The Nine Tattooed Dragons Waylays Travelers in the Red Pine Forest; Lu Zhishen Burns Down the Waguan Temple.

A poem says:

Drifting like duckweed, he hurries to the Eastern Capital,  
Crossing dozens of mountain forests on the road.  
This ancient temple now suffers the calamity of war;  
From now on the Central Plains will rise in turmoil.  
He finds shelter at the Grand Xiangguo Monastery,  
And spends his days tending vegetables in the garden.  
Since ancient times white clouds have no fixed comings and goings;  
The countless changes of the world are left to wander freely.

Now Lu Zhishen crossed several hills and saw a large pine forest and a mountain path. He followed the path. Before he had gone half a li, he looked up and saw a ruined temple, its eaves bells ringing in the wind. Above the mountain gate was an old red-lacquered plaque with four gold characters, now faded, reading: “Waguan Temple.” He walked another forty or fifty steps, crossed a stone bridge, and looked carefully. It was an ancient temple. He entered the mountain gate and looked around. Although it was a large monastery, it was badly damaged. He saw:

The bell tower had collapsed; the main hall was broken.  
The mountain gate was covered with moss; the scripture library was covered with green lichen.  
From the knees of the Buddha Sakyamuni, reed shoots grew, as if he were suffering again in the Snow Mountains.  
Around the image of Guanyin, thorns twined, as if she were cultivating again at Fragrant Mountain.  
The statues of the gods were broken and incomplete, and birds nested in their bosoms.  
The image of the Jade Emperor leaned crooked, its mouth full of spider webs.  
The abbot’s quarters were cold and deserted; the side corridors were bleak and lonely.  
The arhats had lost their heads, and their bodies too had met disaster.  
The guardians had lost their arms, and even their divine powers could not help them.  
In the kitchen, rabbit holes had been dug; on the altar, fox tracks remained.

Lu Zhishen entered the temple and went straight to the guest hall for receiving monks. The door was gone, and all four walls had collapsed. Lu Zhishen thought, “Such a large temple—why is it ruined like this?” He went on to the abbot’s quarters. The ground was covered with swallow droppings, and the door was locked with a big lock covered in spider webs. Lu Zhishen planted his staff on the ground and shouted, “A passing monk asks for a vegetarian meal!” He shouted for a long time, but no one answered. He went back to the kitchen. The pots were gone, and the stove was broken. Lu Zhishen untied his bundle and put it in front of the image of the Kitchen God. Carrying his staff, he searched everywhere. Behind the kitchen he found a small room. Several old monks sat on the ground, sallow and thin. Lu Zhishen shouted, “You monks are too unreasonable! I shouted for half a day, and not one of you answered.” The old monks quickly waved their hands. “Do not shout.” Lu Zhishen said, “I am a passing monk. I have come to beg a meal. What is the harm?” The old monk said, “We have not eaten for three days. How could we have food for you?” Lu Zhishen said, “I am a monk from Mount Wutai. Just give me half a bowl of gruel.” The old monk said, “You are a monk from a place of high religious practice. We should entertain you. But all the monks in our temple have scattered, and there is not a grain of food. We old men truly have not eaten for three days.” Lu Zhishen said, “Nonsense! Such a large temple—I do not believe there is no food.” The old monk said, “This was originally a great temple supported by all quarters. Later a wandering monk came with a Daoist and took charge of the temple. They ruined everything in the temple. These two do every evil thing and drove out all the other monks. We few are old and cannot walk, so we stayed. That is why we have no food.” Lu Zhishen said, “Nonsense! One monk and one Daoist—how much harm can they do? Why not report them to the authorities?” The old monk said, “Master, you do not know. This place is far from the government office. Even if soldiers came, they could not control them. The monk and the Daoist are very capable, both are killers and arsonists. They now live behind the abbot’s quarters.” Lu Zhishen asked, “What are their names?” The old monk said, “The monk’s surname is Cui, his Dharma name is Daocheng, and his nickname is Iron Buddha. The Daoist’s surname is Qiu, and he is the second son in his family. His nickname is Flying Yaksha. These two are not like monks at all. They are simply bandits using monk’s robes as cover.”

