Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 255: Baolin Temple

Guanyin looked displeased. She hadn’t expected these demons to move so quickly. Doubts arose in her mind, but it was indeed true that Wukong had fought against those demons and been captured by the Golden Rope—there was no pretense. Perhaps these demons were simply too cunning.
Guanyin said, “Buddha, that demon ox from Qitianling was also there before. These demons are likely connected to Qitianling.”
Tathagata replied, “The fate of the world has been decided—there is only one choice. Where could there still be scattered demons?” He tossed the Golden Rope to Wukong and said, “I don’t need this rope either. I’ll give it to you.”
Wukong accepted the rope, thanked Tathagata first, and then said, “But I don’t know how to use it. Please teach me, Buddha.” Tathagata taught Wukong the incantations for using the rope before returning to the Western Heaven.
Guanyin said to Wukong, “The Buddha has made it clear that the journey to the West will be full of hardships, with various obstacles in the way. If you encounter further difficulties, come to me directly—don’t waste time.”
Wukong was puzzled. Why was Tathagata urging him to embark on the quest? Logically, although the quest was initiated at the Buddha’s request, for the sake of maintaining face in the Western Heaven, it was claimed that it was the people of the Eastern Land whoactively sent someone to fetch the scriptures, while Tathagata would simply wait on Mount Ling. From Guanyin’s words, Wukong could tell that Tathagata was anxious.
Not knowing how to solve this, Wukong thanked Guanyin and thought to himself, “If you want things to be fast, I’ll make things slow for you.”
Guanyin added, “Take the heavenly generals to search the cave to see if the two star lords and King of Holding the Country are unharmed. I’ll return to the South Sea for now.” Without waiting for Wukong’s reply, she left.
Wukong wondered why everyone was in such a hurry. Unbeknownst to him, Guanyin had lost her two-headed monster fish and had been searching desperately for it these days.
Wukong summoned the Four Wood Star Lords and others, and they entered the demon’s cave. There, they found Water Virtue Star Lord, Wood Virtue Star Lord, and King of Holding the Country all bound to stone pillars by magic spells. The spells were strange, and none of them could break free.
Wukong said, “I think the demons won’t dare return. Let’s wait a few days; once the magic fades, everything will be fine.” The Four Wood Star Lords joined forces, fighting and driving away the small demons in the cave, while guarding the three bound individuals.
Seeing no further obstacles, Wukong called Tang Seng, bid farewell to the Star Lord, and continued westward.
Along the way, Tang Seng asked about subduing the demons. Wukong explained how powerful the demons were, how he had summoned reinforcements several times, and finally sought help from Tathagata in the Western Heaven to scare them away.
Tang Seng expressed his deep gratitude and became even more devoted to his quest. He wanted to kneel down to worship immediately, but Wukong stopped him.

Along the way, there were countless hardships—sleeping by water, eating whatever was available, braving frost and dew. After traveling for a long time, the master and disciples encountered another mountain blocking their path. On his horse, Tripitaka cried out, “Disciples, look at that towering mountain! I fear some evil spirit may be lurking there.”

Wukong laughed and said, “Master, don’t talk about demons. The moment you mention them, they appear.” Zhu Bajie chimed in, “Master is also a brother of Emperor Tang; his words carry great weight and will surely be fulfilled.”

Wukong spat and said, “Stop with your nonsense.” Zhu Bajie asked, “Elder brother, could it be the master is wrong?”

Wukong replied, “It’s not the master who’s wrong—it’s you. There’s no such thing as ‘words with great power’ in this world. The master can’t predict the future nor possesses any supernatural powers; he’s just speaking casually. Yet you pander to him like a flatterer—how can this be fitting for a monk?”

Tripitaka praised, “Wukong is right. Monks should not lie, and flattery is certainly unacceptable.” In his past life as Jinchanzi, he was demoted for refusing to speak as Buddha desired. Even in this life, his stubborn nature hadn’t changed much.

Zhu Bajie felt embarrassed and changed the subject. “The journey to the Western Heaven is truly difficult. It’s been two or three years since we left Gao Laozhuang—why haven’t we arrived yet?” Wukong said, “We’re early. I’m afraid we haven’t even left the main gate yet.”

Wuhui asked, “Brother, where could there be such a huge gate? Even if there were such a large hall, where could we find beams long enough?” Tripitaka smiled and said, “Wuhui, your elder brother has deep insights. In his eyes, the sky is the roof, the sun and moon are the windows, and the mountains are the pillars—making the universe like a vast hall!”

Though they were joking, Tripitaka’s words made Wukong realize something. People always thought the sky was just the sky and the earth was just the earth, but they didn’t know what their true nature was. Perhaps, as Tripitaka said, it was indeed like a huge house.

Unaware of it, they climbed the mountain. This mountain was no less treacherous: they heard the roars of beasts, saw packs of wolves, and saw strange, twisted pines lying along the cliffs, along with gnarled trees that gave off a fearsome appearance.

A gust of mountain wind blew, and Tripitaka, trembling on his horse, said, “Wukong, hurry up!”

Wukong replied, “Master, don’t panic. They’re just mountain spirits and wild beasts—none of them are truly dangerous.”

The master and disciples continued along the mountain path until the red sun set in the west, stars appeared in the nine heavens, and a bright moon illuminated the world. Finally, they descended from this great mountain.

Wukong led the way and saw faint buildings and palaces at the foot of the mountain. He said joyfully, “Master, it seems there’s a temple down there.”

Tripitaka replied, “Amitabha. It’s getting dark—let’s go ask for alms and find shelter.”

After another half hour, a mountain gate came into view. What a magnificent temple—it stood with red brick walls, its doors inlaid with copper nails. Monks were giving lectures on meditation in the meditation hall, and various musical instruments could be heard playing in the music room. Lights flickered within the temple, and a faint fragrance wafted out.

