all the way to the Bodhisattva's place. In fact, our appearance and speech were identical, and even the Bodhisattva found it hard to distinguish the real from the fake. Then I fought with this fellow all the way to Heaven, but the gods also found it difficult to distinguish us. Because I saw my master, my master recited the 'Band-Tightening Spell' to test us, and both of us felt the same pain. Therefore, I have come to the Underworld, hoping the King of the Underworld will check the Book of Life and Death to see the origin of this false Pilgrim, and quickly pursue his soul to prevent two hearts from causing confusion." The monster also said the same thing. The King of the Underworld heard this and immediately summoned the recording judge to meticulously check the records from beginning to end. There was no name of a 'fake Pilgrim.' They then checked the ledger of hairy creatures. The hundred and thirty entries for monkeys had been nullified by Sun the Great Sage when he attained the Dao in his youth and caused havoc in the Underworld, striking out his own name from the Book of Death. Since then, all monkeys have had no names recorded. After the investigation, the judge reported back in the hall. The Kings of the Underworld, each holding their tablets, said to the Pilgrim, "Great Sage, since there is no name to be found in the Underworld, you should go to the mortal realm to resolve this."

Just as they were speaking, they heard Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva say, "Stop, stop! Let me have Diting listen to discern the real from the fake for you." It turned out that Diting was the name of a beast lying beneath Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's scripture desk. If it lay on the ground, in an instant, it could perceive good and evil, and discern wisdom and foolishness, among the mountains, rivers, and societies of the Four Great Continents, and between caves and blessed lands, including naked creatures, scaled creatures, hairy creatures, feathered creatures, shelled creatures, celestial immortals, earthly immortals, divine immortals, human immortals, and ghost immortals. The beast, obeying Ksitigarbha's command, lay prostrate on the ground in the courtyard of Yama's Hall. After a moment, it raised its head and said to Ksitigarbha, "The monster's name exists, but it cannot be revealed directly, nor can I help capture him." Ksitigarbha said, "What if it is revealed directly?" Diting said, "If revealed directly, the demon might become enraged, disturb this precious hall, and cause unrest in the Underworld." Then he asked, "Why can't you help capture him?" Diting said, "The demon's divine powers are no different from Sun the Great Sage's. How much magical power do the gods of the Underworld possess? Therefore, we cannot capture him." Ksitigarbha said, "How then can he be removed?" Diting said, "Buddhist law is boundless." Ksitigarbha immediately understood. He immediately said to the Pilgrims, "Both of you are identical in appearance and unrivaled in divine power. To distinguish you clearly, you must go to the Sakyamuni Buddha at the Leiyin Temple. Only there can clarity be found." The two simultaneously shouted, "That's right, that's right! Let's go before the Buddha in the Western Heaven to dispute this!" The Ten Kings of the Underworld escorted them out, thanked Ksitigarbha, returned to the Jade Cloud Palace, and ordered the ghost messengers to close the gates of the Underworld, a matter not further mentioned.

Look at those two Pilgrims, flying on clouds and rushing through mist, fighting their way to the Western Heaven. There is a poem to prove it. The poem says:

When a person has two minds, disaster arises; suspicion extends to the ends of the earth.Desiring the precious horse and the rank of the Three Dukes, yet also recalling the golden throne and the position of the First Rank.Campaigning south and fighting north without rest, blocking east and eliminating west, yet unsettled.The Chan gate must learn the secret of no-mind, quietly nurturing the "infant" to form a sacred embryo.

The two of them, in mid-air, pulled and tugged, grabbed and wrestled, fighting as they went. They shouted all the way to outside the Leiyin Precious Temple on Vulture Peak, the immortal mountain of the Great Western Heaven. They soon saw the Four Great Bodhisattvas, Eight Great Vajrapanis, Five Hundred Arhats, Three Thousand Gatis, Bhiksunis, Bhiksus, Upasakas, Upasikas, and all the other great holy assemblies, gathered beneath the Seven-Jeweled Lotus Platform, each listening to the Tathagata preach the Dharma. The Tathagata was just speaking of this:

Within non-existence, existence is found; within non-nothingness, nothingness persists. Within non-form, form emerges; within non-emptiness, emptiness abides. What is not truly existent is taken as existent; what is not truly nothingness is taken as nothingness. What is not truly form is taken as form; what is not truly emptiness is taken as emptiness. Emptiness itself is emptiness; form itself is form. Form has no fixed nature; form is emptiness. Emptiness has no fixed nature; emptiness is form. To know emptiness is not empty, and to know form is not form. This is called true insight; only then does one attain the wondrous sound.

