Two Precious Scroll Narratives of Guanyin and Her ... - Khamkoo
Two Precious Scroll Narratives of Guanyin and Her ... - Khamkoo
Two Precious Scroll Narratives of Guanyin and Her ... - Khamkoo
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128 The<strong>Precious</strong><strong>Scroll</strong><strong>of</strong>IncenseMountain,Part2<br />
And next he ordered the god <strong>of</strong> the earth <strong>of</strong> Incense Mountain<br />
To transform himself into a brightly hued, motley-striped tiger<br />
And leave the forest, shaking his head <strong>and</strong> whipping his tail.<br />
The Jade Emperor <strong>of</strong> highest heaven ordered the god <strong>of</strong> the earth <strong>of</strong><br />
Incense Mountain <strong>and</strong> the inspector-general <strong>of</strong> the nine heavens to<br />
help <strong>and</strong> assist the princess reach her destination. At this moment<br />
the princess was exhausted from the sufferings <strong>of</strong> the journey. Just<br />
as she was about to sit down at the foot <strong>of</strong> a mountain, she suddenly<br />
saw a fierce beast that with its bulging eyes <strong>and</strong> earth-shaking roar<br />
terrified heaven <strong>and</strong> earth. When she looked more closely, it turned<br />
out to be a tiger! So the princess walked up to it <strong>and</strong> said: ‘‘I am an<br />
unfilial girl. I went down into the Underworld, but then came back<br />
to life again. Now I want to go to Incense Mountain to live in seclusion<br />
<strong>and</strong> cultivate the Way. But alas, my karmic fortune is so shallow<br />
<strong>and</strong> limited that not everything I do turns out as I would wish.<br />
Now that I have run into you, I will relieve your hunger with my<br />
body, <strong>and</strong> allow you to eat your fill.’’ When the tiger heard her, it<br />
crouched down on its haunches like a gibbon <strong>and</strong> spoke with a<br />
human voice: ‘‘I am the god <strong>of</strong> the earth <strong>of</strong> Incense Mountain. I<br />
have received an order from the High Emperor, dispatching me to<br />
guard <strong>and</strong> protect Your Highness. You don’t have to be afraid. I<br />
am yours to ride.’’ When the princess heard this, she thanked<br />
Heaven with a bow, <strong>and</strong> mounted the tiger’s back. She closed her<br />
eyes for a moment, <strong>and</strong> before she knew it had arrived at Incense<br />
Mountain! In a grotto in a steep cliff she saw thous<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> tigers<br />
gnawing through trees <strong>and</strong> carrying stones in order to build walls<br />
all around. The god <strong>of</strong> the mountain <strong>and</strong> the god <strong>of</strong> the earth protected<br />
<strong>and</strong> guarded her on all sides. Gibbons <strong>and</strong> monkeys <strong>of</strong>fered<br />
her fruits, <strong>and</strong> the hundred birds brought her flowers. Dragons <strong>and</strong><br />
elephants served as her entourage, <strong>and</strong> gods <strong>and</strong> ghosts served her<br />
reverentially. <strong>Her</strong>e there was no division between the human realm<br />
<strong>and</strong> the heavenly realm, <strong>and</strong> she could meet with denizens <strong>of</strong> both.<br />
From this moment on, the princess was unencumbered <strong>and</strong> free <strong>of</strong><br />
delusion. Adapting to her surroundings, her heart was empty, <strong>and</strong><br />
she achieved the initial stage <strong>of</strong> enlightenment. Truly, the green<br />
pines covered in dew were all Absolute Truth, the moon among the<br />
white clouds was nothing but prajñā; 28 the persons she was in contact<br />
with were all buddhas <strong>and</strong> bodhisattvas, <strong>and</strong> the people she<br />
sought guidance from were all arhats <strong>and</strong> holy monks. And in this
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