While Lu Zhishen was questioning them, he suddenly smelled rice cooking. Carrying his staff, he quietly went around behind the room and saw an earthen stove covered with a straw lid, steam rising. Lu Zhishen lifted the straw lid. In the pot was a pot of millet gruel. Lu Zhishen cursed, “You old monks are really dishonest! You just said you had not eaten for three days, but here you are cooking a pot of gruel. How can monks lie?” The old monks, seeing that Lu Zhishen had found the gruel, cried out in distress. They hurriedly grabbed bowls, ladles, and buckets to protect it. Lu Zhishen was very hungry. He wanted to eat the gruel but had no bowl or chopsticks. He saw an old lacquered wooden board by the stove, covered with dust. Lu Zhishen had an idea. He leaned his staff against the wall, grabbed a handful of straw, wiped the dust from the board, lifted the pot with both hands, and poured all the gruel onto the board. The old monks rushed to grab the gruel. After they had eaten a few mouthfuls, Lu Zhishen pushed them, and some fell, some ran away. Lu Zhishen ate the gruel directly with his hands. After only a few mouthfuls, the old monk said, “We truly have not eaten for three days. This millet we begged from the village with great difficulty and cooked into a pot of gruel. Now you are snatching it from us.” After a few mouthfuls, Lu Zhishen put it down and stopped eating. Just then he heard someone singing outside. Lu Zhishen washed his hands, picked up his staff, and went out to look. Through the broken wall he saw a Daoist wearing a black headwrap, a coarse cloth robe, a motley belt, and hemp shoes, carrying a shoulder pole. On one end, in a bamboo basket, the tail of a fish showed, and meat was wrapped in lotus leaves. On the other end was a bottle of wine, also covered with lotus leaves. He sang:

When you are east, I am west;  
You have no man, I have no wife.  
If I have no wife, it is still bearable;  
When you have no husband, how lonely you must be.

Several old monks ran out and pointed him out to Lu Zhishen. “This Daoist is the Flying Yaksha, Qiu Xiaoyi!” Lu Zhishen heard this, picked up his staff, and quietly followed him. The Daoist did not notice anyone behind him. He went straight into the walled rear courtyard behind the abbot’s quarters. Lu Zhishen followed. Under a large locust tree was a table with wine and food, three cups, and three pairs of chopsticks. In the middle sat a fat monk with eyebrows black as ink, dark eyes, and fat all over, his black belly showing at his chest. Beside him sat a young woman. The Daoist put down his pole and sat down to eat and drink.

Lu Zhishen walked up to them. The fat monk was startled, jumped up, and said, “Brother, please sit and have a cup with us.” Lu Zhishen held his staff and asked, “You two, why have you ruined this temple?” The monk said, “Brother, sit down first and hear my explanation.” Lu Zhishen glared and said, “Speak! Speak!” The monk said, “This temple used to be very prosperous, with broad fields and many monks. It was those old monks in the corridor who drank wine and ran wild, spent money on women, and when the abbot could not control them, they falsely accused him and drove him out. The temple declined. All the monks fled, and the fields were sold. This Daoist and I have just taken charge here and were planning to repair the mountain gate and the main hall.” Lu Zhishen asked, “Who is this woman? Why is she here drinking?” The monk said, “Brother, hear me. This woman is the daughter of Wang Youjin of the front village. Her father was once a patron of this temple. Now his family has declined, all his relatives are dead, and her husband is ill. She came to the temple to borrow rice. For the sake of the old patron, I gave her wine. I have no evil intentions. I only respect the patron. Brother, do not listen to the nonsense of those old men.” When Lu Zhishen heard this and saw how honest he pretended to be, he thought, “So it was those old monks who made a fool of me.” He picked up his staff and went back to the kitchen. The old monks were looking at the pot of gruel. When they saw Lu Zhishen return angry, he pointed at them and said, “So you ruined the temple, and you lied to me.” The old monks all said, “Brother, do not believe his lies. He has a woman hidden in the rear courtyard right now. Just now he saw you had a monk’s knife and staff, and he had no weapon, so he did not dare fight you. If you do not believe us, go back and see how he treats you. Brother, think carefully: they drink wine and eat meat, while we cannot even get gruel. That pot of gruel just now—they were afraid you would eat it.” Lu Zhishen thought this made sense. He took his staff upside down and went again to the rear courtyard. The side gate was already closed. Lu Zhishen flew into a rage, kicked the gate open, and rushed in. He saw Iron Buddha Cui Daocheng holding a broadsword, rushing out from inside to the locust tree to cut Lu Zhishen. Lu Zhishen gave a great shout, swung his staff, and fought Cui Daocheng. The two monks fought:

