Chapter 7: Escaping the Eight Trigrams Furnace, the Great Sage Flees; Beneath the Five Elements Mountain, the Mind Monkey Is Fixed
Chapter 7: The Great Sage Escapes from the Eight Trigram Furnace; The Mind-Ape Is Fixed Beneath the Five Elements Mountain
Wealth, rank, merit, and fame are all predestined from former lives; one must never deceive one's own heart. Upright and open, loyal and good, one's retribution will be all the deeper. A slight arrogance invites Heaven's punishment; if it has not yet come, it is only waiting for the appointed time. Ask the Lord of the East: why do calamities now assail each other? Only because the heart is too high, with ambitions unbounded, confounding high and low, disrupting the rules and precepts.
It is told: The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, was escorted by the host of heavenly soldiers to the Demon-Slaying Terrace, where he was bound to the Demon-Subduing Pillar. Though they hacked with knives and chopped with axes, thrust with spears and sliced with swords, not a mark could they make on his body. The Southern Dipper Star Lord ordered the Fire Department gods to set flames and roast him, but he could not be burned. He then ordered the Thunder Department gods to strike him with thunderbolts and nails, yet not a single hair was damaged. The mighty Ghost King and the other gods memorialized: "Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Sage, this Great Sage has learned some body-protecting art from who knows where. Your ministers have hacked with knives and chopped with axes, struck with thunder and burned with fire, but not a hair is harmed. What is to be done?" The Jade Emperor said, "This rogue is like this; how shall we deal with him?" The Supreme Lord Laozi promptly memorialized: "That monkey has eaten the peaches of immortality, drunk the imperial wine, and stolen the elixir of immortality. My five gourds of elixir, some raw and some cooked, he has swallowed them all into his belly. Using the Three Flavors Fire, he has refined them into a single mass, thus forming a diamond-hard body, which cannot be harmed easily. Let the old Daoist take him away, put him into the Eight Trigram Furnace, and refine him with civil and martial fire. When my elixir is extracted, he himself will turn to ashes." The Jade Emperor, hearing this, ordered the Six Ding and Six Jia gods to untie him and hand him over to the Lord Laozi. The Lord Laozi received the decree and departed. Meanwhile, he summoned Erlang the Illustrious Sage, bestowing upon him a hundred golden flowers, a hundred bottles of imperial wine, a hundred grains of the returned elixir, rare treasures, pearls, and brocade, and instructed him to share them with his sworn brothers. The True Sage thanked the emperor and returned to Guankou, of which no more is said.
The Lord Laozi went to the Tushita Palace, untied the Great Sage, removed the instrument that pierced his pipa bones, and pushed him into the Eight Trigram Furnace. He ordered the Daoist in charge of the furnace and the boy who tended the fire to fan the flames and refine him. Now this furnace was made of the eight trigrams: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui. The Great Sage immediately hid himself under the Xun trigram position. Xun represents wind; where there is wind, there is no fire. But the wind stirred up smoke, which blew into his eyes, turning them red from the smoke and heat, giving him a chronic soreness, so that they came to be called "fiery eyes and golden pupils."
Truly, time flew swiftly. Unnoticed, forty-nine days passed, and the Lord Laozi's fire reached full maturity. Suddenly, one day, he opened the furnace to take out his elixir. The Great Sage, covering his eyes with both hands, was rubbing them and weeping, when he heard the sound of the furnace top. Suddenly opening his eyes and seeing light, he could not contain himself. With a leap, he sprang out of the furnace, and with a loud crash, kicked over the Eight Trigram Furnace and rushed outside. In panic, the fire-tending boy, the furnace-keeper, and the Ding and Jia gods all grabbed at him, but he knocked them down one by one, like a mad white-browed tiger or a raging one-horned dragon. The Lord Laozi rushed up and grabbed at him, but he gave a mighty shake, threw the Lord Laozi head over heels, and escaped. At once, he pulled the As-You-Will Staff from his ear, shook it in the wind until it became as thick as a bowl, and took it in his hand. Without distinction of good or evil, he once more made havoc in Heaven, beating the Nine Luminaries into shutting their doors and hiding, and the Four Heavenly Kings into vanishing without trace. Truly a fine monkey spirit! There is a poem to prove it:
The primal body, undivided, accords with the prior heaven;
Through ten thousand kalpas and a thousand trials, it is but nature.
