of 5,400 years, everything should be dark like night without any living thing. This state is called chaos. After the second period of 5,400 years comes the era which gradually begins to open up with light. Hence the saying, “The winter solstice is the re-beginning.” But Nature never changes. Everything is dead. Soon after, life again begins. After a third period of 5,400 years, the lighter parts of matter rise up, forming the sun and moon and stars. Towards the end of a fourth period of 5,400 years, the solid parts combine. The Book of Changes says, “How great is Heaven, how perfect is the Earth producing all things. The Earth henceforth becomes solid.” After a fifth period of 5,400 years more, all the solids resolve into water and fire, into mountains, rocks, and earth. After a sixth period of 5,400 years, at the end of another kalpa, all things are reproduced again. Heavenly influences descend and earthly influences rise, and by the union of the two, all living things are produced. After the seventh period of 5,400 years, men and birds and beasts are produced. Thus we have the three great powers, Heaven, Earth, and Man. The Three Emperors came forth to rule the earth and the Five Sovereigns fixed the social relations.
Then the world was divided into four great continents, and far beyond the ocean there was a country called Aolai. Near this country was a sea, and in the sea there was a famous mountain called the Flower and Fruit Mountain. This was the greatest of all the mountains of the world, the home of the mighty dragon gods. On the top of that mountain there was a living stone, 36 feet 5 inches high, and divided into 365 degrees like the heavens, and it was 24 feet in circumference, from which went forth 24 different influences. Above it there were 9 openings and 8 holes, according to the 9 mansions and 8 diagrams of the Book of Changes. Since the beginning of time it had been animated by the finest forces of heaven and earth. Sun and moon had long influenced it, so that it had an internal force, as a child in its mother’s womb. On a certain day it split open and produced a stone egg, round like a big ball. After exposure to the air, this was transformed into a stone monkey with the five senses of the body complete, and able to creep and run. It turned and bowed to the four points of the compass, and its eyes glowed like burning light, the rays of which reached the stars, astonishing the dwellers in heaven, even reaching the Jade Emperor in his golden palace in the clouds, and the inner palace where the heavenly ministers were gathered.
They saw the light burning brightly and ordered a telescope to be brought. Two great heavenly messengers returned and reported that the light came from the Aolai country where the Flower and Fruit Garden was on a mountain; on the mountain there was a stone pillar, which had laid a stone egg; when the egg was exposed to the air, it was transformed into a stone monkey that bowed to the four quarters of heaven; its eyes shone with burning light reaching to the stars; it ate and drank, but the light of its eyes was becoming dim. The Jade Emperor took pity on it and said, “That far object below is not strange at all; it is the living principle of life in the universe.” The Monkey on the mountain could walk and jump, eat vegetables and drink of the brook, pluck wild flowers and seek for fruit and berries, and make companions of monkeys and birds and join a herd of deer. At night he lay down on a rock. In the day he wandered about on mountain peaks and penetrated into caves. Truly he was the most incomparable of all living creatures. In the greatest cold he did not suffer. In the summer heat he joined a herd of monkeys seeking a cool place in the deep shade of fir trees. After play he would go to the mountain stream to bathe and watch the water rushing down the rocks.
Then one day all the monkeys cried out, “Where does the stream come from? Let us follow it to its source. Call the monkeys all together.” All came and shouted out, “Let us go.” So they started up the stream and climbed the rocks till they came to its source, which was a great waterfall. Then all clapped their hands for joy and cried, “Beautiful, beautiful!” But the waterfall came from a cave. Then they said, “Whoever dares enter the cave and find the source and comes out without injury, we shall make our king.” Three times this cry was raised and agreed to.
In face of these difficulties, suddenly a monkey came forward and cried out, “I will venture in.” A fine one he was. He shut his eyes, bent his body and rushed into the midst of the waterfall. Then he opened his eyes and raised his head to see. There was no water, but there was an iron bridge. The water under the bridge filled a hole in a stone and then flowed out and covered the entrance to the bridge. Again on looking at the top of the bridge, he saw a house, most beautiful. After looking at everything for a long time, he jumped over the bridge, and he saw in the middle a stone pillar. On the pillar were cut the words, “The Happy Land of the Flower and Fruit Garden, the Waterfall of Heaven’s Cave.” The stone monkey was delighted beyond measure. He shut his eyes again and doubled up his body and jumped through the waterfall to the outside.
He sneezed twice and then said, “A grand find, a grand find!” Then all the monkeys gathered round and said, “What is it? Is the water deep?” He said, “There is no water at all, only an iron bridge. On the other side of the bridge is a palace full of treasures.” “How do you know that?” they asked. The stone monkey smiled and said, “This water comes from a stone hole under the bridge and flows out as a screen to the entrance. On both sides of the bridge there are flowers and trees and a stone palace. In the palace there are stone pots, stone stoves, stone basins, stone cups, stone beds and stone seats. In the midst there is a stone pillar on which is carved: “The Happy Land of the Flower and Fruit Garden, the Waterfall of Heaven’s Cave.” There is our true resting place. Let us go and live there, lest we suffer from the weather.” All were delighted with the news. “You lead us in and show us the way.”
Then the stone monkey shut his eyes, doubled himself up and jumped in, and all the rest followed in the same way, and jumped over the bridge, all of them struggling for the stone pots and pans and beds and seats with all the selfishness of monkeys, till all were quite tired. The stone monkey sat with dignity and at last said, “Sirs, what will become of persons if they are faithless? You said whoever should be first in here and go unhurt, should be made king. I have now found out this Cave of Heaven where you rest in peace and enjoy the happiness of a palace. Why is it that you do not respect me as a king?” They all cried out, “May you live, Oh King, for a thousand years.” After this he changed his name and did not call himself the stone monkey, but the Monkey King.
Living beings all descend
From three Powers: Heaven, Earth, and Man.
From the womb of immortal stone,
Comes the egg from whence the ape.
Shapeless first all life begins,
Then at last is perfect form.
Age to age thus reproduced,
Whether beast or man or sage.
Then the Monkey King led all kinds of monkeys who were princes, statesmen, and their assistants, to the mountain garden in the day, and at night they slept inside the water curtain. They did not join with the birds of the air, nor with the beasts of the fields, but lived as a kingdom in the enjoyment of the wealth of Nature for many centuries.
One day, when feasting with his monkeys, suddenly the king began to weep. Then all the monkeys gathered round him and reverently asked what troubled him. He replied, “Although I am happy now, I am not without fear of future shadow.” They laughed and said, “Oh King, we live daily in this Happy Land and the Cave of Heaven, perfectly free without restraint and with infinite joy: what need is there to fear?” The king replied, “Although today we break no human laws, nor have fear of being conquered by wild beasts, still in time we shall get old and decrepit, and be in fear of the judge of the dead, who will not let us stay amongst the living.” Hearing this, all the monkeys covered their faces and cried because they all feared death. At this there jumped from among them a strong one, and cried out with a loud voice, “Oh King, this sorrow of yours is an opportunity to gain Life Eternal. Of all the wonders of