One did not wear a cassock, holding a broadsword slantwise to stab;  
One tightly tied his monk’s robe, swinging his staff sideways to meet him.  
One gritted his teeth and fought for his life, like Yuchi Gong battling Qin Qiong;  
One glared with round eyes, like Zhang Fei meeting Lü Bu.  
One had never in his life read sutras or repentance texts;  
One had for half his life been too lazy to chant the Lotus Sutra.

Iron Buddha Cui Daocheng held the broadsword and fought Lu Zhishen. Back and forth they exchanged fourteen or fifteen blows. Cui Daocheng could not beat Lu Zhishen and could only barely block and dodge. Seeing he could not hold out, he wanted to flee. The Daoist Qiu saw his companion could not hold on. He took his broadsword from behind and charged at Lu Zhishen. Lu Zhishen was fighting and heard footsteps behind him. He did not dare turn his head. He saw a shadow rushing at him and knew someone was attacking from behind. Lu Zhishen shouted, “Watch out!” Cui Daocheng panicked, thinking the staff had hit him, and jumped out of the fight. Lu Zhishen was about to turn when the three met face to face. Cui Daocheng and Qiu Xiaoyi attacked Lu Zhishen together. They fought another dozen or so blows. Lu Zhishen was hungry, tired from travel, and unable to beat two fresh men. He deliberately showed a flaw, dragged his staff, and turned to flee. The two held their broadswords and chased him all the way outside the mountain gate. Lu Zhishen fought them again, but still could not beat the two. He dragged his staff and ran. The two chased him to the stone bridge railing and stopped.

Lu Zhishen ran two li before he caught his breath. He thought, “My bundle is still in front of the Kitchen God. I only cared about escaping and did not take it. I have no travel money, and I am hungry. What shall I do? If I go back, I cannot beat the two of them together. I will only throw away my life.” He could only walk on aimlessly, each step more tired than the last. After several li, he saw a large forest ahead, all red pines. This forest:

Crooked branches twisted together like thousands of footless old dragons;  
Strange tree shadows rose and fell like tens of thousands of red-scaled pythons.  
From afar it looked like the beard of a judge; up close like the hair of a devil.  
Who had sprinkled blood on the treetops, as if cinnabar covered the crowns?

Lu Zhishen looked and said, “What a gloomy, frightening forest!” As he watched, a man peeped from the shadows, spat, and dodged back into the woods. Lu Zhishen thought, “I guess this fellow is a highway robber waiting to rob people. He saw I am a monk and thought it unlucky, so he spat and hid. This fellow is really unlucky to meet me. I am full of anger with nowhere to vent it. I will just strip off his clothes and exchange them for wine.” He picked up his staff, rushed to the edge of the pine forest, and shouted, “You in the forest, come out!”

The man in the forest heard him and laughed. “I was already unlucky, and now he comes to provoke me!” He took his broadsword, jumped out from the forest, and shouted, “Bald donkey! You are looking for death yourself. I did not come looking for you.” Lu Zhishen said, “Let me show you who I am!” He swung his staff and rushed forward. The man raised his broadsword to meet the monk. Just as he was about to attack, he suddenly thought, “This monk’s voice sounds familiar.” He asked, “Monk, your voice sounds familiar. What is your surname?” Lu Zhishen said, “Fight me three hundred rounds first, then I will tell you my name.” The man grew angry and raised his broadsword against the staff. They fought a dozen or so blows. The man secretly praised him: “What a brave monk!” After four or five more blows, the man shouted, “Stop first. I have something to ask you.” Both jumped out of the fight. The man asked, “What is your name? Your voice is really familiar.” Lu Zhishen told him his name. The man threw down his broadsword, turned, and bowed. “Do you still recognize Shi Jin?” Lu Zhishen laughed. “So it is Shi Jin!” The two bowed to each other and sat down together in the forest. Lu Zhishen asked, “Shi Jin, after we parted in Weizhou, where have you been all these years?” Shi Jin answered, “The day we parted at the wine shop, the next day I heard you had killed Zheng the butcher and fled. The government runners found out I had once helped Old Man Jin, so I had to leave Weizhou and go look for my teacher Wang Jin. I traveled to Yanzhou but could not find him. I returned to Hebei and lived there for a while. When my money ran out, I came here to rob travelers for travel money. I never expected to meet you here. Brother, how did you become a monk?” Lu Zhishen told him everything that had happened, from beginning to end.