All bowed in reverence and took refuge. As the scripture was being circulated and recited, the Tathagata caused heavenly flowers to scatter profusely. He then left his precious seat and said to the multitude, "You are all of one mind, but behold, two minds are fighting their way here."

The multitude looked up and saw indeed two Pilgrims, trampling the heavens and shouting at the earth, fighting their way to the sacred realm of Leiyin. This startled the Eight Great Vajrapanis, who stepped forward and blocked them, saying, "Where do you intend to go?" The Great Sage said, "This demon has transformed into my likeness and wishes to come before the Precious Lotus Platform, troubling the Tathagata to distinguish the real from the fake for me." The Vajrapanis could not stop them. They shouted all the way to the foot of the platform, knelt before the Buddha, and reported, "Your disciple has been protecting Tripitaka, coming to this precious mountain to seek true scriptures. Along the way, I have refined demons and bound monsters, not knowing how much effort it cost. Earlier, midway, I encountered strong bandits who robbed my master. Indeed, your disciple injured a few of them twice. Master blamed me and sent me back, not allowing me to pay respects to the Tathagata's golden body with him. Your disciple had no choice but to seek refuge in the South Sea, to complain to Guanyin. Unexpectedly, this demon falsely transformed into your disciple's voice and appearance, knocked down master, and snatched the luggage. Junior brother Wujing came to my mountain to look for it, but this demon fabricated clever words, claiming a true monk was coming for scriptures. Wujing escaped to the South Sea and explained the details. Guanyin, knowing this, then ordered your disciple to return to my mountain with Wujing. Therefore, the two of us compared real and fake, fighting to the South Sea, then fighting to the Heavenly Palace, then fighting before Tripitaka, and fighting before the Underworld, yet no one could distinguish us. Hence, I boldly intruded, humbly begging you to open the convenient gate, and extend your boundless compassion, to distinguish the wicked from the righteous for your disciple, so that I may properly protect Tripitaka to personally pay respects to your golden body, acquire the scriptures, and return to the Eastern Land, forever spreading the Great Teaching." The multitude heard both mouths speaking with the same voice, narrating the same story, and none could distinguish them; only the Tathagata knew the truth. Just as he was about to reveal it, he suddenly saw Guanyin arriving from amidst colorful clouds descending from the south, paying respects to the Buddha.

