Chapter 11 Monkey 6
Chapter 11 Monkey Xiaoliu
Monkey Xiaoliu is the youngest monkey in the circus. There were seven monkeys in total before, but now there are only six left. One of them just died last month. Monkey Xiaoliu was very sad about the death of the old monkey, just like losing a loved one. When the old monkey was alive, he often told Xiaoliu the story of the Monkey King. "The Monkey King went to sea to visit immortals and learned a lot of skills. He can perform 72 transformations and ride on the somersault cloud. With one somersault, he can travel 108,000 miles. He entered the Dragon Palace to find the Ruyi Golden Cudgel, broke into the Book of Life and Death in the underworld, and called himself the Monkey King! The Jade Emperor sent 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals, but they couldn't do anything to him." Monkey Xiaoliu didn't know how many times he had heard the old monkey tell this story, but he never got tired of it. The other monkeys laughed at the two of them, saying that it was just a legend. But whenever the scene of the Monkey King making trouble in the Heavenly Palace appeared in Monkey Xiaoliu's mind, he secretly sighed in his heart: "If a monkey could live like this, what else could I ask for?"
However, this is just the delusion of Xiaoliu the monkey. The reality is that the monkeys in the circus have no freedom at all. During the day, they only have to endure training and performances. If they do well, they can only get half an extra banana. If they do not do well, they will inevitably be whipped. At night, the monkeys are locked in cages to sleep. For the circus, they are just tools to make money. Such humiliating lives continue until the last moment of their lives.
Monkey Xiaoliu witnessed the death of the old monkey. It fell from a height, broke its leg, and could no longer work for the circus. Those people decisively abandoned it, stopped giving it food, and left it to fend for itself. Among the monkeys, only Monkey Xiaoliu shared half of his food with the old monkey every time, which allowed it to survive for a few more days, and finally died in the cage at night. Looking at the body of the old monkey, Monkey Xiaoliu seemed to see the end of his future. It was unwilling to continue this slave-like life. What was the meaning of life without freedom? At this moment, Monkey Xiaoliu made up his mind to escape from here and pursue his dream like the Monkey King. The escape had to be done at night, so first of all, he had to find a way to get the key to the cage. The key was on the trainer. Monkey Xiaoliu paid attention to the trainer's living habits day and night for this, and finally came up with a plan.
On this day, Monkey Xiaoliu had just finished his performance and was resting off the stage. Soon, the trainer would go on stage to perform with the elephant. Only at this time would the trainer take off the heavy bunch of keys from his waist and put them in the drawer of the lounge. Monkey Xiaoliu hid under the window and eavesdropped on the sounds in the room. As usual, the trainer came out of the room and locked the door. Monkey Xiaoliu quickly climbed in from the chimney and took down one of the keys. It recognized this key, which the trainer would use to open its cage every morning. Tonight is the day when the trainers are paid. According to previous observations, the trainer will definitely have a few drinks after the performance, and will be drunk until dawn, and will not immediately notice the abnormality of the key. After getting the key, Monkey Xiaoliu opened the window and jumped out, buried the key next to his cage without leaving a trace, and waited for the night to fall.
At night, the trainer's apprentices locked each cage with padlocks as usual and went back to sleep. Monkey Xiaoliu waited patiently...
It was late at night, and deafening human snoring could be heard in the room. It dug the key out of the soil, quietly opened the lock, walked out of the cage, and walked towards the gate of the courtyard. It tried to keep its breath down, not daring to make a sound, and slowly approached the gate, but found that the old dog tied at the gate was staring at it intently with green light in his eyes. Monkey Xiaoliu was immediately frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. If the old dog barked now, he would definitely not be able to escape. But the old dog in front of him just stared at it straight, without shouting. After a long time, the old dog buried his head in his arms again and ignored Monkey Xiaoliu. Monkey Xiaoliu was relieved, and just as he was about to move forward, he heard a sharp monkey cry behind him. At some point, a monkey woke up and found Monkey Xiaoliu who had escaped from the cage. The sleeping people were awakened by the cry and ran out to check. Monkey Xiaoliu desperately ran forward, constantly climbing the gate. Just as he was about to climb to the top of the gate and run out of the door, one of his feet was grabbed by a huge force, and then his whole body was pulled down. Monkey Xiaoliu twisted his body unwillingly and bit the big hand that grabbed him with his fangs. The owner of the big hand screamed and threw Monkey Xiaoliu out heavily. Monkey Xiaoliu felt dizzy and could no longer concentrate...