Shi Jin said, “You are hungry. I have cooked meat here.” He brought it out for Lu Zhishen to eat. Shi Jin also said, “Brother, your bundle is still in the temple. I will go back with you to demand it. If they refuse, we will finish off these two villains together.” Lu Zhishen said, “Good.” The two ate their fill, took their weapons, and returned together to Waguan Temple. At the temple gate, they saw Cui Daocheng and Qiu Xiaoyi still sitting on the stone bridge. Lu Zhishen shouted, “You two villains, come here! Today we fight to the death!” The monk laughed. “You are our defeated general. You still dare come back to fight?” Lu Zhishen flew into a rage, swung his iron staff, and rushed across the bridge. Iron Buddha also grew angry, raised his broadsword, and charged down the stone bridge to meet him. Lu Zhishen now had Shi Jin to help him and was confident. He had also eaten his fill and was full of strength. After eight or nine blows, Cui Daocheng gradually tired and wanted only to flee. Flying Yaksha Qiu Xiaoyi saw the monk was about to lose and came up with his broadsword to help. Shi Jin saw this, jumped out from the forest, shouted, “No one will escape!” He pushed up his hat, leveled his broadsword, and met Qiu Xiaoyi. The four split into two pairs and fought, like a battle scene in an old painting. You would have seen:

The monk fierce, the Zen monk brave.  
The iron staff swung like a great white jade python;  
The sharp broadswords flashed ten thousand cold lights.  
The strong man turned, wishing to swallow heaven and earth;  
The Daoist stepped forward, wanting to shake the universe.  
Four weapons clashed back and forth, like the Three Heroes fighting Lü Bu;  
A single shout rose, like the Four Heavenly Kings descending to earth.  
By the stream the fight alarmed ghosts and gods;  
On the stone bridge the battle shook the rocks.

Lu Zhishen and Cui Daocheng fought to the critical moment. Lu Zhishen seized his chance and shouted, “Watch the staff!” With one staff blow he knocked Iron Buddha off the stone bridge. The Daoist saw his companion fall and had no heart to fight on. He deliberately showed a flaw and turned to run. Shi Jin shouted, “Where are you going?” He quickly caught up and struck him in the back with one stroke. With a splash, the Daoist fell to the ground. Shi Jin stepped forward, turned his broadsword, and stabbed Qiu Xiaoyi again and again on the ground. Lu Zhishen chased Cui Daocheng under the bridge and struck him once more on the back with his staff. Pitiful indeed were these two bandits, and there they lost their lives. As the saying goes, the evil deeds done before all come back as retribution at once.

Lu Zhishen and Shi Jin tied up the two corpses of Qiu Xiaoyi and Cui Daocheng and threw them into the mountain stream. The two rushed back into the temple. The old monks in the kitchen, seeing Lu Zhishen defeated and fleeing earlier, were afraid that Cui Daocheng and the other would come back and kill them, and had all hanged themselves. Lu Zhishen and Shi Jin went all the way to the rear courtyard side gate. The woman who had been carried off had thrown herself into a well and died. They searched further and found eight or nine small rooms. They broke open the doors, but there were no living people inside. Lu Zhishen’s bundle was in the room, still unopened. Lu Zhishen said, “I have found my bundle. I will carry it as before.” They searched further and saw three or four bundles of clothing on a bed. Shi Jin opened them. Inside were clothes and also gold and silver wrapped up. He picked out the valuable things, packed them into one bundle, and carried it on his back. The two found the kitchen, where there was still wine and meat. They ate and drank their fill. They tied two torches by the stove and lit them. First they burned the small rooms in the back. The fire spread to the front gate. Then they tied several more torches and lit them under the eaves of the Buddha hall. It happened that the wind was strong. The great fire crackled and blazed, and the whole temple was engulfed in flames. This great fire:

