The wearer of the cassock is wreathed in red mist,
And when it is taken off, coloured clouds fly.
Its primal light slipped out through the Three Gates of Heaven,
The magic vapour arose before the Five Sacred Peaks.
It is embroidered with layer upon layer of passion-flowers,
And gleams with pearls that shine like stars.
At the four corners are night-shining pearls,
Set at the top is an emerald.
Although it does not completely illuminate the Original Body
It shines with the light of the Eight Treasures.
“This cassock
Is normally kept folded,
And will only be worn by a sage.
When kept folded,
A rainbow shines through its thousand layers of wrapping;
When it is worn by a sage,
It will astonish the heavenly spirits and scare all demons.
On top is an as-you-wish pearl,
A Mani Pearl,
A dust-repelling pearl,
And a wind-calming pearl;
There is also red agate,
Purple coral,
Night-shining pearls,
And relics of the Buddha.
They steal the white of the moon,
Rival the sun in redness.
Their magic essence fills the sky,
Their auspicious light honors the sage.
Their magic essence fills the sky,
Shining through the gates of Heaven;
Their auspicious light honors the sage,
Illuminating the whole world.
Shining on mountains and rivers,
The essence frightens tigers and leopards;
Illuminating oceans and islands,
The light startles fishes and dragons.
At the side are two rows of gold-plated hooks,
At the neck are loops of whitest jade.”
There is a poem that goes:
“Great are the Three Jewels, and honoured be the Way;
The Four Kinds of Life and Six Paths are all explained.
Whoever knows and teaches the law of Man and Heaven,
Can pass on the lamp of wisdom when he sees his original nature.
It protects the body and makes it a world of gold,
Leaves body and mind pure as an ice-filled jar of jade.
Ever since Buddha made his cassock
No one will ever dare to end the priesthood.”
When the Tang Emperor heard these words spoken in his throne hall he was filled with joy, and he asked another question: “Monk, what is so wonderful about your nine-ringed staff?”
“This staff of mine,” the Bodhisattva replied, “is:
A nine-ringed iron staff inlaid with copper,
A nine-sectioned Immortal's cane to preserve eternal youth.
Held in your hand it's as light as a bone,
As you go down the mountain it brings white clouds.
The Fifth Patriarch took it through the gates of Heaven;
When Lo Bu searched for his mother he used it to smash the gates of Earth.
Untouched by the filth of mortal dust,
It gladly accompanies the godly monk as he climbs the jade mountain.”
The Tang Emperor then ordered that the cassock be unfolded. On examining it from top to bottom he saw that it was indeed a fine article.
“Elder of the Great Law,” he said, “I tell you truthfully that I am now propagating the good word and widely sowing seeds of blessing. At this moment many monks are assembled at the Huasheng Monastery for recitation of the surras. Among them is one monk of outstanding virtue whose Buddha-name is Xuanzang, and we wish to buy those two treasures of yours to give him. So what is your price?”
The Bodhisattva and Moksa put their hands together, intoned the name of the Buddha, and bowed down. “If he really is a virtuous monk,” she said, “I shall give them to him, and I refuse to accept any money for them.” With that she turned and left.
The Emperor immediately told Xiao Yu to stop her as he rose to his feet and called out, “You told us that you wanted five thousand ounces for the cassock and two thousand for the staff, but now that we have said we shall buy them, you refuse to take any money. Are you going to say that I abused my power to seize your things? We would never dream of it. We shall pay the price you asked, and will take no refusal.”
Raising her hand the Bodhisattva said, “I made a vow that I would give them free to anyone who honoured the Three Treasures, delighted in goodness, and believed in our Buddha. Now I have seen that Your Majesty is a good and virtuous respecter of our Buddhist faith, and have heard that there is a monk of virtuous conduct who preaches the Great Law, it is only right that I should offer them to him; I don't want any money for them. I am leaving the things here. Good-bye.” The Tang Emperor was very pleased with the monk's sincerity, and ordered that a large vegetarian banquet be given to thank him in the Imperial Kitchen. This the Bodhisattva refused to accept and went airily off. There is no need to describe how she returned to her hide-out in the local god's temple.
Taizong arranged for a court to be held at midday and sent Wei Zheng with a decree summoning Xuanzang to attend. He found the monastic official assembling the monks as he climbed the rostrum for the chanting of surras and gathas. The moment he heard the decree he came down from the rostrum, tidied his clothes, and went with Wei Zheng to the imperial presence.
“Up till now we have had nothing suitable with which to thank you, Your Grace, for your efforts in acquiring merit. This morning Xiao Yu met two monks who have vowed to give you a precious brocade cassock and a nine-ringed monk's staff. We have therefore sent for you, Master, to come and receive them,” said the Emperor. Xuanzang kowtowed in thanks.
“If you do not reject it, Your Grace, let us see what it looks like on you.” Xuanzang shook it open, draped it across his shoulders, took the staff in his hand, and stood respectfully before the steps of the throne. The monarch and all his ministers were overjoyed. He truly was a son of the Tathagata. Look at him:
How elegant his imposing features;
His Buddha-vestments fit as if they had been made for him.
The glow radiating from them fills Heaven and Earth,
While the colours crystallize in the sky.
Rows of gleaming pearls above and below,
Layers of golden threads joining front and back.
A hood edged with brocade,
Embroidered with ten thousand strange designs.
Patterns of the Eight Treasures hold the threads of the buttons,
While the golden collar is fastened with catches of velvet.
The Buddha-Heavens are set out in order of eminence,
While to left and right are the high and humble stars.
Great is the destiny of Xuanzang Master of the Law,
Who is worthy to accept this gift at present.
He is just like a living Arhat,
Excelling the Enlightened One of the West.
On the monkish staff the nine rings clink,
And richly glows the Vairocana miter.
How true that be is a Buddha's son;
It is no lie that he has surpassed enlightenment.
All the civil and military officials cried out with admiration, and the Emperor was delighted. Telling the Master of the Law to put the cassock on properly and take the staff, he granted him two bands of ceremonial attendants and had a host of officials see him out of the palace and walk with him to his monastery. It was just like the procession for a top graduate in the palace examination. Xuanzang bowed once more to thank the Emperor and then set out, striding majestically along the highway. All the travelling merchants, the shop-keepers, the fashionable young men, the professional scribes, the men and women, young and old, in the city of Chang'an fought to get a look at him and praise him.