a man singing in the
woods, and the song sounded like one the blessed spirits might sing.
So he hastily entered the wood to see who might be singing. There he
met a wood-chopper at work. The Ape King bowed to him and said:
"Venerable, divine master, I fall down and worship at your feet!" Said
the wood-chopper: "I am only a workman; why do you call me divine
master?" "Then, if you are no blessed god, how comes it you sing that
divine song?" The wood-chopper laughed and said: "You are at home in
music. The song I was singing was really taught me by a saint." "If
you are acquainted with a saint," said the Ape King, "he surely cannot
live far from here. I beg of you to show me the way to his dwelling."
The wood-chopper replied: "It is not far from here. This mountain is
known as the Mountain of the Heart. In it is a cave where dwells a
saint who is called 'The Discerner.' The number of his disciples who
have attained blessedness is countless. He still has some thirty to
forty disciples gathered about him. You need only follow this path
which leads to the South, and you cannot miss his dwelling." The Ape
King thanked the wood-chopper and, sure enough, he came to the cave
which the latter had described to him. The gate was locked and he did
not venture to knock. So he leaped up into a pine tree, picked
pine-cones and devoured the seed. Before long one of the saint's
disciples came and opened the door and said: "What sort of a beast is
it that is making such a noise?" The Ape King leaped down from his
tree, bowed, and said: "I have come in search of truth. I did not
venture to knock." Then the disciple had to laugh and said: "Our
master was seated lost in meditation, when he told me to lead in the
seeker after truth who stood without the gate, and here you really
are. Well, you may come along with me!" The Ape King smoothed his
clothes, put his hat on straight, and stepped in. A long passage led
past magnificent buildings and quiet hidden huts to the place where
the master was sitting upright on a seat of white marble. At his right
and left stood his disciples, ready to serve him. The Ape King flung
himself down on the ground and greeted the master humbly. In answer to
his questions he told him how he had found his way to him. And when he
was asked his name, he said: "I have no name. I am the ape who came
out of the stone." So the master said: "Then I will give you a name. I
name you Sun Wu Kung." The Ape King thanked him, full