Guanyin Begins the Search for the Pilgrim

After returning to the Thunderclap Monastery, the Buddha gathered his disciples to expound the Dharma. He concluded his discourse, saying: "Observing the Four Great Continents, I see humanity's virtue and vice vary greatly. Those of Purvavideha in the East revere heaven and honor earth, their hearts pure and spirits tranquil. In Uttarakuru to the North, though men take life to survive, their natures remain simple and guileless. The people of Aparagodaniya in the West neither covet nor kill, nurturing their essence and refining their spirit. But in Jambudvipa to the South, men are greedy, lustful, and beguiled by misfortune. I possess Three Baskets of True Scriptures that may guide them toward goodness."

The Bodhisattvas inquired, "What are these Three Baskets?"

The Buddha replied: "One Basket of Dharma discourses on heaven; one Basket of Abhidharma expounds earth; and one Basket of Sutras redeems souls—thirty-five divisions in all, comprising fifteen thousand one hundred and forty-four scrolls. These are the gates to cultivating truth and learning virtue. I wish to send them to the Eastern Lands, yet its deluded beings slander the sacred texts and reject the Buddhist path. Therefore, we must find a virtuous emissary from the East. Let him traverse ten thousand rivers and a thousand mountains to seek the scriptures here, then carry them back to enlighten the masses. Who shall undertake this quest?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva stepped forward, bowing as she vowed to go. The Buddha rejoiced, presenting her with a kasaya robe, a nine-ringed pilgrim's staff for the emissary, and three golden headbands for the scripture seeker's disciples. "When the spell is chanted," he declared, "these bands shall cause eye-swelling, head-splitting agony, ensuring obedience."

Guanyin departed with her disciple Hui'an. Soon they reached the Flowing Sands River, where a monstrous fiend—grotesque and savage—leapt from the waters to seize the Bodhisattva. Hui'an intercepted it, parrying with his iron rod.

After fifty clashes with no victor, Guanyin halted the battle. Questioned about his origins, the fiend revealed: "I am no demon! I served as the Curtain-Lifting General in the Hall of Divine Mists. At the Peach Banquet, I shattered a crystal chalice by accident. For this, the Jade Emperor struck me eight hundred times, exiled me to this desolation, and deformed me. Every seven days, flying swords pierce my chest over a hundred times. Driven by hunger, I devour passing travelers."

Guanyin proclaimed: "By Buddha's decree, I seek a scripture seeker in the East. Become his disciple, journey west to revere the Buddha and retrieve the scriptures. I shall stop the flying swords." The monster agreed: "I vow to go! Objects sink instantly in this river—yet when I ate past scripture seekers, their skulls floated defiantly. I kept them, sensing their strangeness." Guanyin instructed: "String those skulls around your neck. They shall aid the scripture seeker."

She then named him "Shā" (Sand) after the riverbank, bestowing the Dharma name "Shā Wùjìng" (Sand Awakened to Purity). Journeying eastward, they next encountered a mountain demon wielding a rake. Upon interrogation, he confessed: "I was Marshal of Heavenly Canopies, banished for drunkenly harassing the Moon Goddess. Reborn through error into a sow's womb, I became this swine-monster. Now I dwell here, preying on humans."

Guanyin commanded: "Await the scripture seeker. Serve him as disciple to atone for your sins and escape suffering." The monster swore allegiance, receiving the surname "Zhū" (Pig) and the Dharma name "Zhū Wùnéng" (Pig Awakened to Power).

Farther on, a jade dragon appeared in the sky. It was the son of Dragon King Ao Run, sentenced to death for burning a sacred pearl. Guanyin flew directly to the Jade Emperor, securing the dragon's pardon. She ordered it to wait in a deep pool: "When the scripture seeker comes, become his white horse and earn merit through service."

Finally, at Five Elements Mountain, Guanyin approached Sūn Wùkōng trapped beneath the stone. "By Buddha's order," she declared, "I seek an eastern emissary. Will you be his disciple, embrace Buddhism, and attain enlightenment?"

"Gladly! Gladly!" cried the Monkey King. "I have seen the error of my ways! Save me, Bodhisattva!"

"Your deliverance comes with the scripture seeker," she replied. Having witnessed his awakened heart pledge to Buddhism, Guanyin pressed eastward.

She soon reached Cháng'ān, capital of the Great Tang. Disguising herself and Hui'an as wandering monks, they lodged in a city god temple. Would she find the fated scripture seeker? That tale unfolds in the next chapter.