Rolling black smoke, raging flames.  
In a moment the fire shot up to the sky;  
In an instant the flames burned everywhere.  
Birds’ wings were burned, and they fell from the clouds;  
Beasts’ fur was scorched, and they fled into the streams.  
Before long the Buddha hall was glowing red;  
In a moment the monks’ rooms were turned to red coals.  
It was as if Laozi had overturned his elixir furnace,  
And a whole volcano rolled upon the earth.

Lu Zhishen and Shi Jin stood watching for a while. Soon everything around was burning. The two said, “No matter how good a place is, we cannot stay long. Let us leave quickly.” They traveled by night. At dawn they saw a group of houses in the distance—a village. They walked toward the village. By a single-plank bridge was a small wine shop. The wine shop looked like this:

The brushwood gate was half closed; the cloth curtain hung low.  
By the earthen bed were coarse wine jars;  
The immortal painted on the wall was covered with dust.  
Village boys bought wine, not like Sima Xiangru washing wine vessels;  
An ugly woman tended the stove, not the ancient Zhuo Wenjun.  
The large characters on the wall were written by the village schoolteacher when drunk;  
A straw raincoat hung on the rack, belonging to a fisherman in the wild.

Lu Zhishen and Shi Jin entered the village wine shop. They drank wine, told the shopkeeper to buy meat, and borrowed rice to cook. As they drank, they talked about all they had been through. After eating and drinking, Lu Zhishen asked Shi Jin, “What do you plan to do next?” Shi Jin said, “I can only go back to Mount Shaohua and join Zhu Wu and the other two. I will stay there for a while and then decide.” Lu Zhishen heard this and said, “Brother, that is all you can do.” He opened his bundle, took out some gold and silver, and gave them to Shi Jin. The two tied their bundles, took their weapons, paid the wine bill, and left the shop. They left the village and walked five or six li until they came to a three-way crossroads. Lu Zhishen said, “Brother, we must part here. I am going to the Eastern Capital. You do not need to see me off. You go to Huazhou by that road. If we have a chance in the future, we will meet again. If you meet anyone going the same way, send word.” Shi Jin bowed to Lu Zhishen and took leave. The two parted. Shi Jin went toward Mount Shaohua.

Now Lu Zhishen traveled alone to the Eastern Capital. After another eight or nine days on the road, he saw the city of the Eastern Capital in the distance. After entering the city, he saw:

Thousands of households, red and green buildings shining together;  
Great streets and small lanes full of people coming and going.  
The imperial palaces were adorned with gold and jade; the halls inlaid with glazed tiles.  
On song terraces, pipes and strings clamored; in dance pavilions, pipa and zither never stopped.  
Everywhere soldiers and people celebrated, a scene of abundant harvest and peace;  
Merchants came and went from all directions; here was wealth and splendor.  
In the pleasure quarters, many beautiful women;  
On singing and dancing stages, countless fashionable courtesans.  
Rich families gambled for pleasure; noble sons spent money seeking amusement.  
The luxury was unmatched, like the immortal isle of Penglai.

Lu Zhishen saw the bustle and noise of the Eastern Capital. After entering the city, he carefully asked a passerby, “Where is the Grand Xiangguo Monastery?” The man answered, “Just ahead by the State Bridge.” Lu Zhishen carried his staff and walked on. Soon he came to the temple gate and entered. Truly it was a great monastery. He saw:

The mountain gate towered high; the monastery was pure and quiet.  
The imperial plaque at the main gate had clear characters;  
Two guardian figures at the door looked fierce and mighty.  
Five great halls, their green tiles neat as dragon scales;  
Monks’ rooms on four sides, with carved bricks set in the walls.  
The bell tower was tall; the scripture library rose high.  
Banner poles reached into the blue clouds; the pagoda nearly touched the sky.  
Wooden fish hung; cloud boards were hung high.  
Lamps and candles before the Buddha were bright; incense smoke curled from censers.  
Buddhist banners hung in unbroken lines, the Guanyin Hall joined the Patriarch Hall;  
Jeweled canopies followed one another, the Water and Land Assembly connected to the Arhat Court.  
Dharma-protecting gods often descended; demon-subduing venerables came every year.

