From afar it seemed to span the void like a beam of jade;
Seen closer, the bridge was but a withered spar crossing the water.
To bind a river and frame the sea is easier
Than walking along the trunk of a single tree.
The glow of a myriad rainbows spread out all around;
A thousand lengths of fine white silk stretched to the edge of the sky.
It was narrow, slippery and hard to cross,
Unless one was a god who could walk on coloured clouds.
“Wukong,” said Sanzang in fear and trembling, “no mortal man could cross that bridge. Let us look elsewhere to find the way.”
“But this is the way,” replied Monkey with a smile, “this is the way.”
“Nobody's going to dare cross that even if it is the right way,” said Pig with alarm. “The river's so wide, and there are those terrible waves, and all there is is that narrow, slippery tree-trunk. We couldn't take a single step.”
“You all stand there while I go on it to show you,” replied Monkey.
The splendid Great Sage strode forward and sprang on the single-trunk bridge. He quickly ran across to the other side, swaying as he went, and called out, “Come over, come over.” The Tang Priest waved in refusal, while Pig and Friar Sand bit their fingers and said, “It's much too hard.”
Monkey then ran back again from the far side and pulled at Pig. “Come with me, you idiot,” he said, “come with me.”
“It's too slippery, it's too slippery,” said Pig, lying down on the ground. “I could never cross it. Please spare me that and let me cross by wind and mist.”
Monkey held him down as he replied, “This is no place for you to be allowed to go riding wind and mist. You can only become a Buddha by crossing this bridge.”
“Brother,” said Pig, “I'll never make it. Honestly, I can't walk across.”
As the two of them were pulling at each other and fighting, Friar Sand went over to talk them round. Only then did they let go of each other. Sanzang then looked round to see a man poling a boat towards them from downriver and shouting, “Ferry! Come aboard.”
“Stop fooling around, disciples,” said a delighted venerable elder. “There is a ferry-boat coming.” The other three sprang to their feet and all watched together as the boat drew closer. It was a bottomless craft.
Monkey had already spotted with the golden pupils in his fiery eyes that this was the Welcoming Lord Buddha, who is also known as Ratnadhvaja, the Royal Buddha of Brightness, but instead of giving this away he just kept calling, “Over here, punt, over here.”
A moment later the ferryman had punted his boat up to the bank and was again shouting, “Ferry! Come aboard!” Sanzang was once more alarmed at the sight. “Your boat has no bottom,” he said, “so however could you ferry anyone across?”
“This boat of mine,” the Buddha said,
“Has been famous since Chaos was first divided,
And been punted by me without any changes.
It is stable in wind and stable in waves,
Enjoying great peace with no start and no end.
Untouched by the six types of dust, it returns to the One,
Carries on calmly through all kinds of calamity.
Hard it is for a bottomless boat to cross the oceans,
But since ancient times it has ferried all creatures.”
The Great Sage Monkey put his hands together in front of his chest and thanked him with the words, “I am grateful to you for your generosity in coming to welcome my master. Step aboard, Master. That boat of his may have no bottom, but it's stable, and won't capsize even in wind and waves.” The venerable elder was still very doubtful, but Monkey seized him by the arms and pushed him forward. Unable to keep on his feet, the master tumbled into the water, where the ferryman grabbed hold of him at once and stood him on the boat. The master shook his clothes and stamped his feet, complaining about Monkey, who led Friar Sand and Pig to stand on board bringing the luggage and the horse with them.
Gently and strongly the Buddha pushed off, at which a corpse came floating downstream, to the horror of the venerable elder. “Don't be frightened, Master,” said Monkey. “That's you.”
“It's you, it's you,” said Pig. Friar Sand clapped his hands as he said, “It's you, it's you!”
The boatman gave a call, then also put in, too, “It's you! Congratulations! Congratulations!” The three of them all joined in these congratulations as the ferryman punted the boat quickly and steadily over the immortal Cloud-touching Crossing. Sanzang turned around and sprang lightly ashore on the opposite bank. There is a poem about this that goes:
When the womb-born flesh and body of blood is cast aside,
The primal spirit finds kinship and love.
On this morning of actions completed and Buddhahood attained
The thirty-six kinds of dust from the past are washed away.
This was indeed what is meant by great wisdom, the boundless dharma of crossing to the other bank. When the four of them climbed the bank and looked back the bottomless boat had already disappeared, goodness knew where. Only when Brother Monkey explained that it had been the Welcoming Buddha did Sanzang find enlightenment At once he turned round to thank his three disciples.
“Let's not exchange thanks,” said Monkey. “We've helped each other. You saved us three, Master, and showed us the way to win merit so as to complete the true achievement. And we have protected you, Master, holding to the faith and helping you happily to cast off your mortal body. Master, look at the magnificent scenery ahead. Flowers, grasses, pines and bamboo, as well as phoenixes, cranes and deer. Compare it with those places where evil beings created illusions through transformation. Ask yourself which is beautiful and good, and which ugly and evil.” Sanzang was full of expressions of gratitude. All of them were now light of body and cheerful as they walked up Vulture Peak. Soon the ancient Thunder Monastery could be seen:
Its rooftops touched the heavens,
Its roots joined with the Sumeru range.
Amazing peaks spread out in serried rank;
Craggy rocks formed interlocking shapes.
Under the hanging scar were wonderful plants and flowers;
Beside the winding path grew magic mushrooms and orchids.
Immortal apes were picking the fruit of the peach trees,
Like gold amid burning flames;
White cranes perched in the branches of the pines
As if they were jade creatures amid smoke.
Coloured phoenixes in pairs,
Green phoenixes two by two.
The pairs of coloured phoenixes
Brought blessings on the world as they called to the sun;
The green phoenixes two by two
Danced in the wind, a rare and wonderful sight.
On the gleaming golden tiles were figures of mandarin ducks;
The brilliantly patterned bricks were set with agate.
To East and West
Were flowers of palaces and pearls of gateways;
To North and South
Were endless precious pavilions and high buildings.
The Devaraja Hall streamed with coloured light;
Purple flames rose before the Lokapalas Chamber.
Stupas stood out,
And fragrant were the blossoms of the udumbara tree.
Truly this was a place so fine it might have come from heaven,
Where the days seemed long under leisurely clouds.
Away from the mortal world, all fates came to an end;
All kalpas were complete within the Dharma hall.
As master and disciples walked freely and at their ease up to the summit of Vulture Peak lay people could be seen under the green pines, and pious men and women amid the jade-coloured cypresses. The venerable elder bowed to them politely, whereupon all the lay men and women, monks and nuns all hastened to put their hands together and say to him, “Do not bow to us, holy monk. Come back and talk with us when you have seen Sakyamuni.”