Vast and void, without action, it merges with the Great Unity;
Unmoving, it is called the Primordial Mystery.
Long refined in the furnace, not with lead or mercury;
Beyond things, eternal life is the true immortal.
Infinite transformations, yet still transformations;
The Three Refuges and Five Precepts need not be spoken.
Another poem:
A single spark of spiritual light penetrates the Great Void;
That staff is just the same.
Sometimes long, sometimes short, used as one wills;
Horizontal, vertical, all arranged, coiled or unrolled.
Another poem:
The ape's Dao-body matches the human heart;
The heart is the ape—the meaning is deep.
The Great Sage Equal of Heaven is no false title;
Appointed as the Bima, how could he be understood?
The horse and the ape unite the heart and the will;
Bind them tight, fasten them firm, seek not outside.
All phenomena return to truth through one principle;
Thus, the Tathagata dwells in the Twin Trees.
This time, the monkey king, distinguishing neither high nor low, wielded his iron staff, striking east and warding off west, and no god could stand against him. He fought his way straight to the Hall of Universal Brightness, outside the Hall of Miraculous Majesty. Fortunately, the assistant of the True Lord of Universal Salvation, Wang Lingguan, was on duty at the hall. Seeing the Great Sage rampaging, he drew his golden whip and blocked the way, saying, "Where do you think you're going, bald ape? While I'm here, don't be so arrogant!" The Great Sage, without a word, raised his staff and struck; Lingguan met him with his whip. The two clashed in front of the Hall of Miraculous Majesty. A fine battle it was:
Loyal and brave, with a great name;
Deceiving Heaven and mocking the throne, a ruined fame.
One low, one good, they fight to a stand;
Heroes and champions vie for the win.
The iron staff is fierce, the golden whip is fast;
How can uprightness and selflessness endure?
This one is the Great Thunderclap Responding and Transforming Honored One;
That one is the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, the monkey monster.
The golden whip and iron staff both have their skill;
Both are divine weapons from the celestial palace.
Today they show their might before the Hall of Miraculous Majesty,
Each displaying his prowess—truly a sight to see.
One, with deceit in his heart, wants to seize the Dipper and Bull Palace;
The other, with all his strength, supports the Holy Realm.
Bitterly they fight, no quarter given, showing their divine powers;
The whip and staff clash, with neither victor nor vanquished.
The two fought together, with no outcome yet decided. Soon the True Lord of Universal Salvation sent another officer with a document to the Thunder Department, summoning the thirty-six Thunder Generals. They all came and surrounded the Great Sage in the center, each displaying his ferocity in a fierce battle. The Great Sage showed not a trace of fear. Wielding his As-You-Will Staff, he shielded left and warded right, blocked behind and met before. Seeing that the Thunder Generals' swords, spears, halberds, swords, whips, maces, clubs, battle-axes, golden melons, lances, and moon-blades came pressing in thick and fast, he gave himself a shake and changed into three heads and six arms. He shook the As-You-Will Staff and turned it into three. With his six hands wielding three staves, it was like a spinning wheel, whirling and twirling in the center. The Thunder Gods could not get near him. Truly:
Round and smooth, bright and shining,
From ancient times it endures—how can men learn it?
Enter fire, and it cannot be burned;
Enter water, and it is never drowned.
A single bright Mani pearl,
Swords, spears, and knives cannot harm it.
It can be good, and it can be evil;
Good and evil come at its bidding.
When good, it becomes a Buddha or an immortal;
When evil, it grows fur and horns.
With infinite transformations, it wreaks havoc in Heaven;
The Thunder Generals and divine soldiers cannot catch it.
At that time, all the gods crowded around the Great Sage, but could not get near him. They shouted and fought in confusion. This alarmed the Jade Emperor, who issued a decree for the Roaming Messenger Spirit Official and the Winged Sage True Lord to go to the Western Paradise and invite the Buddha to subdue him.