Lu Zhishen entered the monastery, passed through the east and west corridors, and went straight to the guest hall for receiving monks. A lay worker saw him and reported to the guest master. Soon the guest master came out. He saw Lu Zhishen’s fierce looks, his iron staff, his monk’s knife, and his large bundle, and was somewhat afraid. The guest master asked, “Brother, where are you from?” Lu Zhishen put down his bundle and staff and bowed. The guest master returned the bow. Lu Zhishen said, “I come from Mount Wutai. My teacher Elder Zhizhen wrote a letter and told me to come to your honored monastery to seek a position under Elder Zhiqing.” The guest master said, “Since you have a letter from Master Zhizhen, come with me to the abbot’s quarters to see the elder.” The guest master led Lu Zhishen to the abbot’s quarters. Lu Zhishen untied his bundle and took out the letter. The guest master said, “Brother, you do not understand the rules. When the elder comes out, you must untie your monk’s knife, take out your cassock and sitting cloth, offer incense, and bow to the elder.” Lu Zhishen said, “Why did you not tell me earlier?” He untied the monk’s knife, found a stick of incense in his bundle, but could not find the sitting cloth or cassock for a long time. The guest master helped him put on the cassock and taught him to spread the sitting cloth. The guest master asked, “Are you ready with the incense?” Lu Zhishen said, “What special incense? This is the only stick.” The guest master said no more, but inwardly was doubtful.

After a moment, Elder Zhiqing came out with two attendants and sat on the meditation chair. The guest master came forward, bowed, and reported, “This monk comes from Mount Wutai. He has brought a letter from Chan Master Zhizhen to present to you, Master.” Elder Qing said, “Good. It has been a long time since I had a letter from my senior brother.” The guest master called Lu Zhishen, “Brother, take the letter and go pay your respects to the elder.” Lu Zhishen first put the incense into the censer, bowed three times, and handed over the letter. Elder Qing opened it and read:

“Zhizhen respectfully greets my worthy junior brother, the great virtuous Chan Master Qing. We have long not met, separated by distance. Though our schools are north and south, our hearts are in accord. Now I have one matter to ask. A monk named Zhishen was ordained through the support of our patron Squire Zhao. His secular name was Lu Da, formerly a commandant under the Old General Zhong, Military Commissioner of Yan’an. Because he killed a man, he willingly became a monk. Twice he got drunk and made a scene in the monks’ hall, and the temple could not control him. I am specially sending him to your honored monastery, begging you to arrange a position for him. Do not refuse. This man will later attain the fruit. You must keep him. Take care, take care!”

After Elder Qing read the letter, he said, “Monk from afar, first go to the monks’ hall and rest. Eat some vegetarian food.” Lu Zhishen thanked him, put away his cassock and sitting cloth, took up his bundle, staff, and monk’s knife, and followed the novice out.