When it woke up, it found itself back in its cage. It felt a sharp pain in its left leg and could no longer move it normally. The other monkeys saw it wake up and asked, "How do you feel? The veterinarian treated you. Thank God, they think you can recover and continue to perform. Otherwise, you would have ended up like the abandoned monkey Lao Liu."
Monkey Xiaoliu smiled bitterly and said, "Sooner or later, I will be the same as it. I want to know, who was the one who made those screams last night?"
The third monkey said, "It's me. Why did you run away? They always think that your performance is the best. Every time they distribute food, you have half a banana more than us. You don't know how much I envy you, and you actually betrayed the trainer who doted on you and wanted to run away."
Monkey Xiaoliu said: "This is not betrayal. We don't belong here in the first place. I didn't expect that you would do this just because of half a banana..."
Monkey Xiaoliu closed his eyes in pain, unwilling to say another word. He was already disheartened, and never ate a single bite of the bananas the trainer sent him. Whether the trainer caressed him or whipped him, he remained unmoved. Gradually, he became weaker and weaker, but he still fantasized about the figure holding the golden hoop and stepping on the somersault cloud, and fell into a deep sleep.
The surroundings suddenly became eerie and terrifying. A chain appeared on his body. Two ghosts, one black and one white, walked on either side of him. The white ghost pulled the chain, urging him to walk faster. Monkey Xiaoliu couldn't help but think of the Monkey King being drunk and being seduced by the Black and White Impermanence in his sleep. How similar was this to the current situation? Could it be that the legend was true and this was the underworld?
The two ghosts brought Xiaoliu the monkey to the hall, and there was indeed a ghost king with a big beard sitting on the throne, looking at the book handed over by the judge. The King of Hell looked at Xiaoliu the monkey, then looked at the book in his hand, and said, "This monkey has done his sins and will be reincarnated as a human. Take him with you." Upon hearing this, the Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced Ghosts were about to take Xiaoliu the monkey away.
Monkey Xiaoliu struggled and shouted, "I don't want to be a human! I don't want to be a human!"
It was also the monkey's good fortune that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva happened to be on his mount inspecting the underworld. Hearing the noise coming from Yama Palace, he came to check. Yama and all the ghosts and immortals knelt down to greet them, but the monkey was unaware and just stood there stupidly.
The Bodhisattva asked, "Who was making the noise just now?"
The King of Hell said, "It is this little monkey. His life span has come to an end and he should be reincarnated as a human. But he was unwilling to do so and started to shout and scream. He did not expect to disturb the Bodhisattva..."
The Bodhisattva looked at the little monkey and said, "You know, it is hard to get a human body. It's like a blind tortoise poking its head out and finding a hole in a floating log. Now that you have the chance to be reborn as a human, why don't you want to?"
The monkey said: "I don't have any other requests, I just want to live freely."
The Bodhisattva said: "You are a monkey in this life, being driven by others, and you really have no freedom. When you are reincarnated as a human, you will naturally be free."
The monkey said, "I have heard others say that monks do not tell lies. How can you, as a bodhisattva, lie to a poor little monkey like me?"
The Bodhisattva asked, "Where did you come from? When did I ever deceive you?"
The monkey said, "I see people in this world getting up early and sleeping late every day, fighting for fame and fortune, deceiving each other against their conscience. They forget morality when they see profit, and do whatever it takes. They are never satisfied with fame and fortune, so how can they be free? I don't know how much suffering I have endured from them in this life as a monkey. I am afraid that there is nothing more terrifying than a human being in this world. Now that I am asked to be a human being, wouldn't that mean I am in the same boat with them?"
The Bodhisattva was secretly delighted when he heard this, thinking that the monkey had some understanding, so he asked again: "If you don't want to be a human, then what do you want to be?"
The monkey said, "I don't know where else to go besides monkeys and humans. I hope the Bodhisattva can give me some pointers!"