Tang Seng had not visited a temple to worship Buddha for a long time. Seeing such a grand temple, how could he not be delighted? He stopped his horse, dismounted, and approached the temple.

There was a plaque on the door, but it had not been cleaned for years and was covered in dust. Tang Seng frowned slightly. Wukong stretched out his arm and wiped the dust off the plaque with the sleeve of his robe, revealing five gilded characters: “Imperially Built Baolin Temple.”

Tang Seng said, “The monks are lazy—such a fine plaque covered in dust.”

Upon seeing “Baolin Temple,” Wukong immediately knew where they were. Smiling, he said, “Master, don’t say that. It’s fine to call someone lazy, but it’s impossible for all the monks in a temple to be lazy. There must be some reason.”

Tang Seng replied, “Let’s go in and see.”

Wukong wanted to knock on the door, but Tang Seng said, “Wukong, you’re hot-tempered and proud. Don’t offend them. Let me go instead.” Wukong agreed, saying, “It would be strange if you could get in.”

Tang Seng put down his staff, untied his cloak, adjusted his clothes, and clasped his hands as he stepped up the steps. He knocked on the doorbell a few times and waited beside it. After a long while with no response, he gently pushed the door—it was actually ajar. Tang Seng went in and saw that it was actually a mountain gate, with the door frame installed at the back, which explained why there was no guard.

A mountain gate referred to the main entrance of a temple. At that time, temples and Taoist temples were often built in the mountains to avoid the hustle and bustle of the world, hence they had mountain names and mountain gates. Though called gates, they resembled tall archways without actual doors in the middle.

As he walked, Tang Seng thought, “Today I’ve truly broadened my horizons. For the first time in my life, I’ve seen a mountain gate’s entrance.”

Inside the mountain gate were three more gates: the Gate of Emptiness, the Gate of Formlessness, and the Gate of Non-Action. Tang Seng, eager to find lodging and eat, had no time to look at the statues of Vajrapani and other deities on either side. He continued straight to the Mahavira Hall, where he saw the golden statue of Buddha, which he naturally had to worship.

Tang Seng knelt down and said, “O merciful Buddha, protect me as I journey west to obtain the true scriptures…” As he murmured these words, a Taoist priest emerged from behind the Buddha statue, holding a broom, and asked Tang Seng, “Where are you coming from, elder?”

Tang Seng explained his origin. The Taoist priest replied, “Elder, I’m just a lowly servant here, responsible for sweeping and ringing the bells. I can’t make decisions. There’s an abbot in charge of the temple. Only if he agrees can you stay.” With that, the Taoist priest rushed to the back and summoned the temple’s monks.

The monk official wore a haughty expression. He stepped out, glanced at Tang Seng, and shouted at the Taoist, “Don’t you know that this Baolin Temple was bestowed by the emperor? It only admits imperial scholars and officials. How can these itinerant monks enter?” The Taoist was so frightened that he stood there trembling, too scared to speak. Hearing this, Tang Seng stepped forward and said, “I am sent by the emperor of the Great Tang in the East to worship Buddha and obtain scriptures in the West. I pass by here and would like to ask for shelter for one night; I’ll leave before dawn. I earnestly beg the abbot for your kindness.” The monk official replied, “You itinerant monks are all slick-tongued. A few came before the New Year, and I kindly took them in. But the next day, when they left, they stole many utensils from our temple. Go quickly—there’s an inn ahead where you can stay for three copper coins per night.” Tang Seng had never encountered such monks before. Buddhism emphasizes doing good every day. Even if they were fellow monks or strangers, one should treat them kindly. He didn’t know what to say and felt extremely aggrieved. Seeing that Tang Seng didn’t move, the monk official ordered the Taoist to drive them away. Just then, a loud crash came from inside the temple. The monk official rushed forward to see what had happened. He saw that among the several two-zhang-tall statues of the Heavenly Kings inside, the King of Upholding the Kingdom had fallen to the ground, shattered to pieces. Upon closer inspection, he saw a thin monkey perched on the head of the King of Hearing All Sounds—it was none other than Wukong. The monk official was filled with anger and scolded, “You monkey—” Before he could finish speaking, Wukong swung his staff again, shattering the King of Broad Vision. He shouted, “Dare you, insolent monk! My master is of divine origin. How dare you insult him!” The monk official pointed at Wukong and said, “You dare destroy the statues of the Heavenly Kings!” Wukong laughed and said, “Not to mention statues, even if it were real people here, I’d still smash them! Quickly let my master in, or I’ll destroy your temple!” The monk official, acting on impulse, was terrified upon seeing the mess on the ground and Wukong’s iron staff. He quickly ordered the Taoist to ring the bell to summon hundreds of monks from the temple to greet Tang Seng and his group. After everything was arranged, good tea and food were provided, of course. But Wukong wasn’t idle. After seeing Tang Seng settle down, he went to look for the abbot. The abbot returned to his room, still uneasy. As soon as he lit a candle, a flash appeared before his eyes—the Thunder God reappeared. Terrified, the abbot collapsed to the ground. Wukong sat by the bed and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll just ask a few questions and then leave.” The abbot struggled to get up and said, “My lord, the immortal, please ask whatever you want.”

Wukong asked, “Why isn’t the plaque of this temple wiped clean? Why is there a Taoist temple inside the main gate? And why weren’t the passing monks given shelter? Explain these three things truthfully!”
The monk official said with a grim face, “Sir, please give me some time. I was quite frightened just now.”
Wukong replied, “Alright, then pour some tea.”
The monk official poured two cups of hot tea. After taking a few sips, he calmed down and explained several strange events that had occurred at Baolin Temple in the Wuji Kingdom.