新編大學(xué)英語第三冊(cè)u(píng)nit1 Text C: The Monkey King

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UNIT 1 AFTER-CLASS READING 2; New College English (III)

The Monkey King

1 Monkey was born from an egg which had been fertilized by the wind as it lay on the peak of a mountain in Ao-lai on the eastern side of the Ocean. He became unbelievably adept at magic arts and learned further skills from a Taoist Immortal who among other things named him Discoverer of Secrets, taught him to change his shape at will and to fly through the air. Monkey organized all the monkeys of the world into a kingdom and killed a Beast who was persecuting them. He obtained a magic weapon from the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea with which he began to make himself master of the four quarters.

2 One day, at a great feast given in his honor, Monkey drank too much. While he was asleep, he was seized by the servants of the king of Hell, who had him chained in the infernal regions. He broke his bonds, however, and stole the register of judgments, from which he deleted his own name and those of all monkeys. As a result of all the trouble which he had caused, Monkey was summoned to Heaven to explain his conduct. The Lord of Heaven made him Grand Guardian of the Heavenly Stables to keep him quiet. Monkey behaved himself well for a while, but soon began to create trouble in Heaven. He then went back to Mount Huaguo. The Lord of Heaven organized a siege of the mountain, but was defeated. Finally, after Monkey had declared himself Governor of Heaven and Great Saint, terms were arranged and he agreed to conform to the divine laws as Superintendent in Chief of the Heavenly Peach Garden, the source of Immortality. Much to his anger, he was not invited to the Peach Festival and decided to take revenge. He not only ate all the food and wine prepared for the feast but also stole the pills of immortality from the house of Lao Jun. Since he had already eaten the peaches, Monkey was made doubly immortal. After this he went once again to Mount Huaguo. But by now his irresponsible behavior had infuriated all the gods and goddesses. After a long battle during which Monkey employed all his magic skills to avoid defeat, he was finally captured and brought to the Jade Emperor, who condemned him to death.

3 The sentence could not, however, be carried out because Monkey was protected both by the peaches and by the pills of immortality. He was handed over to Lao Jun to be distilled in the alchemists' furnace. He was put in the furnace which was heated to white heat for forty-nine days, but at the end of this time Monkey lifted the lid and threatened to destroy Heaven. In despair, the Jade Emperor sent for the Buddha, who asked Monkey why he wished to possess Heaven. Monkey's reply was that he knew with certainty that he was powerful enough to rule Heaven. When the Buddha demanded proof of this claim, Monkey explained that he was immortal, invulnerable, able to change his shape in seventy-two different ways, to fly through the air, and to leap a distance of 108,000 li. The Buddha doubted whether Monkey could even jump out of his palm, but agreed that if Monkey was successful, then he would be entitled to rule Heaven. So Monkey leaped into the air and sprang prodigiously across Heaven to the furthest confines of the earth, where he came to rest at the base of a great mountain. Here he pissed as animals do when they wish to mark out a territory as their own. Then he returned in a single bound and confronted the Buddha. But the Buddha laughed at his claim to have crossed the whole universe in one bound and showed him that the mountain where he had pissed was but the base of one of the Buddha's fingers and that he had not even escaped from the palm of the Buddha's hand. Then the Buddha created a magic mountain and shut Monkey within it.

4 He would have remained there forever had the Bodhisattva Guan Yin not obtained his release so that he could accompany Tang Seng on his great pilgrimage to the Western Paradise to fetch the authentic versions of the Buddha's teachings. The monkey swore faithfully to obey his new master and to protect him from all dangers. He did this despite many temptations along the way and at least eighty great dangers which the pilgrims, including a pig, had to face. On their return a last hazard awaited them when a turtle who was conveying them and the scriptures across a flooded river discovered that Tang Seng had not yet fulfilled a vow he had made to him, swam away and left them to drown. But they swam safely ashore and were greeted with great celebrations by the Emperor and the people.

5 Their final honors came from a heavenly committee under the presidency of Buddha. Tang Seng was recognized as a former chief disciple of the Buddha and was granted a high rank in Heaven. Monkey was made God of Victorious Strife, and the Pig was created Chief Divine Altar Cleanser. The Horse who had carried Tang Seng and the scriptures was turned into a four-clawed dragon and named chief of heavenly dragons. At the beginning of his pilgrimage Tang Seng had put a helmet on Monkey which became tight whenever he strayed or misbehaved. The pain had caused Monkey to refrain from wickedness. Therefore, when he was given his new title, Monkey begged Tang Seng to remove the helmet, since he had now become an enlightened one. Tang Seng answered that if Monkey was indeed enlightened, the helmet would have gone of its own accord. Monkey reached up to feel his head and found that the helmet had disappeared.