The Bodhisattva said: "There are six realms of reincarnation in the world, namely the realm of hell, the realm of hungry ghosts, the realm of animals, the realm of humans, the realm of asuras, and the realm of heaven."
The monkey asked, "May I ask what the hell is? Can one be free in this way?"
The Bodhisattva said: "Hell is caused by the evil karma of sentient beings. If you are born here, you will suffer great pain, like a prisoner being tortured in prison. How can you talk about freedom?"
The monkey asked, "What about the hungry ghost realm? Can you be free?"
The Bodhisattva said: "The beings in the hungry ghost realm are always suffering from hunger and cold. Even if they work hard day and night, they cannot be rich. They can only work hard for a living, so how can they be free?"
The monkey said, "The animal realm must be my path in this life. I don't want to go there anymore! I wonder what the Asura realm is like? Can it be free?"
The Bodhisattva said: "The beings in the Asura realm are aggressive by nature. They worship the strong and despise the weak. The strong have no mercy and blindly bully the weak. Their hearts are full of hatred and jealousy. How can they be free?"
The monkey said, "There is no need to talk about human law. I wonder what about the law of heaven? Can it be free?"
The Bodhisattva said: "Although the beings in the heavenly realm enjoy various blessings and have long life spans, they are also governed by the Heavenly Emperor. If they do their job well, it's fine. But if they make mistakes, they will inevitably be punished, or lose their immortal position, and it is common for them to be demoted to the mortal world."
Upon hearing this, Monkey Xiaoliu said dejectedly: "In this case, it is better for me not to reincarnate. There is no good place to go. I will not go anywhere!"
The Bodhisattva laughed and said, "This is not easy. How easy is it to escape from the cycle of reincarnation? As far as I know, in the Three Realms, the only one who has achieved enlightenment as a monkey is Sun Wukong."
"So there really is a Monkey King! May the Bodhisattva have mercy on me. I don't want to do anything else. I just want to be like him, a Monkey King, free and unrestrained." The monkey knelt on the ground with tears in his eyes and kowtowed continuously.
The Bodhisattva said, "You don't know that Sun Wukong was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years because of his disturbance in the Heavenly Palace. He was just freed not long ago and is now escorting Tang Monk to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures."
Monkey Xiaoliu said, "Ah! There is such a thing. With the power of the Great Sage, is it possible that he is controlled by others?"
The Bodhisattva said, "There are always people who are better than you. If you cannot understand your own mind, you will never be able to achieve great freedom. There is no other way in the three realms, only one mind can do it. The mind can be hell, the mind can be heaven, the mind can be an ordinary person, and the mind can be a sage. It is rare for a monkey like you to have such an ambition, so I will help you become the 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven'. However, you also have to do one thing for me."
Monkey Xiaoliu said, "If the Bodhisattva can really teach me to be the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, it would be like rebirth for me. Not to mention one thing, even ten or a hundred things, I would do it even if it cost me my life."
The Bodhisattva said, "Tang Monk and his disciples went to obtain the scriptures and had to go through eighty-one tribulations. Among the Bodhisattvas, Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara and others have each set up tribulations, but I am busy here and have not made any preparations. My mount, Di Ting, is always by my side. If you are willing to sacrifice yourself for the tribulations..."
Monkey Xiaoliu said, "I am willing. But the Great Sage has great magical powers and can transform into seventy-two different forms. I am just an ordinary little monkey. I hope the Bodhisattva can teach me."
The Bodhisattva said, "Okay, I will also teach you the seventy-two transformations." Monkey Xiaoliu said, "The Great Sage can ride the somersault cloud, and one somersault can travel a great distance of 108,000 miles!"
The Bodhisattva said, "I will also teach you the somersault cloud."
Monkey Xiaoliu said: "The Monkey King still has the golden hoop stick in his hand."
The Bodhisattva said, "I am exactly like you."
Monkey Xiaoliu said: "He cultivated the Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils in the Eight Diagrams Furnace of Taishang Laojun."
The Bodhisattva said: "No problem, I also have a furnace here, I will throw you in there and refine you..."
Monkey Xiaoliu was overjoyed and said, "If the Bodhisattva is willing to teach me, I would also like to worship the Bodhisattva as my teacher, just like Sun Wukong worshipped Patriarch Bodhi."