The two sages received the decree and went straight to the Spirit Mountain, the Land of Ultimate Bliss, before the Thunderclap Monastery. They bowed to the Four Vajras and Eight Bodhisattvas, then asked them to convey their message. The gods immediately reported it beneath the Lotus Throne. The Tathagata summoned them. The two sages bowed three times to the Buddha and stood in attendance below the throne. The Tathagata asked, "What business does the Jade Emperor have, that he troubles the two sages to descend to the mortal world?" The two sages reported: "Once upon a time, a monkey was born on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. There he displayed his magic powers, gathered a crowd of monkeys, and disturbed the world. The Jade Emperor issued a decree of pacification, appointing him Bima, but he found the office too lowly and rebelled. The Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha were sent to capture him but failed. He was pacified again and appointed the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, at first without salary. He was put in charge of the Peach Garden, where he stole the peaches. Then he went to the Jasper Pool, stole the dishes and wine, and disrupted the grand assembly. In his drunkenness, he secretly entered the Tushita Palace, stole the Lord Laozi's elixir, and fled from Heaven. The Jade Emperor sent one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers, but they could not subdue him. Later, Guanyin recommended the True Lord Erlang and his sworn brothers to pursue him. He used many transformations, but luckily the Lord Laozi threw his Diamond Snare and struck him, allowing Erlang to capture him. He was taken before the throne and sentenced to death. Knives, axes, fire, and thunder could not harm him. The Lord Laozi requested to take him and refine him with fire. After forty-nine days, when the furnace was opened, he leaped out of the Eight Trigram Furnace, drove back the heavenly soldiers, and went straight into the Hall of Universal Brightness, outside the Hall of Miraculous Majesty. There, the assistant of the True Lord of Universal Salvation, Wang Lingguan, blocked him and fought bitterly. Then thirty-six Thunder Generals were called in to surround him in the center, but they could not get near him. The matter is urgent; therefore, the Jade Emperor specially invites the Tathagata to save the throne." The Tathagata, hearing this, said to the bodhisattvas, "Remain here in the Dharma hall and do not disturb the meditation. I will go to subdue the demon and save the throne."
The Tathagata then called the two venerables, Ananda and Kasyapa, to accompany him. They left the Thunderclap Monastery and went straight to the outside of the Gate of Miraculous Majesty. Suddenly, they heard a great clamor: the thirty-six Thunder Generals were surrounding the Great Sage. The Buddha issued a decree: "Order the Thunder Generals to stop the fighting, open up the encampment, and let the Great Sage come out. I will ask him what magic powers he has." The generals indeed withdrew. The Great Sage also retracted his manifestation, resumed his original form, and approached. Filled with rage, he shouted in a harsh voice, "You good man from what region dare to stop the weapons and question me?" The Tathagata smiled and said, "I am the Venerable Sakyamuni of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amitabha! I have heard that you are wild and barbaric, repeatedly rebelling against Heaven. I do not know where you were born, in what year you attained the Way, or why you are so violent and overbearing." The Great Sage said, "I am:
Born of Heaven and Earth, a spirit immortal,
An old ape from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit.
The Water Curtain Cave is my home;
I visited friends and sought teachers to comprehend the Great Mystery.
He had perfected so many arts of eternal life, and learned transformations vast beyond measure. Because he found the mortal world too cramped, he set his heart on dwelling in the Jade Heaven. The Hall of Miraculous Mist was not his for long; the human kings of successive ages had their allotted portions. The strong should be honored and yield to me; only the hero dares to contend for the lead.”
When the Tathāgata Buddha heard these words, he laughed coldly and said, “You are nothing but a monkey that has become a spirit. How dare you, with a conscience so darkened, try to seize the exalted seat of the Jade Emperor? He began his cultivation in youth and painfully endured one thousand seven hundred and fifty kalpas. Each kalpa lasts one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred years. Calculate how many years that is before he could enjoy this limitless Great Way. You, a beast that has only just become human in your first life, how dare you speak such wild words? Outrageous, outrageous—it will shorten your lifespan. Better to submit quickly and stop your nonsense. Beware, lest you meet with a deadly hand and lose your life in an instant, wasting your original nature.” The Great Sage said, “Though he began his cultivation young, he should not occupy this position forever. As the saying goes, ‘The emperor’s place goes the rounds; next year it may come to my house.’ Let him just move out and yield the Heavenly Palace to me, and that will be enough. If he still refuses, I will surely cause such trouble that peace will never be restored.” The Buddha said, “Apart from your arts of eternal life and transformation, what other abilities do you have that you dare to claim such a splendid realm as the Heavenly Palace?” The Great Sage said, “My skills are many: I have seventy-two transformations, eternal life through countless kalpas, and I can ride the somersault cloud, covering one hundred eight thousand li in a single bound. Why should I not be fit to sit on the Heavenly Throne?” The Buddha said, “I will make a wager with you: If you have the ability to somersault out of my right palm in one leap, you win, and there will be no need for weapons or bitter struggle. I will then ask the Jade Emperor to move to the Western Paradise and yield the Heavenly Palace to you. But if you cannot leap out of my palm, you must descend to the mortal world and be a demon again, cultivate for a few more kalpas, and then come back to argue.” When the Great Sage heard this, he secretly laughed, thinking, “This Tathāgata is utterly foolish. I, Old Sun, can cover one hundred eight thousand li in a single somersault. His palm is not even a foot in diameter—how could I fail to leap out?” He quickly spoke aloud, “If you say so, can you guarantee it?” The Buddha said, “I can guarantee it, I can guarantee it.” He stretched out his right hand, which was about the size of a lotus leaf.
