Monkey Subdues the White Bone Demon
The monk Xuanzhang , escorted by his disciples Monkey, Pigsy, and Sandy,
start out for the Western Paradise in search of Buddhist scriptures.
The pilgrims press forward on their long, hard journey. One day they
arrive at the White Tiger Mountain. The ever-watchful Monkey senses danger
and volunteers to go ahead as a scout. He draws a magic circle around
the others and tells them to stay inside it. “Don’t accost anyone while
I am away,” he says, “and don’t touch any food.”
Now in this mountain there lives the White-bone Demon, a terror even among
demons. Hearing that Xuanzhang has arrived with his disciples, she decides
to go down the mountain and capture him. She is delighted to find Xuanzhang
in meditation and is about to spring on him when golden rays shoot out from
the circle and bar the way.
Unable to enter the magic circle, the demon changes into a coy young maiden
and approaches the three with a basket of steamed buns in her hand.
Greedy Pigsy smells the fragrant buns and races out of the circle to greet
the girl. “I’m going over to the temple to offer sacrifices,” she says invitingly.
Pigsy pulls Xuanzhang along to follow her.
Monkey returns, recognizes the demon and kills her with one blow of his
staff. It is only the demon’s transformation, however, and the demon
escapes in a wisp of cloud. Xuanzhang is horrified and accuses Monkey: “Look
what you’ve done, you’ve committed a crime!”
The crafty demon now changes into a pious old woman. She screams
at Pigsy that whoever killed her daughter must pay the death penalty. Xuanzhang,
unable to tell man from monster, is deceived again.
The like a bolt from the blue, Monkey descends and with one blow fells
the old hag. But the demon changes into vapour and again escapes.
“You wicked disciple,” Xuanzhang rails, “How dare you kill like that!”
The demon next takes the form of an old man and is about to deceive Xuanzhang
a third time when Monkey again sees through the transformation and raises
his staff to strike. The old man calls for help and Xuanzhang steps
between him and Monkey. “You’ve killed a mother and daughter already and
violated the sacred commandment. Do you dare to do it again?”
The old man clutches at the soft-hearted monk, beats his breast and wails
until Monkey can stand it no more. "You're a monster and I know it," he roars.
With one blow he knocks the old man off the cliff.
Monkey is about to pursue the demon when a strip of yellow silk floats
down on a cloud. On it is written: “Buddha is compassionate and will
never tolerate any killing. If you keep Monkey with you, you will never get
the scriptures.” On reading this, Xuanzhang dismisses Monkey and tells
him to return to his home on Flower and Fruit Mountain.
Pigsy and Sandy beg their master to let Monkey stay, but he will not listen.
Reluctantly, Monkey bids farewell to Xuanzhang, “Master, you must learn o
differentiate good from evil. Take care!” Then, with one great somersault
through the air, he returns to Flower and Fruit Mountain.
Xuanzhang and his two remaining disciples continue their journey. They
pass through a wood and arrive at a temple. Over the temple gate is
a tablet which reads: Temple of the Heavenly King. The three hurry in to
ask for food and shelter for the night.
Entering the main hall, they kneel before the images and pray for a safe
and successful journey. Suddenly the central image turns into the White-Bone
Demon. “Stupid monk who can’t tell true from false,”she exaults. “Seize him!”
In a flash the other images turn into minor demons. Xuanzhang and Sandy are
taken prisoner, but Pigsy fights his way out.
Pigsy hurries to Flower and Fruit Mountain and begs Monkey to rescue their
master. Monkey replies sarcastically, “Oh, Master’s so kind-hearted
he’ll persuade the demon to release him.” Pigsy is miffed at
this and says he’ll fight the demon alone.
Actually, Monkey has been worrying about his master, so as soon as Pigsy
leaves he mounts a cloud and heads straight for the demon’s cave. On
his way he meets the Golden Toad Fairy, mother of the White-Bone demon, who
has been invited by her daughter to a feast of Xuanzhang’s flesh.
Monkey jumps down and kills the Golden toad Fairy and all her attendants.
Then pulling some hairs from his body he turns them into little demons, while
he himself takes the form of the Toad Fairy, seats himself in her sedan
chair and is carried to the White-bone Demon’s cave.
In the meantime, Pigsy has been captured too. When Monkey in the
form of the Golden Toad Fairy arrives at the cave, he asks Xuanzhang, “where’s
your other disciple?” Xuanzhang replies, “He killed three people in one day,
so at Buddha’s will I dismissed him.” At this the White-bone Demon bursts
out laughing, “I tricked this simple-minded monk, “ she gloats, then in
rapid succession assumes the forms of the girl, the old woman and the old
man for the Golden Toad Fairy to see.
Xuanzhang realizes how foolish he has been and laments, “Why did I send
Monkey ways!” Instantly there is a voice: “Master, I’m here!” the Toad Fairy
vanishes in a twinkling and Monkey appears, big as life. Plucking
more hairs, Monkey turns them all into likenesses of himself. All
lift high their golden staffs and bring them down on the White-bone Demon,
who knows she is beaten and tries to flee.
Monkey, resourceful and brave, spews out magic flames which reduce the
demon to her true form a white skeleton. All the other demons, large
and small, are nothing but piles of bleached bones, too.
As the pilgrims continue their journey, Monkey warns his master: “There’ll
be more monsters on the way to the west. We’ll have to be on guard.” Xuanzhang
knows now and nods his head. And so the four press on, ready to face
any new dangers in their search for the Buddhist scriptures.
Taken from Monkey Subdues the White Bone Demon adapted by Hsu Kwang-jung
and pan Tsai-ying, Liaoning Art Publishing House, 1979
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