The Bodhisattva said, "You are predestined to be with me now, and I am happy. I will accept you."
The monkey Xiaoliu studied hard in the underworld and really mastered all those skills. He held a golden hoop stick in his hand, wore chain mail, and also had a golden hoop on his head, looking just like the Monkey King.
The Bodhisattva saw that the time was ripe, so he reshaped his body for him and said to him, "Now your abilities are the same as Sun Wukong's. In the Three Realms, besides me and Di Ting, only the Buddha Tathagata can know your true face. I see that you, a monkey, have sharp ears. I will teach you another skill that can save you in times of danger. Just listen carefully: 'Hear, hear everything, hear nothing; perceive, perceive nothing, perceive nothing, the emptiness and perception are extremely perfect; emptiness and emptiness are extinguished, birth and death are extinguished. Nirvana is present, and the ten directions are bright.'"
Monkey Xiaoliu has a very good understanding. After receiving some teachings from the Bodhisattva, he has achieved the perfect hearing and realized that the six senses are originally one mind. From then on, he is good at listening, able to observe the truth, know the past and the future, and understand everything, so he is also called "Six-eared Macaque".
After listening to the situation, Di praised, "Incredible! I followed the Bodhisattva for a long time before I realized the law of the Three Realms as One Mind. You realized it so quickly. Now that you have this ability, you know everything about the Three Realms and can even distinguish the good and evil in the hearts of sentient beings. Why don't you stay in the underworld like me and help the Bodhisattva to investigate unjust, false and wrong cases?"
Monkey Xiaoliu said, "I have done the work for the Bodhisattva, so I will return naturally." After that, he flew away on his cloud. From afar, he heard Tang Monk scolding the Monkey King, "I have repeatedly advised you, but you still have no good intentions. What can I do? Go! Go!"
Monkey Xiaoliu now knew the whole story and thought to himself, "This monk is so pedantic, just like those unforgivable criminals. Killing him should be considered as getting rid of harm. It's a pity that the Monkey King spent so much effort on the journey, but ended up like this. The Bodhisattva was right, this master and disciple really deserved this disaster. Let me go and avenge the Great Sage."
The monkey Xiaoliu really took advantage of the absence of Bajie and Sha Seng, pretended to hit Tang Seng with a stick, snatched the luggage, and returned to Huaguo Mountain to pretend to be the Monkey King.
When Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing returned to Huaguo Mountain, they saw a guy who looked exactly like them sitting on his throne. They immediately got angry and asked, "Who are you? How dare you transform into my appearance?"
Monkey Xiaoliu has always admired the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Since he learned this skill, he has long wanted to compete with him. Without saying a word, he picked up the iron rod and started to fight. The two monks fought together, and it was impossible to tell who was real and who was fake. Sun Wukong was secretly shocked, "This monster's skills are exactly the same as mine. Since I got the Tao, I have never met such an opponent." He couldn't help but become more determined to fight, and he used all his skills without reservation. Monkey Xiaoliu was also happy to see the demeanor of the Great Sage, and praised in his heart: "What a great Great Sage Equaling Heaven, he is really majestic."
The two fought till the sky was dark, but it was hard to tell who was the winner. Sun Wukong asked, "Do you dare to go with me to Guanyin Bodhisattva to see who is the real one?"
Monkey Xiaoliu asked, "Why not?"
However, when he arrived at the place of Guanyin Bodhisattva, even when the Bodhisattva chanted the spell to tighten the hoop, he could not tell whether it was real or fake.
Sun Wukong asked again: "Do you dare to go to the Heavenly Palace with me to verify your authenticity?"
Monkey Xiaoliu asked, "Why not?"
However, when they arrived at the Lingxiao Palace, they were still unable to identify the mystery even under the magic mirror, and the gods were helpless.
The two monks came to see Tang Sanzang again, but their master and fellow apprentice were unable to recognize them and had to leave.
Sun Wukong was furious and yelled, "You rascal, why did you turn into my appearance and hurt my master?"
