Ol' Monkey
(A pagan triumphal)
Being the story of the handsome monkey King, Sun Wu Kong, Great Sage
Equal to Heaven, Aware of Vacuity.
On
the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, in the eastern country of Ao-Lai, there
was a rock.
Eons of exposure to rain and sun, mist and wind, starlight and moonlight seeded that rock. Behold, one spring day a monkey hatched directly from that stone. This startling monkey immediately bowed to the four directions and a light straight from his eye beamed through to the other world of heaven. There the Jade Emperor himself took note. The Emperor called his witnesses Thousand League Eye and Ten Thousand Echo Ear to describe what had taken place. They told him a monkey compounded of the essences of wind and rock had sprung fully formed into the world below. Upon bowing to the four directions that monkey's eyes beamed a light disturbing even the Emperor's meditation. The Emperor in his presumptuous superiority said, "the world below is filled with creatures half animal and half celestial. From them nothing should surprise us."
The Monkey found the Mountain of Fruits and Flowers ripe with joy. He was soon gathered with many like him near a tumbling stream. One day they followed up the bouncing course of it seeking its source. The stream poured forth from within a rock and immediately formed a fast waterfall. The monkeys jumped and jeered at the loud sight of it. One said that whoever should brave to see the other side would be the king of monkeys. It was then the handsome stone monkey came forth and jumped through to the other side. He found a steel bridge leading back to a palace of indestructible rock. After rolling and sliding in glee he returned to his monkeys, told them about the perfect home he had found inside, and claimed his title. Eventually he had them all playing or resting, founding that home within the Water Curtain Cave.
Their life was rambunctious glee where nothing could break and food was ever at hand. Hundreds of years passed. One day, the Monkey King was crying loudly in his chair. They all asked what was the matter and he said, "Some day, I am going to die." Another monkey said, "this means you are interested in religion and should find a teacher."
The monkey set out immediately across the winds and found a retreat in the western mountains. Though a monkey in all ways, he studied devoutly and showed unbelievable aptitude. One day, while listening to a talk so revealing of truth he found he must rub the earth while twitching his grinning head, the master noticed his exuberance and asked why he was being so rude. Monkey took the occasion to make an appointment for private midnight instruction and soon found himself pursuing his greatest desire with his teacher's help.
Monkey chose to learn the path of 72 thousand transformations towards the goal of physical satisfaction, and undying virginity. He learned the art of the cloud trapeze and to transform a bit of his hair into thousands of helpers and to imitate any shape or being in exact detail. He received the title, "Aware of Vacuity".
One day, in response to pleading from his fellow students, he was showing some talent by imitating exactly a Yew tree, and they were all so volubly appreciative that the teacher faulted Monkey for vainly showing off metaphysically. Speaking of vanity, his teacher cast him out saying only, "Tell no one that I was your teacher."
When he returned to the mountain of Flowers and Fruit the Monkey found his monkey's overwhelmed by the Deamon of Havoc. The Deamon had enslaved some of them, and the others were terrified. The Monkey King immediately chased away the Deamon and began training and arming his monkeys for their own protection.
As part of these preparations, he went in search of his personal weapon. He ventured down to the bottom of the ocean where he called on Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. This Dragon king had a cudgel once used to flatten the Milky Way. It had been glowing and vibrating for days in anticipation of Monkeys' arrival. When the Monkey picked it up he could see the inscription "As You Will Cudgel" and immediately he know it to be his. It weighed seventeen tons and could easily crush any form that was not solid in itself.
By now the Monkey had enough skills and tools to be judged one of the Immortals. Yet this Dragon treated Monkey as a beggar. He did not want to find him a suit of fighting clothes. He did not immediately offer him the As You Will Cudgel. The Monkey King had to threaten the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea to get what he had come for and what was transparently his.
That Dragon later reported the Monkey to the
Jade Emperor in Heaven as uncivil, violent, self centered, chaotic and power
seeking. This precipitated the next stage of conflict between the earthly
Monkey King and the Celestial region which you can read about in our next
pamphlet.
There is no doubt that Sun Wu Kong is back in San Francisco. So far he has only shown himself during the strongest dose of ethnic pride America permits, during the Chinese first full moon. But we are spreading the word. We think his spirit will rally many more.
A note on translation
Monkey is probably the most popular folk hero in the world. Almost every
Chinese person knows him from childhood on as do most of Japans' people. The
oldest surviving editions of the story were written down in the late Ming
Dynasty, 1670 Christian years, 4268 Chinese.
The first and best English edition was translated by Arthur Waley and published
in 1947. There are now at least four other English translations. Both City
lights and many scholars prefer Lu's, due, we think to their pro-Buddhist
positions.
There is also a series of illustrated Monkey stories, simplified and suitable
for children.
This version by Neil Mclean
image by jef