The Great Sage put away his compliant rod, stirred up his divine might, and with a single leap stood in the Buddha’s palm, saying, “I’m off.” You see him, riding a trail of cloud-light, invisible and shadowless, speeding away. The Buddha, with his wisdom eye, watched and saw the monkey king spinning like a windmill, pressing ever forward. As the Great Sage traveled, he suddenly saw five fleshy red pillars supporting a mass of blue vapor. He said to himself, “This must be the end of the road. When I go back this time, with the Tathāgata as witness, the Hall of Miraculous Mist will surely be mine to sit in.” Then he thought, “Wait, let me leave a mark, so I can speak to the Tathāgata.” He plucked out a single hair, blew on it with a puff of immortal breath, and said, “Change!” It turned into a brush with thick ink and double tips. On the middle pillar he wrote a line of large characters: “The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, visited this spot.” After writing, he put the hair away. Not being very dignified, he then pissed a stream of monkey urine at the base of the first pillar. Turning his somersault cloud, he went straight back to where he started and stood in the Tathāgata’s palm, saying, “I have gone and now I have returned. Tell the Jade Emperor to yield the Heavenly Palace to me.” The Tathāgata scolded, “You piss-drunk monkey spirit, you never left my palm at all!” The Great Sage said, “You don’t understand. I reached the end of heaven and saw five fleshy red pillars supporting a mass of blue vapor. I left a mark there. Dare you come with me to see it?” The Tathāgata said, “No need to go. Just look down yourself.” The Great Sage widened his fiery golden eyes and looked down. There, on the middle finger of the Tathāgata Buddha’s right hand, was written: “The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, visited this spot.” And between the thumb and finger, there was still the pungent smell of monkey urine. The Great Sage was startled and said, “How can this be? How can this be? I wrote those words on the pillar that holds up heaven—how can they be on his finger? Could he have some art of knowing the future? I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it. Let me go again.”
The bold Great Sage quickly leaped up to jump out again. But the Tathāgata turned his palm and pressed down, pushing the monkey king out through the West Heaven Gate. He turned his five fingers into five connected mountains of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, naming them “Five Elements Mountain,” and gently pressed him down. All the thunder deities, along with Ānanda and Kāśyapa, clasped their hands in praise, saying, “Excellent, excellent! In days of old, he was born from an egg and became human, Set his mind on cultivation and attained the true Way. For countless kalpas he dwelt in that splendid realm without moving, But with one change, his spirit was scattered. He deceived heaven and defied the high ones, coveting the highest seat, Insulted the sages and stole the elixir, disrupting the great order. His evil deeds are now full and he meets his retribution; Who knows when he will turn over again?”
