is another reason why you were chosen for this task, a rather more pragmatic reason. You’re young and strong, and like I said, the journey is long and arduous.”
Bodhidharma was finally beginning to see why he had been chosen for such a mission, “Long and arduous?” he repeated slowly, I believe “long and perilous” were your exact words, Master.”
Prajnatara’s pained expression returned. “They were? Yes, well, perhaps I did say that. Look, I won’t lie to you Bodhidharma. I’ll give you the facts as I know them.” He paused to clear his throat. “The Venerable Ananda did inform me that several monks who went to China seem to have disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“They have not been heard from again.”
“How many, exactly?”
“How many what?”
“How many monks have never been heard from again?”
“Well I’m not sure of the exact figures. I suppose The Venerable Ananda might have some more precise statistics …”
“Just approximately,” Bodhidharma persisted.
“I believe four masters went to meet with the emperor of China in recent years. None succeeded.”
“Why did they fail?”
“Two were quite old, and the journey is very demanding. There are mountains of dangerous cold, treacherous rivers, endless deserts. It’s thought they perished on the way. On top of that, there are bandits and brigands in the hills. One may have been killed, or captured and enslaved. The fourth went by sea, a very long route. I believe his ship was either lost at sea or attacked by pirates.”
“I see.”
“The Venerable Ananda and I felt that a monk with a background like yours would be the ideal candidate to succeed in such a mission,” Prajnatara said lightly, as if giving an answer to a simple puzzle. “If your skill with the bow and the sword is even half as good as your wrestling, you should have nothing to fear. In fact, heaven help any bandit who tries to stop you!”
“You make it sound easy,” Bodhidharma scowled.
“It is not easy. Not at all. But then, the path never is. It is simply the path. And this is your path. Surely you can see that?”
Bodhidharma stared at him coolly.
“Besides,” Prajnatara continued, “it’s not all doom and danger. Think of the adventures you’ll have, the places you’ll see. You can go north to Magadha and bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges. Make a pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya and meditate beneath the Tree of Enlightenment like The Buddha. You can visit Kapilavastu, Sarnath, and Kusinagara. And after all that, you can go to Nalanda, the greatest temple in the world, where The Venerable Ananda will be expecting you. He will help you prepare for your onward journey. You will climb the Himalayas and stand on the roof of the world. I climbed those mountains myself when I was young. They are so beautiful. I only wish I could see them once again before I die, but my place is here now. And then you will see China! Just think of it, an unimaginable land, known to the rest of us only through myth and legend. How I envy you.”
He stopped abruptly to gauge the reaction of his disciple.
“It sounds like the two of you have it all planned,” Bodhidharma said.
Prajnatara laughed. “The Venerable Ananda and I have written many times on the subject, that much is true. He is very excited about the possibility of your mission, very excited about you. But there is no need to answer right now, Bodhidharma. Think it over. Take as long as you wish. I know you will make the right decision.”
“There is no need to think it over,” Bodhidharma said quietly. “I will go.”
Prajnatara’s face lit up. “You will?”
“I will. If you say it is my destiny, then I will follow it.”
“How wonderful!” Prajnatara clapped his hands in delight. “The Venerable Ananda will be so thrilled when I tell him.”
“I would not want to disappoint the living embodiment of Buddha on Earth,” Bodhidharma said with a grim smile.
“Oh Bodhidharma, you could never disappoint him, nor me! But I’m so happy that you have accepted. It is your path. I have seen it in a vision, and these things cannot be ignored.” Prajnatara poured a little water for himself and took a sip. “On a more practical note, you will need more than your bowl and sandals for this journey. I will give you funds and provisions to help you reach Nalanda, and Ananda will help you from there. But we can make all those arrangements later, much later. First we should relax, and you can tell me where you have been wandering and preaching, and why you have waited so long before coming to visit us. I am very angry with you, young man, very very angry …”
And so it was that Bodhidharma set off for an unknown land beyond the Himalayas, a place he could only imagine from a painting he had once seen, long ago, in the library of a temple he had visited. The painting had been unusual, most unlike the richly colored art of India. With just a few bold strokes of black ink on stark white paper, the artist had created an enormous winged serpent coiled around sharp towers of rock. Angry white water seethed beneath it, and a fine silver mist hung in the air. Curious markings ran down the side—Chinese writing, he had been told—though no one had any idea of their meaning. The effect had been startling; an alien world filled with unknown dangers. It was a land that could not have been more different from the warm flat jungles of his homeland, a place that was now both his destination and, if Prajnatara was to be believed, his destiny.
Kuang Returns to Barracks
Huo bent to help Kuang to his feet. “Come on, you fool,” he sighed, straining to lift him, “let’s get you back to the barracks. It’s going to be freezing out here tonight.”
Kuang struggled to stand. His body was wracked with pain. He took two faltering steps supporting himself on Huo’s shoulder, but the pain was too great and his legs buckled beneath him. Huo caught him and lifted him in his arms like a baby, ignoring his groans. “No need to thank me,” he said.
Huo had a fat lip and his left eye was black and swollen, despite which, he appeared in good spirits. He had clearly fared better in Corporal Chen’s brutal training fights than Kuang had. “Why did you come and get me?” Kuang demanded sullenly.
“Corporal Chen sent me.”
“He did?”
“When I told him you hadn’t come back, he ordered me to come and get you.”
“That’s very caring of him.”
“Try not to annoy him, Kuang. Just keep your head down and don’t get noticed. That’s what I do. It’s the best way.”
“I don’t want to be like you.”
“Good. I don’t want to be like you, either.”
They continued in silence until they reached the torch-lit compound inside the fort. Commander Tang’s
