The Buddha replied, “It is a demon monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain. Its sins are heinous and indescribable. None of the heavenly generals could subdue it. Even when Erlang captured it and Laozi tried to refine it with fire, it could not harm it.”
"When I arrived, he was in the middle of the Thunder Generals, showing off his power and spirit. I stopped his fighting and asked him where he came from. He said he had supernatural powers, could transform, and was good at somersaulting on the cloud, and could travel 108,000 miles in one go."
“I made a bet with him that he couldn’t escape my grasp, so I grabbed him, turned my finger into the Five Elements Mountain, and sealed him down.”
"Afterwards, the Jade Emperor opened the Golden Palace and invited me to sit in the chief seat. He held a 'Peaceful Heaven Assembly' to express his gratitude, and that's why I took my leave and returned home."
Upon hearing this, all the monks were filled with joy and praised it highly.
The Tathagata resided at the Great Thunderclap Temple on Mount Ling. One day, he summoned all Buddhas, Arhats, Gatekeepers, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, and Bhikkhus.
He addressed the crowd, saying, “Since the subjugation of the demon monkey Antian, nearly two months have passed in heaven, while five hundred years have passed on earth! On this day of the full moon in early autumn, I have a treasure basin that blooms with a hundred kinds of exotic flowers and a thousand kinds of rare fruits and other wondrous things, which I will share with you all in this ‘Ullambana Ceremony’!”
All the Buddhas clasped their hands together, filled with excitement.
At the Dharma assembly, the Buddha preached the Dharma, and everyone listened with rapt attention, their faces beaming with smiles, and they all gained profound understanding.
Seven days later, after finishing his sermon, the Buddha addressed the assembly, saying, "I observe that the beings in the four continents exhibit varying degrees of good and evil. Those in the Eastern Continent, for example, revere Heaven and Earth, and possess a tranquil and peaceful mind."
"Those of the Northern Giant Reed Continent, though fond of killing, do so only for sustenance; they are simple-minded and unassuming, and do not commit many atrocities. Those of the Western Ox-He Continent, however, are neither greedy nor murderous, cultivating their inner energy and nurturing their spirit; though they lack supreme immortals, everyone enjoys a long life."
“But the people of Jambudvipa are greedy, lustful, and fond of trouble. They kill and fight a lot. It is a place of fierce words and a sea of evil.”
“I have the Tripitaka, which can persuade people to do good.”
Upon hearing this, all the Buddhas joined their palms in reverence and took refuge.
Someone asked, "May I ask the World Honored One, what are the three baskets of true scriptures?"
The Buddha replied, “I have one collection of Dharma, which discusses the heavens; one collection of Treatises, which discusses the earth; and one collection of Sutras, which guides ghosts. These three collections comprise thirty-five parts, totaling fifteen thousand one hundred and forty-four volumes. They are the scriptures for cultivating truth and the gateway to righteousness and goodness.”
“I wish to send it to the East to educate the ignorant masses, but I fear that they will slander the true words, not know the essence of my Buddhism, and neglect the true lineage of Yoga.”
"Therefore, I wish to find a person with great magical power, and go to the East to find a virtuous believer, and teach him to endure hardships across thousands of mountains and rivers, to come to me to obtain the true scriptures, so that they may be passed on to the East forever and enlighten all living beings. This would be an immense blessing and auspicious occasion!"
"Which of you is willing to make this trip?"
At that moment, Guanyin Bodhisattva stepped out of the line, bowed, and said, "This humble disciple wishes to go to the East to find a person to retrieve the scriptures."
Hearing the voice, everyone looked up and saw that the person was none other than Guanyin Bodhisattva. What a magnificent Guanyin! She possessed the four virtues of perfect reason and wisdom, and her golden body was full of wisdom. Her tassels were adorned with pearls and jade, and her fragrant garlands were adorned with precious gems.
Dark clouds cleverly coiled into a dragon's hair bun, embroidered ribbons fluttering lightly with colorful phoenix feathers; jade buttons, plain silk robe, enveloped in auspicious light;
A brocade skirt, adorned with golden ribbons, her auspicious aura shrouded her; her eyebrows like crescent moons, her eyes like twin stars; her jade-like face radiant with joy, her lips a touch of red.
The nectar in the vase is abundant year after year, and the willow branches inserted at an angle remain evergreen. It relieves the eight difficulties, saves all living beings, and has great compassion. Therefore, it guards Mount Tai and resides in the South Sea. It rescues those suffering from their cries and responds to all requests. It is a thousand saints and a thousand spirits. Its orchid-like heart rejoices in the purple bamboo, and its fragrant nature loves the sweet vine.