After the Tathāgata Buddha had subdued the demon monkey, he called Ānanda and Kāśyapa to return with him to the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. At that moment, Tianpeng and Tianyou rushed out of the Hall of Miraculous Mist and said, “Please wait a moment, Tathāgata. Our Lord approaches.” The Buddha heard this and turned to look. Before long, they indeed saw the eight-scenery phoenix chariot, the nine-light jeweled canopy, with strings of mysterious songs and wondrous music, chanting countless divine hymns, scattering jeweled flowers and spraying true incense, until it came before the Buddha to offer thanks, saying, “Thanks to your great Dharma for subduing the evil fiend. May the Tathāgata stay for one day, and let all the immortals hold a feast to offer thanks.” The Buddha did not dare to refuse, so he clasped his hands and thanked him, saying, “The old monk came here upon the Great Heavenly Honored One’s command. What Dharma power do I have? It is all due to the vast blessings of the Heavenly Honored One and all the immortals. How dare I trouble you to offer thanks?” The Jade Emperor issued a decree, ordering all the thunder deities to go separately and invite the Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors, the Five Elders, the Six Directors, the Seven Stars, the Eight Extremes, the Nine Luminaries, the Ten Capitals, the Thousand True Ones, and the Ten Thousand Saints to come to this gathering, all to thank the Buddha for his grace. He also ordered the Four Heavenly Masters and the Nine Heaven’s Jade Maidens to open wide the Jade Capital’s Golden Portal, the Grand Mystery Jeweled Palace, and the Cave-Yang Jade Hall, and to invite the Tathāgata to sit high on the Seven-Jeweled Spirit Terrace. Seating arrangements for each rank were set, and dishes of dragon liver, phoenix marrow, jade liquor, and flat peaches were laid out.
Soon, the Jade Purity Original Heavenly Honored One, the Supreme Purity Numinous Treasure Heavenly Honored One, the Great Purity Moral Heavenly Honored One, the Five Energies True Lords, the Five Dipper Star Lords, the Three Officials and Four Saints, the Nine Luminaries True Lords, the Left Assistant, the Right Supporter, the Heavenly King, and Nezha, along with all the mystic and spiritual beings of the void, came in pairs with banners and canopies, holding bright pearls, rare treasures, longevity fruits, and exotic flowers, bowing before the Buddha and offering them, saying, “We thank the Tathāgata for his boundless Dharma power in subduing the demon monkey. Thanks to the Great Heavenly Honored One’s feast, we are all called to come and express our gratitude. May the Tathāgata give this gathering a name?” The Tathāgata accepted the offerings of all the immortals and said, “If we are to name it now, let it be called the ‘Assembly of the Pacification of Heaven.’” All the elder immortals spoke with one voice, saying, “Excellent ‘Assembly of the Pacification of Heaven’! Excellent ‘Assembly of the Pacification of Heaven’!” When they finished, each took his seat, raised their cups and passed the goblets, adorned with flowers and plucked strings. It was indeed a fine gathering. There is a poem to attest to this. The poem says:
The feast of flat peaches was disrupted by the monkey’s riot;
The Assembly of the Pacification of Heaven surpasses that peach feast.
Dragon flags and phoenix chariots glow with auspicious light;
Jeweled standards and canopies drift with propitious air.
Immortal music and mystic songs have sweet tones;
Phoenix flutes and jade pipes resound with lofty notes.
Jadelike incense curls as the host of immortals gather;
The cosmos is peaceful, celebrating the sage’s court.
All were greatly delighted and joyful, when the Queen Mother of the West led a company of immortals, fairy maidens, beauties, and lovely maidens, drifting and dancing before the Buddha, and bowing, she said, “Previously, the demon monkey disrupted the Flat Peach Gathering, and all the immortals and buddhas had their efforts come to nothing. Now, thanks to the Tathāgata’s great Dharma to refine and lock the stubborn monkey, we celebrate the ‘Assembly of the Pacification of Heaven,’ and I have nothing to offer in thanks. Now, with clean hands, I have personally picked a few large flat peaches to present.” Truly:
Half red, half green, they spurt sweet fragrance;
The beautiful immortal roots last ten thousand years.
How laughable the seeds from Wuling’s source;
How could they compare to Heaven’s more wondrous fare?
Purple stripes, delicate and rare in this world;
Pale kernels, clear and sweet, unmatched on earth.
They prolong life and years, and can transform the body;
Those with the fate to eat them are naturally extraordinary.
The Tathāgata clasped his hands and thanked the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother then ordered the fairy maidens and immortals to sing and dance. All the assembled immortals praised them again. Truly:
Ethereal heavenly fragrance fills the seats;
Profuse immortal stamens and flowers.
The Jade Capital’s Golden Portal is most glorious.
Rare and exotic treasures beyond price.
Pairs equal to heaven in longevity;
Doubles increase through countless kalpas.
The mulberry fields and blue seas may change as they will;
He remains without shock or surprise.
