菩薩勉行 Guanyin on the Way
行者見他催促請行,急縱身,出離海藏,駕著雲,別了龍王。正走,卻遇著南海菩薩。菩薩道:「孫悟空,你怎麼不受教誨,不保唐僧,來此處何幹?」慌得個行者在雲端裡施禮道:「向蒙菩薩善言,果有唐朝僧到,揭了壓帖,救了我命,跟他做了徒弟。他卻怪我兇頑,我才閃他一閃,如今就去保他也。」菩薩道:「趕早去,莫錯過了念頭。」言畢各回。行者见他催促请行,急纵身,出离海藏,驾着云,别了龙王。正走,却遇着南海菩萨。菩萨道:「孙悟空,你怎么不受教诲,不保唐僧,来此处何干?」慌得个行者在云端里施礼道:「向蒙菩萨善言,果有唐朝僧到,揭了压帖,救了我命,跟他做了徒弟。他却怪我凶顽,我才闪他一闪,如今就去保他也。」菩萨道:「赶早去,莫错过了念头。」言毕各回。
逐句解 Line by line
The Pilgrim, seeing him urge and press him to be off, sprang up in haste, left the sea-depths, mounted his cloud, and took leave of the Dragon King.
Out of the sea-depths and onto a cloud. 行者 reads 行 as xíng; in 海藏, the sea's hidden depths, 藏 is the noun cáng, not the zàng of Sanzang's name; 駕著 uses the ongoing-action 著 (zhe).
As he went, he met the Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea.
And of all the people to meet in the sky on the way back. 遇著 uses the ongoing-action 著 (zhe).
The Bodhisattva said, "Sun Wukong, why do you not accept instruction, why do you not protect the Tang monk — what are you doing here?"
Three questions in one breath, and all of them accusations. Coming straight after the Dragon King's lecture, this is the second and higher rebuke in ten minutes. 教誨 reads 教 as jiào.
Flustered, the Pilgrim made his bow up in the clouds and said:
The creature who threatened to fight all of Heaven bows in mid-air and starts explaining himself. 慌得 reads 得 as de; 行者 reads 行 as xíng.
"I was favoured, before, with the Bodhisattva's kind words; and indeed a monk of Tang came, lifted the sealing-slip, saved my life, and I became his disciple.
He begins with the parts that reflect well on him: your kind words, the monk who came, the seal lifted, my life saved, and yes, I became his disciple. 唐朝 reads 朝 as cháo.
But he took offence at my fierceness, so I dodged away from him a while; and now I am off to protect him."
And then the masterpiece of understatement. He walked out for good; here it becomes 'I dodged away from him a while' — and, look, I was just on my way back.
The Bodhisattva said, "Hurry along, then, and do not let the good intention slip." With that, each went their way.
Hurry along and do not let the good intention slip. It is brisk, kindly, and spoken by someone who has just spent the afternoon making quite certain it cannot slip — she has come straight from handing his master the spell.
A brief, pointed encounter bridges the two halves of the reconciliation. Having been talked round by the Dragon King into returning of his own accord, Wukong now runs into Guanyin herself, who challenges him a second time. The doubled rebuke — first the dragon, then the bodhisattva — is a measure of how much moral pressure it takes to turn this creature around.
The scene is quietly ironic twice over. First, Wukong's sheepish self-excusing in front of Guanyin — he only 'dodged away a while' — shows a pride that has been dented rather than broken. Second, and more to the point, the reader knows what Wukong does not: this same bodhisattva has, minutes earlier and in disguise, handed his master the golden band and the spell that will compel him. Her brisk 'do not let the good intention slip' is spoken by someone who has already made sure of it.
So the encounter seals the persuasion while concealing the coercion running underneath. Wukong flies off believing he is going back freely; he is in fact flying straight into a very handsome cap. The chapter's two disciplines — appeal to the will, constraint of the body — are now a few minutes apart.