Monkey Xiaoliu said, "What do you mean by 'change into your appearance'? Are you the only one who can be the Great Sage Equaling Heaven? Why can't I be the same? I think you were so free before, but now you want to protect this old monk. I think the monk has let you down and is fighting for you. If I really wanted to harm him, he would have gone to see the King of Hell long ago."
Hearing this, Sun Wukong scratched his head and laughed loudly, "There is only one Great Sage Equaling Heaven in the world, and that is me. If you want to fight for it, you must first ask the golden cudgel in my hand whether it agrees or not!"
"This is the demeanor of the Monkey King. I was right. Come on, let's see who is real and who is fake between the two of us today." At this moment, Monkey Xiaoliu felt happier than ever before. Being able to compete with the Monkey King, the feeling of being able to roam freely in the sky and on the ground, even if it is only for a short moment, is more meaningful than a long and painful life of being bound. Only such a scene is worth pursuing for a lifetime, isn't it?
The two fought for a long time, but it was hard to tell who was the winner. Sun Wukong said, "I don't believe that there is no place in this world where one can distinguish between the real and the fake. Do you dare to go to the underworld with me?"
Monkey Xiaoliu asked, "Why not?"
When the two of them arrived at the netherworld, how could Di Ting, who played with the monkey Xiaoliu every morning and evening, not know who was real and who was fake? He suppressed his laughter and put his ears to the ground in a serious manner, following the instructions of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, to guide them to the Tathagata in the West.
The two fought as they walked. Seeing that they were approaching Lingshan, Sun Wukong suddenly said, "The Buddha Tathagata is not like other people. You cannot defeat him. He imprisoned me under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years because I caused trouble in the Heavenly Palace. Thanks to Master for rescuing me, I was finally free. Therefore, I am grateful for his kindness and am willing to escort him to the West to obtain the scriptures. It is not too late for you to stop now. If you meet the Buddha Tathagata, it will be too late! The world is so big, wouldn't it be good to find a place where you can play freely? I, Lord Sun, am magnanimous and will not bother with you."
Monkey Xiaoliu had long forgotten who he was. He had always dreamed of becoming the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and he never changed his belief until his death. In several battles with Sun Wukong, he finally gradually overlapped with the figure in his mind. Isn't this what he pursued? Born as a monkey, he should strive to be the "Great Sage Equaling Heaven!" How could the Great Sage Equaling Heaven lose? How could he run away?
Monkey Xiaoliu's aura suddenly changed, and he swung his stick with all his might, shouting, "The outcome is yet to be determined!"
At this moment, Sun Wukong seemed to see himself, the unruly self who swung the golden hoop at the 100,000 heavenly soldiers. The iron rod in his hand gradually loosened a little. He sighed, "Why are you doing this?"
Monkey Xiaoliu said, "I was originally just a little monkey in the circus for people's entertainment. From birth to death, I have been locked in a cage and have never been free. But now it is different. Come on, fight me again! If I am caught by the Buddha like you, don't show mercy, just beat me to death with a stick. I don't want to be like you, being pressed down by some broken mountain for five hundred years."
Wukong had no choice but to fight as they walked to Leiyin Temple on Vulture Peak in the West. Seeing this, Tathagata said to the crowd, "You all have one mind, but look at the two minds fighting each other." The saints in the West could not tell the difference when they saw the two travelers. Tathagata explained the reason and subdued the monkey Xiaoliu with a golden bowl. Sun Wukong looked at the monkey Xiaoliu who had revealed his true form, and his hand holding the golden hoop kept shaking. Thinking of how he had subdued countless demons and monsters on the way to the West, and how decisive he was in killing, he had never felt as heartbroken as he did today. After hesitating for a long time, he shouted and swung the iron rod, chopping down on his head...
Tathagata said: "Good, good. Go and protect Tang Monk who is seeking scriptures here!"
Wukong bowed and left. Tathagata smiled and took back the golden bowl, but there was nothing in the bowl, not the monkey's body. The Arhats and Bodhisattvas were shocked and didn't know what was going on.
Tathagata laughed and said, "These two monkeys are playing tricks in front of me."
Manjusri Bodhisattva laughed and said, "This is because he is afraid that the Buddha will create another mountain to crush the monkey again!"
All the great Bodhisattvas in the crowd, who were pleased, smiled and said nothing.
(End of this chapter)