As the Queen Mother ordered the fairy maidens and immortals to dance and sing, cups and goblets clinked together. Before long, they suddenly smelled a strange fragrance that startled the whole hall of stars and constellations. Heavenly immortals and Buddhas set down their cups, each raising their heads to look and wait. In the midst of the clouds appeared an old man, holding ganoderma in his hands, floating on auspicious mists. His gourd contained ten thousand years of elixir, and his precious register recorded a thousand years of life. Within his cave, the universe allowed free movement; in his pot, sun and moon were perfected at will. He roamed the four seas in leisurely joy, scattering through the ten continents as they gathered. He had once attended the Peach Banquet and been drunk several times; when he awoke, the bright moon was still as before. With a long head, large ears, and a short body, he was called the Old Man of Longevity in the southern polar regions. The Star of Longevity arrived. After paying his respects to the Jade Emperor, he also saw Tathagata and expressed his thanks, saying: "At first, I heard that the demon monkey was led by Lord Laozi into the Tushita Palace to be refined, and I thought all would be safe. Unexpectedly, he broke out again. Fortunately, Tathagata was skilled in subduing this fiend, and a banquet was prepared to express gratitude. Thus, I came upon hearing the news. I have nothing else to offer, so I specially present purple ganoderma and jade lotus roots, along with and golden elixir." A poem says: The jade lotus roots and golden elixir were offered to Shakya, Tathagata's longevity like the Ganges sand. Pure peace and eternal joy, the three vehicles' brocade, Health and long life, the nine-grade flowers. In the gate of formlessness, the true dharma master, In the realm of emptiness and form, a celestial immortal. Throughout heaven and earth, all call him patriarch, His sixteen-foot golden body, blessings and longevity boundless. Tathagata joyfully accepted and thanked him. After the Star of Longevity took his seat, the wine cups continued to circulate. Then the Barefoot Immortal arrived. He kowtowed and paid his respects before the Jade Emperor, then again expressed thanks to the Buddha, saying: "I am deeply grateful for your divine power in subduing the demon monkey. I have nothing to offer in token of respect, so I have specially prepared two pears and a few fire dates to present." A poem says: The Barefoot Immortal's dates and pears fragrant, Offered to Maitreya for longevity long. The seven-jeweled lotus throne firm as a mountain, The thousand-gold flower seat adorned like brocade. His lifespan equals heaven and earth, no false words, His blessings match the vast waves, no arrogant speech. Blessings and longevity as promised, truly so, In the pure joy of the Western Paradise. Tathagata again expressed thanks, and ordered Ananda and Kasyapa to collect all the gifts one by one. Then he thanked the Jade Emperor for the banquet. All the deities were thoroughly drunk. Then an inspecting spirit official reported: "That Great Sage has poked his head out." The Buddha said, "No harm, no harm." From his sleeve he took out a slip of paper with six golden characters: "Om Mani Padme Hum." He handed it to Ananda and told him to paste it on the mountaintop. This venerable one took the slip, went out of the Heavenly Gate, and arrived at the summit of the Five Elements Mountain. He firmly pasted it on a square stone, and the mountain rooted itself and sealed its seams. The Great Sage could only circulate his breath; his hands could not reach out, though he could shake and struggle. Ananda returned and reported: "The slip has been pasted." Tathagata then took leave of the Jade Emperor and all the deities, and with his two venerable ones, went out of the Heavenly Gate. He then manifested a compassionate heart, recited a true mantra, and summoned a local earth spirit to the Five Elements Mountain, along with the five directional, to dwell on this mountain and keep watch. When the Great Sage grew hungry, they fed him iron pellets; when thirsty, they gave him molten copper to drink. When his calamity period ended, naturally someone would come to save him. It was truly thus: The bold demon monkey rebelled against heaven's palace, But was subdued by Tathagata's hand with ease. Thirsty, he drank molten copper to pass the years; Hungry, he ate iron pellets to spend his days. Heaven's calamities bitterly tormented him with trials, His human fate desolate, but his life span long. If the hero should one day rise and struggle again, In future years, he would serve the Buddha in the West. Another poem says: He vaunted his might, rising with great power, Subduing dragons and tigers, showing off his skill. He stole peaches and wine, roaming the heavenly realm; Received registers and grace in the Jade Capital. When evil filled his measure, he suffered confinement; But the root of goodness was not severed, his spirit still rose. Indeed, he escaped the hands of Tathagata, And awaited the holy monk of the Tang Dynasty. After all, we do not know in what year or month his calamities and misfortunes would end; listen to the explanation in the next chapter.