Elder Qing gathered all the officers of the monastery in his quarters and said, “Brothers, look at my senior brother Chan Master Zhizhen. He is truly muddled! This monk was originally a military officer who killed a man and became a monk. Twice he made a scene in the monks’ hall. That monastery could not keep him, so he pushed him onto me. If I do not take him in, my senior brother has asked me again and again, and I cannot refuse. If I keep him, what if he breaks the monastery rules? What shall we do?” The guest master said, “We look at this monk. He does not look like a monk at all. How can our monastery keep him?” The administrator monk said, “I have an idea. Outside the Sour Jujube Gate, behind the old compound, there is a large vegetable garden. More than twenty soldiers and idlers from the camp often come to make trouble, let their sheep and cattle in, and ruin the garden. The old monk who used to watch it could not control them. Why not send Zhishen to watch the garden? He has the ability to keep them in order.” Elder Qing said, “The administrator speaks wisely. Tell an attendant to go to the guest room. When he has finished eating, bring him to see me.” Soon the attendant brought Lu Zhishen to the abbot’s quarters. Elder Qing said, “Since my senior brother, Master Zhizhen, has recommended you to stay in this monastery and take a monk’s post, we have a large vegetable garden outside the Sour Jujube Gate, next to the Yue Temple. I am sending you there to watch over it. Every day the gardeners will hand over ten loads of vegetables, and the rest of the harvest will be yours to use.” Lu Zhishen said, “My teacher Elder Zhizhen told me to come to the Grand Xiangguo Monastery to seek a position, not to be administrator or supervisor. Why send me to watch a vegetable garden?” The senior monk said, “Brother, you do not understand. You have just arrived at the abbot’s quarters. You have no merit. How can you take a high post at once? Watching the vegetable garden is also a proper monk’s duty.” Lu Zhishen said, “I do not want to watch the garden. I want to be administrator or supervisor.” The senior monk said again, “Let me explain the positions in the monastery. Each has its rank. For example, I am guest master and only receive visiting monks and pilgrims. The disciplinarian, attendants, secretary, and senior monks—these are respectable, easy posts, hard to obtain. Administrators, supervisors, inspectors, and priors manage the monastery’s property. You have just arrived at the abbot’s quarters. How can you directly take a high post? There are also the scripture keeper, hall keeper, pavilion keeper, fund-raiser, bath manager—these are middle-level officers. There are also pagoda keeper, rice head, tea head, vegetable head, latrine head—these are the lowest posts. If you manage the vegetable garden well for a year, you will be promoted to pagoda keeper. Another good year, you will be promoted to bath manager. Another year, then you can be promoted to supervisor.” Lu Zhishen said, “Since that is so, there is a chance for promotion. I will go tomorrow.” Without further ado, Elder Qing saw that Lu Zhishen was willing to go, kept him one night in the abbot’s quarters, settled the assignment that day, wrote a notice, and sent someone ahead to post it in the garden compound for the handover tomorrow. That night everyone dispersed. The next morning, Elder Qing ascended the Dharma seat and issued the document assigning Lu Zhishen to manage the vegetable garden. Lu Zhishen came forward, received the document, took leave of the elder, put his bundle on his back, hung the monk’s knife at his side, picked up his staff, and followed two guide monks straight to the compound outside the Sour Jujube Gate to take up his post.

Now near the vegetable garden there were twenty or thirty idle ruffians who often came to steal vegetables and lived by it. That day they came to steal vegetables and saw a new notice posted on the compound gate: “The Grand Xiangguo Monastery has appointed the monk Lu Zhishen to watch the vegetable garden. From tomorrow he will take charge. Idlers and troublemakers are forbidden to enter.” After reading it, the ruffians went to discuss with their companions: “The Xiangguo Monastery has sent a monk named Lu Zhishen to watch the garden. While he is new, let us give him trouble and beat him up until he obeys us.” One of them said, “I have an idea. He does not know us. It would not be good to start a fight directly. When he comes, let us coax him to the manure pit, pretend to congratulate him on taking office, and then two men grab his legs and throw him into the pit. Just a joke to make fun of him.” The ruffians all said, “Good, good!” They made their plan and waited for Lu Zhishen.

Now Lu Zhishen came to the garden compound. He settled his luggage and bundle, leaned his staff, and hung up his monk’s knife. Several gardeners came to pay their respects. All the keys were handed over. The two guide monks and the old monk who had watched the garden before took their leave and returned to the Grand Xiangguo Monastery.

Lu Zhishen walked into the garden and looked around. He saw twenty or thirty ruffians holding fruit boxes and wine gifts. They said with smiles, “We heard the monk has newly come to manage the vegetable garden. We are neighbors, so we have come specially to congratulate you.” Lu Zhishen did not know it was a trap. He walked with them all the way to the manure pit. The ruffians rushed forward together. One grabbed his left foot, another his right, trying to throw Lu Zhishen into the pit. But now Lu Zhishen: with a movement of his toe, even a mountain tiger would be frightened; when his fist fell, even a sea dragon would fear. Right here this vegetable garden would become a little battlefield. How did the ruffians plan to throw Lu Zhishen? Listen to the next chapter for the answer.