“The West is indeed the land of the Buddha,” said Sanzang. “Nobody, however clever or stupid, is dishonest. I did not believe what the two old men told me. Now I know it is just as they said.” Being the boor that he was, Pig wanted to go straight in.
“Just a moment, idiot,” said Monkey. “Wait till someone comes out so we can ask what to do before we go in.”
“Big brother's right,” said Friar Sand. “If we don't show respect for his privacy we might irritate the benefactor.” They let the horse rest and put down the luggage outside the gates. A little later a slave came out with a steelyard and a basket in his hands that the sudden sight of the strangers made him drop in alarm.
“Master,” he reported, running inside, “here are four strange-looking monks outside.” At the time the gentleman was walking with a stick in the inner courtyard, reciting the name of the Buddha. When he heard the report he dropped his stick and went out to welcome them. Their ugliness did not frighten him.
“Come in, come in,” he said. Behaving with all courtesy, Sanzang went inside with him.
The gentleman led them along a passageway and into a house, where he said, “The upper building includes a Buddha hall, a surra library and a refectory for you gentlemen. The lower building is where your disciple's family lives.” Sanzang expressed endless admiration. He brought out and put on his cassock to worship the Buddha, then went up into the hall to have a look. What he saw was:
Clouds of incense,
Dazzling candles.
The-ball was filled with a brocade of flowers;
All around was gold and many colours.
From red frames
Hung a bell of purple gold;
On a lacquered stand
Was set a matching decorated drum.
Several pairs of banners
Were embroidered with the eight treasures;
A thousand Buddha statues
Were all covered in gold.
Ancient bronze incense-burners,
Ancient bronze vases,
Carved lacquer tables,
Carved lacquer boxes.
In the ancient bronze incense-burners
Was always eaglewood incense;
In the ancient bronze vases
Were the colours of lotus blossoms.
On the carved lacquer tables
Were fresh fruits;
In the carved lacquer boxes
Fragrant petals were piled.
In glass bowls
Was pure, clear water;
In crystal lamps
The fragrant oil shone bright.
A metal chime
Resounded long and slow.
This was like a treasure house untouched by the world,
A family Buddha hall rivaling a monastery.
The venerable elder washed his hands, took a pinch of incense, kowtowed and worshipped, then turned back to greet the gentleman.
“Wait a moment,” Mr. Kou replied. “Let us make our introductions in the sutra library.” What they saw there was:
A square stand and upright cupboards,
Jade boxes and golden caskets.
On the square stand and in the upright cupboards
Were piled up countless scriptures;
In the jade boxes and golden caskets
Were stored many a manuscript.
On lacquered tables
Were paper, ink, brushes and inkstones,
All the finest treasures of the study.
Before the scented screen
Were calligraphy, paintings, a lute and chess,
All for the most refined of interests.
A magic chime of light jade covered with gold,
And a copper tripod in the wind and under the moon.
The clear breeze freshens the spirit;
The purified heart is aware; the mind set on the Way is at ease.
When the venerable elder had reached the library and was going to bow to him Mr. Kou held on to prevent this and said, “Won't you take off your cassock?” Sanzang then took off his cassock, after which he greeted Mr. Kou. He then told Monkey and the other two to greet him too. Orders were given for the horse to be fed and the luggage put in a corridor. The gentleman asked about their background.
“I have been sent by the emperor of Great Tang in the East,” Sanzang said, “to the Vulture Peak in your splendid country to see the Lord Buddha and ask for the true scriptures. I am here to request a meal because I have heard that in your distinguished household you honour monks. After that we will be on our way.”
The gentleman's face was suffused with pleasure as he replied with a chuckle, “My name is Kou Hong, my other name is Kou Dakuan, and I have lived for sixty-four wasted years. When I was forty I made a vow to feed ten thousand monks, and you will complete the number. In the twenty-four years during which I have been feeding monks I have kept a record of their names. Having nothing else to do in recent days I have counted the names of all the monks I've fed, and the score is now 9,996. I was only short of four to make up the full number. Then today heaven has you four teachers down to me to complete the ten thousand. Will you be so good as to tell me your names? I hope that you will stay for a month or more until I have celebrated the completion, after which I will send you teachers up the mountain in carrying-chairs or on horses. Vulture Peak is only some 250 miles from here, not at all far away.” Sanzang was thoroughly delighted to hear this, and he agreed to it all at once.
Several young and old servants fetched firewood, drew water, and brought rice, flour and vegetables into the house with which to prepare them a meal. All this disturbed the gentleman's wife, who said, “Where have these monks come from, and why is everyone so busy?”
“Four eminent monks have just arrived,” the servants told her, “and when the master asked them where they were from they said they'd been sent by the emperor of the Great Tang in the East to go to worship the Lord Buddha on Vulture Peak. Goodness only knows how far it is to here from there. The master said that they had been sent down from heaven and told us to get them a vegetarian meal quickly.”
The old woman was also very pleased to hear this, so she told a maid to fetch her clothes so that she too could go to see them. “Only one of them is handsome, ma'am,” the servant said. “The other three don't bear looking at. They're really hideous.”
“What you people don't realize,” the old woman replied, “is that if they look ugly, strange and freakish they must be heavenly beings come down to earth. Hurry and tell your master straight away.”
The servant ran straight to the surra hall, where he said to the gentleman, “The old lady's here to pay her respects to the lords from the East.” On hearing this Sanzang rose from his seat. Before the words had all been spoken the old woman was already before the hall, where she lifted her eyes to see the Tang Priest's majestic countenance and his splendid bearing. When she turned to see the extraordinary appearance of Monkey and the other two she was somewhat alarmed even though she knew they were heavenly beings come down to earth; she fell to her knees and bowed.
Sanzang quickly returned her courtesy, saying, “Bodhisattva, the honour you do me is undeserved.” The old woman then asked her husband why the four reverend gentlemen were not all sitting together.
“We three are disciples,” said Pig, thrusting his snout forward. Goodness! His voice was like the roar of a tiger deep in the mountains. The old woman was terrified.
As they were talking another servant appeared to announce, “The two young masters are here too.” When Sanzang turned quickly round to look he saw that they were two young scholars, who prostrated themselves to the venerable elder after walking into the sutra hall. Sanzang was quick to return their courtesy. Mr. Kou then came up to take hold of him and say, “These are my two sons. Their names are Kou Liang and Kou Dong. They have just come back from their school and have not yet had their lunch. They are here to pay their respects because they have heard that you teachers have come down to earth.”