It is Mount Luojia, the master of Chaoyin Cave, and Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Upon seeing this, the Buddha was overjoyed and said, "The Venerable Guanyin possesses great supernatural powers and profound magical abilities; it is just right for her to go to the Eastern Land."
Hearing the praise, Guanyin was slightly pleased and replied, "When I go to the Eastern Land, does the World Honored One have any instructions?"
The Buddha said, “On this journey, you must carefully observe the path. You are not allowed to travel in the heavens. You must travel through half-clouds and half-mist, crossing mountains and rivers. Remember the distance of the journey carefully. I urge the pilgrim to take these five treasures with you. I fear that it will be difficult for the faithful to make the journey.”
Then he ordered his two attendants, Ananda and Kasyapa, to bring out a brocade kasaya and a nine-ringed tin staff.
The Buddha admonished Guanyin, saying, "You may give the robe and staff to the one who is on his pilgrimage. If he is sincere in his pilgrimage, he will not fall into the cycle of reincarnation if he wears my robe and will be spared from harm if he holds my staff."
Guanyin gladly accepted, but then Tathagata took out three more headbands and handed them to Guanyin, saying, "These are the Tightening Headbands. Although they are three of the same type, their effects are different. I also have three incantations: Golden, Tight, and Forbidden. If you encounter powerful demons on the road, you can persuade them to do good and become disciples of the pilgrim."
"If he is unwilling to submit and disobey, you can put this headband on his head. Immediately, you will see flesh take root. Recite the incantation I taught him, and his eyes will bulge, his head will ache, and his forehead will crack. No matter how great his magical power is, he will have no choice but to join my Buddhist sect."
Upon hearing this, Guanyin was startled. She took the three hoops, carefully hid them, thanked the Buddha, and then withdrew.
After leaving Mount Ling, Guanyin only took Huian Xingzhe with her.
That Huian Xingzhe was Muzha, the second son of Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King of Heaven. He was skilled with a thousand-pound iron cudgel and obediently followed Guanyin, acting as her little attendant carrying her bags.
Guanyin packed up the brocade kasaya and had Huian carry it on his back. She herself took her staff and headed straight for the southern continent of Jambudvipa in the east.
On their journey, the two encountered the Flowing Sand River, where they subdued the former Heavenly Court's Curtain-Raising General, now known as Sha Tongtian, and ordered him to wait there for the pilgrims to accompany them on their journey to the Western Paradise to retrieve the scriptures.
Then, in Gaojiazhuang, they encountered a pig demon whose previous life was Marshal Tianpeng, who commanded 300,000 naval troops in Heaven. Guanyin subdued him and ordered him to wait in the same place.
Then, at Eagle's Sorrow Stream in Snake Coil Mountain, he subdued Ao Bing, the third prince of the West Sea Dragon King, and ordered him to wait in the same place.
Then, the two traveled eastward, eventually arriving at the capital city of Chang'an from the territory of the Great Xin Empire in the Southern Continent.
Along their journey, everything they saw and heard saddened Guanyin and Muzha. In such a vast empire with a huge population and expansive territory, they had not encountered a single decent temple.
What worried the two even more was that Guanyin revealed her true form as a Bodhisattva, intending to spread the teachings of Buddhism in the Western Paradise and to spread her teachings widely, but the people regarded her as a demon and drove her out of the city by throwing stones at her.
This situation was not limited to one city or county, but was prevalent throughout the entire Great Xin Empire. The veneration of Taoism and suppression of Buddhism was so extreme that even Guanyin (the Bodhisattva of Compassion) was helpless and had no way to deal with it.
Faced with the overwhelming tide of humanity and the prevailing trend of human morality, how could the two dare to use their supernatural powers to kill? They could only admit defeat with grim faces and use their transformation techniques to turn into an old man and a young man, which improved the situation somewhat.
Upon entering Chang'an City, they walked to the main street and saw a shrine to the Earth God. The two went straight inside, startling the Earth God and causing his ghost soldiers to tremble with fear.
Only after Guanyin revealed her identity did he realize that it was a Bodhisattva who had arrived, and he hurriedly kowtowed to welcome her inside.
Afterwards, the local earth god reported the matter to the city god of Chang'an City.
The City God rushed to see Guanyin and apologized, saying, "Bodhisattva, please forgive my lateness in receiving you."
Guanyin replied, “You must not let this news slip. I have come here on the orders of the World-Honored One to find the person who will retrieve the scriptures. I will stay in your temple for a few days. Once I have found the true monk, I will return to Mount Ling.”
The City God said with trepidation, "It is my good fortune that the Bodhisattva has taken a liking to my dilapidated temple. Please, Bodhisattva, do as you please. I will move out and stay for a few days!"