My Buddha clasped his palms and said, "Venerable Guanyin, look at those two Pilgrims, who is real and who is fake?" The Bodhisattva said, "The day before yesterday, in my desolate realm, I truly could not distinguish them. He then went to the Heavenly Palace and the Underworld, where they also found it difficult to identify him. I specifically came to pay respects and request the Tathagata, please, for his sake, distinguish them clearly." The Tathagata smiled and said, "Your magical powers are vast; you can survey all affairs in the cosmos, but you cannot recognize every single thing in the cosmos, nor can you widely comprehend all the species within the cosmos." The Bodhisattva again requested clarification on the cosmic species. Only then did the Tathagata say, "Within the cosmos, there are Five Immortals: those of Heaven, Earth, Spirit, Human, and Ghost. There are Five Creatures: naked, scaly, hairy, feathered, and shelled. This fellow is neither of Heaven nor Earth, neither spirit nor human nor ghost, nor is he naked, scaly, hairy, feathered, or shelled. Furthermore, there are Four Spiritual Monkeys that confound the world, not belonging to these ten categories." The Bodhisattva said, "May I ask, which are those Four Monkeys?" The Tathagata said, "The first is the Intelligent Stone Monkey, capable of transformation, knowing the timing of Heaven, understanding the advantages of Earth, and shifting stars and changing constellations. The second is the Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey, understanding Yin and Yang, knowledgeable in human affairs, adept at entering and exiting, avoiding death and prolonging life. The third is the Long-Armed Ape Monkey, capable of grasping the sun and moon, shrinking a thousand mountains, discerning fortune and misfortune, and manipulating the universe. The fourth is the Six-Eared Macaque, skilled at listening, able to comprehend principles, knowing what's past and future, and comprehending all things. These four monkeys do not belong to the ten categories of beings and are not known between Heaven and Earth. I perceive the false Wukong to be the Six-Eared Macaque. If this monkey stands in one place, he can know events a thousand li away, and he can even know what ordinary people are saying. Therefore, he is skilled at listening, able to comprehend principles, knowing what's past and future, and comprehending all things. The one identical in appearance and voice to the true Wukong is the Six-Eared Macaque." Upon hearing the Tathagata reveal his true form, the macaque trembled with fear, quickly leaped up, and tried to flee. Seeing him flee, the Tathagata immediately ordered the multitude to act. Already, the Four Bodhisattvas, Eight Vajrapanis, Five Hundred Arhats, Three Thousand Gatis, Bhiksus, Bhiksunis, Upasakas, Upasikas, Guanyin, and Mu Zha, all surrounded him. Sun the Great Sage also wanted to step forward, but the Tathagata said, "Wukong, do not act. Let me capture him for you." The macaque's hair stood on end. Realizing he could not escape, he quickly transformed, turning into a bee, and flew upwards. The Tathagata tossed his golden alms bowl upwards, and it perfectly covered the bee as it fell back down. The multitude, unaware, thought it had escaped. The Tathagata smiled and said, "Multitude, do not speak. The demon has not escaped; it is right here beneath my alms bowl." The multitude all stepped forward and lifted the alms bowl. Indeed, they saw its true form: it was a Six-Eared Macaque. Sun the Great Sage couldn't resist. He swung his iron staff and struck it dead with a blow to the head. To this day, this species no longer exists. The Tathagata, unable to bear it, exclaimed, "Alas, alas!" The Great Sage said, "Tathagata, you should not be compassionate towards him. He injured my master and snatched my bundle. According to the law, for harming someone for gain and daylight robbery, he deserves to be beheaded!" The Tathagata said, "You should quickly go protect Tripitaka and bring him here to seek scriptures." The Great Sage kowtowed and thanked him, saying, "I respectfully inform the Tathagata, that master will surely not want me. If I go there and he doesn't accept me, wouldn't that be another waste of effort! I hope the Tathagata will be lenient and recite the 'Band-Loosening Spell' once, remove this golden fillet, return it to the Tathagata, and let me return to secular life." The Tathagata said, "Do not have wild thoughts, and do not act like a rogue. I will instruct Guanyin to escort you. He won't dare not accept you. Go and protect him diligently. When your meritorious deeds are complete and you return to ultimate bliss, you will also sit on a lotus platform."

Guanyin, who was standing by and heard this, immediately clasped her palms, thanked the holy grace, took Wukong, and flew away on a cloud. Mu Zha and the White Parrot immediately followed. Before long, they arrived at the thatched cottage where they had stayed midway. Friar Sand saw them and quickly invited master to welcome them at the door. The Bodhisattva said, "Tripitaka, the one who struck you the other day was the fake Pilgrim, the Six-Eared Macaque. Fortunately, the Tathagata knew, and Wukong has killed him. You must now keep Wukong. The demonic obstacles along the way have not yet been eliminated; you need his protection to reach Vulture Peak, see the Buddha, and acquire the scriptures. Do not blame him again." Tripitaka kowtowed and said, "I respectfully obey your instruction." Just as he was kowtowing in thanks, they heard a strong wind howling from the east. All eyes turned to see, and it was Pigsy, carrying two bundles on his back, arriving on the wind. The simpleton saw the Bodhisattva and prostrated himself, saying, "Your disciple left master the day before yesterday and went to Water-Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain to find the bundle. I indeed saw a fake Tripitaka and a fake Pigsy. Both were killed by your disciple, and they turned out to be two monkey bodies. I then entered and found the bundle. I checked it immediately, and not a single item was missing. I then rode the wind back here, not knowing the whereabouts of the two Pilgrims." The Bodhisattva recounted the Tathagata's identification of the monster. The simpleton was extremely delighted and thanked her profusely. The master and disciples thanked her, and the Bodhisattva returned to the sea. They all then, as before, united in spirit and purpose, clearing away grievances and anger. They then thanked the villagers, packed their bags and horses, and set off west along the main road. It was precisely—

Midway separation disturbed the Five Elements; subduing demons brought together the original brightness.When the spirit returns to the heart's abode, Chan settles; when the six consciousnesses are subdued, the elixir forms naturally.

After all this, it is unknown when Tripitaka will finally meet the Buddha to seek scriptures. Let's listen to the next chapter for explanation.