s stand, took his cane and scolded: "What
an ape! This he will not learn, and that he will not learn! What are
you waiting to learn, then?" With that he gave him three blows across
the head, retired to his inner chamber, and closed the great door
after him.

The disciples were greatly excited, and overwhelmed Sun Wu Kung with
reproaches. Yet the latter paid no attention to them, but smiled
quietly to himself, for he had understood the riddle which the Master
had given him to solve. And in his heart he thought: "His striking me
over the head three times meant that I was to be ready at the third
watch of the night. His withdrawing to his inner chamber and closing
the great door after him, meant that I was to go in to him by the back
door, and that he would make clear the great truth to me in secret."
Accordingly he waited until evening, and made a pretense of lying down
to sleep with the other disciples. But when the third watch of the
night had come he rose softly and crept to the back door. Sure enough
it stood ajar. He slipped in and stepped before the Master's bed. The
Master was sleeping with his face turned toward the wall, and the ape
did not venture to wake him, but knelt down in front of the bed. After
a time the Master turned around and hummed a stanza to himself:

"A hard, hard grind,
Truth's lesson to expound.
One talks oneself deaf, dumb and blind,
Unless the right man's found."

Then Sun Wu Kung replied: "I am waiting here reverentially!"

The Master flung on his clothes, sat up in bed and said harshly:
"Accursed ape! Why are you not asleep? What are you doing here?"

Sun Wu Kung answered: "Yet you pointed out to me yesterday that I was
to come to you at the third watch of the night, by the back door, in
order to be instructed in the truth. Therefore I have ventured to
come. If you will teach me in the fulness of your grace, I will be
eternally grateful to you."

Thought the Master to himself: "There is real intelligence in this
ape's head, to have made him understand me so well." Then he replied:
"Sun Wu Kung, it shall be granted you! I will speak freely with you.
Come quite close to me, and then I will show you the way to eternal
life."

With that he murmured into his ear a divine, magical incantation to
further the concentration of his vital powers, and explained the
hidden knowledge word for word. Sun Wu Kung listened to him eagerly,
and in a short time had learned it by hea